The New Fleet, Etc.

Okay, there will be more comprehensive posts regarding this as time goes by, but I wanted to offer at least a basic outline of what’s going to be happening in the next two years, ship-wise.

Isely and the GAF will be partnering with the Global Administration to requisition a small fleet of five ships to go to Andromeda and offer limited initial aid to the Viridian species in the Gajen Arm of the galaxy.

Side Note: The Gajen arm (pronounced with an ‘a’ like ‘bat’, rather than a broad ‘a’ like ‘saw’), obviously named after Gavin Jenks, will sometimes be called the ‘Gaijin Arm’, a teasing reference to the human race being foreigners to it.

In the span of two years, the Valdosta will be sent back twice to Andromeda. First, to serve as official ambassadors (heavy on the ASSasdor) of Terra and meet the Viridians, and then to actually collect four Viridians to return back to Earth.

These four Viridians, along with Emerald, will inhabit the five fleet ships and serve aboard them as crew, much as Emerald did inside the Valdosta. They will be guides, interpreters and assist the fleet in any way useful. HOWEVER – they have no initial ranking on board and are NOT considered GAF contracts. The idea has been considered, but the Administration as well as the Armed Forces agreed that there’s just not enough time to integrate them well enough, nor do they want to take any steps in that direction until this first operation is finished.

The fleet itself has been dubbed the Templar Fleet, owing to its secrecy and its tongue-in-cheek-ly mystical objective. There are, as stated, five ships:

The Valdosta – Admiral Avery Crane (American, Female)
The Vancouver – Captain Sasha Tomlin (Russian, Male)
The Versailles – Captain Eliza Bree (UK, Female)
The Venice – Captain Yori Sato (Japanese, Male)
The Vyara – Captain Bakar Amun (Egyptian, Male)

More details on each of the captains will be coming.

Some travel questions:

Are there plans to build an Andromeda base of any sort or will we be popping back and forth via gate?

how does the time "blip" work? When we were over there previously for hours, we were barely gone in our galaxy. We weren't sure if that would be standard - but I figure we'd know now having been there a few times.

What was the decision on the Viridians going to the oubliette or the crew visiting the viridians?

Are there plans to build an Andromeda base of any sort or will we be popping back and forth via gate?

Right now, there are no plans to build an Andromeda base. For one, the GAF doesn't wanna start muscling in on the Viridian's territory overmuch and, for two, it would require building resources and manpower and threaten the secrecy of the fleet/mission. It would also require people to man the base and, at present time, the danger of the Crimson's too unstable to risk more lives out there.


how does the time "blip" work? When we were over there previously for hours, we were barely gone in our galaxy. We weren't sure if that would be standard - but I figure we'd know now having been there a few times.

It does seem to be standard. We can figure out a ratio later, maybe as simple as minutes to hours. But this is gonna be very, very handy for the Templar Fleet's cover, as it can go fight an entire campaign over there and still appear to've just been scouting or wandering the Carina arm for a day.

What was the decision on the Viridians going to the oubliette or the crew visiting the viridians?

Emerald is sure to've visited the Oubliette, but the other Viridians brought to inhabit the Templar ships might not have an opportunity to do so. Integrating them into human technology is likely a lengthy process and they'd be very occupied getting accustomed to their ships and the ships' crews.

The Valdosta crew will visit the Viridians at least twice - see the original post for explanation on that.

Thanks That helps wrap my brain around the two year time span muchly

Here are the diplocorp officers serving aboard the other ships:

Kesala Ogobata- (Nigerian, Female) one of the few Cultural Officers who is also a Veteran of the colonial skirmishes. She is one of the oldest members of the fleet, older than 50 although no one but the commanding officers know how much over. The term 'grizzled' is often applied to her as a term of endearment. Her particular strength is getting disparate parts of the military working together, if by shear force of personality if nothing else, and she is known to have resigned a possible captaincy after the skirmishes to join the newly forming GAF diplocorps for expressly that purpose. She is currently serving as XO of the Vyara, balancing her younger idealistic captain out nicely.

Jacques Auber- (French , Male) The 'face man'. He is all that is a credit to the diplocorps ambassadorial training. He is suave, smooth, and can talk you into believing that the sun is green. Although only a few years older than Sadie, he lacks her squeeky idealism while almost methodically working for the GAFs goals. There was some talk of placing him aboard the Valdosta instead of Sadie as 'Official Ambassador to the Viridans', until Captain Crane threatened to castrate anyone who messed with her crew. He is instead stationed aboard the Vancouver, filling in as Com Ops.

Joseph BlueSky- (Native American, Male) is the youngest member of the cultural officers with the fleet, pulled right out of his completion of Diplocorps training. Quiet, gentle, and unassuming, he is easy to overlook in a group, but it is one on one where he excels, exuding a quiet, comforting strength that could charm birds down out of the sky and soothe even the most anxious. An 'old soul' as it were, despite his relative youth. Cross trained in counseling and trauma counseling, he is stationed aboard the Versailles. He is also the only other human aboard the other ships that has developed a closer personal relationship with his ship's Veridian, and Pine has been known once or twice to inhabit him like Emerald sometimes inhabits Avery or Sadie.

Haydee Paraveen- (Indian, Female) Haydee is the golden child of the diplocorps. She still holds some of the highest scores in the academy, and generally excells at everything she puts her mind too. Logical and goal oriented, she also has an uncanny ability to read people. Considered unusually empathetic for a non-ghost, those that know her well know that the calm analyzing exterior is as much a defense mechanism as anything else. It is this combination of abilities which makes her one of the Diplocorps most valued 'HR' people, the ability to understand the mindset of others and the calm logic to draw unbiased conclusions. She is serving aboard the Venice, fitting in well with it's predominately Japanese crew.

updated crew rosters for the other ships, pulling for several posts. figure it can be added too as the other crews are fleshed out.

The Valdosta – We know who we are =P

The Vancouver:
- Captain Sasha Tomlin (Russian, Male)
- Jade(F)
- ComOps: Jacques Auber (M, French)

The Versailles:
- Captain Eliza Bree (UK, Female)
- Pine (M)
- Counselor: Joseph BlueSky (M, Native American)

The Venice:
– Captain Yori Sato (Japanese, Male)
- Olive (F)
- ComOps: Haydee Paraveen (F, Indian)

The Vyara:
– Captain Bakar Amun (Egyptian, Male)
- Vert (M)
- XO: Kesala Obogato (F, Nigerian)

Updated roster with blurbs for Ghosts on the other ships.

Not all of the new vessels received Ghost crew members, however, effort was made to include them due to the obvious similarities with the Viridians as well as their general strengths for the crew.

The Vancouver:
- Captain Sasha Tomlin (Russian, Male)
- Jade(F)
- ComOps: Jacques Auber (M, French)
. Counselor: Lunan (M) - Civilian contractor, from the Calivada oubliette - the only other civilian contractor Ghost brought on, one of Nova's recommendations. Lunan has a strong telepathic ability, empathic ability, and limited telekinetic ability. His primary qualities include a steadfast and sobre personality but also the ability to cushion others from the force of their emotions for a limited time and range. He was a professional counselor even in the Oubliette, often helping "refugee" Ghosts acclimate or helping others through mental trauma. He's known for having an exceedingly dry sense of humor and seemingly limitless patience.

The Versailles:
- Captain Eliza Bree (UK, Female)
- Pine (M)
- Counselor: Joseph BlueSky (M, Native American)

The Venice:
– Captain Yori Sato (Japanese, Male)
- Olive (F)
- ComOps: Haydee Paraveen (F, Indian)
* Counselor: Solaris (f) - GAF trained Ghost. Solaris is possessed of a sunny disposition and perkiness that seems to make any situation seem managable. She has mental communication abilities but no empathic abilities whatso-ever. Her training in counseling and diplomacy are mundane skills but remarkable enough that she was chosen for duty on these missions.

The Vyara:
– Captain Bakar Amun (Egyptian, Male)
- Vert (M)
- XO: Kesala Obogato (F, Nigerian)
* Medical Officer: Juno (f) - GAF trained Ghost. Another of Nova's recommendations and a friend of her mother and father, Juno comes from a long line of doctors and surgeons, all of them Ghosts as well. Her abilities are solely based in a mental sense of the medical, able to get a fine-tuned feel of her patient's well being by a telepathic sense of the medical. She has limited telekinetic abilities as well. Juno is typically classified as having a wretched bedside manner, but given the success with which she's saved lives, most of her companions forgive her for that.