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Post by M'thack-kir on May 25, 2017 21:13:53 GMT 10
The Warren, if you are fortunate or perceptive enough to see it yourself, is a sleek vessel of such a high quality that it can only have been constructed by the Phoenix Clan. And yet, it does not bear a Phoenix mon of any kind to mark it as the property of the children of Shiba. Of course, the Phoenix would not willingly outfit one of their own vessels with stealth capacity on the scale that The Warren has, so it is not surprising that the Phoenix want nothing to do with this ship officially, if they are indeed the creators. The ship's interior is eccentric, but not in the same way a Yoritomo pleasure barge might be. If you look above, the ceiling is covered with hemp netting that twists throughout the entire ship. Perhaps this is for zero-G situations, but those in the know are aware that Rik the sugar glider uses it to get around the ship, like a tree canopy. Also, the room where a galley might be expected to exist is an oddity in itself, for it is instead a garden space, with a single solar lighting panel, containing a variety of ripe fruits and vegetables growing out of the five inches of loamy dirt that cover the floor of the room instead of tatami matting. The fish tank in the lounge area is not just for aesthetics, but also serves as a renewable source of protein where the fruits and vegetables fail to do so. Interestingly, one resident of the tank is tiny and therefore useless as a source of protein: a lone goldfish representing its sub-species in space. The bridge is simple, utilitarian, and unadorned, except for three polished oak statues that have been glued to the navigation console: Susumu, Fortune of Deceit; Sora, Fortune of Harmony; and Tsukune, Fortune of Rebirth, the latter of which stands between the other two. It should be noted that there is no medical bay installed in The Warren. Maybe nobody ever gets injured? But what is actually the first thing you notice if you happen to board it? There is some bizarre aura within the ship that is unsettling, like the ship doesn't want you aboard at all. In moments of rest or relaxation, if there are any, you feel you are being watched, or that the walls are creeping closer and closer toward you through your peripheral vision. Sometimes the recycled air in the ship just feels heavy. It is not a welcoming feeling. However, the current residents of the ship, Captain M'thack-kir, sugar glider Rik, ronin Shinwa, Mirumoto Nanashi, the shiba inu puppy Kakashi, and the pilot Shiba Itsuki all seem quite at home, as if the ship isn't trying to convince them to leave. How strange! There is an access hatch in the roof bowside of the Arashi class turret, but normal access is through one of the ramps located beneath the cargo holds. The annotated Layout of The Warren gives a pretty good indication about rooms and space, with a communal lounge area on the starboard side of the vessel, near the garden room. The gunwell at the centre of the ship is a 360° holo control for the turret directly above it—it is aimed and fired using a targeting computer shaped like a Radiant pistol which floats in the centre of the room when not in use (because arcade video games are a great idea, thanks Shinwa~!) (This image now shows all sleeping quarters, yay!)  ![]() |
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Post by Shinwa on May 29, 2017 6:50:48 GMT 10
Portside Cargo Bay Parked in the portside cargo bay of The Warren, with easy access to the cargo ramp, is the ship's heavily battered, and often repaired, utility land vehicle. The Ide Camel probably was in great shape five or six years ago, but it's been through an owner or two since then, and seen some hard times on some hard planets. This particular unit has been modified from the factory base model to give it extra speed in exchange for some of its armor plating and hauling capacity. Also, a larger freezer and refrigeration unit can be found in the Camel's cargo bay where it is occasionally used to carry samples, emergency medical supplies, the bodies of gaijin aliens requiring further investigation by the Kuni, or whatever else the Warren has been sent to fetch. Sometimes, it also holds the ship's limited supply of mochi-covered ice cream. This freezer has a really good lock, though is usually left unlocked.
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Post by Mirumoto Nanashi on May 30, 2017 13:32:56 GMT 10
Magnetically secured on the starboard side of the Warren is the prettiest thing on the whole ship. The Mirumoto Daisho. The bike is always clean and polished with the Kanji for "Kiba" emblazoned on the side. This is Nanashi's pride and joy and he can normally be found cleaning, tuning or even speaking to it. The low grade AI, he calls Kiba, was repurposed from an old transport ship AI. Its not nearly as advanced but does allow Nanashi to "hand over the reins" if necessary.
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Post by Shinwa on Jun 1, 2017 5:09:48 GMT 10
Shinwa's CabinThe room of the ronin Shinwa is small and utilitarian. The floors are a thick tatami matting that has been adhered to the floor. His futon and warm blankets are stowed in a cabinet in the wall, where they can be unrolled at need. A low table folds down from the wall and a pair of kneeling cushions are stored in yet another cabinet. There is a small sink and mirror that can also be hidden behind a cabinet. Cold, hot, and very hot water dispensers can be used for drinking, making tea, or washing clothes. There is a broad, heavy metal counter near the sink area that can be used as a workbench or to prepare a simple meal. A small bathroom area is hidden behind a heavy, curved, opaque plastic screen. A wardrobe for clothes and shoes is also hidden behind the wall, and a kimono rack folds down from the wardrobe door to store clothing that is drying. All in all, it is not an abnormal number of modern conveniences, all safely packed up and stowed when not in use. When all is put away, then, the room is an open bare space, walls lined with metal and hidden doors. The back wall of the room is decorated with a very large round photograph printed on glass. It gives the room the appearance of having a circular window. The image has been carefully constructed with multiple layers of glass to make it have the appearance of cherry blossoms in a pretty, lush green garden. The very corner of a red-tile roofed building can be seen. A lightswitch turns the window's light on and off, bathing the room in the natural glow of sunlight while on, or casting the room and the window in darkness when it is turned off. A small space for a candle can be slipped between the panes if desired. The image is at once quite realistic and completely fake in its frozen stillness.  Below the window is a fine daisho stand made of real wood, with a special place below it where a pistol might be stored. The daisho stand is fixed to the floor so it does not move during fluctuations in the ship's gravity systems or for takeoff and landing, and weapons secured within can be strapped into place if needed. A small space next to the daisho stand holds what appears to be a small blue and white porcelain pot. This is also affixed to the daisho stand. In the pot there is a small ikebana arrangement of Sagiso Orchids, White Rose, and Aster. It would be lovely, if the arrangement were not made of silk, the water not of clear resin. As is, it looks artificial and a little dusty. A smaller cabinet door displays a simple watercolor and ink sumi-e painting an a very ancient style: a painting of a beautiful woman in a perfect, ancient, multi-layered kimono. She carries a bowl in her hands, nearly hidden by the sleeves of her robe. The image has been protected by a sheet of plastic, and was painted some time ago. Another door carries a sheet of fine paper with ancient-looking calligraphy....a simple haiku. This haiku looks like it has just been hung. It reads: Both pieces are taped up, for there is no place to properly hang such works where gravity would not claim them. There is no chop on either painting or haiku.
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Post by M'thack-kir on Jun 1, 2017 8:26:02 GMT 10
M'thack-kir's Cabin
Nobody is ever invited into this room, but you might catch a glimpse of it through the doorway as the captain enters or leaves it.
The familiar hemp netting that runs the course of the ship's ceiling exists in here, too. There is no furniture, not even a bed, on display. Instead, the eerily pristine tatami floor is littered with a variety of cushions, all of different shapes, sizes and colours; in times of low or no gravity, Kiru finds it very amusing to watch how his "bed" dances about the cabin, before inevitably dropping back down to the floor harmlessly.
There are several cabinets housed in the walls, concealed when not open, as in the other cabins. Nobody would have ever seen any of these opened, but several contain rocks and pebbles from every solid planet Kiru has visited that was untouched by Jigoku, whilst others contain jars of coarse grain, ready to feed Rik in lean times (not that they've had any of those with the constant supply of fruit and vegetables that exists quite inexplicably on the ship!). There is also a larger cabinet filled with foam in which Kiru can store his Ashigaru armour and Koiso MkV sidearm safely. The standard rectangular mirror that covers the retractable wash basin and faucets stands in a corner facing the doorway, possibly to afford a view of intruders, or perhaps to scare away unwelcome spirits.
Finally, there is a tiny button-operated water dispenser in the ceiling for Rik's personal use.
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Post by Mirumoto Nanashi on Jun 1, 2017 8:33:46 GMT 10
To call Nanashi's room utilitarian is to insult the utter lack of personal effects. The room is small by comparison to the other rooms and an odd dichotomy seems to permeate the space. Chaos and order seemed to have picked this room as their final battleground.
One part of the room seems to be dedicated to a small hammock, while the majority of the space is dedicated to two tables. One has a computer built in. It is neat and orderly but the cork board above it is covered in small bits of paper and string that seem to create a spiderweb. If the spider making it happened to have to much sake that night.
The other table is covered with different bits and bobs. Pieces of engine or circuit boards. A space is obviously used strictly for cleaning radiant firearms and several magazines, of all description, are strewn about the table.
A silver armor stand/mannequin stands between the tables. A clearly used but well cared for set of Dragon armor rests there. A daisho is held on the back of the armor so that if need be the wearer could draw them from his back. A well worn duster hangs on a hook behind the armor within easy reach.
A device that looks like a metal collar sits on the table next to a set of ear buds that are obviously synced to a small device displaying a list of song titles.
Nanashi does not spend a lot of time in this room. He is normally found either working on his bike in the cargo bay or meditating near the fish tank.
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Post by M'thack-kir on Jun 1, 2017 9:07:09 GMT 10
Shiba Itsuki's Cabin
Upon entering this room, you arrive in an entryway just one tatami in area, where you can exchange your shoes in the concealable wall cabinet for slippers. Aside from the metallic wall of the cabin itself, you are boxed in by perpendicular traditional rice paper doors, each paper panel bearing the mon of the Phoenix Clan, for this room is the singular admission of the ship's loyalties.
Opening the rice paper doors, one steps up onto the slightly elevated tatami floor into a largely bare room, for Itsuki's futon, wash basin, armour and daisho stand, and even his advanced personal computer with a highly encrypted direct link to his superiors are all stowed away within the walls of the room when not in use, concealed by portable shoji screens of varying heights and widths, all of which can be secured by magnetic strip locks crisscrossing the tatami flooring. Some of the screens are bare, displaying high quality, authentic mulberry paper that awaits the artist's brush strokes. Others, however, depict landscape scenes in the sumi-e style with accompanying shodo calligraphy in a cipher only Phoenix or some Crane could potentially read, being a shared script formed centuries ago in the illustrious city of Nikesake back on Rokugan. The scenes are all of different planets' wondrous features that Itsuki has personally witnessed, save one, which stands at the back of the room and is never relocated: a painting of a worried, regal man burdened with some great ethical dilemma staring in wonder at a Fushicho flying above him as he sits upon a lone hill looking up to the stars for guidance.
This cabin is warded against the entry of spirits, and Kakashi the Shiba Inu seems to regularly try to visit it without success.
EDIT: Now that Ikoma Dorai will be sleeping in this cabin also, Itsuki has rearranged shoji screens to provide the Lion with two thirds of the sleeping space, being a humble and gracious host. A futon has been carefully placed in Dorai's space for him to use, and both Itsuki and Dorai have communal access to the retractable wash basin.
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Post by Shinwa on Jun 14, 2017 2:05:44 GMT 10
Crew Lounge and GalleyLike many other areas of the ship, the space for the Crew Lounge is used for many functions. In a row along the left side wall near the main cabin, is a series of six built-in, 7' tall 'lockers'. When a switch at the top of each locker is pressed, the locker door rotates around to reveal a full, padded chair with headrest and full atmospheric re-entry and lift-off capable seat belts, similar to the four such seats found in the bridge. These are enough to allow six additional passengers to be buckled into their seats. Behind each headrest is a compartment that holds an oxygen-supplying mempo in case of a hull breach. On the right side of the room, a technical station is set up, with a unit tied in to the ship's scanners, able to run more complex analyses while the main computers on the bridge work primarily for flight and navigation. By it, there is a small fabrication unit, one that is capable of manufacturing small plastic items and parts, though, just as often, it is used to print out sheets with words or information printed on them. Near this area, a waist-high steel counter runs along the length of the wall to the right side and part of the way along the back wall. In the counter there is a sink and dispensers for hot, cold, and boiling water. Above and below the counter are metal cabinets. In the cabinets, one can find, safely stowed away, plates and glasses, a rice cooker, two electric burners, a blender (at least occasionally), knives, and bottles of soy, vinegar, oil, salt, and spices used for the general preparation of food. One cabinet instead conceals a tiny refrigerator, but there is rarely, if ever, anything in there except a half-empty bottle of plum sauce. Another cabinet holds a small cooker oven that uses convection and radiation to heat food. It is often broken. There is no freezer: a larger freezer and refrigeration unit can be found in the Camel's cargo bay. The left part of the back wall does not have any cabinets above waist-high. It has been coated with a special white ceramic so that it can be used to practice sword calligraphy on, or simply for writing words and diagrams and making plans. The lower cabinets built into the wall run from the end of the counter to the left wall. Some of these hold floor pillows, power cells, games, and, in one, the very limited amount of medical supplies that Shinwa has stocked there without M'thack-kir's permission. The middle of the room has three tables built in, one next to the other. The tables can raise up either to knee-high for normal use, or waist high for standing use, and one, two, or all three tables can be raised depending on what they are being used for. A false tatami to match the rest of the room covers the tables while they are at ground level, but is pulled back when the table is elevated. When all three tables are lifted, there is enough space to seat about ten people. The ceiling of this room lacks the netting that covers most of the ship, instead only allowing the netting around the edges of the room instead of the middle. This seems to be because a switch allows the ship to lower a projector from the ceiling in the middle of the room. It can project holographic images either into the middle of the table or onto the white wall. Sometimes, the crew has been known to watch a movie here. Alternatively, it might not have netting because of the one time Rik accidentally dropped a half-eaten fig into Shinwa's soup. In addition to the lights of the crew lounge itself, the lounge is lit by the pale blue-radiance of the nearby fishtank. An automatic feeding and filtering mechanism is at the top of the tank, filtering wastes into the soil and providing vitamins, nutrients, and food to the fishy inhabitants. A magnification bubble on the side allows closer view of the fish for aesthetic purposes, but has become the favorite resting spot of the single, small goldfish, who, thus magnified, seems to serve as a watch guardian over the crew in this area.  All around the fish tank, emerging from the area where the galley would normally be, and winding vines through the netting above along the sides of the crew lounge, are plants: primarily fruits and vegetables of many kinds. Across the hallway lies the source of all the plants. The area would normally serve as a galley, but the crew lounge is doubling for that and this area has been given over as a garden. Many have fruits and vegetables ripe for the taking. A solar lamp shines above, with meager light compared to the growth. The plants grow in a shallow flooring of dark, rich soil, which seems insufficient to ever feed such luxurious growth, but here, life finds a way. A single small bench sits in the far side of the garden, hidden away from the corridor by the vegetation, and reached by a couple of well-concealed stepping stones. The corridor extends on to the right towards Nanashi's room and the escape pods, and left towards the cockpit.
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Post by Shinwa on Jul 2, 2017 13:37:23 GMT 10
The BridgeThe bridge of the Warren is simple and utilitarian, the great clearsteel windows providing a wide-open view of the open space before the ship without the need for monitors. However, images can be projected across the open expanse of the windows, a feature used for adding sites, zooming, or information to the visual layout displayed. The front navigation control panels feature a mix of older manual controls, keybords, stick controls, and touch-sensitive panels with an array of options. The panels glow in hues of warm gold and orange. Communications, power and overcharge, navigation, and sensors run out of these panels. Above the control panels are three polished oak statues glued to the navigation console: Susumu, Fortune of Deceit; Sora, Fortune of Harmony; and Tsukune, Fortune of Rebirth, the latter of which stands between the other two. Two chairs, for the pilot and co-pilot, sit before the navigation control panels. The pilot chair is usually occupied by Shiba Itsuki. The co-pilot's chair, by unanimous silent agreement, belongs to Captain M'thack-kir, and no one except the captain sits in that chair. The Warren can be flown from either place. Further back in the cockpit are more control panels focusing on tasks that require less continuous monitoring: engineering, life support, shields and security, scanning, and maintenance tasks. The two chairs by these panels are, by custom, Nanashi's and Shinwa's. All the bridge chairs are belted for atmospheric takeoff and re-entry, and locked in place under each headrest is an oxygen-providing mempo. The netting found throughout the ship runs across the roof of the bridge also. Strapped into places in the walls are various tool kits and parts necessary for important repairs, intakes, and other pieces of the engineering system. An emergency airlock separates the cockpit from the rest of the ship, but this is hardly ever closed. .
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Post by Shinwa on Jul 4, 2017 0:50:13 GMT 10
Center Access Hatch and Gunwell TurretBehind the Cockpit and the emergency airlock doors lies a center column. Metal rungs and a criss-crossed webwork of nylon strapping lead up the interior of the column to the gunwall turret, and down towards the center access hatch. The Center Access Hatch is used for docking with other ships or as the external airlock to the outside. Like all airlocks, there is a large sealed primary entrance that opens up into the void. A short retractable docking gate is able to extend to a single connected vessel to allow free passage to and from the Warren to a docked vessel. Although the air kami can move freely through the gate, the void of space renders standing within this passage extremely uncomfortable and artificial gravity does not extend within the passage. Those who travel this egress would normally use the nylon strapping that lines the passage to reach their destination. The docking gate is sealed within the borders of the airlock door when not in use. A chamber on the interior of the primary entrance holds an incoming visitor during re-pressurization and prevents the air kami from fleeing into space. The window from the interior of the ship into this chamber is made of clear-steel and has been tinted so only those inside the ship can see into the chamber; those in the chamber cannot see into the ship. This chamber has numerous sensors, that feed into monitors on the other side of the cleersteel door inside the ship. These sensors detect the balance of the kami, the presence of jade, obsidian, kasen, taint, explosives, or other substances that might cause damage to the Warren. A short burst of ultrasonics can remove and flush back to space any exterior contamination on the craft. Both the door to the exterior and the door to the interior of the ship are kept securely locked at all times unless a ship is actively docked with the Warren. Once the airlock has been passed, visitors must climb the rungs in the central column to reach the main parts of the ship.  Continuing up the central column takes visitors and crew members to the artillery turret at the top of the vessel. This rounded dome chamber is made completely of clearsteel strengthened by steel support beams, as is common on Phoenix Vessels, since this would be where a combat shugenja would stand to engage the enemy in battle. However, visibility through this clearsteel window, as is through the main windows in the cockpit, is completely controlled from within by ship controls. It can either be purely open and visible to space within and without (which is its unpowered state), completely opaque and showing only information about positioning and placement as provided by the ships sensors, or a combination of the two states where sensor information is laid atop visible images seen directly in the vastness of space. Since Mirumoto Nanashi has come aboard, this dome is generally kept completely opaque, with sensor readouts fed directly to the dome walls. The center of the dome above, where the steel girders come together, holds the ship's artillery turret. The turret is small, mostly used for removing asteroids or other objects that might damage the ship, or to slow down an enemy before the Warren flees. Suspended in a column of light in the center of the room is the controller for the turret, a device that looks like a single radiant pistol. In times of need, the gunner may remove the pistol, and using their samurai skill, target and aim at opponents displayed on the screens of the dome, and the turret will aim and fire according to the spot aimed. Releasing the controller from anywhere in the room causes it to float back to its central position.
The turret may make the ship's gunner uncomfortable when the clearsteel is set open to the sky, but there is no doubt that it is the best place on the ship to get the grandest view of the universe possible.
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Post by Shinwa on Jul 4, 2017 2:06:27 GMT 10
BathroomsThe three primary cabins of the ship each have a small ultra-sonic shower unit, sink, and head built in, but it is the ship's main shower that is sought when a true cleansing by the water kami and soap is desired. The showers are situated just off the port-side Cargo Bay, easy to reach after a difficult mission out with the Camel. If you are looking for the luxurious bathhouses of Fortune's Blessing or the World of Dreams, you aren't going to find it on The Warren. There is no bath on the ship; that luxury is one sought and coveted when planetside in civilized parts by the Warren's erstwhile crew. That does not mean that the ship's showers are only at the lowest Crab standards, of course. M'thack-kir's obsession with cleanliness extends to this part of the ship. No less than once a day (and on demand if necessary), the room automatically seals itself up and a flood of water and cleansers washes the entire room from top to bottom, cleansing the entire area in a matter of minutes and drying it with air and heat. While very useful, this can be annoying for those who accidentally leave things on the bathroom floor. The shower works with water, steam, UV Radiation, and ultra-sonics, with options for all. Once completed, there is a swift air-drying unit what will handle that task, though there is a towel rack available for those who prefer the more traditional approach. In tiles around the floor and ceiling of the room there are kuji-kiri kanji invoking purification and sanctification. The gilt on the kanji is wearing thin in spots, made more apparent in the bright lights that illuminate the room. A sealed bin of ritual salt is available for purification after battle as well. It is marked with red string and kanji indicating its function, and is stored in a jar that could be made out of jade. The floor is made of slats of artificial wood. The main problem with the room is that there is only one bathroom. The line when coming back from an unpleasant mission might become quite long with a full compliment of passengers aboard. The ship's washing machine is also located in the wall of this room. It will wash and dry most types of clothing in about ten minutes. However, radiant armor needs special preparations depending on the type and nature of the contaminating substances and cannot be laundered this way.
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Post by Hida Tetsuko on Jul 4, 2017 18:29:06 GMT 10
Tetsuko's Room
More of a corner than a room, it is rather bare of personal items as most of what she owned was on the ship that blew up. There is a futon mattress, usually rolled if she is not in it and a stack of magazines on weapons. Tetsuko's gear is also stored here when she's not using it. Her daisho, tetsubo and armour.
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