TEST DRIVE MEME #1

[space_aces]

WHERE ANGELS FEAR TO TREAD

Your journey only happened because of your benefactor, so it begets that it starts at your benefactor as well. SUPERBIA, which is as much of a location as it is an entity, is where everyone's search for Fortuna begins.

There's not much of a welcome party: shortly after their fateful encounter with SUPERBIA, in which they swore to join the quest to find Fortuna, the new Privateers will find themselves afflicted by a sudden change in perspective. See, teleportation is a tricky process, so from SUPERBIA's point of view, why not make the target destination none other than itself? One highly disconcerting moment later, and the Privateers find themselves inside the belly of the beast.

The vast mega-structure is shockingly lonely, void of anyone other than the Privateers. Those who look off the metal satellite and to The Network for intelligence (or take a skim at the Space Wikipedia article) will find out that the surrounding space is clear for lightyears; rumors have it that the place is cursed. It won't take long to understand why.

1

Overclocked

The innards of SUPERBIA are that of an impossibly scaled up computer, and the Privateers start right in the middle of it. You are the spider living in the dusty PS4. Literal rivers of coolant, transistors the size of mountains, landscapes made entirely of circuitry. The sky, bounded by a distant metal ceiling, is constantly alight with coursing electricity that cracks the sky with lightning storms. It can be assumed that the Privateers are the first living things to set foot here, because such a place is not ever meant to be traversed by delicate, organic, mortals that worry about things such as "temperature" or "voltage". SUPERBIA needs not lifeforms to continue its operations; why design for them? Traversal itself is difficult: unscalable walls and perilous drops are common to encounter. The only company the Privateers will find are oddly adorable maintenance robots, which sadly seem too occupied by their directives of maintaining the massive machine to offer any assistance (or even acknowledgement of their new guests).

It is immediately clear that the most urgent priority is to get the hell out of here. Before your adventure ends at the starting line.

2

Skeletons In The Closet

If one stays inside SUPERBIA, either by getting horribly lost or losing all common sense, one will notice a peculiar pattern emerge as one gets deeper into the bowels of the mega-structure. Passages shrink and become more level, and the incredible hostility and danger of the surroundings fade away, until one comes across areas which were definitely intended for humanoid organisms to use at one point.

The construction of these areas is cramped, unfurnished, and dreary; they are reminiscent of artificial environments meant to handle harsh external conditions like a submarine or bunker, but they are entirely livable. One can eventually find distinct rooms, but everything in them has crumbled to dust and their original purpose is nigh impossible to discern. Deeper investigation may reveal the few items that have stood the test of time. While it is more plausible for life to have existed here, that doesn't seem to be the case now. What happened here?

3

The Shipyard

In the opposite direction, when one finally reaches the outer edges of SUPERBIA, they will be rewarded with the place to pick up a spaceship and a stunningly beautiful view of outer space. The outside of SUPERBIA has no atmosphere to get between you and the stars, and they shine brightly, like a beacon calling one out into the first steps of adventure.

The shipyard is already filled with countless space ships of every size, form, and function, all autonomously constructed by SUPERBIA's factories over the countless years. What's the harm in taking one or twenty out for a spin? Even if one has no intentions of permanent ownership of the vehicle, it's not like SUPERBIA will miss it. For a Privateer with a more specific vision, however, there are kiosks around the yard which will allow one to design their very own space ship down to their exact specifications. When the process is done SUPERBIA's matter printers will have it out and space-ready right before your very eyes.

If a Privateer has a ship, vehicle, or large item that they intended to bring with them, they will also find them here, neatly parked in the Shipyard. Why didn't SUPERBIA extend this courtesy to the pilot's themselves? The answer is revealed as soon as the owner makes a closer inspection: the inner contents have been rearranged, like a whirlwind was unleashed inside and assorted loose items thrown around. Now aren't you glad your transportation was given special attention, and the same didn't happen to your innards?

4

Hot Crewmates in Your Area

But how will a single Privateer man an entire space ship? No worries: when one steps into a ship, the strangely endearing maintenance robots will suddenly take acute interest. The robots will follow inside and immediately start assuming the duties of a spacefarer, eliminating the need for extra hands on deck.

Even still, there's just no eliminating the want for a human touch, though. Thankfully even that dilemma has a contingency plotted by SUPERBIA.

Communication devices are easily available on every space ship. They come in all shapes and sizes, ranging from huge stationary consoles to portable smartphone-like screens. But whenever a Privateer attempts to access the Network, a pop-up will appear, obscuring the whole screen.

Tell me a little about yourself. Are you a LEADER or a FOLLOWER? What is your best feature?
The device will be rendered unusable until one relents to the pop-up's demands and provides answers to its questions. What will these be used for? The mystery will be solved when a social media app mysteriously installs itself on the same device, with profiles preemptively made for every Privateer. Each Privateer's profile consists of their given answers, paired with embarrassingly candid photographs. SUPERBIA has eyes in many places it seems.

Comments

mcgillis fareed | ms gundam: iron blooded orphans

[wresting]

i. skeletons in the closet

( that McGillis is in possession of common sense and sound reason is... entirely context dependent, actually, but the belly of the beast as it were is difficult — and dangerous — to navigate. once he stumbles upon the more hospitable rooms and paths of SUPERBIA, McGillis can't be faulted for the spirit of curiosity or the conclusion that a people safe exit must exist.

...somewhere. until he and his companion find said exit, though: ) Fascinating, isn't it. ( being taller than most of the airlock doors, McGillis ducks to enter the next room. sooner or later, his head is striking metal. ) We aren't the first SUPERBIA recruited. ( inside, McGillis walks a pace or two before pausing, hand on his hip. his smile is humorous. ) Perhaps we've made a mistake, chasing Fortuna.

( idle chatter, reflective of their new odds. McGillis is no less game than before. )

ii. insert shipping joke aka the shipyard

( this is the equivalent of a car rental — except, you know, for ships — and being a serious, reasonable man in this context, McGillis isn't settling for the first ship he sees.

in a comfortable enough seat, leg over leg, McGillis consults a datapad from one of the many kiosks about the shipyard. he's of a certain mind — mobile suits, including his own Grimgerde — among a few other specifications, all of which depend on things like SUPERBIA's capabilities, the caliber of pilot available, and where one ought to begin to investigate Fortuna.

to whatever companion that has withstood waiting this long: ) Will you be joining me? ( he asks, attention fixt on the datapad. )

iii. hot crewmates in ur area xoxo

( like most people, McGillis would prefer to skip the "complete your profile" part of acquiring a ship. like those same people, McGillis finds he must relent. transcribed audio to text and paired with a pfp best captioned as man hears knees pop for the first time: )

Tell me a little about yourself.
My name is McGillis Fareed. I believe anything else is irrelevant in the pursuit of Fortuna. We are all equal and if we chose, may begin anew.

Are you a LEADER or a FOLLOWER?
A leader.

What is your best feature?
( McGillis considers this one for a moment. ) Tenacity.

iv. choose ur own adventure etc

( ooc | some quick hits!

mcg has a subject sensitive background that may crop up in meta, so please, opt out here if necessary. i'm open to wildcard options and prefer brackets but am amenable to prose. feel free to pp me @ gjallarhorn to hash stuff out, altho i offer blanket permission to assume mcg and ur character have already exchanged introductions. )

1

[miraclekiller]

You don't believe that.

[ Carol has just met McGillis, but that much is obvious. Nothing in his demeanour suggests that he's discouraged. But then again, Carol's confidence hasn't wavered either so in that sense they're similar. ]

If it were so easy to find the greatest treasure in the universe it wouldn't be the greatest treasure in the universe.

[ Slight pause for effect. ]

And if you didn't think you a little more special, more capable than everyone else you wouldn't agree to this absurd contract either, unless you were truly desperate.

[wresting]

( McGillis's attention turns to Carol. how astute for someone that appears so young. McGillis's smile widens a fraction; the amusement, sharper than a moment ago. )

Few can resist the promise of power... Or the ability to change their fate.

[miraclekiller]

What way is there to change one's fate besides power?

[ The power to dissect the world, the power to take down the gods. Accomplishing great deeds is simply the result of gaining access to the right tools and knowledge, and that might very well just include Fortuna. ]

But I see you don't disagree.

I

[thefifthchild]

[Damian cocks his head, which just so happens to be shielded by a leather hood, like he's said something exceptionally obvious.]

Making a contract with a mysterious supercomputer offering the vague promise of an impossible reward might have been dangerous? You don't say.

[Sorry, McGillis, you're getting sassed by a toddler. Still, as they're walking out of the exit and towards the airlock, he takes out a plastic bag full of... dust, it seems, and stops to examine it further.]

What makes you so certain they were invited by SUPERBIA like we were?

[wresting]

( McGillis is both unflappable in the face of insult and very fond of children. Damian's response passes without ruffle or even comment, although McGillis's smile does widen, clearly amused. that Damian seems in an intense play of detective is not actually helping McGillis take him seriously. aren't adults annoying?

gaze momentarily falling to Damian, ) Ah. They may have been SUPERBIA's engineers. ( creator or otherwise. ) But it may be as well that SUPERBIA's initial purpose has remain unchanged.

[thefifthchild]

[Intense play, as if he isn't the world's greatest detective (he isn't). The nerve of some people...]

If the remnants of living conditions here are indicative of a former group called by the computer, then the computer either waited an incredibly long time to make a second attempt or made a deliberate effort to clean out the remains.

I think you might be underestimating the capabilities of a machine this advanced. It's possible that its programming adapted.

[wresting]

( a slight breath through McGillis's nose, amused. )

As you said yourself... Our prize is impossible, and the journey ahead, dangerous. It's possible SUPERBIA recruited countless privateers over the centuries.

[thefifthchild]

Possible. Likely, even.

But currently impossible to prove from what evidence we've found within the facility itself.

[It doesn't change much. Not for him, at least. Although, it probably would be good for the others to know, and it would certainly be valuable information. He raises an eyebrow (hidden by his mask of course) in consideration.]

Would that change your decision?

[wresting]

( the pause between Damian's question and McGillis's answer is many things. what it isn't is hesitation.

if Damian is watching, he might detect McGillis's smile widen a fraction in either corner of his mouth. ) No. ( McGillis is a man with a mission, cradled close since he was Damian's age. only death will sway him from his current course. his gaze falls to Damian; his expression, a little warm. ) What about you?

( Damian has a very suspicious mind, but McGillis suspects his answer is the same. )

we're doin' it live! (aka option IV)

[retributing]

[ It's like seeing a ghost. Two ghosts, really, next to one another, though at least one he is used to. Twin faces of a past he has yet to let go of. And yet here they are here, reminders he does not need of men he will never forget. He has made peace with these ghosts. Mostly. One is meant to be here. A last run, a search together for something beyond revenge, for the both of them. Gaelio could offer Ein that much, at least. For all the man had given up for him, because of him... it was the least Gaelio could do.

But this other ghost, tall as the first and a vibrant pink, a cheery affront to the mourning Gaelio has not quite yet finished processing. Grimgerde. Is this a joke, a jab from SUPERBIA? Are AI capable of a dark sense of humor - or a sense of humor at all? A mistake, somehow? But what sort of processing fault would bring a suit that never belonged to him?

Standing at the foot of the mobile suit, there is one possibility that makes far less sense than the others, and yet Gaelio finds himself slowly looking around for that answer all the same. McGillis Fareed is more than five years dead. But... ]

[wresting]

( McGillis Fareed won't hail a reckoning, a calamity, an incident for another two years. ...although with Fortuna in his hands, Gjallarhorn's reform will likely unfold quicker than that. first things first, though.

McGillis enters this part of the shipyard, like every gundam character, to inspect his choice of MS. he pauses, exiting the lift to the makeshift hangar, as another MS enters view. it isn't until he recognizes the figure at either foot, years of companionship immediately placing nigh every detail, that McGillis realizes. )

The Kimaris, ( he declares on approach, eyes on the gundam in question, hand on his hip as he takes his place beside Gaelio. ) You upgraded it — ( on the final syllables, McGillis's gaze turns to Gaelio, shock disrupting the casual humor in his expression. ) Gaelio? ( what happened? )

[retributing]

[ It can't be. It's physically impossible. McGillis Fareed is dead. Even if one wanted to argue Gaelio had been thought dead, too, Gaelio had looked on McGillis when the light had already left his eyes. There was no mistaking it.

So for him to be here, now, five years later— ]

McGillis? [ His voice —when he finally finds it— is tiny, fragile, sounding as though it might shatter at any moment. He feels as though he might shatter at any moment. He stares for moments longer, mouth agape for words he can't find. After what seems an eternity: ] How?

[wresting]

( in his own state of shock, McGillis stares in silence.

Gaelio's voice, however small, returns McGillis to the present. slow, he turns to Gaelio, hand temporarily falling to his side. his brow furrows. ) Gaelio. ( the meaning of how is unimportant at the moment. McGillis reaches for Gaelio's forearm, just beneath the elbow. ) Are you alright? Do you need to sit?

[retributing]

[ The obvious answer, is that it's a dream. Of course. A sentient AI, teleporting him to some unknown location that looks like an unfathomably large computer in some parts, a wild goose chase for some treasure that can grant wishes and now, McGillis Fareed is standing in front of him as though nothing had ever happened at all.

Of course he's dreaming.

But then, McGillis's hand grasps his arm, and it feels real. He can feel the warmth, the way the heavy fabric of his uniform shifts beneath his fingers, the gentle pressure of his grip. If this is a dream, why does it feel so real?

McGillis's words filter through as though glimpses through fog, though eventually Gaelio does piece it together. He remains standing, maybe through shock locking his joints, or maybe through sheer stubbornness. ]

I'm fine. [ An automatic response- it's definitely sheer stubbornness, at least in part. That much hasn't changed, at least, regardless of how different his physical appearance is from the Gaelio that McGillis is used to.

That McGillis is treating him like he cares, like he did before Edmonton, before his betrayal, is almost more for Gaelio to process than McGillis being back from the dead. For all his insistence he's fine, a waver returns to his voice. ] I don't... understand. [ He reaches for McGillis's arm in turn with his free hand, half afraid his own hand will pass right through. A ghost, a dream, a delusion, whatever it is, it feels real, but it can't be. ]

[wresting]

( Gaelio is the opposite of "fine."

McGillis isn't one to mistrust Gaelio's limits, however, and after a short pause, hesitating, McGillis nods, a momentarily close of his eyes, an "mm" to confirm his acknowledgement. withdrawing, he squeezes Gaelio's arm, brief and gentle, only for Gaelio to seize his own. offguard, visibly, McGillis allows it; Gaelio's touch is a rare thing.

another pause, thoughtful. ) Given the reason for our present circumstances, we should assume anything is possible. ( evidently, quite a lot has occurred in what was only a short while to McGillis. gentler, ) Tell me what happened. ( McGillis is starting to imagine. it isn't hard. )

II

[braidedwonder]

[ Of course Duo is in the shipyard. Of course he is. There is no other place for a gundam pilot, or his friends and their suits, and the ship they're hoping to find to carry at least two gundams.

At least because who knew when the other two and, possibly, their gundams might show up as well.

The braided pilot huffs a laugh as he asks if he's coming along, shaking his head 'no' as he tosses his hands up. ]

Nah, man, I just need the kiosk so I'm not runnin' my ass off lookin' for a ship that's big enough around here.

[wresting]

( big enough?

McGillis raises his head, datapad aloft in one hand. completely neutral: ) For?

( the number of privateers McGillis has counted thus far wouldn't warrant a large ship in terms of crew or quarters. gundam character to gundam character, not yet aware of the wider universe, the need for big enough narrows: primarily, mobile suits, mobile workers, and an assortment of very illegal weapons, the latter of which is not necessarily McGillis's concern at the moment.

partially for the heat inside SUPERBIA and partially for being on very unofficial business, McGillis has stripped his uniform away to a flight suit, jacket, and pair of slacks. unfortunately, the colorblocking of Gjallarhorn uniform, the details of which may remain obvious, gives McGillis an Evel Knievel vibe, except... not really cool. )

[braidedwonder]

[ immediate red flag. Duo pauses, eyes narrowing slightly as the other man raises the pad and asks him what they need a large one for. Others might offer a jovial explanation, but Duo (as usual) decides to take another route. ]

I like to junk things.

Need lotsa storage space for it away from my friends who like to throw shit away without asking.

[ it isn’t totally a lie, but even Duo Maxwell can’t keep enough junk to equal up to two to four gundams worth of space on a ship.

Bossy as ever, he sticks a hand out insistently for the pad. ]

I know what I need so pass it over uh?

[wresting]

( any other adult might tell Duo to piss off.

McGillis Fareed, after a short pause, offers the datapad, halfway through a big enough specification of his own. if Duo opts to scrap it, he won't mind. neutral, still: ) Mobile workers are common in scavenging jobs. ( one part softball, one part (burying the) lede. McGillis's now free hand falls atop the other, idle along his thigh. ) Do you know of any pilots? I'd like to assemble a mobile suit team.

[braidedwonder]

[ in typical Duo form… he scraps it immediately. Starting anew with the dimensions and specifications that would be best for four to five gundams to start.

Room for more wouldn’t hurt him, but in the end the only people he’s well and truly worried about are himself and the four he knows best. ]

A mobile suit team, huh? [ Duo doesn’t hesitate, shoulders shrugging. ]

There’re no doubt people dense enough to qualify to pilot workers. Already ran in to a few.

[wresting]

I see.

( training is a liability laden option but nonetheless: an option. for now, McGillis settles for Duo's answers, although after a moment of silence: ) I'd like to make a business proposal. Scavenging rights in exchange for matters of interest. ( pilots. networking. leads. all, malleable. the point is a working relationship, ground floor. ) What do you think?

ii

[shangrilady]

I dunno. There's almost too many options.

[ The scrawny teen blinks as she eyes the datapad. ]

I could get left behind trying to make it perfect if it really lets me do anything, y'know?

[wresting]

( obviously, this is an invitation to enable Elle. McGillis offers the datapad. )

What would you build?

[shangrilady]

I only know two ships all that well - and one was the successor to the first - so it feels like I just need a mobile suit carrier. But there are all sorts of creature comforts you can't fit on one of those, and it's tempting.