[NSW] Casting Call- Days of Fall: Call to Arms

[Writer]

I can't believe I'm actually doing this...

 

JM12, what's your position on introducing another alien species to your little galactic/universal party?

[JediMaster12]

If you have an alien species in mind, go right ahead and create them. Just makes sure you list if they are cadet or instructor and what year, etc. I have no qualms about it.

[Writer]

I'm posting the species info here:

 

Overview

One of the lesser-known species, even in their native galaxy, the Meniri are, as a whole, a very introverted people. Occasionally, one of their kind will make him or herself known to the world, becoming a nomadic explorer. The location of their homeworld is unknown; even the Meinari wanderers claim to have forgotten its location and even torture cannot make them remember. The wanderers are generally friendly people, offering their services to whoever might need it, whether it be in engineering work, piloting, diplomacy, or anything else. Each wanderer is distinct in their skills and talents.

 

The Species

 

Part I: Physiology

The Meinari are almost identical to Humans physically, but some eye colors that are unusual among Humans (violet, red, yellow, orange, etc.) are quite common among the Meinari while the Human idea of standard eye colors (blue, brown) are viewed as unusual to them. They are smaller in stature than Humans, ranging between 4' 10" and 5' 4" and they have a slightly heightened sense of smell.

 

The internal organs of a Meinari are also different in many respects. First, while their lungs are not larger than a Human’s, they seem to process a breath more efficiently, providing the Meinari a greater endurance for thinner air. Further extending their ability to breathe in poor conditions is a ‘respiratory bypass’, which draws oxygen through their skin, directly from the environment around them, provided there is any to be had. Therefore, it is actually impossible to effectively strangle one of them, though they may give you the impression you’re doing some damage if they’re convinced it’ll get you to release them.

 

The second great difference in their internal organ arrangement is that they have two hearts. This speeds the processing of their blood through their body. Though they are capable of surviving with only one of these hearts, they find it extremely uncomfortable. If one of their hearts should stop, they are capable of preventing some level of decay, but seek medical help as soon as they are able, that their stopped heart can be repaired and set into motion again.

 

Their aging process also makes them different. By eleven years of age, a Meniri is considered a 'young adult' and has reached the physical maturity of a Human between the ages of eighteen and twenty-four. At that time, their aging process slows rapidly. From then on to between 100 and 120, the Meinari do not age. Around 100 years, their aging process begins again and they age roughly five years every 100 years. Also around this time, they are faced with the setback of stiff joints. When they wake up in the mornings, they must allow time for two hours of exercise at minimum to restore their agility and quick reflexes.

 

On average, Meinari live to be between 800 and 1400 years old, by which point they look roughly equivalent to a Human between the ages of 60 and 90. Their ability to regain their agility and quick reflexes diminishes as they grow older. For example, by 600 years, it is not uncommon for Menari to require almost six hours of exercise to maintain. However, by 500 most of them are not as willing to take that effort and are content to at least maintain their mobility with an hour to an hour and a half of exercise.

 

Part II: Mental Abilities

Once the Meinari reach around 200 years of age, they begin to develop telepathy. Initially, this power can only be used by skin-on-skin contact with another sentient being. As they grow older, the power grows. By 400, most Meinari are beginning to pick up telepathic signals without requiring physical contact. Around 600, they begin to develop psychokinetic abilities as well. When they are between the ages of 700 and 900, they have full control over both telepathy and psychokinesis. The oldest of the Meinari can move objects by will alone and can sense thoughts and touch the minds of beings light years away.

 

A Meinari also subconsciously projects a low-level telepathic ‘field’, which further serves to separate them from Humanity. This field, while not directly aiding their telepathic abilities, provides those around them with an instinctual sense that the being in their presence is Meinari. If a Meinari and a Human were to stand side by side, anyone observing them could instinctively tell the two apart. This telepathic field is a part of them from birth to death.

 

Part III: Culture, Past and Present

 

Meinari civilization advanced much as Earth's did. The main difference is that the Meinari reached a level of technological advancement roughly two times Earth's present technology level just over 4000 years ago. They were on the verge of their next big technological breakthrough when all communication from their homeworld, Meinar was abruptly silenced. Surprised but not alarmed, many Meinari returned to learn what happened, but they were utterly crushed with their discovery; instead of Meinar and the solar system in which it was planted, they found an asteroid field. Meinar in all its glory was gone.

 

Since that discovery, the Meinari have become a much more xenophobic and introverted species as a whole. Their civilization remains intact, but few now can locate it. This is due in part to the older members of the civilization and their power. The Meinari remained 'close to home' establishing several star bases near the debris field that was their star system. They live there, on the star bases and on several large ships. The older members of the civilization are often bedridden due to their stiffness, but they retain such an intense pride in the secrecy of their civilization that they use their powers to mask it. Anyone passing by who isn't Meinari would miss it entirely.

 

Due to their shifted focus these last four thousand years - shifted from their advancing technology to the advancement of their powers to keep their civilization hidden - their level of technological advancement has degraded. Four thousand years ago, they were ahead of Earth. They have not had any tech improvements since that time, and some of their technology has fallen into disrepair. Most of their capital ships and star bases would fall to pieces if attacked (which further enhances their need to remain hidden). Only their smaller ships have retained anything like full functionality.

 

Though the majority of the Meinari are a very introverted people, occasionally one is born with an irresistible urge to explore. Upon completing Specialty School, these Adventurers are given a small, one-man ship and allowed to go wherever they please.

 

Part IV: School System

 

Me - This term is used to indicate any Meinari under the age of four, indicating that they have not yet graduated their 'Elementary Education'. During this time, they are learning to speak, and they are learning the basic building blocks upon which the rest of their education will follow.

 

Mein - The term used for Meinari between the ages of five and eleven. Also their 'Secondary Education', this is the equivalent to a high school. To their initial building blocks, they begin adding astronomy (since they essentially live in space), history, and other things of this nature. As with a human high school, once they graduate, they are able to enter the Meinari workforce, or they can chose to move on to ‘specialty school’. If they opt out of Specialty, their ‘title’ skips Meiner.

 

Meiner - ‘Specialty School’, the equivalent of university. Meinari train specifically in a single field for six years. At the end of this time, they are officially acknowledged as a qualified adult, a Meinera or Meineros.

 

Meinera/Meineros - A qualified adult with a 'degree'. Meinera for the women, Meineros for the men.

 

Part IV: Government:

The Meinari are ruled by two bodies: the Senate, and the Council of Elders. All members of both bodies are elected by popular vote within the community. The Senate acts as a 'filtering system' for the issues the Council of Elders ultimately deals with. A new Council is elected every ten years; a new Senate is elected every thirty years.

 

 

((Posting my character next.))

[Writer]

Name: Akeirra

 

Race: Meinari

 

Age: 121

 

Year: 1 (though as soon as she learns FedCON's flight controls, it will become painfully obvious that she could just as easily be an instructor)

 

Gender: Female

 

Appearance: Akeirra is small and slender, standing at just barely over five feet in height. She has brown hair and violet eyes. She typically wears black tank top with brown leather jacket, tan 'cargo' pants, black combat boots, and fingerless black leather gloves. She usually wears her mid-back length brown hair in a braid, but it isn't uncommon for her to wear it down, especially on a bad day (if she has a headache). She smiles easily. Image

 

Background: Akeirra was born and raised aboard the Sceptre, the flagship of the Meinari fleet. She lived there for the first seventeen years of her life, until the completion of her Specialty Schooling in piloting. Then, she was given her own personal one-man ship and finally began to satisfy the urge within her to travel.

 

For the next one hundred and two years, Akeirra traveled her native galaxy. Sometimes, she went on her own; at other times, she joined other crews and offered her services as a pilot to them. In exchange for her services, she only requested education. Through this exchange of service-for-education, she managed to learn just barely enough to maintain her own little ship.

 

At 119 years of age, Akeirra encountered a species even more xenophobic than her own and they tried to destroy her. In trying to flee from their much stronger ship, Akeirra made the remarkable discovery of an intergalactic portal. Her small ship was just the right size, traveling at just the right angle and speed to access this slight tear in space; the alien ship was not, and a segment of their hull was ripped off. And so, while Akeirra tumbled end over end through the 'wormhole', the alien ship limped home, wondering what sort of technology could rip them open and make a ship vanish all at once.

 

Akeirra's small ship sustained a heavy amount of damage in the passage, which took almost an hour. When she came back into realspace, she was drifting just beyond Neptune's orbit, her ship so damaged as to barely be capable of maintaining life support. Her sensors were down, so she hoped for the best and sent out a distress call. FedCON answered.

 

Initially suspicious of her intentions, FedCON imprisoned and interrogated her. As she had experienced similar treatment in the last one hundred years, she patiently told her story at least eight times. At length, FedCON released her, but they explained that her ship was damaged beyond repair. She expressed an interest in flying for them, to which they explained that she would be required to go through their Academy. She agreed.

 

Now, Akeirra is registered for classes at the Academy. One of her most intensive classes is to learn English, for her native tongue and any other language she knows is dissimilar enough from the languages known to FedCON that they cannot translate it. Presently, she speaks extremely basic English, but she will get better as we progress.

 

 

Final Notes: An almost complete opposite to her species in terms of personality. Akeirra is friendly and outgoing, and though she is an accomplished pilot and has covered a lot of ground in 121 years, she often seems overjoyed at the simplest of things. She makes a point of being easy to get along with and therefore has many friends.

 

Akeirra is a skilled pilot, capable of flying many different sizes of starships and land-based vehicles. As she becomes more familiar with FedCON technology, this will become increasingly evident. She is also beginning to exhibit some mild telepathy-via-touch, a rarity for her species to develop as young as she is.

 

Being over 120 as she is, Akeirra is prone to the standard Meinari weakness of stiff joints. To compensate for this, she wakes up a full three hours before she is required to, so that she can exercise the stiffness away. In addition, she is quite literally terrified of her new power. To avoid skin-on-skin contact, she routinely wears elbow-length gloves. If she does happen to accidentally touch skin, it usually results in a ‘bad day’, which means she has a headache and will probably be wearing her hair down.

[Writer]

I also want to make one final note: Akeirra is the only member of her species to have made it to the Milky Way Galaxy. No one here has ever seen one or heard of them before. And just so you all know, given the low-level telepathic field all Meinari emit, you will be able to tell just by looking at Akeirra that she is not Human; you just won't know what she is.

 

Just wanted everyone to be clear on that.

[JediMaster12]

Ok looks good. I bet though that it will drive Aruko crazy given that he has secrets of his own from his father's side.

And don't think she'll get into flight controls too soon. First she must take the entrance exams. LOL.

 

Anyway welcome aboard and feel free to start posting.

[Writer]

Oh, I know it'll take her some time on the flight controls. That's why it'll be fun. Well, that and typing broken English will be a hoot

 

I'll post when I get the chance. Maybe tonight

[Alkonium]

Interestingly enough, I wrote in that Damien is also studying to be a pilot. Should we play that up at all?

 

Also, what province is the Academy set in? I've got a post entrance exam scene in mind, and unless the Academy is in Manitoba or Quebec, or unless liquor laws are different in the future, it won't work.

[Writer]

I'm perfectly willing to play up any relationships with the rest of the cast. I'll give you a hint: pronounce Akeirra's name correctly and you will earn an instant friend. She's been in the area long enough to expect that most people can't exactly mimic the Meinari accent, but it still bothers her.

[JediMaster12]

I know I said the Academy was in Canada and I think I had Vancouver, British Columbia in mind having seen some nice pics of the place.

 

Alkonium go ahead and play up Damien wanting to be a pilot. Heck his Academy nickname is Corbett for the Tom Corbett Space Cadet thing back in the 50s (from the story version). Irene wants to make it into fleet herself but she's more controlled than her best friend.

 

I know you'll have fun with your character Writer. That's the goal. LOL.

[Alkonium]

Well, you described him as a "space junkie" and I took that as him wanting to pilot starships.

[JediMaster12]

Yeah. Go ahead. Have him get all starry-eyed about the latest starships, etc.

[Writer]

So... JM12, what's supposed to happen next? Did you want me to post something with Rani and Akeirra heading to get food, or were you planning to skip over the rest of the day and straight to the entrance exam?

[JediMaster12]

You can brush over it and then skip ahead to the exam in the morning. That way we aren't too bogged down in details. We might be doing this alot since the original story concept involved time compression.

[Writer]

So... it's been about a month since any of us posted in the main thread. JM, are you still interested in continuing. If you are, I'll post. If not, I'll leave it alone.

[JediMaster12]

Writer I am still interested. I thought you said that you were going to post. I was waiting for you to do so. lol.

[Writer]

Hah! I did say so, didn't I? And then I got busy. Well, I'll give the ol' thread a good boot, see where we land

[JediMaster12]

Alright do what you can. I'll give Alkonium a buzz on the PM.

[Tysyacha]

((Late entrant here!))

 

NAME: Tally Voltaic (pronounced 'voltic', very quickly)

RACE: BPBH (Boring Pure-Blooded Human)

GENDER: Female

AGE: 33

ROLE: Combat Veteran/Arena Instructor (preps students to fight)

STATUS: On the outs with the hard-nosed, conservative faculty

LIKES: Warriors, both in body and spirit

HATES: Rules and regulations, especially if they're unfair and illogical

 

[JediMaster12]

Tys- Is there a specific rank that you would like to give her?

[Tysyacha]

Um...what would you recommend? *LOL* Sorry, not enough ZZZZ's

[JediMaster12]

I would recommend Sgt. Since you establish her as a combat instructor, we'll make her a drill sergeant. She usually takes on first years and Cul you mentioned will be second year. Krishna is third year and a Major.

 

To all. I don't want to kill this RP. I added a bit to jump start it.