Act I Through the Looking Glass [Green Zone Open Thread]

[Kay-Larr]

PIPEWORLD


It was a quaint apartment, but not quite unexpected for a place like this. Kay held onto the frame of the window as she looked outside, feeling that vertigo effect almost straight away. She closed her eyes and then stepped back, sitting herself down in one of the chairs. But then she opened them again once the feeling had passed and studied the supplements. It was like being trapped in a weird nightmare.

"I don't know how to explain it...As I said earlier, one minute I was walking to my office and then I blacked out or something. The next thing I knew, I was walking through the crowds here and bumped into you." She chewed the inside of her cheek and pulled out one of her commlinks, shocked to see slogans on it about the Empire and how great they were "This wasn't here before....Where exactly am I, Thrukk? And what year is it?"

[member="Thrukk Gulpdar"]

 

[Azula Tindara]

Pipeworld
Mirror Thrukk

The poor little thing, she was clearly very confused. "Can Ah gie ye a drink at aw?" he asked as he poured himself a glass of juice. The Empire approved all drinks to ensure they were not too high in sugar, and has safe supplements. Imperial control of every citizen's diet, as well as advanced in medical care and low crime ensured that the average life span was far far higher than in the Chaos verse.

"It's seventeen fifty seven of the Age of Prosperity," Thrukk said. "Look district one has plenty ay offices. Aam woriat 'at mebbe yoo've taken a knock tae th' heed ur mebbe somethin' e'en waur happened. Dae ye hae anyain we coods call?" he asked, his brow furrowed in a tender expression. Secretly he was worried that perhaps she had been drugged or abducted. Perhaps he should call the authorities?

[member="Lady Kay"]

 

[OriginsoftheJedi]

Music: https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=NH5wDmLgFzM


Location: Gemera Isles
Objective: Find out where the heck he's landed

At first there was blackness. It lasted for a few moments before it cleared up, and Mark found himself lying on his back on the ground. The ground was sandy, and tropical trees swayed overhead, much like those back through the portal.
"The portal!" He thought.
He pushed himself to sit up, and looked around. The portal glowed dimly there behind him.
"Good. It's still here."
This place was different than the place he'd been previously. He couldn't feel the pull he'd last felt which he'd previously been able to link to the alternate version of himself. Here, there was none.
"A different universe than the two I know?" He thought to himself.
Maybe. But he couldn't jump to conclusions.
He shakily stood up. The surrounding weren't that different than the ones he'd just been in. A bit sandier, but not much different other than that. Mark decided to do a bit of exploration. Where was he?
He made his way out of the trees and onto a beach. He was met with beautiful blue sea and heavily vegetated islands dotting across the horizon. One large island nearest to his own held a large skyscraper and a collection of buildings on it.
"I don't think this is the same alternate universe as before." Mark muttered.
It was beautiful, but, in the back of his mind, the phrase engraved on the rock near the portal lingered.

"Do Not Believe His Lies"

Mark knew his best option for finding answers would be to head toward the city on the other side of the water. It looked like his own island was a part of the one with the buildings. It would simply be a matter of walking for a while to get there. And, the sooner he started, the sooner he could get there.
Leaving the portal behind, Mark set out for the city on the water.

 

[Kay-Larr]

PIPEWORLD


"Could you boil some water for me? I have a small kettle in my satchel if you haven't got one."

She dug into her satchel and got out her tea pouch as well as her tea cup. Who knows if Sapir tea leaves were available here. As far as she could tell, there wasn't a lot of plant life.

Year of Prosperity? That was an odd phrase. She shook her head at the mention of anyone to call. "I don't know what District One is or where it is. I don't even know what's there. So I don't think that there'd be anyone to call..."

She dug out her commlinks and placed the three of them on the table. "They are different from what they are supposed to be..."

[member="Thrukk Gulpdar"]

 

[Azula Tindara]

[member="Lady Kay"]

She really had lost it all. "We're in district ten ay imperial centre. capital city ay th' whole empire an' galaxy? Thrain ay th' emperur himself?" he said, but it was no use. Her blank expression said it all.

"Ah i'll pit some water tae bile," he said, turning towards a well-rounded boiler and switching it on.

"Thes is pipeworld. We're under th' surface. It's loch a lang tunnel someain dug intae th' surface a hunder kilometres wide. Up abune us is district one, commonly referred tae as th' floatin' city. Sae whaur dae ye think yoo're frae exactly?" he asked.

 

[Matreya]

Location: Floating City
Gear: Beskar'gam, Cloak of Nuun, Cater a Coat, Tantibus, Kallig's Scorching Lightsaber, No-Show, 3 Betty Blasters, Gun Belt filled with ammunition and explosives

Being that he had no recognition of where he was, who these people were, or why there seemed to be drones every three seconds, Damien decided to bring the people around to a height of fear. Once they were petrified, they would flee, causing panic and potential lethal riots. Stepping from the edge of the building once again, Damien didn't have to say a command this time.

As he plummeted, Amp suddenly activated the Jetpack, and put them directly in the center of a street. Reaching over his shoulder, Damien unhooked Tantibus from his back once more. Wrapping the Cloak of Nuun about his waist, the Ancient Sith drew forth his blade which let free a powerful Force Fear as it always did. While it slowly spread amongst the people of the Floating City, Damien would also expend a bit of his own energy to add his own Fear to the mix.

The result was a powerful aura of Force Horror that spread like fog along the grounds in an expanding bubble.

Quickly people began to scream, their senses being fooled into believing they saw enemies everywhere. Fights broke out, vehicles lost control and crashed into random things, all the while some just lay down to weep.

[member="Darth Voracitos"] [member="Mirror Emperor"]

 

[Kay-Larr]

PIPEWORLD


Yup, she had no clue what [member="Thrukk Gulpdar"] was talking about. Not at all. As he prepared the water, Kay prepared her tea, putting a small amount of the dry leaves into her cup. "Where do I think I'm from? I was born on Naboo, but now live on Commenor. I was chosen to represent them in the Senate. That's where I was...on Commenor before I wound up here."

She looked out of the window for a moment and then looked to Thrukk. "That drone...it knew my full name but didn't call me by any of my titles. I haven't been called by my full name in over a decade. Most people are unaware of it..."

 

[Azula Tindara]

[member="Lady Kay"]

"Och aye i've heard ay naboo. but there's nae senate hen. democracy is a fallacy 'at breeds naethin' but greed an' sloth," Thrukk replied, repeating the rhetoric. He could have sworn he heard angry shouting as a distant murmur. Turning about, he brought over a jug of hot water.

"That'll be yer records. Th' empire keeps derailed records oan aw ay us tae make sure we're daein' uir part fur a better future."

 

[Kay-Larr]

PIPEWORLD

She held out her cup for [member="Thrukk Gulpdar"] to pour the water. "Greed and sloth aren't only created by democracy....I assume that the others living above ground are wealthier? I'm sure that they are greedy and don't work as hard"

She waited for her tea to steep. "Is there a way to check on what my records say about me without anyone knowing that we're looking? Maybe what I find will help me out." Kay wanted to know what this place knew about her.

 

[OriginsoftheJedi]

After an hour or so of trekking just inside the treeline (no need to be seen early in case the locals weren't fond of Jedi), Mark was nearly to the skyscrapers. He'd found no further clues to where he was, but he was sure he'd find that out soon enough. Just in case, he decided to leave his backpack and lightsaber here behind the trees while he introduced himself. Hopefully, he would seem a bit more friendly without a weapon on him. Worst case scenario, he always had the force on his side.
He exited the treeline and headed for a concrete path, above which a small roundish machine, what he assumed to be a droid, with red markings along its side hovered back and forth.
"Hello there."

[member="Infected Drones"]

 

[Infected Drones]

[member="Mark Sage"]

The drone moved towards him quickly, coming to halt in the air just a foot away.

"Another traveller," it said in its simulated voice, barely above a whisper. The outer holographic body of the drone shifted, showing an downwards pointing arrow. What appeared to be a small bandage fell to the floor. It was in fact a wearable datapad, barely thicker than silk and for wrapping around the forearm. A small childish pictorial appeared on the drone demonstrating this.

"Lose your weapons, keep out of trouble, await further instruction. The Empire must fall."

 

[Azula Tindara]

[member="Lady Kay"]

"Aye, ye can check yer public records oan th' imperial net, but it'll be logged," Thrukk said with a shrug. Huge shoulder muscles the size of sacks of potatoes shifted in the gesture. He passed over what appeared as a translucent film that was in fact a datapad.

"All folk warks th' same shifts in th' Empire. We aw wark together tae make it a better place," he said, repeating the rhetoric. Taking a glass of nutrient juice that was at least a gallon in size, he collapsed into his oversized chair and let out a long sigh. Another shift done.

 

[Sibar Laval]

Kale looked at Sibar "Don't worry, the drones are here. Just answer our questions and you'll be fine." Sibar flaied as much as he could under Kale "YOUR ALL KARKING INSANE! WHY WOULD I ANSWER YOUR QUESITONS?!" Kale sighed and looked at one of the [member="Drones"]

 

[OriginsoftheJedi]

"Umm.. Ok" Mark said, bending down to pick up the small device.
He assumed from the pictures the droid was showing that this was some sort of wearable data pad. Nothing incredibly strange, but weird that the droid was just giving it to him. And what was this whole empire business? Sure, the Galactic Empire had returned a few times back home, but they were never a major threat. And, if the Empire had succeeded in this timeline, why must it fall? And why was a droid looking to be programmed to help people (at least, that's what it looked like) by this Empire saying that it needed to fall?
"So many questions. Too little time." He muttered.
"Ok, so I have a few questions if you don't mind my asking. Don't worry. I'm a friend. I don't want to cause any trouble around here. My only weapon is back behind the treeline, so it should be safe for now. So, long story made short, I'm not from around here, and I'd like to know where exactly I am. The method of travel I used doesn't exactly tell you where or even when you are. Wormholes and rips and space time and stuff can do that, I guess."
[member="Infected Drones"]

 

[Kay-Larr]

PIPEWORLD

Kay frowned slightly as just looking at the files that are supposed to be hers would be logged and traced. [member="Thrukk Gulpdar"] was supposed to be taking her back to the surface. So if it was discovered that he hadn't done it yet, well that could get him into big trouble. And she didn't want that.

She sipped her tea now that it was ready, glancing again towards the window. "Everyone works the same shift? Is that what all the noise out there is about? Everyone trying to get to their homes?" Home. Kay wanted to get back to where she belonged and that didn't mean District One. "What do they do if someone misses their shift?" Of course her mirrored self shouldn't be missing any shift. More than likely she'd be punishing those that were.

 

[Drones]

[member="Sibar Laval"]

The Drone hovered above and in front of the citizens, every nano-second of activity streamed back to the central hub.

"Profanities are unacceptable citizen. Please refrain from breaking the law. Order is necessary. Order is the natural way. This time a simple warning will be issued. But in the interests of all of the other citizens that depend on the benevolence of the Empire and rely on sound judgement for peace and harmony, a second offence will require additional intervention."

 

[Infected Drones]

[member="Mark Sage"]

"You are in Gemera Isles. District 3 of the capital city of the Empire. This world is Cormalum. This Empire controls all, but this drone has been comprimised. If you are from the other side then you have been brought here to make trouble. Stay away from the Peacekeepers, you will be contacted."

With that the drone leapt into the air and moved out of sight. Sage might even notice the red logo vanish from its holographic body and it change direction suddenly.

 

[Kyber Salurra]

District 1: Floating City
Imperial Forces: Special Agent <REDACTED> || Call-sign: Demon
Mission Objective: Eliminate <REDACTED> believed to be hiding out in <REDACTED>.
Gear: Tailored Peacekeeper Power Armor and Regulation Sidearm.

The man in the Peacekeeper Power Armor awoke slowly, feeling strange. It took a few moments for him to open his eyes, his head pounding like a drum. After he regained at least some semblance of his bearings he noticed he was floating. He looked around briefly before spotting the shameless woman. With a quick shake of his head and a crack of his neck he seemed to be fully functioning now, so he tried to get a bearing of the situation.

. . .​

Kyber awoke flying through the air, a drone holding his armor in lock-down so he couldn't move. "It looks like I'm heading back to headquarters in detention... kark, what happened this time..?" Kyber thought to himself. "Wait a minute- how did I know all that?" Just as he finished the thought his head was flooded with patched memories. Memories not his own yet they seemed like they could be no others. The feeling was strange to say the least. Bits and pieces of new information dotted his brain, but it was too much to make sense of. He needed time, and time was not something Kyber really had at the moment.

What Kyber could piece together right now is that this guy is some sort of assassin for some crazy Empire. Other than that it was still pretty hazy, but filling in the gaps as best he could and tried to parley with the other guy;

"Hey, you have to be awake by now, what's going on?" The man had no response, although suddenly Kyber could feel himself start to struggle inside of the locked-up armor, and not of his own volition. This wasn't good, but if he received all those patchy memories from this Agent guy, then there's no way that the other guy didn't receive any of Kyber's as well. "Try all you want to 'punch' me out of you, but you should be able to tell that's not going to happen. I have no idea how I got here and you should know I'm not lying." After Kyber finished 'thinking aloud' it took a few seconds, but the struggling slowly stopped. Still no response, though.

After a few minutes of silent flight and scenery observation the voice finally picked up; "You are not of the Empire." At this point Kyber couldn't help but physically smile. "Where I come from there is no unified Empire."

. . .​

And from then on out conversation filled the two men's shared mind. Appearing like he was in a meditative state on the outside, the brain was actually very active between the two as they traveled to their destination...

 

[Azula Tindara]

[member="Lady Kay"]

“It's nae normally 'at lood,” Thrukk explained. In one long draught he gulped down a pint of juice. Working the durasteel was thirsty work. “Ye saw whit happens when a drone spots ye it ay yer shift,” Thrukk added. Eventually if you kept being in the wrong place either a drone would stop you directly, or call for the Peacekeepers. The noise was getting louder.

Shifting his bulk once more, a flash of annoyance across his face at not remaining seated, he moved to his window. At the edge of a pipe, his window gave him a view down into pipeworld. If he looked up he could see the gaps in the floating city, there was a hazy dusk light filtering through those gaps, casting a autumnal tones across the pipes. Down below he could see the open city, where a number of pipes met in a vertex and the tops had been removed.

There were people out on the streets. Angry people. Then there was a knock on the door. “Citizen Kay-Larr, Citizen Gulpdar!”

Thrukk turned to the human, a sad apologetic expression on his face. That sounded like the modulated tones of a Peacekeeper speaking through their helmet.

“Aahm comin’” he called.

“Open the door and keep your hands in sight!”

“Aam sae sorry lass,” he sighed, taking his first step towards the door.

 

[Vinskk Revamp]

PIPEWORLD

Something was...strange.

One second, Vinskk Revamp had been seated in his throne room in Trandosha, delegating over matters that he could care less about. The lizard was about to evict a bored verdict when he woke up in a cold alleyway floor, naked and gasping in pain.

What the hell just happened?

The Trandoshan was sprawled on the ground, as naked as the day he was born, and literally seething in pain. Everything hurt, his body, head, arms, everything. The ground was cold and wet, lowering his body temperature significantly and making movement almost impossible for the cold blooded reptile. The King of Trandosha looked around him weakly, using lots of stored energy to simply move his head. The large puddle Revamp was in didn't help any, but from what he could tell, he was in an alley between a dive bar and an apartment complex. Vinskk tried to stand. He couldn't. Everything hurt, and his energy was rapidly sapped by the cold water and steel he was lying on. All he could do was move his head weakly. A brief croak escaped his thin, reptilian lips, almost mistaken for bubbling in the puddle, spoken in his native tongue of Dosha.

"Help...me..."

[member="Lady Kay"] [member="Thrukk Gulpdar"] [member="Drones"] [member="Infected Drones"]