[color=556B2F][b]Name:[/b][/color] “Arnault Mongouse” (real name Saville, Sebastien Ulysse) [color=556B2F][b]Age:[/b][/color] 52 [color=556B2F][b]Gender:[/b][/color] Male [color=556B2F][b]Job:[/b][/color] Agent of the Second Bureau, Commander of [i]La Charlatane[/i] [color=556B2F][b]Country of Origin:[/b][/color] France [color=556B2F][b]Appearance:[/b][/color] Close-cropped ashen hair and substantial moustache frame a worn and pockmarked face the colour of a pale ale, with two jewels of ivory-bound sapphire set within. Beneath Saville’s bright blue dress uniform, he is bulky and broad; coupled with his 190-cm height, he strikes an imposing figure. [color=556B2F][b]Personality:[/b][/color] Stark, serious, to-the-point. It is hard to make no-nonsense Saville laugh, and even harder to find him a doorway through which he does not have to duck (this is Europe). Quick to focus intently on the parameters and requirements of a mission and quicker to a cigarette. Knack for improvisation, and sometimes does things that are immediately incomprehensible (without offering explanation) that pan out to have become necessary following the appearance of problems he has seemingly predicted beforehand. [color=556B2F][b]History:[/b][/color] Sebastien was born in Boston in 1851 to a pair of textile merchants - French nationals who had begun exporting their wares to America. He received part of his education there, before he and his parents steamed back to Bordeaux in 1860. A decade later, Sebastien was conscripted into the French army at the age of 19 upon the outbreak of the Franco-Prussian War. He was assigned to Blue Division of the [i]Troupes de Marine[/i], serving as a signals/reconnaissance specialist. One of his most notable battles was the Battle of Bazeilles, where he and several of his compatriots relayed crucial information on the movements of Bavarian troops, allowing Marsouins snipers to lay an ambush. He received several commendations after the conclusion of the war, including promotion to [i]Adjutant-Chef[/i] (Chief Warrant Officer) before enrolling in officer school prior to returning to duty for the Sino-French war. French military intelligence maneuvered the Marines into lending them Lieutenant Saville for a special assignment - planting him within Chinese foreign advisers, where he would pose as an American due to his fluency in English and American upbringing. At their naval headquarters, he would act to sabotage Chinese naval operations (including the elimination of key crew and personnel) as well as feed information back to his superiors on the movements of Chinese forces. He returned home when the war concluded in 1885, without having once come under suspicion by the Chinese. He was promoted to [i]Capitaine[/i] within five minutes of stepping back onto French soil. Shortly afterwards, Cne. Saville was approached by the [i]Deuxième Bureau[/i], France’s burgeoning intelligence agency, and accepted an offer to join their ranks. There, Saville (under several aliases) travelled the globe in a multitude of clandestine missions of espionage, sabotage, and even assassination. He was assigned to infiltrate the Belgian Antarctic expedition aboard the RV [i]Belgica[/i], but his mission ended prematurely before he could depart by the landing of several strange vessels within the British mainland… Fast forward five years, and now-Major Saville would be tasked with venturing to Boulogne-sur-Mer Forward Air Assault Centre (AABM). There, after dispatching one Capitaine Arnault Mongouse, and assuming both his identity and command, “Cne. Mongouse” was to report on the goings-on at the front, passing along any information about the Martians’ advanced technology to his superiors. [color=556B2F][b]Equipment:[/b][/color] A portable radio kit, provisions, standard field notebook, a separate field notebook secured closed by a locking clasp, binoculars, lighter, cigarettes, cocaine gum. Weapons include a Lebel 1886 carbine (with 4.3x magnification scope), and the Modèle 1892 revolver. [color=556B2F][b]Fighting Machine:[/b][/color] “[i]La Charlatane[/i]” [hr] [b]Designation:[/b] [color=556B2F][h3]TMM-04 “[i]La Charlatane[/i]”[/h3][/color] [color=556B2F][b]Country of Origin:[/b][/color] France [color=556B2F][b]Crew:[/b][/color] 19 (1 main battery gunner and 1 loader, 2 secondary battery gunners and 2 loaders, 1 forward machine gunner and 1 loader, 3 tertiary battery gunners and 3 loaders, 2 engineers, 1 driver, 2 command officers) [color=556B2F][b]Weapons:[/b][/color] [b]TOP BARBETTE (Main battery)[/b] [list] [*]Canon de 274 modèle 1887/1893 (274mm naval gun) [b][Primary armament][/b] [*]QF 1-pounder "pom-pom" (37mm autocannon) [Mounted, remote-operated] [/list] [b]CABIN, FIXED CENTERLINE[/b] [list] [*]Canon Hotchkiss à tir rapide de 47mm (47mm gun) [b]x2[/b] [b][Secondary armament][/b] [*]1895 Maxim gun (.303 British machine gun) [/list] [b]SIDE & REAR TURRETS[/b] [list] [*]Puteaux SA 18 (37mm breech-loading cannon) [b]x3[/b] [b][Tertiary armament][/b] [*]Mle 1900-C Hotchkiss (8mm Lebel machine gun) [b]x3[/b] [Coaxial] [/list] [color=556B2F][b]Description & Traits:[/b][/color] Gargantuan, imposing, and one of the most enormous machines that humanity has ever built, the TMM series of colossi are sometimes referred to as (at least, in some circles) land-dreadnoughts. Nearly 17 meters tall and twice as broad, four bulky magneto-mechanical legs clad entirely in armored slabs support a sturdy steel girdle, upon which sits the boxy main compartment. Though this mounting permits the main body rotation independent of the legs, it is further topped by a squat, roughly-cylindrical turret capable of its own independent rotation. A veritable fortress on legs, the TMM colossi is the result of collaboration between French and English engineers, the latter of whom having fled across the Channel following the extraterrestrial occupation of their homeland. Relying heavily on resources supplied the salvage of destroyed and disabled naval vessels, only six of these machines have ever been built. Overwhelming firepower and attrition are central to the doctrines TMM-series colossi represent. What they lack in speed, manoeuvrability and utility that smaller fighting machines are privy to, they make up for by delivering unprecedented destruction through unrelenting, precision artillery. The thick iron plating on the main body protects a large crew, necessary to the smooth operation of the machine. Two hatches on the back of the main compartment (flanking the rear gunner) provide access to the interior. These hatches can be reached by a series of ladders mounted on the legs and chassis of the TMM-04 when it is upright, but the walker can also “sit” through the use of a series of pistons extending from the underside of the main girdle after having "crouched" down, providing easier access for mounting and dismounting. The massive naval gun contained within the top barbette (the main turret) is the TMM's primary armament. The wide, four-legged base of the colossi is necessary for stability, but doubly so when firing this weapon, lest the machine fall over. Atop the barbette is a smaller auto-firing cannon, which can be loaded with explosive or chemical shells, and can move independently (albeit in a limited range of motion) of the turret, which itself can move independently of the main body, which [i]itself[/i] can move independently of the legs. Thus, this autocannon is operated by the commander and his lieutenant, who are always guaranteed to have a steady supply of cigarettes and cocaine gum. In the main body of the fighting machine, two fixed secondary guns protrude forward out of the cabin, with a belt-fed Maxim antipersonnel machine gun nestled between them. Sponsons extend outward from the other three sides (port, starboard, and aft) of the somewhat-rectangular cabin, providing a full 180-degree angle of rotation for the small, turreted cannons and coaxial Hotchkiss machine guns contained within each. The crew compartment is cramped and hot. There is barely any area to move around, with most open space within occupied by ammunition and fuel. Gunners rely on narrow slits in the armor and periscopes to aim their weapons, as well as their commander's ability to spot and call out targets. The commander, nestled within the top turret amongst a plethora of periscopes and signalling equipment, must be constantly aware of his surroundings, provide targets and accurate firing solutions to his gunners, and communicate effectively with the engineers and driver. As a result, only the best of France’s mechanized combat division are allowed to operate the TMM colossi. Each crew member has, at the very least, rudimentary training as an engineer or mechanic should the walker be damaged, but in case of critical system failure, each carries a Lebel rifle and is expected to continue their mission on foot. Regarding [i]La Charlatane[/i] itself, most of TMM-04 is painted a matte olive green, with some of the original iron frame remaining bare. Alphanumeric markings are stencilled in white, particularly on the cabin. The two most prominent markings are “TMM-04” on one side of the cabin, with “[i]La Charlatane[/i]” on the other. [hr]