❪ test drive: #2 ❫

[natha]

OVERFLOW POST

THE PROLOGUE     Many people in stasis seem to be medically sound enough to wake up, brother. Are the preparations ready to go? Yes, I've long prepared myself for this. Watching them everyday has been truly rewarding. ... Right. Yeah. Okay, let's get them ready to wake up. We should keep their minds active to ease the transition into consciousness. A simple VR program should do the trick, I think. I will boot one immediately. There! All systems are green. Their consciousnesses are linked. However, their minds appear to be too active... They may be over-stimulated, brother. Huh? How can that be...? Can we pull them out safely? Not from my end, no. This may be too large for us to fix alone. Do you think...? Yes, I think so... It will have to be done organically. Can you send out a message to our refugees? Of course, brother. I will send one swiftly. We must be sure to fix this before Darma returns. There is urgency in the Orbiters' request. Refugees currently in El Nysa are asked via mass message to please return to Thesa Station virtual reality area immediately. Zasere tells them that the next set of Refugees are scheduled to wake, but there's been an issue. On Thesa, refugees will find that the people in stasis are still apparently trapped in slumber. Most of them are complete strangers, but there's a chance you may recognize a familiar face or two. Normally, these people would wake up from their pods without issue, but due to a malfunction caused by the unforeseen force during The Descent, they have to go through extra measures to make this possible. Those in slumber require extra stimulation, something to keep their minds active. What better than a simulation of an area of El Nysa? Keeping their minds active requires an extremely involved simulation. Those subjected to the VR (prospective characters) will find themselves completely immersed in their new environment, believing themselves to be native Olympians. To wake up from the simulation, characters must work together to accomplish a certain objective(s) in the icy tundra. Characters in-game will be aware that this is a simulation, but this is good practice for properly interacting with El Nysa natives, isn't it? An AC-length log thread on this TDM may be submitted for Two (2) Natha REP points HERE. Please read the OOC note at the bottom of this post for the terms. PROMPT: WINTER CAME     The wind in the icy wasteland is bitter and frigid. You are wrapped up in a winter coat, but even still, the cold bites at your skin and leaves you yearning for a warm fire. Perhaps you're a merchant from the city, here to make a delivery, or you're a royal guard, sent to patrol the area. Who are you? The sky is the limit. One thing is certain — you won't snap out of your new identity until you finish a task. 1. Due to the vast diversity of the creatures on El Nysa and the fact that new ones are constantly being discovered, an important objective is to carefully chronicle different species. Unfortunately, to research these new species, they happen to need more than just a visual. More than just fleeting glances in over a snowy hill. Researchers are constantly looking for ways to secure... You guessed it! Blood and stool samples. The supplies for the former will be given. Supplies are offered in a small box; one per person. In this box is a small dart that will automatically procure a small touch of blood, and easily shaken off so the creature will be able to securely escape. As for the latter— well, they'll give you a plastic bag if that counts. Look, sometimes to get a job done, you have to get your hands dirty. Specifically, they seek samples from a newly recorded rare beast known as a Klep. Kleps spend much of their time hidden in caves, so hitting them with the darts will be tricky. They are also nocturnal, but you may be able to lure them out of the cave with fish as bait. When struck with a dart, you must grab the dart and escape immediately, as they will charge you, and killing such an endangered species is illegal. As for stool samples, well... Once you find a pile, you will have plenty of sample to work with. 2. It's cold, to say the least. Too cold to continue forward. Whatever you were doing, you must stop and seek shelter. Looks like your goal is clear, at least. Get warm. Not finding a way to sustain heat, whether it be seeking shelter, building a fire, cuddling up, or all of the above, will likely end in serious consequences. 3. You are stuck in a dilemma. On one hand, you are set to work for Olympia. One the other, you're not completely sure what is really expected of you, or who the man who gave you this mission truly is. You and your partner are meant to protect precious trade cargo for them. You were told that these were essential supplies for one of the outer colonies. They assured you it was mostly food. In loading the cargo onto the supplied wagon with your partner, however, you noticed something inherently off about it. The weight and even the sounds of some of the contents inside definitely don't sound like food. Moreover, some boxes are more obviously more concealed— draped in black sheets and reinforced on all sides. You've also caught wind of rumors that you are potentially being utilized to supply advanced weapons and other contraband to Wyver terrorists in the colonies. But what do you do? Refuse to make the delivery, and people in the colony will surely starve. Try to remove the weapons and only deliver the food, and you will be killed on sight for being too suspicious. Make the delivery as-is, and not only will Olympians die at the hands of terrorists in the future, but you will betray your country. Decide quickly... 4. There are many dangers associated with traveling in such an isolated, harsh environment. You must help each other to survive. Perhaps someone has fallen on thin ice, and requires a rescue. Maybe someone is on the brink of starvation, and you must share what provisions you have. When you come to, you will awaken in Thesa Station. All will be explained to you by Zasere or Sael via telepathic link. Your world is no more. The Storm has consumed it. We offer proof in the Observation Deck if you desire it, but it won't be an easy thing to stomach. We offer you a new life, in our planet of El Nysa. We just ask for your help in maintaining the vitality of El Nysa. What can we offer you in exchange for your help? PROMPT: STASIS UNIT     You have found the massive section of Thesa known as the Stasis Unit. There’s no special access required to access this part of Thesa Station, but refugees are warned that it may not be for the faint of heart. Here, in large pods that nearly cover every square inch of the space, are all of the people the Orbiters have managed to rescue. Your loved ones, your greatest enemy, your next door neighbor— you might find them here. These people are in a state of deep cryosleep. Due to the damaging effects of The Storm, their bodies are not yet ready to be awoken. PROMPT: GET REKT     The Orbiters have noticed that some of the refugees really miss their video games. The technology in El Nysa could be much worse, but it definitely leaves much to be desired. Which is why, after expressing relief that everyone awoke safely, the Orbiters have decided to provide a little fun in the form of video game competitions. Anything from old-timey arcade machines to state-of-the-art computers, consoles, and VR headsets (though you may be a little tired of VR right now...) is available, and yes, they have your favorite games! Enjoy PAC-MAN, Starcraft 2, or perhaps Dance Dance Revolution! Teach a friend how to play. Get unnecessarily angry and competitive. Most importantly, have fun. Keep fourthwalling to a minimum, please. Recommended playing: QWOP PROMPT: OMAGE     Upon receiving your mobile phone, you will be asked to set a username. Voila, you can now access the network! You can choose to send a message to the entire network, specific usernames, or you can try out the Orbiters’ service, Omage, which connects you to a random user. They thought this might be a good way for their new guests to make friends with each other... Connecting to server... Looking for someone you can chat with... You’re now chatting with [username]... Say hi! PROMPT: WILDCARD     You are welcome to write any scenarios in Thesa Station! Characters have been granted temporary access to the Observation Room, and are encouraged to study it carefully. FINAL OOC NOTE     Please give toplevel priority to prospective characters! Current characters wishing to thread these scenarios with other current characters are encouraged to create separate logs. However, threads between 2 current characters are not eligible for Natha Orbiter REP. These threads may be carried over as game canon if players choose! Players are encouraged to submit TDM threads as application samples, but they are not required. Please direct any OOC questions to the questions thread below! A TDM thread of AC length may be submitted HERE for 2 NATHA ORBITER REPUTATION POINTS. Current players may submit their thread at any time, and prospective players may submit a thread after acceptance. Please note that threads must contain at least five (5) log comments from your character. A toplevel counts as a comment. Network threads are not eligible. QUICK NAV premise ● faq ● world ● map ● reputation ● npcs taken ● reserves ● application calendar ● hiatus/drops ● modbox [ FULL NAVIGATION ] elnysa nysalogs nysaisles nysaooc elnyan

Comments

[motivation]

[ he's right: she only has a certain amount of patience, and he's testing the full extent of it. the first time he makes a comment like that while she's physically present, she's going to punch him. definitely going to punch him. there will be so much punching.

she turns on the video again just so that he can see how unimpressed her expression is. those heart-stoppingly gorgeous eyes? not going to stop her heart any time soon, thank you very much. (if she ever slept with him, she might need to gag him.) ]

It's Dutch. [ the rest of the sentence goes unsaid: "so stop with the fair lady crap". she's not a lady, anyhow. if he wanted to address her by the proper title, well. technically, she's queen (or she was, for a while; by now, the keffryn people must have a new royal). ]

[vorrutyer]

Dutch. My word.

[ He touches a finger to his lips. ]

Such a terse name for such an elegant creature. A single syllable, no more, closed and rough...It's tantalizing in its mystery. Do you have a family name, Dutch?

[motivation]

No.

[ she does, in fact, but it goes with her real name, not the one she's chosen for herself, and that name isn't something she just offers any more than any title she might hold.

and since he seems to like her single syllables so much, that's all she says. ]

[vorrutyer]

An enviable state of affairs.

[ The truest thing he's said, though he delivers all his lines with the same arch mockery. ]

And what do you do for a living? I know I'm amongst proles, and I know that's a frequent topic of conversation for the common louts...Am I doing it right?

[motivation]

Depends what you mean by 'it'. If coming across as a good for nothing rich boy was your goal, you're doing great.

[ there's nothing soft in her delivery. often, there's humour, and he may have seen flashes of it in their conversation so far even when she's been rolling her eyes more than smiling, some hint of warmth in her expression. it isn't there now, replaced by something more neutral.

sometimes, honesty is necessary. if he really doesn't know, he's doing him a favour by saying as much. if he's not that stupid and vapid, it'll probably only stroke his ego. ]

I'm guessing you've never heard of Killjoys. Reclamation Agents.

[vorrutyer]

[ His smile in return bears nothing save the identical amusement he's shown before. If he's put off by her sudden chill, there's no sign of it. ]

Ah, far from a rich boy, my dear. Impoverished nobility. What you see is the manner born, not the manner bought.

[ Then, with a wave of his fingers - ]

But you're quite right - the name is unfamiliar. And rather harsh. I mean - you're serious, but hardly a killjoy. You've given me great pleasure so far.

[motivation]

[ impoverished nobility. they have that in common, then. (dutch would have been rich, had she stayed queen, but marrying into royalty was to restore the honour of her house and name.

that her husband died violently the night of their wedding didn't exactly help. ]

Have you heard of bounty hunters? Mercenaries?

[vorrutyer]

Alas, yes. Would that I were from a world unfamiliar with force of arms, but - no such luck.

So that's what you do?

[motivation]

Close enough.

[ there's a hint of a challenge in the words. ]

[vorrutyer]

[ A quirk of his eyebrow. ]

But clearly different in the details. Reclamation agents. What do you reclaim?

[motivation]

Anything and anyone there's a warrant on. [ some warrants are kill warrants, but dutch doesn't take those. she has enough lives on her conscience as it is. ]

[vorrutyer]

I see. And what sorts of things get warrants on them? It differs from world to world, I find. For example, where I'm from, no one but the Emperor has the right to take out a warrant against a Vor lord. But on Jackson's Whole, anything and everything is up for sale - you could put out a want-ad for the wholesale slaughter of infants, and there'd be takers. What sorts of warrants are allowed?

[motivation]

Any and all, though it takes a lot of joy to make a kill warrant stick.

[ not joy as in fun, but dutch still offers, after a moment: ] Money.

[vorrutyer]

Ah, that's good.

[ His smile flattens for just a moment. ]

The places where you can buy death wholesale are some of the less charming parts of the Nexus.

[ Well. ]

So how did you get into this line of work?

[motivation]

[ his reactions are telling. dutch isn't sure he's aware of just how much — but then, normal people don't worry about that kind of shit, she knows that much. ]

They were hiring.

[ and that's all the answer he'll get. the truth is that dutch was trained for three things, and three things only: killing, dancing, and marrying into royalty. and the last two? hadn't been hiring. ]

[vorrutyer]

[ He's aware. The reaction was an honest one: he has no love lost for Jackson's Whole or its smuggler-colony cousins, very little esteem for the weighing of money over life. He is, after all, Barrayaran, and even as a disgraced and disinherited Barrayaran he still knows what matters in the universe. There's no honor in grinding out a human soul over nothing more than your desire for comfort.

But he's ImpSec-trained: he knows which reactions to let out and which ones to hold back. That little burst of decency and honor - it suits him to let her see that. If she's truly as ruthless as her career would imply, it'll make her think him weak; if she's less ruthless, it'll make her think him sympathetic. Meanwhile, the flickers of interest, his intense attention to her every twitch, the fascination as he notes the way she digs in her heels and refuses to answer - he hides those signs of intelligence well. But how reticent she is right there. Oh, there is a story about how she ended up as a bounty hunter, yes there is. ]

And a woman must eat. I suppose I understand that. Though you know, it's possible to go through life without holding a single job.

[motivation]

[ dutch wasn't trained to be a spy. she was trained to be a killer: instead of learning which reactions to let out and which ones to hold back, she's learned how to master her own fear, her own pain, her own body. she learned about poisons and their antidotes, about pressure points and wielding weapons.

she never learned about honour or caring, about being good or even just better. not until she met johnny — and that's the start of the story she isn't telling, because of course there's a story. he's right about that. ]

Depends on the world you live in. And for the record, I count warlord as a job.

[vorrutyer]

And a stressful one, at that.

[ He gives a little wave of his fingers. ]

But I concede the point. The circumstances of my birth are what have allowed me to be utterly unemployed my entire life. Ah - you don't count professional party animal as a job, do you?

[motivation]

Depends. Do you get paid, if only in drinks, food and places to sleep?

[vorrutyer]

Well. Not exactly. No one ever really tends to give me those willingly.

[motivation]

What about unwillingly?

[vorrutyer]

Oh, yes, often unwillingly.

[motivation]

And just how do you manage that?

[vorrutyer]

[ A genuine laugh. ]

By taking ruthless advantage of others' sense of propriety. You would be shocked just how few people are willing to wake you if they find you sleeping in their bed. They work themselves up into a fluster, and dither and worry, and then at least three times out of ten they will go and sleep on the couch. It's marvelous. - Sometimes I do get an invitation to bed, of course, but in those circumstances, both parties are quite thoroughly willing. Or all three parties, in some delicious cases.

[motivation]

Clever boy.

[ and the amusement that had been absent for a while now is back — but it isn't amusement, exactly, that has her lips curl upwards. ] You're not very picky, are you?