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mickilennial
ArkmageddonCat
Captain Uni
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AsuraHere we go, CS ready for a first look-at!Ordent "Orry" Callaway
“Look at it this way: if I surprise you, great, I can be of some use.
And if I don't, whatever; I get myself killed and no one's any worse off. Uh, other than me, I guess.”
[ ⛨ ] C A L L S I G NRed Rover
[ ⛨ ] N C O R I G I NVolkov
[ ⛨ ] D - O - BOctober 10th, 2657 (19)
[ ⛨ ] G E N D E RMale
[ ⛨ ] A P P E A R A N C EOrry stands at 6'2", and is extremely lean thanks to his hyper-active teenage metabolism. For most of his life, he's been skinny as a toothpick, only avoiding being nothing but skin and bones thanks to playing sports. Over the last year, though, he's begun to fill out, especially so in the last month or so since he's arrived in New Anchorage and sought out help with following a more structured, militaristic work-out routine. Even with that progress, he still very much looks more like a boy than a military man, with thin features and distinct, messy deep-red hair that goes well with his russet-colored eyes.
He nearly always has a kind of lazy expression on his face, matching perfectly with his generally disheveled appearance -- he much prefers loose, comfy clothes, and will always forego zipping or tying anything up if he can avoid it. He especially has a fondness for track jackets. In the care-free, civilian world, his appearance makes him very approachable, though perhaps less so around hardened veterans. It's hard to ever find a time where he doesn't have multiple bandages somewhere on his body, brought on by the things he puts himself through.
[ ⛨ ] P E R S O N A L I T YOrry is nothing if not stoic and personable. His displays of emotion are extremely subdued and subtle, most often coming through as nothing more than an easy but genuine smile. He loves spending time with others (even those that have traits generally viewed as unfavorable), and is always willing to talk and help out with anything. It may come off as odd to some, but any suspicions of ulterior motives on his part are usually washed away quickly.
The other defining trait of his is an unbelievable work-ethic, often coming as a surprise after the laid-back first impression he gives off. Since arriving in New Anchorage and hearing about the NC test that was less than a month a way, he hasn't once laid down in a bed and actually slept. Instead, he's caught quick, short naps whenever he could, working on trying to bring himself up to par with all the others that took the test. He sought out help from peers constantly, studying and learning and implementing. While he's still nowhere near as skilled as a trained soldier, he's improved rapidly enough to get some positive attention from Commander Graham and a few peers, and managed to just barely pass the test, throwing up in exhaustion more than a few times along the way.
All of this stems from deeper, psychological problems -- namely, an inferiority complex and, to a lesser extent, a guilt complex. Orry puts little value in himself, and puts everyone around him on pedestals. He always sees the good in them first, and easily understands the bad, making him a pretty good ego-booster. His self-sacrificial nature comes from this -- it only makes sense to him that he should take the fall for people who are more talented and amazing than he is, so that they can more easily better themselves. The last thing he wants is to be a burden or to slow another down, and so he works as hard as he can to avoid that. This also comes out in the form of his subdued nature, as he acts as such to not ever push his problems or own emotions onto anyone else, so they can keep their focus on themselves and not have to worry about him as well.
His issues have their benefits, though -- like turning him into a somewhat competent soldier within a month.
Altogether, Orry is of the likable sort, easily making friends with even the most disagreeable of people quickly enough. Being so genuine and hard-working endears him to others, only helped by his warm, composed disposition and the enjoyment he gets from social interactions. Despite that, it's not too difficult to tell that there's something off with him, especially after seeing the lengths he'll go to for what are essentially strangers.
[ ⛨ ] S K I L L S E TQuick Learner:
Orry picks things up quickly -- show him how to do something once, and he can get it done on his own. This helps him when he's helping out others with whatever they need to get done. In terms of use for when he's piloting, he can pick up on enemy habits immediately, and use them in his favor -- especially useful for his specific assigned mech, and is the biggest reason why it was the one he was given.
Reliable and Determined:
Due to his nature, if Orry says he'll get something done, he will. Whether that means spending money out of his own pocket to cheer a friend up, or spending his day fixing something, or getting himself into trouble to cover someone else, he'll do it without hesitation. This extends to the battlefield, and though he's prone to nerves, he embraces them and does all he can to not let the get the best of him, for fear of letting down his squad-mates. He will take a hit to create an opening to eliminate a target -- again, something all but necessary when piloting his mech.
Stamina:
Orry can fully function on nothing more than cat-naps, and both his mental and physical stamina hardly take a hit for it either. He can remain laser-focused for hours on end, as well as physically exert himself for just as long -- helped by his determination, which makes it possible for him to push himself far past the point where most anyone else would stop. This isn't always healthy, obviously.
[ ⛨ ] B A C K S T O R YOrry lived a comfy life as part of a happy, nuclear family. His mother was a mechanic, and his father a researcher, both with Volkov's Calgary-branch -- jobs that paid well and kept them in the upper-middle class. Rounding out his immediate family was his brother Foster, older than him by three years. Foster was the more outgoing and confident of the two siblings, and with good reason -- he was a gifted child. Intelligent, resourceful, and capable of piloting an NC, he knew from an early age what he wanted to do, and he worked for it.
Orry looked up to his brother greatly, doing what he could to keep up but always watching his brother accomplish things from the stands. The older boy was a bit of a power-maniac, and often showed that by controlling Orry in underhanded and physical ways. It was never anything truly terrible, but it would definitely be classified as abuse, as it was near constant, Orry himself willingly subjecting himself to it in hopes of helping his brother.
Beyond that, Orry's life was a simple and privileged one. He attended good schools, was able to play any sport he wished, always had the latest video games on the day of release, and was never too hungry or cold or hot. An easy life, where the most difficult thing he had to deal with was schoolwork and worrying about his latest crush. While his brother continued to be extraordinary and became an NC pilot, Orry was content with coasting through his years uneventfully, planning to follow his father and become a researcher of some sort with Volkov.
Of course, he wouldn't have ended up in New Anchorage if nothing had gone wrong. Nothing's classified, and anyone with any authority and the necessary curiosity can easily find out that about a year ago, Orry's mother died in a freak accident while she was on the job. It was determined that she hadn't followed the safety protocols that were established and well-taught, and so no compensation was given to the Callaway family. A few months later, Orry's father committed suicide, presumably brought on by his wife's death. That left a guilt-ridden and angry Orry to deal with Foster, who's old habits of abuse came back with a vengeance due to the tragedy.
With nothing left for him but a brother broken beyond repair that he was growing to despise, Orry set off on his own, leaving the city he'd been born and raised in behind. He caught wind of New Anchorage and their recruitment drive for new NC pilots, and decided to make the journey there. It seemed crazy for him to think that someone as unexceptional as him could possibly become a pilot, but he figured it was worth a try -- his brother had the ability, so he might too. If he was one of the few capable of piloting an NC, he felt that he would have a duty to do so. He could stop wandering like he had been his entire life, especially during the last several months, and finally have a purpose: to protect the lives of good people, at the inconsequential risk of his own. And if it wasn't to be, he could find a simpler life in a smaller city, finally scrape his knees a bit, and go from there.
He keeps that to himself though, instead letting people believe that he simply came to New Anchorage on an adventurous whim.
[ ⛨ ] T H E M E C H
Red Rover is a bit of a junker, assigned to Orry so that if screws up and gets it blown up, it won't be too much of a loss to New Anchorage. More than that, though, the style of combat needed to do any damage with it lines up perfectly with Orry's strengths, so it's as close to a perfect match as the boy could have hoped for. The mecha is average-sized, and has very little in the way of on-board weapons and equipment, allowing it to have impressively heavy armor while still being surprisingly mobile. It's built to mirror the way a human body moves to nearly a tee, allowing the pilot to fist-fight as effectively as they could with their own feet on the ground. The heavy armor gives some weight to Red Rover's punches and kicks, making them quite devastating. While it's quick for the defenses granted by its armor, the mech is still slow for one that does most of its damage at point-blank range. As such, the most effective way to use Red Rover is to read and predict an enemy's actions, moving before they even do anything to get in close while avoiding heavy damage. If necessary, the armor can take a few solid hits, allowing the pilot to purposefully bait the enemy into attacking and opening themselves up, or to just forcefully push through an assault.
- Retractable Claws:
Super-heated claws for when punching something really hard isn't enough, these can melt through most metals and tear into the insides of another mech. When retracted, the holes they leave can fire high-caliber armor-shredding rounds. These are most often used to cover approaches, and more importantly, ruin the insides of another mech once its been opened up by the claws.
- Remote Drones:
Eight drones are housed within both of Red Rover's shoulders, each one carrying four. These are deployed and controlled remotely by Orry, requiring excellent concentration to keep track of while also piloting the mech, and grant him a near-perfect view of the battlefield with their mounted thermal-cameras. Can be equipped with various other things, though Orry usually goes with a gun-mount with limited explosive ammunition, or a few powerful homing-missiles. Other common attachments include EMP, concussion, and smoke bombs.
- Balancing System:
A system that makes knocking over Red Rover extremely difficult, and allows the mech to balance on one leg as it swings the rest of its body weight, leading to powerful right hooks and roundhouse kicks. Can also be used to take a strong blunt hit that will cause the enemy to fully believe Red Rover will topple over, and immediately swing back with a surprise counter-attack.
- Propulsion System:
A very simple propulsion system, created to help Red Rover get into optimal range and give its strikes a little something extra, while not slowing it down too much or throwing off its balance. The mech has eight thrusters: two on the back of its shoulders, two just above its elbows, two just above the back of its knees, and two on its heels. These can only rotate and angle in a small 360-degree circle, meaning they will only ever propel Red Rover forward, with slight deviations in exact trajectory. With proper angling of the thrusters and the body of Red Rover itself, these can be used to avoid assaults while still advancing. Finally, when punching or kicking, the thrusters can be activated to make the strikes faster and stronger.
[ ⛨ ] R E L A T I O N SMichael Graham:
Orry definitely likes his commander, though that's not really unusual for him. He respects the man greatly for giving him a chance to prove himself, which he took full advantage of in the month leading to the NC test to not disappoint the Commander.
Foster Callaway:
Not someone Orry likes to talk or think about, the boy has mixed feelings on his brother. He'll always have love for Foster, but most recently he's been coming to feel anger and hatred for him. Orry feels Foster's failed as an older brother, taking out his frustrations on Orry instead of helping and protecting his younger sibling as he should. Though, at the end of the day, Orry recognizes that his brother went through nearly the exact same thing he did, and that it's unrealistic to expect him to take it well -- something the younger boy understands as well as anyone.
A NC pilot with absolutely zero combat experience and was tested for the ability to become a pilot at New Anchorage? That is compelling indeed. He would’ve gotten the appropriate (and insufferably painful) surgeries and went through his first VR simulations relatively recently. Man. What a terrible February it would’ve been for Orry.
The only question I got is this— what do you mean by “nuclear family”?
But yeah this is excellent approved presuming we don't have to fix anything about the nuclear mention.
