Description

Personality

Alanys is surprisingly a rather laid back and cheerful person. Prone to wisecracking at inappropriate times, and perhaps as part of her mutation, she brings a level of light heartedness to a sometimes stressful job. She can also be a bit of a mother hen at times, with an underlying need to take care of those around her. All in all, Alanys is a likable person who gets along easily with others, though her seeming inability to form deep relationships with people or ask for help sometimes strains her relationships with crewmembers. Her addiction to the drug Xinso, is also at times an area of contention with people where she is unyielding, and can become surly.

Equipment

Notable skill with firearms and other combat weaponry.

Classical, almost militaristic, combat training.

Natural Genetic Mutation: Alanys was born with the unusual mutation that allows her to affect people in a way that is arguably manipulative. The genetics research lab on Cicero V had labeled the ability Mental and Emotional Suggestion. This allows Alanys to “control people” in a sense, though it falls much more along the lines of subtle manipulation. For example, people who are complete strangers might feel a sudden emotionally attachment toward Alanys, or an angry aggressor might find themself hit with a wave of sudden euphoric calm long enough for her to slip away. Merchants have also been known to pay 3000 credits for shipments worth only 2000 when she’s the one haggling. Her ability regarding the “mental” part of the suggestion is more complicated, but in essence, people can feel a sudden desire to do things she asks when she uses it. This ability is not fool proof, as people can fight off the wave of emotion or subtle coercion, especially if they are aware of what she’s doing. It works best on people caught unawares, those without a high level of will power, and children. Alanys does not like to use her ability often either, though she does not always have control over her draw, which makes people feel attached to her in ways that can affect people differently, though it is not particularly powerful unless she focuses it, or someone is already prone to obsessive tendancies.

History

To understand Alanys’s history, you have to know about the history and conditions of Cicero V. A smaller planet, but richly endowed with natural resources, wildlife, and conditions similar to that of earth, Cicero V is the only inhabitable planet in its star system, which coupled with its independent sustainability, gave the planet a certain kind of isolation. The colonies originally settling on Cicero V were mutation geneticists, and independent farm families looking to cultivate the planet’s agricultural resources under the promise of free land. A plague indigenous to the planet itself brought on a crisis that ushered in the era of a new regime that changed the free market farm society into an empirical kind of dictatorship with two very distinct goals and classes. The Ciceronian Empire, broken up into its educated and armed ruling class that controlled all the ports off planet and the limited inter planetary trade and the uneducated working class that labored for the agriculture and mining industries, is famous on the inter galactic market for the purchasable genetic enhancements. The Empire itself is rather obsessed with genetic enhancement, and achieving the perfect human form.

Children like Alanys who are born with natural mutations and without the benefit of being part of the educated class, are typically seized by the state under the premise of being either a government threat, or asset. Regardless, all are taken to the testing labs in the capital city of Remus, where data is collected on the nature of their mutation, what caused it, and how to synthetically duplicate it if possible. Depending on the nature of the mutation, the process can be either invasive, painful, and in worse case scenarios; fatal. Once no more data can be collected, they are separated throughout the city to be of further use to the state, depending on their mutation. Some whose mutation were mostly of a cosmetic and superficial nature were sold for the private use of wealthier citizens currently in favor with the Emperor, most however, are given over to Circa, or commonly called the games. Circa works as Cicero V’s private televised form of entertainment, working as a wide spanning variety show, dabbling in everything from beauty pageants and athletic competitions, to reality TV segments featuring some of the more popular children. The most popular event however, is the Melee, which happens twice a year. It is not the only blood sport involved with Circa, but it is the most popular. The theme changes every time, though the general premise of teams is popular. There is also an age limit of 13 to those assigned to the event. Technically speaking, once a child in Circa reaches the age of 18, they are released as private citizens for their service to the state, the number of children who actually make it out alive however, is very slim to none, and is generally rigged that way by the Melee.

Through the duel efforts of the ever growing discontent amongst the working class, members amongst the ruling class (many of which having children with mutations, or natural mutations themselves) with moral objections to Circa, and human rights activists from off planet, a successful rebellion was staged against Emperor Hiron Cozzak, who was considered by many to be a bit unhinged as it was, and his regime ten years ago. Alanys was 14 at the time, and already survived two Melees. Cicero V currently exists in a state constantly swinging between militaristic faction wars, and anarchy, making it not the most desirable planet to live. Alanys however, like many other children from Circa, chose to leave planet immediately with the human rights activists. Having been an orphan to begin with, and having nothing but bloody memories involving the planet, she had very little to keep her on the warring planet. Alanys has been in space ever since, having no desire to grow roots on any planet or serve any particular government, preferring instead the freedom of private trade. She’s spent the last 10 years working on such vessels, and is currently a first officer. Her addiction to the drug Xinso, began soon after her departure from Cicero V, though her first exposure to it was on the planet itself, and helps curtail the unpredictable anxiety attacks she used to suffer from, as well as the nightmares. The drug is highly addictive, is known to have corosive effects on the liver over time, and can have extreemly deadly withdrawl symptoms, making it a tough addiction to kick, even if the user wanted to, which most times they don't.

So begins...

Alanys Mayor's Story

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The Rud'bul System

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#2012-05-26 09:17:24, as written by Kohananinja

Green. There were fields of it rustling peacefully in the wind for miles as far as the eye could see. The only thing that dared to intrude on the gently swaying sea in the distance was an old fashion wooden windmill painted a cheerful cherry red that had long ago begun to chip away and wash out from lack of proper care and exposure to the elements. To some, it might have been a dull and terribly depressing sight, but to Alanys Mayor, it was her happiest childhood memory. A smaller version of herself, maybe six, lay there in the grass sea with half lidded eyes and a lazy smile that revealed a dimple in her left cheek. She wished she could stay here forever, in this moment filled with balmy breezes and gentle kisses from the sun, but an older more jaded part of her knew this part of the dream never lasted, was never long enough to outweigh the horror that was to come. Still green, but no longer the beautiful flowing grass, now it was unnatural green fluorescent lights and dark metal walls, the sounds of gentle breezes and Yola birds replaced by the screams and pained moans of countless faceless individuals. She couldn’t move, in horror she realized she was back on the table, tied down and naked with nothing but two thin straps to cover her. There were tubes in her arms and sensors attached to her head that connected to a machine that would beep shrilly every time she screamed or begged for the pain to stop.

“Fascinating.” A raspy voice intoned after it felt like she’d screamed herself hoarse. Her world was suddenly filled with a face she’d rather not remember. “I think you’re my favorite, but then with your talents there really is no telling for sure.” His face was deceptively kind, but Alanys knew better. She knew he was a monster even if he didn’t always look like one. Even when he smiled at her, it never reached his spectacle covered hazel green eyes.


Then she was in a field again, but here it was short and well kept, and there were thick metal walls a hundred yards in every direction. She knew where she was, but a part of her hoped against hope that it was different this time, that she’d be spared what she knew was coming. It proved a naïve notion. Blood, there was so much blood. She could hear yelling around her, and the sounds of clashing metal, but she couldn’t make herself move. She was on her knees in the middle of the field, a wickedly curved knife in her hand. She knew in the back of her mind she should move, she was going to die if she just sat there, and she had to get to that stupid flag so their team could leave, so they could live, but it was all she could do to not vomit at the smell. Everywhere around her she smelt blood and death, and fear with a potent mix of desperation. This wasn’t a game, it was a frenzy. She wished desperately to stop herself, but like always in the dream, she was compelled to look up. She was suddenly covered in blood, her hands most of all, but it wasn’t her own. The last thing she saw was a pair of blue gray eyes looking down adoringly at her, before glazing over in death. And then she cried.

Alanys was crumpled on the floor of the tank when she regained consciousness, the gel completely drained, and glass door opened. She felt drained and unsteady as she rose to her hands and knees panting to try and calm herself down. She had to remember where she was, this wasn’t Cicero V, she hadn’t been there in nearly ten years. She was safe on a ship, Mal’s ship. That last thought brought her more comfort than she’d care to admit, to herself or otherwise, but it did the trick. She yanked the wires from her wrist and neck with a shaky hand and shuddered. Dr. Elliot hadn’t had her for a private probing session in over a decade, but she still hated being touched by wires, even when she knew they were only there to monitor her vitals, not pump her with drugs or electro currents to supposedly help map her brain waves. Some things a person simply doesn’t get over, and as much as the weakness annoyed her, she couldn’t bring herself to be comfortable with the damned things.

Standing weakly, still feeling shaky, she trudged over to her locker, pulling out a ridiculously fluffy pink bathrobe, wrapping herself in the familiar comforting warmth. What she was really looking for though, was at the bottom of her locker, and she dug around the admittedly messy space until she found the orange plastic vial. She twisted the cap off, swiftly extracting a pill and swallowing it dry. She needed the fix, she always did after the Gap. She felt the effects within minutes, the Xinso humming through her veins and calming her quickly. Her hands stopped shaking and Alanys finally felt more like herself. She pushed the pain, and the fear, and the guilt and locked it in a box before shoving it deep down, far away where she wouldn’t have to look at it. The psychiatrist she’d been forced to see before leaving the rescue ship had warned her that suppression wasn’t a healthy way of dealing with her issues, but then she didn’t much care what a doctor thought one way or another. They made her antsy more often than not, and she avoided them like the plague. Besides, a healthy dose of denial mixed with some optimism and regularly structured drug abuse beat out the hell she’d gone through that first sober year off planet any day of the weak. When in doubt, suppress, suppress, suppress!

She was feeling down right chipper when she looked back down into the bottle and noticed she was down to her last three pills. She pursed her lips lightly as she screwed the cap back on and put the vial away. She’d need to restock soon, but she’d have to wait until after they’d made this run. Xinso was expensive to say the least, and she wasn’t likely to find a dealer in the Rud’bul system anyway. She’d just have to stretch them out a little bit. Mal said this would be a quick job anyway, so she wasn’t overly worried. She got dressed quickly after taking a quick shower, pausing only to tie her hair back in a damp ponytail before completing her morning routine. She was dressed in her usual light tan form fitting cargo pants and black top, hip holsters cradling her two .45 semi-automatics, and fingerless gloves in place when she heard the first message from Mal.

She rolled her eyes slightly at that. She’d checked it for lag before they’d entered the Gap, always insisted on it in fact. It was basic military training to make sure all defenses were on high against any threat when in a vulnerable state, and Alanys was nothing if not well trained. But regardless, she wouldn’t say anything. She knew Mal well enough to know what he was like after the Gap, and she knew he had a harder time with it than she did. She wondered not for the first time, if there was something she could do to help him, but she knew doing anything would only make him feel worse. Mal hated feeling weak, so the best thing she could do for him was pretend she didn’t notice. She headed to the bridge after Mal’s second announcement, ready to hear their orders and get under way.

---

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The Rud'bul System

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#2012-05-28 03:03:00, as written by varxint

Neil woke just before the gel started draining. He let his body float in a relaxed state of mind. Having been involved in many diplomatic missions, across many systems, Neil had spent more time in the gel than he had in a real bed. He learned to enjoy the floating sensations. He also knew that relaxing worked better than fighting against the sensation of the gel in your lungs. He held his breath, there was no need to try and breath yet. The gel in his lungs would have enough oxygen to sustain him for a least 20 mins now that it wasn’t being recycled. So, Neil relaxed. He slowly allowed his legs to take his weight as the gel drained. He kept his eyes closed, another trick he found helped suppress the panic most felt in the gel. “Don’t let your sight fool your brain that your body is in trouble. Your brain knows better but your eyes can easily sway it.”

When he heard the capsule open he knew it was time to start moving. He stepped out, one step. Still holding his breath he shook his hands sharply to clear them off as much as he could. Then he wiped his face and eyes. Finally, like a diver clearing a snorkel, he ‘exhaled’ in one hard push. He felt his lungs clear easily and heard the gel splat to the floor.

Now he opened his eyes and grinned. A short breath with another hard exhale to get the remaining gel from his lungs and he headed to the showers. This was the one thing he did appreciate like others in the gel. Nothing felt better than a hot shower after a long gap sleep. He took his time, stepping out to hear the first of the captain’s orders. His stomach rumbled at the thought of breakfast. This ship was equipped with fairly nice dining options. Of course, anything compared favourably to military style rations. And even those sounded good compared to what Neil had to settle for while on the run.

Neil hadn’t been on one ship for longer than one gap run since he’d went AWOL. This was the first one he’d been on with the Dragon. Most times, whenever they entered a new system and the captain heard the typical list of wanted and missing they always gave Neil a funny look. Neil took the hint. Changed his hair and eyes, picked a new name, and tried to find a new ship to sign up with. Mal gave Neil a different feeling though. He got the sense Mal liked Neil’s ability to shift idents.

“I guess we’ll see soon enough,” he thought cheerfully, “No doubt Fede was pulling in the wanted list right now.”

Neil looked in the mirror. His hair was a mess of colours. Another thing gap sleep did to him. It made it hard to keep everything from shifting too much. He chose his typical red hair and blue eyes and shrugged. He never remembered if this was the description on the wanted list or not but didn’t care too much. It was best to get the AWOL thing out of the way quickly. See if it was going to be an issue or not.

Neil dressed and headed to the bridge as the captain issued the second order. “Uh oh. Well, here it comes I guess. Emergency meeting to discuss the implications of their language expert and co-pilot’s interesting history.”

He walked onto the bridge with an expectant grin, “Rested and ready Cap. I expect you’ve something to discuss?” He looked over each member of the little crew with a cautiously friendly gaze. Trying to get a measure if one of them were going for the bounty this time or not.

---

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The Rud'bul System

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#2012-06-02 10:08:01, as written by Kohananinja

Alanys greeted the rest of the crew with her customary morning smile, practically radiating positivity towards them. Whether this was because she’d recently taken a hit, or because it was her natural default with people was a question she was in too good a mood to ponder. She listened silently as Mal seemed to be taken with another one of his more melodramatic moods, observing him carefully for signs of hidden stress. Maybe it was just the gap sleep she decided without comment. Then he showed them the starseeds. They were undeniably pretty, and she stared quite attentively for a moment, relishing in the pure untainted pleasure of witnessing something new and pleasant. And then, as tends to be the case with most fleeting pleasantries, the moment was lost and Alanys turned her attention to Neil as Mal addressed him.

She tried to get a read off the red headed man, but while her specific mutation perhaps gave her a better sense of other people’s emotions than what could be considered normal, she could influence people’s emotions, not feel them. There was a big difference between the two. Alanys could testify; she’d known more than one empath. She wasn’t given much time to observe though, before Mal was calling her away to the cargo hold. “You’re the boss.” She drawled almost lazily as she turned and followed after him, resisting a snarkier comment at being referred to by her last name. They’d been friends for five years now, and though she knew it was simply Mal’s need to keep a professional formality with the crew, she didn’t have to like it, and barring situations where it was a dire necessity, attempted to foil his attempts at every turn.

Alanys looked up at the machinery mildly as she approached Mal in the cargo hold, and felt no desire to touch it. She didn’t need to feel the grime to know it was there thank you very much. She returned his half smile with one of her own, and took the data pad he handed her gingerly. She’d have to find a safe place to put it, somewhere in her room she imagined would suffice, though perhaps keeping it under computerized lock and key wouldn’t be a bad idea either. She might like Hank and Neil well enough, but she sure as hell didn’t know them well enough to not keep important valuables locked away.

“And since when exactly have I ever been a good judge of character?” Alanys half quipped in response to Mal’s question before shrugging with a sigh. “I don’t know Mal, they both seem like good enough guys. They both…are obviously hiding something, but having crap in your past you’d rather keep buried is something I don’t typically judge people for you know.” Which was entirely true, though from both a command and personal perspective she knew that crap sometimes had a tendency of finding its way to the surface with disastrous consequences. Not the ideal condition for your crew from a captain’s perspective either.

“I feel better about Neil than Hank.” She felt obligated to report. “I’m not entirely sure why though. Do you want me to keep an eye on them, see if I can find anything out?” Alanys asked carefully after a moment. She hated using her ability on people to make them need to talk to her, especially about things that could be private, but if the safety of the ship could be assured, and if Mal asked her to, she would. Even if it made a part of her cringe on a base level.

---

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The Rud'bul System

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#2012-06-03 20:59:37, as written by varxint

Neil listened to the captain’s opening lines, waiting for the questions. He was amused by Malhotra’s dragging it out. When the outside view was revealed Neil was stunned momentarily. He watched the starseeds, admiring their beauty. The colours washing over his face, reflecting in his eyes. The tint of his eyes shifted and changed with the colours of the starseeds. Neil was lost in the view and didn’t realize how his eyes were reacting.

Neil’s reverie was broken by Malhotra’s statement. He blinked and turned to look at the captain, his eyes shifting back to their normal view as he did. He was about to address the question when Malhotra asked him to think and walked away. Neil watched him walk away, confused, and slightly annoyed.

He couldn’t figure out what Mal’s angle was, “Why ask a leading question, then walk away? What the hell is there to think about? Is he trying to make me more nervous, thinking it’ll get me to talk? He obviously knows, so why draw it out. I’ve nothing to hide. It’s not like it’s a big secret that isn’t plastered all over the universal wanted lists. He doesn’t like it, the crew doesn’t like it, then I do my thing. Get them through the cargo inspection and move on. Whatever.”

Neil shrugged at the departing captain and move his gaze to Alanys. Even though he’d only had a few chats with her before the gap he realized he kind of liked her. She was friendly and easy to talk to. Now, though, she was giving him the once over. He watched her striking blue eyes take in all she could in a brief glance. He nodded to her, “Yup, she’s gotta know too. Why give me the eye like that? I bet she’s trying to figure out if I’d be a threat to the ship before the inspection. Whether to dump me now or take advantage of my contacts.”

Again, Neil was about to speak when the captain called her away, “Alright then. Typical drill. It’s not like I’ve not done this multiple times before. Same thing every time. They pretend they don’t know. They take a measure of how much I might lie to them. They figure out it’s not worth the risk to have me around, but they don’t quite want to go through the hassle of turning me in. Too many other things to risk having the military police poking around. So, I’m encouraged to seek another ship, since maybe I want to move around more than they plan to. Or maybe the next job doesn’t need my contacts. Or a hundred other excuses to kick me out. Wish it would have happened quicker, but I’ll deal with it when they come back. At least with all the activity in the area it shouldn’t be hard to find another ship to jump to if they decide they don’t want me around.”

Neil gave a satisfied nod and looked back to the controls. Keep the ship steady and bring her in easy. That’s all he figured he’d be asked to do while the captain was in the hold, “Easy enough. Not much going on out there right now. The inspection will be the challenge. Better start making inquiries around to find out who the ‘right’ inspection officer is.”

Neil turned to Hank. Neil hadn’t had any significant interactions with their techie and couldn’t really pinpoint how he felt about him. However, at this point he needed some secure communications and no time like the present to meet someone, “Hey, Hank right? Or would you prefer Fede on the bridge? Anyway, can you set me up with an encrypted communication line? It will probably have to jump around various end points in customs and inspections. I need to figure out who we want to come aboard and play the inspection game with us.”

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