Characters done, one old and one new

[hider=The Devil]

[u][b]Name:[/b][/u] HB-202RC ('Horned Bastard, 202nd of the Ravenous Cohort')

[u][b]Nickname:[/b][/u] Jacobin sometimes calls them H-Bomb, a neutral nickname. Those who hold a grudge over their Totality past often refer to them as The Devil, a play off HB's appearance and the perceived injustice of taking a killer into the ranks.

[u][b]Age:[/b][/u] 364. 

[u][b]Species:[/b][/u] Gennari 

[u][b]Appearance:[/b][/u] 

[hider=The Horned Bastard]
[img]https://images2.imgbox.com/6a/29/Abb1N8sd_o.png[/img]
[/hider]

HB stands taller than the vast majority of humanity at 2.2 meters, not counting their horns, and carries themselves with a warrior's grace. They tend to dress simply and practically, opting for inexpensive and replaceable clothes when at rest and sturdy combat gear when in the field. However, HB does indulge in jewelry. They've decorated their face and horns with several bangles and studs, the flashy adornments a small attempt at individuality before they were completely subsumed by the Totality. 

If one happened upon HB in a state of undress, they'd notice a that the skin under their clothes is a map of old surgical scars and sealed ports as well as healed battle damage, relics from their days as a soldier for the Totality. Their original cybernetics were bulky and obtrusive but as the years went on they've been replaced with more advanced and discrete ones. That said, they are very clearly augmented. While not a full-conversion borg HB is cybered to a very high degree, with seams on their limbs and torso denoting implanted weapons and subdermal armor. Instead of the usual red HB bleeds a pale, milky blue. Their blood was replaced with an artificial variant that better regulates temperature and insulates their various augmentations from electromagnetism.  

[u][b]Personality:[/b][/u] HB is, at first glance, spacey and out of touch. They never quite learned how to interface normally with society, often coming across as distant or perhaps not entirely there. They have a tendency to look through people rather than at them during a conversation, sizing up someone with all the cold clinicality of a machine crunching numbers. This ruthless calculation is at odds with their sleepy-eyed and dazed expression, a side effect of the extreme mental conditioning they went through in addition to the intensive therapy and medication they're going through to resolve it. 

As part of their induction into the Suppression Forces HB was subjected to obedience training and further removal of their ego, developing into an enthusiastically loyal soldier of the regime. No task was too ugly for them, no danger too great. Her training as a Gennari Zealot lent itself to the assassination and repression of rebellions, and her ideological bent towards the destruction of the enemy was further honed for the invasion of Earth. HB received intensive education on all aspects of human history, focusing on war and the many injustices man had inflicted on fellow man. If humanity was unwilling to show mercy when killing each other en masse on the basis of minor differences in belief or shades of skin tone, then no mercy needed to be extended to them. 

After being captured/rescued from the Totality, HB has started to unwind some of that brainwashing, but it is a slow, arduous process. Their perceived distance from others is actually avoidance; it's how they manage their dislike of humanity and the wider Coalition while trying to overcome it. Some days are harder than others; they generally oscillate between vague disdain and real, burning hatred. HB is plagued by intrusive thoughts of self-hate for betraying the Totality and ideas of earning back their place by turning on the Coalition from the inside. This is tempered by knowing that these feelings are implanted as opposed to naturally occurring, and a sense of guilt so all-encompassing that it makes them physically ill.

Despite this, HB possesses both high mental stability and a great deal of willpower, as well as a desire to make things right while seeking revenge against their former masters. This manifests itself as a singleminded determination to achieve a given object at nearly any cost, as well as extreme loyalty to their squad. Regardless of the distrust oft levied against them, they are the first into and last out of a fight, as befitting someone who began their career as a medic.

They're doing the best they can.

Their relationship with their pyschologist Jacobin is fraught with confusion and mistrust, as HB is entirely unused to the concept of a therapist and finds talking about themselves very uncomfortable. Still, sitting through sessions is the price they agreed to pay and they have been getting better. 

[u][b]History:[/b][/u]
[list]
[*]Born years after the Totality defeated the Gennari into a convent of Zealots, quasi-religious warriors and assassins who treated their work as acts of devotion. Raised to see themself as a part of a whole as opposed to an individual. 
[*]The Zealots were allowed some autonomy in exchange for working for the Totality's interests. HB was trained in combat and espionage as common with their sect, and then assigned the specialization of combat medicine. By chance, ended up earmarked for special service by the Totality as there happened to be a shortage of medical technicians at the time. Was granted the "name" Horned Bastard-202nd of the Ravenous Cohort upon reaching adulthood and sent into the field. Worked in small teams or on solo operations as an elite "hit squad" member in the Pacification Forces, snuffing out resistance on previously colonized planets when a scalpel was needed over a blackjack.  
[*]Noted as supremely effective in the role but (ironically for a Zealot) troublingly independent, suspected of working slowly on purpose at times to allow the enemy to escape. Taken out of the relatively free-willed Pacification Forces and integrated with the Suppression Forces. This kept them controlled while also making use of their talents in active conflict zones.  
[*]Assigned to first wave of forces attacking Earth, prepared for the invasion by biochemical augmentation/traditional weaning to lower reliance on sulfur dioxide, ammonia and methane as well building greater tolerance to UV light, flash-trained in human history, culture and technology.  Tortured and interrogated humans kidnapped in early stages of contact under the influence of powerful drugs in order to gain an increased understanding of their communication and day-to-day life.  
[*]After Zero Day saw deployment across the globe, targeted world leaders and sites of strategic importance.  Took part in multiple major sabotage operations and damaged critical components of military and political structures. 
[*]Saw action at the battle for the Monolith, was personally responsible for the death of many Coalition members. Ordered to stay behind with a platoon-equivalent force and make use of traps and harrying attacks to buy time for Totality forces to retreat. Succeeded in delaying Coalition forces but was ground down in brutal house-to-house fighting, was injured multiple times before passing out from shock.
[*]Captured as the sole known survivor of their teams, held under heavy guard. With much of their augmentation removed HB had some degree of free will once more. Psychological evaluation determined that they could be rehabilitated, and they volunteered for the SPEAR teams. 
[*]Joined a pilot program designed to rehabilitate Totality forced recruits, was recently declared fit for duty. Accepted into SPEAR team on basis of their knowledge and experience. 
[/list]

[u][b]Key Skills & Abilities:[/b][/u] 
[list]
[*]Elite commando/special forces operative with centuries of experience in reconnaissance, assassination, and sabotage. Spent decades in the field raiding and taking part in close-quarters/hand-to-hand combat. 
[*]Medical training, combat medic certified to operate on various species and perform repairs to cybernetics in the field
[*]Firsthand knowledge of the Totality and its forces, has an understanding matched by few on the Coalition's side. Similarly, direct uploading of information and "flash training" prior to the invasion of Earth grants broad and deep knowledge of human weapons, cultures, languages, sciences, and geography. Can interface with almost anything, if not particularly well.  
[/list]

[u][b]Special Abilities:[/b][/u] Lots of practice has made HB rather adept with their mental powers. Capable of reading the thought patterns of most sapient species, this gives them an edge in combat (while also being something of a curse, due to being surrounded by people who generally don't trust and dislike them-they're always aware). While far from the legendary mystics of ages past, they're still quite adept at telekinesis, lifting heavy objects or small groups of people at once.  

Even before becoming part of the  Suppression Forces HB was heavily augmented, and after being transferred to the Totality's regular forces they underwent such intensive modification that they were edging close to Synth territory. Much of their augments were stripped after being captured, but what remains is still extensive.

[hider=Augments]
[list][*]CombiComms: Inbuilt communicator and personal computer that directly displays information in HB's field of vision. Automatically shuts down when exposed to electronic warfare.
[*]Sense Enhancement Suite: Careful surgery and the pinpoint implantation of minute augments gave HB increased sensitivity to sound, touch, smell, and vision. The strength is variable; HB can dial it up when they're trying to sense something or down when exposed to extremes. Hormone treatments and neural rewiring of the central nervous system and motor cortex boost HB's reaction time greatly, making them preternaturally dangerous in close-quarters combat. Of course, making them so quick to respond to danger has the side effect of feeding them a constant drip of adrenaline. HB's fight or flight response is essentially always active. While they're not about to run off or start swinging unprovoked it's very hard for them to feel comfortable or even safe.
[*]Physical Enhancement Suite: An extensive collection of procedures to harden HB's body. Increases their strength and agility through vat-grown tissues, as well as insulates their body against extremes in temperature and pressure. Their respiratory and circulatory systems are similarly improved, giving them an inbuilt rebreathing system that lessens their need for atmospheric gases, while their skin and eyes are less sensitive to light than other Gennari. They are both far more durable than is naturally possible, their flesh hardened via nanomachine injections. Their bones are reinforced with thin sheaths of extremely high tensile metals, making them much harder to damage. The enhanced durability comes with the downside of deadening their sensation of touch, however, akin to wearing thin gloves. This makes fine motor skill tasks somewhat harder than they'd otherwise be.

As a side note, HB is unnaturally flexible due to bendable fibers inserted in their joints and ligaments.

[*]Arm-Implanted Weapon: For use in conjunction with conventional firearms. HB’s left arm has an in-built sonic emitter for injuring and debilitating targets for capture. 

[/list][/hider]

[u][b]Personal Weapons:[/b][/u]
[list][*]PKP Pecheneg-SP [url=https://cdn-fastly.thefirearmblog.com/media/2025/01/05/12017/the-russian-6p69-pkp-sp-special-forces-machine-gun.jpg?size=720x845&nocrop=1]General Purpose Machine Gun:[/url] A modernized version of the venerable PKM, updated with Piccatiny rail, 250 round ammo box, red dot sight with magnifier, telescoping stock, and suppressor.  The original bottom-mounted bipod has been replaced with a side-mounted one, freeing up room to add a micro missile launcher. HB is strong enough to handle the GPMG as if it were a standard rifle.
[*]Totality Viper Pistol-Zealot Model: Plasma weapons are common amongst the forces of the Totality; the Zealot model is simply a modified version used by the warrior-monks HB was born into.  Powered by high-capacity batteries, the pistol features two modes: a standard shot with an effective range of 100 meters and a charged blast capable of damaging armored vehicles.
[*]Machete: The traditional weapon of the Zealots, it holds spiritual significance to HB. Closer to a cutlass in design, a cross between a bushwhacking tool and a weapon. With its monomolecular edge and solid construction it's equally capable of clearing brush and people, especially activating its plasma field. While a limited (and expensive) resource this makes it very effective against tough targets.[/list] 

[u][b]Personal Equipment: [/b][/u]
[list][*]Zephyr Armor:  The advanced armor used by the Zealots modified by the Totality to provide increased survivability with little weight gain. Consists of a polymer-padded vest with inserted plates, connected to a flexible armored undersuit with arm/leg guards and a helmet with attached rebreather and night-vision/thermal capabilities. The result is less durable in an extended fight than heavy battle armor but is much lighter and more flexible, allowing HB to take advantage of their quick movement and sharp reflexes. Comes with an equivalent to MOLLE gear for storing ammo and other items. 
[*]Medical Equipment: A range of diagnostic and procedural tools and a wide range of medications and nanoinjections covering all manner of injuries and maladies. HB can do everything from set broken bones to full-on surgery, provided they have the space to work in.
[*]Multitool and Utility Knife: For general repairs and field work.
[*]Medication: Includes both the mood stabilizers prescribed to them and small canisters of the various gases they require. 
[*]Pebble: Kept for situations where HB can't use their inbuilt comms.
[*]Seraphim Jump Pack: The signature tool of the Zealot, allowing them to burst into the air and hover. HB uses it to augment their high degree of mobility.[/list]
[/hider]


[hider=The Valkyrie]
[u][b]Name:[/b][/u] Captain Jacobine Dokken

[u][b]Nickname:[/b][/u] The Gothenburg Valkyrie, a title foisted upon her to her chagrin. 

[u][b]Age:[/b][/u] 44 

[u][b]Species:[/b][/u] Human 

[u][b]Appearance:[/b][/u] 
[hider=Kaptein Dokken]
[img]https://cdnb.artstation.com/p/assets/images/images/022/344/031/large/illustri-walsh-copy.jpg?1575066639[/img]
[/hider]

Jacobin is aging gracefully, blessed with good skin and few blemishes save for those inflicted upon her. Not overly tall (by the standards of Norway) at 1.7 meters, she doesn't have an overly military bearing. In fact it would be easy to mistake her for a civilian, which is how she likes it. Soft-spoken and almost serene in demanour, she only wears a uniform when in the field or otherwise forced to. Jacobine much prefers slim sweaters and compression tops, clothes that stay close to the body and don't bunch up under the back brace she wears.

People tend to notice her lower half first. By necessity, Jacobin spends most of her time in a wheelchair. Compared to the high-tech advances made across nearly all industries, the chair is the same as it's always been; perhaps higher-end than most, but still ultimately a wheelchair. It has an aluminum frame with padded gel cushions attached to treaded Kevlar tires so it can be taken outside without fear of puncture. 

Parts of her body are artificial. Two of the fingers on her left hand have been replaced with stainless steel and carbon fiber prosthetics, and the left-hand side of her lower face has been replaced by lifelike silicon covering a titanium jaw and fake teeth. At a distance it's quite good, but close inspection makes it obvious that the skin doesn't move with the rest of her mouth.  

[u][b]Personality:[/b][/u]
Jacobin is quite literally the poster child for duty and self-sacrifice in the face of the invasion; her role as a member of the all-female Jegertroppen and her valor in the defense of Gothenburg have made her the perfect role model to raise recruitment numbers. Heavily decorated (to date she holds the  Norwegian War Cross, War Medal, Wounded in Action Medal, and Defense Service Medal as well as the French Legion of Honor and American Distinguished Service Cross), she's often paraded in front of cameras to give speeches or her views on the military situation, serving as a mouthpiece for women, soldiers, Scandanavia, or simply the entire Earth depending on the event. 

She despises this showpony state of affairs. By her reckoning, she's earned only two decorations-one for defending the civilian evac point in Gothenburg (and even that, she insists, was a team effort not even instituted by her- the previous commander died and she picked up the pieces) and one for getting pummeled by a Suppression Force trooper and then thrown off a balcony. The others were just fluff given to her to fill out her dress uniform when the powers that be decided to make her into a propaganda piece. She's not a hero or someone to emulate; she just wants to do her job and go home to her family. 

To that end, she is focused far more on winning than on seeking revenge for her planet or her injuries. The SPEAR teams seem like a good way to contribute to the end of the war, so she joined up. The faster they get the job done, the less likely she is to die. She approaches missions clinically and without enthusiasm or lethargy, In truth Jacobin doesn't consider herself a soldier but a psychologist, her first profession and true calling. To that end she practices empathy and active listening, always careful to consider what's being said to her before responding. 

She has a complicated relationship with HB-202, her main patient. HB is a difficult case and one that directly brings up Jacobin's own trauma. They fought in the mopping up operations after the fall of the Monolith, and there's a small but distinct chance that HB was the Suppression trooper who crippled her, and sometimes they're unable to hide that they still, in some ways, hate the Coalition and especially humankind. However, being a psychologist requires a belief that people can heal, and Jacobin got her start working with those outcast from society. She does not give up on hard cases. 


[u][b]History:[/b][/u]
[list]
[*]Born into wealth as a distant relative of the noble Løvenskiold family, daughter of a successful hedge fund manager. Enrolled in prestigious schools and many extracurricular activities, gaining a ground in music, sports, and equestrianism. 
[*]Chafed under the pressure, rebelled against parents' push for success by getting into the party scene. Was arrested once for possession of MDMA, although the charges were dropped it effectively ended their relationship for years. Left home at seventeen, found menial work first as a waitress and later a bartender.
[*]Went to school to study psychology at the suggestion of a regular. Joined the Home Guard on a part-time basis in order to receive extra pay. Upon graduating, started a successful practice focusing on the treatment of vulnerable people trying to make major life changes, mainly drug addicts, sex workers, and members of cults. Continued to serve in the Home Guard for another decade. 
[*]Upon the initial invasion was called back into service due to the extreme threat. Although a member of the Home Guard and not the Army, transferred into the all-female Jegertroppen special forces program due to the need for troops.
[*]Part of the Jegertroppen's first-ever combat tour, sent as part of a wider Norwegian deployment to defend Gothenberg from Totality forces. Fought bravely, but human forces were pushed out after a crushing encounter with expendable Drone units equipped with heavy weapons. Earned the War Medal for her actions in rallying a shattered force of Norwegian and Swedish troops/police, preventing a civilian evacuation zone from being overrun. 
[*]Reorganized and sent to shore up Coalition forces in hot zones, saw action in Orkney and Alsace. Eventually sent as part of a small Scandinavian contingent to Florida for the assault on the Monolith. Was grievously injured in mopping up actions against Totality remnants, suffering severe injuries to her jaw, hand, ribs and spine.
[*]Underwent surgery and the implantation of experimental mobility devices to restore function to her legs. Due to her previous career as a psychologist, she was tapped to take part in a program to deprogram Totality's forced recruits. Selected to join SPEAR team as the partner of HB-202, a former Suppression Force soldier who had been captured in the same battle that Jacobine was injured in.[/list]

[u][b]Key Skills & Abilities:[/b][/u] 
[list]
[*]Veteran of special reconnaissance actions, capable of directing artillery and air strikes.
[*]Certified psychologist, assigned to SPEAR in part to monitor the team's mental health for potential problems.
[*]Has command experience.
[/list]

[u][b]Special Abilities:[/b][/u] 

[hider=Augments]
[list][*]Nerve Grafts and Exoskeleton: Jacobin is capable of walking thanks to the grafting of nerves from her legs to artificial vertebrae attached to her lower spine, in conjunction with thin exoskeleton legs that are directly connected to her muscles and nervous system via ports alongside her knees and hips. When activated these allow her to walk, jump, run, and otherwise ambulate as she could before being injured, with the tradeoff that it gives her very strong phantom sensations-not quite pain but comparable to intense pins-and-needles. In the field, she's able to work with it, but it would be very uncomfortable for day-to-day life, so typically they're turned off.
[*]Prosthetics: Replacements for her left thumb, middle, and index finger as well as the chunk of her jaw that had been torn away and the two ribs that were shattered beyond repair. These are near-perfect replacements in terms of function not appearance. 
[/list][/hider]

[u][b]Personal Weapons:[/b][/u]
[list][*]Heckler & Koch HK417 [url=https://www.heckler-koch.com/_assets/thumbnail/1314/product-stage/webp]Battle Rifle:[/url] Jacobine found the standard carbine rifles of the Norwegian Armed Forces to be lacking against the Totality; the full-size 7.62 rifle is better able to put targets down. Equipped with bipod, suppressor, and holographic or ACOG sights as required by mission. 
[*]Ithaca 37 [url=https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/d/d2/Ithaca_37.jpg/1200px-Ithaca_37.jpg]Shotgun:[/url] Outdated but reliable, firing slugs or plasma shells-buckshot doesn't do the job anymore. Jacobine uses an older model for two reasons: first, it has the ability to slamfire and second, she gets to reference Aliens while fighting aliens. Close encounters indeed. 
[*][url=https://bespokeparkcity.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/JDR04140-scaled.jpg]Glock 40[/url]: If she has to shoot at someone with a pistol, she wants it to be 10mm. The long slide makes it easier to get a good sight picture, the extended magazine baseplates give her a couple extra rounds.
[*][url=https://www.bladegallery.com/pics/94868_1_x.jpg]Tomahawk[/url]: Had started using one of these for camping thanks to the influence of an American friend, kept using it once she started fighting. The original was lost when she was injured; the new one is far sturdier and has a monomolecular edge.[/list] 

[u][b]Personal Equipment: [/b][/u]
[list]
[*]Armor and load-bearing equipment/rucksack with food, water, ammunition, etc. Much of the Totality's weapons make conventional body armor useless, but it's better than nothing.
[*]Ops-Core FAST helmet with ENVG-B night vision/thermal imaging
[*]Pebble
[*]Notepad and pens/pencils
[*]Ruggedized laptop
[*]Folding Knife
[*] Cigarettes, lots of them. She quit fifteen years ago, started again when aliens invaded her planet.
[*]Manual wheelchair with power assist. How she typically gets around.[/list]


[/hider]