[hider=Alto "Eight-Ball" Valenti][sup][h1][center][img]https://s10.gifyu.com/images/S5OY1.gif[/img][/center][b][center][color=black] A L T O  V A L E N T I[/color]
[color=#7BCDC8]A L T O  V A L E N T I[/color][/center]
[/b][/h1][/sup][hr][table][row][/row][row][cell][img]https://i.postimg.cc/d1sddtkx/FC-1.jpg[/img]
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[b][code]B A S I C  I N F O[/code][/b][hr]
[b][code][Name][/code][/b] [code]Alto Valenti[/code]
[b][code][Callsign][/code][/b] [code]Eight-Ball[/code]
[b][code][Gender][/code][/b] [code]Male[/code]
[b][code][Age][/code][/b] [code]19[/code]
[b][code][Rank and Designation][/code][/b] [code]Apprentice Pilot, Designated Test Pilot for K.H.I.[/code]
[b][code][Place of Birth][/code][/b] [code]Kabral III[/code]

[b][code][Official Statement][/code][/b] [code]"My reason for fighting? Well, I mean, somebody's got to do it. Might as well be me, right? If I can't be the one wielding the sword, then the least I can do is clear the way for those who can. Haha. So yeah, that's...

Will he see this? No, no, of course not. Right. Right. Forget I asked."[/code]

[b][code]C O M B A T  A B I L I T Y[/code][/b][hr]
[b][code][Mech Model][/code][/b] [url=https://i.postimg.cc/byqytYRp/Mecha-V1.jpg]FTF-280x Corvo II-V[/url]
[b][code][Type][/code][/b] [code]Limited-Production Multirole Fighter/Artillery[/code]
[b][code][Size][/code][/b] [code]15.2 Meters/Approx. 50 Feet[/code]
[b][code][Unladen Weight][/code][/b] [code]28.3 Metric Tons[/code]
[b][code][Max Weight][/code][/b] [code]42.7 Metric Tons[/code]
[b][code][Core][/code][/b] [code]Epsilon-Class[/code]
[b][code][Armaments][/code][/b] 

[hider=KHI-44x-VSHPR "VESPER"][code]KHI-44x-VSHPR "VESPER" ||[/code][i][code]The Corvo II-V's primary armament is the experimental "VESPER" Variable-Speed Heavy Plasma Rifle, purpose-built for the unit in partnership with Kabral Heavy Industries. With a total length of 16 meters, even exceeding the unit's own height, it is a formidable weapon with a yield comparable to a destroyer's main cannon.

As its designation implies, the weapon's primary feature is its flexibility. Top-loaded with a magazine of compressed gas canisters, it then uses its own internal reactor to charge and superheat this exotic fuel into a form of highly volatile plasma, which it then releases in steady streams for as long as the trigger is held down. In this mode, its most common use case is sweeping the beam across one or more targets to deal damage over a wide range.

Additionally, however, it is also capable of condensing this plasma into a singular mass, feeding extra energy directly from the Corvo II-V's reactor to supercharge and then magnetically accelerate one devastating shot into particularly tough enemies. In this configuration, the bolt it fires not only travels to its target near-instantaneously, but becomes capable of melting through the carapaces of even the most hardy Aberrant foe -- then disintegrating them with a massive explosion.

Unfortunately, firing the VESPER for maximum effect also depletes the currently active gas canister completely, requiring immediate reloading. Furthermore, throughout its testing and development, the weapon has suffered from insufficient cooling, often melting its heat sinks and barrel irreparably over the course of a single sortie. Some models even exploded outright, or caused reactor leaks in the unit that carried them. Due to the costs inherent to their production, and their less-than-stellar long-term performance, neither the VESPER, nor the improved Corvo II variant meant to wield it, ever saw mass production -- but a few models did see service in the frontier regions.[/code][/i][/hider]


[hider=FTF-T28-MM "Tri-Talon" Multi-Missile Rack][code]FTF-T28-MM "Tri-Talon" Multi-Missile Rack ||[/code][i][code]One of several modular back-mounted weapons packs designed for the Corvo-series chassis, the Tri-Talon carries a total of nine radar-guided missiles per pod, and can fire up to three of them at a time. These missiles are as fast as they are accurate, and can additionally be armed on a delay, allowing them to be guided around potential obstacles before they begin seeking a target, making them supremely useful for chasing entrenched enemies out of cover and striking from unanticipated angles. However, the warheads' actual destructive power is somewhat lacking, meaning their utility is far greater against small, mobile adversaries that would be tricky to hit with the Corvo II's main gun than it is against larger, more heavily armored targets. These pods, additionally, can be purged from the unit once empty, reducing its weight so as to increase its speed.[/code][/i][/hider]


[hider=FTF-S110-BB "Espada" Beam Blade][code]FTF-S110-BB "Espada" Beam Blade ||[/code][i][code]The Corvo II's last resort is a one-handed beam sword stored in a charging rack underneath its left wrist. While not in use, its focusing emitter can be used to fire small-but-rapid laser blasts, serving as a sidearm or CIWS should the unit be pressured. Additionally, it can be released seamlessly from the charging rack into the unit's hand with a quick flick of the wrist, allowing the Corvo II to rapidly respond to threats that enter melee range. The beam blade, though small, concentrates an immense amount of energy into its edge, allowing it to cleave straight through even Aberrant armor in just one or two strikes. However, since the Corvo II lacks any other close-range countermeasures, this weapon is more meant to allow it to go down fighting when cornered than anything else, and it is not advised for pilots to seek to employ it regularly.[/code][/i][/hider]


[hider="Magni-Craft" A-EM Propulsion System][code]"Magni-Craft" A-EM Propulsion System ||[/code][i][code]Another proprietary technology of Kabral Heavy Industries added to the Corvo II-V to test viability for mass-production, the Magni-Craft system was an unintended breakthrough discovered during a failed project attempting to replicate Aberrant barriers. By drawing anomalous material from the unit's Aberrant core and shaping it with electromagnetic currents, a lattice structure can be formed around the unit equipped with the system. This structure, while unable to replicate the power of a true Aberrant barrier, nevertheless exerts a constant, steady repulsive force which can furthermore be focused or amplified by modulating the current flowing through it.

The most obvious use of this technology is to disrupt incoming energy-based attacks, or to slow physical projectiles and reduce their impact force. However, as researchers on the project soon discovered, the A-EM Fields produced by this system are a means not only of defense, but also propulsion. By projecting an A-EM Field beneath the unit, the Magni-Craft system serves to counteract the force of gravity, allowing the unit it is equipped to skate near-weightlessly atop a frictionless force-field instead of the ground itself. And, should the unit need to enter the air, the field can be momentarily expanded to violently repulse the ground, launching the machine airborne before stabilizing once again to slow its descent to a safe and controllable speed.

This system gives the Corvo II-V a great deal of mobility without sacrificing size or armor in exchange. However, it is also heavily fuel intensive, limiting its operational times compared to more conventional machines. This deficiency has been partially compensated for by attaching an external fuel tank containing a reserve of the exotic materials needed to create an A-EM Field, but this, in turn, increases the unit's weight and reduces its speed -- though it can be purged once emptied.

Additionally, the system is dependent on a network of emitters and stabilizers mounted all along the unit's frame, many of which are affixed to modular hardpoints not specifically designed to accommodate or protect them, as more customized fittings could not be procured due to budgetary constraints during the unit's brief production run. Due to this somewhat sloppy "proof of concept" placement, as the unit sustains damage, these stabilizers may fail, resulting in reduced A-EM Field integrity. The more hits the unit takes, the slower and the more fragile it will become, giving it a somewhat deserved reputation for falling apart all at once when things start going wrong.[/code][/i][/hider]

[b][code][Anomaly][/code][/b] [code]Telempathic Communication[/code]
[b][code][Origin][/code][/b] [code]Limit[/code]

[b][code][Phenomena][/code][/b]
[i][code]The Valenti family is known for its powerful psionic Anomalies, derived from an unstable union between Symtropantos and Eorman branch family members in their distant Ancestry.

Alto, however, only possesses a very weak offshoot of these abilities -- one which grants the user a form of extrasensory perception. This ESP is tuned specifically to the thoughts and feelings of those around the user -- particularly those directed towards Alto himself. Rather than words, general attitudes and sensations are conveyed with a great degree of fidelity, thought some of the context pertaining to them can also be imparted if the person in question focuses on a specific memory, thought, or image while he is reading them. The more willing the subject to open up to him, the easier it is to form a psionic bridge connecting their two minds, increasing the accuracy with which he is able to understand their feelings, experiences, and wishes.

This connection can also work both ways, allowing Alto to exert his own psionic pressure on those around him, conveying his emotions, memories, or short thoughts to others who are nearby. Likewise, this ability works more effectively the more willing his target is to receive him.

Aside from giving him a great deal of natural charisma and a knack for pleasing and comforting others, Alto's ability does have a few, albeit limited uses in combat. For example, he can track the general positions of his allies and their general mental states even in the heat of battle, giving him above-average situational awareness. Sensing a comrade's alarm might tip him off to an imminent danger, while their anger or desperation might draw him to provide support where it's needed without even being asked. In particularly tense situations, an enemy's killing intent can give their attacks away just in time for him to evade them, making the difference between life and death.[/code][/i]

[b][code][Limitation][/code][/b]
[i][code]While Alto's ability is flexible, and comes at little cost to himself, it isn't without its drawbacks. As it exists outside of the five traditional senses, oftentimes attempting to transmit complex concepts will result in information overflow -- synesthesia bleeding into his other senses, losing some of the information entirely. Rather than peering through someone's memories, for example, he's more likely to just get flashes of specific sights, sounds, tastes, smells, or tactile sensations, disconnected from one another and deprived from the overall context.

And, while he can more or less control when his ability activates rather than just having it on all the time, it sometimes fires off without any conscious input from him -- particularly in moments of great stress, powerful emotion, and high tension. This can make it somewhat unreliable when he's under pressure, as he finds it much more difficult to control his Anomaly well enough to search for or focus on one specific thing in such cases -- and can additionally cause his own distress to be inadvertently shared with those around him.

Finally, due to the alien nature of their senses and thought patterns, his ability is extremely ineffective when employed against the Aberrant. Any successes he might have at sensing their presence or their killing intent are usually more dumb luck than the result of any conscious effort on his part -- and, in fact, attempting to actively focus his perceptions upon them can oftentimes result in a great deal of psychic strain, causing headaches, nausea, confusion, and even running the risk of making him pass out. Whatever thoughts might comprise it, the Aberrant mind is a terrible thing to read.[/code][/i]

[hider=Notable Contacts][center][h3][b][code]Notable Contacts[/code][/b][/h3][/center]
[hider=Ricardo Valenti][img]https://i.postimg.cc/HLbMNv7X/The-Dad.png[/img]

[b][code][Name][/code][/b]
[code]Ricardo Valenti[/code]

[b][code][Relation to Subject][/code][/b]
[code]Father[/code]

[b][code][Analysis][/code][/b]
[code]You'd be hard pressed to find anyone in the galactic frontier regions who hasn't at least once heard the name Ricardo Valenti. One of few Singularity-Class Constellations in the entire UAS, he's renowned not only for his skill with his AB Lance, but also for his purported oracular ability to see even distant possible futures and chart a path to achieving them with his Anomaly -- though how much of this is truth and how much is his own exaggerated legend is a topic of frequent debate.

Regardless of how much of it is true, his tale has been told time and time again. In a time where humanity was suffering defeat after defeat, heroes were in short supply. Certain liberties were taken, perhaps, and certain responsibilities were piled on the shoulders of a tired man who had known only fighting since the days of his youth. He'd fled one home, found another, and then lost everyone who defended it with him. 

Yet still he remained.

Ricardo is not necessarily a cold man, but he's not a friendly man either. His eyes are too sharp, his heart too small. His dark humor and sardonic temperament are rather typical for a Kabralan, and his discipline, devotion to his people, and dedication to his duty are likewise as exemplary as one might expect. He's the kind of man who would shed no tears over a comrade's death, but would spill a sea of blood to avenge them -- cool-headed, proud, and resolute.

He is impartial in his treatment of others, dealing as bluntly with his own kin as he does with his subordinates. Not one to show affection or to openly express his feelings on any matter, it's no wonder his more emotionally sensitive son and he never saw eye to eye.

Presently, he's serving as a representative for the Frontier regions on the UAS council, in particular helping to guide and direct the deployment of defensive forces along the Frontier. His performance in this role has been, at worst, unremarkable -- he's successfully minimized losses while largely maintaining the status quo... for now. However, there are many on the council who dislike him for his rather meteoric rise of prominence, and who are all too eager to see him fall. As such, the position occupied both by him and the defensive forces under his command is precarious, and prone to changing should even the slightest mishap befall him...
[/code][/hider]
[hider=Dr. Nicole Renata][img]https://i.postimg.cc/d1Nsw-nmQ/EXTRA-SCIENCE-1.jpg[/img]

[b][code][Name][/code][/b]
[code]Dr. Nicole Renata[/code]

[b][code][Relation to Subject][/code][/b]
[code]Kabral Heavy Industries Liaison, Attache to V-Type Test Pilot Alto Valenti[/code]

[b][code][Analysis][/code][/b]
[code]When the refugees from Calidar first found Kabral III, the colonial cities upon its surface were abandoned, but not uninhabited.

As part of their efforts to draw tourists and immigrants to their new colony, SEM Corp had commissioned a rather luxurious custom line of clones from the famed RENATUS Combine, hoping to employ them as concierges, aides, escorts, and domestic servants to VIPs in the luxury residences built atop the colony's hanging sky cities. As such, they were designed not only to be beautiful to look at, but also to possess an abnormally high level of mental acuity for a menial servant model. They would, after all, have been expected to serve as living encyclopedias of everything a guest would need to know -- and yet, they were also meant to be perfectly and unquestioningly obedient to those designated as their masters.

But those masters never arrived. And so, these costly mail-order maidens were left locked away in cryogenic slumber, set aside in one of the many lawsuits surrounding the colony's dissolution until countless appeals could be made to decide whose property, precisely, they now were. Needless to say, when the sector was evacuated on account of the emergent Aberrant menace, these insignificant issues were set aside and, eventually, forgotten.

Until the Calidar exodus came and woke them up.

Most of the RENATUS women ended up living lives of no consequence, and most likewise died in short order. Some were all-too-eagerly taken as concubines of the soldiers protecting the planet. Others were tasked with helping to crew and maintain the orbital defense platforms, and perished during the first wave of the Aberrant attack. A few were tasked with assisting in the manufacture of weapons and armaments as part of a joint initiative with military engineers from the exodus fleet, but by and large also are reported to have perished when a Knight-class Aberrant bombed one of the planet's primary weapons factories.

It is a deeply ironic and unpleasant fact to consider, that they possessed the intellect to be fully aware of themselves -- of their sentience, of the rights and dignity afforded to other such sentient beings, and, of course, of the souls they themselves lacked, which separated them from those "others." And yet, in spite of that awareness, they could not escape their programming -- all they could do was show their brightest smiles, meekly nod, and obey the orders they received, though it cost them their lives, their happiness, and their dignity.

Poor, innocent dolls -- the lot of them.

Of course, none of that has anything to do with the eccentric KHI liaison, Dr. Nicole Renata. A rising star among the corporation's ranks, she's gone from working on a factory line to designing product lines of her own, and is even rumored to have had a hand in the invention of several of the company's proprietary technologies. Needless to say, as one of the minds behind the new V-Type Corvo units, she's taking a direct role in analyzing the operational data from their early-stage deployments.

Her behavior is notoriously inscrutable, with her every waking moment fueled almost entirely by caffeine and other minor stimulants. She displays a flagrant disregard for authority and decorum in almost all forms, addressing everyone with equal familiarity and irreverence -- barging into conversations whenever she feels like, and tuning out the world to lose herself in her studies whenever she doesn't. The only thing she takes seriously is her work -- and if she wasn't so damned good at it, doubtless no one would be willing to put up with her many idiosyncrasies.

She gets along just fine with her unit's test pilot, though, treating Alto -- much to his chagrin -- as something of a kindred spirit, or perhaps a younger brother. She's all too willing to humor his high pride, and take pride in his low humor, teaching him newer, even worse puns to inflict upon his comrades during her free time. She still gets mad at him if he misuses her precious prototype, though.

Although her identification papers were tragically lost during the fall of Calidar and her subsequent flight from it, numerous KHI executives have stepped forward and vouched for her identity -- in no small part thanks to her insightful contributions to some of their most cutting edge designs. A resourceful academic and a living lexicon of scientific data, there have certainly been those detractors citing her resemblance to the now-deceased RENATUS clones, and some disproportionate fuss made over some unsightly burns from a broken cigarette lighter that just so happen to cover the patch of skin on her wrist where such a clone's barcode tattoo would be.

But those theories are, of course, ridiculous, and have long since been debunked. They're nothing more than the vitriolic babbling of those jealous of the young prodigy's many landmark achievements in the field of Aberrant studies, and the repurposing of their biology into technologies which can benefit the war effort. After all, even had one of the RENATUS women survived, she never would have been able to lie about her origins, let alone destroy her own identification number. Her programming would surely prevent it. After all, no matter how clever or strong-willed a menial clone might be, they're still subject to their core precepts.

Obey your betters. Go above and beyond what is asked of you, and always give 110% to your job. The company's prosperity is your prosperity. No matter how hard it gets, don't forget to smile.

...Well, at least one of them was good advice.

The serious ones only die tired and unhappy, so might as well at least pretend you're enjoying yourself, right? All the more so when this fleeting, insignificant life is the only time you have...
[/code][/hider][/hider]
[/cell][cell][indent]


[center][h3][b][code]Profile[/code][/b][/h3][/center]
[b][code][Surface-level Impression][/code][/b]
[code]The first thing one is likely to notice about Alto Valenti is his exhuberant, sunny demeanor. Seldom seen without a cocky grin on his face, even when he's desperately trying to hide it while called to stand at attention, he's friendly, excitable, and, while occasionally awkward, generally a rather personable individual... provided you don't mind the occasional groanworthy pun, anyway.

The second thing one is likely to notice, on the other hand, is his reckless ambition. He doesn't exactly try to hide his aspirations of heroism or his at least somewhat justified pride in his skills, sure -- but it's a bit alarming how readily he puts those goals before his own well-being. Perhaps he thinks he's invincible, or perhaps he just doesn't know any better, but either way, while he's not necessarily a hazard to others, the same doesn't really hold true for himself. Constant supervision is advised.[/code]

[b][code][Personal History][/code][/b]
[code]It might seem strange that a young master, raised in luxury, would throw away that life, his pride, and his entire fortune in pursuit of childish dreams. Born the son of a war hero, yet inheriting only a meager fraction of that famous power, Alto was just strong enough to sense the gulf between him and the father he so admired. That disappointment -- no, that *pity* -- was where it all began.

Then, the disgust of his fiance -- a Core-Worlder from a wealthy family he met only once, yet whose disdain might have crushed him at a glance. Was he really to live the rest of his life in the company of a woman who thought him a bumpkin and a useless imbecile, just so that her wealth might pay for the war his father continued to fight even now?

Staring down the barrel of a future in which he would remain just as insignificant as he always had been, Alto blinked. Instead of boarding the shuttle that would have taken him towards that future, he slipped away -- found passage on a different ship, and vanished into the celestial night. He only once looked back as his homeworld slipped away into the darkness of space -- then never looked back again.

It wasn't easy going. He did odd jobs, scrounged and scavenged, even begged just to survive. He questioned himself once or twice, but the pride within him was hurt less by the lowly state to which he had fallen than it was by the thought of returning home in disgrace. And then, at his lowest moment, he met a recruiter who saw that pride for what it was -- saw how to exploit it.

An unspoken agreement was formed. Alto faked his age, and the recruiter turned the other way -- a little lie that would fill his quota just a little sooner. Perhaps the man had been hoping that a boy gifted with an Anomaly would perform well enough to earn him a bonus -- though if he was, these hopes would go unfulfilled.

Alto's performance in training was a mixed bag. He demonstrated a great deal of situational awareness, lightning-quick reflexes, and a tremendous natural knack for piloting -- but also a reckless disregard for protocol, caution, and patience that cost him dearly in mock battles and simulations. Some of these faults were overlooked on account of his talent, others he managed to rein in just well enough to pass muster. But if basic training had taught him humility, it was a lesson swiftly undercut by the offer he received upon first donning the rank of apprentice.

An exclusive offer from Kabral Heavy Industries -- the premier manufacturer of weapons and war machines on his homeworld -- was placed before him, and he signed the waiver without so much as glancing at the fine print. A glamorous, elite position as a test pilot, getting first crack at weapons and tech nobody else had ever used in combat before was bait far too juicy for him to even consider passing up -- without ever even thinking of the risks that might be involved.

Even this status proved insufficient to whet his appetite for adventure, however. Half a year of running basic field tests and mock combat operations in the safety of core space felt hardly any different from the sim-skirmishes back in basic. But when, mid-transit, his unit happened to receive a distress signal from the nearby planet Alora, Alto at long last felt his fortunes changing. As he climbed eagerly into his cockpit, ready to beat the alien menace and save the day, the once-disgraceful young master found new dreams slipping into his mind -- ambitions he had scarcely dared to entertain ever since he had first become aware of his own inadequacy.

He might not have been able to become a Constellation like his father, but he could still become a hero.[/code]

[center][h3][b][code]Home World[/code][/b][/h3][/center]
[b][code][Planet Description][/code][/b]
[hider=Planetary Data and Foundation][code]Kabral III is a large, barren world around twice the size of Earth, girdled by a thick belt of interstellar detritus and debris, and tidally locked in orbit around a Red Dwarf. Rich in minerals from centuries of constant asteroid impacts upon its surface, it was prospected and claimed shortly after its discovery 162 years ago by the Solari Exoplanet Mining Corporation.

Hoping to jump-start a colonial boom and reap the profits of the planet's lucrative natural resources, a great deal of investments were made and several expansive settlements were established. These ranged from luxurious floating resorts suspended above the day-night line where company managers and employee families could live in comfort to extensive subterranean mining cities on the night-side below. However, far from the influx of eager employees they had hoped for, the Kabral colony saw only a few thousand immigrants in its opening years.[/code][/hider]

[hider=Abandonment of the First Colony][code]Desperate to earn back their unwise initial investment, SEM-Corp instead turned to cloning and indentured service contracts as a way to populate their failing colonial venture. These attempts, however, ran afoul of a litany of human rights and labor mismanagement lawsuits following leaks revealing the staggering mortality rates among the first batch of disposable workers sent to the colony, leaving many of the planet's underground cities almost entirely unoccupied. "A ghost colony," one contemporary news source called it -- while less favorable outlets called it "a deathtrap." So it was that after numerous settlements, sanctions, and a disastrous government inquest, SEM-Corp was forced to declare bankruptcy and, in the years that followed, began to liquidate their colonial holdings. The Kabral III colony had its funding cut, and those few who still lived there gradually left the planet, seeking their fortunes elsewhere.

Though initially, several other companies expressed interest in purchasing the derelict colony, those efforts were soon abandoned when the Aberrant invaded. Countless frontier worlds fell into ruin, and Kabral III was entirely cut off from humanity for decades, abandoned as a tactically insignificant liability in the face of a vastly superior foe.[/code][/hider]

[hider=War With the Aberrant and Rediscovery][code]Systems were lost. Systems were won. The war waged on, unabated. Lines were drawn to contain the enemy, and subsequently broken through. And, in the disastrous aftermath of one such battle, the tattered remnants of an exodus fleet from the doomed neighboring Calidar colony made a blind jump through an unknown wormhole to escape their pursuers... and found the Kabral system just as it had been, still untouched by the Aberrant scourge.

Its star's light too weak, its planets too sparse and desolate, the horde had not bothered to divert their course to gobble up such a measly and insignificant sector when there were far more bountiful colonies spread out before them, all but defenseless against their wrath. And so it was that the Kabral colony's failure to thrive became its single greatest lucky break, as the fleet now found themselves in possession of an entire planet, fully furnished and developed, as though in preparation for their arrival. And, what was more important, they found that among the many ore veins SEM-corp had found there, there was a certain abundant mineral that they had dismissed as waste, but which was now more valuable than anything else in the galaxy.

The floating pleasure-cities above the equatorial line were converted to defense platforms. Unused worker drones were retrofitted into machines of war. Old foundries were fired once again, and almost a dozen Anti-Barrier swords were produced for use by the Constellations of the Exodus fleet, and those among the refugees who they chose in this time of crisis to study under them.[/code][/hider]

[hider=The First Battle of Kabral][code]When the Aberrant finally found them there, they doubtless expected easy prey.

They were wrong.

The swarm's initial scouting force was completely destroyed in orbit over Kabral III. Realizing the extent of the planet's defenses, the Princess leading the attack changed its tactics, embedding itself in the outermost exoplanet of the Kabral system, no doubt attempting to birth a more powerful swarm that could overwhelm the defenders regardless of their entrenchment. However, the creature failed to account for one critical possibility -- that the planet might be defended by a large group of Constellations. 

Perhaps it was simple logic, reasoning that with the colony entirely cut off from the rest of humanity, they'd have no logistical means of obtaining such invaluable reinforcements. Or, perhaps, having faced nothing but easy victories for the last several years, the hive mind simply grew complacent. Regardless, once they knew the princess' location, the defenders came up with a bold plan. They broke from their defensive lines and launched an attack on the infested Kabral V, utilizing the main fleet as a distraction while the Constellations snuck into the hive along with an elite strike team, launching a devastating deep strike that succeeded in assassinating the Princess and decapitating her army.

But just when victory seemed assured, a new Aberrant entered the system, responding to the princess' dying screams. After all, it might have been taken by surprise -- but it still had more than enough time to notify its kind of what it had seen.

A dozen AB weapons and their users. Isolated. Undefended. An opportunity to deal a devastating blow to humanity's forces -- losses from which they might never recover.

And so, in the moment of their triumph, the heroes of Kabral were beset by a new enemy, as a Crownsguard descended upon them, and their hopes of an easy and decisive victory were dashed. Made up as they were largely of fresh recruits, and taken almost completely by surprise while they were still exhausted from their battle against the hive, most of the Constellations didn't last more than a few seconds. It was only through the sacrifice of the squad's commander, a seasoned Red Giant, that the Crownsguard's barrier was cracked for a moment -- but, in a break of luck, a moment was all it took.

With the hive's coordination disrupted by the death of their princess, the fleet had been able to regroup and rout the enemy's space forces -- and, in pursuing them, just so happened to be in the perfect position to take the shot when the opportunity arose. Transfixed by an orbital bombardment, the Crownsguard was left crippled and unable to restore its defenses -- and in that moment of weakness, the last survivor of Kabral's valiant defenders struck it down.

Of the noble dozen who ventured forth into battle that day, forever immortalized as the Twelve Knights of Kabral, only one survived -- one who had, perhaps, foreseen that this great sacrifice was the only way victory could be won. But when the dust of battle settled, the impossible had been achieved. The swarm had been broken, its princess slain, and her invincible guardian toppled -- its heart pierced by the spear of of the great Ricardo Valenti.[/code][/hider]

[hider=The Kabral of Today][code]Kabral III is, in the modern day, known as the bulwark and unofficial capital system of the Frontier regions. With the death of the princess besieging it, the entire swarm collapsed, allowing the neighboring systems to regroup, and drive the Aberrant from their sectors. A new defensive line was established, and, when the news of what had occurred on Kabral came to light, the system was immediately heavily fortified, and operations undertaken to find and extract every last ounce of Anti-Barrier material from the planet's mines.

This alone wouldn't have been enough to turn Kabral into the commercial powerhouse that it is today. However, as news of the miraculous victory of the Twelve Knights spread across the galaxies, it became a rallying cry for patriots everywhere. Support for Kabral became a way of showing one's devotion to the cause of humanity universally, and entrepreneurs rode this wave of good publicity to draw investors to contribute to the development of the "unbreakable fortress" that had so soundly beaten the loathsome invaders.

Propaganda films were made. Monuments were established. Tourist attractions set up. Immigration boomed, and a few very lucky former subsidiaries of SEM-Corp found themselves unexpectedly holding the deed to all of it. These remnants banded together with the brave minds behind the defensive network erected during the first siege and with several other local enterprises merging to form a new industrial giant -- one that would honor the blood spilled to defend Kabral's red soil by harvesting every last scrap of material beneath it, and turning it into weapons fit to slaughter the Aberrants to the last. Thus was born Kabral Heavy Industries, a military-industrial powerhouse whose bold and deadly designs would take the Frontier by storm.[/code][/hider]

[b][code][Culture][/code][/b] 
[code]The culture of Kabral III is thus, in short, steeped in two things: militarism and patriotism. Hero worship is in the blood of every last man, woman, and child born there, who grow up surrounded by reminders of all that was sacrificed by their forebears to stop the horde in its tracks, and of their own duties to defend humanity from similar threats at any cost. They venerate their Twelve Knights with almost religious fervor, and, ironically for a colony that has spent almost its entire history cut off from the rest of humanity, feel an immense camaraderie with peoples from all other worlds and galaxies. No matter how different the cultures of any visitors to Kabral, a tourist will almost never be shunned, but met with almost fanatical acceptance and curiosity. The Kabralians will bend over backwards to welcome anyone as a brother, honoring them no matter how strange or foreign their customs might be -- just so long as that stranger is willing and able to hold a weapon and tear the bugs limb from limb, they'll fit right in.[/code]

[b][code][Warrior Family][/code][/b] 
[code]Tracing their ancestry only distantly back to branches of more distinguished clans, the Valenti family was basically unheard of until Ricardo Valenti's unprecedented rise from complete obscurity to Singularity-class, his creation as Lord of Kabral and Protector of the Frontier, and his appointment in this capacity to the UAS Council. While he is held in high regard as something of a folk hero, among established warrior houses and the blue-blooded oligarchs of the Milky Way, both he and his family are seen as upstarts, undeserving of the high status afforded to him. While he might have a seat on the council, he has yet to earn the dignity and respect afforded a proper master.[/code][/indent][/cell][/row][/table][hr][/hider]