001 | [audio]

[emomachine]

[The audio feed turns on. After a few moments of silence, the voice that comes through is soft and hesitant but clear.]

...I think I'm supposed to use this. But I...

[one hefty pause later]

I don't know why I'm here. Is that strange?

[one much shorter pause later]

And... what are "marques"?

Comments

[audio]

[acemedium]

You're here because you got kidnapped! [Helpful.]

And you know... money! Like dollars, except weird and futuristic and stuff.

[audio]

[emomachine]

[so helpful]

Kidnapped!? But why?

Oh... [still sounding kind of unsure]

[audio]

[acemedium]

[The most helpful.] Oh, you know how it is. Some guys in the future can't beat jerks on their own so they start kidnapping people from other worlds and times and trying to make them fight 'cause they're also jerks. [NO BIGGIE]

... Huh? What's the matter?

[audio]

[emomachine]

[DOES NOT COMPUTE] This is... the future?

It's just... I've never used money before.

audio;

[aphrodisiacs]

Sounds like your fitting in fine. No one really knows why we're here. And if they do, it's absolute bullshit.

[ because being kidnapped is bullshit. alisha sounds less than impressed. ]

audio;

[emomachine]

[oh good so it's not just him for once]

Then... how do we go back to where we were?

audio;

[aphrodisiacs]

Back home? [ alisha shrugs, not that he can see it. ] Dunno. No one's been able to answer that. There's no door or building that leads you back home.

voice;

[bratworth]

Did you listen to the explanation given by the woman when you were given time to choose your weapon?

voice;

[emomachine]

I tried... but she mostly talked about weapons. I don't even know who she is.

voice;

[bratworth]

Well, it's unimportant now. As she is likely in the employ of the Initiative, any information you would have received from her would have been biased in their favour. [ He says it as though pretty much all the information they possess isn't biased in one way or another. ]

The short of it is that you have been brought to this place, Exsilium, to fight a war on the behalf of the people who rule it - The Initiative. Our 'enemies' are the United Earth, the union of countries outside this island, which is located on what was formerly known as England.

[eyecontact]

It's not that strange...They try to explain it right away, but it doesn't answer a whole lot.

[emomachine]

Ah... [a little relieved.]

...Can you explain it?

[eyecontact]

Well I can try! But I don't know how good my explaining can be compared to some of the smarter people here...

Basically from what I understand, some of the people here want to make things better by changing their past...Like changing things that happened then so the outcomes are better for them now. I'm not really sure how they can even know what things to change to make it right because things have already gone a little crazy...

[video]

[perfectionisms]

Marques are this country's currency. Did you even bother to listen to the orientation?

[audio]

[emomachine]

[:(]

Currency...?

[permavideo]

[perfectionisms]

Was that too big of a word? Money. It means money, boy.

Audio;

[square_cubelaw]

We're here to help someone fight a war, or so they tell us.

Marques is just a name for the currency here.

Welcome to the confusion.

Audio;

[emomachine]

[money sure seems like a Big Deal...]

Who are they? Why us?

Audio;

[square_cubelaw]

Not sure and no clue.

They seem to have their reasons but haven't shared it. Which means you should watch your back and expect them to be doing something shady.

[whatsupcroc]

Umm... hey, what's your name?

[emomachine]

...

Jiro.

[whatsupcroc]

Nice to meet you, Jiro! Or nice to talk to you. I'm Collette. Have you been told what the whole marque thing is yet? And why you're here?

[text]

[vestigiaflammae]

hey there! youre new right? did they not explain anything to you?

basically they want us to fight for them so they grabbed us. you might get sent home before they're done fighting or you might not. dunno how they pick!

what's your name? im lea!

[perma-audio]

[emomachine]

They didn't explain very much, just that we had to choose a weapon...

I'm Jiro.

[perma-audio]

[vestigiaflammae]

[Well, if he's gonna be talking a lot, he might as well set that up -- it's easier than typing, right? Just a moment, and then his voice'll come through, sounding cheerful.]

Wow, I guess they were pretty busy... Anyway, this is Exsilium, and they brought us here because they need us to help them fight the government out there. They can't do it themselves because they keep asking us to change the past, and sometimes that screws things up in the present. Since we're from different worlds we're usually okay if weird stuff happens.

-- That's what I figure, anyway! They didn't give any of us a lot of explanation.