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

[wresting]

Of course.
Lord Bauduin.

( it's easy enough to relent when you're the one winning. 😌 )

[retributing]

Not that either!

Just. Gaelio.

[ Swear to god if you call him "Just Gaelio"— ]

[wresting]

( more infuriating than that, McGillis doesn't even read Gaelio's next message, his smile merely widening as the phone vibrates against his thigh. because of course, so infuriating that he is, McGillis is leaning in his chair, legs crossed, hands folded, eyes closed, as comfortable as possible in their current environment. )

Gaelio... ( a pause, waiting for even the slightest acknowledgement. McGillis rolls his neck, head against his chair's restraint, eyes on Gaelio. his smile remains wide. ) How about dinner?

[retributing]

[ Well, at least he said 'Gaelio'. He sets his phone to the side, turning to meet McGillis's gaze as he approaches. For a moment, he remains quiet.

A sigh, then. ] Ah. [ Gaelio pushes himself upright, tucking device into a uniform pocket. ]

[wresting]

( a beat.

Gaelio's own pause is striking, the only tell in the set of McGillis's eyes. whatever emotion he feels is useless, their current circumstances or otherwise. McGillis rises to his feet, pocketing his phone the same as Gaelio. ) I spoke to the pilot of one of those gundam frames.

[retributing]

Oh? [ Gaelio looks to McGillis in interest, any annoyance seemingly forgotten. ] Which one?

[ He had only spoken to Duo, himself, but Duo had mentioned the pilot of the other frame, 'Altron'. ]

[wresting]

( McGillis's attention returns to Gaelio, if for a moment.

the natural rhythm of conversation directs McGillis and his gaze as the two begin to walk. ) The white one with two shotels. ( not unlike Bael, piloted by McGillis's beloved Agnika Kaieru. typical. ) Sandrock.

[retributing]

Hah? There are more of them? [ Gaelio follows in step, giving McGillis a bewildered look. A moment later, thoughtfully: ] Ah... I guess he did say there were five total, in his world.

[wresting]

Made from gundanium alloy. ( McGillis's smile widens, a puff of air marking his amusement. his head tilts as he speaks. )

Humans are amazing. Across time and place, we don't change. ( a very McGillis way to observe the self evident: the gundanium frames were developed for another war than the Calamity. )

[retributing]

Mm. [ Gaelio turns his focus in front of him, expression thoughtful. ] The pilot I spoke with had never heard of the Calamity War. Another I met had heard of mobile suits, but not Gundams.

[ All different wars, but conflict was nonetheless the one shared thread. ]

[wresting]

( where Gaelio's gaze fixes forward, McGillis's returns to Gaelio, watching as he speaks. with a smile, wider, McGillis's attention turns again. )

It seems SUPERBIA recruits from a certain profile. ( McGillis isn't necessarily suspicious. a combatant's background is to be expected of a privateer, and in the end, SUPERBIA is a tool to McGillis as much as he to SUPERBIA. moreover, another glance to Gaelio: ) Which gundam pilot did you speak to?

[retributing]

Duo Maxwell, [ Gaelio replies after a moment of thought. ] His Gundam is called Deathscythe. It's obvious now, but it's different from any of the technical specifications of the Gundam Frames we have.

[ Barring any wild conspiracy, the fact is these people brought together by SUPERBIA are from different worlds - or at least, such as McGillis's case, different times.] He's pretty young. [ A wry sort of smile as he glances to McGillis. ] It seems humans really are always troublesome. [ Can't get along, as McGillis pointed out in his way, and, worse, they must drag children into their quarrels. ]

[wresting]

( only three guesses as to which gundam in the shipyard is 'Deathscythe.' the first two certainly don't count.

simple math leaves two of the gundanium gundams unaccounted; the final gundam, and its pilot, merely unnamed. SUPERBIA's database may offer more. for now... McGillis watches Gaelio from his peripheral. he has never known Gaelio to concern himself with the age of any subject or target of interest — most of all, Tekkadan.

an assenting "hm." ) We at Gjallarhorn would be without purpose if they weren't.

[retributing]

[ With talk of legislation regarding Human Debris, Tekkadan has been on Gaelio's mind lately. Mikazuki Augus was probably around the same age as Duo, were he to guess. Most of Tekkadan had been destroyed for the crime of trying to find their way in the world, ground between the gears of machination of those both older and more powerful.

Having had years between the end of the McGillis Fareed incident and being recruited by SUPERBIA, Gaelio has had plenty of time to ruminate on the events that changed the course of his life so drastically - much of it centered around the man now standing next to him, impossible as it should be.

It's a weird thought. Gaelio is trying not to think about that part too much.

But Gjallarhorn... Gaelio glances to McGillis, only to look away again when he realizes the other man's attention is on him, too. ] ...Ah.

[ His tone suggests he has a lot to say that he's not actually saying. ]