Ch 2: Awake from the Dream

[wrathgon]

As you finished your last extra term in the SIM over the next few days you started to feel funny, you were sleeping longer, not showing up for work, or being able to do anything. One day you just did not wake up after putting your head down, until you woke on a steel frame bed in a large gym size room with another 100 beds. Your body was still as it was old but felt like under 30. Any of the personal equipment you had on the SIM was nearby.

 

Please count how many years you spent in the SIM, the actual time in real life is 1 month per year you spend there.

Deacon was out first at 32 years and gets out into the world setting himself up as a Bounty Hunter.

Capt was next out at 37 years so just under 3 years. He has some time left on his term so he does not wait around but leaves a msg for Zora about the ships.

 

Zora gets out next at 41 years. Once Zora was out she stayed there trying to get enough vaulters to sign up for her linked ship idea( she asks others but got to look like she doesn't know you a lot." After you all get out and agree we then can next try to speak to the SIM AI about it.

 

From what you are all told when you get out, anything big like ships and vehicles are being built by AI and there is a lead time to do this.

 

Prax is approached by Zora asking when she comes out of SIM directly " Did you get a ship in the SIM? @Sohala"

 

You can't help but notice some of the tracked linked personas(Jake) in the SIM are all now with Zora asking about a Ship, what is this all about you wonder...

 

Once they have enough people willing to try this, Zora will invite you back to her pad, looks like she got herself a next private setup in one of the rooms off the main room with food, a few beds much nicer setup than the main gym room. She asks if you are not going to stay to wait to get enough people with ships to keep in contact so we can all come back when we are ready.

[cheezal]

Kartesh was in there for 40 years, so I believe i get out after 3 years and 4 months.

[wrathgon]

While you are not let out into the wide world yet, all the vaulters have a vote to do so you all are housed nearby in houses in a small makeshift town till everyone is finished with the Sim. The weather is chilly but not so sits around 20 degrees and looking at the area around the ruin-burning power station off in the distance and the long flaming line that the alien ship left across the face of the land gives you some idea of the level of destruction a ship falling from space and hitting the ground can cause. Over the time you spend waiting for the Sim to finish you find out why the vault was revealed. You see what a spaceship crashing on the island looks like because it did not detect it as land because of the holos hiding it as water. It was able to pull up enough to slide across the island, hitting the power plant and bringing down the fields that protected the vault from the magic energies that reacted and caused the changes to Meta-Humans. It also hit the Holo building revealing the island and allowing it to be found by the ruling society.

 

Now the vaulters will vote if they join the ruling society or start their own keeping apart from the current powers. Your Leader has been in with the Council of Races who speak for the powers that be right now for the last 3 years.

 

Each of you who did not roll human on your meta-human roll started to feel pain shooting across your body a few days after exiting the SIM.

 

The leader comes by every few days and greets all the new people out of the Sim, you all try to avoid him in case he knows everyone personally. On one of those visits, there is an incident.

 

You are drawn to a young vaulter who you later learn name is Ray yelling at the leader when he is seen. " YOU MURDERING BASARD! You knew! I am sure the ruling family knew exactly what would happen to us when we left and did not say ANYTHING! I found your research, I found your notes! Were going to keep it for yourself eh? Well, we have it now and you are not getting any of it! How many cycles? eh? How many cycles were we dumped like trash and recycled into new forms? Population controls my ass, that full-on mass murderer!!!!" A small thin elf-like female talks to him quietly and tries to pull him away but the men with the leader get to him first and take both of them away. You don't see either of them again but you heard he was staying in F sections of town.

[Sohala]

Prax could feel the final days approaching, a sense of impending change thick in the air. She could also see the worry in Elara's eyes, reflecting her own concerns about what lay ahead. They had talked about it, tried to ease each other's anxieties. Elara seemed ready, or at least she said she was ready. Prax, though concerned, reassured her, projecting an aura of confidence. Elara said she understood, but the unease lingered, evident in the flicker of her gaze and the restless movements of her fingers. Prax, sensing her partner's apprehension, tried to stay close, to offer comfort and assurance. Paradoxically, her attempts to reassure seemed to create a rift, pushing Elara further away. The last night within the simulated world was bittersweet, the looming transition casting a poignant shadow over their moments together. Elara wanted her space as the transition took hold, leaving Prax with a sense of yearning.

---

Returning to the real world felt disorienting for Prax; she had no recollection of falling asleep to enter the simulation. As she lay on the bed, the memories and experiences from the SIM merged with her real-life consciousness. She grappled with the shifting perspectives, the duality of her existence. Questions, long dormant, started to resurface, and she realized the implications of what she had just gone through were vast. She had surpassed the stipulated training period. What had she missed, and how would it influence her present and future? Knowing that answers were elusive in her current state, she pulled herself into a seated position, determination replacing confusion.

Garbed in Navy service dress, an epaulet plate covering her right shoulder designating her Star Admiral rank, Prax struck a sharp appearance. Despite her slightly shy of 5-foot height and wiry frame, her demeanor spoke of authority and experience. Multiple armored crates were stacked near her bed. The largest of them, a pair, standing at an imposing 9 feet, and several feet wide and thick, rested on a heavy grav-lift. An equally long, but noticeably thinner crate leaned up against them.

Prax's thoughts were still sluggish as Zora approached her. "I have... I have two boats. Elara..." She hesitated, glancing around as if expecting to find Elara present. Her words stumbled, "She has an explorer's craft." When questioned about a linked ship, her technical mind tried to engage, attempting to grasp the intricacies, but her emotional turmoil overpowered it. A promise to discuss this later was the best Zora could extract from her as she unsteadily rose to her feet.

The real world's complexity momentarily overwhelmed her, the machinations of the tracked ones a distant concern. Prax's priority was to find Elara. She moved from face to face, searching for that familiar countenance, but Elara remained elusive. Hours later, seated on her bed, a sense of despondency settled within her. She knew moping wouldn't solve anything. With an effort to regain focus, she forced herself into action, acknowledging the need to occupy her mind. She decided to catch up with Zora.

OOC

44 years in, shy of four years.

Prax has two ship's boats.
Elara has an Explorer Ship

So, she is going to ask for details on this 'linked' ship idea.

 

 

Edited September 24, 2023 by Sohala (see edit history)

[darlis moonbeam]

Though Jake had only been in the sim for three years and eight months, his body told another story. It showed a life long lived, one of hardship and struggle with several battle scars. Though if you had to guess you would think he was somewhere between his fifties and sixties. His body was still in great shape, it looked like outside of battle scars he had taken great care of himself and worked out. The outfit laid out by his bunk seemed to lean towards a uniform of some kind. Between that and his scars you could surmise he was a military man.

When he woke in the real world he quickly looked around himself to find his bearings. Evening knowing that he was going into a sim and that time would move different there it took a little getting used to and to wrap his mind around it. Looking over his body, he obviously experienced all of that time on the inside. Though oddly enough his body felt young, he assumed that was part of the aging treatment that he had gone through. Looking at his surroundings again he smiled when his eyes fell on the outfit laid out for him. It was the clothes he wore when he got married to Elhana. It took elements from his old uniform from being in High Command and incorporated his colors he took on after being made a noble of Black and Gold. He always looked good in black and the gold accentuated it. The sword that was presented to him on mustering out of the navy was sitting beside it. He got up and quickly dressed and belted on his sword. While it was not his original sword that was somewhere on the wandering soul, it still felt comfortable in his hands. Looking further around the room he notices a familiar face, though it too was aged from the last time he laid eyes on them.

As Zora came closer he smoothed his features as he reminded himself that they were not to know each other. When she got close to him and asked about a ship he nods his head as he remembered that he would be getting a fairly nice ship from being in High Command. "Yes ma'am I did in fact gain a Broadsword Class Mercenary Cruiser, I also have three ship shares. Why do you ask? I also gained a vehicle as well" taking the stance that they did not know each other and him assuming she worked here he decides to ask another question that was weighing on his mind "Do you happen to know where my wife the Baronette Elhana Davis-Roberts could be found?"

As the young couple disrupted their conversation he raises and eyebrow in question to the others but thinks to himself "What the hell kind of world did we get stuck on?" he too determined to look into the fate of the two when he had time, it would not hurt to find out what kind of pull as a noble and a retired High General he really had.

Edited September 23, 2023 by darlis moonbeam (see edit history)

[wrathgon]

On 9/22/2023 at 2:41 AM, Sohala said:

Prax could feel the final days approaching, a sense of impending change thick in the air. She could also see the worry in Elara's eyes, reflecting her own concerns about what lay ahead. They had talked about it, tried to ease each other's anxieties. Elara seemed ready, or at least she said she was ready. Prax, though concerned, reassured her, projecting an aura of confidence. Elara said she understood, but the unease lingered, evident in the flicker of her gaze and the restless movements of her fingers. Prax, sensing her partner's apprehension, tried to stay close, to offer comfort and assurance. Paradoxically, her attempts to reassure seemed to create a rift, pushing Elara further away. The last night within the simulated world was bittersweet, the looming transition casting a poignant shadow over their moments together. Elara wanted her space as the transition took hold, leaving Prax with a sense of yearning.

---

Returning to the real world felt disorienting for Prax; she had no recollection of falling asleep to enter the simulation. As she lay on the bed, the memories and experiences from the SIM merged with her real-life consciousness. She grappled with the shifting perspectives, the duality of her existence. Questions, long dormant, started to resurface, and she realized the implications of what she had just gone through were vast. She had surpassed the stipulated training period. What had she missed, and how would it influence her present and future? Knowing that answers were elusive in her current state, she pulled herself into a seated position, determination replacing confusion.

Garbed in Navy service dress, an epaulet plate covering her right shoulder designating her Star Admiral rank, Prax struck a sharp appearance. Despite her slightly shy of 5-foot height and wiry frame, her demeanor spoke of authority and experience. Multiple armored crates were stacked near her bed. The largest of them, standing at an imposing 9 feet, and several feet wide and thick, rested on a heavy grav-lift. An equally long, but noticeably thinner crate leaned up against it.

Prax's thoughts were still sluggish as Zora approached her. "I have... I have two boats. Elara..." She hesitated, glancing around as if expecting to find Elara present. Her words stumbled, "She has an explorer's craft." When questioned about a linked ship, her technical mind tried to engage, attempting to grasp the intricacies, but her emotional turmoil overpowered it. A promise to discuss this later was the best Zora could extract from her as she unsteadily rose to her feet.

The real world's complexity momentarily overwhelmed her, the machinations of the tracked ones a distant concern. Prax's priority was to find Elara. She moved from face to face, searching for that familiar countenance, but Elara remained elusive. Hours later, seated on her bed, a sense of despondency settled within her. She knew moping wouldn't solve anything. With an effort to regain focus, she forced herself into action, acknowledging the need to occupy her mind. She decided to catch up with Zora.

OOC

44 years in, shy of four years.

Prax has two ship's boats.
Elara has an Explorer Ship

So, she is going to ask for details on this 'linked' ship idea.

 

 

Within the first few hours of waking up your name is announced over the loudspeaker and you are asked to follow the flashing white line on the floor outside the gym hall. Remembering what happened last time you followed some strange call you were worried what would happen this time. As you go to leave you walk past your armour, and almost forget it was yours. It was not needed for most of the time in the SIM and in the end, you hardly used it but you are glad to have it going into whatever you will be facing.

 

You follow the lines for some time away from the populated section of the camp and enter into the older original Vault again where you step into the Sim unknowingly. The lines lead you into a room with 12 screens surrounding you. When you enter and stand where the line leads you, in the middle the 12 screens turn on and you groan as you see what they show.

[Drunva]

 

At 39 years in the SIM, Farhvan awoke around the same time as most of his fellow crewmembers. Like the others his appearance had changed, his hair had touches of grey in it and his many years of relatively safe work as a medical researcher had made his frame a little softer around the edges than previous, though he was obviously still in good shape. He also didn't have a biotic field going, having gotten out of the habit while in the SIM. He had figured it would have raised too many questions and had saved it for emergencies and private practice. He eyed his lab coat with fondness as he reveled in actually having gotten to practice real medicine for a change as an actual doctor. Not a bad turn of events for a streetrat from Omega. It was also Still, the transition to the "real world" was rough. Not only did he have to keep reminding himself that he wasn't late for this weeks hospital board meeting, but the Vault was strange enough in it's own right. Fortunately Zora was up and despite playing it a bit loose about their affiliation it was good to see a familiar, if older, face. "I have a safari class ship . . . I think 3 ship shares as well to contribute if we move forward with the idea." It was an intriguing proposition after all, "Though I am rather fond of the ship, had plans to have a mobile operating theatre."

The disruption from the young vaulter was interesting, and while he wanted to get some things settled with his old crew, he made a mental note to check up on exactly what that was all about.

 

 

OOC/Mechanics

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[wrathgon]

5 hours ago, Drunva said:

 

if older, face. "I have a safari class ship . . . I think 3 ship shares as well to contribute if we move forward with the idea." It was an intriguing proposition after all, "Though I am rather fond of the ship, had plans to have a mobile operating theatre."

 

 

 

 

 

 

Actually, Zora barely looked like she aged much in the SIM, a little bit but nothing like the rest of you. She says " Yes this idea wont take away the ship I go over how it work later."

[Sohala]

Prax's countenance turned resolute as her name resounded through the loudspeakers, prompting her to anticipate what was to come. Wary of potential surprises, she chose the path of utmost readiness. Swiftly, she activated the biometric reader on one of the massive crates, transmitting an additional verification signal. A symphony of cylinder locks engaged, and with a hiss, the seal was broken. Positioned on the lift, she grasped the handles, hoisting herself up, ready to enter the waiting oversized armor. With a sense of purpose, she secured herself into the suit, the closing mechanisms engaging seamlessly as she stepped down and started walking.

OOC

Suited up, leaving behind the weapons.

 

 

[wrathgon]

On 9/22/2023 at 6:57 PM, darlis moonbeam said:

Though Jake had only been in the sim for three years and eight months, his body told another story. It showed a life long lived, one of hardship and struggle with several battle scars. Though if you had to guess you would think he was somewhere between his fifties and sixties. His body was still in great shape, it looked like outside of battle scars he had taken great care of himself and worked out. The outfit laid out by his bunk seemed to lean towards a uniform of some kind. Between that and his scars you could surmise he was a military man.

When he woke in the real world he quickly looked around himself to find his bearings. Evening knowing that he was going into a sim and that time would move different there it took a little getting used to and to wrap his mind around it. Looking over his body, he obviously experienced all of that time on the inside. Though oddly enough his body felt young, he assumed that was part of the aging treatment that he had gone through. Looking at his surroundings again he smiled when his eyes fell on the outfit laid out for him. It was the clothes he wore when he got married to Elhana. It took elements from his old uniform from being in High Command and incorporated his colors he took on after being made a noble of Black and Gold. He always looked good in black and the gold accentuated it. The sword that was presented to him on mustering out of the navy was sitting beside it. He got up and quickly dressed and belted on his sword. While it was not his original sword that was somewhere on the wandering soul, it still felt comfortable in his hands. Looking further around the room he notices a familiar face, though it too was aged from the last time he laid eyes on them.

As Zora came closer he smoothed his features as he reminded himself that they were not to know each other. When she got close to him and asked about a ship he nods his head as he remembered that he would be getting a fairly nice ship from being in High Command. "Yes ma'am I did in fact gain a Broadsword Class Mercenary Cruiser, I also have three ship shares. Why do you ask? I also gained a vehicle as well" taking the stance that they did not know each other and him assuming she worked here he decides to ask another question that was weighing on his mind "Do you happen to know where my wife the Baronette Elhana Davis-Roberts could be found?"

As the young couple disrupted their conversation he raises and eyebrow in question to the others but thinks to himself "What the hell kind of world did we get stuck on?" he too determined to look into the fate of the two when he had time, it would not hurt to find out what kind of pull as a noble and a retired High General he really had.

Zora shrugs "If not a vaulter she in her pod in her house I assume."

[wrathgon]

As the last of the vaulters finish the Sim at 16 months from the first of you, Ozen came out, the city comes alive as the leadership calls a meeting. There has been an empty space these last few months left for this, and now chairs, tables, and for those that want them float boat flying 25 feet off the ground are placed around the circle stage at the center of the 10000 sq foot area. All manner of foods and drinks are offered, from all over the world, and each of the races has a table to try their metahuman foodstuff. Some of the vaulters are fully changed into their Meta Human roots, others are still for its immediate, and for others, it takes months as your DNA reacts to magic and completes the changes. The camp is abuzz about Ray's claim there was testing done before the wall fell but no one has been Ray or any of his friends who were the first ones out. The story he tells is about a robot that collects human parts and adds to himself so he can cast magic more effectively. Seems fetch but Ray has always been a straight shooter until now that is.

 

You still keep your distance so you each take a sit with your SIM friends that you made. The leader takes the stage. Head of the house of Duth they family has been leaders for the last 1000 years. Enjoying the perks of leadership they had some some cruel and hard members. The family was not well-liked but they kept us alive in the close system and made sure we all, or most of us, got to here today.

 

"I greet you all, Inorvators (what you call yourself in Vault)! They said we will never get there! They said we would never see the outside world again well LOOK UP and see the sky! We have been working tirelessly towards solving the Black Hole problem while this surface society wages wars on themselves, forgetting why we are here, forgetting we were left behind, and raging war over a planet that we never intended to stay on! This society is full of waste, the old ways have been forgotten, and so much has been lost to them because their leader has forgotten! They eye our tech like vultures circling their dead meal. So we have had our training, know what we need to know, and now we vote! Do you want to join this society built on war and waste, or continue our ways here on our island and finally test some of our theories once the Happen comes and we enter normal space? So return to their metal building over the next 4 weeks and cast your vote. if any want access to their world, the panel around the camp will give access to video, the net, and limited contact to their people. Anyone you have met in the SIM will reveal their true identity and may be open to speaking to through the messaging system too. Just put in SIM name and the info will come up. Any questions find a H(human) E(engineer) R(Reation) O(operator) wearing the HERO shirts. "

 

You note he did not say come to speak to him directly.

[wrathgon]

When you do the vote, you enter the massive SIM building, and in the first room are 6 terminals. You input your state-assigned SIN number then vote, and you are given a slip for proof of vote.

[darlis moonbeam]

Jake nodded his head at the information that Zora gave him. He then listened to the speech that the leader of the vaulters gave. While he personally had no interest in staying on the island as his wife was obviously out in the world and yet he knew many answers could potentially be found in the technology here. So he was conflicted. Though he would need to reach out to his wife and get her opinion as well. When given the opportunity to do so he figures out a way to reach out to his wife. When she showed up on the screen he gives her a lopsided grin "Ello luv, did you miss me? As you can see I am out of the Sim. The leader here is calling for a vote to stay here on the island or to go out into the world. What are your thoughts? I personally want to get back to you in the real world."

[wrathgon]

13 hours ago, darlis moonbeam said:

Jake nodded his head at the information that Zora gave him. He then listened to the speech that the leader of the vaulters gave. While he personally had no interest in staying on the island as his wife was obviously out in the world and yet he knew many answers could potentially be found in the technology here. So he was conflicted. Though he would need to reach out to his wife and get her opinion as well. When given the opportunity to do so he figures out a way to reach out to his wife. When she showed up on the screen he gives her a lopsided grin "Ello luv, did you miss me? As you can see I am out of the Sim. The leader here is calling for a vote to stay here on the island or to go out into the world. What are your thoughts? I personally want to get back to you in the real world."

She smiles when you see her, she is younger than in the SIM, and her details pop up next to her but she was already honest with you about all that so everything matched. You see her do something to her screen and a red bonder goes around the vid. " O dear still the trusting sort, I blocked listeners on my side but got no idea if your side is secure so let's keep things on the down dear OK? So vaulters thinking of rejecting society not a single one of the other 14 did I have no idea what will happen. They are tech that no one has seen in 50k years on that island I am unsure if any of the races will honor the Vaulter Accord, it is only a document from a long-ago age. Let me put out some feelers about what plans we have in place if they vote that way, I will travel to the island under cover to see you to give you the info in person. Collect your "Friends" and plan for a way out if things go south fast though. No matter how the vote goes, you are not voting where YOU stay, the vaulters are voting if they join our society. Each Vaulter after the vote can ask to be taken in on a case-by-case basis, so you and maybe your friends could get assigned to my district. I see one of the vaulters has already been elected in the real world, nice trick since they haven't even been released into our society. Already there are laws on the books trying to block that." She didn't say it but that was to be passed on to the Capt. She was keeping all the talks you had about him and the group off this channel, though you think back and wonder how much of the SIM people had access to as it IS a big computer simulation. You wonder if someone could pull video feeds but it would take years of searching to find anything. Something maybe you can ask Enoch to look into if he thinks it will be a problem.

 

"If there is nothing else I will get working and see you in about 2 weeks. I extract my payment when I get there" She says with a coy smile.

[wrathgon]

22 hours ago, wrathgon said:

As the last of the vaulters finish the Sim at 16 months from the first of you, Ozen came out, the city comes alive as the leadership calls a meeting. There has been an empty space these last few months left for this, and now chairs, tables, and for those that want them float boat flying 25 feet off the ground are placed around the circle stage at the center of the 10000 sq foot area. All manner of foods and drinks are offered, from all over the world, and each of the races has a table to try their metahuman foodstuff. Some of the vaulters are fully changed into their Meta Human roots, others are still for its immediate, and for others, it takes months as your DNA reacts to magic and completes the changes. The camp is abuzz about Ray's claim there was testing done before the wall fell but no one has been Ray or any of his friends who were the first ones out. The story he tells is about a robot that collects human parts and adds to himself so he can cast magic more effectively. Seems fetch but Ray has always been a straight shooter until now that is.

 

You still keep your distance so you each take a sit with your SIM friends that you made. The leader takes the stage. Head of the house of Duth they family has been leaders for the last 1000 years. Enjoying the perks of leadership they had some some cruel and hard members. The family was not well-liked but they kept us alive in the close system and made sure we all, or most of us, got to here today.

 

"I greet you all, Inorvators (what you call yourself in Vault)! They said we will never get there! They said we would never see the outside world again well LOOK UP and see the sky! We have been working tirelessly towards solving the Black Hole problem while this surface society wages wars on themselves, forgetting why we are here, forgetting we were left behind, and raging war over a planet that we never intended to stay on! This society is full of waste, the old ways have been forgotten, and so much has been lost to them because their leader has forgotten! They eye our tech like vultures circling their dead meal. So we have had our training, know what we need to know, and now we vote! Do you want to join this society built on war and waste, or continue our ways here on our island and finally test some of our theories once the Happen comes and we enter normal space? So return to their metal building over the next 4 weeks and cast your vote. if any want access to their world, the panel around the camp will give access to video, the net, and limited contact to their people. Anyone you have met in the SIM will reveal their true identity and may be open to speaking to through the messaging system too. Just put in SIM name and the info will come up. Any questions find a H(human) E(engineer) R(Reation) O(operator) wearing the HERO shirts. "

 

You note he did not say come to speak to him directly.

Those who are waiting for months after you leave can post any actions you wish to do with the time. If you ask to leave or try to leave you are politely told you have to wait till all your people are finished training to decide your fate and please wait in the camp, they will help in any way they can to make stay comfortable.