Posted by Lieutenant Sural (Chief Engineer) in Cargo Bay 4: A call to action

Posted by Lieutenant Junior Grade Sathut (Counselor) in Cargo Bay 4: A call to action

Posted by Commander D’Vash Odinson (First Officer(LOA)) in Cargo Bay 4: A call to action
Posted by… suppressed (8) by the Post Ghost! 👻
<snip>
“Yes, this is a staging area. I have created an adventure similar to an ancient earth game called ‘dungeons and dragons.’ As a part of that, I would like you to try out one of the features of the Mind Chamber which is exclusive to it and not within the Holodeck program. Perception alteration.”

Ishtar, as bashful as she was about it, had engaged in her fair share of DnD campaigns throughout her Freshman year at Starfleet Academy; the thought of revisiting those memories brought both a rosy hue to her cheeks and anticipation to her gaze.

He waved his hand, and instead of the cat they were used to seeing, a broad shouldered human man with dark skin sat in the chair. He opened his mouth, and out came the same voice. “We are able, with this technology, to bypass the sensory processing neurons and make the mind believe that it is contained within a much different body than one may be used to. You will see a menu before you with some choices. Please, choose one.”

As he said it, a scrolling menu appeared with pictures and names before each of them. They wouldn’t see the menus before the others, giving them a hint that Sathut’s arm waving was likely interaction with a menu of his own. It contained human, elf, dwarf, halfling, dragonborn, tiefling, and more. Including options to make them appear like the four races of Galdor. And several Federation alien species!

Sathut, CNS

“I had never imagined you as a human, Sathut, but this seems.. oddly suiting.” The difference in his body and voice would take some getting used to, but that was all part of the fun.

Waving her hand, Nhamashal scrolled through the various options set before her. In her days as a DnD player, she had often chosen the Halfing race; they were soft and somewhat fragile on the outside, but the longer the campaign went, the deeper into their complexity the player could delve. Despite her familiarity with the Halfling species, the Dragonborn was teasing her from the corner of her gaze. She had not attempted such a creature before, despite its popularity among those she had campaigned with. It was a new environment, this mind chamber, so she figured she’d go out on a limb and take a risk.

A Dragonborn selected, Ishtar’s dark skin faded into reptilian scales tainted the deepest of bronze, as if bearing the faintest similarity to her human form. Her uniform, useless in its diminutive size, had been rid of in favour of standard armor suitable for a creature as massive as were the Dragonborn people. In fascination, Nhamashal wiggled her fingers (whose nails had been replaced by onyx-tinged talons). “Most impressive,” She muttered, her mind split between the frivolous excitement of the young woman she was and the deep urge to comprehend the science behind it.

Ishtar Nhamashal, CSO

Sural did not appear to change much. Indeed his stature grew somewhat taller and his hair grew out, turning a more golden color and tied at the back revealing somewhat more pronounced ears and golden, rather than dark, eyes. His body filled out some even as his clothing changed to a silver-grey tunic that elongated the shoulders and came down in a triangular shape, that of a thicker weave than the loose trousers of the same color, if a touch darker and even darker calf high soft boots. Rather than a tricorder or tool of sorts an ornately carved staff that was a mix of a silver metal and polished wood.

Glancing at himself he allowed an Elven brow to rise. “Most logical,” he said, followed by “Fascinating” as he glanced at Ishtar’s altered appearance. Idly he wondered whether what they were was in any way matching ones’ inner personality.
Sural

D’vash watched the others, amused by what they had chosen. “Very fitting,” he said to both Ishtar and Sural. He began scrolling through the options and when something caught his eye, he made the selection.

As his image shifted, he appeared approximately the same size as he was in reality, but his uniform was replaced by a soft, supple black leather outfit, tight enough to enhance his build, yet loose enough not to restrict movement. On his torso was a sleeveless black vest, made of the same material that was attached to the hood that covered his head.

He opened the vest to reveal a number of pockets and pouches holding a myriad number of objects: lock picks, vials, a length of silk rope, and a small collapsible grappling hook. Strapped to one hip wear a phaser might normally hang was a one handed crossbow; the other held black scabbard from which the handle of a long sword appeared.

D’vash drew the sword to reveal an ebony black blade made of some unknown material. Satisfied, he slid the blade back in without the slightest of sounds.

In a very unlike Cmdr. Odinson phrase, he stated, “Let’s get this party started.

Odinson (XO)

Sathut nodded in approval, figuring out what the trio had turned themselves into.

“A Human, an Elf, and a Dragonborn. Which class option would you like to go with? You may also choose names for yourselves, although that is optional. When you are ready, we will begin,” the human Sathut spoke, standing up. His fingers began to play around with menus the others couldn’t see, setting up the beginning of the adventure.

“Some people might call me a thief, or a rogue. I prefer the acquistion specialist,” D’vash replied. “And simply refer to me as “Hood”.

“Oh,” Sathut touched a few buttons and his clothing shifted to some traditional DnD monk clothes. “I am a man who fights with his hands. You can call me Qi.”

Once they had all chosen and named their classes, Sathut nodded and began, waving his arm and pressing an invisible button.

The white room changed, becoming a tavern scene with the muted sounds. At a table a little ways away from the group there was an old, probably middle-aged, man. He was very short, probably a halfling, and a small glowing label over his head identified him to be “Garret Gamwich, your Employer.” They could hear the sound of thunder and heavy rain just outside the open door, and could even feel the dampness in their clothing. D’vash would feel particularly damp, his hood nearly dripping with water.

“Close the door, will ya!?” A gruff voice shouted, and looking at the source of the voice would show a group of grumpy looking dwarves. “Yer lettin’ in all the rain!”

Sathut stood adjacent to the trio, a grin on his face. “What do you think?”

Sathut

Under his hood, Hood smirked again. He moved in the direction of their employer, passing the dwarves. “A little rain might do you good. Might make you taller instead of wider.”

Hood (D’vash)

Sural had the compulsion to see his name in this .. program as Suravil. He recognized that he didn’t have much in the way of possessions but that he traveled ‘light’ as the humans would say. Rather than raising a brow at the comment of ‘Hood’ he pursed his lips instead. Insults were not something that engendered companionship. Evidently his personae was more applicable to wisdom than anything. Following along toward the fairly obvious ‘employer’ he kept his eyes on the people there. He was damp, yet his clothing had been relatively resistant given how he should have been soaked. His hair, however, was slick from the rain. The sounds of a tavern appeared to be universal - loud, with the smell of beer and cooked meat prevalent, only in this case mixed with that of a wood fire. His footfalls were light on the floor of worn wood and straw.
- Suravil

Ishtar had to leave unexpectedly, so Sathut quickly helped her get out of the program, then they continued.

Sathut stepped over to the man labeled as Garret and sat down at the table, then looked over to the human and ‘elf.’ “Good evening, my good sir.”

The halfling, who was quite elderly, looked up at Sathut, then over to Hood and Suravil. “Are ye’ my bodyguards?”

Sathut

“Depends,” Hood replied, his voice almost a whisper. “You the one paying us?”

As Garret answered, Hood’s eyes roamed the room, taking in all the details: where to take cover if trouble started, possible exits, anything that could be used as an impromptu weapon, if need be. Lastly, his gaze went from patron to patron, paying particular attention to their behaviors. If they were going to take on the role of bodyguards, it would be nice to know what they might be up against.

Hood (Acquisition specialist)

bump for Sural

Suravil shifted lightly on his feet. ‘Hood’ was looking around as if he was expecting trouble. Suravil had noted the patrons of the establishment on entering and determined them to be a varied crowd. Merchants, watchmen, tinkerers, laborers all milled about. He noted that most of those there were not showing particular affluence but were of a more base crowd. As his gaze moved to the Halfling again, he inquired, “What do you require guarding against?” As a Halfling who appeared to have a mercantile air to him would have no lack of resources for compensating them. “And for how long?” he added. A contract may be as simple as a walk across the town, or a much longer trek through the country. Suravil desired to know what duration of employment he was getting into, and to prepare accordingly. He leaned on the carved staff in his hands, his eyes following a buxom serving girl delivering pint mugs of a foaming ale to to men sitting in the shadows.
- Suravil

Having surveyed the crowd, Hood took a seat at the table, not waiting for an invitation. He choose a position with his back to the wall and his vison to see every method of egress and ingress to the room. Some might call his behavior paranoid, he preferred the term, prepared.

Hood (not the Paranoid)