emptynesters | TEST DRIVE #1

Entry tags:

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

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

[His chest shouldn't swell with pride at the fact that Anakin draws the same tactical conclusion before he's even fully voiced it, but it does all the same - a single beat of warmth, laced through the air between them, fleeting and forgotten in the same unrealized breath. If he were reasonable, he'd remember it was a tactic his father had employed first, many, many years prior.

He is not.

Instead panels are switched on borrowed instinct, shield sequences initialized and held back only for the fact that Kylo Ren's palm hovers sternly over the last button left to press.]

Understood. [Because between two Force users there's no need for commands: they follow the path set before them, reading what others fail to. The ship lurches as it reels in, fired shots on their heels turning wider as cannons lurch in their bays. A split-second pause, only as long as it takes for the last menial shot to graze their cover, and then he jams down on the controls to resist the incoming onslaught.

The rest he leaves to Skywalker-- and he has faith.]

[ chastisements and warnings against recklessness are far away. he reads the vibrations of he ship as if they were sensation from a limb. thirteen years fall away and he is in his podracer gunning for the finish line. anakin plunges into the open.

the barrage is intense enough that anakin cannot avoid it entirely. but it was a calculated risk. the best defense is a good offense, and they are plainly on the offensive. the stealth ship arcs left, swings right, spins in an almost lazy circle as most of the laser fire explodes harmlessly around them, their target dead ahead. they scream toward the bal gunship in what seems like a collision course. bal thinks so; a volley of cannonfire charges them. at the last second, anakin twitches the controls. their stolen ship smoothly avoids it. two ships behind them weren't so lucky; clipped by friendly fire, the first hurtles into the second. an explosion is all that marks them, and is left behind, forgotten.

anakin dips the nose of their craft to get them closer still. at close range like this, most of the ships won't dare fire for fear of hitting one their own. of course, at this close range even with shields, there's a high probability of getting shot down. one direct hit from the cannons is all it would take. but a jedi is no ordinary pilot, and anakin no ordinary jedi. laser fire rips into the vacuum around them. the craft sails past unhindered. picturing the consternation of the officers, anakin almost laughs. bal will have to send individual fighters after them. ]

First wave, [ he observes almost at the precise point the pings show on the chart. ] Now it's interesting.

[His mask remains emotionless as their ship pitches and glides with expert precision; he makes no sound, not of fear or anticipation or excitement, and he should be glad it is the only barrier left between the facade he maintains and the rapid beat of his own heart if only because nothing else would suffice. There is poetry in the deftness displayed without hesitation. A mastery of the Force that is his own inheritance, played out in Anakin's grip.

Still, his role is not that of an idle spectator, and no time is wasted in reversing the shields as bright spots fleck against the horizon.] I see it.

[Untrained as both a pilot and a gunner, there ought to be a certain amount of anxiety there for his own limitations-- but his past was spent amongst cockpits and the scent of broiling couplings, his father's steady movements too easy to chart, no matter the fact that it's been twenty years since. More than, perhaps. Here, now, beside the shadow of all he strives to be, there is only one truth left to accept.

He has no limitations.

The yoke shifts heavy between his fingers, trigger as solid as the hilt of his blade as he flips what few switches remain to prime their primary cannon.]

[ there will be no holding hands. that's one limitation. there will be no approval ever. that's another.

aside from those, however…doing good bro.

mouth fitted into a solemn line, anakin seems lost to himself. but he searches kylo ren out of the corner of his eye for sign of — nothing. trust, there is none. but there is no hesitancy he can see. no uncertainty. good enough. anakin shifts his attention outside.

cannons continue to track them, though they no longer fire with reckless abandon. the ships they've picked up prevent it. one above, two behind, three ahead. the tracking computer beeps madly in its attempt to get a lock. anakin's piloting more than the others frustrate every attempt. they avoid the first, the second. the third he pins dead-center: a gift. ]

Edited (idk don't look at me) 2016-02-07 00:22 (UTC)

[~~He's getting to spend time with the family he always wanted, he's good. He's great. He doesn't need a gold star sticker.~~

It's less than a single beat, how quick he is to respond. Like the snap of a tripped wire, like a hair trigger, one single burst of fire and the ship ahead splits at its unguarded seam beneath the bulwark of its own shields. Heat and flame and the thrill of adrenaline that prompts a quick, stoppered exhale. It's static, it's nothing. His fingers cinch and he's focused, watching for any more viable openings.

One ship takes damage in passing; the other is smart enough to keep its distance. Part of him distantly wonders if he's chomping at the bit from untainted satisfaction, or if it's shared bleed between the both of them.

Part of him wonders if it matters at all.]

[ sure, he doesn't.

where he typically keeps his mind sealed like the citadel ( or tries to: he cannot control the occasional flare like microbursts of frustration that paint the gist of his thoughts into the air around him ), diving around lasers, twisting away from beams, flying in the only way that means anything in full control of the ship around him, the walls fade. the war fades. the darkness that shadows his eyes lifts.

surrounded and pursued, this is as close as he gets to truly, genuinely happy away from the sweet peace of his wife's presence.

another blast removes an enemy ship, but those on their tail are gaining. the scope beeps their ever decreasing distance. worse, one of them is smart enough to forgo blasters for missiles. the force lights a warning; anakin's fingers twitch the ship around another cannon; the missiles track them.

get ready, and he's so far gone, so deeply attuned to his surroundings, he seems not to notice he did not speak the words out loud.

niceties are done. he's turning this ship around. ]

I am. [Is the response that comes willingly, drawing subconsciously on Anakin's welling emotion. No fear in the face of what lies beyond his control (deft steering, charted by the Force itself) only the drive to bridge whatever gaps exist between Skywalker's work and that of their enemies. Only a need for quickness he knows he can match.

The trigger's tugged, how many times is irrelevant, unknown even to him-- one missile disappears in a flare of sparking energy, heat drawing the attention of its twin down around the neck of the canon as they pass. The resulting explosion isn't enough to take out the set of ships on their tail (a delay at best) but the cannon twists and warps, so badly damaged by the shock of a direct hit that it jams in place.]

[ were it obi-wan beside him, teasing would have followed: see, master? you're not such a bad shot. for r2, only praise: there is no droid more rewarded in the galaxy. no matter how often he was chided for speaking to r2 like a person, anakin let it roll off his back: r2 is a friend. and the tone of his whistling grows prideful when he's praised for a job well done.

kylo ren's stroke of luck manages to eke a grim smile. they could destroy the cannons; another pilot would. it'll be safer for them once they break out of the ring. but with the approach of another large gunship, a different plan begins to take form. ]

See if you can divert the others. [ anakin flips the switches to the stabilizers, preparing to swing the ship around. ] Prepare to reroute all energy from the shields to the engines on my mark.

[ in this, kylo ren is treated exactly as obi-wan and r2-d2; anakin never explains his plans to them, either. ]

[From him, Kylo Ren needs no explanation: his ~~grandpababy~~ predecessor speaks with a clear enough purpose - there is reason behind it. There must be.

He spares a few wide shots, aiming to further distress the pilots tailing them while his other hand taps preemptively at the monitor before him. It's a process he's unused to in theory (performs adequately regardless) and in his place his father would likely make it look effortless by comparison. For the moment, Ren isn't fixated on the idea.

A rarity, for him.]

[ later, there will be time to critique his co-piloting. now, there's only the path ahead.

he knows the tractor beam has been activated on the first ship. anakin keeps their ship tantalizingly just out of its reach. the second ship hopes to get lucky. they'll be in range in …s ]

Now!

[ anakin throws everything to the engines. the ship sails cleanly out into unoccupied space. and the two gunships are locked together and seconds from a mutual crash. ]

[There is something to be said for the maneuverability of the Bal craft - they are fast and securely shielded, well gunned and solid - but there is no no avoiding the trap for which the two gunships have fallen. The two come together in the ship's wake, born into one another by their rugged engine systems. One scrapes up across the other, bearing the brunt of the silent impact on its port bow. Shield plating crumbles between them. Fires burn and then die in the vacuum and super heated metal liquefies to pour from the deck and then freezes into shrapnel propelled out. The lights on the bow of one of the gunships flickers and then dies. Perhaps given a few more seconds the ship will begin to break apart.

But the fate of the two gunships and their crews are negligible. The distraction of their impact provides at least the moments for the Bal ship in Anakin's command to lengthen the distance between it and the armada. It is not, strictly, a clean escape but very few are.

One of the Empress's councilors takes this moment to unbuckle their restraints, grabbing the handholds along the top of the ship's compartment to hoist themselves to their feet and struggle toward the cockpit. It's not more than a few strides but the heavy robe the woman - she appears to be a woman anyway, her long hair intricately braided and her voice very sweet - wears seems to make it difficult.]

We're past them? [There is something cool and deliberate in the question, a rattling undercurrent of intent and anxiety in her skin.] Did any of the other ships escape?

[From the back of the ship, the Last Empress - pale and elaborately appointed despite their dire straights - has leaned just a fraction forward to see. Her attention is sharp like a blade, over large eyes focused on the three of them at the fore of the ship.

There is a long, perhaps residual sensation like a shadow stretching from the Bal armada here to inside the ship: a whisper - that maybe they haven't yet escaped danger.]

Edited 2016-02-20 21:12 (UTC)

[He feels his breath held high in his throat in that instant, rushing back in as the thrill of perceived victory finds him - bleeds into his senses from the man at his side as much as it ebbs at the uneasy pull of their surroundings. For him, the sensation of conflicting emotion is as natural as breathing; he turns only partially in his seat, masked attention drifting between the woman at his back and the pilot at his side.

Anakin will sense it, of this, he is certain.

And it means the matter of diplomacy, he leaves to the man more suited to it - already returning to the soft glow of the display before him: there are systems to check, connections to secure, if the Force's heavy draw is a promise of more to come.

If his symbiotic premonition is just as much.]

For the time being. [ anakin barely lifts his eyes from the controls. once, he turns his head enough to catch her — he assumes she's a her — out of the corner of his eye. they should be in the clear. he doesn't like the lingering shade of a warning.

he would love to blame kylo ren for muddying the force again, but it's not him. for once. anakin's lips press into a solemn line. ]

We'll be safe once we reach the rendezvous point, [ he continues neutrally. her second question goes unanswered, partly because he doesn't know, partly because he doubts the news will be good. ] Until then, I suggest returning to your seat. They may try to give chase.

[ mostly for the sake of the girl he knows is listening in, anakin states, ] You can assure your Empress she will be safe.

[ hear that, kylo? no threatening the empress. ]

[The woman gives him a curt nod, but doesn't move from where she's steadying herself off the solid back of the pilot's seat. Far behind her, the Empress must not be very reassured by what he says: at least, she doesn't sway back the half degree she's leaned forward to watch, the coins braided into her pale hair glinting in the running lights of the ship and her gaze still intent. Thrum, thrum, thrum, the sensation of danger lurks heavy.]

Of course. [The woman in the cockpit nods, understanding.] And we thank you. But I'm afraid my Empress insists - is there no scan you can do to be certain if another of your ships has made it clear?

[ a pause. anakin has a rising suspicion and, if right, kylo's gonna have to hold his flower. ]

Possibly. [ he turns in order to face the woman directly. ] Is she looking for someone?

[The woman's attention is square on him. She is, in a sense, the composed picture of a politician like her fellows in the rear of the ship and even the child Last Empress. There is an artifice to it certainly, dear strictly regulated, but her jaw has a particular stubborn set to it. The advisor nods, curt.]

In a sense. Our Empress wishes to make sure her rescuers are safe. She is greatly indebted to you.

[~~excuse you he's behaving these days~~

Again, Ren says nothing, but his work has shifted as the system at his fingertips hums and beeps, his heavy hood an easy mask for the task at hand from the woman that stands at Skywalker's back. He maintains autopilot functions while Anakin is distracted, he locks the weaponry without a second thought-- as long as he has lived with the Force so deeply bound to him, there is nothing about this that feels unfamiliar-- his vision is clear.

A moment later, Kylo Ren responds:] No.

Ours is the only ship that survived.

[It's a lie; he means to gauge.]

Edited (iPad don't eat my coding) 2016-02-22 20:18 (UTC)

[She squares him - his mask, anyway; perhaps that is his face - with a brief look and then turns, her hand still sturdy at the back of the pilot's chair. Her hand is quite rough. There are white scars across the dark skin of her knuckles.]

We are the last ship, Empress.

[The girl's dark saucer eyes flicker, her narrow mouth thinning with regret.]

Then we can't use the environment pods. Very well, Captain.

[The woman produces a small square device from the sleeve of the bulky robe she wears. With the click of a button it begins to hum, a band of light along the edge hissing with some kind of energy. She sets it casually, her hand across her wrist with the box's light band directly gently toward Anakin.]

Vacate the controls and I will nothing to harm either of you. My Empress desires your safety.

[ no gratitude in the universe. releasing the controls, anakin flexes his hands at the wrist in a small gesture of surrender. ( he does not look at kylo ren. he knew the lie before ren spoke it because it is what he would have done…as he knows their next step in this farce as if they had sat down to share strategy together.

were he a more merciful sort, anakin would almost feel sorry for them. as he's not, he can only hold back the smirk threatening at the corner of his mouth. the empress and her people really don't know… ) ]

It's 'Master', actually. [ calling his lightsaber to his hand, anakin turns faster than he should. the lightsaber carves through the air in a lovely and cruel arc that aims to take the device, as well as most of her arm, from her. ]

[Beyond instinctive, how rapidly the reaction comes - entirely fluid when Ren reels back in his seat away from the controls, matching the pace set by Skywalker at his side.

Only where his companion goes for the most immediate threat, he goes for the root: the golden child at her back-- the one whose eyes never wavered in their focus, and likely the one that gave the order to begin with. Gloved fingers raised and curled, it's a small gesture that echoes out across the distance, constricting viciously around the empress' throat. Not so cruel as to be lethal (their mission was her survival, he'd be a fool to discard it so quickly) but painful, to be sure.

A warning beyond the scent of scorched flesh.

The echo of that elation that had coursed through him in combat circles in again; he feels his own pulse thrumming high-- and proud-- beneath the span of his own ribs. He fights at the side of Darth Vader. He guards the legacy he worships with a fluidity none in their brood (nor the universe itself) can match.

It's a good day, all things considered.]

[There is something on the woman's tongue - a gentle correction that the Empress was speaking to her: the foremost starship Captain of Helinos Toz and lead officer of one of only two Blue-Class ships in the system; the woman who has refused promotion twenty-one times because advancement would demand her participating in politics instead of just her steady hand at a ship's controls; one of two flight officers who found themselves masquerading as a councilor to the Last Empress, the true advisor left behind on the moon by necessity. If this was a trap, the Empress would need pilots more than she needed political counsel.

The word doesn't come, but her fighter's instinct does. The captain triggers the device with her thumb jerks her free hand from under the set of her wrist. The box device spits out a debilitating charge aimed toward Anakin, then the lightsaber takes her arm off at the elbow.

The four other councilors are on their feet immediately. The Last Empress makes a mangled noise lost under the Captain's shriek, her hands wound around her own throat. The four councilors toss back their heavy robes - an exceedingly stylized display - and immediately move to make a physical barricade between the Empress and the cockpit. Their persons are bristling with weapons: a blaster here, another set of box shaped devices, some kind of long sheathed saber.]

[ in the limited space, more focused on removing the woman as a threat, anakin cannot move out of the way. it feels like getting stunned. body stiffening under the jolt, anakin drops heavily to his knees behind his seat, barely catching himself on it. by a miracle or by sheer mulishness, he does not drop the lightsaber.

now I'm mad. gritting his teeth, anakin forces unresponsive and weakened limbs to obey. the will of the force was no match for him; his body will do as he wills it.

but it's going take him a while to get the required hate points, meaning that he has to rely on kylo ren.

-- on second thought, it shouldn't take him long at all to feel enough hate. ]

[He isn't afraid when Skywalker reels, slipping backwards in crippling shock: he would be a fool to misjudge his predecessor's ability when it's ruled his heart for so long - and true enough, Ren feels the startlingly clear pulse of Anakin's anger only a single beat later. A ripple that washes over his own, cold fury, fueling him in the way he keeps the child aloft behind the set shoulders of her allies.

Anakin can decimate them-- of this, he is certain-- but they may well strike again before he's up, and that, he won't abide.]

Lower your weapons and discard them.

[They operate in limited space, adrift in territory too vulnerable against the army they left behind. Better to end this quickly and cull the Empress' figurative limbs before they strike again-- and before she suffocates.] Or I will snap her neck.

[There's a clear ripple of uncertainty in the faces of the Empresses's entourages, but then a moment later someone takes clear notice of the girl's frantic scrambling at her throat and someone - someone other than the captain, who is holding the stump of her arm with a pitched sound of shock - makes a horrified noise. They reach for the Empress, taking her hands in theirs but don't go so far as to pull her hands away--]

What are you doing to her?! [One asks. Two others drop their blasters immediately, but the fourth with the blade unsheathes their weapon in a smooth motion and barks back:]

Kill her. If that is your goal, let it be made clear.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

TEST DRIVE #1

gdi grandpa

you kids today with your murder and your texting B(

ok but he has a great snapchat tho

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

hello friends :)

gasp

passes out

children pls

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

cw: violence; thanks a lot anakin

thumbs up

no subject

no subject