This thread was first produced by PK. I've always thought that it had great potential, and so I thank him for the opportunity to try to show some of that potential in this thread exchange.
And now, with further ado, I present the new Micron.
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The mid-21st century was an era of peace and prosperity. After a rocky start, the early years of the 21st century proved to be a new Golden Age of sorts, as countless new technologies sprang forth from the ether. These new technologies solved many of humanity’s worst problems, including hunger, poverty, and even disease.
The wellspring for many of these technologies was the groundbreaking nanotechnology developed by Nano-Tech Industries. Primarily a pharmaceutical company, Nano-Tech Industries developed the first successful nanite, or nano-machine, with the intention of using it within the human body. While successful, the development of a working nanite proved to be more important than the Nano-Tech executives initially believed, as numerous spin-offs projects by other companies sprang up over-night, in such various fields as energy production, food production, and building construction.
While Nano-Tech Industries couldn’t claim any of the other beneficial products as its own, it could continue to work on its original goal: developing a pharmaceutical nanite product. Within ten years, Nano-Tech’s various nanites had enabled doctors to achieve what the rest of the medical field hadn’t been able to do since its conception: eradicate disease. For those people comfortable with the idea of thousands of microscopic machines crawling through their bloodstream, virtually any health problem could be cured, regardless of whether it was caused by genetics or germs.
However, the once-insurmountable challenge doctors faced in their war to eradicate illness was not caused by the sheer number of germs, but by their adaptability . . .
September 21st, 2067 – A young girl is found dead outside her home in the Ibana River Valley, located in the African nation of Zimbabwe. When given a cursory examination by paramedics upon arrival at the home, nothing physically wrong with the girl is discovered.
September 24th, 2067 – The autopsy of the girl is finally complete, and the coroner’s report shreds light on the cause of the girl’s death, although the answer only raises more questions: the girl died of a sudden and inexplicable cessation of brain signals to the heart.
September 25th, 2067 – The girl’s family is found dead in their home, although an investigation by law enforcement and paramedics reveals that none of the family members were victims of foul play, nor did any of them commit suicide. A subsequent autopsy of each reveals that they all died from the same thing as their girl: cessation of brain signals.
September 30th, 2067 – A mysterious illness sweeps through most of the Ibana River Valley, killing well over 30% of the local population in a single day. Horrified, local officials contact the Zimbabwe government, asking for immediate help.
October 2nd, 2067 – Representatives from the Zimbabwean government finally arrive in the Ibana River Valley to evaluate the situation, only to find that nearly 80% of the population has now perished from the mysterious disease. Recalling ancient disease containment protocols, the officials opt to remain in the valley, in order not to risk spreading the disease further. All officials except one, that is, who flees into the wilderness in the hopes that he had not already contracted whatever this new illness was.
October 4th, 2067 – Official researchers from the World Health Organization arrive in Zimbabwe, at the behest of the Zimbabwean government. Clad in modern-day Biohazard suits, the researchers head to the Ibana River Valley, after being warned by government officials that some generals in the military were counselling a firebombing of the Ibana River Valley, covering the entire area in napalm and hoping that it would destroy whatever remained of this new disease, along with any remaining carriers.
October 5th, 2067 – The World Health researchers arrive in the Ibana River Valley, by which time was under a military blockade of all roads and other common entrance-exit points into the Valley. The blockade proved to be not needed, however, as nearly 95% of the local residents of the valley were by this time dead.
October 8th, 2067 – The last of the valley’s residents perishes, along with the Zimbabwean government officials who had elected to stay after arriving in the valley on October 2nd. Despite the chance to examine several obviously infected people (obvious only in the fact that they were the last people alive in a valley that evidently was plagued by some sort of germ that had already killed everyone else) thoroughly, and do several sweeps with microbial hunter-killer nanites, the World Health researchers find nothing.
October 9th, 2067 – With all inhabitants dead, the World Health researchers collect several tissue samples to take back for study, practice good bio-containment procedure by destroying all of their used suits & equipment a safe distance from the valley, and then leave. The government orders a carpet bombing of the valley shortly thereafter, using incendiary bombs and napalm to cleanse the Ibana River Valley of all life.
October 15th, 2067 – Another case of the disease appears, this time in Cairo, Egypt. Standard containment procedures, designed for use more in rural villages than in major cities, prove to be mostly impossible to implement. Nevertheless, Egyptian officials set up a blockade around the city, cutting off all incoming and outgoing ground and air traffic.
October 17th, 2067 – Yet more cases of the disease appear, this time in Tokyo, Chicago, and London. The World Health Organization, after analyzing the situation, declares a pandemic. Still unsure of the exact nature of the disease, health officials nonetheless classify the pandemic as a massive outbreak of a new virus, one which is apparently undetectable by traditional methods, and unrecognized as a target by nanite hunter-killers.
October 21st, 2067 – As the pandemic continues to spiral it out of control, one journalist refers to the viral outbreak as the “Ibana Virus”, after the disease’s apparent point of origin in the Ibana River Valley. The name sticks, and even World Health Organization officials soon start referring to the “Ibana Virus” in reports on new outbreaks.
October 28th, 2067 – World Health Organization officials, still at a loss as to how to combat the Ibana virus, contact Nano-Tech Industries. As the primary supplier of nanites
to the rest of the world, if anyone could figure out how to alter the nanite hunter-killers to target the Ibana virus, it would be Nano-Tech.
November 4th, 2067 – Nano-tech officially reports that it is having difficulty modifying the hunter-killers into targeting the Ibana virus. Even after nearly a month of study, not a single researcher can even describe what Nano-Tech should be programming their hunter-killer nanites to look for. Despite the lack of empirical evidence that the Ibana Virus exists, the body count continues to rise throughout the world.
November 6th, 2067 – Rumors begin to circulate that Nano-Tech Industries has started a new research project, based on its current failure to find a cure for the Ibana Virus. No details about the actual project have yet been leaked to journalists, except the name: The Micron Project.
November 7th, 2067 – Although the media would not be aware of this fact until several weeks later, several clandestine representatives of Nano-Tech Industries approach some of the top fighter pilots and scientists around the world, saying that Nano-Tech had a job for them . . . .
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This thread will be heavily stats based for combat. As such, you
can bite off more than your can chew, especially if you have the wrong type of equipment for the job (big, heavy guns versus small, agile opponents, for example). Your character can therefore die if you aren’t careful, and if that happens, too bad.
Of course, you can restart as a brand new character, or perhaps take over one of the NPCs if necessary. (Note that character deaths should be quite rare, but they can happen, especially if you are arrogant. :roll: ) Note that the stat-based combat will not take pilot skills levels into effect, but rather ship equipment only. (For example, each weapon will have a certain amount accuracy, do a certain amount of damage when it hits, etc.)
Ok, now to join this thread here’s what I need from you right now.
Name: Obviously, your char’s name
Gender: Male or Female? No “It”s allowed.
Nationality: where does your char come from?
Appearance: Optional
Class: Either pilot or scientist. Pilots fly the craft that will be used in the struggle against the Ibana Virus. Combat and excitement, naturally, are what their job is. Scientists, meanwhile, stay behind and conduct research on the Ibana Virus. This role is more for those RPers who would prefer to sit around and chat as opposed to fight. In addition to being more relaxed and chat-oriented as opposed to combat oriented, scientists will also be responsible for assigning research points to the various available research projects, and will be responsible for solving the mystery behind the Ibana Virus.
Background: You can do this in one of two ways. Either type up a typical background, being sure to include any memorable moments in your character’s career that would have attracted the attention of Nano-Tech recruiters, or you can do an in-thread post describing your character’s most recent escapade. At the end, you’ll find some Nano-Tech recruiters waiting for you.