[SU/D] Corinith

Chell said:
Oli, Dorthy is accepted. Y U no tell me she was done? :gasp: Don't forget about your other two characters. I'll be looking forward to reading them. :grin:
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Tank yew! I've been busy so I must have forgot to post >.> The other two will be up within the next two days or later today ^^
 
I'm back at my computer now, so I can start going through bios much better. I want to get this RP up and running in about a week or two, so whoever wants to make a bio; make one.

I'm still waiting on Oli to finish his bios, then I'm waiting on one from Raye. After that, we'll start, and I'll be closing sign ups. (Except for one person, who has an open spot if they want it.)

I'll also be increasing the minimum posting per week to three. So, I want three posts, at least two paragraphs in length (1 paragraph = 5 sentences) per week. It's not much. If you can't meet the requirement, either back out now, or wait until I have to boot you out of the RP because of it. If you can't make the minimum posting limit, and you have an important character to the story, don't think for a second that you can't be replaced.

You can.

I don't mean to sound like an ass... but I think I'm entitled.

I might as well come out and say this now, but after this RP finishes (or dies, seeing as how that's how most RPs on here end) and I'm finished with the rest of the ones I'm in, I will no longer be RPing. I'll keep the reasons to myself, so don't ask.

Hope to get this up soon. :grin:
 
Oh sorry! I didn't know you were waiting on me! D= I'll hurry and finish another one up tonight right now! D=

Hopefully this RP will go FAR! ^o^
 
How evil......ly GENIUS squiddy!

Btw, ringo, for the robot, i dont think itd be appearing so early on, so dont wait for it to start.
 
Oli~SKX

You're almost good to go, but I don't think I'm going to allow a Gundam. I don't really want to see giant robots or mechs in the cityscape.

The weapons are okay. I trust you enough to not go balls out insane with them. (Unlike other people...) I think that 18 may be a bit young for someone with her background, but that's all opinion. You can do what you will. Basically, no mechs or gundams, please.
 
Chell said:
Oli~SKX

You're almost good to go, but I don't think I'm going to allow a Gundam. I don't really want to see giant robots or mechs in the cityscape.

The weapons are okay. I trust you enough to not go balls out insane with them. (Unlike other people...) I think that 18 may be a bit young for someone with her background, but that's all opinion. You can do what you will. Basically, no mechs or gundams, please.
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Thanks. Okay I'm changing the mech into a regular hover car if that's okay? It's just a plain old vehicle now. And yeah the original character was supposed to be 16 but I keep adding years due to her pic and her background enhanced for this RP. This character is just a highly altered version of another one I made a while ago so I understand change is necessary!
 
Sadly, not at the moment. I don't want too many people in because I really don't want machine gun posts. Besides, the thread has been up for quite sometime... anyone wanting in just now had plenty of time to express interest and for some reason decided to hold off. So, as of right now, I'm just waiting for Oli's bio, Raye's Bio, and Diar expressed interest in making another character, so if he decides to do it, I'll let him.

So, the RP is technically closed at the time. If someone drops out or can't post, I'll PM you about getting in. The only people I'll be letting in are two people (who shall remain nameless) if they ever want in. Those two get a spot instantly if they want it.

Oli, Raye... I'm still waiting. :mokken: The faster you get your bios done, the faster we can start this. :mokken:
 
Well I would have said something earlier but I have been as of late, indisposed up until this week for reasons that many can relate to but probably not on the scale I speak of. That being the relatives staying for close to two months and me being their bloody pack mule against my will.

In the meantime, I'll have my bio written and waiting 2 days ago in case said openign appears.
 
Hey, ringo. ive finished my character on pg 4 ecept for battle theme. ill add one later
 
Sorry for the long wait. I've run into an internet issue yet again but will try my hardest to edit in the info. The bio is nearly finished, I just need to C&P it from my computer into this thread. If I take too long feel free to start without that character.
 
Not so uch villian as lackey, but ive never played anyone "evil" or the villian before so its gonna be new.
 
Name: Cerise Templat

Age: 23

Race/Species: Human

Appearance: Not too tall or too short at five foot eight, with a slender form and a light complexion, Cerise leaves little to the imagination with her style of dress, an upper leg length black dress that starts at the lower chest, revealing her assets, kept on by black straps.

Cerise has shoulder length red hair and a smooth, pointed face with slightly curved eyebrows that make her seem consistently irritated, or at the very least serious. Amber eyes are set in a pale face.

Keeping everything below the knees bare most of the time, Cerise will wear black fishnet stockings if necessary. She wears very little makeup aside from light pink lipstick, and wears no jewelry, opting instead for a ruffed purple ribbon around her neck.

Personality: Rough around the edges would be an appropriate way to describe Cerise. She has very little in the way of social skills, being consistently on edge and lacking in any real warmth, being mostly cold if ever made to interact with others.

She is something of a survivalist, trusting nobody and requiring verification that somebody doesn't mean her harm before actually lowering her guard even a little. She is constantly on guard, and it would take a lot to get her to defrost.

She is somewhat pragmatic if ever made to fight, believing that if it's her life or that of the person that is attacking her, she must take theirs before she loses her own.

As a mute, Cerise has learned to show her emotions, desires, and feelings through her eyes and hands, and so will often make elaborate gestures when she doesn't have her technology on hand.

Weapons: While she does possess a standard, 8 clip pistol for self protection, she prefers to use two knives she keeps in arm holsters at all times underneath the sleeves of her dress. She also possesses a number of smaller throwing knives at her belt.

Place of Living:
apartment_decorating_ideas_lounge_balcony.jpg


Occupation: A courier for a local, albeit small black market transport company.

Technology: A small, handheld, cell phone like object, which she uses to type out responses due to her own inability to speak. This also gives her communication and mapping.

Augments: Augment One: Accelerated Movement
Effect: Cerise can move at up to three times the speed of a normal human for bursts of one minute
Downside: General exhaustion after using the full extents of this ability, followed by a weakening of the bones and muscles in her legs if she abuses this.

Augment Two: Stealth
Effect: By utilizing electromagnetic pulses within the augment on her chest, Cerise becomes stealthed for as long as she chooses. Prime for infiltration, escape, and ambushes.
Downside: Sharp movement will end this augment's effect. It also has a cooldown period of approximately ten minutes after the augment is terminated. Also requires five seconds before going into full effect, with a visual to an observer being similar to fading. As such, cannot be used on the fly. This stealth would also by bypassed by heat seekers or any measure that relies on something other than vision to be effective. This augment will also deactivate should Cerise lose consciousness.

Augment 3: Thermovision
Location: Brain
Effect: Allows her to read heat signals and see in the dark at will.
Downside: Due to the location of this augment, it will cause intense headaches during and after use. These headaches are to the extent that Cerise will pass out should the vision remain active for ten minutes or more. Should she pass out, this augment will deactivate.

Skills: Cerise can, to put it simply, make bombs. From tiny cherry bombs to large grenades, these are her final resort should she be outnumbered. She uses these for any missions which require a little destruction, or should she require a diversion.

History: Cerise's family had French roots, and these were roots they strived to maintain and give to Cerise, even within Corinth. She was taught to at the very least keep a French accent, and to speak in French when at home among her family.

As the government became more and more oppressive, Cerise's parents became actively involved in the then blossoming resistance, being the equivalent of grunts within the growing organization, running information and performing break ins.

A short while before Cerise's 19th birthday, Civil Protection apprehended her parents, who fought back with guns and the like. In the ensuing crossfire, a number of explosives were deployed, killing Cerise's parents and several Civil Protection members. In the ensuing chaos, a disoriented Cerise slipped away.

Waking up in an underground, unlicensed hospital, Cerise was told that her parents had arranged for her to be picked up had they ever been tracked down. Her vocal chords had been badly damaged in the explosion, and the results were a multitude of scars and the inability to speak aside from grunts and gasps.

After spending a few days in the hospital, deep in thought, Cerise realized that she hated the Resistance, even though they had saved her. They had roped her parents into their world and hadn't been able to protect them. Slipping out of the hospital, she was picked up by a courier agency and trained in combat and careful movement, and she agreed to work for the company in exchange for money and living. She even underwent augmentation's immense pain for her own survival. She has been working for the agency for four years now, rejecting the offers of The Resistance.

(Optional):
(Optional):
 
Bio mostly finished Ringo. The powers we talked about will need further discussion and rebuilding later. I can think of anything at the moment and to be honest I'm seriously lacking in creative inspiration at the moment so it'll take some time to rework that skill >.>
 
Accepted, Diar.

Just shoot me a PM with the details, Oli. I'll read it and go over it when I'm not balls out tired as shit.
 
Alright Ringo, you win. :ahmed:
...truth be told, I've been thinking of joining this ever since I quit. I'll take that reserved spot after all :hmph:

Now, prepare to have your eyes raped:

Name: Dr. Sapphire Louise Richardson
Age: 23
Race/Species: Human

Appearance

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Sapphire is barely 5’0” in height; all of the women in her family have been small and, due to a childhood with little exercise and malnutrition, her growth has been further stunted; she is skeletally thin (an effect that is enhanced and, perhaps, exaggerated, by her choice in clothing) and ghostly pale, a residue from health problems suffered earlier in life, as well as a distinct lack of exercise and sunshine.

She has a defined female figure, although this is due more to starvation than it is the natural fullness that comes after teenage years. Despite this, Sapphire is passably attractive by most men’s standards, although her severity and disinterest are off-putting, to say the least. She has delicate, rounded features which are almost-always set in either a lip-pursed frown or an icy glare. Although the technology exists to alter her vision, and whilst her left eye does not really need them, being prosthetic, Sapphire still wears glasses, which she is forever pushing up from the tip of her nose; an oddity, considering the high amount of body modification she has undergone in her life. Both of her eyes are a light shade of amber; she altered the programming of her prosthetic eye to reflect her natural eye colour shortly after getting it, because she felt she looked ridiculous with heterochromia.

Sapphire’s most noticeable physical feature is her hair: it comes down well past her shoulders, is a deep yellow-green, and is immaculately kept, perhaps the only part of her appearance that Sapphire maintains: she prides herself on having lustrous hair and, although it occasionally gets in the way of her work, refuses to tie it back, leading to her developing a reflex to toss her head back every five minutes or so, whether she needs to or not. This odd mix of vanity and complete lack of care for herself makes her something of a mystery to those who come across her.

Sapphire wears a sterile white bodysuit, comprised entirely of Lintanium nanites, keeping her body temperature at a constant rate, as well as providing protection against any explosions (and they do happen, quite frequently) or other accidents that may occur, as well as being sufficiently flexible to allow her to move around…although she will often wear a plain white lab coat over this in the presence of others, as the nanites act more like a second skin than they do actual clothing, leaving her feeling somewhat exposed. She straps a few black leather belts to keep the nanites in place – over her breasts, around her midsection, and at her elbows, wrists, ankles and knees - although in truth they don’t need to be held up…it’s just a habit she picked up when developing the technology, for they would often lose form in the earlier stages of development. Sapphire wears no jewellery or makeup.

Personality

Sapphire is quiet and highly introverted; she disdains the company of others, and will not suffer their presence for any longer than she absolutely has to. She quickly becomes irritable if questioned about her work – she files constant, highly detailed reports, although few can under-stand them – and, whilst she does not treat others as beneath her, and lacks the arrogance one might expect to find from other high-ranking officials in the government, she displays an impatience that will make any speaking to her, if anything, feel even more unwelcome than they would if they were speaking to someone who did look down upon them. Sapphire doesn’t make small talk, or any kind of talk, for that matter. Sapphire doesn’t care for the system, or her place in it: the government are just convenient funding, and they happen to find some use for what she makes. Good for them. Sapphire considers herself to be outside of the system, and outside of even humanity, because she simply doesn’t care for any of it. She has no sense of responsibility, she simply makes the weapons, she doesn’t put them to use. If she didn’t do it, someone else would…and at least with her doing it, the casualties are minimized, because her weapons don’t need extensive testing or modifying; she gets it right the first time.

Whilst it would be unkind to say that Sapphire is utterly emotionless, she is a very repressed individual, displaying true emotion only when her sister (see below) is around. She is highly curious and intuitive, but this rarely translates to joy or to anger, or anything in between. Sapphire does much of what she does for the sake of doing it, and not for the emotions it is supposed to stir within her: it doesn’t make her happy to create things, she does it because she is good at it, and there is nothing else to do. She has no particular philosophy on life, or religion, or ideals or even dreams: hers is a very simple existence in which she designs weapons and spends time with her sister.

Sapphire has only two passions in life, which are the only indicators that she is, in fact, still human, and not some artificial intelligence. Her first is her work: it utterly consumes her, to the point that she neglects her personal health. Sapphire rarely eats or sleeps – if not for the fact that many of her organs are artificial, it is likely she would have died long ago from neglect – and is utterly oblivious to her surroundings…unless something explodes. Sapphire is passionate about her work, and carries an inventor’s pride: she is the best at what she does, and her work speaks for itself. And, indeed, it does: she designed almost all of the weapons on the current generation of Grendarl military battleships, a handheld laser firearm that could level an entire building (although this was only a prototype, and is perhaps the only time Sapphire has ever listened to her superiors: they were not pleased with the results, after it demolished her old laboratory) and personal shield technology so powerful that it could withstand a blast from a laser cannon from a ship in orbit…although it had the unfortunate side-effect of melting it’s owner after it was switched on, due to intense heat and radiation, although she’s still trying to find a way around that.

Sapphire has also designed many offensive augments for military use, perfecting them over the years…and various test subjects. She does not brag, but she expects to be treated with respect…when someone finally manages to break through the complete indifference and oblivious stance she has up. If she absolutely must suffer the company of others, then they need to be a) direct and to the point, b) polite, and c) intelligent enough to understand her answers.

Sapphire’s second passion is her “sister” Emerald, project name E-71. The result of accident, experimentation and desire (see Emerald’s bio for more details regarding her creation) Sapphire worships Emerald as though she were a Goddess, and around her she seems to recover all of her emotions and interest in life. Around Emerald, Sapphire acts for all the world as though she were ten years old again: happy and entirely carefree. Sapphire regards Emerald as more than her greatest creation, or even her sister: she is her entire world, her only reason to continue living and working as she does, a reason where none existed before. Emerald turns Sapphire from a mindless drone creating weapons to a human being trying to make a living to provide for her family. Although Emerald is her older sister (or was) Sapphire treats her as though she were the younger: she is extremely protective of her, and has done her utmost to ensure that Emerald’s true nature and identity are concealed from the government she works for.

Sapphire is a constant source of frustration for her colleagues. She rarely acknowledges them, often displaying surprise at the fact that they are there when they finally manage to get her attention, and when she does, her replies are either completely disinterested or so short that they give up. Having a conversation is impossible with Sapphire and, were it not for Emerald, it would be almost impossible to communicate with her at all. Sapphire lives in her own world, which consists of two things: her work, and her sister. There is no place for anything else in it, and those who attempt to intrude will often find themselves brutally shoved out again. Her position as Chief of Weapons Research and Development was granted to her more due to the fact that she is absolutely incapable of following orders, although her accomplishments in her field of work far outrank that of any of her colleagues. She is something of a lone wolf; unfit to command, and unfit to be commanded. To Sapphire, other people are either test subjects or messengers, she needs them for nothing else, and she will not suffer their interference in her projects. Yet genius of her calibre is ever allowed its eccentricity, even in such a strict governmental system, when the rewards reaped for such tolerance far outweigh the annoyance…for the government as a whole, at least.

Weapons

Sapphire carries no weapons: she is a researcher, not a soldier. Researchers make weapons, soldiers use them, and she refuses to carry any. She creates what she needs from the Lintanium (see below) and these constructs are more defensive than offensive in nature. She has never needed to use Lintanium nanites to create something whose primary purpose would be to defend her. However, she constructs her clothing out of nanites in case of energy blasts or explosions, and many of her automatons have sharp edges which could easily be used as weapons so, if the need arose for her to fight, she would be adequately prepared to do so. Sapphire does not, surprisingly, keep any of her completed weapons in her laboratory: finished products do not belong in a place of research, according to her.

Place of Living

labnr.jpg


Whilst Sapphire does have her own apartment (see Emerald’s bio for details) she spends almost all of her time in her laboratory; indeed, she will often go weeks at a time without leaving it. Location on the fourth floor - essentially the basement - of the Shangri-La Technologies building, it nonetheless requires the highest level of clearance for anyone to access it; Sapphire prefers her privacy, and there are only six people, including herself, who have unrestricted access to her lab. What began as a warehouse filled with the most advanced technology has become entirely customized by Sapphire over the years she has worked there; she created her own reactor capable of five times the maximum output of the standard generator, and has arguably the most sophisticated computer on the planet. Boxes filled with the latest technology from other industries are lie scattered around the area; many of these are unopened, for Sapphire has no need of them, although she will tinker with them from time to time. There is no defined sleeping quarters; Sapphire will simply sleep on the floor. Outside of the main room there is a storage area for food, as well as a wash area. Sapphire was recently begun considering a bedroom area, for those times when her sister stays overnight, yet has not yet taken any action to create one. Despite having many offers to move to a higher, more conveniently situated place, Sapphire has refused each time: she is comfortable where she is, and being so low down means that she is rarely harrassed by government officials.

Occupation: Chief of Weapons Research and Development

Technology

Sapphire has a unique piece of technology at her disposal, Lintanium, a self-replicating nanite. Originally constructed simply to serve her in her development of weapons; she has since begun to explore the full potential of the technology. A single Lintanium nanite is approximately the size of a pin head, and can be created from any form of metal through a complex process of energy conversion and sub-atomic manipulation, through the augments built into Sapphire’s hands. Sapphire has never revealed the specifics of the creation process, citing them as “merely toys” to help her with her research; standard robots, nothing more.

Lintanium nanites are obedient to their creator, suggesting there is some organic component to their makeup, and will take the shape that their creator desires. They are quick to respond to her desires and, if there are enough of them, the transformation into the object is almost instantaneous. Often, Sapphire will have them take the form of miniature humans, or insect-like creatures with multiple appendages, so as to better serve her in her work, although they can take the form of weapons that are superior to their original designs…although they are far easier to break.

Left to their own devices, Lintanium nanites will create more of themselves from any nearby organic material. Assuming sufficient material is on hand, they can double in number in approximately fifteen minutes. Perhaps because of the way they were created, Lintanium nanites are highly resistant to energy-based weaponry, and will absorb most energy blasts – shooting them with laser-based weaponry or any sort of electricity will simply give them more energy and speed up the replication process. To destroy a Lintanium nanite with energy, you would need a sub-atomic blast…or a small nuclear explosion or any equivalent. They are, however, extremely vulnerable to projectile weapons. Lintanium nanites, even when joined together into a single, larger entity, are extremely fragile. Projectile weapons, such as bullets, can shatter their form with ease, rendering them inactive and useless, for Lintanium nanites cannot use themselves to replicate; the energy required to create more of them is not present within the nanites themselves after their creation. Indeed, any kind of physical impact, through a shockwave, an old-fashioned sword, or even a stamping foot or fist, can destroy Lintanium nanites where energy cannot.

It is possible that Lintanium nanites have no limits. Theoretically, they should be capable of altering the structure of any sort of technology, and perhaps even ridding the body of disease, for if they share a psionic link with the creator, there is no reason why they should not be able to enter the creator’s body and remove any harmful substances. In a city that relies upon technology, Lintanium nanites could drastically alter the way things operate. However, their creator, Sapphire, is all too human, and as the nanites are linked directly to her, they are limited by Sapphire’s own humanity, and would logically follow the same weakness if anyone else were to take control of them. Without Sapphire’s command, they will become inactive, and break down into their original components: the metal they were originally constructed of, and energy, which is lost in the process. Lintanium nanites rely upon their creator for instructions and, once they have joined together, they cannot undo the process, making them a one-time only thing: if Sapphire wants a different form, she must create new nanites to make that form. Because of the psionic link between them, the sudden destruction of Lintanium nanite forms has an extremely negative impact upon the creator; depending on the size of the creation and the method of destruction, the resulting pain can be either a slight sting or the equivalent of having your arm broken. Sapphire has since created an augment to suppress the pain felt, although it cannot be suppressed entirely. The limits of the nanites are mostly determined by the individual, and as a cybernetic human with no military training, Sapphire is very limited indeed, for many of the uses for the blocks are either beyond her capabilities or haven’t even been conceived yet. This is technology with an undefined potential.

Transportation: None.

Augments

Sapphire has a total of four augments, all of which she grafted on herself...eventually.

The first is a signalling device, which is what allows her to control the movement of her creations absolutely, and to provide them with basic instructions, or override the ones that are pre-programmed within the individual nanites: the desire to replicate, for example. This device makes it so that her creations are practically extensions of her own body, and give her far more control that she would otherwise have; she becomes a Hive Mind, as such. However, she is capable of handling a maximum of five such creations without placing any strain on herself: any more, and she will tax her own mental reserves which, whilst they won’t be enough to kill her, can easily render her unconscious, or confuse the nanites, rendering them useless. Her mind must be clear and focused. The larger the composition, the greater the strain. Sapphire can, without taxing herself, control a single creation twice the size of herself and, considering her diminutive stature, this is quite a damning limit, particularly in her line of work, where she requires both large and small creations to carry out those tasks that she cannot. Because of the link this provides, Sapphire must also concentrate on her creation and, if it is a particularly demanding task, the creation must be in her line of sight. The nanites are pre-programmed to fall apart when not receiving direct instructions from her; this is a failsafe mechanism that she cannot overwrite.

To accompany this is a second augment, a kinetic buffer, which reduces the negative feedback to Sapphire’s brain that occurs when her creations are forcefully blown apart, meaning she only feels a slight twinge; without this augment, she would feel each blow as though they were being directed at her. This builds up over time however, and under constant pressure she will fall unconscious; a failsafe designed to prevent her from killing herself, for such a constant assault would lead first to headaches, and then permanent brain damage, if not outright death. Whilst the nanites themselves are virtually impervious to handheld energy weapons, and Sapphire will only feel a slight sting from their destruction if they are blown apart by physical weaponry or shockwaves, higher-powered energy weapons can destroy them entirely, and would result in the overloading of this augment and, depending on the magnitude of the blast, kill Sapphire outright.

Sapphire’s third and fourth augments are within her hands, and are the most important, for they allow her to create the nanites necessary for her creations in the first place. The augments are designed to alter any metallic material beneath them into the structure necessary for the nanites. There is no limit to either of them, but the heat generated from them has to go somewhere, and Sapphire’s cybernetic arms are not insulated against the heat, neither are her hands. If she persists in using them, they will eventually begin to affect the electronics in her arms, and first blister, then burn, the skin of her hands as well. Whilst her nanite bodysuit absorbs most of the heat, there is a large amount to absorb; the energy released in the transformation is significant, and insulation against this heat can only offer so much protection.

Body modifications

Sapphire is approximately 83% cybernetic: both of her arms from her wrist and up to the shoulders are almost entirely cybernetic. She has a single cybernetic eye, which allows her to see through the “eyes” of her creations when necessary, as well as granting her vision in various spectrums of light, including ultraviolet and infrared. After having her left leg blown clean off, she had a cybernetic leg replace it; identical in appearance and ability to her real leg. Many of her internal organs: her heart (the strain of controlling her creations was too great on her original heart; the first time she tried she went into cardiac arrest) as well as her liver (excessive drinking during her depression) and her intestines (she was born with Crohn’s Disease) have all been replaced with synthetic ones. Externally, only her arms appear to be different; she does not bother with disguising them to appear as real arms, for the augments within her hands only ended up burning the skin off, interfering with the electronics inside them and making them extremely difficult to move.

Skills

Sapphire has a photographic memory, able to recall anything she has read or seen with preci-sion almost instantly; a by-product of spending years developing weaponry. She can also sing rea-sonably well, which she will often do under her breath whilst she is working, without realising it.

History

Sapphire was born to a middle-class family. Both of her parents worked in the government, and much of her life was relatively normal. She was a sickly child, however, born with Crohn’s Disease and a physical frailty that went beyond her condition, which meant she spent much of her time indoors, at home, tucked away in bed, with only her books for company. It is unsurprising that at a young age, she developed a passion for science, a passion which refined itself to weapons technology when she was twelve, when her parents and her elder sister, Emerald – who she worshipped – were all killed in a raid by the Resistance. With no other relatives willing to take her, Sapphire was left in care, with only her scientific exploits to occupy her. Shock left her emotionally dead inside; after the death of her parents and sister, she became cold and withdrawn, expressing no interest in anything other than her studies and various theories. She was regarded as a “problem child” by her carers; she developed acute insomnia, was diagnosed with depression, and put on a string of medication. She wasn’t interested, and simply did as she was told, as long as she was allowed to continue with her studies.

Sapphire was scouted by Shangri-La Technologies when she was fifteen, after a particularly impres-sive demonstration in which she created a contained, localized wormhole. Barely a week later, she found herself with more funding than she could ever have dreamed of, equipment she had never even considered she would have, and the promise of unlimited resources, all her fingertips. Her integration into the enterprise, however, did not go smoothly: she was given a junior position in the staff, and on her very first day, her superior sent her home, after she spotted several flaws in his design and started doing everyone else’s tasks as well as her own. After several very tense arguments, Sapphire was promoted to Chief of Weapons Research and Development…which was equally disastrous, as she sent all of the other employees home and simply constructed everything by herself. It was concluded that she would be better off in her own laboratory, and was set up on the fourth floor of the building, where she has been ever since, being spotted outside of the laboratory once or twice a month. As long as she submitted weekly progress reports, she was allowed to develop her weapons undisturbed…she had become, after all, their greatest asset. Upsetting her was…inadvisable. In exchange for all of this, Sapphire demanded only one thing: the corpses of her family. Her parents had been cremated, yet her sister’s body – or, rather, what was left of it – was delivered to her, and Sapphire put it into storage. She never explained her reasons for the request: perhaps it was to remind her why she was developing weapons, or perhaps it was to study the corpse to ascertain what type of weapon had killed her. Whatever the reason, Sapphire quickly developed a reputation as an oddball: a young girl who never came out of her lab, never slept, barely ate, and had only the corpse of her sister and the ashes of her parents for company.

Eventually, four years after Sapphire had started working there, Shangri-La Technologies was bought out by the government, so that they no longer had to work through them to get to Sapphire’s weapons. She didn’t much care, although she refused to move from her laboratory, or attend any strategic meetings, wiping all the data on her hard drive and simply walking out when she was bombarded by military officials and politicians. She wasn’t interested in what the military wanted; indeed, she often knew what the military wanted more than they did. Wisely, the government decided to leave her to her pattern of developing weapons after that, submitting weekly reports, and occasionally inviting her executive into her laboratory to witness the finished product. With the government taking over, little changed…not even the name of the company she worked under.

Sapphire’s greatest creation, the Lintanium nanites, came shortly after the government bought out the company, discovered entirely by accident in an attempt to create an adaptive weapon with a psionic link to its wielder. Her very first creation with these nanites was her sister, Emerald, project E-71 (see Emerald’s bio for details) although she has since been unable to figure out precisely what it was that she did. Sapphire realised the potential of Lintanium nanites immediately, although she knew that they were too unstable to have any value as weapons, and thus she shut down the pro-ject, destroying the data and keeping only the augments necessary to create and control them, seeing a use in them for her own purposes and, certainly, they had returned her sister from the grave to her.

Emerald became Sapphire’s biggest curiosity after her creation – as she had three weapons fully developed and ready, she released them slowly, taking the time to study her latest creation. What she found and learned shocked her: Emerald was her sister. She had all of her sister’s memories – or, rather, Sapphire’s memories – and, although much of her personality was missing, most of it was intact…along with a newfound need for Sapphire that she had not had before her death. Sapphire quickly became obsessed with her, and found in her a purpose to her work: she would work so that her sister – for she WAS her sister, and not some artificial intelligence, she had decided, and cared to look no further than that - could live the life she wanted to. Her newfound motivation resulted in some highly destructive weapons, one of which took her leg off in the creation process, as well as destroying both of her cybernetic arms. After this, Sapphire took to wearing a suit of Lintanium nanites as protection from energy blasts.

For the last four years, Sapphire has continued to work in her laboratory, oblivious and uncaring to the outside world and the purposes her inventions were being put to, although changes, small and subtle, came over her. Around her sister, she reverted to her old personality, how she had been before her death, and she began to take better care of herself; sleeping more regularly and eating at least once a day. Once every now and then, she would also accompany her sister to go shopping; although she never saw the purpose of such an activity, she welcomed the time spent with her. She has recently begun working on a cannon that creates an unstable vortex, capable of eliminating even the strongest of shields…although she has yet to find a way to prevent the vortex from taking out the cannon and the ship upon its collapse.

Character theme: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CyzUc2vC4JI
Battle theme: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xiTCqbzT4SQ&feature=related

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Name: Emerald Grace Richardson (E-71)
Age: 20 (3)
Race/Species: Human (Lintanium Nanite Replicant)

Appearance

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Emerald is somewhat taller than her sister, standing at 5’3”, and she is far healthier than Sapphire is; due to the Lintanium nanites and her active lifestyle, she is actually healthier than should be possible for a human being during these times, and it shows. She has the inner radiance of all those who are healthy and content with their lives, an innocent purity of one who still cares for the world around them not often found even in children, and the external beauty to match these qualities; whilst her sister might be considered attractive, Emerald would be considered beautiful. She has a trim figure, and moves with a dancer’s elegance and grace.

Her facial features are similar to her sister’s, as one would expect, although more sharply defined: her face is heart-shaped, with a slightly pointed chin, and her nose is perhaps a little larger. Her lips are more robust than her sister’s, which have been compressed into thin lines over the years, and her skin in unblemished by frown marks. She takes after their father far more than Sapphire does, although the differences between the two in appearance are due more to their lifestyle – as well as the Lintanium nanites within Emerald – than they are anything else.

Emerald’s hair is a darker, forest green, and is slightly shorter than her sister’s, stopping just below her shoulders, whilst Sapphire’s continues down to the small of her back. Much to her sister’s disappointment, Emerald prefers to keep her hair tied back and adorned with synthetic primroses, her favourite flowers.

Emerald prefers to wear full-length dresses, and has a wide variety of them at home. All are made of either silk or cotton – Sapphire has an extremely large salary and savings that would probably make her one of the richest people in the city – and are green or blue, although she has black and white ones for nights out. Commonly, she will wear a full-length forest green dress made of silk that matches her hair, or the closest shade to it. Rather than wear heels, she prefers to wear simple sandals or slippers; she can walk in heels, but prefers not to, for she find them uncomfortable. Emerald leaves only the skin of her arms and the nape of her neck exposed, she has adamantly refused to wear a nanite bodysuit, forcing Sapphire to find other methods to protect her (see below for details) and wears only a single piece of jewellery: a plain titanium ring, which was her mother’s. Emerald always wears white gloves, constructed of Lintanium nanites. Whilst these have the added benefit of being able to absorb energy blasts (although Emerald stopping energy blasts with her hands would be quite an astonishing feat, for she does not have fantastic reflexes…or the courage necessary to even try such a foolhardy act) they serve a more practical purpose: to stop Emerald from accidently activating the augments within her hands (again, see below for details) and either knocking herself out or short-circuiting all technology around her.

Personality

Emerald is the complete opposite of her sister, Sapphire. She is outgoing and highly sociable, able to start a conversation with even the most hardened and introverted of individuals - after all, she has the ultimate introvert for a sister – with relative ease. She is friendly and, whilst she invites trust no more than the average person, she is extremely easy to talk to, for she has the boundless innocence of one who is simply happy to live their life with each day that comes, and let tomorrow come by itself; Emerald acts as though she doesn’t have a care in the world…or as though she cares about everything in the world, depending upon your perspective.

Prior to her resurrection, Emerald was quite a reserved individual, and that reluctance to speak of herself has only intensified: there is a very firm wall between her and everyone else, and that wall is called optimism. Whilst not a socialite, Emerald will say what people expect to hear, rather than what she is really feeling; she prefers to keep her personal life to herself. Not because she is ashamed of herself, or because she is uncomfortable discussing it, she simply doesn’t care to. She feels no need to discuss herself, and would prefer to discuss others. Whether that is because she does not want to examine her origins too closely or that she wants to put her past behind her and live in the moment is up for debate. She has become an intensely emotional and private person, far more so than she was before she returned to life…or more so than the real Emerald was.

One trait that Emerald shares with her sister is that she has no aspirations, hopes or dreams. How-ever, unlike her sister, Emerald is not content to sit and wait for life to come to her if it chooses, she feels the need to explore and adventure, to create opportunities, rather than take the ones that present themselves to her. Emerald, more than anything else, wants to find a reason to live. In this regard, she is a little envious of her sister, who lives for her work. Emerald lives for the sake of it and, whilst she enjoys life to its fullest, she does not gain as much satisfaction as she feels she should from things.

Emerald enjoys the company of others. She prefers intimate gatherings of two or three people, or just a night in with her sister, but she is equally content to spend a night out partying as well, just for the experience. She has a deep-seated need to be close to people, even if she does not feel close to people. Years of being frozen have given her acute autophobia, lygophobia and claustrophobia, and she never spends the night by herself, whether she be out all night socialising, at a friend’s house, or curled up in her sister’s laboratory whilst she works away the night.

Emerald has perhaps one skeleton in her closet, and that is her uncertainty as to her place in the world. A lot can happen in five years, and everything – including her sister – has changed beyond her ability to recognise it. Inside, Emerald is quite insecure, and depends heavily upon Sapphire to provide her with the stability she needs to maintain her optimistic front. She has only broken down once in the three years, however, a few months after she went back out into the world and began living in her sister’s apartment, having no idea of how to interact with people or what she wanted to do with her life. Whilst she has cured one, the second still gnaws away at her…

Weapons

Despite having the person responsible for the most destructive and commonly-used weapons for a sister, Emerald carries no weapons herself: despite her protestations, Sapphire insists that her augments are more than enough to protect her against anything that might come her way.

Place of Living

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Emerald lives in her sister’s apartment in the city, on the eighty-second floor of the Tricorn Hotel. One of the more lavish private suites, it has five rooms: the front room (pictured), a study room (in the background), a bathroom with an old-fashioned bath and shower which also doubles as a Jacuzzi (Emerald is not fond of scouring technology, she enjoys the feeling of water on her skin), a bedroom, and a guest room, which Emerald uses as a storage room, mostly for the items of clothing, books and other things she has bought whilst out with her sister. Emerald has recently begun collecting antiques, and has quite a wide variety of them: mostly, she collects time pieces, for her father loved watches and the old clock that they had in their home, which he adamantly refused to sell, despite the fact that it didn’t work and nobody possessed the expertise to fix it. The floor is constructed of synthetic marble, and whilst much of the furniture is out-dated by about a decade, for Sapphire has spent perhaps three nights in her apartment since she bought the place, the overall effect is that it has quite a charming feel to it.

Occupation: Junior Stockbroker

Technology

Emerald is constructed entirely of Lintanium nanites; Sapphire’s examination of her biological makeup reveals that she is human, yet is constructed entirely of nanites which have taken a human form, altering themselves on a sub-atomic level to become entirely organic. Whilst artificially created, Emerald’s blood is indistinguishable from any other humans, and she even has replicated DNA identical to Sapphire’s deceased sister, which was used as the base for her form. Emerald’s brain, spinal column and central nervous system, however, are anything but human; they are composed entirely of Lintanium, as they would be if Sapphire had willed them to take that form.

Whether Emerald is actually alive or whether she is an artificial intelligence is a mystery that not even Sapphire could solve, if she cared to – she is far too infatuated with Emerald to fully explore her origins, afraid of what she might find – for, whilst she was created artificially, and her memory and personality are based off Sapphire’s recollections (and perhaps her desires) of her deceased sister, she is clearly human, for outside of her brain, spinal column and central nervous system, she is entirely human in makeup; not a trace of the nanite metal remains in her system.

Transportation

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Inherited from her parents – it had actually been in the company car park for years and, were it not for Sapphire’s enhancements, someone would have stolen it long before now – Emerald has one of the older models of hover cars, which has a top-speed of 100mph, although she only tends to drive at about half that speed. A mostly unremarkable car, it has been modified in two notable ways: the first is that it is installed with an energy shield strong enough to withstand any handheld firearms. Sapphire left the shield up after leaving the car, and whilst it is unlikely anyone would have wanted to steal such an antique, with the shield up they would have been unable to. The second is its power system: the car is powered by a form of enhanced solar energy conversion, one of Sapphire’s earliest projects before she became a weapons developing, meaning that it could keep itself running indefinitely, without the need for fuel. Emerald does not possess a Grav Lift, for with a car, she does not need one…it might be slower, and slightly more embarrassing to use, but it is considerably safer.

Augments

Emerald has a total of three augments.

Her first augment stimulates the nanites to replicate in case of a breach of skin at an accelerated rate, allowing her to recover much faster from wounds than a normal human. Short of being absolute destroyed or decapitation, Emerald should theoretically be able to recover from any kind of wound, even those that would be fatal to any other human being. However, the nanites require organic material to replicate and, after they have drained what fat reserves Emerald has, they will inevitably work on her muscles, and then her organs. It is probable that, if Emerald suffered a significant wound and the nanites attempted to seal it, she could die from other complications…such as having one of her organs destroyed for material in the process. This augment also stimulates the nanites passively, keeping her body free from infection or degradation, although Emerald has quite the appetite as a result of this, and she must eat half again what she would need to in order to stay healthy per day in order to keep the nanites active. Without this maintenance, she will inevitably destroy herself, at a much faster rate than an ordinary human. Emerald would collapse after 36 hours without food, and after 96 hours she would be dead outright. Shortly after her resurrection, Sapphire attached this augment to her after she collapsed, and she is unaware of its implementation.

Emerald’s second augment is a shielding device, designed by her sister. As such, it is far more powerful than the others one can acquire elsewhere, capable of withstanding the force of a small bomb, and a constant stream of heavy fire from energy based weapons or firearms for approximately three minutes. It works in harmony with Emerald’s nanites, meaning it will active the moment she subconsciously perceives a threat, saving precious seconds she would otherwise need to switch it on. It clings to Emerald like a second skin, allowing her to move about freely whilst it is active, and she can also adjust it to act as a camouflage, rendering her invisible to the naked eye and even the most advanced of sensors, although it will de-activate after sixty seconds. It can be reactivated again immediately, but prolonged use will cause it to heat up and, after three uses, it will begin to blister the skin. By the end of the minute, it will begin to burn it off. By Sapphire’s calculations, Emerald’s nanite-stimulation augment would allow her to operate the shield five times before she put herself in serious danger…although Emerald herself is unaware of this.

Emerald’s third and final augment is a shockwave, in each of her palms. Bringing her palms together activates the augment, resulting in one of two types of energy wave: an electromagnetic wave, shorting out any nearby electronic equipment and cybernetic implants for 90 seconds, or a blast wave, which propels everything not wedged down to the ground away from the user. Designed by Sapphire for military use, and enhanced specifically for her sister, the shockwave has only a 5m radius, as opposed to the standard 10m radius of the military augment, it is far more potent, able to strike through shields and even deflect weapons fire if used at the correct moment, and can throw back anything that isn’t a building with considerable force. Using the electromagnetic wave with her shield up will short-circuit her shield, and using her blast wave without her shield up will knock her unconscious, and so Emerald has to be extremely careful when using these, for she must activate either of them manually.

Body modifications

Ironically, Emerald is entirely organic, she has expressed an interest in acquiring synthetic eyes that allow her to see in different spectrums, however, Sapphire has firmly put her foot down and refused to allow her to get them…and, since Sapphire pays the bills, Emerald is, for the moment, heeding her sister’s words.

Skills

Because of her origin, Emerald also possesses the ability to control Lintanium nanites far bet-ter than her sister, Sapphire, for she feels no pressure when commanding them to do even the most complex of tasks, and feels nothing when they are destroyed: she is of them, yet is not part of them. However, she herself is not aware of her skills in this area, for she, like the rest of the world, is unaware of the existence of the nanites.

History

Emerald was the firstborn of Sarah and Michael Richardson, two relatively unremarkable Chartered Secretaries who worked for the government. Her sister, Sapphire, was born three years after her, and the two grew up more or less harmoniously, although they would fight, as sisters were wont to do. Whilst her sister developed an interest in science at an early age, Emerald was never sure what she wanted to do with her life: everything interested her, yet she quickly grew bored once she had scratched the surface of a subject.

At fifteen, she still had no real idea of what she wanted to do with her life, and time was rapidly running out for her to make a decision. Her father decided to take her to work with him that day, to see if she could find something in the rather hectic environment that appealed to her.

…a fatal mistake. Their office building was targeted that day by Resistance members after sensitive information and, whilst the details surrounding the event are either unknown or not public knowledge (Sapphire had attempted to discover precisely what happened, yet even she has been rebuffed, suggesting that there is far more to it than there would seem to be) the building was de-stroyed, and everyone inside was killed. Whilst her parents had left behind wills stating that they wished to be cremated, Emerald had left no such document, and thus she was buried.

E-71 was created (or perhaps revived) by Sapphire five years after her death, after Sapphire’s first batch of experimental Lintanium nanites, reacting to her subconscious before she had a chance to assert conscious control over them, attached themselves to her sister’s frozen remains, re-animating and reconstructing the organic cells, reconstructing the brain, spinal column and central nervous system entirely, and seemingly disintegrating into her bloodstream. What resulted was either a new entity entirely, or perhaps an amnesiac version of the older one; this Emerald had memories of her name and past, only from Sapphire’s perspective; her personality traits and emotions are much more noticeable and powerful than they were before her death, and she now depends heavily on her sister; something Sapphire had always wanted as a child, for Emerald rarely opened up to her.

Twenty at the time of her death, Emerald has not aged at all over the past three years; her body is continuously replicating its cells, in much the same manner that the Lintanium nanites do, only using organic material – i.e. food – to do so. Whether this will continue as time goes by, or whether she will naturally deteriorate and die, remains to be seen.

Since her resurrection, Emerald has been attempting to adapt to life as best she can, taking a fast-track course in economics and setting herself up as a stockbroker in one of the larger firms, Loki Ltd. She lives in her sister’s apartment, visiting her regularly after work and, whilst Sapphire would like to think that their roles have reversed, with her as the older and therefore dependable sister, Emerald has taken the role of something of a surrogate mother, making sure that her sister eats and sleeps more than once a week, and that she occasionally gets out of her lab. She is, at present, unaware of her origins; she believes that, prior to the raid that killed her, she was placed in suspended animation until her sister, who had always been interested in science, developed the technology necessary to restore her to health. She is plagued by dreams at night, dreams of memories, yet is unable to make any sense of them and, whilst Sapphire tells her that this is nature for one who has been in her condition for so long, something about this rings hollow. Whether she will discover the truth remains to be seen…

Character theme: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_0rLl1uK544&feature=related
Battle theme: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Iutt7mdLeCk

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Name: Caleb
Age: 38
Race/Species: Human

Appearance

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Caleb is of slightly above average height at 6’2”, and cuts quite a dashing figure, to say the least. He is lean, yet modestly toned, and shows no signs of his age; indeed, he looks the same now as he did ten years ago, he has not yet begun that steady sag into old age, nor does he show any signs of doing so yet. He has high-boned, regal features that are quite severe-looking by default, yet soften and lose twenty years when he smiles. Caleb keeps his hair cut short and combed back, giving him something of a windswept look, although this serves a dual purpose: not only does it look smart, it hides his receding hairline, the only sign that he is older than he first appears to be.

Caleb’s most striking facial feature, however, is the orange half-mask, with an opaque white hole that covers his left eye. This acts as a shutter more than a shield, and can be withtracted at any time, allowing Caleb to utilise the interface in his eye. Something that Caleb took to wearing in his youth to hide his cybernetic eye, he now wears out of habit, for it has become something of a personal symbol to him, making him all the more recognisable to those who see him…in his line of work, perhaps this is not the best thing, yet Caleb is the product of special circumstances, and can easily afford to “hide in plain sight” as the saying goes.

Caleb’s attire smart, yet highly unorthodox. Over a standard white military uniform (consisting of shirt and trousers, as well as black calf-high boots, all with golden trim) he wears a violet necktie and a dark purple jacket, usually unbuttoned. This provides him with limited protection against energy fire; whilst it will not stop the energy outright, it will minimize the damage, giving him a serious burn rather than blowing a hole straight through him. Over this, he wears a white trenchcoat with blue trimming around the arms and the twin coat tails which, unlike the jacket, serves no practical purpose: it just appeals to his sense of fashion; it makes him both of the government and of the rebellion…or so he would like to think. Caleb often wears white gloves, although on missions he will forsake these, so as to be able to make quick use of his augments (see below) should the need arise. At his sides are scabbards, strapped to a black belt around his waist, containing his weapons of choice.

Personality

Caleb’s defining personality trait is his sense of honour and duty. An odd thing, perhaps, for a double agent whose true loyalties are uncertain to have, yet nonetheless, it is something that he holds to fiercely. Caleb is a firm believer in justice, and will not abide tyranny or oppression, no matter its source. Any ends gained through contemptible means are worthless and, whilst Caleb is not a naïve advocate of peace, he believes that violence simply begets more violence, and that combat is a tool to settle personal disputes where words have failed, and not the answer to the problems of society. War does not determine who wins, it simply determines who is left, and those who are left will inevitably fight amongst themselves, making the sacrifices of those who came before meaningless.

Caleb is a realist; he realises and accepts that he may never see his goals achieved, yet he still con-tinues to strive for them nonetheless, for to give up is to be worse than dead. He is utterly selfless, but he is also a hypocrite, a fact that he acknowledges and accepts. Caleb stands apart from other authoritative figures, not only because of his charisma and strong beliefs, but because he never pretends to be any more or less than what he is: human. He acknowledges and accepts his flaws, and makes an effort to overcome them or to set them aside for the common good which, whilst it is also flawed, is all that humanity has to base their civilisation of peace upon. He is a humble and modest man with ambitious and glorious goals, and nothing more. Yet he has a tremendous amount of pride and self-confidence (self-confidence, not arrogance: Caleb is sure of himself, yet he does not flaunt himself; with him, the two concepts are not one and the same) in himself and his skills as a swordsman and as an ally of justice.

Yet, despite these honourable and, indeed, inspiring characteristics, Caleb has a darker side. He is ruthlessly manipulative, playing the government and rebellion off one another as though they are but pawns in his own private game and, whilst he does not believe in the greater good, the sacrifice of particular pieces of information over the years he has served both can only be reflective of such a strategy. Caleb is cunning and treacherous, and he places no value upon the lives of individuals: this is war, and people are going to get killed; it is unfortunate, but it cannot be avoided, and it would be foolish to think otherwise. If the world judges his actions and his methods to be contemptible, it is up to another to step up and take his place; he holds no grudges, but is ever quick to remind people that they are quick to criticise, yet not so quick to take on his burdens. The intent of the actions is far more important than the actions themselves, Caleb believes: there is a difference between the slaughter of innocents for the sake of war and the sake of peace. What he does, he does in the hopes that the conflict between the government and the rebellion can one day be laid aside; his actions may seem cruel and callous, but he does not intend for them to be so, unlike those upon both sides who are fixated upon one goal. Whilst Caleb does not hold himself above others in so many words, in many ways he believes that he IS above others, for he sees both sides of the argument and is attempting to create a resolution between them. In short, he sees himself as something of a tragic hero, although this is rooted so deeply in his psyche that he could never recognise this and, even if he could, he would never admit to it.

Caleb does not have a “holier-than-thou” attitude: he simply stands by his beliefs, and he is prepared to do something to change the world for the betterment of all the races. He does not hold those who lack the courage to do the same in contempt, for he realises that he is but one perspective amongst millions, but he will not abide any criticisms from them; whilst not a hot-tempered man, he is a firm believer in the idea that words are meaningless are they are backed by actions. He is remarkably humble although, like everyone else, when he is pushed, he will defend himself, and those who are pushing had better have a damned good reason for doing it, beyond the usual whining.

In casual conversation, Caleb is more light-hearted than one would expect from a man of such strong conviction. He is quick to joke, opens up readily to strangers, and treats everyone as an equal, regardless of their race or position. He is quite a likeable man, and is relatively easy to get along with; he does not issue orders, but he has a way of conveying his expectations, and people will strive to meet those expectations for him; he is a natural-born leader, yet fits in with the lower ranks as though he was one of their own. He understands people and the correct way to approach them and, whilst he may annoy some, he demands a sort of grudging respect, for he does not shy away from any confrontation or difficulty.

Weapons

Caleb carries two high-density frictionless energy blades, nicknamed “Hackers” by the military, which can cut through most substances (it can melt any higher-density metals, although it would take far too much time, and the weapon would shut down to recharge before it had finished), as well as repel any energy-based weapon, allowing Caleb to deflect weapons fire…if he is fast enough to catch it, which, by himself, he is not. Discontinued by the military in favour of another, more reliable model, Caleb stubbornly clings to his pair, insisting that they have never led him astray…and that they require far more skill to wield efficiently.

The blade itself is fully customisable, allowing Caleb to extend or withdraw its length to suit the en-gagement, allowing him to wield longswords or daggers or anything in between as the situation calls for it. The maximum length of the blades is 152cm (5ft) and the minimum length is 15cm. The blades also have a mode that is similar to a whip, in which the energy is fed through chain-like links coiled within the hilt, which are released once the mode is activated. Whilst this form is more unstable and potentially dangerous to the user, and drains power at thrice the rate of a 152cm blade (on a standard power cell, the whip mode will last for five minutes before it is shut down) it can overload a medium-sized shield device within 90 seconds. The minimum recharge time on the weapons is twelve minutes; the recommended recharge time is twenty minutes. On the lowest energy setting, a 15cm blade will last Caleb for twenty-five minutes, and on other settings, the blade can last anywhere between twenty minutes and ten minutes. It is not a weapon designed for prolonged engagements; it is a duelling weapon, designed for one-on-one fights, or quick crowd clearance, in the case of the whip mode. However impractical it may seem, these are Caleb’s weapons of choice, and he refuses to carry any others.

Place of Living

Due to his lifestyle, Caleb has no one fixed place of living; he prefers to switch be-tween hotels, staying for a week before moving on to the next. Wherever he stays, he rents the room on the highest floor available and will immediately thoroughly check the room over…can’t be too careful. He is currently residing on the 98th floor of the Meltonio Hotel, in suite 98.1.8, a three-roomed suite with a sitting room, a bathroom and a bedroom; certainly not the most elaborate of setups but, as he spends very little time there, it doesn’t really matter.

Occupation: Chief Strategic Advisor (Rebellion)/ Chief Intelligence Officer (Government)
Technology: None.

Transportation

Caleb prefers to walk to and from places and, as he is rarely required in either of his jobs to go beyond the boundaries of the heart of the city, he does not really need any form of transportation. He disdains the use of Grav Lifts, although he has learned how to keep his balance on one whilst he wields his blades…just in case.

Augments

Caleb has four augments.

The first is a G.R.S (Guidance Reaction System) which makes Caleb even more formidable in combat. It makes his reflexes supernormal, making him almost impossible to defeat; it makes his natural skills as a swordsman even more deadly, for with enhanced reflexes he can react far faster than is humanly possible, allowing him to even intercept weapons fire with his sword. With swords in hand, it provides him with both a solid offense and an impenetrable defence…against humanoid enemies, anyway. It doesn’t do him much good against tanks, or missiles, or anything with a large destructive force. Using this comes at a hefty price, however – it drains Caleb’s physical strength rapidly, depending on what he is doing with it. If he is simply fighting another opponent with his swords, he will likely experience only minor fatigue, for his opponent will likely be dead or disabled in no short order. If, however, he is wading through a storm of lasing fire, or taking on multiple opponents at once with augments of their own, he will be drained of all strength in anywhere between two and five minutes. There is also a far more damning price, however, for using this: Caleb’s pride and honour. He was chosen to wield this particular augment as a reward for his services, for there were only a handful created, yet he rarely activates it, for he wishes to defeat opponents through his own skill only. Often, he will activate it only to deflect the first shot fired at him, after which he will either attempt to settle things through negotiation, a fair duel, or cut down his opponent through his own skill. Using it of his own volition in fair combat, and not at the behest of his employers, would have an extremely negative impact upon his confidence, and possibly plunge him into depression, which he hovers on the edge of for having to use it in the first place. There is a further reason Caleb prefers not to use this augment: of the four he has, it was the only one done by an unqualified doctor, and was exceptionally painful. Just using it reminds him of what he went through obtaining it...

Caleb’s second augment is one that he uses more frequently, situated within his cybernetic eye. When uncovered, it displays a digital interface in front of him that only he can see, linked to any computer network he would care to access, be it a government database or the stock market. It is linked with his brain and so activated by thought alone, and receives information in real time. It is quite sophisticated, acting as a standalone access point, making it extremely difficult to hack without jacking into Caleb’s brain directly. However, it broadcasts a signal like a beacon when it is being used, and any amateur hacker could trace the signal back to Caleb’s location if they were to discover it. It only allows him to view the data; he cannot influence it in any way.

The third augment is an older type of thermoptic camouflage, nicknamed “The Chameleon” for, when activated, it refracts the light around Caleb, rendering him completely invisible to sensors…but not to the naked eye. Unlike the more modern invisibility augments, it does not render Caleb truly invisible; if one is paying attention, they can see him, for any movement has a slight rippling effect. However, unlike the more modern invisibility augments, this one has a considerably longer life; lasting for up to thirty minutes at a time (although the minimum recharge time when it is fully drained is two hours, meaning it must be used carefully, or it will be locked out entirely), and has none of the heat side effects. For sneaking around, it is quite adequate, for people do not often pay attention to their surroundings enough to notice, and if Caleb is observing an event, it is more or less the same as regular invisibility, for there is no ripple effect if he doesn’t move and is in a place where the light source is consistent, i.e. there are no clouds overhead blocking the light every now and then, or moving shadows, etc. However, if there is flickering light, or he needs to move, anyone looking for him will be able to see him – it might be a little difficult, but that movement will be enough to give him away.

Caleb’s fourth and final augment is quite unusual, for it allows him to exude smoke from his skin pores. Often it pours from his hands, for they are the only part of his body uncovered, yet he can exude it from any area of his body. It is arguably his most useful augment, for the smoke is extremely thick and difficult to penetrate and, when shot at, it retains some of the charge of the energy blast, making it dangerous for others to enter. When combined with his thermoptic camouflage, it provides Caleb with the perfect getaway…or the distraction he needs to get past guards. Because of its thickness, the smoke takes almost two minutes to disperse after being released into the atmosphere and it takes a particularly strong gust of wind to sweep it away. It is not toxic and acts in a similar fashion to tear gas if others come into close proximity of it. However, it has several damaging side effects: whilst Caleb can activate it at will, it is similar to sweat, and he will begin to feel the effects of dehydration if he uses it too frequently, or releases too much of it at once. He is not entirely immune to its effects either; after a short while, his eyes, nose and lungs will become irritated as well. Also, whilst shooting into it will charge it and make it dangerous to enter for others, it can also make it potentially dangerous for Caleb for, if he is in the cloud, he is likely to receive an electric shock. A single energy blast from a standard pistol will only equate to a tingle, but if six or seven people fire multiple shots into the cloud, it could stun him or outright kill him before he has a chance to escape.

Body modifications

Caleb’s single body modification is his cybernetic eye; he grudgingly accepted augments when pressed, yet disdained enhancing his body to make him a more efficient fighter. His primary role is that of an intermediary and intelligence gatherer, not a front-line fighter. Caleb prefers to settle disputes without conflict or with one-on-one duels and, with his augments, saw no need for body modifications.

Skills

Caleb is an extremely skilled melee fighter, able to wield any kind of melee weapon in a variety of fighting styles…although he is not a particularly good shot, having neglected firearms training entirely in favour of a more antiquated, honourable art. “Any moron can point a gun, but it takes skill and courage to wield a blade.” He also has a natural charisma, making him a natural-born leader, although this is not a skill he often exploits, preferring to influence those in power rather than take the centre stage himself…for the moment, anyway. Caleb is a master strategist and, whilst he is not the brightest star in the galaxy, he has a head for strategy and tactics, and can quite easily outmanoeuvre any of the military generals on either side. When combined with his skill at information gathering, this makes him a most formidable ally and enemy for either side, for his advice is almost certainly going to tip the scales in the favour of the side he is supporting.

History

Caleb was born to a particularly well-off family, who can trace their bloodline back to royalty, albeit distant cousins to Kings and Queens. Nonetheless, Caleb was brought up to believe that he was better than everyone else, and given every comfort in life that he could imagine, and many that he couldn’t. Caleb was privately tutored and, at his father’s insistence, taught proper etiquette and the art of the sword, for it was “traditional” and one could not go against the traditions. It was the first rule of life, and it governed Caleb’s entire childhood: he could not associate with other children, because it was traditional that he was kept apart. He had to speak, react, even think in a prescribed way, because it was traditional. The stories his mother told him of those who broke the rules and disappeared, dragged off by the military, were more than enough to keep a young and impressionable Caleb in line…most of the time.

When he was twelve, after witnessing a rebel protest in the streets with his mother, Caleb became fascinated by the “commoners” as his mother called them, and began to question his own heritage: why was he better than everyone else? What made him so different from anyone else on the street? He delved extensively into his family history, and was fascinated by the tales; important political figures, great battles won and lost, they all seemed to share a common theme to his mind: they were from the perspective of the winners, and many of his history books didn’t give detail as to where some of the more powerful figures had came from. Further reading led to the discovery that they were from common background; through their own skills and determination, they had risen to power. It was then that Caleb, displaying a wisdom far beyond his years, came to a realisation: he was no better than anyone else. He developed a sense of nobility, subconsciously based off of what he had read.

For the next four years, Caleb was optimistic about his newfound place in the world, and was determined to make a difference, to show that all were equal; that anyone could rise to power if they had the strength of will and the conviction to do so. He became an Ambassador at the age of sixteen, building ties between humans and other races, particularly those few elves who struggled to live in the city, apart from the rest of their kind. Caleb kept this position a further four years, until he was twenty years of age, and over that time he married an elf woman, Raya, one of the few who remained, after a long battle to gain her trust. Their union had a remarkable impact upon the human perception of the other races, and it was at this point that Caleb felt that he was one step closer to achieving his goals. With his wife at his side, he pushed forward, putting forward bills to allow other races to live with the same rights as humans, giving them status and prestige where it was deserved, sheltering those who were persecuted, and promoting equality amongst the races. He had become what he had always wanted to be: a hero.

Three months after his marriage, Caleb’s life took a turn for the worst. His wife was hauled in for questioning about the whereabouts of the rest of her race by the government and Caleb, as her husband, was stripped of his position, accused of conspiracy against the enemy. Activating the fire system, and using the distraction to kill the soldiers, they fled…however, more were waiting for them and, in the battle that followed, Raya was killed, and Caleb barely managed to escape with his life. From being a hero, he had become a wanted fugitive. Rather foolishly, he fled to his old home. What happened next was pure pandemonium: the military had arrived ahead of him…and so had the rebellion. However, they were not there for Caleb, but rather for the rebel soldiers who had commandeered his home…and killed his parents. Acting on instinct, Caleb stole the gear from a dead rebel and joined their ranks as they retreated.

Thus began his new identity as a soldier of the rebellion. Caleb rose slowly through the ranks, so as not to draw undue attention to himself, and dropped his second name. Unable to make sense of events, he simply did what he could: fought engagement after engagement, putting himself on the front line in the most dangerous of missions, in the hope that someone, anyone, would kill him and put him out of his misery. His wife had been killed by the military, his parents by the rebellion he now served. Both were corrupt, yet both held an inherent virtue, and a strong belief in justice that Caleb could not help but admire. Eventually, he began putting himself forward, rising through the ranks of the rebellion through his knowledge of strategy and tactics, using what he had learned of the government in his time working there to ensure victory in every operation. After six years of service, he was promoted to the position of Chief Strategic Advisor, and was implanted into the government as a low-level office worker in the military branch, as a spy, under a new identity, after some painful surgery to alter his appearance, as well as a dangerous operation to hack into the government’s database and remove his existence from their records.

However, upon returning to the government, Caleb discovered that the system had changed drastically since he had joined it. Racial equality was no longer an issue, and the system was stable…yet it was also tyrannical. Caleb also saw the other side of the rebellion he had so readily supported, eager for vengeance: that freedom fighting and terrorism were, in fact, two sides of the same coin, and the difference between the two was a very fine line, which the rebellion occasionally crossed. Similarly, the line between tyranny and stability had blurred. Caleb began to rise through the ranks of the military, even more slowly, so as not to call attention to himself, using his knowledge of strategy, tactics and the rebellion – as well as several “contacts” that he made up to conceal his trail – to rise to the position of Chief Intelligence Officer shortly after he turned thirty-three, putting him in a prime position to spy for the rebellion…and betray them. For just over five years, he has kept up the game of cat and mouse, leaking information to both sides, minimizing the casualties by ensuring that the counter-plans cover every contingency, staving off suspicion by openly leaking the information he was told to, working through his “contacts” to leak the rest.

Exactly where Caleb’s true loyalties lie are unknown. He has equal cause to hate both sides, and he gives no indication that he is untrustworthy; such is the depth of his knowledge of strategy and tactics that none on the opposite side can recognise one of his battle plans if it is implemented against them. Both sides are convinced – or convinced enough – that he works for them and, whilst he took to wearing his mask shortly after he became the Chief Intelligence Officer, he has since worked through third parties to supply the rebellion with the information he chooses, so as not to arouse suspicion and, as he knows each spy within the government, he knows who to avoid when he provides them with information. Caleb has become adept at covering his tracks, and has essentially created an entirely new persona. His full involvement in operations is unknown, and both sides regard him as above suspicion for betrayal: after all, his information is always reliable, he knows all the people to talk to (people who, in truth, do not exist) and he has never been responsible for any key victories for either side…not directly, at any rate. There is no reason to suspect him of duplicity, despite the fact that he is connected with the highest-ranking officials of both the government and the rebellion: after all, it’s his job to gather information. Why wouldn’t he be associated with them?

What Caleb is doing in his roles is uncertain: is he attempting to force a resolution between two sides, or orchestrate a particular outcome? Perhaps, as he is the only man with such high-up connections to both sides, he seeks to usurp them both and unite the government under his rule, or perhaps the rule of another, who remains unseen in the shadows and works through him? Or is he simply a humble man trying to serve in the way he sees is best, as he was when he was younger? Neither side has any choice but to trust him, yet they cannot trust him completely, nor can they afford to lose him. Caleb has suffered many losses in his life at the hands of both parties, and his sense of the world has altered dramatically since the young impressionable child who wanted to go out and save it, and he plays a very dangerous game. It is only a matter of time before the scales tip…

Character theme: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hOf_WOl-2e8
Battle theme: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bE7leYJ7GlY&feature=youtu.be
 
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