Character a Day: The Kid
Warnings: Language, one f-bomb dropped;
One week into the Silver City's mission...
Pilot Cadet Fletcher slipped into cargo hold two with his study notes. The others were trying to help but in truth only seemed to be making it harder. Sitting with his back to a storage bin he made it through four pages before noticing the shoe at the far end of the hold. A shoe which, once he walked over proved to be on the foot of a sleeping red headed girl who didn't look old enough to be crew. Quietly he back away and slipped out of the hold and found the nearest comm panel.
"Security, Pilot Cadet Fletcher, I think we have a stowaway in Cargo Two."
Two days later...
"Is she telling the truth Doc? Is she right?"
"The tests I've completed so far point that way. The conclusive tests will take longer, we should hear back from her doctor about the same time."
"And if she's right?"
"Four years, maybe five. But if she lives to see eighteen it will be a miracle."
"There has to be something. If it's just money..."
"Johnny, she was right about that. There's no cure. Even the best experimental treatments will probably kill her faster than letting the disease run its course."
"We've pulled off miracles before."
"Then start praying. At least in the war we usually knew what needed to be done, we just had to beat the odds. This? She's got a year before she feels sick, two, maybe three after that where she can pretend she's just got a bug that won't go away. After that her body starts failing quick."
"And those best treatments you mentioned?"
"The best real treatment would simply be frequent checkups and fight the symptoms as they appear. Anything else that's been tried, she'll be stuck in bed within days and probably dead before the year's done."
"Not good enough Doc."
"When the fuck did I say it was? But for now that's the best we've got. The first rule Johnny, the first rule, 'Do no harm,' sometimes doing nothing is the least bad choice."
Later still...
Johnny wished the message was on paper so he could fold, spindle, and otherwise abuse it. It was what he'd asked for but he'd rather hoped the state would put up more of a fight to hold onto a child who'd been in their care for fourteen years. Entering the sick bay he walked up to the girl's bed.
"Well Miriam, we've got a choice to make. By which I mean you have a choice to make. The Silver City won't be returning to Earth just yet." He could see her sit up straighter with a little more hope on her face. "We will however be passing near the Acheron, she could have you back to Earth in just about two months. If you take the Acheron we can see about getting you a medical advocate to try and give you a voice in your treatment."
"You said I had a choice?"
"The other choice is to stay on the Silver City, but there would be some rules..."
Name: Miriam Sharpe "The Kid"
High Concept: Just an orphan trying to see the universe before I'm out of time.
Trouble: Might as well live fast, I'm certainly not living long.
Other Aspects:
- "Don't you dare patronize me, I'm terminally ill not terminally dumb."
- You wouldn't believe the places I can get in
- Provisional Sky Patrol trainee
Approaches:
Careful: +2
Clever: +1
Flashy: +0
Forceful: +1
Quick: +3
Sneaky: +2
Stunts:
Nothing quite focuses the mind... - Because Mariam knows her time is limited she has learned to focus extra hard when it counts. Once per session she may ignore a situational aspect that would otherwise interfere with her ability to complete a task.
(two more stunts can be taken before reducing refresh)
Stress Boxes: [_][_][_]
Consequences
Mild (2):
Moderate (4):
Severe (6):
Refresh: 3
___
Today's setting aspect: She's a good ship, but she's a new ship.
You really shouldn't say anything bad about the Silver City where the crew can hear you. But amongst each other they'll admit she's got her quirks and rough spots and places where human and trantin technology don't quite mesh as expected.
(This is a crossposting |
replies at the original post on dreamwidth | Comment at dreamwidth | You can comment on DW posts even if you don't have an account there Using OpenID!)
One week into the Silver City's mission...
Pilot Cadet Fletcher slipped into cargo hold two with his study notes. The others were trying to help but in truth only seemed to be making it harder. Sitting with his back to a storage bin he made it through four pages before noticing the shoe at the far end of the hold. A shoe which, once he walked over proved to be on the foot of a sleeping red headed girl who didn't look old enough to be crew. Quietly he back away and slipped out of the hold and found the nearest comm panel.
"Security, Pilot Cadet Fletcher, I think we have a stowaway in Cargo Two."
Two days later...
"Is she telling the truth Doc? Is she right?"
"The tests I've completed so far point that way. The conclusive tests will take longer, we should hear back from her doctor about the same time."
"And if she's right?"
"Four years, maybe five. But if she lives to see eighteen it will be a miracle."
"There has to be something. If it's just money..."
"Johnny, she was right about that. There's no cure. Even the best experimental treatments will probably kill her faster than letting the disease run its course."
"We've pulled off miracles before."
"Then start praying. At least in the war we usually knew what needed to be done, we just had to beat the odds. This? She's got a year before she feels sick, two, maybe three after that where she can pretend she's just got a bug that won't go away. After that her body starts failing quick."
"And those best treatments you mentioned?"
"The best real treatment would simply be frequent checkups and fight the symptoms as they appear. Anything else that's been tried, she'll be stuck in bed within days and probably dead before the year's done."
"Not good enough Doc."
"When the fuck did I say it was? But for now that's the best we've got. The first rule Johnny, the first rule, 'Do no harm,' sometimes doing nothing is the least bad choice."
Later still...
Johnny wished the message was on paper so he could fold, spindle, and otherwise abuse it. It was what he'd asked for but he'd rather hoped the state would put up more of a fight to hold onto a child who'd been in their care for fourteen years. Entering the sick bay he walked up to the girl's bed.
"Well Miriam, we've got a choice to make. By which I mean you have a choice to make. The Silver City won't be returning to Earth just yet." He could see her sit up straighter with a little more hope on her face. "We will however be passing near the Acheron, she could have you back to Earth in just about two months. If you take the Acheron we can see about getting you a medical advocate to try and give you a voice in your treatment."
"You said I had a choice?"
"The other choice is to stay on the Silver City, but there would be some rules..."
Name: Miriam Sharpe "The Kid"
High Concept: Just an orphan trying to see the universe before I'm out of time.
Trouble: Might as well live fast, I'm certainly not living long.
Other Aspects:
- "Don't you dare patronize me, I'm terminally ill not terminally dumb."
- You wouldn't believe the places I can get in
- Provisional Sky Patrol trainee
Approaches:
Careful: +2
Clever: +1
Flashy: +0
Forceful: +1
Quick: +3
Sneaky: +2
Stunts:
Nothing quite focuses the mind... - Because Mariam knows her time is limited she has learned to focus extra hard when it counts. Once per session she may ignore a situational aspect that would otherwise interfere with her ability to complete a task.
(two more stunts can be taken before reducing refresh)
Stress Boxes: [_][_][_]
Consequences
Mild (2):
Moderate (4):
Severe (6):
Refresh: 3
___
Today's setting aspect: She's a good ship, but she's a new ship.
You really shouldn't say anything bad about the Silver City where the crew can hear you. But amongst each other they'll admit she's got her quirks and rough spots and places where human and trantin technology don't quite mesh as expected.
(This is a crossposting |
replies at the original post on dreamwidth | Comment at dreamwidth | You can comment on DW posts even if you don't have an account there Using OpenID!)