vivalaooc | TDM #3

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TDM #3

TEST DRIVE #3

The day begins as any other, you’re going about your day, living your life, when, without warning, you feel the world around you shift on its axis. You feel a great tear, welling from the depths of your soul as you are ripped from all you have known. If you’re lucky, you arrive in the wilderness of an unfamiliar world, where the language is foreign and the people are hostile. To make your escape, you must learn some language, flee, and occasionally fight, all to find your way off the floating isles you find yourself on and to the great ocean below, where rebel forces will welcome you.

If you’re unlucky, you materialize within a room full of armed guards and are quickly subdued with charged nets, stripped of your belongings, fitted with strange devices that suppress your powers and pressed into servitude. Your days are unimaginable pain and toil.

Fortunately, even in this world, there is still hope. For the denizens of this world have not given up. And it is for that dream of salvation that the Crimson Corsairs raise their flags and sail - for liberation. Perhaps you are one who has lived their entire life under the oppressive yoke of the Empire. Perhaps you have seen first hand your family and friends cut down by nobles hunting men for sport, or perhaps you have run afoul with the church and barely escaped with your life. No matter your origin, the Corsairs sail for you, for your freedom, for your life. And today, a taste of freedom will be won for all.

ARRIVAL/LIBERATION
The arid continent of Hesaeth is home to a number of major mining camps that serve the Empire. However, when word spread that the Corsairs had actually captured a camp, many of the enslaved miners fled, braving the deserts at the promise of freedom from their captors. While scant few survive, many have made it to the mine and are being quickly processed and evacuated to the Vault by the Corsairs ahead of the attack.

The battle with Lord Gundhir mostly involved Imperial forces, but he did have a number of servants with him. The Corsairs made their best effort to evacuate any servants or prisoners aboard the ship, and those prisoners too will find themselves evacuated to the Vault for safekeeping.

Unlike the rowdy Flotsam welcome many arrivals receive, the processing within the Vault is neat and orderly, with tidy lines formed and volunteers on hand to distribute food and clothing to those who need it while they wait. Normally, people cannot enter the Vault until the Corsairs determine their trustworthiness, so those who have been liberated will be taken to a large holding dormitory as they await evaluation. It’s comfortable if spartan, and the Corsairs make sure that new arrivals have access to any necessities, as well as some books and games to keep them occupied during the long hours of waiting.

EVACUATION EFFORTS

The mines and Flotsam are in absolute chaos. With the impending material attack, it’s all hands on deck to prepare ships and evacuate non-combatants and civilians. All Corsairs who are available are put to work, helping people gather at rallying points, boarding them onto ships, loading supplies, and mapping out hidden coves that the ships that break off can hide in during the majority of the violence. The amount of tasks is overwhelming, but as always, the Corsairs handle it the only way they know how - working hard and doing the best they can in the circumstances given to them.

A WICKED SURPRISE

With the Empire coming and the Corsairs deciding to fight, the secret labs of the Vault are lit with an eerie light. Here, experimentations both incredible and horrific are underway, a search for a means to fight back against the invaders as best they can. The Corsairs know they are outnumbered and outgunned, but this day their homes and their people are on the line

ARMOR TRAINING

The Corsairs have managed to capture a few Armors over the course of their battles, and if they want any hope of repelling the Imperials, they’ll need to put them to good use. Drills are being held over Flotsam with potential pilots taking turns, learning to use them as best they can. Armors technically move with the pilot, but there are a number of considerations that only experience can teach, and new pilots may find the Armors motions far more exaggerated than they might expect, which often leads to dropped weapons and faceplants on the decks of airships.

WILDCARD

Have an idea for your own prompt? Feel free to make any prompt that you think would fit!

OOC

Welcome to the third Test-Drive Meme for Viva La! All threads here may be considered canon once characters have entered the game. Threads here are eligible for use as a roleplay sample for applications, which will open on the 15th of September at midnight.

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Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

If it wasn't one thing, it was another. Donnie inwardly cursed as he ahead, the tunnel was plunged into darkness. Faulty wiring? Had anyone even done any inspections of the basic equipment? Given the state of a lot of things at the mines, the turtlekin wasn't all that surprised that something like this had decided to fail. It was just unfortunate that it had to be now of all times.

"Calm- Ow!" He flinched back as someone ran into him, feeling his back hit the wall, the rough edges of the hewn rock feeling uncomfortable against his soft shell. Still, there he was inclined to stay until he heard people move past him. Maybe he should have brought that seed Link had given him, there'd been so much on his mind and so much to do-

Donnie gasped as he saw the light flare ahead, breathing out a sigh of relief that at least someone had the foresight to bring a torch along. "This way, move along- try not to clog up the tunnel," he advised, trying to help people as his eyes adjusted. "We're still going to need more light..."

"This way. Please walk; don't run."

Atom appeared, with a literal flash, from around the corner to help show people the direction out of the passage, keeping his eyes pointed downward to avoid shining the light straight into someone's face.

Atom was still getting used to seeing the non-human people in this world, and he has to remind himself when the turtlekin comes into view not to look at him directly and blind him with the light.

He seems to be one of the more experienced Corsairs, so Atom asks him, "Are there lanterns we can use on hand nearby? Or a way to fix the lights?"

Given the circumstances, even Donnie would have to accept the fact that he probably qualified as one of the more experienced Corsairs, although if he were outright called such it'd probably scare him. That wasn't something on his mind at the moment, and with a clear problem in front of him, not likely to send him spiraling into his notorious overthink thankfully.

When that source of light neared, it however wasn't what the turtlekin was expecting. He himself couldn't help but stare then, because someone with light streaming out of their eyes wasn't exactly a common occurrence!

"Huh? O-oh, uh." He looked around, frowning. "There should have been, but I wouldn't be surprised if that was overlooked with all the other preparation," he sighed. "If anyone thought to bring any torches or the like, now would be a good time to make use of them," he called out to the evacuees. "I need to see if it's a wiring issue, he said when he glanced back, briefly looking at Atom again before he squinted at the walls. Maybe something had been chewing at things. That'd at least be a simple fix if so.

Edited 2024-09-06 16:32 (UTC)

Thankfully, one of the civilians had a small torch on hand they were finally able to locate in their large bag now that they could properly see, and it sounded like a few others along the passage were doing the same. Atom stepped up to the closest person with a torch to give instructions. "Please slowly lead the way out for the people behind you." He raises his voice to speak to the crowd, "Walk only until you're out of this passage. Don't let anyone get separated."

With the closest evacuees splitting into groups to follow the nearest person with a light, the people standing around Atom and Donnie started filing past them. Atom heads towards the next smooth, rocky bend in the passage to lure those further in towards the light, but stays within sight of Donnie.

"Any guess where the issue would be located if it could turn off this entire area? It might be worth looking at it if we're quick!" he suggests.

One problem solved for the time being. Donnie continued to look along the walls to trace the cable running along it. It was difficult enough to see even with a singular source of light, only made slightly better once Donnie had managed to slip out his own torch, beaming the light along the wall until he found the black line there.

"Hard to say," he admitted as he continued to look. "I think it's all connected on one line, so the problem could be just about anywhere along this route." He drummed his fingers against his torch before turning back the way they'd been coming from. "The generators would be located inwards though. If there's still power running, it should still be functioning up until where the power's been interrupted. Hopefully something's still working back there."

"Let's take a look! We can check the wires as we head towards the generators. And if the generators won't respond, maybe you can borrow my power until everyone is out of here."

Atom starts to turn to head inward, intending to shine his light on the line of wires as he goes, but he realizes he might have just said something confusing to the turtlekin. He turns back with his eye beams pointed at the hard tunnel floor between them.

"I'm a robot. I have electric power to spare."

Hopefully that gets the message across. He shines his beams up at the wire line again and starts to walk down the down the passage as he searches for signs of frayed wires or light still working up ahead.

Donnie started to nod at that, at least until that last bit. "Your-"

Atom beat him to it, but it didn't keep the turtlekin from staring again. "'Robot'?" That wasn't a term he was familiar with, perhaps a term from another world?

But before he could ask any further questions, the boy (????) started walking again. Donnie hurried after, flashing his own light along the lines between the lamps strung up along the cavern walls.

"You're not human." Not a question, an observation. Humans didn't have glowing torch eyes, nor could they offer electrical power.

Oops. Goes to show he still has a lot to learn about the technology in this world. He was only recently freed and mixed in with the crowds of escaped prisoners and mine workers, waiting for instructions. He had focused on figuring out where to find an energy source to recharge with when he briefly had the individual attention of the Corsairs, and now everyone had to evacuate. His first lesson was that they could pull power from special stones and that was about it before he was left alone with the puzzle of getting a current running to his body from one of the many generators on hand. At least now he knows how to hook up to the generators already if it comes to that.

"Uh..." Atom smiles bashfully to himself as he checks the wires quickly step by step. This is a new experience. "Right. I only look human. Um. Does this world have any kind of machines that are built to do a series of complex tasks on their own? That's essentially what a very basic robot is. I'm considered an advanced model."

The turtlekin looks intrigued. Indeed, it's a fascinating thing, seeing someone who looks and acts human, but who at the same time, isn't. A machine? His brows lift.

"You're not like any machine I've ever seen before," he says, awed. He knows machines, or at least thinks he has a good understanding of them. "Some of the most complex ones that I've seen are the armors, but they're piloted by someone, controlled on the inside. You're completely auto... Aah, what's the word..." He squeezes his eyes shut for a moment before snapping his fingers. "-autonomous!"

Advanced is an understatement. Donnie's still not quite convinced the other kid is just some strangely powered human, but there'd be no reason for him to make up such things here.

He pauses as something else catches his attention farther back down the tunnel. "Look, there's light! Granted it's from the lamps and not someone carrying them..." He turns his torch beam back along the upper walls.

"If the armorlike things I saw flying outside the prison ship between the ships during the battle are armors, I guess you could say I'm like a small armor that was programmed with autonomy and a personality." Alright, maybe that wasn't the best way to sum up robots in all their shapes and sizes, but there is a resemblance to his specific model between the human-like shapes and flying.

"Is anyone back there?" Atom calls ahead towards the light down the tunnel. Several voices call back, pleading for help and fretting over finding the way through the dark. Just as Donnie had suggested was a possibility, the normal overhead lighting was still on in the back of the tunnel. Several people are standing in the lit area with supplies on their backs, and their faces light up as Atom and Donnie come into view.

"Yes, those things," Donnie says, resisting the urge to poke the kid at that. That'd probably be rude. But he can't help but be curious as to just how much of him is really like the armor.

He exchanges a glance with Atom at the voices before hurrying along.

"Lamps are out, probably all the way down," he explains as he looks at those who had been anxiously waiting. "If you have any light sources, I suggest you make use of them, those who have them, help light the way."

He looks towards the walls again where the lamps are yet lit, tracing them to the connecting cables. "...see that? Something's got into the wiring or the insulation for the cables has just been falling apart. I can probably patch it temporarily, although I'm going to have to shut down the rest of the lamps to rewire it so I don't zap myself..."

"Are the generators close?" Atom asks as he tries to peer past the crowd of people hesitating to walk into the dark without flashing them with his eyes, made harder by how many of them turning to each other to quiz on another on who had what in their bag that might provide light.

"How loose are the wires that are connected to the dead lights? If there's enough length, maybe we can skip turning the generators on and off for repairs by wiring the line directly to one of my ports. Then I can run a current." If Donnie knows how to fix the wires, he'd probably know exactly which one is which. Then it would be a question of getting in the right position to reach them.

"Not really." Donnie sighs. "The same generators power several other tunnels. Whoever designed things here needs to be shot."

He closes his eyes as he recalls the rough map of the mines. The hub where the generators are isn't very conveniently located, and turning them off completely will just slow down things in other tunnels.

Sighing again, Donnie looks back at the damaged cable. "Let me have a closer look," he says, inhaling slowly as he focuses. Lines of glowing magenta trace in the air in front of him, right up against the wall to form a ladder. It hardly looks solid, in fact it seems to be made purely of some kind of energy, but Donnie climbs right up like it's your everyday ladder.

"The problem isn't the length, the connection's just been severed. The current shouldn't have a problem if I can rejoin the wiring, but I can't do any of that so long as power's still running through one end."

Atom stops and stares as the energy ladder forms in front of Donnie like... "Magic?"

He really, really was behind on what did or didn't exist in this world. Scientists had made breakthroughs that some would call magic-like in his own, but this looked like something out of a book and didn't have energy readings that matched anything he had seen before.

If they can complete the evacuation, he'll be eager to sit down with the turtlekin to swap notes. But there's still an urgent issue at hand.

"The unpowered wiring after the split- can you pull the end of it down from the wall and pass it to me?" It's hard to judge from sight and scans alone how securely it's fixed to the wall.

The turtlekin blinks, smiling briefly at Atom then as he nods. That's about the least complicated response for it. He's not too surprised at the kid's response, not when Donnie himself still reacts in much the same way whenever he sees people using magic from their own worlds.

"Hm. Well, thankfully they've used the sort of connections with a sort of failsafe, which is the only reason only part of the lighting system is still functioning. I...think I should be able to separate the rest of it," he nods, looking to where the wires have been compromised. Nudging his goggles down, he adjusts the lenses to get a really good look. A quick snip should do it. He digs into his tool pouch to pull out a pair of titanium cutters, and soon enough the length that had been hanging by a thread dangles freely. Donnie lets out a breath, reaching over to pry out the hook in the wall to let the cable fall a little further so Atom can reach it.

Atom watches and dims his lights a little once Donnie has freed the wire in anticipation of him looking downward towards him. He outstretches his hands and smiles at their success as the end of the line reaches him. He rushes to tug on the collar of his shirt. It's loose fitting, with a major need for future tailoring if he would continue wearing it, but it works to his advantage in this situation.

Atom pauses to look closely at the end of the line in his hand, then bends the pieces with his fingers in carefully measured angles and small measurements. A small circle of skin on his chest withdraws, exposing the metal port underneath. Without needing a mirror, he fixes the reshaped wiring into the port.

His expression shifts from deep concentration back to the bright eyed determination from a couple minutes before. "Starting at a low current. Raising it slowly," he says.

There's a dim flicker in the bulbs running towards the passage exit, then the light comes flooding back. Atom sighs in relief. "Keeping the charge steady at this level."

By then Donnie's climbed back down, letting the ladder dissipate in a flurry of purple pixelated light. He tilts his head as he watches Atom go to work, brows lifting as the boy plugs the wiring in.

Well, if there'd been any doubts that the kid wasn't actually human...

When he speaks again, the turtle blinks, nodding. He turns his head towards the lamps down the way as light begins to brighten from each one again, a faint expression of awe touching his face. Incredible.

How long can the kid keep it up? Donnie figures it's not something they should rely on lest they drain him, so he looks around, grabbing the arm of the first Corsair coming by. "Tell people to speed things up, be prepared with their own lights and let us know once everyone's managed to get to the other end."

Donnie watches them bustle off before looking back at Atom. "Are you okay there? How long can you keep that up?"

"I'm fine," Atom assures him, turning the lights off in his eyes. Without the glow they're a common brown. "I only have to charge every few days normally, unless I've been doing a lot of flying, and I was able to recharge when I arrived yesterday."

The people who had been hesitating in the back of the passage hurry past them with rushed thank you's.

"I can keep the lights on as long as needed, but we better leave soon."

"You can fly?" Now probably isn't the time to ask for a demonstration, so Donnie tries to temper his excitement. "....I have so many questions but I guess they'll have to wait."

He looks as people move past them, wishing there was a way to monitor their progress. "Got it. That's why I told them to hurry it up." He pauses, feeling like he's forgetting something. "-nice job, by the way. I don't think I caught your name. I'm Donnie."

Atom nods at the question and again at the suggestion they wait until later to talk properly. He has plenty of his own questions.

"I'm Atom. Nice to meet you," he replies politely. "I'll stay here until we get the all clear for this passage. If we're separated, let's meet again after everyone is safe. The Corsairs have just allowed me to join The Vault."

"Atom." Donnie nods. "I live at the Vault too, so it shouldn't be too hard to find me. Usually I work in the armory."

He still looks a bit uncertain about leaving Atom there, but standing around waiting has never been his thing. "Sure you're going to be okay? Don't overdo it- you still need to function too." Kind of funny coming from the kid who always tends to overdo things.

"I'm going to tell people to use an alternate route so we can start shutting down this passageway and you won't have to stay here."

"I'll be fine," he reassures. He chuckles, "I've actually been in situations a lot tougher than this." That's an understatement, actually.

But seeing the concern plastered on Donnie's face, he gives him a nod and a more serious look. "I promise to meet with you later if we're separated."

The turtlekin looks at him a moment longer before finally nodding.

"Okay. See you later, Atom."

He manages to summon up a grin before turning to head up the main tunnel to the rest of the mines.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

TDM #3

Evac

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