☆TRACK VI: THE NEW AMERICANA

[interdimanagers]

Who: All the rescuers...and DAFT PUNK.
What: The rescuers enter Vista City for the first time.
When: January 20th, 2055
Where: The ship, the coast, and outer Vista City.
Warnings: Could basically be anything.

“Viral mess turned dreams into an empire. Self-made success now she rolls with Rockefellers. Survival of the richest, the city's ours until the fall. But we don't feel like outsiders at all.” ☆THE NEW AMERICANA Your arrival on Tera doesn’t exactly happen with a bang – though maybe that’s a good thing, given that this is supposedly a stealth operation. The ship firsts touches down somewhere in the ocean, at which point it hovers above the waves for a few hours while Shep “touches base” with some “contacts.” This is your time to get ready, to collect any gear you’ve been assigned, and to talk over initial plans with your new teammates. You’ve been given a rough outline of what to expect upon reaching actual land. You’re going to be dropped off in the ring of forested land outside of the city, at which point you are to access a hidden stash of supplies that has been planted there for you and head into the city, where a second stash of supplies will be waiting for you in the outer ring of the city. It will probably be a long walk. From the onboard supplies everyone will be given the following: ENGLISH LANGUAGE TRAINING: if your character doesn’t already speak English, they will be given some time with a crown like technological device that seems the be able to psychically teach people languages at a rapid pace. Whatever has been enabling communication so far won’t cover you once you enter the city, so it’s important that you’re prepared. How easily a person’s brain accepts this information will vary based on unseen neurological factors, and can range from perfect fluency to an uneasy second language. (On an OOC level, whether or not your character struggles with picking up English is completely up to you.) Most of this training will be done on the trip to Tera. THEIR DESIGNATED TOOLS: any items your character was designated on your application will be given to them now. They’ll have some degree of choice in what they get, but everything is limited in supply. There are manuals for everything, but how much you can be fucked to read them will vary. Also, some of them aren’t in English or anything else even remotely recognizable. COMMUNICATION DEVICES: Everybody will get a communicator, which are worn around the back of your ear and project a holographic field over your eyes when activated. The device itself must be manually switched on with your fingers, and from there on out your exact method of controlling it depends on the settings. Some of the more basic functions can be manipulated with “brain waves” (though nothing very complicated) and the rest is mostly voice or touch activated, though you can also set it up to be controlled with blinking and eye movement if you are a “pro”. Its functions include voice, voice-to-text, and a sort of janky manual text mode that you have to touch the screen to use. Video chat is not available, though it is capable of recording video from your POV to be shared manually after the fact. It can also share still images. Various channels can be set up and accessed, both private and public, much like a Teamspeak server is used in gaming. HOLO EMITTERS (LIMITED): The amount of these available are limited by “plot convenience.” Do you want your character to have to struggle with their alien appearance to get by constantly? Then imagine there wasn’t enough of them to go around and your character was unlikely or benevolent enough to not receive one. Would you rather they have access to one? Then you can have one. A holo emitter is capable of projecting a holographic image around your character and disguising their appearance, the complexity of which is entirely up to you. The major problems with it are that 1) it can’t conceal things that the hologram doesn’t actually touch – cow horns could be covered in a hologram to look like a hat, but it couldn’t make them look as if there is nothing there at all, and 2) the holograms have no mass, and so if anyone tries to touch them they’ll realize they are just light projections. Also, like most of the equipment, they only work for a few hours before running out of power. ☆STASH NUMBER ONE: THE FOREST Once Shep has made sure things are prepared and everyone has their stuff, the ship will very briefly skirt close enough to the shore for people to disembark. The beach seems totally free of witnesses, and once you’ve hit land it’s a short run to the tree line. A few random people will have map information uploaded into their communicators (Usagi, Saitama, Reborn, Pearl, and Sparks Nevada are the lucky winners) and will be put in charge of making sure everyone navigates to the first stash correctly, and then into the outskirts of the city where a meet-up point and a second stash of equipment is located. The directions are not complicated, but it’s a lot of people to shepherd around incognito. How everybody handles this is completely up to the characters. Meanwhile, Shep is piloting the ship back off into the ocean to hide it somewhere. He says he’ll meet you in the city at some point, and that he’ll keep in contact via the communicators. Stay safe, and good luck! The first stash is about a twenty minute walk into the forest, and should be found with relative ease. It is basically just a few large, plastic tubs buried beneath soil and moss, and has to be dug up like treasure. Inside of it lies the following: AMERICANA DISGUISES: Clothing, make up, the works – everything the average joe needs to pass themselves off as a resident of Vista City. Outfits are perhaps a bit more eccentric and flashy than you’re used to...or maybe a bit less, depending where you come from. Either way, it’s a specific look, and there should be enough here to accommodate new outfits for all the humanoids. If you’re a horse, you’re sort of on your own. What your character ends up with is up to you, though “space rave” is a good way to describe common aesthetics. There are also a lot of hooded coats, hats, and other articles that would be good for hiding inhuman characteristics. RATIONS: Enough food at water, tightly compact, to last everyone for a few days. It’s going to start to run out quickly, though, so the group is going to need some breadwinners sooner rather than later. A WELCOME CARD: A welcome message from these two with their selfie printed on the front. Written inside are the following messages: “Glad you could make It! ♥ –Gold” and ”Welcome to hell. ☺ -Silver”. They are both in the same handwriting. From there, the maps only lead further into the city. ☆STASH NUMBER TWO: CITY BOUND You'll quickly notice that Vista City comes with multiple levels - the ground level, that actually touches the earth, and then a second level of streets and walkways that occurs halfway up the mountainous buildings. Cars streak down both sets of speedways, and the signs of life scatter every inch of the towers surrounding you. At the same time, though, a city of this magnitude leaves a lot of nooks and crannies left frequently unseen - something you'll definitely have to take advantage of. In the outer ring of the city the population is less dense than it gets towards the center, so at the least it gives you the opportunity to get your bearings. You'll find that there is no shortage of people stalking around in the darkness, even as the sun sets and night totally takes hold. A lot of them are dressed pretty funny, too, and any insecurities you had about looking ridiculous can tentatively be put aside. The costumes you were left do allow you to blend in about as well as you could hope. If the navigation team holds true, you'll be able to make it to the next stash in good time. You've been advised to avoid talking to locals as much as possible, at least until you've figured things out better. There is a notable absence of homeless people on the streets, which could mean any number of things. The place you end up at is, unsurprisingly, a warehouse. One of the few entirely flat buildings in the cityscape, the maps will lead into the center of the building. You try the door. It opens. When you go inside, you aren't alone. The floor is littered in blankets and what passes for foam mattresses. Waiting with them is the silver helmeted figure from the welcome card earlier. They usher you in hastily and ask you some cursory questions about whether you've been followed. When they seem satisfied, they'll tell you that you can spend the night here. "This is the first and last time you can stay here," they'll say, gesturing around. "This was Gold and I's launchpad for the last little while, and we're junking it after this. I recommend you follow our example. Don't stay any one place too long, and don't travel in one huge group. If you do that, one bad night will pin you all down." Silver will pass out what is apparently enough fake IDs for everyone in the ship - complete with each individual's image (or a human approximation) and a made up name. It's enough info to get a job with, they'll explain, if you can manage it. Avoid pushing the forgery's limits, though, if you can. They made them themselves so they expect they are excellent quality, but you can never be too careful. "...Most importantly," they'll finish. "Don't go looking for the prisoners right now, as much as you might want to. If you fuck that up, you'll fuck this up for everyone - and I'll tell you right now, other people have already invested a lot more blood and tears into this than you have. Respect that." Silver will stay for a few more hours, and then Gold will appear to take over, bringing snacks and hot chocolate with them. Get a good sleep, you'll need it. “We are the new Americana. High on legal marijuana, Raised on Biggie and Nirvana. We are the new Americana.”

Comments

Stash Two Point 1

[woomy]

[ 3 looks at her ID card. It has her wearing a hat to help cover her tentacles but is otherwise her image. She look more like a boy Inkling in it, but she has a secret identity for her secret identity. ]

Emma Skidd? It's not my name. I don't even know anyone like that.

[intohell]

[Riza's hair is down in hers making her look more like herself on a day off than any time she spent as Elizabeth.]

Maybe they just generated common names then. It's not like either of them are so strange or exotic as to stand out.

[And wasn't that the point?]

[woomy]

I guess. Almost everyone's name sounds strange to me. Except Agent J. He's like an honorary New Squidbeak Splatoon member with that name.

[ She tries to stand on her tiptoes to get a glance at Riza's card. ]

So... what should I call you?

[intohell]

[Squidbeak Splatoon? That's a new one but she knows not everyone is from the same place or time so Riza tries not to look to perplexed at the mention. At the question she just sighs.]

Might as well get used to answering to our names. [She lowers the ID so it can be read.] Elizabeth.

[woomy]

I guess that makes me "Emma"...

[ She makes a face. It just doesn't sound like her. Which is the point. ]

Hi, Elizabeth. ... Can I call you Liz?

[intohell]

[Until Emma suggests it, Riza hadn't thought about the details of this whole new identity. Things to think about...she was going to need to do some research to learn more about this place to make a solid background.]

Hmm, Liz or Beth? Liz does fit better. Nice to meet you Emma.

[woomy]

Okay, Liz. Hiya, Liz.

[ She smiles as Riza lets her see her ID card and then pulls away so Riza can put it away. ]

How come we have two names? Can I also be called Skidd?

[intohell]

Two... Oh, you mean the surname. You don't use family names where you come from? It's a way to tell who someone is talking about. Say there are two Emmas. Emma Skidd is not the same person as Emma Flash. But if I just said Emma no one would know which one I meant.

[They were all from different times, different places, different cultures and more it seems.]

I'm not sure how they prefer to call each other here, but I know some people in other places do go by their surnames instead of their given.

[woomy]

Not really. I think Crusty Sean is the closest to having two names, but I'm not sure if "Crusty" is really part of his name or not.

[ It could be a descriptor, nickname, title... She tries to think of other people who have two names back home, and she's grasping. ]

Uh... I guess there's Ammoses Shellendorf too, but he's kinda old, like Great Turf War old.

If we were in your place, what would I be called?

[ Riza seems better informed of what a human would like to hear, so 3's going to trust her judgement. ]

[intohell]

Most go by their first names, so Emma.

[She's not going to bother going into things like how people in the military are called by title or surnames, or any other potential oddities.]

[woomy]

So, hi. I'm Emma.

[ She's going to have to keep track of two sets of names, but it's in the name of being undercover in enemy territory. Some things just have to be done. ]

Do you know what time we need to leave this place tomorrow?

[intohell]

I haven't heard, but it would make sense for people to start spreading out as soon as possible.

[That's her plan in any case.]

Depending on what it looks like, I'd like to leave not long after I'm up.

[She's an early riser, so hopefully the city is mostly still asleep when she wakes.]

[woomy]

So... I'm going to have to wake up early?

[ The way she says is sounds childish even for a fourteen year old. Inklings are not early risers. They lost a battle in a war because they wanted to sleep in. ]

[intohell]

[The way she says it is actually quite close to the tone a certain Colonel uses when told he has to do paperwork. Luckily for 3, Riza isn't in charge of making her do anything.]

No. It's best if people leave in small groups spread throughout the day. You can always go later.

[woomy]

Okay. Then I'm sleeping in. We can call it strategy.

[ No. That's really not what this is called. ]

[intohell]

Good luck with that.

[No, seriously. Riza's pretty sure she's going to need it.]

[woomy]

Thanks.

How many people do we have here anyways? Even two groups is going to be too big to sneak around with.

[ She looks around at the 30 or so people in the warehouse. ]

[intohell]

[Riza just shook her head at that idea.]

I'm not sure how many of us there are, but the perfect group shouldn't be larger than four or five people. That might be pushing it. Singles, two or three people would be best. We can always meet up later or communicate as needed.

[woomy]

I'm partial to a Quad Squad, but a Tri Squad or Twin Squad wouldn't be too bad. What did you work with?

[ Agent 3 is assuming that a lady like Liz has some sort of experience that helps her in this rescue mission. ]

[intohell]

There are six of us total. We weren't usually all out at the same time, especially since one of our men deals with communications.

[That and there were times the Colonel had to be left behind. It was just a shame she didn't have time to grab the others before coming on this mission.]

[woomy]

So this really is a big group for you. I've never had to coordinate between multiple groups like this.

[ The closest she has done is... being on a side for Splatfests. It's not really the same thing at all, and she knows it. ]

[intohell]

I've worked in bigger ones, as a part of a large force. Most of the time those are broken into specialties with a chain of command overseeing everything. This is going to be a new experience all around.

[woomy]

We don't really have one person in charge or a chain of command. Cap'n Shepp's not with us, and it doesn't sound like Gold and Silver will be sticking with us either.

[ At least, not in a fashion where they'll be giving commands. ]

Do we vote on a leader?

[intohell]

I think it might be better to just go with a general group agreement than any one person. We're going to be splitting up, so each group can decide what's best for them and then as a whole we can work out things later.

[woomy]

Okay, so it's more like a Splatfest team and hoping everyone gives their all.

[ She can work with that. However, some of them are going to have a hard time not showing up in the tabloids as strange alien, time traveling creatures, so she hopes people can blend in quickly. ]