 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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FOR THE PRINCESS AND WINE MOM
( CATHAWAY. ) Goodbye to our emptiness.
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He could almost sigh. He doesn't, though, because as gratuitous of an expression as it was, it didn't begin to cover the situation. This one was trouble. For the moment, more for himself than anyone else, but who knew how long that would last?
For now, however, the mission took precedence over Prince's well founded worries. The mission the boy was walking away from.
It's not that he doubts his words, although the emotions that flash and flare up in him, barely stilled by Prince's own immeasurable quiet, don't instill any particular confidence. Neither does the way he's sneaking around. A guilty conscience. Prince manages to curtail the urge to lecture him, at this moment. The task at hand was more important, and he needed the new Hosts to be as prepared as they could be.
Even he knew that sometimes that didn't mean berating them.]
I will accompany you, then.
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Well, like him. Quiet.
But, obviously, he isn't. Might as well have screamed at him to go screw himself with the sudden irritation that flares up. Clenches his jaw, eyebrows curling the skin of his forehead in a frown. ]
I know where my room is.
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[This could be easier. If he did something as simple as reaching out- it would not even require physical contact- he could discern the exact cause of his reluctance. He could know his heart and answer to his fears.
Things were not meant to be easy. Things worth doing were meant to be done right.]
Nevertheless, I would accompany you.
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Basically, all of him is a mess.
His teeth grit. This time, he does half-sneer, lip curling in near disgust at the notion. It makes him think of the military facilities he was bound to during his life. Couldn't go anywhere without a chaperone.
Can't escape then even in space hell. ]
Don't you have something better to do?
[ He doesn't seem to care about the answer, already turning on his heels to continue his journey to the rooms. ]
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The only task I have now is to assure the young Hosts are prepared for their upcoming mission.
[He follows behind him, at a comfortable pace. Refusing to allow the distance to grow.]
That includes you. Are you prepared, Parker?
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Although his words certainly aren't helping him. A creeping feeling rises the little hairs in the back of his neck and he clenches his jaw again, lips thin in disdain. ]
Don't. Call me that. [ A knee-jerk reaction. Host. To more than one living thing. Host to a parasite, host to a virus. Sometimes it's suffocating to think about that. How much of his body even belongs to him anymore? It makes him angry. Makes him desperate. Sometimes he just wants to claw at his skin and-- pull them out. Somehow.
Those are thoughts reserved for sleepless nights.
He scoffs at his question. ]
I guess we'll see. [ He actually feels very confident he is. But he's not giving him the satisfaction of a proper answer. ] I'll let you know if I end up with my brains painting a wall.
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But to maintain that discomfort for too long took a toll. It presented dangers. Ones which he doubted Parker would hear from him now, and ones which would, in the end, have to wait. The mission at hand was more of a threat to him than himself, for the moment.]
You may find that difficult to accomplish.
[And if anyone in the multiverse could say that and mean it without any humor, it would be him.]
You would do well to stay with your brood.
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The reply to his answer makes him groan, low rumble in the back of his throat, coupled with a petulant eyeroll. Not that Parker is any good at jokes either. To be honest, if they stand too close a black hole where all humour goes to die could be created. ]
I don't belong to one. [ Words that make his insides churn and stir and tangle uncomfortably, denying a desire that he has (no, no, doesn't, not him, the thing inside him, the same as the other thing inside, the thing that, when he goes over the limit, makes him crave for meat that is barely cooked, flesh--). ]
Whatever this mission is, I'll do it. But don't think for a second it's anything other than my will.
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This, though? He would not entertain.]
I do not care what you do with yourself, but as much as you would deny what you are you will not deny them. They did not ask to be part of yours, and I will not allow you to endanger them.
[There was no quicker way to earn his ire than to risk those you fought beside. Parker would not and could not understand it yet, what it was to be in a brood. Even if you were as Prince, and had drawn your line in the sand, they were yours. And, like all allies, like all comrades, their lives were yours to protect. It went beyond a tie you did not ask for.]
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While he is not one to let others around him die, he doesn't trust others easy. He doesn't find the concept of a brood, an instant connection, plausible. It is a nightmare, really. To fight beside one, to become part of a group, for him, is about facing challenges together. It's about building the trust. No-one earns that just because some parasite is crawling around your brain that connects you to others. Unwillingly so.
He knows he has struck a nerve when the words spill out. And much of them struck his. Parker stops, abruptly so, and turns on his heel slowly, anger in his face. He is not broad nor tall like him, but that does not make his presence slight. His jaw is set, his eyes cold. ]
I didn't ask to be part of them either. I still don't. That doesn't mean I'm throwing them off a bridge. [ And then, accusatory: ] I'm still human. [ He's not a rotting, undead corpse yet. ] I don't need something in my brain telling me to help others to do it on my own.
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[Calling on his heritage meant little to Prince. He'd met enough humans in his time to know their dedication to protecting others was suspect at best. Some had done well. Others had left their brood to die and known only when it was too late what that would cost them.
Humanity was not what defined a person. Action was. And the only actions he'd seen from this boy had been childish, defensive, and without the slightest thought to the health of the rest. Prince hadn't needed the symbiote to know responsibility. Perhaps this one did.]
You are weak. If you die, it will cost them more than you know. If you are very lucky they will take the weight you will not carry.
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But the thing is, he doesn't want to protect them all. Not really. He won't let them die, but he isn't willing to go out of his way to risk his own life for them. Not yet. He doesn't know them. He doesn't know if they are themselves or accepted to be part of this-- hivemind. He can be as selfish as he can be giving. It is not Prince's disapproval or distaste that will change him. If anything, he will keep pushing against the tide just to push him away.
He grits his teeth. You are weak. He refuses to accept that. Anger seeping through his pores. ]
Then go worry about them, asshole.
[ He turns again, faster steps to the rooms. Trying to keep his distance, as always. More so now. ]
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And yet here Parker is on the floor of the empty engine room. She feels it before she reaches the doorway, though only just - she's expecting the chamber to be empty and his is a very small, very remote presence at the corner of her mind that demands focus only when in close proximity. She is surprised to find it here. It's a statistical improbability, though his use of the kit between his legs is unsurprising.]
It is not uncommon. [She does not smile, but her posture where she stands in the doorway is easy.] Would you like to explain or would you rather continue pretending it is a secret?
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He doesn't move from where he stands, fingers curled into a fist, tighter in her presence. The veins of his pale arm slowly growing darker, noticeable even in the dim light of the engine room. His jaw clenches, his upper lip curls slightly. Her words gut him. He knows this is something he can't hide forever, especially not from them, but pretending sounds... fine by him. ]
I'd rather continue pretending. [ He says through gritted teeth, feeling his mouth growing dry. A beat. ] What can I say? Diabetes is a hell of a disease.
[ He's hilarious. ]
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Sweet hatchling, did you really think we were not aware?
[She doesn't move from the doorway of the chamber, but she does reach out with her mind - not to Parker, but to the Station. She is here already and might as well make the time count. She can do both at once.]
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But the more he delays, the more he can feel it. The slow, slow turning of his stomach. The very gradual blurring of his vision. The way he can feel himself grow a little colder. Sweat running down the back of his neck. Tastes like iron in the back of his mouth. Heartbeat slowing down, erratic. ]
Like it fucking matters what I think.
[ Is she going to stand there? Leave a boy to inject himself in peace, no? Rude. ]
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[She blinks slowly at him, patient and steady and true. It mattered because he was a piece of them, a piece of her. In time, what was true for him would be true for all of them. As with all things, this too was a matter of balance. His thoughts and feelings were tied to and shared by his brood and given time they would find their way through to the rest of them. That is, in essence, the best case scenario.
(She moves mentally through the engine room, through the Station's sequencing; there is a door to this sliver of the universe and she draws it halfway shut.)
The other is that he will simply die in the field. Neither is preferable. He has a good mind; she would prefer it in working order. Which is why, ultimately, she gives to the wave of offense she can feel sizzling up the link from him. Well, that, and she's finished her work here.]
We will stand outside until you've finished.
[Cathaway leaves the doorway and moves into the corridor beyond, setting her back to the wall. He will have to come out eventually.]
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His breath becomes rougher, ragged and slower. Almost imperceptibly so, a gradual change. One he can feel, every step of the transformation. One that grips him from inside and twists, twists, twists, like a knife in an open wound, drowning in fear. Becoming something else. Dead man walking. Images flash in his mind. Blood dripping down an open mouth. The wet sound of flesh ripped apart. The texture of teeth on wood.
She says something he doesn't quite hear. His breathing is loud in his ears. Everything seems to slow down. She exists. He shakes his head and focuses on the vein popping. Hand not very steady, but enough to push the needle in. Pump in the antibodies. The infection is not fought immediately, but he can feel the drowsiness settling in. He slumps back against the wall, head down, chin to his chest. It might take him a little while longer to come out.
And part of it might be because he wants to avoid her. ]
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Sorry kid, you're not getting out of this one. She can out wait you.]
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It takes him a while to readjust to his body pushing back the infection. The symbiote helps, not as slow as it used to be when he was home. Sometimes it took him an hour to be fully operational. Now, he barely needs more than twenty minutes on a bad day.
And he hates to feel the help the parasite provides.
He has his things packed, holstering the bag over his shoulder as he leaves the engine room. Stops, for a fraction of a second, when he finds her there. Eyes still a little red, like a bad night's sleep, but fading. Fingers gripping around the strap of his bag. Then he pushes past her, no words. There's nothing to say. ]
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She is patient and there is a pleasure to watching someone's walls crack, even if it's born of irritation.]
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He keeps walking without a word, the constant chiming of her chains faint behind him as they walk. He grunts, sighing harsh through his nose and shakes his head. ]
What do you want?
[ Besides driving him insane, that is. ]
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We wish you would be honest with us. Your affliction is a detriment to your fitness.
[She can understand the sensibility of keeping it under wraps while out on mission, but here they should be as a family; if weaknesses were hidden from those closest, there would be no way to compensate for them when facing a stranger who might exploit it. It would be best if he simply came clean, wouldn't it?]
What will you do when your equipment runs out?
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Obviously, the fact that he does not consider any of them a part of himself, something he rejects as hard as he rejects the σ-virus.
The pertinent question, however, does leave a cold running down his stomach. He swallows dryly, the soft pulsing of the puncture wound in his arm seems to sting hotter. ]
The same thing everyone does.
[ Put a bullet in his head. ]
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