[hider=Solomon Howe][table][row][/row][row][cell][img]https://i.pinimg.com/originals/8e/be/b9/8ebeb9e2da152e1b292a4a63f8acf77b.jpg[/img]
[center][color=#2e2c2c]xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx[/color][/center]
[b][code]B A S I C  I N F O[/code][/b][hr]
[b][code][Name][/code][/b] [code]Solomon Howe[/code]
[b][code][Callsign][/code][/b] [code]Dunkirk[/code]
[b][code][Gender][/code][/b] [code]Male[/code]
[b][code][Age][/code][/b] [code]29[/code]
[b][code][Rank and Designation][/code][/b] [code]Petty Officer 2nd Class[/code]
[b][code][Place of Birth][/code][/b] [code]New Alexandria, Alexandria Colonial System[/code]
[b][code][Official Statement][/code][/b] [code]"Doesn't matter if we're surrounded. Reactors good, still got ammo, means we get to take a few more with us. Lucky us."[/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] [code]Brose Arsenal Mk VI Victoria Universal Chassis[/code]
[b][code][Type][/code][/b] [code]Modular Vanguard Unit[/code]
[b][code][Size][/code][/b] [code]45' Tall, 35 Tons with heaviest Armament Package.[/code]
[b][code][Core][/code][/b] [code]N/A (See Brose Arsenal Fusion Reactor)[/code]
[b][code][Armaments][/code][/b] 
[list]
[*][code]Brose Arsenal Fusion Reactor - Designed as an answer to a question no one else is asking, no official Brose Arsenal designed and manufactured Mech mounts any sort of Aberrant Core power system. They continue to, rather stubbornly, maintain conventional power sources despite the drawbacks they entail. One upside, however, was that not needing any sort of Aberrant material meant they had literally no restraint on production, not that it was an issue due to the overwhelming Aberrant war on humanity as a whole. Lacking the longevity of Aberrant cores, the Brose Arsenal Fusion Reactor is none the less capable of maintaining combat levels of energy output for extended periods of time compared to almost any other conventional source of energy, being commonly referred to as "The best of second place" by anyone who examines the blueprints for a Brose Arsenal design. Confoundingly, the entire chassis was designed explicitly to draw from a conventional Fusion reactor, ideally Brose Arsenal design, meaning attempts to retrofit Mk VI chassis that survived the fall of New Alexandria have not been worth the effort.[/code]
[*][code]External Co-Pilot Module (ECPM) - Originally a trainer module, then modified for field use when Aberrants began their all out extermination of humanity, the Co-Pilot module allows for a second pilot, soldier, or later on Constellation deployment, the ECPM has two modes. Co-Pilot mode allows the rider to operate the secondary weapon that is typically mounted to the ECPM, provide targeting data, and otherwise support the pilot in operations. VIP mode locks out all controls except the hatch and comms to the pilot, though the latter can be shut off if need be, to prevent interference if the passenger is not trained in either piloting or mech combat overall.[/code]
[*][code]Modularity - The Mk VI was designed to, either prior to deployment or, when circumstances allow, at forward operating bases and other secure locations that a hot swap can be performed. While the original founderies have long since stopped designing and producing Packages for the Victoria line of mechs, mostly due to their loss to Aberrant advances on humanity, it is possible that other packages can be salvaged or produced. Below are the current options available to Howe's Mk VI. Without a package loaded, the frame lacks any innate weaponry besides the force a mech can produce throwing punches or grabbing and slamming threats, though all package armaments can be ejected if speed is needed.[/code]
[*][code]CQB Package - A standard go to for Howe, the CQB Package up armors the Mk VI in anticipation of urban and close quarters combat not allowing room to evade attacks. Weapons wise, the primary weapon is a combat shotgun loaded with buckshot, although the package supports bringing specialty ammunition should the need arise. Secondary weapons include reinforced manipulators for close quarters fighting, and a backpack mounted 20mm autocannon for suppressing and bringing down large numbers of lower grade Aberrants. The package has several Fragmentation Grenades that are hip mounted, lacking impact against targets with sufficient protection but can provide breathing room when Aberrants or other targets lack sufficient protection.[/code]
[*][code]Assault Package - The original universal package, the Assault package is the lightest current package, giving it the highest innate speed without jettisoning weapons. Its primary weapon is a belt fed heavy assault rifle, ammo stored in an ejectable compartment mounted below the ECPM, removing the need to reload mid fight but running the risk of overheating. The secondary weapon is an air burst mortar system, capable of either detonating based on proximity or on a timed fuse, as set by either pilot or, if available, co-pilot. This package has several adhesive grenades, latching onto a target before detonating with sheer explosive force, lacking shrapnel or anything otherwise unusual.[/code]
[*][code]Recce Package - Designed for observation and longer range support, the Recce package sees less use than the other two and mounts an enhanced suite of sensors and targeting systems, specifically designed to assist other mechs in targeting and tracking enemies. The primary weapon is a large Designated Marksman Rifle, rounds originally an attempt to overpower Barriers prior to AB materials that, while a complete and total failure, have been repurposed for defeating more conventional defenses and protections. The secondary weapon is a Point Defense machine gun, while the weight saved from other, heavier weapons and ammunition storage taken up instead by data analysis and scanning systems, heavily reliant on a co-pilot to take full advantage of.[/code]
[/list]
[/cell][cell][indent]


[center][h3][b][code]Profile[/code][/b][/h3][/center]
[b][code][Surface-level Impression][/code][/b]
[code]Petty Officer Solomon Howe finds himself always more at ease behind the controls of his Mk VI Mech, nicknamed "Vickie", than he does almost any other time. He is professional on duty, always pushing himself and his frame harder and harder in combat scenarios and while carrying out his duties in support of the Constellations. Under fire he is calm and collected, more concerned about getting the job done than earning glory or going out of his way to cause trouble for himself or others. He has no regard for his own safety, however, having zero qualms with putting his Mech directly in the line of fire if it means accomplishing the mission.

Off duty, Howe struggles a great deal with a cocktail of survivor's guilt and a general lack of hope in the future of mankind. He smokes heavily, drinks constantly, and does little to foster connections with his fellow service members. He doesn't go out of his way to alienate or drive them off, but his dreary outlook can be difficult to breach. Under the alcohol and tobacco abuse, he doesn't enjoy thinking the only way out is dying on his feet, but doesn't see any other way that this ends. The Constellations are too few and far between, the Aberrant numerous to the point of absurdity, and as far as he can tell Earth doesn't seem to care. It is always the colonial holdings that suffer the consequences, something that does very much rub him the wrong way. He is willing to get into fights for his fellow service members, especially when its people who haven't ever seen a combat zone.[/code]

[b][code][Personal History][/code][/b]
[code]Solomon Howe was born on the world of New Alexandria, part of a family who had regular career presence in the military. Unlike some families, however, they never particularly cared for or even discussed it as anything else as just another part of living on the world they did. You were either a soldier or a worker, and the Howe family were always soldiers. Solomon was raised with the expectation that he would be a soldier as well, and sure enough once of age he would enlist into the Mech piloting program the planet maintained, assigning him to ride as a co-pilot during training operations with the then Petty Officer First Class Boyd Hancock. Three years into his training and efforts to become a Mech pilot the Aberrant would arrive in the Alexandria Colonial System, sparking a sudden rush to defend against the incoming horde of monstrous invaders. The system would be caught off guard, no signs of Aberrant interest having been shown before their arrival, delaying the response of the Constellations that were available. 

The planetary garrisons organized evacuations to New Alexandria itself, condensing all available military might there. Emergency authorization allowed experienced trainees to join their instructors in live combat, and Howe would remember vividly, often when trying to sleep, the comms chatter and panic as he manned the co-pilot seat of Hancock's Mk VI Mech. Constellations arrived on New Alexandria, the most senior Mech pilots joining to escort and guard them in an effort to stem the tide. The effort to condense all available military resources in the system turned out to be a double edged sword. While it concentrated the military capabilities, it also surrendered most of the system to the Aberrant and concentrate [i]their[/i] efforts against New Alexandria. It was here that Howe saw just how hopeless things were. Even with concentrated Mech support, Constellations were getting slowly overrun and dragged down, Mechs often going down alongside their charges, trying to buy them scant seconds more to escape. No AB weapons were lost, the military forces were able to see to that, but the time came to evacuate all remaining combat personnel, as civilians were long since evacuated after the first Constellation death. Howe was among those evacuating, alongside Hancock, who had promised that Howe would finish his training and inherit the man's Mk VI while he moved on to another Mech. Howe agreed, despite the sinking feeling of having watched the grandest heroes of humanity ground into the mud like common infantry. Still, he didn't bring it up during evaluations, and was approved to continue Mech pilot training.

Petty Officer Howe, after finishing the formality of training, would spend the next nine years volunteering for the most dangerous missions he could get authorized to go on. The memory of his home world getting overrun and torn to shreds and some thought he wanted to prevent that from happening again. His off duty life proved to be rather unremarkable, concerns that he got into a few fights but no charges were ever pressed and disciplinary action never came up after the fact. Howe would defend the fights he got into as defending fellow service members, though the recently promoted Chief Hancock would usually keep things more on the hush hush, as losing a good pilot over nonsense off duty would be a damn waste. Still, Howe kept pushing further and further into more dangerous missions.

Each time he returned, he registered more damage than other pilots, on average, something that was noted in his service record. Howe refused any sort of psychological evaluation, pointing out time and again they couldn't afford to have pilots taken off the line just because they were aggressively carrying out orders. His on duty actions never warranted enough concern to have him evaluated, some people mistaking the zeal for making up for a lost home world, and was quick to accept when the next volunteer only mission came up that he was offered a position on. It was how he ended up supporting Constellations directly, not caring about the details of his next assignment, just caring it put him further towards the next battlefield. He was informed it would be escort duty for Constellations responding to another system that had been caught off guard by the Aberrant, a cold pit of Deja Vu in his heart as he reported for transfer and deploy. Maybe he could keep New Alexandria from happening again, or die trying.[/code]

[center][h3][b][code]New Alexandria[/code][/b][/h3][/center]
[b][code][Planet Description][/code][/b]
[code]A desert world rich in mineral resources, New Alexandria had massive wormlike creatures that violently protected any of the rich mineral veins present in the sand sand rocky outcroppings. Mechs would spend many days hunting down these Rockworms, drawn to mining operations, leading to running battles to not only protect the mining operations, but put down the massive worms for the resources and research their corpses also yielded. The need for flexibility in all approaches, both mining unusual locations and fighting Rockworms and other, lesser in scale but not in threat, creatures meant that any native design was, first and foremost, heavily modular. An entire design philosophy of "Why build an entirely new thing when you can just modify a working frame" meant that one could see similarities across entire spectrums of machines and equipment.[/code]

[b][code][Culture][/code][/b] 
[code]The culture of New Alexandria has two distinct groups of people. The workers, and the military. The workers form a significant majority of the population of New Alexandria and the supporting worlds in the system, spending most of their lives working and manufacturing, designing in coordination with the military, and keeping the engines of not just their system but surrounding ones fueled and running smoothly. The military pervades all life, that each person has their place in the system and they should be proud to serve. Be it hunting threats across the planet, or as the Aberrants came and overran garrison after garrison, fighting for the very survival of their people, soldiers who weren't present or forced to evacuate continue to prove an innate professionalism and stubborn pride. As a whole they are hard to convince to withdraw or back down, leading to higher than necessary casualties during the fall of New Alexandria.[/code]

[center][h3][b][code]Notable Contacts[/code][/b][/h3][/center]
[img]https://i.pinimg.com/originals/f0/0c/e6/f00ce6f473229fadfcbd78dcaea7c1ae.jpg[/img]

[b][code][Name][/code][/b]
[code]Senior Chief Boyd Hancock [/code]

[b][code][Relation to Subject][/code][/b]
[code]Long Term Superior, Mentor[/code]

[b][code][Analysis][/code][/b]
[code]Senior Chief Boyd Hancock is a career Mech pilot. Also originating from New Alexandria, Hancock would first meet Howe as he was training to become a pilot himself. Hancock, a Petty Officer at the time, agreed to let Howe ride along for training purposes, and took a shine to the inexperienced recruit. The fall of New Alexandria did not rest easily on Hancock, but he could see it did far worse to Howe, who he recommended be accelerated through the remainder of the Mech training program and kept a close eye on him as they initially spent deployments in the same squad. Hancock would receive promotion to Chief Petty Officer, and from there Senior Chief Petty Officer while Howe would eventually throw himself into increasingly dangerous deployments. Hancock did not deploy nearly as often anymore, his senior rank relegating him to more rearguard and reserve positions, a just in case incredibly experienced pilots were needed in a hurry and all other elements were committed.

Hancock is often described as a 'cunning old rat', having told off the last person who called him a fox. Having spent his long career in the military, Hancock knows the ins and outs of how to work the system to get things done, navigating deftly enough that its a running gamble whether he is more dangerous on or off the battle field. Officially he acts above board, but in practice, Hancock spends plenty of time cutting deals and organizing things to actually get done, red tape be damned. He looks out for Howe when he can, feeling for the younger pilot and wanting to see him last long enough to see things turn around at least. Until then, however, Senior Chief Hancock will keep doing his best to keep everything in his reach moving and running as smoothly as possible, and give the Aberrant as much resistance as can be mustered.[/code]

[img]https://i.imgur.com/4fjzv9S.png[/img]

[b][code][Name][/code][/b]
[code]Petty Officer Sabine Dassault-Delacroix[/code]

[b][code][Relation to Subject][/code][/b]
[code]Fellow Pilot, (Reluctant) Drinking Buddy[/code]

[b][code][Analysis][/code][/b]
[code]Howe first crossed paths with Petty Officer Sabine during mech born operations, maneuvering and keeping up with her dare devil tactics and engagement methods, both of which suited the aggressive, danger seeking nature of Howe just fine. He had not paid the comm chatter much mind, maintaining a professional demeanor throughout the operation. What caught him off guard was getting, in his words, ambushed outside the hanger by Sabine, who promptly dragged him off to celebrate the victory with a shopping spree. The fact he had no money for such was apparently overlooked as he was not given the opportunity to even offer to pay for his own drinks, let alone anything else. It was a very confusing experience, even if it was a rare night that didn't end up with his balance dangerously low from heavy drinking, and started what seemed to be a trend of crossing paths, either on or off duty, and ending up following the eccentric and high energy Sabine around as she insisted he come along with her latest spree, be it spending or pub crawl, and while he continues to make obligatory complaints, does not make any significant attempts to really fend off the free drinks.[/code][/indent][/cell][/row][/table][/hider]