JANUARY TEST DRIVE MEME

[oasismods]

"-̭̫̜̩̪̑̈́̓̌̐-̞͓̘̩͖̿́͒͑͘░͙͈̥̦̼̌̊̒̾̅░̨̢̠͙̖̉͊̽͌͝░̫͔͎̤̘̀̑͋͛̾ȩ̨̬̙͛̐̋̀̕͜m̻̬͈̠͒̌͌̍͌͜ ̡̲͈̙̼̽̾͆̊̃f̖̟͉̲̪̈́̾̀̂̀ą̢̯̘̙́̇͑̈̋i̪̱̙̘̟͌́̄̊͘ļ̢̛̲͕̣͐̎̿͛u͕̣̥̘̳̓̃͗͠͝r͉̠̗͖̰̉̅͗̚͘ę̛̺̥̝̘̄͑̌̈́.̣̫͕̰̭̓͂̈́̓͊ ̟̗͔̟͋̿̒̚̚ͅA̠̫̬̼̣̒̇͛́̊l̫̬͎̤͈͑̀͂̐̆ë̡̧̝̺͖́̍̂͂͝r͙͍̱̫͕̆͊̾͐̕ţ͙̻̣̝͒́̄̈́͆!͕̫͓͉̹̌̍̽̂̓ ̧̛̲͎͖̳̌̆̾̏░͖̲̞̼̹̇̄̌̈́̊░̡͍͎͍̘̇̈́̕͝░̪͚̼̦̃̋͊̆͜͠è̛̞̬͙̠̖̊͌̂m͖̝̟̗̣̽̄̐̚͠ ̛̹̯͈̮̼̈́͊͌͠f̧̰̖͋̊̈̊̑͜͜ą̨͚͎̹̀̎̑͋́i̞̬͓̭̳̎́̓͘͠l̢͈̲͇͕̈́̆̐̌̈́ư̰̞͚̻̺̔͑̓̑ṛ͎̯͚̇̔̾̔̏͜ę̛̻̼̭͊͆̕͜͝.̯̖̫̣͔̔̋̔̽͠ ̺̼̟̲͌́͒̔̅ͅĄ̹̝̖̺̂̇̽̒͊ĺ̛̺̰̰̤͎̾͗͝e̛̗̭̻͕̹̓̔͆̆r̢̛͙͖̘̻̈̚̚͘t̰̲̠̖̻̉͂̆̓̇!̬̞̟͉̺̂͆̊͑͐"

You awaken to godawful static overlaying a female voice that's too monotone to be anything but a recording. The static makes it difficult to understand the warning, but it's clearly a warning if your surroundings tell you anything...

You're buckled into a sturdy seat bolted to the wall behind you. Around you, there are dozens of others like you, some awake and others still unconscious, but it seems most of the seats lining the walls are occupied. The lights are dim, likely auxiliary lighting, leaving you mostly in the dark. You smell smoke and hear the sizzling crackle of electrical systems popping and shorting out. Some of the seats were jarred off the wall, leaving the occupants either wounded or dead. Count yourself lucky all you have is a headache and various aches accounted to whiplash.

You appear to be in a drop ship or an escape vessel of some form but the pilot is dead and the hull bears a massive gash where it buckled under the impact and sheered off. Through the door-sized opening, you can see vegetation. The air that wafts in is heavy with a humid heat, but it's obviously breathable.

Once you make your way outside, you'll see greenery: Trees, grass, and shrubs tangled with vines that grow wildly and suffocate the trees they climb. In the distance, behind the ship, you can make out a sandy desert that seems to stretch on endlessly. Forward through the trees, however, you may see a crumbling wall, but more importantly, you'll see signs of civilisation. Buildings and other structures seem contained within those decrepit walls. Maybe the natives can fill you in on what's going on, because the last thing you remember isn't being in an escape shuttle. As a matter of fact, you don't remember much about your arrival or where you are. But it's going to be a bit of a hike, better get moving. Though you might want to grab the backpack of supplies under your seat before you go.

"W̞͓̝͓̓̀̍̒͘͜ȃ̢̗̪̤͇̔̃̚͝░̟͙̯̳̱̈͂̈́̈́͠n̬̘̬̤̠͛̅̈́͋͝i͓̟͈͎͙̐̆̈́̔̓n̡̟̤̟̤̑͐͋͐̚g̩̱͖͉̻͌͛̈͆̈́!̧̪̰͇̦̓̂̆̌͝ ̢͔̣̠̗̾̉́̌̒C̢̥̟͍͊͊͑̀̚ͅr̛͙̪̙̟͐̽̓̅͜i̫͖̻̣̘̽̑͂̾̎t̩͇̦̬̞͊̌̑̈́͝i̡̳̠̞̐̿̍̎̀͜c̡͕͙͕͕̓̊̌̾͘å̼̯͍̙̲̍̏̚͝l̢̥͉̮̙̋̆͐̆́ ̢̰̞͕̯̋̈́̈́̋͌f͇͔̟̻̈̽͌̒̉ͅa̳̰̠͉͔͒̑̈̈͘i̟̭̦̺͎̍̾̽̈́̐░͕̣̥̭͛̿̓̽̐ͅ░̰̪̠͇͍̆͛̀͝͝░̘̱̩̳̘͆̈́̆̀̚e̛̻͈̳̳̺̊̔̚̕.͙̟̳̼̾̀̅͊͊ͅ"

With that, the power dies, leaving the drop ship in the dark, crackling and groaning as the hull cools from its catastrophic re-entry.

---

[MOD NOTES: TDM threads may be used as game canon.]

Comments

han solo | star wars

[pilot]

i. stop, drop and fall on your face

[ standing in the middle of the gaping hole torn through the metal skin of the ship like it was made of flimsiplast is one han solo.

without his blaster ( thanks, vader ) or his jacket ( thanks, lando ) or chewbacca or leia ( again, thank you, lando, he'll have to drop by personally to fully express his gratitude, ) he squints to protect his eyes from the reflective glare of the sunlight and comes to the realization that, while he may have been moved off cloud city, he's definitely not in tatooine either.

worse: this is somehow bad news. ]

Great.

ii. when life gives you a crashed ship

[ he's got his pack at his feet and a second pack that's probably best not to ask from whom he got it.

after holding up the crowd at the "door," he'd retreated into the interior. the ship is shot; the pilot is dead. none of that stops him from sticking a flashlight between his teeth and beginning the task of combing the interior for useful parts to strip. like parts to make fire or paneling that can be arranged into shelter or, if his luck decides to turn up any second now, a working comms system.

he'll even take one that just needs a little tlc. but he needs one and he needs off this rock now.

which is why your character might find themselves being pointed to. ]

Hey! You! [ han waves them over with the flashlight he removed from his mouth. ] Yeah, get over here. Hold up another light for me.

ii

[stabbyterms]

[ For all her unfriendliness, Gamora isn't actually so stand-offish that she'll take offense at the "hey, you"-ing or the telling her to do something. Of course, the strangeness of the situation does help. If someone seems to know what they're doing, she's willing to give them a minor benefit of a doubt. She steps -- with great care, over debris and broken metal -- over to where Han is prying and poking around the drop ship's guts, plucking her own flashlight up off her belt and snapping it on, holding it aloft.

She'll the light as best she can on what he's fiddling with. ]

Please tell me you've found something functional in this heap of garbage.

[pilot]

Not — yet. [ the sound of the words is slightly muffled as he again sticks the thin flashlight between his teeth. with the added light and both hands free, he resumes the task of trying to open the panel with gusto and a singular screwdriver.

what he wouldn't give for a spanner right about now. or a ship. he'd sell out everyone for a working ship. ]

Near everything's fried. Some of it can be salvaged, [ with a disgusted exhale, he grabs his flashlight in his left hand and shakes out his right, scowling at the panel as he does, ] but it's gonna need repair.

[ more to himself; ] This would be so much easier if I had a single toolbox.

[stabbyterms]

[ Okay. That panel is taking too long. Of course, that's only Gamora's opinion, but she isn't about to keep it to herself. ]

Move. I can get that open.

[ The way she says it doesn't leave a lot of room for argument (not that it's ever stopped anyone before). Chances are she'll be going ahead with whatever she plans to do in three, two... ]

[pilot]

[ excuse???? ]

I don't need help opening a —

[stabbyterms]

[ Here's hoping he ducked, because with her hand that isn't occupied by the flashlight? Gamora makes a fist. She winds up for a punch and lets it fly, hitting a spot where the panel is bolted down as hard as she can. Now, here's the nice thing about having wildly augmented strength. Metal dents, even easier since it's thinner sheets for the inside of a ship.

The screw pops, the sudden impact having separated it from its hole.

From there, she can just hook her fingers under it and begin prying the panel up.

Hey, he had said only some of this junk could be salvaged. No real need to be gentle, in that case. ]

[pilot]

[ (ಠ_ಠ) ]



That works too.

ii

[backstory]

[What a rude fellow to address him so casually and in such a tone! But in the end, while he scowls, Kija approaches. Honestly, he doesn't know what the heck the man is doing, but he obviously knows something of what he is doing. Not that he'll be able to help much except to...

Hold up a light, as he says.

He assumes he means something similar to what he is holding already. Grabbing the bag he had removed from the craft, he remembers having seen a similar item inside. Although he hadn't known what it was for. Pulling it out, he inspects it a moment.]

You mean this magic lantern? [He can still not figure out how it is working without a flame of some kind. Turning it upside down and all over with his dragon claw, he frowns, unsure how to make it glow, until- ah. The front of it turns? The light shines up in his face momentarily, before he turns it around and smiles in triumph.]

I have gotten it to work.

[pilot]

[ wow.

han's eyebrows were in danger of disappearing into his hair. he looks from the kid's face to the flashlight and ( squinting ) back again. ]

Good job, kid. [ how to make friends: you don't, a novel by han solo now in paperback. ] Now hold it steady on this.

[ he points where he needs the light, and promptly gives kija his back.

rude really is the least of it. he's an asshole at least 98% of the time. ]

[backstory]

[ Kid...

What part of him looks like a kid? He is one of the oldest in his group of companions and at a marriageable age.

. . . Not... that he wants to think about that. Or that this is the time or place to really complain about such trivial things. Instead, with another frown he at least does as directed. He's curious at the very least.]

What is it that you are doing to this object?

[pilot]

Taking it apart. What's it look like?

[ he understands the kid would be confused. that does not mean he'll be treated any differently.

#good guy han ]

[backstory]

[He doesn't give up at least.]

But what do you plan to do with it? I have not seen an object like this before. Would it not be better to fix whatever it is? [Then again, do they wish to fix whatever might have been used for their abductions?]

[pilot]

You did see the giant hole in the hull, right? This is all scrap.

ii you make jet fuel lemonaid

[limped]

[ Newt doesn't expect some grumpy sounding dude to flag him down, and the rudeness of the demand makes Newt feel less bad for shining his flashlight in the guy's face. Regardless, the teenager follows the order, his limp a little more prominent than it normally is; balancing weight oddly when you hurt all over is a bit difficult. Despite the problems the English boy was facing, he didn't seem to want anyone's help - the damage being something he's lived with for a while now.

The flashlight is aimed at whatever was in front of Han when he gets closer. Newt doesn't exactly know what the other guy is doing, but it looks important - like he knows what he's doing. ]

What are ya doin'? [ The blond narrows dark eyes at Han, trying to decide if the stranger is WCKD or part of whoever brought them here. ] Is this your ship? [ Ship feels like a weird word for what they're on, but it's what comes to Newt's scrubbed mind. ]

thumbs up

[pilot]

[ the afterimage remains burned into his retina long after the light is off his face. if han looked grumpy before, his expression somehow manages to up itself.

kids these days. no respect for their betters. B(

the limp, though noticed, goes unremarked upon. considering they landed roughly three-quarters of a ship, it could be a lot worse. besides, it's not like han's sending him off on a bad foot to rummage for tools. even he's not that uncaring. ]

Do I look like part of the crew? [ well, han, you are up to your elbows in the ship's guts. ] I was strapped to my seat same as you.

[limped]

[ Consider the teenager completely unaffected by his increasing grumpiness. He keeps the comment of "well you're weird lookin' enough to be, shuck-face" to himself, and instead simply raises eyebrows up his forehead.

It's clear by his expression he's not an ounce convinced. ]

If I stole a bunch of people and wiped their brains, I wouldn't want 'em to know I did it either. [ To be fair, that could put him as a possible kidnapper, but he's not really thinking like that at the moment, it's more sass to sass. ]

What's with that, then? [ He gestures with the flashlight at what he had been fiddling with before. ]

[pilot]

[ ah yes. it's time for the great sass-off.

I'm stripping whatever's still useful from this hunk of garbage. If you keep watch and stay quiet, [ lifting a pointed eyebrow, ] you might learn something.

[limped]

[ He's a teenager, what does Han really expect? ]

I might learn klunk about rippin' a ship to pieces? Sounds like priceless life knowledge. [ Yeah, the way he says it makes it very clear he doesn't think that, but even then, he moves a little closer, wanting to be able to watch whatever the guy is up to. ]

Have you done this before or should I be prepared for you to touch the wrong thing and blow us up or electrocute yourself? [ Dibs on the backpack if it's the latter. ]

[pilot]

[ drily, ] You're not getting my things, kid. [ he was your age, he knows what you're thinking.

after a minute of fiddling with screws and carefully untangling wires, several of them blackened and fried, he uncovers what he was looking for. ]

Here. Shine the light there. See that? [ it looks like just another component of the ship albeit in a slightly different color. ] That's the main part of the communications system. A couple of new parts, it'll be up and running again.

ii

[officio]

[ the rudeness of his words does little to phase padme; after all, she is more interested in whether he's actually found something that might help this entire situation into something less of a disaster. she may not have grown up flying ships, may not share anakin's affinity for everything mechanical, but her knowledge isn't zero, either.

she approaches him with an inquisitive look, the heavy, intricate dress she's wearing entirely unsuited to the situation, but she doesn't seem to care, reaching for her flashlight and clicking it on. ]

Can you find something worth taking? I hope not everything was destroyed in the crash.

[pilot]

You and me both, sister.

[ he spares her a cursory look — what is she, another princess or something? duchess? do duchesses still exist? — before returning his attention to the panel. she could be an empress; he'll still tell her to hold the light.

for want of gloves, he wrapped torn strips of cloth around his palms. it's hardly protection, but better than nothing. as soon as he has finished removing the last of the screws, han digs his nails underneath the panel's cover. ]

If you believe in anything, [ pushing the cover aside, ] now would be the time to ask 'em for a favor.

[officio]

Padmé.

[ her introduction may sound a little pointed but not unfriendly -- a wordless now that you know my name, call me by it instead. she steps closer, taking care to avoid the power lines that are now visible under her feet and angles the light better.

his words make her pause. believe in anything? before, she would have said she believed in the republic, in the will of the people... in the force. but in light of recent events, it is hard to think of any of those things. ]

I don't believe in favors. [ her voice is quiet and strained, her free hand passing over her stomach. ]

[pilot]

[ definitely a princess of some kind. that's not a road he means to go down, however, so he makes an exaggerated moue and embroils himself in his task. ]

Just as well. We're on our own.

[ in his probing, his fingers stray too close to a live wire and he hisses under his breath, hand shooting back. but he manages to find what he was looking for. ]

Looks like we're in luck. Took a beating, but comms are mostly intact.

[officio]

[ that makes her frown and she resolves to ask him about the hand and any possible wound on it once he's no longer trying to salvage what is left of the ship. ]

The communication system? Can you see if it is still able to contact the home base of this ship? We may not have an idea of where that is... but any contact is better than being stranded here with so many wounded. [ even if the contact goes to the empire, she thinks privately. ]

[pilot]

[ they're not on dissimilar wavelengths, though if the contact does go to the empire, han has a very special message to their sponsors. in answer to her question, he shakes his head. ]

It's not looking that good. It's going to need repairs first. New power source. Almost everything's fried. [ more to himself, he continues composing the to-do list: ] I'll have to check the antenna. This is all going to have to be taken apart to get at it…

[ remembering he has company: ] Anyone start an inventory yet?