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

[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. )

[retributing]

[ It's real. McGillis is real. Or this is more vivid a dream than Gaelio can ever recall.

Of course McGillis would take this all in stride. Granted, so had Gaelio, if with a bit of wonder, until a dead man's mobile suit had showed up - to say nothing of the dead man himself, who is very much not dead anymore. Somehow. Maybe he does need to sit. (He doesn't sit.)

The easiest explanation, aside from this being a very realistic dream, is that Gaelio had been injured, just had a bullet strike his mask, and been in emotional turmoil after defeating McGillis. Thus, McGillis hadn't actually been dead as Gaelio thought, and, like himself, had been treated somewhere without the other knowing. Fine. But what does McGillis stand to gain by pretending not to know what happened between them?

If McGillis truly doesn't know... would being honest prevent a repeat of his betrayal? Offer a second chance? Or would it only hasten the inevitable? Gaelio often wondered just how long McGillis had waited for an opportunity to kill him. Lately, he's thought that maybe it was simply what McGillis felt he had to do in the moment to achieve his goal. Still, Gaelio isn't keen to immediately test that theory.

The chaotic circle of Gaelio's thoughts translates into a very long silence. He does finally seem to come to his senses, glancing to his hand before lowering it back to his side. His tone sounds less fragile, though becomes weary and soft instead. ] Ah it's- a lot. Anyway, what about you? How did you come to be here?

explicit canonpoints are for ppl that know what they're doing...

[wresting]

( in the silence, McGillis's eye wanders: the irregular edges of Gaelio's hair, an overlong lock of which falls between Gaelio's eyes, unmistakably mirroring the lock between his own; the scars... the scars, great, branching, reaching from somewhere else along his body, likely sustained in a cockpit. Gaelio seems older or perhaps more mature. the set of his face is changed, worn.

when Gaelio returns to the present, McGillis momentarily follows his gaze. almost tentative, he lowers his arm. it isn't like Gaelio to avoid a subject, but if his suspicions are correct... McGillis sympathizes. he shifts his weight, turning to Grimgerde and Kimaris, hand once again on his hip. )

That's obvious, Gaelio. ( the beginnings of McGillis's casual humor returns. ) I accepted SUPERBIA's offer and became a privateer. ( a pause, weighing his next choice of words. his attention turns to Gaelio. ) We can use Fortuna to reform Gjallarhorn in its current state.

we don't need canonpoints where we're going!

[retributing]

That's not what I meant! [ The retort, reminiscent of conversations so many years ago, is automatic in response to the humor in McGillis's tone. But the realization of so easily returning to what was, even for only a few words, leaves Gaelio reeling in yet another moment of silence.

Gaelio also turns to their suits, gaze lifting as he looks on the suit that killed him, and the suit that killed McGillis. ]

'We,' huh...

[wresting]

( McGillis's eyes narrow, ever so slight, watching Gaelio.

not at all the response he has come to expect but a tell, nonetheless. after a moment, McGillis's attention turns, not quite on Grimgerde and Kimaris as he retrieves a datapad from the folds of his uniform, stripped to essentials; the rank, indistinguishable from specialist major to brigadier general. ) Have you inspected Kimaris? ( business as usual, then, at least until he confirms his suspicions. )

[retributing]

[ Business, right. Something sharpens in the lines of Gaelio's posture. It's reflexive, after so many years. ]

Ah, not yet. I just arrived. I was surprised to see Grimgerde. [ Even his tone strengthens to something more normal, a faint but familiar ease as he continues. With a wry edge, ] It's been a long time, for me. [ Whether memory loss, or some sort of time difference, that much must be obvious to McGillis either way.

Gaelio glances only to McGillis from the corner of his eye, before moving towards the Kimaris Vidar. He'll take a hands-on approach, first. To do otherwise seems... rude, now. Impersonal. He'll be thorough, of course, but first things first.

Scaling the Gundam is considerably easier in zero gravity, but he manages. With the cockpit open, the absolute state of the inside is enough to make Gaelio forget himself for a moment. Distant enough to be faint, though still audible: ] Ein! What happened to you?

[wresting]

( another pause, perhaps indiscernible as he consults the datapad.

acquiring the valkyrja frame had been of personal interest, finding personal use only recently. with the right push, Gaelio would be amenable to extrajudicial pursuit but likely not without protest. sleazy, he had called Coral's offer... McGillis raises his gaze to Kimaris, Gaelio in the cockpit, then — in a manner much more dignified than scaling — requests an operated cage lift him to the cockpit.

he finds no Ein Dalton.

bending, McGillis braces against the cockpit, watching Gaelio in silence. gone is the casual humor, perhaps easily mistaken for something neutral, McGillis's steadfast nature, than the truth. )

[retributing]

[ The inside of the cockpit, inexplicably, is a mess, but the Alaya-Vijnana connection is visible. It is only when Gaelio indignantly chucks something that should not even be in the cockpit off the side, that he notices McGillis is next to him. ]

There are things that shouldn't even be here. How do you throw a Gundam cockpit in disarray? [ He returns his attention to the mess, gently untangling cables, and unceremoniously tossing out a bolt after finding it too, does not belong. It's normal for pilots to be protective of their suits, so perhaps it's not so strange. Maybe?

It occurs to him, somewhere in this process, that the Kimaris's unique... alterations are obvious, here. He'll wait for Mcgillis to make a move, though. ]

[wresting]

( for a long moment, McGillis's gaze is fixt, eyes wide, on the Type E.

when his gaze falls to Gaelio, his expression humorless, it falls to Gaelio's neck — Gaelio, who had rarely expressed interest in the gundam frames, nauseated by the very sight of an implant... had something else happened? careful: ) The Alaya Vijnana system. Was it life saving?

[retributing]

[ Gaelio pauses, hand outstretched in mid-motion. For a moment, he is still. Then, his hand retracts slowly to his side. Another moment of stillness.

A breath in, out. He does not know if there are any right answers, but he can only imagine there are a hundred wrong answers. A minefield in front of him, and he is blindfolded.

Gaelio rises, and turns to face a man he has called both friend and enemy. Which version of McGillis is this? Will his reply change that? ]

McGillis. [ He meets the other's gaze, expression and tone both level but grave, with a seriousness rare for the man as the other knows him. ] Tell me truthfully- do you really not know? [ That McGillis is lying- or has somehow forgotten without being reminded of his crimes- are both easier options to accept than the idea that this McGillis is from Gaelio's past. Faster than light travel is a feasible concept, if not yet realized. Time travel, though? That remains the realm of science fiction and fantastic speculation (admittedly, so does teleportation). But up close, even Gaelio must admit that if either of his theories are true, McGillis has not aged a day. ]

[wresting]

( McGillis straightens, adjusting a step or two for he and Gaelio to speak.

— but he remains off balance, Gaelio holding all the cards. for a moment, long and hard, an inexplicable anger flares, detectable (at least to Gaelio) in the set of McGillis's eyes, a lean, hungry, hurt light sharpening the green there. McGillis chuckles, a breath through his nose, eyes closing, head bowing. the humor is brief and purely performative. )

I'm afraid I don't know what you're talking about, Gaelio. ( attention returning: ) When we last spoke, machine implants disgusted you. ( after all... ) Humans must be natural. That is a value of Gjallarhorn.

[retributing]

[ Gaelio is quiet for a long time, watching. If he recalls McGillis, the years they spent together, the tells and signs he spent years dissecting after it was too little, too late... he thinks there is at least some truth in it.

Maybe he has forgotten. Maybe this is McGillis from another time. If it is, Gaelio wonders how much McGillis has already pieced together.

Gaelio glances to the ground between them. There is something distant, sad in the lines of his expression as he lifts his gaze again. ] Yes. The Alaya-Vijnana saved me. And you were the one that told me that 'value' serves an ulterior purpose.

[ Gaelio's smile widens, for all the sorrow remains. ] It's been five years for me since I've seen you, McGillis. A lot happened.

[wresting]

( so he is dead: his attempts to reform Gjallarhorn, a failure. )

I see. ( for several moments, McGillis's gaze is unwavering, holding Gaelio's before and after he speaks. whatever form the battle assumed, he attempted to kill Gaelio, a growing inevitably in Post Disaster's current circumstances. McGillis's attention returns to the datapad in hand. ) If the cockpit is in disarray, we can assume SUPERBIA's teleportation is imperfect and caused damage to the frame or reactors. Run diagnostics on Kimaris.

( they can't very well attempt to kill each other while their suits are situated side by side. what a sense of humor, SUPERBIA must have! )

[retributing]

[ Irritation tics in Gaelio's brow, though he holds his tongue. That McGillis does not push the issue, and indeed entirely changes the topic, concerns him far more than any orders to do the obvious.

He drops into the pilot's seat with a slight thud, withdrawing a datapad from his uniform. ] If it managed to damage the Ahab Reactors, that's more than a fault. [ Then again, however teleportation works is probably quite different from normal means of destruction that he's aware of and used to.

His finger hovers over the screen for a long moment, waiting on the pad. ] McGillis— [ No, never mind. A slight shake of his head. A little quieter: ] You should check Grimgerde, too. Nothing else is out of place so far, but who knows.

[wresting]

( half turned, McGillis is only aware of Gaelio, the unmistakable anger that carries him, in furthest edges of his vision.

there, alone (in some sense), McGillis lifts his gaze to Grimgerde, distracted only by the call of his name. his eyes fall to the cockpit entry; Gaelio, unseen. a pause. then: ) Of course. ( turning to the cage's manual operator, ) I'm taking this. ( ...the distinct forklift esque hum marking McGillis Fareed's most ridiculous exit yet. )

[retributing]

Ah. [ Gaelio nods a little, distracted. Distantly, he hears the mechanical hum, and startles out of his seat.

Scrambling, he hoists himself above the cockpit just enough to see the lift. ] Ah, McGillis—!

[ ...What is he even going to say? Well, he has to say something now! Uh, um— ] If you get done first, don't leave! Wait for me!

[ Nailed it. ]

[wresting]

( the lift continues, but for all claims McGillis is a distant person, he can't quite ignore Gaelio; his words, an afterimage of their childhood.

despite their opposition? that McGillis must've made attempts on Gaelio's life? turned, McGillis's surprise is visible, giving to amusement — air through his nose — in the next moment. a lilting ) Ah! ( carries across the distance and above the noise of the shipyard. what strange bedfellows, they've become. )