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[img]http://i.imgur.com/Yv21cyA.jpg[/img]
[center][url=http://i.imgur.com/JFjN2zj.jpg?1](Alternate)[/url][/center]

[color=99cc99][b]“The difference between justice and vengeance is perspective. 
My perspective is to smile and nod.”[/b][/color][/center]

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[b][color=99cc99]NAME[/color][/b]
[indent][color=gray]Rory Sonels[/color][/indent]
[b][color=99cc99]CALLSIGN[/color][/b]
[indent][color=gray]Magpie[/color][/indent]
[b][color=99cc99]ALIAS[/color][/b]
[indent][color=gray]Lock (His Vanguard Alias)[/color][/indent]
[b][color=99cc99]GENDER[/color][/b]
[indent][color=gray]Male[/color][/indent]
[b][color=99cc99]D - O - B[/color][/b]
[indent][color=gray]December 3[sup]rd[/sup], 2648 (27)[/color][/indent]
[b][color=99cc99]ORIGIN[/color][/b]
[indent][color=gray]Tenbington, Central European Territories[/color][/indent]
[hr][hr][center][img]http://i.imgur.com/CLuvrhn.png[/img][/center][hr][hr]
[b][color=99cc99]PERSONALITY & MOTIVATIONS[/color][/b]
[indent][color=gray]Rory is something of an enigma when it comes to his particular line of work. A fun-loving, adrenaline-seeking debonair with a sarcastic flair. Working basically as a gun for hire has given him the people skills he needed to get through life and put himself on top for his area; and doing it in a stolen rig meant learning how to run, fight, or talk his way out of a plethora of situations. If a lot of that talking involves an equal amount of drinking, well, that's just how the cards are dealt. He's very certain that he's not an alcoholic. A smoker, a gambler, a flirt, but never an alcoholic. He considers himself more of an [i]enthusiastic[/i] drinker, a connoisseur of fine, adult beverages.

When it comes to "the line of duty", it seems all fun and games with Rory. He enjoys what he does and he finds immense pleasure in taking down a mark. War is hell for some, the backlash can be even worse, but Rory doesn't care. There's only one thing sweeter than that rush of adrenaline, and that's winning. As long as he comes out with all of his fingers and toes, he probably had a good time. Even if that means he lost and kicked around a fair bit. He's usually one to try and rise to the occasion, he loves a good challenge, but you can't win every time. Where's the fun in that?

Rory is definitely a people-person, even if everybody doesn't find him charming. He doesn't care what people say about him, and it's more than likely he doesn't care about what people say about others. That's not to say he doesn't enjoy some good gossip, he'd just rather see things for himself and make his own opinions. There's good in everybody, even if it's hard to see. He doesn't care if somebody is as cold as ice, reserved, and seems to have a permanent scowl—He'll still offer them a dance or a drink. He has a good sense of morality, and tries to do right by others. Even if his definition of loyalty is a tad loose, comparatively.

Coming to New Anchorage means new experiences, new friends and foes, and a chance to be a part of something a bit bigger. Despite being relatively quiet about his past, when asked Rory tells everyone that he just got tired of the "merc life" and wanted something steadier. Sometimes he tells them it was wanderlust, or that he had a growing sense for adventure, that he wanted to see new horizons.. well, he says a lot of things.[/color][/indent]
[b][color=99cc99]EFFECTS OF POLARIS SHIFT[/color][/b]
[indent][color=gray]Rory doesn't refer to the effects of his Polaris Shift as suffering, but rather experiencing. Before he took over this particular neural combatant it had been piloted by a woman by the name of [color=gold]Nadia Kinnet[/color], who had named her machine "Jackdaw", a source of inspiration for the current call sign of "Magpie". Rory has a hard time recalling who he was before he became a pilot, what he liked, what his mannerisms were. Maybe he was different, or maybe he was the same, but the fact remains that he shares many things with Nadia.

At times certain events, situations, sounds, smells, and so forth will trigger something inside Rory's mind, invoking something of a vision. He'll see a part of Nadia's life, whatever memory is associated with the triggering event, and it will play as if he was experiencing the memory through Nadia's eyes. Fortunately these events tend to be very brief, ranging from a quick glimpse to perhaps a minute. They can be frequent however, though Rory isn't certain why.

It's something of a conundrum for him. Nadia was also a lover of dance, sharing his particular taste in music, she was a drinker, a smoker, a gambler, and a vivacious coquette. She loved fun, and piloting her Jackdaw. They are so similar, that Rory isn't quite sure how to look at the situation. Is he becoming her, or is it coincidence? Should he be having an existential crisis? Oddly enough, there was another pilot before Nadia. Rory's had glimpses of her life where she's dealing with quite literally, the same issues he's having now. Though even when Rory is looking through Nadia's eyes, he's never seen whatever it was that she did when the same event happened to her. It's actually rather hard to notice when she's experiencing her Polaris Shift. 

In fact, the only reason he really knows at all is because Nadia's said as much. At any rate, the whole experience interests him greatly, and he's taken to writing them down when he has the privacy, and time to do so. Especially when it comes to trying to pin down changes in himself, similarities, and the differences between himself and Nadia. Writing things down has become even more important to him since he realized he has gaps in his memory and no longer remembers certain events. These holes are chunks of Nadia's memories. These acquired memories seem to reflect what was happening in her life around the time of the memories Rory has lost.
[/color][/indent]
[b][color=99cc99]PERSONAL HISTORY[/color][/b]

[indent][hider=The Full Account of Rory's Past]
[color=99cc99]"Growing up wasn't bad, never knew my parents but I had good home. I was provided for."[/color]

[color=gray][indent]Actually, Rory was privileged enough to have both of his parents, who loved him very much, and a younger brother named Samuel. His mother, Rosette, was a full-time, stay at home caretaker, who dutifully watched over her children and taught them the necessary life lessons to survive. His father, Arlen, worked for a company that had been folded into Paragon as a neural combatant engineer, a job that was in high demand in the eastern European territories and paid well. They lived in Tenbington, a rural area saturated with hills and sparse thickets, but close enough to the megacity of Berlin, Germany, to not be troubled by the rougher sorts that lived out in the wilderness. His father would stay in the city during the week, and come home on the weekends when his work permitted it, which was often enough. Neither Rory nor his little brother held any real resentment towards their father for his absence in their life, other than those periods of childish misunderstanding that most children would have. They grew up in a stylized farmhouse their father had spent some time restoring, in a community where most of those who didn't have fields to tend typically traveled to Berlin during the weekdays to work. Rory, and Samuel had plenty of friends, and the area was usually safe enough for them to run amok and play after their pseudo-school lessons. Rory had always been a popular child, and it was during this period of his life his knack for electronics was discovered.[/indent]

[color=99cc99]"I'm no genius, but I guess I'd always had a knack for this sort of thing. Code was just something I understood, as well as a kid could anyways."[/color]
  
[indent]Wanting the best life for her children, Rosette convinced Rory's father to apprentice him in the city to further what she referred to as his "gift". Rory didn't hesitate at the opportunity, and shortly thereafter bid his family, with lots of hugs and kisses, farewell. He was quick to settle into the routine of his new life. Apprenticeship didn't pay, but it did provide give him a roof to live under, a bed to sleep in, and two meals a day. More importantly, he began learning the skills he'd need to further his career as a prospective programmer, even if that meant sweeping the shop and doing the dishes. 

Quinton Wyrick, the man Rory apprenticed under, ran a moderate business near the edge of Berlin. He knew some minor things about mechanical engineering, you have to know how to put whatever your programming together, but his real trade was the processes and scripts than ran behind-the-scenes. Unlocking frozen data drives, reconfiguring electronic modules, or even creating new system functions. From time to time Quinton was even called upon by the local garrison of soldiers, under the Paragon banner of course, to assist when their current staff was having trouble with something that fell into his skill set. Despite their numerous offers, Quinton never went on with them full-time. Over the course of six years, from the age of eight to fourteen, Rory learned everything that Quinton had to teach him. However, much to Quinton's disappointment, Rory accepted an internship at Interex Incorporated, a company that revolved around neural combatants. He'd be just like his Dad, working patriotically for his country.[/indent]

[color=99cc99]"It wasn't a bad gig. I was good at it, it paid well, and it gave me a steady life in an otherwise chaotic world, ya know? I was real lucky."[/color]

[indent]Interex Inc would prove to be the stepping stone that changed the path Rory's life was taking, for better or for worse. After getting his way through a stack of paperwork that was taller than he had been at the time and being assigned his very own quarters, Rory found himself enjoying the corporate life. It wasn't what he had expected, in fact it was a stark contrast to the leisurely pace he had gone at with Quincy. It was fast, it was hectic, and there was a substantial amount of pressure on him to succeed, to meet everything that was demanded of him. The process was almost grueling, but it was a challenge he was determined to meet. His two year internship left little in the way for personal time, and that meant he didn't get to see his family as often as he liked. However, he was accelerating his skills at a rapid pace, chewing up the administration's lessons and spitting out results, some of which were better than expected. 

He wasn't the top programmer by any means, but he wasn't far behind. It wasn't until his final test as an intern that he really proved himself. It had been a seemingly simple test. The applicants were to devise a neural net system of operations from scratch, from the core functions to the module components. Their only objective was to "Ensure the pilot's survival" in a simulation, one that the applicants were not told the details to. Rory passed with flying colors, even though the simulation was rigged to ensure the virtual pilot's destruction. Rory placed second, which wasn't bad for a nobody from the territories. From there he found himself not only landing a job as a Computer Systems Engineer, but also passing meeting the required aptitude to become a pilot himself. Which only furthered his understanding of neural combatants and gave him a new appreciation for those who piloted them. Two years later, at the ripe age of eighteen, he found himself as one of the youngest Sysadmins within the company, and a remarkable NC pilot. That same year he left the company, and became a wanted fugitive as far as Paragon was concerned.[/indent]

[color=99cc99]"Why'd I leave? Wanderlust, I didn't want to be a corporate jockey forever. I was still young, I wanted to see the world."[/color]

[indent]False. Rory was perfectly happy with his desk job. Even his role as a combatant pilot was mostly to allow him to test code, despite pretty good marks in the simulators. While he was busy pushing the boundaries of neural combatants and writing letters to his family, somebody else was busy terrorizing the countryside. He had been focused on his current project, studying the effects of the Polaris Shift. Interex wanted to see if there was a way to minimize, or reduce the effects, and was curious about Rory's particular symptoms from piloting his NC. However, Rory's letters to his family had gone unanswered for over a month, which was unusual even with the company screening to ensure he wasn't releasing trade secrets. He was denied leave to go visit them, his team's work was too important for a social call. Another month passed before news made its way to Rory's desk. His hometown was gone, burnt to the ground, and everybody in it. An age old story that had been told too many times.

Rory demanded leave, he wanted to find his father who should have been in the city. Again he was denied, so he took matters into his own hands. His NC wasn't under the same operational safeguards as the computer systems within the company were. With help from his NC's amplified communications module, another company prototype, Rory broke into Interex's systems. He had intended to simply piggyback of the Interex systems and into the citizen registry, but he never got that far. Before he knew it, he was reading what the administration considered classified files, and then he understood. He was denied leave because they'd already known, and he was too valuable of an asset to lose. Of course they had known, how could they not? They'd also kept the last correspondence from his father away from him. There was no information on what it had actually said, but Rory had a pretty clear idea. Arlen Sonels was deceased, cause of death: Suicide. Rory was outraged. 

Rory had gotten careless near the end of his careful intrusion, but by the time the breach was detected and security personnel were en route to his location Rory was already making his way out of the testing bay. Knowing his pursuers integral systems inside and out made isolating what he'd just done relatively easy. A few lines of code that looped and multiplied itself was all it took to freeze up Interex's systems and require a mainframe reboot, which unfortunately for them meant their doors were locked and their connection to the outside world was momentarily interrupted. That was all the time Rory needed to resync, and use his [i]very recently[/i] upgraded credentials to leave the city with his NC. Fortunately, he wasn't very far from the edge of the megacity to begin with. 

It would be another year before Rory exacted his vengeance. Since he knew the Interex systems so well, he was able to craft a carefully coded virus specifically designed to penetrate their security systems. A virus that would release sensitive information to their biggest competitors and enemies, an event that would ultimately see Interex shutdown and put out of business.[/indent]
[color=99cc99]"I spent some time as a freelancer, selling my services. Which mostly involved a lot of fighting, a lot of taking care of other people's problems. I learned a new set of skills, ones I was good at and enjoyed far more."[/color]

[indent]Within a year after leaving Interex Incorporated, Rory found himself picking up a position in a freelance group operating out of the northern African continent—Vanguard. His primary role was to perform system maintenance, and debugging. However, the group's leader, Wes Nyland, didn't want a member who couldn't fight, especially one with an NC. So for the second time in his life, Rory found himself apprenticed under Wes, learning the trade of warfare. He became "Newt", the group's name for newbies and once again he found himself with a heavy work load. He was expected to perform the duties he was hired for, while doing the cleaning and picking up after for the other eleven members, and learning how to fight. His combat training wasn't limited to just piloting his combatant either, but also his personal skills.

Wes' reasoning was "And what happens when they drag your sorry ass out of the cockpit, huh kiddo?". So for the next six years Rory was a member of Vanguard. He learned strategy and tactics, how to be an effective combatant pilot, and he even geared his programming knowledge into something he could utilize in the field. More importantly, he was taught how to defend himself. Wes took a liking to Rory, and taught him the art of being a covert soldier. How to take down a mark quickly and efficiently, with precision and stealth. Together with Wes Rory learned how to use guns, though he was best with pistols, how to fight with knives, and hand-to-hand combat. He learned how to blend in with the shadows, and how to move through silently. Vanguard outfitted Rory's NC with an automatic weapon and a shield—A pain he'd experienced before, readjusting to the changes of his NC.

By the time Rory hit twenty-five, he was second only to Wes himself and was established as Vice-Captain for the group. He'd even earned himself a proper name years prior, "Lock", one given by the group as a whole under the pretense that [i]"No lock could keep him out."[/i] He'd seen comrades come and go, simply leaving or having fallen during battle. He'd killed officials and brigands alike, and had been paid handsomely for it. He'd snuck in to "secure" estates and compounds and come out whole. He found life as a freelancer enjoyable, especially the freedom that came with it. But when a representative backed by Denver-Vegas found interest in his particular skill sets, Rory found the money to be made there hard to say no to. He bid his goodbyes to Vanguard, packed his things, and went off to seek new horizons. This time under the wing of the Denver-Vegas corporation. For the next two years, Rory found himself once more a corporate drone. [/indent]

[color=99cc99]"D.V? It was a sweet deal, paid a lot, let me do what I was good at. Got to see the world a bit, shoot at different people. It was a fine job, but I was just another cog in the machine, It didn't feel like I was making a difference."[/color]

[indent]Mostly true. Western Digital, the company Rory found himself a part of, specialized in providing a supportive role in warfare.Located within the desert mountains in the western U.S territories, Their NC's focused on sensory, informative, and disabling equipment. If they'd recognized the prototype module in Rory's NC from the Interex information leak all those years ago, they didn't say anything. In fact, they were quite eager to see what they could do with it while incorporating Rory's abilities in the field of battle. What they had come up with was much better than what Rory had expected.

Slowly, over the course of several months they changed and upgraded his NC, creating a new sort of hell for his body to go through. Rory was certain its identification numbers would alert Western Digital to the fact that his NC was technically stolen. If they knew, they probably didn't care, because it was never mentioned. His machine was given a fresh set of tags, marking it as a product of the Denver-Vegas corporation. Rory gave it the name of "Magpie", finding inspiration from his ironically stolen memories of the previous pilot's call sign, "Jackdaw".

Rory's run with Western Digital ended prematurely, and as far as the Denver-Vegas corporation is concerned, Rory's dead. Somebody else wanted what Western Digital had, and they had the force to take it. The facility was by no means small, or unsecured, but the invading force was large, and fast. Rory's relived that night many times, but much of it has blurred together. He remembers the chaos, people dying around him as he climbed into Magpie, the smell of smoke and burning bodies. In the end, resistance was futile, a fact that Rory was quick to realize as the unmarked invading NCs poured into the facility. He never did find out who had attacked, there were no emblems or insignias that he saw.

He made his way north, trying to lay low while piloting an almost four-story mechanical tank on legs. He passed through small towns and hamlets, many of which were practically ruins, where he did odd jobs for money before moving on. Eventually he stopped somewhere far north, in the town of Four Points. He lived there for a few months, renting a room and doing whatever jobs he could get his hands on, many of which were grunt labor. He used that time to make repairs to Magpie, using stock metals to fill the holes and pits from the fighting at the Western Digital facility. He even gave it a fresh coat of paint. He wasn't sure what he was going to do next, but Magpie might as well look good doing it.

He was at the local drinking hole, they called it a bar but that was stretching [i]it[/i] quite a bit, when a stranger let him know about New Anchorage, formly known as Smith's Rest. Still, it wasn't until three nights later, after some "decent" drinking, that Rory decided [i]"What the hell[/i]," and submitted his information. Within the month, he found himself loading Magpie on-board a train headed for New Anchorage and making friends in the bar-car.[/indent]
[color=99cc99]"And so, Here I am."[/color]     
[/color][/hider][/indent]
[b][color=99cc99]INFLUENCE & RELATIONS[/color][/b]

[indent][color=gray][hider=Relations]
[color=99cc99]Wes Nyland -[/color] Rory's mentor in Vanguard. The last time Rory saw him, Wes was still Captain of the freelance group operating around the North-African, and Middle-Eastern regions.

[color=99cc99]Quinton Wyrick -[/color] A man Rory apprenticed under as a child to learn the art of programming in the megacity of Berlin, Germany. Quincy's status is unknown to Rory.
[/hider][/color][/indent]
[hr][hr][center][img]http://i.imgur.com/aGA2pjp.png[/img][/center][hr][hr]
[b][color=99cc99]APPEARANCE[/color][/b]
[indent][color=gray]Over the course of his life, Rory's physique has become strong, but toned rather than bulky, despite having somewhat broad shoulders. His training in Vanguard, and subsequently with Western Digital gave him the speed, endurance, and stamina he needed to be more than just an effective soldier. When it comes to his physical prowess, he's no superstar, but he's definitely above average, which is something he tries to maintain. His slim form is suitable to his line of work, including the fact that he's not overly tall (5'6). Though, despite his time in the sun, his body barely holds a tan, so his skin reflects his Caucasian nature, with only the barest hints of a brownish tinge.

He keeps his charcoal black hair at a short-medium length, but he fails to do anything stylish with it. Typically this means pulling it away from his face, maybe locking it down with some hairspray. Despite his cordial nature, Rory's eyes lack the warmth most people would expect, being a cool, muted blue-gray, emphasis on the gray. Otherwise, he's nothing too special. He keeps himself clean shaven, and has an averagely decent looking face, all the right planes and angles without any too prominent features. He keeps himself well groomed.

His personal style as evolved into vests, collared shirts, and sleek pants, at times accompanied by a sharp jacket or a poppin' peacoat. Otherwise, he's been known to just wear simple shirts and pants, even jeans. He's no stranger to neckties, and has a fur-lined jacket he favors. Unfortunately, New Anchorage is no place for dress shoes, so instead he's deferred to well polished, black dress boots—Practical, and stylish.[/color][/indent]
[b][color=99cc99]TRAITS[/color][/b]
[indent][color=gray][color=99cc99]Programmer -[/color] Rory has a deep and complex understanding of Net++ and what his capabilities are within the code's structure. Though he can't disrupt the neural net or its link to the pilot, he can cause all sorts of mayhem when it comes to the NC's modules and system functions. Primarily, he's quick to shutdown an NC once he's tethered and able to desync from Magpie. His notable battlefield abilities in this department are creating misinformation, and gathering enemy intelligence such as unit positions, and key targets or assets.

[color=99cc99]Irregular -[/color] Rory's something of a special operator. During his time in Vanguard, he was taught how to infiltrate and take out key targets, obtain information, or sabotage key systems. He's actually very good at what he does, and has years of experience in this particular line of work. Along with this, he's also good with close quarters, and short range combat. He's best with a pistol, knows his way around a tactical knife, and is exceptional at hand-to-hand combat. A part of this training is waiting, and knowing when to move. Rory usually has the patience to wait for a rock to die of old age.

[color=99cc99]Agile -[/color] An attribute that goes hand-in-hand with his orientation towards being sneaky. Rory, being moderate in strength, is better at being quick and quiet. He may not bench-press NC modules, but he can move like a whisper at a steady pace.  Even his close quarters training is geared towards using his greater mobility to defeat his opponents. He can also go most places people can't, and with much more ease than most would find in traversing difficult obstacles.  Climbing, Scaling walls, falling from above average heights, and so forth.

[color=99cc99]Sociable -[/color] Rory's found that having friends, camaraderie, and general social interaction makes life a lot less lonely. He enjoys the company of others, especially those who enjoy his. Even more so if it involves any of his vices; Drinking, Smoking, Gambling, or Dancing, although not many people know his style for the latter. Talking to people, it's usually something he's good at. Despite his honest nature, he knows when a solid lie, or misdirection is required.
[/color][/indent]
[b][color=99cc99]INVENTORY[/color][/b]
[indent][color=gray]Rory's prone to keeping cigarettes and alcohol on hand, along with a boot-knife and a pistol tucked in the small of his back. He rarely takes off his [url=http://imgur.com/9C7o8wC]Datatool[/url]. In the field he usually carries two pistols, two knives, and two smoke grenades, and (two) climbing hooks with toggled thermal-tips. Lucky number two, baby.[/color][/indent]
[hr][hr][center][img]http://i.imgur.com/HWqwYuI.png[/img][/center][hr][hr]
[b][color=99cc99]MANUFACTURER[/color][/b]
[indent][color=gray]Denver-Vegas[/color][/indent]
[b][color=99cc99]TYPE[/color][/b]
[indent][color=gray]Medium [url=http://imgur.com/rXPVNYP](Image)[/url][/color][/indent]
[b][color=99cc99]SQUAD ROLE[/color][/b]
[indent][color=gray]Support[/color][/indent]
[b][color=99cc99]ARMAMENTS[/color][/b]
[indent][color=gray][color=99cc99]Personal Force-Shield Generator (Left Shoulder) -[/color] Probably one of the most important Modules in Magpie's arsenal. The force-shield generator practically ensures Rory's survival by intercepting projectiles, thermal beams, and absorbing explosions to an extent. It can take a good amount of abuse before failing entirely and requiring time to recharge. 

[color=99cc99]Leg Thrusters (Upper Legs, Rear)-[/color] Magpie's has thrusters built into the legs to provide extra speed and mobility for a limited time. These thrusters can be angled, to help achieve a stable balance, especially when Rory is attempting to tether to an enemy combatant.

[color=99cc99]Projectile Tether (Right Arm) -[/color] Rory can fire a thick, tether cable from the underside of Magpie's right wrist. It travels at a high velocity and utilizes a thermal-tip to punch trough an enemy combatants armor and shields. Unfortunately, it has a shorter range of about 100 yards (300 feet), meaning he has to be danger close to use it. The tether can be reeled back in, and can be fired from the under-barrel attachment of Magpie's gun. Additionally, the tether delivers a single, powerful electrostatic shock upon establishing a connection. Usually this disables Rory's opponent long enough for him to desync and access his datatool.

[color=99cc99]Amplified Connection Module (Right Shoulder) -[/color] A module with the sole purpose of syncing with Rory's datatool and increasing it's power and performance. Through use of the tether, the module establishes a link with enemy combatants, and allows Rory to manipulate and insert code through his datatool. All three of these devices must be working in harmony for him to achieve access to another neural combatant in such a forcible way.

[color=99cc99]Stealth Field Generator (Left Shoulder) -[/color] Dubbed the Chameleon's Cloak, this particular module can be activated through Magpie's left forearm. Rather than mystically make his NC invisible, the SFG module captures surrounding imagery and [i]reflects[/i] it through the opposite side of his armor, creating near perfect camouflage.

[color=99cc99]Paramagnetic Coating -[/color] A specialized, clear coating that's bonded with the Magpie's alloy plating, the Paramagnetic coating is an electroluminescent paint with different combined layers. The Chameleon Cloak assigns colors electrical signals of varying strength and wavelengths, these energize the paramagnetic coating, rotating the atoms based on the electrical signal and combining different layers. This effectively creates a pattern pixel by pixel, allowing Magpie to achieve its camouflage.

[color=99cc99]Twin-barrel Thermal Rifle (Right Hand) -[/color] Magpie's primary offensive weapon, the rifle creates a rapid succession of thermodynamic beams, or lasers. The Magpie's right fist compresses together to form a hollow, square plug, which can be inserted into the rifle's port, giving the weapon the ability to utilize Magpie's anti-matter core for energy. Rory can "eject" the weapon and use Magpie's right hand if needed. There are specialized clips along Magpie's back to hold the weapon when not in use.

[color=99cc99]Scutum Shield (Left Hand) -[/color] Quite literal, Magpie's shield is a thick slab of metal, meant as a second line of defense should Magpie's shields go down. Optionally, it can be swung with enough force to make it an impromptu melee weapon. It may not be as good as a sword, but it can still be used to bash somebody to death.

[/color][/indent]
[b][color=99cc99]OBSERVATIONAL NOTES[/color][/b]
[indent][color=gray]Magpie began as an effective war machine, but when Rory first climbed into the cockpit it had been recycled into a prototype mech. Rory, with the help of Vanguard, and then Denver-Vegas, has since turned back into a machine fully capable of achieving its potential. Rory's kept it a neutral, unassuming brown-gray color, not unlike that of dried mud, in an attempt not to draw particular attention to himself. Though it's an under-average combatant, having only a single rifle of average strength, it's real potential relies on getting up close and personal, where Rory can fully achieve his role as battlefield support. 

Magpie is light-weight, and on the smaller side of medium combatants. It relies heavily on it's modules and lacks any real powerful, destructive armaments. Magpie's only raw power comes from the strength and achievable velocity of its limbs, giving it the ability to grapple and hold enemy NCs in place, or bludgeon and smash them into an inoperable state. [/color][/indent]