Welcome to the Vast Empire Naval Academy, Crewman Hades.

My name is Chief Warrant Officer Wyl Trykon, and I'll be your Training Officer (TO) while you go through the Academy's Orientation program.  I'll be around to help get you acclimated to life in the Vast Empire (a process we call, "Basic Training"), the most important part of which is learning how to role-play as an Imperial starfighter pilot in an ongoing, collaboratively-written story (a set of skills which is taught in something we call, "Flight School").

With your first post here on the Naval Academy board, you've completed Imperial Initiation (well done) and are hereby clear to begin Flight School, which will prepare you for daily life as a pilot in a VE squadron.  Please note: the wiki makes mention of Command School, but that training program is currently closed to new recruits; you will be going through Flight School.

Your next step should be to visit the VE Wiki page for Flight School, found here, and begin working on Chapter 1: Character Development by clicking the appropriate link.  When you finish the assignment, post your work here in this thread(bio and ID line), so I can review it, and we'll proceed from there.  Please note: here in the VE, we write stories in the third person, past tense; you should too.

If you need further guidance, please send a Private Message with your questions to "Trykon" here on the ComNet, or go to the Naval Academy channel on IRC, which is #VENA, and make an inquiry of any staff member.  Good luck with your training, Crewman, and again, welcome to the Vast Empire.

Sincerely,

CWO Wyl Trykon, your TO

Useful Links:
  •  An overview of what exactly we do here in the VEN
  •  The Vast Empire Naval Academy wiki page
  •  The wiki page for Basic Training
  •  Flight School: Chapter 1, Chapter 2, Chapter 3
  •  Command School (currently closed to new recruits, but available for your perusal): Chapter 1, Chapter 2, Chapter 3
  •  How-to-create-a-wiki-page Tutorial
  •  Java-based IRC chat

Biography
Physical Appearance
Homeworld: Nar Shaddaa
Age: 21
Species: Human
Native Language: Galactic Basic (Also speaks Mando'a, Shyriiwook, Minnisiat and Huttese)
Gender: Male
Skin Color: Olive
Height: 180centimetres
Weight: 75kgs
Hair Color: Black
Facial Hair: Clean Shaven
Eye Color: Green
Scars: One curving around the far left of his left eye
Tattoos: None

Physical Description
Hades, at 5"9 and 75kgs was not exceptionally heavy or tall.. however, he was extremely fit, his build was muscular, yet slim from years of surviving in the criminal world of Nar Shaddaa. He displayed speed, agility and strength born only of one who needed such skills to survive. A scar ran from the end of his left brow, around his left eye and down onto his left cheekbone. 

Personality
Hades was extremely cunning and quick witted, usually having a sense for danger.. however, he often found himself getting into it due to his love for adventure, and his thrill seeking tendencies. He was moody at times, being polite and cold with barely a minute between the attitudes, sometimes alienating his own friends. He had a tendency to be 'grumpy' in the mornings, resulting in a bad mood perpetually throughout the days of the week. He hated alcohol and drugs, including deathsticks, and made a foolish habit of stealing people's deathsticks and flushing them down the 'fresher. He often spoke sharply to others, as his mind followed its train of thought, at times offending people by his accurate insight. Although he had stolen while in the gangs, Hades was no thief; he stole only what was necessary for survival and did not steal from those who had nothing else to live on.

Character’s Background
Born on Nar Shaddaa, the child of two poor parents, Hades himself had no destiny other than poverty  ahead. However, at the age of 3, he escaped from home, displaying remarkable courage and perseverance to do so. He found shelter at a local orphanage, hiding until his parents came for him. He escaped again, this time with the help of an Imperial deserter. Hades and the deserter scavenged what food shelter they could from the local gangs, which often got them into sticky situations, saved only by his quick thinking. Even as a child he showed speedy decision making. Until the age of 7, he lived as a scavenger. On his 7th birthday, however, he and the deserter met another child on the run who had 3 more children with him.. they decided to form a gang of sorts, to help them survive.  The gang grew in size, attracting children and youths from poverty to run away and join the gang. Eventually they stole some weapons, to ensure their own safety, and became unwittingly, an armed gang.

They held up several diners and tapcafes, which gained the attention of the local Hutt Cartel. Hades himself was captured at one point and tortured by a Hutt, gaining the scar on his left eye. During his time in the gangs he learnt Mando'a, Shyriiwook, Minnisiat and Huttese. By the age of 17 his gang had grown into an armed faction on Nar Shaddaa, and was often hired for protection or for raids.. however, this was not to be.. on his 19th birthday, Hades' gang raided an Imperial munitions depot, as they were running low on ammunition. The attack was a failure, and Hades was captured saving one of his men. He was sentenced to life imprisonment on Kessel, never to be heard from again...

However, his competence had attracted the attention of an Imperial Officer present at the munitions depot. This Imperial Officer, unbeknownest to Hades, had been on the verge of being arrested for treason by the troops. So Hades had unknowingly saved his life.. 2 years later as the larger Empire was collapsing, the officer found Hades and put to him an offer that would repay his debt to Hades - serve the rest of his sentence, or join the Imperial Military, of the newly formed Vast Empire. Hades had always been awed by the Imperials, it had been his dream as a child to join up, and so he did so with enthusiasm...

TRN/CRW/Hades/S:137 "Raptor"/W:46 "Defiance"/PLF Cappadocious/TF:AU/3Flt/VENA/VEN/VE

Okay, Crewman, good work so far.  Let's tweak this bio a little bit, and then you can get it onto a wiki page, and you'll be all set for the next Chapter of Flight School.

In no particular order, here are my notes on what you have so far:
1 - This may just be a hole in my own knowledge of Star Wars, but I've never heard of slavery being around on Nar Shaddaa... povety, crime, and indentured servitude of one kind or another, sure, but no out-and-out slavery.  Just check that and/or educate me about how wrong I am; we want to make sure we're working in the same shared universe, around here. 
2 - The orphan story is a classic, but it's still plenty serviceable if you keep it realistic.  With that said, I think surviving alone on the streets of that slum-moon from the age of THREE until SEVEN stretches credulity a little bit.  If you're going to go the run-away street kid route with your character, give some real thought as to what that experience would have been like for him.  If you're set on those ages, he probably needed SOMEONE looking out for him as he grew up... what was the price of that protection/care?  This gets really dark really fast, but that's because that's what that horrific situation IS: dark beyond belief.  Flesh that out a bit more.
3 - We need more information about why he joins the Vast Empire.  Our faction doesn't control Kessel, so did the officer who noticed him end up working for the VE after the larger Empire collapsed?  If that's still the connection (the officer), why did he seek your character out, specifically, and travel just to recruit you?  As you have it now, your character is essentially conscripted, but you hint that he WANTS to join the Imperial military... why?  Again, more details are needed.

Clear up those points, get the whole thing onto a wiki page, post a link here in this thread to that page, and we'll move on. 

-Trick

Great revisions, Hades.  I appreciate your willingness to edit a bit.    Go ahead and post a link here in this thread to your wiki page once it's finished (just so we know you know how to do it), and we'll move on.

-Trick

Oh, the Hutts are vile slavers, no doubt, I was just saying I don't know what the culture is like on Nar Shaddaa... are slaves openly held, or is it an underground and illegal - but still widely engaged-in - activity?  For this bio, was the character escaping from the slave trade, or escaping from being someone's slave... a subtle difference, perhaps, but one with significance for future stories involving that character.

http://www.vastempire.com/wiki/Hades Here is the link, sir.

Looking good, Hades.  You're clear to move on to the next Chapter of Flight School.  Can't wait to read your first post!

Not stupid.  Just read what it says on the wiki page for Chapter 2 of Flight School: you're to read the first post on a thread called "Raptor: Overwhelming Odds," and then write a response post to the prompt.  When you're done, say so here, and I'll grade your work. 

It is pretty good for your first post; I'm giving it a pass but personally I would have preferred to see you go a little more in-depth in general...So not only character-wise but generally add a bit more detail about your surroundings, etc but that's just my opinion really as I find some detail is important but you don't want to put too much in there as well...Not too much as to 'bore' the reader but enough to give a good picture of what your surroundings look like detail-wise and what your character's feelings are, etc.

Still though, good work!

Alright, Hades, great first post.  I, too, think it's good enough to pass to the next and final Chapter of Flight School.  Go ahead and send a report to myself and Atrasin via PM, and then put a copy of that report up here in this thread for reference.  If all goes according to plan, you'll have completed BT and FS and will be ready for provisional deployment!

-Trick

Well done, Hades.  You've completed Basic Training, and graduated Flight School.  I'll talk with Command to clear you for duty, and see about the details about your placement.

As for your question: Command School is currently closed to new members, but if bridge duty aboard a capital ship is a goal of yours, never fear!  I started in the Starfighter Corps, just like you are, and now I'm the Ship Captain of a Strike-class Cruiser!  Diligently do your job, whatever your position, and your activity WILL be rewarded, and the NHC does take into consideration members' personal hopes/dreams/wishes/desires when they determine rewards (promotions, awards, etc.).  Keep up the good work, consistently and over time, and there are no limits to your VEN career.