TDM 001. WELCOME TO THE CITY

[headandhand]

» 01. WELCOME WAGON

Wow, what a bunch of new faces! The city of Dualis hasn't seen anything like this in a long time, and they've seen some pretty crazy things. Chances are you're seeing some pretty crazy things, too, unless you're used to a lot of neon, robots, weird-ass technology, magic, and an omnipresent police force...and hey, if you are, congrats, you're gonna settle in juuuuust fine. But for the rest of you, the Head knows this has gotta be pretty overwhelming, right?

Well, since your quaint individual processing units are probably having a hard time, why not link up with another one? By which the Head means...

Hello, new citizens of Dualis, and welcome to your first monthly Network Adjacency Protocol~!

NAPs are a monthly community networking event similar to the Earth concept of speed dating! Two citizens (new arrivals and old hands alike) are placed at a table together with a handy cue card of queries to help break the proverbial ice. Ask queries and receive results, or ignore the card and yeet yourself straight into a brand new friendship! But don't be too shy, you've only got ten minutes together, and if you just sit in silence for the whole ten, then the Network Admins are likely to come supervise and try to repair the uplink through a mild shock to the ol' central nervous system. You might find yourself saying all sorts of unintended facts about yourself if that happens...probably better to just make friends, right?

» 02. A BUG IN THE CODE

Remember how the Head mentioned that whole plague thing? Well, don't worry, this isn't that.

It is, however, a really, really terrible flu circulating through the residents of Dualis. Symptoms include fever, chills, vomiting, hallucinations and even in some cases seizures. Bad news, all around. Luckily, this is something the Head knows how to deal with! Time for vaccinations, everyone~

The vaccination process is pretty straightforward: just head to your local clinic and get innoculated! You'll be in and out in less than ten minutes, MedDualis is pretty efficient that way. There isn't even a copay. The MedDroids will tell you, however, that there might be some minor side effects** to watch out for, including physical reactions and odd dreams, but don't worry--those will wear off within forty-eight hours. Nothing to concern yourself about! Of course, if that worries you, you could always run the risk of getting the flu--or passing it on to your loved ones...

**Possible side effects include: Gender or sex change, positive or negative size change, appearance alterations, shared dreams, and mild telepathic links, among others. Please contact your local MedDroid if these symptoms become too severe, or other side effects such as death occur.

» 03. TANSTAAFL

Well, you're settling in just fine, and the basic accommodations and amenities are okay, but maybe you've got a hankering to see that new VR Film: SHARKS IN SPACE 85: BLACK HOLE SHARK DO DO DO DO DO DO DO. Or maybe you want some sweet new duds to wear around town, or even just an actual slab of steak. Sorry, those cost extra, pal, which means it's time for...

JOB HUNTING.

Fortunately, Dualis makes this pretty easy! There's a job fair on this week, down at the Central Hub! Plug your certifications and skills into any of the EmployMe terminals in the Dualis Central Hub, and the computer will auto-generate a currently open job that it feels you'd be best suited for. No resume writing or lengthy application process required! Of course, whether or not this job sounds like the right job for you is another matter...but hey, how could an AI with millions of years of learning be wrong? Time to get started, or try and switch waivers with another unhappy new employee--but be warned, some unforeseen consequences may occur if you try swapping identities with someone else...

Comments

[aleifr]

I don't know what you are.

[There's a little frustration creeping into his voice at that, but it fades fairly quickly as they change tracks, and he nods.]

But yes, I am.

[She seems ... surprised by that. Apparently people from Fenris don't get 'levied' often.]

[cadiastands]

That explains a lot.

[What do you even do with a Fenrisian? Check his shirt for a tag reading "if found, please return to the nearest Space Wolf Company?"

Well, she can at least clear up the confusion about Astartes.]

I'm not a Spa--Sky Warrior. They only come from Fenris...and they're all men. [Because Games Workshop are COWARDS] The rest of the Imperium knows them as the Space Wolves, and I wouldn't have expected to see a Fenrisian who wasn't in their service.

[aleifr]

So the gothi said.

[At least about the Sky Warriors being all men and thus GW being cowards. The rest ... the rest just makes a good deal of sense. He's heard stories of people who sailed among the stars the way the Allfather did, but they were always just stories told around the bonfire. there was no substance to them ... or so he thought, at least.]

[Apparently there was a great deal more out there than he'd thought.]

You fight in the Allfather's name too, then? And his ... 'Imperium'.

[He says the unfamiliar word slowly. Almost tentatively.]

[cadiastands]

[The translation renders "gothi" as "shaman," and Mira doesn't inquire further. How the Wolves run their homeworld is up to them.]

I'm an Imperial Guardsman, yes. [She brushes her fingers over the Aquila insignia on one side of her chest.] We can't compare to the Space Wolves and their brethren in the other Space Marine Chapters...but there are a lot more of us.

[aleifr]

[There's another flicker of surprise at 'other Sky Warriors'. It makes sense, of course. If there are other worlds, other warriors are needed to protect them. The Allfather had sons beside Russ, it follows that they'd have armies of their own - their own Sky Warriors.]

I see ...

[Thinking about it, it seems so obvious, but he'd never even thought about the possibility before. It was ... strangely disorienting, hearing how much bigger the world was than he'd thought. A little less so than it might have been before he wound up in Dualis, but he was still having trouble wrapping his mind around it - actually seeing it in his mind's eye.]

[cadiastands]

[This is clearly all a lot for a feral worlder to take in, so Mira makes conversation.]

Fenris isn't far from my homeworld, you know.

[In some of the worst real estate in the galaxy.]

[aleifr]

[If it's near Fenris, he'd expect nothing less. It does pique his interest, though. Offers him a bit of distraction from the sudden ... vastness of the world, even if he isn't quite reeling from it the way that he had been on his arrival.]

Anything like Fenris? Or more like ... [he gestures vaguely at the cityscape around them] ... this?

[cadiastands]

Nowhere's like Fenris.

[Not that Mira knows the exact details, but your homeworld is kind of legendarily shitty, Aleifr.]

We have wilderness, but Cadia is heavily fortified, and our cities are defensible. Not like this.

[She gestures dismissively at a place not designed to withstand years of sustained assault by the forces of Chaos. Wimps.]

[aleifr]

[He snorts. Whether it's at her stating that nowhere's like Fenris or her disdain for the city is open to interpretation.]

I think whoever built this place cared more about it looking pretty than anything else.

[cadiastands]

Hmph.

[Horus take your aesthetics.]

See how pretty it looks after a week of artillery bombardment.

[He doesn't know what that is, Mira.]

[aleifr]

"Artillery bombardment"?

[No. No he does not.]

[cadiastands]

[Mira opens her mouth to explain, stops short when she realizes it's going to be harder than she thought, and looks chagrined.]

Your people use bow and arrow, correct? [She doesn't stop for confirmation.] Imagine a very, very large bow that can hit from over the horizon. ...And the arrow explodes when it strikes.

[Okay, yes, that was terrible, but she's a Guard officer, not a schola instructor.]

[aleifr]

[Maybe not, but it's an effective enough descriptor. His eyes narrow, studying her face for a moment while he tries to decide whether or not she's trying to trick him ... and one eyebrow slowly creeps upward when it becomes clear that she's not.

[Scary fucking thing to imagine.]

That how you fight on Cadia?

[cadiastands]

We fight however we have to.

[Cadia stands.]

Artillery's just one tactic. You stop using it once you have your men on the field, or they'll die as readily as the enemy.

[They can cover the finer details like precision artillery strikes and acceptable losses some other time.]

[aleifr]

[There's resolve enough resolve behind that to make it obvious that they're more than just words, and that brings ... calling it a 'grin' would be generous. It's a slight twitch at the corner of his mouth. But she has his respect - for the steel she's showing and the tactic. It's clever, provided he understands what she's suggesting properly.]

Use it to thin your enemy's numbers, break down walls they're hiding behind, rattle them, leave a clear path for your men ...

[Has he got the gist of it?]

[cadiastands]

[He picked that up fast for someone who hadn't heard of the concept 30 seconds ago, and the amusement in Mira's response is tempered by approval.]

Assuming their artillery lets you get close enough to do so.

[aleifr]

[He's a quick study, and warfare isn't new to him. "Artillery" is just a new tool.]

And if it doesn't?

[You have his attention.]

[cadiastands]

Depends on your mission objectives and the disposition of your forces. [She shrugs.] Doctrine calls for locating their artillery pieces and disabling them with your own, but that's not always the wisest course of action.

[aleifr]

Why wouldn't it be?

[His brow furrows again.]

Unless they're right on top of whatever you're after, it seems like the easiest way of dealing with it.

[cadiastands]

Well, for one, you might not have the resources to spare.

[Graia was such a shitshow.]

[aleifr]

[He'll concede that with a nod and a shrug. Might not know what in the hells a "Graia" is, but he's seen more than one battle swing out of control. Sounds like she has, too, judging by the note of bitterness in her voice.

His expression shifts and his head cocks to one side. She's speaking from experience, and he's curious]