Test Drive Meme #1

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Test Drive Info

⇝ Test Drive Memes usually take place in a virtual reality simulation occurring in characters' minds that tests them for 'fitness' before they enter the setting officially. However, for the first TDM, it will be set in the real world and centered around the arrival of the first crop of extra-universal "recruits."
⇝ Test Drive Meme threads may be considered game canon so long as all parties agree to it.
⇝ Test Drive Meme threads do count for Activity Check.

Welcome to the Broken World.

You can't even remember how you got here.

All you know is that one moment you were in a world you were used to, comfortable in. It might have been a regular day or the most important day of your life, in the middle of a meal or brushing your teeth or the battle to save the world or the moment of your death. Whoever took you didn't seem to care what you were doing when you were taken, and now that you're here, they still don't seem to care.

You wake up after what seems like the blink of an eye, nauseous and dizzy but otherwise unscathed, possessions taken away, barefoot and dressed only in a set of plain grey clothing, like the most bland uniform ever imagined, in an empty room with empty walls and one single door with a small barred window and a single number printed just above it. The door is locked and cannot be broken by any means, you can feel your connection with any superhuman powers you had severed, leaving them just out of reach - you can feel them there, tingling at your fingertips or in the back of your brain, but you just can't get to them. There is no one to greet you or explain what's happening. You start to lose track of time, the only sound the distant ticking of what sounds like a massive clock.

Just when things seem hopeless, when you feel like you're about to go mad, there's the sound of a commotion outside your door. The sounds of a battle, or perhaps an infiltration gone just slightly wrong. Either way, when the door opens, there is a figure there with a hand outstretched.

"Welcome to the Broken World. Come on, we'll explain everything just as soon as we get you and the others out of here."

i. The Rescue

The moment of peace and freedom doesn't last for long.

Even while you're still disoriented from everything that's happened in the past few hours, the person who's just freed you pushes a gun into your hands. If you're familiar with guns, it's simple enough to use, with a recognizable safety and trigger, a magazine of bullets attached to the bottom. If you're not familiar with guns, well...the person who just rescued you will give you a minute-long introduction to it. Press this button, click this hammer back, pull the trigger to shoot. Nothing fancy, but enough that you won't hurt yourself or anyone else you're not supposed to be hurting. Probably.

After being handed the gun, the person rescuing you looks at you not unkindly and gestures for you to follow, leads you through a maze of concrete corridors to the entrance of the building. There, you'll find something of a small warzone, a battle in progress though almost completed, in the parking and courtyard area between several small, squat concrete buildings. There, huddled in the safety of the building's entryway, the person who just rescued you will point across the courtyard toward an encroaching patch of jungle and quickly explain the situation - you've been brought to this place by the Sylphid, long-standing enemies who will "eat your soul" and replace you if they catch you, and the person rescuing you is part of a resistance army intending to overthrow them. You're to make your way across the courtyard and into the jungle, where you'll find someone named Brycen, a blue-skinned man who will get you out of here even as the battle rages on.

The courtyard is mainly open, with a few benches and trees that can be used as cover, and there is a small group of Sylphid - the enemy, the people who took you and are now shooting at you, but who look like average everyday people - who are taking potshots at whoever crosses the courtyard even as they engage with the rebels. You'll be provided with suppressive fire from those same rebels while you cross the courtyard, but other than that, you're on your own unless you want to take the run with whoever else just got rescued.

ii. Race Through The Jungle

Once you make your way across the courtyard and into the jungle, you'll find Brycen waiting for you about a 10 minute walk in. The moment he sees you, he gestures you over and leads you a few feet further into the underbrush where there are a few All-Terain Vehicles parked in a small clearing. Shooting you a little grin, Brycen spreads his arms to present the vehicles, then heads over to the closest one. What follows is a quick explanation of how to use the ATV, a small hovercraft that can seat two. Brycen points out another ATV that is driven by a member of the resistance, and tells you that this person will guide you to the Witches Camp, where you'll be living from now on. But it's on you to pilot the ATV from here to there.

Well, you and your new friend.

See, there are half as many ATVs as there are people, and each one does seat two. Brycen gestures at the nearest extra-universal arrival and tells both of you to hop on. Now, you're both bound for the Witches Camp together, for better or worse. It's a long walk, so don't piss off your pilot!

Or overturn the ATV or crash it, because the path from the clearing to the Witches Camp is rough, without many trails or paths that have been carved out of the underbrush, something the revolutionaries have done to avoid being tracked back to their home. The ride will be bumpy, hover-vehicle or not, with a lot of swerving to avoid obstacles and dodging to avoid branches. Hopefully, you won't have a run-in with any of the local jungle wildlife, which can range from small, relatively harmless animals to lizards the size of small dinosaurs and wild cats.

It's a wild ride, but eventually you make it to the Witches Camp, a sprawling maze of low-to-the-ground buildings and markets interspersed with jungle for cover, and the rebel leading you keeps doing so until you pull up in front of Central Command. This building is one of the nicer ones in the area, and houses the Witch herself as well as the seat of the revolution. This is where all of the rebel plans are made and where new arrivals are put up.

iii. Welcome Home

Once you enter Central Command, you'll find that they've prepared space for you. First, you'll be led to the residential area of the large building and given the keycard to your new apartment, a small furnished studio apartment with a main living/sleeping area, a desk, kitchenette, bathroom with shower stall, and a walk-in closet for storage. Once you've been oriented to your new apartment, you'll be taken to pick your network device from an array of devices ranging from ultra-modern tablets that can fold into the shape of a phone to an equivalent of regular modern-day cell phones to magical tablets or books that can be interacted with by characters unfamiliar with technology. They'll also offer to alter your own phone or device to access the network, if you prefer that.

After that, you will be guided to one of the big board rooms in the Central Command, where you'll find a large spread of food on the table, ready to be dug into - all the staff at Central Command have brought food from home to share with the new arrivals. You'll also find notebooks and pens to take notes, because this is the official orientation, and you'll come out of it having learned pretty much everything about the rebellion, the Sylphid, how the rebellion originated and most importantly, how you got here and how you can go home.

This is where the rebels point out that helping them is helping yourself, because the only way to send you home is to commandeer the device that brought you here in the first place, and the only way to do that is to overthrow the Sylphid overlords.

After this presentation, no matter how accepting or skeptical you are, you'll be given a small stipend and set free to explore the city, linger around and chat over the potluck leftovers, go back to your apartment, make a network entry to meet other people, or whatever else you'd like to do. Want some new clothes? They can direct you to the markets. Looking to start learning magic? They can direct you to the Mage's Sector where you can find a teacher. Looking to dance your cares away in the wake of this terrible upheaval? They can direct you to a club in The Electric Heart that sells cocktails that'll erase all your pain for the evening.

Go wild. The Witches Camp is your new home. What will you make of it?

iv. Network

Once you've settled into your apartment in the evening, you're free to browse the internet and intranet on your new network device. Care to make an entry and meet the others in your same situation?

NAVIGATION

Comments

[songmother]

While taking charge and a mix of fact and intuition-based presumption was definitely Sarah's MO, she was also over 320 years old and spent most of it in charge of the branch of the US army designated for witches - their service, essentially, in exchange for their lives, and legal equality. And while she was more familiar with female soldiers than male, it would take more than drab prison garb to disguise years of dedicated military service from her.

Former soldier - interesting. Sarah knew better than to press, for now.

She grinned. "I am...retired. But I served in command as general for..." A brief pause.

"...Many decades. General Sarah Alder," She introduced. Her gaze was firm. "A pleasure to meet you. And I quite agree, the advanced organization and resources of our current option for alliance does spark assurance and some amount of trust - if only because we have already seen the alternative."

Sarah Alder was not willing to ever become a prisoner or subject of prodding experimentation.

[tech_nically]

A general. Tech nodded. That would explain the vibe he'd gotten from her, an air that vaguely reminded him of the Jedi. Habit nearly kicked in but he managed to just keep from offering a salute. He supposed titles and ranks didn't mean much here, although he did straighten up a touch more.

"Would that the circumstances were different," he said. At least most of the people he'd met who were in the same position were relatively pleasant to engage with. "I'm Tech. How would you prefer to be addressed?"

It was quite a matter to take in, and for as much as trust was still handled with a perhaps reasonable amount of caution, Tech nodded his agreement. "That such a practice has been happening at all is troubling. The added fact that this does not seem to be limited to a local system or, if I am understanding our earlier debriefing correctly, a singular universe, is admittedly a difficult thing to grasp."

[songmother]

The general was doing her best to stay focused and positive since the rescuers came, but as the lingering pressure and adrenaline of the escape was fading, and the gravity of the situation they all found themselves stuck in, for now, was creeping in. She was going to refrain from letting it sour her mood, stubborn and poised as ever. The drink would keep her spirits warm, for now. While the familiarity of someone straightening, however subtle, in her presence brought a sense of comfort and validation, the slight smirk at the corner of her mouth was more weary than playful.

"Sarah would be appropriate here. We are all equals now, in this world we do not belong." To earn status and respect, from the beginning, starting once again on the platform of her freedom from wrongful bondage. She reminded herself to prioritize finding more suitable attire. "A pleasure to meet you, Tech."

She pondered his assessment, slender fingers tracing her chin thoughtfully. "It is most troubling. At least we are in a position to do something about such offenses. Aside from finding anything to wear but this, I am eager to learn what the powers of these planets has to offer us."

They call it magic, the Work of Nature, but I will make it my own. Their enemies would regret isolating Sarah Alder from her duties and taking her as prisoner. Anyone she could help along the way was icing on the cake.

[tech_nically]

Finding better clothes and serviceable footwear of some kind is definitely on the list of things to get done before the day is over for Tech. He misses his gear, but for now he's simply glad they have space to breath and take stock of the situation. He's also thankful they hadn't had to walk through the jungle barefoot as it was.

"Likewise, Sarah," he says, somewhat testing the waters. It's strange to address a general by first name, even if she's not his general. His brow knits faintly behind his goggles, but he nods. "That is something I intend to look further into. I've never before heard of such a thing as planets influencing people in such a direct way." It should sound horrifying, but it was also very fascinating to him. He's not quite sure what to make of magic, but he'll undoubtedly research what he can of what seems to be natural for this Broken World.

"...there is something I feel should be addressed sooner than later, if what they have told us regarding these chips is true," Tech says, frowning.

[songmother]

On second thought, she pondered, the corner of her eyes crinkling at the use of her first name by someone with whom she was not intimate, perhaps her last name would suit better. "Or simply Alder, if you prefer. Forgive me, I am unaccustomed to such address. I suppose we will all have a lot of adjusting to do."

She wanted to press about the planets and magic and powers, but he wouldn't know anymore than she did yet, and besides, his interest in another matter piqued her curiosity. Learning a person's priorities could tell you as much about them as the subject at hand.

She sets her notebook down, adopting a more comfortable resting stance, tilting her head slightly in Tech's direction. "What are your thoughts and concerns regarding these implants?"

Her own concern was both the tracking by their supposed enemies, and more so, how they nullified her natural powers.

[tech_nically]

Tech readily nods to this. "Alder it is then," he says, a faint smile touching his face. "Names and ranks are likely the least we will have to adjust to, but sometimes it can be the little things." Things you take for granted. Like...interacting with non-military. Or even military- in non-military situations.

Her question, expected as it is, prompts a weary sigh from him. He's had enough experience with chip implants than probably anyone cared for. "Clearly they're of another level altogether for what they can apparently do. Although I suppose it isn't impossible- well, obviously not since it's apparently worked," he begins to explain, frowning as he strokes his chin. Unbidden, he goes on. "If one were to be able to identify specific areas of the brain that influence the function of particular processes, then inhibiting them is only a matter of figuring out how to isolate it so it does not affect other cognative functions. Which isn't without its side-effects depending on what abilities are actually being suppressed."

It might not have necessarily answered Sarah's question, but it felt good to be able to have his own mind properly functioning again. "This isn't the first implant I've had to deal with, unfortunately. I wonder if removing these will be any more complicated. At least they are neutralized here, but depending on what we may need to do and where, they can be a disadvantage. It does seem the only possible advantages to having them remain would be within Sylphid space." If there were more reasons, he'd have to review what they'd been told, but at a glance the pros and cons are obvious.

[songmother]

He had a point, but Sarah was having difficulty with the concept of non-military situations, after centuries of that being her entire identity. Even though at home she was no longer active service, she was still fighting a war. And here, it was the same. Apparently, civilian life was determined to elude her. To be fair, it was unlikely she could settle for anything less, after all she had been through.

She considered Tech's report, with some difficulty as technology was not her area of expertise. It was good he understood, she hoped he could be a valuable ally. "They tell us there is no way around the 'ability suppression' this chip causes, which is most regrettable. Assuming we can entirely trust our hosts."

She sat gracefully, weary of standing and formal pretense. She wasn't a commander here, no need to resist the simple luxuries. "It seems this place suppresses our former captor's ability to track us, yet I still cannot access my previous power. They have promised us something else to take its place though, I am curious to learn more and apply the promised powers of these 'planetary alignments'. It will be invaluable in this war."

[tech_nically]

"That... is very true," Tech replies with a grim nod. "Unfortunately it seems for the time being that we do not have anyone better to trust." They need to gather more intel, get a feel for the rest of the place.

He looks down at his copious notes on his tablet, frowning. Power suppression...and abnormalities? There are still things he's having trouble with. "Hm?" Multitasking, for one. "Oh, yes. It seems we'll have ample opportunity to do so. From what they've briefed us on, it doesn't sound like we'll have much choice but to adapt, one way or another."

[songmother]

Is anyone besides those who preferred chaos and anarchy to begin with happy about this? Probably not. Most rebels in any world are rebels due to the failure of their government to make a place for them, and her world and personal decisions are not immune from such politics. Sarah frowns at no one in particular before remembering her new life in this new world had little to do with the world she is familiar with. Or do they? Will she ever be free to follow her heart without politics getting in the way?

"Adapting is all I know. It seems like gathering allies is in our best interest." She attempts to be regal while sitting next to him in prison garb.

"I suspect this world aims to test our limits. I am ready for it. Are you, Tech?"

[tech_nically]

Well, she certainly does an admirable job at regal. Some people can still command attention and have a specific air about them no matter what they wore. Tech already feels at ease around her, probably because her demeanor strikes him as something familiar.

It could be said that the new lives of himself and his squad had begun with the end of the war. Despite that, they'd hardly been able to escape politics themselves, but it was quite difficult to do so with an Empire of galactic influence. Still, with the birth place of clones in ruins, it served as a harsh underlined statement that there was no going back to how things were. Hopefully they were all listed as KIA and could truly begin lives cut free of any previous ties.

This...is not quite how Tech had envisioned things to go, but he is a clone commando, and a member of the Bad Batch. Meeting things head on is simply how they usually handled matters.

"Not that we've been given much choice from the start," he snorts lightly, looking at Sarah as he straightens in his seat. Something that almost looks like a smirk touches his lips as he gives her a nod. "They caught us off guard once. I'm not inclined to let it happen again."

[songmother]

She smirks back, in a fashion similar to certain Jedis that Tech may be familiar with, ever curious about this man's experiences where he came from. With no lack of time, she reminds herself: All good things to those who wait. Patience, or some such frustrating pejorative . Difficult, but possible with personalities that ranged betweeen tolerable, and in this case, compatible.

She respected the subtle straightening, no detail going without notice, even if she was mortal, human, and currently powerless.

"I am glad to hear you say this. I feel the same." She means to meet his gaze, silently, but it is up to him. Sarah prefers to be bold and straightforward when possible. You would think someone of her age would not feel like time could be wasted, and yet, here we are.

"I hope it is not too forward of me, but I hope we can count on each other, in whatever is to come." Perhaps it was her pride, but even without any of her abilities, she liked to think she had a good read on people.

[tech_nically]

He has no qualms in giving respect when respect seems due, and the woman's experience and confidence is more than evident in the things she's said and in her mannerisms. It's also that common ground in having acknowledged each other as coming from some form of military background.

"We've all got to start somewhere," Tech replies. Their initial escape from the Sylphid compound would have been a good testing ground if he hadn't felt so disoriented during it all, but he doubts he'd been the only one feeling that way. Yes, better to start off fresh and in, well, relatively right minds.

[songmother]

Admittedly, she was enjoying both the sharpness of his mind as well as the respect he graciously offered, when he could just as easily have chosen to hand-wave formality to a stranger in a world where none of them were at their best. It was also his straightforward and so far seeming lack of ulterior motivation that she found refreshing. Perhaps she should really get out more, and associate with people beyond young women in highly charged, life-or-death situations and command politics.

"They gave us a stipend, and mentioned something about a market. Perhaps I'll start there. You're welcome to come, if you are interested in company. If not, I appreciate the time you have already given me." Sarah is also not used to poverty or a budget, the last time such uncertainty and inconvenience was relevant, she was still a young woman herself.

A playful flitter crosses long-lashed her eyes, and she adds, "I heard mention of cocktails, music, and dance at a place called the Electric Heart, though, something tells me you aren't usually found in such places."

A judgment, possibly incorrect. Maybe this drink was more effective than she had judged. Maybe dying once gave her a better appreciation for the finer pleasures of life. Or, this place and its unfamiliarity could be liberating instead of feeling like a prison.

What is the phrase? The mind is its own place, and in itself can make a Heaven of Hell, a Hell of Heaven. Sarah was not religious, but appreciated the metaphor of being the architect of one's own perspective, and happiness.

[tech_nically]

The clone commando is still very much feeling his way around things here. He and his brothers have never been particularly good about blending in and given what they are it makes it difficult to do sometimes. The world beyond missions and orders is a strange one, and actually applying customs he's read about have been much different than expected. Here he's only been given things to react to, at least until now, and now that they have the time to actually soak in everything, he's all too happy to fall into some kind of familiar habit.

"I was already planning on heading in that direction, so I would not mind the company at all." That they'd been provided for at all is something Tech appreciates. Being cut off from military funding had forced them to learn quickly how to make it on their own, and unfortunately there were only so many things their squad was good at. Not having to worry about basic things right off the back is a relief, and perhaps Sarah can even provide him with some advice or suggestions when they're out shopping.

"I'm not particularly one for dancing, but drinks and music I have nothing against. Music would be a step up from the place my squad has been operating out of," he notes with a faint smile. Even he appreciated some downtime.