onemind: (Default)
THE N E S T ([personal profile] onemind) wrote in [community profile] emptynesters2016-02-03 09:43 pm
Entry tags:

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?


NAVIGATIONPREMISEFAQGLOSSARYSYMBIOTIC SKILLS GUIDERESERVES
wont_be_me: (Default)

carla morir | original character

[personal profile] wont_be_me 2016-02-04 09:12 pm (UTC)(link)
SPECS: Carla is an IOTA specialist with some higher level control over cell production: both hers and yours. This gives her kind of a 'healing'/flesh manipulation power, but it's likely to hurt and she's likely to misbehave when using it. Right now it's not that threatening because she is a newbie, but eventually I hope to make it deeply unwise to allow her to touch you, ever.

Joined the Nest so that she wouldn't die alone on her post zombie apocalypse planet, is of two minds about the symbiote. Deeply resents its pressure on her individuality but she also craves power and control and excitement. She can be very guarded but can also be extremely inappropriate and invasive with her telepathy. She probably wants to bone you and isn't that sad about you knowing it...

Cool for pre-established CR/broodmates/etc. I am the most flexible.




ONE • DEBRIEF: NOT AS SEXY AS IT SOUNDS
[ She prepares for the mission, because it's something more interesting to do than roam the station, but her feelings about it are clear enough to anyone near enough to hear her thoughts: ]

This is all too little too late.

THREE • HURRY UP AND WAIT - vague body horror
[ Well, really. If this entire planet is going to be vaporized anyway, she may as well make good use of the resources before they're gone. It's not that difficult to smile and seduce some silly young boy in the market, to lure him off into a dark side street where she can't be seen. The caress to his face seems gentle enough until his flesh begins to twist under her fingertips. It's minute, but painful and her eyes narrow in concentration.

Maybe she can seal his mouth shut before he starts screaming? ]


FOUR • INTO THE WILD BLACK YONDER
[ She has been trapped on a decaying planet before. As the end of this planet's lifespan nears, she becomes increasingly more agitated, a wave of it that emanates out from her position; a twisting and intensity that seems like it will not end... Until suddenly it breaks and she is on the move.

She needs to take control. She needs her own assured way off this death trap. She incapacitates at merchant crew in a frenzy, unmindful of any damage she may do to herself in the process, and then she steals their ship, following the backwards drift of the planet to keep out of sight of the armada...

A.) Wanna get on this ship, do it!
B.) On a different ship and need some backup, bring it! ]


WILDCARD
[ #Yasssss ]
regalled: (Parried)

[personal profile] regalled 2016-02-05 03:12 am (UTC)(link)
[He doesn't often answer to thoughts not meant for him. Not to the ones unintentional, and rarely even to the ones that were intentional. It's not something he likes to encourage. It's not polite, it is without value. Like wandering the halls without clothing. A child may do it, and they don't know better, and so you ignore it if you must or encourage them to clothe themselves. When an adult did it, you knew it wasn't as one unaware of the discomfort they may cause to others.

This one, however, almost demands action on his part. It was ill-timed and ill-advised and he didn't like for it to color the mission before it had begun. He would like to speak to her in person, but without convenient corners or time, he instead does something quite rare for him. Leaves the distance between them, and lets his mind sing down the thread that connects him to her, by passes the brood and the stronger threads to speak privately.]


If you have concerns about the mission I would suggest you speak to either myself or Cathaway about them. We would not wish to send you ill-prepared.

[And it is an impersonal kind of message, without images or sideways branching thoughts or any other sense woven in. Limited, compared to what it could be, but there is a hint of something like disapproval to it. Far more common from him than his voice in a young Hosts's mind.]
wont_be_me: (Default)

[personal profile] wont_be_me 2016-02-06 06:02 pm (UTC)(link)
[ There's a brief clutch of disdain for his condescension, an ugly and instant reaction that smooths out evenly into the flirtatious antagonism she shows to anyone who attempts to claim direction over her. Maybe it's for the best that he isn't near her. ]

I'm not concerned.

[ And that is a certainty, she was already different before she came to the Hive, she does not know how to fear the way a human being should, instead expressing everything in terms of anger or desire or utter disinterest. The strong will was a boon, the deep disregard for anything other than herself was a terror. She still needed to be molded, even more challenging and terrible than an unbroken horse. ]

I'm merely incredulous to what action the Empress can wreak from such an ignominious position.

[ She does not think the word ignominious, she thinks of a small mouse scuttling from hidey-hole to hidey-hole all alone in the vastness of the universe. ]
regalled: (Parried)

[personal profile] regalled 2016-02-07 01:51 am (UTC)(link)
[He attempts, with his less than perfect abilities, to keep the connection straight forward. Simple. Intentional communication and little else. Even still he can feel her reactions slipping like a coiling creature beneath fetid waters. She was fickle and he is quite certain, dangerous. Of course, this was not uncommon. The Nest valued uniqueness. Folding the broadest variation of personalities into the consensus lead to a more complete understanding of all. Eventually her jagged bloody edges may be smoothed by the influence of her brood.

Or they may not, and Cathaway would make the decision to cut her out like a cancer. He usually put more effort into warning young hosts to stay on a path that kept them free from that danger.]


She is not weak.

[The image, as clear as it is, is not answered with one of his own, even though a distaste wells up within him. He has no interest in sharing with her his inner feelings. He had no interest in sharing them with anyone, even those he could not disguise them from.]

She represents the will of billions. United behind her they are as countless grains of sand. Individually easily dismissed, together a force capable of wearing down any stone.
fatua: (pic#)

three

[personal profile] fatua 2016-02-05 02:43 pm (UTC)(link)
Whoa, that's really cool.

[ The voices comes from above. Mack had just been chilling on the roof of one of the buildings that make the dark corner where she decided to take the young boy. She's propped on the edge like a big, tired dog and there is no indication that she plans to move further. It might be cold, but Mack understands there's really little she could do about whatever Carla plans to do, and she doesn't really care all that much anyway. ]

Kind of gross, but neat. Remind me to never make out with you.
wont_be_me: (Default)

[personal profile] wont_be_me 2016-02-06 06:05 pm (UTC)(link)
[ Carla does not look up at Mack, carefully finish her work on the boy's mouth, looking deep into his pleading eyes. His terror is rather pretty to her, stirring up a tender fondness in her. Sealing his eyes is easier and she pushes him to sit down where he makes a strained whining noise.

Then she looks up. ]


You'd enjoy making out with me.

[ A smile, difficult to tell if she is being flirty or threatening, and obviously doing both. ]
fatua: (Default)

[personal profile] fatua 2016-02-06 07:33 pm (UTC)(link)
Yeaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah, not really. I like my face too much. I use it a lot, you know.

[ Mack stares lazily, silently wondering if there's any point in doing anything; it's not as if they were all screwed anyway. ]

So what are you gonna do now, exactly? If you're gonna eat his face you better tell me so I look away, I can't stomach that crap.
wont_be_me: (Default)

[personal profile] wont_be_me 2016-02-06 07:35 pm (UTC)(link)
I don't believe the elders would take kindly to me if I mutilated one of our own.

[ Which only matters for as long as said elders are stronger than her, but. Semantics. ]
fatua: (pic#)

[personal profile] fatua 2016-02-06 07:39 pm (UTC)(link)
I'm pretty sure they would think similarly to what you're doing right now, but hey, who knows? Either way I'm kind of taken.

[ A horrible lie she no doubt would expand to bother Bambi, but maybe it's not the time. ]

Seriously though, don't eat his face. You don't know where it's been.
wont_be_me: (Default)

[personal profile] wont_be_me 2016-02-06 07:40 pm (UTC)(link)
They gave me this ability.

[ The shrug is implied, she glances down at her experiment as he makes a sad wuffling sound, clearly crying. No particular expression crosses her face. ]

I don't know what gave you the idea I eat flesh.
fatua: (pic#)

[personal profile] fatua 2016-02-06 07:43 pm (UTC)(link)
I guessed that much.

[ While hardly an altruistic soul, Mack isn't the kind to just leave people to their deaths, or whatever is it Carla has in store for the poor sod. She isn't big on effort either, though. He's kind of screwed. ]

Maybe it's the Nest thingy? I keep getting flesh eating vibes from you.
wont_be_me: (Default)

[personal profile] wont_be_me 2016-02-06 07:48 pm (UTC)(link)
[ That makes her smile, sharp and privately to herself. Yes, maybe it is the Nest thing, she is aggressive. ]

Well, let me put you at ease -- [ The way she drawls that is insincere. ] -- I don't eat people.

[ At least not literally........... ]
fatua: (pic#)

[personal profile] fatua 2016-02-06 11:33 pm (UTC)(link)
Whew, good to know.

[ A moment of pause, in which Mack seems to be debating whether to just roll away or not. ]

So what're you doing to the poor sod anyway?
wont_be_me: (Default)

[personal profile] wont_be_me 2016-02-07 12:50 am (UTC)(link)
[ The look on her face suggests 'does it really matter'? ]

Would you like me to undo it.

[ Not exactly a question... ]
fatua: (pic#9990187)

[personal profile] fatua 2016-02-08 01:12 am (UTC)(link)
[ 'Why yes it fucking does' says Mack's face for a moment. ]

He had a totally usable pair of eyes, so yeah.
mindtricky: (105)

one

[personal profile] mindtricky 2016-02-05 11:49 pm (UTC)(link)
Yo, quit that shit.

[The thoughts- Gerty can't really complain about those when she's dealt with them her whole life, really. But maybe that's why it's got her so irritated. Until Big Mamma came around she was just a kid who couldn't control what she did or didn't learn about people, and having it all taken aback now is reminding her of unhappy, confusing times.]

Zip up and shut up.
wont_be_me: (Default)

[personal profile] wont_be_me 2016-02-06 06:07 pm (UTC)(link)
[ Carla wheels on her, the brief impulse to knock her back into the wall and stare deeply into her face, just to show she can be just as invasive with or without the telepathy. She settles for merely letting the image float outward, and smiling. ]

Whatever you say.
mindtricky: (078)

[personal profile] mindtricky 2016-02-06 07:44 pm (UTC)(link)
[Gerty's frown is open and blatant, glaring at Carla with the image deposited in her head effortlessly. She's used to seeing things against her will, things no one else can see, so it comes as no shock. Not even the fact that it's a violent image does anything to send a shiver down her spine.]

You trying to start something, bitch?
wont_be_me: (Default)

[personal profile] wont_be_me 2016-02-06 07:49 pm (UTC)(link)
[ Her expression is infuriatingly pleasant. ]

No, I think I made myself clear.
mindtricky: (064)

[personal profile] mindtricky 2016-02-06 07:57 pm (UTC)(link)
I fuckin' thought so. Goofy-ass.

[she ain't scared of no host]
wont_be_me: (Default)

[personal profile] wont_be_me 2016-02-06 08:03 pm (UTC)(link)
[ Her eyebrows go up just slightly, a look of amused scorn. ]

You're abrasive yourself.
mindtricky: (112)

[personal profile] mindtricky 2016-02-06 08:05 pm (UTC)(link)
Yeah, so, what do you expect me to do about it? Cry?

[She rolls her eyes.]
wont_be_me: (Default)

[personal profile] wont_be_me 2016-02-06 08:06 pm (UTC)(link)
No, but why be surprised when someone returns the favor.

[ The golden rule.......... ]
mindtricky: (062)

[personal profile] mindtricky 2016-02-06 08:09 pm (UTC)(link)
Do I fuckin' look surprised to you.

[Because. She expects everyone to be a douchebag. Kind of an universal rule.]

You were whining, I told y'all to shut up. Simple an' easy.
wont_be_me: (Default)

[personal profile] wont_be_me 2016-02-06 08:20 pm (UTC)(link)
[ So cranky, it makes Carla's heart flutter. ]

And you don't have any questions about the effectiveness of this mission?

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