Test Drive Meme #01: The First

[atlasmods]

WELCOME TO KHARAS It's gonna be a real scorcher. Welcome to The Atlas's first Test Drive Meme! If you're considering joining or want to dabble in the setting a little then you've come to the right place. This post should ideally give you a feel for what it's like to play in the game...especially since this is how we're kicking things off! What does that mean? Basically that this post is considered game-canon and any inter/actions here will lapse over into the game once it begins provided both parties agree to keep CR when they are accepted. TDM threads can be used for sample requirements on apps! Still interested? Reserves open on the 10th at 00:00 EST, and Applications open on the 12th at 00:00 EST. Both close on the 14th at 23:59 EST. Make sure you're familiar with both the setting and arrival conditions before posting...and have at it! THE DESERT PLANET. WAKING You wake in a valley, gasping for air to fill your aching lungs. There are spots in your eyes. The midday sun hangs in the sky and temperatures have peaked at 100°F | 38°C. Every inhale brings with it the sensations of heat and thirst. Luckily? The strange pod you've arrived in contains some food and water. Rations. Two, three days' worth if you can manage to stretch them. But aside from that there isn't much, in the pod or your immediate surroundings. The only signs of life are the weathered and rusted-looking stasis pods around you from which others emerge, gasping or choking for breath once their lids open. Beyond that there isn't a soul in sight, and since each pod only opens once interfaced with... Who opened yours? SCAVENGE After the heat and disorientation wear off things start to become more clear. You notice the bizarre mark both your suit and the pods bear, as well as the rusted paneling and long scratches that run along some of them. It looks as though something once tried to claw its way into the protective capsules. And somehow yours held out. Others, well... Not so much. Among the pods of those who've survived and continue to wake, are the remains of those whose occupants couldn't possibly have made it. The fronts have been crushed in, hulls torn apart, sporting what looks like critical damage to the wiring or pods' integrity. This damage wasn't caused by weathering or the passage of time. Something deliberately tore them apart in search of whatever...or whoever was inside. Whether or not it's reassuring that no bodies remain inside is up to you. Careful inspection will reveal these pods look almost the exact same age as the one your character woke from. How long ago were they broken? How long have you been asleep? The only thing you can do is keep searching for clues... Maybe you'll get lucky enough to uncover the remains of the occupant's own rations? Although whether they're still good or even edible for your species is something you'll have to find out for yourself. They look...well. Ancient. SIGNS OF LIFE When you venture further into the valley and away from your pod, there's finally something other than sand and devastation to be found. Although not numerous, scattered here and there are clusters of a coral-like structure. Most of its stems are hard and rock-like, but closer inspection shows tiny tendrils of plant-matter which poke their way out of its tubes and vents whenever shadows are cast. But the moment you approach it? All signs of activity vanish and it goes deathly still. If you happen to travel further out from the protection offered by the valley's walls you may just be lucky enough to spot possibly the only actually green blue piece of vegetation on the planet: a single bunch of shriveled leaves. While not terribly exciting, at least it doesn't curl up and disappear like the coral...right? But just in case, maybe you shouldn't disturb it. ECLIPSE Especially when it gets dark. As the merciless the heat of the day gives way to the solar eclipse, the planet begins to transform: the tendrils of the coral emerge fully and appear almost life-like in the way they sway and grab slowly at the air. But be careful! If threatened or grabbed these tendrils will sting their attacker and cause itchy red blotches to form. And when we say itchy, we mean really itchy. And remember those shriveled leaves? Turns out they're more active at this time of the day too. As soon as the surface temperature of the planet drops to tolerable levels the leaves of this plant unfold and knit themselves back together until they form a full stalk & bulb-like head, from which an oddly sweet smell emanates. If left alone long enough, eventually what looks like water will begin to drip from the bulb. If it senses touch, the head of this plant will rapidly unwind and snap around whatever's closest...before it attempts to suffocate you with its moist secretions. MIST OPPORTUNITY The other strange phenomenon which occurs as the eclipse hits full-swing is the gradual formation of saturated clouds of smoke. They appear in pockets which come and go without pattern or design. One moment the desert is bare, and the next it's begun to fill with enough smoke to make visibility so poor it's easy to get turned around and lost. Luckily it's non-toxic and doesn't carry any kind of scent, so breathing it isn't a problem but something very odd happens when characters try to activate or meddle with their communicators in it: White noise. Although the suits can't broadcast any sort of message aside from their beacons, for some reason as soon as characters enter the smoke white noise begins and can only be heard while they're surrounded by it. Is it a signal? Some sort of message? Or something darker altogether... WILDCARD And of course, characters are always free to come up with adventures of their own. Feel like scaling the valley walls? Digging through sand? Meddling with alien technology the likes you've never seen before? Your rationsThe sky's the limit in: The Atlas! ...And there you have it! This TDM will be live until game launch on the 17th so please have fun, be kind, and if you have any questions at all please head on over to our FAQ! We are currently looking for help with apps/plot write-ups, so if you're interested please hit us up.

NAVIGATION

Comments

[sandhate]

[ a jedi is never without a weapon, not when they have the force - old sayings, from even older masters. he doesn't repeat it but press his lips to a thin line, concentrating as his hand reaches out and invisible fingers grip onto the stalk near the bulbous head, a weak point in his mind's eye.

and all it takes is a tug, a call for the force, and the plant parts in two. anakin falls to a knee as his wrist comm flash a warning.

low power ]

[adamance]

[If there is anything to know about Lexa, it's that she doesn't want to appear surprised. The moment he reaches his hand out and splits the plant in two, she finds herself overwhelmed by that, which leads to her setting her mouth in a sharp line, eyes pointed forward and half-lidded as she pretends to be as calm as possible.

It's her calm that allows her to do two things: interface with the Spirit of the Commanders for an answer as to what occurred (they offer her nothing but faint knowledge of telekinesis) and look toward him, study him, and realize he has made a mistake in some way.

She bends, dipping closer, gloved hand coming to wrap around his forearm so that she can see his wrist communicator much more closely. It's this action that reignites the power in his suit almost immediately, and she doesn't draw back, much too curious about what's occurring.]

You'll owe me an explanation when I let you go, [she says, because while she doesn't know much about technology, she can see the shift here. She understands power and generators enough from the conflict with the Mountain Men, so her mind supplies the rest of what she needs there, putting two and two properly together.]

[sandhate]

[ he hadn't expect low power to mean near death. but his lungs burns from the lack of oxygen. he coughs and his throat feels even drier than it did now. he relies on the force to pull himself together, to make sense of the sudden cut off of air and energy and to make him feel whole again.

when he finally stands, he's steady but pale, a cold sweat on across his forehead ]

There is a lot to explain. Let's save that for after we see if that's drinkable.

[ he points towards the plant, the head still dripping and sitting on the hot sand. ]

[adamance]

[A war wages in her mind over which approach to take. On the one hand, allowing this man to try the fluid to see if it's toxic will benefit all of them. On the other hand, he is weak, and allowing him to do this may make her look vicious and opportunistic to the others. While there is some truth to that, she doesn't want them to perceive her that way already.

Lexa calmly looks toward the plant. One thing is certain: every instinct tells her to not just go ahead and drink it. That would be unwise, all too reckless for a situation where she still has nothing to gain.

The wheels turn in her mind.]

It may be a risky venture. But we can't very well call to anyone to come here and do it for us. Let's proceed together.

[sandhate]

[ his hands unconsciously goes to his side, the place where his tool belt would have sat. the lack of weight around him is telling enough but he goes there anyway, just to physically make sure.

maybe he's a bit dehydrated.

nodding, he steps towards the plant and a sweet smell comes from it unexpectedly. it makes his mouth even drier. ]

Have you ever been in a desert before?

[adamance]

I've had little reason to. One of the clans in my coalition lives there, but they travel inward when they must. [How there is a desert just in the middle of rural Virginia is anyone's guess, but Lexa knows that the terrain is artificial, helped along by maps that nearly failed to make it through the burning of the planet. Then again, the maps aren't much use now: many account for what humanity had done to the land, and there is little of that now.

Of course, she leaves out this fact: many are exiled and go to live there because of the lack of rule that the clan there offers, only choosing to be strict according to needs. She's not going to show her hand to anyone like that just yet.]

I know it is difficult to survive. If there is a reason for why we're here, it is likely not a very good one.

[sandhate]

I grew up on a planet like this.

[ his life on tatooine taught him enough about arid planets. life is sparse. those that reveal themselves are dangerous because they are desperate, weathered and they know how to survive under a constant stream of solar rays. it's how you live on planets like these; you put yourself at risk for a fraction of the reward. anakin tips his head towards the plant. ]

We didn't have that but if I had to guess? The plant works like a vaporator- it collects moisture from the air. But it needs more than water to survive so it uses its sap as a lure. It would have eaten us if it got a chance.

[ anakin picks up the bulb and sticks his metal fingers into the "lip" of it, peeling it back. it's not pretty, but there it is. a fleshy, moist leaf parts from the main body. he hands it to lexa then repeats the process for himself. the force is silent and calm, weak but he still can pick up the minute waves as if it were air. he gives his companion a wry smirk then bites into it. ]