#character: ali izan

[ageofpiracyrp]

PLOT DROP 34: THE BEST OF TIMES AND THE WORST OF TIMES

Seemingly overnight, the galaxy has felt like a less safe place than it used to be. There isn't a big difference, really. No other crews have managed to get captured yet (thankfully), but there has been a noted increase in Galx patrolling since April. A few little jobs that don't require going to Earth have been all that Daphne has felt comfortable doing. Now, though, it seems like a good time to go back to Kraysha.

Kenna and her twins are there, and a great many family members of the crew are too. Julia and the rest of the The Bat Ray have a trial coming up later this year, and the matter of what the crew of Prosperity wants to do about that is still pending.

There are still ways to do good missions, but it might be best to regroup on Kraysha to take advantage of those.

--

Not all news has been bad, however. On Zuytri's intel, Ali, Sky and Samira visited an elderly erkuss named Medri at the Moon Retirement Community. Medri spoke fondly about her mother, the late and beloved djayyar Nyessanie. Medri was completely of sound mind and honesty, and expressed how Nyessanie had long ago discovered a way to use the special ability that djayyar have to imbue power into the ground and strengthen the inhabitants... that comes with no pain at all. By personally knowing and understanding all of the beings and plants of the ground, the bond goes both ways. Loving memories from the perspective of all of the sentient beings on that ground are shared. All people find themselves with increased strength, mental acuity, and memories. The djayyar's lifespan is unaffected, but the mental acuity, shared memories and to a lesser degree strength are granted through this bond.

Medri had never heard of the djayyar that helped found Kraysha. To her understanding, the special power of the djayyar was something used with very great care and love. It wasn't something that one did on a great scale (Nyessanie did it in the garden of her own ship), but it would probably work just the same in an elevated garden or a planter box. Nyessanie was unusually honest with her adopted children, and also a terrible liar when it came to them. If Medri recalls correctly, Nyessanie used the special power of the djayyar four times in her lifetime and was happier and at least as healthy as any other djayyar that she knew of. Medri enthusiastically (and kookily) shared pictures of her eccentric family (including a few from when Nyessanie shared love and power with her and some of the other children), many of whom she has dear memories from their perspectives that she cherishes to this day.

--

On June 15, a few hours before Prosperity would dock on Kraysha, Muffy distributed mugs of hot cocoa (or other hot beverages to everyone's preference) and reminded everyone that she had hope that things would be better soon. And that The Bat Ray, as frustrating as they could be, was not in a situation without hope.

[ageofpiracyrp]

PLOT DROP 29: DESTINY

Are there coincidences? Or is something bigger than ourselves driving our stories along?

The Engineering team (mechanics, electrotechnical and engineers alike) on Prosperity eventually figure out how to install the new Gravity Engine Exploiter on the ship. These things are seriously rare and take a special kind of quirky crew to make work. While the GEE came with instructions, they were not the most intuitive. For such a strange and sophisticated piece of technology, only an engineering team like this could stand to make it work so perfectly.

So on the equivalent of February 10, 2024, the crew tested out the GEE with Derros on board (and with one less crew member, Gwen). Time dilates strangely between Touchpoints. While travel isn't exactly instantaneous, crossing the galaxy in a few hours or so with only the longer journey from the Touchpoint to Merris to worry about it is quite impressive.

Everything goes according to plan to start until the ship starts to reach top speed and Theo notices that Ian (newly human) is glowing. And not just any kind of glowing, but identically to the ship's physician and surgeon, Samira. Regardless of how much of her glow Samira is containing, Ian is glowing as brightly as an uninhibited djayyar might in the exact coloration of Samira's moods. Samira notices something unusual too. The counting.

The same thing happens to Stella and Ali. Stella full-body glowing the same colors as Ali does and Ali hearing the counting. But it isn't just any counting- it's the same counting that Stella experiences all day ,every day.

Nothing else seems to have changed. This strange change does not turn off the entire time while using the GEE. Any medical examinations do not indicate any other changes or problems with the damartrekt or djayyar. All bodily functions are normal. It's just the glow matching the djayyar's mood and the counting matching the damartrekt's age.

The strange changes end as soon as the GEE is turned off upon getting to the other side of the Touchpoint (which only takes a few hours, and cannot be aborted after starting).

How strange.

The crew will enjoy a nice (if somewhat boring to many- except Derros) trip to the Crystalline Port, which is quite literally a spaceship and boat port overlooking some very dangerous-looking crystal stalagmites. It's pretty, but there's not much else to do here besides look at the water and crystals.

And to ponder what just happened.

[ageofpiracyrp]

PLOT DROP 6: STRANGE INTERLUDE

The good ship Prosperity touches down on the outpost planet Naboo (optimistically named after the Star Wars location) on Earth Date 20 June, 2022. The plan is to rendezvous with Derros Laernal for some necessary ship parts and supplies, refuel, restock on goods, send communications to friends/family/contacts, and also to give the crew a break before the real long haul to Molfaun.

Naboo has just one outpost town. This town is also called Naboo. It has a population of about 65,000 people. The population is 41.1% Erkuss, 37.2% Carreki,  12.7% Ly’Daesun, 8.9% Vanniree, and 0.1% other. Naboo is not recognized by the Galactic Union. The outpost town has a variety of restaurants and trade stores. It has several parks, a small nightclub, two bars, and a theater equipped to show four different screening theater rooms within it. Naboo is a planet rich in natural resources, and a large portion of the town residents are involved in mining. Many of the other residents are involved in smuggling, as the planet has developed into a convenient waypoint to exchange goods outside of the watchful eyes of the Galactic Union. Naboo is a planet to a star called Leia.

Derros greets the crew kindly, and indicates to Prosperity’s Chief Engineer, Blue, that there will need to be some work done together to review the parts orders. While addressing the group, he gives Skylar an inquisitive look. The reason for this inquisitive look would perhaps be unknown to the rest of the crew apart from Ali (a cancelled rain check for a date!). Derros would be able to address this matter calmly with Sky later-- in private. 

Once everyone got settled in, First Mate Robin chanced a look at manifest documents from another ship, and noticed the name “Molfaun” on them. Without even needing to touch the documents, he was able to read the small type. The addressee for the boxes was Glyon S’Gann, Vizier to the Empress of the Soulf Empire. With nobody around, Robin was able to get a closer look at the manifest documents. The boxes appeared to contain items for "cosplay" and "costume" for various cartoon and anime characters. The outfit sizes were listed as being quite small - meant to fit very short people. Accompanying the manifest documents was a note written in broken Flagruu to the captain of the Steel Spider ship that will be delivering these boxes: 

Captain Murkl of the Steel Spider ship - Please remember to refer to the empress' species as "Laykul" instead of "Frondaer". Frondaer is bad term. Don't use anymore. She don't like that.

--

Please note that the informationthat Robin discovered will only be known by that character. Please also do not assume that you have knowledge of the Derros/Skylar plotline unless you have cleared it with Caitlin. The crew will be on Naboo for a few days, and new threads can be requested with Derros in the AOP Small Threads server until Friday.

[ageofpiracyrp]

Alioth "Ali” Clarke-Iz’an

Pronouns: he/him

Role: Earth Culture Expert and Translator

Age: 84

Romantic and/or Sexual Preference: Bisexual

Species: Djayyar

Home Planet: Earth

Faceclaim/Humanoid Appearance: Avan Jogia

True Appearance: Ali resembles an Erkuss with glittering skin of deep purple and indigo hues, very similar to the night sky. He used to rely on a sformer to mask his true appearance, but after decades on Earth, he eventually learned how to disguise himself. He still needs to wear brown contacts to hide his constellation eyes.

Backstory: Unlike most Erkuss, Eika Iz’an didn’t adopt Alioth to take advantage of the rare opportunity to have a Djayyar under her wing. She just wanted a child. Eika and her partner always wanted children, but luck didn’t seem to be on their side. When her partner unexpectedly passed away, Eika knew she wouldn’t find a love like that again, and to honor her partner, she dedicated herself to making their wish come true. After years of searching, she found Alioth and knew he was meant to be her son–not only until he matured, but for as long as she lived.

They spent their first few years together living on Kraysha, but she quickly noticed the envious looks she would get from her community, and she began to fear for her son’s safety. While rare, there were cases of Djayyar getting kidnapped from their adopted families. There were so few of them that acquiring them became a competition. Eika decided the safest place for her and Alioth would be on Earth, where they could blend in with the humans who knew nothing about her son’s rare species. With a sformer on hand, Eika used her questionable connections to secure a spot for her and Alioth on a ship heading to Earth and started their new lives in the United Kingdom, changing their names to Erica and Ali Izan.

Earth was already a strange planet that they had to adjust to, but they were also living in Post-World War II London, and they didn’t stay long before moving onto the next country. That was just the start of Ali’s trek around the world. The sformer masked his glittering skin, but it didn’t hide his slow aging, and to avoid suspicion, they never lived in the same place for too long. The young Djayyar learned early on that there was no point developing close relationships outside of his mother. He could never tell humans the truth about who he really was, and by the time he grew comfortable in his new home, it was time to leave again.

There were merits to their nomadic lifestyle. Ali became something of an Earth expert after being exposed to so many cultures. By the time he had the appearance of a teenage human, he was fluent in numerous languages and had attended so many schools that his brain was full of useless trivia. He loved to learn though, so after he graduated university the first time, he simply moved, changed his name, and re-enrolled himself into another one.

Ali met Skylar at NYU. It started as an easy friendship, but Ali almost immediately fell for the quirky human in a way he never had before. He was so used to keeping people at a safe distance, never indulging in anything more than a quick fling or a one night stand. Maybe it was because they had such a strong connection, but there was something about Skylar that made it too hard for Ali to let him go like he did with the others. Despite his feelings, he was still careful to keep his secret. He no longer needed the sformer to disguise himself, but he always wore his contacts around Skylar and was as vague as possible about his past. Ali knew it couldn’t last, eventually he would have to explain why he barely aged, but he still wanted to try to make it work.

Ali would never get the chance to tell Skylar the truth anyway. A few months into their relationship, the human seemingly left out of nowhere with barely anything but a weak explanation. To Ali, it was like he disappeared out of thin air. Other than the fumbling voicemail he received years later, he never spoke to him again. It was a harsh reminder that he wasn’t meant for serious relationships, and he told himself that would be the last time he let a human get too close. It was also the last time he enrolled in university, deciding it was about time he started the career stage of his life.

Just like with schools, he didn’t stay at a job long before moving on to something else. With all his credentials, there was almost no limit to what he could do, it was just a matter of what he wanted to do, which was harder for him to figure out. He tried a little bit of everything–teaching, translating, even the monotonous nine to five job, but nothing ever stuck. Part of him believed the reason he couldn’t settle was because he didn’t belong on Earth–that the only way he would find his true place was if he returned to the stars.

Ali and his mother never fully lost communication with their home planet. The plan was always to return when Ali was mature enough to protect himself, but they got so comfortable with their life on Earth that they kept delaying their journey back until it was too late. The sad reality of having an Erkuss mother was that Ali would out-live her by several hundred years, but that time came sooner than he was ready for. Now that he was alone on Earth, he finally got in touch with one of his mom’s old contacts, Clause Mazrinon, and arranged to get a ride and a job on The Prosperity, serving as their translator and cultural expert. He has no idea that he’ll be running into someone from his past.

Skills: Aside from the abilities he was born with as a Djayyar, Ali is fluent in multiple languages after living all around the world. Ali took advantage of his slow aging and attended university multiple times, so he’s just extremely smart in general and has a plethora of useless knowledge. He’s basically an expert on everything related to Earth from history to culture. 

Played by Sarah; 29 ; she/her ; mountain time

[ageofpiracyrp]

Plot Drop 3: Here We Go Again

Earth Date: 7 of May, 2022

Prosperity arrives in port - a little outpost in Dale City, Virginia, United States used by space travelers. A charter-style bus was made available for rent to the crew, along with “tourist” wear for those that did not have any good attire to blend in with the local populace. Dale City is a little ways away from Richmond (the target) and even further from Williamsburg, which the crew had discussed taking a side trip to visit. It will definitely be possible to ride the bus between port and the locations, but it may take some planning. The crew was provided with driving directions to Richmond, along with a printed note from Clause Mazrinon.

Greetings, Prosperity! Thank you for taking on this job. The warehouse in Richmond is a little less abandoned than I thought, but the cardboard cutouts definitely aren’t for sale. I hope that won’t be too much of a problem. Once you’re done, I’ll have finalized galactic coordinates for the planet that will want the bulk of these things delivered. The galxs are definitely around, so be careful!

I don’t have a deadline for when these things need to be delivered yet, but if there are significant delays, get a message relayed, all right? I want to know that you’re okay. Thanks for everything, team!

Oh - By the way! Due to the complications with the warehouse being connected to a second warehouse in use by another company plus the galxs lurking about, I’ve arranged for an earth expert to join your mission. I promise he’s good people and will be a great asset to your team. I think he’s just what you need after your last earth expert retired to tend bonsai. Anyway, he’ll be meeting up with you along the way.

Take care! -- Clause

/end message

Also... has anyone seen Donna?