Posting this here to give others a clearer picture of the potential roster so they can design in other areas. It is mostly complete, but will likely be tweaked as details get hashed out.
Leah 'Hex' Vess
D O S S I E R : I D #63806247Name: Vess, LeahCallsign: HexRank: O-2Kills: 18Gender: FemaleAge: 29Height: 5' 8"Weight: 126 lbsS E R V I C E R E C O R DPsychological Analysis: Leah is a tough girl. It takes a lot to set her off, and she generally meets most hardship with an unbothered attitude. Her time as infanteer and a criminal agent before that has jaded her to the dark side of life, which makes her the perfect type of person to have on high stress, high risk missions. Her calm and cool demeanor makes her easy to be around, since if she isn't freaking out, then there probably isn't a reason for anyone else to freak out either. Leah tends to not talk much about her past before the military, preferring to keep her criminal history a secret save for those she really trusts. Her infantry training has built a firm base for teamwork and comradery, which makes her easy to get along with as long as people don't probe too much into her past. She very much lives in the moment, apparently lacking any grand ambition to climb the ranks or to retire and start a family. Leah seems content with her lot in life, especially if it means she remains on the move. Whenever police are around, Leah instinctively becomes more alert and aware of their presence, something that has been noted by a few her longer running team mates.Personal Record:Prior to j̵o̸i̴n̵i̸n̵g̵ the UEE Army, records on J̷͔̾͌à̸̦ị̷̂n̵͉͓͝a̷̫͗̓ ̶̡͉̊͛G̷̰̺̏r̶̹̍e̸̗̰͂n̴͕͔̐̀z̶̦̄̽ are strangely l̷̥̑͂ȉ̶͇m̸͓̎i̷̹͒̆t̵͉̱̎̈́e̶͓̿̉d̶̯̉͝...
-- Warning: DATABASE ERROR...
-- Rebooting database...
-- Database retrieved...
-- Open record: Lt. Vess, Leah, #63806247?
-- [Y/N]
L̷e̶a̴h̸ ̶V̶e̷s̵s̷, born to a m̷i̶d̸d̷l̵e̶ ̸c̸l̸a̸s̸s̶ family on Cerol, enlisted in the UEE Army in 2715. She showed aptitude in technical fields and was offered a position in Cerol's intel division, but she declined the offer and requested to be placed in a unit that deployed frequently. When questioned for her reasoning to turn down such an offer, Vess answered patriotically, citing that she wanted to serve her planet and her empire on the ground, and not in an office. Her request sounded strangely desperate, instigating a thorough investigation into her background before admittance into the military. The investigation yielded n̵o̶ ̶i̵n̸d̷i̶c̴a̴t̸i̴o̵n̶s̷ ̸o̸f̴ ̶w̸r̴o̵n̵g̴d̸o̷i̵n̶g̷ ̷o̵r̷ ̶f̵o̴u̶l̷ ̷p̴l̷a̷y̷, and she was promptly admitted into the infantry corps and shipped off for training.
Leah was a promising candidate all through her training. She had charisma that was welcomed among her peers, and a calm attitude that stayed focused on the tasks at hand. She seemed happy in her new environment, relieved even. Her technical aptitude was noted several times, but she repeatedly insisted that it must have just been natural talent. Leah was recognized again for her marksmanship, a something that even she seemed rather surprised about initially. Her newfound skill at handling a rifle was taken to heart, and she quickly took to reinforcing her shooting skills. By the end of her training, Leah was among the top shots of her training platoon, which quickly reached the regiment she would ultimately be posted to, the 88th Cerol Mounted Rifles (more commonly known as 88CMR), a hybridized regiment of mechanized infantry and a ground based MAS squadron. Within 88CMR, Leah was posted to the mechanized reconnaissance company as a designated marksman. The recce company was responsible for close reconnaissance and long distance patrols, and was notable for their self-sufficiency in the field when far away from the rest of the regiment. It was in the recce company where Leah developed her skills as a quiet hunter and scout. Her consistent sharpshooting and subsequent training on recce courses quickly led to her getting a slot in 88CMR's sniper course.
Leah's steady rise in the regiment put her up for promotion after promotion, and eventually she was nominated for selection in 88CMR's vaunted MAS squadron. Leah passed, and she soon found herself on the three year long training program to become a dedicated MAS pilot. In 2720, Leah's course was cut short when the Coalition launched a large scale surprise attack on Cerol. All courses were suspended, and Leah was ordered to return to her company when the first Coalition dropships made planetfall. Her company had already deployed to the field before Leah could board her transport, so she quickly attached herself to 88CMR's 1st battalion tasked with protecting the Cerol's main spaceport. The spaceport was by far the most valuable strategic location on the surface, and the Coalition knew it. In the opening days of the siege, the spaceport saw some of the heaviest fighting. Their saving grace was that the Coalition wanted to maintain the infrastructure, and so the use of orbital weapons and field artillery were prohibited, leaving the battle to the infantry and MAS squadrons.
An order was given to Leah's platoon to escort a group of HVTs to an evacuation shuttle. The HVTs turned out to be none other than the Cerol governor's family, which quickly caught the attention of the Coalition forces. Before reaching the shuttle, Leah's platoon was cut off by a Coalition MAS squadron. They were pinned down, and two of the HVTs had already died in the engagement, with the other three at risk. The 7th MAS squadron of the 101st Special Operations Group arrived to relieve the beleaguered infantry platoon, taking the Coalition firepower off of them long enough to regroup. But not long into the engagement, one of the 101st MAS units took a penetrating shot straight through the cockpit, killing the pilot outright. Overhearing a report from her lieutenant's radio, Leah learned that a second Coalition MAS squadron was on the way to engage the 101st. They were going to be outnumbered. Without thinking, Leah ran for the downed 101st MAS and climbed into the cockpit, finding that its controls were still intact, and that the round had taken the pilot's head clean off and continued out through the back of the MAS.
Leah was immediately met with a systems lockout, a standard security measure in UEE MAS units following the death of a pilot in order to prevent a commandeering. With her incomplete MAS training, and her extensive technical knowledge, Leah was able to break past the lockout and reactivate the MAS. The Coalition MAS units weren't expecting the dead MAS behind them to come back from the dead, giving her an opportunity to catch them by surprise. The surprise worked, and the 101st was able to capitalize on the confusion and finish the remaining Coalition MAS units before reinforcements could arrive. Her platoon gained their footing and continued to evacuate the HVTs. But before Leah could rejoin them, she was hailed by the 7th's team leader, and told to stay in the MAS. Citing that one MAS on the field is more valuable than a single rifleman, and that if she could pilot the MAS, they could make use of her.
Leah became an impromptu member of the team for the remainder of the battle, learning everything she could about the MAS unit under her control as she went. With the entirety of the 7th on the field and reinforcements arriving, the Coalition was forced to retreat. The siege lifted. Leah had found herself planetside in a MAS hangar, staring at the SOP-404 Cavalier MAS with the hole punched in its chest while the cockpit was being hosed out. While there, she was approached by the 7th's team leader and an administrative clerk. Leah was then formally offered a permanent position in the 7th, inheriting the seat and MAS of the fallen pilot. She was transferred from the UEE Army to the Navy and promoted to the rank of Lieutenant to officially become a member of the 101st SOG. Leah has kept that seat since then, and she has become something a staple of the unit, bringing her marksmanship and technical expertise to the field in a much upgraded Cavalier MAS, which has since been redesignated as the SOC-404EW/CC Blackout.Personal Skills:Infantry Training:- Starting her military career in the UEE Army Infantry, Leah is just as deadly on foot as she is in a MAS. During her time in the infantry, Leah had worn many different hats. She was a rifleman in her regiment's scout company at first, who later went on to become a designated marksman, and then a full time sniper.Technical Expertise:- Before Leah joined the UEE Army, she was a Spider for a local mafia on Cerol. Spiders are a type of hacker dedicated to lingering on the net and ensnaring probing users in elaborate coding traps. While specialized in locating and tracing data breaches (and breachers), all Spiders need to have a comprehensive understanding on infowar in the first place.Underworld Knowledge:- Her history in the criminal underworld is a closely guarded secret, but that doesn't stop her from applying that experience and knowledge when it benefits the team on a mission. Whenever asked how she knows these things, Leah is generally dismissive and simply says things like 'It just makes sense that it'd be this way.' or 'I grew up around knowing people.' Regardless, if someone looking for connections or protocols related to criminal activity, Leah can provide.
M O B I L E A R M O R S U I TS P E C I F I C A T I O N SDesignation: 404EW/CC, Blackout, SOCRole: E-War, Battlespace Control, Long Range SupportWeight Class: MediumDescription:The Blackout is a custom variant of the SOP-404 Cavalier. Like its progenitor, the Blackout is a slimmed down medium MAS designed specifically for mothership based operations where it can be carried great distances and inserted easily behind enemy lines. The Blackout has seen a number of enhancements over the original model however, with upgraded sensors and comms suites, as well as overhauled armor plating to better fit the Blackout's role as an E-war and long range support MAS. The legs needed an upgrade to improve the load bearing limit for both the sniper cannon and the DCCM-8 backpack module, and the head unit was swapped out with enhanced long range sensors, radar, and FCS. The usual color of the Blackout is, as its name suggests, black. But the dynamic camouflage armor plating will frequently mean that its color and pattern is changing all the time to best fit the environment it is in. Cavaliers are known to be used a test bed for experimental technology since their slimmed down bodies on a medium chassis allow for ample room for modification, which lends to the Blackout being very easy to be re-equipped to best suit the needs of the mission and the team.A R M A M E N TLR-90. 90mm Sniper Cannon. (Primary):- Standard 90mm rifled sniper cannon fitted with a flash suppressor, recoil dampeners, and bipod. Fed by five round magazines with auto-loading bolt assembly. Weapon optics linked directly to MAS FCS via data cord plugged into the MAS unit's shoulder piece. Can fire a variety of rounds, including but not limited to APFSDS, High Explosive, Canisters, and Netspike Repeater Rounds. APSFDS rounds fire at the highest velocity and have the flattest trajectory at range, and they are meant to engage armored targets where armor penetration is required. High explosive rounds are slower, heavier, and have a more pronounced parabolic firing arc. Used in shorter range engagement against lighter armor targets and clusters of entrenched infantry. HE rounds are almost most effective against structures. Canister rounds are effectively shotgun rounds, firing dozens of steel ball bearings for close quarters engagements. Best used for speculative fire, but can punch a hole through most things at close range. Netspike Repeaters are a bespoke round for E-War MAS units. They are not meant to be used directly on a target, though they can be used as such in a pinch. They are meant to be embedded into surfaces, be it the ground, on ships, or on buildings, where they then extend the area of wireless influence that Blackout has for hacking and electronic warfare when other methods of electronic infiltration aren't possible.MT-SmM 10DS 'Stilleto'. Micro Missile Launcer. (Primary):- Mounted on the right shoulder, this pod of micro missiles is the gift that keeps on giving. Able to be used in all environments against any target, these little devils have garnered a fierce reputation. The Stilleto micro missile is a high speed armor piercing dart with high agility to track with frightening accuracy. They are not explosive, as the DS variant of the MT-SmM 10 is fitted with small data spikes with autorunning malware. Once a Stilleto has made impact with its target, the data spike begins infiltrating the target's electronics and computer systems to upload what pilot's have affectionately come to call gremlins. Once the gremlins have been installed into the victim, the Stilleto's user can begin interfering with the target's systems. This can lead to things like the target's IFF systems flipping, or twitchy controls that lead to premature firing or ammunition ejections from weapons, all the way to shutting down comms and sensors or overheating on board electronics. Additionally, Stilletos are fitted with tracking beacons, enabling the user and their allied forces to track and monitor the position and status of the infected target, thus aiding in battlespace intelligence and command and control. The missile pod carries up to 100 micro missiles. They are usually fired in volleys of up to ten, as not all missiles reach their targets, penetrate armor effectively, or successfully infiltrate systems. However, their small size, high speed, and alarming agility make them very difficult to be detected or intercepted by point defense systems. Stilletos have been reportedly used on infantry as well, though the strike from the micro missile usually kills them outright. Infantry say that the sound of a Stilleto approaching or passing overhead is like a high pitched whistle. Stilletos track electromagnetic emissions and cross reference those emissions with IFF tags. IFF safeties can be toggled off by the pilot in the event of a rogue unit.DCCM-8 'Legion' Backpack. (Heavy):- Mounted on the back of the MAS. The Legion backpack is a new device making its way out to UEE MAS squadrons, beginning with the armament of special forces MAS units before eventually rolling out to regular units. Affectionately referred to as 'Funnel Drones', these wedge shaped drones are slaved to the pilot's controls, and they are supplemented by a limited AI housed in the backpack unit to offload the parallel processes needed to operate the drones. The backpack carries 8 drones, though the module has room for an additional 8 before data processing and parallel control becomes overwhelming. Each funnel has an operating range of eight kilometers (in an open, unobstructed environment) from the parent MAS. They are all fitted with small laser cannons, similar in size and power to a MAS laser pistol. Each funnel can fire twelve shots before needing to return to the backpack for recharging. The funnels are at their deadliest when operating simultaneously against single targets, employing swarm tactics where their limited firepower can be joined to overwhelm defenses and limit the target's maneuverability options. It synergizes well with long ranged MAS units (like the Blackout), where enemies can be led into poor positions to be exploited by sniper fire and ambushes. When deployed, a funnel drone can remain operational for up to thirty minutes before the power draw begins to reduce the amount of shots it can make with its laser. Using the funnel drone's simple sensors, the Legion's onboard AI can locate and paint targets near the drone, and feed that information back to the parent MAS and its unit for increased battlespace awareness.HP-40 'Kruger' Heavy Pistol. (Secondary):- A 40mm heavy MAS pistol designed for close range encounters. The pistol is fed by way of magazine, with each mag carrying seven rounds. The long barrel of the pistol, couples with the MAS' complex FCS, enables it to be an adequate mid range weapon, but it truly excels at close range where the LR-90 might be too unwieldy. The Kruger can load two types of rounds: 40mm slugs high penetration and impact, and 40mm canisters for even higher impact and a wider beaten zone at the cost of armor penetration. The pistol is semi-automatic and can be fired as fast as its trigger can be pulled, but the high recoil of the weapon can start to throw off the MAS' arm unit if fired too quickly, making the weapon very rewarding for patient and accurate shooters.SFCC FleetCom Uplink. (Utility):- This is more than a simple long range comms unit. The SFCC (Special Forces Communications and Control) Uplink features with limited access and authority to override and task ships in orbit for fire missions on demand. Given the strategic importance and tactical threats involved in special forces MAS operations, prudent and direct support often takes high priority for mission success. The override can be further overridden by a fleet officer of sufficient rank (Commodore and above) when they deem their situation in orbit is of higher importance than that of the ground team's. If an uplink has successfully been established with a ship in orbit, the MAS pilot can slave the ship's weaponry to the MAS unit's FCS, and strike targets with weaponry that the MAS, or its team, might not have on hand. Ship captains tend to have a strong dislike for SFCC Uplinks, as they do not enjoy control of their ship being superseded by some hoity-toity grunt on the ground, but alas, their hands are usually tied. Many MAS pilots with an SFCC uplink have a general understanding of this, and thus they try to foster good working relationships with the bridge officers of the fleet. If they can't do that, then they often make mental notes to return the favor.Dynamic Camouflage Armor. (Utility):- The DCA is the happy compromise between the Stealth Drive and the Active Camouflage system. While not excelling at either function, the DCA allows for tactical flexibility by muffling emissions from the MAS, lowing their signature to scanners, while utilizing an imperfect active camouflage to break up and distort the MAS unit's silhouette. The DCA's active camouflage leaves behind a sort of shimmer that traces along the hard lines of the MAS' armor. So while it will obscure the MAS from being detected by an unwary victim, anyone visually scanning for a MAS might not have too many issues spotting the distinct shimmer of DCA. The final result is a cloaking system that is by no means perfect, but effective enough to hide among a sea of more pronounced signatures, or to enable a first strike against someone who isn't expecting to get hit. There is a tradeoff for this hybrid stealth system however. As it is the armor plating, and not some additional device, there needed to be room for the tech which resulted in a reduction in overall ballistic protection. The armor class of DCA on medium MAS is proportional to that of a light MAS. The Blackout's pilot acknowledges the overall disadvantages brought by DCA. She believes that if things are being done right, she should be a distance where the camouflage and emissions masking is effective enough to not be detected, and the where the armor shouldn't be put to the test.
2x Like
