Welcome to the Program

[airlockedmods]

Good Morning, Champions. In the interest of maintaining healthy sleep patterns, a day/night cycle is in effect. Your presence is expected in the cafeteria in exactly one hour.

[The voice comes through not a large speaker, but through the device that's attached to each Champion's arm. Further investigation of the features of the device will reveal a list of profiles, a mini-map, and a list of rules. The hallways are shiny white and silver, with running lights along the floor and lights on the ceiling, and at the junction of the hallways is a sign with a knife and fork icon and an arrow pointing down the hall.

Welcome to the Excellence Program, Champions. Time to get to know your teammates.]

Comments

[in4apounding]

[Penny gives him kind of a. Gentle little poke in the shoulder, confirming he's solid.]

But if you're from another planet, doesn't that mean-

[She goes quiet for a second, considering.]

...or does this mean I'm the alien.

[photoshooter]

[Oh no, she looks so distressed.]

Well--well, if we're in outer space, on a ship, then I think... no one's technically an alien? Th-there's probably something like international waters, right? Except space.

[in4apounding]

...Is that how international waters work?

[Well if she's not calmed about her possible non-human status, you've at least distracted her a little.]

I've only ever traveled by airship, not boat. The open sea can be VERY dangerous.

[photoshooter]

Hah.

[It's the kind of laugh that's a surprise to the person laughing as anyone else. Prompto blinks, then shakes his head and runs a hand back through his hair.]

Yeah, no kidding. The ocean can be a scary place. [He pauses for a moment.] Do you... often travel by airship?

[in4apounding]

...no, just the once, actually.

[She sounds just a little embarassed.]

My father and I recently traveled to the kingdom of Vale for the Vytal Festival. ...Which I guess you probably haven't heard of either.

[photoshooter]

Can't say I do. It's just... sort of weird. Where I'm from, airships are pretty much only used by the Empire. They're the only ones with Magitek powerful enough for that.

[in4apounding]

Really? What's Magitek, a kind of power source? ...and why is it called that, I don't think magic actually exists. At least it doesn't on Remnant?

[photoshooter]

Huh? No, it totally does on Eos. Only the royal families of Lucis and Tenebrae have it, but it's still a big deal. Magitek's sort of... the Empire's attempt to copy it with science, I think? Sorry, I don't actually know too much about that kind of thing.

[in4apounding]

Okay..?

[...she'll believe you believe it, dude.]

But why would they need to copy it, it doesn't take magic to fly. I mean, not with an airship. ...on Remnant. I guess?

[photoshooter]

Well... it's a lot of power, I guess? And Niflheim's been at war with Lucis forever. They're grabbing any advantage they can get, no matter how twisted and underhanded it is.

[in4apounding]

You can get power without magic, though! On Remnant we just use Dust for everything.

[dot dot dot]

Oh- um. It's this. Crystalline power source that comes out of the ground. Once it's been refined, it can be used for- um. Anything, really.

...And I'm sorry to hear that. There hasn't been open war on Remnant in a long time now.

[photoshooter]

Crystalline--you guys have a way to share the power of the Crystal? Or, or your own Crystal, I guess, since it's not Eos. Whoa, that's crazy, isn't that super dangerous?

[in4apounding]

I. Guess?

[And they're back to having two separate conversations.]

There's a whole bunch of crystals, though, not just one.

[photoshooter]

Wow. I guess it really is different... we only have the one. That's. That's why we're at war, I guess. Basically.

[in4apounding]

Oh no. ...I guess if only one kingdom had access to Dust, things would get really bad too. Most of it comes out of Atlas, but it can be mined in a LOT of different places on Remnant.