emptynesters | TEST DRIVE #1

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test drive

TEST DRIVE #1

LET'S GET (meta)PHYSICAL

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?

NAVIGATION • PREMISE • FAQ • GLOSSARY • SYMBIOTIC SKILLS GUIDE • RESERVES

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[ The distaste echoes around in his mind, sinks through and along his spine. Kylo Ren has never been one to hide his emotions well and here, it's nigh impossible. Hux suppresses the very real urge to press at his temples, to try and alleviate the headache that's been pounding, insistent, behind his eyes.

Though, there is a small note of surprise when the Force-user asks his question. A grudging respect, perhaps? Like that of pulling teeth. More switches are flipped as he thinks, polling through the possibilities. Nothing too risky, because that would ruin the mission entirely. They're here to save someone, not get all of them killed. With more urgency, he pulls at the steering, guiding them off the ground slowly and then quickly gaining air.

This ship, it's Bal, mostly for the fact that it looked the swiftest. Moreover, there's stealth in atmo at the very least– blending in afterwards would be the trick. Dodging sensors is quite another. What would he do if he were in charge of the Bal? Where wouldn't he be looking? Almost every eye would be focused on people leaving the atmosphere, but as he glances at the impending armada, this might be a trick to pull off. The last thing he'd expect is for someone to go shooting up through the middle; there's less reaction time than someone on flank.

Well, so much for too risky. Weren't they all dead anyway? No matter what? ]

We're coming up under their formation and cutting through. [ Any arguments? It's definitely crazy. ]

[And there it is. A viable option, no more reckless or fallible than what else remains, but as raw and unformed as Kylo Ren had expected since he first leaned over the console and its pilot to offer up counsel. Predictably, he exhales something too harsh to be a simple breath. It catches the modulator, turning to a grating, static hiss.]

Your vision will blind you, General. [However skilled Hux may be, however lucky, searching for a viable opening will only leave them looking as out of place as a broken wound over unmarried skin: they will be found, and if their ship is not faster than the scouts that give chase, they will never make it back. ] You lack knowledge of their military protocols, and this ship is too fragile to withstand a direct assault.

[This, of course, is the segue Ren has likely been waiting for. ~~Have you heard about our Lord and Savior the Force?~~]

[ The hiss of Kylo Ren's modulator irritates, the sound catching his ear, his mind, and repeating. It's one of derision and judgment, something he's become quite used to while working...around the Force user.

What's more is the condescension; Hux grinds his teeth together. No, he cannot allow this to burrow under his skin. He has more control over himself and his emotions, which is more than what could be said of the other. Chin tilting up, near defiantly, he spares Ren a side glance, taking words into account. ]

If you're attempting to make a suggestion, out with it. We have little time for dancing about the topic, Lord Ren.

[ There is, of course, an option he's considered. Though it depends so solely on a force– the Force– that it's percentage of working is about the same as his own plan. He doesn't know nearly enough about the inner workings of what Kylo Ren is capable of to encourage that path.

But, if Ren were to offer his service and talent, they may be able to cut away to the edges and flank, encourage the other minds to not see them. Their time of decision making is getting closer as the ship ascends higher up, the bulk of the fleet above becoming more and more intimidating. ]

[He doesn't need the Force to understand that Hux's thoughts have drifted towards the only obvious conclusion left to draw. That the general doesn't directly voice the need for Ren's gift (Snoke's words, Skywalker's words, his mother's-- never his) is a mild irritant, but they've no time to dwell on pride when the skies are brimming with enemy ships, and their window of opportunity shrinks by the second.

He moves to seat himself in the cockpit's secondary chair, palms squaring off against rigid paneling. For this, he'll need to be grounded, he'll need the symbiotic beast under his skin to work in tangent, not rally against the Force or what flooding noise comes along with it.

It's a risk in and of itself. He could fail so easily like this, and he knows it.] I will chart your course for you. Do not let your instincts act as a distraction.

[Once they've broken atmosphere, if he strains, he can reach the minds of any crew shuttling in nearby ships. The bond isn't as steadfast as it had been before, but it should be enough to draw conclusions as to where they should be - what signals they might need to respond with should the fleet attempt to hail them.

Ren shuts his eyes behind the mask, breathing slowing to a halt. The world constricts with strain, but whether it's something only he himself feels, it's impossible to tell. Space is vast, yet not infinite, and matter-- all matter-- is his to touch should he find the will within himself to just...]

[ He waits, much like the pause before reality comes crashing in. The tension breaks a split second before Kylo Ren takes a seat in the co-pilot chair and something like relief washes over him. Briefly, only briefly.

Now isn't the time to be letting out the breath. There's still so much to get through and while he's seen some of the things Ren can do, this is a different level. More minds to influence, more eyes to turn aside. What is being asked of him will be difficult, something that's shown in the crease of his frown. If he will not have instinct to rely on, what else is there?

Just believing in one person alone seems like a weak decision.

However, this is the option they've chosen and going back on it would be akin to turning tail. As Ren's breathing slows, he inhales, steeling himself for whatever will be coming down the line. They're approaching the first line of the fleet; he keeps steady. Flying too quickly or slowly will attract attention. Though, that course would be appreciated, any minute now– ]

[Through the Force, all is possible. A single, living entity that encompasses every facet of all that was or ever will be - the universe itself. Light and dark, Jedi and Sith, their methods may differ, but the basic truth remains that limits are only ever set by those who call upon it: if he falls-- falters-- it is not because the Force has failed him, but that he has failed himself. Skywalker had been blind to it, yet the Supreme Leader had understood. And now, alone, he bears the brunt of the task ahead, braced against the staggering flow of every molecule, cell, creature, thought-- the hum of engines in their housings, the clatter of thousands of footsteps, thoughts tangling together into a near unbearable din, bottled within the confines of his own skull.

It is fortunate that he wears his mask.

He sets his teeth, lip curling, breath unsteady. Would swear the metal of their own hull buckles with strain though the pressure he feels is his and his alone. Tense seconds. Painful and sharp, and he shares the echo of it with the broodmate at his side - paler, of course, as Hux cannot truly understand the Force in the same manner as Snoke's apprentice, but they are linked, regardless of what either of them might prefer. From that, there is strength.]

Fifteen degrees starboard - flank the ship directly ahead. ['Remain beneath it' is what he means to add, but the strain is taxing like this. It comes as a thought without a voice-- though if Hux is aware enough through all the distractions, he might recognize it regardless.]

[ A feeling pushes at him from where Ren is sitting. It's not strictly physical– actually, he's rather sure it's not at all. Instead, it's a mental pressure. He's gotten somewhat used to the sensation, but this is different. Perhaps, because of the Force. Harnessing that power and the one granted to them by their respective symbiotes.

Then, it really hits home as their connection sings. It's an echo, faint and weaker than what Ren is experiencing, but he wasn't prepared. Hux lurches, eyelids momentarily fluttering at the overwhelming sharpness. Then, he exhales, inhales, sits up straight. Balance, there has to be balance. He has to pay attention.

At the other man's words, he follows, understanding the hinted words that never come. Edging the craft under the coordinates he's been giving, he flanks the enemy ship, stitched close like a shadow. His knuckles are white with strain on the controls; one wrong move and they could fail. ]

[His breath feels heavy, stifling where it meets the respirator. He wants to tear the mask away in that instant, but if he does, Ren already knows he'll sever the link tied between the Bal pilot and his operator as realization sets in-- it's a battle of endurance, and he is devoted to holding ground. Hopefully Hux is just as much, though some part of him already knows the General is capable.

Echoes coalesce, thoughts clear with strain, and after a moment he speaks again, words pinched up in his throat:] They will ask why we've broken formation.

Tell them it was a direct order. A ground sweep...clearance... [He stalls there, struggling against his own breath. A sea of data where he almost feels his fingers slip. Not today.] --code 7765-Yerna. Further scans must be...

[The hiss of the communications link as it sparks to life is deafening; Kylo Ren recoils against it, reality hitting his senses like ice water.]

[ Since coming here, he's been incredibly wary of the mental connection. Of how easy it is to strain through other people's thoughts. More than once, he's wondered if this is how Ren felt all the time, with the draw of mental voices just on the other side if he let it be. Hux, being a deeply private person, has kept his door closed, not wanting to tempt anyone to going shuffling around in his head.

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. ]

[It takes great effort for him to come to ground again, senses spun on their heel from that rush of input. Hux's hand-- whatever enmity they have fostered previously, whatever they will nurse along after this mission has completed-- helps. Like finding the solid brace of tangible reality in the conduit he was bound to, Kylo Ren wastes no time in turning his attention to Hux, not daring to speak when a voice so digitally altered would read as a disturbance in the minds of their enemies.

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.]

[ If he allows himself to, he can feel the rush almost as clearly as Ren does. The clamor of so many minds, threatening to drown out his own. Grimacing, he shuts off that door, not wanting to become overwhelmed, not after he's managed to bring Kylo Ren back from being swallowed.

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.

[It takes a painfully long time for the fleet to respond (he knows it well, how convoluted the chains of command are across the lowest rungs in particular - no foot soldier will ask beyond his captain, no captain beyond her own direct authority and so on and so forth) but he feels it coming like he'd been drowning, drawing in air through his lungs the second a curt 'Affirmative' is left as their permission to break formation.

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.]

[ Communications are silent, but the bridge between him and Kylo Ren is still active. Beside him, he can almost feel the exhale, the sudden pressure lifting off his shoulders. Neither of them are drowning and the only air that surrounds them is the filtered kind, cycled in from the ship's systems.

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. ]

[By comparison he feels...empty. Himself again, yes, still tied to the man at his side, but devoid of the vast network that had previously embedded itself beneath his skin - weightless and transparent and spent. It used to be easier.

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.]

[ Victory is close. A true one, not just the small portion when they'd dodged the fleet. Accelerating, Hux pulls the controls up, pushing a nearby lever and activating the switch next to it. This will give them the extra push to get the out of the atmosphere, which breaks before them in a dark array sprinkled with light.

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.

[So it was.

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.]

[ Hux knows Snoke can be watching at any time. It's something that registers just in the back of his mind. And why his actions are always with purpose, reaching for their goals. He's not afraid of getting accused of being a slacker (because that word doesn't exist for him), but of the possibility that the Supreme Leader might find him replaceable.

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.

[He hadn't realized his own transparency until that precise moment, attention snapping immediately to the General at his side like someone struck, fingers still held in midair near the edge of his own jaw. Swallows, stare dropping-- shifting in clear agitation-- with something akin to fear. His doubt should not be so evident - his inability to remain committed a secret held tight to his chest, even when the Supreme Leader questioned it.

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.

[ It's not often he's caught Ren almost completely unaware. Nor is it normal for Kylo Ren to seemingly understand what he means. Where he's going with the subject. Possibly even his feelings on it. In the time it takes for him to pull his barriers up again, he senses the inner quake of the other man's resolution. How it shudders, twisting as much as the Dark and Light he talks about so often.

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. ]

[The most fascinating aspect of their link is knowing that Ren acts as a conduit for the Force, allowing the General to effectively take on some strange form of artificial Force sensitivity. For the most part, he ignores it. Keeps closed the tie that binds them.

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?

[ Barriers are meaningless when someone topples into them continuously. When Kylo Ren's emotions swirl and pitch, a ship caught in a magnetic storm. He holds his breath, clinging to the stripped down mental walls and hoping for them to hold. What the other man's brought to the fore is something he doesn't want to acknowledge.

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.

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TEST DRIVE #1

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