TEST DRIVE MEME 001

[ataraxites]

T E S T   D R I V E   M E M E A R R I V A L You wake up, alone in the dark. There's a breathing tube jammed down your trachea, and you're suspended in a tube of clear blue fluid. Through the fog you can see shadows of movement, the muted sound of alarms crying. Upon registering your level of consciousness, the gravity couch drains the fluid surrounding you and retracts the breathing apparatus; the doors in front of you open, and you're suddenly dropped several feet onto the opposite wall. It takes you several minutes to catch your breath and gather strength in uncooperative limbs; more time still to climb up through the debris to the hole in the outer wall high above. You emerge in bright sunlight, surrounded by an immense jungle. As your vision clears, you realize you stand on the hull of a colossal spaceship, crashed on an alien planet. There's a shout behind you, and as you turn, figures climb over the curve of the ship towards you: your rescue party, weathered and scarred by the efforts necessary for survival. B A S E   C A M P A ramshackle spread of tents and shelters built out of resources salvaged from the ship and gathered from the jungle. Not sleek, not clean, but alive: people coming and going from tent to tent, heading out into the jungle or returning with freshly foraged food. Some are working to build more shelters or improvize working tech out of parts salvaged from the ship; some are cooking; some are just taking shelter from the sun for a while. Whether you find somewhere to help or apply your skills, it's probably a good idea to get to know your neighbors. E X P L O R A T I O N The jungle is dense and green, teeming with life, high calls and cries of strange animals and birds, the low buzz and murmur of insects. There are no paths or notable markings; go too far into the trees and you may not be able to find your way back. Dangers hide in the shadows but there's also food, water - or perhaps you're looking for more, pushing further in a search for answers about this planet you're now living on. Or you can turn your attention to the crashed ship, the huge bulk of it balanced precariously on the edge of a cliff. It creaks and groans in its delicate position, audible from a distant but all the louder should you venture inside. Dark corridors made even more dangerous by the damage to the internal structure, debris and obstacles blocking progress, and any wrong step could cause it to collapse in on you, or send the ship over the cliff. But finding any tech, resources or supplies might just be worth the risk. C H O O S E   Y O U R   O W N . . . Hunt or flee from strange creatures in the jungle, take a try at rock-climbing down the cliff-face, or practise in-game gained abilities. Ataraxion is currently without a network until one is built, but test-driving on a prospective one is also totally fine!

Comments

DX RUDE! *stops, drops and rolls on the precious lawn*

[hairrands]

AJ isn't sure how to take that, but she isn't going to let her guard down over some kind of feigned confusion. Rey's good... she actually looks confused and annoyed... but how can AJ be sure?

"You don't want the shits in the blue goo like me, why the fuck are you all... all descending on us like a flock of vultures? You tell me that! You don't just go on a raiding party without fucking raiding!"

and now the lawn is on fire. great job.

[circumitus]

...Is this girl serious?

"Perhaps it's because none of the other shits in the blue goo ran off with a sharp object, looking like they're ready to shank whoever crosses them."

Rey may not be the worst thing AJ's ever had to deal with, but she can hold her own just fine. However, there are many others who either may not be as capable, or more willing to put the newbie down without a second thought. Both are scenarios she'd rather avoid when they've lost so many people already.

Tapping a finger over her forearm, she shrugs a shoulder. "And none of us are interested in raiding. We're stuck here in the same way you are."

;n; It's my first day!

[hairrands]

"Why?" AJ spits, "what do you fucking do?!" This doesn't look like Technician bullshit; she doesn't believe that if she was stuck together with a bunch of assholes, raiders or not, they'd be scampering around a metal goliath of a space wreck, or whatever this massive beast is. There are a lot of 'unlesses' to that, but AJ won't even begin to think about it until she has more puzzle pieces.

and now you've been hazed.

[circumitus]

"Personally speaking?" She pointed her good, five-fingered hand at the wrecked ship AJ is hiding in. "Was a security officer not too long ago, before that thing crashed on this planet."

And honestly, the fact that the jump drive is still active in the ship itself and bringing people in... Well, that's a curiosity in itself.

....;w; Thk u sempai *wipes charr off*

[hairrands]

She huffs a laugh. "And I'm supposed to believe you're in charge of some kind of peaceful utopians with a face full of crazy?" She flicks her blade-hand out, pointing at Rey's scars. The only people that AJ's ever known who have become that well-marked are the ones who are very unlucky or the ones who are very reckless. Where she's from, the Technicians tended to mark the bodies of those who died with a reminder of how they did it.

Of course, she's going to have to figure out whether this place is a kill-fest or not, because that's very much going to form her actions, moving forward. "How many times have you died?" she wants to know, voice lowering from an angry squawk to a much more manageable rasp.

[circumitus]

Face full of--?

Oh.

The fact that most of the people around here have never really balked at her scars before has made Rey somewhat negligent to ever remember they were there. She blinks. "Never said anything about being in charge here. And honestly, does that look like it ever was a 'peaceful utopia' to you?"

She gestures to the shipwreck. Even if it's a big mess now, it doesn't seem like it was ever a glamorous paradise.

Then, of course, AJ just had to go and ask about Rey's deaths. She could have laughed. Really.

"A lot." She just shrugs nonchalantly. "But if you're talking about dying here, then none."

She's seen enough death on the Tranquility to be able to say that, yes, there's no real coming back from it.

[hairrands]

That holds AJ up short, because it brings a whole new question to the table that she's fairly certain Rey is going to stick around to answer. At least it looks like the clone is not about to start slashing out with her knife, or to try some drastic way to run off... so that's something. In any case, AJ isn't of a mind to think in anything but black and white right now. If she's swinging violently between assuming cannibalistic raiders and froofy utopias, she can't quite help herself.

"You..." She licked her lips, not wanting to assume too much connection when it might not exist. "You been here for a while? On this thing? In this thing?"

[circumitus]

That's not a question Rey hasn't been asked before, as she's sure it will not be the last anyone wonders about her length of time here.

Her arms tightening over her chest like a knot, Rey nods.

"Was in that ship for over three years, but we crashed here no more than a month ago." She pauses, her mouth forming a line. "You're the first new group to come out since we crashed."

[hairrands]

"Fuck me," AJ snarls. Her mind races ahead and also in little circles; maybe the basement of the Technicians' Box is not the only place under their control. But... Rey's mentioned that she's been on Security of all duties, which means that if the Tranquility was some Technician-run relic, they've been putting people like this scarred woman in charge.

The clone feels uneasy all over again, and though she's trying to hide it, her blade comes up a little again, a wary reminder that she doesn't think this woman is her friend. "Before that, where'd you come from? You come from... from a small place? Barriers everywhere? Couldn't get out? Stuck with assholes getting in trouble?" Ring any bells? Maybe? Just her? Maybe just her, but AJ wants to know if in some circuitous way, Rey and some of these other assholes were coughed up by the Technicians, too.

[circumitus]

...

Well, if we wanted to get literal, Rey technically came from a rather big place where she was confined to smaller places and poked and prodded in various ways. Something tells her that that's not quite what AJ is asking here, though.

"Came from a lot of places. Traveled. Never really had a home. Was a soldier." There's a much longer story to how she got that point, but it doesn't make for great ice-breaking material with someone who's already on edge. Plus Rey isn't a big fan of talking that much.

[hairrands]

Sounds like a vague enough answer that Rey isn't picking up what AJ is putting down. Her eyes remain narrowed, but it's mostly because she has no fucking clue what she's doing here.

Well... no sense in beating around the bush. Rey hasn't made a move yet. It's an awfully patient woman who's just going to stand around and wait for AJ to make the first move... and AJ doesn't want to give away that her experience with fighting is mostly nuances of 'shove hard and run like hell'.

"Why the fuck am I here? Who brought me? Why do you care?"

[circumitus]

Why do you care? is a question Rey asks herself often. She isn't supposed to, because caring is inconvenient, makes you emotional when you latch yourself onto cannon fodder. Over time, though, she ended up being rewired differently and, well...

Here we are.

"It's less about who and more about what. That ship is what brought us here, for no real rhyme or reason as far as we can tell."

Yeah, she's not going to answer the caring part.

[hairrands]

AJ isn't entirely happy with that answer, but she has a think about it, which means that she is not threatening Rey directly. There's her corner piece, at least. This puzzle's not completely fucked.

To be truthful, she doesn't mind that the other woman is ignoring her last question. "So this is... this is a dumping ground," AJ surmises. "Nobody's in charge? Nobody's trying to kill us all?"

[circumitus]

Well, dumping ground isn't exactly the phrasing that Rey would've used, but--

"Suppose so," she mutters, more to herself than to AJ. She is... somewhat unnerved by looking at it that way, though.

This time, she shifts her attention back to AJ.

"Can't say that no one's ever going to come to kill us, but no. No one's in charge here."

Better that things stay that way, too.

[hairrands]

For the first time, AJ considers lowering her arm. She's been realizing all of the aches and pangs of discomfort of coming two in the jump pods, wrenched muscles from her hasty and ill thought out climb, and the scratches across her feet from her hasty run across the outside hull. It'd be nice to be able to trust this woman, but it's hard to believe that even as honest as she sounds, there's not something big and bad waiting to crush her down.

"What are you planning on doing with me?"

[circumitus]

Were Rey a lesser person, she'd mess around with the new fish.

Fortunately, she isn't the type to be an asshole for the sake of being an asshole.

She does, however, just stare at the other woman for a moment, as if sizing her up. Would she really believe anything Rey had to say? It is a mystery she is willing to let solve itself.

"If you must know, had only wanted to make sure that you weren't planning on shivving anyone in the neck with that." She gestures to the glass in AJ's possession, revealing little concern for her own life should the newbie decide to lunge or what have you at any point. "People wouldn't be very happy if you iced anyone on day one."

Especially Rey, if AJ were to use the aforementioned shivving tool to ice someone she knew.

[hairrands]

There will always be new fish to mess with, though granted, most of them from here on out will probably be somewhat less panicked and dangerous, hopefully.

AJ looks down at her shard of glass, truly not the best instrument she could be using to wield doom an destruction... but it's been all she's had. Jutting her jaw as she looks to Rey again, she finally lowers the makeshift weapon, though she's far from tucking it into her belt, yet. "I wouldn't do it," she finally grouses: "I'm probably more of an ass stabber anyways." Funny Rey should mention icing anyone... about the only person she has ever hurt directly, barring her own clone (and clones don't count, do they?) is an alien named Glacius. Different time, different place.

"You people don't have a brig or anything; I'm only protecting my own best interests here, I didn't do anything wrong." Not yet, anyways.

[circumitus]

Ass stabber. Really, AJ? That almost merits a laugh, though that would probably be more disturbing than any of the other crazy things Rey can do.

She makes a face at the query, her hands sliding into to the pockets of her cargo pants. (Hooray for having her own clothes and not those damned jumpsuits. Fuck sleeves.) "We used to have one. Don't think anyone's ever going to hazard sending people into the ship to put them there, though."

Le shrug.

"Even if we did, you're right -- you haven't done anything. Just making sure it stays that way."

Rey likes making sure that her friends... well, her friend is not at risk of getting jumped by some skittish new person. She's openly stated that she'd slit anyone's throat if they ever tried anything on him. She's crazy-overprotective like that.

[hairrands]

Trust a killer to laugh at a mutilation joke. AJ could see the hint of amusement and decided not to push it any further than that; with all the scars that Rey sported, AJ didn't want to know if hers was an ironic sense of humour or not.

The warning was less appreciated. AJ cocked her head and sneered a retort, "listen, I'm not going to cause shit unless shit lands on me first. I'm not a monster, I don't stir the pot for anyone anymore. Especially if they can't track me down for it." It was one part reassurance and one part trying to convince herself. She gripped at her scarf, tugging it a little. It felt so good not to have voices in her mind. It felt less good that her heart still tugged when she worried about her state of monster-tude or lack thereof... and Rey's caution here wasn't helping her.

"Alright, can you just fucking step back? I'll come out. I'm not gonna be put to work like some sweating mule, though. I get you people coming up here to see if me or anyone like me might cause you shit. I'm not, maybe you should go menace some other shit lords who just want to keep themselves safe, huh?"

[circumitus]

That's just how her sense of humor goes. Never trust it not to be sketchy.

At the response, though, Rey does take a step back, her hands sliding back out of her pockets and holds them out briefly in a gesture of compliance. She sort of comes in peace, after all.

She almost does scoff at the irony of AJ stating she isn't a monster, but Rey stifles it before she does. Nope. Not going to go there, nope nope nope.

"No one's going to put you to work, or at least force you to. Fair bit of warning, though -- we haven't a proper setup for lodging new people like we used to. Wasn't even sure there would ever be any more new people again."

[hairrands]

Never let these two get together whilst drunk and willing to laugh, in that case.

AJ purses her lips, waits for a few moments... it's awkward, but that's how she do. Then she slips the makeshift blade into her belt and balls her hands together for lack of anything else to do with them. Glancing out across the jungle, head a little jerky, given her bambi-like status just now, she finally scoffed and then hunched her shoulders, looking down at her bare feet. "Well aren't you all lucky, getting new canon fodder. It's fine," and here it really isn't, but she's not going to admit that she's never seen anything this lush outside of a stack of National Geographics her dad had kept on the lid of the toilet in her old home. "I camp, I've camped. Spent all my life doing it." Technically true, given she was officially born only a few months ago.

[circumitus]

God no, not with Rey's creepy goddamned laugh.

Her arms lower to her sides as AJ puts the glass away. She's not so much relieved, though her expression is virtually unreadable when she turns.

"Then you should know that the ship probably isn't the best hiding place there is, because it's been looking unstable since we crashed here. Wouldn't be surprised if it drops off that cliff sometime soon. Treetops are usually the safest places to be, at the moment."

Basically: If you don't want to be cannon fodder, try not to actually become one.

[hairrands]

"Cliff," AJ echoes, not sure she knows what Rey is talking about. She's had a significantly less than 180 view of their horizon and she knows nothing of their topography, only that she's got about a 98% chance of being fucked over one way or another. "Trees..." Those, however, she as seen. She wrinkles her face up in abject disgust, not because she's not up to the task, but because everything here is so different.

She's trying to have to decide if Rey's advice is sound or not, but that's going to take more testing.

AJ tentatively follows the shorter woman out of her make-shift nook. "What's your name?"