Throne of Shadows - USS Enterprise

[hisonlygirl]

1. Player Information

Name: Xae
Username: EMAIL: trucidoindignus@gmail.com, PLURK: Tsukeru, AIM: FeathersGlow
Current characters in ToS: Padmé Amidala | Star Wars | rebelangel
Reserve: Here

2. Canon Character Information

Name: USS Enterprise NCC-1701 | The Enterprise | Enterprise
PB: Taylor Momsen
Journal: hisonlygirl
Age: From when the Enterprise first became a vision until now probably no more than ten years. Though because she was designed to traverse space her intelligence is beyond some beings in the universe. Physically she's about 20.

Appearance:

She has wavy platinum blond hair that reaches to about her waist at its longest with swooping bangs and blue eyes. Her skin is fair in color, her form thin without a lot of muscle definition so she weighs in about 120 pounds. She stands at a height of 5'8 and most of that is leg. In the language of her native people (that's English with a font type cleverly named Enterprise) is a black tattoo that runs across her upper back with the word "U.S.S. ENTERPRISE" written straight across while "NCC-1701" curves upwards underneath it in bigger letters with an outline. Like so. There are no other marks marring her skin because Starfleet always does a good job of patching her up. Because the Enterprise is a ship and therefore has no clothes, she'll be arriving naked. Isn't that wonderful?

Because of the sudden shift of gliding through the sky and space to having to walk on two legs she'll move awkwardly at first. She may know what the limbs are supposed to do and what they should look like when they move but actually having to put it into practice is another matter all together. Until the Enterprise is stable on her feet people may find that she stands too close to them, just in case. After, once she's certain of her center of gravity and stability she will keep an appropriate distance from them - almost as if she's orbiting them. Eventually, once her motor functions have been figured out the Enterprise will look as if she glides when she moves, her actions seem to have this ethereal sense to them.

Unless a fight happens. Then there her motions will be jerky as she doesn't hold back. No need to keep that grace when people need protecting. In moments like those it becomes less important to appear more human in nature (though she'll technically be failing by moving too smoothly).

However she will have several odd everyday ticks. Such as when she has to deal with hair (why does it never do as she wants? how do they keep it out of their face?) and she just tosses her head to get it out of her eyes. Or when she talks with her hands because it seems odd to leave them at her side like limp noodles. Let's not forget the touching. Because she's never had the ability to actually feel things with flesh, someone may catch her using her hands to touch every part of an object like a blind person might for the first time. As time goes by this will only be something she does to new objects.

In serious situations she'll have excellent posture. So perfect that people might believe her to be part-Vulcan. In private (and depending on her company) the Enterprise will be more inclined to relax and sink into chairs. Around someone like Spock she'll be more like him while when alone with someone like Kirk or Scotty the Enterprise wouldn't be so stiff. And of course, when upset she'll act like Bones with the crossed arms and hand-waving. Basically she mimics those she's around.

History: Here | Here | Here

Powers/Talents:

Obviously seeing as how she was a ship some of her powers & talents won't transfer over. Such as traveling through space, warp speed, shooting phasers/torpedoes out of her eyes or teleport. She will be completely human physically, no alien abilities considering she was built on Earth in Riverside, Iowa. That doesn't mean she won't have any talents whatsoever.

Memory banks/Intelligence: What she would call her memory banks most beings would call intelligence. Her knowledge of her known universe is extensive - dating back through history and to the furthest explored corners Starfleet has been able to travel. While, of course, there are things she doesn't know as Starfleet has yet to set out on its ongoing mission there is quite a lot she does know about.

Language: The Enterprise can understand any known language in her universe and can even speak some of them fluently. However, due to her physical form some of them are impossible to speak because she doesn't have the right organs to do them.

Weaponry: While she has never picked up any sort of weapon there are some she does know how to use and can use with deadly accuracy. Mostly things such as phasers or other gun-type weapons.

Mechanic: Due to the fact that she is a machine, she can also fiddle with one. Unknown devices will be harder for her to understand but give her some time and she might be able to figure it out.

Personality:

When a person owns or uses a machine they often give it a gender, maybe even talk to it like a person, they never expect it to turn into a human being. Or something close to it.

Today's the day when everyone gets to find out what the USS Enterprise would be like if she was sentient.

The Enterprise is, at her core, a calculating machine. She sees a problem and she attempts to fix it in the most logical way possible. It's how a machine works. If a machine breaks one doesn't put it back together with something that will only cause more problems. Most of the time. When the proper tools and supplies are available, otherwise it's time to get creative. She will always approach something logically first but if that fails then she will calculate other possibilities. For her thinking outside the box may be difficult but thanks to her captain the Enterprise is willing to go along with those insane solutions that will either work or fail miserably.

Due to her straight-forward attitude towards solving problems it also comes across in her words. The Enterprise is blunt and truthful when she speaks, not sparing a second thought to the feelings of those her words are directed at. She's a giant computer, does anyone really expect any different from her? There may be a chance for her to be kinder with her conversations in the distant future when she learns more about interacting with people on a human-to-human/species level but even then there will always be that hint of harsh truth to her words. Lying isn't something she's capable of, no matter how much time she may spend hanging around those who do it.

This particular ship is loyal - loyal to her captain and crew, loyal to Starfleet. She works for them tirelessly, gives them everything she has in order to achieve what they ask of her. There's no hesitation to shield or take damage for them, so much so that she would die trying to protect them or those they wanted to protect. Of course loyalty is often a two-way street and her crew seems to be willing to do the same for her. The captain has proven that. Because the Enterprise can't actually accomplish these things automatically it means that she has a very healthy level of trust. As a ship literally every single move she made was placed in their hands and there's nothing she can do about it. It will transfer over to her human form (though not to that extreme). If one of the crew tells her to do something she will do it without too much questioning or protesting. The Enterprise will trust them completely and be wary of those they tell her about.

Considering she was built for deep-space exploration she has boundless curiosity to learn about the things she doesn't know. Any piece of information she can get her hands will be absorbed and stored away for future reference. New and unknown things excite her, and while she would much rather be a ship there's no way she's going to miss a chance to experience it as a human - or even miss out on just being a human. Because of that curiosity it can lead her to any place she can explore, no matter how hostile it might be. But her real desire is to be amongst the stars and she'll long for it desperately. Give her wide open skies and a random direction any day.

While she may seem like a pacifist most of the time the Enterprise is not afraid of a fight. Sure she attempts to settle things peacefully but if the situation gets hostile there's nothing that will stop her from fighting back. This is one ship who won't hesitate to protect herself or even random innocent people from those that would do harm. Even if it means violating the Prime Directive. Part of this behavior came from orders such as when the Enterprise and her crew were the only thing standing between Vulcan's destruction and the Romulans while another came from her captain. Kirk has this frequent habit of ignoring the Prime Directive in order to protect a planet, species or even a single individual. Since Kirk has pretty much been her Captain for nearly every mission some of that has rubbed off on the Enterprise.

This is also true of every member of the crew. They are her main source of examples as how to act and have influenced her personality greatly. Probably from Kirk more than anyone else considering the crew follows his orders. From them she's been given a reckless streak with a determination to not give up until there's nothing left to give and then to give some more anyway. However, she's not afraid to express her opinion if hers happens to differ from the others around her. Just because she can follow orders does not mean she will always blindly follow them. There are times when she can be completely feisty and stern when she thinks someone is being an idiot. Showing concern for someone is a bit of a foreign concept to her so she ends up taking a leaf out of the ship's CMO book and uses sarcasm to express that particular feeling.

All-in-all the Enterprise is very fond of her crew and may pick up more personality traits from them - some of them good and others bad. However since she essentially interacts with humans and other various species on a daily basis this ship isn't going to suddenly grow shy with someone she doesn't know. That doesn't mean she always knows how to interact with other people. Sure, with voice-to-voice the Enterprise will be just fine - especially if it's an exchange of information but put her in the same room and she won't exactly know what to do with herself. Should she blink or shift in her seat? Yes she has the basics of person-to-person interactions, she knows what people do when together but the Enterprise won't know if she should do the same. It may be a bit creepy when she mimics another person's actions but really, she's just trying to learn.

Of course there is an issue of personal space and modesty. As a ship the crew knows all of her inner workings. They travel around inside her, see all of her circuits, machines and systems - even have to work on them. This means she has no boundaries - no real personal bubble with those she trusts. However she does know that a lot of other species have limits to what they accept and will respect that. The Enterprise even understands the idea of covering oneself, which means she will go out clothed but if someone should happen to see her naked...

Well, that's not really an issue to her. The Enterprise isn't going to cover herself out of shame or embarrassment because those things just don't matter to her.

Intimate relationships are kind of the same. She may know all about them, there's no real interest in it to her. It all boils down to her curiosity. The things she asks herself is: What does it feel like? What's the difference between a man and woman, a woman and woman, man and man? What about different species? However, just because she's curious it would never actually occur to the Enterprise to actual initialize anything. These kind of relationships would have be started by the other person. But the Enterprise is not above flirting with those who flirt with her (thanks Kirk). In the end, what it comes down to is a matter of trust. Anyone who would want to pursue a relationship with her would always come second to her crew and they would have to be willing to put up with that.

Why would your character be chosen?

Starfleet's flagship that carried the men, women, various species to save Earth not just once but twice. Clearly it was a mistake. Who would want to have kids with a ship?

How much does your character know about nonhumans?

Star Trek's universe is filled with all kinds of species. And if Starfleet knows about them, then so does she. It can be the vaguest thing such as the fact that they simply exist or the tiniest of details such as the color of their blood. Really there is still a lot of things to learn about the great wide universe.

Why this character:

The idea of playing a ship has just appealed to me for years now. I started off with playing Doctor Who's TARDIS after the show basically downloaded her into human form (and still play her). It kind of snowballed from there because it was such an interesting concept. What would a ship be like if given the sentience that their owners seem to think they possess and a body to move around in? What would motivate them? What sort of influence would the crew have on her?

Because honestly, it was easier when I asked myself these questions to play the TARDIS thanks to the fact that she'd canonly been shown as a human and to have been alive. We'd been given a glimpse into the world of human-shaped ships and I wanted more.

I asked myself these questions when I decided to play the Enterprise and found I rather enjoyed the answers. So, here she is. I want to continue to explore the depths of something that had played such an important role - to give her a voice and freedom she never really had before. The Enterprise is a muse that has been hanging around my head for ten months and she doesn't seem to want to leave.

4. Samples


First-Person:

Is this someone's idea of a joke? This isn't exactly what I had in mind when they said "five year mission". I'm certain Starfleet has little-to-no use for me when I look like this. What am I supposed to do - carry the entire crew of five hundred around on my back? [Fiery sarcasm, she has it.] And there's no way I'm going to give birth to...whatever they'd end up being. Shuttles, maybe?

[Okay candidates, this one may be a bit crazy.]

Did anyone tell these Nysgods that starships and water don't exactly go together? That one time doesn't count. Give me my seemingly endless black space any day.

[She pauses for a moment.]

I would ask someone to point me towards the exit but if there was one most of you wouldn't be here. So the nearest archive will have to do instead.

Enterprise out. [Yes that was a thing that just happened.]

Third-Person:

Test-drive!

Third Sample:

It was cold. Not the sort of chill that spread across her hull when surrounded by a dark sparkling abyss but the sort that settled into the very structure of her hallways. As if someone shut off the temperature control and she'd been left to drift. Either her Captain was pulling some insanely reckless stunt again or there was something wrong. There was the pounding of an elevated human heartbeat, a soft inhale and exhale of oxygen but only the one. Either the other five hundred that should be there were too faint to make out, they'd left or they were all dead - frozen to death among her corridors and various rooms. She struggled to remember what happened, how it ended up this way.

There hadn't been any red alerts, no ships anywhere nearby and not even a single unknown planet. In fact, the Enterprise was certain they had been at warp and there was little that could knock them out at those speeds. Only the Dreadnought-class had been able to manage it and it had ripped a hole in her hull, lives had been lost. A shudder ran through her form and for just a brief moment she thought it was happening all over again. She couldn't move, only drift with her single passenger. Without her crew there was nothing she could do - not even check to see if it was a crew member.

Was it her Captain?

It wasn't impossible that he would be the only one left. Whether that meant left alive or left on board she didn't know. He wouldn't leave her - was probably attempting to save her yet again at the risk of his own life. It would be just like him. That Captain of hers didn't like to give up, not on her and not on their crew. If it was him then the probability that most of their crew had evacuated safely was high. Of course it could also be the enemy that had caused all of this.

The darkness...

She recalled the darkness more vividly, shadows that stretched out behind them racing towards her and gaining so quickly. Just like the USS Vengeance had. Except those shadows had wrapped around her hull as if it was liquid until every last micro-inch of her. It snapped the light of the passing stars out as if it were a switch, leaving them in complete darkness. Or was it just her? She couldn't tell. Port and starboard, bow and stern - for a brief moment none of it had mattered in the black. That was the last thing her memory banks contained before the cold.

Footsteps echo strangely and an unfamiliar voice came from above. The tone was polite but something sounded off that the Enterprise couldn't quite pinpoint. Nothing made sense when the voice mentioned a prince, mate and heir. Words rolled over her hull that were familiar but there was little time to process them as hands were suddenly grabbing at her. In comparison to everything else they were more than warm as fingers wrapped around her arm.

Her arm.

She had an arm. She had an arm when she shouldn't. An arm instead of a nacelle pylon that was being used to haul her to legs she didn't know she had. Where were her warp nacelles? Direction became impossible again, were lost in the black. If she had arms and legs then surely... After a moment one eye slowly peeled open and light flooded her viewscreen. No, her vision. Legs trembled beneath her weight but the hand around her arm didn't leave, keeping her upright on them. It shifted her forward, causing her to stumble and spin round and round. Or was it the room that was spinning? Her eye was deceiving her so she shut it. The darkness helped when the hand forced her forward again. Several more steps followed and her legs began to cooperate the way she knew they should.

That's when the Enterprise allowed herself to open an eye again, satisfied when it no longer played tricks on her. The other one opened bit-by-bit as well to adjust to the brilliant onslaught of light. By the time she reached a pair of humanoid females basic control of her primary systems had been figured out. Just the mere fact that she had control was an odd thought to have. From the moment her systems had come online little had been her doing. Doors opened, lights functioned, oxygen flowed all of it powered by her humming warp core but her interactions were very limited. Without her crew moving was near impossible unless she'd been left drifting. To be honest, the Enterprise wasn't quite sure what to do with this kind of freedom except silently take the things offered to her.

Now she understood the single beating heart, the single breath of life flowing in and out. It had been her. Which conjured the question:

What had happened to her crew?
Suddenly her stabilizer failed, the hand that was wrapped around her arm was gone which left her standing unbalanced on two thin legs. She wobbled on shaky limbs but didn't fall thanks to a nearby wall that helped steadied her. Cloth was put into her hands and the Enterprise clutched at them, one thumb idly rubbing at it. What a sight she must be to anyone walking by.

There she was, leaning naked against the wall with her pale blond wavy hair reaching her waist. Beneath that hair was some sort of black print tattoo that someone may be able to make out if they looked hard enough. Across the span of her shoulder blades was U.S.S. Enterprise and underneath it in larger upward curled letters was NCC-1701. Not that she could see any of it but it was something a person passing by would notice, if they weren't too busy staring at her because she wasn't wearing a stitch of clothing. Even though she'd been given a key to her quarters and a communicator the Enterprise was at a loss of what to do next.