Subject 37
The Cracked Mirror
- Intent: To Sub Natalia's Masterpiece
- Image Credit: Yura Gvozdenko, Jonas De Ro, Artur Sadlos, Cristi Balanescu, Tyler Edlin, Sci-Fi Addicts, Peintre Fabian Perez
- Canon: N/A
- Links: N/A
- Structure Name: Half Life
- Classification: Amusement Park
- Location: Zeltros' First Moon, Zel
- Affiliation: SIN
- Accessibility:
The massive structure itself has an open starport that pretty much anyone can land in. Even if one can't afford to attend Half Life itself, they can still land within the starport and visit Half Life's Park Zone as well as the gift ship. There is plenty of things to do in Half Life, everyone is invited, and no one is turned away. There is of course an upper limit to what certain people can do, but to the rich all doors at Half Life are open.
- Security:
The inside of the park is an entirely different problem however.
As one might expect from an operation run by SIN Incorporated everything inside of Half Life is heavily controlled, moderated, and watched. Cameras are absolutely everywhere, security personnel both obvious and disguise roam each hall, and everything seems to be tightly restricted. Certain sections of the Park are locked behind heavy blast doors and ray shields.
Everything within the park itself is heavily controlled, with several 'guests' actually being HRD security personnel. It is not uncommon for people to encounter scanners and other things of that nature to ensure everything stays safe and sound.
- Description:
The building, if it can even be classified as a single building, reaches almost the same size as a small city. Indeed this was done on purpose and the location of Half Life was specifically chosen so that it would not get in the way of anyone or anything.
Placed directly on Zeltros' first moon, the building sits atop what is essentially a dead wasteland. Not being habitable Zel is the perfect location of empty space for Half Life to actually go. The building itself consists of a central pylon around which are located four massive bubbles. Each of these bubbles represent one of the secluded 'fantasy parks' that offer guests the ability to experience a different life from their own.
The central pillar stretches out to the front of the building itself, containing a starport, offices, a special park zone, as well as other various amenities that the not so rich can enjoy while they're visiting Half Life.
Many that visit Half Life compare the park to something they see in a holo-movie, designed to look sleek, modern, and almost startlingly white. Everything inside the park has been crafted to perfection, as though none of it had or holds any flaws.
POINTS OF INTEREST
Starport: Arguably the most important part of Half Life, the Starport is where everyone and everyone exits and enters the amusement park.
The Staport itself is almost as expansive as one could ever think such a building to be, mostly because it has to. There are various hangars, docking bays, and even landing pads. Several of the Starports Hangars are permanently occupied by transports owned by SIN itself, transporting people and goods from Zeltros to the moon at a constant rate. Other sections of the port are taken up by VIP passengers but the greater amount of the starport simply services regular guests.
As one might imagine since it is the only obvious entrance for the park itself, the Starport leads directly into the entry-hall through a great arch. The design and the architecture of the Starport is rather beautiful, meant to draw a certain amount of awe from those who attend Half Life.
The Starport of Half Life is well secured and patrolled. Both Human and HRD guards wander the starport often, checking ship ID's and ensuring that everything runs smoothly.
Entry-Hall: The first place that one sees when they enter Half Life, the Entry-hall is a grand sort of chamber that sections of and leads those visiting Half Life to their respective destination. The hall itself is a massive room with dozens of hologram projectors, each displaying a dozen different images of Half Life's various zones and different stages.
The Hall itself splits into three separate sections. The first goes to the preparation chambers for the four wings of Half Life, used only by those customers that can afford the Fantasy lands. The second section of the hall leads to the Park Zone and gift shop, a section of the structure dedicated to those less fortunate. The third entryway is for staff only, leading to the offices, development, and engineering center.
Gift Shop: The gift shop is one of the lesser attractions at Half Life.
Though not really Slevin and Natalia's main concern, it is known by the two crime lords that ordinary people enjoy 'souvenirs'. In order to facilitate this Half Life has a massive gift shop that spans almost three floors.
Within this gift shop one can buy souvenirs from all walks of life within the Park. Photographs, ensembles, various set pieces, and even plushies of more famous 'characters' can all be found within the gift shop. Oddly enough the Gift Shop is one of the more profitable sides of Half Life and it seems that almost everyone buys something on their way out.
Park Zone: The Park Zone is a piece of Half Life built to maintain buzz and entertainment for families and attendants who do not necessarily have enough funds to enter any of the 'fantasy zones'. The Park Zone is, as it is named, a section of Half Life dedicated to basically becoming an ordinary theme park.
Though not as large as any of the Fantasy Zones, the Park Zone nevertheless holds enough attractions to entertain a person for more than a day or two.
Within the Park Zone one can find roller-coasters, various rides, arcades, Holo-games, and foodstalls. Most everything inside of the Park Zone is themed after the various Fantasy lands that are represented in Half Life's other sections, and everything is perfectly geared to at least be entertaining.
The Park Zone is the perfect source of entertainment for people on a budget.
Offices: Due to the sheer size and overall activity located in Half Life, Slevin and Natalia knew that the staff of the Amusement Park would require their own section.
The offices, though sort of a misnomer, are where those working for SIN itself live, operate, and conduct their business. Everything within the Offices is designed to provide a sense of comfort and efficiency, giving employees plenty of space and allowing them to do everything that they need to do.
A large section of the offices are dedicated to entertainment lounges, giving the staff of Half Life opportunity to step away from everything else. Of course, the Offices also hold various security rooms and 'narrative centers' in which the fantasy zones are actually controlled.
As one might expect, the Offices are one of the more protected areas of the park. Blast Doors, Ray Shields, and guards line the hallways of the offices. Everyone in this section of the Amusement Park required a badge to get anywhere, doors are constantly checked and everything is locked up as tightly as possible.
Development Center: One of the more important sectors of the Park itself, the Development center is where most narratives and characters are designed.
The park works off of a rather simple system, creating a story for each park and ensuring that the guests attending all have their wants and needs met. In the development center this is all set into place and carefully monitored. Here storylines are created, guests are analyzed, and things are set to perfection.
The Development Center is also the location of Natalia and Slevin's side projects pertaining to Half Life, though this is kept separate from everything else.
Engineering Bays: The engineering bays are located directly beneath the entirety of the park.
Sprawling throughout the entire facility, the Engineering bays allow one to move throughout the entirety of Half Life without ever actually going to the surface until you need to. Everything that is located within the Fantasy Zone begins here within the Engineering Bay. Sets are constructed, HRD's are worked on, and everything else is first inspected within the Engineering Bay before ever seeing the light of day.
This section of the Park is extremely important to the daily function of the place and staff members can often be found scurrying around in great numbers. As one might imagine security is incredibly heavy throughout the Engineering Bays, with HRD and Organic Guards standing watch over almost everything. Cameras and Ray Shield projectors dot the place like nothing else.
West Wing: There are those in the galaxy who love money and power, there are those in the galaxy who love blood and violence, there are those in the galaxy who yearn for something more than the simple hustle and bustle of office life. There are those who want something more simple, more savage, more...bestial.
It is those that crave violence, those that crave a fight that come to Half Life's West Wing.
This Fantasy Zone is modeled and built after the ancient jungles of Kashyyyk, Dxun, and a little known world Thral. The entire zone is decorated like massive forested jungle, rocky cliffs, massive pools of water, and everything else that one might think of when someone says 'savage lands'. Nothing within the West Wing of Half Life is tame, nothing is complex, and everything is supposed to be able to kill you.
Those that visit the West Wing of Half Life aren't trying to live out some fantasy as a Crime Lord of high knight of ancient times, instead they want something more brutal and simple. The people who visit this zone quest after glory, violence, and living in a way that will allow them to show off just how strong they actually are.
The West Wing is designed to be absolutely brutal, home to dozens of tribal like HRD's, synthetic monsters, and an environment designed to kill. Of course everything within the zone is perfectly safe, but the environment is crafted in just such a way that it feels as though anything could kill you at any given point. The West Wing is designed to press the flight or fight response, pushing its occupants to their very limits and allowing them to feel as though something actually matters.
This fantasy zone is incredibly popular among business men, offering an avenue for many to get out their aggression and giving them a look into their less...reserved self.
As one might expect in such a place, the West Wing is incredibly brutal and people often come out of the jungles having experienced an entirely different side of themselves. It is suggested by the staff of Half Life that no one go into the West Wing on their own, mostly because some have a habit of 'losing' themselves to their more violent side.
Like all the other Zones, the West Wing is immaculately controlled by Half Life staff, nothing happens without their say.
East Wing: The East Wing of Half Life styles itself after the ancient legends of thousands of different planets. It is here that myths come together, an amalgam of stories and fairytales that have been told to countless children. Everything within the East Wing represents and shows off a stories passed, not trying to invoke fantasies of the common day, but instead removing itself from a galaxy filled with technology and starship.
Simply put the East Wing throws men, women, and even children into a time centuries ago on a planet filled with Castles, Dragons, Knights in shinning armor, and princesses.
Everything within the East Wing is designed to take someone away from modern day life and put them in a place where swords and torches rule the day. The main part of this zone appears to be a massive medieval castle, towering over a land of green and rocky mountains. Small farming and fishing villages dot the landscape, and at the end of the park itself is located a massive black fortress where the...darker side of medieval life is played at.
There is no technology within the East Wing, no cars, no datapads, nothing of the sort.
Those who come into the East Wing attempt to experience fantasies that they were told of as children. One could choose to be a Knight, a Knave, or even a King if they pay enough.
Due to it's popularity, the East Wing is one of the largest of the fantasy zones. Though only slightly bigger than the other, there is a noticeable 'step up' in set design. This is mostly due to the way that the place was built, offering those who attend the park a conflicting view of good and evil. The two castles are occupied at all times by both guests and HRD's, pushing the park attendants to reveal who they are and what they truly want to do within the park itself.
Storylines within the East Wing are carefully crafted and built, the development center of Half Life attempting to build a universe where everyone can enjoy themselves. There are frequent wars and battles, festivals, and galas that men and women could attend. There are even unique designs of dragons and captured princesses, something often enjoyed by those who fancy themselves heroes. People that attend the East Wing are generally more easy going than the other sections, and the East sees more families than any of the other Fantasy Zones.
Like all the other Zones, the East Wing is immaculately controlled by Half Life staff, nothing happens without their say.
North Wing: Perhaps the easiest for SIN to create, the North Wing of Half life is styled after the Underworld of the galaxy.
Easily the seediest, darkest, and most violent zone of all four parts of Half Life, the North Wing is an exact copy of the downtown districts of Nar Shaddaa. This section of the park can most simply be described in one word; brutal.
The park itself is a representation of the Smugglers Wound, an almost picturesque reflection of the refugees, filth, and neon lights of Nar Shaddaa. Everything within the North Wing is designed to mimic Nar Shaddaa, from the clubs to the unsafe alleyways. The HRD's here are programmed to be fierce, underhanded, and dangerous. One can stretch the imagination with everything that goes on within the North Wing, and it is not uncommon to encounter sights that would disgust the average park goer.
That all being said, The North Wing is one of the more popular of the four.
The people attending this part of the park are the kind who wish to experience a life completely different from their own. Business men, uptight nobles, and even wholesome couples visit the North Wing to experience the darkest side of themselves. Most attendants of this wing choose to become Crime Lords or bounty hunters, falling into place at the top of the food chain and living out a fantasy of killing, drugs, and alcohol. The attendants of the North Wing can be absolutely brutal, giving a whole new meaning to the idea of showing ones trueself when wearing a mask.
As one might expect the storylines within the North Wing are absolutely brutal and fierce. Most of the tales told in this section of Half Life revolve around gang wars, the drug trade, prostitution, and everything that one might imagine actually goes on in the galactic underworld. It is not too difficult to see why this place is so popular, given the likely fact that everyone has had a dark thought within their life.
Like all the other zones of the park, the North Wing is actually quite safe, with most of the 'danger' coming from HRD's and threats controlled by the Development Office. The only issue with the North Wing is that guests at times get carried away which can lead to them harming other guests. Though this is usually tightly controlled, there has been an incident or two.
Uniquely, an extra waiver needs to be signed before entering the North Wing.
Still, like all the other Zones, the North Wing is immaculately controlled by Half Life staff, nothing happens without their say.
South Wing: By far the most popular and the 'grandest' of all the fantasy zones is the South Wing.
Unequivocally, the South Wing is the most sought after vacation within Half Life. Though the most expensive of the four Fantasy zones, it is also the most elaborate, carefully watched, and planned out. Everything within the South Wing is queued up to perfection by the Development Office, everything is crafted within an inch of where it is supposed to be, and everything has to be laid out exactly to customer concerns. The South Wing is what the richest of the rich come to experience at the Park.
The setup of the South Wing is actually rather simplistic compared to that of the North or even the East.
The landscape changes every few months but most often it is a variation of either a Sith or Jedi Temple, reproduced from actual designs of such structures and put together within the engineering bays. What surrounds the The given temple depends on the current storyline, but most often it is a battlefield or some sort of 'invasion force'.
Set up as the story of the South Wing is of course a Jedi or Sith incursion, a fight that has been lived out all over the galaxy hundreds of times over the eons but always conducted by only those 'special' few. Through the magic of Half Life however, anyone can become a force user. Utilizing Holograms, VT-Grav Gloves, and dozens of other technological components Half Life can set up guests to think, feel, and even appear to be Jedi or Sith. Guests can choose which side to pick, they can follow dynamic stories put into place for them, and best of all they can swing around a lightsaber. These lightsabers are of course set to stun, interacting with the HRD's in such a manner that allows them to be more realistic. The stun setting is put into place due to the intensity that is usually found with the weapons. So far no one has truly complained about the sabers themselves, finding the experience more than worthwhile.
Everything within the South Wing is meticulously controlled and crafted, pushed to perfection by the men and women within the office.
A guest can experience being the Lowly Jedi Knight, they can experience being the powerful Jedi Master, and they can even feel what it is like to hold the spine of their enemies in their hands as they wield the red lightsaber of a Sith Lord.
By nature the South Wing isn't as brutal as the North, but it is built up to be more...fantastical. Within this zone the guests are pushed to experience and live out something that most have dreamed about being since they were children. Jedi and Sith, a conflict that has been raging on for centuries is acted out here within the South Wing on a daily basis. Storylines are dynamic, HRD's represent other Jedi, Sith, Stormtroopers, and other more varying figures. Everything is crafted and looked after to perfection, setting things in place for the perfect fantasy.
Guests are immersed within the world of the South Wing through a rigorous process, pushing them through a 'training course' before giving them a special meal that allows them to further open their minds. The South Wing is a truly unique place, pushing people to live out their greatest hopes.
Like all the other Zones, the East Wing is immaculately controlled by Half Life staff, nothing happens without their say.
HISTORICAL INFORMATION
Half life began it's existence as little more than a small musing by Natalia Thawne.
The idea was rather simple, the creation of an amusement park where people could live out their fantasies. The idea was carried over from a previous construct of SIN Incorporated; SIN resorts. The Resorts were initially created to allow people to live out their more...dark side, offering them a place to go away from their families and essentially establishing a new short term life.
Half life would be a continuation of this idea, taking it further than ever before.
The idea quickly came into being, focused first by Natalia on what exactly it would take to fulfill these sorts of dreams. She quickly established and realized that such things had to have a way of shifting reality, changing things so people could manipulate everything in a way that they would feel as though they were in power. Natalia took this concept to Slevin, and the two quickly set to work.
Indulging his beloved, Slevin set himself on a war path. The Crime Lords took over several smaller corporations in construction, robotics, and entertainment, eventually shifting the entire focus of SIN's legitimate business to an avenue that would allow them to construct what would eventually become Half Life.
The true start of the amusement park would begin with Natalia and Slevin seized a robotics corporation, taking it in a new direction under the development of Human Replica Droids. Though this technology was in no way a new development for the Galaxy, the direction Slevin and Natalia took it was. The HRD's developed under Slevin and Natalia were quickly designed and perfected to be as lifelike and 'human' as possible, programmed to keep on the facade of realness even while being synthetically produced.
It was in these HRD's that the park was truly born and built.
The structure that would eventually become Half Life was little more than a stage, a place where the HRD's built by SIN could take their rolls. In truth the Park was built around the HRD's themselves, each section constructed to give a perfect life to a specific fantasy. It was this that Half Life truly perfected, allowing a person to look into a new life that they could never have experienced before.
Four environments were built.
One to satisfy those of a more medieval taste, hearkening back to ancient times when swords and dragons ruled dozens of planets around the galaxy. One to look back into the more tribal states of the galaxy, where monsters reign and people experience true savagery. One to peer into the Underworld, an environment designed to be a perfect look into the underbelly of the galaxy. Finally there was what most wished, to be Jedi or Sith, a perfect park designed to mimic the wars that so many had only experienced on the fringes.
Half life as a park is designed to allow people to glimpse into something they would otherwise be unable to experience. It is a view into another life, a way to reinvent yourself if only for a few days or weeks at a time. Here at Half Life one can be anything from a fair maiden to a murderous Sith Lord.
