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

[miraclekiller]

1. Flying Is Probably Cheating

[ It takes Carol a moment to gain her bearings, but gain them she does. The scale of the construct is beyond anything she has seen before, but she is no stranger to the idea of artifice vast enough for humans to live in. Not just architecture, but precision engineering purpose built for... something which demanded this sheer scale. ]

The Chateau de Tiffauges was enough to deconstruct the world. I wonder what requires a megastructure the size of a planet?

[ Here comes the little girl, seemingly ignorant to the danger present in simply being in this place. Perhaps because she is floating several feet off the ground, far enough from the naked circuitry and red hot wires that they don't pose any immediate threat to her. ]

If I had the time I would love to take this all apart, see what makes it tick...

[ She is holding her chin, deep in thought, thinking out loud as though there was no audience for her thoughts. As someone who spent centuries trying to take apart every single thing on planet Earth in order to understand it all, the prospect of being able to do it all again on the cosmic scale is certainly enticing.

But maybe somebody should get her to focus on their more immediate problems? An obstacle even a flying alchemist should probably pay attention to? Your own character in trouble? Or maybe she just needs to stop being so weird. ]


2. It's Like Trying To Access The Office Intranet

[ Everything organic is gone. If there was life here at one point there certainly isn't now. There are bed frames built into the walls but no beds, the bedding had rotted away completely.

No hope of a mid hike snack, then.

Now back to walking around on the ground like a normal girl, Carol is continuing her investigation of SUPERBIA. Historical analysis and archeology is not quite in her wheelhouse compared to brute forcing her way to understanding the physical makeup of things, but understanding is understanding, and it's not like she needs to start deconstructing a door to figure out how it works.

So she is now considering what probably used to be a computer terminal of some kind, giving it a small kick after pressing a bunch of buttons didn't quite work. ]

If the microchips have completely degenerated then there's no point to any of this, but if it's just some wiring that needs replacing then I can probably do something about that.

[ She looks up from her thoughts at the only other living thing in the area. ]

Do you have anything made of rubber?

4. Hot Crewmates In Your Area

[ But not like that, she looks 11 and she's not ready to show her sick transformation yet. She's not about that Tinder life.

But she still has to answer the questions to proceed, so here we go: ]

Tell me a little about yourself.
Carol Malus Dienheim. Alchemist.

Are you a LEADER or a FOLLOWER?
Would anyone who calls themselves a Follower be worthy of the prize at the end of this journey? Infinite power, no will to wield it.

What is your best feature?
I like this beauty mark below my eye.

[somuchshipping]

Ney! No fair! I call hax!

[Yep, have a robot looking up at Carol, admonishing for flying through the air.]

[miraclekiller]

[ A shouting robot is enough to break Carol out of her trance, at least. ]

I wasn't aware that there were rules to this.

[ Whatever "this" is. Walking to safety? Is that a game? ]

What about you? Is a metallic shell not cheating?

[somuchshipping]

Superbia gave me a real shell, so I don't think it is, miss "Stealing-abilities-from-A-Drakon"! Hmph. I wasn't aware noclipping was a thing real humans were capable of doing.

[miraclekiller]

Well then, I think we are the same on that point, since SUPERBIA also gave me my body!

[ A shockingly good replica of the one she was previously using, sans its other inhabitant, but a replica nonetheless. Elfnein can keep the original body. ]

But what the hell is a Drakon or a noclip?

[ She didn't play turn of the millennium video games clearly. ]

[somuchshipping]

A Drakon's an alien with psychic powers. The older ones are able to telekinesis themselves into flying. Noclipping's basically a cheat that lets you go wherever you want, even through walls, in computer games.

[Hermes believes this person isn't much of a computer game player, or at least, a casual.]

[miraclekiller]

[ Carol will... not stop flying, but she'll reduce her altitude enough that she's not having to constantly tilt her head at an odd angle to look at Hermes. ]

I'm not using telekinesis, nor can I phase through walls. Not playing a computer game, for that matter.

[ Definitely not much of a gamer. Too busy plotting villainous things. ]

Carol Malus Dienheim | Symphogear | OTA

[miraclekiller]

mfw when I forgot to enter my subject line and realised too late

2

[alchemists]

[ Elfnein had been trailing behind Carol trying to stay out of the way, Of course she really wanted to take a part a lot of different devices around or see if she could get things working again. ]

If I take the insoles of my boots out that should contain enough rubber.

[miraclekiller]

No.

[ Carol doesn't even entertain the thought. ]

If I let you walk around without those you're going to end up getting blisters.

[ beat ]

And if you get stuck because your feet hurt it'll end up being my responsibility! We will use my boots instead, at least I can fly if it comes down to that.

[alchemists]

But, it's my idea so it's my responsibility not yours Carol.

[ She understands it's just how Carol is, but still she's not going to get blisters from walking. ]

[miraclekiller]

[ stares a hole through Elfnein like jiiiiiii but not audibly because that's gimmick infringement

Until eventually ]

Fine, but we won't stop walking just because your feet hurt.

[alchemists]

I promise I won't complain about it.

[ Elfnein is smiling, she's just happy Carol cares in her own way. ]

[miraclekiller]

Don't you dare. Now hand me the rubber.

[ Carol is just going to head over to the computer terminal now. ]

Don't suppose you have a cutting torch?

4

[shangrilady]

Consider: if everyone tries to be a leader we're all just gonna fight each other and go nowhere.

[miraclekiller]

I suppose we do need people to fly the ships, and not everyone can build their own minions.

But what are you going to do with the power to change the world?

[shangrilady]

Do you know any good systems of government? For a couple billion people? I think we need a new one.

[miraclekiller]

You wish to change the world's leadership, without being a leader yourself? Well, good luck with that, but don't blow up the moon. That won't work.

[shangrilady]

I'm not built for ruling and most of the people who want to rule really badly just want to abuse it. Dunno how to fix that.

People live on the moon. So no it won't work.

[miraclekiller]

It would need a miracle, and I have no patience for miracles. Have you considered just killing all your oppressors?

[ This is more Saint-Germain's wheelhouse. Carol's was Genocide and Genocide. ]

4

[sleepfan]

What do you transform?

I would say that followers could win the prize and use it. It depends on why they follow: Do they lack will or do they simply recognize that power is a quagmire of responsibility that sucks all joy out of life?

People could also simply lie about being followers to lull others into a false sense of security.

[miraclekiller]

With enough time and energy, whatever I want. My goal is to understand what makes up everything in the world, or perhaps now it is the universe? I'm not going to do anything as limiting as claim a specialty.

Well then, if power is such a quagmire, what do you intend to do with the greatest treasure in the universe?

[sleepfan]

So the limits on your alchemy are based on your lifespan and ability to store energy? What about complex objects? Could you turn a tree into a datapad?

[That is the name for the small information boxes. Linhardt had double-checked.]

Win a war so I can renounce my position and learn about the universe. Or stop time so I can nap. I am very tired.

[miraclekiller]

Perhaps if you plugged me into whatever powers this space station. Changing one element into another is a massive undertaking. On the other hand, if you needed a notebook that writes itself, that would be relatively simple.

[ Synthesizing enough gold to make the wires alone would probably kill Carol if she did it without help. ]

I would recommend the former. Learning about the universe is a worthy cause.

[sleepfan]

Could you make a notebook that would take verbal instructions?

[It would be nice not to stop what he's working on to make notes about it. Eventually he'll discover speech-to-text transcription, but he hasn't yet, and Linhardt isn't sure he trusts the computers to store things accurately. How can he trust something whose inner workings he does not yet understand.]

I think that amount of lightning would kill you, so I recommend not plugging yourself into the space station.

[Linhardt pauses. He does want to see what would happen...]

If you do, however, let me know so I can help.

[And lurk and watch. And take notes.]

I'm glad someone sees that. Though the prospect of napping whenever I want is also enticing...

[Now he's just being ornery. Linhardt wouldn't actually waste Fortuna on napping. Probably. Maybe.]