Kurt Meyer
Let Me Push That Button
- Intent: To Flesh out a ship that has been RP'd for over four thousand posts.
- Image Credit: Rolf Bertz, Dan Brown Render, Curtis Holt, Siamon89, Fifth Element Concept Art
- Canon: N/A
- Links: Kaileann Vera, Kurt Meyer, Vanir Technologies, The Messa
- Starship Name: The Messa
- Starship Model: Varactyl-Class Escort Freighter
- Classification: Personal Ship
- Homeport: Tatooine
- Travel Route: Various
- Affiliation: Kurt Meyer, [member="Kaileann Vera"]
- Crew Complement: Lightly Manned
- Notable Crewmembers:
[member="Kaileann Vera"]: Kaile's official role on The Messa is as Navigator, but she also functions as unofficial Captain, Mechanic, hot tub installer, good chef, and everything else Kurt doesn't do. Without Kaile it would be safe to say that The Messa would be far more of a mess than it currently is, it would also be safe to say that the ships pilot would be quite a bit more emaciated than he is now. Again much like with Kurt, there are no official roles on The Messa and Kaile does a little bit of everything alongside Kurt.
Bobo: Chief Lizard in charge.
- Accessibility:
Though the ship itself has no cloaking or stealth technology, it is near constantly on the move. Kaile and Kurt are always going somewhere, it doesn't matter where. The two are rarely in one place or another for too long, staying on planets for a maximum of a week or two before deciding where they'll go next. They do not use the same hyperlanes often and mostly travel around the galaxy in random and difficult to trace patterns.
None of this is of course on purpose, and mostly is due to Kurt's rather erratic piloting style as well as their need to save as much fuel as they possibly can. Compared to military ships The Messa is relatively easy to break into, it's just very difficult to find.
- Description:
When one takes a closer look however it is more than obvious that this little ship has been through more than just a little bit. Deep scratches within the pain, interesting knicks, and engine burns dot and space all around The Messa's hull. There is something about this ship that makes it feel alive, and even though it isn't all that old something about the ship just feels lived in. Every scuff mark, every little 'bruise' upon the ship seems to add a sense of beauty and character, endearing the ship to those captains who care for their own vessels.
The inside of the ship is much the same way. Not empty and devoid of character like other vessels, The Messa's interior is decorated to look like exactly what it is; a home. There are throw pillows, blankets, small trinkets, things that one would find in any house or apartment. Everything inside of the ship makes it feel alive, lived in, and cared for. It is clear upon entering that those who live here truly consider their ship to be part of the family.
ADDITIONAL DEFENSES
Though Kurt has thought about adding additional defenses to The Messa multitude of times, this was an idea that was ultimately always shut down by Kaile.
The Messa is neither large enough, nor really threatened enough to really need any on-board defenses besides those that came with the ship in the first place. The vessel has no auto-turrets, no ray shields, and nothing else that could really defend it from intruders. What it does have however are remote locks, an alarm system that will alert Kaile and Kurt of unwanted entry, and of course a door code to open the ramp.
Aside from this The Messa has no real special security systems.
POINTS OF INTEREST
Cockpit: The most obvious piece of The Messa's architecture is the cockpit. Perhaps somewhat unique in the world of ships the cockpit of the Varactyl is actually located 'on top' of the rest of the vessel, neatly placed between the two engine housings and nestled directly into place above the crew quarters and actual cargo hold. The Cockpit is slim and sleek, having only two actual seats for a navigator and a pilot.
The inside of the cockpit was originally as one might think of any on a vessel. Pilots chair in the center, navigator to the left, and controls at the front.
For The Messa this is a bit different however. The pilots seat is still in the center of the ship itself, but laid around him are three consoles, surrounding the pilot and allowing him greater control of the vessel. This was a design that Kurt and Kaile put into the vessel itself, giving the pilot the ability to be more centrally located among the controls. This means a pilot of The Messa never actually has to reach for any button.
Along with this the two residents of the ship also replaced both the pilots and navigators chair, changing them to two far more comfortable seats that they found scavenging upon Raxus Prime(after Kaile cleaned them obviously)
Kitchen: Originally a rather sad and somewhat emaciated room, the Kitchen has become a full fledged cooking station for everything from fish to nerf to veggies.
Though the standard Varactyl only comes equipped with a small kitchenette, it was at Kaile's insistence that she and Kurt upgraded this. They tore out many of the larger unnecessary systems, replacing them with salvaged equipment instead. The two of them added a full sized stove, a larger refrigerator, and several other smaller tools that one required in the kitchens. Though the space is still quite small, it is possible to cook almost anything inside of it at this point.
To continue with this theme of adaption, almost everything inside of the kitchen has been uniquely modified to better work inside of a starship. Almost everything has a magnet on it(so it won't slide around), stationary things are bolted down, and decorations have either been glued or taped in place.
Living Room: The Living room of The Messa, if it can be called that, is the small space within the back of the ship that had once been the cargo bay.
Though technically located within the same room as the kitchen, it is separated by a small counter directly to the right. The Living room isn't large or extensive, and is mostly filled up by a single large couch smushed against the right wall. This couch is bolted down to the floor and was recovered by Kaile and Kurt on one of their trips, it's comfortable and covered with many blankets. In front of the couch sits a small coffee table that is similarly bolted down. Oddly enough this table most often serves as their dinner table, and the two take great care not to damage it.
The highlight of the living room is a small custom hot tub installed by Kaile and Kurt some months ago.
Directly built into the floor of the ship itself the hot tub located on the left side of the living room is a self training, self maintaining water cycle system created by Kurt and Kaile with the help of Kurt's father. The water that goes into this hot tub is specifically filtered and recycled, kept in The Messa's small water bay until it is used. This system was difficult to design and took the two occupants months to fully complete and put into place.
Kurt's Room: More than any other place on The Messa Kurt's room is a perfect reflection of himself. Just like one would expect, Kurt's room is a complete and utter mess. Clothes are strewn about, various mechanical parts lay on the desk, and everything seems just a little bit dusty. It is clear that Kurt rarely, if ever, cleans his room, though an odd sort of charm hangs about the place.
The contents of the room are rather simplistic, there is a bed within the back, a desk with a holo-terminal, and a single large closet.
Small pieces throughout the room denote just what Kurt loves and who he is. On the desk between mechanical parts and smaller pieces sits a large model of a pod-racer, behind that on the wall hangs a poster gifted to him by Kaile. The poster is a depiction of Kurt just before his third Boonta-Eve classic win, something that was incredibly difficult to find. Everything that is in Kurts room holds some sort of special value to him, from the mechanical parts to the smallest screw. All of it has been saved in one way or another.
The clothes strewn about the floor are perhaps the last mark of what is left of his old VCX, with Kaile having tidied up the rest of the ship it was imperative that a small mark of himself still remained, that being the addition of dirty clothes on the floor of his room. Though it all looks messy, for Kurt it adds a feeling of home.
On the nightstand besides his desk sit's a small frame that cycles through three photographs; one displaying Kurt with his parents on his first racing win, one depicting himself and Kaile standing in front of the Messa, and the last showing [member="Jamie Pyne"] on Spira.
Each of these images are incredibly important to Kurt, and although he could have many more cycling through the screen he consciously chooses not to do so. It isn't something he does out of laziness, but rather something he does because all three of the photos are incredibly precious to him. His parents are the people who raised him, Kaile is the first friend who'd ever truly supported him and helped him grow, and of course Jamie is the love of his life. Every picture holds a deep significance for the young Courier.
Though Kurt's room is bare, it is clear that he keeps what he loves close at hand.
Kaile's Room: Kaile went all out in her own little corner of The Messa. The room she called home was quickly decorated with trinkets, shiny things, and of course, posters galore. Kaile's room became the epicenter of her very person. Her room is decorated with a sense of warmth and welcome, stacks of blankets sitting on her bed, pillows were thrown about, color changing chain lights hanging from the ceiling and the desk in the corner decorated with standees and models from junk sellers across the galaxy.
As Kurt had promised, one of the significant investments in the upgrades of the Messa included cutting away one of the walls to provide a viewport for the Lorrdian. Kurt and Kaile took about a week to do the work themselves, testing out the seal in flight. Much to their delight -- there were no atmospheric leaks. This window has a draping of another string of chain lights, and also can be used as a holographic screen by the various small holographic protectors that surround it's perimeter.
Sitting in the corner of the desk was a small cube, a perfect shiny that Kurt had won in a pod-race after Kira had saved herself from a swoop gang. This was also near where she had created a small living nook for Bobo, to rest upon. It had a comfy little nutrient branch, with a small lamp for him to sun himself with. Since then, she has expanded this to include a fruiting tree, allowing not only for Bobo to enjoy digging his claws in for nutrients but providing a small means of fresh fruit for both Kurt and Kaile to share.
On the other side of the room was a small bookcase, containing novels and journals that Kaile had gathered on her trips. This was also where she had a small portable encrypted datapad and miniature hole array that allowed her to display as many screens as she so desired. A recent addition was additional holodisplays on the ceiling, allowing Kaile to project the holographic astronautical map that the pilot, [member="Asmus Janes"], the stranger she had fallen in love with, had given her before her departure six months ago. In preparation for the arrival of the baby, a smaller nook area had been cleared to provide space for Kaile and Kurt to secure the crib. An area, that due to her tragic miscarriage would remain painfully empty.
Near this nook, her bed would pull out of the wall to allow her to comfortably have more space if she needed to slip it back in. It was covered in comfy pillows, some of which she'd made herself after bartering for vibrant fabrics of various patterns. Highly encrypted and socketguarded, by far, Kaile's room is the most secure, the SIS agent ensuring that breaking and entering the room would be a feat in and of itself. All in all, of the rooms within the Messa, Kaile's was the most put together and comfortable.
Engine Bays: Though not really a location that anyone would actually want to go to, the Engine Bays of The Messa are probably one of the more important parts of the ship.
Kurt and Kaile have worked incredibly hard on actually making sure that their ship is one of the fastest in the galaxy, and this of course started with the engines. The Varactyl Class Escort Frigates were already on the faster side, but after Kurt and Kaile got ahold of the ship things changed drastically. They scavenged and cobbled together pieces, grabbed half a dozen different components, and threw them all on the engines.
Through much upgrading and shifting, Kurt and Kaile managed to make the engines more powerful and energy efficient, but also quite comically smaller. This has left room beneath the engines, something that the two utilize as much needed storage space.
Secret Compartment: As one might expect from a person hailing from Tatooine, The Messa comes equipped with a secret compartment.
This space is located directly behind the ladder that leads to the cockpit, hidden beneath a solid durasteel panel with a small safety lock on it. The lock is biometric, accepting only Kurt and Kaile's ID, it also has a combination that is only known by the two residents of the ship.
HISTORICAL INFORMATION
The Messa is not an ancient or even particularly old vessel, nor is it a ship meant for combat or legends. The Messa is above everything and anything else one single thing; a home.
Originally coming into life as just another standard off the line Varactyl Class Escort Freighter, The Messa was originally purchased by Kurt Meyer on lease. At the time Kurt was working for Sif Shipping company, a corporation under the umbrella of Vanir Technologies. Sif shipping had an available deal for all it's workers, giving a significant discount and lease agreement to those who would buy Vanir Ships.
After the destruction of his old Vessel, Kurt decided to take this agreement. Though initially he disliked The Messa, he quickly became to love the vessel, it's speed and the sleekness of it all overwhelming him with an intense sense of pride.
Not long after receiving his new ship, Kurt's at the time still somewhat tentative roommate began to change things. It was through her work, and the budding friendship that The Messa became a far more friendly and even homely abode. The inside of the ship was transformed and slowly became something resembling an actual home rather than a starship out in the middle of nowhere.
Though this was done mostly through Kaile's touch, the young woman took careful measure to always keep Kurt in mind.
Through this The Messa became something more than Kurt's ship ever had been. Though he had always held a certain lack of style as a style, this quickly began to change. Kaile took bits and pieces of both their personality, crafting it and fashioning it into a sort of homely decoration. Kurt's room, although bare, became noted with pieces from his past, the living room became more comfortable and like home, the Kitchen was built to suite their needs, and everything else seemed to be transformed to simply be more lively.
This process took months, with Kaile and Kurt slowly scavenging bits and pieces of equipment and furniture. Each time they would spend a few days, either patching holes in old cloth or re-varnishing an old coffee table. It was through this way that The Messa drove itself further into the hearts of Kaile and Kurt, becoming more than just a ship, but in a weird way part of the family.
Nowhere is this better reflected than in Kaile's room. Though the rest of the Ship is already decorated, Kaile's room is befitting of a museum. Trinkets, blankets, and everything one could imagine lay within, a true reflection of her personality and the fact that The Messa was little less than a true home. Through quite a lot of trial and error Kurt and Kaile even managed to add a window to the young woman's room, replacing one of the durasteel panels with a translucent counterpart.
Throughout this process Kurt and Kaile underwent many challenges within The Messa. They flew through natural disasters, wars, half a dozen different conflict zones and intergalactic routes that many thought were impossible to travel. The Ship, their home, has been through more than a few ringers. Dings, scratches, and deep scuffs within the paint denote that the vessel has been through more than most.
The Messa isn't an old ship, but the memories it contains are worth more to its two pilots than anything else. The Messa is where Kurt and Kaile became true friends and roommates, it is where Kurt first connected with Jamie, it is where Kurt and Kaile survived many storms, and above all it is the home they live in.
