Name: Vess, Leah
Callsign: Hex
Rank: O-2
Kills: 39

Gender: Female
Age: 29
Height: 5' 8"
Weight: 126 lbs


Psychological 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.

Designation: 404EW/CC, Blackout, SOC
Role: E-War, Battlespace Control, Long Range Support
Weight Class: Medium
Description:
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.

• LR-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 airburst for soft or entrenched targets 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.

Name: von Brandt, Johann
Callsign: Rhino
Rank: O-4 Lieutenant Commander
Kills: 32

Gender: Male
Age: 30
Height: 5'11"
Weight: 170lbs


Psychological Analysis:
Johann is a casually friendly individual, though in a more buddy sense than anything else, adapting to the group he happens to be with to fit in better. He was a natural chameleon socially, fitting into a group with little effort. Many of his peers are generally positive about him, although the qualities they praise vary wildly enough that a big picture view shows he is always subtly tweaking how he behaves to fit in. As a pilot he is calculating, observing and acting with just more force than is apparently necessary. His approach to piloting and combat is that of observation, analysis, and once a course of action is decided, striking with overwhelming force to suppress a problem as fast as possible. He prefers to end conflict decisively and to not allow any threat to ever return.

Johann, in private, is much more solemn and pragmatic in demeanor. He entertains his disillusion with the overall war effort and constant arms race between the UEE and Coalition, having spent several years as a test pilot before returning to front line duties. He is concerned that, broadly speaking, both sides will remain stalemated forever, just continuing to drive up the body count and cost of life for what amounts to glorified political posturing. He won't share these thoughts outside of those he is incredibly close and trusting of, concerned that someone might simply report him as mentally unsound, even though he still believes that decisive enough action could end this once and for all.

Personal Record:
The von Brandt family are a long running, arguably prestigious military family. Generations of soldiers, pilots, mechanics, and more, practically every member of the family serving in the military to some capacity. Johann being the youngest son of the current generation of the family just meant he got to hear the constant stories and expectations of following in the family legacy. Growing up, Johann was practically trained ahead of time, getting informal briefs and drills from visiting family and relations returning on leave, when not busy receiving reports that certain members of the family had died in combat. It was not uncommon to hear, unfortunately, and a young Johann learned to not let it show that he grieved the losses. Rather, he would focus on preparing for a life in the military, likely in much the same peril and danger as the rest, and had very little of a normal childhood.

Sure enough, Johann would join the UEE military, though he would initially enter as a conventional pilot. He would quickly be tapped by family to act as a test pilot for a MAS program, putting his skills at piloting to good use. It was here that Johann earned the callsign of Bulwark, given his assigned MAS, the GMT-018 Secutor, was piloted and treated like a glorified wall, bunkering down and providing ample protection for his allies. Spending time behind the controls of a Secutor was an experience unlike anything that he could have ever imagined, and when his time as a test pilot ended, he volunteered to take the GMT-018 into actual combat situations and scenarios. There was some debate about the matter, but with some pointed words from family who had more sway than Johann, he was allowed to join frontline units as a MAS pilot, taking his Secutor into frontline combat.

Johann would become quite the career pilot, as far as UEE MAS Pilots are concerned, though unlike many of his more experienced peers he was not as concerned with confirming MAS kills. Rather, he focused on mission objectives and seeing to making sure that his less well protected allies had an anchor point to fight around. His method of piloting developed throughout this time period, strapping more armor and defensive systems to the heavy Secutor to become more and more of a target, by design. He got used to the hammering and pounding of incoming ordinance against his defenses, even coming to appreciate the sound of it as it meant his allies were not getting targeted. He would gain a reputation of putting himself in between allied forces and enemy forces trying to engage, one notable event including taking a Coalition plasma fire while screening for convoy forces during a patrol.

Johann, across his tours of duty, grew into more of a leadership role during combat operations. While he was never a formal squad leader, he had a knack for taking over during crisis scenarios and mid operation, providing what amounted to a seasoned NCO in a team. It was this experience and natural ability to backup a proper commanding officer that got him assigned to the 7th MAS Squadron to provide an anchor for the rest of the squad to rally around. Johann would take this with the same professionalism he approached the rest of his career with, ready to give the mechanics headaches given how many hostile strikes he takes during any given operation. He was happy to weather it though, for a good reason at least.

Johann was assigned to the 101st SOG as part of his second tour of duty, something that would bleed over into his third, where he would find himself being given a new callsign. Rhino, to reflect his ability to both take hits and dish them out during an assault. Johann took this new callsign as a mark of pride, wearing it proudly while serving alongside the 101st. It was only within the past year that he was assigned to the 7th MAS in specific, having been shuffled around various elements within the 101st as required, never settling long enough to establish close bonds with allied forces. His assignment to the 7th was treated as just another reorganization, being put where his talents and Secutor could serve best, but only time would prove how wrong that would be.

Personal Skills:
Besides the expected proficiencies, Johann is incredibly skilled at adapting and deploying experimental and obscure technologies. Having spent years adapting to and testing new weapon platforms, defensive and utility systems, and more, he is rather good at patching problems on the fly. While not as skilled at conventional mechanics, being able to make unusual combinations or systems work he is second only to the dedicated designers of the aforementioned systems and weapons. Beyond this, he is strategically and tactically minded, able to read a battlefield situation and offer, or issue, courses of action to maximize the survival and success of friendly forces. He prefers survival first and foremost, which shows in tactics favoring more defensive and cautious approaches, but he has a natural eye for identifying what allies are good at and deploying them appropriately.

Designation: GTM-018 Secutor MkI* L (Limited)
Role: Multirole, Fire Support
Weight Class: Heavy
Description:
The UEE Secutor is one of the last of an older line of Heavy class MAS units, originally designed to act as a "Universal" Heavy class MAS. Initial design issues stemmed from powering the amount of armor in place, the original MKI design being especially susceptible to burning its power plant out when under extended combat loads. The MKI* design uses the reactor plant of the MKII model of the Secutor, while retaining the lack of standardized loadout that was abandoned by the more standardized MKII that saw a short lived service life compared to the MKI and MKI*. The MKI* was quickly updated to a Limited production model and repurposed to a weapons testing platform first and foremost, while still seeing use in combat operations by test pilots who brought the design with them from the testing fields. As such, they have a reputation of being a bit of a shock model of MAS given the unusual nature of its deployment compared to more modern UEE designs.

The Secutor's design pushes the standards of the Heavy class MAS, especially when taking into account pilot tendencies to double down on this armored durability by adding even more onto it, though the power plant was more than capable of keeping the MAS moving at speeds capable of being classified as a Heavy MAS, with excess power for weapon platforms and additional systems to be bolted on for testing purposes. Johann has personally seen to a variety of modifications being put in place, including the aforementioned uparmoring process that was incredibly popular among Secutor pilots. This particular model includes a veritable suite of redundant systems, spare parts, and repair modules that allows him to repair damage that manages to get past the numerous layers of defenses. Adding to those defenses, a Class 3 Reflex Energy Shield allows the Secutor to weather truly torrential volumes of incoming hostile fire before critical, point of no return failures begin occurring. Even then, the Secutor was built with Fail Forward philosophies, records of the models in combat scenarios showing that, even during catastrophic failures, weapon systems continuing to cycle until total failure of the power plant.

• MAC-011 Ballistic Assisted Railcannon System, 170mm (Superheavy): A modified version of a conventional specialist artillery platform for siegecraft, the MAC-011 BAR System is a MAS portable platform repurposed for fire support and countering Coalition extreme threats as mobile suit technology continues to develop and evolve. A conventional ballistic weapon platform, the MAC-011 is a, for a former siege weapon, surprisingly flexible platform. Capable of utilizing a variety of shell types, Johann tends to tailor his shell loadout for a given mission, though he always has several HESH shells available as a personal reserve. The initial acceleration comes from conventional methods, accelerating the shells into the coils that magnetically launch the already high momentum of the shells to effective combat velocities for non static targets. While not as energy intensive as Hybrid or Plasma weapons, it still draws much more power than conventional ballistics, though recoil is less than what one might expect. The ammo stowage of the HAS-011 is its main limiting factor, though dedicated space on the Secutor normally needed for energy system routing for a superheavy weapon has been repurposed as shell stowage for the HAS-011. Shells stored in the torso of the body, in a carousel loading system, allow for about 20 shells total before needing replenishment. Mounting for the MAC-011 is just offset of the spine, though rather than over the shoulder, the entire system swings up under the armpit of the right side of the frame, requiring both hands of the frame to control and assist in reloading the system when the weapon platform is deemed necessary. However, one hand is sufficient for holding the weapon deployed when close defense is needed.
• M81 Rotary Autocannon (RAC), 30mm (Primary): - Mounted to the right arm of the Secutor, the M81 RAC is one of several predecessor designs to the more contemporary M90 deployed on more modern MAS units. Sharing the same ammunition as the M90, that being Armor Piercing Incindiery, the M81 boasts a higher rate of fire at the cost of overheating. It was the overheating problem that led to the more conventional M90 design, however on the Secutor entire ammo feed system is stored in the arm and right leg of the unit, the shielded ammo belt visible when deployed, the gauntlet folding back to expose the five rotary barrels. Ammo stowage on the M81 RAC sits around 1440 rounds, though the overheating does prevent it from taking advantage of the higher rate of fire. In a pinch, ammo from the M81 can be given up to allies with the M90 or other compatible weapon systems and vice versa.
• PG-01 Plasma Gauntlet (Primary): - The designers of the PG-01 looked at the prevalence of beam swords and other conventional CQC weapons, scoffed loudly, and designed this as a rather loud rebuttal towards more conventional close quarters weapons. Mounted to the left arm of the Secutor, the PG-01 is a massively reinforced combat gauntlet, deploying over the normal manipulators and charging between strikes. Without the plasma conduits, the PG-01 is still capable of heavy amounts of kinetic damage, but when the Plasma channels are activated, it briefly becomes capable of rending smaller MAS units apart in sundering backhands. While incapable of bringing down other Heavy class MAS units in single blows, and the required recharge time between strikes limiting the destructive capabilities of the weapon in protracted melees, it is a capable self defense weapon for the platform it is mounted to.
• Vanguard Close Defense System, 20mm. (Secondary): - The latest in a long running weapon design that has seen a battery of tweaks and modifications, the Vanguard CDS is a universal close range defense system that deploys from, and retracts into, the right shoulder of the Secutor. Entirely self contained, the 20mm autocannon is loaded with SAPHEI (Semi Armor Piercing, High Explosive Incendiary) rounds, designed to engage vehicles, infantry, and other non MAS targets. In a pinch the targeting can intercept slower moving missile payloads, however the Vanguard CDS is not a true point defense system and is dedicated primarily towards providing a weapon platform for handling smaller threats. On board ammunition before requiring reload is 600 rounds.
• Katar Micro-Missile CIWS. (Secondary): - A series of small, proximity fuse missiles that are explicitly designed for intercepting and detonating other missile systems prior to reaching dangerous proximity to the MAS mounting the system. Compared to conventional ballistic or even laser based systems, the limited supply of missiles is the biggest drawback. However, the rotary vertical launch system, deploying from launch tubes that open from the MAS' back, and intercepting incoming hostile missiles with proximity fuse warheads. The range of intercept is much broader, and when paired with allied elements with higher powered detection systems, can intercept targets beyond the Secutor's own targeting range. The actual ability to target the Katar Micro-Missiles beyond intercept duties is limited, the proximity fuse system designed to detonate incoming munitions rather than do actual lethal damage. Standard missile load is 40 micro missiles, capable of being stored in rather compact form before being launched in rapid succession as required.
• Uparmored (Utility slot): - One of the most common modifications done to Secutor Heavy MAS units, the already dense, well shaped armor has additional plating mounted to exposed or under protected points, taking advantage of the generously potent power plant to support the sheer weight needed to appreciably uparmor a Heavy class MAS. Notably some of the most critical, and already well armored, locations have been even further reinforced, the design philosophy of Fail Forward continuing to show even in less than official modifications being made.
• C-3 Reflex Shield Generator (Utility slot): - Not present on the MkI model of the Secutor, the MkI* and beyond included mounting and power couplings for Reflex Shielding systems, originally for testing purposes but now a not uncommon modification. What is unusual is the use of a Class 3 rather than the Class 2 that the MkII would prefer to mount, Johann opting for the more potent ability to disperse incoming strikes before ever reaching the already uparmored Heavy MAS underneath the shielding. Given the slower moving speed of the Secutor, a common tactic is shunting all non motive power to the shielding system, trying to make up for the slow recharge time of the Class 3. Johann is known to do this when on the approach, either not having time or the willingness to stop and take aim with the MAC-011 and most of the other weapon platforms being much more short ranged in comparison.
• Revenant Class Field Repair Suite (Utility slot): - A Field Repair Suite upgrade built for the Secutor in particular, Revenant FRS systems are designed to bring back the MAS mounting them from the brink of total system failure quickly, and working more effectively on restoring the armor and structure of the MAS. While still capable of other conventional FRS operations including weapon and munition replenishment, the overall programming and design prioritizes restoring defensive capabilities and structural stability over all other priorities.

Name: Kilmer, Roy
Callsign: Vomit Comet (Often shortened to "Commie").
Rank: O-2 LTJG. Ought to be higher.
Kills: 44
Gender: Male
Age: 29
Height: 5'11
Weight: 168lb


Psychological Analysis:
Of noble, upright bent, and infallibly earnest in his every waking moment. Well-respected as a soldier for his dedication to the craft and consideration of his colleagues in largely equal measure, Roy is often thought to in many senses be a man out of time in the 2700s— a summation he graciously counters by positing the archetype of a gentleman warrior never really went away at any point in history before. Proud of his skill, he makes no attempts to hold back the notion that he delights in the thrill of putting his life on the line against a properly challenging foe living for the livewire feeling of pushing man and machine to their limits in concerto. As one might expect, there is a reckless flame within that this produces, but one that thankfully takes a back seat to being a team player. He is affable, charming, and his unshakable integrity and intensity are humorously counterweighed by a whimsical tendency towards superstition and spiritualism on the ground— but in the air, it all falls to second place behind a single facet. He pilots the way a fish swims: like he'll stop breathing if he doesn't. Being an Earthling, he has taken a number of years to completely reconcile the idea that his "normal, middle-class American childhood" puts him in a completely different economic stratosphere to a fair few of his peers— thankfully, that same disconnect engenders an egalitarian view towards them, rather than any sense of Earthborn superiority. They are all pilots, they are all the 101st, and they are all just as here to push him past his limits as he is them. Nowhere in all the universe he'd rather be.

Well, maybe if he could get home for a Vikings game one of these days, there might be a little competition. But who are we kidding? He can’t even remember the last time they brought home a ring.

Earned the moniker “Vomit Comet” years back, after attempting (and in fairness, succeeding) to perform a high-amplitude stunt in BFM after too much of the barracks moonshine the night before— the story has warped over time and nobody can really agree whether he went for a Kulbit, a Cobra, or just some overly tight Immelmann, but the common throughline is assured: He could not get the oxygen mask off quick enough. He weathers the immortality of the event with admirable humor and is a little pleased that it’s been shortened to the snappier “Commie”, but has nonetheless very pointedly sworn off anything more than a glass with a week of ground time in his future.

Personal Record:
Born to a large family in Rochester, Minnesota, Roy held the dubious distinction of both being the baby brother and eldest son of the generation— A trio of accomplished and quick-witted elder sisters preparing him for the worst torment the military world could throw at him, by his account. They in turn would counter that he was more than rambunctious enough to bring it onto himself. Having no nose for the books save history and no love in his heart for real academic study regardless of subject, his childhood was characterized by turning the familial brainpower and stubbornness alike towards thrill-seeking and working with his hands.

At sixteen, he picked up a job apprenticing beneath the local auto mechanic. At seventeen, his boyhood love of thrill rides was firmly in his own hands in the dead of night, racing other hotblooded gearheads down the freeway in his Toyota when he damn well ought to have been preparing for his future, given Earth’s cost of living. At eighteen, his time in school had come to an end— and while he wasn’t failing, he hadn’t quite the grades nor the interest to follow his third sister down to Florida to enroll in Embry-Riddle, no matter their shared interest in the aerospace field. Instead he decided, as he so often does, on a more hands-on path.

The Navy Recruiter seemed chuffed that he’d actually bagged a kid from the homeworld that day. Despite the Kilmer clan’s disappointment that their generational run of college graduates would be ending at three, Roy logging the first few years of dignified service under the family name in over a century was still a damn sight more to take pride in than the alternatives that were left. None of them could deny it, either— the dress blues suited him.

With the seemingly eternal war with the Coalition well underway once more, Kilmer was tapped for flight school practically the same second his physical and psychological evaluations hit the Naval Academy’s desk. They had an adrenaline junkie on their hands— but so was every pilot that was thrown into the simulator and asked for seconds once the altimeter crested four digits. More importantly, he showed quick reactions and a distinct comfort with the alienating sensation of one’s body being pulled across the cockpit by more momentum than you were ever supposed to survive. It likely also helped concerns about his ability to follow orders that he was more or less classically “Minnesota nice”, agreeable enough that they felt they could iron out the kinks by the time they handed him anything they were worried he’d crash. With the threat of Coalition MASes still very much looming over UEE forces, his promising talent was hard to overlook.

He dove feet first into the program, buoyed by the holovids of old films and what current war footage had made its way into the curriculum alike. Given that UEE MAS Production was still neck-deep in the pipeline by this point, he did everything he could to absorb the small smattering of recorded kills made on Fenrirs by Naginata pilots completely—hogging whatever extra sim hours he could pull together to try and match and dissect the winning plays the men and women ahead of him had made. He found himself obsessed before long— an obsession that would seem an act of fate, seeing him graduate flight school with top marks and ship off to the Coalition front in short order. He was assigned to the 212th Flight Wing during the year directly prior to the UEE’s first Sentries hitting the front, and would become a mainstay in his squadron— enough to be thoroughly humbled by the meatgrinder, watching superior officers and fellow rookies alike come and go. Many of them he had made fast friends with— many of them leaving the front shattered or silenced. Through it all, his passion for defeating the Coalition forces remained, and his endless hours of study did indeed bear fruit— by the end of his first tour, he had logged an impressive five MAS kills in the Naginata.

He and other standouts had proven that the UEE’s updated training was starting to pay dividends, but such praise rang hollow for both speaker and recipient— for him, he hadn’t nearly done enough to avenge the friends he’d lost on the way, and for the Imperial Navy, the paradigm shift was clearly not going to allow for such gradual progress at such a cost. It wasn’t long before his subsequent tours began, deployments dotting the FEZ and Border Space. His consistent survival record and steadily climbing kill tally saw him and the 212th as some of the earliest adopters of the Sparrow, and MAS frame he seemed suspiciously quick to master, even provided his now-clear talent. Notably, a few of his more observant peers had sighted him being approached by Union higher-ups near the end of his second tour… Though they’d at the time simply believed a promotion to Lieutenant was on its way thanks to battlefield merit, now different gears started turning as to why he’d gone uncharacteristically dark in the interim period.

For his part, he simply offered the same easy smile as always, and mentioned he’d turned down an opportunity for them to stack more on his plate than he wanted— that not every pilot wanted to worry about being in charge of people. Now behind the controls of an MAS of his own, he was right where he belonged in the chain. Deployed to the 3rd fleet as a rapid response wing and interceptor, he made the most of the moment of opportunity that came with a new breed of MAS screaming into the engagement at well north of 1000mph, and made Ace in short order. Things progressed from there, and roughly 4 years ago his longevity and skillset saw him transferred to the 101st SOG— and in some interesting quirk of fate, beneath the watchful eye of one of those first few men whose maneuver patterns he’d pored over in flight school.

Personal Skills:

Aerobatics: An accomplished Mobile Suit jockey and Aerospace Fighter Pilot before that, LTJG Kilmer treats flight maneuvering as second nature, weaponizing both a natural aptitude and psychotically honed tolerance for High Gs. He is an especially quick and agile dogfighter, hard to keep up with even on his worst day— and on his best, he can barely keep up with himself. On more than one occasion he’s pushed his airframe and body past their recommended operational limits— The callsign of “Vomit Comet” infamously more than a simple reference to old aircraft trivia.

Close Combat: As the MAS was forged in the human image, Roy found it natural and sensible to familiarize himself with fighting techniques developed for that body plan over countless millennia to contribute as much efficacy as he could to his role as a hypermobile melee skirmisher— the practical logistics of this are a bleeding edge field of Imperial Navy doctrine, of course. If nothing else, he’s found a hobby and will never need to be too worried about personnel combatives standards suddenly eclipsing him, but he’s of the belief that it helps him maintain his cool under fire and spot openings at knife-fighting range another pilot might miss.

Mechanical Aptitude: While the bulk of his expertise is still very much rooted in the automotive repair field, Roy is as handy with a torque wrench as ever, and has retained that infectious tuner’s mindset when assisting the hangar crews with keeping his expensive rides up and running. It’s suspected that his willingness to eat the grease with the rest of the monkeys and foist any beer offered to him onto their craftily-concealed minifridge is a large portion of how he’s stayed on their good sides, despite how much work his piloting puts in their laps after sortie.

Motivation: None of this guy’s deal is done “for the bit”. He’s completely sincerely a psycho.

Designation: FTP-013 Shrike Prototype
Role: Close-in Skirmisher and Interceptor
Weight Class: Light
Description:
A project by the Boeing design team that has entered the field-testing stage only a month a go, the Shrike represents their bleeding edge of Mobile Suit development. Utilizing many of the hard-learned lessons from the five years the Sparrow has been in service, the Shrike’s primary functionality is to provide the UEE with a more dedicated platform for Interception and Air Superiority. Where the incoming Sparrowhawk models trend more towards bolstering the survivability and armoring of the fragile predecessor, shoring up weaknesses, the Shrike is poised to explore the option of further exaggerating its’ strengths. Chiefly, it is a testbed for a full-transformation capability, allowing for further gains on cruising range and space-optimization by way of the aerospace fighter form— as well as providing an intuitive piloting experience for those familiar with the venerable Naginata. While the armoring is a little more robust than the Sparrow’s, the Shrike is still fundamentally a Light MAS: best utilized to enter and exit engagements at high speed (cresting 1350mph in Flight Mode), performing surgical strikes on priority targets. In a protracted combat environment, the frame’s maneuverability and skill inherent to the pilot will be deciding longevity factors— recommended doctrine is to minimize opportunities for reprisal.

Kilmer’s unit has been with him for roughly two months, and has already been torn into by him and the ground teams to push whatever margins they can with the fancy new toy. His service record in the Sparrow and placement in the 101st made him an ideal test pilot on paper— in practice, Boeing’s representative engineers have been made to reckon with the very much alive tuner culture in his heart. He’s applied the American Muscle philosophy to their baby— more thrust, less weight, and whatever happens to him in the cockpit is his problem. He thinks he can push the thing to 1500. They wish he’d stop transforming at cruising speeds to get the drop on Coalition patrols.

• M176 50mm Autocannons (Primary): Mounted to the Shrike’s arms, these are largely standard autocannons as UEE mechs go, and serve as the primary ranged armament inbuilt to the Shrike, with the additional feature of a measure of barrel retractability to facilitate the flight mode transformation. They’re playing with the idea of utilizing that in the recoil reciprocation systems, as a way to squeeze out a little more accuracy. Fed by a 45-round internal magazine. There are adapters being developed for external box magazines, but Kilmer is leery of compromising on weight.
• EB-21 Beam Saber (Primary): - A plasma beam saber used in close combat. The blade length can be adjusted, and its high energy output allows it to be a deadly close ranged weapon. A personal favorite and vital weapon in the close-in role Roy inhabits, he’s been bugging the maintenance crew about removing the limiters on power output— and campaigning the Boeing rep for a second blade for his other hand.
• Head Mounted Point Defense Gun .50 Cal (Secondary): - A .50 caliber machine gun mounted on the mech's head, this light weapon provides the MAS with anti-personnel and direct missile defense. It has a 500 round magazine. A mainstay of his toolbox in his previous chariot, LTJG Kilmer was pleased to see it was kept in the Shrike design.
• S10 Combat Shield (Secondary): - A lightweight combat shield meant to provide the Shrike with limited protection from incoming fire. Treated with anti-beam coating, though the shield itself is too lightweight to fully block hits from incoming plasma. The formula for the anti-beam coating common to the S8s of the Sparrows may be slightly refined in the coming months, depending on how the added diffusion compounds perform during the stress-testing of an average 101st financial quarter.
• Solid Fuel Afterburners - Flight Booster (Utility slot): - For when you just don’t feel like that high-altitude reconnaissance craft should get away so easily. Working in conjunction with the leg-mounted verniers, these back-mounted thrusters serve to punch the acceleration of the lightweight Shrike into next week, contributing to both the high top speeds and disorientingly sudden bursts of movement in combat.
• Countermeasure System (Standard to Light MAS): A combination of flares, chaff, and raw mechanical nimbleness that every flyboy worth their salt knows how to outfox a missile with.
• Stripped Armor(No Utility Slot): In keeping with his operational preferences, Kilmer has stripped much of the armoring his experience has informed him was nonessential, in the name of pushing speed and maneuverability further and further. The marginal improvements on the Sparrow's defenses are at this point null.

Name: Braide, Elliot
Callsign: Rook
Rank: 0-1, Ensign
Kills: 0.

Gender: Male
Age: 21
Height: 5’7”
Weight: #145


Psychological Analysis:
Elliot grew up pampered and coddled, to say he turned into a pompous cunt would be an understatement. Arrogance oozes from him like sweat from a pore and the way he feels as if he’s better than you could almost be seen as a tangible entity. Maybe that’s a tad bit overdramatic, but from a young age he has been coddled and lacking in any responsible influence in his life. Elliot is used to getting what he wants when he wants it and putting his needs before the needs of those around him. On the flip side of the coin he practically worships MAS pilots, having been obsessed with the massive machines of war and those valiant warriors who pilot them from a young age. It could be said that those that pilot an MAS are about the only one’s he truly does respect. Of course Elliot also has a severe problem with authority figures. The first year of academy was an adjustment period for Elliot but he found that even in the military one could learn to work the system.

Elliot is fresh out of the academy and has zero practical experience. He’s never killed, he’s never truly fought beyond a sparring match, and he’s never been outside of UEE space. Many of the worldviews he holds are lofty and ungrounded in reality, a side effect of the sheltered lifestyle in which he was raised. Unbeknownst to Elliot life holds many humbling experiences along the path he treads and although he looks towards the future with naive joy at his chance to be a pilot he knows little of what the reality of it shall truly be like.

Personal Record:
Some people have to fight for everything they have in this world, others just come by it through sheer dumb luck. Elliot was of the latter group. His family was wealthy and well connected, politicos from a long line of politicos. Growing up Elliot was handed just about anything he could ask for and catered too damn near like royalty. Of course with such busy parental figures it was fair to say that there was an absence of any firm guiding hand throughout much of his childhood.

In his teenage years he sought to break away from the coddling of his youth somewhat as he mingled with questionable company and started to find himself wrapped up in illegal affairs. Of course his parents had to intervene, the optics of a child involved in illicit activities posed a hefty risk to the political legacy they’d created. And so Elliot began his military career at the ripe age of sixteen when his parents shipped him off to military boarding school with no other choice as they’d put it. Of course being as things were in Elliots life there was no significant change, merely a new coat of paint. Elliot’s family connections earned him a privileged status at school and it was no challenge at all to springboard from that into the Imperial Naval Academy.

Elliot had learned from a young age that connections and money made his world turn like the gears in a clock and continued to lean on this well into the academy. Although he’d technically had the aptitude and the intelligence he hardly ever applied them, coasting through courses and tests where possible and relying on the ‘system’ to keep him enrolled and passing. His peers found him a mixture of admirable and revolting, those who’d had to earn their places were sickened whereas like-minded individuals rubbed elbows with knowledgeable grins.

Of course there was at least one thing Elliot took seriously, Mobile Armored Suits. From a young age Elliot had been enthralled with the massive weapons of war since he’d been old enough to eavesdrop on his father’s conversations. As their usage grew and became more widely discussed and known Elliot had known they’d be the future, and that he’d someday pilot one. Of course with the connections his family had he knew that his father would make it happen. Even with this in mind Elliot actually applied himself anytime the subject matter pertained to MAS, although one would call his general performance average at best it was clear that he excelled in the technical learning regarding MAS. From a young age Elliot had been devouring every bit of literature related to MAS; whether it be special reports left out by his father, technical manuals released to military officials, after action reports where MAS had been involved or anything else under the sun that he could get his hands on.

Upon graduation Elliot pushed to enlist as a pilot for the 101st special operation group against the wishes of his parents. Although they’d known he’d enlisted in the academy the expectation had been that he’d become an officer and land a cushy desk job, to their shock this was very far from the trajectory that Elliot saw for himself. Regardless he pushed on, choosing to take the course of his life in his own hands for once.

Personal Skills:
Text Book Wizard: If it’s standard issue and has been extensively written about then it’s likely that Elliot has read and memorized it at one point or another. Elliot has always been obsessed with MAS and spends most if not all of his free time pouring over manuals and reports or whatever else he can find.

*Credit to Vietmyke for this awesome rich-boy custom, opted to have the rookie be provided a mech.




Designation: XTM-017 Venator (Limited Production)
Role: Assault
Weight Class: Medium
Description:
A more or less discontinued line of high performance medium class MAS. Due to its high costs outweighing the increases in performance, and limited parts similarity, the XTM-017 Venator was ultimately passed up on by the UEE Naval Procurement Department in favor of the GTM-041 Centurion. Despite this, some limited number of models were produced and still see service within the UEE, and is widely regarded as a 'collectors' piece, regularly finding homes in the hands of the rich and well connected. Like the Centurion the Venator is designed to be a highly aggressive upgrade to the standard Sentry, with a focus on staying power over extended engagements. Lack of regular access to parts makes maintaining even a single Venator a rather expensive endeavor.

• HB-17 Combat Maul (Heavy): - A heavy, two handed weapon resembling a maul. A thruster mounted to the back side of the combat surface assists it in surprisingly nimble movements, and a heavy spike on the front is heated and able to penetrate fortified installations, ship hull, and MAS cockpit alike. The weapon disassembles at the haft, with the handle being stored behind the shoulder and the weapon head on the small of the back.
• DEW-11 Laser Rifle (Primary): - A twin barreled, direct fire laser rifle, the DEW-11 is both accurate and long ranged, though lacks the stopping power of a standard autocannon. High power capacitors allow for alternating 1-second 'pulses', or elongated 3-second beams from both barrels. Though somewhat ineffective against armor treated with anti-beam coating or energy reflex shields, the weapon can still be considered a credible threat to both medium and light MAS, and extended fire can still burn out even the hardiest shields or armor. The weapon has effectively limitless ammo, though overuse over a short period of time can damage or wear out its more sensitive components.
• M112S 30mm autocannon (Primary): - A lightweight, short barreled, autocannon mounted on the Venator's left shoulder. The M112S is capable of firing the same 30mm API shells used by most UEE MAS, but is typically loaded with 30mm canister shells, effectively shotgun shells firing dozens of depleted uranium pellets. The M112S is fed by a shoulder mounted ammunition drum with 500 shells, features semi-automatic and fully automatic firing modes, and has a fire rate of 700 RPM.
• Jackknife Micro Missile System (Secondary): - Mounted on the right shoulder of the Venator are 3 sets of 3 tube micro missile launchers, totaling 12. After launch, these projectiles split into four small munitions in mid-air, and have a potent payload for their size, though lack in armor penetration. While ineffective against most larger MAS, Micro Missiles have varying degrees of effect on soft targets such as light vehicles, light MAS, and infantry, and can be used to overwhelm point defense systems.
• Head Mounted Point Defense Gun .50 Cal(Secondary): - A .50 caliber machine gun mounted on the Venator's head, this light weapon provides the mech with anti personnel and small missile defense. It has a 500 round magazine.
• C-1 Reflex Shield Generator (Utility slot): - The Venator comes armed with a fast regenerating Class 1 reflex shield on top of its standard armor for defense.
• F-16 Flight Booster (Utility slot): - lightweight shoulder mounted afterburners give the Venator the ability to maintain flight, as well as short boosts of speed, dodge and close distance between targets quickly.
• Uparmored (Utility slot): - Additional armor plating mounted to the Venator's cockpit, shoulders and legs providing it with increased protection at the cost of some mobility. Does not take a utility slot.