revivalprojectooc | Spring Test Drive Meme!

Entry tags:

Spring Test Drive Meme!

Welcome to the Current Test Drive for The Revival Project!

This game is a spin-off from the closed The Drift Fleet game. For more information about the game, including more details on the setting, please check out the FAQ here or the premise here.

A thread on the TDM will be required for all applications. Please view the FAQ for information about how this works. Any questions about the game please direct to the comment section of the FAQ as well.

If you are a Drift Fleet alumni bringing your character from the game, please label your character as 'DFAU' on your top level. Also, keep in mind you have complete flexibility on how your character comes here. They could be taken before endgame, after endgame, two years after, one year before, etc. It's up to you! If you want to completely restart your character, they're not considered DFAU anymore and won't need the label.

So go! Explore Agra 10! And, as always, HAVE FUN!

Thread ideas:

- Explore the city! There's a map here and a bit more description of some of the buildings here. Most of the buildings are run down and have clearly been abandoned for years; fortunately, the water treatment center appears to be working, but power is intermittent and unreliable. The hotel seems to be the most crowded, but you might want into what appears to be an abandoned storefront and find someone else scavenging or even sleeping.

- There are spaceships! That's right, there are currently several small spaceships grounded in the hangar. They appear to have power, but only one ship will let you enter. (For test drive purposes, the ship that will let you enter is up to you, so just pick whichever name appeals, and go for it!) The other ships won't open for you, but it might be worth poking around the one that will...

- Do you hear a storm? A giant, power-altering storm has been ravaging part of the planet for a month. It shows ghosts of people you know and those you don't. It drains you of any super-human abilities and tries its best to keep you from getting to its origin. Are you going to try anyways? Or are you going to chase the whispers of people from your past? More information can be found here.

- Can you hear me now? Upon arrival, your character will have on their person a small, handheld communications device. Maybe they know exactly how to use a computer, smartphone, or tablet, and immediately blast out a text or video trying to figure out what's going on. Or maybe they're not so tech-savvy after all, and everyone is about to get a lovely shot right up your character's left nostril.

- Wildcard! You're welcome to use any previous test drive scenarios or previous game events as a basis for a thread/situation, or simply make up your own! Keep in mind that you're currently stranded on a planet with only basic necessities, but there is enough food and fresh water. Creature comforts, however, seem to be distinctly lacking...

code bases by tricklet

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

Spoken like a man used to insanity.

[Altair is, too.]

If you're going to be that polite, I'd much prefer "Lord". [Given that he is one. It does sound sort of like a joke though, but just barely.]

And no, none that we've been able to find yet. Some people disappear from time to time, but... We do not know if they are returned home, or if it's something else.

Very well, Lord Kallig.

[ Not much of a problem for him. Even though the request is met with a grain of sarcasm. ]

You are not wrong, however. Insanity, monsters, fears... I research and record incidents revolving around such matters. Getting used to them is part of the job.

[ As is getting kidnapped every now and then. And turning into a monster, but... That's not something that necessarily needs to be shared. ]

And you may want to hope they either went home or died. Being trapped in some maddening pocket dimension without being permitted to die is allegedly the least preferable option.

I was joking. I am a Lord. But not here- merely "Kallig" will do just fine.

[He doesn't really care so much any more.

Being Sith is something no one can take from him, regardless. But he's not the type to demand respect or the use of his proper title- not here. Here, he needs to earn it.]

If they're dead, then so are the Agrii once I get my hands on them.

[There's a crackle of electricity that runs along his hands, up his arms, briefly interfering with his comm's video feed briefly flickering, as Altair's mood darkens. But, he's hoping his friends are just at home.]

[ Jon raises a brow at the display of crackling energy, mentally looking for the right category of just where to potentially place this man within his means of understanding. And of course he will keep to address him as Lord Kallig. Such is the way of the Archivist. ]

Lovely. Yet understandable.

[ For a moment he contemplates how to phrase his next inquiry. ]

Out of curiosity... Would it be very intrusive of me to ask what you are?

Kidnapping people to be their heroes and then possibly murdering them is unforgivable. Should they be suffering or should they have been killed, it's only right that I get my revenge.

[He already has little patience for the Agrii, beyond finding their gifts useful when they manage to get them right. Still, he is playing the hero. Just not for the Agrii's sake.

Jon's question makes him tilt his head.]

My profession or my species? [Judging by his slight smile, he knows exactly what he meant.]

My people are called the Chiss. I don't know much about my kin, admittedly, given that I was not raised among them.

It may not be much, but that is still far more than I do. I have never heard of these Chiss - Or of the existence of blue-skinned humanoids. Though I am aware that certain... Communities would be elated by such discoveries.

At least where I come from. And I doubt you consider Earth your home.

[ And he's definitely not going to argue on that revenge part. He may not be a fan of it, but getting in the way of a vengeful creature capable of shooting electricity from their hands? Not going to happen any time soon. ]

I suppose aliens must be unheard of or uncommon where you are from. Where I'm from, there are many different species calling different planets home- of course, humans are more common than any alien species.

[There may be a lot of aliens, but there are definitely more humans. In the Empire, especially, given that aliens are barely seen as people and are usually slaves. He's managed to claw his way out from that, but it's still many people's fate.

Nothing he needs to get into now, at any rate.]

You are correct though- I have heard of earth by now, but either it does not exist where I am from, or we simply haven't come into contact with it.

Not unheard of, just... Unconfirmed.

[ Though given his own place of work Jon can't exactly claim he can say this with any certainty. There might be a similar institution dealing with extraterrestrial encounters the same way that the Magnus Institute takes care of the supernatural. And seeing how only a few years ago he still tried to rationalize away most of the statements he came to deal with... He really wouldn't be surprised anymore. ]

Although if you have not yet made contact, allow me to advice against it.

[He tilts his head.]

Why? If it's a planet full of humans, chances are, it'll be fine coming into contact with either my Empire or the Republic.

[Besides thinking it insignificant due to its location, that is.]

[ Jon kind of wants to laugh at this, but... Laughing. Yeah. He settles with a short, humorless snort and shakes his head. ]

Oh, it will be fine. They will be fine. After all the irrational panic and fear and excitement and suicides and causing the internet to crash... They will be fine.

[ There is a pause here. One filled with a certain dread. ]

You may be familiar with a different type of human, Lord Kallig. Not those dwelling on Earth. Those humans are creatures of fear, so prone to self-destruction. We can barely handle what's on our planet already.

I find that people usually are, regardless of their origin.

[People fear or hate what is different. He understands that, even if he doesn't approve of it.]

Though considering it's not a planet we're familiar with already, it will be some time until we come into contact- if at all. There is after all no guarantee it exists in my world.

[He smiles slightly. It is entirely without mirth.] Believe me when I say an alien knows a thing or two about humans and their lack of rationality, though.

I can only speak for humans.

[ And to some degree, monsters. ]

And for all it is worth I can assure you our irrationality is not entirely unfounded. And yet I wonder... Should we not be the aliens to you?

Planets with a majority of non-humans tend to see humans as aliens. I was raised in an environment where humans were the norm. It makes it easier to think of myself as an alien.

[Along with getting being an alien thrown in his face a lot. His expression alone probably conveys how many humans feel about his kind.]

You might want to get in contact with a counselor about that self-perception of yours.

[ Because that's... Messed up.

And yes, he's one to talk. ]

Can't say the Sith are big on therapy. Besides, I'm perfectly happy being an alien, an outsider, regardless of what I do.

I've seen the damage privilege can cause- and there is merit in being underestimated, as well.

Really.

[ Not that he can disagree with all of this. Or wants to, really. In the end it's not his decision, regardless what he thinks.

But something else... ]

Wasn't it Chiss just a moment before?

Sith is a lifestyle, not a- Well, there is a species, too.

My species is Chiss, my profession is Sith. Though aliens being allowed into the Sith Academy is something of a new development. Aliens surviving being put through the Academy, too.

[He survived on luck and cleverness.]

Is it?

[ Okay, this draws some curiosity. Not that it is obvious. But... There may be a story hidden here. So eventually Jon may feel inclined to try and hear it. ]

I assume this makes you a bit of an exception from the rule - And makes this Academy sound quite dreadful.

I survived, yes. Much to the chagrin of many. Of course, even humans and pureblooded Sith from high standings have to go through this- only the strongest survive.

[Altair doesn't necessarily agree with all of this- after all, there is better use for their failed acolytes than murdering them outright. Still, he went through it and his apprentice went through it and it's tradition and all that.]

Mine is a bit of a success story given that I clawed myself up from unwanted alien acolyte to Dark Councilor- the highest position it is possible to be in the Sith Empire, besides Emperor.

[There's a tone to his voice that suggests exactly what Altair thinks of the Emperor, and it isn't a high opinion.]

[ To be fair, the term Empire alone already raises questions and puts up expectations on the negative spectrum much rather than anything else.

So yes. There is the soft clicking noise again, announcing the return of that cassette recorder to anyone bothering to pay it any mind. ]

Dark Councilor? Is there a light one as well?

Though I much rather am wondering why anyone would even seek to willingly attend that Academy you speak of. What exactly does it teach that makes the risk of your own life this acceptable?

[ Okay, this is a question. Though Jon isn’t trying to compel the Chiss or press too much for an answer. ]

There is not. [There is a slight smile on his face though, suggesting he found the question to be an amusing one. He heard the click too, though says nothing about it.]

The Dark Council is the true political power of the Empire, as our Emperor is... Well, he's not exactly around, any more. Twelve seats, for twelve Sith.

[The Empire and its politics are... Difficult to explain, to be sure.]

People from old Sith families go there to be allowed to become Sith. To seek power and knowledge as all Sith do- though they come well-prepared for the challenges they'll face. Former slaves like myself aren't given a choice- it's victory or death.

[ A Dark Council, for a Dark Empire. A Sith Empire - Whatever a Sith is, really. But clearly aligned with the Dark... or possibly some version of the Dark as Jon has gotten to know it. Not that it presents itself any more pleasant. Seeking knowledge and power not unlike any of the Entities. At least there are only twelve Sith, not fourteen.

Jon remains silent for some time, allowing his thoughts to trace through what he knows. It’s admittedly not too helpful, and he doubts that moving against a different incarnation of the Dark in some other universe might possibly be why he’s here. He’s just getting paranoid. Again. ]

You were a slave?

[ Picking up on something that might be less possible to give him a headache. ]

And you managed to work- Or slaughter? You way up to the top. I am admittedly surprised that’s even possible. But then again, I hardly understand what it even means to be a Sith aside from seeking power.

[ And knowledge. Yet in some way these are related anyway. ]

I was born a slave, yes.

[He still carries that with him, though he doesn't find it to be shameful or something he needs to hide, like many Sith consider it to be. To Altair, it is just his past.]

Not that there wasn't murder and mayhem on the way regardless of what I would have chosen myself, but a slave and an alien like me, alone in my plight- do you think there to be any merit to crushing Sith and Imperial alike beneath my boot?

[He had been alone, in the start. Not a friend in the world, nor any allies to help him.

He certainly could have chosen conquest, but doing that, choosing to hate and destroy anything that put itself in his way- it's the one part of being Sith that Altair couldn't accept. So he became his own kind of Sith, he supposed. While he's thinking of it.]

I- Can't possibly answer that question with my current knowledge.

[ It's all very patchy and a lot of it are but terms without meaning, some of which he has tried to explain to himself, but without being able to verify any of it... It's all but guesswork. ]

What I currently fail to understand before anything else, for one, is how a civilization, apparently advanced enough to be able to make contact with other planets, subscribes to slavery! To me that that feels like mixing the futuristic with the archaic in a remarkably careless way.

And I hardly know how to even touch upon the plain acceptance, even expectation of murder.

From what little you have told me about your world so far, Lord Kallig, the image you have been painting is a harrowing one.

I suppose I will have to give you my answer, then- I saw no merit in subjugation and continue thinking that way even now. Where others see enemies, I see allies- despite it all, I love my people and want better for them all than worrying about having a blade shoved in their back at every turn.

[It doesn't mean he won't defend himself and the people he considers his loved ones. But he always prefers to at least try to seek the peaceful route.]

I fail to understand slavery, too. So much potential in each and every one, and yet the Empire would prefer to see them all in chains. It's... Wasteful is the callous way of saying it, so I'll go with that.

And it's not necessarily a pleasant place, no. I wish to change that, as I have seen both Sith and regular Imperial alike have potential for so much more. For order, for stability, for prosperity, and for peace. I see an Empire letting go of its violent past to become something better. Had I not, I would have fled long ago.

[As a Dark Councilor, he has the power to make that change, however slowly it'll go, however many lies he needs to learn to sell to make them the truth.]

The Empire is awful, as it is now. But I can see what it can be, with the right people leading it to the future.

[He smiles slightly.] Are you going to call me foolishly idealistic now?

Spring Test Drive Meme!

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

(no subject)

(no subject)

(no subject)

(no subject)

(no subject)

(no subject)

(no subject)