SPRING TEST DRIVE

[thespaceopera]

THE SPRING TEST DRIVE MEME
(Or Fall Test Drive for you Southern Hemisphere folks!)

Got someone you want to try out before you app? Well this is the post for it! Feel free to use anything that fits in the setting of Drift Fleet! Want to play bumper shuttles? Want to go wild in a med bay? Play around with the current plot? Have at it!

Threads from the Test-Drive may be made game "canon" but DO NOT count toward AC!

FOR NEW PLAYERS: You DO NOT NEED an invite to participate in the TEST DRIVE! If you decide to APP into the game, ONLY THEN will you need an invite from a current player!

Helpful Info for Ideas!:

March's Star System

Game Details

Test drives are posted SEASONALLY, so the next one will be in June!

Comments

[nerdeology]

[For once it's Mikleo who's uncomfortable at the mention of dragons rather than Edna, though he masks it well and shrugs his shoulders. That's irrelevant. Why talk about dragons when you can discuss ~cultural relevance~?]

Actually, if you'd done any studying on the culture at all, you'd know that the Dasioe expressly forbid the consumption of fish here. Instead, they've created a market for the purchase of the fish as pets... so who's to say that this isn't an attempt to fund efforts to repopulate the species?

[It might be a stretch, but it isn't like she's doing more than theorizing about the intelligence of the damn things, anyway.]

[brothersboots]

[She shrugs off the comment about studying.]

Why would I study about them? That's why I have my two nerds. You can do all that work and then explain it to me later. It's a nice change, honestly.

[She's only half-kidding. She scanned the information, but she just doesn't see any true altruism in it. There's something off about this planet and she can feel it.]

You're not dumb, Meebo, so why don't you think about this for a moment. How did this world get this bad off? You can tell. You're not a weak seraph, not after all we've gone through.

[It's a compliment, but it's a bit backhanded as well, because Lailah, Dezel, Zaveid and she spent a lot of time whipping Mikleo into shape to be a good Sub Lord and companion. Sure, he started off with a good idea, but he had come to her for help for a reason.]

Why would they need to repopulate the species at all? And how does selling them really benefit anything except to perpetuate a cycle of slavery on animals too dumb to know what's happening to them?

[nerdeology]

[What the heck, Edna, is it really necessary to say it like that? ...is what he would ask, if it were anyone but her. At this point comments like that are expected, and he merely glowers at her, arms crossing over his chest.]

Selling them would create a market, if you have to ask, which would encourage breeding of the species. Anyway, of course I know it isn't that simple. I'm a water seraph, and this is a water planet. This isn't the first time we've seen it, though it was worse elsewhere.

[brothersboots]

[ Look at that indignation. If she weren't so irritated about virtually everything, she'd beam. As it is, she just watches him with a blank look on her face as he talks. ]

So, you're saying that they need the jump to their economy because they're responsible for the destruction of their completely water planet.

[Which is kinda gross, by the way. Where's the dry land?]

We've seen less damage through malevolence.

[nerdeology]

We don't know the cause of what's happening to the world, or the people living here. Don't jump to conclusions, or you'll just regret it later.

[Some people are so hasty with their theories... it's almost like arguing with Sorey, only way more aggressive.]

[brothersboots]

Did you bother to ask them?

[She's honestly curious. Has anyone asked these fish people why their world is so gross?]

How can you be sure they're telling the truth? It's hard when you're dealing with people you don't really know and will be leaving soon, isn't it?

[Besides, she's really just trying to make him angry so she doesn't have to think about why she's so irritated. Par for the course with the two of them though.]

[nerdeology]

Who said I'm sure of anything!? There's a reason we're investigating!

[WOMAN YOU ARE INFURIATING IN SO MANY WAYS]

[brothersboots]

[ Aw, little Water Seraph in a huff. It's very cute and it makes it easier for Edna to relax. The smile she gives her fellow seraph is something genuine and lacking any malice whatsoever. ]

And how far have you and our dear Shepherd gotten in your investigation? And have you had lots of help from the others on the ships?

[Tell her, Meebo. Tell her and she might not even make fun of you.]

[nerdeology]

[Yeah, he's not holding out hope. He does lean back with a quiet huff, crossing his arms over his chest.]

It's still a work in progress, so it's not like I can brag about it. But we're collaborating with the lab support from a couple of the other ships to see about researching whatever is poisoning the people here. It's something we've seen before.

[brothersboots]

[She's not that... Okay, maybe, a little. But she's actually interested in what he has to say. He hasn't told her much about what he and Sorry have been doing without her.]

I suppose slow progress is still progress. Besides, any help we give them is more than they had before we got here.

What is it, then?

[nerdeology]

I can't say if it's the same thing, but the last time we encountered this, it had something to do with something far, far beneath the surface. I'm hoping we can gain the trust of the locals enough for them to point us in the right direction. Sorey and I tried to explore as deep as we could get, but even with the armatus, a human body can only handle so much pressure.

[brothersboots]

[Edna frowns in thought at the information that Mikleo's given her. Both about the people of this world and about some of what their own escapades.]

Well, they are a little squishy.

Have you tried to go down there without him? I know he's all about the "let's explore all the things, no matter how dangerous", but you're a little smarter about it than he can be.

[nerdeology]

...I tried, yeah, but I didn't get far either. There's... something down there. Something big. I didn't like the feel of it. It's a bad idea to go down there alone and unprepared.

[brothersboots]

So, something big and scary is down at the bottom of this planet. The humans can't go or they'll be squashed by all the water, and you don't want go alone because you'd like to come back. Is that about the gist of things?

[She looks up at him with a truly neutral look on her face.]

It's a shame we don't have the Normin here. They could settle their disputes and go do something useful besides add stats to weapons for a while.

[nerdeology]

The short version, yeah.

[He could probably go on about a million more details, but it's just as likely Edna 1) doesn't care and 2) will tease him for it.

The gist is enough, really.]

Are the Normin really any good at conflict resolution?

[brothersboots]

Not all of us have time for the long and drawn out epic tale.

[And he is correct on both of those points. Well, partially. She cares inasmuch as Mikleo and Sorey care and that if they're going to do anything else, she'll be with them.

As if she'd do anything else.]

No, the Normin are utterly useless at that sort of thing. I was merely thinking that perhaps of their small size that whatever it is that's down there wouldn't be interested in eating them and they'd give us a better idea of what it is we're dealing with.

[nerdeology]

Hmm... I guess that's a possibility. Though the downside is the Normin spend so much time sitting around I'd worry that they would forget what they're doing. We could find them days later just napping on the bottom of the ocean.

[Which, granted, could be as amusing as it is exasperating. Seriously, they have people to save, here!]

[brothersboots]

Well, we could offer them an incentive, I suppose. That would work on most of them.

[Except Phoenix, but he is a different story entirely. Annoying, creepy, stalkery story.]

Or they could be eaten anyway and we wouldn't have to worry about them anymore.

[nerdeology]

That's... dark.

[The normins can be a little annoying but y i k e s]

[brothersboots]

It's life. And a possibility, even back home. I mean think back to how we met that idiot Attack.

[Seriously, who lets themselves turn into a hellion over some painted scraps of fabric?]

And some of them have lived for a very long time. I'm sure they'd figure something out before they became snacks.

[nerdeology]

I guess so. ...But either way it's a moot point. There aren't any normins in the fleet, and we can't wait on one arriving by chance, either.

[brothersboots]

More's the pity. But I know you and the others aren't really big on waiting for someone else to step in where you've decided to meddle.

[The fact that she's even travelling with them is proof of that.]

Alright, so what can we do to help these weirdos out? I guess in the immediate.

[nerdeology]

Well... any seraphic artes that help with poisonous side effects can help those who are suffering from the effects, which at least tells us it's not a natural disease. If you don't mind visiting the quarantined areas, that can at least temporarily prevent a few more casualties.

[brothersboots]

[She looks at him, obviously annoyed at his lack of forethought. Did he really not know how seraphic artes worked?]

I hate to break it to you, Meebo, but poison is your area of expertise. Mine is slow.

[She twirls her parasol anyway, thinking about the situation.]

I mean, I can heal them. It's not like I'm incapable of casting my own seraphic artes, but they won't do much but heal their health. If we had a few dozen orange gels, you could just mass heal them yourself.

[nerdeology]

If it was that simple, don't you think I'd have done it by now? Artes don't cure this, even if it is effective against poison. All it does is buy them a bit of time. Until we find a real cure, that's the best we can hope for.