.004 Test Drive Meme

[thefleet_mods]

The Fleet: Test Drive Meme. ❖Instructions. 1. Pick a prompt 2. Comment with your thread start, with your character name and fandom in the subject line. 3. Tag into other's threads. 4. Have fun! 5. What happens on the TDM defaults to staying on the TDM (it's not taken in game), unless all players involved agree AND you have mod approval to c&p the thread to the log comm. You must get mod approval. **If you have questions, ask the Mods ❖Meme Prompts. [Shuttle] You've arrived! You've been seen by a coolly efficient (what you hope is a) medical professional - after all they did give you a shot of something. Then you were handed a slew of things you're still trying to process - communication devices, a ring (which is also a key?), a piece of transparent film that's flashing information. And clothing, that was a thoughtful gesture. And then there was the explanation - You've been taken (isn't that a nice way of saying 'kidnapped') by that floating orb of light, you can't leave, but while you're here you get room and board. Is that really a fair trade? Oh, and to top everything off, you have a set of gem like stones set into your chest, that you can't remove. Before you know it, you've moved with the crowd towards the shuttle and now that you are sitting down, it's now suddenly sinking in. You are so very far from home. [NOTE: Please note that the actual arrival process is different from the above scenario - please see the New Arrivals Page for a detailed explanation of the actual arrival process.] ~ ☼ ~ [Cafeteria] You’re hungry, and though the smells coming from the cafeteria are strange, they are alluring. The grumble in your belly tells you it’s worth chancing. ~ ☼ ~ [Multipurpose Common Area] You’re bored but haven’t quite worked up the courage to venture out into the greater parts of the station. The common area of the residential community seems like it might provide some distractions. And the view out the large windows lining one wall is simply stunning. ~ ☼ ~ [The Center Station Central Gardens] In an environment where spatial expansion is finite, it seems extravagant to house a garden this big. What looks like giant trees at first glance, turn outo be the wire structures that rise up six stores before fanning out actually house various breeds of creeping vines. There are two levels of raised walkways that wind around the vine structures. The ground level also wraps lazily through various plots of vegetation. There is enough variety of plants here to keep anyone interested for hours. ~ ☼ ~ [Cemetery Ring] If you’re in more for a somber atmosphere, the Cemetery Ring is open to everyone. The first sign posted outside the door reads "We are the lights that shines brightest against the night." The sign below it simply says "All are welcome." This wide corridor, that traverses the whole very top of the Inner Rings, is dimly lit, but pinpoints of light twinkle all over the wall. The wall juts out in an effort to create more surface area for memorials to those Owmi who have passed on to the next life since the Owmi started their nomadic journey. The peacefulness of the room is inviting. ~ ☼ ~

Comments

[how_uncivilized]

"I don't believe the Owmi see their peace and hatred of weapons as a failure, I believe them very capable of getting their hands dirty if they are pushed far enough. However it is one of the first societies I've seen that are true in practicing their mantra of tolerance and diplomacy of peaceful negotiations without holding knitted especially behind their backs." He commented, turning his haze from Cassian toward the group of jovial shoppers and families enjoying their afternoon.

"Many people have come here from other places with troubled times, I hope you might find a measure of peace here that you might not at home."

[captain_by_the_book]

"Hmm..." Cassian's brows knit, forehead creasing into a frown. Peace was the last thing he wanted, as time to think and rest would mean he could no longer hide from his demons, but that was hardly anything he could tell a stranger. "It will be a different experience, for sure. I'm eager to learn as much as I can about our hosts."

He turned to the man again. "My name is Cassian Andor, I'm a soldier with the Alliance to Restore the Republic." No point in holding back his real name or affiliation here. Hopefully.

[how_uncivilized]

"Nice to meet you Mr.Andor. I've heard whispering of your rebellion against the rising Empire. I'm Obi-wan Kenobi, master Jedi, now in hiding." He said, holding his hand out in greeting.

He knew that peace could be tedious for some. Quiet was not what many wanted after a lifetime of war. If he hadn't been trained to meditate and let go of the worst of the events that plagued him, he was certain he'd be much worse off than he was.

[captain_by_the_book]

Cassian, meanwhile, had never learned to let go, only to bury his sins under new ones, piling mission upon mission with no time to rest or think. After twenty years of that, forced inactivity was a frankly terrifying prospect.

"A Jedi Master?" Surprise showed on his face, and he took a tiny step back in surprise before he caught himself. He looked down at the hand offered to him and shook it, his grip firm. "I did not realize..." He forced his face back to pleasant neutrality. "There seem to be many surprises laying in wait, hiding." He straightened his back. "The rebellion stands strong, every day more worlds rise up against the tyranny of the Empire. The people of our galaxy are tired of being in chains."

[how_uncivilized]

"After the purge of the Jedi and the chosen one's fall to the dark side the few of us that survived have been in hiding since. There are not many of us, but I'm pleased to see that the galaxy is starting to find its own strength without relying on the JedI to fight back." He figured that anyone finding a Jedi in the time after the purge, let alone a master, would be taken aback. He gave Cassian a friendly smile, taking his hand back, always calm as he looked back out at the crowd.

"I commend you on your fight, Mr. Andor. However, here it...it is harder when the fight is far from us."

[captain_by_the_book]

"Captain," he said abruptly, though his first choice had been not to share a rank. "It's Captain Andor." It might have been useful to be taken for a mere foot soldier, but being called Mister was quickly grating on him, coming from someone who claimed to be a Jedi, yet spoke of hiding.

"The fight may be far from us, but we still carry our convictions within us, and are driven by them." He looked at Kenobi from the corner of his eyes, gaze turning sharp. "Some... more than others, maybe. We have to remember that there can be no neutrality or indifference in a fight against absolute tyranny."

[how_uncivilized]

"My apologies, Captain." Obi-wan corrected himself. He knew that Cassian very obviously found his mentioning of being in hiding to be seen as a weakness. There were bigger things at play than he was sure the man beside him knew. The jab rolled off of him like water from a duck, as he nodded at Cassian's words.

"All or nothing " Obi-wan surmised. "But there are more pieces moving on the field than you may realize, Captain. My friend Bail, is no stranger the how the Rebellion moves it's pieces in lieu of the Empire. Often in shadows to what the rest of the rebellion believes " It was enough information that he was sure that Cassian would be interested but not enough to give anything truly away.

[captain_by_the_book]

His friend Bail? Cassian bit back a snap at the very pointed namedropping; Bail Organa had already been a Senator in the Republic, it made sense for him to be on first-name basis with Jedi Masters.

"I'm well aware that information can't be shared freely within the Rebel Alliance," he said, voice still tight, "I understand we must all play our parts and trust that those who have more information make the right decisions." Even if he held with General Draven, and his at times creative interpretation of explicit orders. "I hope the shadowy workings you speak of are worth it."

[how_uncivilized]

Obi-wan didn't say anything for a moment, watching Cassian. Perhaps he had misjudged the captain, the man seemed to have more chips and stress on his shoulders than anyone of his age should. It was what war did, and part of Obi-wan felt for the young man beside him. He also knew how it felt to be kept in the dark, and having piece played around him that he was unaware of.

"So do I." He answered, his voice tired. "The worst of all is knowning there is a fight to be fought and having your hands tied by the orders of people with more information than you."

[captain_by_the_book]

"Oh, don't I know it..." He didn't even try to hide the frustration tinging his voice, though none of it was aimed at Obi-Wan this time. The look he gave the man was actually rather friendly, one of amiable, shared suffering.

"I didn't realize that Jedi have many of the same problems that regular soldiers are familiar with. Or is this..." A Rebel-era development, he meant to ask, but cut himself off, waving his hand. "Never mind. That's going back to need-to-know places. Either way, it is relieving to know that the Jedi of the Republic have not wholly forsaken this war, as far as any of them remain."

[how_uncivilized]

"The clone wars were a trying time. The Jedi were supposed to be peacekeepers, not generals. However what the war made us into..." He let out a breath. He was one of the last of his kind left, a Jedi general. It seemed a contradiction in so many ways. He thought on Cassian's words, giving him a slight nod of agreement.

"I'm not in touch with any of the other Jedi that are left except for in emergencies. It is too risky to expose ourselves as it is. I have fought my fair share of Sith but what the galaxy is now, I'm certain you can understand our need for secrecy. Even if it pains me to have to watch the galaxy burn around me." And in many ways it was his fault for not seeing the corruption in Anakin. The deceit in Palpatine that had been turning Anakin for years. Obi-wan fell silent again for a long moment.

"It seems the galaxy is never truly at peace with itself."

[captain_by_the_book]

"No, it isn't. People speak often as if the Empire is the only corruption, and as vile as it is, I'm not saying it isn't worse than anything we have seen before, but there was a lot wrong with the state of the galaxy ever before the Empire rose."

He shrugged slightly, trying for a nonchalance that he didn't feel, and failed even to fake, as the tense lines around his mouth betrayed. "The Republic was not what it is made out to be in the melancholic memories of those who profited from it. Maybe conflict is truly the natural state of the galaxy."

It was certainly the natural state of his life, and Cassian Andor couldn't imagine the person he would have grown up to be in peacetimes. Someone altogether different, for sure.

[how_uncivilized]

"Many who believe the Republican was perfect is sorely mistaken." Obi-wan I want had seen enough of the dirty side of the Republic, the side that sat you idly and argued semantics while people died unnecessarily. People being enslaved and sold for others gain while a politician profited by turning a blind eye to a bill that would prevent it. Wars being fought and ignored because it was not a prevalent export planet. Obi-wan had seen far too much, and the weight of it was at times staggering.

"The Empire is far worse than the Republic, I concur. However, I know that as long as there is light there will also be darkness, my fight is not over, and perhaps it never will be."

[captain_by_the_book]

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