HYPERJUMP | a panfandom sci-fi game. (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
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hyperlinks2018-08-01 05:17 am
uplink) wrote in hyperlinks2018-08-01 05:17 am
Entry tags:
test:drive_01.
TESTDRIVE_01 | ||
 THE ARRIVAL. You wake up, wet and bruised, in the water. You don't recall falling, but you recall a flash of bright light, and the next thing you know you're washing up on the shoreline. You can see two moons and a planet in the sky. Directly abovehead is a slash of oscillating lights that flash painfully bright with every passing second - and you witness a handful of silhouettes getting spit out of the lights, falling into the water with a loud splash. It's a surprising sight; just as surprising is the fact that you're not alone. A stranger you didn't notice approaching hauls you up onto your feet, checks you for injuries, and then you're lifted into a shuttle, where you're healed by the med techs on board. There are others like you who were pulled from the water and the sand, and they're in various states of healing. You're all soaked in seawater - and by the look of things, you're all equally at a loss about your situation. An automated message keeps repeating over the PA system in English: "You are currently in Caius Allied Territory. Welcome to Alexandrina." Where the hell are you? You're now in Alexandrina, and we hope you enjoy your stay.  NOT IN KANSAS ANYMORE.It isn't your lucky day. Something, somewhere along the line, goes incredibly wrong. Rather than keeping you at the shores of Alexandrina, the rift pulls you in and spits you out in a place that's a lot less watery and clear. The first thing you come to is the taste of dirt and grime, and the hustle and bustle of a city that doesn't have an off-switch. Overhead, there are high-rises and towers that go up further than your eyes can see. It seems neverending, and natural light struggles to filter through the metal. The shock only starts to fade away when you hear the sounds of a struggle not too far away from where you landed. Investigating will lead you to a group of Caia Maxus harassing a few Terrans on a back alleyway. The Terrans are trying to sidestep their way out of this (they'd rather not get involved in a fight), but the Caia Maxus far outnumber them and all escape routes have been blocked. No one else is stepping in to intervene. If anything, the rest of the onlookers seem to be encouraging the rough treatment. So now you get to decide: OPTION A | YOU STEP IN LIKE THE HERO YOU ARE. You step between the two parties to try and avoid an escalation. You don't want to start trouble, or maybe you do and this seems like a good reason to fish for a fight. OPTION B | YOU LOOK THE OTHER WAY. This isn't your problem really, so without saying a word, you head for the other direction. The Terrans weren't asking for help anyway, so maybe they could handle it. Best hope nothing will let you regret your decision. Choose wisely. You'll feel the effects of your choices sooner than you think. Regardless of what you decide though, the Hypatia Rescue Fleet 409 will locate you a few Terran hours later. They'll tell you they have no idea how you ended up in Koriba, that's never really happened before, but they're glad they managed to find you before anything major happened.  THE NIGHT OF. It's a lot to take in. You're on an alien moon, looking out to a planet that looks a lot like Earth but isn't. You can see the storms swirling around, the deep blue of its own seas, as you listen to the crash and pull of the waves not far from where you stand. The stars are different here too - there are no constellations that you recognize immediately. Some of the older locals are lingering outdoors with you, and they nod at you as you make your way around the cottages. Are you headed to the beach? You might find a few couples having a moment there. Are you headed back into the cottages? If you peer into some of the windows, you'll find entire families sitting together, or parents tucking their children to bed. If you're headed into the woodsy areas that extend away from the beach, you might hear a rustling sound or two - from something too large to be another person. Careful where you walk tonight. There's a reason for lights out being a thing.  WELCOME TO THE 409. It's the morning after your quick orientation into the Alexandrina settlement, and everything looks dewy and homey — until you start hearing loud splashes, followed by shots firing off nearby. Is it a bird? Is it a plane? No, it's a bunch of eldritch horrors falling from the rift abovehead. They stand at roughly ten meters tall each, lumbering out from the water with angry screeching and flailing limbs. They're already kicking up a mess at the shorelines, and upending some of the makeshift outposts lining the beach. The locals are shooting at them to keep them away from the settlement borders. Most of them are adults, but some of the shooters are as young as fifteen or sixteen, and clearly used to the kickback of the firearms they're carrying. One of these shooters pushes you forward, tells you to get moving. Another hands you keys to a vehicle and points you in the direction of the fleet — every able adult needs to help in manning the patrol lines, they say. The keys fit into a hoverbike, which in turn is armed with blast guns up front. "Get up in the air and help the guys out," the stranger urges you. "We don't have as many men as we used, to. Get going, get going!" ...Maybe those bikes come with a how-to manual? On the bright side, at least you're not alone in trying to figure these bikes out.  NOTHING WASTED, NOTHING THROWN. The beach is saved! You're drenched in monster blood, there's sand in places you didn't realize you even had, and your bike is in some form of damage after those first few crucial minutes of getting the hang of riding them. Now comes the cleanup, and your character is armed with large chainsaws and buckets. The creatures need to be chopped down to smaller sizes before they can be properly incinerated, and everyone's kindly asked to suit up and get to chopping! There are small stalls and tents lined up along the beach for various purposes to help with the process. There are refreshment tents for when the sun heat gets to be too much; there are portable incinerator ovens, which burn the creatures' parts down into fertilizer (no point letting it go to waste, hey!), there are shower tents for when you're done with the hacking and sawing, and at the far end of the beach, away from the gore and the carnage, is a beach barbeque bonanza. From the way people act, this is a normal day in the 409. So why not grab a saw, chop up some monster flesh, and have yourself a nice beef-flavored something? You've earned it today.  HYPENET. H̷͖͇͈̮e̲͖❚❚͓͈̥̤̺͔ͅ—͍ N͎̦̫̯͔̯o͖̖͎̠̣̮ ̹̝o̬̦̠̫̮ͅ❚̱͈̺̝̥͞❚͏ ̳❚͉͎͜ş ̨͚̲͓͚̣̫s̙̥❚̮͚̻͠f̟̪̲̳̕e̥̞̲̝̝͟—͈̖ Whoa. What was that? This is the first thing you hear as soon as you try connecting to the network. Something tells you this isn't something that happens often, but asking anyone who knows more about this place than you do isn't netting you any answers. The more people start looking at you like you're crazy, the more you're tempted to brush it off... Connecting to the network again will trigger its original default message: Welcome to HypeNet, DefaultUsername[xxxx]! You are now accessing the Hypatia Mass Network. You may input your personalized username and start chatting now! Time to get some answers. Maybe someone else must have heard it too, right? OOC NOTES. Welcome to the first TDM of HYPERJUMP! We're trying something different with the Koriba prompt, so please bear with us. Cast your vote here! Both options have their own sets of consequences that will affect the first intro log of the game, so choose your actions carefully! Additionally, the interactions in this test drive can be game canon if the parties involved agree to it. Everyone is also encouraged to use test drive threads for samples in your application. We are super excited to have you here, and we hope you like what you see. ♥ | ||
no subject
I'm sure you'll be back in business before too long.
Where they have you holed up? Or is did they somehow drop the hotel off on the main drag?
[because even if his funds are considerably less, he'd rather have the comfort of the raven than spend another day in one of the communal cottages.]
no subject
[That part is actually very exciting, but the novelty will wear off. He wants... his guns back.]
But I am afraid they have pulled my brains out of my body and left me adrift, as it were, Mr. Kovacs. I cannot provide you with more suitable accommodations than these, but I can provide you with company.
no subject
[Pity, because the bar at the Raven was truly his favorite thing. That and security really was for the most part top notch. There's silver linings though... Poe's company is actually welcome in this strange place.]
Guess you get to play gumshoe after all. If you're up to some investigating, that is.
no subject
If I had a hat with me I would already be adjusting its brim to sit as jauntily as possible in anticipation of our great investigative journey.
Where shall I meet you?
no subject
Counting my blessings then that your access is limited and you can't just conveniently code one into existence on top of your head.
Meet me down by the beach. I'll be checking out the "beef".
no subject
I will be along in a moment.
[Several moments, anyway, as Poe still severely underestimates just how much time walking around takes. He doesn't tire, no, but having to trek down to the beach on foot instead of make the jump in an instant is so... truly, mobility is a blessing and a curse. Nevertheless he will be there in several moments, looking for all the world like he was not recently melted into oblivion on his own countertop.
He still finds a way to appear silently at Kovacs' elbow unannounced. Hello.]
Greetings and salutations, my dear friend. You're looking as reticent and resleeved as ever.
no subject
He has to hand it to Poe because the intel's solid and as soon as he hits the beach he can smell and hear the sizzle of cooking meat. Tak orders himself a cold drink and some of those questionable steak on a stick things and waits maybe fifteen minutes before they're handed to him over the bar. He thanks the man behind the counter and is tucking in as Poe makes his presence known. He admonishes with a mouth half full. Gross]
Geez, Poe. You need a bell or something because this sneaking up on people shit isn't going to work.
[Kovacs swallows and wipes his mouth before continuing.]
Hi. You're looking overdressed.
no subject
It is a wonder, the worries that can plague a mind in the dark. In those seemingly final moments, Poe could only wonder what would become of those humans he'd gotten attached to. And here stands one of them, no worse for wear than usual.
So. He looks down at himself, brow furrowed. Well.]
This is how I prefer to dress... [He'll wear his bowling shirt next time.] I daresay you will find some way to equip me with a bell with no regard for anything like my dignity, in due time. You are so very, damnably resourceful.
[It's half a compliment.]
How are the drinks?
no subject
Hellos aside, he is actually fairly pleased to see Poe in the real, no less Poe-like than he remembers from their time spent in the Raven. He takes a sip of said beverage, washing away the lingering taste of the still unidentified meat and grimaces as it burns all the way down. ]
I've had worse.
[Tak figures a second try is warranted, so he picks up the glass once more, taking more cautious, measured attempt. The result is much the same. 3 out of 10 at best.]
But it's not killing me yet, so I'm willing to finish. [He turns to get a better look at Poe, eying him the the top of his head to his shiny shoes.]
How was your walk?
no subject
My walk, on the other hand— [His brow furrows, the immediate impulse to wax poetic about the joys of being liberated of the Raven's walls for the first time ever buried under just how quickly he can foresee walking around being tedious. Not just that, but cut off from the net with only the ear cuff to let him in—] Not to be crude, Mr. Kovacs, but I'm feeling rather impotent about the whole affair.
[This is why he's never actually wanted to be human, despite his overwhelming love for mankind. Study? Superb. Friendship? Fantastic. Walking on sand? Detestable.]
I'm deathly afraid I'm beginning to understand your attitude. But besides the drinks, how are you?
no subject
[He replies, nodding in agreement to the unspoken mention of the bar at the Raven, whose drinks had been as good as they'd been plentiful. Tak polishes off his beverage with a grimace.]
Best to not dwell on things we can't have though. No need to be depressed.
[Kovacs trails off. Perhaps it's better if he doesn't rub metaphorical salt into Poe's wounds, at least not any more than Poe would inadvertently do himself. He can only imagine just how Poe is feeling. Impotent is a good way to put it. For someone accustomed to travel as quickly as thought, if algorithms and ones and zeros could be considered such, the time spent reaching a destination must feel exceedingly long.]
There's only room for one of us to be grumpy, but maybe we can find some faster method of travel. Beach bike? Maybe one of those hoverbikes would do.
[Or maybe a hearse? Who knows what would be a fitting vehicle for his companion.] I'm okay. Alive. Not sporting any bruises from everything that happened in Bay City, which I'm pretty grateful for.
Speaking of, what do you remember?