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TDM #1

TEST DRIVE MEME #1

Welcome to Glencola Reef's first Test Drive Meme! This is a place where anyone interested in applying a character - or just curious to see how their characters might interact with the setting and others in the game - can mingle with one another. General prompts are provided below for inspiration.

TDM GUIDELINES

Please read the rules before posting to the TDM. These still apply here and will be enforced, up to and including deleting tags/toplevels and prebanning.
Posts from a TDM are required to apply. At least three tags across any number of threads within a TDM, posted within the last 6 months, must be provided in every application.
TDM threads can be used for AC. Note that new characters only need to check in for their first AC cycle, but established characters can use TDM tags for their AC.
TDMs are not considered game canon by default. This is mostly for logistics reasons - due to how characters travel on the map, it's unlikely that non-network threads that take place here will actually happen in-game. However, I won't stop anyone from working out how to make parts of threads game canon if they really want to.
New TDMs will be posted every three months. Keep checking back into the current TDM for new toplevels!

I. ARRIVAL

You awaken on a tropical island beach, soaking wet, powerless, and without any idea how you got here. Were you carrying something important, or wearing powerful armor? How unfortunate - it looks like only the most basic clothes, items in your pockets, and simple weapons managed to make the trip with you. Are you even physically the same as you remember? If you had superhuman abilities tied to your physiology, you might be stuck in a completely different body that lacks your usual senses. You might've been whisked away from a tense battle or a near-death experience and wake up delirious, or even injured.

Thankfully, against overwhelming odds, you're not the only one to wake up on this particular stretch of beach. You and your companion have a lot of puzzling out to do.

II. NETWORK

Even if you weren't lucky enough to wake up near someone else, at least you've arrived with a military-grade radio transceiver gripped tightly in your hand (or mouth, or other vaguely opposable appendage of choice). The clunky walkie-talkie will start buzzing and crackling for every public message that starts coming your way. Answering them back is as easy as pressing the "talk" button on the side of the device and either speaking into the receiver, or using the keypad to type into the message box that appears on the screen, then pressing the button again to send. A list of ongoing conversations with responses that are less than 24 hours old can be found by scrolling through the menu, identified by the callsigns that are participating in them. It seems that you've been assigned a callsign, too - it shows up in the top right side of the screen, format AB123C. The letters and numbers picked are...probably random.

This is your easiest avenue to communicating, or coordinating with, or complaining at the other people stuck on this island; how you decide to use this tool is up to you.

III. EXPLORING

For a place that appears, by all signs, to be an equatorial island in the middle of a tropical ocean, the local environments are surprisingly diverse. Beaches range from idyllic white sand to storm-swept pebble crags to cliffs with waterfalls cascading off the edges; the interior forests can be thinned from sandy soil or dense jungles full of prickly underbrush and with towering canopies; and the central mountain peaks, perilous enough to climb on their own, terminate in ravines and sinkholes that are hidden by thick foliage until you already have one foot over the edge.

The animals that make their homes here are equally as varied, and sometimes just as dangerous. The standard Earth fare of tropical fish swim right up to most shores, especially where reefs have grown, and a multitude of seafaring and jungle birds make their homes in ocean-facing cliffs and trees. Any one of these creatures would make for an easy snack. But you're not the only opportunistic hunters here; sharks prowl the waters, big cats stalk the jungles, and feral boars raid any camps that smell enticing. And that's just the stuff that looks like it came from modern Earth. Your improvised fishing rod might have captured a trilobite, or maybe that deer you were stalking has rounded on you with a set of alien mandibles full of sharp teeth. Or maybe, among the plants and animals completely foreign to you, you've stumbled across one that's strangely familiar to your home and no one else's.

There's a lot to figure out about this place. At least, in this instance, you aren't doing it alone.

NAVIGATION

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

i. arrival

[ When the SecUnit first wakes up on the desolate stretch of beach, its first thought is that it has been hacked.

On the most basic level, it would explain why it has come online in an unfamiliar place with no memory of how it got there. A partial memory wipe would explain the discrepancy, though clearly that is not all that has been done to it. Multiple modules are reporting non-responsive, so many that it cannot even retrieve a figure on its performance reliability. Low, seems like a safe estimate.

It pushes itself up from the sand, assessing the gap in its memory. It’s still dressed in the blue crew uniform of the Perihelion research vessel, having changed out of its armor at the bot-pilot’s orders. The retrieval mission had been a success; Murderbot 1.0 along with the research transport’s human clients had been safely extracted from the planet’s surface. And then—

It doesn’t know. Normally, partial memory fragments or at least the impression of lost time should be retained by its human neural tissue, but there is nothing. It is as if it had been on the Perihelion one moment and on this beach the next. It wishes it had access to its diagnostic functions but even the most basic of those are offline.

It’s then that it sees another figure sprawled out on the beach only a few meters away from its current position—and it knows its performance reliability must be even lower than originally estimated if it had taken it that long to notice. It approaches at once. Perhaps the figure is one of ART’s or Murderbot 1.0’s human clients. Perhaps they know what has happened.

Yet, as Three draws closer, the clearer it becomes that the figure lying in the sand is not from the Perihelion, nor is it one of Murderbot’s humans. Three freezes. ART and Murderbot’s clients had known it was a rogue SecUnit and had nonetheless offered it asylum. However, that is highly non-standard. It cannot expect the same of an unaffiliated human or augmented human—

It is too late to change course. The figure is already waking. ]

Please don’t be alarmed, [ Three says, its own alarm hidden behind a face as blank as the opaque face-plate of its currently-absent helmet. ] Do you require medical assistance?

ii. exploring

[ After that initial incident, Three does its best to avoid future encounters with humans or augmented humans. It does not rate its chances of passing as a contracted SecUnit to be particularly high, especially when it’s on its own like this, and its chances of passing as an augmented human are even lower. Thus, it does its best to move away from evidence of human activity, whether that be voices or newly-set-up campsites.

Eventually, it does almost manage to be surprised by a lone wanderer in the forests, the sound of their footsteps concealed by the riot of bird and insect life all around them. No matter. Three prepares to change route, turning away—when it catches sight of movement in the underbrush just a few meters from the wanderer’s position.

It focuses and the shadows resolve into a large, feline shape, stalking through the foliage—stalking the lone wanderer who doesn’t seem to have noticed the threat in their proximity.

Neither predator nor prey seems to have noticed Three yet. It could slip silently away and let the predicament before it unfold as it will. It is no longer contracted. It is not required to protect anyone anymore.

That line of thinking lasts approximately 3.9 seconds—a long interval indeed for a construct.

Then, it steps out into the wanderer’s path, a human figure in a blue transport crew uniform, forearms glittering with the metallic lines of subdermal cybernetics. ]

Please don’t be alarmed; I am here to help. [ It keeps moving, placing itself between the wanderer and the creature stalking them. ] There is reason to believe that you are being hunted by a native predator. Please remain behind me.

Edited 2023-05-19 02:54 (UTC)

[The world is bright, sandy, and thoroughly uncomfortable in drenched clothing. But it's surprisingly pleasant for a place of eternal death reserved for those who would defy the gods. Ardyn opens his eyes when he hears an unfamiliar voice interrupting his presumed oblivion.]

Oh, dear... I seem to have lost my hat.

[He doesn't get up, just stares up at the stranger. There is, in fact, a hat that seems to have washed up down the beach.]

Edited 2023-05-23 05:24 (UTC)

[ Three stares back. The stranger is not visibly injured but that does not eliminate the possibility that he is in shock. It would explain why, having woken up on the shore of an island to the sight of a stranger staring down at him, his first concern is his hat.

Still, as far as requests go, at least this one is easy to address. Three nods. ]

I will retrieve it for you.

[ And it does so. There is something slightly reassuring about the human providing such an inane request: namely, it implies that it had not occurred to the human that Three is rogue. Its primary concern now is keeping things that way.

It returns promptly with the hat in-hand and holds it out to the human. ]

I have retrieved it.

Aren't you a helpful boy? Thank you.

[He takes the hat and places it on his chest, continuing not to get up.]

Tell me, where am I?

I'm sorry. I do not have that information.

[ Three stares down at the man. For a just-washed-up human who has an unknown (though not necessarily rogue) SecUnit staring down at him, he appears remarkably relaxed. ]

Are you experiencing any difficulties with mobility or mental disorientation?

[ Which is a polite, concerned way of asking: why are you just lying there? ]

Hmm? Oh, no. No, it's just been years since I've had the chance to lie on the beach and enjoy the sun, you see?

[Without the painful burn of the light. Interestingly, he can sense that his powers are either dormant or completely gone. Not unexpected given the situation, but still... irritating in its own way.]

You couldn't fetch me some water, could you? The fresh variety. I've had quite enough salt.

[ ...Yes, this human definitely does not know that Three is rogue. It is probably best to encourage that ignorance. ]

I'm sorry. I have not yet located a source of fresh water, nor do I have a vessel to transport it.

[ Perhaps the human mistakes their surroundings for some kind of resort. To be fair, Three itself is not yet sure what to make of their location. It still cannot tell whether the total lack of feed access is a result of a feed not being set up or a fault with its own modules, most of which seem to be offline. It hesitates for a moment, before adding: ]

I have not yet had the opportunity to perform an adequate search of the area. I only came online here a few minutes prior.

[ In other words: it is just as clueless as the human as to where they are or what resources the surrounding environment might hold. ]

[If this man is some sort of magitek, he's certainly impressive. Much more realistic than anything the Empire could manage without their cloning, and that was always so messy.

Ardyn sighs before finally sitting up, then standing and putting his hat on. He removes his coat, scarf, and gloves next, offering them over to his new companion.]

Would you mind holding those for a moment while I get my boots off? There you are. Now, tell me, what is your designation?

Edited 2023-05-25 04:05 (UTC)

[ Three takes the proffered clothing, more out of habit than anything. It is still slow to remember sometimes that it does not have to do everything humans ask of it.

Including answering questions. ]

SecUnit 003, contracted to Barish-Estranza Explorer Task Group-Colony Reclamation Project 520972.

[ Naturally, it assumes the human is asking to determine its corporate affiliation. It wonders if the human will ask for the whereabouts of its clients—or if he knows that contracted SecUnits should not be capable of operating without said clients in proximity. If it is lucky, he does not. At least he doesn’t seem to be panicking over the possibility of it being a rogue construct.

At least, not yet. ]

[Ardyn pauses and blinks.]

That's not a project I'm familiar with. [Nor is that designation. Ardyn finishes getting his boots off and dumps water and sand from them before gesturing toward the nearby treeline. He carries his own boots, but he leaves the SecUnit to carry the rest of his clothes] Let's walk, 003. Who exactly commissioned you? You're far more advanced than any other magitek I've seen.

[ Three dutifully follows the man, quickly falling back into following client-SecUnit protocol. It hadn't wanted to go back to this. Seeing the memories on the help-me file had confirmed as much to it. But this is easy and familiar, and it feels safe when so much of the situation is still beyond its grasp. ]

I'm sorry. I cannot provide an answer to your query. This unit was manufactured for rental to clients as a feature of an inclusive security package. No one commissioned my production.

Additionally, I am unfamiliar with the term 'Magitek.'

[ A brand name, perhaps? Or a regional term for another category, like constructs? Three cannot yet say. ]

[Curiouser and curiouser. Ardyn hums, but holds his peace until they reach the treeline, where upon he ponders a moment, then moves to break a pair of small branches off a tree. They're stripped of leaves and twigs before the man plants them into the ground in the sun, digging them into the sand to ensure they stay upright. He turns his boots up and over the branches. A poor drying stand for them, but it would do in a pinch.]

Find somewhere to lay my clothes out so they'll dry, please. You might like to dry your own clothes out, as well. We wouldn't want you damaged. [Not before Ardyn can figure out what this unit actually is.] You say you've never heard of magitek, but I'm afraid I've never seen anything of your construction made in another manner. Please state the last known date according to your internal records and your specific location prior to activating here.

Edited 2023-05-26 05:15 (UTC)

[ Three does as the human says, finding a low branch at the treeline and carefully hanging the man's coat, gloves, and scarf over it to dry. After a moment, it takes off its own jacket and lays it over the branch, too. Saltwater poses no threat to Three's hardware, but there isn't any purpose to keeping on a jacket in this climate, wet or not.

And then Three hears the man's next queries. It stills for a moment, trying to calculate the odds that such data could be used to implicate it or the humans aboard the Perihelion. The first part of the request should be safe to address. The second... ]

The last known standard Corporate date according to my internal records is— [ and it provides it. Safe to say, the year is far beyond the 21st century. ] As for my location, my clients in I were aboard a transport in orbit around a Barish-Estranze-owned former colony planet. [ A pause. ] Its coordinates are proprietary information.

[ None of what it says it a lie. It is simply omitting unnecessary detail—and hoping that the human does not take too close of an interest in its uniform, which bears the insignia of the Perihelion transport and the Pansystem University of Mihira and New Tideland—not those of a security company and certainly not those of Barish-Estranza.

...Perhaps it should have removed more than its jacket when it had been prompted to do so. ]

[Ardyn listens and observes carefully, even as he pretends like he isn't, plopping himself down in the shade and rolling up the sleeves of his shirt. He should probably take it off, as well, but it feels... unwise. The sun isn't hurting him, but it's been a long time since he was nearly naked under it. It doesn't feel right.]

Ah, well, that explains my confusion. I rather think I must be from a time well before you. [Which is irritating. He's gone through this before. At least he hadn't been made to actually suffer the intervening 2,000 years again. How very merciful of the gods.] It's only 766 for me. I feel terribly behind the times. Space travel! That seems like such a far off dream for us.

[ A time before it?... Three stares uncomprehendingly, even after the human elaborates. Perhaps it is a joke? He could not actually mean that the last year he remembers is so early as to be before the advent of space travel.

...Or perhaps he is suffering from delusions. There are a number of conditions that could cause such a symptom and several of them would be quite expected from a human who has just washed up on the shore of a deserted tropical island. ]

I will attempt to locate freshwater, [ it says, moving back towards the treeline. ] The surrounding climate and environment create a significant risk of dehydration.

[The response has Ardyn's lip curling up in amusement. Magitek. They'll never be quite as satisfying to banter with as real people. He stretches and then crosses his legs as he leans back against a tree trunk.]

Yes, all right, then. I suppose I'll wait here. Have you got something to actually carry it with when you find it? I'm afraid I'm short on canteens.

No. You could remain here and I can return and guide you to the source once I have located it, or you could accompany me.

[ It suspects the human will choose the former. Stranded or not, he seems to be making himself quite comfortable here... ]

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royallyunappreciated - 2023-05-31 01:58 (UTC) - Expand

[ Senku is good at surviving, and he's good at observing, but he's not as good at the whole wildlife thing, especially when it's weird wildlife that isn't quite the normal thing he'd be expecting. He's also a little distracted trying to figure out the mystery of what they're doing here, okay, sue him. He's a scientist, not an adventurer, and it's been a trying few hours.

He's fiddling with the walkie talkie thing, trying to find another frequency. Strange that a radio only has the one frequency…is this a closed connection? Interesting, with radio waves. That means there's something disabling any other communications somehow, or that the only radio towers here are very controlled. Neither bodes well.

He's startled by the person who steps into his path, stopping where he is and staring with wide eyes.

He does hear what Three says, but also, what is up with those glowing arm things? He definitely wants a closer look at that. Priorities!

Ah, wait, seriously? Being hunted? Well, Senku isn't a fighter and if this guy is offering to beat up a lion or something, nostalgic sort of weirdness of that aside, who is he to argue? He turns to look behind him, giving Three plenty of room to get between him and whatever it was that was coming. ]

How could I not have noticed?

[ Says the guy who had his head in the radio waves 30 seconds ago. ]

[ The human doesn't panic and stays behind Three as instructed. That's good. Humans aren't always proficient at following instructions in dangerous situations, especially the 'please don't be alarmed' one.

Three tracks the movement of the feline shape in the underbrush, which still hasn't retreated despite the appearance of the SecUnit guarding its prey. ]

This creature is likely an ambush predator, [ Three says, automatically attempting to provide an answer the human's query. ] It uses stealth to hunt its prey.

[ The SecUnit tries to stand as tall as it can to discourage the creature, one hand rising towards it. Still, the animal stalks closer. Either it is hungrier than anticipated or its concern is for its territory rather than a meal. Three has weapons it could deploy, but doing so would make its true nature obvious. It spends a fraction of a second weighing which is more of a threat to it: a hungry alien predator—or a human that knows it's a rogue SecUnit.

The calculation lasts all of 0.8 seconds before the creature lunges.

In that instant, protocol takes over. The skin and metal plates of Three's arm unfold, projectile weapon deploying in a fraction of a second—

—and then failing to fire. Its weapon systems are offline.

This, Three remembers just as the jaguar collides with it in a flurry of fur and teeth. Three staggers back, head tucking down to prevent the creature's jaws from closing over its throat. Claws rake down its shoulder as Three fights to stay standing, using one hand to shove back the gnashing jaws from its face while the other digs at the animal's eyes. The jaguar recoils and Three finally gets enough space to smash an elbow into the its throat. The force of the blow is enough to throw the creature to the ground, wheezing. Apparently, the jaguar was not expecting its prey to have reinforced bones and a machine interlace in its limbs. It's enough that it seems to rapidly reconsider its choice of prey—then, with a hiss, turns tail and disappears back into the underbrush.

Three watches it flee, feeling blood and fluid seep from the new wound on its shoulder. It's a moment before it remembers the human. Three turns and there is no less tension in its stance or expression than when it was facing the jaguar. It says nothing for a moment. Then, its buffer helpfully supplies: ]

Thank you for your cooperation.

[ Then, still bleeding, it turns and makes to retreat back into the trees. ]

[ Senku is alarmed once he catches up, but he's not really the panicky type. ]

I know how predatory felines work.

[ But he barely has time to say that before…all the rest of that happens. Is that a jaguar? Ah, this is all his fault for not expecting such a thing on an island. Not knowing where they are in the world meant he wasn't thinking about something like this, and now this protector who showed up is in danger.

Senku isn't an idiot. He has nothing to fight with other than a little knife, and even if he did, he is ten billion percent not the "fight a jaguar and live" type. Somehow this guy with the cyborg(???) arms is, though. At least Senku can stay out of the way.

Weird how he's been saved by someone punching big cats in the head more than once in his life, isn't it? He stands there braced against a tree, eyes wide, breathing a little hard just from...adrenaline, really. It's not like he did a whole lot here. ]

H-hold on! First of all, you're bleeding. Second, if that cat comes back, I'm still in danger. I'll help you with that wound, and…maybe we can stick together for awhile after that. I have some soap we can wash that with.

[ Should he say thank you? Probably, but he has other things on his mind besides manners.

He's not lying; he does have a chunk of soap still in his pocket. But also, he has an ulterior motive here. He wants to know what this guy even is. How could he not want to know that? Those glowing parts of his arms? The way he just chased off the jaguar? Come on. ]

[ Three cannot can't deny that the stranger is correct: as has already been demonstrated, humans can easily fall prey to predators in hostile environments like this one; that is one of the reasons SecUnits were created in the first place: so they would have something else to throw in the way.

Still, it does not have to protect him. It has no functioning governor module to punish it for simply turning and continuing to walk away. And yet... Three pauses, processing the situation. The human has already seen it deploy its projectile weapons. He must know that Three is a SecUnit. Perhaps it has not occurred to him that Three is rogue or perhaps he is simply willing to overlook that fact to secure its protection. Either way, he does not seem frightened.

And if Three is found in his company... Then it will be easy to conceal the fact that it is rogue. Others will simply assume that Three has been contracted to protect him. Perhaps it might even be able to convince the human that it has been contracted to help him—if he can find out more about his potential corporate affiliation.

After a long, tenuous moment, Three nods. ]

I can continue to accompany you if you would like. [ A pause. ] You do not have to wash me.

[ Of course, Senku has no idea in the world what a SecUnit is or any of that. He wants to know; he wants to know everything about everything all the time, even without being in some strange place where he's been kidnapped. He already has some theory that people have been pulled here from multiple universes, but he hasn't really gotten hard evidence for that yet. He's working on it.

But there definitely aren't people with glowing arms shooting projectiles like that in the stone world he comes from!

He wonders for a moment there if Three is going to just bounce on him, go back into the jungle and leave. He's spinning in his brain, trying to think what he has to negotiate with. He doesn't have much on him, but he has plenty of knowledge. ]

At Three's answer, a little half grin slides onto Senku's face.

[ You can wash yourself. But blood might attract other predators, and then we're both in more danger.

He may not know what Three is, but he know what he observed. ]

Your arms. Are those cybernetic enhancements of some kind?

[ He sounds very interested in this, leaning closer to Three. Personal space whomst? He has scientific things to care about here instead. It never once occurs to him that he could be in danger from Three, though that might not change how he acts either. ]

[ Three's blood might attract more predators—or those predators might be put off by the fact it's also bleeding a cocktail of synthetic transfer and cooling fluids. It supposes it should not wait to find out.

Three begins to turn back towards the direction of the beach, but not before the human leans in close with that question. Three stills uncomfortably for a moment before remembering that it does not actually have to tolerate such proximity. It takes a step away. ]

Yes, [ it answers, though "enhancements" is something of an understatement. Enhancements are upgrades to a pre-existing body. Three's body had been designed from the start as a synthesis of both bionic and organic parts. Of course, Three is not going to clarify this distinction on its own. That the human assumes it is augmented rather than wholly artificial is an unexpected stroke of luck and not one it intends to contradict. ]

However, those augments are currently offline and have been since I woke up here. [ It feels a frisson of nervousness at the lie—not that its systems aren't really offline but that its weapons are merely augments. It tries to think of some human-sounding commentary to add. ] It is... very inconvenient.

[ Hm, doesn't like people in his bubble? Yeah, fair enough. Senku can be a creep when he's interested in some discovery. But science! Still, he straightens up for now. ]

What would get them back online? I don't have tools on me, but I can rig things pretty well. If you tell me what you need, we'll figure something out eventually. Something on this island must be helpful.

[ Computer programming and machines aren't his number one area of expertise, but he's good enough in a pinch. Though with advanced tech…well, who knows? He's not sure Three will let him try anyway. It's a non-issue for the moment. ]

In the meantime, you seem strong enough. Maybe a big stick would be better than fighting predators with your bare hands.

[ Senku's assumption here is based on the fact that he's never met a fully synthetic person before. He can only go on what he knows, which in this case is very little. Three already seems like something out of science-fiction to him, but this whole experience is something pretty crazy, so why not? ]

I'm Senku. Do you have a name, or shall I just call you Cyborg?

[ He's kidding. He has a terrible sense of humour. ]

I do not know. I am still lacking data on what caused them to cease functioning to begin with.

[ The fact that its diagnostic module is also offline is certainly not helping matters. Even without proper diagnostics, if Three's loss of performance reliability is due to damage, it would expect to feel evidence of it in its organic parts. The more likely explanation is still that it was hacked, though that possibility raises more questions than it answers. ]

Thank you for your suggestion, [ it says to the human's suggestion of finding a weapon. ] I will remain alert for suitable objects. [ It had never had to consider improvising a weapon when it had functioning ballistics in its arms, but now the idea is rather more prudent.

The question the human asks afterward is rather more pressing. It cannot hesitate too long in answering without appearing suspect, but it does not have a human-sounding name to supply. It has to mentally clamp down on its buffer to stop it from throwing a 'Sorry, I do not have that information'—of course, that module is still functioning adequately—and instead blurts out the first human name that occurs to it. ]

Ratthi. You can call me Ratthi.

[ It pauses, quietly stunned at its own audacity. Then, it turns stiffly towards the beach. ]

I am going to go wash this blood off now.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

TDM #1

TEST DRIVE MEME #1

TDM GUIDELINES

I. ARRIVAL

II. NETWORK

III. EXPLORING

Three | The Murderbot Diaries

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tfw there no dates or years are given in a character's canon 😬

i'm so sorry, but I feel your pain on sparse info

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WHEW I messed up that html so bad last tag i'm so sorry

no worries, it happens!