Alfhedil — Roleplayer Guild

Name: Reiksguard, Alexandria Konstaninissa

Age: 28

Gender: Female

Nationality: UEE

Callsign/Codename: Lexicon - Lex

Kills: 18

Psychological Analysis: Somewhat at odds with her machine, Dissonance, and even more so her sister Julia, Alexandria holds a somewhat cheerful disposition when not engaged in a mission. This generally trends her to be at odds, and even abrasive around her team-mates as she seemingly is unaware or unfazed by dour moments due to her almost bubbly nature. Despite this, she tends to keep the intentions of her squad at heart, and when operating at longer ranges, stylizes herself as more than overwatch, but almost as a protective element. Yet despite this, underneath that air of youthful cheer and happiness, she holds scars on her heart from events in her past that still haunt her. Those few she trusts with knowing what lies beneath understand the pain she conceals, and the reason why she fights so hard for her comrades, and the country that cast her out. Some, however, will know of her distrust of the Coalition, and those who haven’t convinced her of their good intentions. That distrust is felt more so by her sister, Julia, however. Almost the direct opposite of Lex, her sister is a bitter and spiteful woman, cut down at a young age, and growing up as an uploaded consciousness. Despite this, there is still love between the sisters, and even with Julia’s abrasiveness, it’s difficult for either to go against the other because of their bond that has grown over the years they have been together. In fact, Alexandria is the only one immune to her sister’s biting criticism and hostility, proving to be a calming effect on the bitter woman, and soothing her where no one else could. Above all else, the two remain as one looking towards their end goal of avenging their mother, and one day returning to the Empire to atone for their deeds.

Employment Record: The eldest of the Reiksguard children, Alexandria’s future in the military had been decided from birth to follow in the long line of the family’s tradition. Entering into the UEE’s military academies at an early age, she showed not only the resolve of her father and grandfather, but also the promise of a future MAS pilot as she blazed through every obstacle placed before her. It was this, however, that attracted the attention of the UEE’s research firms, looking to push the boundaries of piloting and the neural linkage equipment currently in use. Graduating at the top of her class in the Empire’s Officer Academy, Alexandria was one of the first approached for the Neural-Impulse Manifold project, one that she immediately agreed to with the backing of her parents and the rest of her family still serving.

As the project went on, however, it became clear that not only was it a failed effort, but the dangers involved very serious. Countless friends she had entered into the program with perished during “hook-up”, a process in which the entire nervous system was introduced to a pulse of sorts to test the connection of the NIM implants. Alexandria herself suffered during this stage in the program, forcing the implantation of additional plugs to fully integrate the system with her body, as well as an AI core along her spine. This core would serve to be a balancing factor for her during the program, and was the intentions of the researchers when suggesting it, allowing her find the strength she needed to endure the torment of the trials and pull through with her personality intact.

Despite the failure of the project, Alexandria exited into the MAS Pilot program a year later with a unique approach to normal piloting. While she still had the standard wireless link that all MAS pilots were given, the direct interface plugs drilled into her spine and across her body allowed her to socket directly into many of the systems of the most basic suits, giving her a greater degree of control than most rookies. Other than this small footnote, her time in the pilot academy was short and uneventful. The complaints of any other female pilot from her class should be ignored as the slander that it is.

Following her graduation, she was given a slightly modified MAS to use with her implants, and placed in a squad of other new pilots operating in the Hanseatic Rift, a region that had been controlled by the UEE at the time. Countless setbacks hounded her and her team during their deployment, from Coalition assaults to the incompetence of command, and even the failures of prototyped equipment that would have been better served on the frontlines, and not the backwaters of Empire territory. These setbacks culminated in the final event that resulted in the complete collapse of control in the region, and began the decline in Alexandria’s career.

Codenamed Operation Orchid, the command of the Hanseatic Rift came up with a lightning assault on the Coalition’s main supply world of Hinterpommern in the region. Over two-hundred thousand infantry, several hundred aerospace fighters, several dozen MAS units and a large fleet of warships were called into the assault, one that had been intended to catch the Coalition off-guard, but as they jumped in system and began the operation, it became swiftly clear that they had underestimated the number of forces against them. The initial battle in orbit almost lost the UEE the entire operation, but under the skilled command of Gerard Agernon, the sector’s commander, they were able to break through and begin the assault on the planet’s facilities. For nine hours the Empire fought tooth and nail against not only numerical superiority, but also better equipped and trained forces of the Coalition housed on Hinterpommern.

In the end, it was all for nothing, except one of the most devastating losses suffered by the UEE in the region, if not the war. As they fought their way off the planet, Alexandria watched everyone she had fought alongside die in the pointless operation, and worse, even as they made it to safety in a nearby system, the Coalition pressed their advantage. In less than a week, the Hanseatic Rift fell, and she was transferred to a new division with new squadmates, trying to avoid the disaster of Hinterpommern and Operation Orchid.

For several years she fought in obscurity along the FEZ, staying with her original MAS despite newer models available, and holding on to one of the few prototyped rifles the UEE was able to keep after Orchid. Even with the relative monotony of running patrols, she would still be denied the opportunity to sit back, with the most devastating event in her life yet to strike at her very heart. While she fought in the war, the Reiksguard family home suffered an attack as the borders shifted between the two nations. Despite being what had been called a “Neutral World” in the past, her home world of Staadt came under fire from a Coalition battle-group seeking to secure the border and remove possible threats. Due to their long history in the Empire’s military, her family home was hit in the opening salvo, killing her mother and countless visiting family friends in an instant.

Abandoning the front, Alexandria took her MAS and joined quickly in the counter-assault that saw Staadt restored to UEE control, but it was all too little too late. While the rest of the fleet pursued, she walked through the wreckage of the estate, unable to come to terms with the loss, and believing her mother and sister dead, as they were the ones to live at the home permanently. Countless memories lay in the ashes of a war brought too close to her heart, and as her composure crumbled slowly from the destruction of her childhood home, she found her sister on the very edge of death, crushed underneath a fallen support beam.

While she was able to free Julia from the rubble and get her to an emergency medical team, the damage to her body was deemed too much for her to live through the injuries. As her father and brother were both currently engaged on the frontlines, a decision was given to Alexandria on what should be done with her sister in her condition, one which weighed heavily upon her. Looking down at her stricken sister in the ICU bed, she had almost come to the decision to let her go, unable to watch her lay in agony while barely hanging by a thread, but even then she was given one final choice. Staadt had enjoyed several benefits of staying mostly disconnected from the war between the Coalition and UEE, one of which was the congregation of intellectuals from varied fields. Fate had determined that the hospital closest to the Reiksguard estate, just so happen to be one in which a rising neuroscientist was making their living as a surgeon, and had heard of the tragedy.

What he offered, was something that had been theorized since the implementation of AIs and the use of Neural implants, but remained largely science-fiction for the risks involved to potential candidates. Total consciousness upload, a way of transferring a person’s mind into an unused AI core, and allow them to continue living as a sentience born of data and programming. The risk, of course, was that the patient could potentially die during the transfer, but knowing that Julia had little else, Alexandria posed the question to her. At the edge of being lost forever, her sister accepted, and gave permission for the procedure. When the operation was complete, they found it had been a success, Julia Reiksguard, once the youngest of the family and looking towards a career far from the warzones, had become a consciousness trapped within data.

This, however, was not enough for Alexandria. Her mother was dead, and her sister, though she was still with her, had been reduced to a voice in her head. For the first time in her life, she felt genuine rage build within her, a feeling which boiled over and became a driving force. The scars on Staadt still fresh, she sought out answers, using her family’s connections on the world to gain information on who was responsible for the attack, and build up a database. Within a few months, she had over a hundred names of Coalition officials who had been directly involved with the attack, some of them civilians, others high-ranking military members, and none innocent in her eyes.

Spurning orders to restrain her hand, she lashed out at any given opportunity, and took to exacting her vengeance at her own convenience. With her career marred by the operations in the Hanseatic Rift, this was the final mark against her, as the UEE could not allow her actions any longer, especially in the methods with which she sought her revenge. No one in the Coalition or FEZ was safe from her if they were responsible for the assault on Staadt, even those who had not even known of the fallout from their assistance. Finally, as Alexandria returned to UEE command for her next mission after her execution of an officer in their own home, they had enough. Issuing out an official warrant for her arrest, signed by her own father, Admiral Jervis Reiksguard of the 80th Vanguard Fleet, the Empire closed the net around her. Despite this, Alexandria evaded capture and fled UEE space, grimly accepting what she felt was a betrayal, and resolving to one day return and face the charges once her duty was done.

This was seven years ago, and since then Alexandria has moved from job to job, at first as a freelancer defending towns and settlements within the FEZ against raiders and Coalition attacks. Even after she had been removed from the UEE, and her feelings of betrayal by those she once served, she still had a strong sense of patriotism towards her home nation, and sought to at least remain somewhat loyal to them. To that end, it was difficult at first for her to enter with the Steel Hunters, being as it was under Captain Terin, a man of the Coalition, but after a long talk with the honourable captain, she found a way to compromise her distrust of the Coalition. Under the agreement that she would not be asked to fight her former comrades, Alexandria agreed to enter under his command as a mercenary for hire.

Equipment:

Ceramic-Composite Body Armor: - A form of carapace armor that protects primarily the torso and upper portions of the limbs, this particular suit was created for her by an arms dealer in the FEZ shortly after her discharge, and heavily customized to her exact order. The primary composition of the armor is a unique ceramic which makes up the plates, and utilizes steel threading to reinforce the material. More than that, however, it is also treated with a polymer-glaze that provides minimal protection from energy-weapons striking the surface of the ceramic. These properties allow the suit to resist small arms fire from both kinetic and energy weapons, providing her with a measure of protection when outside her MAS. The greatest benefit the armor holds, however, is the integration of a datapad within the right gauntlet of the suit, and underlaid wiring throughout that plugs into her implants across her body, while allowing her to still hook into other devices. With this integration, she can monitor the status of her body via the datapad, as well as the suit itself.

AI Integration Nodule: - More so an extension of her own body than a piece of equipment, this is one of her implants that sits at the top of her spine and allows an AI to link directly with her nervous system and brain stem. This was at first, devised as a way to help her and the other participants of the NIM initiative cope with the trauma of the surgeries, by giving them another thinking individual to speak to when they were uneasy. Alexandria, unlike many of the survivors, kept hers and after the battle of Staadt, used it to store the uploaded consciousness of her sister. While Julia may be less than capable of combat operations as compared to an MAS AI, she has been a constant companion of Lex for the last seven years, and without her, the pilot may have never been able to make it to the Steel Hunters.

Pair of combat knives, non-standard issue
Short barreled rifle (ballistic)
UEE standard issue marksman rifle
Rangefinder
Fragmentation grenades (x3)
UEE dress uniform
UEE MAS Pilot fatigues (35th Assault Force)
Casual clothes

Designation: Dissonance (Custom built, see below)
Role: Long-Range Support/Stealth Assault
Chassis: Light 15WT
Engine: Salvaged Tri-Core Engine (Customized) 25PWR
Operating Time: 12 hours

Description:
What Dissonance is, can be just as easily defined as what it isn’t. At the very core of the machine is the remnants of what it used to be, a Sparrow MAS that had been Alexandria’s machine during her time with the UEE military. Over time various components have been stripped out and replaced, either by herself or a few trusted mechanics, but the end result is a machine that is far from either military or civilian models normally in use. Among the greatest differences between this machine and others, is the sheer amount of control her AI companion has over the functions of the suit, as well as the removal of the standard cockpit to replace it with one that requires specialized linkages to use. The end result is a highly customized MAS that is purpose built to avoid direct confrontation except when the situation is deemed favorable.

Systems: 15WT/19PWR

Thanatos: - Originally a concept weapon designed by UEE’s best and brightest, this weapon was supposed to be rolled out during Operation Orchid, yet because of the exceptional failure of the mission, most of the prototypes ended up in the hands of the Coalition. The weapon is, at its core, an extreme range MAS killer, built upon the principle of an anti-material rifle but expanded with cutting edge technologies. First, and the most basic of the weapon, is the firing system, a pair of rails that can carry an electromagnetic current and fire steel projectiles at up to mach 8 and at a range of 200 nautical miles. This of course, draws significant energy from the reactor in order to fire, and will very likely result in the operator being detected by the flash of energy and the thunderous sound of the projectile accelerating to hypervelocity. That is the maximum capabilities, however, and not the intended function of the rifle. At lower settings, the rifle functions at a significantly decreased signature, allowing an operator to fire silently* at range without being detected*.

Where the function of the rifle comes into play, however, is in the primary intended ammunition. Another development of the UEE, is the Rocket-Assisted Armor-Piercing Fin Stabilized Discarding Sabot, or RAAPFSDS. Built upon the principle of a normal Kinetic-Energy Penetrator, this munition is a bit larger in diameter in order to not only increase effectiveness against the MAS, but also to allow the inclusion of a liquid-fuel rocket within the rear of the sabot. Within the sabot, towards the center, sits a gyroscopic sensor as well as another sensor that communicates with the rifle in order to determine distance from operator and distance towards target. This is done via the integration modules within the weapon that link to the MAS and the AI within, and an ultra-violet laser designator that paints the target with a nearly untraceable form of harmless radiation. Once the sabot reaches a certain distance(a figure that can be adjusted by the AI depending on situation) the rocket booster ignites, propelling the munition at higher velocities and guiding it towards the target via the minimally adjustable fins.

While the weapon does have significant benefits for the operator because of the extreme range capabilities, it does have its drawbacks. Primarily of which is the power consumption, which despite being a “ballistic” weapon by technicality, the weapon still draws a significant amount of energy, which necessitates the powering down of non-essential systems when firing at maximum range. Secondly, there is the matter of the ammunition, and the specialized construction of the rifle. Being as it is, already rather bulky, instead of looking into a way of creating a more compact magazine, the original Thanatos utilizes a maximum clip of twelve. Due to the large size of the weapon, it carries built-in stabilization rods which can deploy into the ground when needed, and requires two hands in order to function at maximum capability. In a means to increase efficient power usage, the munitions for the rifle carry electronic stamps at the base of the shell, which are read by the Fire-Control System of the gun, and determine the velocity and range the shell should reach. This allows the operator to determine the engagement distance for the rifle based upon their magazine, and reduces the need for micromanagement by the AI or pilot. Because of the nature of the rifle, it sits at five weight, and three power.

Neural-Impulse Manifold: - With all of the experimentations of the UEE and ways to emulate the Coalition’s MAS expertise, this particular device exists as a stain on the nation’s credibility, and one that has seen great strides to be covered up. Twenty years ago, as part of Operation Still Waters, a thousand graduates of the UEE Academy of Martial Sciences were pulled from their potential positions in the military and placed within the UEE’s Classified Research Department, many of which were among the best and most capable potential operatives of the nation. Within this department, the subjects were briefed lightly on the project and given the opportunity to opt out, but with the understanding that if they did not do so, they would be considered people critical to national security. When the final operatives were chosen, the true depth of the program was revealed. Each individual of the program would be subjected to extensive surgeries that linked their nervous systems to highly advanced AI that would read their progress as the initial stages begun.

The first stage of the NIM was the implantation of plugs along key points of the subject’s spine and brain-stem, linking sophisticated electronics with the very core of their nervous system. Those who did not immediately reject the implants and had previously shown great promise while in the academy also saw plugs drilled into their limbs at key points, scientists of the project were noted as saying that it would increase efficiency of potential systems at later dates. At this stage, failures were minimal, as the UEE had screened the potential applicants extensively to only select those in perfect health and without possibility of medical complications. Despite this, some dozen died during the implantation process, while another hundred rejected the plugs and had to be discharged out of the project. The next stage, however, is what truly damned the project to be an almost complete failure. In order to progress to the next and final stage, the subjects who had completed the implantation process, were then subjected to a testing of the connections between the plugs and their nervous system. Failure rates were not only disturbingly high, but of the 80% that failed the connection, two-thirds died immediately in a method not unlike electric-chair executions in the 20th century.

With barely a fraction of their subjects remaining, the UEE’s Research Department was given the order to complete the project and close it down permanently, all the while charges were pending against the head scientists without their knowledge. Further development of the program created devices known as “Cradles” in which NIM operators would be able to directly interface into without the need for instrumentation that normal cockpits typically held. In this respect, despite the appalling death toll associated with the project, those who did survive the experiment were able to essentially plug themselves into computer systems and analyze data internally, with some users even able to bring up haptic interfaces visible only to their eyes. With one of these cradles installed, an MAS unit can see a reduced cockpit area with fewer instruments needed, and a more direct connection to the pilot. This more direction connection allows greater control of the vehicle, and a much wider range of movement than typical to an MAS. One exceptionally skilled individual was even able to thread a needle with their MAS, though this is a feat that was not repeatable by many of the other subjects. Due to the sophisticated nature of the NIM Cradle, not only is it obvious that only users implanted with the NIM can operate them, but that it does draw a little more power than normal. 0WT/3PWR

Integrated Intelligence Systems: - A customization by Alexandria herself, the standard artificial intelligence systems that would normally be present in any MAS have been replaced by interfacing components for the NIM system, as well as a new AI core. This AI Core is where the stored consciousness of Julia resides during operations, able to link fully with the systems of Dissonance and communicate with Alexandria. Where this may seem like a simple exchange of AI persona, this particular change puts more pressure on the Lex as a pilot, as where the typical MAS AI would provide in depth targetting solutions and feedback on recommended points to strike, as well as a wealth of other points of combat data, Julia’s combat abilities are limited. Instead, as the pilot, she has to rely more on the basic instrumentation of the MAS, and her own instinct. More than that, the absence of auto-correcting maneuvers requires more sense of awareness from the pilot, and puts the NIM cradle through the paces. 0WT/0PWR

Impact-Driver: - Originally created by a mining firm in the FEZ, this device has widely seen use as an impromptu MAS-killer, due primarily to the core function of the weapon. At its core, the Impact-Driver consists of a single pike of steel shrouded tungsten, or any other exceptionally durable metal, and a pneumatic piston. When activated, the piston fires out the pike at high speed to impact a target at close range with enough force to punch through solid rock. That was, the primary utility of the device, to clear out exceptionally tough areas of rock and allow for other mining implements to enter the tunnel and get at the intended target. Where it has become weaponized, however, is in the manipulation of the piston’s output capabilities. With a minimal amount of calibration, the simplistic mining tool can be turned into a deadly implement to core an MAS at close range, piercing the armor of the cockpit and sometimes even punching out the back of the suit in the case of lighter units. The critical drawback of the weapon is the extremely short range, even compared to other melee weapons. Effective range of the Impact-Driver tends to be within ten feet, exceedingly short when it comes to MAS combat. Being mounted on the wrist, using this weapon makes it impossible to use other arm-mounted weapons, and can create difficulty in using hand-held weapons. 3WT/3PWR

Stealth Drive: - Stealth Drives allow a MAS to remain hidden from most scanning and targeting modules, and removes most of the MAS's emissions at the cost of a small amount of maximum thrust. It does not however protect the MAS from visual recognition. Stealth Drives draw 5 PWR. 

Active Camouflage: - A camouflage generator attached to the back of a MAS, it projects a field of particles over the MAS, effectively making it invisible to the human eye, as well as optical scanners, and tracking modules. The generator does not however shield the user from all scanners, and the generator unit itself produces large amounts of heat. Camouflage generators are also notorious for consuming large amounts of energy, and while unable to be used with a external power pack, comes with a small power supply of its own, resulting in 3 WT and 3 PWR. The standard Active Camouflage generator can only continuously produce particles for a single hour before beginning to massively drain the power reserves of the MAS. 3WT/3PWR

Silent-Running: - Partly a modification to the pathways of the electricals, and partly the ingenuity of Julia herself, Dissonance can hibernate nearly all systems at will for longer missions in order to extend operating times or to hide her energy signature. When operating “Silent”, only the absolutely necessary systems are running, with even the AI Core shut down, and Julia hiding within the module installed within Alexandria herself. Because most of the systems are not completely shut down, at the flick of a switch the MAS can be back at full power in mere moments, giving the unit devastating potential for stealth attacks.

Sonar Stakes: - Special stakes are attached to the MAS's legs, and when deployed, drive themselves into the ground, both locking the MAS to the ground, and providing a detection distance 5 times that of the standard MAS. It has 1 WT, and costs 2 PWR. Note that it cannot be used in Space, and can only detect targets on the ground.

Countermeasure System: - Countermeasure systems are often used by lighter MAS's to avoid missiles instead of using body mounted machine guns to intercept them. Using chaff and flares, countermeasure systems are negligible in terms of weight and power, but only has 3 chaff uses, and 6 sets of flares before needing to rearm.

Improved Reactor Output: - A high end customization used by pilots. Using efficient parts and techniques, this upgrade allows MAS's to add an additional +5 PWR to their generator output. However, this improved reactor requires pilots to reduce the load on their units to prevent damage to the MAS, and costs 3 WT - cannot be taken simultaneously with Improved Reactor Draw

Steel Hunters Systems Specialization: - Surviving in the Free-Enterprise Zone requires tenacity and wit. Steel Hunters that specialize in optimizing MAS electrical and energy systems are granted an extra 5 PWR to their unit. Cannot be taken simultaneously with Steel Hunters Mechanical Specialization.
Alfhedil Member

What do you see Kaneda?

Status

Recent Statuses

Bio

Most Recent Posts
