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I have an idea brewing, but I will be flying out to Germany for 9 days towards the end of the month, so no promises. I'll see if I can get a working prototype up in a couple of days and go from there.

Will anyone be surprised if I say my game might take place on a space station? No? Okay then...

Oooh! Excellent, we have liftoff!
And imaginative liftoff to boot. Well done CaptainD and Mandle, let's see if more folks will take on the challenge.

[Last Will and Testament]

What could be even more lousy than dying? Dying and knowing that your collection of vintage Star Wars Pez -dispensers is going to your least favourite son! Or maybe someone else dying and leaving said collection to someone who doesn't respect them. Namely: not you!

Well, I guess there could be a lot of things, actually, but man is inheritance complicated and annoying!

And so, this fortnight's theme is 'Last Will and Testament'.

Criteria is simple enough:

1) Valid entrants must contain the words 'last will and testament' within their story.

2) Story must be related to a person recently dead or soon to be dead, ie. the 'Last Will and Testament' is relevant and timely to the story in some way, shape or form.

Deadline for your entry is end of Monday July 18th.

Submissions will be judged on following criteria (with voters alloting one point per category):
> Best character
> Best setting
> Best writing style / technique
> Most interesting last will and testament

An almost entire loaf of bread! That'd feed me for three weeks!
Oh me, oh my, this is a blessed day indeed!

Cheers to everyone! Really happy to see that you folks liked the story.

I've got an idea for the next theme, will post it up tomorrow morning.

WHAM: The stakes in your story are set very high. It's about the survival of all of humanity and you get the anxiety of such a situation across pretty well. But, to be honest, the elite in your story is slightly stupid. They should have expected this kind of "treason", shouldn't they?

They thought they had, though perhaps this should have been brought across better. The idea was that the workers were promised places in Eden for their services (Eden needs workers after it's completion anyway), along with other assets and money and services. The rich people simply underestimated the people's will to be together with their families, even if that would mean more or less directly murdering thousands of people and watching them die.

Mine poor ol' vote is cast: BARON!

[“Eden”]

“Eden”

The boldfaced letters surrounded by vivid imagery of exotic plants and clear blue skies painted a biblical picture of a paradise. A pristine sanctuary, a gift from God, a safe haven shielded from the outside world. Dust swirled in the air around the sign as a low-flying helicopter whooshed past it at high speed.

Edwin looked out of the helicopter windows, his eyes scanning the rapidly shifting landscape below. The flare up of global conflict in 2022 that had seen the east and the west reliving their cold war -era power fantasies all across eurasia had broken the planet, cracked it's surface wide open and the resultant atmospheric annihilation had eventually cast all of the earth into a toxic haze. Plantlife petered out, atmospheric oxygen levels collapsed as the fires burned and soon something that had seemed so certain and safe was the scarcest resource on offer: oxygen.

Edwin's eyes spotted the miles and miles of highways, cars stalled atop the asphalt as far as the eye could see, the drivers slumped over their steering wheels, some collapsed between or atop the vehicles as the poor souls has struggled for one last gasp of air. Further beyond were the buildings, hollow and lifeless and dark, tombs of glass and steel and reinforced concrete. Where in the past the winds had carried fresh air, they now had a tendency to carry walls of co2, every pleasant breeze a potential carrier of silent death for the unprepared. Edwin took a deep breath, the interior of the helicopter pressurized and rich with the artificially sweetened scent of air, and smiled to himself.

The Eden project had been initiated as soon as the harsh reality of humanity's future has become clear. A great domed city, one of several such projects in the world, that would house a sanctuary of plants and systems designed to maintain a bubble of atmosphere, shielded and secure. Tickets to enter the dome were inhibitively expensive and available in small numbers. It would be the privilege of the rich and influential, of high-level politicians and those few fortunate minds sponsored by the aforementioned, who would be allowed in. Edwin reached into his coat pocket for the sixth or seventh time today and touched on the thick plastic card, it's microchip-laden weight and smooth surface comforting to him.

“Sir! You... you might want to see this shit!” -came the voice of the pilot over the intercom. Edwin frowned, turning in his seat and nodding to his pregnant wife to provide encouragement, then peering into the cockpit to see what was happening ahead. The pilot gestured into the distance, at the base of the great reinforced dome.
“That's a shitload o' people down there! All over the landing pads!” -the pilot shouted over the engine noise. Indeed, a throng of people had gathered near the entrance. The site of construction had seen it's share of violence over the last six months, and hundreds had already died, mostly shot by security as they had tried to attack the work crews and the cargo deliveries. The side of Edwin's mouth curled downward in distaste. He found himself wishing that a foul wind would sweep across the area soon so this disturbance could be dealt with naturally and he could get on with his day.

The helicopter swooped low, over the top of the people pushing towards the door, then landed in an empty spot on the unused road that lead up to the entrance.

At the base of the dome, around the gilded gates that led into Eden, the people shouted and screamed and coughed and gasped, demanding to be let in, fearful for their lives. But it was not the common folk who stood there, clawing at the gates. Not this time. The people pressing in on the massive doors wore fine suits and held aloft wads of money and tickets just like the one Edwin carried in his pocket. There was no-one out there checking tickets with a scanner, and no sign of the recently established and handsomely paid Eden security force. Edwin stepped across the trampled body of an old man, his spectacles stomped into his crushed eye sockets and his pristine white coat covered in bootprints painted with his own blood.

“What the hell is going on in there!?” -he demanded of a man who wore a military uniform and a thick black moustache. The military man turned to face him, pale of face and eyes wide, a spent oxygen mask clutched in his hand, his lips slowly adopting a blueish hue as he spoke: “They shut the doors.” -he stated in a hushed tone that was nearly drowned out by the voices of the rich and the famous beyond. “They shut the doors on us.” -he repeated, dumbstruck, panic seeping into his shuddering voice.

Edwin stepped back, leaving the military man gasping for air as he slowly sank to his knees. Once he reached a suitable distance he stood on his toes and craned his neck to see over the people's heads, but all he could see were waving hands and the backs of a thousand heads. Above them he could see people standing on the concourses that lined up the edges of the dome city, bodies and faces peering out through the heavily reinforced glass designed to shrug off a missile, parting the lush green leaves of the plants that had been planted there. The people inside were of all sorts. Some wore Eden security uniforms and carried firearms, others wore overalls or collared shirts of technical staff. More still were children or teenagers or just regular people in clothes that wouldn't have looked out of place in the streets and thoroughfares of small town America just a decade ago. They were the people who had build Eden for a high price, labouring for months to build a miracle city they would never live in, and once they had finished their work they had secreted in their families and shut the doors.

Edwin turned around and caught a glimpse of his wife and the pilot. His sweet Carolyn had sunk to her knees, hands wrapped around her belly to protect the child within, gasping desperately for air while the pilot looked on, featureless and emotionless, his mask still attached to his face and connected to his flight suit's air supply.
“Give her the air!” -Edwin shouted, gesturing furiously, his voice hoarse all of a sudden. The pilot shrugged at him and turned away, not wasting his breath to utter a single word of defiance as he stepped into the helicopter and shut the door behind him. As the door slammed shut with a dull metallic thud followed by the rattling of the locking mechanism, Edwin had barely managed three steps.

Edwin froze, his feet suddenly stiff and his mind blank with fear. There was a shrill sound as the loudspeakers situated atop Eden's gates came to life, a frail female voice echoing into the thin air:

“H-Hello? P-Please disperse. The door to Eden has been sealed and will not open. We are...” -there was a pause as the woman on the loudspeaker struggled for words. The people outside had fallen dead silent.

“We are sorry...”

The loudspeakers went dead. The rich and the famous, the influential and the powerful, simply stood there. For a time there was a confused silence. Then came the whispers, followed by grumbling and crying. Then they screamed and shouted, lashing out and clawing at one another like wild animals. The people inside the dome watched, mothers covering the eyes of their children, and turned away in disgust.

[- The game must feature a character called Jack (doesn't have to be the player character)- Gas (in whatever form you wish)- It's all right now (interpret as you wish)]

Dude that's why we narrowed it down to these very simple things...

- The game must feature a character called Jack (doesn't have to be the player character)
- Gas (in whatever form you wish)
- It's all right now (interpret as you wish)

I am toying with ideas in my head. I might have something here...

I don't think I can do enough drugs in the allotted timeframe that would produce the required mental state AND allow me to code anything. I've read the lyrics and listened to the song a few times now and still don't have the faintest freakin' clue what the hell is going on here. Freakin' hippies, man!

[> Try to open door B]

> Try to open door B



You walk up to the next door, but it, too, remains closed for you.

(Selmiak, just to be clear, the platform in the room with the black-n-yellow stripes is an elevating platform that leads up. No door.)

[> Ready pistol, open door and clear Hab A]

> Ready pistol, open door and clear Hab A



The door should have opened when you approached, or when knocked at the very least. Yet the slab of metal remains quite closed, barring entry.

> Display minimap



"Display shipboard map." -you say out loud, the suit computer picking up on the command. It seems the suit has downloaded the simplified map you saw before and the image flashes before your eyes, though it is still a rather simple and crude depiction.

[> Go through causeway door A, knock on habitation door A, and say "is anyone in there?"]

> Go through causeway door A, knock on habitation door A, and say "is anyone in there?"



You step into causeway A, walk up to the door labeled "HAB A" and pound your fist on the unyielding metal surface, calling out to anyone that might be inside: "Is anyone there!?"

A few short seconds pass in silence, followed by a blood-curdling scream echoing from somewhere within. It sounds like someone, a man by the sound of him, is in great pain.

[> Move helmet somewhere where it is not in the way, set weapon to welding, weld helmet to the ground]

> Move helmet somewhere where it is not in the way, set weapon to welding, weld helmet to the ground



You drag the helmet to the corner of the room while the mechanical arachnid within chirps in curious tones.
The weapon does not have a welding -setting, so you instead set it to a fairly low power setting and fire the secondary fire-mode: the hellwhip energy beam.
The invisible beam melts the plastic layer on the outside of the helmet, merging it with the floor. It's not exactly welded, but should not budge too easily.

(Sorry for the long delay. One more week, two at most, and I should have my shit in order.)

[> Make a step backwards.]

> Make a step backwards.



You take a step back to see how the mechanical spider reacts. The hologram disappears and the machine seems to watch you in an almost curious fashion.

> Catch spider with helmet



You decide not to take any more chances. For all you know this single mechanical spider is the sole cause of the destruction of your ship! You grab the spare helmet in your hand and slam it down, trapping the spider inside. At least you think it's probably trapped in there.

Just want to point out that my real life -stuff is still ongoing, so if I miss some updates, it's because of that. Feel free to pile on extra commands, though. When I do update I'll do my best to run as many commands as I sensibly can to make up for missing so many updates.

[> Say: "Hello"]

> Say: "Hello"



You greet the odd spider-creature. As you do so, the hologram changes shape, though the new shape seems not one bit more informative than the first one.
The spider's tiny mechanical legs skitter as it slowly approaches you.

[> Think: sequence of smiley faces sent from shrike]

> Think: sequence of smiley faces sent from shrike



You distinctly remember a sequence of letters and smiley faces being broadcast by the Shrike moments before it fired on the Jibril, annihilating it.
You wonder if this mechanical creature is somehow related to those symbols?

All you know for sure is that no UEF codes require or use smiley symbols, and that the mechanical spider before you is not any kind of technology you are familiar with.

Yeah, I'm officially out of the race. Stuff came up. Sorry.

[> Stand on safer ground, like between door and floorpanel until ratting stops]

> Stand on safer ground, like between door and floorpanel until ratting stops



You step back and observe the rattling panel. The noise grows louder and louder and finally the panel shatters outward, pieces of glass and electronics scattering on the floor.



Some kind of a strange mechanical spider plops out of the broken panel and stops a short distance from your feet. An odd hologram lights up above it's body, displaying what seems to be a smiley face.

[> Place hand on wall to feel for vibrations associated with the grinding noise]

> Place hand on wall to feel for vibrations associated with the grinding noise



You press your hand on the wall to feel for vibrations. The sound seems to be growing in intensity and you can actually feel the control panel itself rattling and vibrating as something moves within.