❪ 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

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[vorrutyer]

[ A press of his hand to his heart. He lowers himself in a courtly bow, which is - despite the irony and his drunkenness and the awkward position of sitting cross-legged atop a table - rather elegant. ]

Byerly Vorrutyer, Emperor of Barrayar.

[buildindreemz]

Oh.

[ She is not entirely sure what she was expecting, but Emperor and a place she's never heard of is not it. She almost has to suppress the urge to apologize - for what? Who knows. Their worlds being torn to shreds or whatever. That big elephant in the room that if he was an Emperor, he's not anymore, because that place doesn't exist anymore, but Jesus, Ariadne, keep it light okay? ]

Uh, nice to meet you. Should I bow or something?

[vorrutyer]

Oh, if you'd like. Kiss my feet. Bring me little dainties to try to win my favor. [ He looks at her stunned face, and takes a little bit of mercy on her, walking back his private joke - ] It's a new position. I was sixty-seventh in line to the Imperial camp stool, but all sixty-seven ahead of me are now no more, so I find myself inheriting the position. This is the most stressful job I've had my whole life.

[buildindreemz]

I think I'll pass.

[ The momentary shock of someone introducing themselves as "Emperor" passes quickly - replaced just as quickly by Ariadne's natural curiosity. And a touch of sympathy, though she feels that with everyone she meets. They've all basically lost everything. ]

Maybe... some of them are in stasis. You might only be interim Emperor?

[vorrutyer]

I shall cling to that hope.

[ He presses his hands to his heart. He'd found Gregor, of course, first thing - gone to locate his cryo-chamber, stasis pod, whatever they're called, checked every readout and dial and screen. He doesn't know if these Nysans are telling the truth - if they're trying to heal his Emperor or if they're holding him captive against By's bad behavior. It doesn't matter, of course, at the end of the day. Byerly knows he is a slave to them for as long as his liege is in their hands. ]

Before all this, my daily routine consisted of nothing more than finding the next party. Now it seems we're all tasked with trying to make the world a better place. It seems a fool's errand, doesn't it? - How's your wine, by the way; do you need a refill?

[buildindreemz]

We'll have to know more about this world before we can figure out how to make it better.

[ She smiles - very faintly, and holds her mug out for a bit more wine. She hopes that whatever they want from her, it's just architecture. She's not sure how she'd feel about - the other stuff. She sought out some of her relatives and loved ones in the stasis pods, but she didn't look for any of the people she worked with on the Fischer job. She hopes they're alive, of course, she doesn't wish any of them dead, but - she also feels like she doesn't want to be seen with them, even in stasis. ]

Anyway, maybe what this world needs is more parties.

[vorrutyer]

[ With enormous solemnity: ]

My esteemed Ariadne - that's what every world needs.

[ He knows why he's here. Why they picked him to wake. They need a spy, someone who'll listen and report. But for just a moment, he lets himself be entertained by that thought - that they worked on him because they needed someone who'd bring a bit more jolliness to the world. It's a sweet notion. ]

So what do you have on offer? How can you make the world a bit nicer?

[buildindreemz]

[ It makes sense to her. Morale is important, right? They can't all just live in their own little despair-filled minds forever.

She shrugs at his question. ]

I'm - I was - an architecture student. I hope they have some people who actually finished their degrees, but I assume that's what they'll want me to help with.

[ She hopes. She doesn't relish being blackmailed based on her dream share experience. ]

[vorrutyer]

Really.

[ He smiles in momentary pleasure. ]

I had a great-uncle who was an architect. Fellow was stark raving mad, of course. The capital still is covered with stairways to nowhere and insane tormented faces thanks to his hand. Are you any good?

[buildindreemz]

[ Sounds pretty paradoxical to Ariadne. Tormented faces or no. ]

Well, my professors seemed to think so. I had a pretty good internship last summer. But it's not like I had any real-world buildings to my name, yet.

[ Some pretty awesome dream ones, but those don't count. They never really existed, anyway. ]

[vorrutyer]

No, I suppose they don't let you start putting in anything permanent until you're a bit more expert. Or at least until you cozy up to the right people. What sorts of buildings would you have been making, anyway? Houses? Skyscrapers? Palaces? Chambers of horrors?

[buildindreemz]

I do like stairs that go nowhere - I think I might admire your uncle.

[ Her faint smile is relatively good-humored. ]

I was really into green architecture, actually. You know, environmentally-friendly stuff. Thought maybe someday I'd design a zero-carbon-footprint Empire State Building or something.

[vorrutyer]

Oh, don't admire him too much. His favorite actually was the chamber of horrors.

[ By laughs like that was a joke. It wasn't a joke. The mad architect Dono Vorrutyer's torture chambers were some of the best-designed and longest-lasting in the Imperium. ]

That sounds perfectly marvelous, though. Does that mean - say - trees growing from the sides of the buildings, grass in place of carpet, that sort of thing?

[buildindreemz]

Oh, well in that case.

[ She builds mazes, not dungeons. ]

It's not just that, though - it's low-impact, sustainable building materials. It's knowing the environmental needs of the local area you're building in - what's at risk, how's the waste removal, that sort of thing. It's even about contracting and hiring locally to help the economy in the long run.

[ This - this is something she can talk about. It's safe, and it's interesting, and it's not about feeling sorry for what she's lost. ]

[vorrutyer]

My word. If my world weren't a wasteland, I'd want to take you to Beta Colony. You'd fit right in there.

[buildindreemz]

[ She pauses, tilts her head at him curiously. Takes another drink of her wine. ]

I might need a little more context to decide if that's a compliment.

[vorrutyer]

So you might. Admittedly, they're all a bunch of nudist sex-crazed perverts - but that's not the part I'm referring to. They were the first colony founded after Earth, so their world is dreadfully terraformed, meaning they're always fussing over their environment and minimizing pollution and the like.

[buildindreemz]

[ It's a good thing she swallowed that gulp of wine because his next words make her sputter a little with surprised laughter. ]

Okay, I can honestly say that's the first time anyone's ever told me I'd fit right in with a bunch of nudist perverts.

[vorrutyer]

[ He grins at her - and there's actually something real in it. Her laughter eases just a bit of the tension in him. ]

I hope you're not offended.

[buildindreemz]

[ The laughter is a little... cathartic, if she's being honest with herself. She needed that. ]

Nah. I mean, even if I was one, I don't see anything wrong with being a nudist sex pervert.

[vorrutyer]

Neither do I.

[ He presses a hand to his heart. ]

They're lovely people. And all of the technology in the nexus comes from them. Plus there's no better place to take a vacation - all of us Barrayarans want to get out to meet those Betan perverts.

[buildindreemz]

I mean, that makes total sense. I bet nudists have the best parties.

[ Not that she's much of a party girl, herself. Still, she can see the appeal, in a vague sort of way. ]

[vorrutyer]

Very much so. Though there's much less surprise. You lose the element of mystery with Betans.

[buildindreemz]

In a literal sense, sure.

[ She tilts her head at her mug of wine, thinking. ]

Seeing someone naked doesn't really tell you the important stuff, though.

[ She's never seen Cobb naked, and yet she knows far, far more about him than anyone she's ever slept with. Ariadne has quickly come to learn what real intimacy is. ]

[vorrutyer]

[ Byerly's not quite ready to get serious. So he cocks his head at her, blinking in exaggerated confusion, saying - ]

Why - of course it does. What's more important than penis size?