[hider=Lt. Benjamin Armbruster]
[b]Name:[/b] Benjamin Armbruster
[b]Age:[/b] 24
[b]Sex:[/b] Male
[b]Profession/Rank:[/b] Engineer, AW Test Pilot (Second Lieutenant)
[b]Appearance:[/b] 
[hider=Appearance]
[img]https://i.imgur.com/l2qWTwa.png[/img]
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[b]Personality:[/b] Simultaneously scattered and possessing a will of singular focus. Friendly enough, but somewhat less than formal. Though in the military, Ben isn’t much of a military man per se; the military is a means to his work, rather than the end itself. Occasionally juuust skirting around the edges of reprimand for lack of appropriate formality, but aware enough to toe the line. Despite his eccentricities, Ben is an extremely skilled, albeit unorthodox, engineer. He is possessed of the irreverence of a man that has not yet been reminded he is not immortal, and as such tends to take certain risks with the engineering of his own machine that he would not take with anyone else’s. With anyone else’s Walker he takes the utmost of care, treating it as a point of pride that his work should be second to none. If misfortune befalls their Walker, it will not be because of his work.

With his own he is somewhat more… Liberal. Safety regulations are more like guidelines. Though he still receives the occasional rap on the knuckles, he has flourished since being assigned to Test Team 4. He still isn’t a model soldier, but his respect for his new CO keeps him in line more than it doesn’t. With the resources of the R&D division to play with, he’s much more content than before. Granted his sleeping habits remain eccentric in the extreme, mostly due to their apparent [i]lack[/i]. Ben can generally be found in the hangar or R&D areas, though every now and again his practical testing will take him onto the range. Speaks English fluently and unaccented, though he will occasionally lapse into his native tongue when exaggerated.
[b]Skills:[/b] Exceptional engineer, but an extremely unorthodox one. Armbruster’s degree is in robotics, though his time in the Walker Corp has left him with a more well-rounded understanding of Arsenal Walker construction in most fields. What he has not learned academically he seeks to learn practically. In theory, he’s a decent pilot as well; his machine has logged a modest number of hours both on the range and in the sims, with above average, though not excellent, scores. Whether this holds up in reality has yet to be tested, and it’s debatable whether the concept has really occurred to him. Benjamin is physically fit, as well, as a result of the rigorous demands of physically maintaining and modifying his own machine. Excellent engineer, average soldier. Capable of operating on very, very little sleep though most would not call that a skill per se. 
[b]Weakness:[/b] Benjamin has a minimum of practical experience in real combat, and the disregard of the young for his own mortality. He doesn’t mind rolling the dice on odds that he should probably leave alone, so to speak, and while it works fine when everything is going his way it can occasionally backfire on him. Similarly, his lack of appropriate sleeping habits could probably be considered an issue if he were still classed as an active combat pilot. 
[b]History:[/b] Ben was born and raised in Germany, not too far outside of the capital city. His father was an engineer on the Federation’s spacefaring vessels, particularly weapon systems, and he was brought up with an eye for tinkering. As soon as he was old enough to [i]really[/i] be curious he was taking things apart just to see how they worked. School wasn’t especially fascinating, but he was held (and held himself) to a high standard. His grades were excellent, especially when he reached secondary school and started to have greater latitude in the classes he took on. University wasn’t a question, but a reality. The only question was what degree he wished to pursue. The Federation military wasn’t a [i]goal[/i] so much as a step, a way to study in other countries without any significant cost on his part. 

That changed on his first assignment, where a skirmish with “unsanctioned” non-Federation forces brought him his first real look at a Federation Arsenal Walker. There was no question at that point what he aspired to, from the moment he saw one charge across a battlefield. He changed his degree path to more closely align with his goal, and started seeking specialized training. He was reassigned to Horizon, where he worked as a technician while he pursued his degree. It took some work, and a good word from his current CO, but Ben managed to finagle a transfer to Test Team shortly after his graduation. He’s been there since, two years now, and produced a variety of ideas ranging from excellent to catastrophic. By R&D standards, he’s exuberant. To the normal pilots, he’s something of a soft-spoken maniac. If anything, it just means he fits in fine with Horizon’s Test Team 4. 
[b]Equipment:[/b] Benjamin has, though rarely carries, his Federation-issued sidearm. More commonly found on his person are the tools of his trade, ranging from a handheld tablet computer to a well-loved set of common tools. 

[b]Base Model:[/b] FAW-007[G] Warrior
[b]Designation:[/b] FAW-007[GD] Vernichten
[b]Appearance:[/b] The Vernichten is meant as a test bed unit, and its appearance reflects that. While cohesive, it has an appearance of simply being… Unfinished. Much of its visible surface is the matte silver of unpainted metal, though it is accented in midnight blue as a personal touch. If its coloration alone was insufficient proof that it was not meant for field use, the caution markings along many of its components suffice. Particularly hazardous points are actually marked in yellow and black hazard strips, something generally kept to a minimum on production models. Much of the base frame is recognizable as a Warrior, but the additions are where it started to vary. Two black enclosed boxes are attached to the top of each shoulder, the color variation marking them as separate from the base machine. The back-mounted gear, in addition to the usual thrusters, sports a thick black cable carefully wrapped when not in use. The cranial unit has eye-like optics set underneath a silver visor. 
[b]Armaments:[/b]
-PTX-03C Marksman’s Rifle: Long-barreled, semi-automatic marksman’s rifle. The default PTX-03 maintains a higher rate of fire than a dedicated sniper rifle, as well as longer range and penetration than most Walker-scale rifles. The 03C has clearly been modified; as well as additional equipment integrated into the stock, the barrel is thicker and longer than on the default model. It houses a secondary coilgun mechanism, powered when the cable on the Vernichten’s back is plugged into the stock. The secondary mechanism accelerates the round significantly when fired, increasing both effective range and penetration. However the rifle’s rate of fire is significantly reduced, purportedly due to a high risk of catastrophic overload if one attempts to fire it as quickly as the base rifle. The Vernichten also inherits the Gunners’ fatal flaw of immobility while firing, without the significant armor to defend itself. 
-Tajcorp S-4b Ballistics Shield: Standard-issue Federation ballistic shield, modified slightly to store the Vernichten’s secondary weapons in a rack on his back.
-Federation Ballistics H5 Heat Machete: Standard-issue Warrior close combat weapon, stored on the back of the Vernichten’s shield.
-United Armaments CS-12 100mm Smoothbore Shotgun: A compact version of the primary frequently chosen by Scouts, albeit with limited ammunition. Carries only the ten rounds that can be held internally, or on its exterior. Slugs only, stored with machete as a backup weapon if the enemy gets too close for the PTX-03C.
-Federal Munitions V21 Missile Launchers: Mounted on either shoulder, the Vernichten carries a total of sixteen fire-and-forget missiles. The launchers slow down the Vernichten while attached, so they are intended to be purged as soon as their munitions have been expended. 
-- 2x General Engineering M79 20mm Pisces Cannons- Two head-mounted autocannons provide the unit with close-range defence against missiles, infantry and fighter craft.
[b]Weakness:[/b] As a testbed unit, the Vernichten was never intended to see real-world combat conditions. The result is a potent unit, but one held back by overspecialization and significant flaws that would not be permitted in a production model. First of all, the same cable that provides for its rifle’s power is a significant weak point; concentrated fire at the connection point on the Vernichten’s backpack would force the reactor to shutdown to avoid a breach, leaving Benjamin in for all intents and purposes a dead machine until it can be repaired. Additionally, this same system possesses a not insignificant chance that it will overload explosively if the augmented rifle is fired too quickly in succession. The same missiles that help soften up its targets also slow the Vernichten down until they are purged, and the machine lacks for offensive options at medium range. 

Unless supported by another unit, the Vernichten could be overwhelmed quite quickly if engaged at close or medium range where it has not been specced to be most effective. Especially if making use of its augmented rifle, circumstances within which the Vernichten inherits the Gunners’ immobility, but not the armor to compensate for it.
[b]Pilot(s):[/b] Lt. Benjamin Armbruster
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[hider=Lt. Inoue Ayane]
[b]Name:[/b] Inoue Ayane
[b]Age:[/b] 25
[b]Sex:[/b] Female
[b]Profession/Rank:[/b] First Lieutenant, AW Pilot
[b]Appearance:[/b] 
[hider=Appearance]
[img]https://vignette.wikia.nocookie.net/baccano/images/0/02/EK_Chan%C3%A9_Laforet.jpg/revision/latest?cb=20170814155941[/img]
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[b]Personality:[/b] Ayane is, if nothing else, a consummate professional. She adheres carefully to protocol, respects the authority of rank, and carries out her duties to the best of her abilities. She is respectful, formal, and inscrutable. On the job, at least. That isn’t to say this impression is far off of the mark; even in a casual setting, she is polite and formal. It takes time to work past that outer layer. Below it Ayane is fierce in all she does, stubborn and unyielding. No quarter is to be expected, nor given. Nowhere is this more evident than at the helm of an Arsenal Walker. Piloting is her passion, and to her passion she devotes all. She pushes herself, and her machine, as far as she possibly can and expected the same from everyone around her. No exceptions are made, from her fellow pilots to the crew maintaining their machines. Her support crew in Tokyo came, half-jokingly, to refer to her as a demon for the sheer fire that seeps into her blood every time she straps into the cockpit.

The middle ground between formal frigidity and harrowing hot blood can be difficult to find, but it is there; the people that Ayane comes to regard as friends have an ally for life, in anything they do. She does nothing by halves, and that includes supporting her friends and allies. Her pride can make her a little prickly, if she feels it has been cast into doubt, but cooler impulses usually prevail. Not much of a talker when on duty, unless someone speaks to her first. 
[b]Skills:[/b] Piloting is the pursuit to which Ayane has devoted her waking hours, to the exclusion of almost all else. She has more sim hours logged than anyone else in the Far East Brigade, and scores near the top despite a mediocre machine. Evaluations from her commanding officer note, in particular, a disregard for established norms and a penchant for improvised strategy. Strong hand-to-hand combatant due to her own background, though her skill with personal firearms is fairly average. A kendo practitioner since childhood, though the skillset has atrophied somewhat since she became a pilot. If nothing else the Japanese Lieutenant is noted to be tenacious in the extreme, refusing to stop unless all options are exhausted. Decent leadership skills, albeit ones in need of nurture; Ayane excelled in her role at the Tokyo base, but has had extremely limited opportunities for advancement at her previous postings. 
[b]Weakness:[/b] Ayane’s greatest flaw is her own pride. Her need to excel limits her performance as a team player, and directly results in her extreme recklessness. Limitations, in Ayane’s world, are more of a guideline. Issues to be overcome, not boundaries to be accepted. While this drive has made her who she is, it has the potential to be dangerous on the battlefield. Especially if her equipment is not up to the standards she sets.
[b]History:[/b] In the Inoue household, military service was to be expected. Service as a fighter pilot was a tradition stretching back generations, unbroken in that time. Even in peacetime, an Inoue carried out the family tradition. The third world war nearly broke the line, but the tradition has carried on since. Some have served in Japan’s own JASDF, others in the Federation’s ranks, but the tradition has been absolute. Ayane was born into this expectation, and grew up believing that she would continue the line. Until the Arsenal Walkers were unveiled. In an instant, her intended service branch changed. To say that the decision was unpopular with her family would be the understatement of the Colony Era. She has reconciled with her mother, but remains alienated from most of her family.

Nevertheless, she stayed the course and pursued the education necessary to enter the Federation Arsenal Walker Corp. Her first posting was with the Far East Brigade in Tokyo, assigned to a Warrior. She was dismayed to discover that her own unit was a first-run Warrior, notable for requiring more intensive maintenance routines despite retrofits to bring them up to spec. Far from any mass drivers, the Far East Brigade was far down the priority list for updates. Between her Warrior and her family’s alienation, Ayane felt very much like she had something to prove; this drive pushed her to excel, working her best to rise to the top of the Brigade’s pilots. It was during her time with the Far East Brigade that she met Nadia White, then her crew chief. The two would serve together for many years, that same service sparking her friend’s interest in serving as a pilot. Nadia’s acceptance and transfer to the Raptor Program at Horizon reignited her ambition, lifting a veil of complacence. Her posting at Tokyo was a dead end, and would remain so if she let it. She redoubled her efforts, trying to leverage her record to earn a posting at Horizon. In those two years, Ayane did little but train, work, and sleep. But it did finally pay off. Lt. Inoue is due in Horizon shortly after Colony Day for temporary posting on the [i]Olympic[/i], and subsequent assignment to the Horizon garrison after space trials. 
[b]Equipment:[/b] 

[b]Base Model:[/b]  FAW-007[G] Warrior
[b]Designation:[/b] [i]Ronin[/i]
[b]Appearance:[/b] Despite its lacking performance, Ayane has made the Ronin her own over the years. The Warrior is painted white and red, with the latter acting as accents for the former. Its armor has been steadily modified over the years to give a samurai-like appearance without altering the underlying framework, including more exaggerated pauldrons and an ornate brassy headcrest. The changes, while mostly aesthetic, do serve some functional purposes; the left pauldron is the storage point for Ronin’s melee weapon, and the right helps protect the Naginata’s more delicate components from the front. The Walker’s overall silhouette is slimmer than most of its compatriots, nevertheless, with a long gunbarrel rising over one shoulder from its integrated backpack. The Ronin’s usual visor is separated into two green ‘eyes’ beneath its crest, above the usual impassive faceplate. 
[b]Armaments:[/b]
-Far East Arms LR-89 [i]Naginata[/i]: An 80mm long-range, bolt action platform. The Naginata shares much of its internals with an anti-Walker rifle, but is instead integrated into a hands-free platform. Ammunition is fed into it from a magazine near where it connects to the machine, cycling another round once the previous has been ejected. Its rate of fire is low, but its penetration value is high and its hands-free nature frees up the Ronin to use other handheld weapons. 
-United Armaments XB-19 60mm Assault Rifle: Standard issue rifle for Warrior-type Arsenal Walkers. Fires HVAP rounds to penetrate most enemy armor.
-Yamato Industries KT-1 Heat Katana: Originally designed for mostly ceremonial purposes on the JSDF’s own Walkers, Ayane nevertheless requested one for her Walker. Despite its origin, the KT-1 is as capable of cutting through Walker armor as any other heat weapon. Stored in a sheath affixed to the right pauldron.  
-Yamato Industries WT-2 Vibro Wakizashi: Of the same origin as the KT-1, and a matched set. Sheathed on the Ronin’s right hip.
--Tajcorp S-4b Ballistics Shield: Standard-issue Federation ballistic shield, red and emblazoned with the face of an oni. 
[b]Weakness:[/b] When performing to specs, the Ronin is a fairly average Warrior. With augmented thrusters to try and increase mobility it is slightly more agile than most, but lacks both the speed of a Scout and the armor of a beefier Walker. In theory, that would be all. However, the Ronin is an early model; it is susceptible to more frequent failures and faults than Warriors produced later, despite retrofits to bring it to spec. It requires a more robust maintenance schedule, and its faults are only aggravated by its pilot’s hyper-aggressive piloting style. 
[b]Pilot(s):[/b] Inoue Ayane
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