❪ test drive: #2 ❫ THE OVERFLOW

[natha]

ORIGINAL 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

[tailorable]

[ the feigned excuse for closeness turns into something genuine, a reassuring pat on the back to cement their partnership. touch goes both ways, the point of contact anchoring eggsy in the present. despite the cold, eggsy feels heat, scorching rivulets running down his spine. james' confirmation galvanizes and frightens him in equal measure. if they're both in favour of action, there's no stopping it.

it's only a matter of how and when, no longer if. fuck, he hopes his nose doesn't sweat. ]

Good. [ even. unaffected. ]

[ he tucks his gloved hand back in his pocket. they've done enough overt connecting for now. ]

You got much experience with things gettin' dangerous, or are you hoping to pop your cherry out here?

[ a sincere question, meant to ascertain james' competency, obscured by eggsy's customary (and occasionally useful) vulgarity. young lads like them — why wouldn't they be a bit thrill-seeking? perhaps that's part of why james took the job. an interest in adventure as much as kindness. even if eggsy hadn't told james of his work with the guard, the pistol at his side suggests he has a measure of experience with danger. he has a knife his boot, too, concealed but accessible. the pack on his back is light, mostly containing rations and flint. nothing showstopping. ]

[heorot]

[ james just about beams at the pat on the back, tucking forward himself to bump shoulders with eggsy before he really pulls away. a kind of brush that has james' skin alight. it's excitement, in a way. something dangerous but good that now, he knows, he doesn't have to do alone. sure, eggsy isn't necessarily a friend (yet), but he's a partner. now with similar motives, and goals.

yes, it's definitely excitement that has adrenaline almost immediately coursing through his veins. now that they're in agreement, james' eyes move to the road ahead of their cargo. they don't have a lot of time, but if they can get this done efficiently, they shouldn't have a problem. ]

Experience, yes. Maybe not on a Royal Guard level- [ he glances back to eggsy, as if to prove to him that he noticed the pistol, and had a fairly decent intuition telling him there was more hidden away somewhere.

but then james shrugs, leaning back a bit too casually than he probably should given the situation, tucking one of his hands behind his head. ] But I grew up around these roads. Trade ways, watching soldiers move through, that kind of thing.

[ his wand is a comforting weight in his pocket, something he hasn't yet shown to eggsy - wanting a better idea of his capabilities as well. for now, he keeps it still in his pocket, leaving it for a worst case scenario. ] It's not my first rodeo, so to speak.

[tailorable]

[ eggsy doesn't know james well enough to ascertain whether the devil-may-care attitude is genuine, an affectation, or somewhere in between. he supposes it doesn't matter either way. the confidence is soothing — it speaks of a trick up his sleeve, if nothing else. he knows the area at least as well as eggsy, at least, if not more. and he ain't a civilian or a coward, which were eggsy's main concerns. still, he finds himself shaking his head, bits of golden hair falling out of place. ]

This ain't the average rodeo, bruv.

[ suspicious cargo, necessary rations, checkpoints, other guards who will notice something amiss. they're teetering on th edge of criminal by intervening. eggsy's never been a rule follower (and has a few infractions under his belt already), but this is real vigilante shit.

he lowers his voice. ]

Don't want anybody getting hurt, y'know. That's what this is all about.

[ rations for people who need them — and now keeping weapons out of the hands of insurgents. ]

[heorot]

[ that is something that eggsy can take solace in. james will always - always - have a trick up his sleeve. no matter what they're getting into, whatever level of danger or boredom, he will always have that on his side. on their side, now that this little agreement has come together like it has.

there's something about he accent that has james laughing. not at eggsy by any means. it's more that there's something to it. something familiar, in a way he can't quite place. ]

No, it's not. Are you ready for it, mate?

[ because under it all, yes. it's more than anything james has done before. it's a bigger piece of the pie he's ever tried to eat. but they're talking about people's lives. no matter what it's going to take, or what lines they'll have to cross to get there, it's happening.

and that acceptance, that understanding, is as clear as day in each of james' words. ]

It's about keeping people from getting hurt, yeah? And that's what we're going to do.

[ delivering food, withholding dangerous weapons. james isn't concerned with what it will take to do that. as long as the people in the colonies are safe. his people are safe. ] No real question about it.

[tailorable]

[ there's something between them. more than mutual morality or ethos — a shared vibe. maybe if they had intersected before now, bumped into each other on the street or at the pub, they'd be friends. proper mates or something. at present, they're running low on time. if they pull this off, he can suggest celebratory drinks. no, when they pull this off, they bloody deserve them.

james words' and general demeanor prove effective, solidifying that this is the right course of action for them both. together. eggsy nods along in mute agreement. what he lacks in surety (unlike james), he makes up for in determination. no questions is right.

now they need to sort the particulars. ]

[ firmly — ] Gotta separate the good eggs and the bad eggs, then.

[ the food from the weapons. ]

[heorot]

[ what's to say they still can't be? james catches the vibe - is somehow familiar with it, in a way he can't quite explain. an instant click when it comes to strangers, new people, friends. james is already thinking about when they get out of this, how they can find their way afterwards, the idea of possibly getting caught something of a far off echo in the back of his head.

they feed off each other - where james is ready to confirm, where he knows it's the best idea they could have, eggsy steps in with the force to see it through.

james nods back, a final confirmation, before his attention is back to the road and checking for a decent place to pull off the road. just for a few moments, just long enough to unload the unneeded cargo. it'll be a bit - maybe another ten minutes - so james glances back over his shoulder. ]

We want to make a pit stop, yeah? There's a good place just up ahead. Might be ideal to hold onto those bad eggs.

[tailorable]

[ they're a dangerous combination, really, all ego and bravery. eggsy nods emphatically. ]

Yeah, alright. [ he removes his hands from his pockets to interlock his fingers and stretch his arms, warming up for this like he would for anything else. ] In and out. Ain't gotta be nothing.

[ nothing noticeable or grand, just a rapidfire separation of cargo. they don't have much time, given their delivery window, but he's sure a pair of fit blokes like them can manage. it's not long before their ten minutes are up, with the carriage slowing to a stop alongside the road. here, the opportunity arises, and eggsy wastes no time in slipping into the back of the carriage to start on the cargo. light on his feet, this one.

he leaves distracting or incapacitating the driver to james, thinking him more capable of charming the other party. ]