Naval Survivalist

Introduction

  Elevation of Skill   Survivor -> Scout -> Pathfinder -> Ranger -> Survivalist 

  Pay In./Month          2,000     4,000      7,000       10,000      15,000 

"I'm HIT!" Yet another familiar saying, but a lot of times it just ends there. The pilot goes down in a blaze of glory, the sad music plays and the credits roll. However, should the pilot live- what then? The above outlines an advancement chain for the 'Survivor' skill, or the ability to survive an accident or accidental... Problem? Situations that might include this would be crash-landing and having to know where you are, because you might just become a POW (Prisoner of War) if you're on the wrong side of the line. If that's the case, you'll need to know how to escape and get home. Or, if you crash land on a site where the enemy isn't necessarily a threat- surviving in general is necessary.

In general, your character's ability to adapt to new surroundings, decide what will be most helpful and satisfying for their needs, and getting out alive is what we talk about when we refer to 'Survivors' or 'Survivalist.'

Unlike some of the other categories, these are truly just upgrades: you start out knowing how to get out of the fighter- survivor: great job. We're trying to get you to that point where you get out of the fighter, use it for spare parts in a well-crafted but make-shift cover capable of purifying water, boiling it and making you a nice hot java... Sort of. Though you may not be exposed to these situations all at once, these upgrades kind of say- "I'd be able to do that anyways..." Simply because you have to aquire new skills in coordination with these survival traits in order to move up this line. So- let's get started from the bottom:

Survivalist Series

Survivor: Anyone can begin this as long as they think they have some good ideas. Like most of the other skills or studies, you can begin this one after about two months, most likely passing the Senior Aviator's Exam. No special clothing is needed because usually only accidental occurrences require these type of skills. Perhaps, should you be living on a base, and the storage shed is hit- these skills might come in handy... The main point of this person is to be able to live at the crash site for a short period of time and set up a way in order to be picked up. This usually means turning on the homing beacon on the bottom of an ejector seat or paying attention to com chatter and figuring out when would be the best time to ask for some help.

Scout: A scout is different in the fact that they go beyond that crash site. Rather than rely on those resources that immediately surround them, they venture out a little bit. This gives them the chance to find a more secure location, watch for enemy troop movement, locate new food or engine repair resources- useful things in general. The jump from Survivor to Scout is about 1 mission long- once you've crashed once you get a bit braver, or less ignorant- whichever comes first. The main point of this? You're free to move around and pick up what you need, but you're still trying to get rescued.

Pathfinder: Now this person is really only useful in certain situations. Yes, anyone can be picked up by a passing freighter or an allied craft, but if there was no one around to help you? You might just be screwed. The 'pathfinder' is a status that is given to someone who is capable of not only escaping the crash site and living on their own for short periods of time, but can make their way into towns or find other means of transportation off-planet or to some location that is somehow more secure. These people can blend into crowds well, usually carry more than one type of currency on them so that they can exchange money for parts without getting too many lifted brows, and are probably able to speak a couple of languages. Furthermore, these people might carry clothes to help them blend in and are usually fairly experienced pilots. It takes about two to three missions where your character is forced to rove around on their own and survive in order to get to this level of... Skill we'll call it.

Ranger: Now then- you can survive and get off planet. That's wonderful! But can you say the same for others? A ranger is someone is so experienced in being left to the forces around them, that they can now direct people or large groups. Most people would be able to survive on their own if it were just them, but when you have multiple people or groups to worry about, the resources may not be so great. People might have to eat in shifts, travel in groups and then meet up after a certain amount of days, take turns on watches... Learn how to shoot a weapon. In that description alone, you know that a Ranger has to be a fairly decent leader, be able to use weapons, have some understanding of tactics and is pretty darn good at living off the wild. Why tactics? Its necessary to understand the probably that a group will run into enemy troop movement, or how to stay off radar, avoid traps- counter attack if necessary... These are all things to keep in mind. Why does a single person have to be able to manage all of this? When people are any group for that matter, is left on its own- the rules no longer apply. People don't have to be decent to one another. If they feel their lives are being threatened by those around them, whether that be over food resources or other goods, they might just eliminate them, or find a way in which to make themselves the most valuable person in the group. So- expect this person to have been in numerous missions requiring the ability to survive, and having at least decent proficiency on the skills mentioned above. Also, some skill in building could be very nice- or at least knowing how to manage others in order to build, primarilly temporary shelters.

Survivalist: So, now, though these don't always happen in order, you know how to survive a crash, live in the wild, sneak in and out of communities to obtain transport out of the system or at least the area, and how to lead groups. Not bad. However- say you had to live there for a prolonged period of time. The reason this particular designation is so difficult to get is because you have to have fairly decent knowledge in building- your character needs to have a builder proficiency. Why? You're not just talking about leading people out of danger and surviving, you're talking about living on foreign territory. This requires the construction of living units, easy access to resources and the ability to stay hidden. That starts to sound a lot like a Surveyor, so let's emphasize what's really important about this person. They know how to fight back. They don't just sit around and wait to get attacked or try and avoid the enemy as much as possible... They take the fight to them. It's important your character have some kind of other ability so that they can truly be effective. The building example could be used in helping to operate heavy machinery, but say your person also specialized in being a mechanic- they could figure out how to repair fighters or get others to work if they're stolen, possibly get some turrets or other strategic devices working. Your person is your own, and the survivalist is a status that really combines all of your other skills and studies: your character can use everything he or she knows to survive. Thus, the only way you can acquire this status is to have been in numerous situations requiring survival and some pretty decent proficiencies in other skills.