dualisooc | TDM 001. WELCOME TO THE CITY

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TDM 001. WELCOME TO THE CITY

» 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...

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[Yondu Udonta. Nope, the name doesn't ring any bells, so David moves on from that. Still, the fact that the man has been to Earth once is quite intriguing.]

David Alleyne. And I almost fear to ask what music he exposed you to. I hope it wasn't Skaa. I don't want that to be our offering to the universe. You know, other than far too many heroes to really be worth it sometimes. Or being the home planet to someone as important as Dorrek VIII.

[What? Surely everyone in space knows that the heir to the Skrull Empire was raised on Earth, right? Of course, in his universe, there still is a Skrull empire, if smaller. It's not as bad as it is over in Yondu's particular piece of the universe. Which David has been to thanks, during the Chitari invasion of New York City, and can he say he was happy to get out of there?]

Never heard of 'im. But it don't sound like a Terran name, at least from the ones I know. [Yondu squints at the phone again critically, the expression reading a sort of 'Happy now?'. But at least it might be useful.]

Jackson 5. That was one band. Some song called "Ain't No Mountain High Enough". Found a uh... [He makes a round and round motion in the air, unable to recall the word 'zune'. Which is for the best, really.] ....some device, someone took it off a Terran, it was in a pawn shop. Played digital music. "Come a Little Bit Closer" was one on it.

[He spreads blue hands. That's what he's got.] Only had the one fella. [But he made enough of an impression that Yondu cared about his music, whatever that means.] Ever'body else on my ship was Xandarian, Krylorian, Stark, etcetera. [Then, after a beat, he adds a quick.] And if you ain't ever seen one, I'm Centaurian. [Because a lot of Terrans haven't.]

Oh lord help you, he brought oldies music. [David himself groans at that. That particular selection of stuff happened to line up with some of what Noh-Varr was obsessed with for a time. That Kree could wear any music into the ground. Sure, they had some overlap in taste, but did the guy have to go for oldies? Get some jazz into your life like a sane person.

But at the listing of species he nods. Yes, he's heard of some of those, but he doesn't know that he's heard of a Centaurian.]

Would that be because you're from the region of Alpha-Centauri? Didn't know anyone from that region had visited Earth. Granted I've run into more than a few species myself. Not as many. Mainly only Kree from alternate, supposedly peace-loving dimensions, and then the Skrull. Which I'd prefer not to meet more of. Well, other than the one that is my friend. But he's half-Skrull, half-Kree, which I imagine is a highly rare combination, even in your parts of the galaxy. Still, forgive me if it's a faux pax, but I have to say, your particular skin tone is a really great blue skin tone. Most of the people I've met that have been blue have had fur actually.

[While Yondu's face seems to be set to various stages of frown, those phases break as he names off things. Different recognitions. Kree? Skrull? What the hell, half Kree? Half Skrull?]

Nah, I uh... No offense taken. Heard worse commentary on my looks. Nice shade o' Terran yourself. [That aside.] You know Kree? Peace-lovin' Kree? [It's obvious from his expression he's seen the worst versions of the Kree.] Skrulls ain't that bad. Not enough of 'em left to amount to much. Kree killed most of 'em off. [He doesn't want to consider worst case scenarios as to how one became half-half. But that is exactly where his brain goes. Could be wrong, though.]

[He leans in a little, tucking that phone under the table, angling himself like he doesn't want anything that might be watching from any corner to see him bring this up.]

You ever hear of somethin' called the Supreme Intelligence?

[Oh if only racism agreed with you, Yondu, but David has moved past that. As for the question, well... Well, he was ready to answer except he freezes at the idea that 'Kree killed most of 'em off'.]

Well, I can say for sure we're from different parts of the multi-verse then. Sure, there are less Skrull than there were and their empire is scattered, they still exist in good numbers. Right now Y'lrt, the Super Skrull, leads a good portion of them, I think. As something like a regent for Dorrek VIII. Their homework was devoured by Galactus though. And the war hasn't been good for them. But they aren't gone. They invaded Earth, again several years ago. In that annoying 'I look like people you know' way they do. I've had to fight too many.

[And he's not that great against enemies he can't see coming these days. David leans back in his chair a bit to consider the rest of it. How did you even explain Noh-Varr and his reality where the Kree have achieved intergalactic peace through force? How do you explain that you're friends with a Kree obsessed with music and Earth culture and who is part cockroach, not to mention a pink kree? How did you explain Teddy to anyone? But the other question...]

Fuck the Supreme Intelligence. Noh-Varr isn't even all that much of a believer in it these days. Damn thing tried to harness the Phoenix Force, even knowing that the portion of it they would capture would only enrage the thing, which was on a path for Earth. Honestly, we're pretty lucky in the grand scheme. The Kree have learned more or less not to fuck with Earth anymore. Hell, even the Inhumans want nothing to do with the Kree, and they were made by the Kree doing their stupid genetic-engineering on 'lesser races' stuff way back in Earth's past.

Basically? The SI knows better than to come to Earth, or send the military there. It's happened a few times, but typically the Kree military gets put in its place.

Empire? ...They ain't got no empire. Not no more. [That makes Yondu furrow his brow up again, sitting back again, elbow on the table and a little sideways. That didn't make much sense.] I was a Kree battle slave for twenty odd years, somethin' like that. [With the dispassionate detachment of a man who wouldn't relate the emotional toll that kind of thing takes on most anyone. Instead, still thinking of the Skrulls, back to when they did have an Empire.] Kree went real hard on 'em. I reckon you did know Kree that went easier than what I did. [Or a version of the Skrulls that went harder.]

[There's a lot of words he doesn't recognize there, but that doesn't surprise him at this point. Phoenix Force. He did know something happened on Terra that made the Kree back off of it, about a decade after he'd brushed by there.]

Well, either way, if you know what the Supreme Intelligence is, you can guess why I haven't exactly been all that personable. [Besides his natural demeanor. But hell, maybe he should have been. If someone else here would catch on to what the hell he was talking about; after all, the SI put on a big ol' smiling face to the Kree and they could holler into the night about the magnitude of its helpfulness. That makes him all the more suspicious about the AI here.]

The Kree and Skrull have been pretty well balanced in my universe. Well, until Galactus. And someday the two will likely be merged as a single unified empire.

[Still, there are good A.I. out there. Or passable. But David understands the point and nods. His computer skills have taught him enough about being leery.]

I can’t access it to talk to. Things I can’t talk to I can’t trust. Anything that can program a poker face isn’t very easy to trust actually.

[Galactus? Also knew to him. But it sounds, at the very most like a Celestial and at the very least like an Asshole so maybe it's good that the name is new to him.]

Reckon it's just as bad if it can program a face to make people like it as it is programmin' a poker face. I get real suspicious of a lot of friendly.

[At least when it's android girls, he knows they just want money.]

I figure that's somethin' that don't matter right now. [Where they're probably being monitored. He can always look this guy up later (maybe they were successful in making a connection between people in that way).] Who is Noh-Varr?

[Actually, that might be an interesting fight. Quill's father against Galactus. David would claim to pay for tickets for that, but he's too smart by half to even risk such a thing. But the programmed poker face earns a slight nod from him. Because yes, he definitely gets that sort of comment. Of course here, with an AI in charge of them, it's even worse. Especially since at least with the Kree Supreme Intelligence you more or less knew what it wanted. David sighs at last and nods in agreement. It doesn't matter so much right now. But he might talk to Yondu about it later. Kree battle slave or not, the man has a bit of knowledge about this sort of AI, and David... Well, he doesn't. He was never in a room with one as someone who made one as complex as this seemed to be. Nor with an AI like that either, though he wasn't certain if his powers would have extended to that.]

Noh-Varr is the Kree I mentioned earlier. He is from another dimension from either of us. He was bred and engineered to be a perfect diplomat and soldier. His crew apparently traveled the multiverse for many of their years trying to enforce peace. Apparently in his dimension the Kree created peace by conquering everything. Not that the Kree of my universe like him very much, for a variety of reasons.

Of course, some say that one should be measured by the quality of their enemies, and since he's managed to piss off the whole Kree Empire, I think that's at least a small tally mark in his corner. Well... not the whole empire. There is, again, Dorrek.

[Who knows if Teddy might get pulled into this place. If he does, David doesn't want people knowing just what he is, better to use his birth name.]

Kree get real proud of themselves when they start makin' people. Ah well. This whole dimensional thing is throwin' me for a loop. Now, I heard tell of people slippin' through 'em when they make too many light-speed jumps. But it's all been heresay and I ain't ever run into it. [He rubs the back of his head as he's talking, working it all out.]

The Kree have half-ass been tryin' to make peace in my neck of the woods for the last little while. I figure they realized all the people they pissed off done about ready to take 'em on. The entire Ravager fleet ready to go down their throats for one thing. [He would have talked his way in on it. Even if he's sure they wouldn't want the help, he would have done it.]

But there are a few guys that think they can just go off and take over whatever 'cause they take a notion. Outliers still lurkin' around doin' what they do.

[In Yondu's case, he's lucky the Kree set him up with a tool good enough to fight other Kree.]

Well, now you have something beyond hearsay. I spent the last several months traveling the multiverse with my friends in order to rescue another friend.

[Which of course had not succeeded. But that is another matter entirely and David does not want to get into that.] There is even a chance I have been to your dimension, but since we only wandered Earth I would be unable to verify.

But yes, you sum the Kree up very well. They gave up on Earth primarily because of Captain Mar-Vell. On of their greatest military heroes of the generation became Earth’s protector. Not to mention an Aesir. Asgardian Gods, hard to argue against that, even for the Kree. The Skrull, though. They’ve been worse. Apparently there is a prophecy that they are to inherit the Earth and so we get attacked by them some.

You have any idea of how to navigate or were you just makin' your best guess?

Kree gave me somethin' to be able to take out a lotta people when I was a slave. But when somebody got me out, I was able to get rid of a lotta Kree. So I know they got their weaknesses and it don't help that they set up what they saw as lesser races to kick their own asses.

But Skrulls got the bad end of the bargain way back when, when there was more of 'em. They had a lotta political pushback against 'em in the news. Best check to see where a Skrull is from if they show up here. Figure if they don't got an Empire to speak of, they might be worth talkin' to.

[He realizes then, with some surprise, that they don't actually have all that much time left. Which means he'll have to come find the kid after, very likely. Shows him for trying so hard to keep his trap shut for so long.]

The young woman who we were with, the one opening the paths for us? She knew how to navigate. And we had Loki to help. We were pursuing something so that made it easier.

[He does smile at the brief surprise on Yondu’s face as he checks his own watch.]

That was easier, right? Next person, just talk to them about inconsequential things. Like... engines. Or maintenance procedures. .

Let's just say I ain't real good at conversation just for entertainment. I figure you already figured that out, though.

[Save for Kraglin, who had his sense of humor. But Kraglin had dicked him over, and while he tried to make up for it (enough that when he admitted he made a mistake, he brought him with him), there's still a paranoia that's settled into him now.]

[Also a strange loneliness that he actually did have a family and didn't bother to recognize it for way too long. But he'll just sit on that for another stretch of forever. Best not to pay it any mind.]

We got these comm device thingies. You tell me when you get out. Remember, the name's Yondu. I dunno how they're gonna spell that in translation but since most of y'all are Terrans I'm guessin' it'll be unique enough to look up.

I'll let you know, Yondu. But try not to get yourself in trouble with our host by not playing his game. First rule of chess is that you can't win if you don't follow the rules.

[With that the timer goes off and David rises to his feet. He offers Yondu a brief nod before heading on to his next table.]

You actually gave me a good question.

[He waves one finger in the air, and that's because he realizes that he can ask the next person what the hell chess is. He thinks he knows. It's a Terran game. He's heard Quill say 'check mate' and stuff. He is reasonably sure Peter Quill can not actually play chess.]

[But he'll work through that later. Maybe there's as much to do with the hardware as the software of this place. And hardware he can do. Once they're done, he'll keep an eye out for the kid's contact.]

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TDM 001. WELCOME TO THE CITY

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