Armored Core - Signups (PG-13) - REOPENED!

[Kamotz]

Armored Core​

(Rated PG-13 for violence, language, and implied sexual situations)​

The year is 2099 and the world is a very different place. Grand superpowers control most of the world, with the rest ravaged by war, controlled by massive corporations, or barely holding on to independence. In the midst of the societal upheaval that resulted in this world; a new type of weapon was developed, one that would forever change the face of war.

This weapon was first developed in the year 2012. It was the Mobile Armored Core, an advanced humanoid weapons platform that turned a single soldier into an army. So began the new race, to see which nation could build the best and greatest Armored Cores and dominate the battlefield. Contracting this development to various weapons manufacturers and energy companies put several corporations in a uniquely powerful position; the money the world governments spent on weapons development made them exceedingly rich and gave them influence over the world's affairs as never before.

By 2020, the world was consumed by social and political upheaval. Four great superpowers emerged, controlling more than 50% of the world's surface. The remaining half of the world became divided by corporations and local tyrants, who fought and competed with each other and the superpowers for control of the various resources available. The unrest finally stabilized by 2090, and borders were firmly established.

This didn't stop the battles, however, and fighting still raged throughout the southern hemisphere. The corporations, eager to profit from the conflict, established operations in the various territories. They sold weapons and medical supplies to each and every side, profiting greatly from the bloodshed. The corporations competed even with one another by sponsoring the different warring factions. Back in their home countries, their ever-increasing power gave them more influence over world politics and policies than ever before. Together, they established the League (of Corporations) to serve as a meeting place and official political presence for their collective interests. But the League served another purpose.

After the ceasefire, the nations dismissed their ace Armored Core pilots (the Irregulars) as per the rules of the New Geneva Convention. The pilots, who had built themselves around their skills, had nowhere to go, and were otherwise swept back into society without notice. Taking advantage of the pilots' desires to matter, the League established an organization called Collared, a pilot management organization that served as a watering hole for mission agency brokers carrying out orders for corporations. The demand for pilots in the conflict regions quickly made Collared (and in turn the League) one of the most influential and wealthy forces on the planet, and the pilots themselves became absurdly wealthy as well (though most of their earnings went to the upkeep of their machines).

You are one of these pilots under the employ of Collared, taking missions at the behest of corporations, countries, or independent parties, sometimes working against your previous employers and then helping them the next day. For most pilots, it's all business; there's no hard feelings. Yesterday you were contacted by a Collared representative and assigned to a rarely-formed team of pilots to quell an uprising in Madagascar. True, it's unusual to contract more than two Irregulars for any given mission, but you've learned a disturbing new truth, there are more Irregulars than previously thought, enough to lead to full-scale global war. The status quo is about to change...

=====World Overview=====​

Spoiler: Superpowers, Autonomous Zones, Volatile Zones

The United Nations is essentially defunct, though it still exists in some form, maintaining a peacekeeping presence in and controlling parts of Africa as well as having "embassies" throughout the rest of the world. It really serves as a place where the countries can get together and deny trying to destroy one another (while secretly conspiring with everyone else to destroy everyone else).

===Superpowers===​

Chinese Federation (China, Korea, Southeast Asia): established by swift Chinese expansion in the mid 21st Century, the Chinese Federation is the most populous empire in the world. Advocating unyielding loyalty to the ideals of China, dissention is not tolerated.


European Union: composed of most of modern-day Europe, the EU was forced to form a central government due to the presence of both the Russian Empire and the Chinese Federation. With pooled resources, the Union was better able to establish as a world superpower. In the following years, conflict with Russia would leave much of Eastern European region battle scarred and desolate, resulting in a huge migration to the west, now slowly being overrun by poverty and crime. The governing bodies are attempting to solve this problem, but efforts have been largely ineffective, and they fear slipping into tyranny.


North American Alliance (USA +Canada): an alliance formed to ease trade restrictions and present a powerful front to the rest of the world, the NAA is the "birthplace" of the modern corporation. Citizens live relatively peaceful and easy lives, though government is highly influenced by the corporations. The average American citizen is largely unaffected by the corporate influence on government, but the gap between the rich and poor has grown tremendously, leaving several areas rife with crime and poverty, and thus easy pickings for corporate takeovers.

Russian Empire: composed of much of the old Soviet block, the new Russia is very little like the old USSR in terms of its ideology. Controlled now by mobsters and former intelligence officers, it is rife with corruption and extorts even the corporations that make Russia their home.

===Autonomous Zones===​

Australia-New Zealand: this nation has been faced with many difficulties. Their rich supply of resources and available land made it a target of many countries and corporations. However, the unforgiving environment and well-supplied defenses has allowed them to remain autonomous despite repeated encroachment.


India: an isolated nation due to the Himalayan Mountains, India has been able to maintain independence through its use of manpower and strategic buildup. Much advancement is made here in the field of engineering and medical research, making India one of the top developers of new technology.


Israel: as one of the main pioneers of the Armored Core technology, Israel was on the bleeding edge of the weapon system's development. After the use of the Cores became widespread, Israel developed the Allegorical Manipulation System, resulting in exponentially more powerful combat units. Because of the nation's emphasis on technology and military superiority, a "merging" of corporation and government resulted, leading to a uniquely stable country in a chronically unstable region of the world.


Japan: Japanese scientists were among the chief collaborators for the mechanical aspects of the Armored Core technology. Due to their proficiency for high-level use of the Cores, Japan was able to maintain independence from both the Chinese Federation and Russia. As in Israel, the Japanese were able to strike a delicate balance between the government and the corporations.

===Volatile Combat Zones===​

Africa: the countries here are either colonies of the United Nations or controlled by warlords and corporations. Like with the South American corporations and drug cartels, life working under the corporations is comparatively/relatively safe, but the corporations are not held accountable for anything that happens to you. Life under the warlords essentially is the same, though there are much fewer rules to follow. The trade-off is that the warlords can do essentially anything they want.

Antarctica: considered neutral territory, but due to the presence of vast resources below the ice sheets, control of it is highly coveted. Rights to the resources are contested between the various corporations and countries.

Middle East: birthplace of the Armored Core-based combat. Most countries here have been ravaged by war, uprising, more war, and more uprising. Now they're ruled either by local warlords, religious extremists, or oil corporations seeking to drain the last bit of cash from a resource that's less and less in demand.

South America (Mexico, Central, + South America): ruled by various drug cartels and pharmaceutical corporations vying for control over resources, all of which rose to power after the collapse of the regions' established governments. The corporations are well-supplied and generally keep the order quite well, though there's no defying them if you live in their zones.


Southeast Asia (Indonesia, Philippines, Papua New Guinea): Individually, these states are well organized, but are constantly fighting against Chinese expansion. They receive support from Australia-New Zealand, however, and there are talks of forming a "States of Oceania".

Spoiler: Corporations

===Corporations===​

Corporations have evolved far beyond what they were in the year 2011. Now, corporations are multi-tiered entities of incredible social and political power. Each corporation is almost a nation in and unto of itself, involved in medical research, weapons development, and resource management. The essential goal for all corporations is to gain more power and influence over the people. Corporations are technically beholden to the laws of whatever country they're established in, but their monetary and political power enables them to bypass most legal troubles without concern. Corporations have headquarters in countries throughout the world, but hold total power within the volatile zones, where there are no strong governments to oppose them. The corporations have formed the League, a counterpart to the United Nations.

Rayleonard: A rising North American energy corporation and major source of AC generators. As the leader in the field of Lumidium technology, they specialize almost exclusively in ACs in their military development. Rayleonard's engineers are known for their ambitious designs and consistent ability to think outside the box. Despite distributing Next parts to a variety of other Companies, Rayleonard keeps its industry secrets tightly under wraps. Oberon is currently Rayleonard's closest working partner

Oberon: Longstanding military electronics corporation based in northern Europe. In addition to being the world's leading Lumidium technology company, Oberon produces top-of-the-line computing devices, sensors, and other electronics. Though offering weapons of impressive, cutting-edge functionality, their creations are plagued with a dangerous fragility. Oberon has strong ties with Rayleonard.

Leonidas: Leonidas is a corporation centered in Southeast Asia and the Middle East known for its strong mass production line. Integrated industrial conglomerate and de facto leader of the south Asian economic sphere, they are well-known for mass production fueled by almost limitless manpower, and for their unique and imaginative weaponry. The mix of quarreling regions under their control gives them ample opportunities to test their products, ensuring their effectiveness in real battle conditions.

Genesis: A small Israeli company, as well as a research institution, Genesis was one of the first to develop and use the AMS technology. The AMS allowed their test subjects to enter battle with heightened battle abilities, gaining them many military victories. Since then, Genesis has registered their former test subjects as official pilots, and has adopted a policy to utilize them in actual battle.

Millennium: This corporate conglomerate is based in North America. It is one of the largest corporations in the world. Although they are not shy in publicizing the strengthening of their monopolistic system of exerting control over the government, few dare to speak publicly against them because of the magnitude and extent of their power.

Interior Union: The Interior Union boasts an overall high level of technological prowess, and is by far the leading company in the field of laser technology. As well as being Europe's number one high-tech firm, they also control the fossil fuel market, making them an extremely important company to GA.

Global Armaments: GA is the world's largest corporation, centered around the economic hub of the Pacific Rim. An advocate of standard military company, their products have gained much praise due to their power and reliability in battle. Global Armaments was a powerful corporation in the United States, Japan, China, the Philippines, and Australia during the waning years of the sovereign nations. They used this massive base of influence to grab huge amounts of power. While Global Armaments has stakes in Leonidas for rations and Interior Union for fossil fuels, they are not on good terms with BFF or Rayleonard.

Bernard and Felix Foundation: BFF is a European company that is known for their extremely precise weaponry and is one of the largest companies in that sphere. BFF was one of the pioneers of the powerful Arms Fort combat deployment and superiority system. They have a deeply adversarial relationship with GA, though are closely tied to Rosenthal.

Rosenthal: A military corporation affiliated with The League, they have a tremendous amount of capital. They tend to hide in the shadows of BFF, but provide well-built, all-purpose, balanced weaponry. Their weapon designs are quite unique, and their name is well known across the world. Of all the corporations, Rosenthal plays only minor roles in direct conflict situations. In fact this company can be considered almost benign as it is usually inactive or neutral in major combat events.

Arisawa Heavy Industries: AS heavy industries company with a long tradition in the economic hub of the Pacific Rim. They specialize in a wide range of military vehicles and explosives, and the toughness of their products has gained them much praise in the field. Takafumi Arisawa, the 43rd president of the company, is also known for being a superior pilot, making him the first company president to also see combat.

Collared: Collared is a pilot management organization under the jurisdiction of the League. They manage all ranking issues and organize Order Matches (non-lethal competition between Irregulars). Like the League, Collared has become a mere shell of what it was intended to be. Today, it is nothing more than a watering hole for mission agency brokers carrying out orders for corporations.

=====Mobile Armored Cores=====​

General Overview:
The Mobile Armored Cores (ACs/Mobile ACs) are the ultimate expression of individual military might, turning a single pilot into a force capable of eliminating hundreds of standard military units. There are several tiers of pilots: the standard pilots, the Normals, pilot generic ACs, ranging from two-legged "walker" platforms to humanoid combat models. They are powerful, to be sure, but completely outclassed by the blisteringly fast and supremely powerful machines of the next generation. The newer machines are much harder to pilot, requiring extreme reaction time and control; without which they are nearly impossible to pilot and are largely ineffective. ACs are powered by a newly-discovered type of material called Luminium. Inert Luminium is a superconductor and is built into the various parts of the AC's body, allowing for the range and power of the machine's movements. Luminium is processed into its active form at various processing plants and configured into power cells. Luminium reactor engines have almost no harmful byproducts and depleted Luminium power cells is easily and safely disposed of, making it one of the most valuable and sought-after resources in the world.

Allegorical Manipulation System:
To enable effective piloting, the Genesis corporation developed the Allegorical Manipulation System (AMS), linking the pilot's nervous system with the ACs electronics systems, allowing for direct 1:1 manipulation. High AMS compatibility is a rarity, leaving only a few handfuls of people with the ability to pilot the newer ACs. But these pilots are exponentially more powerful than their low AMS counterparts, able to overcome threats that would seem otherwise insurmountable. Pilots with lower than average AMS compatibility generally compensate by using heavier machine with higher ammunition count weaponry. Pilots with very low AMS compatibility cannot use the new generations of ACs, as the psychic stress caused by the AMS could make them go insane or even lead to total nervous system collapse. All humans, however, have some degree of AMS compatibility, and those with low compatibility can over time "learn" to use AMS. Pilots of the new generation machines are referred to as Irregulars.

Pilots and Operators:
The high combat speed and extreme skill required by pilots to effectively use their Armored Cores leaves little room for distractions. For this reason, most pilots work alongside an operator. Operators are support personnel who are "partners," so to speak, of those who pilot Armored Cores. While they do not control the AC itself, their jobs usually consist of remotely monitoring the unit's vital stats, updating the pilot of changes in combat (such as the arrival of reinforcements) or directing them towards designated targets; this allows the Armored Core pilot to focus their attention entirely on combat.

Equipment and Machine Overview:
The Armored Cores are divided into three weight categories: light, medium, and heavy. The lightest are the fastest and most agile, but also the most fragile. They specialize in lighter weaponry, but can equip heavier cannons and missiles at the cost of their speed and maneuverability (a dangerous trade-off). Heavy ACs have massive physical power and stopping capability with a much higher load capacity for weapons and ammunition, but are far slower. The legs types of an AC also determine its movement and combat type. There are three types of legs: biped, quadruped, and tank. Biped and quadruped legs come in the three weight categories, but biped legs are also divided by standard or reverse-joint structure. The reverse-joint structure has less load capacity, but is supremely suited for jumping and aerial combat. Quadruped legs are the opposite, geared solely for ground superiority and maneuverability. Tank "legs" are different, coming in two types, tread and hover. The tread tanks have the highest load capacity and can even store full-sized weapons in specialized compartments, but are slow and difficult to maneuver. The hover tanks have very low load capacity, but combine the ground and aerial maneuverability of the quadruped and reverse-joint leg types.

Weapons setup:
L/R Arms (hand-held/wrist-mounted)
L/R Back - mounted cannons
Shoulders-mounted - usually flares, decoy missiles, extra propulsion, extra missiles (auxiliary/supplementary weapons)
L/R Hangars (stored in leg-panels) - small backup weapons (ie. small pistols or laser blades)

Back-mounted weapons are best reserved for the things with higher recoil because you have more stability (and are usually referred to as "____ cannons" - laser cannons/grenade cannons/sniper cannons/gattling cannons/etc). That said, heavier ACs can certainly equip grenade launchers, gattling guns, and parts with higher recoil on either arm due to their greater weight-bearing capacity and sturdiness. The arm spots are best kept for weapons that require more dexterity and aiming in fast-paced combat (blades, machine guns, assault/rifles, etc).

Important Note: This time, weapons are interchangeable between Arm and Back, able to rotate and switch on a carousel sort of pivot (only if the pilot so desires). The tradeoff for this is that Back-mounted weapons are more stable, while Arm-mounted weapons are more mobile and faster to aim.

=====Signup Sheet=====​

Name:
Call-Sign: (optional)
Gender:
Age:
Country of Birth:
Country of Residence:
Designation: (Pilot or Operator)
Description:
Personality:
History:
Other:

(For Pilots Only)
Armored Core Name:
Weight Designation:
Leg Type:
Combat Specialization: (Range/Close/Melee/Dominance/Bombardment/etc)
Weapon Layout:
Further Description:

NOTE: As we will have several instances to swap and exchange weaponry, you can list several configurations in the "Weapon Layout" section.

IMPORTANT​

GM Note: This will be a very character-driven RPG. I plan on spending less time on the combat aspects of the story and more on the characters themselves: what drives them, who they are, where they come from, where they want to go, who they want to be. In this respect, parts of the RPG will stylistically be more akin to a work of fanfiction than a standard Roleplaying Game. I will be looking for very detailed, in-depth character signups. The best of the best, the most interesting, the most varied. I will be very picky and hold all the players (myself included) to high standards when it comes to character development and expression. If you don't think you can adhere to the same high level of characterization and storytelling, I must politely ask that you reconsider signing up for this RPG. Those that feel up to the challenge, however, are more than welcome to come along for what I hope will be a tremendous ride.

 

[Kamotz]

My Signups:

Here are my characters. Lance Donovan, Claire Leblanc, and Lance's operator Serra Bradley. Please read the newly edited-in "Important" section that I added to the end of the first post.

Spoiler: Lance Donovan and the White Glint

Name: Lance Donovan
Call-Sign: Stranger
Gender: Male
Age: 27
Country of Birth: Israel
Country of Residence: North American Alliance
Designation: Pilot
Description: Lance stands a good bit over six feet tall and is typically considered "handsome", with a well-defined musculature, strong jaw line, and immaculate posture. He has a thick head of dark brown hair; though kept short as a child, he's since allowed it to grow out on his travels and it now hangs well-past his shoulders; it's now long enough for him to tie back in a low ponytail. His hair has a natural healthy sheen and smoothness. More than once this has garnered him both the jealousy and admiration of various women, who have expressed interest in taking his hair for themselves. His eyes, too, are a deep, dark brown and have more than once been described as "soul-melting." He's well built, from years of demanding physical labor and a disciplined training regimen, but carries many various-sized scars from combat and training injuries. The smaller and older scars, however, are barely visible--due it part to size and fading over time--but also because of Lance's well-tanned skin.

During his off-duty time, Lance's wardrobe is rather relaxed; he takes to wearing simple, tight-fitting t-shirts or plain-colored long-sleeved shirts that hint at his impressive physique. His usual attire also consists of a pair of black pants or faded, torn, blue-jeans and a pair of black or brown combat boots. He also has a well-worn brown leather jacket. He does, however, also own a rather well-stocked supply of fancier clothes for gala events he's required to attend.

When piloting his Armored Core, Lance wears a standard Irregular's form-fitting flight-suit. Like all Irregular suits, there are specially designed exo-neurotransmitters placed throughout it, which then connect to the AC's Allegorical Manipulation System. Lance's suit is mostly white with some yellow-gold trim. The sleeves and most of the torso are black, while its shoulders and protruding collar are white. He also wears a pair of white gloves. Like all suits, it also contains padded sections to protect his shoulders, arms, chest, and legs from getting battered during high-speed combat.

Personality: Lance has a very contradictory personality. At first glance he seems a narcissistic playboy, with an "I come first" sort of attitude. This is most apparent in his pursuit of women. He's the ultimate lady-killer, using his good looks, charisma, charm, and status to win (and subsequently break) the hearts of women everywhere. He's a connoisseur of the one-night-stand and is prone to seducing women of nobility, "just for the challenge." But Lance's eye isn't for power; he appreciates beauty no matter what social class it's found in. He enjoys the perks of his Irregular status; especially the free drinks and attention it gets him from women.

His narcissistic attitude and playboy lifestyle seem rather contrary to the attitude needed to be a warrior and pilot of supreme ability and quality, until one realizes that it's just a cover and a way for Lance to distract and distance himself from his killer nature. In the blink of an eye Lance can turn from womanizer to a serious, hyper-lethal warrior. In battle he's absolutely ruthless and unforgiving, dispatching enemies with a quick stroke of his weapons. He isn't cruel or sadistic, but he shows no remorse or hesitation and has no pity for weakness and stupidity. Lance refers to this side of his personality as his "dark passenger."

It's likely that Lance developed his public playboy persona as a way to mask his "dark passenger" from both the world and himself. He fears his darkness and worries that it will overtake him and turn him into a monster. So he carries himself with a sort of cool, laid-back, nonchalant attitude and engages in and meaningless romantic trysts, hoping that it will stave off his dark passenger and ignite a better part of him. He's had little luck, however, and his continued use of his "mask" has only served to make him more aware of how deep his darkness goes. He's perfectly willing to follow the rhetoric of fighting for "love and glory" but inside he feels nothing. Many of his relationships remain superficial because he finds it hard to connect with other people beyond that superficial level. Even so, Lance has a deeply-rooted sense of loyalty to those he's come to trust and care for, though they're few and far between. In fact, he feels closer to his Armored Core than he does with most people, and claims that it actually understands him. Lance's operator is one of the few who he has a genuine connection with.

History: Lance's past is shrouded in mystery; there are few who know of his life before joining the Israeli military as an Irregular, and that information remains highly classified. Records indicate that his father was also a soldier who had gained favor with a high-ranking government official, who in turn showed this favor by enrolling Lance in the Pilot Academy. Though his father died in combat, Lance continued to be supported by a group of officials and went on to become an extremely capable pilot with an impressive military record. He has served in several major military engagements and is highly decorated for valor and bravery in battle.

(The above is what the military has declassified. His classified/actual history follows):

Lance was not born into any military family, but was instead the child of a simple family living along the border in northern Israel. His father was a shopkeeper and his mother worked to help him with the family business and care for Lance and his sisters. Little did Lance know, however, that his father had dealings with the head of a struggling oil corporation based in what was once Lebanon, just on the other side of the border. Dealings with the corporations had turned sour quickly, and one night, when Lance was three years old, their shop came under attack by a gang of hired thugs who demanded "protection" payments from his parents. Fearful for her child's safety, Lance's mother took him and hid in their cellar. His father refused their offer of "protection" and a fight broke out. In the chaos, both his parents were murdered; his mother, right in front of his eyes. The killers left him in the cellar with the murdered bodies of his parents, in blood two-inches deep. His two older sisters were taken by the thugs, for God-knows what. He remained there for hours as they ransacked his family's store and tore it to shreds. When they were finished, they set the house ablaze and left.

Luckily for Lance, however, an exceptionally fierce storm rolled in, and the tremendous downpour managed to smother the flames before they could reach Lance. He emerged from the ashes of his former life, but something had changed within him. There was something else. It was there that Lance's Dark Passenger took his first breath, born in fire and blood. Lance took to the streets, begging for food and stealing when that didn't work. He wasn't there long; soon a local orphanage found him and took him in. But that didn't help much. His darkness was already there. He lashed out angrily and with no regard for anyone else. He fought with the other children and even with the workers at the orphanage. When he was ten years old, a soldier and his wife came to the orphanage looking to adopt a child. While they were initially steered away from Lance by the staff there, the soldier recognized something in Lance and adopted him straight away. What the soldier did not reveal, however, was that he was a recruit for a special paramilitary establishment called the "Program" looking to find young boys with certain characteristics that they could then mold into perfect Irregular pilots.

Lance was brought into the "Program", and subjected to the rigors and difficulties they set up for him and the other recruits. Competition between the "students" was fierce. They were encouraged to hurt, maim, and even kill one another so they might get an extra portion of food that day. They were taught to be cunning and ruthless. They were taught all the arts of combat from the very first day, receiving training with all forms of weaponry and hand-to-hand combat.

The Program itself had suffered serious setbacks. The cruel regimen that the cadets were subjected to was simply too much for most of them. A majority either died from training accidents or committed suicide. Many others were mentally unfit to rejoin active society and were shipped away to other parts of the country. On top of that, only a few of the cadets had an AMS compatibility high enough to effectively pilot an Armored Core to any degree of effectiveness. Lance was luckily one of these few, and his AMS aptitude was actually among the highest; he was able to pilot ACs at frighteningly high speeds with relative ease.

At the age of eighteen, Lance was sent to the Israeli army, as all citizens are, and at the behest of the Program was assigned to one of its Irregular units. Upon entering the service, Lance realized how out of the ordinary he was. He was far more cutthroat than the others, even among the other Irregulars--a result of his time in the Program. He began to form bonds with his comrades and did everything he could to fit in, though it was almost completely on a very superficial level. It was there that he developed his outlook on life; he learned how to "enjoy" life, or at least appear as if he did. He developed his lady-killer side and charisma, hoping that they would help him to connect with someone.

Lance was involved with several top-priority operations as a part of a special flight-group called the Kidon (Hebrew for "bayonet"). He was involved in the highly successfully Operation Wrath of God campaign, in which his unit engaged in blitz assassinations of high-ranking enemies who had conspired together to organize a fire-bomb campaign of several government buildings throughout the country. He was also involved in Operation Heavy Justice, an organized strike against enemy ground troops; Operation Thunderbolt, the destruction of a key enemy military facility; and Operation Uppercut, where he and his unit commandeered a series of enemy warships and used them as staging platforms for further aerial attacks. His success with these missions has earned him the rank of "hyper-lethal." Lance was the lone survivor of the Wrath of God and Thunderbolt operations, though this only served to make him more aware of the darkness.

Upon the global disbanding of the various nations' Irregular units, Lance was left with nowhere to go. His entire life had been in preparation for his role as a pilot, and without that there was nothing left for him. However, Collared was formed within weeks of the disbanding, and Lance--with nowhere else to turn his formidable skills--was quickly accepted into the ranks of Irregulars. During this early period, he first met the Operator Serra Bradley and formed a partnership with her.

Psychic Power: the edges and specifications of Lance's psychic power are poorly defined. It's difficult to define as it's a rather low-grade ability, possibly an effect or extension of his Dark Passenger's existence within him. It can best be described as "Alpha-Presence" or "Dominance", where he can disrupt or withstand the abilities of other Irregulars when they are directed at him, and dominate the wills of other people. Lance can control the level of his "presence", either heightening it or making it appear demure. This way he can draw attention to himself or divert attention from himself in a crowd of people, using it to charm, disarm, or intimidate. Because this "ability" is so closely related to the work he did as a covert operative, it is difficult to determine whether or not it is a true ability, an adaptation of his ability, an effect of the Passenger, or just his skill as a spy. Regardless, to those (Irregulars) more insightful into the minds and intents of people, Lance must work much harder to deceive and charm them. Conversely, however, those with a greater insight can be suddenly overwhelmed if they peer too deeply or if Lance subjects them to the full force of the Passenger's presence.

Other: Lance is a superb fighter and warrior, possessing a rating with every weapon that fires a bullet or holds an edge. He is also one of the very few individuals documented as "hyper-lethal," a designation given to those with the skills and mental fortitude to overcome massive enemy numbers and impossible situations. His "Dark Passenger" is a contributing factor though, as his emotional detachment allows him to act on pure logic and instinct, drawing out the limits of his mental and physical ability, which is considerable.

Armored Core Name: White Glint
Weight Designation: Medium
Leg Type: Biped
Combat Specialization: Combat Dominance-Close Range/Melee, Medium Range, Speed.
Weapon Layout: White Glint can be equipped with any combination of the following. More specialized missions will see the appropriate equipment added, but this is the initial setup.
Arm Weapons: Laser Blade "07-Moonlight", Assault Rifle w/Armor-Piercing Bayonet "AR-0700 Kidon", Rifle "051ANNR-Spiegel", Blade-Edged/shaped Hi-Laser Rifle "HLR09-Becrux"
Back Weapons: Blade/wing-shaped Hi-Laser Cannons "HLC09-Acrux", Spread missiles "Saline05", Extra Boosters "ACB-O710"

Hangar Weapons: Laser Blade "02-Dragonslayer", Handgun "GAN01-Sabra"

Further Description: White Glint is a white-colored machine with a few black accents. It is supremely aerodynamic and streamlined for high-speed combat. It has average proportions, with emphasis on limb strength and stability (to hold up against its high speed movements). The White Glint's head is triangular and predatory, with three specially-built stabilizing protrusions emerging from the back of it in a triangle formation. Large strong arms provide an accurate and stable firing platform for the Glint's high-speed combat, while strong legs and large feet provide further stability.

White Glint is a masterfully designed and built Armored Core, perfectly embodying the concept of medium-build ACs in its sturdiness and dependability. White Glint's design means that it cannot equip shoulder-mounted weaponry, but it makes up for this in other areas, specifically a set of optional wing-like protrusion attachments. When entering overboost, the wing segments open to reveal a series of auxiliary boosters that dramatically increase its overall speed. Even without the overboost, the wings provide White Glint with improved speed and aerial combat abilities. The tradeoff is that back-mounted weapons must be positioned on the ends of the wings. Weapons with higher recoil are incredibly difficult to use in this case because they are placed much further from the AC's center of gravity and it is much harder to stabilize after firing. For this reason, Lance tends to use the wings only with his specially-designed blade-like laser cannons and the spread missiles.

White Glint is designed for intense combat dominance, relying on its overall superior performance parts and Lance's piloting skills to excel in medium to close range combat. While Lance can equip long-range sniper weapons, the White Glint's long-range capabilities are ordinary at best. Its best defense against long-range opponents is to use its superior overboost abilities to close the gap and engage on its own terms. It's name comes from the fact that it moves so fast that it appears only as a "white glint" before its enemies are destroyed.

Spoiler: Operator Serra Bradley

Name: Serra Bradley
Call-Sign: Angel
Gender: Female
Age: 26
Country of Birth: North American Alliance
Country of Residence: North American Alliance
Designation: Operator
Description: Serra is a woman with soft features. This blonde-haired beauty has often been described as emotionless, but to those who can read her expressions she's anything but. Her blue eyes are actually quite expressive if you know what to look for. Her long blonde hair frames her face and reaches well below her shoulders. Despite her long hair, she rarely ties it back, allowing it to hang freely like a blonde curtain. Serra is of average height and build. She's in rather good shape, though certainly not as toned or athletic as the Armored Core pilots. Her build is softer and more feminine than someone like Claire. Serra is less "lethally" beautiful and more "elegantly" beautiful (though beauty often depends entirely on personal preference). Still, Serra is anything but a wilting flower, as many people could tell you. Despite her softness, she packs a good deal of power into her frame, and has a mean right-hook. Serra's body is far from unmarred. She has a pair of massive scars that run vertically over each of her shoulder blades.

Serra's typical dress is a pair of tight, leg-and-hip-hugging jeans and a sleeveless white top that leaves a lot of her midriff exposed. She also is fond of a thin, light, black leather jacket that she received from Lance at one point. She has a small silver cross pendant, though not necessarily because of any religious belief; it's simply the only thing she owns from before she lost her memories.

Personality: Serra is willful almost to a fault, usually doing whatever she wants regardless of whether or not it inconveniences others, particularly with Lance. She also likes to withhold information, usually telling people just enough to leave them wondering. Her individual experiences have led Serra to become a detached and lonely individual (though she usually tries to hide it, especially around those she does not know well), with little care for even those she has entered into arrangements with, while in the past she was somewhat a spoiled and cheerful girl. Due to her nature and history, she has been lonely as long as she can remember. Lance is possibly the first person that has ever truly cared for her and it appears that she reciprocates at least some feelings. She considers herself his accomplice in all he does, and she is one of the few people to know Lance's true nature and accept it (something even he is unable to really do).

Serra is a master of subtlety and deadpan humor, able to throw people off their game with the simplest twist of a phrase or word. She also has a penchant for teasing people, though it's never malicious or done in spite. In this way she's sometimes quite playful, though it's always in her own soft-spoken way. She's quirky in that regard, and often catches people off guard because of it.

History: Serra can remember very little of he life before nine years ago. For the purpose of the History section, however, her past will be revealed. She was born in North America in Florida in a decrepitly poor section of Miami run by the corporation Global Armaments. Her parents were low-level programmers for GA's weapons and systems development divisions, but they were also unknowingly part of a secret eugenics program run by a back-room division. GA had been attempting to isolate a gene that indicated high AMS compatibility. After isolating the gene, they were able to devise a gene therapy that allowed them to introduce the gene to others genetic structure. The experiments had already produced significant results in children and adults, but GA was interested in the effects of the gene treatment on fetuses. Disguising it as part of pre-natal treatment and care, the unborn Serra was made a part of GA's experiments. She, as well as the many others involved were born with much higher-than-average AMS compatibility. From childhood, the GA executives began secretly pushing her and the others towards careers as Irregulars.

When Serra's high compatibility was "discovered" in a "routine" doctor's visit, her parents were delighted; Irregulars were a privileged class and had benefits and powers that they could never hope to give Serra on their own. They allowed her to join GA's training program. There Serra was subjected to a rigorous battery of tests and trials to weed out those unable to handle the stress of piloting even with high AMS compatibility. The children were simply unable to handle the ordeal on a mental and emotional level. They couldn't understand the psychic stress they were undergoing, and many cracked and went insane. Serra, thankfully, was able to pull through and went on to become an excellent pilot, though her abilities never quite matched up to the potential her high AMS aptitude should have afforded her. Still, Serra became a skilled pilot for Global Armaments, and helped elevate her family out of poverty.

Nine years ago, however, she and the remaining experimental pilots were tasked with destroying an anti-GA terrorist cell in downtown Miami. She and the other Irregulars located their compound and easily destroyed the few Normals defending it, then set out to kill or capture the remaining terrorists. As this task was being completed, Serra spotted her parents in the crowd of gathered terrorists just moments before one of her comrades gunned them down.

Serra flew into a fury and all the potential of her high AMS compatibility came out. She annihilated her comrades, the terrorists, and the compound in her rage before her AC lost its power and shut down. A psychic backlash resulted from the event mixed with the overwhelming effort of maintaining her AMS at such a high level. It damaged her mind to the point of amnesia and forced Serra to abandon her machine. She wandered in a daze with only her name, and was eventually found by a man who brought her with him to one of the nearby slums. The man's name was Vincent Costa, a local drug-baron serving Venezuela's drug kingpin. Serra was turned into Costa's personal slave, though that didn't stop his underlings from abusing her when the chances arose. In her amnesic state, Serra had no concept of another life, and for three years lived under Costa's tyranny.

As it happened, however, Costa had angered the higher ups at Global Armaments, and they hired an Irregular to quickly deal with him and his drug cell. That Irregular was Lance Donovan, who made swift work of Costa and his crew. When everyone was dead, Lance did one last sweep through the compound and found Serra cowering. Recognizing something of himself in her, he surprised himself by taking her with him away from the carnage.

Though Lance had initially planned to simply leave her at a nearby hospital and never see her again, fate seemed to have other ideas in mind. Serra eventually found her way to employment in Collared as an Operator, someone who assists pilots by feeding them tactical information and changes to battle plans. One of her first missions found her paired with Lance, and together they completed the mission in both record time and with a record low of expenses. When they met later to collect their payment, they recognized one another from that fateful day. They decided to form a contract with one another, making them exclusive partners. From that day on, they've been working together.

Psychic Power: Serra's psychic ability is dormant - or perhaps even broken - after the intense psychic damage she received nine years ago. Her AMS aptitude manifested as the ability to read intentions, emotions, and attitudes as colored auras. She could read neural impulses, the minute bio-electric signals sent by the nervous system, and the basis for movement, thought, and action. At the height of her power - during her rampage - she was even able to manipulate those signals within one-hundred feet around her, often with violent and disastrous results, as the forceful exertion of another person's nervous system can be extremely damaging. Since her break-down, she's lost the vast majority of her abilities (or they're dormant), as well as her ability to pilot Armored Cores. However, she still retains a deeper insight into people, which essentially translates to a strong intuition. but every so often, she's witness to flashes of color...

Other: Serra has an extraordinary AMS compatibility, among the highest ever recorded. However, she is unable to pilot high-performance Armored Cores because of the psychic damage she received when she was younger. In fact, the damage resulted specifically because of her incredible AMS aptitude; it overwhelmed her. Due to this, she can no longer pilot machines with the AMS installed for risk of permanent damage and death.

Spoiler: Claire Leblanc and the Valkyria Redtail

Name: Claire Leblanc
Call-Sign: Scarlet
Gender: Female
Age: 26
Country of Birth: European Union (France)
Country of Residence: North American Alliance
Designation: Pilot
Description: Claire has been described as "smokin," "hot," "smokin hot," and "DAMN!" And upon first consideration, one might mistake the 5'9" woman for a model. She has a full, enchanting, hourglass figure, with long legs, gorgeous curves, and a generous...well, you get the idea. She has bright green eyes and long red hair, usually tied back in a high ponytail or messy bun. She's not weak or fragile by any means, however. As an Irregular her body is placed under tremendous stress due to prolonged exposure to high G-forces, so Claire has a strict diet and workout regimen to keep strong and in shape. Additionally, Claire's warrior-soldier lifestyle requires her to remain in prime physical condition. All of this has only contributed to the hard lean musculature of her otherwise soft-looking body. She won't be doing any major heavy lifting, but she's no wilting flower. Upon closer inspection, however, one can find the flaws in her physical appearance. Her hands are rough, calloused, and scarred from years of wielding weapons and she has scars from training accidents and being banged around in the cockpit of various high-speed ACs.

Claire is not a vain woman, but takes pride in her appearance and dress. She always appears well-groomed and elegant and carries herself with dignity. She always wears a small dragon-shaped silver pendant on a small silver chain. She's been known to wear a pair of dark-blue, tight-fitting jeans and a black tank-top or t-shirt. She also wears a ruffled white (or black) mini-skirt and a sky-blue top. For fancier occasions, she often chooses an elegant black dress that shows just enough leg and cleavage, but not so much as to appear tacky. Like all Irregulars, Claire's flight-suit is form fitting--a flattering sight. Its lower half (legs/pants) are crimson-red, while the torso and sleeves are mostly black, appearing as if she's wearing an open black jacket. Where the "jacket" is opened, the same crimson-red runs up her chest in a vertical streak.

Personality: Claire is a confident young woman with a strong set of moral principles and standards. She holds people to the same standards as she holds herself, though this can make her seem rather judgmental. To those who she is unfamiliar with, Claire's physical beauty has given her a reputation for being a vain and off-putting woman (though only among people who don't know her), while in fact the opposite is true. She's caring and eager to help and lend a hand. To her comrades, she's a sister (though to the men, it's more of an adopted/step-sister kind of deal...just so they don't feel too creepy). Her reputation actually stems from the fact that many men are too intimidated to actually speak to her and thus make excuses for themselves and guesses as to her personality.

To those that know her, Claire is much more relaxed and open. She is flirty, vibrant, and full of live, a rarity for someone who has gone through the tortuous ordeals, training, and battles of an Irregular's life. While she might have ordinarily become bitter and withdrawn, her interactions with friends and close comrades kept her spirits high. In them she recognizes kindred spirits, all of whom have suffered physical and emotional scars akin to her own. With them she's found camaraderie and family, allowing her to look towards life's future and not dwell on hurt. Because of them, she's much less self-conscious about the scars she received (let's face it, they're Irregulars, they're ALL a little banged up). This makes Claire a very loyal person and someone the rest can count on.

History: Claire grew up in a safe and supporting family. Her father was a well-renown and wealthy businessman and her mother was a once-prominent Irregular in the EU's military before an injury forced her to retire. Claire grew up admiring the strength her mother possessed, and they were very close. She idolized her mother and tried everything to live up to her mother's (perceived) expectations, though her mother only wished for her to be happy. Through her father's resources, Claire was allowed to be enrolled in one of the top private academies and was given the best schooling available. From there she followed in her mother's footsteps, hoping to become an Irregular in her own right.

In her military training, Claire revealed herself to have the AMS aptitude necessary to be a top-notch pilot, and became proficient with Armored Cores of every design and class, able to push machines well-past their expected limitations. Under her control, heavyweight ACs became nimble and agile, and lightweights packed a powerful punch. Her versatility and skill made her an invaluable asset to the EU, and she served in conflicts around the European, Asian, and African continents.

Like the other top Irregulars unable to return to civilian life after the disbanding, Claire was quickly recruited by Collared. Eager to prove herself, she took even the easiest and seemingly boring jobs, those that paid far less. But because of her willingness to take odd jobs, she became a highly-requested pilot and amassed something akin to a small fortune.

Psychic Power: Not sure. Placeholder.

Other: Claire has a uniquely high AMS compatibility, even among Irregulars. It is also extremely adaptable and ever-changing in the different intensity categories, thus she is able to effectively pilot a wide variety of different Armored Cores. She prefers her personal craft, but she's able to adapt to nearly any situation and use a variety of weapons and armaments.

Armored Core Name: Valkyria Redtail
Weight Designation: Light
Leg Type: Reverse-joint
Combat Specialization: Combat Adaptability-Agility, Range Balance, Ordinance Balance
Weapon Layout: Valkyria Redtail can be equipped with any combination of the following. More specialized missions will see the appropriate equipment added, but this is the initial setup.
Arm Weapons: Laser Blade "07-Moonlight", Railgun "RG03-Kapyetn", Machine Gun "03-Motocobra", Hi-Laser Rifle "Canopus"
Back Weapons: Hi-Laser Cannon "Sirius", Missiles "Panzer", Grenade Cannon "Otogo", Chain Gun "CG-R500 Muskingumo"
Shoulder Weapons: Chain Missiles "Musselshell", Scatter Buckshot "Laliguras", Flares "Yasmin", Auxiliary Boosters "Ego-Rush"
Hangar Weapons: Laser Blade "EB-O600 Schneider", Handgun "GAEN07-Jager"

Further Description: The Valkyria Redtail is a sleek red-and-silver Armored Core. Its limbs are thin but well built and strong with good dexterity for precision aiming and fire. The shoulders are wider than one would expect, allowing for better stability with the higher-recoil back-mounted weaponry. The head is triangular and exceptionally thin, allowing the AC to cut through the air; a long, thin, forward facing horn on the top of the head allows for balance and additional sensors. The Valkyria's core is standard, well-armored to protect the pilot, but still aerodynamic and light enough not to interfere with the AC's flight. The legs are the most dynamic part of this machine, reverse-jointed to improve leaping ability and aerial combat, they have also been outfitted with stabilizers on the back of the feet to give the Valkyria better locomotive abilities on the ground.

The variety of equipment Claire has available to equip to the Valkyria is a testament to the relationships she's built with her many clients; she's often offered advanced new weaponry as payment for her services. She's built the Valkyria around the concept of interchangeability; as long as she doesn't overload its weight capacity, she can essentially use any weapon available to her. Because of both her own piloting prowess and the Valkyria's exceptional engineering, Claire is more than capable (and even excels) in all areas of combat.

 

[Billy Mays]

Keep in mind that I'm not so good at Descriptions.

Name: William Renard
Call-Sign: Paladin
Gender: Male
Age: 30
Country of Birth: European Union (United Kingdom)
Country of Residence: European Union
Designation: Pilot

Description: From the moment you look at him, William's stature would have you believe that he is some form of royalty. His regal looking appearence is simply an assumption however, as William is in fact not of any royalty (that he knows of). William stands at 6'1, with the muscular build of someone who's served in the army (which makes sense since William HAS served in the army). His hair is a dull black and is cut short, as well as being very uniform and straight. His piercing eyes are of a light blue color, almost like cyan, and also are narrow making him appear angry or serious, even when he isn't.

William prefers to dress properly for formal settings, so it is very unlikely you'll find him at a ceremony or formal party without a suit. He ends up wearing suits quite often, which sometimes results in people mistaking him for a buisnessman. Outside of formality he will often wear very simple clothes, including wearing a tank top and jeans when he exercises.

When piloting the Shining Armor, William wears the same flight suit all Irregulars wear. His suit is mostly white, with two streaks of blue each running down from one of his shoulders down his sides and finally down to his legs.

Personality: Fearless, brave, and chivalrous, William Renard appears to be a selfless knight to others. But William doesn't think so highly of himself. In William's eyes, he is a simple servent who serves those who will lead, and carries out his orders. In that respect, William tends to be a blind follower to his superiors, unquestionablely loyal to a fault. He is the weapon, and those he serves are the wielders. And yet, although he is loyal, that doesn't mean he'll carry out any order given to him. He has his own set of morals, and often refuses to break them. In that respect, he was often a loose cannon when he served for the European Union. Willing to follow, yet unwilling to do what he considered "wrong".

Outside of battle, William is often reserved and gallant. He is also unabashed and blunt when confronting someone, which contradicts his usually reserved nature. The key thing to remember though is that there is a diffrence between being shy and being reserved; he isn't talkative due to the fear of being ridicluled, it is simply by his own choice. Despite his advanced education William doesn't often apply his intelligence, although he can be clever when he needs to be. William's nature comes from all of the fighting he's done combined with his secluded childhood.

History: Born to a well off family in London, William lived a mostly secluded life in his early years. He was an only child, and went to private school rather then public school. His father, the CEO of a tech company, and his mother, a researcher at the same company, wanted their son to have the best education possible so he could one day become the owner of his onw company. William, on the other hand, felt that he wasn't suited for the life of a boss, that he was better suited to be one of the lower ranks, a simple gear in the giant corporate machine. It was during the later years of his time at Oxford University that he learned of his high AMS apptitude. After graduating, he immediately joined the military quickly became a well known pilot for his skill.

Interior Union saw the young and skilled pilot, and through some "generous donations" from William's father (whose company often worked with Interior Union), they decided to choose William as the pilot for mech they were making that was carring the prototype for a new weapon, or rather, shield. This is how the Shining Armor got into the hands of William, and from then on, William served in multiple campaigns throughout the world.

When William was out of a job when the New Geneva Convention was signed, he had no idea what to do with himself. His parents encouraged him to becomes one of his father's managers at his tech company and take over when his father retired, but once again, William refused to follow his parents. With tons of money and nothing to do, William decided to do a bit of traveling, wandering from place to place. When he heard of Collared, William jumped at the chance to work as a pilot again.

Other: William has amazing close ranged fighting skill (somewhats thanks to taking up fencing as a child, but mostly due to intence training), and is a force to be reckoned with at close ranges. Although at longer ranges he mainly relies on getting himself closer to the enemy, or vice versa. He is skilled in using several kinds of mechs, especially lights ones, but he very much prefers to stick with using his own mech.

Psychic Power: William can sense when someone is lying or being deceitful. Whenever someone tells him a lie or does something to trick him, William can tell immediately. However, it only works if it is directed towards William himself, William cannot sense a lie or any other form of malice if it is not directed towards William himself.

Armored Core Name: Shining Armor
Weight Designation: Medium
Leg Type: Biped
Combat Specialization: Melee Combat Dominance- Close Range/Melee, Agility, Speed, Damage Avoidance
Weapon Layout: Shining Armor's Arm weapons are it's main weaponry, and are never switched out. The Back weapons are often changed depending on the combat situation. Instead of Hangar Weapons, Shining Armor is given extra rocket boosters in it's legs for extra speed and allowing it to achieve short term flight despite it's bulk.
L-Arm: Laser Blade "01-Bladerunner"
R-Arm: Energy Shield "Protector Mark I"
L-Back: Sniper Laser Cannon "Genesis", Laser Chain Gun "SR-44 Lightbringer"
R-Back: Harpoon Launcher "Scorpion", Flamethrower "Lucifer-X4"
Shoulder Weapons: Flares "Yasmin", Decoy Missles "Jesters", Rocket Boosters "Rush Jets"
Hangar Weapons: Rocket Boosters "Rush Jets"

Further Description: The Shining Armor is a pure white Armored Core, with two lines of blue running down both the front and back of the AC. It also has three lines of blue on the top and back of it's head, the side two being dark blue and the middle line being light blue. The body of the mech is very much like the shape of a human, making it resemble a knight with armor on. The armor of the mech is made to be defensive, but also not to weigh it down. Rockets booster are mounted on it's legs, shoulders, and back to give it tons of prepulsion. It has a container on it's back resembling a jetpack that carries fuel (yes, it has rockets on it too).

It's not hard to believe that the mech was designed by Interior Union, as everything on it is either a laser based weapon or would normally require fuel (if it weren't for the AC's super fuel-cells). The Protector Mark I energy shield is a new kind of technology recently designed by Interior Union, which is basically an arm mounted shield that when activated creates a large shield of energy similer to the shield of a knight that repulses attacks. Although it can stop solid objects, it's most effective against energy weapons, basically stopping any and all energy based projectiles in their tracks.

The harpoon launcher is the only weapon that doesn't run on fuel cells, but since the harpoon retracts it's meant to be reuseable, although the mech generally has a couple of harpoons loaded into it in the case the first harpoon breaks. The harpoons have super strong cables on the end of them, so the mech can pull itself to the target, or pull the target to the mech.

 

[Kamotz]

Billy Mays: Accepted. I'm not sure why an AC utilizing advanced superconductor fuel-cells would need gasoline to run, but as that's what you signed up with, that's what you'll get.

 

[Billy Mays]

Well how about the mech has so much of a need for fuel it has a backup tank on it's back?

EDIT: Oh, I see what you mean. No, the Mech itself does not run on fuel. It's multiple rocket boosters and it's flamethrower are what runs on fuel, the machine itself can run without the fuel, but it won't be able to use it's rocket boosters or it's flamethrower without fuel.

 

[TheSequelReturns]

And... I'm back.

Its gonna be fun to get to see these characters in action again.

------

Name: Kotomi Yamagishi

Call-Sign: Orphan

Gender: Female

Age: 20

Country of Birth: Japan

Country of Residence: Japan

Pilot or Operator: Pilot

Appearance: Kotomi is thin and a little taller than average height, though her posture and build make her look a bit wiry. She has long and straight hair that is as black as night, usually tied back in a simple but long ponytail. Even when its tied back though, the ponytail still goes nearly all the way down her back. She ties it back with a simple white hair band, really nothing more than a white piece of string. She is of Asian descent, specifically Japanese, and her facial features reflect that. Her facial features are a bit sharp and give her a bit of an intense look, or rather it would if she were to actually seem as though she was paying attention. She always looks a bit spaced out, and rarely does she ever look serious. You can even find her seemingly staring into space for minutes on end.

For her usual outfit, Kotomi wears a simple black and white striped shirt, a bit thicker than a t-shirt but not quite a sweater, more of something in the middle. The shirt is long sleeved, and the stripes are horizontal and a bit thick, somewhat reminiscent of a stereotypical prison garb. She also wears a simple pair of dark khaki pants that have a softer texture, being made of cotton rather than denim. An oil and grease stained cloth is usually hanging from her left pocket, and a tool of some sort, usually a small wrench, screwdriver, or pair of scissors, can often be seen sticking out of her right pocket.

Her pilot suit is a simple black suit, with white gloves and boots. Various sensors and padding mark over various points of the suit, such as her sides, shoulders, and neck.

Personality: Kotomi is a deathly quiet individual, the kind of person who were it not for the slight rise and fall of their chest and occasional blink of the eyes you would have trouble telling if they were even still alive. She is incredibly patient, and has absolutely no problem remaining perfectly still and silent for hours if need be, and in fact usually does so even if there is no real reason to do so. She will almost never start a conversation, and will only occasionally comment if the conversation is not directed at herself. When someone does manage to get her to start talking, the words that come out of her mouth are often strange at best and downright confusing or unintelligible at worst. She speaks of everything in a strange mix of mechanical, scientific, and occasionally psychological or philosophical terms and phrases. It takes some time for most people to get used to her way of speaking.

She has a passion for anything mechanical, be it as simple as a lock or as complex as an armored core reactor. If something is in need of a repair, she can probably tell you exactly what is wrong with it. Fixing it is a different matter entirely. While she strangely lacks the mechanic’s touch, she does have a knack for “upgrades”. She can come up some of the most off the wall, random, seemingly useless, and occasionally ingenious upgrades to pretty much anything with two or more moving parts. In addition to her upgrade habit, she has a compulsion to ensure that things don’t get to the point where they need repair. Whiter its because she knows she can’t fix things herself or if its just that she doesn’t like to see things wear down, she will compulsively clean, refill, upgrade, or otherwise maintain every machine that she comes across, including the ACs of her fellow pilots.

She may come across as a bit distant, or more often as a bit “out there” mentally speaking, but Kotomi is an absolute genius when it comes to machines, science, psychology or any other manner of study that usually confuses the heck out of the average person. Unfortunately, her strange way of speaking, seemingly robotic demeanor, and her nearly emotionless expression tends to make it hard for her to easily convey her thoughts to others. Not to mention that she will not hesitate to clonk someone over the head with a wrench if she feels at all threatened, after which she usually turns and heads off someone else with that quick tip-toes walk of hers.

History: Kotomi’s past is a bit of a mystery. She doesn't like to share personal details with people, and as a result tends to keep most of her history to herself. She grew up as an orphan, having lost her parents early on, to this day she doesn't know exactly what happened to them. All she knows is that she doesn’t even remember them, not their voices, not their faces, she has been alone for her whole life. Perhaps it is because of this, or perhaps it is because she found solace in books rather than people, but either way she grew up immersed in textbooks of all kinds, shunning the company of fellow people. You could say that had the orphanage had a larger collection of fiction books, then she would have become lost in other worlds and fantasies, but since the library was nothing more than a collection of discarded and donated textbooks, she quickly became obsessed with learning all sorts of things, from philosophy to psychology to physics to mechanics and so on and so forth.

She had pretty much no hope of adoption. Given the choice of a “normal” kid who liked sports and a kid who sat in dark corners with a college level textbook in her lap and a pair of ever opening and closing scissors in hand, who did you think the potential parents were going to pick? After spending fourteen years as such, its only natural that she have the conversation skills, vocabulary, and mannerisms of a desktop computer.

Although, these lonely days wen't to last forever. As fate would have it, she was stumbled upon by a company representative of Arisawa Heavy Industries. The man thought there was something different about her, and after subjecting the young girl to various tests, it became apparent that she had substantial AMS potential. So, at the age of sixteen, she began to work for AHI. Officially, she was hired as a "consultant". However what they were really planning was preparing her to be an AC pilot. Someone of her natural skills would be a benefit to the company if she were to prove to be loyal to them. However, the ceasefire came too soon for this dream. Now with a trained pilot and an AC that served essentially no use to them, they were forced to relinquish both, as the AC was technically the pilot's, Kotomi's, property. Once Collared came around though, Kotomi finally had something to focus on again. She committed herself to the perfection of her piloting skills, determined not to put what the corporation did for her to vain. She has managed to quickly rise through the ranks, and is proving to be quite the newcomer to the scene. Even now though, she still holds some loyalties to Arisawa Heavy Industries, and gives missions that benefit them priority, a practice that the company is well aware of.

Psychic Power: Kotomi's ability manifests itself as a sort of empathy. Only thing is, its an empathy with inanimate objects. If she touches an object with strong emotions, feelings, or memories associated with it, she can pick up on those feelings and emotions, even so far as being able to "see" glimpses of the past if the imprinted emotions are strong enough.

- AC -

Armored Core Name: Zashiki-warashi

Weight Designation: Light

Leg Type: Reverse Joint Biped

Combat Specialization: Sniping, Stealth and Recon, Close Combat

Weapon Layout:

L Arm - A standard energy blade.
R Arm - A Sub-Machine gun used primarily for close quarters combat. It has low accuracy at range, but has a substantial rate of fire.
Shoulders - Lightweight, external boosters. The boosters fold inward when not not in use. They are also reversible, allowing the AC to quickly change direction.
L Back - A folding, mid-weight laser rifle designed for sniping. What it lacks in weight, it makes up for in energy drain. Thus, it is impossible to use while mobile.
R Back - A small, lightweight laser turret for missile defense. It is designed to use only the energy necessary to remotely detonate incoming missiles. It is highly effective while stationary, but losses effectiveness when the AC is mobile or if its range is increased.
L Hangar - A stash of floating proximity mines. Up to three can be stored due to their small size, but their high yield makes them very strong. The mines seek targets automatically, and thus can be used even in aerial combat.
R Hangar - A single radar jamming drone. The drone disrupts enemy IFF and radar capabilities over short range distances, making it difficult for an enemy to pinpoint Kotomi via AC-mounted scanning equipment. The drone is only active when deployed from the AC, has an operating time limit, and is vulnerable to attack.

Further Description: The Zashiki-warashi is primarily black in color. Thin white lines detail the edges of each armor plate, and the detail lights are violet in color. The head is triangular and has three small points that extend from the back, one at each corner. A single violet light serves as the head's sensor eye.

The overall frame is slim and very angular, with more points than curves. The arms in particular are very thin and light. Each of the shoulder pads have a slight point to them that extends outward from the main body. The shoulder mounted boosters fold into the shoulder pads when not in use, but can quickly unfold into two thin lines, making a sideways "V" shape on each side.

The core body is also vaguely triangular, with the lower part being the thiner "point" and the wider upper body the "flat" side of the triangle. The legs are reverse jointed and the feet are like a bird's feet, being two "toes" in front and one larger one in back.


-------------


Name: Theodore “Theo” Faulkner

Call-Sign: Tarot

Gender: Male

Age: 25

Country of Birth: European Union

Country of Residence: North American Union

Pilot or Operator: Operator

Appearance: Theodore is a well groomed man of English descent. His blond hair is short and styled back. He is always well dressed and styled, and has a sturdy and proper posture. His eyes are a dark green and like his “master” Beatrice, his facial features are sharp and refined. He has a slight tan, and his build is about what you’d expect from a Tennis player.

His manner of dress is also suited for his occupation. He wears a formal suit at nearly all occasions. The suit is made from white silk and is accented with a velvet red neck tie and a black undershirt. The cuffs are folded back just a bit and marked with a gold button. White gloves hide his hands, and black leather shoes cover his feet. On less formal occasions (or rather any time a suit would be impractical) he still dresses nicely with things like a fancy shirt and pressed pants, perhaps even a bow tie.

Personality: Theo is devoted to his charge, that is to say, he is a really good butler. He is always proper and formal, and speaks as you would expect someone like himself to speak, politely and respectfully. Though he speaks tactfully, he does have a mischievous streak and likes to mess with people albeit in a subtle way. He likes to use nicknames, though nothing creative. Rather, he simply shortens others names. Of course, he never does this in formal situations, Beatrice being the sole exception.

He will often find himself assisting in the kitchen or serving drinks ,or some other such task, usually at Beatrice’s request. Not that he doesn’t enjoy it however, and he is in fact quite the cook. As you might expect, he is also very well versed in a number of other skills, everything from things like cooking to Tennis to tying knots to folding clothes and all manner of household skills. He takes pleasure in being able to lend a hand to others, and is the sort to brag a bit about a job done well, usually done along with one of his trademark bows. Since Beatrice has become an AC pilot, Theo has found another new skill to add to his repertoire. He has become her Operator, learning all that he can about the various types of ACs, weaponry, scanning tools, and other sorts of equipment.

There’s more to Theo than his occupational necessities though. He is a logical thinker at heart, and loves a good mental puzzle like a mystery novel or a deduction game. He is even prone to attempting to organize such things with others. As a thinker, he often has a theory prepared to explain nearly any circumstance, though how accurate that theory is reflects how much information he has at his disposal. He is the sort who values personal relationships, and he makes an effort to get to know those around him. Even going so far as serving as something of a team therapist on occasion.

History: Theodore is the son of one of the Victorique family maids. This of course didn’t mean that he had to become a butler, but when given the offer he didn’t refuse. After all, it was basically the offer of pay and free board and food in exchange for following his childhood friend Beatrice around. The young mistress had a bossy streak, but far from order Theo around constantly, she was simply content to let him offer his support.

Theo was actually the one who did the design work for Beatrice’s AC, though she was the one who named it. He has always been supportive of her antics, and her desire to pilot an AC is no exception. He did all the research, leaving no option or detail unexplored and in the process of building Beatrice the perfect AC, acquired all sorts of knowledge about AC types, workings, systems, and equipment. Essentially, he became Beatrice’s operating support. Whenever she had a question, he had an answer. She wasn't the type to deal with the “trivial” things like energy drain, cooling speed, ammo count, and so on, leaving Theo to do all the work while she hopped in the pilot seat and learned how to work the thing.

After their unsteady start and a certain incident with the targeting systems that resulted in a storage facility getting leveled, their tag team efforts finally paid off and Beatrice managed to work her way into Collared. Of course, even she realizes that it would have been impossible if not for Theo’s help. Theo is rather proud of all the work he’s done, and he’s determined not to let Beatrice get herself killed out in the field. And with the sheer amount of knowledge he’s picked up along the way, even other Operators are sometimes surprised at just how much he knows, or what he can predict. Of course, he has his off moments as well, and has more than once jumped to wrong conclusion simply because he didn’t have enough information. Keeping Beatrice safe is his first concern in any battle, a job he has, to his relief, done fairly well so far.


-----------


Name: Beatrice Victorique

Call-Sign: Vega

Gender: Female

Age: 22

Country of Birth: Australia

Country of Residence: North American Alliance

Pilot or Operator: Pilot

Appearance: Beatrice is a fairly young woman of European descent. Her entire appearance reflects who she is at heart, a noblewoman. Her facial features are elegant and have that regal beauty that may be both attractive and intimidating. Her hair is an icy blue and is tied back in a long but thin ponytail. Two other long but thin streaks of hair trail along either side of her face, going down below her chin on either side. Her eyes are a piercing blue color, bright but cold. Her skin is light, with not much of a tan, and her figure is thin and lithe.

She comes from a wealthy family, and her clothing always shows that. Everything she wears, no matter how casual the style, is of a very high quality. Everything from formal ballroom dresses to the casual blouse and skirt pair are in her collection of outfits, and all are refined and elegant as her physical appearance. Her most common look is that of a red skirt and a white and black blouse, both of the highest quality. Long black leggings go nearly all the way up to her skirt, and white silken gloves generally hide her hands. Her hair is usually tied back with a small white or golden ribbon, tied in a very fancy, but small bow.

Her pilot suit is a white and blue suit of a noticeably richer style than many other pilots. Elegant detail lines and thin, but effective padding combine with the minimalist amount of sensors on the suit to create something that looks more like a formal wetsuit than a combat uniform.

Personality: Beatrice comes from a rather well off family and she herself isn’t really wanting for anything. Perhaps because of this, she seems to walk around with a bit of an air of superiority, and often comes off as being something of an snob or an ice queen. She always wants the best, and expects things to meet up with her wants as much as reasonably possible. When things meet up with her expectations, she is generally very pleasant company. When things don’t go her way, her attitude comes through and she begins to find faults with everything. The worst part is, she’s not just complaining. She is pointing out legitimate faults, things that perhaps no one could do anything about at the time. This doesn’t make it any less cold though.

At the very least, she will try to improve things herself if she thinks it necessary. Which is, unfortunately, most of the time. She has the money to do it, but others might not see things the way she does, and her sense of “improvement” usually doesn’t match what others might want or like. Theo is usually the only one who can talk her out of things, as he is the only one who’s opinion she really values.

Beatrice has a sharp wit and a tongue to match. Her words are often direct and to the point, but far from being blunt, they are finely crafted, elegant words that impact the full meaning of her sometimes cruel statements. Sometimes, her cruelties are so subtle as to pass completely out of notice of their intended target, only to be fully realized upon reflection. That said, she does still have some compassion. She appreciates when others do things for her, no matter how she might complain about its execution. She also likes when people try their best, and she will often do a little something to repay her teammates if she thinks a good job has been done all around. For those who make the effort to know her, she can be a good friend indeed. For everyone else... not as much.

History: Beatrice is from a wealthy English family, though she was born and raised in Australia. Her family left Europe to get away from the social problems that they feared were only going to get worse. For a wealthy family living in the neutral Austrailia, her childhood was pretty good by most standards. She was pampered, given essentially anything she wanted. However, this had the effect it most commonly does, leaving her wanting nothing more than one of the things she couldn’t have. That is to say, she wanted an AC.

Her parents, as business minded as they were, handled the situation fairly well, by promising her one in the future. In the meantime, they found her a friend to take her mind of off the AC thing, hopefully for good. This friend was Theodore, the son of one of the family maids and the only other child in the estate. The two might have become fast friends if it weren’t for two things. The first is that Theodore was already brainwashed into “butler mode”. The second was that Beatrice was more than content to leave it that way.

With her trusty butler Theodore backing her up, Beatrice drew up her own plans (though Theo really did most of the work), and when the promised time came, presented her AC design to her parents, who had thought she had long since given up on the AC. Of course, a promise was a promise, and Beatrice wasn’t about to let her parents back out of it. So, her eighteenth birthday resulted in her becoming an AC pilot, much to her parents dismay at both the idea of it and the sizable gap it left in their wallets.

Though she is new and relatively untested in actual combat situations, Beatrice has taken quite a liking to the AC arenas provided by Collared. With Theo providing her top notch support and strategies, she has had some success. Though she has more losses than victories at the moment, she has shown surprising AMS potential and is gaining some popularity in the lower ranking circles of the arena.

Psychic Power: Bea's power manifests itself as a sort of psychic suggestion. If she concentrates, she can alter the way a person sees her. Not in a physical sense, but in a mental sense. Making herself look "familiar" or "trustworthy" or "harmless" with a few carefully placed actions and words and reinforced with her psychic nudges can convince even people who are looking for her that they have the wrong person. Likewise, she can bend it the opposite way and make her words or suggestions seem more reasonable or appropriate. Naturally, since the suggestions are more subliminal, the ability loses much of its effect if the target is aware they are or can be manipulated, or if they are otherwise mentally steeled to resist such deception.

- AC -

Armored Core Name: Aurea Imperatrix

Weight Designation: Medium / Heavy

Leg Type: Hover

Combat Specialization: Area Attacks / Mid-range Combat

Weapon Layout:

L Arm - A dual Pile bunker with a launcher. Able to impact enemies at mid range and drag them in for a finishing blow. This does have a weight limit however.
R Arm - A Shotgun with Incendiary ammunition that burns though all but the thickest armor. The trade off is low ammo capacity. Best used to dispatch enemies with a single close range shot.
L Back - Cluster missile launcher. The missiles burst before impact, spreading several smaller explosives over the impact area or target.
R Back - Grenade launcher with burst explosives. The initial grenade explosion sends out multiple secondary explosives, which explode moments later.
Shoulders - Side boosters allowing instant side to side movement. Effective when combined with her hover platform's lack of friction drag.
L Hanger - Internal storage for extra grenades or shotgun ammo.
R Hanger - A powerful handgun for use as a last resort.

Further Description: The hover legs on the Imperatrix are elegant and streamlined. The base is large, but provided plenty of room near the front for the melee weapons to function effectively. The Hover platform itself is mostly rectangular, but has curvy edges and details making it look far less boxy and more like the skirt of an elegant dress, especially since it gives the impression of trailing out behind the AC since the front section of the platform comes to a point while the back end remains large and wide.

The overall framework is sturdy, but not too heavy or bulky. It does however push the weight limit of its hover platform. The overall look is very elegant as well, with more curves than angles. The shoulders are slightly rounded, with the arms having some extra armor for defense in close combat. The head is reminiscent of a fencing helmet, being mostly smooth and having a long and thin optical scanner.

The AC's core is primarily golden in color, as is the hover platform. The core is accented in purple and white, the hover platform in grey and black. The shoulders are grey and purple, and the arms are white and gold. A few red accents mark over various areas of the AC, notably around the core and head. The weapons are also colored to match the rest of the AC. The only other color is the rich blue sensor light.

 

[Kamotz]

@ Billy Mays: Well, okay. That's all fine by me, I guess. Most ACs don't really use fuel, just the super fuel-cells that make everything go. Think of it like Iron Man. He doesn't need to gas up, neither do our ACs (other than replacing a fuel cell every once in a while).

@ Sequel: Looks good. Nice to see them back. Accepted.

 

[Kamotz]

I just realized I never added a section in the signups for the psychic power...You guys can add that in at the end if you want.

 

[storymasterb]

Name: Ezekiel Arkwright
Call-Sign: Archer
Gender: Male
Age: 29
Country of Birth: European Union
Country of Residence: European Union
Pilot or Operator: Pilot

Appearance: A slender, lithe man, built like an athlete, Ezekiel is at first glance fairly unremarkable. Though he has a toned figure indicative of a good exercise regime, his dull blue eyes and messy, silver blond hair further dismiss any suggestion that he participates in anything vaguely more exciting than the occasional sport. The scar on his right cheek is hard to notice, and other injuries he has sustained in the line of combat are usually hidden by his clothes. The only really noticeable thing about Ezekiel at first glance are his sharp facial features, and the way he regards the world, taking in each detail with a precise glance, regarding people with an eye accustomed to lining up a weapon's path of fire to a target. Unsettling to most, it is a habit people who know him learn to deal with, though it can be disconcerting when he is startled to see him fix the intrusion with a glare more usually accompanied by bullets shooting from his Armored Core's weapons.

Ezekiel usually dresses in a smartly casual way when off-duty, normally a gray shirt and black jeans under a comfortable white knee-length coat, with fairly old but serviceable white trainers. When he needs to dress formally, he dons a smart white suit accompanied by a deep blue tie, with polished black shoes. Regardless of his outfit, he has a tendency to wear a pair of white gloves.

When piloting, Ezekiel wears a simple pilot's suit, stark white adorned with brilliant lines of silver. While the suit itself is rather basic, the noble colors make it seem rather more impressive than usual.

Personality: Ezekiel is a detached, clinical man. While he is more than capable, and even willing to participate in everyday conversation, he can often be found more on the fringe of things, evaluating everyone in the vicinity with a view to untangling their mannerisms and personalities. He only usually speaks when necessary, with the odd remark given when the topic of conversation turns to something he finds interesting, or when he is directly addressed. Despite his usual clinical demeanor, he often does make a conscious effort to speak to people who he finds interesting, if only to discover more about them. In his personal life, he is generally quite focused on his career, otherwise spending much of his time practicing sports, most normally ones which involve shooting things. He is a keen advocate of archery and shooting, and through years of practice, has become a very accurate archer and gunman. However, he has never felt the desire to participate in the competitive scene of either sport, with his stated reason being his work as an Armored Core pilot.

In combat, Ezekiel becomes a lethally-focused pilot. His experience with his Armored Core's control and remarkable aim, assisted by the machine's targeting systems, turn him into a deadly accurate killing machine. He guns down the opposition with little hesitation or reluctance, seeing it as part of the job, an attitude he has adopted over the years to help cope with the reality of his profession. However, off the battlefield, he insists he is not a soldier. In his view, soldiers are just pawns of their country, driven to obey whatever orders they are given without question, while people like himself have the freedom to refuse to obey if they feel their orders are morally wrong. As such, he is very suspicious of more traditional military organizations, often being unhappy at having to work beside them.

Beneath the surface, Ezekiel is not as calm and cold as his usual disposition would indicate. He often finds himself recalling the many brutal things he has had to do as part of his career, including many horrible deaths inflicted on men and women who were just doing their job, like himself. He finds it hard to cope with this, feeling that for his job's sake, he should be just as precise and reliable as one of the weapons his Armored Core wields. He has tried to find solace from the ghosts of the pasts in many ways, but with his family gone, and his own profession rendering him something else to most people, he has few people he can truly trust or confide in, he feels. Only a fellow Armored Core pilot could truly understand, in his opinion, and he feels reluctant to tell any of his fellows in case one day he finds himself facing someone he trusted in that way across the battlefield. His original reason for becoming a pilot only makes this worse, as his initial wish to prevent anyone from suffering as he did from the ravages of war soon collided with the reality that with every life he took in the name of his wish, more people suffered. Unable to bring himself to abandon this ideal even though he betrays it with his actions, Ezekiel struggles to find a way to justify his actions and the suffering they cause.

History: Born in Wales in the United Kingdom, Ezekiel was originally raised by a fairly well-off, though not greatly so family in the hills of the country. When he was ten, his family moved to London in search of jobs, with his father becoming a soldier in the European Union's army, and his mother a bank clerk. Ezekiel and his sister lived in relative comfort here, and Ezekiel took up archery as a hobby, inspired by his uncle's achievements in the sport. However, just two years later, tragedy struck. His father was killed in a conflict with the Russian Empire, leaving the family distraught. Standing by the man's grave on the day of the funeral, Ezekiel was comforted by his uncle, who promised to help the family in any way he could when tragedy struck. Due to this, the young man grew close to the archery pro, the two often practicing together and bonding through their appreciation for the sport. Ezekiel began to enter some archery competitions at his sister's suggestion, and won several, proving exceptional.

However, just two years after his father's death, a further tragedy struck. A terrorist cell who had managed to infiltrate the European Union launched a daring raid on the bank where Ezekiel's mother worked. Taking many of the staff hostage, they began to steal the gold within, intending to use it to arm themselves for a large scale atrocity within the region. Local police forces intervened, and armed police stormed the building. Most of the terrorists were taken into custody safely, but when the leading man was found, he grabbed Ezekiel's mother, using her as a human shield before the police could react. With her life at risk, the police couldn't bring themselves to shoot, leaving the terrorist enough time to set off several explosives concealed within his jacket. The resulting explosion killed everyone in the room, including the terrorist himself.

This was small consolation to a distraught Ezekiel, who furiously blamed the police, saying that they should have reacted faster and shot the man dead before he had any chance to do anything. No amount of attempts to persuade him otherwise ever convinced him to change his mind, even when his uncle took both him and his sister in. Broken by the loss of his parents to both opposing powers and terrorist forces, Ezekiel began to devote himself to becoming a soldier, determined to fight such people to ensure no-one would have to suffer as he did. The years passed as he trained himself physically, throwing himself into archery to develop his accuracy, and eventually acquiring a handgun to learn to shoot. However, as he became a man, he was found by representatives from the Bernard and Felix Foundation, who found that he had a remarkable AMS aptitude. Offered the chance to become more than just a grunt on the ground, to pilot an Armored Core, he eagerly accepted.

Given a new Armored Core, and training, he eagerly joined combat operations, fighting against terrorist cells and other nations alike with a cold zeal. He came to develop his targeting skills with his new body's weapons just as he had learned to shoot for the target with bow and gun, becoming a fearsome pilot in his own right. However, just a short year after he became a pilot, the New Geneva Convention was signed, and he lost his job. However, just a short time later, after he drifted into London trying to fit back into society, Collared was founded. Unable to let go of the power of his Armored Core, something he felt was a path to achieving his ideal, he quickly joined the myriad other pilots returning to the battlefields of the world.

So he continued until the present day. But as he fought in warzones across the planet, he came to realize the contradiction in his ideal, and how his actions in pursuit of that ideal only caused greater suffering. As the years have passed, Ezekiel has fought as a man chasing an unattainable dream, becoming embittered and cold because of the suffering he has endured and the realization of the hopelessness of the ideal he is trying to reach. Regardless, he fights on, adding more kills to his tally and more money to his earnings.

Other: Ezekiel is a remarkably accurate man with regards to both the bow and a handgun. He tends to keep his handgun near him when it is allowed, in case he needs it. He also maintains close relations with the Bernard and Felix Foundation, feeling a sense of loyalty to them both for giving him the chance to become an Armored Core Pilot, and because he has developed a preference for their weaponry, which is reliable and precise, two traits he values in his Armored Core's weaponry.

Psychic Power: Ezekiel's power is a low-level form of mind-reading. He can pick up on peoples' surface emotions and intentions, but nothing more, so long as they are within four or five metres of him. However, objects of a certain density or above can block this. While he could detect someone's surface thoughts if they were stood behind a curtain, an average wall or door would block his ability to read that person.

-AC-

Armored Core Name: Silent Reaper
Weight Designation: Medium
Leg Type: Biped
Combat Specialization: Sniper/Precision Firepower

Weapon Layout:
Left Arm: A Bernard and Felix Foundation-manufactured sniper rifle, designed for precision shots to cripple or destroy opposing Armored Cores even at long range.
Right Arm: A Rayleonard laser rifle, designed for close range combat.
Left Back: 061ANCM cluster missile launchers designed by the Bernard and Felix Foundation. The missiles are intended mainly to deal with large numbers of enemy targets at a closer range, or handling targets too large for the Reaper's rifle/sniper weaponry to handle.
Right Back: 061ANSC sniper cannon. Able to work in conjunction with the sniper rifle to deal with larger and heavier targets at long range.
Shoulders: Either flares to disrupt incoming missiles, or EMP missiles, designed to hinder and cause disruption to opposing radar, preventing enemy forces from easily locating the Reaper.
L Hanger: Laser blade designed mainly as a last-resort weapon due to Ezekiel's general aversion to close combat.
R Hanger: A lightweight but powerful handgun designed by the Bernard and Felix Foundation. Also generally a last-resort weapon.

Further Description: A steely gray Armored Core designed for precision and efficiency, the Reaper is based principally on the Bernard and Felix Foundation's 063AN model. In design, the Reaper is a rather intimidating cyclops of a machine, with a baleful cold blue optical sensor. Although designed for a sniper role, it has the ability to wield other weapons, allowing Ezekiel to equip it with a laser rifle and cluster missiles for handling targets his sniper loadout has difficulty in defeating.

The Reaper differs slightly from the usual 063 in that it is more streamlined, enabling Ezekiel to reposition the craft more swiftly in case he encounters too much resistance. However, he has mainly left his Armored Core's design alone, keeping a functional and reliable framework of engineering by the Bernard and Felix Foundation as the basis for his combat machine. While the armor has been stripped down slightly for greater speed and mobility, much of it has been left intact in case Ezekiel is forced into direct confrontation with an enemy. As such, the plates on the Reaper's legs are not as wide as usual, decreasing air resistance, and the shoulder plating has also been reduced somewhat. The head has seen much of the redesigning, re-engineered in collaboration with an BaFF engineer associate to be more sharp and steamlined. While maintaining the large optical sensor, the Reaper's head has become roughly an arrowhead in shape, designed for minimal air resistance and greater mobility, allowing Ezekiel to quickly focus his Core's optics on targets as they come into range of his weapons.

As a note, I have a second character in the works. I'm not keeping anyone from the previous iteration, this character is entirely new. Not sure as to much of her character yet, but I have a design concept for her Core, based on the TYPE-LAHIRE. Very close-quarters style with that, I think, to contrast with Ezekiel's sniper approach.

 

[Kamotz]

@ Storymasterb: Cool, new characters/mechs. My only issue is with the psychic power, as "reflexes" aren't exactly psychic powers.

 

[storymasterb]

Hm. Good point. Maybe, like, a heightened insight into peoples' emotions and intentions within a certain range, say, a few metres or so? That fits with his whole keen-eyed-analysis thing, and is more psychic in nature. Like, sort of mind-reading but more like a skimming the surface deal. So he can pick up on a person's general mood and intentions at a given moment if they're within a few metres of him, but he can't properly read their mind like, say, Professor X.

 

[Kamotz]

That's certainly a psychic sort of ability. It's actually a bit similar to what I had planned (but forgot) to do with Serra, but she's more reading "auras" in a sort of synesthetic kind of way.

I also forgot to mention that psychic abilities only really get to go to AC Pilots and those with high AMS potential. Or those like Serra, who were pilots previously, and can't really remember. The ability begins to manifest upon prolonged and repeated exposure to the AC's Allegorical Manipulation System.

 

[storymasterb]

Decided to go with that power for him. He can pick up on people even if he can't see them (so if someone came swinging a punch at him from behind, he'd sense their intention to hit him and be able to dodge), but anything particularly dense between him and them blocks his power. So he can't read minds through walls and doors. Curtains, maybe, but not a wall. And his power only works up to about five meters, and he's picking up on everyone within that radius, so too many people in that space and he can get overloaded with thoughts and intentions. Kinda like Mao in Code Geass.

 

[TheSequelReturns]

Okay, added the psychic abilities to Kotomi and Beatrice. Let me know if I need to change anything.

 

[Requiem's Eclipse]

Name: Iskander "Alexander" Aziz

Call-Sign: Sandstorm

Gender: Male

Age: 45

Country of Birth: Turkey

Country of Residence: Turkey, Currently in European Union (UK) since he has been inlisted in Collared

Designation: Pilot

Description: Iskander definitely doesn't appear 45. Years of battling in his mecha and stress about his family has aged him about 6 more years. His face, ripe with wrinkles and a strong defined jawline, is the epitome of ruggedness. His skin is dark olive with a small amount of red from his French heritage. Iskander's French heritage is also the reason for his crystal blue eyes which brings to mind the color of the water in the Bosphorus Strait. His eyes have a small amount of gold near the pupil and his left eye has a small circle of brown in the bottom left hand corner of his Iris. Iskander also has quite bushy eyebrows but, they aren't unkempt as he trims them himself. His hair is jet black and is a curly mess if he allows it to grow long and so, his keeps it shaved most of the time.

Iskander is a rather built individual, as he is almost always seen working out in his down time. His muscles are clearly defined and noticeable but, far from a bodybuilder's muscles. He has an imposing figure, standing about 6'3", with most of his weight in muscle is truly intimidating at first glance. Iskander has the perfect v shape body to top it all off. All in all, he his known for his ruggedly handsome looks and his ridiculous frame.

Off-Duty, Iskander wears simple clothing. His tops include loose fiting button up shirts. They come in different shades of tan, bringing to thought the different colors of sand. He usually leaves the first few top buttons open to expose a little bit of his chest hair. Iskander also rolls up the sleeves of his shirts for the majority of the time. His pants are made of the same lightweight material and come in various shades of tan. Iskander also rolls his pants up passed his ankles. His clothes are light enough to be worn in desert like conditions and he would still be comfortable.

His flight suit, like most AMS flight suits, is form fitting. The Color of his flight suit is manly a desaturated yellow with grey detailing. There are two red lines starting at both sides of his neck and run down to his wrists. On his chest, there is a small insignia of a Snake, drawn in with gold lining that has been worn down from the years of battle.

Personality: Though his appearance would hint the opposite, Iskander is surprisingly a huge papa bear sort of guy. Being a father himself, he calls everyone younger then him "kid", "son" or "my little girl". He cares deeply for those younger then him as he always finds traits they share with his own children. Whenever someone brings up his family, he begins to gush about his children and wife back in Turkey. He begins going on and on about how beautiful his family is and how everyone should known about them. This is what makes him truly loveable with his comrades.

His family can also be his weak point as well. If anyone mentions harming his family, he either becomes enraged by the fact that they would even attempt to go that route and will bombard the enemy without thought, causing him to leave him wide open for attacks by his level headed opponents. The alternative is that he shuts down by the thought of loosing his family and becomes open for attacks as well. That being said, he cannot stand the thought of loosing his family.

In battle, Iskander becomes a very different person. He becomes cold and calculating and leaves his papa bear persona at base. He focuses completely at the task at hand and cannot stand any sort of weakness in his comrades. If Iskander detects weakness in them, he gives them some tough love treatment and leaves them alone. In actuality he goes to long range defense to defend his comrade and, when enemies are about to attack, saves his comrade to teach them a lesson in maturity. So, technically a small part of his normal personality stays with him on the battle field.

Iskander is basically a caring papa bear, which, when the situation calls for it, focuses and does what needs to be done. He finds the good in people and doesn't talerate negative intentions. Iskander cares for all his friends and treats them with as much love as he would his family. Like his family, he will not allow any of his friends to be harmed. No matter what.

History: Iskander was born in Adana, Turkey, which is part of the war torn middle east. His father was a machinist who worked in a company who mass produced Armored Cores. Iskander, at the age of 15, began working in the company his father worked as his apprentice. Iskander quickly surpassed his own father in building parts and, at the age of 18, began working on his own Armored Core Model dubbed Desert Storm. During the process of building his own Armored Core, he met a beautiful young Iranian woman named Nasreen. Nasreen was an Iranian refugee living in Adana, Turkey, trying to find some refuge from the central middle east where fighting was much worse then in Turkey.

Iskander and Nasreen had begun dating and, when he was 21 and she was 19, they were already married. During the time they had dated, Iskander had stopped working on Desert Storm. However, once they were married they had begun working together on the Armored Core. Nasreen was studying to become an operator. She was inspired to become an operator because she wanted someway to help stop the continuous warfare in the Middle East. Iskander shared that same desire and so, Iskander, along with Nasreen, began studying anything and everything about Armored Cores and commenced building of Desert Snake. For three years they were focused on creating Desert Snake. They were able to do this with a very complex scheme that included almost everyone in each sector of the Armored Core company that Iskander worked at. Ultimately, Desert Snake was created with stolen parts, upgraded by Iskander, Nasreen and their cohorts.

About two years into building Desert Snake, Nasreen and Iskander welcomed a baby girl Amira. Nasreen then stopped building on Desert Snake in order to be a mother to Amira, while Iskander continued working on Desert Storm. Nasreen decided she would stay at home with Amira while Iskander fulfilled both their dreams. So, a year passed and Desert Snake was completed. Nearly three months after Desert Snake was completed, Iskander joined the Armored Core Unit from Britain and realized what sort of devastating machine he had created.

Iskander realized that the route of the Problem wasn't simply the battling and what they were battling about but, more about the machines built to fight. The Armored Cores. These massive machines were built for one purpose and one purpose only, to kill. It took him only one time pilotting the Desert Snake to realize that he must also destory all Armored Cores to really cease the battles that would ultimately protect his now young family. Iskander searched for twelve years in the battlefield to find away to destroy the Armored Cores but, no avail. The year was 2090 and he was sent back to Adana, Turkey, feeling like a failure.

That all changed when he stared at his beautiful daughter's face for the first time with his own eyes in 12 years. Amira, now 13, has become a spitting image of her mother, except for her eyes. Amira's eyes were the same exact colors as Iskanders and that's when he felt that he was not a failure. Iskander and Amira had been sending letters back and forth ever since she could write and the pictures she sent really gave her no justice. He wasn't a failure in his daughter's eyes but, a hero no matter what he done. That didn't shake the fact that he had murdered hundreds of people with no results.

For the nine year break between 2090 and 2099, he had become the family man he is now. He was there for god knows how long and made sure he and his family loved every minute of it. Iskander and Nasreen also had a boy, Aydin, in 2092. Aydin was a spitting image of his father but, had light brown eyes like his mother. Iskander seemed like he was overflowing with happiness on the outside but, the sins of his past haunted him for the next 7 years. During those 7 years Iskander added multiple upgrades to his Desert Snake which included it's hidden blades and tail booster. In 2099, Amira, now 22, was studying abroad in the US and Aydin now 7 was still in grade school, Iskander heard of Collared and what it was about and Iskander and, needing to find a way to destory the Armored Cores, set out to Collared. He dusted off Desert Snake and set out for another Journey of blooshed and, hopefully, disovery.

Psychic Power: His brain is able to send out it's own brain waves and he is able to create a detailed radar in his own head, which is much more detailed then normal radar, as he can actually see, in his mind, the shapes of the objects.




Armored Core Name: Desert Snake

Weight Designation: Light

Leg Type: Biped

Combat Specialization: Melee. Close Range. Recon. Stealth

Weapon Layout: Desert Snake is a unique Armored Core in that it has been specialized with Hidden Arm Blades that can be released for surprise attacks at close range distances.The Blades are in small slots slightly below the wrists of each arm. They can continuously stab an opponent by continuously being released the being brough back into the arm. They are spring loaded and work much like a mechanical pen or they can stay out and be used for severe close range battles. They were specially made so that they use the least weight possible and didn't make wrist equipments impossible. It's strongest weapons are back mounted because of all the support. It also is equipped with some Radar Jamming Devices and diversion missles. Many of it's weapons are light weight, mobile and have high accuracy. The trade off is that they aren't that powerful. Desert Snake has multiple different weapons at it's disposal and her are the current weapons it posses. The configuration can change.

R-Arm: Hidden Wrist Blade "2Z48 - Snake Bite Alpha", Laser Blade "4A07 - Python Fang", Light Weight Laser Rifle "3B17 - Python Venom"

L-Arm: Hidden Wrist Blade "2Z49 - Snake Bite Omega", Laser Pistol "3B28 - Cobra Eye", Light Weight Laser Shotgun "3B22 - Cobra Venom"

R-Back: Boosters "ZZ01 - Tail of Ouroboros Alpha"

L-Back: Boosters "ZZ02- Tail of Ouroboros Beta"

Shoulders: Radar Jammer "5C05 - Ouroboros Illusion"

L/R Hangars: Boosters "ZA01 - Hidden Fangs "

Further Description: Created solely from the mind of Iskander Aziz, Desert Snake is a one of a kind Armored Core. Desert Snake is made for the brutal desert fighting conditions of the Middle East, Iskander's homeland. It is known for it's tan color with black detailing, making perfect camoflague during a sandstorm. It is a light weight Armored Core that appears fragile but, being originally a base model from a middle eastern company who mass produces Armored Cores, it is surprisingly sturdy and can take a few hits. It has a oval like head with two horn like protrusions creating a demon like shape. It has a wide chest going to a thin waist to a large hip area. The body, though slim and agile, is surprinsingly sturdy. Most of the stability for the back weapons come from the torso and chest area, which is a spitting image of Iskander's body. Many People consider Desert Snake a Light-Medium type of Armored Core as it is between the two weight classes. It falls in the light category because its weight is closer to that weight class.

Being a sturdier lightweight Armored Core, Desert Snake is able to use Heavier Weapons on it's back but, because of the Hidden Blades, cannot have powerful weapons on it's arms. Desert Snake is best at Recon Missions and quick strike, then retreat and then strike again. That being said, The legs are quite large allowing it to run at incredible speeds. Another quirk that the Desert Snake has is a long "tail" that starts on the center of it's back. The tip of the tail has a secluded booster, with that it can increase it's speed. Along with the Hangar boosters, Desert Snake can go at blindingly fast speeds. The Desert Snake cannot keep all boosters on for longer then three minutes as pieces will start flying off.

Being a sturdier lightweight model, it is able to use some medium weight weaponry with out much problem. The maximum medium weight capacity it can handle are usually two medium weight weaponry, which is taken up by the two back weapons. This lowers speed and agility but, Iskander finds it appropriate for some long range options.

All in all, Desert Snake is a stealth fighter. It uses it's decoy missiles and radar jammers to confuse and blind it's opponents. It then strikes with many of it's mid range and close range options. This is the area where it dominates opponents, especially close range. Desert Snake's long range options, though limited, can be deadly if the enemy isn't expecting it. Desert Storm deceives it's opponents and once they are confused, finds moments to strike quick then retreat, then attack again. As said before, if you are caught in a Sandstorm and battling Desert Snake, it will be a harsh battle.

 

[Kamotz]

@ Requiem's Eclipse: It's mostly very good. There's only a few issues.
1. His power. It's more physical that I wanted, especially the "force-push" sort of deal. The last part:

"His brain is able to send out it's own brain waves and he is able to create a detailed radar in his own head, which is much more detailed then normal radar, as he can actually see, in his mind, the shapes of the objects."

That's actually acceptable. A sort of "psychic radar" I could get behind.

2. While I'm not going strictly off game-canon, Sniper and Gattling cannons are both heavyweight weapons. It's not likely that a lightweight would be able to carry both at once. It would look pretty silly.

3. Shoulders utilize the same weapons on both sides.

 

[Requiem's Eclipse]

@ Requiem's Eclipse: It's mostly very good. There's only a few issues.
1. His power. It's more physical that I wanted, especially the "force-push" sort of deal. The last part:

That's actually acceptable. A sort of "psychic radar" I could get behind.

2. While I'm not going strictly off game-canon, Sniper and Gattling cannons are both heavyweight weapons. It's not likely that a lightweight would be able to carry both at once. It would look pretty silly.

Okay, I'll definitely make those edits. Can I still keep the absorbing the radar signals without the force push? If not I'll just have him use the psychic radar. I was going by completely my own creativity with most of Desert Snake so I'll make some more light weight back options for It.

 

[Kamotz]

I'm not sure how a brain would absorb radar though. It's not really a psychic ability, it's more in line with magnetism and electromagnetic manipulation.

 

[Requiem's Eclipse]

I'm not sure how a brain would absorb radar though. It's not really a psychic ability, it's more in line with magnetism and electromagnetic manipulation.

Hmm, True. I've decided the backs will be traded in with more boosters. Desert Snake is going to be a speed demon. I'll edit everything now.

 

[Kamotz]

Very Good. You are Accepted.