saladlove | Rise in Revolution (Chapter One)

tanadin posting in

Hey, guys! The long awaited chapter one of RiR is finally here! For those who don't know, RiR is an original story that I'm writing placed in a scifi/fantasy kind of setting. I'd explain more about its plot but I think it's described best in-story.

Now, a quick note. This story uses both original characters of mine and characters based off of my friends. Every single character that I did not create was used with permission from the friend in question- they helped to design their character to some degree and agreed to allow me to write them. Note that these characters may not behave completely like the people they are based on: these characters have had different experiences, backgrounds, and may not even be human. Just because character x falls in love with character y does not mean that those two people necessarily are in a relationship, nor does character a hating character b mean that those people don't get along.

Without anything further, I believe it's time to begin. I've kept you guys waiting long enough for this- the hype is real!

Chapter list: https://tanadin.dreamwidth.org/650.html
World map: http://tanadin.deviantart.com/art/Kaldriel-RiR-map-594639189

Chapter One

Arrival

Train Station Gamma-4, Sector IAL. January 4, 2272. Time instance 842N.

Emma Nossur took a deep breath as she stepped off the train and onto the station, exhaling slowly as she examined her surroundings. She supposed that, before the invasion, this place had once been bustling with activity. It certainly hadn’t been made in the past twenty years. The floor tiles were varying shades of red and orange and yellow, creating designs and patterns that she didn’t care to investigate. The walls were red brick, but unlike the pre-invasion train stations, the entire place was spotless, cleaned of any filth that could have built up from what few people passed through here.

The place was empty- except, of course, for Emma herself, and a single cyborg that stood at the exit. She didn’t move, however, even as the train behind her shut its doors and started off back down the rail the way it had came. She glanced down at the paper in her hand, reading over its words once more, for what was likely the hundredth time since she had received it.

Emma Nossur,

You have been reassigned from sector ASQ to sector IAL. You will report to Train Station Gamma-3 on January 4, 2272 at 7:00 AM to be transported to your new place of residence. Locate apartment building 4 and show your new ID to the manager at the front desk. You will be housed in room 154 and will begin your job in the mines on January 6, 2272. You will report to the iron mines at 7:00 AM on the printed date and begin work immediately.

Your previous ID is now null and void and should be properly disposed of immediately. All former duties and responsibilities as a citizen of sector ASQ now no longer apply. Take only essentials with you on the train- anything you cannot carry must remain behind. You may bring no one with you.

Less than a hundred and fifty words had turned her already broken and confusing world inside out and changed her life forever, tearing her away from what family she had and what little she knew.

Emma crumpled up the paper in her hand, then unfolded it once more. She still needed the information on it, at least for now. She took another deep breath and strode forward, eyes gazing straight ahead at the door before her. She hoped to not be stopped, but the cyborg guarding the door stepped in front of her. She reluctantly raised her eyes to look into his, noting that his right eye had been replaced with a metal version that glowed with an eerie red light. His right forearm appeared to be replaced with smooth metal, as well, and she struggled not to show her distaste for the being before her on her face.

“Halt. Present ID for examination.” Emma dug in her pocket and produced the plastic card that all citizens were assigned. This one was new and undamaged, unlike her old one, that had been chewed on by a younger sibling and was in sore need of replacing anyway. The cyborg took the card from her and scanned it briefly before returning it and stepping to the side. “You may pass.”

Emma didn’t acknowledge him at all other than stepping forward and pushing her way through the double doors, narrowing her eyes at the sudden blinding sunlight. Despite having to cross a decent chunk of the continent in a single day by train, it was barely past noon. Once her eyes adjusted, she descended the stone steps down the slight hill that the train station was build upon until she reached the paved walkway below.

She stopped there, surveying her surroundings once more. As she had expected, the entire area had been rebuilt in a more Mainframe-type style- very orderly, nothing special to look at, and very, very boring. The streets were wide enough for about five people to walk next to each other and created even blocks. Along each of the streets there was a single apartment building that rose far above most other buildings, which were primarily storage or various ‘businesses’ that the local control center had set up.

This was all familiar to Emma, and she was grateful that something, at least, was the same. She suspected that the exact layout was different, however, as each sector had its own variances in terrain and requirements. She knew from her lessons in the education system that there was a massive lake in the center of IAL, which, aside from the few orchards that were set up here and there, provided most of the food for the sector. It was also one of the very few sectors with little automation, due to the presence of some kind of material in the ground that made it difficult for sensors to read much of anything. If it wasn’t for the presence of other valuable and rare materials, there wouldn’t be a sector in this isolated and bizarre location at all. Even before the invasion, few people had lived here- and they had only gotten here in the past century or so due to its isolation and inhospitality.

Before Emma could start searching for apartment building 4- which, if IAL was anything like ASQ, would be on street 4- another figure approached her. Emma tensed, wary, expecting the figure to be a cyborg.

She wasn’t. The girl had long brown hair, similar to Emma’s, and light blue eyes framed by glasses with gold-colored frames. She was quite pale and wore black pants and a t-shirt, although it was covered by a blue jacket. She was much taller than Emma was, at about 5’10 while Emma stood at only 5’5. She had a small, faint scar on the left side of her jaw.

The girl stopped a few feet away and seemed to battle with her nerves for a few seconds before speaking. “Hey. Are you...new?” Her accent was Skerekish and thus not much of a thing of note, as Emma was quite familiar with it despite being Kesronian.

Emma nodded. “Just in from ASQ.”

The girl raised an eyebrow. “ASQ? That’s connected to SOV, isn’t it?”

Emma nodded again. “It is.”

“Hm. Well, if you’d like, I’ll show you around. I remember being new here.”

Emma smiled at her. “Thanks, I appreciate the offer. What’s your name?”

“Tanadin. Yours?”

“Emma.”

“Emma,” Tanadin repeated. “That’s a nice name. Come on, I’ll show you to your apartment building. Which one is it?”

“Four. And thank you.”

“Hey, no problem. Being new in a sector sucks. Come on, it’s this way.” Tanadin led the way down the street, Emma not far behind. The few people walking along barely looked at her and she didn’t notice them too much, either- however, she noted that none of them were cyborgs.

As they walked, Emma dared to ask, “How long have you been here?” Clearly not for long, if you remember being new.

Tanadin looked at her with an expression of slight surprise. “I’ve been here since right after the invasion, when everyone was assigned.”

That was twenty years ago! She can’t be more than twenty-two. “How old are you?” The question burst from her before she could contain it, and she flinched internally. What kind of question was that?

Tanadin looked amused, however, and thankfully not offended. “I’m a hundred and four.”

A hundred and four! Emma couldn’t recall ever having met anyone so old. “How...I mean, what…” She stumbled over her words, not sure how to phrase her question without being rude.

“I’m a fire elemental.” Tanadin explained. “We age at about a fifth of the rate humans do.”

“That would explain it.” Emma muttered. “So you remember the invasion?”

Tanadin’s expression darkened. “Unfortunately. I remember the damned ship that swooped down on the Infinity Cascade, firing that magical suppressant. I was forced to switch to my human form, just like every other elemental there, or risk being destroyed instantly. We were helpless as the portals were closed and locked with their devices, and we were forced to sit by and do nothing as the world fell in twenty-four hours.” She shivered. “Being relocated to IAL, seeing the world being rebuilt the way that the Mainframe wanted it to be built was…hard, to say the least. I don’t know who it's worse for: we who remember what it was like before, or you who know nothing but the way things are now…”

They were silent the rest of the way, Emma lost deep in thought.

Twenty years ago, on August 24, 2252, alien ships had attacked the planet unexpectedly and mercilessly. They fired magic suppressors, removing any kind of real resistance that could be raised, and enslaved the entire planet within a day. They set up a supercomputer called the Mainframe to run the planet in their stead. They stuck around long enough to divide the planet into sectors, each controlled by another computer called a control center. Every control center answered to the Mainframe, which assigned each and every person to the sector where they would work most efficiently at whatever task they were assigned.

With that, the aliens left without anyone seeing anything of them but their technology and their ships. People quickly attempted to resist against the Mainframe’s control, but they were captured or killed and transformed into cyborgs programmed to carry out the Mainframe’s orders. Between their greater technology and their ability to suppress magical energy, the aliens and their precious Mainframe could not be defeated, and thus the planet Kaldriel was enslaved.

To have lived to see that day...Emma shivered at the thought. She was glad she had been born the year after and had not had to endure the suffering that was an entirely different life being completely destroyed.

Not that my current situation is much better, she reflected as she and Tanadin stopped at the door that led into apartment building 4.

“I can help you unpack if you’d like, then I can show you around and introduce you to some people if you want. You’re going to need friends here- without them, you can’t really survive.”

“Thank you.” Emma opened the door and stepped inside, narrowing her eyes at the man behind the counter and trying to assess if he was a cyborg. Since he appeared to be reading, however, and considering his slow reaction time, she judged him to be human. She stepped forward, Tanadin not far behind.

“New arrivals?” The man asked, setting down his book.

“Just me.” Emma handed him her ID. He picked up a device and scanned her ID, confirming to Emma that he wasn’t a cyborg. He typed a few things into the computer at the desk- a rare thing to see due to technology restrictions- before handing it back.

“Room 154, second floor. Take the elevator. Oh, and welcome to IAL.”

Emma nodded without responding and turned towards the elevator, pressing the up arrow. It opened immediately and both she and Tanadin stepped in. Tanadin pressed the button for her and it was only a few seconds before the doors slid open onto the second floor.

“I don’t use the elevators often.” Tanadin confessed as they stepped out into the hall and started searching for Emma’s room. “My room is on the first floor of my building- apartment 10- and I...don’t spend a lot of time in it.”

Emma looked at her curiously. “Really? Why?”

“I’ll explain later. Hey, is this it? 154, right?”

Emma checked the piece of paper in her hand one more time before shoving it in her bag. “Yeah. This is it.” She slid her ID card into the lock and waited for it to beep softly at her before she opened the door and stepped inside.

As she had suspected, it wasn’t a very large apartment, just enough for one person to live in without having too many issues with space. She dropped her bag on the bed and sat down for a moment, taking a deep breath.

“Hey.” She looked up as Tanadin spoke. “It’s gonna be alright, okay? It’s rough but you’ll get through it. I’m the most fragile person I know and I managed it- gods know how.”

Emma nodded and smiled at the fire elemental. “Thanks.” She got to her feet. “Are your friends all like you?”

“What, fire elementals? No.”

“No, I meant personality-wise.”

“We’ll have to go with no there as well, but I’m sure you’ll find someone acceptable.” Comforted by the thought of friends so early on, Emma followed Tanadin out, careful to shut the door behind her and keep her ID card with her.

Tanadin led her down a series of streets until they reached street 8. They walked a few buildings down before Tanadin knocked at the door of a building that looked quite different from the rest- it was painted blue and appeared to have a garage or something of some sort.

The door swung open to reveal one of the most bizarre men that Emma had ever seen. He was the same height as Tanadin and just as pale, but his short black hair was styled into a slightly spiky appearance, as if he was trying to pull it off as being natural and failing. He wore gray jeans and a matching t-shirt, both stained with oil. He had a pair of sunglasses with triangular lenses covering his eyes, which made Emma question how seriously she could take this guy. A scar ran across his left eye, and judging by his expression when he opened the door and saw them, he had likely gotten it in a fight.

“Hello, Kyir.” Tanadin said pleasantly.

“Who’s she?”

“Her name is Emma. She’s new.”

Kyir narrowed his eyes. “You’re not taking her inside, are you?”

“She’s trustworthy.”

“How do you know that?”

Tanadin shot him a look. “Because she was forcibly transferred from ASQ to IAL. She’s definitely not one of those stupid loyalists, and the likelihood of one of them even ending up in IAL is pretty damn slim. Anyone who lives here hates the Mainframe with every fiber of their being.”

Kyir looked at Emma suspiciously. “If she gets us in trouble, it's your fault, alright?”

“It always is.” Tanadin told him cheerfully. “Trust the elemental’s intuition! Remember last time you didn’t?”

“Look, we all make mistakes, alright? Now buzz off, I’m way behind schedule and I’d rather not have our new unit make me his first stop.”

“New unit?” Emma questioned.

Tanadin turned and grinned at her, ignoring Kyir shutting his door and retreating inside. “Emma, I want to explain something to you. Kyir and I...we’re part of a criminal organization. We’re the heart of freedom in IAL and we destroyed our previous peacekeeping unit, 7006-α. They’re likely to send in another unit soon and we plan to deal with that one, and the one after that, and on and on until we can do something more than bring temporary respite to our current situation.”

Emma stared at her in wonder. She’d never heard of anyone daring to oppose the local peacekeeping units. “You destroyed one?”

“We’ve destroyed two.” Tanadin told her proudly. “I’m about to lead you straight into the Black Market- yes, it’s a place. Your expression gives away your question. It’s safe from their scanners and it’s probably the most illegal place in all of IAL. You can’t tell anyone of its location or Kyir will gut you and decorate his wall with your intestines, but it’s quite safe and friendly in there.”

Emma raised an eyebrow, allowed a slight smile to creep onto her face. “A safe and friendly place guarded by a man who wants to rip intestines out. That makes sense.”

“Drastic times call for drastic measures! Now do you want to join the IAL elite or not?”

Emma nodded and followed Tanadin inside and down a hallway. She knocked three times on a wall and waited until someone’s voice whispered, “Where does freedom live?”

Tanadin immediately replied, “In our hopes, our hearts, and our dreams. We have a new arrival.”

“Really? Interesting.” The wall slid backwards and sank downwards, revealing the bare bricks beneath. As Emma watched, a hidden mechanism opened the bricks up before her as two jagged ‘doors’ with interlocking brick ‘teeth’ swung backwards to reveal a dark tunnel. A form could be seen retreating down the tunnel, calling ahead about a new arrival.

Tanadin led the way down and showed Emma how to shut the hidden door before they walked through the tunnel and into the massive room beyond.

As Emma stepped over the threshold into the room, she froze completely as all eyes focused on her.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

From:

jiminee

HEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEELL YEAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH

From:

subliminalcircles

INCOHERENT SCREAMING

From:

tdscott8

From:

tdscott8

Tanadin I hope you know I just narrated this entire chapter's dialogue in a group call using different voices for everyone and it's probably going to be a continuous thing so fear

From:

tanadin

fear

From:

scara

Ooooooo boy! ^_^

So not set on Earth but another planet entirely that was also enslaved by The Combine? Damn this is going to be good :D

From:

tanadin

Well, they're not quite the Combine, but...

From:

scara

But a race that works off of a similar principle? Invade, enslave and have the populous of the planet mine up any precious resources for the conquering race.

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Rise in Revolution (Chapter One)

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