  
WELCOME TO THE TEST DRIVE and thank you for your interest! Though the game hasn't started yet, we've put together a mini-mission with a few different goals for your characters to pursue. In the interest of flexibility and allowing players to experiment with the game mechanics, we invite you to pick your own broodmates, experiment with abilities and specializations, talk to each other and maybe make up some pre-established cr, and generally play around however you like. This test drive will not be game canon, so take this chance to go nuts!
For the full experience, we strongly encourage players to write up a short blurb about what their fellow characters might know about them either through shared time on the Station or through the Nest mental link. Handy links can be found at the bottom of this entry if you have any questions or want to place a reserve.
HELINOS TOZ
...is the smallest galactic empire located in the second disk of the Silver Halo Galaxy. For thousands of years, the neighboring CONFEDERATE OF BAL and INIVIAL COR(P) have eaten away at Helinos Toz's territory and now have reduced the once-great empire to a single moon ruled by the Last Empress. Though she is a child who owns little in the way of property on the galactic stage, the Last Empress still holds a precious seat in the shrinking Galactic House of Chairs. From this seat she and her allies have managed to keep a stranglehold on the throats of Bal and Inivial’s expansion efforts into the fourth and fifth disks of the Halo. She has accomplished this task by viciously excising loopholes in galactic regulation. Paradoxical though it may sound, the outer rings view the Last Empress as one of the few remaining heroes for the common man against the absorption of either the Bal or Inivial, a symbol of the dangers the two great empires present and a name and a heritage that even today commands respect. While Bal and Inivial may have radically different galactic goals and famously spend their time hounding one another in the house of chairs, they can agree on one thing: the Last Empress and her tiny moon kingdom are a thorn in their side. In an effort to pluck it, Bal and Inivial have joined forces to do away with the Empress and her moon forever.
While a direct attack on the ground empire moon would be an undeniable act of war, and would result in heavy sanctions which would only serve to set their goals back further, there are ways to destabilize the moon without actually putting boots on the ground. Inivial has decided to sacrifice one of their own assets to achieve this: the planet which the moon orbits. Helinos Prime is a cold, dead rock, without it's own atmosphere, as well as the site of a significant Inivial mining operation. It's this very operation that Invivial intends to utilize. By mining directly to the planet’s core, they will harvest a massive amount of heavy elements, cutting heavily into the planet's mass and degrading it's orbit in space-- making it a risk to surrounding inhabited worlds. Galactic regulation demands such a threat be absolutely absolved- by total destruction. Further, it states that these dangers must be dealt with in no more than eight hours, regardless of any other sanctions or treaties. The act itself is quite sterile: a beam weapon located in the first ring which is capable of destroying most planets in a single shot as long as alignment is correct. And once the planet goes, so too does the empire moon.
But even getting rid of the empire’s last land holdings wouldn’t do away with the Empress herself, which is why the Confederate of Bal’s massive armada has opted to choose today for a sprawling training exercise in their space above the empire moon. As is their right under the Secrets and Sanctions treaty, they have refused the operation of any other space traffic in that sector until their exercise has been completed. The paperwork is filed, notarized, and finalized. Under the guise of the Bal and Inivial’s mutual animosity, the two super powers mean to trap the Last Empress with the very rules and regulations she’s spent her young life manipulating to keep them both muzzled.
In summary: the Last Empress and what remains of her small royal envoy are stuck quite literally between a dissolving rock and the hard place of the Confederate of Bal’s guns with no diplomatic wiggle room. Should the empire of Helinos Toz fall, the majority of the house of chairs will turn in favor of expansion and it won’t be long before the Halo’s outer rings become the stage for a vicious war between Bal and Inivial. Those citizens of the outer rings will find their lives drastically changed as those two powers dash to make opportune land (and space) grabs. If the Last Empress can be saved, she might be able to successfully reveal this act of aggression for what it is, and use it as a way to rally the rest of the house of chairs, around her and the interests of the outer rings she stands for, against Bal and Inivial.
YOUR MISSION is to help the Last Empress escape the empire moon before it can be vaporized by Inivial, and to slide her and as many of her retinue as possible through the lines of Bal’s armada undetected.
PROMPTS
ONE • DEBRIEF: NOT AS SEXY AS IT SOUNDS
You've been given your mission file (see above) and outfitted with the appropriate gear to see it through. Today that means thermal suits designed to withstand face melting temperatures and a small cadre of ships that seem awfully familiar... if you're not mistaken they're the same ships currently in formation above Helinos Toz. You can ask Prince where he got them or Cathaway for some flying advice, but you probably won't get answers that makes any sense. Hopefully some of you know how to fly. Hug your friends, say your prayers, and wave Station 72 goodbye because it's time to...
TWO • HITTING ROCK BOTTOM
...sabotage a giant plasma drill! Down on Helinos Prime, Inivial's massive mining operation is a veritable labyrinth of tunnels and substations. Luckily you've been provided with schematics (if you feel like using them), and with some trial and error you should be able to navigate your way to key points in the mining operation. It won't be possible to completely stop the machine from coring the planet, but you just need to buy a little time. Suggested targets are the drill's targeting interface, its coolant systems, and its auxiliary stabilizer vents. How do you do that? Time to use your imagination. On the plus side, no one's around to stop you. Inivial already evacuated their on-site personnel which, come to think of it, might be a bad sign.
THREE • HURRY UP AND WAIT
With Inivial's drill momentarily on pause, it's time to rescue an Empress. Does she even know you're coming for her? Well, she'll find out eventually. There's room for six extra people on the ships provided, meaning you have exactly enough room to smuggle her and her closest advisers off of the empire moon. You've got six hours before you can (and really SHOULD) leave. Right now it looks like there's time to kill. Get to know the locals, the moon's bustling trade port, or its local population of cute dragonbirds. You have a collapsing planet below you and a veritable wasps nest of ships above you. Enjoy it while it lasts-- or bypass it all and wait for your window of opportunity with the Empress and her envoy.
FOUR • INTO THE WILD BLACK YONDER
The stealth ships can travel invisibly while in atmosphere, but there's no tricking the sensors of the Bal's ships. Luckily you fit right in-- almost. Pretending to be Bal ships might make the most sense, but what if someone notices you're out of drill formation? Even worse, what if someone detects you leaving the empire moon? No Bal ship is supposed to be down there. You could always try finding another ship to take into space, something with a little bit of stealth or maybe a harmless trading vessel. Then again, no one's supposed to be coming off the moon and into this space at all. Think fast, talk faster, or hope your pilot is really good.
FIVE • WILDCARD
Honestly? This is your show. Go surfing on some subterranean lava flows while stalling Inivial's mining efforts, try to take all the Empress's gold leaf dining room chairs with you when you evacuate the empire moon, or maybe you're done with this whole mission alltogether and want to try hijacking a ship from the Bal's armada and flying it out into space until this whole thing blows over. There's a whole galaxy out there; what else could be waiting for you?
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emptynesters2016-02-03 09:43 pm
no subject
However, he feels the strain coming from the Force user. It's almost oppressive, a humidity of the mind. There's just so much to contend with and it sounds like there's a static ringing in his ears.
And just as Ren mentioned, their ship is hailed, comm port crackling. Breathing steadily, he puts on his most officious voice. ]
Ground sweep clearance, code 7765 Yerna. [ Further scans must be? The inquiry hangs there, even as he senses the cold coming from the tentative connection. Concentrating on keeping the ship steady, he dares to reach over with one hand, steady on Kylo Ren's shoulder. ]
no subject
Instead he reaches out-- through the Force, through the link they share, through anything, it does not matter-- thoughts as clear as the transmission they'd received: Tell them additional scans must be conducted beyond the range of their fleet.]
no subject
His hand stays on the other's shoulder, a connection he realizes is necessary for right now. Communication ports crackle once more and he picks up where he left off, the Force user's voice echoing in his head as he responds. ]
Commencing additional scans beyond initially regulated range. [ And now, they hang in a balance. His breath is held and then rushes out when he hears the affirmative. Leaning forward, he disconnects their comm for now. ]
Neatly done, Lord Ren.
no subject
He says nothing to Hux. There is nothing to be said that would suffice. He owes the General for his assistance, just as Hux required Ren to mask their escape - so in return he does not brush his companion aside, does not respond with bristling sarcasm or a pale jab at the man's shortcomings. Kylo Ren falls back in his seat, settling down through his shoulders.
Pulls the helmet from his head a moment later, sweat flecked hot across his face. He needs to breathe.]
no subject
Silence stretches, though in it, there's so much being said. For once, they've worked together. No words set to tear the other apart, nor to wrest command from him in some way. It feels, much to his chagrin, oddly peaceful. He'd remark on it, just to keep up a pretext, but it would be admitting his own actions.
Hux is nothing if not a prideful creature.
So instead, he pilots them steadily, gently veering off the course where the rest of the ships are headed. Soon, they can break the atmosphere and disappear. ]
no subject
Still, it's a victory for them, once minutes of silence pass, leaving them drifting unhindered across a sea of stars. The moon and its mother planet will be gone in but a few short hours, all evidence of its existence lost save for the cargo they carry somewhere beyond gunmetal black cockpit doors limned with light. It should be easy in theory to bask in it, to play the role he'd designed for himself under Snoke's guidance so many years ago: unflinching, proud, vicious and as clean as a the cauterized wounds left behind in the wake of his blade, and yet--
Perhaps it is the bond they share. Perhaps his commitment to false bravado is stunted by General Hux's objectivity, dampening the storm that would still otherwise stay knotted beneath his own ribs, he can't be sure. In the dim light of the ship's navigational systems, Ren turns, casting a wayward stare towards the officer at his side.
If it is true-- if what he feels is so affected by his broodmates-- then they wade through dangerous waters.]
Do you think the Supreme Leader senses it?
[Their fight against chaos, their existence in general beyond the baseline thrum of a heartbeat systems away.]
no subject
Truth be told, he missed this scene. There's something empowering about looking out into the galaxy and seeing so much of it. At the same time, it's humbling. Ratcheting the power back down a little, he sets a decent speed to enable them to chew through the distance. Nothing too fast nor too slow. He doesn't want to risk being seen or being caught up to.
Hux is about to breath out some relief when Ren's question catches him. ]
I wouldn't know. That has always been more of your realm, Lord Ren, than it was ever mine.
no subject
In truth, he had imagined that the General kept close watch over Snoke's ever present observations (the Supreme Leader was not omnipotent, but often times Ren had come close to believing he skirted the line) some lingering shadow of a fallen empire and the man his grandfather was.
He reaches up, wiping the drying salt from his skin with a gloved hand. It's difficult not to consider the possibility that the First Order may no longer exist - that all they served had fallen to ruin in their absence. It's a thought that sticks to the back of his tongue, unspoken, but not masked between two people so linked.]
no subject
While he wants to suppress such a thought, it clings to his subconscious as strongly as his fear of failure and humiliation.
It's only amplified by what's running through Kylo Ren's mind now. That the First Order had fallen, dissolved. Years and years of work, gone without a trace. He sucks in a sharp inhale, the idea too much to consider. ]
Don't.
no subject
Ren clears his throat, profile turning for the sake of returning to evaluating running systems. Their fuel levels.
Internally berating himself like a lash across his skin, this time barred with effort from the bond they share.] No.
[Denial, an agreement to stop, a means to cut short Hux's observations - it isn't clear. It hardly matters.] I only--
I only wondered if he might take pride in our efforts to extend the First Order's reach. To bring order where it might not otherwise exist.
no subject
Hux hates it, the shared mental space. All the things that come with it as well. If they're not vigilant, they're open books, ready for anyone who might want a peek. It's weakness, a gaping hole in armor he thought he'd built so well over time. His grip tightens on the controls, needing something to steady him. ]
That's not what it was. [ Covering it up makes it worse, he thinks. ] They aren't gone, they have to still be standing.
[ Anything else is unacceptable. Would be a crushing blow to everything he's ever been. ]
no subject
In the moment, he's fumbling again; incapable of finding his figurative footing in the draw of Hux's own emotional response.
How could he have possibly questioned the Supreme Leader's ability? How could he consider the fall of all they served without proof?]
--of course.
[Of course.] Have you checked the fuel stores?
no subject
Merely entertaining the thought makes him feel sick, makes it feel like his nerves are trying to pull free one by one and burn up. ]
Not. [ Hux stops, releasing a shaky breath, forcing his mind to turn to the differing subject. ] Not as thoroughly as I'd like.