Personal log Stardate: 2551.11.10.
After an enforced break at Jasper Point on Idun, and the loss of Resilient Station and its host asteroid a major source of speculation and rumour, it was a relief to receive Commander Constantine’s invitation to take an intra-system jump ship to from the Point to the resource-rich Freya, and the orbit of the coalition’s newest jewel, the USS Sheipnir. Not only had the rumour mill started to get to me, I was keen to see what would be our new home and an opportunity to broaden our exploration of the galaxy, even though the Commander had made it clear elements of the ship were still under construction.
OK, so I’m not actually a part of the Blushock role-play group, but their adventures have been something I’ve been documenting (in part) in these pages, so when the group founder and leader, Fazzy Constantine (Faisel Constantine), invited me to visit the latest chapter in the group’s expanding story and universe, it seems only fitting I should offer some form of in-character notes!
Offering a rich and ever-evolving role-play environment built out from Mass Effect™ Legendary Edition, the Blushock team has a rich history of activity in Second Life dating back over a decade – which in itself pretty impressive. However, rather than re-tread this history here, I invite those interested to find our more by visiting the group’s informative website, to discover more about the group and the Vanaheim system (where most of their adventures have thus far taken place.
When I last visited, the team had just set up a new base of operations – Resilient Station – within a carbonaceous asteroid orbiting Vanaheim in a 19 terrestrial year orbit that periodically carried it close to the lush world of Idun, and the team’s planetary base of Jasper Point (see: Docking at Resilient Station in Second Life). Functioning as a base of operations, an R&R and trading facility and containing research capabilites, the asteroid – Baldur – was mysteriously lost following an experiment involving the artificial creation of black holes.
As a result, Blushock embarked on the development of a new base-of-operations, this time opting to build a massive starship capable of both sub-light and supra-light velocities. In this, the ship uses alien technology able to “fold” space (and time) recovered from pre-existing caverns found deep within Baldur prior to its loss, and which Chief Engineer Noah Constantine (NoahLion) was able to reverse engineer to work with existing Blushock tech.
The result is the USS Sleipnir, a “Dreadnought” class of vessel that is a truly impressive starship. Named for the mythical eight-legged horse ridden by the Norse god Odin (thus further maintaining the Norse mythology theme that runs through the Blushock RP). The name is fitting both for the fact that the mythical horse could carry Odin great distances, and for Sleipnir’s ability to “mediate between earth [in this case planets] and sky [in this case, space].
A multi-level vessel that clearly utilises a form of artificial gravity, USS Sleipnir is designed to perform a variety of roles: her drive systems means she is capable of visiting multiple worlds within any given star system and uses her space-folding abilities to move between different systems – and even different points in time. As a home, she is fully equipped with the essentials of comfortable living, from living quarters to extensive recreational facilities modelled after those found at Resilient Station – a communal swimming pool, a gymnasium, public social spaces and more.
She is also capable of launching, retrieving and maintaining a range of smaller craft – essential of planetary surface operations and also (potentially) for self-defence – as would be the case with the gunship Mjolnir, named for Thor’s hammer, occupying a dedicated docking hanger under the ship’s stern portions.
Not all of the facilities of the ship are open to casual visitors – although guest quarters are available to those wishing to make an extended visit; joining the Blushock community as an active member can result in access being given to those parts of the ship that are otherwise not readily accessible. However, a part of the ship that can be accessed by all is the most impressive: the massive multi-deck atrium that rises from over the engineering spaces along the ship’s keel to her very top and which sits roughly two-thirds of the way back from her bow and directly between crew and guest quarters and the ship’s primary operating spaces.
This huge space is genuinely stunning – and I really urge visitors to approach it on foot rather then camming out and spying on it. Dominated by two huge hemispheres extending outwards from the main hull, it offers unparalleled views of space – or, when in orbit, of a nearby planet. Extending out into each of these great domes are holographic display platforms, one of which at the time of my visit offered a view of our Milky Way galaxy.
Between them, and centrally placed beneath the huge, transparent roof of this gigantic atrium is a stellar illumination sphere that casts a natural level of daylight that both gives light and helps to nourish the plants and trees growing throughout the lower garden levels and on the tiers of rock – yes, rock – down which fresh water falls to be recycled and purified for re-use in the recreation area’s pool, located on Sleipnir’s uppermost deck.
The public and social heart of the sip, the atrium is home to birds as well as people, and features places to sit, play games, eat and / or meet friends and crewmates, with companionways and elevators connecting decks and providing access to crew and guest accommodation in the forward part of the ship, or – for those with access – the various offices, labs and other spaces towards the rear of the ship.
Framed against Planet Freya, named for Odin’s wife and thus a fitting location for the ship’s construction, USS Sleipnir and Planet Freya presents an ideal visit for anyone who enjoys science-fiction. Further setting (representative of Planet Freya, I believe) are to come; while for those looking for a suitable sci-fi environment for photography (RP allowing), the ship makes a great backdrop. And for those who enjoy RP far removed from the likes of Trek or Star Wars, the Blushock team is an ideal group to join and share adventures. The ship’s stargate (not part of the RP) also makes for an ideal means to visit other sci-fi realms in SL.
SLurl Details
- USS Sleipnir and Planet Freya (Palmbeach, rated Moderate)
Inara Pey: Living in a Modemworld 