❪ test drive: #1 - the overflow ❫

[natha]

YOUR STORY BEGINS     The Storm came. You only remember darkness, but you don't remember much after that. All you know, perhaps, is that it was cold as you slept. You don't know for how long you slept, but the dreams were short, at least. You remember the expanse of stars and the universe that came in view. Every world and solar system ever known was displayed in your dreams in careful, pristine detail. You have also witnessed The Storm, which has devoured a fair portion of these galaxies. It was a dark, thick smog; ominous in appearance and ever foreboding. Your Earth and similar planets were immersed in The Storm. Somehow, you knew it would be the last you'd see of it. That was when she told you what happened, and how you can help. You knew that you'll be living somewhere new, even though you never asked for it. The details here weren't clear, but you knew you'd made a deal with Darma. Not long after, you'll wake at Thesa Station — Your body is still cold. It was all a dream, but somehow, you knew it wasn't — now, will you keep that promise you made to Darma? PROMPT: THE MESS HALL     It's fascinating to the Orbiters how such a dull room can be turned around so completely with people in it. All meals are served by Roman, and while all the food is delicious, some of it is a bit odd. Is that neon green soup? That’s hideous. If you happen to be in the mess hall at a particularly unlucky time, you and the food will suddenly begin to drift. Someone’s got jokes, and they’ve turned off the gravity control. Now it’s just you, your fellow refugees, and the floating sea of food. Wait, did that person just chuck a pie in your direction? PROMPT: TRAINING MODULES     While it’s all nice and well to familiarize oneself with Thesa Station, it is most advised that new arrivals venture out a bit. Not physically. No one is quite prepared for that yet. However, there will be several virtual reality training programs set for those who dare to be adventurous. For those who aren’t and don’t dare, well— good luck, all the same. Be advised, however, that participating in one of the training modules will start you off favorably with the Natha Orbiters’ in terms of REPUTATION. Once seated and appropriately strapped in, the system will automatically whir to life and the dense foliage and forestry of a section of El Nysa will open up. According to one’s map registry, it clear to see that it’s miles from the outer gates of Olympia, but not as far enough to venture into any other territories. So, in that sense, you’re safe. 1. Or you could have been, but unfortunately the wilderness is home to various types of beasts and monsters hailing from different universes and galaxies. On the bright side, perhaps one of them will be oddly familiar to you. Or maybe someone else who is currently synced is willing to give you that extra helping hand. Fortunately, if you’re powerless, there are options. From telekinesis to flight, there are strange abilities one can adopt and “test” out in the virtual reality. Granted, you’re only limited to one at a time. They say in the near future, some of you may be granted these abilities under certain conditions. But, please practice some caution. You aren’t alone in the system, after all. 2.. Who do you fight for, the VR system will ask you individually before you enter the module. The righteous Olympians, or the free-spirited Wyvers? Whatever your choice, when you enter El Nysa, you will wholly and truly believe your allegiance. A. Working together: You now have to suffer the consequences of your choice, as you and your partner have been captured by guards of the opposite faction. Now jailed and soon-to-be tortured, you must find some way to negotiate your release. Perhaps you’ll find some means to escape without detection. Maybe you’re the “fight your way out” sort of people. B. Facing your enemy: That person you stepped into the VR with? They’re out to capture you. Or maybe you seek to capture them. 3. When you enter the virtual reality, things aren’t exactly how they’re supposed to be. Maybe that’s natural, especially if this is your first time, but the problems here seem a bit more fundamental. Maybe you find yourself under a parental safety lock, and you’re suddenly censored. Exposed back? Censored. Body suit? Censored. Or replaced with a mascot costume. Worst of all? You can’t sign out. Not right now, at least. Regardless, whatever it is— ridiculous filters, body alterations, or even body swaps with other users... you are assured it’ll all be fixed with due time. Zasere sends his humblest apologies and promises no more wire chewing, or so the announcement states. 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: HANGAR STATION     You find your way to the hangar station. Here rests are a factory worth of docked mobile suits. You recall how the Orbiters had previously spoken of a "space frontier," but only after seeing this you realize how real their words are. Most machinery have marks of wear and tear, assurance that they have indeed been used before, and an assembly of others are going through repairs and maintenance. No one seems to care that you've just strolled in. In fact, there seems to be a couple of the aircraft that beckon you to take a closer look. Maybe you’ll only look on the outside, maybe you'll be greeted by the hand of a mobile suit extending toward you and welcoming you to its cockpit. You go out and explore SPACE!!! Unfortunately, that mobile suit should have warned you it only had 20 minutes of flight time left in its system. Or, perhaps, you’re a particularly ambitious pilot and you’ve strayed past the designated perimeter. Either way, the HUD display is now blinking with errors, cropping up with a single message: DISTRESS SIGNAL. 1. You’re the poor sap who happened to chill around the Observation Deck. Unfortunately, everyone seems busy with the influx of mobile suits out and about, and the only one who can answer this distress signal is on the Navigation System, well, you. Hope you can figure out the controls fast enough. Guide the pilot back to the safety of the hangar using the most efficient route possible. Keen Navigators will find an instruction manual that provides a shortcut to automatically return a suit back to base. 2. You’re actually sitting in a two-seater mobile suit. Funny how that works, isn’t it? Maybe you were unwittingly dropped down a hatch, or dragged along for a joyride by your ambitious co-pilot. Either way, it looks like help is going to take some time... 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     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 Training Module thread of AC length on the TDM may be submitted for 1 NATHA ORBITER REPUTATION POINT after acceptance. QUICK NAV premise ● faq ● world ● map ● reputation ● npcs taken ● reserves ● application calendar ● hiatus/drops ● modbox [ FULL NAVIGATION ] elnysa nysalogs nysaisles nysaooc elnyan

Comments

[revlon]

[ She huffs out a breath that could be a laugh or a sigh, it isn't entirely clear. ]

Astute, Mr Foster.

[ Eventually, she lands on a suitable branch and hefts it in her palm, eyeing the length of it compared to her own height. It will do as a staff; she's worked with better, but this is preferable to nothing at all. She does miss her Walther, though, and wonders why she can't conjure one up in here. She slows enough for him to come up at her side and she glances at him as they walk. ]

You have experience with this.

[ She can tell. ]

[beknight]

As do you, Miss Carter.

[ There's no jab, he's muddy (although less than she is) and his clothes are dripping wet. He shrugs amiably and offers her a smile. He can't lie about being a fighter, and it's easier to be a vigilante here than it is to be an airhead. But he can't be the Bat — that has roots in their world (gone), in Gotham (gone). The other names are swirling idly in his mind. ]

I've led an interesting life, to say the least.

[revlon]

I could say the same.

[ She'd undergone a survival training exercise with the SOE not unlike this. Tossed into the wilderness with a pack of supplies and made to find her way back home. It never amounts to the real thing, though — behind enemy lines. This could be similar; this whole world (virtual or not) is new and needs exploring, needs more information, needs... a great deal of things she doesn't yet have.

But one step at a time. ]

Or else why would we choose to enter this — what do they call it — module?

[beknight]

[ Why indeed. That understanding is unspoken (and appreciated). Bruce breaks off some of the small twigs from what he's holding, and uses the edge of a nearby rock to clean it a little. He looks at what Peggy's holding. ]

Is that enough?

[revlon]

[ She laughs now. ]

Not by half. [ But she can make it work. Peggy twirls it experimentally, like a quarterstaff. ] I prefer a gun to a stick, if it's all the same to you.

[beknight]

[ It's only the barest flicker in his expression. He knows how to use a gun — uses them often when he has to — but in his mind there's no sound worse than a gunshot. ]

[ Lightly, ]

Can't say I feel the same. These will have to do for now: we're not going to be in here long enough to make a bow and arrows.

[revlon]

[ She slides him a Look, slinging the branch on her shoulder. ]

A man of many talents. [ She can ride a horse well enough but archery is a bit beyond her. Not much call for it in the battlefields of 1944. Peggy sidesteps a low-hanging branch and squints at the sky like that will reveal some sort of answer. It's all so real in here and not for the first time, she wonders what happens if you're killed in the simulation. ] How do you propose getting out, then?

This didn't necessarily come with instructions.

[beknight]

[ Interesting life, he said. Bruce doesn't offer elaboration or rebuttal. He ducks to the side of the branch, following. No, it hasn't escaped him that she's kept ahead this whole time. ]

[ Something to prove. ]

There'll be at least one more creature around.

[ He's been through a few, waiting them out doesn't end the simulation. ]

[revlon]

[ He might read it as her having something to prove but she's a woman whose very nature is to lead; to take point was an instinct nurtured in the war and carried forward into the rest of her life.

She hums thoughtfully, wonders if she ought to be looking for tracks instead. So far nothing has disturbed this place except for them, but that may change. ]

Slay the dragon and save the day. Is that it?

[beknight]

[ He raises his eyebrows, amused at the metaphor. Follow it and they get knights, and Bruce has little taste for that kind of imagery. ]

[ He's done more than enough with one kryptonite spear. ]

Let's try this way.

[revlon]

[ She raises her brows in turn, although perhaps the smear of mud across her forehead hides the expression. Very well, off they march.

It's quiet and she finds herself wishing for something to break the tension of their surroundings; because there may be something lurking just beyond, and it had bloody well get on with it. ]

[beknight]

[ He does better with the quiet. Just the sound of her walking, her breathing, it looks like it meets an invisible aura around him that absorbs all of it. Bruce's footsteps are near-silent as they can be, on the mud. These aren't the right shoes. ]

[ They walk until there's nothing but the sound of (alien) cicadas around them, and the shadow of something moving through the trees, above. It's just a rustle at first, drowned out by the insects, but there's no mistaking the shadows from the ground. ]

[revlon]

[ Her gaze flickers to that subtle shift of movement almost immediately. The shadow moving across the jungle terrain — she frowns, hand tightening on her makeshift staff, and she keeps her voice low as she leans into Bruce's space to murmur, ]

Above.

[beknight]

[ He murmurs in turn, ]

Pretend we didn't notice, or take cover?

[revlon]

[ She takes a slow, considering breath. Taking cover would be an abrupt movement that might trigger an attack, although if they do it slowly enough, they might be able to better assess the situation. If they ignore it, the creature loses its element of surprise, but only marginally. They're still out in the open. ]

There's a shallow overhang at three o'clock. We could make it.

[beknight]

[ He sees it. The next decision is split-second — he brings up the rear. She looks human. She might not be — Bruce never underestimates anyone's capacity to lie, even to him — but he knows his own capabilities better than hers. ]

You lead.

[revlon]

[ She doesn't question the choice nor does she spare him a second glance. He's capable, she's sure of it, and that's enough for her to move: it's brisk but smoothly done, as if they'd been heading in that direction all along, and when they're close enough, she crouches to the ground and slides under the meagre shelter, slipping neatly through the mud.

It's only when they're both under that she peers out at the thing tracking them. She can't see it, but she can feel that it's still out there. ]

[beknight]

[ It's only when they're waiting than he itches for a trap on him. A smoke bomb, a snare, something that offers more of an advantage than plain old surprise. He can manage without, but it's ingrained habit. Only recently has he stopped reaching for pockets in the belt. Its weight is unfamiliar to him, empty as it is. ]

[ The something is two somethings, the trees shake as they come down. ]

[revlon]

Delightful.

[ Low, dry, almost to herself. God, her kingdom for a gun. She's a sharp shot and she could hit those creatures from where they're hidden if she had her weapon, but as it is, it's two sticks between them and not much else. She wets her lips, thinking. ]

Plan?

[beknight]

There's always running.

[ Quickfire, with the knowledge that neither of them will. ]

Left one has a bit of a limp, doesn't it?

[revlon]

[ She makes a sound in the back of her throat, almost a scoff. Running. There's a time and place but with things that fly, it's not an option. ]

The easier of the two, certainly. [ She pauses. ] You're not suggesting we grapple with it and hope the other waits its turn?