SPRING TEST DRIVE

[thespaceopera]

THE SPRING TEST DRIVE MEME
(Or Fall Test Drive for you Southern Hemisphere folks!)

Got someone you want to try out before you app? Well this is the post for it! Feel free to use anything that fits in the setting of Drift Fleet! Want to play bumper shuttles? Want to go wild in a med bay? Play around with the current plot? Have at it!

Threads from the Test-Drive may be made game "canon" but DO NOT count toward AC!

FOR NEW PLAYERS: You DO NOT NEED an invite to participate in the TEST DRIVE! If you decide to APP into the game, ONLY THEN will you need an invite from a current player!

Helpful Info for Ideas!:

March's Star System

Game Details

Test drives are posted SEASONALLY, so the next one will be in June!

Comments

billy cranston - mighty morphin power rangers

[morphitudinous]

planetside

[It should've been Billy's dream come true. He could set aside the forced kidnapping. He could disregard the alterations to his brain. There was a lot Billy was willing to accept in order to have the chance to explore the wider universe.

But being dropped right into the middle of an underwater civilization was a bit much for someone who'd shied away from the ocean for most of his life.

Fortunately, fish no longer terrified him. Unfortunately, the years of fearing the water didn't leave him with extensive experience swimming, so he spent much of the first day floating in a ball, looking at a 'how to swim' explanation, and working on improving his technique. After a quick frog-stretch, he shook his head and laughed.]

I've never been so relieved to be unable to drown.

On-ship
[Billy was by far more comfortable exploring the tiny ship he'd been assigned to. He occasionally prodded at the back of his neck, frowning at the implications of the augment, but he ignored the discomfort by throwing himself into learning everything he could.

Sure, he was a communications-augment now, but he'd dabbled in piloting, engineering, and lab work at home and he longed to do it all. His crewmates of those specialties would often find him in the next room, reading a related manual and willing himself to understand an auxiliary engine diagnosis. The difficulty of the other specialties was unexpected and frustrating.

Finally, he tucked the data pad away in defeat.]

I still don't trust the augmentations. Have they ever malfunctioned?

On-Ship (the Twin Roses in this case)

[passingthrough]

Only all the time. [Kitty is sitting on the arm of the pilot's chair instead of the part where the sitting is supposed to happen. The ship isn't flying at the moment since they're underwater and all. What's a pilot and co-captain to do? Actually, she'll just watch the newbie doing some of the same stuff she did when she arrived.

Computers had always come easily to her. She didn't want to brag, but she has some brag-worthy skills in that area. The genius word has been thrown around. This is also not her first rodeo when it comes to utilizing completely alien technology. In the past she's always picked it up relatively quickly. Here...? She spent months trying to learn the ship inside and outside and she could get to a certain point and no further. Even when she consulted with people who had the appropriate augments and did get it, she just couldn't. It was unbelievably frustrating. At this point, whether it's true or just the thing that helps her sleep at night she's fairly convinced that the augments don't just expand knowledge in some areas, they limit it in others. It's really the only thing that explains to her why someone with medical training and experience would be worse at treating someone than some random person that's never applied a bandaid but who happens to have a lab augment.]

Good rule of thumb not trusting the thing that controls your mind that was implanted by mysterious kidnapping overlords. Just a little tip from me to you.

[morphitudinous]

[Billy can't help but smile a little. It's completely absurd, yet here they are. He leans back against the wall, fiddling with his glasses.]

Of course. What kind of malfunctions are we talking about?

[passingthrough]

I woke up in a guy's body one morning and stayed that way for a few days. [Just one example, but definitely a memorable one. But there are a variety of mental and physical changes it can make happen. Of course...they might be less a bug and more a feature.

[morphitudinous]

[It's not appropriate, but Billy can't help but find himself smiling at that.]

I've been in that situation with a friend before...but in our case, it was mostly my fault. At least I almost know what to expect.

Does active danger tend to happen often?

[passingthrough]

[Tilting her head.] You can change people's sexes? [That's new. Not that she knows much about him at this point.]

Uh, and no. There was one raid since I've been here. Two before that.

[morphitudinous]

Not precisely. It was more of a personality displacement...meaning my mind occupied her body and she occupied mine. We made a mess of each other's lives that day.

[It's hard not to smile, now that he has some distance from that event.]

I'm not sure how reassuring that is. But we're equipped to handle raids, right?

On-ship; video broadcast

[notmutantbutmiracle]

[Might want to pull the communicator pad back out Billy, because you're about to get someone trying to contact you on it via video link.]

Unfortunately, the question is less "have they" and more "how do they." Or perhaps "how often."

[morphitudinous]

[He hears the buzz and re-opens it, flashing an awkward smile at her.]

You're right, of course. That would yield more useful information. Is it too late to ask?

[notmutantbutmiracle]

Not like you are on a deadline. Neither of us are going anywhere anytime soon.

[She gives him a wry look to go along with her snark. She then sighs, her tone and expression becoming a little more serious and solemn.]

Well, the short answers are "yes, they have," and "too often."

[morphitudinous]

True. It's when we're not free to roam that the mind starts stretching...

[He leans back.]

And it's not the sort of thing I can prepare myself for, I'd guess?

[notmutantbutmiracle]

[She takes a moment to think on his question before providing her answer.]

I suppose in a sense. Everyone who has been here long enough knows about the glitches, and has likely experienced a few themselves. If something happens -- someone starts behaving or talking strangely, most everyone will guess that it's a glitch. So, you may not be able to prepare yourself for them... but others may be prepared to help you.

[morphitudinous]

[He lets out a breath.]

That's helpful. And in time I'll start to recognize and be able to help too...at least I hope I will.

How often does that lead to death? I've come to understand that death isn't always permanent for the duration, as strange as that is...

on ship (also ilu for this)

[musicalhost]

[Ezri fortunately, or unfortunately depending on your views, has several lifetimes of science and engineering knowledge already so she's not spending as much time learniing about the other systems as she could but she definitely doesn't begrudge anyone else from trying.

She's all smiled when he speaks up, her hand reaching to lightly touch her own augment, equally discomforted but mostly because she's aware Trill physiology was strange for joined Trill. She's glad she hadn't visited any planets with mosquitoes or something yet.]

I'm sure they could, I haven't seen it happen yet though. I'm still pretty new, though.

ah, thank you! <3

[morphitudinous]

[He smiles, trying a bit of confidence for the sake of his crewmates.]

There's not much use worrying about what we can't control, though, is there? All we can do is stay alert and assist each other, and we can do that, right?

How have you been settling in?

literally my favorite ranger <3

[musicalhost]

No, I guess not. I could probably ask Beverly if she knows anything extra about the augments later, she's been here awhile.

[Confident or not, Ezri appreciated company and conversation, meeting new people. This was the entire point of living so many lives.]

Better than most people, but I'm used to space travel. I used to be assigned to the USS Destiny. [The space sickness is still there though.] What about you? I know a lot of people here have never been on a starship before.

[morphitudinous]

[Billy laughed and shook his head.]

Wow, that sounds incredible! I'd love to hear about your adventures if we get bored and you're ever inclined.

But anyway, no. I lived a fairly ordinary life on Earth, if you're familiar with it? I was still in school. But I've always dreamed of coming up here and seeing the stars up close. Relatively speaking.

[musicalhost]

I only have a few stories but you're actually in luck, I have eight other lives to draw from! [Her face drops immediately, hands coming up slightly.] I mean, if that doesn't bother you. A lot of people can be uncomfortable around joined Trill.

I do know Earth though, one of my oldest friends was born on Earth. And I went to Starfleet Academy, in California.

[morphitudinous]

I'm from California! I'm sure it's changed across the years and across dimensions, though. But why would I be uncomfortable around Trill? People are wary about your multiple lives?

[It's not what he's used to hearing about, but that's just an excuse to listen more often. He leans forward, attentive.]

planetside

[psych0p0mps]

So, wait. Are you always unable to drown or are you just saying that in relation to our present inability to drown?

[This question comes from a large floating hairball. Granted, the rest of Aradia is still attached to her hair. It didn't just float away on its own. But the hair is kind of the dominant feature at the moment. The girl it's attached to is just kind of. lying. on the sea floor. Because she got tired of treading water, that's why.]

[morphitudinous]

[It's a fair question, He swims down with some awkward maneuvering to face her more directly.]

...no, I usually drown. Or what I mean to say is that I don't usually swim. Not because I specifically fear drowning, but usually the wildlife.

It's just one less thing to worry about, right?

[psych0p0mps]

Oh yeah, I hadn't thought of that.

[She sits up, pushing her hair out of her face (with some effort) and thus making the whole grey-skin-yellow-eyes thing much easier to see.]

You've got your sharks, your megafauna, your hideous wailing denizens of the Deep Places... Drowning's almost the least of our worries, really.

[If she seems oddly cheerful considering this is a conversation about Ways They Could Die Down Here, that's because she is.]

[morphitudinous]

[He's rather visibly nervous now, folding his hands out in front of him.]

The depths should be investigated, but the lack of information worries me. It'd be too easy to fall into a trap.

[psych0p0mps]

Yeah, probably. I wasn't going to mess with the depths, though. In my experience, the Noble Circle of Horrorterrors won't really come looking for you if you're not bugging them. They're perfectly content to mind their own unknowable business.

[morphitudinous]

[He laughs]

Yeah, this definitely seems like a good place to stay out of trouble.

Are you going to any particular site to explore?