COMMENCE VOYAGE

[bathymetric]

Fun Fact: Did you know the Atlantic Ocean has a surface area of 41.1 million square miles? No reason.

...

There's something uneasy in the air as you come to.

Well, "come to" is an interesting word in this case. It implies waking up, which is not exactly what happens. None of you are in beds, nor are you really asleep in the traditional sense. One moment you're somewhere else, doing something else with your time, and the next? You're somewhere on board a massive cruise ship - maybe lounging on a deck chair by the pool, maybe getting some Gains in the exercise room, maybe enjoying the tasteful décor in the buffet - and you have no idea how you got here or how you might get back. This is not your beautiful house. If you have a beautiful wife, she isn't here.

What you do have, apart from 25 other unlucky souls, is a small smartphone-like device in your pocket with only a handful of things on it: a clock reading 11PM, a pdf of a ticket in your name on a special Atlantic Liners New Year's Eve Cruise, an app labeled Passenger Profiles with some basic information on your traveling companions, and a message:

Welcome aboard, passenger! Please feel free to partake of any of the facilities while you wait for the big event! Remember: when midnight comes, you better make your way to the theatre at the back of Level 1 for the main event! The Captain and the First Mate will be there to take care of you all personally, and to help you ring in the new year in style!

Well, that's a start. But what you do until then, it seems, is up to you!

Comments

[scythegun]

...I get the feeling I'm going to be asking questions like this quite a bit, but what is a Mimic?

[onlyyoucan]

Ministerial Instrument of Mercurion Interface Core. It's what a Reasoner needs to -- wait, you don't know that? What about Strains, then?

[scythegun]

[Oh no, he really shouldn't have asked.]

No...? I have never heard of any of this before.

[onlyyoucan]

You haven't? This isn't even just far from the Neutral Zone, then. It's somewhere completely out of touch with the Union... what is this place? You don't see anything you recognize, do you?

[scythegun]

I imagine the Union you're talking about is very different from the one I'm familiar with.

[But that was one of the few things he actually recognized there...]

No, not at all. A ship that contains a pool is already rather unbelievable!

[Much less... well, anything going on down here.]

[onlyyoucan]

Really? I thought that, at least, would be simple since it could be easily built. Don't you just put in a pit for the water and chemicals?

[scythegun]

Well, yes, on a vessel large enough for it I imagine it would be easy enough to maintain, but it seems sort of silly, ja? We don't really have ships that are built for... entertainment, I suppose?

[What the hell is a cruise, we just don't know.]

[onlyyoucan]

That looks like what this one is. Built for luxury holidays. Though I definitely didn't sign up for that.

[scythegun]

I doubt any of us did. I wonder how we ended up here... and why we were chosen.

[onlyyoucan]

And for what. It can't just be to party. I'm sure everyone had something they needed to do.

[scythegun]

I certainly did... It's incredibly rude to interrupt us like this.

[dramatic sigh...]

Oh well, I'm sure we'll learn more about why we're here soon enough, at least.