Overview
As a newly promoted Captain in the mighty Star Command-fleet, great things are expected of you. You have been given your first ship to command, and it is to you recruit a crew and guide them towards glory in the name of the Star Command. Space is dangerous void to traverse, so before you set off on your epic journey, you might need some tips and handy hints.
Getting started
First off, you find yourself in the middle of no-where. Fret not, this is merely the beginning. With one push of button on the NAV-computer, your vessel will be hurled through the void and in to the future.
*Spoilers alert!* Here you will find a trade station- “The Centre of the Universe”. If this is the centre or not, is up to much discussion and debate, but ____, the manager of the station, says the name helps boost sales.
You have the choice of accepting your first mission and have a small sum of credits to spend on recruitment, supplies or save up for later.
Understanding and managing your crew
You might think that finding work in the Star Fleet is difficult? Sadly no, volunteering for the work is enough, or so the recruiters who handle the paper-work will argue.
Then they ship the new recruits to space stations and leave them to fend for themselves, simply roaming the station as vagrants hoping to be recruited by passing Captains..
It is no surprise that your recruits lack formal training and you’ll have to train them for them to be of any use. They are easily startled by noises and lights. Simply turning the ship into “Red Alert”, the requisite for firing the main guns, can and will severely traumatize your crew. Having them teleport unto another ship and order them to gun down every last evil-doer will leave them hungry for more!
Concider using your crew as a boarding party, while you stay behind and man the main guns. Essentially you’ll stand around and push the fire button at regular intervals and hope for the best.
Please be adviced that turning your own ship into “Red Alert” will scare your crew. Who knows what horrors they have seen? There are wide spread rumors of a “memory wipe”-technique that allegedly deal with the pschological trauma short-term but will leave a person vulnerable in the future as he or she will have an unsettleing sense of deja vu when they relive traumatizing events, e.g. hearing the command to “man the battle stations”. No sane man would brood on these things.
In conclusion, the men and women that volunteer for Space Duty have a frail and brittle mental constitution and as any good Captain will tell you, your job is not to complain or try to change the nature of things, but to make do with what you have.
Give them food, shelter and have them take turns sleeping in the one bed that was afforded to you by the Star Command. Bother not with ordering your crew to visit the toilet, they seem not to know when they are done. Let them find the courage within them to go at their own device.
Remember! Not everyone can sustain him or herself by the power the will, but the few that can become officiers in the Star Command. If you’re reading this, you are already one of the chosen few.
The Vessel
You start of with one of three vessels. They are of simple yet sturdy make. Some Captains prefer to keep things small on the outside while packing more and more heat on the inside. Other Captains prefer to get bigger and bigger ships, in hope of scaring enemies from engaging.
As you know, the ongoing effort of making things more efficient have an impact even today! Some prototypes are smaller but have the same output, others have the same size and output but are cheaper to make. Who knows what will happen in future, regarding engine size, power generation, power storage, shields and etc?
You’ll start with a mass driver, “a machine gun”, firing chunks of mass towards the enemy. As you progess you’ll be given the choice of getting self-propelled material, called “torpedoes”. Other captains prefer energy based weapons, like lasers or plasma based weapons.
It is not for any of us to question what tools a craftsman uses, as long as he or she perform the tasks that have been assigned. Sometimes you’ll need to fire the main guns, sometimes you’ll divert all power to shields, other times you’ll find yourself blind-jumping into hyperspace while fending of a boarding party.
Know your vessel: her quirks, perks and learn to listen to interpret her hum. Good luck!
Finding work in the Void
As you know, there are many numerous factions and races beside the Terrans, with many ongoing disputes and vendettas. It is not for us to settle any of these affairs, we will simply profit as they quarrel. Heed the whims of the faction leaders and the space station managers. As said before, this is not work for the faint of heart. You’ll be tasked to kill trouble-makers, establish trade routes, to meet with a dignitaries, and to “deal” with non-compliant rebel ships. Do it, do it well.
Just remember to do it for a fee.
That is our way, of the Star Command.