  
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
[Nathaniel says with an impressed whistle as he walks in the room (as if he wouldn't have done exactly the same thing if somebody hadn't gotten to the room first). He makes sure not to step on anything as he enters, and he looks up when he sees her showing off. Now that is one rad jacket.]
Okay, you probably got the coolest thing in this room. [He gives her a thumbs up.] Looking pretty good there.
no subject
Damn straight, but hey - [ she turns in a snap motion - can't keep still this one - and drags out another jacket, and it's similar. The one she'd grabbed was a too bright mix of colours, gold on purple, red threads. The next one she picks out is a bit more moderate, but same cut. ] - look, we can match.
[ And she tosses it too him. ]
no subject
We are the coolest people on this planet now. [He says, folding his arms.] Hell, they should make us royalty.
no subject
There's another box nearby, looked expensive and she starts rummaging around in it to pull out a string of, what, jewels maybe? Long thing chains and heavy beads. They catch on her fingers, looping over metal, clanking softly, and she begins to drape them over herself. Preening in the borrowed grandeur of a dying world, she's giggling all over again. ] Princess Gaige, I like that.
[ she drapes another chain over her head, like a coronet. Tips her head up like she could be the empress herself. ]
no subject
[He sees her put on the jewels out of the corner of his eye, and he turns to flash her an approving smile.]
Looking better and better. [He moves to toss a few clothes out of the cabinet, continuing to speak.] Now me, I don't know. Like, 'Prince Nathaniel" does sound pretty cool, but I don't want to do things like look over taxes or run the empire or whatever princes do. It's too much work, not enough fun.
[And...oh, what's this? Nathaniel pulls out what appears to be a hidden knife, inlaid with precious metals and gems he doesn't know the name of. He waves it as if he's fighting off an invisible foe, before turning back to her.]
But "Knight Nathaniel" sounds loads better, in my opinion.
no subject
[ A chimed in bit of appreciation of what he's found midst all the stuff in this room. There's no better time and place to play dress up than in the soon to be ruins of a palace, with other people's stuff. ] I, Princess Gaige, dub thee Sir Nathaniel, Knight of Badassdom.
[ With all the grand ceremony of her invented crown and without a sword to do it, she unslings her rifle and waves it about in what she hopes is somewhat of a regal manner befitting a Bandit Princess of Space and Guns. ( it's not, but who cares about that either, right? ) ]
no subject
I, Knight Nathaniel of Badassdom, promise to be the badassiest knight in the entire land. And I'll kick butts where needed.
[The whole world is going to blow up, and they're doing this.]
[They need to set their priorities straight.]
Though...now that I think of it, you could probably kick more butts than I ever could.
no subject
Well, duh, I am a vault hunter, it's why they pay me those cash dollar bills.
[ her head tilts, pleased with the compliment that she's not at all modest about accepting. She took down monsters the size of sky scrappers and she killed handsome fricking jack and her bounty is in the millions which is how she knows she made it big time. Why should she be modest?
Because there are better things to do, and she's as ever, a mind wide open, all her exuberance and happiness that bubbles out into the hive mind. Makes it no where near as sneaky as she likes when she waits for him to turn where she needs to, to tackle him. Launching herself at his back with all the grace of a train crash for what she's decided is piggy back ride time. An overly affectionate rub of her face into his hair as way of hello. ] But I promise you're my favourite knight.
no subject
[He briefly gets the mental image of those big metal boxes you find in banks. Which is...well, sort of on the right track. Kind of.]
[And if there is one thing he'll admit he likes about the hivemind, it's that feeling of connection. It's a feeling he hasn't had often, and he craves it more than anything - he can't help but let some of his own happy emotions spill out in reply as she jumps on his back.]
Ack! Oh no, I'm being attacked! [He says, unable to fully portray his absolutely fake sense of woe through his fit of laughter. He stumbles a bit, but he's strong enough to hold her up without letting her fall.] That's so nice of you, but how can I be your favorite knight if I'm unable to even defend myself from you? Honestly, I need a lot more training, princess.
no subject
[ She can correct that mental image, with her mind wide open, it's not little bank vault. It's the middle of a volcano, gaping wide and hot, and a terrifying monster the size of a build crawling out of the heat, roaring loud. Not that there is fear in her either, for that. She's giddy with excitement. The risk of death just makes it better, really. ]
Come run drills with me then. Prince is a grumpy is a grumpy bastard, but he's not wrong. [ She locks her legs in tight around him, doing her best to keep her weight balanced as to not topple him. She's a solid, but still little. Hardly that much at all, thankfully. ] You've gotta train. [ She pulls back, straightening her back. ] And your first training mission is to take me the food.
[ Knight just got upgraded to pony, sorry. She points out the door to direct him. ] Onwards!
no subject
Oh, goodness. Vaults...and I have to do drills, huh? [A giddy laugh escapes his throat.] And training too? My, my, I'm going to have quite the busy schedule. It'll definitely give me something better to do than running around like an idiot, though.
[Honestly, he could turn into a pony if he wanted to, but this is way funner. He shoots a grin over his shoulder.]
Alright, keep your legs and arms inside the "Knight Nathaniel Super Awesome Ride" at all times. Got that? Time to go. [He...honestly doesn't know where to go but WHO CARES. He bounds out of the room, running down the empty corridors and hallways of the building as he does along.]
Just tell me where I need to go, alright?
no subject
Yep. I mean you couuuld do it like I did. But I don't think we've got enough people to shoot at us for that.
[ Besides these days, she's a little slower to just wound others where she might never have cared before. She's a mass murdered, she kills and enjoys it. She's kills and is praised for it. It's easy because - kill or be killed right? It doesn't allow for caring how much pain someone else might be in.
These days, whether she wants to or not. She feels it. Feels it all sharp and quick like it's happening to her.
Her laughter is a shriek, as he starts to run. Does she know either, sorta? Something she uploaded to her HUD. Seemed like a good place to go, and hey, now they're dressed for the occasion. ] Take a left here.