Appearance: While not as old as a Krogan that recalls the Rachni Wars, Skarr is a well traveled Krogan and is very much a combat veteran in both years of fighting, and stature. He stands fully 7 feet, 5 inches tall and weighs in near 445 pounds, without his heavy armor or weapons. His skin is ruddy, with crimson outline, and has very similar coloring to Tuchanka's sun when light is shined upon in. A massive scar runs jagged across his forehead and nose, nearly touching his right eye, courtesy of an Asari assassin. His physique is brutish, with cable like muscles and the prominent hump of a mature Krogan. His hands are broad yet dexterous for a Krogan.

Background:
Sometimes, we need to remember why we fight. Honor, loyalty, courage, and fortitude. Go to the Citadel sometime young one, and see the Statue erected to honor our people.
Skarr of Clan Raik was born in the year 1499 CE, mere years after Christopher Columbus discovered the 'New World.' On his own world, Skarr was raised in the ancient spiritual beliefs of his people, being the only son of Clan Raik's Shaman. His father was named Brod before he had given up his name to gain the Shaman title, leaving Skarr to be one of the rarest Krogan known, to be born on Tuchanka when many no longer were, and to have no true father or name to be born to.

He was raised by his mother and the remnants of his Clan, holding no ill will toward his father growing up. Instead he saw it something he should aspire to, for being a Shaman in Krogan culture was to face trials even most Krogan found brutal. As his fellows spoke of the glory days of Tuchunka and lamented their fall, Skarr had idealistic dreams and aspirations of becoming a great leader among his people. Perhaps all it took for the Krogan to rise from the ashes once more was vision.

From a young age, Skarr fought his clan brothers in faux bouts, regularly sizing them up and learning their tactics. He went on hunts as soon as he came of age, yearning the experience of that the older Krogan had to offer him. Passion for his world and determined to follow in his father's footsteps, drove him to excel and learn quickly. It was due to his fiery convictions that he gained the nickname 'Aralahk,' named after Tuchanka's sun, though that was not his official title until much later.

The years turned into decades. As the Clans feuded, battle between he and his fellow Krogan was inevitable. He killed his first Krogan over a land dispute in The Kalynd Badlands. To this day he still remembers the huge corpse of the nameless Korwun Krogan beneath his blood soaked hands. That day would forever live in his memory, for it was the day that set him off to his path as Battlemaster, within the crags of the southern cliffs. Valkarn Raik and Krude Raik were there accompanying them before they were ambushed by Korwun, ending in a struggle that left only Valkarn the Veteran and Skarr alive.

It was at that moment, when they were wiping the gore from their hands, that an earthquake occurred, shuddering the very ground beneath the feet of the two Krogan. No, it was not an earthquake! Suddenly, an adolescent Thresher Maw burst forth from the rock, disturbed by the recent combat and discharge of the Krogan firearms. It screeched and brought forth its massive maw. From within the ground, its tail whipped and sent rock jutting out between the two Krogan. Valkarn took the brunt of the damage, his Graal Spike Thrower flying out of his hands at the elder hit the side of a cliff, stunned.

The weapon flew. Skarr leaped off the newly formed rise and caught it just barely, a roar of victory spewing forth. However, the movement and cry drew the attention of the Thresher Maw. It screeched once more, and dived toward Skarr, scooping up the Krogan in its giant maw and gulping the poor Krogan down its gullet. Skarr would never forget how hot and wet it felt inside the beast, and he did the only thing he could do.

He discharged his weapon, the razor-like shells bursting through flesh. He made a conscious decision to fire in relatively the same spot over and over, forming a hole to grab onto. He cried out and continued to fire into the gun-wrought hole. Suddenly, sunlight burst into his vision, and he continued to fire over and over. Clawing with his massive strength, he shoved himself further into the hole he had made and ripped himself out. Thresher Maw scales flew, and a blood soaked Skarr now stood over a beast of legend, the Thresher Maw now merely shuddering in its death throes.

Valkarn was alive, but he merely stood unmoving. He caught Skarr's attention, and then nodded toward the cliff. Before them both was dozens upon dozens of Korwun Krogan standing over them, simply watching. To Skarr's surprise, they did not fire. They let out a cheer of congratulations to Skarr for such a feat of strength and determination. Even only an adolescent, killing a Thresher Maw was truly a feat. They did not kill the two Krogan for trespassing, but neither did the Korwun help them, for Korwun blood was upon their hands. However, word of Skarr's victory over the Thresher Maw (and the Korwun skirmish earlier from Valkarn's account) spread.

A Crush was formed, calling forth the Korwun, the Raik, and the Shamans. In this meeting of the clans, Skarr's accomplishments were made known and brought to light. They were verified to the Shamans, and as Raik's Battlemaster had been recently slain in clan infighting, Skarr was given the opportunity to claim the right of Battlemaster. Unfortunately, since the Battlemaster was dead, he would need to perform another rite by combat to claim the title.

Skarr's father stepped forward, and offered to fight his son. Brod, now nameless, challenged his son personally to test his mettle. Skarr was conflicted, but in the end, he accepted the challenge and met his father in combat. The crush was ended, and the fight had begun.

At first, the Shaman had the upperhand. He pushed Skarr hard, wanting to test him and see the full extent of his strength. After delivering a powerful blow to Skarr's side with his club, the Shaman sent a relentless barrage at the now prone young Krogan, hoping for him to give up, yet secretly hoping to see his son succeed. It should have been foreseen, but with this barrage of attacks, Skarr was unable to help himself, and his world turned crimson.

When he awoke, he stood over the body of his father, his breathing labored and his hands once again covered in blood. His father's blood. Skarr was struck silent, as were the other Krogan. Death was not required, but it was not a breaking of the rules. Skarr however...he had given into the bloodrage, and killed his own sire. The Krogan who he had emulated, having only known as his father for a short period, but always hoping to one day reach him in status, to live alongside him. He was dead by his own hand.

He was proclaimed Battlemaster, and given the title "Aralakh" or "Eye of Wrath" to honor both his clan and his incredible victory via bloodlust. They gave it to him to honor him. He bore it as a reminder, to stay in control of himself from now on. To never let such a thing happen again, that his rage would in turn break his heart. He could not bear seeing what he would wreak with such a thing again. Not to someone who he had idolized, loved even.

He left Tuchanka weeks later, giving his old friend Valkarn the title of Battlemaster if he so desired, taking the title as one he would bear as a Freelance Mercenary. Because he was the Battlemaster for such a short time, he only gained a small amount of Biotic experience that he would only fine tune until later.

He made a name for himself as a Mercenary, making it to the Citadel first and laying eyes on the Krogan statue erected for their victory against the Rachni. He took the words upon the statue to heart, and it was mere days later he received his first contract, fighting for an Asari banker who needed to regain a space station from Vorcha raiders.

Over the next few centuries, he gained a reputation for brutal efficiency and differentiated from other Krogan Battlemasters by only taking contracts that he thought would fit the Krogan ideal of honor, rather than the 'any means necessary' attitude most Mercenary Battlemasters took. One of his most notable and recent contracts included fighting the Batarians in the Offensive of Torfan due to the Skyllian Blitz.

It was during a lull in his contracts that he found his way onto the Citadel, to gaze at the statue erected for his ancestors while he searched for a place to repair some of his equipment. He met a mechanic named Frederick Bullock, who offered to repair a few rustic items he had for a fair price. Unbeknownst to Frederic, Skarr had chosen this place for a precise strategy. Granted, he did not know if the mercenaries would attack here, but he had seen them following him throughout the presidium. In this funneled area, if they chose to attack, he would have the advantage in terrain. Fortunately they did, though unfortunately for Frederick. Truthfully, Skarr had no idea he would find such an apt mechanic on this side of the Citadel. He just happened to find this man as soon as he was where he was looking for, and so Skarr did his best to protect him while he systematically destroyed the gang that had chased him. Frederick did well for himself, obviously no slouch with biotics.

The two formed a blood friendship, and traveled together for a few years before Frederick decided he wished to stay put for awhile. Skarr honored his request, and they kept in good contact. It was a call from Frederick that opted Skarr to sign up for the Andromeda Initiative. Once the long hours of beaurocracy was finished with, he found himself aboard the Ark.

Personality:
I was made to end lives. However, to mindlessly kill is beneath me, and indeed beneath our race. When I kill? It's a choice I make consciously, every time.
Skarr enjoys combat, and enjoys the art of killing. Not for mundane reasons such as bloodthrist, but simply because he believes it is the true way to speak in this universe. To be a good fighter and a successful warrior shows dedication, skill, and it drives how the galaxy is formed. Wars evolve society far quicker than peace, and as the old saying goes, you cannot make an omelette without breaking a few eggs.

However, he does not dismiss conversation, nor does he dismiss learning. He enjoys comraderie with his companions, and discussions that involve deeper and unorthodox thinking. What has led to the downfall of his people through the centuries was not their violent nature, but their violent nature that had no philosophical goal. No goal except monetary gain, or for their own foolish pride. Or worse, for the hedonistic feel of simply taking a life without any thought to repercussions.

Skarr enjoys good food and what the humans call 'Rock' and 'metal' music. He listens to informative audio datafiles in his spare time on subjects he enjoys or that currently catches his fancy.

As with most Krogan, Skarr excels at brutalizing the enemy and shrugging off enemy fire. He can easily tear through the front lines of troops, incapacitating and breaking their formation as he wreaks havoc. Due to his Battlemaster training, Killing is a science. A single blow from a Skarr is often enough to kill or severely incapacitate anyone he comes across, and he moves with such precision and focus even among dozens of foes. To add to his killing capability is his biotic powers, that he utilizes to further break entrenchments that he cannot reach or is too busy to handle, or simply as something to further increase his Shock tactics.

However, he does separate himself from other Krogan due to his cool under fire and stress, and he makes a decent medium range combatant as well, when need be. Long years spent in tactical missions gives him a finesse and an appreciation for fine shots and flanking maneuvers that most Krogan lack.

Reason for being awoken from Cryo (Specific jobs, skills, and Initiative Application): Skarr was awoken from his slumber for manual labor and aiding in the reconstruction in the Ark. Of course, his main duty was combat and the higher ups felt it necessary to summon a Krogan who was a proficient at many things, including protection and biotics.

Equipment:


Powers:

• Shockwave (Biotic)
• Biotic Hammer (Biotic)
• Frag Grenade
• Carnage
• Adrenaline Rush
• Marksmen

Font Colour: Red

Hazan Volantis - Turian - Infiltrator. Returning player and character. Link to character sheet: roleplayerguild.com/posts/4565815

[Dervish Notes] -Hazan’s military experience is kind of glossed over. I understand that it’s probably an uneventful time, but keep in mind that turian service periods are between the 15th birthday to 30, where they can leave public service if they so choose. We also don’t really know why he left the service; did he just want to change careers, did he feel it wasn’t giving him enough opportunities, did he disagree with how it operated? It also sounds like all he did for all those years was train. Did he do no meaningful tours, peacekeeping operation, fighting pirates, slavers, mercenaries, insurgencies?

-Likewise, his time is C-Sec is hugely glossed over. While you indicate why he left C-Sec, we don’t really know why his superiors would be promoting him and subsequently burying him in excessive paperwork to force his resignation. It’s an interesting story that we don’t really know why it happens, just that he was good at his job and quit because of a mountain of paperwork. Maybe explain his relationship with the department and give some ideas of what could have happened to force this cultural shift at work?

-You might want to mention in his military section that he was an experienced marksman and/ or had scout training, it makes his transition to hired sniper/ hitman a lot cleaner.

-”But for once he was free” Nothing was mentioned about him feeling stifled or oppressed in the Hierarchy or working for C-Sec prior to this, and wouldn’t taking jobs for potentially dangerous clients back him into something of a corner, especially as far as blackmail is concerned? This is also emphasized that he ended up being a huge target by other bounty hunters and mercenaries when a contract was put on him. Right now, it just comes across that he was annoyed working at a bad workplace and rather than finding another legal career or moving to one of of the colonies, he just scorch earthed his life to go into a very dangerous illegal profession at the drop of a hat. It’s not implausible, but you’re definitely going to want to flesh out the first two stages of his life there to make said transition a lot more believable and organic.

-While his post-Jury Riggers years well well written, I do have a question; Why wouldn’t he join his family’s security business after leaving C-Sec? He went through years of a very roundabout way of doing what seems like the most logical step for him to take after leaving.

-Other than that, everything’s a pretty solid foundation and the equipment and power sections all look fine. Most of what needs to be addressed is the early years; a lot of it was really skimmed over before eventually getting fleshed out part way through. Even it out a bit, explain a few things (in particular, what drove him from leaving the military and C-Sec to becoming a freelancer).

[Mortarion Notes] Not much for me to add in here, basically I think the same as Tricks and Dervs in regards to Hazan’s sheet. That is to say a bit of expanding on some key points of Hazan’s life but, otherwise, I like what you’ve done with his sheet, especially on the life he led after the Jury Riggers and how that led to Andromeda.

[DearTrickster Notes] The only other notes I would personally have to offer here, is some introduction to some vital characters in Hazan’s life, like Nemis and Valla. The first we hear about them is when Valla betrayed Hazan and Nemis died. It’s a little jarring to have two important people in Hazan’s life introduced later on in the history here. I would like to see some earlier pretext to these two people and what their relationships were like when Hazan was on Omega originally. Otherwise, I like how you’ve fleshed out Hazan’s life after his time with the Jury Riggers, just needs some expansion on the earlier points Dervs already made.

~~~

Frederick Bullock - Human, Sentinel roleplayerguild.com/posts/4567938

[Dervish Notes]
-I do like that Frederick came from poverty and was forced to improvise to help his family, but I feel the wording here sets off some weird implications. “Being able to fix anything,” at 12 years old seems really suspect; this is a kid that had no formal training or education on this kind of stuff, keep in mind. I have a feeling you meant that he figured out how to take apart scrap and junk and learned how to make it functional again, which isn’t entirely unheard of, and I’m sure he could have found a few documents on the Extranet. It would be kind of like how the quarians take stuff that’s considered junk and makes it work again. Just make sure to explain how he figured out how to do what he does and maybe specify what kinds of things he was fixing and selling, because as stands it could mean anything from a digital clock to a battle cruiser.
-Also, where did he get his tools and replacement supplies?
-I think you’re the first person I’ve seen to have a character with a history in BAaT. That’s neat!
-How did he get the credits to travel after the program ended?
-masseffect.wikia.com/wiki/Skarr < Same character, or just coincidental name use? This is the second time I’ve seen a player use Raik Skarr as a krogan name. Poohead’s character from that game > roleplayerguild.com/topics/159595-mas… Confirmed with Poohead it’s a cameo appearance.
-It’s kind of a bit of a jump for someone who’s hired on as a technician without formal military or security training to suddenly get lumped in with APEX. Although he had some experience as a mercenary, it’s pretty clear he never had any formal training in combat situations and he wouldn’t be a likely candidate to be picked to be a part of a militarized strike force, let alone on the security team, with his official credentials.
-Something absolutely worth mentioning is that the Nexus hit the Scourge almost immediately and was in an emergency situation before the first colonists even got out of hibernation.

[DearTrickster Notes] Similar notes to what I had for DJ, I think Frederick has some solid foundation in his history and background. All the components are there. We really don’t get much of an idea what is driving Frederick to Andromeda or how he’s felt from one event in his life to the next, is it a need for exploration? Curiosity? What got him a bid for Andromeda, if his talents as a technician were alright? What did he do that had officials in the Alliance think of him as a interested candidate to send into the new galaxy? If it wasn’t catching eyes of military officials, was it just him submitting himself as a candidate? There just seems to be a bit of disconnect between his history and personality section, the only real point of reference from history to his personality is his mistrust of turians from his time at BAaT. One other question I had, mostly out of curiosity what kind of implants do you think Frederick may have been outfitted with? We know Kaiden Alenko had been apart of the L2’s but implants following those ones had been improved and safely used like the L5’s. Otherwise, I think he’s pretty solid. From poverty, to being self taught and making his way on his own merit for the majority of his life.

[Mortarion Notes] I echo most of the critiques made by both Tricks and Dervs beforehand, it is a nice element of his backstory that he managed to pull himself from absolute poverty but on the same hand -at least how I see it- that same element makes it rather difficult to believe that he’d be “able to fix anything” as you put it, especially when at a young age like 12 years old.

Another thing worth noting, and also mentioned by Tricks, is how did Frederick acquire the tools to keep his trade afloat, did he barter for them while on Luna, or did he obtain them through some other means? It’s a small issue, but I think some clarification wouldn’t hurt. On the issue of clarification, I think the Conatix stuff needs a tiny, tiny, bit of extra work. You mention that Frederick’s parents didn’t knew, and that Frederick himself also didn’t knew, so how come that Conatix did? I know that the company handled its share of shady deals and actions, but I doubt they’d be able to track every mother who was exposed to eezo while being pregnant. Was Frederick one of the few rare cases where additional exposure to eezo during adulthood led to the development of biotic abilities?

Another tidbit is why did he become a mercenary? I can understand Frederick becoming friends with Skarr, even helping him fend off his enemies, but I’m having a bit of trouble how that leads to the jump of being a mercenary, especially after BAat, wouldn’t he have a bad impression of them on account of the turian mercenaries hired to help there? Finally there’s the twofold issue of him going back to the Alliance and then off to the Initiative. You mentioned that after BAat he didn’t want to serve there on account of their hiring of the Turian mercenaries that had abused him during his time in the short-lived program so what changed? Same happens with his joining the Andromeda Initiative, why did he decided to join and why was he recommended? There just seems to be a bit of a disconnect that needs some more work for it to properly click in place in my opinion.
~~~

Ryria T’Vessi - Asari, Adept roleplayerguild.com/posts/4568367

[Dervish Notes]

-Seth Dray; leftover human name that needs to change, or is this in more recent years? As Tricks mentioned, it’s tricky to get an idea of how much time has passed or what point in her life she’s at.

-Small nit-pick, but 60 years seems like a long time for a work contract, even for an asari. Maybe she just kept renewing her contract until her last one expired without signing another one?

-A major thing that’ll have to be addressed is why she was picked to serve as APEX since she doesn’t have a background in military or policing operations. You’ll have to also figure out a way for her to want to transition from being a doctor to something more akin to a field medic. Maybe her time with Texon had a fairly robust peacekeeping division that was run by military veterans?

-Personality section is great! I know you mentioned she isn’t great with teamwork, but would she be okay at following orders? That part’s kind of important considering her role in APEX. I know you have her being an introvert as a key part of her history and personality, but I highly recommend you do have parts of said personality be conducive for working in a militia outfit, namely following orders and not being difficult to work with even if she is largely a loner.

-I think you’ve fretted about a whole lotta nothing; most of what needs to be looked at is just fleshing out a few things and making the timeframes in her bio a bit more clear for the most part, it looks great!

[Mortarion Notes] Overall I’d say that both Tricks and Dervs have covered the major points of your CS, nonetheless let me say that I still love how you expanded on small things like how she has different types of clothings befitting her situations, ranging from medical situations to more casual ones. In the same vein I also love how much effort you put into the personality section of her sheet, detailing how she’d appear to outsiders and how she appears to those those that get past the shell she has surrounded herself with, not to mention adding details like her flaws and fears alongside her hobbies.

The only things that need addressing are more of the type that you need to expand a few details and a few revisions from leftover versions of the sheet, which are easily fixed with a small edit or two. Otherwise, I’d say that Ryria’s sheet is golden to go.

[DearTrickster Notes] Hey Fallen good job on clearing up the human angle to the sheet, on a second read through it seems you’ve replaced species where you could but Maeve being a turian biotic is a rather rare occurrence. The Hierarchy make short order out of their biotics, keeping the majority of them out of sight and out of mind. Otherwise I like the idea of a plump turian, someone who is characteristically soft in spite of their spiny exterior. What I would suggest is either removing her biotic capabilities, or changing her species again.

I also saw another leftover from the recent edits, noting a French Cook. Just another bit of the human angle you haven’t trimmed yet.

So far though, a lot of points in her life make sense the events leading from one to the other, how she felt and you get a sense of her. I like that she had a pretty rustic childhood on Trategos. I would like to see some clearer time stamps, we know she spent 60+ years with The Texon Project and ten years prior to their departure to Niacal, did she spend the majority of her orphaned childhood on Illium? How long did she spend between leaving the asari’s government housing on Illium to working at Chora’s Den on the Citadel? Did she have any prior interest in these sort of surveying wilds of different planets before? Did she get a degree in medicine before going with the texan project, or was that earned in the ten years of preparation for the project?

What was the goal of The Texon Project? Was it to survey different environments, was it a data gathering mission? Testing experimental technology that eventually would aid in surveying new worlds? Surveying worlds for viability for new colonies? Would like to know a bit more about this project, it sounds interesting and would totally be a plausible scientific research project. Just what are its goals?

I like how you detailed her personality section giving some more flavour to her, fleshing out what you had established in her history. It sounds like she’ll be right at home on Voeld in Andromeda. Powers check out, as they’re all from Andromeda gameplay along with her weaponry.

~~~

Naryxa Kesir - Asari, Adept roleplayerguild.com/posts/4569086

[Dervish Notes]

-Mirroring what Tricks said about Naryxa’s father, I adore how he left the dossier for her to explore and appreciate the galaxy and the two of them had a really close bond. The whole thing is just really sweet and sets things off on this nice hopeful vibes I really love.

-Another detail I really like is how she views the loss of loved ones, she’s really just at peace with death and celebrates life. It’s something I find really believable and admirable about asari, and I think you captured that essence really well in this character.

-One thing I don’t think will work out is Alec Ryder being someone she contacted to be a part of the Initiative. We’re trying to keep people from veering too close to canon characters, and Alec and the Pathfinder team are kind of one of those things we’re trying to keep deliberately in GM hands because of concerns about keeping the narrative on a controlled course, and being a game about a lot of decisions, everyone’s always going to have different versions of the Ryders and other characters in their minds. We’d just have Naryxa be an -admirer- and perhaps be influenced by him as a reason for wanting to enlist, but it’s also not really his call if someone gets in or not; most everyone goes through the standard enlistment channels unless specifically requested by one of the leaders.

-Overall, looks great!

[Mortarion Notes] I echo what both Tricks and Dervs said about the relationship between Naryxa and her father, and how he left a full dossier for her with which to build more memories that the short lifespan of a Salarian would have allowed him to do.

In the same vein I love how you described at length her life and the different occupations that she went through, I feel it captures very well that idea of how the Asari go through different stages in their long lived lives. Moving on from that I do echo what Dervs said about the bit about her contacting Alec Ryder.

While he knew, and was a confidant, of Jien Garson, in the end he wouldn't have much say in who gets elected, except for the human pathfinder team that is, and who doesn't. It'd be better if you said she was inspired by him and that was what propelled Naryxa to sign up with the Initiative.

[DearTrickster Notes] Did not note this earlier but I love me some detailed appearance sections, all four of the submissions so far have been pretty good - distinct. Helps to easily picture any of them without the aid of images. So good job!

I love how sweet Naryxa’s father is, creating a codex of videos and plant life for her to discover and find on her own. Fuelling that early appetite for exploration. That just hng, twists the heart. I like that you highlighted how it feels to be a long living person comparatively to the other species in Mass Effect, you see people come and go and you move on when you feel like it. Not really attaching herself to any one thing for long highlights her restlessness as well. Consistently yearning for something new. Not totally without forging friendships and relationships that last for decades.

The majority of her life is concise, detailed and you get a feel for her as a character. Of course someone who lived the majority of their life returning to the Citadel would be affected by Sovereign’s shenanigans on the station. I imagine she was away from the center of chaos on the Presidium. The loss of friends and total chaos how did this affect her? Was she stricken with grief? Was she angry? Anxious for her safety? We had some details of how the life or death escape of the batarian slavers gave her some PTSD. When she joined this mercenary band to help support the Alliance on routing the Geth off of Eden Prime, were they simply hired for more guns and manpower or anything specific?

I find it interesting she went straight to Alec Ryder for joining the Andromeda Initiative. They had normal recruitment, submission and candidate channels for anyone interested to go through. Did she specifically want to be apart of the Pathfinder’s team? Why not the Asari Pathfinder’s team, with a well known Matriarch?

I like that her reason for being pulled from Cryo was for a leadership candidate and offering guidance in both science and combat. Keep in mind, Prodromos is a military outpost, so it’s much more likely she was awoken for her history as a huntress and asari commando. But I see no problem with her reason, it doesn’t need to be changed. Her powers check out as well.

~~~~~

Clyfford Ward - Human, Soldier roleplayerguild.com/posts/4569903

[Dervish’s Notes]
-In appearance, you mention standard Alliance outfit; that’s a no go, he’s in the Initiative brudder. The Alliance isn’t a thing in Andromeda, so his uniform would match.
-Ranks aren’t an exact 1:1 replica of common military ranks, so the E-system the US uses doesn’t apply here. We have;

ENLISTED
Serviceman 3rd Class / Private 2nd Class
Serviceman 2nd Class / Private 1st Class
Serviceman 1st Class / Corporal
NCOs
Service Chief
Gunnery Chief
Operations Chief
OFFICERS
2nd Lieutenant
1st Lieutenant
Staff Lieutenant
Lieutenant Commander
Staff Commander
Captain / Major
Rear Admiral / General
Admiral
Fleet Admiral
From that, a Sergeant would probably be equivalent to Service Chief or Gunnery Chief.

-Honestly, this sheet is gold. You have a wicked sense of humour, friend, and I don’t see anything objectionable about the history portions, equipment, and so on. I love it!

[DearTrickster Notes] Same, I was giggling and enjoying the sheet from start to finish. Powers all check out along with weapons. Good job!

[Mortarion Notes] I agree with what both Dervs and Tricks said, the sheet was immensely enjoyable to read and, apart from the ranking issues that Dervs mentioned, I'd say the sheet is golden.

Firuzeh Khoroushi, Human Vanguard - roleplayerguild.com/posts/4569930

[Dervish’s notes]

- “They were there to test out a new generation of cybernetic enhancements on any willing colonists, as a colonist with the strength to tip shuttles on her own had self evident advantages over the original model.”

I assume this means replacing existing cybernetics with upgrades rather than chopping off good body parts in the name of transhumanism? I’m totally fine with the former, but the latter is kind of an ethical issue.

-“But she had nothing left. No job, no friends” Did her quarian friend/ work colleagues die? I don’t think it’s really specified.

-I actually really like the additions post Borealis, including her relationship to the Jury Riggers and what she did after it disbanded. She tried to get therapy to help herself from her mental struggles, which is a refreshingly nice thing to see, and she tried to get back into her academics but not being satisfied with it. That’s great. Everything leading up to her signing on with the Initiative is really well thought out and put together. Well done!

[DearTrickster’s Notes] Gotta really note here how well written her backstory is, great job Rainbow. It flows really well from one idea to the next and one event to the other. The main notes I had were clarification notes on her time in the lab testing those different enhancing prototypes. Did she take them upon herself fully developed or did she only test them as a volunteer for human testing? Two and a half years is a very short period to develop all these new prototypes and having results to safely conduct tests on humans, the scientists themselves, as opposed to control groups. Some clarification on where they were in development when Firu joined the lab, specifically please note which ones Firu tested on herself and whether these effects of the prototypes are permanent. Powers and weapons check out.

[Mortarion’s Notes] I really enjoyed the way you constructed Firu’s backstory, or more specifically the way that it connects to her life after she had left the Borealis. Particularly how it was the black sheep of the family who helped her through her issues, or well most of ‘em, and helped her move past the way the Blitz had marked her for the most part.

The way you also described how her time in the Citadel as part of a scientific team helped to further propel her desire to join the Initiative was fantastic in my opinion and, like Dervs said, everything is really well thought out and put together to explain why she came to Andromeda.

Serena Matthews, Human Sentinel - roleplayerguild.com/posts/4570060

[Dervish’s Notes]

-”She began to wonder what life outside Omega was like.” I thought she was still in San Pedro Sula? If they did move to Omega, it wasn’t mentioned/ how would she find Alliance recruiters on the station?
-The Alliance hiring Barat for being a heavy hitter seems kind of strange, it’s not really in most governments’ interests to hire unaccountable mercenaries, especially when they would run into the issue of the logistics being the same. What are the odds they can contact Barat and deploy him where needed when they have all the infrastructure in place to send a special forces squad to do the same job? I can see him being hired as an advisor in the same way that modern day militaries often hire locals as guides, interpreters, and for their knowledge. Maybe Serena got assigned to work with him on an official capacity and they built a bond that way?
-What exactly was Barat and Serena’s mission that had them operating completely alone and fighting security forces? Who were they fighting, why did they have no support? Unless I overlooked something, Serena sounds like most of her job with the alliance was as a support role back at base rather than infiltration, which she doesn’t really sound like she’s been trained in.
-Why did Serena go AWOL? Wouldn’t this lead to her being a wanted felon if she tried to sign up for the Initiative or returned to Alliance/ Citadel Space? You’re probably better off revising this where she resigned after the mission, although I do see you had this come into play in her loyalty mission bits. The problem still remains that despite John being a traitor, that doesn’t exactly absolve Serena of going AWOL.
-We’re kind of cyborg central around here, aren’t we? Considering the number of characters who had limbs replaced, I kind of feel like this is getting to be a bit excessive.
-You might want to narrow her specialization down for signing up with the initiative; there’s no way she’s going to be proficient in every single bit of technology that’s present.
-A big reason for people resisting going back into cryo sleep was the very real fear they’d never wake up again; when the Nexus hit the Scourge, a lot of the colonists died in their sleeping pods. It was that, along with the leadership making very arbitrary decisions without consulting the people for what they thought and denying essential resources to do their jobs that lead to the mutineers losing faith in the leadership; the uprising was about installing new leaders in a democratic way, not the flawed chain of command that existed. Director Tann being the new leader after losing the 7 prior leaders was a huge flaw in the system; he was an accountant, not someone who knew the intricacies of managing an entire colonization mission. Serena might have some sympathies with the mutineers without agreeing with them.
-I don’t see the Initiative allowing an individual member to bring entire mechs with them since space is limited. I’ll allow a few bits and pieces, like the processors and what have you, but entire mechs are out of the question.

[DearTrickster’s Notes] I really do like Serena’s start, but along with the previous points Dervs and Morty have made the AI has caught me pretty badly. You listed that Serena has experience in Artificial Intelligence. While the Initiative saw SAM as a tool, I think she’d be turned away if she had openly admitted to having experience in AI design or technology previously. AI is against Council Law, it originally had Alec Ryder dishonourably discharged and muddied the Ryder name. Involvement with AI is largely frowned upon, even if Jein Garson accepted and integrated SAM, SAM is fairly unique to the Initiative and Pathfinders. I can accept Barat mech accidentally gaining awareness, but otherwise Serena pursuing AI research and technology openly would be met with certain grief. Powers, personality, and weapons check out.

[Mortarion’s Notes] I echo most of the same points that Dervs made in regards to her specialization and on account of the whole “bringing an entire LOKI with her stuff”. I can see her bringing mainly the processor and other stuff, but there’s no way she’d be able to get an entire mech to Andromeda. Apart from that I’d say you are good, just need to expand upon a few parts of her background -specifically the whole Barat thing and why Serena went AWOL- along with her specializations and you’d be done.

Raik “Aralakh” Skarr, Krogan Vanguard - roleplayerguild.com/posts/4570436

[Dervish’s Notes]

-You’ve been using Raik, the clan name, a surname for krogan that are mentioned. It should be used like a title, e.g. Urdnot Wrex, Urdnot Grunt
-I don’t think Skarr could have been swallowed by a Thresher Maw and survived. Keep in mind those thing eat krogan and vehicles; they’re tough and probably not something that can be killed from the inside because it would be probably a common practice. Not sure if you noticed, but when you swallow something, your body automatically pulls it towards your stomach, and I can’t imagine a scenario where that wouldn’t be the case for a Thresher Maw.
-Correct me if I’m wrong, but don’t Battle Masters earn their position by merit with biotics and martial power rather than have that be a title that’s passed around? I don’t think krogan are fond of helping others hone their skills due to competition and rivalries, as well as literally giving someone the means to kill you down the road. I don’t think it’s something that’s easily earned or discarded.
-You mention him arriving at the Citadel and gazing at the krogan statue twice in 3 paragraphs.
-I know it’s a pain to write out centuries of history, but I think not even touching on any of it in a short paragraph is really the best idea. You have a strong, detailed start, then he leaves Tuchanka and in a few short paragraphs suddenly Frederick is the spotlight we focus on. What exactly constitutes an honourable contract, what exactly did he do all those years? Did he ever return to Tuchanka?
-Okay, this gets confusing; Why is Skarr being pursued by a gang, and why are they brazenly attacking him in the Presidium?
-I get that you and Lauder plan on having characters with linked histories, but you need to keep in mind that if one of you doesn’t get accepted, you’re kind of stuck with this giant gap in your character sheet that exists without much justification. It also seems kind of strange that Skarr would hitch his lot to a human he fought with once when he never formed bonds like that several centuries.

[Mortarion’s Notes]

First of all let me note how I love that you’ve included, what I presume are, little phrases said by Raik before the background and personality sections, I feel it helps to give further insight into who Raik is as a person. Moving onto the story proper, I like the bit when Raik’s father was the Shaman of Clan Skarr, and how that shaped Raik himself and instilled into him that desire to become a Shaman himself, I feel it’s an interesting way to define Raik’s past because, instead of wanting to go looking for a tough opponent or getting out of Tuchanka he was focused on his people first and on their culture. Kinda similar to a younger Wrex, or at least that’s how I picture it, before he left Tuchanka due to his disillusionment with the Krogan people.

The way he became a Battlemaster, no matter for how shortly he held the title, is rather interesting, but there’s one small problem. WHile the whole killing of a young thresher maw is cool, we know that the last person -in generations as we are told- to kill a Thresher Maw was Wrex himself so, maybe, Raik could have driven it away? Apart from that everything, particularly, the duel against his father and how he ended up killing him in the throes of the Blood Rage is perfect. I also like the bit how he is, if I’m reading this correctly, instantaneously regretful of killing his father, it’s -once again, in my eyes- interesting how that sets Skarr apart from other Krogans in the sense that he considers the blood Rage as something beneath him, almost like a dishonour to have fallen into it. The only thing that makes me raise my eyebrow a little it is hwy he left the position of Battlemaster of Clan Skarr, was it because he killed his father and thought himself unworthy of the position? I think clearing that up a bit would be ideal for the sheet, but maybe I’m being a tad nitpicky with that little detail. Another question that pops into my mind is, why did he went into the Citadel instead of Omega? He would have surely been more welcome in the latter rather than the former. Was he more interested in seeing the Krogan monument than getting steady work? Again, clarifying just a tiny bit I feel would help with the flow of the backstory for Raik.

Finally there’s Raik’s entry into the Andromeda Initiative, did he really just join because Frederick asked him to do so? Or did he also desire to get away from the Milky Way? I feel like I’m being a tad nitpicky, but it seems just a tad disconnected from the rest of the backstory. Also, on that note, it’d probably be good to add a bit on why he decided to stay on the Nexus after the rest of the Krogan’s had left, it was a rather big thing after all, and why he’d volunteer to join the APEX militia as well. Apart from those things I just mentioned I’d say you sheet is pretty much golden, it just needs a bit expanding on a few points is all.

Appearance: Five foot four inches, bright pink hair, with one brown eye and one (usually) hot pink eye. Her right eye (the pink one) is cybernetic, and you can see the faded scars of how she lost it. She has burn scars all along her arms and some on her face, from the sparks of droids, a stab wound in her shoulder, a jagged cut scar across the right side of her neck, and one particularly nasty stab scar along her stomach.

Background: Serena was born to San Pedro Sula, Honduras. The reach of the Alliance was far from her family, and they acted accordingly. Kept their heads down, payed whatever fines that were demanded of them, and tried to avoid the gang wars. Serena had heard that years and years ago it had been considered the most crime ridden city in the world. She didn't know if that was true anymore, but it certainly felt like it with the cramped living conditions and nigh constant gang wars. Her father repaired and sold various mechs,drones, and VI’s in addition to doing repairs on ships whenever he could to scrounge more credits. Combat, medical, and domestic mechs. Drones for any and all purposes, you request it, her father would build it or fix it and Serena learned most of her talents from him. Her mother helped him, even when she was pregnant with Serena. It was obvious that because of her mother's insistence upon helping, Serena's biotic powers developed. However, she couldn't afford any training or amps as her parents were poor enough as is.

For several years they managed to scrape by like this, remaining relatively free of the constant power struggles and fluctuations between the various gangs. Of course, nothing lasts forever. When she was eight, a vicious battle erupted outside of their little shop. Two gangs were battling for control of her district. Up until now, the fights had always been away from them. Serena doesn’t remember much of the incident. Strong emotions and flashes of memory. Helplessness. Her mother’s face filled with fear as she shielded her. Terror. Her father working as fast as he could to get Mech’s up and running to defend the shop. It was that feeling of helplessness, weakness, that would stick with her mostly strongly. She hated that feeling, the feeling that she couldn't change anything, that she was a burden and a risk.

After that event, the shop torn to shreds by bullets, most of the mechs they had been working on destroyed, her father finally gave in. He started paying one of the gangs, the Cyborgs, for protection. The group that constantly used Mechs could always use someone who was talented working on them. Especially someone who paid them for protection.

This arrangement, which would last for the entirety of her father’s life, lead to Cyborg members frequently visiting her father’s shop. This, of course, lead to her talking to them and getting to know the local gang and it’s members. There were some evil bastards in the group, certainly. But there were also good people. People just trying to do what they could to survive and prosper. This is what taught Serena to judge on a person by person basis. Not everyone in the same race, organization, what have you, is going to be same.

Ten years passed, and Serena began to get restless. She began to wonder what life outside San Pedro was like. What it was like to not be in constant fear of being attacked by gangs, or wondering if her father’s protection payments would rise and then he’d be forced to go bankrupt. It didn’t take her long to decide she wanted to leave.

There was only a couple of ways she could get out of San Pedro Sula. She could charter a passage on a ship, but that cost more money than she or her father had and would only get her to one place. What she would do after getting to that one place was an unknown. She could sign up with a mercenary company. It offered a way to get out of San Pedro, a job, and a sure way to be on the move. Mercenary companies offered a way to get around and actually see the world and the galaxy. And, she reasoned, she could find someone who wouldn't constantly be thrusting her into stupid battles and she would be relatively sure of the fact that she was on the good side. Finally, she could sign up with the Alliance military. Steady pay, definitely on the good side, galaxy and world travelling, equipment, training...it was really so much better than mercenary work wasn't it?

Thus, Serena made her decision. She would join the Alliance navy get out of this town, and use her talents as a Mech repairwoman and VI hacker/programmer to help out the military. Simple. Despite her parents misgivings, they were in no position to stop her. Her leaving would make things easier for all of them. Saying her goodbyes, Serena traveled through the slums that had always been her home and signed up with the Alliance.

They gave her their basic gear. On the off chance her biotic talents could be useful, the tested her. Turns out she did have some biotic power. Thus, they began teaching her how to use her amp and her powers. Serena was never very talented at it, but she did learn how to use barriers and telekinesis. The former is very handy in fights and the latter in general use.

For five years she worked with the Alliance. For the most part she escaped direct combat. She hacked, she designed mechs, drones and VI’s, and she repaired them. When she was close to the combat she was always protected and separate. Eventually she was attached to covert unit under a man by the name of John. He used her skills with VIs, mechs, and hacking to help out his teams in the field and occasionally sending her out with them as a long distance support. As the years passed she began heading out more and more with the teams. She objected, being completely unsuited for the types field work she was being sent out more and more in. Her objections went unheeded, and Serena reluctantly carried out her orders. It was the way she had been trained.

For a while, it was all fine. She got all she wanted. Outside of San Pedro (Indeed, Earth entirely), exploring the Galaxy, never in the same place. Oh, and the deaths of dozens on her hands. For the most part she could easily say that it was self defense. Kill or be killed. There were some grey areas she chose to ignore, however. Some deaths where she couldn’t be quite certain that what she had done was right, or that it wasn't her fault. So she ignored them. Or tried to at least. The deaths still weighed on her mind.

These became worse when Serena seemed to be cursed in her missions. The objective would be failed, or taken, her partners all eventually died, and she'd always manage to somehow come back alive. She tried to brush off the deaths, convince herself that it wasn't her fault, but she was the only consistent part of these missions. The only thing that didn't change from mission to mission. John eventually started assigning her missions with quietly hired mercenaries to help. Officially, this was to minimize evidence of Alliance presence during her missions.

In the back of her mind, Serena knew it was because she would get anyone she worked with killed. She went through a couple mercenaries, with dying in her failed missions like the rest, until coming across Barat. He was a gruff Krogan who had been alive for centuries longer than she had, and had a knack for survival. He lasted the longest out of all her partners, despite missions still going south, and kept her safe. Their personalities would clash, his cynical practicality rubbing her optimistic hopefulness the wrong way, and vice versa. Despite this, the two formed a fast bond and continued working together, carrying out their missions with greater and greater success.

Unbeknownst to Serena, the reason she had suddenly been pulled from support to field work, and her seemingly cursed missions, was that John had turned traitor. He had become disillusioned with the idea that the Alliance even stood a chance against the other nations of the Council, convinced that eventually humanity would anger a powerful Council Race the same way it had angered the Batarians, and the Alliance end up destroyed. So he started preparing for what he saw as an inevitable outcome, building his own wealth to weather out the storm. He sold information and technology to Alliance enemies, using his teams as unknowing mules and occasional sacrificial lambs to get what he was selling to whoever was buying. He would use his teams to successfully generate a few missions, and then one would 'go bad' and the enemy would get whatever he was selling them. Serena just had the bad luck of being one of the ones typically sent on those missions, and surviving all of them. He eventually turned to mercenaries to make even less of a connection to him, should the Alliance begin looking into him too closely. He kept Serena around because she was naive, still believing in the Alliance, believing that they were going to succeed.

For Serena, her breaking point came when she was assigned to a hacking mission. It was in the Terminus Systems, specifically Sigurd's Cradle, Chalkos. It seemed simple enough, get in the two story tall security building, get the data, get out. The guards were supposedly only a small merc band, hired by an anti-alliance terrorist to protect the virus he was making. That was the official story Serena had been told, at least. In reality it was a scientist secretly funded by the Alliance to make a stronger combat VI, borderline AI. Most of their inspiration and goals came from the Quarian's creation of the Geth, though with much more care to not make sentient beings. They kept it quiet, to prevent disapproval from the galactic community. John had found out, and was going to sell it to the Batarians and retire a very rich man. All Serena had to do was send it to him, and then he could alert the Alliance security forces. She would be captured and labeled a traitor, it would be revealed that she had also been selling to other enemies and killing her partners, and she would be executed. It was a very neat tying up of loose ends.

Serena was grateful to have Barat with her, as something felt wrong as they moved through the building. Things went great up until they got too the actual data they needed to hack into. They managed to kill the surprisingly few guards there were (Barat wasn’t sneaking past anything), and get to the data hub without a hitch. Just as Serena was beginning to download what they needed, alarms suddenly blared throughout the building. They had missed a security system, and now they were going to pay for it. They waited, because it was their mission, until all the data was downloaded. By then, the guards that had been absent were pouring towards them, Barat having already overheated two guns as he held them back (there were plenty to pick up off the floor.) The Datahub was destroyed in the process, Serena barely getting the last bit she needed in time.

They beat a hasty retreat, trying to get out of the building before they got overwhelmed and subsequently murdered. Somewhere, they took a wrong turn. Made a mistake. They found themselves in a dead end. Good news? They were on the ground floor. The windows showed as much. The bad news? The security forces were outside the door. From the sounds of it, they were getting ready for an assault.

Barat recognized what was going to happen first. Whether it was just intuition or years of experience, Barat shoved her onto the ground screaming at her to throw up a barrier, as every guard (or so it seemed from Serena’s point of view) threw in his or her grenade. She only had time and the wherewithal to throw a barrier around herself. Then the world seemed to explode. When she was back to her senses, she was alone. There was a massive chunk in the wall and a bloodied body nearby.

Serena panicked and ran. She didn't give herself time to think, time to process. She just bolted through the gigantic hole in the wall and didn’t stop running. She didn’t go to the Alliance evacuation location. She just kept going until she was sure she had lost them. Once she was sure, she allowed herself to break down. She was in some dirty alley, with another life on her hands. This one she couldn’t ignore. This one she couldn’t claim as not her fault. Barat’s death was on her hands, and her hands alone. Her failure. Her weakness. She couldn't go back. She couldn't return and get another person killed that she care about. She couldn't let her weakness kill another. Besides, she reasoned, they probably already figured that she was dead. She hadn't gotten to the evac point, and Barat had been killed. She ignored the tiny voice at the back of her mind, condemning her as a coward for deserting the Alliance.

John for his part kept Serena's involvement in the raid and subsequent AWOL status as quiet as he could. He didn't want the Alliance looking into why she was there, and discovering all that he had done to betray them. He reported that she and an unnamed mercenary had met their ends in a mission, partially succeeding. He kept an eye out for her, using his considerable resources to attempt to track Serena and recover the VI she had accidentally taken with her without the Alliance being involved. He encouraged and doctored reports that claimed the VI had been destroyed in the firefight, rather than Serena had ran off with it herself. He did everything in his power to get Serena before the Alliance noticed that she was not, in fact, dead.

Serena for her part moved from mercenary group to mercenary group. For five years she did this, doing her best to avoid the contracts that would end in morally ambiguous territory and deaths, and trying to pick up the ones that she knew would benefit people. Even if they were merely repair or defense jobs. She picked up Vellios along the way, the Turian sticking with her until they were a team. It reminded her of her time with Barat, and made her feel safe, even if the Turian's dark past and even darker tendencies would be reoccurring problems.

In 2176 she and Vellios joined a mercenary company of the ship The Borealis (Later named the Jury Riggers), some of the fondest memories of Serena's life. While her time with them was when she got nearly all of her injuries and would nearly die several times, she considers them some of the best moments of her life. They began helping her stop blaming herself for mission failures and deaths, to become more confident in herself and her abilities, and to bond with a true team again. She hadn't known how much she had missed it till joining them.

It was during her time with the Riggers that Serena's past caught up with her. She received a message from a funeral parlor back on earth, in San Pedro. Her parents had died, and she needed to make arrangements. Serena believed it, and made plans to go back to San Pedro to deal with their deaths. The Riggers agreed to take her there, some going with her on the planet to help her through her grief. When they got to San Pedro, and to her parents house they found a house that hadn't been lived in for years. One of Serena's old friends from the Cyborgs spotted them, and after expressing his joy and surprise at seeing her, revealed something only more confusing. Serena's parents had died years ago, murdered. Before Serena and the Riggers with her could react beyond surprise, an Alliance team of soliders appeared and surrounded them. The more unruly were frozen in stasis, and everyone else had guns trained unerringly on them.

Serena's old handler John appeared and, after reassuring Serena her fellow Riggers will be left unharmed, took her away and charged her with treason, desertion, and spying for a foreign government. He, his Alliance team, and Serena left, and the Riggers were let go. John's original plan had been to kill Serena and the Riggers with her, taking the VI back in the process, making it look like a particularly gruesome bit of San Pedro violence. Unfortunately, the Alliance had noticed that a supposedly dead agent of their's had returned to Earth space. Without alerting them to her presence. They contacted John and he promised to take care of it, going through the proper channels. An annoying prospect, but one he would have to do to ensure that everything he had worked for didn't fall apart.

When the Riggers returned to the Borealis to discuss what to do, they received another unpleasant surprise. Serena had not only kept the VI she had accidentally stolen when Barat died, she had put it in her Krogan Mech that she and members of the crew had been working on and tinkered with it. She continue to make minor upgrades to it. Upgrading one VI's analysis program, another's intelligence, and still another's processing power, until it was a functioning AI, and it wanted to know where its 'Mother' had gone.

The Riggers decided they couldn't leave her to her fate. Returning to San Pedro Sula, they were stopped by another motley group. A Batarian, an Asari, a Krogan, and a Vorcha. They were from one of Serena's old crews, the Furies, and had managed to get word of John drawing Serena into his trap. They had come to late to stop him, but they knew how he was manipulating the system against Serena, and why. John had been selling Alliance information and security to other nations, for his own profit. They even had evidence of his corruption. (Later it would be revealed, that for all this damning information and one more favor, the Batarian would become one of the Shadow Broker's few agents in the Hegemony and the Asari would become another agent for the Shadow Broker in C-Sec).

John was blackmailing the judge and paying off the Jury to convict Serena of all her charges and sentence her to death. The Riggers, with BARAT and the Furies, decided to stop him and thus clear Serena of all her charges. While they were doing that, Serena was locked in prison. An agent of John's approached her, demanding where the VI she had ran off with years ago was. Serena refused to tell her the location, and the other woman fell back on her secondary order: killing Serena. In the ensuing fight, Serena sustained massive trauma to the right side of her face, ruining the eye entirely. The only thing that saved her from death was one of the prison guards finding them and shooting the Agent in the back. The prison would rule the attack a matter of a faulty biotic damping collar and typical gang violence.

As Serena recovered in the prison hospital, the Riggers had stopped John's plans. The Judge was no longer blackmailed, and the jurors were convinced to do a fair trial. Serena was cleared of all charges, and allowed to leave San Pedro with the Riggers and the Furies. As they left Alliance space, John caught up to them in his own ship. He was going to take the VI back, whether it meant killing all of them in their ship or not. BARAT willingly transferred over to John's ship, and seized control. He knocked most of the crew unconscious and left John for the Riggers and Furies to deal with.

Serena went over to the ship, against her friends' wishes and protests, and confronted John herself. She had him explain why he did all the things he had done, why he had betrayed her and betrayed the Alliance. Why he had ordered her parents murdered. After he had explained all of it, she lifted her pistol to kill him. To make him pay for what he had done.

She couldn't do it. In the end, she couldn't murder an unarmed man in cold blood. She left John, informing him that the Alliance knew of his betrayal, and already was looking for him. The Furies and Riggers left John's ship, Serena being the last one, and headed out into the galaxy.

Unbeknownst to Serena, BARAT didn't leave the ship's systems. While its mother was forgiving, it was not. It viewed John as a threat, one to be eliminated. It knew he wouldn't stop chasing Serena, and that it had to stop him. It sent out an email with bits and pieces of its code to every member of the Riggers, asking them to make the decision to either delete the code in their personal email, preventing Serena from ever recreating the AI without years of research, experience, and resources she didn't have, or send it on to allow her to recreate him easily. It wasn't sure if its existence was healthy for her, and left the decision to those it felt knew her best. Not all of the Riggers forwarded the email to Serena, and the BARAT AI perished as it self-destructed John's ship killing itself and everyone aboard. The Alliance would quietly rule John's death as piracy, and pretend he and his traitorous ways never existed. The Furies used their favor from the Shadow Broker to change Serena's AWOL status to 'honorable discharge' and finally put a close on that chapter of her life.

Serena didn't take the loss of her eye, and the risk she had put all her friends in, well. She was weak. She couldn't even bring herself to kill the man responsible for all her problems, she was that pathetic. She could barely defend herself. She was constantly needing protection. She was a drain on the Rigger's finances. None of them could afford to get her the necessary cybernetics, and she could do very little as she was. Her depth perception was ruined and her confidence in herself shattered. How long could she last as a mercenary like this? How long before she was going to get all of her friends on the Borealis killed, just as she got her parents and her other partners killed? Sinking into a cycle of alternate self-pity and self-loathing, Serena briefly left the Riggers, returning to San Pedro.

She wasn't sure what she was searching for. A place where she wouldn't hurt anyone? A reason to keep going? Some hidden strength she didn't know of? She was mostly angry, and bitter. Angry at John for betraying her and the Alliance. Angry at herself for being weak and pathetic. Angry at the Alliance for not catching him without outside help. Angry at God for letting her parents be tortured and killed, her partners killed, and men like John to run around the galaxy. Bitter at the pity she thought she had seen in her friends' eyes, at the frustration she thought they hid at the drain she was. Bitter at how much of a failure she was to her parents and her friends. Bitter at how she couldn't seem to escape this sense of self-pity and being pathetic, this weakness, and hating herself even more for it. The only thankfulness she found was that her parents had died before they could see what their daughter had become.

She found herself spending most of her time in either her parents' empty home, or the local church she had went to as a child. She went to her childhood home for no other reason than the fact she had no other place to stay. She went to the church to attempt to wring answers out of God, one way or another.

In her parents' home she found reassurance, both physical and emotional. Her parents had left a series of videos for her to watch, ready on the player whenever she was. She couldn't bring herself to play them for the longest time. She couldn't bring herself to listen to how she had disappointed them, how she had abandoned them. The video player seemed to call to her, however, whenever she entered the house. When she finally mustered the courage, hating herself for her cowardice, to activate the videos her parents had left for her, in their minds, inevitable return.

Her parents had left every asset they owned to her. All told, with credits and assets to be liquidated totaled, it was enough to buy her the cybernetics she needed. While Serena appreciated that, it was the videos that affected her most strongly. Her parents reassured her that they were proud of her. That they would never be disappointed in her, whatever she did. That they were so happy that she had found the strength to not only leave this place, but to thrive in the galaxy. Serena would watch those videos many times over during her stay on earth.

In church she slowly found her faith and hope again. When she first started going she would sit off to the side, quietly demanding answers. When she found none forthcoming, no miracle of shining light, no voice gently reassuring her in her head, she would leave disheartened and infuriated. She wanted, no, needed to know why damn it, and the silence only made her angry. This was the pattern she would continue until the priest finally stopped her. He had seen the struggle on her face, the anger and bitterness, and offered to listen to her struggles.

Serena stared at him for a few heartbeats, then, before she knew what she was doing, she was pouring everything out to him. Her weakness, the deaths, her self-loathing, the failed missions, the unanswered demands at God, everything. It all came out in a stream of raw emotion that she hadn't known she needed to release. By the time she was finished, it had been several minutes. She hadn't realized how badly she had needed someone to talk to, someone that she could demand concrete answers from.

He waited patiently, a look of quiet understanding on his face, and then spoke gently when she had quieted. He promised her that she wasn't weak, that her questions and demands weren't the signs of a pathetic fool. He insisted that mercy was never the sign of the weak, but the strong. That the deaths, while regrettable, were not her fault. He reassured her that God was indeed watching over them, but not in a direct way. His was to guide the champions of good and light, not to intervene in the world directly.

Serena disagreed fervently with him on all accounts. They debated for a while longer, and then the priest was called away. He made Serena promise to return later that night, to continue their discussion, and left. Serena did return, albeit reluctantly, and they resumed where they left off.

Serena would continue that habit for the several months she stayed at San Pedro. She would meet with the priest nightly and argue with him about the points he made, throwing examples of the cruelty of the galaxy and her own personal failures in his face. He would patiently weather her accusations and loathing and gently counter her points, giving examples of the galaxy's kindness and her personal successes in the face of those failures.

By the time she had used her parents' money to get the cybernetics needed, he had guided her to a peace. She still couldn't fully forgive herself for the deaths that were on her watch, but she could understand why God didn't fix all the problems in the galaxy. That he did genuinely care, but in the roll of a parent rather than of a shepherd. And while the galaxy would always be a harsh place, she didn't have to just let it be that way. She could fight to make it less harsh, less cruel. With her faith and hopeful outlook fully intact, she returned to the Riggers, feeling guilty for abandoning them and keeping zero contact, but grateful that they accepted her back.

The Jury Riggers stuck together for three years before disbanding and going their various different ways. Serena herself hopped from mechanic job to mechanic job, making ends meet. She kept contact with (and an eye on) the various members of the Riggers, even helping a few over the years, until general radio silence fell and she settled into the routine of fixing machinery for desperate colonists or anxious rich collectors. She didn't want to go back to the Alliance or Earth, and the idea of joining another mercenary crew didn't interest her at all. While the various mechanic jobs were steady, and paid well, they left her wanting more. Needing a something to fight for. A cause to rally behind. As soon as she heard about the Andromeda Initiative, she leapt at the chance. She believed in the cause that Jien Garson championed, and the idea of exploring a whole new galaxy excited her. She applied as soon as she could. With her extensive VI knowledge, temperament, general mechanical skills, and combat experience, the Initiative let her in.

As soon as she was approved, Serena began studying all the various technologies the Initiative possessed, learning how to fix and build all of them. VIs and robotics was all well and good, but she would also need to know how to fix the water purifier, the vehicles, the guns, all of it, if they were going to survive. She also studied how to identify and figure out alien technology. There was a chance that who or whatever they met there wasn't going to be friendly, and she needed to know how to figure out their technology to use it against them and for the Initiative.

While she is by no means an expert, or even proficient, in most of the areas she studied, she can jury-rig temporary fixes to most of the basic problems until an actual expert comes along, and can slowly fix problems entirely if she lets Sarah (the VI she uploaded with the schematics of most of the Initiative systems) walk her through it, giving her directions until it is finished. It is much faster to have someone actually trained in that system do it, however.

Serena was awoke before the Nexus had hit the Scourge, tasked with making sure the Nexus' VI systems were in top shape before they arrived, and was running diagnostics and getting some of the previously mentioned systems up and running when they hit. It was chaos. Systems failing, people dying, confusion everywhere. She and the rest of the mechanics aboard the Nexus ran a desperate fight against time and the Scourge itself, struggling to keep it under control.

In the desperate weeks that followed, there was outright rebellion. Serena herself couldn't understand the reasoning behind the mutiny. She understood their fears, their anger. But she didn't believe a mutiny attempting to force a change of leadership at such a precarious time was the answer. In her eyes, it would only destroy the Initiative entirely, dooming them all. The time to fix a broken system was when everything was under control, and doing so would change something. Replacing Tann wouldn't fix the shortage of resources, the damage the Scourge has caused, or bring back the dead. All it would do is make them feel better, until their chosen leader was forced to resort to the same orders.

As tensions rose and the krogan were eventually awoken to crush the rebellion, Serena put herself as far to the sidelines as possible and fixed what they damaged. Things only got worse as the Initiative leaders not only exiled the mutineers, but betrayed the krogan. They had only been in Andromeda a short time, and they were already falling back into the old ways. She prayed every night for just a glimpse of hope to keep Jien Garson's dream alive. None came.

As the situation only got worse, with the discovery of a hostile Kett and the failure of both Eos settlements, Serena seemed to be one of the few still clinging to hope. Despair and cold cynicism permeated throughout the Nexus, but she fought to keep hope alive. They would figure something out. They had to. There was no other options left to them, and she wasn't about to accept failure as one of them.

When the Ark Hyperion finally limped into docks with the Nexus, Serena cheered. Her prayers had been answered. As the demands for mechanics and energy lessened, and the need for soldiers to fight against the Kett in the new APEX program rose, Serena joined the fledgling military organization. The Nexus would survive without her general mechanical skills, and she would be of far more use defending the Initative against its many enemies in this hostile new galaxy.

Personality: Serena has been described as 'sickeningly positive', 'disturbingly cheerful', and 'too nice for practicality'. She strives to keep those statements true every day she can. She has a strong sense of right and wrong, some claiming that her sense of morality gets in the way of things that might be necessary, and will fight tooth and nail to ensure the right thing is done.

A very emotional person, Serena gets attached to things and people easily, something that has been used to her detriment in the past. She tends to get easily excited, babbling a stream of words about whatever has caught her attention until someone silences her. She likes to make people feel happy, to the point of putting their own well being ahead of hers and suppressing whatever problems she may have, and can often be seen making or buying gifts after some event that makes people upset. Hand in hand with that, Serena is a trusting person. Its not very difficult to manipulate her with clever lies and half-truths. She still partially blames herself for the deaths of her teammates in the past, and will likely do so if anyone dies while in Andromeda.

Serena is an easily embarrassed person, especially when it comes to romance or more intimate relations. It doesn't take much to make her blush or stutter, with gentle teasing about the right subject usually being more than enough. Sometimes she will fall back on pure logic, hiding her real reasons (typically emotional ones she finds embarrassing) for whatever she is talking about behind it. She's more clinical while doing this, separating emotional ties to people and objects and stripping them down to their bare parts and functions, like machines.

In spite of her career choice and all the years of fights she's been in, Serena isn't a soldier at heart. She can go through a firefight without seizing up, and she can kill in a battle without hesitation, but that's only because training, practice, and experience. Deep down she's terrified to her core in every fight she enters. She gets nightmares of the people she's killed. She regrets the necessity of killing her enemies. She doesn't let these control her. She can't let them control her. If she seizes up out of fear, someone might die. If she misses something due to lack of sleep, someone might die. If she hesitates out of misplaced compassion someone might die. She can't let that happen. She won't.

Reason for being awoken from Cryo (Specific jobs, skills, and Initiative Application): Serena was awoken before the Scourge incidents to run basic diagnostics on the Nexus and its VI systems. As everything went to hell in a handbasket, she was kept awake for her experience with machinery and general knowledge of the many systems that needed to be repaired after the scourge and the mutiny.

Equipment:
-N7 Valkyrie

-Carnifex X

-2 Savant X Omni-tools

• Things that come standard to an Omni-Tool. Repairing items, scanning, Omni and Medi-gel, converting to Omni-Gel, communications, etc.
• Various utilities, ranging from a flashlight, to manufacturing items in real time, to video and audio feed, to the ability to turn into tools Serena might need in her repairs..
• Hacking and the ability to program VI’s.
• Omni-Bow with explosive or concussive shot. (She’s gotten very accurate with it)
• Omni-Shield

-Initiative Armour Set

-Savant X Bio-amp.

-Combat drone named Del who can split into three smaller combat drones if needed.

-A small drone that Serena largely uses to assist in repairing, reminding her of information about initiative technology, and hacking, named Sarah.

Powers:

Tech Armor
Invasion
Energy Drain
Cryo Beam
Singularity
Barrier.

Items Taken To Andromeda:

One Crucifix and necklace

A King James Bible

Blasto movies 1-6

A two piece silvery, reflective dress. A strapless tube top on top and a long skirt on the bottom.

Blueprints for Battle Assault and Recon Assisting Technology (BARAT). Serena couldn't take him along, so she plans to build him while she's here.

Three Chess Sets and boards (one holographic, one traditional with handrafted metal pieces, and one with moving mech pieces)

Misc:

-Serena can’t sit still when lying. She fidgets. Tapping her foot, fiddling with something in her pocket, so on so forth.

-Serena likes to make prototype mechs/drones. These tend to explode.

-Serena enjoys the game of Chess, and has even made her own board and independently moving pieces.

-Serena took dancing classes until she joined the Alliance, and continues the practice to this day. She can dance in many styles, and its one of her favorite things to do.

-Her eye has a VI in it that can analyze fighting patterns and help aim her shots to give her the best advantage in a fight, and can scan materials to let her know what they're made out of. It can also change color at her whim.

Font Colour: Hotpink of course

Appearance:


Background:


Personality:
Frederick is someone who follows how he feels and lets that control what he does rather than truly think things out. He very much trusts his gut, never would he go against it. Stubbornness is also a key attribute of this man, unyielding in his ways and having an outright refusal to do something he would never do, unless he has a change of heart which can occur over time, such as his eventual forgiveness of the Alliance. That said, he does have his nice moments where he will go out of his way to help someone that he calls a friend. Friendship is a hard thing to earn from Frederick, it takes time for him to trust others enough, even longer so for Turians given the abuse from one.

Furthermore, Frederick is most comfortable around machines, knowing that they can be fixed and improved much like himself. He cares deeply for the maintenance of the Nexus and would rather see die than to see it being damaged. Additionally, he loves a good drink, typically something strong that will lay him out the next morning.This is typically to help him cope with the pain of his L2 implant. He likes to face his problems head on.

Reason for being awoken from Cryo (Specific jobs, skills, and Initiative Application):


Equipment:


Powers:


Font Colour:
Orange