She had been inclined to assume their opponents were novices with perhaps fifty hours of flight time under their belt before becoming fighter pilots, but honestly they were making a good show of it. There was only so much one could do when ambushed, dodging a missile when you didn't know it was coming an impossible ask. What mattered was the ability to keep your head when everything went to shit, and so far the pirates were doing that.
The last of the Floggers moved like a wolf pack, flitting out of Fuka's line of sight as they chased Calico. Two against one were bad odds, but the Sukoi was twenty years more advanced than its vintage rivals, so things were hopefully not as dicey as they looked. Peacenik was in no position to help-she had a bandit on her tail as well.
"Hmm."
It was a simple response to Calico's warning call, an acknowledgement of danger without promising a solution. She had seen it disappear low behind her before rocketing up in pursuit, the old-but-far-from-slow French craft gaining ground fast. The Black Bunny was slower and less agile, which meant she would struggle to break away. All she could do was yank up on the stick and throw off its aim, a maneuver that saved her from a stream of tracer fire.
"Hmm."
"Cobalt 3, I'm coming for your bogey, 20 seconds,"
Ximena Huang
"I'll be there in ten."
With her duel concluded (and what a duel it had been) Ximena had already begun to rip back into the fray. She was at a better angle than Yuna and in a faster plane, barreling towards their flight lead at hellspeed. Coming at the chase sidelong allowed her to float the crosshairs on top of the enemy, the Mirage suddenly breaking away, no doubt scared off by the beep-beep-beep of an RWR.
But Jefe wasn't going to miss out on another kill, not unless the Mirage could live up to its name and disappear into thin air.
"Fox-2!"
AMRAAM away, an afterburner streak against the beautiful blue sky, then an explosion and wreckage raining on the island below.
"As funny as it might have been, no." Kennedy grinned, the smile not quite meeting his eyes. "Had such been the case the Cold War would have no doubt gone differently."
He missed those times. Everything was simpler before a bunch of thrice-damned meteors came screaming out of the sky to shatter the order of things.
Ah, but that was just the old man in him talking. Back then, he had been creeping around, slitting throats and training insurgents, much the same as he was doing now. Ultimately, the difference was one of pay scale-best not to let the glory days of duty and honor distract him.
He took the questions as they came, feeling much like a schoolteacher presented with precocious students.
"They're about as reliable as you can expect. They hate each other and will no doubt start bombing each other's neighborhoods once the Cheung regime is out but until then they're willing to play nice. Like China when Japan invaded, eh? Everyone on our hit list is of roughly equal priority, save of course for the big man himself, but we'll be hitting them in whatever order the opportunity presents itself. As far as we know there are no major Muslim militias in San Borondon, but with all the refugees looking for safe harbor post Heavenfall, who knows? Hopefully there's not a fatwah against you."
Hippo's turn came next, Vitalli glancing at the Afrikaanner before leaning over to scratch behind the dog's ears.
"All three of us, er, four of us will be coming along although we might not be right behind you at all times. We'll split up and regroup as the mission requires. As we have to fly out of this lovely little resort before moving on to the AO, all gear will be smuggled in for us. Our first stop is a rebel camp in the lowlands where we can unpack, meet some of the friendlies. Depending on how long we're there we'll be reliant on resupply from the outside world, but we'll cross that bridge when we reach it. As for covers, well...
He gave a low whistle and a blase shrug, looking to his companions briefly.
"We will not exist there. If caught, we will be viewed as mercenaries and treated accordingly. While we will almost certainly need to interact with the average citizen in some way we are going to do our best to stay unknown.
Jacobin Dokken and Horned Bastard, 202nd of the Ravenous Cohort
Do you still see the Totality as being superior to us?"
Jacobin posed the question neutrally, face displaying nothing but curiosity as she watched her patient. A pen sat balanced between her fingers, notepad in easy reach on the arm of her chair. Across from her sat an alien, a creature right out of science fiction. HB-202RC, or Horned Bastard, 202nd of the Ravenous Cohort, to use their full name, was an impossibility. Towering over men at seven-and-a-half feet tall with blue skin and goat's hooves and a devil's spade tail, they had been born lightyears away to a sect of warrior-monks who taught them how to harness their psychic powers. Upon reaching adulthood, they were snapped up by an intergalactic empire that gave them cybernetic enhancements and specialized training with which to take over the Earth.
A few years ago Jacobin would have written HB off as something out of a forgotten movie script. Now, they were simply another patient.
"To humans, you mean?"
Jacobin nodded. The pair conversed in English, despite neither of them knowing it as a first language. Jacobin had been tutored in the subject as part of her grooming for greatness. HB knew it because they knew every major language on Earth. They spoke English because it was the lingua franca of the SPEAR teams, and it was best to stay in the habit.
"Yes."
"That is a loaded question."
HB shifted, tilting their head as they stared past Jacobin at a spot on the wall. Jacobin could feel a prickling sensation beneath her skin, unable to shake the uncanny valley effect that came from being in such close proximity to a predator. She knew HB could sense her feelings, but if they were bothered by them they never said.
"On the one hand, yes. A thousand times so, that's why this one is talking to you at all. Had we wished it we would have won the war before you knew of our existence. Laboratory-enhanced plagues you have no antibodies for released in your population centers by invisible agents, clouds of poison gas rolling across the continents, and then the detonation of thermonuclear devices in whatever mountains you holed up in, and you would have dropped below the threshold for life to continue. We had conquered multiple empires of sapient peoples before you reached your moon. Even now, you only survive because our forces are spread across the vastness of space. To compare the Totality to humanity is to compare humans to apes; one possesses a certain brute intelligence that should not be underestimated, but the other has fire."
"I see," Jacobin stated simply, scribbling a note for herself in shorthand. "And on the other hand?"
"You possess a tenacity that this one cannot help but respect, as a warrior. You are cornered and alive because the Totality allows it, and yet you fight."
"One might say that it's natural for people under attack to fight back."
"Perhaps. Many of those who were brought into the fold fought at first, but many saw they were outmatched and joined without much bloodshed. The latter is certainly wiser."
"You think we shouldn't fight, then?"
HB didn't answer, their tail flicking against a chair leg.
"Is that what HB thinks, or what the Suppression Officer thinks?"
"Does it matter?"
"I wouldn't ask if it didn't."
HB turned their head slowly, gaze sliding down to meet Jacobin's. Meeting those eyes was always an intense experience, dull red pools that hid deep intelligence and an uncanny ability to size people up. It reminded Jacobin of a butcher breaking down a carcass, mentally splitting the animal apart into all of its distinct portions.
"There is no difference between the two."
"HB. We talked about this."
Her voice was soft, genuine to the point of almost-earnestness. They had been over this point ten times and they'd go over it another ten or more until it sank in.
"You are capable of being more than what they made you. You are more than what they tried to make you."
Her patient didn't respond, still staring straight ahead. Jacobin allowed them space to speak if they wished but when it became clear that they wouldn't, pressed on
"I'm curious as to why you don't think so."
"How could this one have changed?" HB asked in a dreamlike whisper. "It was made to do this, quite literally. It was built from the ground up to hunt and then enlisted by the Totality, granted weapons and augmentations that honed it to a razor's edge. This one does nothing but kill, even now that it's working for the Coalition."
"But you do work for the Coalition." Jacob retorted, seizing on that inarguable fact. "You don't have to; you could have stayed in custody and potentially been released upon being deemed not a threat. You were making progress with me, had we stuck with it you would have been out and walking free...or at least mostly free. And yet you chose to put yourself in danger for strangers."
"What else would this one do?" HB demurred. "All it knows is how to fight, how to kill."
"Even if we were to pretend that was true, you could have picked any mercenary force on Earth. Any number of governments and insurgencies would have paid handsomely for your services. Instead you decided to fight directly against the Totality with your former enemies."
"If you're suggesting that this one feels guilt, then yes. Guilt does not make one good, or even different. A tree is not something other than a tree just because it suffers in winter."
Earlier in her career Jacobin would have struggled to keep a straight face, but now? This was classic deprogramming.
"And so you think that because you're still fighting, you're still the same as you were, even though you're fighting for the opposite cause."
"Killing is killing, no? Righteously or unrighteously, for the Totality or the Coalition, this unit will take lives like it always has."
"Okay, fine. We'll stick a pin in that. You talk about what you do with the Coalition, but what do you think about it?"
HB hummed tunelessly, a trick they used when shifting to a new train of thought. It was a self-soothing gesture, not that they would have used that terminology.
"It is...interesting, having such free will. This one is allowed to go where it wants under relatively little supervision, to spend its time working or lazing about as it pleases when not on missions. Honestly, it finds itself paralyzed by choice. In the Totality there was always an objective. This one spent weeks or months in the field, observing and stalking, then reported in to be redeployed to the next task. It always had a goal, even if it was as simple as making camp for the night."
"Do you like the people?"
"No. But it doesn't matter, the people don't like this unit."
"How could you possibly know that?"
She asked the question a half-second before realizing who she was talking to, HB's flat stare conveying silent amusement.
"...right."
"Most of those who encounter this unit and know its story despise it or distrust it, understandably. Even some of the officers in charge who signed off on its presence would rather it not be here."
Community was a key part of escaping bad influences, and HB did not have one. There was no one to blame for it, and nothing to do except keep on keeping on.
"I think that once you've spent some time in the field with the team, you'll naturally find camaraderie."
HB seemed to consider this, thoughtfully tucking a strand of hair behind one of their horns.
"Perhaps. Perhaps not. Either way, it will not mean much in the end."
"Why not?"
HB looked at Jacobin as if she were the dumbest person in the world. They reminded her of a cat gazing reproachfully at their owner when its silent missives went unnoticed.
"Assuming the Coalition wins, they will destroy this unit in revenge."
Whoah. Jacobin's pen, poised to scrawl more notes, fell against the pad as she lost her facade for a single, crucial second. She hadn't expected that answer; she couldn't have. It was just so anathema to her way of thinking that she would never would have imagined it.
"Okay." she said finally, subtly clearing her throat. "Why would they?"
"This one's words upset you."
They said it as matter-of-factly as they had predicted their killing, like reporting on the weather.
"That startled me, admittedly. I apologize for the distraction. Anyway, why would they 'destroy' you?"
This time HB laughed, a hoarse chuckle that seemed to grate their throat.
"How could they not? Their people will want blood, and rightfully so. This one killed their families, it bombed their capital cities, and spread fear through their nations. On Earth, you say that the enemy of your enemy is your friend, but that of course stops being true when the common foe is defeated."
Jacobin was compelled to dig deeper into this claim; already forming hypotheses and quelling them before they could color her diagnosis. A hell of a bomb to drop, and before she could start sifting through the wreckage-
"This one is summoned. Presumably you are as well."
Damn it all. The Pebble in Jacobin's pocket was vibrating; HB must have gotten a message through their communication augment.
"We'll pick up on this later." she promised, scanning the message on her Pebble. "Let's go."
She tucked her notepad away into the bag slung over the back of her wheelchair before pushing off, rolling towards the operations room with H-Bomb following behind.
Name: HB-202RC ('Horned Bastard, 202nd of the Ravenous Cohort')
Nickname: Jacobin sometimes calls them H-Bomb, a neutral nickname. Those who hold a grudge over their Totality past often refer to them as The Devil, a play off HB's appearance and the perceived injustice of taking a killer into the ranks.
Age: 77
Species: Gennari
Appearance:
HB stands taller than the vast majority of humanity at 2.2 meters, not counting their horns, and carries themselves with a warrior's grace. They tend to dress simply and practically, opting for inexpensive and replaceable clothes when at rest and sturdy combat gear when in the field. However, HB does indulge in jewelry. They've decorated their face and horns with several bangles and studs, the flashy adornments a small attempt at individuality before they were completely subsumed by the Totality.
If one happened upon HB in a state of undress, they'd notice a that the skin under their clothes is a map of old surgical scars and sealed ports as well as healed battle damage, relics from their days as a soldier for the Totality. Their original cybernetics were bulky and obtrusive but as the years went on they've been replaced with more advanced and discrete ones. That said, they are very clearly augmented. While not a full-conversion borg HB is cybered to a very high degree, with seams on their limbs and torso denoting implanted weapons and subdermal armor. Instead of the usual red HB bleeds a pale, milky blue. Their blood was replaced with an artificial variant that better regulates temperature and insulates their various augmentations from electromagnetism.
Personality: HB is, at first glance, spacey and out of touch. They never quite learned how to interface normally with society, often coming across as distant or perhaps not entirely there. They have a tendency to look through people rather than at them during a conversation, sizing up someone with all the cold clinicality of a machine crunching numbers. This ruthless calculation is at odds with their sleepy-eyed and dazed expression, a side effect of the extreme mental conditioning they went through in addition to the intensive therapy and medication they're going through to resolve it.
As part of their induction into the Suppression Forces HB was subjected to obedience training and further removal of their ego, developing into an enthusiastically loyal soldier of the regime. No task was too ugly for them, no danger too great. Her training as a Gennari Zealot lent itself to the assassination and repression of rebellions, and her ideological bent towards the destruction of the enemy was further honed for the invasion of Earth. HB received intensive education on all aspects of human history, focusing on war and the many injustices man had inflicted on fellow man. If humanity was unwilling to show mercy when killing each other en masse on the basis of minor differences in belief or shades of skin tone, then no mercy needed to be extended to them.
After being captured/rescued from the Totality, HB has started to unwind some of that brainwashing, but it is a slow, arduous process. Their perceived distance from others is actually avoidance; it's how they manage their dislike of humanity and the wider Coalition while trying to overcome it. Some days are harder than others; they generally oscillate between vague disdain and real, burning hatred. HB is plagued by intrusive thoughts of self-hate for betraying the Totality and ideas of earning back their place by turning on the Coalition from the inside. This is tempered by knowing that these feelings are implanted as opposed to naturally occurring, and a sense of guilt so all-encompassing that it makes them physically ill.
Despite this, HB possesses both high mental stability and a great deal of willpower, as well as a desire to make things right while seeking revenge against their former masters. This manifests itself as a singleminded determination to achieve a given object at nearly any cost, as well as extreme loyalty to their squad. Regardless of the distrust oft levied against them, they are the first into and last out of a fight, as befitting someone who began their career as a medic.
They're doing the best they can.
Their relationship with their pyschologist Jacobin is fraught with confusion and mistrust, as HB is entirely unused to the concept of a therapist and finds talking about themselves very uncomfortable. Still, sitting through sessions is the price they agreed to pay and they have been getting better.
History:
Born years after the Totality defeated the Gennari into a convent of Zealots, quasi-religious warriors and assassins who treated their work as acts of devotion. Raised to see themself as a part of a whole as opposed to an individual.
The Zealots were allowed some autonomy in exchange for working for the Totality's interests. HB was trained in combat and espionage as common with their sect, and then assigned the specialization of combat medicine. By chance, ended up earmarked for special service by the Totality as there happened to be a shortage of medical technicians at the time. Was granted the "name" Horned Bastard-202nd of the Ravenous Cohort upon reaching adulthood and sent into the field. Worked in small teams or on solo operations as an elite "hit squad" member in the Pacification Forces, snuffing out resistance on previously colonized planets when a scalpel was needed over a blackjack.
Noted as supremely effective in the role but (ironically for a Zealot) troublingly independent, suspected of working slowly on purpose at times to allow the enemy to escape. Taken out of the relatively free-willed Pacification Forces and integrated with the Suppression Forces. This kept them controlled while also making use of their talents in active conflict zones.
Assigned to first wave of forces attacking Earth, prepared for the invasion by biochemical augmentation/traditional weaning to lower reliance on sulfur dioxide, ammonia and methane as well building greater tolerance to UV light, flash-trained in human history, culture and technology. Tortured and interrogated humans kidnapped in early stages of contact under the influence of powerful drugs in order to gain an increased understanding of their communication and day-to-day life.
After Zero Day saw deployment across the globe, targeted world leaders and sites of strategic importance. Took part in multiple major sabotage operations and damaged critical components of military and political structures.
Saw action at the battle for the Monolith, was personally responsible for the death of many Coalition members. Ordered to stay behind with a platoon-equivalent force and make use of traps and harrying attacks to buy time for Totality forces to retreat. Succeeded in delaying Coalition forces but was ground down in brutal house-to-house fighting, was injured multiple times before passing out from shock.
Captured as the sole known survivor of their teams, held under heavy guard. With much of their augmentation removed HB had some degree of free will once more. Psychological evaluation determined that they could be rehabilitated, and they volunteered for the SPEAR teams.
Joined a pilot program designed to rehabilitate Totality forced recruits, was recently declared fit for duty. Accepted into SPEAR team on basis of their knowledge and experience.
Key Skills & Abilities:
Elite commando/special forces operative with decades of continuous experience in reconnaissance, assassination, and sabotage. Spent decades in the field raiding and taking part in close-quarters/hand-to-hand combat.
Medical training, combat medic certified to operate on various species and perform repairs to cybernetics in the field
Firsthand knowledge of the Totality and its forces, has an understanding matched by few on the Coalition's side. Similarly, direct uploading of information and "flash training" prior to the invasion of Earth grants broad and deep knowledge of human weapons, cultures, languages, sciences, and geography. Can interface with almost anything, if not particularly well.
Special Abilities: Lots of practice has made HB rather adept with their mental powers. Capable of reading the thought patterns of most sapient species, this gives them an edge in combat (while also being something of a curse, due to being surrounded by people who generally don't trust and dislike them-they're always aware). While far from the legendary mystics of ages past, they're still quite adept at telekinesis, lifting heavy objects or small groups of people at once.
Even before becoming part of the Suppression Forces HB was heavily augmented, and after being transferred to the Totality's regular forces they underwent such intensive modification that they were edging close to Synth territory. Much of their augments were stripped after being captured, but what remains is still extensive.
CombiComms: Inbuilt communicator and personal computer that directly displays information in HB's field of vision. Automatically shuts down when exposed to electronic warfare.
Sense Enhancement Suite: Careful surgery and the pinpoint implantation of minute augments gave HB increased sensitivity to sound, touch, smell, and vision. The strength is variable; HB can dial it up when they're trying to sense something or down when exposed to extremes. Hormone treatments and neural rewiring of the central nervous system and motor cortex boost HB's reaction time greatly, making them preternaturally dangerous in close-quarters combat. Of course, making them so quick to respond to danger has the side effect of feeding them a constant drip of adrenaline. HB's fight or flight response is essentially always active. While they're not about to run off or start swinging unprovoked it's very hard for them to feel comfortable or even safe.
Physical Enhancement Suite: An extensive collection of procedures to harden HB's body. Increases their strength and agility through vat-grown tissues, as well as insulates their body against extremes in temperature and pressure. Their respiratory and circulatory systems are similarly improved, giving them an inbuilt rebreathing system that lessens their need for atmospheric gases, while their skin and eyes are less sensitive to light than other Gennari. They are both far more durable than is naturally possible, their flesh hardened via nanomachine injections. Their bones are reinforced with thin sheaths of extremely high tensile metals, making them much harder to damage. The enhanced durability comes with the downside of deadening their sensation of touch, however, akin to wearing thin gloves. This makes fine motor skill tasks somewhat harder than they'd otherwise be.
As a side note, HB is unnaturally flexible due to bendable fibers inserted in their joints and ligaments.
Arm-Implanted Weapon: For use in conjunction with conventional firearms. HB’s left arm has an in-built sonic emitter for injuring and debilitating targets for capture.
Personal Weapons:
PKP Pecheneg-SP General Purpose Machine Gun: A modernized version of the venerable PKM, updated with Piccatiny rail, 250 round ammo box, red dot sight with magnifier, telescoping stock, and suppressor. The original bottom-mounted bipod has been replaced with a side-mounted one, freeing up room to add a micro missile launcher. HB is strong enough to handle the GPMG as if it were a standard rifle.
Totality Viper Pistol-Zealot Model: Plasma weapons are common amongst the forces of the Totality; the Zealot model is simply a modified version used by the warrior-monks HB was born into. Powered by high-capacity batteries, the pistol features two modes: a standard shot with an effective range of 100 meters and a charged blast capable of damaging armored vehicles.
Machete: The traditional weapon of the Zealots, it holds spiritual significance to HB. Closer to a cutlass in design, a cross between a bushwhacking tool and a weapon. With its monomolecular edge and solid construction it's equally capable of clearing brush and people, especially activating its plasma field. While a limited (and expensive) resource this makes it very effective against tough targets.
Personal Equipment:
Zephyr Armor: The advanced armor used by the Zealots modified by the Totality to provide increased survivability with little weight gain. Consists of a polymer-padded vest with inserted plates, connected to a flexible armored undersuit with arm/leg guards and a helmet with attached rebreather and night-vision/thermal capabilities. The result is less durable in an extended fight than heavy battle armor but is much lighter and more flexible, allowing HB to take advantage of their quick movement and sharp reflexes. Comes with an equivalent to MOLLE gear for storing ammo and other items.
Medical Equipment: A range of diagnostic and procedural tools and a wide range of medications and nanoinjections covering all manner of injuries and maladies. HB can do everything from set broken bones to full-on surgery, provided they have the space to work in.
Multitool and Utility Knife: For general repairs and field work.
Medication: Includes both the mood stabilizers prescribed to them and small canisters of the various gases they require.
Pebble: Kept for situations where HB can't use their inbuilt comms.
Seraphim Jump Pack: The signature tool of the Zealot, allowing them to burst into the air and hover. HB uses it to augment their high degree of mobility.
Name: Captain Jacobine Dokken
Nickname: The Gothenburg Valkyrie, a title foisted upon her to her chagrin.
Age: 44
Species: Human
Appearance:
Jacobin is aging gracefully, blessed with good skin and few blemishes save for those inflicted upon her. Not overly tall (by the standards of Norway) at 1.7 meters, she doesn't have an overly military bearing. In fact it would be easy to mistake her for a civilian, which is how she likes it. Soft-spoken and almost serene in demanour, she only wears a uniform when in the field or otherwise forced to. Jacobine much prefers slim sweaters and compression tops, clothes that stay close to the body and don't bunch up under the back brace she wears.
People tend to notice her lower half first. By necessity, Jacobin spends most of her time in a wheelchair. Compared to the high-tech advances made across nearly all industries, the chair is the same as it's always been; perhaps higher-end than most, but still ultimately a wheelchair. It has an aluminum frame with padded gel cushions attached to treaded Kevlar tires so it can be taken outside without fear of puncture.
Parts of her body are artificial. Two of the fingers on her left hand have been replaced with stainless steel and carbon fiber prosthetics, and the left-hand side of her lower face has been replaced by lifelike silicon covering a titanium jaw and fake teeth. At a distance it's quite good, but close inspection makes it obvious that the skin doesn't move with the rest of her mouth.
Personality: Jacobin is quite literally the poster child for duty and self-sacrifice in the face of the invasion; her role as a member of the all-female Jegertroppen and her valor in the defense of Gothenburg have made her the perfect role model to raise recruitment numbers. Heavily decorated (to date she holds the Norwegian War Cross, War Medal, Wounded in Action Medal, and Defense Service Medal as well as the French Legion of Honor and American Distinguished Service Cross), she's often paraded in front of cameras to give speeches or her views on the military situation, serving as a mouthpiece for women, soldiers, Scandanavia, or simply the entire Earth depending on the event.
She despises this showpony state of affairs. By her reckoning, she's earned only two decorations-one for defending the civilian evac point in Gothenburg (and even that, she insists, was a team effort not even instituted by her- the previous commander died and she picked up the pieces) and one for getting pummeled by a Suppression Force trooper and then thrown off a balcony. The others were just fluff given to her to fill out her dress uniform when the powers that be decided to make her into a propaganda piece. She's not a hero or someone to emulate; she just wants to do her job and go home to her family.
To that end, she is focused far more on winning than on seeking revenge for her planet or her injuries. The SPEAR teams seem like a good way to contribute to the end of the war, so she joined up. The faster they get the job done, the less likely she is to die. She approaches missions clinically and without enthusiasm or lethargy, In truth Jacobin doesn't consider herself a soldier but a psychologist, her first profession and true calling. To that end she practices empathy and active listening, always careful to consider what's being said to her before responding.
She has a complicated relationship with HB-202, her main patient. HB is a difficult case and one that directly brings up Jacobin's own trauma. They fought in the mopping up operations after the fall of the Monolith, and there's a small but distinct chance that HB was the Suppression trooper who crippled her, and sometimes they're unable to hide that they still, in some ways, hate the Coalition and especially humankind. However, being a psychologist requires a belief that people can heal, and Jacobin got her start working with those outcast from society. She does not give up on hard cases.
History:
Born into wealth as a distant relative of the noble Løvenskiold family, daughter of a successful hedge fund manager. Enrolled in prestigious schools and many extracurricular activities, gaining a ground in music, sports, and equestrianism.
Chafed under the pressure, rebelled against parents' push for success by getting into the party scene. Was arrested once for possession of MDMA, although the charges were dropped it effectively ended their relationship for years. Left home at seventeen, found menial work first as a waitress and later a bartender.
Went to school to study psychology at the suggestion of a regular. Joined the Home Guard on a part-time basis in order to receive extra pay. Upon graduating, started a successful practice focusing on the treatment of vulnerable people trying to make major life changes, mainly drug addicts, sex workers, and members of cults. Continued to serve in the Home Guard for another decade.
Upon the initial invasion was called back into service due to the extreme threat. Although a member of the Home Guard and not the Army, transferred into the all-female Jegertroppen special forces program due to the need for troops.
Part of the Jegertroppen's first-ever combat tour, sent as part of a wider Norwegian deployment to defend Gothenberg from Totality forces. Fought bravely, but human forces were pushed out after a crushing encounter with expendable Drone units equipped with heavy weapons. Earned the War Medal for her actions in rallying a shattered force of Norwegian and Swedish troops/police, preventing a civilian evacuation zone from being overrun.
Reorganized and sent to shore up Coalition forces in hot zones, saw action in Orkney and Alsace. Eventually sent as part of a small Scandinavian contingent to Florida for the assault on the Monolith. Was grievously injured in mopping up actions against Totality remnants, suffering severe injuries to her jaw, hand, ribs and spine.
Underwent surgery and the implantation of experimental mobility devices to restore function to her legs. Due to her previous career as a psychologist, she was tapped to take part in a program to deprogram Totality's forced recruits. Selected to join SPEAR team as the partner of HB-202, a former Suppression Force soldier who had been captured in the same battle that Jacobine was injured in.
Key Skills & Abilities:
Veteran of special reconnaissance actions, capable of directing artillery and air strikes.
Certified psychologist, assigned to SPEAR in part to monitor the team's mental health for potential problems.
Has command experience.
Special Abilities:
Nerve Grafts and Exoskeleton: Jacobin is capable of walking thanks to the grafting of nerves from her legs to artificial vertebrae attached to her lower spine, in conjunction with thin exoskeleton legs that are directly connected to her muscles and nervous system via ports alongside her knees and hips. When activated these allow her to walk, jump, run, and otherwise ambulate as she could before being injured, with the tradeoff that it gives her very strong phantom sensations-not quite pain but comparable to intense pins-and-needles. In the field, she's able to work with it, but it would be very uncomfortable for day-to-day life, so typically they're turned off.
Prosthetics: Replacements for her left thumb, middle, and index finger as well as the chunk of her jaw that had been torn away and the two ribs that were shattered beyond repair. These are near-perfect replacements in terms of function not appearance.
Personal Weapons:
Heckler & Koch HK417 Battle Rifle: Jacobine found the standard carbine rifles of the Norwegian Armed Forces to be lacking against the Totality; the full-size 7.62 rifle is better able to put targets down. Equipped with bipod, suppressor, and holographic or ACOG sights as required by mission.
Ithaca 37 Shotgun: Outdated but reliable, firing slugs or plasma shells-buckshot doesn't do the job anymore. Jacobine uses an older model for two reasons: first, it has the ability to slamfire and second, she gets to reference Aliens while fighting aliens. Close encounters indeed.
Glock 40: If she has to shoot at someone with a pistol, she wants it to be 10mm. The long slide makes it easier to get a good sight picture, the extended magazine baseplates give her a couple extra rounds.
Tomahawk: Had started using one of these for camping thanks to the influence of an American friend, kept using it once she started fighting. The original was lost when she was injured; the new one is far sturdier and has a monomolecular edge.
Personal Equipment:
Armor and load-bearing equipment/rucksack with food, water, ammunition, etc. Much of the Totality's weapons make conventional body armor useless, but it's better than nothing.
Ops-Core FAST helmet with ENVG-B night vision/thermal imaging
Pebble
Notepad and pens/pencils
Ruggedized laptop
Folding Knife
Cigarettes, lots of them. She quit fifteen years ago, started again when aliens invaded her planet.
Manual wheelchair with power assist. How she typically gets around.
Name: HB-202RC ('Horned Bastard, 202nd of the Ravenous Cohort')
Nickname: Jacobin sometimes calls them H-Bomb, a neutral nickname. Those who hold a grudge over their Totality past often refer to them as The Devil, a play off HB's appearance and the perceived injustice of taking a killer into the ranks.
Age: 364.
Species: Gennari
Appearance:
HB stands taller than the vast majority of humanity at 2.2 meters, not counting their horns, and carries themselves with a warrior's grace. They tend to dress simply and practically, opting for inexpensive and replaceable clothes when at rest and sturdy combat gear when in the field. However, HB does indulge in jewelry. They've decorated their face and horns with several bangles and studs, the flashy adornments a small attempt at individuality before they were completely subsumed by the Totality.
If one happened upon HB in a state of undress, they'd notice a that the skin under their clothes is a map of old surgical scars and sealed ports as well as healed battle damage, relics from their days as a soldier for the Totality. Their original cybernetics were bulky and obtrusive but as the years went on they've been replaced with more advanced and discrete ones. That said, they are very clearly augmented. While not a full-conversion borg HB is cybered to a very high degree, with seams on their limbs and torso denoting implanted weapons and subdermal armor. Instead of the usual red HB bleeds a pale, milky blue. Their blood was replaced with an artificial variant that better regulates temperature and insulates their various augmentations from electromagnetism.
Personality: HB is, at first glance, spacey and out of touch. They never quite learned how to interface normally with society, often coming across as distant or perhaps not entirely there. They have a tendency to look through people rather than at them during a conversation, sizing up someone with all the cold clinicality of a machine crunching numbers. This ruthless calculation is at odds with their sleepy-eyed and dazed expression, a side effect of the extreme mental conditioning they went through in addition to the intensive therapy and medication they're going through to resolve it.
As part of their induction into the Suppression Forces HB was subjected to obedience training and further removal of their ego, developing into an enthusiastically loyal soldier of the regime. No task was too ugly for them, no danger too great. Her training as a Gennari Zealot lent itself to the assassination and repression of rebellions, and her ideological bent towards the destruction of the enemy was further honed for the invasion of Earth. HB received intensive education on all aspects of human history, focusing on war and the many injustices man had inflicted on fellow man. If humanity was unwilling to show mercy when killing each other en masse on the basis of minor differences in belief or shades of skin tone, then no mercy needed to be extended to them.
After being captured/rescued from the Totality, HB has started to unwind some of that brainwashing, but it is a slow, arduous process. Their perceived distance from others is actually avoidance; it's how they manage their dislike of humanity and the wider Coalition while trying to overcome it. Some days are harder than others; they generally oscillate between vague disdain and real, burning hatred. HB is plagued by intrusive thoughts of self-hate for betraying the Totality and ideas of earning back their place by turning on the Coalition from the inside. This is tempered by knowing that these feelings are implanted as opposed to naturally occurring, and a sense of guilt so all-encompassing that it makes them physically ill.
Despite this, HB possesses both high mental stability and a great deal of willpower, as well as a desire to make things right while seeking revenge against their former masters. This manifests itself as a singleminded determination to achieve a given object at nearly any cost, as well as extreme loyalty to their squad. Regardless of the distrust oft levied against them, they are the first into and last out of a fight, as befitting someone who began their career as a medic.
They're doing the best they can.
Their relationship with their pyschologist Jacobin is fraught with confusion and mistrust, as HB is entirely unused to the concept of a therapist and finds talking about themselves very uncomfortable. Still, sitting through sessions is the price they agreed to pay and they have been getting better.
History:
Born years after the Totality defeated the Gennari into a convent of Zealots, quasi-religious warriors and assassins who treated their work as acts of devotion. Raised to see themself as a part of a whole as opposed to an individual.
The Zealots were allowed some autonomy in exchange for working for the Totality's interests. HB was trained in combat and espionage as common with their sect, and then assigned the specialization of combat medicine. By chance, ended up earmarked for special service by the Totality as there happened to be a shortage of medical technicians at the time. Was granted the "name" Horned Bastard-202nd of the Ravenous Cohort upon reaching adulthood and sent into the field. Worked in small teams or on solo operations as an elite "hit squad" member in the Pacification Forces, snuffing out resistance on previously colonized planets when a scalpel was needed over a blackjack.
Noted as supremely effective in the role but (ironically for a Zealot) troublingly independent, suspected of working slowly on purpose at times to allow the enemy to escape. Taken out of the relatively free-willed Pacification Forces and integrated with the Suppression Forces. This kept them controlled while also making use of their talents in active conflict zones.
Assigned to first wave of forces attacking Earth, prepared for the invasion by biochemical augmentation/traditional weaning to lower reliance on sulfur dioxide, ammonia and methane as well building greater tolerance to UV light, flash-trained in human history, culture and technology. Tortured and interrogated humans kidnapped in early stages of contact under the influence of powerful drugs in order to gain an increased understanding of their communication and day-to-day life.
After Zero Day saw deployment across the globe, targeted world leaders and sites of strategic importance. Took part in multiple major sabotage operations and damaged critical components of military and political structures.
Saw action at the battle for the Monolith, was personally responsible for the death of many Coalition members. Ordered to stay behind with a platoon-equivalent force and make use of traps and harrying attacks to buy time for Totality forces to retreat. Succeeded in delaying Coalition forces but was ground down in brutal house-to-house fighting, was injured multiple times before passing out from shock.
Captured as the sole known survivor of their teams, held under heavy guard. With much of their augmentation removed HB had some degree of free will once more. Psychological evaluation determined that they could be rehabilitated, and they volunteered for the SPEAR teams.
Joined a pilot program designed to rehabilitate Totality forced recruits, was recently declared fit for duty. Accepted into SPEAR team on basis of their knowledge and experience.
Key Skills & Abilities:
Elite commando/special forces operative with centuries of experience in reconnaissance, assassination, and sabotage. Spent decades in the field raiding and taking part in close-quarters/hand-to-hand combat.
Medical training, combat medic certified to operate on various species and perform repairs to cybernetics in the field
Firsthand knowledge of the Totality and its forces, has an understanding matched by few on the Coalition's side. Similarly, direct uploading of information and "flash training" prior to the invasion of Earth grants broad and deep knowledge of human weapons, cultures, languages, sciences, and geography. Can interface with almost anything, if not particularly well.
Special Abilities: Lots of practice has made HB rather adept with their mental powers. Capable of reading the thought patterns of most sapient species, this gives them an edge in combat (while also being something of a curse, due to being surrounded by people who generally don't trust and dislike them-they're always aware). While far from the legendary mystics of ages past, they're still quite adept at telekinesis, lifting heavy objects or small groups of people at once.
Even before becoming part of the Suppression Forces HB was heavily augmented, and after being transferred to the Totality's regular forces they underwent such intensive modification that they were edging close to Synth territory. Much of their augments were stripped after being captured, but what remains is still extensive.
CombiComms: Inbuilt communicator and personal computer that directly displays information in HB's field of vision. Automatically shuts down when exposed to electronic warfare.
Sense Enhancement Suite: Careful surgery and the pinpoint implantation of minute augments gave HB increased sensitivity to sound, touch, smell, and vision. The strength is variable; HB can dial it up when they're trying to sense something or down when exposed to extremes. Hormone treatments and neural rewiring of the central nervous system and motor cortex boost HB's reaction time greatly, making them preternaturally dangerous in close-quarters combat. Of course, making them so quick to respond to danger has the side effect of feeding them a constant drip of adrenaline. HB's fight or flight response is essentially always active. While they're not about to run off or start swinging unprovoked it's very hard for them to feel comfortable or even safe.
Physical Enhancement Suite: An extensive collection of procedures to harden HB's body. Increases their strength and agility through vat-grown tissues, as well as insulates their body against extremes in temperature and pressure. Their respiratory and circulatory systems are similarly improved, giving them an inbuilt rebreathing system that lessens their need for atmospheric gases, while their skin and eyes are less sensitive to light than other Gennari. They are both far more durable than is naturally possible, their flesh hardened via nanomachine injections. Their bones are reinforced with thin sheaths of extremely high tensile metals, making them much harder to damage. The enhanced durability comes with the downside of deadening their sensation of touch, however, akin to wearing thin gloves. This makes fine motor skill tasks somewhat harder than they'd otherwise be.
As a side note, HB is unnaturally flexible due to bendable fibers inserted in their joints and ligaments.
Arm-Implanted Weapon: For use in conjunction with conventional firearms. HB’s left arm has an in-built sonic emitter for injuring and debilitating targets for capture.
Personal Weapons:
PKP Pecheneg-SP General Purpose Machine Gun: A modernized version of the venerable PKM, updated with Piccatiny rail, 250 round ammo box, red dot sight with magnifier, telescoping stock, and suppressor. The original bottom-mounted bipod has been replaced with a side-mounted one, freeing up room to add a micro missile launcher. HB is strong enough to handle the GPMG as if it were a standard rifle.
Totality Viper Pistol-Zealot Model: Plasma weapons are common amongst the forces of the Totality; the Zealot model is simply a modified version used by the warrior-monks HB was born into. Powered by high-capacity batteries, the pistol features two modes: a standard shot with an effective range of 100 meters and a charged blast capable of damaging armored vehicles.
Machete: The traditional weapon of the Zealots, it holds spiritual significance to HB. Closer to a cutlass in design, a cross between a bushwhacking tool and a weapon. With its monomolecular edge and solid construction it's equally capable of clearing brush and people, especially activating its plasma field. While a limited (and expensive) resource this makes it very effective against tough targets.
Personal Equipment:
Zephyr Armor: The advanced armor used by the Zealots modified by the Totality to provide increased survivability with little weight gain. Consists of a polymer-padded vest with inserted plates, connected to a flexible armored undersuit with arm/leg guards and a helmet with attached rebreather and night-vision/thermal capabilities. The result is less durable in an extended fight than heavy battle armor but is much lighter and more flexible, allowing HB to take advantage of their quick movement and sharp reflexes. Comes with an equivalent to MOLLE gear for storing ammo and other items.
Medical Equipment: A range of diagnostic and procedural tools and a wide range of medications and nanoinjections covering all manner of injuries and maladies. HB can do everything from set broken bones to full-on surgery, provided they have the space to work in.
Multitool and Utility Knife: For general repairs and field work.
Medication: Includes both the mood stabilizers prescribed to them and small canisters of the various gases they require.
Pebble: Kept for situations where HB can't use their inbuilt comms.
Seraphim Jump Pack: The signature tool of the Zealot, allowing them to burst into the air and hover. HB uses it to augment their high degree of mobility.
Name: Captain Jacobine Dokken
Nickname: The Gothenburg Valkyrie, a title foisted upon her to her chagrin.
Age: 44
Species: Human
Appearance:
Jacobin is aging gracefully, blessed with good skin and few blemishes save for those inflicted upon her. Not overly tall (by the standards of Norway) at 1.7 meters, she doesn't have an overly military bearing. In fact it would be easy to mistake her for a civilian, which is how she likes it. Soft-spoken and almost serene in demanour, she only wears a uniform when in the field or otherwise forced to. Jacobine much prefers slim sweaters and compression tops, clothes that stay close to the body and don't bunch up under the back brace she wears.
People tend to notice her lower half first. By necessity, Jacobin spends most of her time in a wheelchair. Compared to the high-tech advances made across nearly all industries, the chair is the same as it's always been; perhaps higher-end than most, but still ultimately a wheelchair. It has an aluminum frame with padded gel cushions attached to treaded Kevlar tires so it can be taken outside without fear of puncture.
Parts of her body are artificial. Two of the fingers on her left hand have been replaced with stainless steel and carbon fiber prosthetics, and the left-hand side of her lower face has been replaced by lifelike silicon covering a titanium jaw and fake teeth. At a distance it's quite good, but close inspection makes it obvious that the skin doesn't move with the rest of her mouth.
Personality: Jacobin is quite literally the poster child for duty and self-sacrifice in the face of the invasion; her role as a member of the all-female Jegertroppen and her valor in the defense of Gothenburg have made her the perfect role model to raise recruitment numbers. Heavily decorated (to date she holds the Norwegian War Cross, War Medal, Wounded in Action Medal, and Defense Service Medal as well as the French Legion of Honor and American Distinguished Service Cross), she's often paraded in front of cameras to give speeches or her views on the military situation, serving as a mouthpiece for women, soldiers, Scandanavia, or simply the entire Earth depending on the event.
She despises this showpony state of affairs. By her reckoning, she's earned only two decorations-one for defending the civilian evac point in Gothenburg (and even that, she insists, was a team effort not even instituted by her- the previous commander died and she picked up the pieces) and one for getting pummeled by a Suppression Force trooper and then thrown off a balcony. The others were just fluff given to her to fill out her dress uniform when the powers that be decided to make her into a propaganda piece. She's not a hero or someone to emulate; she just wants to do her job and go home to her family.
To that end, she is focused far more on winning than on seeking revenge for her planet or her injuries. The SPEAR teams seem like a good way to contribute to the end of the war, so she joined up. The faster they get the job done, the less likely she is to die. She approaches missions clinically and without enthusiasm or lethargy, In truth Jacobin doesn't consider herself a soldier but a psychologist, her first profession and true calling. To that end she practices empathy and active listening, always careful to consider what's being said to her before responding.
She has a complicated relationship with HB-202, her main patient. HB is a difficult case and one that directly brings up Jacobin's own trauma. They fought in the mopping up operations after the fall of the Monolith, and there's a small but distinct chance that HB was the Suppression trooper who crippled her, and sometimes they're unable to hide that they still, in some ways, hate the Coalition and especially humankind. However, being a psychologist requires a belief that people can heal, and Jacobin got her start working with those outcast from society. She does not give up on hard cases.
History:
Born into wealth as a distant relative of the noble Løvenskiold family, daughter of a successful hedge fund manager. Enrolled in prestigious schools and many extracurricular activities, gaining a ground in music, sports, and equestrianism.
Chafed under the pressure, rebelled against parents' push for success by getting into the party scene. Was arrested once for possession of MDMA, although the charges were dropped it effectively ended their relationship for years. Left home at seventeen, found menial work first as a waitress and later a bartender.
Went to school to study psychology at the suggestion of a regular. Joined the Home Guard on a part-time basis in order to receive extra pay. Upon graduating, started a successful practice focusing on the treatment of vulnerable people trying to make major life changes, mainly drug addicts, sex workers, and members of cults. Continued to serve in the Home Guard for another decade.
Upon the initial invasion was called back into service due to the extreme threat. Although a member of the Home Guard and not the Army, transferred into the all-female Jegertroppen special forces program due to the need for troops.
Part of the Jegertroppen's first-ever combat tour, sent as part of a wider Norwegian deployment to defend Gothenberg from Totality forces. Fought bravely, but human forces were pushed out after a crushing encounter with expendable Drone units equipped with heavy weapons. Earned the War Medal for her actions in rallying a shattered force of Norwegian and Swedish troops/police, preventing a civilian evacuation zone from being overrun.
Reorganized and sent to shore up Coalition forces in hot zones, saw action in Orkney and Alsace. Eventually sent as part of a small Scandinavian contingent to Florida for the assault on the Monolith. Was grievously injured in mopping up actions against Totality remnants, suffering severe injuries to her jaw, hand, ribs and spine.
Underwent surgery and the implantation of experimental mobility devices to restore function to her legs. Due to her previous career as a psychologist, she was tapped to take part in a program to deprogram Totality's forced recruits. Selected to join SPEAR team as the partner of HB-202, a former Suppression Force soldier who had been captured in the same battle that Jacobine was injured in.
Key Skills & Abilities:
Veteran of special reconnaissance actions, capable of directing artillery and air strikes.
Certified psychologist, assigned to SPEAR in part to monitor the team's mental health for potential problems.
Has command experience.
Special Abilities:
Nerve Grafts and Exoskeleton: Jacobin is capable of walking thanks to the grafting of nerves from her legs to artificial vertebrae attached to her lower spine, in conjunction with thin exoskeleton legs that are directly connected to her muscles and nervous system via ports alongside her knees and hips. When activated these allow her to walk, jump, run, and otherwise ambulate as she could before being injured, with the tradeoff that it gives her very strong phantom sensations-not quite pain but comparable to intense pins-and-needles. In the field, she's able to work with it, but it would be very uncomfortable for day-to-day life, so typically they're turned off.
Prosthetics: Replacements for her left thumb, middle, and index finger as well as the chunk of her jaw that had been torn away and the two ribs that were shattered beyond repair. These are near-perfect replacements in terms of function not appearance.
Personal Weapons:
Heckler & Koch HK417 Battle Rifle: Jacobine found the standard carbine rifles of the Norwegian Armed Forces to be lacking against the Totality; the full-size 7.62 rifle is better able to put targets down. Equipped with bipod, suppressor, and holographic or ACOG sights as required by mission.
Ithaca 37 Shotgun: Outdated but reliable, firing slugs or plasma shells-buckshot doesn't do the job anymore. Jacobine uses an older model for two reasons: first, it has the ability to slamfire and second, she gets to reference Aliens while fighting aliens. Close encounters indeed.
Glock 40: If she has to shoot at someone with a pistol, she wants it to be 10mm. The long slide makes it easier to get a good sight picture, the extended magazine baseplates give her a couple extra rounds.
Tomahawk: Had started using one of these for camping thanks to the influence of an American friend, kept using it once she started fighting. The original was lost when she was injured; the new one is far sturdier and has a monomolecular edge.
Personal Equipment:
Armor and load-bearing equipment/rucksack with food, water, ammunition, etc. Much of the Totality's weapons make conventional body armor useless, but it's better than nothing.
Ops-Core FAST helmet with ENVG-B night vision/thermal imaging
Pebble
Notepad and pens/pencils
Ruggedized laptop
Folding Knife
Cigarettes, lots of them. She quit fifteen years ago, started again when aliens invaded her planet.
Manual wheelchair with power assist. How she typically gets around.
Nickname: The Gothenburg Valkyrie, a title foisted upon her to her chagrin.
Age: 44
Species: Human
Appearance:
Jacobin is aging gracefully, blessed with good skin and few blemishes save for those inflicted upon her. Not overly tall (by the standards of Norway) at 1.7 meters, she doesn't have an overly military bearing. In fact it would be easy to mistake her for a civilian, which is how she likes it. Soft-spoken and almost serene in demanour, she only wears a uniform when in the field or otherwise forced to. Jacobine much prefers slim sweaters and compression tops, clothes that stay close to the body and don't bunch up under the back brace she wears.
People tend to notice her lower half first. By necessity, Jacobin spends most of her time in a wheelchair. Compared to the high-tech advances made across nearly all industries, the chair is the same as it's always been; perhaps higher-end than most, but still ultimately a wheelchair. It has an aluminum frame with padded gel cushions attached to treaded Kevlar tires so it can be taken outside without fear of puncture.
Parts of her body are artificial. Two of the fingers on her left hand have been replaced with stainless steel and carbon fiber prosthetics, and the left-hand side of her lower face has been replaced by lifelike silicon covering a titanium jaw and fake teeth. At a distance it's quite good, but close inspection makes it obvious that the skin doesn't move with the rest of her mouth.
Personality: Jacobin is quite literally the poster child for duty and self-sacrifice in the face of the invasion; her role as a member of the all-female Jegertroppen and her valor in the defense of Gothenburg have made her the perfect role model to raise recruitment numbers. Heavily decorated (to date she holds the Norwegian War Cross, War Medal, Wounded in Action Medal, and Defense Service Medal as well as the French Legion of Honor and American Distinguished Service Cross), she's often paraded in front of cameras to give speeches or her views on the military situation, serving as a mouthpiece for women, soldiers, Scandanavia, or simply the entire Earth depending on the event.
She despises this showpony state of affairs. By her reckoning, she's earned only two decorations-one for defending the civilian evac point in Gothenburg (and even that, she insists, was a team effort not even instituted by her- the previous commander died and she picked up the pieces) and one for getting pummeled by a Suppression Force trooper and then thrown off a balcony. The others were just fluff given to her to fill out her dress uniform when the powers that be decided to make her into a propaganda piece. She's not a hero or someone to emulate; she just wants to do her job and go home to her family.
To that end, she is focused far more on winning than on seeking revenge for her planet or her injuries. The SPEAR teams seem like a good way to contribute to the end of the war, so she joined up. The faster they get the job done, the less likely she is to die. She approaches missions clinically and without enthusiasm or lethargy, In truth Jacobin doesn't consider herself a soldier but a psychologist, her first profession and true calling. To that end she practices empathy and active listening, always careful to consider what's being said to her before responding.
She has a complicated relationship with HB-202, her main patient. HB is a difficult case and one that directly brings up Jacobin's own trauma. They fought in the mopping up operations after the fall of the Monolith, and there's a small but distinct chance that HB was the Suppression trooper who crippled her, and sometimes they're unable to hide that they still, in some ways, hate the Coalition and especially humankind. However, being a psychologist requires a belief that people can heal, and Jacobin got her start working with those outcast from society. She does not give up on hard cases.
History:
Born into wealth as a distant relative of the noble Løvenskiold family, daughter of a successful hedge fund manager. Enrolled in prestigious schools and many extracurricular activities, gaining a ground in music, sports, and equestrianism.
Chafed under the pressure, rebelled against parents' push for success by getting into the party scene. Was arrested once for possession of MDMA, although the charges were dropped it effectively ended their relationship for years. Left home at seventeen, found menial work first as a waitress and later a bartender.
Went to school to study psychology at the suggestion of a regular. Joined the Home Guard on a part-time basis in order to receive extra pay. Upon graduating, started a successful practice focusing on the treatment of vulnerable people trying to make major life changes, mainly drug addicts, sex workers, and members of cults. Continued to serve in the Home Guard for another decade.
Upon the initial invasion was called back into service due to the extreme threat. Although a member of the Home Guard and not the Army, transferred into the all-female Jegertroppen special forces program due to the need for troops.
Part of the Jegertroppen's first-ever combat tour, sent as part of a wider Norwegian deployment to defend Gothenberg from Totality forces. Fought bravely, but human forces were pushed out after a crushing encounter with expendable Drone units equipped with heavy weapons. Earned the War Medal for her actions in rallying a shattered force of Norwegian and Swedish troops/police, preventing a civilian evacuation zone from being overrun.
Reorganized and sent to shore up Coalition forces in hot zones, saw action in Orkney and Alsace. Eventually sent as part of a small Scandinavian contingent to Florida for the assault on the Monolith. Was grievously injured in mopping up actions against Totality remnants, suffering severe injuries to her jaw, hand, ribs and spine.
Underwent surgery and the implantation of experimental mobility devices to restore function to her legs. Due to her previous career as a psychologist, she was tapped to take part in a program to deprogram Totality's forced recruits. Selected to join SPEAR team as the partner of HB-202, a former Suppression Force soldier who had been captured in the same battle that Jacobine was injured in.
Key Skills & Abilities:
Veteran of special reconnaissance actions, capable of directing artillery and air strikes.
Certified psychologist, assigned to SPEAR in part to monitor the team's mental health for potential problems.
Has command experience.
Special Abilities:
Nerve Grafts and Exoskeleton: Jacobin is capable of walking thanks to the grafting of nerves from her legs to artificial vertebrae attached to her lower spine, in conjunction with thin exoskeleton legs that are directly connected to her muscles and nervous system via ports alongside her knees and hips. When activated these allow her to walk, jump, run, and otherwise ambulate as she could before being injured, with the tradeoff that it gives her very strong phantom sensations-not quite pain but comparable to intense pins-and-needles. In the field, she's able to work with it, but it would be very uncomfortable for day-to-day life, so typically they're turned off.
Prosthetics: Replacements for her left thumb, middle, and index finger as well as the chunk of her jaw that had been torn away and the two ribs that were shattered beyond repair. These are near-perfect replacements in terms of function not appearance.
Personal Weapons:
Heckler & Koch HK417 Battle Rifle: Jacobine found the standard carbine rifles of the Norwegian Armed Forces to be lacking against the Totality; the full-size 7.62 rifle is better able to put targets down. Equipped with bipod, suppressor, and holographic or ACOG sights as required by mission.
Ithaca 37 Shotgun: Outdated but reliable, firing slugs or plasma shells-buckshot doesn't do the job anymore. Jacobine uses an older model for two reasons: first, it has the ability to slamfire and second, she gets to reference Aliens while fighting aliens. Close encounters indeed.
Glock 40: If she has to shoot at someone with a pistol, she wants it to be 10mm. The long slide makes it easier to get a good sight picture, the extended magazine baseplates give her a couple extra rounds.
Tomahawk: Had started using one of these for camping thanks to the influence of an American friend, kept using it once she started fighting. The original was lost when she was injured; the new one is far sturdier and can generate an electric charge to quickly disable electronics (or people).
Personal Equipment:
Armor and load-bearing equipment/rucksack with food, water, ammunition, etc. Much of the Totality's weapons make conventional body armor useless, but it's better than nothing.
Ops-Core FAST helmet with ENVG-B night vision/thermal imaging
Pebble
Notepad and pens/pencils
Ruggedized laptop
Folding Knife
Cigarettes, lots of them. She quit fifteen years ago, started again when aliens invaded her planet.
Manual wheelchair with power assist. How she typically gets around.
Name: HB-202RC ('Horned Bastard, 202nd of the Ravenous Cohort')
Nickname: Jacobin sometimes calls them H-Bomb, a neutral nickname. Those who hold a grudge over their Totality past often refer to them as The Devil, a play off HB's appearance and the perceived injustice of taking a killer into the ranks.
Age: 364.
Species: Gennari
Appearance:
HB stands taller than the vast majority of humanity at 2.2 meters, not counting their horns, and carries themselves with a warrior's grace. They tend to dress simply and practically, opting for inexpensive and replaceable clothes when at rest and sturdy combat gear when in the field. However, HB does indulge in jewelry. They've decorated their face and horns with several bangles and studs, the flashy adornments a small attempt at individuality before they were completely subsumed by the Totality.
If one happened upon HB in a state of undress, they'd notice a that the skin under their clothes is a map of old surgical scars and sealed ports as well as healed battle damage, relics from their days as a soldier for the Totality. Their original cybernetics were bulky and obtrusive but as the years went on they've been replaced with more advanced and discrete ones. That said, they are very clearly augmented. While not a full-conversion borg, HB is cybered to a very high degree, with seams on its limbs and torso denoting implanted weapons and subdermal armor. Instead of the usual red HB bleeds a pale, milky blue. Their blood was replaced with an artificial variant that better regulates temperature and insulates their various augmentations from electromagnetism.
Personality: HB is, at first glance, spacey and out of touch. They never quite learned how to interface normally with society, often coming across as distant or perhaps not entirely there. They have a tendency to look through people rather than at them during a conversation, sizing up someone with all the cold clinicality of a machine crunching numbers. This ruthless calculation is at odds with their sleepy-eyed and dazed expression, a side effect of the extreme mental conditioning they went through in addition to the intensive therapy and medication they're going through to resolve it.
As part of their induction into the Suppression Forces HB was subjected to obedience training and further removal of their ego, developing into an enthusiastically loyal soldier of the regime. No task was too ugly for them, no danger too great. Her training as a Gennari Zealot lent itself to the assassination and repression of rebellions, and her ideological bent towards the destruction of the enemy was further honed for the invasion of Earth. HB received intensive education on all aspects of human history, focusing on war and the many injustices man had inflicted on fellow man. If humanity was unwilling to show mercy when killing each other en masse on the basis of minor differences in belief or shades of skin tone, then no mercy needed to be extended to them.
After being captured/rescued from the Totality, HB has started to unwind some of that brainwashing, but it is a slow, arduous process. Their perceived distance from others is actually avoidance; it's how they manage their dislike of humanity and the wider Coalition while trying to overcome it. Some days are harder than others; they generally oscillate between vague disdain and real, burning hatred. HB is plagued by intrusive thoughts of self-hate for betraying the Totality and ideas of earning back their place by turning on the Coalition from the inside. This is tempered by knowing that these feelings are implanted as opposed to naturally occurring, and a sense of guilt so all-encompassing that it makes them physically ill.
Despite this, HB possesses both high mental stability and a great deal of willpower, as well as a desire to make things right while seeking revenge against their former masters. This manifests itself as a singleminded determination to achieve a given object at nearly any cost, as well as extreme loyalty to their squad. Regardless of the distrust oft levied against them, they are the first into and last out of a fight, as befitting someone who began their career as a medic.
They're doing the best they can.
Their relationship with their pyschologist Jacobin is fraught with confusion and mistrust, as HB is entirely unused to the concept of a therapist and finds talking about themselves very uncomfortable. Still, sitting through sessions is the price they agreed to pay and they have been getting better.
History:
Born years after the Totality defeated the Gennari into a convent of Zealots, quasi-religious warriors and assassins who treated their work as acts of devotion. Raised to see themself as a part of a whole as opposed to an individual.
The Zealots were allowed some autonomy in exchange for working for the Totality's interests. HB was trained in combat and espionage as common with their sect, and then assigned the specialization of combat medicine. By chance, ended up earmarked for special service by the Totality as there happened to be a shortage of medical technicians at the time. Was granted the "name" Horned Bastard-202nd of the Ravenous Cohort upon reaching adulthood and sent into the field. Worked in small teams or on solo operations as an elite "hit squad" member in the Pacification Forces, snuffing out resistance on previously colonized planets when a scalpel was needed over a blackjack.
Noted as supremely effective in the role but (ironically for a Zealot) troublingly independent, suspected of working slowly on purpose at times to allow the enemy to escape. Taken out of the relatively free-willed Pacification Forces and integrated with the Suppression Forces. This kept them controlled while also making use of their talents in active conflict zones.
Assigned to first wave of forces attacking Earth, prepared for the invasion by biochemical augmentation/traditional weaning to lower reliance on sulfur dioxide, ammonia and methane as well building greater tolerance to UV light, flash-trained in human history, culture and technology. Tortured and interrogated humans kidnapped in early stages of contact under the influence of powerful drugs in order to gain an increased understanding of their communication and day-to-day life.
After Zero Day saw deployment across the globe, targeted world leaders and sites of strategic importance. Took part in multiple major sabotage operations and damaged critical components of military and political structures.
Saw action at the battle for the Monolith, was personally responsible for the death of many Coalition members. Ordered to stay behind with a platoon-equivalent force and make use of traps and harrying attacks to buy time for Totality forces to retreat. Succeeded in delaying Coalition forces but was ground down in brutal house-to-house fighting, was injured multiple times before passing out from shock.
Captured as the sole known survivor of their teams, held under heavy guard. With much of their augmentation removed HB had some degree of free will once more. Psychological evaluation determined that they could be rehabilitated, and they volunteered for the SPEAR teams.
Joined a pilot program designed to rehabilitate Totality forced recruits, was recently declared fit for duty. Accepted into SPEAR team on basis of their knowledge and experience.
Key Skills & Abilities:
Elite commando/special forces operative with centuries of experience in reconnaissance, assassination, and sabotage. Spent decades in the field raiding and taking part in close-quarters/hand-to-hand combat.
Medical training, combat medic certified to operate on various species and perform repairs to cybernetics in the field
Firsthand knowledge of the Totality and its forces, has an understanding matched by few on the Coalition's side. Similarly, direct uploading of information and "flash training" prior to the invasion of Earth grants broad and deep knowledge of human weapons, cultures, languages, sciences, and geography. Can interface with almost anything, if not particularly well.
Special Abilities: Lots of practice has made HB rather adept with their mental powers. Capable of reading the thought patterns of most sapient species, this gives them an edge in combat (while also being something of a curse, due to being surrounded by people who generally don't trust and dislike them-they're always aware). While far from the legendary mystics of ages past, they're still quite adept at telekinesis, lifting heavy objects or small groups of people at once.
Even before becoming part of the Suppression Forces HB was heavily augmented, and after being transferred to the Totality's regular forces they underwent such intensive modification that they were edging close to Synth territory. Much of their augments were stripped after being captured, but what remains is still extensive.
CombiComms: Inbuilt communicator and personal computer that directly displays information in HB's field of vision. Automatically shuts down when exposed to electronic warfare.
Sense Enhancement Suite: Careful surgery and the pinpoint implantation of minute augments gave HB increased sensitivity to sound, touch, smell, and vision. The strength is variable; HB can dial it up when they're trying to sense something or down when exposed to extremes. Hormone treatments and neural rewiring of the central nervous system and motor cortex boost HB's reaction time greatly, making them preternaturally dangerous in close-quarters combat. Of course, making them so quick to respond to danger has the side effect of feeding them a constant drip of adrenaline. HB's fight or flight response is essentially always active. While they're not about to run off or start swinging unprovoked it's very hard for them to feel comfortable or even safe.
Physical Enhancement Suite: An extensive collection of procedures to harden HB's body. Increases their strength and agility through vat-grown tissues, as well as insulates their body against extremes in temperature and pressure. Their respiratory and circulatory systems are similarly improved, giving them an inbuilt rebreathing system that lessens their need for atmospheric gases, while their skin and eyes are less sensitive to light than other Gennari. They are both far more durable than is naturally possible, their flesh hardened via nanomachine injections. Their bones are reinforced with thin sheaths of extremely high tensile metals, making them much harder to damage. The enhanced durability comes with the downside of deadening their sensation of touch, however, akin to wearing thin gloves. This makes fine motor skill tasks somewhat harder than they'd otherwise be.
As a side note, HB is unnaturally flexible due to bendable fibers inserted in their joints and ligaments.
ligaments.
Arm-Implanted Weapon: For use in conjunction with conventional firearms. HB’s left arm has an in-built sonic emitter for injuring and debilitating targets for capture.
Personal Weapons:
PKP Pecheneg-SP General Purpose Machine Gun: A modernized version of the venerable PKM, updated with Piccatiny rail, 250 round ammo box, red dot sight with magnifier, telescoping stock, and suppressor. The original bottom-mounted bipod has been replaced with a side-mounted one, freeing up room to add a micro missile launcher. HB is strong enough to handle the GPMG as if it were a standard rifle.
Totality Viper Pistol-Zealot Model: Plasma weapons are common amongst the forces of the Totality; the Zealot model is simply a modified version used by the warrior-monks HB was born into. Powered by high-capacity batteries, the pistol features two modes: a standard shot with an effective range of 100 meters and a charged blast capable of damaging armored vehicles.
Machete: The traditional weapon of the Zealots, it holds spiritual significance to HB. Closer to a cutlass in design, a cross between a bushwhacking tool and a weapon. With its monomolecular edge and solid construction it's equally capable of clearing brush and people, especially activating its plasma field. While a limited (and expensive) resource this makes it very effective against tough targets.
Personal Equipment:
Zephyr Armor: The advanced armor used by the Zealots modified by the Totality to provide increased survivability with little weight gain. Consists of a polymer-padded vest with inserted plates, connected to a flexible armored undersuit with arm/leg guards and a helmet with attached rebreather and night-vision/thermal capabilities. The result is less durable in an extended fight than heavy battle armor but is much lighter and more flexible, allowing HB to take advantage of their quick movement and sharp reflexes. Comes with an equivalent to MOLLE gear for storing ammo and other items.
Medical Equipment: A range of diagnostic and procedural tools and a wide range of medications and nanoinjections covering all manner of injuries and maladies. HB can do everything from set broken bones to full-on surgery, provided they have the space to work in.
Multitool and Utility Knife: For general repairs and field work.
Medication: Includes both the mood stabilizers prescribed to them and small canisters of the various gases they require.
Pebble: Kept for situations where HB can't use their inbuilt comms.
Seraphim Jump Pack: The signature tool of the Zealot, allowing them to burst into the air and hover. HB uses it to augment their high degree of mobility.
February 21st, 2014, 0930 L'Hôtel des Mers Claires. A Private Island In The Seychelles
Vitalli "Kennedy" Tkachenko
Four sets of eyes (and one pair of ears) perked up as the first operative entered the room, the human team leaders and the canine sidekick all watching as Jonathan took his place. Vitalii could see Arsala opening the file on the second SBS man and was spurred to run through his resume. A Scotsman who had joined the Royal Marines as soon as he was of age, passed through Sandhurst to become an officer before hopping into dark operations with the Boat Service, saw action in Iraq before being invited into MI6 to collect kompromat and the like.
All in all, not disimiliar from Noah. The older commando hadn't indicated that they had worked together when Daytrip was in the planning phase, and a bit of mental math comparing their ages made it clear they couldn't have-Vilkas would only have been in the service a couple years by the time Agnew was being sent to Italy deep cover. Still, being from the same service would hopefully mean that they worked well together.
"Good morning." Kennedy said politely, his greeting matched by only a dip of the head from Noah and a vague grunt from Templeton, still engrossed in her reading.
A woman arrived next, and a damned big one to boot-had a face carved up like someone had used it as a butcher's block. That was Van Straaten, the Boer-Afrikaner. Joined the SANDF only a few years-post Apartheid, was mostly involved in border security until the Heavenfall hit and then saw action against various dissidents and criminal elements. She hopped into the Special Forces after a few years and saw real combat against peer or near-peer forces. After an incident in which her team was potentially sold out, she was discharged with some new scars as souvenirs. After that she devoted herself to anti-poaching activities. She was so devoted in fact that she formed her own personal, quite possibly illegal operation that cost her job, and since then had been working in entertainment and more recently a PMC.
An interesting woman, to say the least. She hadn't been Kennedy's first choice; while he could respect someone who was dedicated to their principles her willingness to do things her way had given him pause. Still, Arsala had convinced him to bring her on. As she noted, the Recces were hardcore, all of them parachute qualified and used to long treks through hard terrain with little supplies. Compared to the Americans or the old Soviet groups they lacked foreign operational experience, but individually they were more than professional.
Vitalli had been about to speak up when Arsala received a notification on her pad, the American turning it so he could see.
"Der'mo...fine. Alright everyone, we're starting strong with a cock-up. There were concerns about surveillance, which, while ultimately minor, still means that the rest of our merry band are being delayed in arrival.
His English was grammatically perfect, albeit somewhat stilted and oddly flat in intonation.
We will meet them on sight, which means you two get the briefing all to yourselves. I'm Vitalli, callsign Kennedy. I give the orders around here, but let's refrain from the sir stuff, yes? These two are my Team Leads, Arsala aka Templeton and Noah aka Scouse."
The pair dutifully nodded to the others, Arsala scratching behind her dog's ears as Noah shifted on the balls of his feet.
We'll do proper introductions later, but for now let's focus on the job at hand. I will be giving you all the important pieces, but the entire report will be available for you to read on your datapads. So-"
He pushed off against the wall and stepped aside, his two team leads following suit as she produced a small remote from his pocket. With the press of a button the lights dimmed and a projector turned on, producing a satellite image of-.
"San Borondon. Discovered by the Spanish and named after the mythical island of Saint Brendan, it's about one and a half times the size of Taiwan with a population of fifty million. About twenty-five percent of that is their capital city of Les Tirailleurs in the north, another sixth in the smaller city of Whitmore in the south, the rest is scattered across towns and villages around the island. First owned by the Spaniards, then the French, then the English, and finally the Japanese before declaring independence, it's extremely multicultural, with Spanish, French, and English as official languages and plenty of others coming in from World War era forced labor migration and more recent refugees from Heavenfall."
The slideshow progressed, displaying three photographs: one in black and white of a dignified older man, the second in color of someone younger, perhaps college-aged, and the third a digital picture of a middle-aged military officer gesticulating in the middle of a speech. The first two were clearly related, with the same straw colored hair and European features. The final subject was of different blood judging by the streaks of black in his mostly grey mane and his obvious Asian heritage. Old burns decorated his face and hands, the skin paler and smoother in patches compared to the rest of his tanned features.
"After ousting the Japanese Borondon was ruled by the King Alonso Acosta the second, who you see behind me. His family was set up by the Spanish to rule as local governors. They were Western-educated, extremely wealthy, and spent the war in comfortable exile in London. Still, he's a symbol of national pride so the people welcome him back with open arms. His son, Cristóbal, is much less liked. He relies on the army to force people into compliance and then makes the mistake of cutting their pay. He was killed in 1970 and replaced by the man at the top of our to-do list, General Henri Cheung."
They had all heard the name in the initial pitch that had brought them on board. Still, some things bore repeating.
"He is no pushover, a hardcore army officer who refused to give up names when the monarchists tortured him. Cheung starts fine but as the decades go on he falls back on the usual to maintain power. Suppression of the media, corruption as a way of governing, the imprisonment and killing of dissidents. An unpleasant person, but a smart one. He benefits greatly from the Heavenfall as Borondon is so remote that it was largely spared. In the wake of the event he makes some powerful friends whose interests do not align with the N/UN, namely the New Central African Alliance and megacorporations such as Montrose Incorporated, Universal Manufacturing Conglomerate, and NeoDyne Technologies. They give him cash and supply his forces with weapons and training, he sends excess population to work for them and provides land that they use to set up manufacturing facilities. It's also all but confirmed that he allows multiple criminal organizations to operate within the country in exchange for protection money and the occasional use of their muscle."
Kennedy turned away from the screen, eyes straining in the darkness as he looked over his team.
"The N/UN wants him gone. His regime presents a subtle but insidious threat to their interests and the stability of the region but they can't invade a non-aggressive state without risking retaliation from the Africans and the mega-corps, not to mention that attacking the country is more likely to make the populace rally around him. That's why we're going in. We'll be dropped off via smuggler plane to meet up with a coalition of left and right-wing guerrillas, and from there we'll form a plan of action. Our goal is straightforward: capture or eliminate Henri Cheung and his key organization members to pave the way for a more amenable government. Any questions thus far?"
As he spoke Arsala handed out tablets to Hippo and Tepid, a sticky note with the temporary passcode attached to each.
Country Information Name: San Borondon. Named after the mythical Saint Brendan's Island by the Spanish, it's kept its name through the centuries under different governments.
Size: Roughly 20,000 square miles, or around 1.5 times the size of Taiwan
Population: Approximately 50 million. Almost a quarter of that is in its capital city, Les Tirailleurs (usually just called Tira by locals). Another sixth of the population lives in Borondon's second-largest city, Whitmore. The remainder is split between various towns and villages across the island.
Language: Its official languages are Spanish, French, and English, although Cantonese is commonly spoken due to the huge influx of laborers brought in by the Japanese from Guangdong and Hong Kong. Other common languages are Russian, Mandarin, Arabic, and Hindi, introduced to the island by the waves of refugees brought by the Heavenfall.
Overview: San Borondon is the archetypal post-colonial state: unstable and reeling from a long history of being pillaged by foreign powers, with political boundaries that don't adhere to traditional tribal regions, a strong distrust of the West, and natural resources still ripe for plundering. This is of course a gross simplification, but it's not entirely inaccurate.
The tragic fact is that San Borodon has a vibrant and eclectic culture formed from the mixing of ancient traditions, European and African influences, and later Chinese immigration. Food, language, and music are shaped by this broad mixture of identities, but its overshadowed by the country's tragic past.
A large island nation in the Pacific, San Borondon is remote, sitting approximately three thousand miles away from Hawaii. Discovered by the Spanish in the late 1600s, the island was found to be rich in natural resources (namely gold). This and its tropical climate, well-suited to a variety of cash crops, made it a target for the European empires. It switched hands from the Spanish to the French to the English, and briefly during World War 2, the Japanese. Throughout its three hundred-year occupation, San Borondon's native peoples fought an on-and-off guerrilla war against the various foreigners.
The island was skipped during the island-hopping campaign of the Pacific Theatre but supplies and training from the American OSS and British SOE allowed it to liberate itself, the local resistance movement overcoming the Japanese garrison and declaring sovereignty. Britain, focused on rebuilding and already embroiled in colonial disputes in India, Malaya, and Kenya, was uninterested in fighting to keep a relatively small and incredibly distant portion of its empire. San Borondon was thus independent.
The monarchic Kingdom of San Borondon was ruled by the Acosta family, the descendants of the lineage put in power by the Spanish to run the colony. Western-educated and obscenely wealthy, the royal family was nevertheless seen as a symbol of Borondonian pride and largely supported by the people. King Alonso II, the hugely popular exiled leader, returned to rule throughout the 1950s.
San Borondon was essentially in the middle of nowhere but occupied an important strategic space as a midpoint between the Americas and Asia. Thus, it spent the Cold War being courted by both sides. Alonso cleverly played the East and West against each other, publicly leaning one way and then the other to leverage material support and training. The country dealt in a huge amount of shipping as well as the sale of natural resources, but the wealth remained with a few important families and their friends/investors. Most of the island lived in poverty, with those on the coast subsisting on fishing and those inland mining, farming, or working in the cities. The capital was essentially a larger Kowloon, millions of people packed into high-rise tenements and shanties. This was, of course, a breeding ground for crime, with foreign and domestic gangs seeking to control the smuggling on the island.
Alonso, popular though he was, failed to solve the island's overarching problems. Towards the end of his reign there was growing discontent, and when he died in 1960 his son, Cristóbal, inherited a shaky situation.
Cristóbal was not up to the task. Raised in luxury outside of San Borondon, he had little attachment to the island and was more interested in hobnobbing with celebrities than he was in caring for his people. Half-hearted economic reforms failed to restore their trust in the monarchy so Cristóbal used oppression and fear to maintain power. This was not to last, as budget cuts to the military made his officers turn on him. By 1970 Cristóbal was dead and his family thrown out of the country, replaced by President Owen Granger. Granger, initially well-respected, was plagued by rumors of sexual impropriety and having collaborated with Imperial Japan. While these rumors started organically, they were seized upon by his political rival General Henri Cheung. Granger resigned in 1975, and General Cheung took power shortly after.
By virtue of overthrowing the now-hated monarchy (and putting the blame for all of the nation's problems on them), Cheung began his reign as Interim President with high popularity. He continued in his predecessors' footsteps by treading a line between NATO and the Warsaw Pact, and worked to balance his approval by the right and left wings of his own country. He presented his regime as a return to traditional values abandoned by the late King Cristóbal and now-deposed Granger while implementing a literacy drive inspired by Castro's. Although there was still discontent Cheung was far more adept at managing it than previous rulers, wielding both carrot and stick to keep himself in power.
There were multiple attempts on his life through the decades, each one causing him to tighten his grip. By the end of the 90s he was unpopular but viewed as a lesser evil than what came before. Elections had ceased and civil rights were curtailed, but San Borondon maintained course.
The cataclysmic Heavenfall was something of a blessing in disguise for the country, as its remote location meant that it was spared from most of the destruction. The shipping industry that had sustained it for so long was of course hugely reduced and there were no more Eastern or Western blocs from which it could source funds, but General Cheung was quick to make new friends.
With the balance of power shifting south, he allied himself with the New Central African Alliance. The burgeoning alliance was growing quickly and needed cheap labor to expand, and San Borondon now had a huge number of refugees that it could not afford to care for. A deal was struck, the excess population being essentially loaned out to the NCAA for construction and manufacturing. Meanwhile, the rising megacorporations were looking for places willing to host their facilities. Montrose Incorporated, Universal Manufacturing Conglomerate, and NeoDyne Technologies all courted General Cheung, and in addition to yearly payments directly to him, they agreed to supply his military with weapons, vehicles, and other equipment in exchange for land rights and exemption from pollution controls. In addition to the semi-legal skullduggery of the megacorps, the General is widely suspected of condoning the entirely illegal activities of various criminal syndicates. San Borondon is a known midpoint for arms, drug and human trafficking, and international authorities believe that Cheung tolerates the activities of local and foreign gangs in exchange for a cut of the profits and use of their muscle.
As of the current day, the regime's enemies are a strange assortment spanning the political spectrum. The left wing considers Cheung a vicious crony capitalist of the worst type, openly selling the nation out to big business and organized crime to enrich himself and his favored lackeys. The right sees him as an opportunistic liar who talked tough about returning to traditional values and supporting San Borondon's middle and upper classes, but in actuality allowed immorality to flourish while choking local industry in support of foreign interests.
Finally, the N/UN simply cannot overlook San Borodon any longer. As a satellite nation (or at least, ally of) the hostile NCAA and the amoral megacorporations, it presents a threat to the safety and stability of the N/UN's constituent nations, not to mention its repressive treatment and forced disappearance of its own citizens as well as its encouragement of international crime. That said, the N/UN cannot simply march in and replace the General with a leader they like more without angering both the NCAA and the corps, and even if it wanted to risk retaliation, it's stretched too thin to do so. It simply cannot deploy the manpower required to overthrow a fairly stable and very well-armed government. Not to mention that with San Borondon's history of resistance against imperial powers, any conventional action is likely to cause the population to rally around their leader.
The first part of her job was done. SEAD, Suppression of Enemy Air Defenses, a polite euphemism for blasting whatever on the ground could scratch her paint to hell and back. Those HAWKs were suppressed indeed, which meant it was time to deal with everything else.
Screaming past the island on a bombing run meant that Ximena had to waste precious seconds throwing her bird back into the fight, the sound of combat around her revealing her flight's gleeful abuse of the window of opportunity she had bought them. Chán zuǐ māo, they were, greedy-mouthed cats gobbling up the easy prey before their poor provider could get a bite in!
Lucky her then that the Mirages were "quick off the mark', as the Americans said. Light craft with powerful engines flown by pilots emboldened by their numbers, by the time Ximena had turned around and leveled out they were already being knocked off by Calico. One of the French planes had only just whirled about, wings still diagonal to the ground as it fought to reach a fighting stance. La Catrina spotted the danger instantly; the Beautiful Corpse informed her rider politely via the instrument panel that a foe was seeking missile lock.
Jefe already had her gun in hand.
"Fox Two, ladies." she chirped, tapping the fire command with all the easy casualness of someone setting a thermostat. The missile fired without a lock, guided only by her helmet-mounted targeting system. A slow, slight turn of her head guided the shot square into the Mirage's wing, tearing it apart and sending the thing plummeting down to earth.
Easy kill, unsporting really. Onto the next one.
One of the MiG-23s was leveled out and circling to get inside her turn radius, a wrestler seeking to drag her down. The bort number emblazoned across it was 27, and it had been painted a jaunty Flanker blue as opposed to the usual Flogger gray-green. She had a name and personality for it now, which meant she had a playmate. Ximena grinned brutally as she veered right, forcing her new friend to follow suit lest they collide. Slamming the stick to the side sent her rattling around the cockpit violently, her wing almost shearing off against the MiG's tail as she dropped behind it. It was a stupid maneuver and pointlessly aggressive, Jefe howling like a sick dog as she flicked comms to an open channel.
"27! No te vayas a correr, sacatón, stay there so I can fucking gut you!"
"Ya khara! You'll kill us both!"
She was dropping behind him to set up a shot with her main gun and he must have known it, desperately trying to shake her loose as she nearly rammed her nose through his thruster. It was too close for her to fire without immediately colliding with the wreckage and too close for him to break away without being left wide open. He couldn't dart off without her gunning him down and she couldn't shoot without running the risk of suicide. They remained trapped in that exhilarating hell for long, gorgeous moments, an eternal chase where a millisecond of mistake would spell death for one or both of them. Their comms were open for anyone to listen in, his cursing in Arabic and her shrill, frantic laughter getting more and more strained as he led her into a tight rise, g-forces climbing as they made full use of their ASIs.
And then Number 27, her graceful partner in that thrilling dance, lost his nerve. He tried to rip into a wingover but screwed the maneuver, failing to turn the rudder before it stalled out. His engine turned cold as he dropped like a rock, plummeting past Ximena as she deftly jumped into a flat turn. She was chasing him straight down, watching as his wings extended in a futile attempt to catch drag.
He could have recovered, had she not been there.
No, no, no-"
"Yes!"
Her gun spat out its last few bullets and 27 was gone, nothing more than charred chunks of man in a flaming cockpit.
Fuka Nakano
What was Jefe's problem?
It was a stupid question-Fuka knew very well what was wrong with her. She was a capital F Fighter Pilot, a maverick who joined in search of a fat paycheck and adrenaline and found both in knife-fighting with bandits. She had equal parts ego and death wish, as well as an ability to mentally convert people into simple targets. None of those were traits Peacenik inherently minded (in fact, she personally embodied most of them), but Jefe, like the Wunderkind she had teased before their little shootout the day before, lacked the grace or sanity to keep it all buttoned up. Mykhalio swooning over the concept of acehood, Ximena screeching like a banshee as she played with her food, it was all very gauche.
Fuka liked to fight, that's why she had spent her adult life shooting at strangers. But she also liked doing her job and being a professional, not tearing her shirt off to go play Braveheart.
She took a Flogger as well, but her method was much cleaner.
"Fox Two."
It had only just gotten off the ground before being gutted by an AMRAAM, Peacenik snorting derisively as she pulled around for an assent.
"Cobalt 3 here. That ship's a problem." she noted, riding high above the clouds of flak it was throwing up. "If it keeps spraying like that it'll get lucky eventually. I'm going to shut it up. Cobalt 8, ride my back and make sure no one creeps up on me."
Peacenik plunged into a dive, Vulcan spinning up as she did so. Without ground-attack weapons she was of limited use but tank-landing ships weren't the most armored thing in the world. A line of cannon fire would do something nasty to it, probbably.
Sure enough she could see effect on target, jagged tears of steel ripping off as she tore through the superstructure. An explosion punched a hole in the top deck, fuel or ammunition or both cooking off and giving the crew more pressing problems than reloading.
You have been selected for Daytrip. You will meet with your team at a luxury resort in the Pacific, and from there, you will continue on to the AO to begin operations. Your initial cover is of a wealthy investor attending a pitch from a new but promising AI research company seeking angel investors [see the attached file for your cover story and related credentials]. Pack and dress appropriately; do not bring anything that will attract attention on a commercial flight. All transportation arrangements have been made, and you will receive further instructions in the coming days.
It is recommended that you come up with a satisfactory cover story for your friends and family; they are potentially liable for any intelligence breach, accidental or otherwise.
Greetings from sunny Seychelles! We at the Mers Claires are grateful you chose us for your trip, and we look forward to serving you. Attached to this message, you'll find confirmation of your villa number, selected amenities, and trip dates. Please don't hesitate to reach out if you have any questions. Otherwise, we look forward to seeing you soon!
February 21st, 2014, 0930 L'Hôtel des Mers Claires. A Private Island In The Seychelles
Vitalli "Kennedy" Tkachenko
As far as briefings went, there were worse places to have them.
Vitalii had given the rundown of a dozen operations in a dozen locations ranging from serious, sterile classrooms in the belly of KGB district offices to open-air camps deep behind enemy lines. Never before had he been flown out first-class to give a briefing in a five-star resort. The contrast was almost amusing in how ludicrous it was, and he had reread the pamphlet he had been given over and over on the flight out.
Beautiful beaches, blue water, world-class dining and drinks, private villas designed to look quaintly rustic while still costing more than he made in a month - all very nice, but ultimately not worth getting distracted by. He did spare a thought for the diving tour that was offered, but getting distracted before work even began was a bad idea.
He had shown up early, of course, and his team leaders had arrived a couple of days earlier. The resort staff was under the impression that they were old friends who wanted to meet up in private to reminisce before discussing buisness-which was not entirely false.
But now everyone else was due to arrive. Leaning against the back wall of the small conference room (soundproofed courtesy of the resort and then meticulously checked for bugs by him and his teammates) Vitalii waited patiently, hands tucked into his pockets. Noah was more alert, standing straight-backed as if he were on parade for the Queen. He was always wound tight it seemed, not just ready for action but under the assumption that any situation was moments away from spiralling into violence. Arsala was at least outwardly calmer, sitting in a comfortable chair with her K9 lying between her legs. She had her tablet out, a quick peek telling Vitalii that she was reviewing the files on their team.
It had been his decision who made the cut and who didn't, but ultimately, the only way to gauge someone's mettle was to work with them.
Fish of Oblivion
Finetales
Not a Sayan
Inertia
Fetzen
FourtyTwo
PrinceAlexus
Neziul
Scrawl Banditta
