annexedmeme | Test Drive Meme #1

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!test drive meme

Test Drive Meme #1

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

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

[a: the rescue]

[This is not the first time recently that Mikumo has woken up in clothes not her own, in a place she doesn't know, and with the distinct impression that something has gone very wrong. It's a pattern that she really doesn't like, and while she tests the door, most of her time in isolation is spent trying to focus herself and think, and prepare for the potential of an escape.

And thankfully, someone comes to make that potential a reality. Even as the gun is shoved into her hands, she moves almost automatically, feeling for the safety and trigger and where the magazine loads. She's never had to actually take a gun into combat before, but it's something that was taken into consideration when she was made, in the information she might need, and Delta Flight had made sure that Walkure could defend themselves regardless of the situation they might end up in anyway. The way out and the attempt at an explanation is very rushed, but Mikumo doesn't have time to analyse it the way she'd like - the most she can do right now is get out of here, hopefully without causing too much damage.

Aiming the gun, she deliberately fires against the cover one of the enemy shooters is hiding behind, a hair's breadth from the edge as a warning shot. As the shooter ducks back in, Mikumo speaks up to anyone around her, surprisingly calm and almost in her element despite the situation.]

If you're not confident to escape on your own or you want backup, come with me! [It's natural for her to take point in situations like this. There's no time to get wrapped up in it all, but she doesn't expect everyone who's been dragged here to be experienced with this sort of situation and be able to stop themselves from being overwhelmed by it.]

--

[b: race through the jungle]

[The more this situation unfolds, the more grateful Mikumo is for her field experience, because as soon as she lays eyes on the ATV her first thought is that it's probably going to be a nicer ride than the wheeled vehicle she had to take through a snowy forest not long ago. There's a short sigh that's almost something like relief, though something very curt about it still.

Either way, she gestures to the craft with whoever Brycen's decided she's riding with. It's one way to figure out what kind of people she's going to be working with here, she supposes.]

I can drive this if you can't, but if we both can then it might be best to decide by who has more rough terrain experience.

[Purely the pragmatic choice. It's abundantly clear that this is going to be a messy jungle route even from the outset, and while she's got a decent amount of experience in that terrain, she's not discounting the possibility that someone else might have more.]

--

[c: welcome home]

[While Mikumo's perhaps not as used to sleeping in a bed as she should be, the fact that this place is at least clearly prepared for settling their rescuees is appreciated, and while initially somewhat reluctant, she does remove and hand over her set of computerised false nails that function as her device at home so they can be adjusted to work in this world. It's interesting of itself that they have the technology to work with them here, and now that things are relatively quiet, she has some time to consider and digest this new situation.]

(i. orientation)
[While she's present and listening for the whole orientation, ensuring she knows as much about what's going on as is being offered, her behaviour around the food is a little...odd. She does have a plate and it does have food on it that seems to be slowly disappearing, but it certainly takes some doing to actually see her eat. As unfamiliar as she is with eating in front of other people, she still prefers to do it when nobody is looking, and she may even go so far as to pause midway to eating something if someone turns to look at her.]

You must be bored. [It's rather bluntly stated, though there's something almost amused about it even so.]

(ii. markets)
[The market area isn't entirely dissimilar to what the shops on Ragna are like, and while Mikumo doesn't usually need for much back home, she's gone through markets and shops on other planets plenty of times while undercover. It almost feels a bit like that now, displaced from the Brisingr Cluster as she is, but she doesn't have her holographic suit to conceal her regular appearance and so she has to get used to doing this just as herself. Granted, that's half the reason she's here - she might not be that picky about clothes, but the bland, featureless uniform feels like another sign of not being her own person, and she wants it gone as soon as possible.

So she can be found picking through the offerings at a few of the clothing stalls in the marketplace, mainly focusing on simple garments for the moment - dresses without too much going on, long shirts or tunics and shorts. The simpler items also have the advantage of not eating too much into the little money they've received, though even as she goes through them, there's a little bit of a sigh, as if there's something inconvenient here.]

Holographic suits are much easier than all this. [There's a certain amount of dry humour to how she says it, and admittedly she usually uses hard light holograms for stage concerts and undercover missions rather than day-to-day clothing, but it would be nice to not have to shop for clothes this soon.]

--

[d: network]

[Mikumo does a little internet searching in the evening, looking to find out a little more about current events in the Sylphid territory, and how they present their news. But there's plenty of other people here with brains to pick as well, so she sends out a straightforward text post on the network while she's at it.]

So, what are people making of all this? I find myself wondering how many of those brought into this are combatants rather than civilians. Hopefully the majority.

--

[e: wildcard]

[[Up to play with other ideas, just tag in with something or hit me up at

reviseleviathan if you want to do something more specific!]]

I'm a pilot.

[Short and to the point. Heero looks her over critically, but keeps any judgements made to himself. This is who he's got to work with and so he's going to make it work. It's not like gender or hair says anything about how useful someone's going to be in this sort of situation after all. He's not that shallow.]

How are you with guns?

[Because someone's going to need to keep whatever creatures they might come across away. So if she can do that? Fine. He'll fly. If she's not confident in that, then she'll fly and he'll shoot.]

[Something in Mikumo's expression seems to clear at that - it's almost like relief or familiarity, but very subtle. And while she's certainly noting that critical eye, she's not going to stir him for it in this situation. They've got bigger things to worry about, and she knows she's not exactly most people's image of military.]

I've had plenty of training, but not had to use them in live combat before today. I've got more than enough hands-on experience getting vehicles through rough terrain, though, so experience-wise it might be best if I drive and you shoot.

[While she can definitely score hits shooting from solid ground, shooting from a moving vehicle is a whole other ballgame and not one she's been particularly exposed to. So she'd prefer to be sure that the shooting is with someone who's actually got experience beyond just drills.]

[It's nothing personal, anyone would have gotten the same assessment. Well, almost everyone, but he has yet to notice a familiar face.]

Acknowledged. [He holds out his hand for her gun.] You drive. I'll shoot.

[Afterwards, Heero doesn't wait for pleasantries, doesn't introduce himself. Instead, he climbs inside the ATV and prepares himself. They can talk later. Or not. As of this second he doesn't really care. They have a mission and right now, that's his focus.]

Don't worry about me, just focus on the terrain. I'll handle the rest.

[Mikumo passes the gun over without complaint, then leaps into the front seat, quickly checking over the controls to ensure she knows where everything is on this particular vehicle. She's definitely encountered similar ones in her line of work, but they all tend to have their own control quirks.]

Obviously. I trust you wouldn't have put yourself up for the job if you weren't capable of doing it. [Direct as ever. Mikumo starts up the ATV, steering it behind the leading vehicle and then accelerating. She gradually moves up to speed, eyes roving around the jungle corridor and noting the kinds of obstacles they're likely to be encountering. She can only go so fast when there's this much hostile terrain, so she levels off at a respectable but still maneuverable speed.]

Mikumo, by the way. [While her eyes are still on the terrain, and she's undoubtedly taking the driving with all the seriousness of a professional, there's a touch of dry humour to the tone. He's not the first pilot she's met lacking much of a mind for even the most basic pleasantries.]

[The familiar way with which she leaps into action and assesses the hovercraft is very reassuring and so Heero settles in to the passenger seat to do his job.]

I meant, don't worry about your flying messing with my aim. I'll be fine. [Why is communicating so hard? Tch. He falls silent as they pass through the forest at a respectable speed. She's... not bad. Someone with experience in the field in some fashion as best he can guess. He'll remember that, for the future - her competence.]

Heero. [As she doesn't give a last name, neither does he. Eyes scanning intently over the terrain. Not the best of vision and while their speed isn't extreme it does mean he has to remain on edge. Until he sees... something, but he can't really say what it is. Without hesitating, he fires a round. It hits. The creature lets out a roar that is way louder than he'd anticipated. Two more bullets and the noise stops. Lizards like small dinosaurs was it? Next time he'd take the briefing more seriously.] It's a pleasure.

[Oh, now he's got jokes.]

Your training. What is it you do?

[Either he just pissed off the local wildlife and they're about to get swarmed or the rest will take this as a sign to leave them alone. Either way no reason to stress it. And he was, mildly, curious about his temporary partner all things considered.]

[The loud roar does get a very brief aside glance from Mikumo, though more in the sense of her trying to spot what kind of wildlife they might be dealing with here (and whether it's anything she recognises) rather than concern. Granted, Ragna makes up most of her wildlife experience, so most of the things she very easily recognises are water creatures and not land ones.

Shifting left to avoid a mound in the earth and then right again for a jutting rock, she figures that if he's conceding to deadpan humour at this point, she can too.]

Sing. [Knowing how absurd that probably sounds to anyone outside the cluster (or outside the galaxies that have had significant conflicts handled with the aid of song), she lets it hang on the air for a few moments before elaborating.]

I'm the lead singer of the tactical sound unit, Walküre. Our singing has a special property which calms a condition we call Var Syndrome, which can drive large numbers of people into berserk rages when there are major outbreaks.

[Hence the battlefield element. Var doesn't discriminate as far as whether it's civilians or military driven berserk by it, or who's caught up in it, and that's ignoring the more forward-planned military operations involved in the job besides dealing with outbreaks.]

We're accompanied by Delta Flight on most missions, so don't worry, I have plenty of experience with the manners of fighter pilots.

Sing.

[He does deadpan at that, because it does sound ridiculous to someone who's not familiar with Walkure and what they do. Or just generally the properties singing can have in different universes.]

[But he listens without judgement. Nodding slightly, before remembering that she probably was too busy to see him do so.] I see.

We have nothing like that where I'm from.

[An understatement. Though if there more peaceful ways to achieve peace, he's actually all for them. He's tired of all the killing and fighting. He's been doing it for... far too long considering his age.]

I wasn't worried. [The tiniest of smiles, not that she'll ever see it.] But good to know.

[Though not all pilots are as.... Heero-like as Heero.]

I'm not too surprised. [There's no telling whether areas of space the Protoculture didn't reach would have the same reactions to music, or whether they're even from the same dimension - that's something she'll have to think about later. But for now, as much as she'd like a moment to really take everything in, that's not happening until they reach wherever their shelter is. So she keeps her focus on the increasingly interrupted path ahead, tilting aside for a patch of extremely long grass that could be hiding just about anything, and then dipping down to pass under a low-hanging branch.]

What kind of machine do you pilot? [Specific choice of term there, because it could be a plane, or it could be a carrier or something similar to a variable fighter, or something else entirely. While they're stuck on this ATV together, she may as well work on gauging the kinds of other people who've ended up here. She's not particularly pleased about being separated from Walküre, but it's going to be much harder to play lone wolf in a place she's entirely unfamiliar with, so she needs to identify the people who are reliable.]

[Pretty much the only claim to fame his timeline of the universe has is 'at least us humans haven't fucked up the earth too badly, it's still a viable planet and more or less the hub of humanity.' going for it.]

Mobile suit. [The answer is prompt, because it's the truth. His gundam is just a specialized advanced mobile suit.] Most things. Fly one, can learn to fly them all.

[She might make a halfway decent mobile suit pilot with some work. She's not bad, good solid head on her shoulders and a good eye.]

[There's a pause.]

Do I need to explain what a mobile suit is?

[She has magic combat singing, they might not have mobile suits then. Valid question.]

[Pulling the ATV back a bit to cleanly jump a dip in the ground, Mikumo nods slightly. The name puts her in mind of the humanoid form of a variable fighter - some kind of controllable robotic exosuit used as a weapon - but there could well be other things or other forms of machine used for that kind of combat in other parts of the universe.]

I think I might have an idea, but I'd prefer to have it confirmed.

[There's even a similarity in some respects to his "fly one, learn to fly them all" remark - she remembers hearing that Hayate controlled his first variable fighter based on what he'd picked up piloting workroids. A lot of controls can cross over between machines, especially when some companies might have fingers in both civilian and military pies.]

Mikumo Guynemer | Macross Delta

B. Race through the jungle

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Network.

un: venus

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