[★★★★★] Ingram Kalfox: Stein respects her father, though that does not necessarily mean she likes him by any means. The character of Ingram Kalfox is something of a malicious, manipulative, lustful, charming, and deceptive man— and Stein despises him for it. Whatever her experiences were before she became a pilot hinge on her childhood with her father though if one could understand the deepest corners of Stein’s mind they would know why; and they wouldn’t let him near their loved ones.

[★★★★★] Comm. Michael Graham: Stein has only known Commander Graham for a month and a half or so of time; so there is still a lot to be learned about him. He’s a stalwart commander who doesn’t believe in morality and a man who wants to see results in his soldiers no matter what. She undoubtedly finds it curious that he would shift a higher paycheck at Denver-Vegas to work for a small irrelevant faction like New Anchorage and because of that believes Graham has an agenda that is unseen.

[★★★★★] Agatha Smith: Originally Stein had a swimmingly amicable relationship with Agatha Smith with strong understandings of each other and a sort of subtle friendliness exuded between them. However, at some point Agatha continued to badger Stein about some of her more erratic behavior she exhibited in certain situations which led Stein to close herself off from the elder woman in hopes she would leave her alone when she wanted her to.

[★★★★★] Alan Fouren: The Wild Wolf— she’s heard of him. Presuming he can get his head on straight and adjust to operations at New Anchorage Stein feels like it is possible they could have acquired somebody who is at least competent. If he is as crafty and resilient as the reports she’s read say then she has confidence that she might live to see the next year.

[★★★★★] Elizabeth Jackspar: As far as Stein is concerned the only one who is from Smith’s Rest and maintains any sort of competence on and out of the suit is Eli, though perhaps it goes further than that considering their similar upbringings and dispositions that lend toward icy stoic personality types. Stein feels like in the recent weeks a mild rivalry has been brewing between the two especially as Stein and her had tied in several examinations prior to Graham’s ultimatum. She definitely respects her and admires her dedication toward her hometown; something Stein never had.

[★★★★★] John “Jingo” Strange: Stein thinks Jingo is a strange person from the fringes of the wastes and generally finds his antics either annoying or ignorable. She admires his dedication to succeed but finds his stubbornness regarding replacing his old prosthetic arm with a newer model as impractical and foolish. She wonders how he fares in battle.

[★★★★★] Joshua Ray: Text.

[★★★★★] Kathryn Dradht: Experienced albeit young and loud-mouthed, Ryn is the youngest of the new recruits albeit one of the more experienced candidates. Stein respects her skill but find her antagonistic personality pointless and fueled by arrogance. She’s not quite sure what to make of her, but Stein is curious to see how she fares presuming she doesn’t start a fistfight with Percy after another heated argument.

[★★★★★] Madison Cole: Recently out of her comatose state and recovering back to 100%, the perspective on Madison is neutral as it comes. She has the inexperience of a Smith’s Rest native but the tenacity to at least have the diction to make risk-taking moves— something Stein can at least respect. Following her recovery Stein has not really talked with her but she is curious to see what she has heard in the field.

[★★★★★] Ordent Callaway: In terms of expectations, they are quite low with this one. Stein does not look at Ordent Callaway to last for long considering the threats stacked up against New Anchorage and feels like it is pointless to expect Ordent to last longer than a few skirmishes. The “greenest” of the recruits with zero battle experience Stein feels it unwise to put her confidence in him performing as needed. If he proves her wrong she will be impressed.

[★★★★★] Percy Moore: With only two or three battles under his belt that he’s barely survived, Stein isn’t impressed by Percy even with him meeting Graham’s standards. But it goes beyond his inexperience as a NC pilot but his personality out of the suit and his role as the moral high ground of New Anchorage that he has elected himself to be. She thinks he’s stupid, inept, loud-mouthed, foolhardy, and lacks perspective to think before acting. She’d like to believe she can trust on his skills and behaviors to change, but she’s not holding her breath.

[★★★★★] Tahlia Styles: The one with the most experience out of the new recruits and possibly the most competent. In Stein’s eyes Tahlia is a good gamble for New Anchorage though her former ties to Red Star can be potentially problematic should the corporation want their NC back. But Stein knows what it feels like to be thrown away by corporate executives and admires that Tahlia has the tenacity to push forward when Stein feels like she’s always looking backwards herself.

[★★★★★] Vera Voloshyna: A pilot in training and Stein’s closest friend on-base, Vera represents something familiar and admiring to Stein that she just can’t quite place or admit. She’s given the girl her full attention, respect, and friendship serving as her sort of mentor despite her guardian being Elizabeth Jackspar and not Stein. Few people can ask a true heart-to-heart question and get a completely honest and vulnerable answer out of Stein— Vera is one of those people.

[★★★★★★] Alexander Sky: Text.

[★★★★★★] Penelope “Penny” Maverick: Text.

[★★★★★★] Yeshua Horowitz: Text.

[★★★★★] Comm. Michael Graham: He gave Ryn her job and treats her like an equal, so she likely respects him in turn. He is her boss though so she is mindful of what he tells her.

[★★★★★] Agatha Smith: Text.

[★★★★★] Alan Fouren: Alan is a familiar face among a sea of strangers, though sometimes Ryn isn’t sure if he really remembers her or not due to his aloof sarcastic nature. Generally despite of any speculated misgivings Ryn believes he’s at least someone she can lean on considering she has seen his skill on the field firsthand and at the end of the day Ryn is fond of not dying. Her friendliness towards him can be seen as the opposite though given Ryn’s playful teasing being possibly perceived as antagonistic taunts. Then again with comments like “You really are worthless, aren’t you” it isn’t difficult to make the assumption.

[★★★★★] Anastasia Kalfox: For some reason, outside of the exams Ryn hasn’t interacted with Stein at all. She’s cold and almost robotic in dialogue with a disdain for annoying antics. Depending on events things could go one way or the other, though Ryn thinks about the same of her as she does Eli and often jokes that “the robot women” need to let loose a little before they bore the whole base to death.

[★★★★★] Elizabeth Jackspar: Ryn hasn’t had too much of an interaction with Eli and she most certainly don’t find her interesting enough to tease or harass. She calls her “hush” as a joke when conversations come up that involves Eli and she is pretty sure if Eli’s overheard it she hasn’t liked it. In reality, Ryn gets off on people reacting to her and when people don’t it just pushes her to try harder. Her friend Vera is attempting to understand why Ryn acts the way she is but it’ll take more than two months to break Ryn out of her shell or attitude.

[★★★★★] John “Jingo” Strange: Text.

[★★★★★] Madison Cole: The two haven’t talked, but Ryn has overheard stories about how Madison “used” to be. She hasn’t seen any of the energetic aggression that people talk about so she just assumes they are full of shit and any comparisons between Madison and her are just attempts to scare her into submission. She might take that annoyance out on Madison in the future depending on her mood.

[★★★★★] Ordent Callaway: Ryn doesn’t really have much of an opinion on Ordent, but things can change depending on future interactions. He’s been around albeit kind of pathetic to her perspective and the only interaction has been a snide comment or two from Ryn’s mouth.

[★★★★★] Percy Moore: If you ask Ryn about Percy she’d likely go on a long-winded rant on why he’s a “stupid loser”, a fact cemented on the reality that Ryn and Percy come from two totally different worlds with incompatible ideologies; though it doesn’t help that Percy’s first interaction with Ryn was bringing up how she was a kid, which unsurprisingly is one of Ryn’s trigger words. They have had multiple interactions since despite Percy trying to keep his distance and Ryn keeps trying to goad him as she continuously harasses him for her own amusement. She doesn’t care about his skill in a NC, she hates him for who he is and what he says.

[★★★★★] Tahlia Styles: Ryn hasn’t really interacted with Tahlia, and doesn’t know what to think. From her perspective she has heard how she was a “big shot” pilot for the Red-Star Corporation but Ryn is a person of seeing people in action rather than believing what other people say. She could go either way.

[★★★★★] Vera Voloshyna: The first person to talk to her and not try to lecture her entire existence, Vera is probably the only one she could say is her friend onbase without second guessing it. Ryn knows Vera finds her interesting and tends to take the attention like a sponge and she can’t help but find it curious how she herself could’ve turned out in different circumstances— something Vera’s own life and similar age keeps her coming back to. Ryn can relate to the sentiment of a family ditching her and almost feels like this is the first person since her mother’s murder she can connect with; though she would deny it if she were to be asked. She also feels a tiny bit attracted to her due to the onset of puberty and being forced to engage with people her own age for once.

[★★★★★★] Alexander Sky: Text.

[★★★★★★] Penelope “Penny” Maverick: Text.

[★★★★★★] Yeshua Horowitz: Text.

Alan grew up in Dead Springs, near the Neo-Atlanta Megacity in Fairbanks. Small ruins and tons of junk, it became a frontier trading post between the larger megacities in lower Fairbanks. Still, living in the frontier comes with danger: raiders especially. The test came to Alan’s town later in his life, when he was seventeen. Thinking of a chance to provide for his family and give them a better life than living in a junkyard town, he took his chance with the surgery.

Still, a town needs money to pay their pilots. And Dead Springs was no megacity. But when you’re in a junkyard, you can find many wondrous things: including the frame of the Wild Wolf. Found nestled away in a collapsed compound in the ruins, the frame had been stripped of armor and a core, leaving only the skeleton remaining: a remnant of what it could be. But a frame would work: with money raised for a core, and what armor and armaments the money could afford; the WW was rebuilt piecemeal. But it worked.

Alan took up sorties with local combatants, as well as defense jobs in the area; providing for both his home and his family; allowing them more luxuries than a Junker’s life can provide. But more than that, he fought to bring them some semblance of peace. However, a roughshod mech is only as good as its parts and pilot allow; and it was on these sorties that Alan met real terror. A team of outdated and hand-built mechs don’t usually fare well against well trained and well equipped soldiers; especially deserters from Neo-Atlanta. Outmatched and outgunned, Alan’s compatriots were slaughtered, and he was left broken and left for dead; a heavy grinder blade digging into his cockpit and tearing the metal apart, giving him his facial scar as a reminder.

The deserters didn’t simply wipe out the defense party; they came to Dead Springs. The town and its people burned. That’s when the second personality came to life. A beast, a wild, rabid dog that fed on all of Alan’s negativity towards his weakness came to life. It consumed him and drove him to fight. He survived, and he kept the Wild Wolf alive using the parts he could salvage from his fallen comrades. Metal scavenged from the destroyed ruins of his town strengthened his armor-and he went hunting.

Surprise attacks. Traps. Decoys and delays. Alan learned to fight his new enemies with his mind to make up for his glaring technological weaknesses and his own lack of combat skills. And when it came to combat, the harder he fought, the higher his synchronization grew with the Wild Wolf. The more he fell into his ravenous fury, the harder he fought. In the end, Alan got his revenge at the cost of the Wolf’s left arm and right leg, both which he felt every bit of pain from. A team hired out from Neo-Atlanta’s own division had been dispatched to clean up the deserters, only to find their mission had been completed by a junker from the sticks.

Alan received no payment.

Orry lived a comfy life as part of a happy family. His mother was a mechanic, and his father a researcher, both with Volkov's Calgary-branch -- jobs that paid well and kept them in the upper-middle class. Rounding out his immediate family was his brother Foster, older than him by three years. Foster was the more outgoing and confident of the two siblings, and with good reason -- he was a gifted child. Intelligent, resourceful, and capable of piloting an NC, he knew from an early age what he wanted to do, and he worked for it.

Orry looked up to his brother greatly, doing what he could to keep up but always watching his brother accomplish things from the stands. The older boy was a bit of a power-maniac, and often showed that by controlling Orry in underhanded and physical ways. It was never anything truly terrible, but it would definitely be classified as abuse, as it was near constant, Orry himself willingly subjecting himself to it in hopes of helping his brother.

Beyond that, Orry's life was a simple and privileged one. He attended good schools, was able to play any sport he wished, always had the latest video games on the day of release, and was never too hungry or cold or hot. An easy life, where the most difficult thing he had to deal with was schoolwork and worrying about his latest crush. While his brother continued to be extraordinary and became an NC pilot, Orry was content with coasting through his years uneventfully, planning to follow his father and become a researcher of some sort with Volkov.

Of course, he wouldn't have ended up in New Anchorage if nothing had gone wrong. Nothing's classified, and anyone with any authority and the necessary curiosity can easily find out that about a year ago, Orry's mother died in a freak accident while she was on the job. It was determined that she hadn't followed the safety protocols that were established and well-taught, and so no compensation was given to the Callaway family. A few months later, Orry's father committed suicide, presumably brought on by his wife's death. That left a guilt-ridden and angry Orry to deal with Foster, who's old habits of abuse came back with a vengeance due to the tragedy.

In a fit of emotions, with nothing left for him but a brother broken beyond repair that he was growing to despise, Orry got himself tested for NC compatibility and immediately after getting a positive underwent the necessary surgeries -- all while Foster was away for his duties. The disbelief at what he had done came just after the pain hit -- he had done something so extreme just in some childish act of rebellion to spite his brother. The more he thought about it as he began to recover, though, the more he came to terms with it. There wasn't anyway he could've continued his simple path through life after all that had happened -- he had to do something more, or his fate would end up being similar to his father's.

With that sobering realization, Orry set off on his own, leaving the city he'd been born and raised in behind to look for that something more. He caught wind of New Anchorage and their recruitment drive for new NC pilots, and decided to make the journey there. It seemed crazy for him to think that someone as unexceptional as him could possibly become a pilot, but he figured it was worth a try. He was one of the few capable of piloting an NC, so he felt that he had a duty to see how far he could go. He could stop wandering like he had been his entire life, especially during the last several months, and finally have a purpose: to protect the lives of good people, at the inconsequential risk of his own.

He keeps that to himself though, instead letting people believe that he simply came to New Anchorage on an adventurous whim.

• Retractable Claws:
  Super-heated claws for when punching something really hard isn't enough, these can melt through most metals and tear into the insides of another mech. When retracted, the holes they leave can fire high-caliber armor-shredding rounds. These are most often used to cover approaches, and more importantly, ruin the insides of another mech once its been opened up by the claws.

• Remote Drones:
  Eight drones are housed within both of Red Rover's shoulders, each one carrying four. These are deployed and controlled remotely by Orry, requiring excellent concentration to keep track of while also piloting the mech, and collectively grant him a near-perfect view of the battlefield with their mounted thermal-cameras. Can be equipped with various other things, though Orry usually goes with a gun-mount with limited explosive ammunition, or a few powerful homing-missiles. Other common attachments include EMP, concussion, and smoke bombs.

• Balancing System:
  A system that makes knocking over Red Rover extremely difficult, and allows the mech to balance on one leg as it swings the rest of its body weight, leading to powerful right hooks and roundhouse kicks. Can also be used to take a strong blunt hit that will cause the enemy to fully believe Red Rover will topple over, and immediately swing back with a surprise counter-attack.

• Propulsion System:
  A very simple propulsion system, created to help Red Rover get into optimal range and give its strikes a little something extra, while not slowing it down too much or throwing off its balance. The mech has eight thrusters: two on the back of its shoulders, two just above its elbows, two just above the back of its knees, and two on its heels. These can only rotate and angle in a small 360-degree circle, meaning they will only ever propel Red Rover forward, with slight deviations in exact trajectory. With proper angling of the thrusters and the body of Red Rover itself, these can be used to avoid assaults while still advancing. Finally, when punching or kicking, the thrusters can be activated to make the strikes faster and stronger.

Alan Fouren:
Being one of the more openly sociable pilots, Orry's taken a liking to Alan that goes beyond the usual respect he feels for those like Stein and Commander Graham. It helps that Alan is more laid-back and the male pilot closest to Orry's own age, instantly bringing some degree of kinship.

Anastasia Kalfox:
Orry finds Stein... impressive, in a word. She always seems knows what to do and how to do it, and it didn't take very long at all for Orry to figure out why she's considered New Anchorage's best pilot. He looks up to her, and has actually tried to mimic her during training and the like, like a kid copying a superhero on a TV show. He figures she's the best example to follow if he's looking to not be a colossal screw-up that gets people killed. She seems to treat him the same as she treats everyone else, too, which is nice.

Elizabeth Jackspar:
Eli is kind of unapproachable to Orry -- as though no matter what he could possibly say to her, he'd just be being a bother, which of course he doesn't want at all. Like Stein though, she seems like someone he could learn a lot from, especially seeing as they both pilot melee-focused mechs. He's considering manning up and asking for her help -- his logic running along the lines that he'd rather be a bit of a bother now than be the reason someone winds up dead later. Probably pretty sound.

John Strange:
Another approachable individual like Alan, once Orry got past the face (which he made no mention of, but definitely stared a bit at during their first encounter). Jingo helped him out during the month of testing, and he never felt like he was even a slight burden for the man, which was most definitely welcome.

Kathryn Dradht:
With as much experience, confidence, and fire as she has at her age, Orry simply finds Ryn amazing. He can understand where her personality comes from, almost a necessity for her considering the line of work she's in. She's definitely a little confrontational and has pretty openly looked down on Orry, but he genuinely feels she has every right to. It helps that she seems to be like that to everyone, so the boy can rest assured he hasn't actually pissed her off so far.

Madison Cole:
Madison's the only pilot that Orry has had basically zero interaction with, seeing as she was stuck in a hospital bed during most of the month that Orry's been in New Anchorage. He's heard about what happened to her, of course, and how her personality's taken a drastic turn. Despite not knowing her, he feels terrible whenever he thinks about it, and would like to do something to help, but has no idea what he could possibly do, if anything.

Percy Moore:
Percy's pretty nice, and Orry can relate to the man due the fact that he can barely believe either of them are actually pilots. Seeing the man running around after his daughter reminds him of his own father. Orry feels bad for kind of ignoring him and pushing him away during the testing, understanding that the man was probably worried about him. Taking comfort in the fact that he wasn't rude about it though, Orry figures he still has the opportunity to make friends with Percy now.

Tahlia Styles:
At first, Orry thought Tahlia was pretty intimidating, but has come to think that she's a nice person, just with an edge to her personality -- something he can respect. She's up there with Stein in the 'people who look like they know what they're doing' department.

Vera Voloshyna:
Vera's a fun person to be around, Orry's mood brightening just from being in the same room as her. Even with Ryn around and hearing about how young Stein was when she became a pilot, seeing someone as young as Vera in the middle of that very process was a bit of a shock, but Orry could tell quickly enough that it was what she wanted. He can relate to her desire to be a pilot, his own burning strong -- even if they may be for completely different reasons -- as well as the recent pain she's had to go through for that desire, Orry himself still feeling it.

Foster Callaway:
Not someone Orry likes to talk or think about, the boy has mixed feelings on his brother. He'll always have love for Foster, but most recently he's been coming to feel anger and hatred for him. Orry feels Foster's failed as an older brother, taking out his frustrations on Orry instead of helping and protecting his younger sibling as he should. Though, at the end of the day, Orry recognizes that his brother went through nearly the exact same thing he did, and that it's unrealistic to expect him to take it well -- something the younger boy understands as well as anyone.

Michael Graham:
Orry definitely likes his commander, though that's not really unusual for him. He respects the man greatly for giving him a chance to prove himself, which he took full advantage of in the time leading up to the NC test, to not disappoint the Commander.