KaiserElectric

Mass Effect- Seraphim

---

"If you have any questions, I will be more than happy to answer them following this inconvenience. Good luck...[Hhhkk...]everyone!"

"An inconvenience, he calls it...yeah, sure," Taria said dismissively. She didn't buy the Volus' story at face value for a second, but he sounded pretty convincing about there being a massive force of Blue Sun mercenaries on the way. Grumbling can come later; she needed to get ready. Putting her SRD training to work immediately, she scoured the environment, taking in details, lines of fire and entrance points, and spotting a familiar looking chest nearby.

"Right, if these are Blue Suns, they're going to try to take positions on the upper deck here, use elevation to their advantage," she informed Galm, digging into the satchel she carried and removing the other equipment she brought in her carry-on. Stacking a handful of thin metallic discs to the side, she spotted the Bio-Amp in the bottom and plugged it in through her omni-tool, wincing slightly as a bit of biotic feedback trickled back to her. Flexing her hand slightly to check if the Amp was functional, she got to her feet again and picked up the discs, dropping and tossing them around the upper deck area below the skylights and at the junctions between walkways before getting to the familiar chest and punching in a few rapid keystrokes.

"Passcode accepted," came the recorded voice of Gari Lucimus. "Good luck, and give them hell, sweetheart."

"Cute, mom," Taria said with bemusement, barely restraining herself from tearing up. Extracting her Argus assault rifle from the crate, and propping it against the wall, she picked up the helmet lying underneath it, pondered it for a moment, then licked her sleeve and wiped a smudge off the surface to better see her own reflection in the polymer. She furrowed her brow slightly, remembering the last time she wore a helmet like this one.

"Five years now, Taria," she said, furrowing her brow. "Here's hoping you aren't rusty. It's time to get to work."

All-Verse: The Initiative

Mina is done!

Mina Balik

"This is Mina Balik, pilot of PARAGON-12. How can I help?"

[Mina Balik⫻ Manichaeverse ⫻ 19 ⫻ Neutral Good]

▼ APPEARANCE ▼

---

---

"You guys make me cold just looking at you..."

Mina is a wolflike Hellion, possessing lupine features (though her tail is not as long as it appears in the image) and standing a little on the short and wiry side in terms of her size. She mostly dresses in neutral colored winter clothes, turtlenecks, trousers, and high-topped combat boots.

▼ PERSONALITY ▼

---

---

"Everyone has a light in their soul. I've never believed otherwise."

It would be safe to say that Mina has a very cuddly personality; despite the nature of what she does Mina is quite kind and humble, never one to start a fight or bask in the limelight. She tries to see the best in everyone and although she is an avowed pacifist, she understands that what she does is a necessary evil to protect those she cares about and doesn't relish in harming or killing her enemies. While she is an exceptional pilot and fighter, she does have an issue with self-confidence stemming from her background and relative inexperience and can sometimes get emotionally overwhelmed in a tense situation, but when the chips are down her incredible capacity for hope in the face of insurmountable odds can weather any storm and power her forward.

▼ BACKSTORY ▼

---

---

"I fight for the day when we'll never have to fight again."

Mina was born in a Deus Imperium labor camp on an icy planet, the conditions of which ensured that neither of her parents would survive to see her reach her first birthday. Orphaned and alone from the start, Mina was raised by older children and adults who survived the brutal conditions until the Ebott Alliance arrived and liberated the prisoners of the labor camp when Mina was eight. In the course of caring for the sick and starved prisoners, many of the orphans of the camp were adopted by the soldiers and freedom fighters who liberated them, and Mina was no exception, being adopted by the shark-like Hellion Meeko Balik. Gifted with a family and a new lease on life, Mina happily went to her new home, catching up on her education and the joys she missed in the internment camp as best she could and dreaming about what her future would hold for her now. Of course the future did have an answer for her when the routine testing given to all Ebott citizens on turning thirteen revealed that Mina possessed an unusually high amount of Vigor for her age.

Mina had heard of the PARAGONs before, regarded almost as legends by her friends and family, and she was rightfully floored when the government testing revealed that she was an excellent candidate for PARAGON piloting. Initially reluctant thanks to her pacifist tendencies, Mina was convinced to give the Ebott Alliances PARAGON training program a shot. Her success in the program surprised even herself, and the other pilots in the program, equal parts impressed and jealous, often commented on her prodigious talent as a PARAGON pilot. Assigned to the newly rebuilt PARAGON-12, Mina hadn't even officially finished her training before a surprise Deus assault forced Ebott to deploy every available soldier to the front. Fighting off the onslaught of Deus Imperium soldiers, Mina had already proven her mettle before she was separated and ambushed by the CRUSADER Emicho, a butcher whose skill as a pilot was matched only by his endless cruelty. Mina had already proven herself in the defense of Ebott but she became famous when the other pilots arrived to her rescue and found her still standing and fighting the more experienced and brutal Emicho to a standstill, allowing the Alliance to finally take down the war criminal once and for all. The duel against Emicho earned her the respect of her peers and the admiration of Ebott, and it gave her the right to name and customize her PARAGON to her liking.

Thus began the story of PARAGON-12, Rude Buster.

▼ ABILITIES & EQUIPMENT ▼

---

---

"Rude Buster online!"

Mina is the pilot of the PARAGON-12 Rude Buster, a bipedal weapons platform equipped with an arsenal of weaponry and able to go toe to toe with even the most deadly of threats. Rude Buster is equipped with wrist-mounted Gatling cannons and an arsenal of rocket pods by default, and the Rude Buster can carry an arsenal of photon-powered Paragon-sized handheld weaponry, such as battle rifles and high-powered railguns. Defensively, PARAGONs are equipped with hardened armor plating and point defense systems, but the primary defense for PARAGONs is the Vigor Field, a metaphysical barrier that can protect a PARAGON from damage or harm fueled by the power of the pilot's Vigor. Rude Buster itself is a specialized PARAGON built as a bruiser, additionally hardened against close-range attacks and equipped with a PARAGON-sized warhammer for melee engagements.

Outside of the PARAGON Mina is no slouch as a combatant, having received standard combat and weapons training by the Ebott Alliance, and all pilots are equipped with a retractable combat dagger and the RLS-I percussive blaster as a sidearm. Like most pilots however, Mina is learning the nuances of utilizing her Vigor outside of the PARAGON suit, and can use it to perform bursts of superhuman feats, such as superhuman defenses and athleticism.

▼ LIMITS-WEAKNESSES ▼

---

---

"W-when did it get so dark..."

While Mina's Vigor can allow her to perform some impressive physical feats, her inexperience using it outside of the PARAGON doesn't make this a reliable ability for her, and without the benefits of that Vigor she's no less vulnerable then anyone else in a combat situation. When she is emotionally compromised her Vigor is effectively neutralized as well, making her ineffective inside and out of the PARAGON.

▼ OTHER ▼

---

---

"Nothing can stand against us if we have hope."

Mass Effect- Seraphim

Taria Lucimus

-and-

Galm Ralquera

---

Taria Lucimus had never been to Omega, but she knew it by its absolutely sterling reputation among law enforcement circles. Her favorite observation was one of her old SRD squadmates insisting they should have "let the Reapers annihalate that damned asteroid and done some genuine good". She wouldn't have gone that far, personally, but by this point she could empathize.

"Nice fringes, sweetheart. Guess good things come in small packages, eh?"

Taria scoffed, shouldering past the leering Batarian to the walkway beyond, a few of the seedier individuals looking over her as she bolted past. She had arrived in plainclothes so as not to draw undue attention, with the tradeoff that everyone looked at her with the intent of sizing her up for a fight or propositioning. She was never self-concious about her height, but she still missed how a good set of C-Sec heavy armor shut the creeps and troublemakers up.

Shifting the satchel on her shoulder to the right side to put the bag between her and an approaching human with an unfriendly glint in his eye, Taria went off to the side, checking her omni-tool to get directions. Locating the docking bay where she was scheduled to meet her new employer, she smiled as a notification popped up that her private shipping container had arrived on time from a Turian merchant frieghter. Thanks, mom.

"Hey there," came a gravely voice behind her. "Want to show me what's in that bag?" Glancing up and catching sight of the craggy-faced human standing right behind her, Taria couldn't help but roll her eyes.

"Why don't you come and find out?" Taria challenged him. Stepping forward with a grin, the man drew a knife from an inner pocket.

"You're a brave little o-"

There was a yelp that stopped the foot traffic on the bridge and a flash of black and gold. By the time anyone stopped to look, the man was on the ground, Taria's knee planted in the small of his back as she effortlessly bent his arm backwards.

"You still want to know what I have in the bag?" Taria asked again, using her other arm to press her sidearm against the side of his head.

"Uh...erm....no ma'am," the would-be thug stammered, his face rapidly losing color.

"Thought so," Taria said, releasing his arm to pick up the knife discarded in the scuffle and pocketing it, leaving the whimpering wreck behind. "And don't call me little..."

Galm spots the fight from a nearby walkway. "Huh... She looks familiar..." He begins to walk over to her, in full armor.

Taria, not noticing the other Turian following her just yet, smiled as the crowds gave her a wide berth. Checking her omni-tool for directions again, she turned down an alley and came to the docks as scheduled, punching in the passcode she was given by the Volus.

"Ugh, by the spirits these things are slow," Taria grumbled, tapping her foot as the computer processed the passcode.

A bird squawks at Taria, flapping her wings. Galm says "Ethen, quiet now! She might try to kill us... She's also walking on the same path as us." He blinks in confusion, adjusting his omni-tool brightness.

Taria tensed, hearing the strange animal cry echo from nearby. Cautiously, Taria removed the satchel from her shoulder, revealing a stash of ammunition and her M-55 Argus. Loading a clip, she kept her senses tuned as the door finally slid open.

"Better not be some elaborate trap," Taria mumbled in spite of herself. Venok wouldn't have sent her into a trap, and he was too good at his job to be duped like that.

Ethen ignores Galm's plea and squawks again, to a frustrated Galm saying, with a raised voice, "Be quiet, bird! Do you see that gun?" However, he ends up following Taria "Wait, miss, were you invited here too?" He seems more relaxed now.

In a split second, Taria spun around, weapon raised, before she spotted the fellow Turian and his...bird? Relaxing somewhat, Taria lowered her weapon slightly.

"Yeah, I was," she said curiously. The Turian seemed familiar somehow. "Saris Fen sent me an invitation..."

The bird does not like this, and flaps her wings. Galm raises Ethen's shields and his own to low power. "That Volus sent me an invite too." He takes off his helmet, to get a better look. Surprisingly, Galm and his bird look very similar. He squints his eyes, tilting his head. "Miss, you seem familiar... Do I know you?"

Taria's intense focused softened at the sight of him, lowering her firearm just a bit more. "Now that you mention it...you do seem awfully familiar. Did you come from the Citadel, or...?"

"No ma'am, got myself onto a cargo frigate when I was young, got lost in space. Technically kidnapped, I suppose, yet nothing ever bad happened to me, except for the Reaper war." He says, nervously rubbing his neck. Ethen, on the other hand cleans her feathers.

"Heh, yeah, I know the feeling. That was rough for everyone," Taria said, rising up from a fighting stance. "Kinda glad I got stuck on the citadel at the time, considering what happened to Tremellia."

Galm looks utterly shocked "T-Tremellia? I grew up there... It was my home, nice and lovely solar system... Did you live there too?"

"...yeah, I did!" Taria said, her mind working furiously like it was screaming something she forgot at her. "Mom and dad always talked about it being one of the best starports in the galaxy, and I hung out there all the time with Nafteed, Ramsley, Ga-"

The rifle fell to Taria's side with a clatter as everything clicked into place.

"Galm! Galm Ralquera!"

Galm goes wide eyed. "T-TARIA! I thought you died!" He begins having a mini-freakout, runs up to her and hugs her "I'm so glad you're okay!" Ethen flaps her wings and lands on a nearby guardrail.

"I thought you -ng- died!" Taria almost shouted, dropping her guard entirely as the two embraced with a small thud, swaying slightly on the spot. "I'm glad you're okay too, I tried to contact you to say goodbye before I left for Citadel space, but everyone said you were gone!"

He keeps hugging "I've missed you so much! I'm sorry for being an idiot and adventuring that ship!" He looks to be on the verge of tears, unable to find more words to say.

"I-I'm sorry you had no idea where I went," Taria stammered, equally tear-stricken. "We uh, got a lot of catching up to do I guess, ha..."

Galm nods, sniffling "We do, I'm just so happy we're together again. All that matters is that we found each other... In this large galaxy." Meanwhile, Ethen angrily hops towards a bystander, squawking and jutting her foot out at the Batarian, making him back off.

"Somehow I'm not surprised you managed to find a bird like that," Taria grinned.

"Greetings, everyone!" came a booming voice from within the chamber behind them.

"That's the Volus." Galm says happily. "Wanna walk together?" he offers, as the bird keeps harassing the Batarian, then flies back to Galm's head.

"Absolutely," Taria replied, retrieving her rifle as she walked into the docking area and feeling a lot better about this assignment then before.

The bird and Galm seem overjoyed, both smiling. Well, Ethen tries to... Somehow. The Turian seems to be absolutely happy with life at this current moment, like he's achieved peace, despite his armor and guns. He sighs, clearing his thoughts to appear tough. He then walks forward, by Taria's side, Ethen showing off her pretty feathers and wings, asserting her dominance over the group.

Mass Effect- Seraphim

Taria Lucimus

Name: Taria Lucimus

Race: Turian

Age: 24

Gender: Female

Appearance:

Personality: Stubborn, doggedly determined, and utterly incorruptible, Taria Lucimus is the kind of person who doesn't move out of the way; she forces YOU to move instead. Never one to hesitate in the face of peril, Taria trusts her instincts and her sense of justice to guide her decisions, charging into every obstacle with a smile and an unhealthy amount of explosives and leaving the little details to everyone else. If anything can be said about her, its that she always wants to do the right thing, and if that means taking a bullet for a friend or dropping everything to save someone in peril, she'll happily do that ten times over. To others she can be exhausting, but when she's not tossing explosives and people around like juggling pins she's quite personable and charming, always looking to defuse tensions in spite of her desire for action over diplomacy in most situations. In her down time, when she's not doing mental exercises for her biotic implants or helping to maintain something, usually her gear, she likes card games and building models among other things, and when things really get crazy she can out-dance anyone.

Backstory:

The PAST

Taria hails from the planet Tremellia, a moderately urbanized and unusually cosmopolitan world for a Turian planet, best known for its shipyards and docks, built to capitalize on the planet's location in several important interstellar trade routes. Her family was moderately well-off, with her father serving as station security at the dockyard and her mother serving as a pilot in the merchant marine. Her home life was happy if a little uneventful, and while she was never the brightest or most popular kid around, she had a good head on her shoulders and a few close friends growing up. Things became interesting for her shortly before her tenth birthday, however, when she began to manifest biotic abilities, most likely gifted by her mother's exposure to Element Zero during a turbulent landing on one of her many trips. While most Turian children would have been whisked away to special academies that honed their abilities, Taria's parents were able to get training for their daughter far closer to home, thanks in part to biotic facilities set up on Tremellia to accommodate other races. While most Turians found biotics to be suspect, Taria was fascinated with her own biotic abilities and took to that training like a fish to water, and by the time she came of age she was an accomplished biotic ready to depart on her civil service tour.

Initially slated to be sent to a Turian Cabal, the recent assault on the Citadel by the rogue Spectre Saren caused a manpower shortage, and thanks a bit of influence from her parents and her unique status as a biotic Turian not segregated into a special unit, she was accepted into C-Sec despite her inexperience. Taria quickly proved her mettle despite her lack of training, and she was shuffled into the Special Response Division of C-Sec where her biotics proved very useful, and given further training and experience in dealing with explosives and heavy weaponry. Often given a hard time by other Turians in C-Sec because of her biotics, Taria remained steadfastly devoted to her duty regardless, making friends and serving with distinction even after she lost her father during the Reaper invasion of 2186 when Tremellia was assaulted.

As things calmed down and the galaxy tried to return to normal following the Reapers, Taria's rising star suddenly came crashing down to Earth, as the saying goes. Incidents that were glossed over during the ongoing emergency came back to light and investigations began, one of which involved an incident involving the C-Sec officer Boone Croswell that left five innocents dead on the Promenade. Croswell, who liked to use his position to shake down criminals and small-time mercenaries and had a cabal of like-minded officers at his side, attempted to weasel his way out of trouble by pinning the blame on his colleague Venok Irlam, a Salarian in Special Response Division, and decided he would do this by threatening his adjutant who the Salarian had mentored since her transferal to C-Sec, and the one person who could easily convince Investigations that Venok was at fault; Taria Lucimus.

Knowing of her dedication, Boone settled on blackmail to earn the biotic Turian's loyalty, planting evidence of corrupt conduct and gathering his own friends and a handful of Turians who didn't like the idea of a biotic Turian on the force to corroborate the evidence, making it clear in no uncertain terms that if she didn't send Venok Irlam to jail, Taria would be going instead. Initially cowed by this threat, it was ultimately not enough to corrupt her, and when called on to present evidence of her CO's culpability Taria instead gave an impassioned statement in favor of the Salarian's conduct and character. Venok Irlam was cleared of all charges, and although Boone would ultimately be dismissed from C-Sec without further penalty after his own investigation was inconclusive, his colleagues carried out his threat and Taria was unceremoniously discharged from Citadel Security and sentenced to fifteen years in prison.

Despite being humiliated and degraded throughout the whole ordeal, she held her head high in the belief that she had done the right thing, and went to serve her sentence with dignity. Even jail did not break her determination, instead refining instilling in her a desire to seek justice where the law failed, not unlike another Turian C-Sec officer who left when the law stymied his own pursuit of what was right. Planning her life after prison, Taria bided her time, visited only by her mother who never believed she was guilty of the crime she was imprisoned for, and by Venok Irlam, the commanding officer who she had saved from injustice.

A third of the way into her sentence, she was visited again by Venok Irlam, this time accompanied by a small squadron, revealing that her prison sentence had been commuted. Whisking a confused Taria away from the prison, Venok dismissed the guards and revealed a stash of weapons, equipment, and cash for her to use, explaining that he had been contacted by a Volus from Omega, who had been looking for recruits for a special mission in the terminus system. Already close to retirement, Venok felt like he was too past his prime for such a group and instead suggested Taria for the job, and the Volus had been more then happy to grease a few palms to get the biotic Turian out early. When she hesitated, Venok explained to her that the offer had only been optional, but said that someone like her was too good for C-Sec, a career she happily sacrificed to keep an innocent Salarian from injustice, and in return that Salarian wanted to offer her a chance to bring justice to those that the law had failed.

Taria found that offer just too good to resist.

Specialty: Vanguard/Heavy Weapons

Powers/Skills:

Biotic Abilities: Throw, Backlash, Slam, Charge

Taria possesses the skills of a highly trained C-Sec officer, including weapons training, CQC, and breach tactics, as well as additional experience with deploying and disarming explosive ordinance.

Equipment:
Medium Armor (Black and Gold Design)
M-55 Argus Assault Rifle (Painted Black)
M-77 Paladin (Painted Black)
M-95 Grenade Launcher (A modified variant of the M-100. It lacks rapid fire, requiring a pump action to load an additional round, but it is more compact and lightweight, and can be loaded with different types of projectiles of lethal and non-lethal variety.)
Thermionic Charge (Great for punching holes through stubborn barriers and walls. Can be fired from the M-95)
Biotic Amplifier (Also great for punching holes through things, in a more literal sense)

Misc:
Voiced by AJ Michalka

All-Verse: The Initiative

90% there

Mina Balik

"This is Mina Balik, pilot of PARAGON-12. How can I help?"

[Mina Balik⫻ Manichaeverse ⫻ 19 ⫻ Neutral Good]

▼ APPEARANCE ▼

[hr ][hr ]
"You guys make me cold just looking at you..."

Mina is a wolflike Hellion, possessing lupine features (though her tail is not as long as it appears in the image) and standing a little on the short and wiry side in terms of her size. She mostly dresses in neutral colored winter clothes, turtlenecks, trousers, and high-topped combat boots.

▼ PERSONALITY ▼

---

---

"Everyone has a light in their soul. I've never believed otherwise."

It would be safe to say that Mina has a very cuddly personality; despite the nature of what she does Mina is quite kind and humble, never one to start a fight or bask in the limelight. She tries to see the best in everyone and although she is an avowed pacifist, she understands that what she does is a necessary evil to protect those she cares about and doesn't relish in harming or killing her enemies. While she is an exceptional pilot and fighter, she does have an issue with self-confidence stemming from her background and relative inexperience and can sometimes get emotionally overwhelmed in a tense situation, but when the chips are down her incredible capacity for hope in the face of insurmountable odds can weather any storm and power her forward.

▼ BACKSTORY ▼

---

---

"I fight for the day when we'll never have to fight again."

Mina was born in a Deus Imperium labor camp on an icy planet, the conditions of which ensured that neither of her parents would survive to see her reach her first birthday. Orphaned and alone from the start, Mina was raised by older children and adults who survived the brutal conditions until the Ebott Alliance arrived and liberated the prisoners of the labor camp when Mina was eight. In the course of caring for the sick and starved prisoners, many of the orphans of the camp were adopted by the soldiers and freedom fighters who liberated them, and Mina was no exception, being adopted by the shark-like Hellion Meeko Balik. Gifted with a family and a new lease on life, Mina happily went to her new home, catching up on her education and the joys she missed in the internment camp as best she could and dreaming about what her future would hold for her now. Of course the future did have an answer for her when the routine testing given to all Ebott citizens on turning thirteen revealed that Mina possessed an unusually high amount of Vigor for her age.

Mina had heard of the PARAGONs before, regarded almost as legends by her friends and family, and she was rightfully floored when the government testing revealed that she was an excellent candidate for PARAGON piloting. Initially reluctant thanks to her pacifist tendencies, Mina was convinced to give the Ebott Alliances PARAGON training program a shot. Her success in the program surprised even herself, and the other pilots in the program, equal parts impressed and jealous, often commented on her prodigious talent as a PARAGON pilot. Assigned to the newly rebuilt PARAGON-12, Mina hadn't even officially finished her training before a surprise Deus assault forced Ebott to deploy every available soldier to the front. Fighting off the onslaught of Deus Imperium soldiers, Mina had already proven her mettle before she was separated and ambushed by the CRUSADER Emicho, a butcher whose skill as a pilot was matched only by his endless cruelty. Mina had already proven herself in the defense of Ebott but she became famous when the other pilots arrived to her rescue and found her still standing and fighting the more experienced and brutal Emicho to a standstill, allowing the Alliance to finally take down the war criminal once and for all. The duel against Emicho earned her the respect of her peers and the admiration of Ebott, and it gave her the right to name and customize her PARAGON to her liking.

Thus began the story of PARAGON-12, Rude Buster.

▼ ABILITIES & EQUIPMENT ▼

---

---

"Rude Buster online!"

Mina is the pilot of the PARAGON-12 Rude Buster, a bipedal weapons platform equipped with an arsenal of weaponry and able to go toe to toe with even the most deadly of threats. Rude Buster is equipped with wrist-mounted Gatling cannons and an arsenal of rocket pods by default, and the Rude Buster can carry an arsenal of photon-powered Paragon-sized handheld weaponry, such as battle rifles and high-powered railguns. Defensively, PARAGONs are equipped with hardened armor plating and point defense systems, but the primary defense for PARAGONs is the Vigor Field, a metaphysical barrier that can protect a PARAGON from damage or harm fueled by the power of the pilot's Vigor. Rude Buster itself is a specialized PARAGON built as a bruiser, additionally hardened against close-range attacks and equipped with a PARAGON-sized warhammer for melee engagements.

Outside of the PARAGON Mina is no slouch as a combatant, having received standard combat and weapons training by the Ebott Alliance, and all pilots are equipped with a retractable combat dagger and the RLS-I percussive blaster as a sidearm. Like most pilots however, Mina is learning the nuances of utilizing her Vigor outside of the PARAGON suit, and can use it to perform bursts of superhuman feats, such as superhuman defenses and athleticism.

▼ LIMITS-WEAKNESSES ▼

---

---

"W-when did it get so dark..."

While Mina's Vigor can allow her to perform some impressive physical feats, her inexperience using it outside of the PARAGON doesn't make this a reliable ability for her, and without the benefits of that Vigor she's no less vulnerable then anyone else in a combat situation. When she is emotionally compromised her Vigor is effectively neutralized as well, making her ineffective inside and out of the PARAGON.

▼ OTHER ▼

---

---

"Nothing can stand against us if we have hope."

Mass Effect- Seraphim

A FINISHED thing!

Taria Lucimus

Name: Taria Lucimus

Race: Turian

Age: 24

Gender: Female

Appearance:

Personality: Stubborn, doggedly determined, and utterly incorruptible, Taria Lucimus is the kind of person who doesn't move out of the way; she forces YOU to move instead. Never one to hesitate in the face of peril, Taria trusts her instincts and her sense of justice to guide her decisions, charging into every obstacle with a smile and an unhealthy amount of explosives and leaving the little details to everyone else. If anything can be said about her, its that she always wants to do the right thing, and if that means taking a bullet for a friend or dropping everything to save someone in peril, she'll happily do that ten times over. To others she can be exhausting, but when she's not tossing explosives and people around like juggling pins she's quite personable and charming, always looking to defuse tensions in spite of her desire for action over diplomacy in most situations. In her down time, when she's not doing mental exercises for her biotic implants or helping to maintain something, usually her gear, she likes card games and building models among other things, and when things really get crazy she can out-dance anyone.

Backstory:

The PAST

Taria hails from the planet Tremellia, a moderately urbanized and unusually cosmopolitan world for a Turian planet, best known for its shipyards and docks, built to capitalize on the planet's location in several important interstellar trade routes. Her family was moderately well-off, with her father serving as station security at the dockyard and her mother serving as a pilot in the merchant marine. Her home life was happy if a little uneventful, and while she was never the brightest or most popular kid around, she had a good head on her shoulders and a few close friends growing up. Things became interesting for her shortly before her tenth birthday, however, when she began to manifest biotic abilities, most likely gifted by her mother's exposure to Element Zero during a turbulent landing on one of her many trips. While most Turian children would have been whisked away to special academies that honed their abilities, Taria's parents were able to get training for their daughter far closer to home, thanks in part to biotic facilities set up on Tremellia to accommodate other races. While most Turians found biotics to be suspect, Taria was fascinated with her own biotic abilities and took to that training like a fish to water, and by the time she came of age she was an accomplished biotic ready to depart on her civil service tour.

Initially slated to be sent to a Turian Cabal, the recent assault on the Citadel by the rogue Spectre Saren caused a manpower shortage, and thanks a bit of influence from her parents and her unique status as a biotic Turian not segregated into a special unit, she was accepted into C-Sec despite her inexperience. Taria quickly proved her mettle despite her lack of training, and she was shuffled into the Special Response Division of C-Sec where her biotics proved very useful, and given further training and experience in dealing with explosives and heavy weaponry. Often given a hard time by other Turians in C-Sec because of her biotics, Taria remained steadfastly devoted to her duty regardless, making friends and serving with distinction even after she lost her father during the Reaper invasion of 2186 when Tremellia was assaulted.

As things calmed down and the galaxy tried to return to normal following the Reapers, Taria's rising star suddenly came crashing down to Earth, as the saying goes. Incidents that were glossed over during the ongoing emergency came back to light and investigations began, one of which involved an incident involving the C-Sec officer Boone Croswell that left five innocents dead on the Promenade. Croswell, who liked to use his position to shake down criminals and small-time mercenaries and had a cabal of like-minded officers at his side, attempted to weasel his way out of trouble by pinning the blame on his colleague Venok Irlam, a Salarian in Special Response Division, and decided he would do this by threatening his adjutant who the Salarian had mentored since her transferal to C-Sec, and the one person who could easily convince Investigations that Venok was at fault; Taria Lucimus.

Knowing of her dedication, Boone settled on blackmail to earn the biotic Turian's loyalty, planting evidence of corrupt conduct and gathering his own friends and a handful of Turians who didn't like the idea of a biotic Turian on the force to corroborate the evidence, making it clear in no uncertain terms that if she didn't send Venok Irlam to jail, Taria would be going instead. Initially cowed by this threat, it was ultimately not enough to corrupt her, and when called on to present evidence of her CO's culpability Taria instead gave an impassioned statement in favor of the Salarian's conduct and character. Venok Irlam was cleared of all charges, and although Boone would ultimately be dismissed from C-Sec without further penalty after his own investigation was inconclusive, his colleagues carried out his threat and Taria was unceremoniously discharged from Citadel Security and sentenced to fifteen years in prison.

Despite being humiliated and degraded throughout the whole ordeal, she held her head high in the belief that she had done the right thing, and went to serve her sentence with dignity. Even jail did not break her determination, instead refining instilling in her a desire to seek justice where the law failed, not unlike another Turian C-Sec officer who left when the law stymied his own pursuit of what was right. Planning her life after prison, Taria bided her time, visited only by her mother who never believed she was guilty of the crime she was imprisoned for, and by Venok Irlam, the commanding officer who she had saved from injustice.

A third of the way into her sentence, she was visited again by Venok Irlam, this time accompanied by a small squadron, revealing that her prison sentence had been commuted. Whisking a confused Taria away from the prison, Venok dismissed the guards and revealed a stash of weapons, equipment, and cash for her to use, explaining that he had been contacted by a Volus from Omega, who had been looking for recruits for a special mission in the terminus system. Already close to retirement, Venok felt like he was too past his prime for such a group and instead suggested Taria for the job, and the Volus had been more then happy to grease a few palms to get the biotic Turian out early. When she hesitated, Venok explained to her that the offer had only been optional, but said that someone like her was too good for C-Sec, a career she happily sacrificed to keep an innocent Salarian from injustice, and in return that Salarian wanted to offer her a chance to bring justice to those that the law had failed.

Taria found that offer just too good to resist.

Specialty: Vanguard/Heavy Weapons

Powers/Skills:

Biotic Abilities: Warp, Backlash, Slam, Charge

Taria possesses the skills of a highly trained C-Sec officer, including weapons training, CQC, and breach tactics, as well as additional experience with deploying and disarming explosive ordinance.

Equipment:
Medium Armor (Black and Gold Design)
M-55 Argus Assault Rifle (Painted Black)
M-77 Paladin (Painted Black)
M-95 Grenade Launcher (A modified variant of the M-100. It lacks rapid fire, requiring a pump action to load an additional round, but it is more compact and lightweight, and can be loaded with different types of projectiles of lethal and non-lethal variety.)
Thermionic Charge (Great for punching holes through stubborn barriers and walls. Can be fired from the M-95)
Biotic Amplifier (Also great for punching holes through things, in a more literal sense)

Misc:
Voiced by AJ Michalka

All-Verse: The Initiative

The Manichaeverse

^{PARAGON-38 engages in battle alongside the 12th Assault Fleet of the Ebott Alliance}

▼ DESCRIPTION ▼

^{[Sci-Fi, Giant Mecha, Fantasy, Space Opera]}

The Manichaeverse is a universe where humanity was nearly snuffed out by a spaceborne virus arriving on a fallen meteorite, and the survivors emerged under the banner of the Deus, a twisted dogmatic faith preaching the gospel of dominance and fear of the Other. Driven by zeal and desperation, the humans under Deus emerged from the cataclysm and spread through the stars, meeting other species and continuing their crusade against the xeno, especially a coalition of aliens seeking to oppose the Deus Imperium, the Ebott Alliance.

While this is a universe where technology allows space-born fleets to trade volleys and vast constructs inhabit the spaces between stars and planets, the Manichaeverse is defined by the technological advancement that allowed the Deus Imperium to rise from a near-dead world to a star-spanning tyranny; the bipedal weapons platforms known as the CRUSADERS. Ranging in size from just a couple stories high to dwarfing the largest battlecrusiers, the CRUSADER mechas dominate battlefields not just through superior technology but through the weaponization of the Deus Imperium's greatest asset; the zeal and fanaticism of their soldiers. More specifically, Deus Imperium scryers tapped into the secrets of the Vigor, an internal source of power in sentient beings that allows them to effectively surpass physical limitations in and around them. The discovery of Vigor and what it could do allowed for the creation of weapons, technology, and ultimately a mecha that could effectively run on the "Soul" of its pilot, creating a seemingly unstoppable weapon of war driven by its pilot's fighting spirit.

While the Crusaders allowed the Imperium to nearly subjugate the whole galaxy, a cabal of aliens and humans no longer following the cruel teachings of Deus stole the secrets of Vigor and the CRUSADER and gave it to the last great power still resisting the Imperium on the world of Ebott. Backs against the wall and with nothing to lose, Ebott chose to use this technology and created the first of the PARAGONs, the mechas that would resist the Imperium and their CRUSADERs. Against all odds, the PARAGON proved incredibly effective, stopping the Imperium onslaught in its tracks and defeating even the feared CRUSADERs in battle. Ebott had discovered not just a new hope for their survival but that Vigor could help them utilize their own hope and determination to resist just as Vigor helped humans to utilize their dogmatic faith.

The last stand on Ebott turned to an Imperium rout, and previously pacified worlds rebelled and flocked to the banner of the new Ebott Alliance, as the Deus Imperium realized that their occupation had turned into a war against a true equal.

▼ SPECIES ▼

It is noteworthy that all sentient species in the Manichaeverse, humans included, are descended from a common ancestor, thus many share a similar bipedal humanoid shape, though species with more divergent biological makeups are not uncommon.

• Humans: Inhabitants of Earth, almost all of whom live and serve under the flag of the Deus Imperium, a tyrannical space empire controlled by a cultish theocracy. Humans of this universe are able to, with the proper training or tech, utilize Vigor, which they have used to great effect in the conquests of Deus. Thanks to technological advancements, cybernetic enhancements are relatively commonplace, though almost all human-made cybernetics are made to look as human as possible, in line with Deus' vision of a "purified humanity".
• Hellions: The human terminology for basically every other species in the galaxy, once used to degrade but now used as a unifying title and a point of pride by the Hellions themselves. While there are far too many to mention, Hellions generally have the appearance of animal and humanoid hybrids to varying degrees. They are able to use Vigor just as well as the humans can, and have done so to resist humanity's imperial ambitions. Confusingly enough, humans that defect from the Imperium and align themselves with the Ebott Alliance or other anti-Deus forces are also called Hellions, though humans that do so often heavily modify themselves with cybernetic or biological enhancements to distance themselves further from baseline humans.

▼ OTHER ▼

Vigor is not just utilized for Mecha combat. Some tech in the Manichaeverse can interface with the Vigor of an individual, using their Vigor to give subtle boosts to their abilities such as improved endurance or intellect. Individuals who are trained or experienced with utilizing their Vigor, who are almost always PARAGON or CRUSADER pilots, can also tap into that energy to perform incredible and impossible physical feats outside of their fighting robots.

Mass Effect- Seraphim

No promises atm but I am interested

The Marauders (2018)

@KaiserElectric

Lol you posted in the IC by accident.

@Akayaofthemoon

Yes I am a tired doofus lol. But I edited it with an actual story :D

The Marauders (2018)

---

Commander Aamra Tulez

---

"That should give them something to mull over, at least," Aamra mused to herself about the preliminary report. The alien officer's markings gave a cool glow as she allowed herself a little indulgence of pride at her work on this pre-debriefing; it provided everything that was needed in these sort of reports down to the letter but as per the captain's orders left enough out to ensure the high command would be pleasantly surprised by exactly what the pirates had been after. It probably would have floored some of the other crew to know that a stickler for rules and regulation like Aamra was, from a certain perspective, thumbing her nose at the high command, but the officer had no qualms about doing so. The rules exist for a reason after all, and they applied no matter how high or low your rank was, no exceptions. Not to mention as the liaison officer, Aamra had been blissfully unaware that the Council was getting her involved in what could amount to human trafficking. Such an idea sat VERY poorly with her, and were it not for the Captain's orders she would have been halfway through a rant at the first Admiral she contacted over this issue by now.

"Aamara, it's show time," Captain Raymond's voice crackled over the comm line. "A drink says Councilwoman Bruma calls me filth in front of my face."

Aamra barely restrained a scowl at the mention of that name. Yet another one of the joys that came with working on this ship; regular correspondence with that pretentious bat of a councilwoman. She didn't know where Raymond first met her, but Aamra enjoyed the presence of the councilwoman quite some time ago at her commendation and acceptance into the officer corps of the Committee, where she loudly "whispered" to her colleague, questioning what "that speckled reptilian ape" did to become an officer in training. Their relationship had not improved since, but at the very least the contempt for the Forgei councilwoman that Aamra and Raymond shared helped convince the speckled reptilian ape that maybe this Captain wasn't so bad after all.

"Councilwoman Bruma calls everyone filth, Captain," Aamra commented coolly as she turned to reunite with the Captain after finishing a last inspection. "Were I not a devoted servant of the Committee in oath and in spirit, I would comment that the councilwoman has all the vibrancy and creativity of stale rainwater, but as it is I would not dream of disrespecting the esteemed councilwoman." A year ago she would have kicked herself for saying such a thing, but she was assigned to the Monroe after all, the chariot of misfits. When in Rome, as the human saying goes...