History Webcomic / Drive

* CompletelyMissingThePoint: Nosh, fairly often.

Has a [[Characters/DriveWebcomic character page]] under construction. [[WikiMagic Help is greatly appreciated.]]

** The Continuum itself is built on a dark secret, of which no living member besides the Continuum's guardian is aware until Ahmis also learns the truth. [[spoiler:Their founder claimed to be the first of their race, that the Drive was the first invention they ever conceived, and that Circle's End is their homeworld. But Ahmis discovers that the accidental birthplace of the Vinn is their true homeworld, and that their founder was not the first of their species, but most likely the last survivor of their previous civilization.]]

** The Continuum itself is built on a dark secret, of which no living member is aware until Ahmis learns the truth. [[spoiler:Their founder claimed to be the first of their race, that the Drive was the first invention they ever concieved, and that Circle's End is their homeworld. But Ahmis discovers that the accidental birthplace of the Vinn is their true homeworld, and that their founder was not the first of their species, but most likely the last survivor of their previous civilization.]]

--> Kik: "He wants to know why you're propositioning his hat."

--->'''Nosh:''' Is good to have one! Sometimes hard to tell whether to talk to creature, or eat creature....I have made awkward choices in past....

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* InstantAwesomeJustAddDragons: The Fekk Dragon, or "Tranquin", is an enormous creature resembling, well, a dragon. The colloquial term "Fekk Dragon" comes from an InUniverse viral video of a human "fighting" one. It consists of the human completely breaking down and running around the arena screaming [[GettingCrapPastTheRadar "Fekk! Dragon! Fekk! Dragon!"]].

* ArtificialHuman: The great sin the Rogue Maker committed was to build an android with a full AI, creating a "Spirit that was also a Maker." The Collegium was not happy about it, I tell you what.

* EnemyMine: Offered, but ultimately rejected. The Grasskans stole several spirits (the Makers' term for original technology) from the Continuum and fought bitter wars with them over it. But when the Grasskans get {{Curb Stomp}}ed by the Vinn, they try begging for an EnemyMine with the Continuum to work against the greater threat to the both of them. While new Maker Prime feels that the Vinn threat is big enough to at least consider it and respects the Grasskans as a WorthyOpponent, the rest of the Colegium prefers RevengeBeforeReason and overrules him. Due to being insular and still carrying a grudge, they decide that they would rather take their chances and watch them die.

* WeAreAsMayflies: Continuum Makers can live for several centuries but most other species have lifespans comparative to humans. Inverted with Veetans who only live 25 years.

* EmpireWithADarkSecret: Due to their desperation to maintain their monopoly on the Drive human civilization runs on, only the Emperor knows the real reason the Continuum is at war with them. Their founder did not invent the Drive himself, but reverse-engineered it from a crash landed Continuum ship, offending an alien civilization with a religious opposition to intellectual theft. To make matters worse, the empire has had several options to alter their drive technology in a way that would stop offending the Continuum, but have chosen not to take any of them because that would require admitting their secrets.

* DivineRightOfKings: La Familia's self justification for seizing power. They like to preach to young Familia members that before they took over, humanity existed in a dark age. If they were to give up their monopoly on the drive, their authority would no longer be unassailable. And without La Familia's rule, humanity would inevitably collapse.

* LightningBruiser: By every indication, the Tesskans. They are terrifyingly fast and strong, as well as incredibly sturdy. The logistical advantage the drive imparts may as well have not existed when it came to a direct war between the Empire and the Tesskans, as the Tesskans were overpowering in actual battle - demonstrated handily by those captured by the Continuum, who swept the single largest ship in the galaxy before the Makers could manage even a token defense. The only thing that's stood successfully against them is the Empire-backed MightyGlacier of the Veetans.

** The Fillipod language is an extremely complicated, musical tongue that most other species can’t physically speak, since their mouths can’t make the “wild undulations” that the Fillipod language relies on.

* HaveYouToldAnyoneElse: When the previous leader of the [[SecretPolice Jinyiwei]] commits suicide, her successor becomes a MoleInCharge. She uses an excuse to let one of her co-conspirators hack into the Jinyiwei network. When another member of the Jinyiwei figures it out and reports it to her, she double checks whether said member shared it with anyone else before killing him for [[HeKnowsTooMuch knowing too much]].

** The next head of the Jinyiwei ''also'' turns out to be loyal to a faction other than the current Emperor.

* TheReveal: [[spoiler: Orla's actually a Jynniwei spy.]]

* ScaryDogmaticAliens: The Continuum can be friendly under some circumstances, but if you offend their religion in the right way, such as by stealing their technology, they will attempt genocide unless and until you give it up.

* SkewedPriorities: The filipods are rather poetry obsessed, and tend to try and break out in overly long poetry if not forced to work on more important things, like dealing with invasions. When their Tesskan masters are mostly killed, and their human masters forced to shift away all forces and oversight, they choose to take advantage of this precious strategic time of autonomy... by hosting a slam poetry contest.

* SterilityPlague: One of the effects of the Vinn virus, which is in fact driving the Vinn to infect more beings than ever before in a futile attempt to escape their own extinction that will ultimately take everyone else with them.
* TakingYouWithMe: The Grasskans get brought to the verge of extinction at the hands of the Vinn. Since the Continuum refuses to help, they [[StarKilling kill their stars]], deciding that its better for all of them to die then let their families [[FateWorseThanDeath be remade]] by TheVirus.

* EmpireWithADarkSecret: Due to their desperation to maintain their monopoly on the Drive human civilization runs on, only the Emperor knows the real reason the Continuum is at war with them. Their founder did not invent the Drive himself, but reverse-engineered it from a crash landed Continuum ship, offending an alien civilization with a religious opposition to intellectual theft.

* [[PercussiveMaintenance Percussive Piloting]]: When some Tesskans take over a ship from Makers, and...accidentally... kill the fillipods that could have shown them how to fly it.
--> Lemme ask you boys a question. How'd you learn how to fight? \\
Just started hittin' things. \\
...'''so think''': How we gonna learn to fly this ship? \\
Just start hittin' things? \\
(''next panel, pounding doubled fists on console''} Lookit me, fellas! ''I'm learnin' to fly!''\\
(''Ship in space'') "Voo voo voo... voop."

** The Continuum reproduce asexually and rapidly if they want to, and treat their progeny as cannon fodder with nothing but a number to identify them. One in thousands survives the heat of battle and becomes a Maker.

* BeneficialDisease: The Vinn parasite causes all sorts of neato superpowers to develop within its host: [[MakeThemRot cytotoxic venom]], a sixth sense, [[InvisibilityCloak chromatophores]], "Bioelectrogenesis" [[spoiler: read: [[ShockAndAwe the ability to throw thunderbolts from the palm of one's hands]],]] etc. The only drawbacks? The infested lose all memory, becoming an entirely different person. They also lose the ability to reproduce.

** The Tres Primos are a trio of Famillia SpacePirates, plus [[spoiler: their Navigator]] who rob the Empire and give the profits to the citizenry.

* CommonTongue: A trade language named Standard Imperial English-Spanish Hybrid, or "Hybrid" has been mentioned.

-->'''Taneel''': [[SarcasmMode Wonderful]]. So they're bigger and faster...and I'm flying '''the dang car I had in high school.'''\\

'''Nosh''': Wait wait wait wait...you saying your car in high school smelled this bad? I find hard to believe.

* DeathRay: The empire developed a device called the "Neutron Daisy Cutter" specifically to fight the Vinn. It causes a catastrophic breakdown of Vinn parasite cell walls; killing them while leaving the host alive. However, the neural shock tends to kill the host. For this reason, the Vinn call them "Soulkillers."

* {{Precursors}}: The Sill were the most advanced race the galaxy has ever known and the only one to ever reach a type 2 Kardashev civilization. When they discovered {{Telepathy}} and modified themselves to be able to use it, one of them discovered that it can be used as a FantasticDrug and their entire civilization got addicted. Now all that's left of them are some impressive ruins and some slowly dying monks.
** AbusivePrecursors: Most species, [[http://www.drivecomic.com/archive/170719.html like the Veetans]], remember them as warlike conquerors.
** BenevolentPrecursors: Oddly, [[http://www.drivecomic.com/archive/170718.html the Fillipods]] have a much rosier memory of the Sill than other species. For some reason they never conquered Tesskil and instead taught the Fillipods art and poetry.

--> '''Sett''': "800 children... and maybe five of them with wits."

* AppliedPhlebotinum: The Ring Drive. Only the Continuum knows how it really works, and they aren't in the mood to explain.
** [[spoiler: The Fillipods have figured it out as well, but only their most important members know this for fear of retribution by La Familia.]]
* [[ArtificialHuman Artificial Maker]]: The great sin the Rogue Maker committed was to build an android with a full AI, creating a "Spirit that was also a Maker." The Collegium was not happy about it, I tell you what.

* AsteroidThicket: Skitter loses a Continuum ship in one.
** Subverted in that it's not your typical SpaceIsAnOcean Asteroid Thicket - they could easily avoid it, if they wanted to, and it's only dangerous because they're crossing it at FTL velocities.

* BewareTheNiceOnes: Nosh.
-->'''Nosh''': Show respect to my captain.
-->'''[[{{Mook}} Tesskan]]''': ooOOooh...whatcha gonna do, pacifist? Punch me?
-->'''Nosh''': '''No'''...but I am very good hugger. [''picks Tesskan up from behind with a "hug"'']
** Also, Veetans in general. An info page lists the Tesskans flash-bombing a Veetan planet as the critical error in the three year Tesskan/Human war. The resultant mobilisation of the Veetan Defence Force resulted in Tesskil being conquered ''a week later''.

-->'''Taneel''': [[SarcasmMode Wonderful]]. So they're bigger and faster...and I'm flying '''the dang car I had in high school.'''
-->[...]
-->'''Nosh''': Wait wait wait wait...you saying your car in high school smelled this bad? I find hard to believe.
* CoolShip: ''Machito'', after the Emperor has it upgraded. Also, ''La Invencible'', being the Emperor's ship.
** And especially ''The Spark of Thought'', on the Continuum side.

-->'''Nosh'''(mid-fight): Maybe you forget why you lost the war, Tesskan. You didn't lose because of the humans...you '''lost''' because you made my lovely, joyful, peace-filled people...'''PISSED OFF'''.

* CuttingTheKnot: The Tesskans, in their city-sized stolen Continuum ship, were attacked by another Continuum ship. The Tesskans still hadn't figured out the weapons systems on their ship, so they just drove right through the attacking ship.
** The crew of the ''Machito'' take their own unique spin on a similar situation, when they decide to "test" what happens when [[spoiler:a smaller ship engages their ring drive ''inside a larger ship's drive ring''. During a Maker invasion of a human world. The resulting "significant drive event" is so catastrophic is destroys about a third of the Maker fleet while the ''Machito'' speeds instantly away]].

* DisproportionateRetribution: How La Familia deals with anyone who tries to steal the secret of the Ring Drive, because that would put their supreme power in danger. In a guest comic, a stranded captain is forced to activate the Ring Drive's alarms, not even to steal the secret, but due to that being the only means he had to signal the Empire. Indifferent to his plight, they arrest him for prison and possible execution.

-->'''Nosh''': Our armada ships...have a 1-in-600 chance of catastrophic impact anytime we pinch space.
-->'''Skitter''': I...I'm gonna ''die in space''.
-->'''Fernando''': Nosh, that number is a lie, spread by the royal family. It's not 1-in-600...it's ''1-in-400''...we lose five or six ships every week.
-->'''Skitter''': [''slow clap''] Wonderful. Awesome. Let's all thank Fernando for clearin' up the math, there.

-->'''Nosh''': I am researching lung capacity of common earth-wolf.
-->'''Taneel''': Good lord...''why''?
-->'''Nosh''': Pique of my interest, mostly. I read in earth story how wolf able to bring down house with massive lung capacity...
-->[''{{beat}}'']
-->'''Taneel''': ...Did the aforementioned wolf happen to "huff and puff" before he blew said house down?
-->'''Nosh''': Yes! Amazing creature, no?...I research the pig construction techniques, next.

-->'''Skitter''': ''What?'' What ''possible'' way could that help me defeat these jer-
-->''[cut to milkshake bar]''

* OhCrap:
-->'''Fernando''': Captain, no! An asteroid field is certain death! Open space is bad enough... we can't ''intentionally'' fly into debris!
-->'''Skitter''': Wait--why not? Just turn on your doo-dads or shields or whatever.
-->'''Nosh''': What shields?
-->'''Skitter''': Don't you have some kinda... energy bubble that can... I dunno... push aside material or somethin'?... Like a snow-plow?
-->[''{{beat}}'']
-->'''Skitter''': Or some kinda... reinforced hull thingy... that can survive impacts at speeds of...?
-->[''{{beat}}'']
-->'''Skitter''': I'ma skip a step and launch my escape pod now.

--> '''Fernando''': Do you know what my family will do to your people when they find out??
--> '''Cuddow''': What, [[spoiler: crack our planet in half?]] '''Oh wait.'''

* YouWillBeAssimilated: The Vinn are like what you'd get if you crossed [[VideoGame/StarCraft the Zerg]] with [[Franchise/{{Halo}} the Covenant]]: a religion of parasite-infested SuperSoldiers who constantly evolve and have "Spread our BeneficialDisease" as a form of evangelism.

* EnemyMine: Offered, but ultimately rejected. The Grasskans stole several spirits (the Makers' term for original technology) from the Continuum and fought bitter wars with them over it. But when the Grasskans get {{Curb Stomp}}ed by the Vinn, they try begging for an EnemyMine with the Continuum to work against the greater threat to the both of them. While new Maker Prime feels that the Vinn threat is big enough to at least consider it, the rest of the Colegium prefers RevengeBeforeReason and overrules him. Due to being insular and still carrying a grudge, they decide that they would rather take their chances and watch them die.

* HaveYouToldAnyoneElse: When the previous leader of the [[SecretPolice Jinyiwei]] commits suicide, her successor becomes a MoleInCharge. He uses an excuse to let one of his co-conspirators hack into the Jinyiwei network. When another member of the Jinyiwei figures it out and reports it to him, he double checks whether said member shared it with anyone else before killing him for [[HeKnowsTooMuch knowing too much]].

* EnemyMine: Offered, but ultimately rejected. The Grasskans stole several spirits (the Makers' term for original technology) from the Continuum and fought bitter wars with them over it. But when the Grasskans get {{Curb Stomp}}ed by the Vinn, they try begging for an EnemyMine with the Continuum to work against the greater threat to the both of them. While new Maker Prime feels that the Vinn threat is big enough to at least consider, the rest of the Colegium prefers RevengeBeforeReason and overules him. Due to being insular and still carrying a grudge, they decide that they would rather take their chances and watch them die.

* EnemyMine: The Grasskans stole several spirits (the Makers' term for original technology) from the Continuum and fought bitter wars with them over it. But when the Grasskans get {{Curb Stomp}}ed by the Vinn, they try begging for an EnemyMine with the Continuum to work against the greater threat to the both of them. But the Continuum refuses due to being insular and still carrying a grudge, and choose to let them die.