Member
Arthanus
Patroxclus
Appearance: A lean, muscular man, slightly on the taller end of the spectrum. Long, red-brown hair typically tied up when doing fieldwork, or when in combat. Short beard, but no mustache. Freckled, white skin and brown eyes. Jolly expression and grin. Calloused hands used to hardship with the scars to prove it. His heart and lungs replaced with bionic substitutes, which have improved his health significantly. Left arm has been replaced with a mechanical prosthetic, which has a dock that allows him to attach any of his power tools into, if necessary. Looks younger than he actually is.
Age: 33, chronologically older.
Callsign: "Bob", as a shortening of his second name. Supposedly a reference to an ancient vintage children's cartoon several centuries ago, though he's never seen it himself.
Kills: Nine (Two MAS kills, four bunker kills, two fortress kills, and a warship kill)
Psychological Analysis: A simple man of simple pleasures. Dieuseul loves his work, is confident in his skills, and when the working day is done, he would love nothing more than a cold beer and good company. He has a friendly demeanor, and a live and let live attitude to most things. Surprisingly well-educated when it comes to mathematics, engineering, and architecture. When on the job, he doesn't complain, and he when the going gets rough, he hunkers down and does his work with a grin.
Duty being a part of his work, he follows orders as best he can, though he doesn't enjoy the act of killing, instead choosing to see combat as an unfortunate incident that must be done. Dieuseul would love nothing more than to leave the war and settle down, but in his own words, he "has to make sure there's a home to go back to, first." He's not a religious man, instead choosing to hedge his bets on the potential of humanity. In his off-time, he likes relaxing in the breakroom, watching intergalactic television, and occasionally working with his tools to make something.
Personal Record: Born on the fringes of galactic society, Dieuseul Robert Etienne was one of several children in a family of spacefaring construction workers and miners. The Etienne family lived in Liberty Point, a colony in the Free-Enterprise Zone, working underneath the local mining company. They lived modest lives within the system's asteroid belts, harvesting ice and minerals from the asteroids to turn them into water and materials respectively.
With a lack of career options, Robert naturally also joined the family business. As a blue-collar worker, he made enough money for himself to live a modest lifestyle. His life was largely uneventful barring the occasional skirmish on the frontier, but that much was to be expected in a place like this. With no particular desire to emigrate towards the coreworlds, or to press his luck with a deep-space expedition, the man continued as-is for years on end. During his stint as a worker, he picked up certifications on how to drive small ships, operate heavy machinery, and even how to pilot a MAS.
As conflicts arose, however, things went from relatively peaceful, to uncomfortably tense. Pirate and criminal activity within Liberty Point began to swell as the UEE began to press in on the place. They had lived on a barren rock, but the pirates felt that it was their barren rock, and that they'd fight tooth-and-nail for it-- the pirates escalated matters, organizing a violent takeover of the colony. The colony militia, caught by surprise, fought and died, or had to surrender. Some of the militiamen had even turned over to the side of the pirates, marking the first point in Liberty Point's descent into lawlessness.
The civilians of the town were soon forced into what was essentially slavery, the pirates taking a heavy tithe of their resources. As was the case with criminals, if you give them a cent, they'd take a pound. The Etienne family, Dieseul included, toiled away in the mines, while the pirates plucked the fruit of their labor for themselves. With unrest growing, the people of Liberty Point had a plan... but they'd need the Empire's help for it.
At great risk to themselves, a skiff from Liberty Point was dispatched to alert the Imperials of their plan. All seemed to go well, but soon, the pirates had moved to round the people of the colony up-- it had seemed that there was a rat. Instead of surrendering quietly, the colonists sprang into action, their plan now triggered far too early. As the people armed themselves with whatever they could get their hands on, they could only hope that the Imperials would hear of their plan soon enough.
A bloody battle lit up the void black sky as they began their impromptu revolution. Some were driving weaponized ore haulers, while others were within armored exo-frames meant to assist in construction. A rare few were within proper Mobile Armor Suits-- Robert included, piloting the Hephaestus. The battle was long and hard, and it was not in the colonist's favor. Having received critical wounds in the midst of battle, and no possible medical treatment in sight, Dieseul decided to put his faith in the people and head into cryosleep. It wouldn't heal him, but it would keep his body in a state of not-dying. If they unfroze him and tended to him quickly, perhaps there was a chance.
The rest was up to them, now.
The next time Robert had awoken, he was in an advanced medical facility receiving treatment for the wounds he had received... seventeen years ago. As it turned out, Imperial forces arrived at Liberty Point just in the nick of time, driving the pirates away. Although some of the colonists were not pleased to have had to hand over sovereignty of their beloved rock, most simply wanted stability-- which the Empire could thankfully provide.
As for the reason as to why he was only being treated now, it had seemed that the Empire had scanned his injuries within the caskets, and had to shuttle him around until they could find a hospital good enough to house him. As a critically injured individual in cryostasis, conditions not only had to be good but perfect. Such treatments were exceedingly expensive, more than what a family of blue-collar workers could provide.
And thus, the Etienne family worked themselves to the bone to accumulate the money needed for his treatments. If it was any consolation, they had all the time in the world. By the end of it, though, they had managed it, and the operation had gone off without a hitch. For a moment, Robert wondered if it would have been easier for him to have died, but instead, he focused on the fact that he was alive. With happiness in his heart, he returned to his family.
But a young man frozen in time had little to do once he returned home. Liberty Point had been an Empire town for seventeen years, and it showed. Things weren't the same anymore. The majority of the Etienne family had died in the uprising, died in mining accidents, or had long since left for greener pastures. All that remained was his younger sister, now older than he was, and terminally ill from years of dust inhalation.
Dieseul remained by her side until her death several years later.
As a simple man with simple desires, complicated things made him think about his next move. Robert was not a particularly ambitious man, and while he could emigrate towards the coreworlds, he had no skills aside from what he already knew. He could remain in Liberty Point, but then what? He pondered this long and hard, but then decided upon something he had never even considered before this: he would join the military.
The man took the ancient, run-down Hephaestus his family had owned and signed on for the Imperial Navy. He was in good physical health, had known how to pilot a MAS, and had even seen actual combat before. His mech was retrofitted and repaired, and soon, he was transferred to one of the many Mobile Armor Forces. He whet his teeth there, gaining additional training and combat experience. This campaign continued for a while before he was transferred once more towards the 101st Mobile Armor Force.
Equipment:
| Engineer's Flight Suit | A vacuum-sealed full-body suit for use in the pilot's seat, as well as for exterior repair jobs. |
| Plasmacutter | A handheld power tool with a miniature reactor. Can cut through rocks and steel alike, and can also be used to weld something into place. |
| Multi-tool | A battery-operated power tool that can be used for anything the plasmacutter can't handle. |
| Toolbox | Contains an assortment of tools and supplies that can be used to maintain his weapons, equipment, and prosthetics. |
| Unfinished Exoskeleton | A personal project. When he needs to do any real heavy-lifting, he just borrows one of the suits from the hangar, but it's nice to have something to work on. |
| Colonial Arms Coilgun Revolver | Robert's personal sidearm. A six shot slugthrower that can deliver frontier justice at 5,000 mph. |
| Personal Effects | Civilian clothes. Mementos of home. Pictures of family. |
Appearance: A far cry from the sleeker, military-grade MAS that typically take the forefront, the Hephaestus lives up to its name as an ugly, asymmetrical mech that towers over many of its peers. Its hull is patched up with varying qualities and shades of metal and is painted in a drab construction worker yellow, a matte black, and a reflective grey. This Mobile Armor Suit certainly won't win any awards for style.
Still, its rugged, brutalist appearance aside, it's clear that it was made with function over form in mind. Its simple, bipedal design makes it easy to repair, and the lifter frame exoskeleton provides a 'backpack' and second set of arms for general use. The reinforced cockpit gives the pilot a full view of what's ahead of them, and cameras in the back show side and rear views. This cockpit can be opened up to let the air out, sealed shut in a combat situation (switching all views to rely on external cameras), or even ejected entirely, if push comes to shove.
((As I couldn't find a singular proper image that fit the design I was going for, I've selected five of the most relevant pictures. You are free to combine themes of each one together, taking artistic liberties as you see fit.))
Role: Industrial Work Unit (Retrofitted for Field Construction, Entrenchment, Repairs, and Demolitions)
Chassis: Heavy
Description: The Hephaestus is an all-purpose heavy-duty construction, mining, and repair MAS for use in various environments. Although not as popular in the coreworlds due to its steep price tag, high maintenance cost, and large stature, it found great success within the Free-Enterprise Zone and other fringe colonies, where its rugged build and capability for self-sufficiency allows it to thrive. A highly-valued workhorse in any colonial industrial line, many of its kind were integral in the starting phases of any spacefaring organization, whether it be an asteroid mining company, a burgeoning company, or simply a well-equipped salvager.
Thus, when the Great War began, many Hephaestus units beat their plowshares into swords and went into combat. Although mostly valued for their ability to build, mine, repair, and manufacture for its associated faction, the MAS in question was found to hold up decently well in battle, provided it served an auxiliary support role. With a few modifications to its equipment, the Hephaestus' size and tonnage allows it to keep up with smaller-sized mechs, though like most civilian craft, it easily folds under the weight of any dedicated military strike force. As such, these industrial work units are mostly relegated to their original roles, only really showing themselves in the thick of battle if the situation calls for it.
Systems:
| VF-2 Modular Forgeblade | Superheavy | The pinnacle of new-age heavy-duty tools, the Modular Forgeblade is an innovative design that uses technology similar to a Hybrid Plasma-Kinetic system. With ample materials at hand, the integrated fabricator within the device can flash-forge disposable silicon-carbide power tools to fit the situation. The transparent, nearly diamond-hard blade is created and suspended in an energy field safely away from the wielder's hull. Warning lights illuminate the field so the searing-hot blade only burns and cuts what it is intended to; whether that's dirt, concrete, rock, metal, or an enemy MAS. It is, however, unwieldy, and best used as intended: as a general, all-purpose construction or mining tool, rather than an impromptu melee weapon. |
| D-10 Bolt Thrower | Primary | A glorified nail gun, the Bolt Thrower was intended to be used as a construction tool, using powerful electromagnets to drive rivets and stakes into the hull of various constructions projects. With some modifications, however, it can be a serviceable weapon, though only truly usable at short to medium range. Ammunition includes 30mm heated rivets, 30mm armor-piercing sabots, or 40mm explosive saber darts. |
| G-24 80mm Smoothbore Launcher | Primary | The closest thing resembling a true weapon on the Hephaestus. Mounted on the backpack over the right shoulder, this launcher is typically used to fire specialized coring charges. These spiked mining explosives embed themselves deep within space-rock, before detonating to reveal the core within. In combat, these coring charges can be used as-is or swapped out for 80mm autocannon shells, or even autonomous missiles and rockets. However, as the Hephaestus was never intended for a direct combat role, it lacks a properly integrated targeting computer-- as such, it is typically relegated to the destruction of enemy entrenchments, or as a long-range fire support role to provide indirect mortar fire. |
| "Atlas" Lifter Frame | Secondary | Although most Mobile Armor Suits already sport an impressive carrying capacity, this exoskeleton frame increases the mass the attached mech can lift by a factor of ten. An extra set of auxiliary power arms is added to help carry multiple loads at once (or a singular, heavier load), and the retractable 'backpack' provides ample storage for all of the MAS' equipment, weapons, and materials when not in use. In combat, this allows the Hephaestus to perform incredible feats of strength, which even extends to its use of close-combat maneuvers, though it cannot leverage all of its power to its advantage, making melee a last-ditch effort. This module also comes with bunker bolts, allowing the Hephaestus to plant its feet into the ground for steady footing in areas where its magnetic boots cannot take hold of things. |
| "Foreman" Drone Control Tower | Secondary | Mounted on the backpack, behind the left shoulder. This large pylon serves as the control network that allows the Hephaestus' pilot to control swarms of construction, mining, and repair drones. These drones lack an AI controller, and instead follow the pilot's commands to the best of their abilities, though they may fall back on internal subroutines if forced to act independently. In combat situations, these drones can be outfitted with light anti-personnel weaponry to deal with ground infantry, with point-defense weapons to deal with missiles and enemy aircraft, or with explosives, to be used as minelayers or as suicide bombers. The combat effectiveness of these drones is limited, however, and can be easily dispatched even with concentrated small-arms fire. |
| "Atelier" Mobile Factory | Utility | Housed within the Hephaestus' backpack is a fully functional fabricator, 3D printer, autoforge, assembly line, and requisite databanks to make use of these facilities. This factory can be deployed away from the front lines within base camp for a platoon of soldiers, or used within the Hephaestus itself while out in the field. The facilities can process scavenged materials found in the field into usable supplies, allowing the MAS to repair and resupply allied forces, even in areas without proper supply lines. However, the use of this module is both time-consuming and extremely power-hungry, making its use in combat scenarios limited unless the pilot is willing to power down all non-essential systems-- weapons and movement included. |
| "Casket" Hazard Protection Suite | Utility | This module was made to allow the Hephaestus to perform construction, mining, or repair jobs even in extreme conditions. This module only shows marginal improvements in MAS-to-MAS combat but has been shown to improve survival rates of pilots by up to 80% in situations containing environmental hazards. This protects the mech and its pilot from extreme heat and cold, intense gravity and pressure (or lack thereof), highly toxic, acidic, basic, and radioactive environments, and even provides some form of electromagnetic shielding, allowing the Hephaestus to operate in conditions that would cripple other Mobile Armor Suits. As a last resort, the pilot can also choose to divert all power and hermetically seal the cockpit to go into cryosleep, the inbuilt reactor capable of keeping someone under the ice virtually indefinitely, provided that the reactor remains intact. |
