Bazmund

Paradigm Shift: Agents of Fate

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Goodnight

The Bunkhouse

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It was the certainty of routine that kept Goodnight running. With such a large mass of people to manage, a timetable had to be maintained and stuck to; even if the monotony of the passing days could be a strain to the individual. At 9pm everyone was expected to be at their registered 'bunkhouses', which was a generous title given to the smaller, more niche shells of boutiques and independent stores within the mall. They tended to have more comfortable décor and threadbare carpets that offered a layer of insulation against the cold. In these stores, rows upon rows of sleeping bags were set out and designated to each mage. It was typically considered poor taste to go around messing with what little personal effects people left near their sleeping bags and the bunkhouses were seldom visited during the day. More often than not, one or two bootleggers kept watch by the entrances so the residents and their belongings were safe.

There had been a slight change to the usual set-up that night for the Julien's bunkhouse where the volunteers for the medical supplies mission were sleeping. The first and most prominent; they got an upgrade. As a reward for their exceptional bravery and successful mission, the group were given a reward that didn't come easy unless you were on the staff's good side. Most of the other mages were moved out of their bunkhouse and into other ones leaving them with highly sought after and very rare to find privacy. As the team came out of the communal washrooms ready to settle down for the night there was no bootlegger at the door but rather a plastic lawn chair positioned within eyesight of the entrance and Brooks casually reading a magazine. He was sitting near their sleeping bags without impinging on their personal space and seemed just as unfazed as usual. He barely glanced up at your approach before going back to his reading material.

They had an hour until lights out but the staff tended to relax a little on the rule if the majority of the residents didn't feel like a 10pm bedtime was appropriate. That gave them time to relax, wind down and talk about things outside of the therapy setting.

Paradigm Shift: Agents of Fate

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Goodnight

The Chapel with Dr. Cassar

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Dr. Cassar stared Audrey down as she spoke, a calm, stung, disappointed silence as she went further and further down the proverbial path of violence with her speech. He broke his eye contact only to look around the room and assess the reactions of the others, and his eyes widened in muted, suppressed, quiet shock when Abigail interrupted.

As Audrey's gaze moved to him, Cassar looked right back, lips pursed - and he nodded.

"I can certainly understand the need to be decisive - and better than most, I understand the need to be able to move past the hard decisions without letting them weigh on you inappropriately. But I want to point out, the man who slipped past you and threatened Angeline and Abigail was not the man Ellen shot and killed. You did not miss him because you simply were not being... ruthless enough - so the solution is not to be more ruthless, or to not reflect on your actions."

Cassar paused a moment, looking down to the floor, rubbing his thumb and forefinger together slowly as he thought.

"I couldn't say, you know, if you were right to go looking through that man's wallet." He looked up again at Ellen. "I couldn't tell you. And I don't think you should let what you've done drag you down into a pit forever, from which you could not emerge - but..." he looked back to Audrey, "... that is not what grieving is. Grief is important, it's how our kind, humankind processes loss, and emotional harm. Normally, it is for people we knew - but not always, you know?" He glanced back to Ellen.

"You shot a man, with a gun, more than once. He fell over, and he died. It was not instant. I can tell you for absolute fact, that he was in a huge amount of pain, the kind of pain you would not believe unless you've been shot before too, and that as he lay there dying he was terrified in a way that most people cannot know - in a way that I pray everyone here never knows, ever. This all happened because of your actions. That does not mean you did the wrong thing, and I am certainly not naive enough to believe that our situation," he gestured around the room, "could be resolved without force, or that self-defense does not incur such a cost... but the only people who even know he's dead are in this room. Somebody should grieve, to remember that he was a person, and that he once lived."

He looked back at Audrey, his eyes harder than they were before, his demeanour colder.

"That is how you let go. That is how you move on. And Audrey, I just want to say, you cannot compare this type of decision making to medicine. The work you do is necessary, and I value it, but you cannot pretend that it is anything like mine."

"Of course it's not," Audrey agreed immediately. "Completely different outcomes. It was the only metaphor I could think of at the time."

Cassar kept staring her down as she replied. He took a deep breath in, held it for a moment, and then released all of his discontent with it as he exhaled. A dry, rough, frequently-sanitised hand came up and scratched his beard as he nodded, and the smile came back to his face.

“Ok. Look, I don’t want to take up any more of you guys’ time, you know? I think this has been pretty good, and of course, you all did a really good job getting the medicines back, so thank you again. I’m free to talk about stuff any time anybody wants, work permitting, and I’ll hang around here to pray for a bit as well in case anybody wants to join me - although, you don’t have to pray if you don’t want, and no pressure either way.”

Falling Skies: Reboot (Mecha, Space Opera)

Pilot Profile

Appearance:

Name: Danielsson, Aleksanderin Gabrys
Age: 39
Callsign: Deadeye
Kills: 92

Psychological Analysis:

Psych Report - Dr. Olaf Melitta

Ssg. Danielsson was referred to me for a routine psychological evaluation, shortly after the events of the occupation of Savonia, and his participation in its liberation. I had not at this point met with the Ssg. before, and took to reviewing his existing records eagerly once his case arrived in my inbox. From this point onwards I will address the Sgt. by his name, Aleks.

Aleks has had three previous psychological evaluations with the service - one at his time of recruitment, two as routine affairs - and at each point our findings have been more or less the same, with no more than the expected variance due to individual development and personality evolution. Aleks is an intelligent and perceptive man, with a slightly blunted affect - meaning outwards display of emotion - and an apparently cold, professional demeanour. When he speaks he has a tendency to be quite direct with his words, which has come off as confrontational more than once, and he does not enjoy small talk; these characteristics initially prompted an assessment for neurodivergent developmental disorders, however the concerns were dismissed after he returned normal results, and his demeanour was explained as a cultural quirk from his homeplanet of Savonia - which I note he refers to as Savolax. Other than this his psychiatric history is nil, barring one bizarre conversation he had during his second review, regarding his feelings about his work with the Special Reconnaissance Group. Attached is an audio transcript from one of his appointments regarding the matter.

Transcript: E-3-AGD SRG - Dr. Jennings

JENNINGS: Begin recording. The date is (redacted), time is 1842 hours. Good evening, Mr. Danielsson, thank you for agreeing to such a late appointment.

DANIELSSON: No problem. Good evening.

J: This is just a follow up on one of the routine appointments we offer to troops in high stress roles, so I want you to know that we’re not putting your fitness to serve or your mental state under consideration today, we’re mostly just checking in.

D: Yes, I understand.

J: Grand. Everything went well the last time we spoke, as you know, and I was very glad to hear that you’ve not been having any problems with your mood or your sleep, or anything like that. Has any of that changed in the time between then and now?

D: No.

J: Also good, thank you. There was really only one thing I really wanted to clarify - last time we talked about your feelings about your job, and how you’ve sometimes been required to use your weapon at extreme distance, which has involved fatally injuring enemy troops from a range at which they could not feasibly detect you, or indeed fight back.

D: Yes.

J: I wondered at the time if that might be causing you some stress, or an upset - many marksmen and snipers often find that there is a moral difference, when the enemy cannot effectively fight back; in short, even despite long periods of specialised training they find themselves considering their actions to be murder rather than combat, and this has led to a lot of problems for them.

D: I am familiar.

J: With the feeling?

D: Well, no. The problems.

J: Could you tell me more about what you mean?

D: Yes. I have known soldiers who have experienced these problems, not only with our work from long range, but with any act of serious violence. Training can do a lot for your readiness, but it is often still hard for them, and many struggle a great deal with the work.

J: Have you ever had these problems yourself?

D: No. If I were much younger, or less familiar with the concept, I would struggle - but I grew up hunting.

J: I see.

(There are faint sounds of scribbling - pen on paper, note taking, records being made even beyond the tape itself)

J: How do you view your comrades who have these problems?

D: I feel for them. It is very obvious to anyone who knows them that they are in a great deal of pain, that they are angry at something - often themselves. Sometimes they will lash out over nothing, or spend a lot of time by themselves when they never used to.

J: Would you say they are good people?

D: Yes. Of course.

J: Is it because of their reaction?

D: Not always.

J: I know some people who would consider this sort of reaction to be a mark of personal weakness - or that they are unfit to fight. What do you think about it?

D: It’s complicated, but I would never say that this is a weakness. Maybe some of them are not in the right job, but that’s not to say they are bad at it, and I would not call PTSD weakness.

J: Of course. Thank you. Do you consider yourself a good person?

D: I… yes? I think so. Not really for me to say. Why do you ask?

J: Well, the last time we spoke, you expressed that fighting as part of the SRG did not bother you.

D: It’s a job.

J: Exactly. I also asked about the killing, and the emotional difficulties we’ve just discussed, and you told me that this also wasn’t a problem for you. I’m just trying to ascertain why.

D: Is it a concern for you?
J: Not necessarily, not for me personally I wouldn’t say, no - though some people might find it strange, disturbing even, that you seem to be able to kill people like this without emotional impact.

D: Right.

J: Alright, let’s just approach it more directly - why do you think it doesn’t bother you?

(another pause, lasting eleven seconds, without additional sounds in the background)

D: That’s a good question. It’s probably because of how I was brought up.

J: How do you mean?

D: It’s nothing worrying, doctor. My family were very loving and supportive of me, I had a few close friends but no trouble with anyone else that you wouldn’t expect, I was a good kid and I grew into an ok man. Where I come from there is just a lot of dangerous wildlife, and we made a living out of hunting it.

J: I… see. Do you look at your targets as animals?

D: No. They are people, and I treat them differently in my mind - but I am also used to shooting at things that are incredibly dangerous and will kill you very quickly if they get close or see you before you see them. I treat the people I fight with respect, and of course there is nothing to admire about hurting them, but this way of thinking still applies. If they knew where we were, or got close, things would be different.

J: Ok. That does explain it, I think. Thank you. And how is it you cope with stress?

D: I spend time on my own or with a few friends to relax. Sometimes I go out with others to a bar or a club, I drink, maybe smoke. I like to listen to music, sometimes I- huh, heh, I uh, I draw things, like flowers I’ve seen on duty while in a hide.

J: Alright, that’s- that’s fine. I’m glad to hear that you’re doing well, Aleks, I don’t think I have any further questions for you just now. Thank you very much for talking with me today, I hope I haven’t kept you from anything important.

D: No, I was free.

(a chair scrapes briefly against the floor, and there is a sound like skin meeting skin - identifiably a handshake)

J: Great. I’ll see you again next time, Aleks, have a nice evening.

D: You also.

(footsteps, receding, then the opening and closing of a door)

J: Well, that’s all good then. End audio recording, the time is-

Aside from the obvious concerns the service originally had about Aleks’ ability to empathise, there was one further concern addressed later on by a senior NCO who had been partially responsible for Aleks’ command - specifically that Aleks’ seemed to believe in ghosts, and had at one point attempted to communicate with them by means of what I understand to be a local variation on the classical Oujia board. This caused some alarm for the officers supervising Aleks, who were - I believe - overvigilant of any signs of mental instability in their charge. I attach a transcript of their interview with him.

E-3-AGD SRG - Cpt. Randall, Lt. Oyewatusin, Ssg. Keynes

RANDALL: Begin audio recording. Present are Lieutenant Richard Oyewatusin, Staff Sergeant Harriet Keynes, and myself, Captain Peter Randall. Being interviewed is Sergeant Aleksanderin Danielsson. Sergeant, are you aware of the reason for your being here today?

DANIELSSON: Yes sir.

RANDALL: Could you explain your understanding of it?

DANIELSSON: Lieutenant Oyewatusin and Staff Sergeant Keynes are disturbed by my recreational use of a spirit board.

OYEWATUSIN: It is a little more than that, sergeant.

KEYNES: Messing about with a ouija board with some pals is one thing, popping off alone into the woods on your night off to do it is really quite another.

R: It does raise some questions, sergeant. For one thing, why leave the base? Why go somewhere so rural? You were gone for forty two hours.

D: The signal is better.

K: Of course it is.

R: And there’s also the question of just what you tend to receive as replies to your… broadcasts.

D: Respectfully, sir, you don’t know what you’re talking about.

R: Enlighten me.

(There is a short period of silence, before some quiet movement as Sgt. Danielsson sits forward in his chair)

D: My family and I spent a lot of time alone on mountainsides and ice floes, in the wilderness, when I was young. Long hunts across all types of terrain. Not much talking. Our whole culture is like this. I am not particularly religious or spiritual, but many of our people seek the company of the dead when they find themselves alone - especially if they have lost relatives, or need advice.

O: Right.

K: Right.

D: I can see you are concerned. But this is my business.

R: You’re in the army. That makes this army business, Sergeant.

(Another pause in the conversation, tension bristling almost enough for the mic to actually pick it up)

R: Sergeant, is there any history of schizophrenia or other similar psychotic disorders that runs in your family?

D: No sir.

R: Have you been assessed for any such disorders yourself?

D: No sir. I attend routine evaluations, as I am instructed to.

R: Alright, well we’ll get a shrink’s opinion on you after this. What about drugs?

D: I take what I’m prescribed, when it is prescribed, for as long as it is prescribed, in the manner it is prescribed. I also enjoy beer and vodka socially. Sometimes I smoke.

R: Hm.

O: Sergeant, do you believe in ghosts, spirits, or the paranormal?

D: I must ask why this is your business, sir.

O: Answer the question.

D: With respect, I cannot understand the relevance of the question.

O: I am concerned that you have difficulty establishing boundaries between mythology and reality. This line of questioning aims to establish the risk, and assess it. Answer the question.

D: Ok. I don’t know.

O: You don’t know?

D: I don’t know.

O: Elaborate, please.

D: I don’t know if I believe in ghosts or if I do not.

O: Have you ever seen one?

D: No.

O: How come you don’t know?

D: I find ghost stories interesting. I read them online, see which ones I think are the most authentic. I listen to some podcasts.

K: Sergeant, sorry for interrupting, but I thought you said this was a cultural practice you were engaging in? Is it normal cultural practice to consume paranormal themed media?

D: No. I came back to the cultural practice because of things I read online. I had not tried this for many years before now.

O: You did this out of curiosity?

D: Because I was bored. So yes.

R: Sergeant, are you telling me that you took a bus to the middle of nowhere and hiked almost a full day into the middle of the woods, in rough terrain, in order to go ghost hunting using elements of an ancestor-worship religion you haven’t engaged in for years… because you were bored?

D: Yes.

(an awkward silence ensues)

O: But you’ve never seen a ghost? No… hallucinations, or anything?

D: None, sir.

K: Why not just, I don’t know, watch one of those ghost hunting shows?

D: I do sometimes, but they get old quickly.

R: Alright, I think most of the worries here were that you had… I don’t know, some sort of serious problem. I think we may have jumped the gun a little here, don’t you think, Lieutenant? Staff Sergeant?

O: I- uh, yes. Yes sir.

K: We were still given cause for concern, sir, by the sergeant’s sudden and unexplained disappearance.

D: I was on short leave. Not on duty.

K: How were we supposed to get ahold of you if we needed you, Danielsson?

D: I had my phone.

K: And failed to answer it. Nobody knew where you were, on top of that.

R: Right. Thank you both, Lieutenant, Staff, that’s all we need from you today, I’ll handle things from here.

(there is some general noise and mumbled dismissals, as the Lt and the Ssg are dismissed)

R: Staff had some points there. Far be it from me to interfere with the personal beliefs and practices of the troops, but the next time you do something like this I want you to consider doing it on-base, or at least let someone know where you’re going and clear it with us in advance. I’m also going to arrange a psychiatric assessment for you, just to be absolutely sure, and to finish ticking boxes. And you’ll keep an eye on that bloody phone of yours.

D: I understand, sir. Thank you, sir.

(another brief pause)

R: Did you get anything back?

D: From… the board?

R: Yes.

D: I… don’t think so.

R: Huh. (a long pause, without the tension from before) You don’t sound sure.

D: It was probably my imagination.

R: I see. You gonna try again?

D: (a sniff, a pause) Maybe. I don’t know.

R: Indeed. Alright, Danielsson. Dismissed. End audio recording, time is-

Aleks was given an assessment shortly thereafter, scored low or nil in all relevant risk categories, and was dismissed from psychiatric assessment thereafter.

My own impressions of Aleks are that he is a reasonable and pleasant individual, who tends towards more reserved personal behaviours and often keeps to himself, but who has no trouble being friendly and engaging with others when he has a desire to. His directness can be jarring, and I expect that it will be misinterpreted as rudeness or irritation by those entirely unfamiliar with his culture, but he remains a good and effective communicator who notices when his demeanour is ill-received and addresses it accordingly. He is completely loyal to his friends, describing a close relationship to two others in the 101st from his homeplanet, one of whom saved the other’s life during the retaking of Savonia from coalition forces - which he feels he owes them a debt for. Emotionally speaking, Aleks is a normal - if highly self-regulated - person, who keeps a good and clear professional distance from the moral aspects of his work, without ignoring or denying them entirely. He has a general preference for getting on with work when he’s working, and leaving it for later when he isn’t - which I don’t think I have to say is not abnormal.

In conclusion, Ssg Danielsson is a well adjusted and highly mentally capable soldier, about whom I have no particular concerns, and for whom I wish a long and storied career. I closed our appointment by congratulating him on his recent promotion to Staff Sergeant, and wished him a pleasant day.

Personal Record: Aleksanderin Gabrys Danielsson was born on the planet Savonia - known to his own people as Savolax - within the territory of the Kingdom of Kalmar, an area of space settled many hundreds of years ago by an exodus of settlers from Scandinavia and Central Europe, along with a few others who merely thought they had heritage there. Aleksanderin himself is a descendant of the former, and grew up in a small, rural, semi-nomadic community of hunter foragers, whose business was primarily in mega-pest control and supplying the permanent communities on Savonia with the resulting hunted goods, as well as any valuable forage found in the process.

Aleksanderin was the fourth born child in a family of seven sons and four daughters, between a communal relationship of about six parents - the seventh of which was often coming and going, having more business than the others in the city. They were close knit, not just between each other but also with the other large families of their wider community, and it was fertile ground for the development of a unique cultural identity - hence their own name for the homeworld, Savolax, and hence their own unique language distinct even from Savonian.

His first time using the exosuits necessary for carrying and wielding the 50mm ‘rifles’ required for this line of work was when he was 14, and he took to it more or less like a natural - which is to be expected when it’s been the family business for long enough that it could have been an heirloom. For the next three years he went out regularly with his fathers and mothers, tracking, trailing, hunting, and killing beasts that were sometimes as much as a hundred times his own weight and size.

The work took them around the planet fairly extensively, and the general terrain of the northern hemisphere of Savonia quickly became well known to Aleksanderin and his family - but while he took to the work with great ability and aptitude, he ultimately found it to be poorly rewarding, and although he got on well with his family he couldn’t deny that the life was socially isolating. At the age of 17 he decided, after consulting with his council of parents, to apply for military service with the Krone Kalmar - the central government, or ‘Crown of Kalmar’ as they preferred to be known. In truth the Crown itself carried very little responsibility, being seen mostly as eccentric figureheads whose power was actually wielded by devolved and local authorities - but they nonetheless maintained a small standing army of their own, which held a pioneering force of Mekajageren, light, highly mobile, ranger infantry, known for utilising the very same exosuits the Savolax people used to hunt megafauna with.

Although at this point, the Kalmar state was nominally independent from either the UEE or the burgeoning Coalition - indeed, it did extensive business with both of them, trading resources for liquid finances and specialised hardware it could not manufacture alone - they did lean very slightly one way, and that meant that when the Krone Kalmar decided to set up a military exchange programme, it was with the UEE and not the Coalition. This would later prove to be the first factor that determined the Coalition’s eventual decision to invade, but far from the only one.

Aleksanderin was young and enthusiastic, at this point in his life, and was already very familiar with the tactics and equipment of the Mekajageren, so he was naturally among the first volunteers to travel away from Savonia and to the heartland of the UEE for ‘practical knowledge exchange’ and ‘adivsory liaison’ with their own infantry corps. While there, he was essentially poached from the Krone Kalmar along with several of his other promising classmates, and subsequently put through the selection process for the UEE Special Recon Group - a highly trained and extremely dangerous special forces section of the Infantry Corps. Although it was certainly a change of pace from his normal life, the pay was a little better and it would entail more interesting travel, so Aleks leapt at the opportunity and - just barely - made it through selection at the age of 19. It was the hardest thing he’d ever done, and the first time in his life that his physical fitness had been truly below standards - but the Savolax experience with camouflage and concealment coupled with the culture of marksmanship and prey stalking he’d come from made him a promising and easily recognised choice for recruitment, alongside the other boys and girls from Savonia.
During his time with the SRG, Aleksanderin was eventually selected to pilot an Ultralight MAS based on his prior experience with weaponised exosuits, and during this time continued to prove himself as a capable and level headed soldier - even despite the sudden change from a peacetime footing to a wartime one, and his engagement in active operations against Coalition forces - which, coincidentally, was another factor in the Coalition’s decision to consider Kalmar a hostile entity and launch an invasion, though again not the final straw.

For a few years, things went well with the SRG - apart from his friends dying, being constantly on the lookout for countersnipers, and having to consider the fact that in a straight fight with a full sized class of MAS he’d quite likely be literally bisected if he took even a single hit, of course.

Which is what almost happened, and how he lost his arms.

They’d been tracking the enemy for two weeks, following them through the dense woods and wide pastures of Petos-9’s temperate band, waiting to see if they were going to lead the SRG platoon to their MAS camp - since a vital component of destroying it would be knowing where it was, and the orbital cameras hadn’t been able to suss out where this particular pack of mechs was keeping nest. To cut a potentially long and painful story short, the hunters became the hunted, and against the full weight of a regular Coalition MAS patrol, the recon section was more or less totally crumbled without issue. During the fighting, Aleks ended up going one on one with a Draugar-MK1 light patrol mech, and although his own FTX-Yeoman Ultralight was a significantly more manoeuvrable piece of kit, he ended up taking a serious blow from the enemy, and when he then tried to reach for and level his sidearm at the enemy, he realised that the arm he’d reached with was no longer a part of his body. Instead, it was lying a fair distance away on the ground, still bleeding from within the mangled cage of armour that had been meant to protect it.

It was a hell of a shock. Aleks took it well, seeing it mostly as a particularly severe and unique inconvenience, and worrying mostly that his newfound manual deprivation would see him done in by the Draugar - but in truth, arm or no arm, it was not a fight he could have won, and with the SRG having been scattered by the enemy ambush he also had nobody to depend on for support either.

What the Coalition had failed to account for in their little turn of the tables was that in a forest as dense as those that they were operating in, even a light-class MAS would be left with scant room to move fast - but an Ultralight would face no such issue. In a straight fight of any sort, like Aleks had mistakenly tried to engage in, there was only one outcome - and it was fatal - but there was no way that the enemy could follow him at speed through the trees.

So as the Draugar spooled up its autocannon for a final salvo, Aleks switched on the emergency chemical fuel boosters, slammed the throttle of his main thruster array up past their safety limits, and shot off into the foliage just as the Coalition MAS let off the first round. He darted between trees, breaking line of sight wherever he could, taking cover from hostile pursuit whenever there was a tree big enough to reliably hide behind - and even though he still ended up losing the lowest third of his right leg to a lucky shot from the enemy’s autocannon, his act of reasonable cowardice ended up paying off and he managed to lose the Draugar in his tracks.

He passed out halfway through trying to apply the second tourniquet, and woke up a couple days later in a field hospital, with even less limb left than he remembered, and a spooky looking official in a charcoal suit standing at the end of his bed, giving him that government-agent smile and wishing him well.

The G-man in the ill fitting suit was there to offer him the opportunity of a lifetime. Give up his remaining arm and consent to a new set of shiny metal ones at the expense of the state, and get to pilot an experimental new tactile-interface light-chassis MAS using them, and be transferred to the 101st Legion to use it. The rest of the story from there is just 18 or so years of history, until he ended up striking a friendship with the very man he’d been surreptitiously asked to keep an eye on - a soldier named Jakunta - and then fought in the liberation of his own homeworld.

The final straw for the Coalition, regarding their diplomatic stance towards the technically-neutral Kingdom of Kalmar, was actually nothing more than rumour - the rumour being that the King of Kalmar, Karolus Valdemar, was planning to declare a trade embargo towards the Coalition on vital supplies such as Savonite. That rumour, made more credible by existing military liaisons between the Krone Kalmar and the UEE, then doubly so by the UEE’s recruitment of Kalmarian volunteers, was the blow that struck the primer, and fired the first shot in what would eventually become known as the Savonite Flashpoint.

Aleksanderin and Jakunta, being both friends and citizens of Savonia in particular, were chosen to go in with other select elements of the 101st Legion in order to assist with the liberation of the planet after it fell into Coalition hands. The campaign would not last long, but would exact a devastating toll on both his homeplanet and on the Coalition, as conventional MAS warfare began to flag in the face of homegrown resistance movements, emboldened by the arrival of the 101st and the unconventional tactics they employed.

A defining moment of the war for Aleksanderin was his chance finding of a Coalition MAS camp, located on a little peak on the tundra, isolated from reinforcements and clearly meant as some sort of rapid reaction force. He could count eight MAS units visible, stood up and ready for action, plus a few tents for support staff and logistics, all protected by two deflector screen generators.

In a brief episode of what a psychiatrist would later ask him about with great concern, Aleksander calmly identified a good piece of cover, from which he could clearly see and fire upon the shield generators, the MAS units and their cockpits, and the logistics tents. Then he set about preparing his ammunition. Three magazines total, each containing six rounds; the first magazine was loaded to fire two shots of FAEMST - Fin-Actuated Electro Magnetic Savonite Tip - which were to bypass the shield array and destroy each generator in turn. The rest of the first magazine contained high explosive rounds, which were going to be aimed at the logistics tents. Both of the remaining magazines contained Armour Piercing High Explosive Capped rounds, for use against MAS - whether they got up and running, or were going to be put down in their beds.

Aleksanderin fired accurately and without delay, and by the time the enemy’s base shields had collapsed, the next four rounds were almost on target, killing half the pilots and most of their technical support in one fell swoop as they sat down to dinner. The other pilots scrambled to their craft, but for the most part were caught by fire as they entered the cockpits, often destroying the MAS completely as it was essentially shot through the open door when they were getting in. Two enemy suits were able to reach combat ready status, but Aleksanderin had anticipated his firing hide being traced, and used his Tesla drive, in concordance with his Stealth Drive, to reposition. When the Coalition MAS made it to his hiding spot, he was ready and waiting with his sights set on them from a secondary hide, and they were dispatched in fairly short order. After that it was just a matter of affixing his bayonet, and commencing the search for survivors to take as prisoners.

The rest of the fight for Savonia was a great and bloody slog, with very little to demarcate one fight from the next, apart from the eventual discovery that Jakunta’s mech had been commandeered by approximately half a pint of precocious child. Sensing that this was unusual, Aleksander made contact with Jakunta to confirm the situation, and ended up feeding the girl targeting information in order to make sure that both her and his best mate survived the battle. The rest of the 101st elements present were chiefly responsible for carrying the weight of the fight at that point, but it would be unjust to downplay the importance of the role that Abigail Harlow had played - and once the planet was liberated, she was accordingly awarded a place in the academy for it, on both Jakunta and Aleksanderin’s recommendations.

A few years have passed since then, and now the trio are an integral part of the 101st Legion’s thoroughly bizarre, literally cosmopolitan culture.

Equipment: Apart from the standard SERE kit provided to all MAS pilots - which typically contains limited rations, a knife, a firestarter, an IFF-SOS transponder, and a sidearm - Aleks keeps a number of quality coffee teabags, a miniaturised jetboil for heating water, an extra tin of camouflage paint, and about 30m of thin paracord. Aleks has also replaced the standard issue carbon fiber knife with one made of a Boron Steel-Savonite alloy, containing a small flashlight in the hilt which is recharged through general movement and use of the knife via an internal spherical dynamo interacting with the natural magnetism of the savonite content of the knife blade.

MAS Profile

Appearance:

Your MAS's appearance. In this case, an image would be more appealing than text, and a combination of image and text can be used.

Designation: P-TSCSA ‘Yeoman-2’

Role: Scout-Sniper/Precision Artillery

Chassis: Light

Description: The Yeoman-2 is a Prototype TSCC-SA System - meaning Tactical-Sensory-Complex Control Sniper Artillery weapons system and platform. It has been designed with the intention that, if successful, it will become the blueprint for future generations of high combat-liability ultraflexible mechs; the mech is controlled through a direct interface with an extensive suit of cybernetics installed directly into the pilot’s body, allowing for intuitive control by intention and taking advantage of extrapyramidal nervous pathways and reflex arcs within the pilot’s own body in order to boost response times and physical flexibility well beyond what most MAS units are capable of through traditional control mechanisms. A full series of TSCC type units has been produced and are now undergoing combat tests, piloted by hand selected operatives whose personal abilities fell into the top fifth percentile of all active duty combat operators, and who had either sustained injuries or otherwise had cybernetics suites installed that marked them as good candidates for surgery, with regards to immune response and good somatointegration.

This particular model of the TSCC line, the Sniper Artillery MAS - also designated as Yeoman-2, after the model of ultralight MAS its first pilot lost his arm using - has been designed to act as a long range, highly mobile, high lethality scout-sniper; the MAS unit is equipped with a full suite of standard thrusters in order to affect rapid repositioning after delivery of payload, plus a Starbruck-Oselementa Repraglaz-18 molecular stealth drive in order to maintain concealment during and after the process.

Systems:

• L8A6 ‘Longbow’ .312M Rifled Gun (PRIMARY)
  
  • Essentially the illogical conclusion of applying infantry anti-materiel rifles to the scale and operational remit of a Light MAS weapons platform, the Longbow is a 312mm artillery piece designed to be wielded like a rifle, and includes a 6 round detachable box magazine that can be topped up from the breech, as well as a highly reinforced frame and bayonet mount to afford the user some ability in close quarters combat should the need arise. The Longbow is a gas operated semi-automatic weapon with a relatively long cycle, but can have its piston restricted in order to seal the barrel and prevent the function of this mechanism, which then requires the manual operation of the bolt to cycle the weapon, ejecting the expended shell and introducing a new round to the firing chamber of the Longbow’s receiver assembly - effectively meaning that the Longbow can be toggled between bolt action and gas-operated semi-auto. The Longbow is also capable of firing a broad variety of different types of munition, from high explosive and/or airburst anti-infantry rounds, to armour piercing high explosive rounds, to sub-caliber armour piercing fin stabilised rounds. Indeed, if fed sensory data from a scout craft, the Longbow could also theoretically be used as a true artillery piece to provide indirect fire, rather than in its traditional role as an oversized sniper rifle-MAS killer.
• Carpathia-Ruthenia 101 Phase Linked Energy Burst System (PLEBS) twin shoulder mounted lasers (PRIMARY)
  
  • A pair of highly mobile beam laser weapons, mounted on short mechanical arms attached to the main body of the mech just behind the shoulder joints, which are based closely on common point defence designs and have some shared purpose with such systems. These weapons have been up-sized from the standard point defence designs however, and can also be used as a direct fire anti-armour weapon, albeit at fairly limited range in-atmosphere due to the dispersal effects of high intensity short wavelength laser systems in a gaseous environment. The arms upon which the weapon bodies are mounted are usually kept closely tucked in against the mech body, and a gimbal system at the end of each arm is used for forwards-facing aim, enabling them to be used as a point defence system in a pinch.
• Kalmar Arms Titanium-Savonite alloy Bayonet (SECONDARY)
  
  • A 1.6m long sharpened piece of Titanosavonite typically kept in a holster on the mech’s chest, but which can also be fitted to a mount on the end of the Longbow rifle for use as a true bayonet. The handle of the dagger, not unlike the miniature version wielded by the pilot on foot, contains a spherical dynamo system which is powered by movement of the weapon itself - especially large swings or thrusts when attached to the Longbow - however this mechanism is not capable of maintaining a charge and has no battery attached to it. Instead, it feeds current directly into a pure savonite circuit within the blade of the weapon itself, generating a small but incredibly powerful electromagnetic field when thrust or slashed with. Most MAS unit components are well protected from EMP effects, of course, but the true purpose of this addition to the bayonet is to disrupt and neutralise energy shields so that the knife can strike home true and penetrate the armour of the target.
• Starbruck-Oselementa Repraglaz-18 Molecular Stealth Drive (AUXILIARY)
  
  • A spectacularly complicated piece of equipment that is best described as a plentitude of different systems installed throughout the body of the Yeoman-2, the Repraglaz can completely neutralise almost every signature and emission produced by the Yeoman-2 other than its visual appearance, rendering it more or less totally undetectable outside of visual range, until its weapons systems engage and it opens fire. The Repraglaz drive can also be activated during flight, but when at full throttle can only dampen flight signatures.
• Jageropta Advanced Ballistics Tracking Package (AUXILIARY)
  
  • Unlike most targeting software suites, the Jageropta Package is more or less useless to a pilot that hasn’t trained extensively with it - not only because it is complicated and requires extensive training, but because it is equipped with several deep learning processes that directly complement the markman’s skill profile, weapon and munition of choice, intended target, and in some cases even overall intention. There is no projected shot path, in favour of supplying the organic user with more raw information to inform their decisions - indeed, the user is king with the Jageropta, and while this harshens the learning curve, it raises the performance ceiling by that much more.
• Redherring Countermeasure Suite (AUXILIARY - COUNTERMEASURES)
  
  • A more or less standard suite of flares, chaff, thermal masking aerosols designed to operate in conjunction with the stealth suite, and heavy metal dispersal systems to confuse radar. While standard automatic activation protocols are in place, each element of the system can also be activated manually at varying response levels - for example, a single flare for signalling purposes.

Falling Skies: Reboot (Mecha, Space Opera)

Pilot Profile

Appearance:

Name: Danielsson, Aleksanderin Gabrys
Age: 39
Callsign: Deadeye
Kills: 92

Psychological Analysis:

Psych Report - Dr. Olaf Melitta

Ssg. Danielsson was referred to me for a routine psychological evaluation, shortly after the events of the occupation of Savonia, and his participation in its liberation. I had not at this point met with the Ssg. before, and took to reviewing his existing records eagerly once his case arrived in my inbox. From this point onwards I will address the Sgt. by his name, Aleks.

Aleks has had three previous psychological evaluations with the service - one at his time of recruitment, two as routine affairs - and at each point our findings have been more or less the same, with no more than the expected variance due to individual development and personality evolution. Aleks is an intelligent and perceptive man, with a slightly blunted affect - meaning outwards display of emotion - and an apparently cold, professional demeanour. When he speaks he has a tendency to be quite direct with his words, which has come off as confrontational more than once, and he does not enjoy small talk; these characteristics initially prompted an assessment for neurodivergent developmental disorders, however the concerns were dismissed after he returned normal results, and his demeanour was explained as a cultural quirk from his homeplanet of Savonia - which I note he refers to as Savolax. Other than this his psychiatric history is nil, barring one bizarre conversation he had during his second review, regarding his feelings about his work with the Special Reconnaissance Group. Attached is an audio transcript from one of his appointments regarding the matter.

Transcript: E-3-AGD SRG - Dr. Jennings

JENNINGS: Begin recording. The date is (redacted), time is 1842 hours. Good evening, Mr. Danielsson, thank you for agreeing to such a late appointment.

DANIELSSON: No problem. Good evening.

J: This is just a follow up on one of the routine appointments we offer to troops in high stress roles, so I want you to know that we’re not putting your fitness to serve or your mental state under consideration today, we’re mostly just checking in.

D: Yes, I understand.

J: Grand. Everything went well the last time we spoke, as you know, and I was very glad to hear that you’ve not been having any problems with your mood or your sleep, or anything like that. Has any of that changed in the time between then and now?

D: No.

J: Also good, thank you. There was really only one thing I really wanted to clarify - last time we talked about your feelings about your job, and how you’ve sometimes been required to use your weapon at extreme distance, which has involved fatally injuring enemy troops from a range at which they could not feasibly detect you, or indeed fight back.

D: Yes.

J: I wondered at the time if that might be causing you some stress, or an upset - many marksmen and snipers often find that there is a moral difference, when the enemy cannot effectively fight back; in short, even despite long periods of specialised training they find themselves considering their actions to be murder rather than combat, and this has led to a lot of problems for them.

D: I am familiar.

J: With the feeling?

D: Well, no. The problems.

J: Could you tell me more about what you mean?

D: Yes. I have known soldiers who have experienced these problems, not only with our work from long range, but with any act of serious violence. Training can do a lot for your readiness, but it is often still hard for them, and many struggle a great deal with the work.

J: Have you ever had these problems yourself?

D: No. If I were much younger, or less familiar with the concept, I would struggle - but I grew up hunting.

J: I see.

(There are faint sounds of scribbling - pen on paper, note taking, records being made even beyond the tape itself)

J: How do you view your comrades who have these problems?

D: I feel for them. It is very obvious to anyone who knows them that they are in a great deal of pain, that they are angry at something - often themselves. Sometimes they will lash out over nothing, or spend a lot of time by themselves when they never used to.

J: Would you say they are good people?

D: Yes. Of course.

J: Is it because of their reaction?

D: Not always.

J: I know some people who would consider this sort of reaction to be a mark of personal weakness - or that they are unfit to fight. What do you think about it?

D: It’s complicated, but I would never say that this is a weakness. Maybe some of them are not in the right job, but that’s not to say they are bad at it, and I would not call PTSD weakness.

J: Of course. Thank you. Do you consider yourself a good person?

D: I… yes? I think so. Not really for me to say. Why do you ask?

J: Well, the last time we spoke, you expressed that fighting as part of the SRG did not bother you.

D: It’s a job.

J: Exactly. I also asked about the killing, and the emotional difficulties we’ve just discussed, and you told me that this also wasn’t a problem for you. I’m just trying to ascertain why.

D: Is it a concern for you?
J: Not necessarily, not for me personally I wouldn’t say, no - though some people might find it strange, disturbing even, that you seem to be able to kill people like this without emotional impact.

D: Right.

J: Alright, let’s just approach it more directly - why do you think it doesn’t bother you?

(another pause, lasting eleven seconds, without additional sounds in the background)

D: That’s a good question. It’s probably because of how I was brought up.

J: How do you mean?

D: It’s nothing worrying, doctor. My family were very loving and supportive of me, I had a few close friends but no trouble with anyone else that you wouldn’t expect, I was a good kid and I grew into an ok man. Where I come from there is just a lot of dangerous wildlife, and we made a living out of hunting it.

J: I… see. Do you look at your targets as animals?

D: No. They are people, and I treat them differently in my mind - but I am also used to shooting at things that are incredibly dangerous and will kill you very quickly if they get close or see you before you see them. I treat the people I fight with respect, and of course there is nothing to admire about hurting them, but this way of thinking still applies. If they knew where we were, or got close, things would be different.

J: Ok. That does explain it, I think. Thank you. And how is it you cope with stress?

D: I spend time on my own or with a few friends to relax. Sometimes I go out with others to a bar or a club, I drink, maybe smoke. I like to listen to music, sometimes I- huh, heh, I uh, I draw things, like flowers I’ve seen on duty while in a hide.

J: Alright, that’s- that’s fine. I’m glad to hear that you’re doing well, Aleks, I don’t think I have any further questions for you just now. Thank you very much for talking with me today, I hope I haven’t kept you from anything important.

D: No, I was free.

(a chair scrapes briefly against the floor, and there is a sound like skin meeting skin - identifiably a handshake)

J: Great. I’ll see you again next time, Aleks, have a nice evening.

D: You also.

(footsteps, receding, then the opening and closing of a door)

J: Well, that’s all good then. End audio recording, the time is-

Aside from the obvious concerns the service originally had about Aleks’ ability to empathise, there was one further concern addressed later on by a senior NCO who had been partially responsible for Aleks’ command - specifically that Aleks’ seemed to believe in ghosts, and had at one point attempted to communicate with them by means of what I understand to be a local variation on the classical Oujia board. This caused some alarm for the officers supervising Aleks, who were - I believe - overvigilant of any signs of mental instability in their charge. I attach a transcript of their interview with him.

E-3-AGD SRG - Cpt. Randall, Lt. Oyewatusin, Ssg. Keynes

RANDALL: Begin audio recording. Present are Lieutenant Richard Oyewatusin, Staff Sergeant Harriet Keynes, and myself, Captain Peter Randall. Being interviewed is Sergeant Aleksanderin Danielsson. Sergeant, are you aware of the reason for your being here today?

DANIELSSON: Yes sir.

RANDALL: Could you explain your understanding of it?

DANIELSSON: Lieutenant Oyewatusin and Staff Sergeant Keynes are disturbed by my recreational use of a spirit board.

OYEWATUSIN: It is a little more than that, sergeant.

KEYNES: Messing about with a ouija board with some pals is one thing, popping off alone into the woods on your night off to do it is really quite another.

R: It does raise some questions, sergeant. For one thing, why leave the base? Why go somewhere so rural? You were gone for forty two hours.

D: The signal is better.

K: Of course it is.

R: And there’s also the question of just what you tend to receive as replies to your… broadcasts.

D: Respectfully, sir, you don’t know what you’re talking about.

R: Enlighten me.

(There is a short period of silence, before some quiet movement as Sgt. Danielsson sits forward in his chair)

D: My family and I spent a lot of time alone on mountainsides and ice floes, in the wilderness, when I was young. Long hunts across all types of terrain. Not much talking. Our whole culture is like this. I am not particularly religious or spiritual, but many of our people seek the company of the dead when they find themselves alone - especially if they have lost relatives, or need advice.

O: Right.

K: Right.

D: I can see you are concerned. But this is my business.

R: You’re in the army. That makes this army business, Sergeant.

(Another pause in the conversation, tension bristling almost enough for the mic to actually pick it up)

R: Sergeant, is there any history of schizophrenia or other similar psychotic disorders that runs in your family?

D: No sir.

R: Have you been assessed for any such disorders yourself?

D: No sir. I attend routine evaluations, as I am instructed to.

R: Alright, well we’ll get a shrink’s opinion on you after this. What about drugs?

D: I take what I’m prescribed, when it is prescribed, for as long as it is prescribed, in the manner it is prescribed. I also enjoy beer and vodka socially. Sometimes I smoke.

R: Hm.

O: Sergeant, do you believe in ghosts, spirits, or the paranormal?

D: I must ask why this is your business, sir.

O: Answer the question.

D: With respect, I cannot understand the relevance of the question.

O: I am concerned that you have difficulty establishing boundaries between mythology and reality. This line of questioning aims to establish the risk, and assess it. Answer the question.

D: Ok. I don’t know.

O: You don’t know?

D: I don’t know.

O: Elaborate, please.

D: I don’t know if I believe in ghosts or if I do not.

O: Have you ever seen one?

D: No.

O: How come you don’t know?

D: I find ghost stories interesting. I read them online, see which ones I think are the most authentic. I listen to some podcasts.

K: Sergeant, sorry for interrupting, but I thought you said this was a cultural practice you were engaging in? Is it normal cultural practice to consume paranormal themed media?

D: No. I came back to the cultural practice because of things I read online. I had not tried this for many years before now.

O: You did this out of curiosity?

D: Because I was bored. So yes.

R: Sergeant, are you telling me that you took a bus to the middle of nowhere and hiked almost a full day into the middle of the woods, in rough terrain, in order to go ghost hunting using elements of an ancestor-worship religion you haven’t engaged in for years… because you were bored?

D: Yes.

(an awkward silence ensues)

O: But you’ve never seen a ghost? No… hallucinations, or anything?

D: None, sir.

K: Why not just, I don’t know, watch one of those ghost hunting shows?

D: I do sometimes, but they get old quickly.

R: Alright, I think most of the worries here were that you had… I don’t know, some sort of serious problem. I think we may have jumped the gun a little here, don’t you think, Lieutenant? Staff Sergeant?

O: I- uh, yes. Yes sir.

K: We were still given cause for concern, sir, by the sergeant’s sudden and unexplained disappearance.

D: I was on short leave. Not on duty.

K: How were we supposed to get ahold of you if we needed you, Danielsson?

D: I had my phone.

K: And failed to answer it. Nobody knew where you were, on top of that.

R: Right. Thank you both, Lieutenant, Staff, that’s all we need from you today, I’ll handle things from here.

(there is some general noise and mumbled dismissals, as the Lt and the Ssg are dismissed)

R: Staff had some points there. Far be it from me to interfere with the personal beliefs and practices of the troops, but the next time you do something like this I want you to consider doing it on-base, or at least let someone know where you’re going and clear it with us in advance. I’m also going to arrange a psychiatric assessment for you, just to be absolutely sure, and to finish ticking boxes. And you’ll keep an eye on that bloody phone of yours.

D: I understand, sir. Thank you, sir.

(another brief pause)

R: Did you get anything back?

D: From… the board?

R: Yes.

D: I… don’t think so.

R: Huh. (a long pause, without the tension from before) You don’t sound sure.

D: It was probably my imagination.

R: I see. You gonna try again?

D: (a sniff, a pause) Maybe. I don’t know.

R: Indeed. Alright, Danielsson. Dismissed. End audio recording, time is-

Aleks was given an assessment shortly thereafter, scored low or nil in all relevant risk categories, and was dismissed from psychiatric assessment thereafter.

My own impressions of Aleks are that he is a reasonable and pleasant individual, who tends towards more reserved personal behaviours and often keeps to himself, but who has no trouble being friendly and engaging with others when he has a desire to. His directness can be jarring, and I expect that it will be misinterpreted as rudeness or irritation by those entirely unfamiliar with his culture, but he remains a good and effective communicator who notices when his demeanour is ill-received and addresses it accordingly. He is completely loyal to his friends, describing a close relationship to two others in the 101st from his homeplanet, one of whom saved the other’s life during the retaking of Savonia from coalition forces - which he feels he owes them a debt for. Emotionally speaking, Aleks is a normal - if highly self-regulated - person, who keeps a good and clear professional distance from the moral aspects of his work, without ignoring or denying them entirely. He has a general preference for getting on with work when he’s working, and leaving it for later when he isn’t - which I don’t think I have to say is not abnormal.

In conclusion, Ssg Danielsson is a well adjusted and highly mentally capable soldier, about whom I have no particular concerns, and for whom I wish a long and storied career. I closed our appointment by congratulating him on his recent promotion to Staff Sergeant, and wished him a pleasant day.

Personal Record: Aleksanderin Gabrys Danielsson was born on the planet Savonia - known to his own people as Savolax - within the territory of the Kingdom of Kalmar, an area of space settled many hundreds of years ago by an exodus of settlers from Scandinavia and Central Europe, along with a few others who merely thought they had heritage there. Aleksanderin himself is a descendant of the former, and grew up in a small, rural, semi-nomadic community of hunter foragers, whose business was primarily in mega-pest control and supplying the permanent communities on Savonia with the resulting hunted goods, as well as any valuable forage found in the process.

Aleksanderin was the fourth born child in a family of seven sons and four daughters, between a communal relationship of about six parents - the seventh of which was often coming and going, having more business than the others in the city. They were close knit, not just between each other but also with the other large families of their wider community, and it was fertile ground for the development of a unique cultural identity - hence their own name for the homeworld, Savolax, and hence their own unique language distinct even from Savonian.

His first time using the exosuits necessary for carrying and wielding the 50mm ‘rifles’ required for this line of work was when he was 14, and he took to it more or less like a natural - which is to be expected when it’s been the family business for long enough that it could have been an heirloom. For the next three years he went out regularly with his fathers and mothers, tracking, trailing, hunting, and killing beasts that were sometimes as much as a hundred times his own weight and size.

The work took them around the planet fairly extensively, and the general terrain of the northern hemisphere of Savonia quickly became well known to Aleksanderin and his family - but while he took to the work with great ability and aptitude, he ultimately found it to be poorly rewarding, and although he got on well with his family he couldn’t deny that the life was socially isolating. At the age of 17 he decided, after consulting with his council of parents, to apply for military service with the Krone Kalmar - the central government, or ‘Crown of Kalmar’ as they preferred to be known. In truth the Crown itself carried very little responsibility, being seen mostly as eccentric figureheads whose power was actually wielded by devolved and local authorities - but they nonetheless maintained a small standing army of their own, which held a pioneering force of Mekajageren, light, highly mobile, ranger infantry, known for utilising the very same exosuits the Savolax people used to hunt megafauna with.

Although at this point, the Kalmar state was nominally independent from either the UEE or the burgeoning Coalition - indeed, it did extensive business with both of them, trading resources for liquid finances and specialised hardware it could not manufacture alone - they did lean very slightly one way, and that meant that when the Krone Kalmar decided to set up a military exchange programme, it was with the UEE and not the Coalition. This would later prove to be the first factor that determined the Coalition’s eventual decision to invade, but far from the only one.

Aleksanderin was young and enthusiastic, at this point in his life, and was already very familiar with the tactics and equipment of the Mekajageren, so he was naturally among the first volunteers to travel away from Savonia and to the heartland of the UEE for ‘practical knowledge exchange’ and ‘adivsory liaison’ with their own infantry corps. While there, he was essentially poached from the Krone Kalmar along with several of his other promising classmates, and subsequently put through the selection process for the UEE Special Recon Group - a highly trained and extremely dangerous special forces section of the Infantry Corps. Although it was certainly a change of pace from his normal life, the pay was a little better and it would entail more interesting travel, so Aleks leapt at the opportunity and - just barely - made it through selection at the age of 19. It was the hardest thing he’d ever done, and the first time in his life that his physical fitness had been truly below standards - but the Savolax experience with camouflage and concealment coupled with the culture of marksmanship and prey stalking he’d come from made him a promising and easily recognised choice for recruitment, alongside the other boys and girls from Savonia.
During his time with the SRG, Aleksanderin was eventually selected to pilot an Ultralight MAS based on his prior experience with weaponised exosuits, and during this time continued to prove himself as a capable and level headed soldier - even despite the sudden change from a peacetime footing to a wartime one, and his engagement in active operations against Coalition forces - which, coincidentally, was another factor in the Coalition’s decision to consider Kalmar a hostile entity and launch an invasion, though again not the final straw.

For a few years, things went well with the SRG - apart from his friends dying, being constantly on the lookout for countersnipers, and having to consider the fact that in a straight fight with a full sized class of MAS he’d quite likely be literally bisected if he took even a single hit, of course.

Which is what almost happened, and how he lost his arms.

They’d been tracking the enemy for two weeks, following them through the dense woods and wide pastures of Petos-9’s temperate band, waiting to see if they were going to lead the SRG platoon to their MAS camp - since a vital component of destroying it would be knowing where it was, and the orbital cameras hadn’t been able to suss out where this particular pack of mechs was keeping nest. To cut a potentially long and painful story short, the hunters became the hunted, and against the full weight of a regular Coalition MAS patrol, the recon section was more or less totally crumbled without issue. During the fighting, Aleks ended up going one on one with a Draugar-MK1 light patrol mech, and although his own FTX-Yeoman Ultralight was a significantly more manoeuvrable piece of kit, he ended up taking a serious blow from the enemy, and when he then tried to reach for and level his sidearm at the enemy, he realised that the arm he’d reached with was no longer a part of his body. Instead, it was lying a fair distance away on the ground, still bleeding from within the mangled cage of armour that had been meant to protect it.

It was a hell of a shock. Aleks took it well, seeing it mostly as a particularly severe and unique inconvenience, and worrying mostly that his newfound manual deprivation would see him done in by the Draugar - but in truth, arm or no arm, it was not a fight he could have won, and with the SRG having been scattered by the enemy ambush he also had nobody to depend on for support either.

What the Coalition had failed to account for in their little turn of the tables was that in a forest as dense as those that they were operating in, even a light-class MAS would be left with scant room to move fast - but an Ultralight would face no such issue. In a straight fight of any sort, like Aleks had mistakenly tried to engage in, there was only one outcome - and it was fatal - but there was no way that the enemy could follow him at speed through the trees.

So as the Draugar spooled up its autocannon for a final salvo, Aleks switched on the emergency chemical fuel boosters, slammed the throttle of his main thruster array up past their safety limits, and shot off into the foliage just as the Coalition MAS let off the first round. He darted between trees, breaking line of sight wherever he could, taking cover from hostile pursuit whenever there was a tree big enough to reliably hide behind - and even though he still ended up losing the lowest third of his right leg to a lucky shot from the enemy’s autocannon, his act of reasonable cowardice ended up paying off and he managed to lose the Draugar in his tracks.

He passed out halfway through trying to apply the second tourniquet, and woke up a couple days later in a field hospital, with even less limb left than he remembered, and a spooky looking official in a charcoal suit standing at the end of his bed, giving him that government-agent smile and wishing him well.

The G-man in the ill fitting suit was there to offer him the opportunity of a lifetime. Give up his remaining arm and consent to a new set of shiny metal ones at the expense of the state, and get to pilot an experimental new tactile-interface light-chassis MAS using them, and be transferred to the 101st Legion to use it. The rest of the story from there is just 18 or so years of history, until he ended up striking a friendship with the very man he’d been surreptitiously asked to keep an eye on - a soldier named Jakunta - and then fought in the liberation of his own homeworld.

The final straw for the Coalition, regarding their diplomatic stance towards the technically-neutral Kingdom of Kalmar, was actually nothing more than rumour - the rumour being that the King of Kalmar, Karolus Valdemar, was planning to declare a trade embargo towards the Coalition on vital supplies such as Savonite. That rumour, made more credible by existing military liaisons between the Krone Kalmar and the UEE, then doubly so by the UEE’s recruitment of Kalmarian volunteers, was the blow that struck the primer, and fired the first shot in what would eventually become known as the Savonite Flashpoint.

Aleksanderin and Jakunta, being both friends and citizens of Savonia in particular, were chosen to go in with other select elements of the 101st Legion in order to assist with the liberation of the planet after it fell into Coalition hands. The campaign would not last long, but would exact a devastating toll on both his homeplanet and on the Coalition, as conventional MAS warfare began to flag in the face of homegrown resistance movements, emboldened by the arrival of the 101st and the unconventional tactics they employed.

A defining moment of the war for Aleksanderin was his chance finding of a Coalition MAS camp, located on a little peak on the tundra, isolated from reinforcements and clearly meant as some sort of rapid reaction force. He could count eight MAS units visible, stood up and ready for action, plus a few tents for support staff and logistics, all protected by two deflector screen generators.

In a brief episode of what a psychiatrist would later ask him about with great concern, Aleksander calmly identified a good piece of cover, from which he could clearly see and fire upon the shield generators, the MAS units and their cockpits, and the logistics tents. Then he set about preparing his ammunition. Three magazines total, each containing six rounds; the first magazine was loaded to fire two shots of FAEMST - Fin-Actuated Electro Magnetic Savonite Tip - which were to bypass the shield array and destroy each generator in turn. The rest of the first magazine contained high explosive rounds, which were going to be aimed at the logistics tents. Both of the remaining magazines contained Armour Piercing High Explosive Capped rounds, for use against MAS - whether they got up and running, or were going to be put down in their beds.

Aleksanderin fired accurately and without delay, and by the time the enemy’s base shields had collapsed, the next four rounds were almost on target, killing half the pilots and most of their technical support in one fell swoop as they sat down to dinner. The other pilots scrambled to their craft, but for the most part were caught by fire as they entered the cockpits, often destroying the MAS completely as it was essentially shot through the open door when they were getting in. Two enemy suits were able to reach combat ready status, but Aleksanderin had anticipated his firing hide being traced, and used his Tesla drive, in concordance with his Stealth Drive, to reposition. When the Coalition MAS made it to his hiding spot, he was ready and waiting with his sights set on them from a secondary hide, and they were dispatched in fairly short order. After that it was just a matter of affixing his bayonet, and commencing the search for survivors to take as prisoners.

The rest of the fight for Savonia was a great and bloody slog, with very little to demarcate one fight from the next, apart from the eventual discovery that Jakunta’s mech had been commandeered by approximately half a pint of precocious child. Sensing that this was unusual, Aleksander made contact with Jakunta to confirm the situation, and ended up feeding the girl targeting information in order to make sure that both her and his best mate survived the battle. The rest of the 101st elements present were chiefly responsible for carrying the weight of the fight at that point, but it would be unjust to downplay the importance of the role that Abigail Harlow had played - and once the planet was liberated, she was accordingly awarded a place in the academy for it, on both Jakunta and Aleksanderin’s recommendations.

A few years have passed since then, and now the trio are an integral part of the 101st Legion’s thoroughly bizarre, literally cosmopolitan culture.

Equipment: Apart from the standard SERE kit provided to all MAS pilots - which typically contains limited rations, a knife, a firestarter, an IFF-SOS transponder, and a sidearm - Aleks keeps a number of quality coffee teabags, a miniaturised jetboil for heating water, an extra tin of camouflage paint, and about 30m of thin paracord. Aleks has also replaced the standard issue carbon fiber knife with one made of a Boron Steel-Savonite alloy, containing a small flashlight in the hilt which is recharged through general movement and use of the knife via an internal spherical dynamo interacting with the natural magnetism of the savonite content of the knife blade.

MAS Profile

Appearance:

Your MAS's appearance. In this case, an image would be more appealing than text, and a combination of image and text can be used.

Designation: P-TSCSA ‘Yeoman-2’

Role: Scout-Sniper/Precision Artillery

Chassis: Light

Description: The Yeoman-2 is a Prototype TSCC-SA System - meaning Tactical-Sensory-Complex Control Sniper Artillery weapons system and platform. It has been designed with the intention that, if successful, it will become the blueprint for future generations of high combat-liability ultraflexible mechs; the mech is controlled through a direct interface with an extensive suit of cybernetics installed directly into the pilot’s body, allowing for intuitive control by intention and taking advantage of extrapyramidal nervous pathways and reflex arcs within the pilot’s own body in order to boost response times and physical flexibility well beyond what most MAS units are capable of through traditional control mechanisms. A full series of TSCC type units has been produced and are now undergoing combat tests, piloted by hand selected operatives whose personal abilities fell into the top fifth percentile of all active duty combat operators, and who had either sustained injuries or otherwise had cybernetics suites installed that marked them as good candidates for surgery, with regards to immune response and good somatointegration.

This particular model of the TSCC line, the Sniper Artillery MAS - also designated as Yeoman-2, after the model of ultralight MAS its first pilot lost his arm using - has been designed to act as a long range, highly mobile, high lethality scout-sniper; the MAS unit is equipped with a full suite of standard thrusters in order to affect rapid repositioning after delivery of payload, plus a Starbruck-Oselementa Repraglaz-18 molecular stealth drive in order to maintain concealment during and after the process.

Systems:

• L8A6 ‘Longbow’ .312M Rifled Gun (PRIMARY)
  
  • Essentially the illogical conclusion of applying infantry anti-materiel rifles to the scale and operational remit of a Light MAS weapons platform, the Longbow is a 312mm artillery piece designed to be wielded like a rifle, and includes a 6 round detachable box magazine that can be topped up from the breech, as well as a highly reinforced frame and bayonet mount to afford the user some ability in close quarters combat should the need arise. The Longbow is a gas operated semi-automatic weapon with a relatively long cycle, but can have its piston restricted in order to seal the barrel and prevent the function of this mechanism, which then requires the manual operation of the bolt to cycle the weapon, ejecting the expended shell and introducing a new round to the firing chamber of the Longbow’s receiver assembly - effectively meaning that the Longbow can be toggled between bolt action and gas-operated semi-auto. The Longbow is also capable of firing a broad variety of different types of munition, from high explosive and/or airburst anti-infantry rounds, to armour piercing high explosive rounds, to sub-caliber armour piercing fin stabilised rounds. Indeed, if fed sensory data from a scout craft, the Longbow could also theoretically be used as a true artillery piece to provide indirect fire, rather than in its traditional role as an oversized sniper rifle-MAS killer.
• Carpathia-Ruthenia 101 Phase Linked Energy Burst System (PLEBS) twin shoulder mounted lasers (PRIMARY)
  
  • A pair of highly mobile beam laser weapons, mounted on short mechanical arms attached to the main body of the mech just behind the shoulder joints, which are based closely on common point defence designs and have some shared purpose with such systems. These weapons have been up-sized from the standard point defence designs however, and can also be used as a direct fire anti-armour weapon, albeit at fairly limited range in-atmosphere due to the dispersal effects of high intensity short wavelength laser systems in a gaseous environment. The arms upon which the weapon bodies are mounted are usually kept closely tucked in against the mech body, and a gimbal system at the end of each arm is used for forwards-facing aim, enabling them to be used as a point defence system in a pinch.
• Kalmar Arms Titanium-Savonite alloy Bayonet (SECONDARY)
  
  • A 1.6m long sharpened piece of Titanosavonite typically kept in a holster on the mech’s chest, but which can also be fitted to a mount on the end of the Longbow rifle for use as a true bayonet. The handle of the dagger, not unlike the miniature version wielded by the pilot on foot, contains a spherical dynamo system which is powered by movement of the weapon itself - especially large swings or thrusts when attached to the Longbow - however this mechanism is not capable of maintaining a charge and has no battery attached to it. Instead, it feeds current directly into a pure savonite circuit within the blade of the weapon itself, generating a small but incredibly powerful electromagnetic field when thrust or slashed with. Most MAS unit components are well protected from EMP effects, of course, but the true purpose of this addition to the bayonet is to disrupt and neutralise energy shields so that the knife can strike home true and penetrate the armour of the target.
• Starbruck-Oselementa Repraglaz-18 Molecular Stealth Drive (AUXILIARY)
  
  • A spectacularly complicated piece of equipment that is best described as a plentitude of different systems installed throughout the body of the Yeoman-2, the Repraglaz can completely neutralise almost every signature and emission produced by the Yeoman-2 other than its visual appearance, rendering it more or less totally undetectable outside of visual range, until its weapons systems engage and it opens fire. The Repraglaz drive can also be activated during flight, but when at full throttle can only dampen flight signatures.
• Jageropta Advanced Ballistics Tracking Package (AUXILIARY)
  
  • Unlike most targeting software suites, the Jageropta Package is more or less useless to a pilot that hasn’t trained extensively with it - not only because it is complicated and requires extensive training, but because it is equipped with several deep learning processes that directly complement the markman’s skill profile, weapon and munition of choice, intended target, and in some cases even overall intention. There is no projected shot path, in favour of supplying the organic user with more raw information to inform their decisions - indeed, the user is king with the Jageropta, and while this harshens the learning curve, it raises the performance ceiling by that much more.
• Redherring Countermeasure Suite (AUXILIARY - COUNTERMEASURES)
  
  • A more or less standard suite of flares, chaff, thermal masking aerosols designed to operate in conjunction with the stealth suite, and heavy metal dispersal systems to confuse radar. While standard automatic activation protocols are in place, each element of the system can also be activated manually at varying response levels - for example, a single flare for signalling purposes.

Falling Skies: Reboot (Mecha, Space Opera)

@vietmyke Aye, as Stitches just said, this is actually my exam week at just the moment. Literally received our indicative content for the practical exams this morning and I'll likely be crunching study really hardcore for a while now. I'll try and add to my CS in the mean time when I'm on breaks and stuff, and in the end if you'd like me to upload the work in progress at any point then do let me know - but obviously until exams are over my hands are kinda tied.

Paradigm Shift: Agents of Fate

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Goodnight

The Chapel with Dr. Cassar

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When Dr. Cassar nodded this time, it was different. Much more like an approval. He relaxed a little more, and took a deep breath in, trying to decide on his words in the same way a craftsman would choose a tool.

"Ok. I think it's good that you are being careful to not dehumanise people, that's a good sign, I think. But like I said, I'm not really the best person for that kind of talk." He gave a shrug. "Thank you for sharing that though."

Then he turned to Angie.

"Ah. So you're the amateur miracle worker." He gave a big, broad, honest grin. "I knew there was magic involved when I took a look inside our friend and saw that there was a little garden growing around his injuries. I did have to, uh, fix some things - but the work you did is probably why he survived. It was a good thing you were there."

As Angie explained more about her situation, how she could still feel him bleeding underneath her hands, Cassar kept quiet, and kept looking at her, the concern on his face growing almost-imperceptibly.

"I know exactly what you mean. I've felt this way before too. If you'd like, we can talk about it one on one, later today or another time - but I want to say that even though it feels cold, looking back on things, you did the right thing by moving on from the people you already knew had passed away. Being able to prioritise patients is an incredibly valuable skill that even many practicing doctors can struggle with at times, so you did well reacting the way you did."

After a few more moments silence, Cassar cocked an eyebrow and turned to look at the most silent member of the team - a scarred, combat-worn Moroccan woman, quietly judging the entire party at once.

Which he seemed to take just a tiny bit of an issue with.

"Actually, Audrey, I've been thinking that you might have a lot of really relevant experience to the kind of thing we're talking about right now. I'm sure we would all benefit a lot from hearing about it - is there anything you'd like to talk about, or any thoughts you'd like to share?"

Paradigm Shift: Agents of Fate

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Goodnight

The Chapel with Dr. Cassar

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Again, Dr. Cassar sat and listened, first to Ellen and then to Angie. As Ellen spoke, as detached as she could make herself, Dr. Cassar regarded her with - for the first time in the entire conversation - a slight degree of apprehension. He looked down at the ground, then back up at her, his expression fairly neutral, his brow furrowed a little.

"Can I ask, why is it that you felt the need to know his name? This is a part of the job that I'm... completely unfamiliar with, I'm afraid - but, you know, I do want to understand where you're coming from.

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Falling Skies: Reboot (Mecha, Space Opera)

@vietmyke Would it be possible for a light MAS to have a customised control system, which invokes some - but obviously not all - of the principles of piloting an exosuit? My boonies boi, I'm imagining, would totally be able to learn to control it like a vehicle, but would still prefer to have as much tactile, physical interface with it as possible.

Falling Skies: Reboot (Mecha, Space Opera)

@vietmyke Hyello. I'm one of the friends that Stitches mentioned. I'm currently in the immediate run up to my exam week so I'm working on a character sheet in my breaks from study and I'm not 100% on when it'll be done. I just wanted to check in and let you know that I exist, and also ask if there's anything you'd prefer we stay away from in terms of player worldbuilding; I'm hoping for my character to be a fairly veteran member of the 101st who was raised in an area of colonial space that I'd be interested in worldbuilding myself.

The broad idea is that his homeworld is a dangerous, highly rural place, where most of the urban centers are concentrated around resource extraction operations and associated natural deposits or facilities. He was raised out in the boonies as part of the sort of farmer-hunter countryside community, who developed and used a sort of powered exoskeleton along with high powered anti-tank style rifles to track and hunt local megafauna, both for threat control and consumption. These same people were then recruited for conflicts in the run up to the eventual Empire-Coalition war(s), serving in their exosuits in infantry roles before the day of the MAS. My guy in particular is a bit younger than some of the people who taught him this way of life, and subsequently served the UEE directly in a special recon sort of role - first in the exoskeleton, then in a superlight MAS, then eventually as a regular MAS pilot in either a light or medium MAS - before being selected for the 101st. I just wanna check if you're cool for me to write a bit about the culture and world he comes from.

Paradigm Shift: Agents of Fate

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Goodnight

The Chapel with Dr. Cassar

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Dr. Cassar leaned forwards, resting his weight on his knees through his elbows, and gave his beard a pensive scratch as Angie spoke. As she grew closer to the conclusion, he nodded to himself, and gave a little look around the room as she finished.

After a moment, he held his hands out, palms up - as though he was physically holding out his reply.

"I really want to say this - there's nothing wrong with not being able to remember it. You know, when something bad happens to us there is a long list of things that our minds do to help us cope - sometimes, we forget the details, or the entire event, sometimes we analyse it and try to find the reasons behind everything, sometimes we just accept it, or even try to normalise it when it keeps happening to us. That doesn't say anything bad about you when you do it, because in the very same way that we all come from different worlds and had different normal lives before this, we all have different ways of dealing with the stress." He paused for a moment, letting the words disperse into the group, before continuing.

"The important thing is that we don't let the way we cope become harmful too - to us, or to the people we care about. There's no shame at all in needing people to talk to, there's also nothing wrong with not wanting to talk about it if you don't think it will help, and God knows there's nothing to criticise in just wanting to forget a bad thing and move on."

Another moment of pause, broken up by birdsong and the wind, as a breeze rose in crescendo through the bare branches of the woods outside.

"I think you're all really capable for having made it this far, you know. I really do think you've done well, all of you."

He sat back in the chair, regarding the group with deep thought and consideration as he took a biscuit from the tin and bit into it, chewing it over like it was something difficult he didn't know how to say.

"Which leads me on," he swallowed, "to what I really want to ask about. You guys did really well retrieving the medical supplies, but the fact that we also received a casualty from the mission makes me think that, ah, maybe some things didn't go so well." He gestured with the remaining half of his biscuit towards the military woman with the habitual frown, closely cropped hair, and ochre skin. "Audrey here has briefed me on the technical details, but I wanted to ask you how things went in person. What happened?"

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