Marque and Reprisal IC thread Options

[Penta]

An OOC marker to note Thread start. Nobody post til my next post in a few hours.

[Penta]

1 January 2071
0530 local time
Miami, Caribbean League

The cries of the seagulls could be heard in the air as the dawn broke on the New Year, as the fishing fleets set out for another few days on the seas.

In various places throughout Miami, an indentical email arrived on comlinks, from an anonymous drop point.

Rise and shine! Rise and shine!

Yeah, I know you'd rather I wasn't so damn pleased about the morning. But in any case, your ship is ready, modified as we discussed. If you would assemble at Pier 32 by 0900 to take control of your vessel, we would appreciate it. You will receive at that point, along with a final muster call and a final tally of the account you have with us, a sealed packet with your initial orders, to be read by all once you are at sea, then destroyed. Yes, it's actually on paper. Quaint of us, eh?

Nonetheless, happy New Year to each of you. May only your sunsets be red.

Regards,
Roberts

(OOC: Wakey wakey!)

[Redjack]

January 1st, 2071, 0530 EST; Miami, Caribbean League
Johnny Rocket; [LTG, PAN=Hidden, 3] SIN=John Smith

Johnny looked at the ARO for the incoming message as he reviewed the fishing report for the gulf. Ah.... Swordfish is looking good...
Satisfied, he then looks to the message. 0900... 3.5 till then... Paper? Someone is still making that...?

He looks over to his duffel bag of clothes and the box with his roto-drone, thinking about the last time he looked down at a ruck of clothes.....

The salty air was blowing in thick as he walked across the deck. He looked back one final time, now unsure about his decision and took a deep breath. Take care of them girl. Take good care of them.

The steps down the gangway and onto the dock were slow and absentminded. In that moment, he was in fact lost in earlier moments rather than the present. The good times and the bad. The people he had called brothers and sisters for the last year and the one's who were there and infecting the family.

... he thought back to how hard that day was and it made today so much easier. Back to sea, back to where he felt at home. He pulled up the ship specifications and looked them over once again. He provided considerable input on the drone specifications and was anxious to set foot on the decks.

He'd been living good for months, the product of his exploits in the matrix. While this was a comfortable life, it left him restless. He wasn't like many of the other hackers he knew; He dislikes being sedimentary. He likes to get out into the air; To swim in the ocean.

He knew Sam wasn't up yet, but he liked to keep in touch with the old man:

<<@Sam Rollins [Johnny] Casting off today. I'll keep in touch as things progress. Thanks again for hooking me up with this crew. I think this is the change I need.>>

Finally at 0600 he grabbed his gear and headed for the elevator. On the way down he summoned a cab. Stepping into the lobby, he looked across the room at the two swans swimming in the little pool in the lobby. Oh god this place is so decedent! What a perfect choice for my last night before heading to sea....

He paid little attention to the palatial homes and monstrous hotels that lined the beach in this area of Miami. The people that created them, that lived in them.. that maintained the illusion that this is real. As they moved into the dock district, it began to feel real to Johnny. The boats and ships. The dock workers moving about their morning duties. This is what's real....

He spotted the ship in the distance as they approached. He was nearly an hour early, but he was excited to get on board. He put on his best poker face as he paid the cab fare and stepped out. Now to try to look like just another Joe arriving for this little cruise....

[WearzManySkins]

January 1st, 2071, 0745 EST; Miami, Caribbean League
Gunner Blythe;[LTG, PAN=1] Henry Booddocks

Gunner Blythe looks this AR display and read the message to him.

Damn be good to be back at sea, been too long ashore.

Gunner will look at his duffel bag, it is pretty much packed. At the large locked shipping container, sitting at the foot of his bed in the bunk he has at the Miami Merchant Marine Unions Hostel.

He is looking at the shipping containers. Time once on board to clean and lubricate.

He sends a AR message to the clerk/agent at the desk of the Miami Merchant Marine Unions Hostel.

Check out time for me, mate, I will need you to have a taxi with some cargo capacity in about 15 minutes. He will settle his room bill via the AR link to the front desk.

He will finish packing his gear and go down stairs and set his gear down and wait for the taxi.

Once the taxi arrives he will load his duffel bag and shipping containers into the taxi.

He will send his destination via his AR link.

" Lets get there in a reasonable time there mate."; he will tell the driver of the taxi.

At about 0845 he will arrive at the pier where the ship is berthed.

He will get out pier side and unload his gear for the taxi and pay the driver.

He will then look at the ship.

[DireRadiant]

January 1st, 2071, 0530 EST; Miami, Caribbean League
Litany

She killed it. With a dramatic spray of virtual blood the ARO message faded out.

With a small unstifled yawn she rolled out of her hammock onto the cool wooden deck. The night air had cooled the surface so it rapidly stole the warmth from her bare feet. Idly she checked the clock in her the upper right quadrant of her vision and calculated the difference to her normal waking hour. Not much. Plenty of time to pack her sea bag with the few possessions she needed for her new job before she took her morning run at the usual time she'd established with her current persona. She traveled light anyway, having enough experiences to learn the only thing she needed to carry with her to survive was her skin. And even then, only enough of that to keep most of her together. Painful memories.

In function it was a standard sea bag, known to most civvies as a duffel, but this one was colored a bright orange and yellow and sporting flowing images of tropical wildlife cavorting aimlessly. She actually had two matching ones, but almost everything she needed was going to fit into the one. With a practiced flip of her head she get her shoulder length sun blonde hair in place and with one hand tied it into a pony tail to keep it out of her way. The bag was half packed already, she only needed to add some of her working tools, then fill it up with any other odds and ends she needed. It would make some of the gear less accessible for now, but if that proved to be a problem, then it probably wouldn't make a difference whether she could get at her hogs quickly.

Cleaning the pair of colts didn't take long, if they had been the normal chrome finish Dresden tended to send her it might have taken a bit more polish, but for all that she actually liked the shiny finish, it wasn't practical for her work. It was a pain, and Dresden really bitched about it, but she always got them in the matte black. She still decorated the handles, it seemed to give her a better grip, though Saucy Steven thought it was pretentious and conceited.

A small cup of hot chocolate, a double spoonful of whipped cream, a short prayer, a 10 k run to work off the extra cream, a quick skinny dip, half an hour of stretching, a quick set of messages to have someone water the plants, and she was ready to go. Sea bag full enough to come close to matching her own 160 plus centimeters and 65 kilos strapped down on the back of her yellow Dodge scooter, she drove off along the coast to her meeting with the crew put together by the Dread Pirate! "Roberts".

[BishopMcQ]

January 1st, 2071, 0530 EST; Miami, Caribbean League
Franklin

Jerking awake as the commlink alerts him of a new message, he reads the message and collapses back into bed. The alarm would go off at a reasonable hour and he'd wake up then. Franklin rolls back over and finds the warm spot in his mattress.

Two hours later, the alarm sounds and the young doctor gets out of bed. He stumbles into the shower to scrub up. Clean and alert, he begins to lay out clothes for the day. Tshirt, jeans, hiking boots. A henley and light jacket are also laid next to the bag he'd packed last night. The last time he was on a boat was years ago for some reception that his father and his colleagues has hosted.

Eating a light breakfast, he scans headlines in the newsfeed.

Half an hour before the meeting is supposed to happen, he pulls himself to his feet. The duffel over one shoulder and warmer clothes in hand, the doctor sets off for the pier.

[Tarantula]

January 1st, 2071, 0530 EST; Miami, Caribbean League
Cuda; [LTG, PAN=Passive, 3] SIN=Chris Tyes

Cuda startled awake as his commlink beeped its new message at him. He glanced at the time on the comm and seeing 0530 he rolled back over to fall back asleep. He was well acquainted with the pier having had to bring his Anago over for them to load.

I just hope they didn't have to do anything too drastic to make it so she can launch properly. We've been through a lot together.

Finally rolling out of bed at 0800, Cuda reads the message. SHIT! He hurriedly begins throwing his things together rushing to make sure that he has everything. Who cares if its packed well anyway, I'm just gonna be unpackin it as soon as I get there anyhow.

Once getting his things together, he hails a cab, Take me to pier 32 and step on it please. He arrives at the pier with 2 minutes to spare, at 0858.

[DireRadiant]

January 1st, 2071, 0850 EST; Pier 32, Miami, Caribbean League
Litany

The electric scooter purred in idle as the diminuitive blonde woman in her tropical spray skin paint scheme top and hemp net skirt perched, more accurately leant back against the bright orange yellow sea bag and coasted to a stop. With some strain she pulled the scooter and it's load onto the support legs and then in a swift reaction snatched at the neck of the 5 liter magnum bottle that almost fell out from between the scooter seat and the forward controls. Carefully she lowered the deep green glass bottle to the ground and let it stand on it's own.

One hand on her hip, she scanned the scene before her. "Heard there'll be a christening today"

[Narse]

January 1st, 2071, 0700 EST; Miami, Caribbean League
Carlos Rodriguez; [LTG, PAN=Passive, 3] SIN= Jose Sanchez

Carlos stumbles out of bed to 'liberate' the cheap synthol he'd drunk the previous night. On his way back to his mattress he sees the flashing light on his com indicating a new message.
We'll since I'm up anyway, I guess I might as well take care of some biz.
As he scans the message, he reflects on how fortunate it is that all his important possessions fit into one rather large duffel.
Hmm, 2 hours, thats enough time to find that damn spanner that's gone missing and catch a cab.

After finding the missing spanner Carlos catches a cab to the docks, making sure the cabbie is more fond of cred than questions.

I hope none of my new crewmates are 'soft'. Still, though it will be good to be back on the ocean.
He thinks as he approaches the designated location.

[Redjack]

January 1st, 2071, 0845 EST; Pier 32, Miami, Caribbean League
Johnny Rocket; [LTG, PAN=Hidden, 3] SIN=John Smith

Johnny sat on the dock, leaning up against his duffel bag, arm on the drone case. His Hawaiian shirt, Bermuda shorts, sandals and mirrored shades made him look more like a tourist than a crewman but that's just the way he felt. A vacation from civilian life. Back in the corp, but this time we call most of the shots.... and the dress code.

He amused himself while waiting running his fly-spy around the decks of the ship. When the dwarf came strolling up he nods and continues to wait, though he subtly recovers the mini-drone.

January 1st, 2071, 0850 EST; Pier 32, Miami, Caribbean League
As the next tourist arrives he again nods. "That's what they tell me. You the cruise director?" he asks with a coy smile, his tusks extending prominently from his lower jaw.

[DireRadiant]

January 1st, 2071, 0850 EST; Pier 32, Miami, Caribbean League
Litany

"Why not!" she smiled warmly, then with a wink added sotto vocce, "I know some really wicked games."

Litany took a small step closer to the ork greeting her, "What's next?", she asked indicating the yacht.

[Redjack]

January 1st, 2071, 0850 EST; Pier 32, Miami, Caribbean League
Johnny Rocket; [LTG, PAN=Hidden, 3] SIN=John Smith

Hallelujah! Someone with a sense of humor! Johnny chuckles at the reply. The day is definitely looking up.
"Wicked games...? Like Parcheesi? Or perhaps shuffle board?" He looks down the pier to the additional arrivals. Gesturing towards the human man and and second ork, "Looks like the party is about ready to get started."

[DireRadiant]

January 1st, 2071, 0852 EST; Pier 32, Miami, Caribbean League
Litany

She snorted, shook her head, and with a smile waved to everyone with her right hand, then switched to a round em gesture to the gathered group.

"Anyone know more then we stand here and wait?" Litany asked in a moderately louder voice.

[WearzManySkins]

January 1st, 2071, 0855 EST; Pier 32, Miami, Caribbean League
Gunner Blythe;[LTG, PAN=1] Henry Booddocks
Gunner Blythe will watch those arriving or already here.

"Well unless someone has already gotten the "keys" so to speak, or given permission to board, I will wait until one or both of those occur."

He will rub is his close cropped black beard, then his bare upper lip.

[Redjack]

January 1st, 2071, 0852 EST; Pier 32, Miami, Caribbean League
Johnny Rocket; [LTG, PAN=Hidden, 3] SIN=John Smith

Johnny stays on the ground resting against his bag. Somebody always has to be all grown up.. So much for being full of fun. Looking at the time in AR, Little more time to loaf. Make the most out of each second....

[DireRadiant]

January 1st, 2071, 0852 EST; Pier 32, Miami, Caribbean League
Litany

"Anyone taken a look aboard yet?", the woman asked everyone.

and if none of this bunch have thought about just taking this glorified tub out on their own and playing with it they're a sorry lot of pirate material. Lord help me.

After a suppressed giggle, Litany, "So who wants to walk the plank first?"

With that question, she reaches down and grasps the neck of the magnum bottles, and with an effort jerks it up and onto her shoulder to carry as she steps toward the gang plank.

[Penta]

(OOC: Gknoy...We're moving on.)

At this point, a brief cough can be heard clearly on the otherwise empty (of people) pier, and two men, one in the dress blues (actually a tone of black) of the UCAS Navy, the other wearing the dress whites of the CAS Navy, walk towards the group. The one in the UCAS Dress Blues, a muscular, imposing caucasian human no older than 40, speaks first, his voice sounding like that of the classic hard-charging sub captain.

"Greetings, everyone. I see that this is the crew of the Thundercloud. I am Lieutenant Commander Roberts, UCAS Navy, and this is Lieutenant Commander Butler of the CAS Navy. Welcome to this curiously anachronistic sort of adventure."

After a round of handshakes between all, LCDR Butler, a shorter black guy built like a linebacker (with a datajack prominent on his temple) and of about the same age, speaks up. His voice is sort of like Louis Gossett Jr.'s.

"If you all will follow me, please, I'll lead you to your vessel."

As the group walks down the long pier, past a few ships, the fog reveals a ship so obviously new that it actually gleams in the morning sun.

"May I present to you the MV Thundercloud," Commander Roberts says. "She ain't even a month old, and she's already been modified as we discussed."

"Now, if you'll all wait a second, we'll pull out the gangplank and we can put this vessel into her quiet commission."

Butler taps at his commlink, and the gangplank extends from the vessel, locking with a clunk into the pier.

"If you will all gather with me at the foot of the gangplank," Commander Roberts spoke up.

Once everybody gathered, Commander Butler borrowed Litany's bottle of wine with a smile to her and a quick "Thank you for bringing along the wine, Miss," before Roberts spoke. "In the name of Almighty God, who calms the harshest storms and who protects and guides those who sail the seas, let us pray."

With that, he crossed himself, "In the Name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit, Amen."

"Almighty God, we ask that you bless and protect those who are about to man this vessel, that you guide her and her crew through storm and tempest, through the fires of combat and the cold winds of the seas. We ask that you keep their purposes aligned with yours, that the peoples of the nations they are being commissioned to protect may know further the gift of peace. Amen."

Then, looking up. "With that benediction....Commander Butler, if you will do the honors?"

Roberts and Butler exchanged salutes then, before Butler swung the bottle of wine once, twice, three times against the bow of the ship, the bottle breaking and wine spraying against the bow as the bottle fell to the sea.

"I commission this ship the Thundercloud! May God protect her and all who sail aboard her!" He called out.

With that, Roberts and Butler led the group aboard, and to the bridge of the vessel. The gangplank retracted, the railing returned to the upright position and locked into place as normal.

"Commander Butler, being more experienced at sailing ships out of this port, will take us out to open sea, where we will randezvous with the USS Ohio, at which time he and I will disembark. Meanwhile, I will be discussing various matters with you now."

As the ship rumbled to life, Roberts looks over the group.

"First and foremost, ship's articles. Some basic ground rules for this long-term op.

"I've just sent a copy to each of your comlinks."

It's a fairly standard document, of sorts: It documents the schedule of payments that was previously agreed upon, the requirement for secrecy imposed upon the crew, acknowledges that no crewmember will reveal their employer(s), bans the ship from attacking UCAS or CAS flagged ships without orders.

It also includes the following articles:
---
Ban on certain activities - The crew will not engage in the transportation of slaves (as generally understood) of any kind; should a vessel carrying slaves be discovered and attacked, the crew will notify their employers through secure channels to be provided, and act as instructed. Should prisoners be captured in the course of activities, the crew shall treat them humanely in all respects, and shall notify employers as soon as possible, so as to receive further instructions.

Laws and customs of the seas - The crew will respect the laws and customs of the sea, including the duty to aid in the search and rescue of stricken vessels, so long as it is practicable, and does not risk exposure of the ship's mission or pose an undue risk to the vessel.

Prizes and spoils - The crew will be responsible for the disposal of such prizes (in ships or cargo) as they may capture. The distribution of shares (for monetary captures or profits of sales) shall be as follows:

1. Each member of the crew shall receive one share.
2. One share shall be received by the employers, dedicated (until such debt is paid) to the debt currently held by the crew for the initial expenses of the voyage.
3. One share shall be set in account to go towards the common expenses of operations and maintenance of the vessel.

Selection of Commander - One crewmember shall be selected as Commander of the vessel. This person need not be the Master, who shall be nominated by the employers. The method of selection shall be as desired by the crew.

Special circumstances - In the event of an attack upon the UCAS or CAS, the crew agrees to make themselves and their vessel available, upon request, for such duties as may be assigned by Naval authorities of either nation.
---

"Once you all sign it, we can get to the business of choosing a Commander for this vessel," Roberts concludes. "Are there any questions as to the ship's articles presented?"

[DireRadiant]

January 1st, 2071, 0915 EST; MV Thundercloud, Pier 32, Miami, Caribbean League
Litany

".. in nomine patris et filii et spiritus sancti... " she'd murmured as she'd also crossed herself during the christening, otherwise she'd just humped along with everyone else.

doing Marine Ops and can't even tell Dad, not that I've spoken to him since Chicago

Idly she dumped the Articles into storage for later perusal and piped back her affirmative matrix authorization and acceptance codes. Done with her paperwork she smiled encouragingly up at the nice man in uniform, then turned to scan the rest of the crew.

[Redjack]

January 1st, 2071, 0915 EST; MV Thundercloud, Pier 32, Miami, Caribbean League
Johnny Rocket; [LTG, PAN=Hidden, 3] SIN=John Smith

Of course they're working together.. As the officers approach, Johnny moves to his feet. He gives each man a firm, professional hand shake as it comes around to his turn.

He listens patiently to them fluff and ceremony, having little use for either in his life at this moment. He is however a professional and understands the value to others. The thing that really gets his attention is all the digits in the statement of debt. Wow. His comlink in his back pocket and connected via a slender fiber optic cable to the datajack at the base of his skull, he uses the DNI connection to accept the file and scroll through the line items.

He sends a reply acceptance and looks around to the rest of the crew. The datajack at the base of his neck and the subtle marks of his gills along side the base of his neck being about the only noticeable augmentations on his body. Six of us... Now where does everyone fall out in terms of augmentation and skill sets? I wonder....

"They look pretty straight forward to me. How will, or did, you choose the commander?"

[Penta]

"You will all, as a group, choose your commander, as was indicated in the articles. This will occur before myself and Commander Butler disembark. We chose Gunner Blythe as the Master, the person legally responsible for the ship, basically because he appeared at a glance to have the skillset required for the UCAS Coast Guard to issue him the license." Roberts replies.

[Tarantula]

January 1st, 2071, 0915 EST; MV Thundercloud, Pier 32, Miami, Caribbean League
Cuda; [LTG, PAN=Passive, 3] SIN=Chris Tyes

Cuda stands off to the side, silently watching the christening of the ship. He follows along with everyone else at the back of the group, looking around the ship as they walk. He reads through the paperwork and sends his acceptance back to Roberts. Reaching up and adjusting his hair, tightening the ponytail its in, everyone in the group easily notices that his left forearm has been replaced, the dark metal contrasting harshly with the olive tan of his skin.

"So... how should we do this? Nominations and a vote?"

[DireRadiant]

January 1st, 2071, 0916 EST; MV Thundercloud, Pier 32, Miami, Caribbean League
Litany

"If no one else is foolish enough to volunteer, I'll admit to being used to the boys coming to attention around me if that counts for anything." as she winks conspiratorially at the man in dress blues.

[WearzManySkins]

January 1st, 2071, 0915 EST; MV Thundercloud, Pier 32, Miami, Caribbean League
Gunner Blythe;[LTG, PAN=1] Henry Booddocks

Gunner Blythe will shake the hands of those two Naval officers.

He will follow those two to the foot of the gangplank. He will be at attention while the christening occurs.

He will use his comm link to direct a shore crane operator to pick his shipping containers and place them on the stern deck of the boat.

Once that is done and the containers are secured, he will go forward to the bridge.

Gunner Blythe will watch him take the boat away from the pier and into the harbor.

He will accept the AR message of the ships articles via comm link and review them. Once that is done he will electronically sign them and send a copy back.

He will listen to the words of those that speak afterwards.

"The commander needs to be the one with the best skills to navigate the boat, not someone who has been voted by a popular election.

I would certainly hope that one of you has a better hand at sailing than I do. If not then it will be a most interesting shake down cruise.

As for who is best skilled, once at sea, that can be easily determined.

Since I am the owner's designated Master, if a vote for commander takes place, I will not vote."

He will then reach into a pouch at his side and take a strangely shaped case, he will open it, and take out a Calabash meerschaum pipe whose meerschaum is a deep red in color. He will load the pipe's bowl with a pouch of tobacco taken from the same pouch as the pipe came from. He will walk to downwind and take out lighter and lite the pipe and take a deep draw on it, the exhale downwind.

He will smoke while they make decisions or discussions.

[Penta]

Roberts listens to everyone quietly for a second. Then, he replies to Blythe's comments, as Butler continues to focus on taking the ship out. "We were thinking that if you selected your own leader, it'd be better than, say, a mutiny doing that, there being no real way to do a skills test that wouldn't draw attention. And, actually, Mr. Blythe, you're off by a bit. The commander doesn't need to be able to -sail- the ship; that's what your helmsman is for. He needs to have a clue about leadership and tactics."

None of you really meet that definition, but one works with the tools they have.

'Which, I grant, none of you is particularly developed in. But that can be worked with."

[DireRadiant]

January 1st, 2071, ~0920 EST; MV Thundercloud, Leaving Pier 32, Miami, Caribbean League
Litany

"So which one of you boys have done OCS, or held command before?" Litany asks as she eyes all the men around her.