TEST DRIVE #1

[onemind]

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

Comments

steve rogers | marvel cinematic universe

[decommission]

( OOC: For the TDM Steve will have a IOTA specialization of vibranium-like biological armor with a fifteen minute timer and a pre-serum canon point. Assuming your character is a broodmate for telepathic shenanigans is A-OK. For assuming pre-established CR, it can be noted by other characters that since his introduction to Station 72 he's been extremely wary about this whole idea of a 'collective' and tends to do his best to block himself off from telepathic contact during downtime, but broodmates are free to pick up little tidbits of his emotional state or thoughts from my brackets.

If you've got an idea for a different thread, feel free to PM this account! )

i. MILLING ABOUT THE STATION (debrief)

[ Thermal suit. Check - almost. He's got it pulled up to his waist, shrugging into the the gloved sleeves. Fits him better than most of the suits in his closet back home.

Back home and a universe away.

He's taking the whole 'outer space' part of this adventure in stride. There's a mission - and maybe he's never been officially given a real mission before, but he finds his footing awfully quick. Falling out of step means letting down a whole lot of folks he's only just come to know. Means putting them in danger, along with a countless number of lives in this part of the galaxy about to be steamrolled by two warring powers. He won't consciously do anything to jeopardize them -

- but he's digging his heels in on another front. He's in agreement this time, as far as the plan is concerned. The Hivemind concept as a whole is another story. Steve can't speak to the creature that's made its home inside his body. No one can, he's told. Instead, there's the connection to the Nest. A sense of belonging, if he allows it.

(he's not, can't) ]

You get a look at our ships? [ He speaks to the nearest person suiting up, curious. Took a peak himself, never seen anything like it before. He thinks of Stark and his busted flying car. A wave of homesickness washes over him.

This ain't Kansas anymore. ]

ii. VENTS AND SUBSTATIONS (hitting rock bottom)

[ One - and possibly the only benefit of being his size is that Steve has no trouble maneuvering through vents, especially the hands and knees crawl-spaced ones. Once inside he's quick to make his way into the control room of this particular substation and sends coolant system #3 into critical failure (with all the grace of an armored fist when all else failed). Trouble is, certain emergency protocols kicked in and now he's locked in that very same room, right behind a heavy metal door that looks and feels like it means business.

He stares up at it, jaw tight. To whomever's in his brood and close: ]

( I'm... number... assist )

[ The mental communication is garbled. Bad connection.

But hey, at least all the air conditioning is on in this room... ]

iii. WHATEVER YOU LIKE (wildcard)

( Breaking more things, chilling on the moon, a high stakes chase scene - give me a prompt and we can run with it! )

( ii )

[gonewrong]

[ She hates it. The voices in her head. Even when it is a simple plea for rescue, she hates it. Bambi is unkind to that sort of invasion, especially after years of being able to block any invaders into her cunning little mind, a power that is so natural to her it was a shock when it was gone. But it isn't quite the same. Still, it is a little less unpleasant when the connection seems jammed like a cellphone with bad reception, the illusion of being her own mind pushing them back, even if she knows, deep down, that it is not it. The trouble with being a liar is that you can only lie to yourself so far. But at least she can give the impression of believing that.

So, she hears him. The garbled trace of it. Her fingers twitch lightly, but she controls the anger that is always burning like oil in the pit of her stomach. She is the angriest person in the world, even if she looks like the sweetest doll - and has always been able to pass as such, subservient servant of more powerful beings.

It is disgustingly easy to tap into the symbiote and slither through the complicated network of connections, like tangled wires and labyrinths that are all too familiar. She feels her insides churning, but pushes it back. Holds the emotion at bay, breathe in, breathe out. Absolute control. It is the way of a talented liar. She pinpoints the voice of her broodmate, the location, eyes closed in a dark corner of the mines. She raises from her crouching position, no guns on sight except a hidden dagger around her right thigh. The place rumbles around her, but she keeps the hold on the wire, tugging the string to see where it takes her. It is the hardest part. Pulling on it while pulling from it. Too close and the mind spills and she works very hard for it not to. The path splits in to three, but she does not take pause to guess, walking by something close to instinct, but she knows it is not.

Bambi reaches the room where Steve is trapped, footsteps halting. She did not run here, she walked. Almost as if there was no urgency to get there, but when you are focusing on finding one from your brood by using your symbiote while trying to control your mind, she has to choose to either run and release that control or sacrifice time to hold on to it.

She is not so generous to make sacrifices for others.

Stopping in front of the room, she bangs on the door lightly, trying to get his attention. She speaks, rather than projecting her mind. ]

Are you there?

[decommission]

[ There should be an ease to connecting with a broodmate. Like two hands clasping, fingers interlocking seamlessly. Parts of a whole.

Steve doesn't feel like a part of a whole. He absolutely, stubbornly feels like himself. That might be why their psychic connection is less like clasping hands and more like two negatively charged magnets. The telepathic version of bumper cars on every level of frequency but the most basic connection: he knows someone's coming, can sense the path of their mental search brushing up his spine, barely touching. The temptation is there to reverse polarity, to welcome the entirety of their innate connection instead of letting most of it bounce back against his walls.

Whomever is pulling on his safety line is either about as reluctant as he is, or trying to be gentle. He can't tell which it is from where he's metaphorically standing.

Steve almost swears that he hears footsteps behind that thick metal door in the minute before someone's fist knocks against it. He slaps his palm almost the door in response. Bambi. He recognizes the voice. Recalls that she's one of their group that's taken better to the symbiote than some of them (himself included). She was being gentle with him, he thinks, unsure how to feel about that. Asking for assistance is difficult enough when the other person isn't trying to handle you with kid gloves. ]

Yeah, I'm here - [ Half shouts, necessary or not. ] I shut down the cooling system and the door locked - think it got scared I meant to bake myself. [ It's getting awfully chilly in here thanks to the auxiliary systems kicking in meant to protect the room from overheating - he can't feel it through his suit yet, but the helmet's beginning to fog with each of his breaths. ] And I'm guessing there's no spare battering ram lying around on that side, huh?

[ Womp womp. ]

[gonewrong]

[ On that, they would agree, but Bambi does not speak of such things with anyone. Even tries to avoid them with her own self - there is danger of slipping up into a mental connection and reveal her true self to someone else, and there is nothing scarier than pulling the mask away. It churns her stomach to know, however, that she does not have to talk to understand why the connection is so off. Not that Steve cares to hide much of his feelings from other. Too much of an honest man to hide it, she supposes. In a way, it is charming. In another, she cannot help but pity him.

No matter. There is a delicate balance to maintain now. Holding the connection at bay, but tugging on it. Being aware of her surroundings, but focusing on controlling the symbiote. It should be overwhelming, but Bambi is too patient to rush in to these things. She takes her time - like controlling the way you are breathing when running a marathon. An essential skill. ]

No ram. [ She says, voice soft. There is a calming quality to it. She takes a step back to check the door. Tries the handle, rattles it, but nothing comes of it. To the left, there is a small panel. She walks up to it, fingers lightly touchign around the small keypad. ] I think I found something. Some kind of-- lock, I suppose. Is there one on that side?

i

[freedomflighter]

Like nothing I ever saw before.

[Finn has been carefully resisting the potential little voice in his head- and maybe that wasn't exactly how it worked, but those were details. He'd spent a lifetime with other people controlling his every action, trying damn hard to control his thoughts. He was done with that. As much as he could be.

But going to save the life of someone fighting for an impossible cause was comforting, as far as missions went. So he's more open to chatting with the other recruits as he double checks his suit and weapons.]

Don't worry. Pilots figure these things out fast.

[A half beat as he thought about that.]

I think.

[decommission]

[ Both eyebrows raise as he scans Finn's features, trying to decide if the guy's making a joke or not. He doesn't know very many of the Station's inhabitants all that well. Steve hasn't been unfriendly exactly, and he observes - but he's been distant up until now. ]

Wouldn't know myself - haven't ever met any pilots. [ A glance at the ship. ] You've got experience?

[ With ships, pilots, the works. ]

[freedomflighter]

I've known a few. They live for this kinda thing.

[There's a slightly rueful smile that goes with that, like he hasn't decided if that really means they're safe or not. Pilots eager to try new equipment could just as easily kill them.]

What kind of unit were you in? Before all this.

1

[starflirt]

I did.

[Oh, he's excited. He's so excited as he suits up, though that doesn't show as much as he fastens the suit precisely. He wants to test out this outfit, see what it's capable of, see what he's capable of, and he's looking forward to all of this. It's a shame Steve doesn't seem as enthusiastic, but the man seems more official-minded anyway.]

They have similarities to what I know, but so much of them is new. That's what this is about. New experiences.

[He bounces on his toes just once.]

Did you?

[decommission]

[ He nods. ] Not much in there that I recognized. [ He's never seen a ship like this in his life, not outside the pages of science fiction comics. Never even driven a car. But he's curious enough, and interested in learning more - he's interested in learning whatever he can about the technology around here.

New experiences. That's one way to put it. ] You a pilot?

[starflirt]

I took a learning annex at the Academy. The instructors were top notch.

[This fact alone seems to fill him with a great deal of confidence, though he realizes to an outsider it might not do the same. Julian hastily adds:]

And I've flown since, runabouts and the Defiant.

[He mentally pictures the Defiant, trying to send the image over and not sure if it will work.]

Practical experience. Hands-on.

[Adventure.]

iv

[goingoffrail]

[They have a Bal ship using stealth, just the two of them leaving the moon now. But of course, as two Brooklyn kids from the 40s, their knowledge of all this space tech is limited to say the absolute least. Bucky knows they are hidden visually, so that's good? Having experience with fighting in the war has made him familiar with basic radar technology and some operations of vehicles. But this is way over his head. He's figured out how to make it go forward and how to turn, at least.

He turns to look at Steve in the seat next to him (he hasn't figured out which seat is the pilot and which is the copilot, or if these things even have those same designations...)] So... what d'you think the chances we'll escape with our lives are? 40/60? 10/90?

[50/50 is out of the question. His voice is casual, humorous, but also understanding there's very little to be amused about in this kind of situation. He can try, though. He's also busying himself with trying to figure out all the different controls in front of them, and even starts fishing around for a manual of some sort, then gives up with a sigh and resigns himself to trying to telepathically contact anyone nearby or in their brood.]

( Testing... 1...2 ...3. ) [The symbiote and the telepathic hive mind situation has him extremely unhappy to say the least. He avoids it and does his best to shut it all out unless absolutely necessary. This situation counts as absolutely necessary.]

[decommission]

[ How the two of them ended up last to leave is a mystery. Apparently their little group isn't drowning in pilots. Steve's hands hover over the controls, failing to actually touch any of them yet - though some light up in response whenever he gets a little too close.

He frowns. ]

We've managed through worse. [ FOOTAGE NOT FOUND? ] And anyway, haven't you always wanted to fly one of these?

[ A spaceship. Has to beat all the rides at Coney Island.

In response to his mental signal, Bucky'll feel a blip of irritation out of Steve. He's not adjusting any better to the alien body invasion any better than Bucky. He's never been one to hide his feelings. They're usually written all over his face, his body language. But sharing minds goes beyond the usual levels of personal that he's comfortable with - and now it's happening with strangers, some who don't want the soul-baring connection any more than he does.

Should be easier with Bucky, but Steve finds his mental walls closing up even quicker within the presence of his friend. ]

[goingoffrail]

[He snorts, because no, this is pretty much the worst they've tried to navigate through (hah). He shakes his head with an ironic curl of one corner of his mouth.] Not like this.

[Shortly after, his eyes flicker to Steve when he gets that sense of irritation and sighs through his nose. A mild flash of exasperation is what Steve can pick up in response, though Bucky pretty much expressed that well enough with his sigh. No point in hiding anything sometimes, though he can now and again. It's hardest to block his emotions from Steve, and he similarly has his walls closing up around him more than he thought he would. The mental link with Steve causes him more unease than he's comfortable with, which just instigates more internal questioning than he really wants while off in outer space with some alien parasite living in his body.

But right now, opening the link to try and get help is just necessary. Radio silence is what comes back, though, so he supposes they can both breathe a sigh of relief over at least one thing they don't enjoy. Now they just have to get out of this and they can breath another one and take a nap or something. He lets out a breath and leans back in his seat, eyes closing and a hand running through his hair on one side as he tries to think.]

... Guess a literal crash course is the only option. [He places his hands gingerly on the controls for movement.] ... What do you think? Straight ahead as fast as possible?

i

[prehend]

[ Dylan turns, smiles... and her eyes go pitch black. The voice that answers is a bit like knives and gravel, too rough and pained to be natural. The smile is challenging, almost as if she wanted him to point it out. ]

Actually I have not, small fry. [ She blinks, and the darkness goes away. The air of defiance seems to deflate as well, replaced by something resembling meekness. ] It's not like I'm going to be flying it anyway... or like anyone's gonna let Ellis drive one.

Hey!

[ The change is seamless, one moment is the relatively soft spoken woman, the other... not so much. Dylan just shrugs and rises her arms in exasperation. ]

You're gonna crash us somewhere, okay.

Aw.

[decommission]

[ Welp. He frowns at her - him, both of them? His hands move to shove into pockets that... aren't there. He lets them hang at his sides instead, shoulders straightening. Small fry? ]

Better to look at them now than try to sort things out in an emergency. [ That's his logic, at least. Worst case scenario. ]

[prehend]

[ There's contemplative silence for a while. Just. Staring. Measuring, maybe. ]

Yeah. [ She delivers a perfect deadpan tone as she smothers a suit that doesn't need to be smothered. ]

Sorry about my, eh, worst half. [ Never mind the fact she sounds totally insincere and cant' maintain eye contact, ugh. ]

ii

[fredsonja]

[Illyria despises this entire arrangement: the symbiote joining her inside the shell of Winifred Burkle, the hive connection with this disgusting cluster of gnats she could once tear to shreds between her jaws. And peace is what this hive claims to enforce. That is above all the most abhorrent nonsense of all to her. She has walked through countless dimensions within this multiverse they so futilely try to hold together in a harmony that could truly only exist in the pitiful dreams of mortals, and she has seen "peace" in each of those dimensions crumble in on itself as easily as the wind topples one mound of sand in a vast sea of other mounds just like it, unremarkable and weak. They are fools.

But fools who currently provide her with reason to allow them her allegiance.

Still, her cooperation does not mean she will take on such pointless missions with pleasure, or welcome the mental connection with this... hive. And upon hearing Steve's mental message, she snarls out-loud where she stands alone in one of the plasma drill's tunnels. She has laid siege to many fortresses and fought countless wars and the vacancy of this drill frustrates her for two reasons: one, there are no enemies to do violence upon, and two, coming here and staying was foolish. These mortals should be allowed to destroy themselves if they are so set on warring with each other over meaningless politics. But here they are, and now one of the mortals she is forced to tolerate in this hive is speaking to her.]

( You dare penetrate me with mortal impurity? Your rotting shells are detestable enough to endure. Human worms should know their place and wait for their betters to address them. )

[decommission]

[ That's uh -

Even without the brood connection supplying innate information, it's pretty clear which broodmate his broadcast managed to reach, given that response. The clarity of her mental voice has his inner ears ringing a bit, and physically his face flushes red despite the cold in the room. ]

( Coolant Station 3.

Coolant Station 3. Coolant Station 3. Coolant Station 3. Coolant Station 3. Coolant Station 3. )

[ He can get in an argument with Illyria about her choice of words if she decides to show up in person, he doesn't have the concentration to do this over the psychic phone. ]

[fredsonja]

[It's a response that has her cocking her head to one side, her struggle to understand human behavior has her disgust taking a backseat for the moment. She has no idea what Steve is doing right now, but she gathers that Coolant Station 3 is an important location. But why repeat it over and over? Haughty frustration returns as she replies.]

( What are you doing? Answer plainly before I lose my patience. )

ii pretendsies broodmate

[invocatia]

[ this thing, this confluence of consciousness and shared life, feels both so familiar and too invasive. she had this with peitro, a connection she hosted between the two of them, and it'd felt so natural, and it's been so devastating when she felt his side snap, and go silent. but nonetheless, it's an ability that comes easily to her, and when her broodmate calls out - a voice and a soul she already knows, even with how changed his physical form is from what she'd know - she's quick to reach back. ]

( Keep speaking. Help is coming. )

[ Steve had put faith in them when the others had been ready to throw them out, and she'd seen the inside of his mind, even before this place. If she knows no one else in this Nest, in this new life, and has nothing else, there is him, and she intends to return the favor of giving her a place to be, after she'd felt her world crumble.

Wanda marches through the corridors of the complex mining facility on a warpath, doors flung open with a wave of crackling, red energy glowing bright and violent, following the tendrils of his mind, and honing in on the pull of the symbiote, and the Nest. ]

[decommission]

[ He follows the 'sound' of her voice. The line to Wanda's mind is easy to follow, bright and red like the energy that crackles from her fingertips. He reaches for her clumsily - not uncommon for him. Steve uses the mental abilities of his symbiote sparingly, there's little finesse to his attempts to secure a connection, though he's careful not to overshoot into a place he doesn't belong.

Especially with Wanda.

( here )

There's an image this time, the door from the opposite side. A pathway to follow.

Metal encases his hand, covering up to his forearm. Fingers curl into a fist and he punches the thick metal blocking his exit. ]

[invocatia]

[ Clumsy, yes, something he seemed even when he was more a titan than a skinny soldier. The Captain wasn't a man of abstract details, and while that solidity is good for many things, telepathy it is not. But that's fine - it's where there's many of them here.

The image he manages is plenty, though, and between that and the string of his mind, it doesn't take long for her to track him. ]

( Stand away from the door. )

[ because it's about to go boom. Well, less boom, more, ripped apart as if it were a soda can, all twisting, contoured metal, squealing as it folds away. sup buddy, how u doin. ]

Are you hurt?

[engined]

( curtis is already in his suit — strange, to be in clothes that actually fit, after eighteen years in hand-me-downs no better than rags — when he hears the voice from next to him speak up. that voice makes curtis frown, more for the familiarity of it than what he's saying.

steve's voice bothers curtis more than his face, honestly. others say they look alike, but curtis doesn't really see it. there are a few similar features, but steve's so... small. curtis can't imagine himself ever being as small as steve is. if steve never opened his mouth, as far as curtis is concerned, there'd be no reason to think they're in any way alike. but steve does talk, and the voice that comes out of his mouth is far more eerie than the face he wears. it makes it difficult to be around him, sometimes, though curtis knows it shouldn't. they're different people. they may look alike (debatable) and have the same voice (not so debatable), but that's where the similarities end. no reason for things to be weird.

that doesn't stop things from being weird, though.

eventually, curtis' frown deepens, though this time his displeasure is focused on himself — ignoring problems doesn't make them go away, and this isn't even an actual problem — and he shakes his head. )

Don't like looking out there.

( the size of the station by itself is more than he can take sometimes. looking out onto the vast openness of space makes curtis feel nauseous, even on the best days. )

[decommission]

[ They've got the same nose, he thinks (fits better on this guy's face). ]

I'm going. [ He decides that, standing up straight in his fitted space suit. There's still a decent amount of time before they leave, he ought to take another look at the controls. Just in case.

Another glance at Curtis. ] You don't have to poke your head outside.

[ Another difference between them. Space makes Steve a bit queasy, but worse is the claustrophobic sense of the Station. No matter it's sized, it always feels too shuttered and windowless. Something about the smell reminds him of the hospital. ]

[engined]

( well, shit. curtis isn't about to just sit around if everyone else around him is off doing something, even if all the options he has for things to do make him feel like his skin is crawling. his frown gets even deeper as he nods, standing with steve. )

I'll go with you.

( because at least if he's with another person, it's not so bad. wilford was right, he was never alone on the train, and the space he has here is equal parts freeing and fucking weird. sometimes he prefers to be alone, just because he can be, but most often he wants to be around at least one other person. not necessarily talking to them, or anything, just... in the same space. )

It's bad enough in here.

( shuttered and windowless is fine by curtis — in that way, the station is a lot like the train — but the space of it, the soundlessness, the smell (or really, lack thereof)... it's a lot to get used to, all at once. )