Pioneers: Reference Page

[Lady Velvet]

Because of the nature of the Pioneer roleplay, we players are making up a lot of details as we go. On this page, you will find a list of every technology used in the roleplay (no matter how briefly mentioned) and descriptions of them. I encourage all of you to regularly check this page so you can see what has already been created and what has not. (NOTE: Please do not post in this thread. If you have any questions, ask them in the other OOC forum.)

[Lady Velvet]

Technology:

The Ships: The Pioneers I-X double as both spaceships and homes for those on board. On each of the identical ships, one can find:

2 lounge rooms

10 co-ed, 3-person bedrooms. A series of contractible walls can be used to convert one large living space into three small bedrooms for privacy.

10 2-bedroom suites. The mentors stay in these rooms for the first year, and when they leave, some of the "Pioneers" will occupy them. They are usually reserved for members aboard the ship with children.

An Infirmary, which holds about ten beds and all necessary medical equipment. The infirmaries are stocked to be able to treat up to moderately severe sicknesses and injuries (see "Individual Shuttles" below).

A Library: a a very small room where, instead of checking out books, one simply checks out a Lit-Brick. Inside the library are five little compartments where the Lit-Brick can be studied without disturbing others.

A Storage Room, complete with any repair tools, science equipment, and extra resources the "Pioneers" might need.

A Kitchen/Dining Area: The Dining Area is a small room attached to the kitchen, with about eight or nine wooden tables and benches to go with them. These tables seat about six.

The Head Supervisor's Office and Room

A Lab for Scientists

The Cockpit/Control Room for Navigators

A Gym designed to train Runners

A Nursery

Retinal Identification Scanners: access to all important rooms on the ships (Head Supervisor's office, bedrooms, Storage Room, etc.) requires an eye scan. There are no keys on these ships. Also, only individuals with a relatively clean record aboard the ship are allowed access to the Storage Room.

Artificial Gravity: On the ships is a system that creates a gravitational pull like Earth's. No matter what twists and turns the ship has to make, the system ensures that everything stays rooted on the floor. They could even be upside down and the inside of the ship would be none the worse.

Holographic Televisions: There are no bulky boxes or screens for these TVs - just one fist-sized box that, when turned on, projects a life-like, three-dimensional picture.

Virtual Fighting Games: Just put on a helmet and the wrist-and-ankle bands and get in the "arena." This fighting simulator makes pain feel real even though opponents are standing fifteen feet apart. This particular game was designed for Runners, but anyone can play it.

About Trips to Earth: Approximately once a year, the ships travel back to Earth to restock the Storage room and take the ships through an in-depth inspection. This trip home usually lasts two to three days, and the Pioneers are usually bombarded by the media.

The Lit-Brick: This tiny box contains upwards of 400 terabytes of data, including text, images, and video, which it projects with a holographic screen. Users interface with the device by simply putting on a glove and touching the hologram. Holographic image can also be written on with a stylus, making it useful as a presentation device, a reading device and a chalkboard. Most importantly, though, these tiny devices serve as a compact substitute for a library (see the "Library" above).

Individual Shuttles: Occasionally, a member will be expelled from the program or injured beyond the help of the Caretakers. In this case, there are several pods in which a single person can be sent back to Earth - or any designated location.

Trackers: They are everywhere. There are near-microscopic cameras in every corner of the ships. There are devices in the toilets that measure the health of the Pioneers. And the Head Supervisor has access to all of this information.

[Lady Velvet]

Ship Availability:

Pioneer I:
Head Supervisor: Sylvia Lockhart (Fabricati.Diem)

Scientists (2/12)
Zander O'Roarke
Slate Renard

Caretakers (0/6)

Navigators (1/6)
Konako Lia-Marie Kuziki

Runners (4/4)
Sophie Delcambre
Nick Mechling
Adelaide Jenkins
Valkyn Bedaliel Desrose

Recorders (2/2)
Nuri Sabine
Wes Blakely

Pioneer II: Empty

Pioneer III: Empty

Pioneer IV:
Head Supervisor: Zhao Min (Lady Velvet)

Scientists (4/12)
Cale Townsend
Niklaus Talbert
Kira Lee
Chris Hubbard

Caretakers (0/6)

Navigators (3/6)
Violet Marie DeVichi
Sun Tzu Neang
Vaivene Maghowan

Runners (3/4)
Nat Sparrow Llewellyn
Nina Estoc
Valia Babel

Recorders (2/2)
Cristov Luminairre
Kyri Wilson

Pioneer V: Empty

Pioneer VI: Empty

Pioneer VII: Empty

Pioneer VIII: Empty

Pioneer IX: Empty

Pioneer X: Empty

Room Availability:

Pioneer I

Room 1:

Room 2:

Room 3:

Room 4:
Wes Blakely (Lady Velvet)
Adelaide Jenkins (Raya)

Room 5:

Room 6:

Room 7:

Room 8:

Room 9:
Nuri Sabine (Raya)
Slate Renard (Fabricati.Diem)

Room 10:
Nick Mechling (Headroller)
Sophie Delcambre (Lady Velvet)

Pioneer II

Pioneer III

Pioneer IV

Room 1: Empty

Room 2:
Chris Hubbard (Raya)
Nina Estoc (Soviet Rei)
Valia Babel (Fabricati.Diem)

Room 3:
Cale Townsend (Lady Velvet)
Cristov Luminairre (PorphyricMisanthropy)

Room 4:
Kyri Wilson (Oran Tarlin)

Room 5: Empty

Room 6: Empty

Room 7: Empty

Room 8:
Niklaus Talbert (DNA)
Songharaddh "Sun Tzu" Neang (Songharaddh)

Room 9: Empty

Room 10: Empty

Pioneer V

Pioneer VI

Pioneer VII

Pioneer VIII

Pioneer IX

Pioneer X

NPC Mentors*

Mrs. Mayfield: an elderly Caretakers aboard the Pioneer IV.

*Note: anyone may use the NPC mentors as they see fit. However, they will be out of the roleplay within the first "year."

The Head Supervisor: While the other mentors leave for Earth after the first year in space, the Head Supervisor remains on the ship for the rest of his life. He is crucial to his ship, for he must know how to do everything, from using lab equipment to piloting the ship in an emergency. He also knows a lot of top-secret information that no one else in the Pioneer Program knows.

[Lady Velvet]

History of the Pioneer Program:

As the Second Space Race led to the discovery of more and more Earth-like planets, the world powers began making plans to study these planets more intensively. The Department of Planetary Expansion was created in 2142 with its headquarters in China, and soon after the first blueprints of the Pioneer Program were sketched. However, the program encountered some controversy and did not solidify until 2160, when the DPE agreed to create a Board of Intergalactic Relations.

For the next century, the DPE began investing money in locating all nearby Earth-like planets, and the masses watched eagerly each time they made a new discovery. Most importantly, they began to solidify their work on the Pioneer Program. They hired scientists to create all potentially necessary technologies to facilitate life in outer space, primarily the massive spaceships. The Pioneer Program was not released to the public until 2264, when the DPE began the search for the individuals who would go into space.

Originally, the DPE intended to send its most qualified scientists in the ten Pioneer spacecrafts. However, it became apparent that they would need to train people with a whole different set of skills to suit the needs of the Pioneer Program. They turned to looking for kids for a few very important reasons:

1. The Pioneer Progrem needed not only scientists to study the planets, but athletes to explore them and pilots to traverse them. Thus, they turned to younger kids, immediately keeping a watch on youths who seemed qualified to work for the DPE.

2. The first round of the Pioneer Program was designed to last fifty years; the DPE calculated that traveling to every planet and spending one day on it would take approximately forty years, and that was the best-case scenario without adding trips back to Earth into the equation. Most of the adults working for the DPE, while qualified, would be too old to continue their jobs long before the fifty years was up. To save time and expenses, they decided to start with a whole new generation.

3. The DPE thought it best to pick kids at a young age so they could learn their jobs and grow accustomed to life in outer space. After all, if a suitable planet were found, then these "pioneers" would be the very first to colonize it.

In 2285, the DPE released the Pioneer Program to the public. They received it with unexpected enthusiasm; and thousands of parents began preparing to send their children up into space, all to eager to take part in the Second Space Race. In early 2287, the DPE began making its first selections for the first generation of the New Earth.

[Lady Velvet]

Miscellaneous Information:

A lot of thought was put into the living quarters of the students. Originally, they were granted nothing more than small, cramped bunks.

But then politicians raised concern about the social effects of such small spaces. They ended up lengthening the build time for the ships by almost another year and sacrificing a significant amount of storage space for bigger rooms.