Ark (2024)

The Ark refers to the underground city where humanity was forced to live after Raptures took over the surface. Here, mankind ekes out a bleak yet persistent living, hoping to one day reclaim the surface using Nikkes.

General[]

Construction[]

The Ark is a domed city built several hundreds if not thousands of meters underground, its only means of transit to and from the surface being elevators scattered about both ends. The network connecting the elevators allows for wide-ranged traversal to and from various points, but the labyrinthine construction means sometimes the elevators malfunction.

The Ark's "sky" is projected on the inner wall of the Ark's bubble, the "Dome of Eternity," which also serves as the power grid for the colony. It used to be that companies and manufacturers ran ads on the dome, but depression skyrocketed as people learned or were reminded that the sky wasn't real, and following an epidemic of suicides, it was agreed upon that the Dome of Eternity would only show projections of the sky. Artificial rain and snow are generated from time and time, but this is rare due to how much it strains the Ark's resources.

Silver commemorative coins were minted in celebration of the 50th anniversary of the construction of the Ark. While these didn’t hold any currency value, they were highly valued by the time of the graduation of the Commander of Counters.

Food[]

Due to the limited amount of space in the Ark, there isn't nearly enough room to support its population by previous agricultural practices. While there do exist small facilities for cultivating meat and plants, by and large organic food is considered a luxury for the rich. The rest of the Ark's citizens rely on Splendamin, a plant-based jelly product similar to konjac or kanten. Splendamin is nutritionally optimized for humans, but only has texture, no taste. Food in the Ark is made by shaping a mass of Splendamin and using various artificial materials and chemicals to simulate the look and taste of what the food is intended to be. While some insist that real food has something different to it, for most inhabitants, Splendamin food and "real" food aren't really that different from each other taste-wise.

Inhabitants[]

Sovereigns[]

Sovereigns refer to the upper-crust of Ark society, most commonly by being absurdly wealthy. Sovereigns are distinguished by their specially-ordered citizen chips, which often use organic materials or are custom work by famous designers. While they once inhabited Royal Road, changes in legislation (and personal desire to flex on the less affluent) led them to spread across the Ark, eventually leading to a ban on any policy that would favor Sovereigns.

Quotidians[]

The ordinary people of the Ark, which is basically everyone whose ID chips were either provided for free by the Central Government or purchased for reasonable prices from an authorized dealer. They strongly protested against the privileges given to Sovereigns when the Royal Road was created, and while class-based division is no longer part of the law, it's still a social issue.

Noncitizens[]

Also known as "Outlaws," this refers to any person who does not have a citizen ID chip, whether they choose not to implant one, cannot receive one, or had theirs removed for criminal offenses. Noncitizens cannot access any of the Ark's facilities or services, and have been relegated to the Outer Rim to eke out a living. Any noncitizen that attempts to sneak into the Ark will be shot on sight.

Notable Individuals[]

• Protagonist - A Commander freshly-graduated from the military academy. Despite being a greenhorn, his mission record quickly sees his star rising.
• Andersen - One of the several Deputy Commander-in-Chiefs who administrates the Ark and assign missions to Commanders. Andersen has a reputation for being strict but fair, offering both incentives for achieving above and beyond and punishments for failure. He also has an obsession over the Pilgrims, as he wanted to collect combat data and information about them.
• Burningum - One of the several Deputy Commander-in-Chiefs who administrates the Ark and assign missions to Commanders. Burningum puts the Ark and humanity's future first and foremost, even if that means he has to resort to questionable means.
• Doban - One of the several Deputy Commander-in-Chiefs who administrates the Ark and assign missions to Commanders. Like most people of the Ark, Doban despises the outcasts of the Outer Rim, even as far as labelling them as "sub-human filths."
• Enikk - The supervisory AI that handles the Ark's automated systems and legal litigation.
• Einkk - The AI that handles the Simulation Room for Nikkes and commanders to undergo skill tests
• Ingrid - CEO of the company Elysion. A veritable drill sergeant who holds a side-job at the Simulation Room.
• Mustang - CEO of the company Tetra Line. A showman through and through, always looking for ways to bring entertainment's light to the people.
• Syuen - CEO of the company Missilis Industry. Once a leading mind in Nikke research, she's resorted to a number of high-tech and/or ethically debatable means of getting ahead of her competitors.
• Shifty - An operator of the Central Government who supports commanders and Nikke squads on the surface.

Notable Locations[]

Coin Rush[]

The Ark's largest casino and entertainment center. It is operated by the 777 squad.

Outer Rim[]

The Outer Rim is the closest thing the Ark has to a slum or a junkyard city. It is behind a barrier which separates both the Ark and the Outer Rim. The main inhabitants are either noncitizens who refused to get even a free citizen ID chip implant, exiles who were banished for varying reasons, or criminals fleeing from the Ark's authorities. The area has become so lawless that the Central Government has largely given up trying to enforce order, instead simply walling off the Outer Rim and leaving it be. According to E.H., the Central Government label the denizens of Outer Rim as outcasts, hence they refuse to offer their services in protecting the Outer Rim, considering the slum as a scrap heap.

The Outer Rim is home to many gangs and criminal organizations, but none so active or as infamous as the terrorist group Heavenly Ascension led by E.H.

Royal Road[]

The primary high-class shopping street of the Ark, filled with stores selling any number of expensive goods from leading-brand fashions to organic food. While this was once the housing district for affluent "Sovereign" citizens, regulations forbidding class-based divisions have left this street to be little more than a shopping arcade for the rich.

Simulation Room[]

The Simulation Room is a facility for Nikkes to practice and for commanders to test their skills. Gameplay wise, this is the main method of farming for materials to level up Nikke skills.

Tribe Tower[]

The Tribe Tower is a virtual environment simulator for commanders to complete trials in exchange for rewards. Besides the standard tower, there are other Towers exclusive to certain Nikke Manufacturers, which rotates on a daily basis.

Lost Sector[]

One of several locations where an Ark was to be constructed, but was abandoned after being overrun by Raptures. As most of the sites were lost just as the construction was about to finish, these areas are brimming with valuable machinery and resources, none moreso than the Harmony Cube, which can enhance the abilities of Nikkes.

Outpost[]

An extension of the Ark constructed up on the surface. It's intended to be an operational nexus for surface operations, but the number of Raptures in the surroundings, plus its distance from the Ark and resource-poor environment, make it more of a punishment detail or exile destination for commanders and squads that make significant blunders.

Rehabilitation Center[]

Despite its name, the Rehabilitation Center is more like a maximum security prison where the Central Government tosses criminals, human or Nikke, who can't be exiled to the Outer Rim for various reasons. Gameplay wise, this is the focal point of the Liberation System.

M.M.R.[]

Missilis Military Research, or "M.M.R." for short, is Missilis Industry's foremost R&D facility, if not the biggest one in all the Ark. Their renown for their innovations is only matched by their mystique, the secrecy brewing rumors of shady experiments and ethics violations galore...

M.M.R. Vocational School[]

An offshoot of M.M.R. oriented towards educating Nikkes to become the best soldiers they can be. On paper, at least. In practice, the school is more of a testbed to stress-test Nikkes with all manner of scenarios and equipment. Moreover, for some reason, though Nikkes from all manufacturers can attend, most if not all of the graduates end up working for Missilis. Some even say that Nikkes who fail to graduate get turned into lab rats for the main research body.

Trivia[]

Gallery[]

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