the mock mingle

[airlockedmods]

[An hour ago you woke up in a bed that wasn't yours, awakened by a chirpy, feminine voice coming from the device on your non-dominant arm. The voice cheerfully requests that you exit your sleeping quarters and to please make your way to the the main deck of the ship for a debriefing on your circumstances.

It was around this time you might have noticed the clothes you last remember wearing are gone and replaced with this little number. If you take a moment to check out the Personal Identification Program on your arm, you'll find a touch screen with a few icons that lead to a series of 21 profiles and a series of apps that lead to note-taking functions and a number of customization appearance screens. The profiles all contain a photo of each Champion, their name and title, their age, species and world of origin.

As you stumbled out of your chrome-y quarters (into an equally chrome-y hallway), with every step the floor lights up under your feet, illuminating the dark ship a little at a time. On one side of the hallway are a series of mechanical doors with screen pads embedded on the walls next to them. A quick flash of your PIP will open them for you without hassle. On the opposite side of the hallway are a long string of windows showing nothing but vast amounts of stars and the deep, dark blackness of deep space. Once you reach the end of the hallway you'll find a large central living space with 20 other people, the same people from the profiles, either there already or filing in along with you. Floating well above everyone's heads in the middle of the room is a large computer screen. Once everyone piled in, the screen blinked to life and the same voice from your PIPs greeted you in the same peppy tone from before.

The voice introduced herself as the Champion Excellence Control Environment or C.E.C.E. before welcoming you to the Deep Space Champion Excellence Program, explaining that you were selected for this program based on being the best in your particular field in your particular world, hence the title of "Champion". In this program you will be expected to live communally together here on the ship for as long as possible. The ship is fully-functional and fully-stocked for an extended stay.

Oh? You don't want to stay and participate in the program? That's alright, there's an easy fix to that! All you have to do is kill one of your fellow Champions and not get caught. That is easy enough, right? Right.

When the debriefing is complete, the screen dims but doesn't turn off completely. If need be C.E.C.E. is available to answer any more questions you have throughout the week. For now, you're free to explore the ship as you like. There's the communal dining hall, a zero gravity room, a kitchen, a holo deck, the central living area and the personal quarters everyone woke up in.

Go make some friends, dears, you may be here a while.]

Comments

[voltrounds]

It's more common in Etria, since it's a source of resources. But in our case there were some specific things we needed to find.

[humanitarianherbalist]

Etria? I have never heard of that place. [He does sound curious, though.] It would be nice to see more humans following the old ways. Although I suppose it doesn't matter if they don't, as long as they are noble, and kind, and unselfish. [It looks like he's reminiscing a bit.]

[voltrounds]

[Wow, he's a lot nicer than the last nonhuman she met who had commentary on human behavior. Although the person she's thinking of now has less to do with that and more to do with "noble, and kind, and unselfish."]

It's a pretty small town, but I don't think that's the main reason. C.E.C.E. said something about our own particular worlds.

[humanitarianherbalist]

She did indeed. I can believe that, seeing how many of us come from different times. And even those who should be from the same time have different recollections of it.

[voltrounds]

Well, I hope that's how it works. If it isn't, then some of you are going to have to deal with some serious problems later.

[humanitarianherbalist]

Ah. Are you implying that you are from a much further future?

[voltrounds]

It's hard to say with some of you, but yes. Eventually, anyway.

[humanitarianherbalist]

Ah. Would it be appropriate to say that your world, then, has already gone through an ending and rebuilding of some sort?

[voltrounds]

Yeah. Actually, that's apparently why I'm here.

[humanitarianherbalist]

Really? I suppose the skills to survive after the end of the world would be useful...

[voltrounds]

Well... if I really had those kinds of skills. My parents were both scientists working on the problem, so I was still well taken care of until it stopped really mattering.

[humanitarianherbalist]

Why would it stop mattering?

[voltrounds]

You saw my title, right? Champion of Suspended Animation.

[It clearly hasn't occurred to her that this isn't self-explanatory.]

[humanitarianherbalist]

[He knows those words, but not quite what they mean together.] I did. What exactly does that entail?

[voltrounds]

[...oh.]

Using a combination of various technologies, my body's functions were slowed down to almost nothing, and I essentially went to sleep for a thousand years.

[humanitarianherbalist]

[Oh, that explains things.] Were you...the only one among the people of that time who did this? [Why else would she be the "Champion" of it.]

[voltrounds]

There was supposed to be one more, but he was in another part of the world entirely. I don't know what happened to him.

[humanitarianherbalist]

Was it difficult, to wake up many years later with no one you knew around you? [A pause] Is that why you've taken to this new situation so well and so swiftly?

[voltrounds]

It was a little more complicated than that. When I woke up, my memory had deteriorated, and by the time I really remembered what I'd left behind I was already getting used to the new world.

[Though she doesn't make any eye contact during that explanation...]

I guess it is a little easier this time, since at least I know what's going on.

[humanitarianherbalist]

That would make the change easier, I suppose. [He pauses.] When you finish your map, we should hold a meeting so that you can share it with all of us. [Watch that not happen until the trial.]

[voltrounds]

[Well, some people are getting an early peek, but... yeah.]

Right. It should be possible to copy it to everyone's PIPs. Maybe even share it between them, so we can update it if we find anything new.

[humanitarianherbalist]

Really? Those devices can accomplish that as well? How useful.

[voltrounds]

Well, maybe. There are devices like these that can do that.

[humanitarianherbalist]

Even if it cannot, there is probably a wall we can attach it to. [Just stick it on the fridge]

[voltrounds]

[It's a really good map and everyone is very proud of her?]

I'd be surprised if there wasn't a projection system somewhere.