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The Lady Copernicus:

Length over all: 500 yards
Breadth : 20 yards
Number of Decks: 6

Looking at the ship from the side, one would see the gangway, bent like an arm reaching to the ground. Her hull (outside) is an irredecent metal, something that reflects the water and plays with shadows and light. It leads from the dock, to the flight deck.

Flight DECK. Deck 6
Once aboard, the first thing visible is the rune circle that Cephaceus navigates in. The deck (floor) is made of a rich, dark wood...making the shimmering blue circle stand out like a blood stain under flourescent black light. The circle is 3/4 of the way to the bow (front, pointy end) of the ship. The rest of the bow is cleared, with the exception of two large anchors on either side of the extreme front, and line (rope) laid out on deck. Looking aft (towards the back), the ship's upper most deck is full of people, storage, and two small sails, placed there just in case of an emergancy.

3' dark ebony railing extends everywhere but where the gangway connects heaven and the hell below. Along the top of the railing, decorative brass inlays weave a story of eternity and the punishment of the seas. Going aft to the stern (back, flat end) there are stairs, leading to a small deck with nothing on it. This is where officers and Captain speak when matters are highly important. The railing here is a little lower, and 20 feet away from the stern, is the one permenant standing sail and post. From the post, several lines (ropes) come out, all tied to the post, and all with a loop on the other end. These are the safety lines for times of predicted rough weather.

CREW Living Quarters Deck 5
Dropping a deck (5), one finds numerous berthing (living) quarters. A hallway runs from stem (VERY VERY FRONT) to stern (see above), and from it stem pairs of rooms. Each room has 3 beds, 3 lockers, 3 chests, 1 standard sink, 1 small mirror, and every 2 rooms next to each other share a head (bathroom with commode and shower). From the foward (towards the bow) end, at every 1/4 ship, a stair well takes the place of the room that would be on the starboard (right) side. On the port (left) side, there is a fire extinguisher, and water hose.

The rooms are simple, and each must be laid out in the same pattern. Three beds, bunked across the outermost wall, with the Three lockers directly across. The chests fit snugly along the side wall between the beds and the lockers. This is to maximize space. The sinks are across from the chests, and the door to the head is about 2' from the foot of the bed.

Messes, Galleys, and Lounges Deck 4
Going down to the next level one finds the mess halls and lounges. Instead of one central halway, there are two hallways going down either side of the ship, with intersecting ones at each of the major stops. One finds the crew mess (cafeteria) and the Galley (kitchen) at the rear quarter of the ship... They're generally in a state of complete chaos. Crew members gather to talk when they aren't sleeping or working, and snacks are almost always available. Going fowards a little further, the crew lounge is found. It's quieter, meant for calm rest, a place to read or hide from whoever you need to escape from. Beyond that is the Officer's lounge. The officers gather here for unimportant meetings, and for calm chatter. The foward quarter of the ship is the officer's mess.

In the officer's mess, the tables are of a fine wood, bolted to the floor. At each chair, there is a folded linen napkin, silver silverware, and a glass goblet that sets into a small wooden holder. The mess was always pristine, with marble tiled floors unscuffed by wear and tear. A permenant crew of cabin boys is stationed in the mess, their sole job to serve food and drink at meal times, and clean and polish in between. They wear black pants, black shoes, and a black coat, open to reveal a bleahed, starched, white shirt with the Fleet markings on the lapel. The foward end has a small desert buffet and salad bar that are kept stocked at all hours. There are several portholes along both sides of the room, allowing natural light to pour in and reflect off the floor.

All dinnerware is stored in the respective messes. The Captain and officers eat off of medium quality china, while the crew eat off of plastic trays. Neither set of men EVER step foot in the wrong mess hall. To do so would be an embarrassment, and an offense. Likewise, any man caught with ANY type of non-bandage head gear is immeadiatly sentanced to be flogged at the front of the ship.

Officer Berthing Deck 3
The next lower deck is officer berthing. When at sea, this deck is just above waterline, where the ship will roll (tilt side to side) the least. It is set up the same as the crew mess, but instead of 3 people per room 6 per bathroom, it's 1 person with 2 rooms and a private bathroom. The air mages are given the most foward rooms, as these have portholes. In the dead center, is the Captain's quarters and office. His quarters are on one side, the office is on the other. Down the hall is The chief engineer's room. Towards the aft (back) are the engineers, to the front are all the deck officers.

Cephaceus's room: When walking in, one first notices the dimness of the room. The floors are mahogony, and the walls cherry, only a few shades lighter. It smells faintly of sweetness due to the walls, and a little stronger of brine, generally because whenever possible, he has his porthole open. Looking in from the door, the first thing visible in his room is his personal desk, a Mahogony giant, bolted to the floor, with a glass top inlaid to the wood. A pen and journal lay across the left hand side, and a white parchment log book lays on the right. No one touches that desk other than Cephaceus. It has 3 drawers on either side, the upper most one on the left holding a .45 Calibur gun that has never been fired. The one on the right holding a small collection of throwing knives, carefully cleaned an polished.

To the left of the desk, against the wall in the corner is his bed. It is simple, with only one pillow and a blanket to keep him company. Under the bed are two shelving units, one holding a few more books, the other empty. The walls are covered in bookshelves, which are mostly full of navigational, and handling material. Cross to his other room and you see four lush chairs, two of them obvioulsy well worn. The other two, seemingly untouched. There is also a small cabinet, with 2 bottles, one Crown, the other Jack. Under the cabinet is a small bottle of Mc.Clellen 50 year old scotch, his PRIVATE stash. Hidden behind the cabinet is his saber, thus far he is the ONLY one to touch it.

Across the hall, his office is very simple, only a large oval table big enough to fit all the officers, and in the bookshelves, paper, pens, and charts (maps). The other room of his office is a bit different. Padlocked from both the outside and inside, very few people ever see the room. Shelving is absent, instead leaving spaces for various instruments of torture. There is a drain in the middle of the room to allow for blood to leave the ship, and a small shower for whoever was administering the torture. No crew member is ever taken back here, it is strictly for POW's and captured victims from raids.

Bernicus's Room: Couldn't be more different from Cephaceus if he tried. The walls are a light pine, and the floor a soft teak. Inlaid into the walls are sheets of parchment backed glass, much the same as the one in the Captain's table. The flowers are arranged in circles within the glass, and the panes make a gentle wave across the wall. His bed is covered in lush blankets and pillows, and what bookshelves would have been were turned into tables and chairs. In the center of the room is a large table, with chairs for 4, again 2 of them are well polished, and if looked at closely decorated. The other two are untouched, stiff. In the center of the table is a set of fine china, and a porcelin tea pot. All of the dishware and the tea pot are set into the table so that they don't fall.

His desk sits in a corner, pens and papers thrown around, with greasy streaks permantly embedded on the corners. The wood chair has seen better days, but it's taken care of. There are no visible weapons when looking at his desk, but if one kicked the back of it, in just the right way, a small blade would drop into a lap.

His personal effects are all in his other room, along with thousands of pressed flowers, dried flowers, and a few fresh ones that are in processing. A small book sets on the bookshelf, and the only thing written on it is Flowers, scrawled in caligraphy across the top. No one knows that Bernicus's flower arrangements have a purpose. And in honesty, whenever he wants to make someone feel at ease, all he has to do is tap the glass over certain flowers. The magic takes over from there. His office is bare, save for heavy objects pressing flowers and the occasional flower pot and growing lamp.

Air Mage's/First Mate's Room: TBD

Storage Deck (2)
The deck is lined with shelves and bins, soley for cargo storage. Tarps and lines(ropes) are laid out in order to store and secure heavy items. All Crew have access to this room.

Engine Room (1)
The engine room is loud, grimy, and generally a disaster for anyone other than those who work there. Along all sides of the ship a Bilge runs. This is where excess grease and water drip off, so that it stays off the deck. They have to be cleaned about once a week. In the very back of the ship is the MSD. (Marnie Sanitation Device). Essentially it's the sewage system for the entire crew, and when it backs up or breaks...EVERYONE knows. Opposite that is the Engine control room, a nice safe, clean haven for the engine room officers. Heading foward one finds the engines, and fuel storage. And finally towards the bow, there is a water storage and creation device, along with a small water heater. Hot water is a VALUED commodity on board. Naturally, Cephaceus and Bernicus enjoy a 20 min Hot shower each morning. Standard crew can expect about 5 min of hot water, and other officers about 10. At the very peak (pointy part) of the bow, there is a storage locker for nuts, bolts, tools, and extra grease just incase.

You don't want to be down there if you don't have to be.

Diagrams: When my Lazy arse gets a chance to draw them and figure out how to scan them. Diagrams will be to scale.

Fleet uniform had never sat perfectly well over Jacobi Danyel's shoulders. In the wake of the Infernis, however, the uniform had meant survival...and he was very, very good at surviving. Fleet training had made his usual air of frosted distance a bit more neutral, slightly more polished; still, there was something in the way his eyes narrowed that told a story of sharp-tongued arrogance.

At the moment, hwoever, he was in no position to judge anyone at all.

Tugging gently at the hem of his coat, he cast an eye over Lady Copernicus as he approached. She was a trim ship, and her crew looked efficient; he prayed this captain wouldn't be the pompus hardass he had heard rumors about. Crisp paper touched his hand as he pulled his letters from inside his coat, and he stepped lightly up onto her deck, seeking out the deck officer. His appearance was perfect, insignia marking him as a trained officer and mage, with one exception...the delicate glasses on the end of his nose, and the ribbon-cord that looped around his shoulders.

"Were I given a chance, indeed you might have heard my voice- but perhaps not. I was trained that one locates a deck officer and makes oneself known, rather than disturbing a potentially...busy Captain," the stranger replied sharply, eyes flashing behind his silver frames. While he might be a lower rank than these two gentlemen, he followed Fleet regs to the painful letter in a new situation- he wasn't about to let them jump down his throat for following his training.

Starting over, he produced a crisp salute for the Captain and a sharp nod for the imposing greasemonkey- Cheif Engineer, no doubt. "I am called Jacobi Danyel. I come from Fleet at the suggestion of Fleet Captain Piro; he understood that you were searching for new crew and thought I might serve the purpose you seek." No rank was mentioned- he was obviously an officer, but he had long since been...shifted from place to place as his particular abilities were called for.

His eyes narrowed for just a moment, and he glanced over the ship as his eyes went distant. Not enough magic...."I am noted for a diversity of skills...including the ability to act as an air mage, should the need arise."

So far, this Cephaceus was doing fairly well in Jac's eyes. He hadn't turned him over to a lower officer, and his stare was direct- perhaps he could respect this man, after all. There had been...few to respect, since he had lost Sakito.

Time to get the hard part out of the way. Hands clasped behind his back, Jacobi faced the Captain as if an executioner; this had made his life insanely difficult on other ships, but still it was something he cherished. His past, his people. This captian might not recognize the notorious 'mafia' he had helped control, but the timeframe would take him out of the ranks of the young and green.

"Before the fall of Imperial, I was the Second Hand of the Black Watch under Sakito Li," he said emotionlessly, light catching on his glasses as he gave his report. "When the Fleet rebuilt, I became a 'special command' officer; my experience is little matched in all of Fleet, so I am sent where I am needed. My position is usually Third to First, with the occasional stint as a pure air mage. I prefer not to Captian, if offered the chance."

Never mind that his 'experience' was the fact that he could deal with the scum of the universe, and turn them into a cohesive, cooperative crew. Most Captains didn't like to think about their crews that way.

The engineer was an interesting sort. No-nonsense, in the way that all engineers SHOULD be; Jac liked him. He would make this position much easier, once they understood each other. His attention returned to the Captain, expressionless face lifting as he considered the question.

"If you are prepared to have me absent from active duty the day after a strenuous working, as with any air mage, there should be no problem. As to my recommendation, Captain...I have done my best for Fleet. It is not my family, but it will have to do as a substitute. The Black Watch fell with Imperial."

There was something grim in the way he said this- grim in the fashion of scar tissue that never truly heals, aching along the edges of the mind for decades after the wound has come and passed. "I appreciate your cooperation. I will do my best to handle any problems you have on board."

"My 'past,' as you put it, Captain," Jac murmured, pausing before continuing deeper into the ship, "is what lets people understand that if they cross me too far, they will find themselves gutted some unexpected mornng." His smile was faint, but there was nothing amused in his eyes...at all. "Do not concern yourself with it."

One gloved hand rose to flick his hair out of his eyes, changing his focus to examine the crew. "I am available to start immediately. I understand your recent changeover must have been quite traumatic to your crew; I likely have a heavy challenge before me."

1 MONTH LATER.


It had been about a month since this Newcomer came aboard, and while he hadn't revealed himself to anyone just yet, Copernicus figured he might as well break in this 'new' sailor.

He had started out by laying down line for him to trip over, but it hadn't worked. Today, however, the new Mage/First Mate was making a trip down to the engine room. It wouldn't take long before the pristine Jacobi Danyel was reduced to a dirty mess.

Copernicus smiled to himself as he set the bucket of sludge infront of Jacobi's next step. He had been saving it for a few weeks, special drippings from the grease and oil bins, nothing special, just left overs.

~~

Bernicus smiled as he heard the barking man at the entrance. Somehow, he had started to grow fond of the new mate, even if he was a little fanatic about how tidy he kept himself. With a quiet snort he realized that the Captain and First mate might have more in common than he thought.

"Nothing's going to disappear Jacobi, I assure you. The engine room is much cleaner than you think, even if we do deal in grease and oil all day long." A smile spread before his face. "Besides, it'll do you some good to come down here." As he took the report from the Mate, he frowned slightly. "Come with me please, and don't touch ANYTHING, there are many valves in here that could cause serious problems if they're messed with, as well as several that are extremely hot. Wouldn't want to have to send you to get aid on your first trip down here." He smiled so Jacobi would recognize the joke, and turned, walking towards the back of the Engine room where the control room was.