Even after a great war, peace remains unsustainable...
It's been four years since the legendary Commander John Shepard, human Spectre and Officer of the Alliance Navy, dealt the final blow to the Reaper invasion. By using the Crucible, all synthetic life was destroyed in order to put an end to the cataclysmic cycle that had ravaged the galaxy for what felt like an eternal process. Such a move sent a shockwave across the galaxy and put the order of galactic politics, society and conflict at a complete standstill. The Reapers were gone, as were the Geth, and everything seemed to go silent for a while. The Mass Effect relays were damaged in the process of final victory, and the last three years were dedicated to repairing and reactivating all surviving nodes of intersystem travel. Come the end of the third year, the natural order of the galaxy's original state returned in theory, yet nothing was ever to be the same again.
If one thing is for sure, then it goes without saying that the Reaper Invasion left a traumatising mark on all sentient life. Homeworlds had been brutalised. Planets had been wiped clean. Entire colonies had disappeared without a trace. The loss of life was all but ghastly. Human, Turian, Salarian and Asari militaries were devastated by the fighting, whilst non-council species differed in devastation. There was no real natural order of life anymore. Some species, such as the Batarians, were whittled down to as little as fifty-thousand survivors. Large swathes of galactic space had been reduced to echoes and silence. There was no great relief the moment Shepard pulled the trigger on the extinction cycle. Many had no real clue of what to do next. Bureaucratic stagnation returned to folly in the wake of billions killed. Repair and recovery coordination was admirable at best, and lopsided, disjointed and failing at others.
The Citadel and its Council fell into an identity crisis. Some ambassadors made large for enacting normalcy to a galaxy that could barely resemble it. Others called for great reformation, some even devolved into demands for reparations in a sea of debt-struck citizens. There was never quite the happy ending as once heralded by the countless news networks throughout the war, but at the very least, life lived on without having been harvested once more. Despite this, countless threats still plagued Citadel Space, from within and from the reaches of the Terminus System, or throughout the desolate wastelands left ravaged by the invasion. Civil conflict, those who see others unfit for leadership, sits as a close prospect in many systems. That universal unification of all life fritters whilst some fall to insecurity in the face of annihilation. It seems that the sudden revoke of the apocalypse set in motion a grand disturbance throughout. But at the very least, there remains hope among those that wish to persist with the aftermath seen by their saviours. It is simply a test to see whether said ideals come to fruition, or if they die in the ever-changing galaxy.
C a u g h t I n A L a n d s l i d e
...for the guns stop firing only when they need to reload.
Mass Effect: Intervention is to follow crewmembers of the SSV-Intervention, an Alliance vessel leased to the Citadel that was constructed from 'Andromeda Initiative' ship designers back in 2184. The Intervention is captained by one Te'yany Janniius, an Asari put in command of one of many new ships in the name of the Citadel's centralised military endeavours, beyond that of system-by-system policing by the Turian Empire and Systems Alliance. A new doctrine, inspired by the actions of the SSV-Normandy, has set out a number of autonomous companies who's intent is to provide flexible and effective military force between the cracks that formed in the damaged fleets' coverage. Though a licensed design in Alliance hands, the ships authority lies on the Citadel, and thus a range of races and species are found on board the ship. The Intervention is a relatively new vessel, having ran only several exercises and a few missions since its construction. Finally, it is to be bathed in baptism. The crew has been fully assembled. And with it comes its first task.
After the conclusion to the Reaper Invasion, it was easy to forget another major foe that still lurked in and out of Citadel space. Cerberus, the fanatic human organisation, remains, though much of its physical strength has been reduced to atoms. The death of the Illusive Man drew what many hoped would be the fatal strike to the group, however it served more to break the limbs of the beast than to sever its head. Cerberus remains out there. Their goals are once more uncertain, though the Citadel Council are more than eager to shut down any instances of its existence. Any cells and outposts that are discovered are immediately met with detainment or elimination. Ships like the Intervention specialise in removing these threats. Most recently, Cerberus activity was picked up on Virmire, in the Sentry Oemga, far into the remnant lands of lost battles. The assignment has been left to the Intervention to investigate the reports, and to either detain, disrupt or destroy any presence found.
W e l c o m e !
...for the guns stop firing only when they need to reload.
Hello and welcome, interest checkers and newcomers, to Mass Effect: Intervention, the thread set aboard the aforementioned SSV-Intervention, a reconnaissance and security frigate commissioned for Citadel matters. We're here to bring together a wide variety of characters all in the same boat, from different walks of life, in a post-Reaper Invasion galaxy. A lot has happened to the galaxy, and though the Mass Relays are only just starting to reach a condition viable for usage, there's a lot to reconnect and recover in the wake of a destructive war. We will all fall under the initial command of the vessel and create an interactive breathing space for these characters to develop, add to the story and to forge their own path in a time left over by the legends that preceded them.
I think you get the gist of the story setup. For the tl;dr: Citadel want to root out pockets of Cerberus, and the SSV-Intervention, a relatively fresh ship in a tested design, is being sent to Virmire to investigate a reported presence. The main focus of this RP is surrounding the characters and how they interact/bounce off of one another. The plot should be the vessel for them to develop and engage in varying levels of relationships with one another, be it the professional camaraderie, the friendships, rivalries, disdains and even romances that stem from a ship's community-like crewspace. Of course, this means that over the long course of the setting, we'll be visiting different planets, locations and stations to help flesh out a series of connected stories. Depending on how the RP goes, we'll either focus far more on the ship's micro stories or its macro stories. Either way, combat, working lives and tragedies are sure to strike along the way. The galaxy is still very much a dangerous place, and the hole left if the galactic balance of power post-invasion has put many in precarious spots in life.
So, it should go without saying that first I should introduce to you the SSV-Intervention. As mentioned before, this vessel was a System's Alliance design obtained from the Andromeda Project before they set out. Since its acquirement, the Alliance had begun development on their own version until the Reaper Invasion cut plans short. Out of the ashes of the war came time for innovation once more. The ship's design schematic - the Hood-Class Frigate - was then brought into fruition as a cost-effective, yet highly resilient, vessel that brought to power a new doctrine of galactic peacekeeping. Shepard's spearheading of this doctrine through his use of the SSV-Normandy SR2 was then brought to the Citadel Council at first notice, to which they purchased licenses for existing ships and brought them into their own ranks. And though the ship hasn't seen much wide adoption outside of Alliance in their attempt to rebuild strength, the Citadel Security Fleet has employed around 90 of these, many still bearing Alliance designation. One of these, freshly out of trials, comes the Intervention.
For the few familiar with the Andromeda Initiative, the Hood-Class Frigate design strikes heavy resemblance to that of the human ship 'The Tempest' deployed in much secrecy to the unknown galaxy. What massively detaches it from its privatised origins is its heavily robust and militaristic upgrades made at the cost of the state of the art luxury seen on its far-gone parent design, as well as an overall upscaling of the design from 95 metres in length to 160. The ship is armed with a series of standardised systems found commonly on most frigates of the era: a GUARDIAN Point Defence Laser system, Kinetic Barriers, and a spinal-fitted mass accelerator cannon embedded within the ships' body. Additionally, what was originally to be a main battery weapon that sits on the ship's underside is a Lambda Cannon, a supposedly cheap alternative to the famed Thanix Cannon. However, due to underperformances, the weapon is best suited for peppering larger targets' weak spots for delivery of the ships' mass accelerator cannon. There are bays for Javelin Disruptor Missiles as well, as favoured by many small frigate crews.
The worst downgrade in luxury compared to the Tempest is the Brass' quarters. These cabins are, however, the most comfortable living spaces aboard the vessel. Additionally, the Executive Officer has their own slightly smaller version of the same cabin, only missing some of the space for decoration such as the model stands that separate workspace from bedroom. Many of the crew might envy the privilege, but the Captain has once said the bed isn't as entirely comfortable as it looks.
To a lesser extent, the Command and Coordination Centre (or C&C) is modelled after many small frigates alike. A main podium for the ship's mission planning and disclosed mission planning takes place in this main centre, with systems feedbacking directly to the pilot for immediate communication. Thus, this acts as the primary war room for most known operations the Intervention is expected to go on. This then links directly to the pilot and navigator's cockpit. Other systems such as the main docking bay doors and small security posts can be found around this area.
Note that the War Room's main function was for mainline operations. However, for matters and operations that are undisclosed to the main crew, as well as a space for the Captain's affairs to be shared with higher ups / specific crew, the Operations' Room sits near to the rear of the second floor, separated off by a security checkpoint and a spare room that's been converted into a small research lab. A great deal of mystery was said to have been discussed behind those closed doors, usually closed off from the standard crewmate. Those who are brought inside tend to not openly discuss the matters the Captain had brought to them either, giving it a sort of wives' tale level light-hearted conspiracy.
One part, however, that can be seen at times as an upgrade are the quarters for the regular crewman. Beds are able to be divided by cubicle like walls, adding a small sense of security and privacy those that may wish it. Though not every crewman sleeps with their walls shut, still favouring the communal sense of a barracks, the options still stands for most beds, though it does drastically reduce living space to store personal goods. The additional benefit, at least, is that on-ship protection for non-combatants allows them to hide themselves within these quarters fairly easily, though it does little to protect from ship breaches. Among the quarters are two communal eating food preparation areas, a larger-scale kitchen and communal relaxation spot, blending into an off-side observation deck and relaxation point, though by far the built in bar counter is a lot less desirable than that of the once heralded Normandy. Most importantly, the main doctor's office is located on this floor, where treatments are made to the injured and sick if need be, as well as generalised care to those struggling with on-mission stress.
The Engineering Deck is sectioned by many dividing, strongly reinforced rooms that protect key systems for the vessel to run. Though backups for critical systems are found on the command floor as well in case of emergency, the backbone of maintenance is found here. There are some spots for crew relaxation to minimise the flow of jumping between floors to catch a break, but they are small and less comfortable than the crew quarters' counterpart. Things such as basic VI systems, tertiary data banks, the mass effect drive core and all manners of engineering namesakes are found throughout here, as well as most of the crew specialised in its wellbeing. A decent number of engineers are combat trained too, though many act as reserve security over ground-team deployments due to their preference to stay aboard.
The Shuttle Bay makes up the vast majority of the fifth floor deck. Though two shuttles can be fitted to the ship for extended operational use, one is favoured for the most part. This section is partnered up with the Quartermaster's Office, a sectioned off and secured room that acts as the main armoury storage for the ship. That being said, there are secondary, smaller weapon compartments on each and every deck, for boarding emergencies of course. Most of the weaponry is standard issue, though as the doctrine has opened up space for a somewhat wider net of non-specialised weaponry, the Quartermaster doubles up as a space for part shopping. Final note, the Shuttle Bay also acts as the main cargo bay.
But what of the characters of this vessel? Well, to begin with, there'll be a pool of races to choose from, with the non-Citadel Security Fleet races being allowed as secondary characters down the line if they were to be introduced aboard. For the most part, the crew will differ from all sorts of backgrounds. Some of you might choose to have characters already know one another, either minimally or extensively, prior to the maiden mission of the SSV-Intervention, whilst I assume most will be there as new faces to the ranks.
There is one somewhat important prerequisite to the character you make: they must at least be a serviceman for their home systems' organisations (i.e. Alliance Military, Turian Fleet etc.) or a recruit of the Citadel Security Fleet. Now this doesn't just mean the brunt and brutes of soldiers, this could be down to the more logistical and civilian-like positions found throughout, such as doctors, scientists and researchers if you want your characters to fill those niches. I was asked this during the making of the OOC thread. If you don't have a desire for the "militaristic" background, then the Citadel Fleet fills that gap more, acting more initially as a civilian-like job. Of course, they'd end up being recruited officially for service aboard the Intervention, whether through requested transfer or necessity, and with the Galaxy still bandaging its heavy wounds I can suspect there might be a good array of backgrounds that precede their introductions.
Another topic to quickly touch on is the characters' jobs. Not every character has to be a combatant first and foremost. I've talked the interested and we have such ideas as the ship's main doctor, think Chakwas for the Normandy, or a pilot. I'm fine with these, eventually people will have the space to make landfall in their own ways, should a major story event come about, and I'll try to best include everyone where I can, but just keep in mind of what might influence your character in their specified roles. Also, alongside these roles comes the topic of "class". I wouldn't say there's any super strict class structure for combat-based explorers and peacekeepers, such as the general soldier, engineer, adept and onwards, but it is worth looking at the six "classes" to better narrow down any combat skills, of which you'll choose from three, just to make sure we don't overextend what our characters can do from the beginning. There may be opportunities to better equip and hone a characters' skillset, but I don't generally want to gameify the abilities too much as this is a narrative RP foremost.
Last side note for the character sheet: I'm posting the most basic skeleton for it. Some people like format their sheets differently, and I'm all cool for that. So long as you include all the necessary information here, you're green to go ahead, and if you want to put in any additional information, then go for it.
An image of the character could go here. Though advised you get a faceclaim, ones without are required to write heavier detail in their appearance section as a result.
Name Should be simple enough
Race So, the Intervention selection so far would be: Human, Turian, Salarian, Asari, Quarian, Batarian, Krogan & Drell.
Age Pretty explanatory, but mark it down as in human years, just to avoid confusion.
Sexuality What's Mass Effect without a little potential romance on the table?
Gender Again, self-explanatory. Especially for the Asari.
Appearance Description of how they look physically, as well as their potential combat gear, on-duty attire (though I assume for most humanoid races this would simply be the standard Intervention uniform, and what they are likely to wear off-duty. Physicality is the main focus, though.
Height Easy enough.
Personality What kind of individual are they, both on duty and off duty?
Role / Specialty What is their role aboard the SSV-Intervention? A good note to make is that ground-team peacekeepers usually have a smaller, secondary role aboard the ship. Some are self-explanatory and only need the one summary, such as Combat Engineer, as that'd fill two very obvious spots onboard and offside.
Equipment What sort of things do they most generally use? Mainly weaponry, or small devices required for their role to function? Obviously the omnitool is present with everyone, so don't feel the need to mention it here.
Powers/Skills A small, three tiered list of abilities generally found within the Mass Effect franchise. Things such as concussive shots, biotic abilities, specialised grenades, drones, hacking implants etc etc. Do ask if you have any suggestions or questions regarding this.
Biography More or less self-explanatory. What happened in their lives? What brought them to where they are now? How did the Reaper Invasion four years ago impact their lives? And what eventually led them to the Intervention, such as whether it was a leasing from their home race or through recruitment into the Citadel Security Fleet?
Affiliations Who are they families, major friends or life-impacting individuals with prior to their posting aboard the SSV-Intervention?
Relationships Optional, but a fun way to document how they see other characters they regularly interact with.
Character Theme Not necessary, but just a bit of fun innit.
Again, bare minimum format, so feel free to decorate or reformat the sheet to your heart's desires, because who doesn't love a bit of flash and flair to their introductory character sheet?
Overall, I do dearly hope you enjoy the RP we've got here. Those who've shown interest already, I'm super excited to see what you bring to the table, and if anyone new is interested in joining simply drop your interest in the OOC here and I'll be excited to see what you come up with. If there are any problems with submitted character sheets I'll query about them as best as I can to make a compromise if it's something that I feel may harm the experience (which honestly is a rarity). Thank you all for reading this, and to send it off, I'll leave a small list of major events detailed by Shepard's exploits to summarise the galactic events that are still in influence today.
>Shepard was an earthborn, first gaining for being the sole-survivor of a Thresher Maw attack on Akuze. >He saved the colony on Feros and spared Shiala, ending the Thorian infection. >The Rachni Queen was not spared on Noveria. >During Sovereign's attack on the Citadel, Shepard saved the council at the cost of the human fleet's strength. >Shepard exposed Saren after his defeat, however it was quickly covered up a week later. >Councillor Udina remained as the human representative post-Battle of Citadel. >Shepard regretfully destroyed Maelon's data. >Shepard reluctantly chose to destroy the Mass Effect relay out of necessity, delaying the Reaper's arrival. >The Collector base was destroyed. >Shepard survived and became the headliner for the war against the Reapers. >He cured the Genophage, allowing the Krogan to repopulate. Salarian support was mostly sacrificed as a result, as he was unable to save the Salarian Councillor alongside Thane during the attempted Cerberus Coup on the Citadel. >He personally shot Udina during the coup. >Shepard made contact with a sentient race deep in the Oceans of 2181 Despoina. No information about this is public and remains confidential to the highest authorities. >During the Battle of Rannoch, Shepard was unable to properly broker peace between the Geth and Quarians. This resulted in the morn of a final battle, but was quickly suppressed and the Creator-Geth War ended in a Quarian victory and reclamation of their home planet. >Though Shepard defeated Oleg's Cerberus forces on Omega, the City was never fully taken back as Aria T'Loak had initially hoped for. Cerberus cells lingered. Since the end of the Reaper War, Cerberus forces are still reported to have heavy presence within the city, risking another civil war. >Shepard managed to amass just enough forces to siege down Earth and to break through the Reaper defences, though the cost of life was as high as anticipated. >Shepard, deeming the threat of the Reapers too large to ignore, chose to destroy synthetic life with the Crucible. Thus, Shepard, the Normandy and her crew went missing in its final hours. Resistant pockets of the Geth and other VI systems galaxy wide were mostly destroyed in the process. The Mass Effect relays were heavily damaged, however were on set to be repaired in the coming years.
Here's a list of standard powers from Mass Effect 3. This is mostly here as a template that y'all can CTRL+C and CTRL+V from if you need any parts of it to assemble your power list for your character sheets. This isn't the complete list, as I've omitted powers that I felt were either redundant, or wouldn't apply to organic characters. But yeah feel free to use to your heart's content! To get the source code, just click on the "RAW" link at the top of the post. Descriptions are copy and pasted from the Wikia, with Andromeda descriptions often used (as they carry more in-character explanation).
Due to the narrative nature of this RP, the powers can be modified a bit to fit a character and world better. Just be sure to check in with your local DM first when making said modifications! As for ammo and grenades, they don't necessarily count as powers. However, any given character can have one of each (one grenade type, one ammo type.)
Concussive Shot - When activated, the user's weapon fires a single high-powered round that damages a target and can stun it for a few seconds. Carnage - Rip a target to shreds with this vicious blast. Major collateral damage to enemies nearby. Effective against armor. Turbocharge - Temporarily vents weapon heat via armor to improve thermal clip efficiency and boost weapon firing rates. Fortification - Reinforce armor using protective Foucault currents. Purge the current and send its charge to your gauntlets for increased melee damage. Proximity Mine - Deploys an explosive mine that triggers when an enemy comes within proximity of or crosses a sensor laser. Enemies suffer more damage the closer they are to the mine.
Combat Drone - A spherical tech drone with the capacity to seek out and stun targets. Cryo Blast - When activated, the user's omni-tool fires a mass of super-cooled subatomic particles capable of snap-freezing targets within a certain radius. Overload - Unleashes an electrostatic discharge upon a target. High damage to shields and synthetic enemies. Incinerate - Fires a plasma projectile that does bonus damage to armor and inflicts ongoing burning damage to unshielded foes. Sabotage - The tech ability to sabotage weapons and hack synthetic targets. Sabotaged weapons often overheat, while synthetic targets will fight for you. Sentry Turret - A deployed automatic turret that would provide covering fire for its user. Tactical Cloak - Employs light-bending technology to render the user invisible at the cost of shield regeneration. Tech Armor - The power generates an energy armor suit that boosts the user's shields. The holographic energy armor can also be detonated to damage nearby enemies. Decoy - When this power is activated a hologram copy appears approximately 3-5 meters away. This hologram mimics the activator's appearance and movements but does not actually move, nor does it actually attack. Energy Drain - Restores shields by sapping electromagnetic energy around the target. Shield Boost - Reinforces the shields of all nearby allies, providing a large initial boost followed by several seconds of ongoing shield regeneration. Submission Net - Entangle opponents in an electrified net, dealing massive damage to armored targets and incapacitating unarmored targets as they break free.
Biotic Charge - Alters the biotic's mass, launching the user at an opponent. Restores some shield strength at the charge's end. Nova - Channels energy into a point-blank, high-damage explosion around the user. Pull - Lifts an unshielded, unarmored enemy helplessly in the air and can drag the target enemy or object along with the user. Shockwave - Blasts enemies with a line of explosions that proceeds through walls and other solid objects. Singularity - Deploys a gravity well that lifts and damages unshielded and unarmored enemies. Throw - Hurls a gravity field projectile to throw unshielded and unarmored targets away. Combine with the Pull power to hurl held targets. Warp - Shred an enemy with rapidly shifting mass effect fields. Weakens enemy armor, but is less effective against shields. Stasis - Stop an enemy in its tracks with this powerful mass effect field. Enemies eventually break out of Stasis after taking major damage. Barrier - Reinforce armor with this biotic field. Detonate the field to lift and dangle nearby targets. Reduce all forms of damage taken. Reave - Reave employs mass effect fields to biotically attack the target's nervous or synthetic systems and prevent healing. Slam - The power lifts a target and slams them to the ground inflicting damage. Dark Channel - Plague an opponent with a persistent, damaging biotic field. Effect transfers to a second target if the first is killed. Dominate - Disrupt the synaptic harmonics of an organic brain so it can't differentiate between friend and foe. A single affected target will fight on your side for a short time. Targets grow resistant to the power over time. Lash - Latch this biotic field onto enemies to jerk them towards you, doing massive damage in the process. Flare - Focus and expend all biotic energy to unleash a huge flare that throws enemies within its range, causing massive damage. Biotic Focus - Focus your biotic energy and atavistic muscle structure to decrease damage taken and to increase melee damage and movement speed for a short time. Biotic Sphere - Create a defensive shield that surrounds the caster and nearby allies.
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As stated above, ammo types and grenade types are separate from powers. A character can have one of each.
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Ammo ===============================================
Cryo Ammo - When activated, the user's weapon is empowered and has a chance of freezing enemies without any special defenses for a short time, preventing them from moving. Frozen enemies are more susceptible to damage and can even be shattered for an instant kill. Disruptor Ammo - When activated, the player's weapon is empowered by an electric field that causes additional damage to shields. The ammo also deals increased damage to synthetic enemies and adds a chance to temporarily disable them. In addition, the ammo has a chance to overheat enemy weapons thereby disabling them. Incendiary Ammo - When activated, the user's weapon causes fire damage to enemies, burning through armor and setting them on fire. This stops health regeneration, and can cause unprotected sentient organic enemies to panic. Armor-Piercing Ammo - Your ammo is shaped and hardened to pierce targets, inflicting extra damage to armor and health. Warp Ammo - Transforms absorbed biotic energy into heavier damage against health, armor, and biotic barriers.
Frag Grenade - Rip your enemies apart with this shrapnel-packed grenade. Lift Grenade - Lob this grenade into a group of enemies to send them flying. Sticky Grenade - Stick this grenade to your opponent, and the explosion will tear apart the target and shrapnel will damage other enemies caught in the blast. Inferno Grenade - Launches a volatile grenade that explodes on impact, sending searing waves of flame in all directions. This fire damage is effective against armor. Arc Grenade - Stun and electrocute your enemies with an EMP-packed grenade. Homing Grenade - Launch this seeking grenade to track down a target, causing a massive explosion on impact.
▼ E X T R A I N F O R M A T I O N ▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔ ► Birth - 2160 ► Height - 6'1" / 181cm ► Weight - 171 lbs / 78.8kg ► Hair Color - ??? ► Eye Color - White ► Classification - Combat Engineer ► Rank - Citadel Security Serviceman ► Sexuality - Heterosexual
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D E T A I L E D A P P E A R A N C E
As with most Quarian, Vael isn't typically identified by their physical appearance, but by the suits they adorn. And with him stands a somewhat blander design on first glance. A once eccentric and colourful suit had since been replaced with something a lot duller in design. A thick crimson tone runs across his upper-torso and hood, made from thick, elasticated wraps. Where his individuality comes from is etched into the wraps themselves - a family pattern passed through several generations, sourced from an unfamiliar design on one's past pilgrimage, gives him his main sense of attachment to the suit he adorns. The vast majority of his suit is of a dark grey and black, with strips of dark olive drab headed down either side of his thighs to his heels. Two small semicircles sit on either side of his hip, coated in the same shade as his hood, which is then buried beneath another elasticated wrap that circumnavigates his waist.
His visor blends in well enough with its brooding purple tone, washed out like the remnants of a long-passed regent. And beneath that purple shade lies the two white eyes that shine through, as well as a faint outline of the Quarian's face. As with most, he's done little to show his crew or previous servicemen much of what he looks like, with only a few proper exceptions in life.
---P E R S O N A L I T Y
Once before, there was an adventurous and brash Quarian that had every incentive to go down the rabbit holes of danger to see what laid beneath the lights and sun-kissed plains of planet surfaces and ship decks. That was a while back. When one Vael'Ginis nar Ceepal found what was beneath the surface, something far more familiar to how he entered the SSV-Intervention came about. Vael is something of a blunt individual; he's got a sense of direction and sees to make it as minimally exciting as can be, though still has a deep-rooted willingness to peer ahead whilst he still can. He's cautious in a sense that he's thorough. Double checking, to triple checking. If he's made a system, he has also attempted to back it up several times. This anxiety disguises itself as a drive to do better and what he does, and has brought him a remarkable distance since his lowest hours in life, but at some point that sort of pressure mounts itself.
But as a conversationalist, he's been known to flipflop between the ease of a river's flow to that of a brick wall. There's always a slight reluctance to bring personal reasoning into everything he does, and he does his best to wave it off if he can. Still, his love for tinkering has put him in a place among the many of his ship. It's a fresh start from where he was before, and the countless new faces does bring itself the benefit of fading into the obscure crowds of nobodies, lest the ship's crew had their eyes on bringing out a lost Quarian sense of purpose. Then again, those who hadn't emerged from the Reaper Invasion with the mental scars to prove so were either cold, far gone or used to the horror that had besieged them.
---B I O G R A P H Y
Vael'Ginis nar Ceepal was born, of course, aboard the Migrant Fleet vessel known as the Ceepal, a small machinist ship that was among the most unremarkable in its ranks. His father was quite the hallmark example of a formal crewman. His skills in electrical engineering proved among the best for their far smaller and strangely designed flotilla vessel, and so it would have been only natural for the lessons of Vael's paternal tutor to be pushed onto him. At first, Vael was very compliant, taking immediate interest in the intricacies of VI management and shielding systems, both from the micro and personal levels all the way up to the ships barriers. But as with youth came a need to do all else with his life, and the pilgrimage was soon coming into place. Back then, he was far more adventurous and excited to see what laid beyond. He had heard stories of those who'd landed feet first into worlds unfit for the ship-borne Quarians, and those who'd came back with many stories to tell. Those excited him beyond comprehension. His father warned him to take more care in his practices and to find something more grounded to suit his needs, but Vael was all too keen to take what he'd learnt from his father into a dangerous place - that alone would've been worth the pilgrimage and would've given any fleet captain proof of his worth.
So, he found himself aboard many ships on his journeys beyond the fleet. At first it was a case of jumping between shipyards and orbital stations in search of work and direction. Unlike some of his Quarian friends who'd settled somewhere in order to find something concrete, Vael took interest in going as far down the rabbit hole as he could. He began by hitching rides with travelling merchant ships between systems, before he took a defacto job posting aboard a Turian diplomatic ship as an engineer, where he received his first security training. From there, he spent some time on the Citadel. Life was somewhat challenging aboard the infamous station, as it was for most Quarians who'd set foot there, but by tugging on the diplomat's cloak he managed to secure access onto the station. This however resulted in him living with relative scarcity, and he regularly made trouble for himself by attempting to gain access to maintenance areas forbidden to the public. Around this time he'd convinced himself that he wanted to be something of an infiltrator - or anything of similar adrenaline thrills, for at the very least it'd benefit the Migrant Fleet's peacekeeping operations.
His exploits on the Citadel were short-lived. Twice he found himself in front of C-SEC desks getting a stern telling off, with one including a fine, yet it eventually funnelled him into a bar one evening, which bumped him into Graham Siletto. The human male talked the night away with him, and he was introduced to the life of excavation. They were more of a small, privatised group that entered caverns suspected of containing Prothean artefacts and, more importantly, being commissioned to investigate events such as mine collapses and disasters. It was the perfect setup for Vael, as it gave him a somewhat honourable goal, but he soon became hooked on the thrill of it all. His practical knowledge of electrical engineering made him a solid asset to the small team of humans, asari, turian and a Salarian, of which he grew fond of. Cestal Azoma was quite the talented engineer, of which Vael made a strong attempt to learn from her machinist background. Engines and ground-based excavation technology soon became an additional passion for the young Quarian. However, the job postings soon became more and more dangerous.
Come late 2182, the team found themselves underprepared for an excavation dig no one could've made ready for. Though at the time it was without any seemed reason, a small collection of Geth were caught digging up for remains. A violent clash broke out and the group were forced to retreat out of the mine with half their numbers dead. Vael was, admittedly, a little shaken, but he tried to rally up his fear at the time to show the greater good for his fleet. He'd taken a single Geth arm and brought it with him back to the fleet, ending his pilgrimage with rapid disturbance. Soon, he was quarantined and questioned in private over the acquirement of the piece, and though he was at least saved from exile through the commendation of two admirals, his word was immediately put on lockdown. There was to be no spreading of Geth beyond the Perseus Veil, for they believed it would spread panic for what could've been an unorthodox case of rogue machines. Several months later, the Eden Prime War began.
At the turn of 2183, Vael had been accepted as an engineer aboard the Marceko, a patrol fleet that housed its own company of off-fleet scouts. He worked on the lower decks for the first half of his service, and he heard rumours of the Geth being spotted on Eden Prime - a human colony. Many engineers aboard the Marceko were offered alternative employment as scouts within the local Marine platoons, though few like Vael accepted the position. He felt as if there were more to be seen, more that needed experiencing and more that was kept behind lock and key. Vael's drive became more of an obsession. It was here that he received actual military training, and the at-the-time Vael'Ginis vas Marceko was sent in moderate secrecy to nearby systems, investigating leftovers of Geth presence. Once the Eden Prime war ended with the traumatic invasion of the Citadel by Sovereign, an event in which most Quarians missed out on, the inner anti-Geth sentiment that was all but natural for his kind brewed within Vael.
2184 saw the closing end of the Eden Prime War. The Alliance became reliant on patrol fleets and civilian ships to report Geth presence after the Battle of the Citadel. Vael's platoon was picked to partake in independent raids of their own, attempting to salvage some of the machinery themselves. Though the purpose was unknown, this was in part due to an opportunity for Admiral Daro'Xen vas Moreh to acquire tech to study with. Vael became rather delinquent in these times and had let his hatred for the Geth show in his actions. His attitude was better depicted in his brash change of outfitting, as extended raids upon planets gave him new assets to his clothing. The bulk of these publicised raids were over by mid-2184, but these continued on in private after the Alliance deemed the threat neutralised. Quarian desires to ensure there were next to no holdouts led to a heavy commitment to eradication. Often at times, Vael argued with his superiors, who shared vested interest in gathering Geth technology for study.
By 2185, the Collector issue began to rise, and an increasing number of Geth holdouts found in large numbers led to a struggled uphill battle between the creators and their lost servants. Vael's view of peaking under the blankets and descending down into the dangers of the galaxy began to be peeled from his body at this point, though he was still steadfast in being the first scout to take note of and study holdout electrical defences. His platoon had minimal involvement in the Collectors' scourge of human colonies however there was once an exchange of fire between a Cerberus reconnaissance team and Vael's platoon. It would be the only time Vael had ever been fired upon by the human organisation.
Of course, a terrible crisis struck the Migrant Fleet in 2185. The Alarei went dark, and the ship had been compromised from within by Geth brought to Admiral Rael'Zorah vas Alarei. Whilst a treason court case was managed within the Migrant Fleet, several squads of Quarian Marines attempted to board the ship, but were always repelled or slaughtered. Vael saw friends enter the shuttle and never make it back on the return journey. It wasn't until an infamous human Commander stepped in and solved the situation that the crisis was put to rest and the trial sorted, however the scout found great distress from the real prospect of Geth intrusion.
After the Alarei Incident, and the acquittal of the Admiral's daughter, Vael's hatred turned to dangerous obsession once more. He put himself forward for every mission his platoon was offered. Geth raids became ever the more frequent, and talks of build up toward a war for Rannoch were soon felt on the whispers aboard the fleet. He found himself landing on planets and stations once never visited, and was placed on extended operations with the task of rooting out Geth resistance. Many believed at the time they were dealing with the remnant to their enemy, but it was during 2186 when that belief came to a screeching halt.
Vael found himself on a raid when the hour struck: and like a swarm in the sky, three Reaper vessels descended to the surface of a city. The Quarian team had heard news of a Geth hideout beneath the urban surface, but they were soon plunged into a terrible state of survival. It took them an hour to get offworld and to leave the system in haste, back to the Migrant Fleet, but the shock and awe of the Reaper scourge shook Vael. The following invasion of Rannoch then mounted on the pressures toward him, who went through the motions of grief, trauma, denial, hatred and ended on a sense of misdirection. The first hour he set foot on Rannoch was a memory he thought he'd enjoy, but it was spent under a hail of gunfire with Quarian soldiers caught under hellfire. His home ship, the Ceepal, was lost to Geth fighters in the battle. Eventually, the war ended with the majority of the Geth being killed by coordinated fleet fire. The prodigal Human Commander destroyed the Reaper on the planet's surface with the help of the Heavy Fleet, and so the Creator-Geth War ended in what should've been a triumph. Vael felt a strong emptiness afterward, and struggled immensely with the cost of familiar life.
During the Battle for Earth, Vael's platoon was sent instead to Mars in a joint-operation with Turians to seize Reaper harvesting plants that had since been moved from earth, more as a distracting or crippling blow to the planet's presence if the Battle for Earth failed. Then again, with the amassing of the Crucible and the largest armada known to the Galaxy, failure was almost an assurance of death. When the Crucible fired, Vael's platoon had been surrounded and cut down to but five members, caught in a desperate last stand against Husks and Marauders. But something on Earth had gone correctly, and the guns fell silent. The Reapers dropped dead to the ground, and the war seemed to be over.
Having been with the vast fleet in the Sol System, the Mass Effect Relays were most in a damaged state across the Galaxy. With the combined efforts of all those still within Sol and its neighbouring systems, the human Mass Effect relay was soon in a state of moderate operation a month later, leading to the gradual return back to the Citadel. Along the way, several members of the Migrant Fleet's occupants drifted away whilst many made the arduous journey back to Rannoch. Vael couldn't bear the pressure of all he'd been through and irrationally decided to stop by the Citadel, where he watched his surviving fleet limp back home. Many Quarians made refuge and life on the Citadel as well, but the vast majority still went back to experience their recaptured home.
Two years after the Reaper Invasion, Vael went from civilian work as an electrical engineer back into armed service in the newly formed Citadel Security Fleet. He'd spend much of his civilian life in the already overloaded therapy clinics for post-traumatic stress disorder, but he was deemed fit and untroubled enough to fit the already stretched restrictions in returning to service. He underwent additional training and mainly spent his time on small research stations posed as a guard, before he was given a transfer recommendation toward the SSV-Intervention, a new ship in the line of the Citadel's Peacekeeping Doctrine, inspired by Shepard himself. The SSV-Intervention was still in its trial phase, but that landed him among the second wave of crew to join under Captain Te'yany Janniius, the somewhat mysterious Captain at its head. He decided to stick with the ship in its final moments before deployment, landing him as an official member of the crew.
---P O W E R S
Overload: An electrostatic discharge set upon a chosen target. An engineer's favourites upon shields and synthetics, as well as doubling up as a way to damage equipment.
Sentry Turret: A small and autonomous sentry turret that can be deployed nearby. Mostly needs replacement if destroyed, but equipped to chip away and suppress opponents. Ideal for chokeholds. Can be equipped with an upgraded flame variant, though those are limited in numbers.
Energy Drain: Though primarily for draining shields and reimbursing his own, Vael finds this to be more useful as a means to do his standard engineering job. It is rudimentary as it wasn't its intended design purpose, but on the fly transfer of energy from one machine to another in quick succession is a sort of layman's side-gig for the tool.
---E Q U I P M E N T
- N7 Hurricane - M3 Predator - Arc Grenades - Suit-integrated Bandolier for Thermal Clips - Reconnaissance module (zoom enhancement) for Suit Visor - The Beloved Omnitool that every Tom, Dick and Harry has
---F A M I L Y
- Rai'Ginis vas Ceepal [Father - Deceased] - Kalash'Tala vas Ceepal [Mother - Alive]
---R E L A T I O N S
Te'yany Janniius
The SSV-Intervention's Captain has conversed with Vael on multiple occasions. He was among the second wave of crew to join the ship during its testing trials, with the first wave simply being the leadership key figures and skeleton crew at its bare minimum. The two talked mostly on professional terms, as most had with the Captain, however he was once called into the Operations Room during trials. He claims it wasn't for anything major, but hasn't spoken about it since leaving. They seem on relative terms but the now cautious Quarian has his worries and doubts.
-A Template by Load Wraith
Got my sheet up and ready for those who might need a physical example to help them out. Don't worry about writing nearly as much as a biography as I have, just as long as you have enough
Cian has the mug of a pit-fighting Varren, without the bright, excited looking eyes and the almost elated seeming expression of its maw. His hazel eyes rarely seem to betray anything other than a hint of anger or sadness and with the gift of time one might notice he never seems to fully smile.
The left side of his face is marred by scarring, his cheek especially is criss-crossed, with one scar beginning at the edge of his mouth and ending at around the top of his ear. The other most noticeable blemish starts just under his nose and ends in the midst of his jawline. He has other scars on his face but they’re somewhat less noticeable. One faded going through his left eyebrow and another that runs from his top lip down to his chin.
He is unpredictably formidable physically for his rather average height, having spent the years following the Reaper War packing on weight in muscle and training his body to its genetic edge. The consequential thick muscle on his torso, arms and legs have made his stature somewhat rectangular looking.
In terms of clothing, on-duty Cian obviously mostly just wears the standard Intervention uniform, though he isn’t thrilled about it. Not exactly a rules and regulations kind of guy. Off-duty he still prefers to wear the old street fashion of Earth. Dark coloured hoodies, leather jackets, jeans, boots and trainers. His style tends to be pretty nondescript.
In combat Cian wears a full suit of Hahne-Kedar armour. It is almost entirely black with the single exception of a violet stripe running the length of the left arm pieces.
Height
5’10
Weight
186lb
Personality
Cian would consider himself a realist. Unfortunately reality for him has always been brutal and unforgiving with the rare occurrence of compassion or love being the only things that have stopped him from becoming a fully-fledged psychopath. He has an array of negative traits. He’s violent, stubborn, asocial, ignorant of many social things and has a tendency towards temperamentality. On the other hand he’s prone to politeness, surprisingly open-minded and considerate, mentally resilient, intelligent, calm under intense pressure and seemingly fearless.
Things are not always as they seem though. Cian may appear calm and act borderline fearless in most circumstances but this comes at the great cost of being constantly on edge. Relaxing for the man is an incredible effort that these days he can only really achieve when he’s alone in a room with his back to the wall, facing preferably it's only entrance. Feeling this way has had a profound effect on almost everything in his life. He struggles to relax around others so doesn’t form relationships easily. This in turn has negatively affected his social, familial, love and work life. Sadly it has also saved his skin on countless occasions, even before he was a soldier.
Ultimately Cian is a warrior who wants to feel and act more like a person, but for his entire life so far he has relied on the defense mechanisms that make that difficult. For him there was never a difference between his work and home life, and his work life almost always included violence. Trying to split the two for him is a seemingly insurmountable challenge.
Rank / Role / Specialty
Alliance Navy Lieutenant - Marine Infantry - Armourer’s Apprentice
Adrenaline Rush: With peak-possibility reflexes (for a human) and the help of both combat focused narcotics and movement-prediction technology Cian can seemingly slow down time, at least for himself. This has a rather lengthy cooldown however as the narcotics can have serious ill-effects if ingested too frequently.
Fortification: Basically just emergency armour shielding. Takes tremendous energy for the armour’s battery pack to do, so also quite limited.
Carnage: An armour-piercing explosive round. Usually does a fair amount of shrapnel damage due to whatever poor bastard it hits equipment exploding at whoever is in his vicinity.
Armour Piercing Ammo
Frag Grenades
Biography
Cian was born and raised in South London. His dad resided in various prisons more often than at home growing up, with three separate long stints before his son had hit adulthood. It’s not worth going into what the prick was like, suffice to say Cian, his siblings and their mum quietly preferred it when he was incarcerated and in the opinion of the concerned majority he didn’t die soon enough.
His mum was a typical south London mum for his area. Tough because she didn’t have much choice, somewhat nurturing but not coddling, overall a decent enough parent but too many odds stacked against her with not enough help in reach. What little goodness Cian sees in himself he attributes to her.
Cian was the middle child of five siblings, and they more than anyone else made him who he is. By the time Cian was fifteen his older sister Violet and older brother Sean had already gone partially down the road of their father and were already into a life of street crime. Violet was intelligent, ambitious and cunning. Sean was violent, ruthless and more than a little unpredictable. Together they took the local gangs by storm. Not long satisfied with working under any of the local leaders Violet and Sean split off, taking almost half their original gang with them and forming their own. This split the local gang-controlled drug industry in half and immediately caused more than one gang war to break out.
Cian himself, about to turn sixteen at this point, wasn't all too involved in that life yet. He still wanted to be as little like his father as possible and the best way he saw to do that was avoid crime, drugs and drink as much as he could. He’d seen what most people had seen at his age. A few shootings and dozens of beatdowns but for the former only as a spectator. This changed when members of one of the rival gangs his siblings were beefing with spotted his youngest brother and sister walking to school one day and murdered Michael, his brother in the street. Cian had always been extremely protective of his younger siblings and this event forced a complete psychological 180 for him. He went from eschewing any act that remotely reminded him of his father to almost channeling him. He harnessed all the hate, fear and anger he’d long suppressed and forced his regretful older sister and vengeful brother to give him targets for his warpath. Over the next several months he went from a relatively innocent sixteen year old to an eager and willing murderer.
It turned out Cian was a naturally gifted criminal. He had the combined traits of his elder siblings in that regard. The cunning and thoughtfulness of Violet and the knack for violence and ruthlessness of Sean, without the lack of forethought or unpredictability. Violet and Cian stalked their enemies and planned how best to carry out their killings and once enough planning had been done Cian with the help of Sean and other trusted gang members carried them out. Over the next year their pool of enemies dwindled as they were murdered, imprisoned or went into hiding. Occasionally a plan went astray and the Flynn brothers came out more than a little bloody but that was just the way of things, easily explained away by claiming to catch a stray on the block or being the victim of a violent mugging.
By the time the majority of killing had ended Sean had also been murdered and Violet and Cian were mentally and physically scarred shells of their former, relatively vibrant selves. With the death of her second child, Cian's mum had a nervous breakdown and had to be hospitalized. Violet, now twenty one years of age and making a considerable amount of money controlling the local drug trade, adopted their youngest surviving sibling and tried to keep things as peaceful as possible for her sake. When that inevitably failed due to the business they were in, Cian was there to swiftly bury any problem, along with his best friend and fellow murderer George Woods. Over the years less and less problems came up though, as Violet and Cian learned more about controlling things and their reputation for warring grew.
Cian found himself in limbo, unable to go back to the person he was before he’d walked this path of blood but hating who he’d become.
By the time the Reapers invaded Earth Cian was 24 years old. Violet and him had expanded and by this point controlled most of the drug, gun and smuggling trade in and out of London. Between the turf wars, discreet trade deals, necessary hideouts and many front businesses they owned, Cian and his sister had become extremely knowledgeable in the traversal of London and how to use the territory to their advantage. This fact alone saved their lives innumerable times during the resistance.
As for all intents and purposes, the world ended Violet and Cian very quickly realized continuing to chase profit was pointless. Working to resist and survive however was as worthy a goal as it always had been. To that purpose they used the knowledge they had acquired over long years of fighting to turn what remained of their gang into a guerilla resistance force. Violet strategized as she had always done and Cian led the troops on hit and run raids and outpost movements.
Over the next year almost everyone Cian knew died. Sophie, his youngest sister, perished when Reaper forces hit a base they were staying at before they could move. Their mother too, as far as they could find out, presumably had died in the initial destruction. Very quickly those things became almost impossible to know for certain, but with what the Reapers did to captives the siblings almost hoped she had. George Woods went missing whilst leading a raid with everyone that accompanied him, and neither Violet or Cian heard word of him after. Aside from that the vast majority of their resistance force had been wiped. Things were looking incredibly grim. They were doing better than any two kids from the streets could have possibly hoped to, both strategy wise and in combat but against the Reapers numbers and power it was simply inert long term.
They were down to a force of maybe two dozen and teetering on the edge of going out in one last “fuck you” suicide attack when David Anderson came to London. Violet was a fantastic small-scale strategist, but Anderson was a genius with decades of experience under his belt. The man was quite literally a living legend. Slowly, things went from utterly hopeless back to just extremely bad, and extremely bad was within their comfort zone. Anderson had a way of making people truly believe they were more than they felt.
Cian was on yet another raid one night when he came across a unit of soldiers almost overwhelmed by a horde of husks and cannibals. Using them as a distraction he flanked the reaper units and wiped scores of them out with grenades and crossfire, giving the soldiers themselves breathing room to regroup and get back into the fight. When quiet fell and the reapers lay dead and still the unit of soldiers took Cian and his men back to their Captain. One David Anderson. Impressed by the tale of Cian’s unit told by his troops and further truths of survival told by Cian himself, he offered to officially conscript Cian, his sister and their men into the Alliance Navy. He would give them equipment, intel, even other conscripts to lead eventually, when leadership skill was further proven. Cian had never been a uniform wearing kind of guy, but he knew to refuse such an offer would probably mean death for him and his sister, likely sooner rather than later.
Together they held out long enough for the Crucible to be deployed. Both Cian and his sister received numerous battlefield promotions, both ending up as Ensigns at the end of the war. David Anderson passed on along with Shepard, but to Cian he remains a living memory. A shining beacon in the darkness of what even men of war can aspire to.
After the war the only things Cian really had left were his sister and his hard-earned career in the Systems Alliance Navy. He didn’t see much point staying on Earth anymore. His sister was leaving to advance her own career and after awkwardly discussing their previous life with her they both quickly came to the conclusion that it had been petty, immoral and stupid. Nothing quite like a genocidal alien invasion and watching the near destruction of your homeworld to make you realize how ignorant it is to fight and kill over profit and territory measured in neighborhoods.
Saying an emotional and temporary goodbye to each other they both headed off-planet to get some ship-board and space experience. It turned out people like them were in very high demand. Folk who had fought the Reapers and not only lived, but thrived. Cian himself was put to both work and education. There were massive efforts to get the many Alliance conscripts up to snuff on all the things that fell by the wayside in the chaos of the war. As such Cian found himself split between studying on board the vessels he was assigned to and taking part in attacks against both pirate bases planetside and Cerberus space stations. Surprisingly he enjoyed both tasks more than he thought he would. Learning was fulfilling and killing slavers and terrorists was putting his illicitly gained skills to justified use.
After a couple of years of touring space Cian was quite deeply ingrained into Alliance life. Perhaps even comfortable with having an official, legitimate career. One of the greatest surprises of his life came at this time when he was called into a meeting and told by an Admiral that David Anderson himself had recommended him for the N7 program. It had obviously taken a hell of a long time to get to the point where telling him was anything close to a priority with everything going on. The top brass were also reluctant about offering any war time conscripts such a thing since so many were unpredictable and turned out unsuitable to Navy life long term. Especially people such as Cian with dubious at best, nefarious at worst backgrounds. Apparently having stayed in the service for a few years, passed dozens of educational courses and fought many battles was enough to ease their doubts in regards to him however. He gratefully and eagerly accepted, and anticipated his trip to The Villa in the near future.
In present time Cian has graduated to become an N4 with a future invitation to return for further training and risen to the rank of Lieutenant in the Alliance. His latest assignment has put him on loan to the Citadel and he has been ordered to report to the SSV-Intervention.
Affiliations
Thomas Flynn - Father - Deceased Mary Flynn - Mother - Unknown Violet Flynn - Sister - Alive Sean Flynn - Brother - Deceased Michael Flynn - Brother - Deceased Sophie Flynn - Sister - Deceased David Anderson - Hero - Deceased George Woods - Best Friend - Unknown
Appearance Muscular build for a Drell. Blue and black skin with several scars on his face and neck and bright blue lips. Tends to wear light Guardian armor in combat. While wearing the standard uniform on duty and off duty. He wears a grey collar shirt with black pants.
Height 6'1
Personality Tahen can be described as a friendly, calm, and sociable person most of the time. Content with himself most of the time and enjoys spending time with family. Stubbornness, a trait he got from his mother is that while he can compromise and see reason. If he sets his mind towards something, then it can be hard to dissuade him. Like not giving up his native Drell beliefs like many of his fellow young Drell. Being a mildly spiritual individual that prefers to pray in private.
During a mission, Tahen is focused and tends to only talk when needed. Cool under pressure and brave when needed. Though Tahen was trained to work alone and working with others during the Reaper War had forced him to adapt. Which while he can work well with others, he sometimes reverts back to his solo days. Which when asked how he learned his skills, you get a mixed response. For while the assassin training by the Hanar has been useful during the war. Tahen wishes he did not take up the Compact and it is a sore subject for him.
Role / Specialty Combat/CQC Specialist
Equipment M-6 Carnifex pistol, M-27 Scimitar shotgun, Omni-Blade, Armor-Piercing Ammo, and Lift Grenades
Powers/Skills Biotic Charge - Alters the biotic's mass, launching the user at an opponent. Restores some shield strength at the charge's end.
Shockwave - Blasts enemies with a line of explosions that proceeds through walls and other solid objects.
Slam - The power lifts a target and slams them to the ground inflicting damage.
Biography Tahen was born like most Drell on the Hanar homeworld of Kahje. The eldest of three and living in one of the several climate-controlled dome cities. Growing up, Tahen was raised mainly by his father as his mother was still serving the Compact. A drive to honor the Hanar that saved their people was something that his father would remind him often. Though Tahen wished that he could see his mother more often and not on missions. Regardless, Tahen and his siblings often played with each other in the meantime and were raised in traditional Drell ways. Something that left a strong impression on him.
When Tahen was ten was when the horrible news came to light, for his mother had developed Kepral's Syndrome. A well-known Drell and an incurable illness that left the family devastated. Which despite the news and protests from Tahen and his siblings, Tahen's mother still chose to honor the Compact and would go on more missions until she was too ill to continue. She would die soon after, and Tahen would never understand why her mother chose to do this. To serve and honor the Compact instead of being with her family during her final days, starting to view the Compact and honoring it as unfavorable.
Years later, when he was sixteen did tragedy strike his family again when his father developed Kepral's Syndrome. On his father's deathbed, did he wish for Tahen to take up the Compact like his mother before him. Tahen had reservations about it but ultimately decided on honoring his father's last wish. It helped that Tahen knew that his siblings would be well cared for without him, and he quickly took up the Compact.
Being trained as an assassin, Tahen spent six years serving the Hanar. Hunting and killing those the Hanar deemed to be killed. It was during this time that he started to question the Compact. Sure helping the Hanar with tasks that were difficult for them was one thing. But being used as a weapon for them, to do their dirty work. It did not feel right to Tahen felt more like this was a mistake. Which finally, Tahen convinced the Hanar to release him from the Compact. Now free from his binds, Tahen started to think about what to do with his newfound freedom. Only soon after being released did an ancient foe, the Reapers, return to the galaxy.
The ensuring Reaper War, Tahen joined the war effort and fought the best he could. But being essentially a free merc and not connected to any military. This meant that Tahen was bounced around during the war. One deployment of note was fighting alongside the Nos Astra Freedom Battalion near Illium. At the end of the war, Tahen took part in the Battle for Earth. Being apart of the initial fighting before getting knocked out by an explosion. When he woke up, Tahen found himself in a makeshift Alliance hospital and was told the news. They had won, Commander Shepard was successful, and Reaper forces across the galaxy were dead. This brought him immense relief that the galaxy was saved but, he was back to an old question that he had before the Reaper War. What to do now.
Tahen, at first, had no clue of what to do. Thinking about as he recovered and the mass relays became operational again. He considered becoming a merc since he has few skills outside of killing. But, after hearing of the Citadel Security Fleet and thinking about it. Tahen knew what he wanted to do and before enlisting. He made a trip to visit his siblings first and after some time with them. Tahen enlisted and served for four years before eventually being assigned to the SSV-Intervention. Where to his surprise, he will meet some familiar faces.
Cian has the mug of a pit-fighting Varren, without the bright, excited looking eyes and the almost elated seeming expression of its maw. His hazel eyes rarely seem to betray anything other than a hint of anger or sadness and with the gift of time one might notice he never seems to fully smile.
The left side of his face is marred by scarring, his cheek especially is criss-crossed, with one scar beginning at the edge of his mouth and ending at around the top of his ear. The other most noticeable blemish starts just under his nose and ends in the midst of his jawline. He has other scars on his face but they’re somewhat less noticeable. One faded going through his left eyebrow and another that runs from his top lip down to his chin.
He is unpredictably formidable physically for his rather average height, having spent the years following the Reaper War packing on weight in muscle and training his body to its genetic edge. The consequential thick muscle on his torso, arms and legs have made his stature somewhat rectangular looking.
In terms of clothing, on-duty Cian obviously mostly just wears the standard Intervention uniform, though he isn’t thrilled about it. Not exactly a rules and regulations kind of guy. Off-duty he still prefers to wear the old street fashion of Earth. Dark coloured hoodies, leather jackets, jeans, boots and trainers. His style tends to be pretty nondescript.
In combat Cian wears a full suit of Hahne-Kedar armour. It is almost entirely black with the single exception of a violet stripe running the length of the left arm pieces.
Height
5’10
Weight
186lb
Personality
Cian would consider himself a realist. Unfortunately reality for him has always been brutal and unforgiving with the rare occurrence of compassion or love being the only things that have stopped him from becoming a fully-fledged psychopath. He has an array of negative traits. He’s violent, stubborn, asocial, ignorant of many social things and has a tendency towards temperamentality. On the other hand he’s prone to politeness, surprisingly open-minded and considerate, mentally resilient, intelligent, calm under intense pressure and seemingly fearless.
Things are not always as they seem though. Cian may appear calm and act borderline fearless in most circumstances but this comes at the great cost of being constantly on edge. Relaxing for the man is an incredible effort that these days he can only really achieve when he’s alone in a room with his back to the wall, facing preferably it's only entrance. Feeling this way has had a profound effect on almost everything in his life. He struggles to relax around others so doesn’t form relationships easily. This in turn has negatively affected his social, familial, love and work life. Sadly it has also saved his skin on countless occasions, even before he was a soldier.
Ultimately Cian is a warrior who wants to feel and act more like a person, but for his entire life so far he has relied on the defense mechanisms that make that difficult. For him there was never a difference between his work and home life, and his work life almost always included violence. Trying to split the two for him is a seemingly insurmountable challenge.
Rank / Role / Specialty
Alliance Navy Lieutenant - Marine Infantry - Armourer’s Apprentice
Adrenaline Rush: With peak-possibility reflexes (for a human) and the help of both combat focused narcotics and movement-prediction technology Cian can seemingly slow down time, at least for himself. This has a rather lengthy cooldown however as the narcotics can have serious ill-effects if ingested too frequently.
Fortification: Basically just emergency armour shielding. Takes tremendous energy for the armour’s battery pack to do, so also quite limited.
Carnage: An armour-piercing explosive round. Usually does a fair amount of shrapnel damage due to whatever poor bastard it hits equipment exploding at whoever is in his vicinity.
Armour Piercing Ammo
Frag Grenades
Biography
Cian was born and raised in South London. His dad resided in various prisons more often than at home growing up, with three separate long stints before his son had hit adulthood. It’s not worth going into what the prick was like, suffice to say Cian, his siblings and their mum quietly preferred it when he was incarcerated and in the opinion of the concerned majority he didn’t die soon enough.
His mum was a typical south London mum for his area. Tough because she didn’t have much choice, somewhat nurturing but not coddling, overall a decent enough parent but too many odds stacked against her with not enough help in reach. What little goodness Cian sees in himself he attributes to her.
Cian was the middle child of five siblings, and they more than anyone else made him who he is. By the time Cian was fifteen his older sister Violet and older brother Sean had already gone partially down the road of their father and were already into a life of street crime. Violet was intelligent, ambitious and cunning. Sean was violent, ruthless and more than a little unpredictable. Together they took the local gangs by storm. Not long satisfied with working under any of the local leaders Violet and Sean split off, taking almost half their original gang with them and forming their own. This split the local gang-controlled drug industry in half and immediately caused more than one gang war to break out.
Cian himself, about to turn sixteen at this point, wasn't all too involved in that life yet. He still wanted to be as little like his father as possible and the best way he saw to do that was avoid crime, drugs and drink as much as he could. He’d seen what most people had seen at his age. A few shootings and dozens of beatdowns but for the former only as a spectator. This changed when members of one of the rival gangs his siblings were beefing with spotted his youngest brother and sister walking to school one day and murdered Michael, his brother in the street. Cian had always been extremely protective of his younger siblings and this event forced a complete psychological 180 for him. He went from eschewing any act that remotely reminded him of his father to almost channeling him. He harnessed all the hate, fear and anger he’d long suppressed and forced his regretful older sister and vengeful brother to give him targets for his warpath. Over the next several months he went from a relatively innocent sixteen year old to an eager and willing murderer.
It turned out Cian was a naturally gifted criminal. He had the combined traits of his elder siblings in that regard. The cunning and thoughtfulness of Violet and the knack for violence and ruthlessness of Sean, without the lack of forethought or unpredictability. Violet and Cian stalked their enemies and planned how best to carry out their killings and once enough planning had been done Cian with the help of Sean and other trusted gang members carried them out. Over the next year their pool of enemies dwindled as they were murdered, imprisoned or went into hiding. Occasionally a plan went astray and the Flynn brothers came out more than a little bloody but that was just the way of things, easily explained away by claiming to catch a stray on the block or being the victim of a violent mugging.
By the time the majority of killing had ended Sean had also been murdered and Violet and Cian were mentally and physically scarred shells of their former, relatively vibrant selves. With the death of her second child, Cian's mum had a nervous breakdown and had to be hospitalized. Violet, now twenty one years of age and making a considerable amount of money controlling the local drug trade, adopted their youngest surviving sibling and tried to keep things as peaceful as possible for her sake. When that inevitably failed due to the business they were in, Cian was there to swiftly bury any problem, along with his best friend and fellow murderer George Woods. Over the years less and less problems came up though, as Violet and Cian learned more about controlling things and their reputation for warring grew.
Cian found himself in limbo, unable to go back to the person he was before he’d walked this path of blood but hating who he’d become.
By the time the Reapers invaded Earth Cian was 24 years old. Violet and him had expanded and by this point controlled most of the drug, gun and smuggling trade in and out of London. Between the turf wars, discreet trade deals, necessary hideouts and many front businesses they owned, Cian and his sister had become extremely knowledgeable in the traversal of London and how to use the territory to their advantage. This fact alone saved their lives innumerable times during the resistance.
As for all intents and purposes, the world ended Violet and Cian very quickly realized continuing to chase profit was pointless. Working to resist and survive however was as worthy a goal as it always had been. To that purpose they used the knowledge they had acquired over long years of fighting to turn what remained of their gang into a guerilla resistance force. Violet strategized as she had always done and Cian led the troops on hit and run raids and outpost movements.
Over the next year almost everyone Cian knew died. Sophie, his youngest sister, perished when Reaper forces hit a base they were staying at before they could move. Their mother too, as far as they could find out, presumably had died in the initial destruction. Very quickly those things became almost impossible to know for certain, but with what the Reapers did to captives the siblings almost hoped she had. George Woods went missing whilst leading a raid with everyone that accompanied him, and neither Violet or Cian heard word of him after. Aside from that the vast majority of their resistance force had been wiped. Things were looking incredibly grim. They were doing better than any two kids from the streets could have possibly hoped to, both strategy wise and in combat but against the Reapers numbers and power it was simply inert long term.
They were down to a force of maybe two dozen and teetering on the edge of going out in one last “fuck you” suicide attack when David Anderson came to London. Violet was a fantastic small-scale strategist, but Anderson was a genius with decades of experience under his belt. The man was quite literally a living legend. Slowly, things went from utterly hopeless back to just extremely bad, and extremely bad was within their comfort zone. Anderson had a way of making people truly believe they were more than they felt.
Cian was on yet another raid one night when he came across a unit of soldiers almost overwhelmed by a horde of husks and cannibals. Using them as a distraction he flanked the reaper units and wiped scores of them out with grenades and crossfire, giving the soldiers themselves breathing room to regroup and get back into the fight. When quiet fell and the reapers lay dead and still the unit of soldiers took Cian and his men back to their Captain. One David Anderson. Impressed by the tale of Cian’s unit told by his troops and further truths of survival told by Cian himself, he offered to officially conscript Cian, his sister and their men into the Alliance Navy. He would give them equipment, intel, even other conscripts to lead eventually, when leadership skill was further proven. Cian had never been a uniform wearing kind of guy, but he knew to refuse such an offer would probably mean death for him and his sister, likely sooner rather than later.
Together they held out long enough for the Crucible to be deployed. Both Cian and his sister received numerous battlefield promotions, both ending up as Ensigns at the end of the war. David Anderson passed on along with Shepard, but to Cian he remains a living memory. A shining beacon in the darkness of what even men of war can aspire to.
After the war the only things Cian really had left were his sister and his hard-earned career in the Systems Alliance Navy. He didn’t see much point staying on Earth anymore. His sister was leaving to advance her own career and after awkwardly discussing their previous life with her they both quickly came to the conclusion that it had been petty, immoral and stupid. Nothing quite like a genocidal alien invasion and watching the near destruction of your homeworld to make you realize how ignorant it is to fight and kill over profit and territory measured in neighborhoods.
Saying an emotional and temporary goodbye to each other they both headed off-planet to get some ship-board and space experience. It turned out people like them were in very high demand. Folk who had fought the Reapers and not only lived, but thrived. Cian himself was put to both work and education. There were massive efforts to get the many Alliance conscripts up to snuff on all the things that fell by the wayside in the chaos of the war. As such Cian found himself split between studying on board the vessels he was assigned to and taking part in attacks against both pirate bases planetside and Cerberus space stations. Surprisingly he enjoyed both tasks more than he thought he would. Learning was fulfilling and killing slavers and terrorists was putting his illicitly gained skills to justified use.
After a couple of years of touring space Cian was quite deeply ingrained into Alliance life. Perhaps even comfortable with having an official, legitimate career. One of the greatest surprises of his life came at this time when he was called into a meeting and told by an Admiral that David Anderson himself had recommended him for the N7 program. It had obviously taken a hell of a long time to get to the point where telling him was anything close to a priority with everything going on. The top brass were also reluctant about offering any war time conscripts such a thing since so many were unpredictable and turned out unsuitable to Navy life long term. Especially people such as Cian with dubious at best, nefarious at worst backgrounds. Apparently having stayed in the service for a few years, passed dozens of educational courses and fought many battles was enough to ease their doubts in regards to him however. He gratefully and eagerly accepted, and anticipated his trip to The Villa in the near future.
In present time Cian has graduated to become an N4 with a future invitation to return for further training and risen to the rank of Lieutenant in the Alliance. His latest assignment has put him on loan to the Citadel and he has been ordered to report to the SSV-Intervention.
Affiliations
Thomas Flynn - Father - Deceased Mary Flynn - Mother - Unknown Violet Flynn - Sister - Alive Sean Flynn - Brother - Deceased Michael Flynn - Brother - Deceased Sophie Flynn - Sister - Deceased David Anderson - Hero - Deceased George Woods - Best Friend - Unknown
Appearance Muscular build for a Drell. Blue and black skin with several scars on his face and neck and bright blue lips. Tends to wear light Guardian armor in combat. While wearing the standard uniform on duty and off duty. He wears a grey collar shirt with black pants.
Height 6'1
Personality Tahen can be described as a friendly, calm, and sociable person most of the time. Content with himself most of the time and enjoys spending time with family. Stubbornness, a trait he got from his mother is that while he can compromise and see reason. If he sets his mind towards something, then it can be hard to dissuade him. Like not giving up his native Drell beliefs like many of his fellow young Drell. Being a mildly spiritual individual that prefers to pray in private.
During a mission, Tahen is focused and tends to only talk when needed. Cool under pressure and brave when needed. Though Tahen was trained to work alone and working with others during the Reaper War had forced him to adapt. Which while he can work well with others, he sometimes reverts back to his solo days. Which when asked how he learned his skills, you get a mixed response. For while the assassin training by the Hanar has been useful during the war. Tahen wishes he did not take up the Compact and it is a sore subject for him.
Role / Specialty Combat/CQC Specialist
Equipment M-6 Carnifex pistol, M-27 Scimitar shotgun, Omni-Blade, Armor-Piercing Ammo, and Lift Grenades
Powers/Skills Biotic Charge - Alters the biotic's mass, launching the user at an opponent. Restores some shield strength at the charge's end.
Shockwave - Blasts enemies with a line of explosions that proceeds through walls and other solid objects.
Slam - The power lifts a target and slams them to the ground inflicting damage.
Biography Tahen was born like most Drell on the Hanar homeworld of Kahje. The eldest of three and living in one of the several climate-controlled dome cities. Growing up, Tahen was raised mainly by his father as his mother was still serving the Compact. A drive to honor the Hanar that saved their people was something that his father would remind him often. Though Tahen wished that he could see his mother more often and not on missions. Regardless, Tahen and his siblings often played with each other in the meantime and were raised in traditional Drell ways. Something that left a strong impression on him.
When Tahen was ten was when the horrible news came to light, for his mother had developed Kepral's Syndrome. A well-known Drell and an incurable illness that left the family devastated. Which despite the news and protests from Tahen and his siblings, Tahen's mother still chose to honor the Compact and would go on more missions until she was too ill to continue. She would die soon after, and Tahen would never understand why her mother chose to do this. To serve and honor the Compact instead of being with her family during her final days, starting to view the Compact and honoring it as unfavorable.
Years later, when he was sixteen did tragedy strike his family again when his father developed Kepral's Syndrome. On his father's deathbed, did he wish for Tahen to take up the Compact like his mother before him. Tahen had reservations about it but ultimately decided on honoring his father's last wish. It helped that Tahen knew that his siblings would be well cared for without him, and he quickly took up the Compact.
Being trained as an assassin, Tahen spent six years serving the Hanar. Hunting and killing those the Hanar deemed to be killed. It was during this time that he started to question the Compact. Sure helping the Hanar with tasks that were difficult for them was one thing. But being used as a weapon for them, to do their dirty work. It did not feel right to Tahen felt more like this was a mistake. Which finally, Tahen convinced the Hanar to release him from the Compact. Now free from his binds, Tahen started to think about what to do with his newfound freedom. Only soon after being released did an ancient foe, the Reapers, return to the galaxy.
The ensuring Reaper War, Tahen joined the war effort and fought the best he could. But being essentially a free merc and not connected to any military. This meant that Tahen was bounced around during the war. One deployment of note was fighting alongside the Nos Astra Freedom Battalion near Illium. At the end of the war, Tahen took part in the Battle for Earth. Being apart of the initial fighting before getting knocked out by an explosion. When he woke up, Tahen found himself in a makeshift Alliance hospital and was told the news. They had won, Commander Shepard was successful, and Reaper forces across the galaxy were dead. This brought him immense relief that the galaxy was saved but, he was back to an old question that he had before the Reaper War. What to do now.
Tahen, at first, had no clue of what to do. Thinking about as he recovered and the mass relays became operational again. He considered becoming a merc since he has few skills outside of killing. But, after hearing of the Citadel Security Fleet and thinking about it. Tahen knew what he wanted to do and before enlisting. He made a trip to visit his siblings first and after some time with them. Tahen enlisted and served for four years before eventually being assigned to the SSV-Intervention. Where to his surprise, he will meet some familiar faces.
Appearance | Lokea bears an uncanny resemblance to the asari commando Shiala, green skin and all. She maintains a fit physicality, her feminine curves noticeable and prominent, but not hindering. Surrounding her green eyes are a warm orange and red fade, as well as a variety of darker markings that surround her eyes. On-duty, she wears the standard issue Intervention uniform, but while she's off-duty, she sticks to a simple brown NAFB hoodie and black slacks. In combat missions, however, she wears a worn dark set of Ajax Armor, as well as a black breather mask with a painted skull on it. The Ajax Armor once had the emblems of the Nos Astra Freedom Battalion and her rank of Sergeant, but they were erased away. (Will update once I start creating character art, which will be hotlinked and posted below)
Personality | Like her clone sisters, she didn't really have much of a personality when she first emerged. Well, she did have hundreds of personalities, but they all came in the form of thoughts and memories planted into her from the Thorian that created her. It took a lot of time and experiences for her to figure out which of the memories and personalities she should rely on, and over time she found the ones she liked and came into her own being. As time went on, she became more of an expressive individual who enjoys the company of friendly creatures. From her planted memories and experiences at Zhu's Hope, she uses them in her attempts to be a kinder and friendlier person. She once struggled with the idea of being a clone, but thanks to her close friends, she was able to find security and grace within herself. Her expressive attitude compels her to create beauty, often in the form of drawings and paintings. Thanks to having the implanted memories of one asari and many humans, she's adopted expressions and body languages of both. As for the many values that have been planted, she stuck with the ones that she's liked the best (being kind, standing up for the weak, etc). On the other hand, she is a rather hedonistic individual who lives for the present. Thanks to the Reaper War, she doesn't really plan too far ahead. Despite being secure in herself, the Reaper War made her feel small again, and the loss of many of her friends gives her quite a bit of survivor's guilt. Regardless, she maintains a wanderlust that compels her to go see the stars for herself. (Will edit and develop through play)
Backstory | Long story short, Lokea Zhu is an Asari Clone born from the Thorian who made a name for herself in Illium. She spent some time on Feros helping out its residents, finding out who she was and who she wanted to be. She travelled the stars for a short period of time, eventually ending up on Korlus and working with a friendly krogan named Urdnot Stax. Their work on Korlus earned them residence on Illium, where they worked for an eccentric volus who went by Eppo Cal. When the Reapers arrived, she joined the Nos Astra Freedom Battalion, saved the lives of many with her abilities, and served with distinction. After the war ended, Lokea continued to serve with the NAFB for a bit, and after it disbanded, she was rehired by Eppo Cal and continued to work for him. It was only recently that she was poached by the Citadel Security Fleet, where she would be assigned to the Intervention.
Born from the genetic stock of the Asari Commando Shiala in 2183, Lokea was created under strange circumstances by the Thorian, an ancient sentient plant found on the planet of Feros. While the Thorian exerted its influence and control of the populace of the nearby colony of Zhu's Hope, it created strange green-skinned clones of Shiala in order to speak for it and defend it. While quite a few were deployed when Commander Shepard arrived in search of the conduit, some were stored in sacks as a quick response measure. Some were deployed in order to quickly stop Shepard as the Thorian resisted Shepard's attempts to dispose of it. However, Shepard's squad was able to quickly dispatch the clones, the creepers and the nodes that held the Thorian in the building. The Thorian was killed, Shiala and the Zhu's Hope colonists were freed, and Shepard was able to use the conduit as planned, getting closer to Saren.
However, not all of the sacs were destroyed, and not all of the clones were killed. Hours after the incident, Lokea surfaced from one of these sacs, free from the grasp of the Thorian. While she had a mixture of memories given to her by the Thorian when she was created, these memories were all scrambled, all from different minds and different bodies. She struggled to figure out who she was, what her name was, and who to speak for. As she walked amongst the corpses of the creepers and clones that had fallen in the battle earlier, two more clones like her emerged as well. They met and got acquainted, and knowing that they were all in the same boat, they worked together to get out of the ruins they were in. Once they got hungry, they worked together to hunt some varren that wandered around the ruins. The three clones wandered the ruins for three days, all while trying to figure out who they were and what they should do next. It wasn't long before they stumbled into some of the colonists at Zhu's Hope. The colonists immediately tended to their needs and sent them back to their colony, where all three of them met Shiala.
Shiala proved herself to be more than helpful to both the colony and the clones. As they were fed and sheltered at the colony, Shiala explained to them who they were and why their minds were so clouded with memories and thoughts from others. After some impromptu counseling from Shiala and Lizbeth Baynham, the three eventually picked their names. The two other clones came to be named Kielo and Numeka, taking on the last name of 'Zhu' from Lizbeth's suggestion. Lokea followed suit with her last name, chosing her first name from the word 'Hope' from an ancient asari language, her name roughly translating to that of The Hope of Zhu. All three of them were known in the colony as the Zhu Sisters. Over the period of a year, the sisters ingratiated themselves into the colony and functioned quite well. While Kielo and Numeka assisted Shiala in her efforts in rebuilding and healing the colony, Lokea carved a path of her own, often going out on hunts and scouting missions with Davin Reynolds. In that time, the biotics of Shiala and the Zhu Sisters degraded thanks to the effects of the Thorian, and the four of them had to adapt to that. As Lokea's planted memories gave her visions of different places, her wanderlust grew, especially after hearing about Shepard's galactic exploits from the news.
In 2184, Lokea made the difficult decision to move away from Zhu's Hope to go see the galaxy for herself. While she had grown very close to many of the members of the colony, she felt that she would find her true calling elsewhere, as there wasn't much left for her to do at the colony. Ledra gave Lokea a free ride to Eden Prime during one of his supply runs, and from then, she wandered across the Milky Way.
In her several months of travels, Lokea's been to Eden Prime, the Citadel, Bekenstein and Korlus, doing odd jobs and light mercenary work to put food on the table and pay for other expenses. Her planted memories gave her quite a unique advantage in most job markets, as she had the combined skills of most of the affected colonists from Zhu's Hope. In Eden Prime, she mostly did contract work in the construction of homes and small buildings to pay for her ticket to the Citadel, all while visiting the sites of where the first shots of the Eden Prime War took place. She quickly made her way to the Citadel, where she spent a month doing maintenance and security work. She got into a few light scuffles with petty criminals, but she was able to end them quickly without causing serious harm. It slowly became clear to her that she couldn't afford to live on the Citadel, so she kept moving. She spent a week at Bekenstein sightseeing before saddling up for Korlus.
The moment Lokea made landfall on Korlus, she knew already that she hated it. A hot, noxious scrapyard world almost uninhabitable, the asari spent most of her time there in a rather dilapidated climate-controlled motel room. Thanks to the rather cheap rates of almost everything here, Lokea was actually able to turn a profit this time around from the odd jobs she did here. When she wasn't doing security work, she was also performing maintenance and deliveries for a few tidy sums. After about two weeks, Lokea got her first taste of blood when she killed six batarian gangsters and wounded four more when they attempted to murder her and one of her clients. Despite the rather terrifying incident, Lokea's implanted combat experience helped her during the fight and after it. Since that incident, Lokea got more jobs and earned some notoriety from some of the local gangs. On a particular anti-gang job, she was hired by a friendly krogan named Urdnot Stax, whom she later befriended and nicknamed 'Fat Stax'. She did a few jobs with him, and thanks to how crazy effective they were as a team, both of them agreed to a partnership. The neighborhood they lived in noticeably improved with their presence, and inspired some of the residents to stand up to some of the gangs that ravaged it.
After a month of doing anti-gang and bodyguard jobs, work died down a bit, as their neighborhood became arguably one of the safest on the planet. More people came to the neighboorhood, and the cost of living started to climb there. Both Lokea and Stax knew that the positive direction the neighborhood was meant that they would have to move somewhere else to keep making money, and while they considered their options, a new job came in. A wealthy volus merchant named Eppo Cal contacted them, and told them that his brother Niftu Cal had been kidnapped and held for ransom by a group of slavers, who also kidnapped a number of Eppo's staff. Eppo tracked the slavers down to a large building in Korlus, and he is paying good money for the recovery of both his brother Niftu and his staff. They took the job, and were soon greeted by a small group of mercenaries from Illium. The team worked on a proper plan and executed it the next morning. While Lokea and some lighter members of the team came in from the roof by rappelling down along the wall, Stax and the heavier team members stormed the building from the ground floor. Lokea's team quickly found Niftu, and shot the slavers through the windows before bursting through. Stax's team located the missing staff, who were in the process of being auctioned off, and promptly rescued them after gunning down all hostiles in the room. The rest of the building was cleared out within minutes, and all hostages were safely rescued.
It wasn't long before Eppo recieved the good news on Illium. Due to their resounding success, he paid all involved what they were owed, along with a bonus. As a further token of gratitude, he offered Lokea and Stax a ride to Illium, as well as a free two-week stay at one of his resorts in Nos Astra. Lokea saw a means of leaving the planet, and Stax saw a business opportunity, and both immediately accepted.
It was clear to both Stax and Lokea that their free resort stay was to sweeten an upcoming deal Eppo had for them, so when it came, they kept their heads clear about it. Eppo offered both Stax and Lokea jobs as high ranking members of his security team, and after some calm negotiation, both Stax and Lokea agreed to it and signed on. The next day, they got acquainted with the rest of Eppo's team, a good portion of them being the same mercenaries that participated in the Korlus rescue mission. Eppo made sure to give both Stax and Lokea new weapons, and both continued to use their new toys well into the present. Since mid 2184, Stax and Lokea worked as members of Eppo's security team. Most of the work itself was rather boring, but it did pay well and the duo took every chance they got to live like monarchs, even if it was for a few days out of the month. While Lokea and Stax performed rather dull duties throughout their new career, the few oddball assignments they did get broke up the monotony. Some missions they performed involved hostage rescue, others involved a little bit of corporate espionage, and sometimes Eppo just liked going to dangerous places and forced both Lokea and Stax to tag along.
Both Stax and Lokea knew that Eppo was a biotic since they signed on with him, but they never knew the full extent of his powers until the beginning of 2185. During a "business trip" to Omega, Eppo and his security team were ambushed by some Blood Pack mercenaries, but the volus didn't fret in the slightest. The three krogan and five vorcha that came for them couldn't stand back up for hours after Eppo thrashed them with his biotic powers, and the duo couldn't help themselves but be incredibly impressed by Eppo's biotic ability. Lokea herself was only slightly jealous of his ability to perform a biotic charge, but she managed to keep these feelings to herself. They later found out that those Blood Pack mercenaries were sent by one of Eppo's rivals, and while Stax suggested reprisal, Eppo declined on the basis of principle.
Both Stax and Lokea continued working for Eppo, taking on assignments and completing them with ease. Their effectiveness earned them a little bit of notoriety, where the duo started getting job offers from other businessfolk with promises of higher payouts. The duo considered them, but a little research often revealed the would-be poachers to be rather shady and untrustworthy individuals at best. It took some time for the duo to start trusting Eppo, but they've grown to be rather fond of the eccentric volus. While the rest of Eppo's security team were at first cautious about the duo, they've also bonded well with Lokea and Stax. On days off, the whole security team threw parties at Eppo's Nos Astra resort (where he lets them live free of charge), parties that soon became the source of many of Lokea's positive memories.
When Lokea didn't feel like partying, she dabbled a bit in her artistic side, often painting and drawing digital art with the help of her omni-tool. Her artistic skills left much to be desired, but using implanted skills from some of the colonists, she got a small head start on some of the basics. At the time, her art hasn't really impressed anyone, but Stax and Eppo liked seeing this side to her.
The year of 2186 was one that was burned into the memory of the rest of the galaxy. The Reaper Invasion began with little warning, and the devastation was staggering. Thanks to the quick actions from most of the companies on Illium, the planetary fleet managed to keep most of Reapers from landing on the planet's surface by targeting the troop transports. For a while, the planetary fleet remained engaged with the Reaper capital ships, buying those on the surface enough time to evacuate to safer locations. However, while most of the Reaper's transport ships were destroyed by Illium's flotilla, a few made it through and landed on Nos Astra. The chaos of the evacuation and the battle in space made it rather difficult to really coordinate a ground defense, and Illium's authority had their hands full managing the situation.
At the first signs of the Reaper invasion, Eppo immediately liquidated all of his assets and went to work on purchasing weapons, armor and survival gear. He rallied all of his staff and immediately assigned them different jobs. All of his non-combat personnel were to build and maintain public shelters while his security teams were to form a militia. Eppo's quick actions garnered attention from other groups, and within a week, a tight alliance of various assembled militias became chartered as the Nos Astra Freedom Battalion. Consisting of mercenaries, law enforcement personnel and combat veterans, the Nos Astra Freedom Battalion became a well-regulated paramilitary force in its own right, and immediately began operations throughout the capital of Illium. Thanks to their experience, both Stax and Lokea were signed on as sergeants, and had their armor colored to match the battalion's uniform.
During the Reaper War, Lokea served with distinction. Her defensive biotics and her new cloaking ability allowed her to save the lives of countless civilians and combatants alike, often pulling them away from the line of fire to allow them to be evacuated to safer places. Most of the operations she participated in was in the evacuation of citizens, often attempting to bring them away from combat zones so the rest of Illium's forces could better fight the invading Reapers. The asari clone had a few close calls herself, having nearly been torn apart by the Banshees that the Reapers deployed on Illium's surface. Slowly but surely, Lokea and the rest of the NAFB were able to build up a proper resistance and keep the Reapers off the planet for the most part. Lokea's guerilla tactics proved to be quite effective, with Stax acting as the vanguard and Eppo providing shield support and aggressive biotic attacks. The three of them, along with most of the former security team they worked with, were able to cut through enemy resistance like hot knife through butter, allowing other elements of the NAFB to quickly complete their objectives. Reaper ground troops were only able to come in small numbers, and the NAFB made quick work of them anytime they landed in the city. Thanks to the NAFB, civilian losses were very limited, and the Reapers still had a hard time getting their troops onto the surface.
Despite the low casualty rate the NAFB suffered, the battalion still suffered some losses. Despite the Reaper's heavy disadvantage on the ground, their troops still didn't need to be fed, supplied or rested. Their relentless attacks wore down the NAFB and its allies, with some finding it difficult to keep fighting day in and day out. Some of the almost impervious Reaper capital ships made it onto the planets surface and laid waste to many of the settlements, and while civilian losses were still low thanks to the NAFB's efforts, many combatants lost their lives thanks to the capital ship's attacks. Lokea watched as many of her friends burned away in the death beams the Reapers fired, nearly avoiding the ship's gaze by sticking to the buildings. The NAFB had to maneuver around the capital ships to continue their operations, though they were able to neutralize at least two Reaper destroyers with what little heavy weapons they could get their hands on. And because of their actions, they continued to be a nuisance to the Reapers who tried to take Nos Astra.
As the months went on, normal life became a distant memory. Lokea could barely keep herself motivated anymore as the fight continued. Nos Astra was almost in ruins, and the life the city had once had was long gone. The only people that remained here at this point where just the soldiers who were doing their best to keep the Reapers away from the planet. Despite the presence of the capital ships and destroyers, the NAFB still did a good job at keeping the ground troops away. The only thing left on Lokea's mind was war. It felt like that was all her life at this point, and she felt a bit empty for it. The company of Eppo and Stax did keep her in moderate spirits, but when she was all alone, all she could do was draw and paint the pain away.
And then the Reapers fell. A massive wave of red static energy washed over the planet, and encased in red lightning, the Reapers ceased to function and all of them fell. The wave blown all Reaper ground forces to ashes. After the Reaper ships fell to the ground, there was an almost deafening silence. A cease of explosions, death beams and gunfire. A cease of blood-chilling screams, hostile or friendly. After three minutes of complete silence, a human member of the NAFB raised his rifle in victory and shouted at the top of his lungs. Lokea, Stax, Eppo and the rest of the NAFB followed suit in the celebration of galactic victory. They won.
And they were free.
After the Reapers were defeated, everyone had time to finally grieve. Many of Lokea's friends died during the war, but thankfully, many of those closest to her survived. Almost all of Zhu's Hope made it through the war unscathed, and both Stax and Eppo survived the war with her. Those that maintained the shelters went to the surface to help rebuild the city, and Lokea assisted in the NAFB's post-war peacekeeping efforts. Despite the grief and emptiness the whole galaxy felt after the war was over, there was still some celebration and partying happening. Eppo's element of the NAFB returned to his (now ruined) resort to party like old times, and despite the festivities, everyone knew in their hearts that nothing will be the same again.
Lokea did her best to apply her non-combat skills to the rebuilding efforts anytime she wasn't on peacekeeping duty. For the next year, she and the rest of Nos Astra's survivors helped rebuild the city, as well as some of its culture. A lot of things changed since then. As the economy slowly recovered, a greater emphasis was placed on the preservation of life, and the planet saw lots of reform. As Illium was rebuilding, Lokea and the NAFB continued in their peacekeeping duties, often fighting gangs and slavers that forgot the main lesson that the Reaper Invasion taught the galaxy. The NAFB's combined experience made them a feared fighting force, and it didn't take long for most of the local criminal elements to back off. Off-world criminal elements got the message too, but two years too late. Lokea herself was involved in many of the anti-gang and anti-slaver operations that the NAFB completed, many of them completed with the help of Stax. Eppo, however, had long since quit the NAFB and went to work on rebuilding his financial empire. While it would take years, Eppo promised all of his former staff that he would rehire them once he regained his wealth and assets, and that they were free to come visit him anytime they were on leave. Lokea, Stax and most of Eppo's surviving staff obliged him any chance they got.
As time went on, the NAFB's activities died down. By 2190, Illium had rebuilt most of its law enforcement and military, and the government made the rather controversial decision to disband the Nos Astra Freedom Battalion. Officially, they said that such a paramilitary organization was no longer necessary since most societal functions were now restored, but a popular conspiracy says that Illium's corporate elite pressured the government into disbanding the NAFB, as the group often hurt the profits of companies that relied on less ethical means. However, most members of the NAFB were reintegrated into Illium's military and law enforcement, and the rest were rehired by the companies they used to work for. Lokea and Stax found their way back to Eppo, who rehired them and a few other members of his security staff.
The next year was rather quiet. Since Eppo wasn't the tycoon he used to be, he had to hire all of his staff at a lower wage as he couldn't afford to pay them their old rate. He still housed them for free at his hotel, though it wasn't as good as his old resort was. Work was slow and dull, and while they still managed to salvage some good days, things still didn't feel the same. Lokea, like a good portion of the galaxy, had to battle with a lot of demons that the Reaper War gave her. She coped with it by painting and drawing, and Eppo offered to buy her art to fill up the space in his properties. Lokea agreed, and she created more pieces and tried new ways to breathe life into the places Eppo ran. Eppo ran friendly competitions with all of his staff to see who would make the best hotel room, and the results of the competitions brought more people to his hotels. Eppo slowly regained his wealth, and he slowly regained his old staff and his old resort. He slowly raised their wages to their old rates as he could afford them, and soon enough, things were kind of like old times again. Joy came back to the parties Eppo's staff threw, and Lokea found the warmth of new and familiar friends. It took years, but now Lokea felt like she was living again.
Life was good in late 2191. Almost all of Nos Astra had been rebuilt, and its economy was starting to boom again. Things were almost like they were before the war, with some downsides and some improvements. Every month, Eppo's staff would party in the memory of the friends they lost in the war, as that's what the dead would've wanted. Lokea and Stax went on their fun little adventures again, and Lokea herself continued to paint for Eppo. One day, Lokea got a letter in her virtual inbox, one from the Citadel Security Fleet. A representative came shortly after to discuss terms with Lokea, with the help of Eppo and Stax. The representative told all three of them that the Citadel Security Fleet was on a massive recruitment drive, and they were looking for skilled individuals from allied areas to help them in their new scout ship program. Lokea was personally on the fence about it, but after some discussion and consideration, her wanderlust grew once again and she decided to give it a shot. She could use some time away from Illium for a while, anyway. Eppo reassured her that there would always be a home for her within his company, and that she is more than welcome to come back after she served her tour. After some light prodding, Stax finally admitted that he would miss Lokea, and that things wouldn't really be the same without her. He did admit that he was proud of her, and he would be supportive of whatever decisions she would make. After lots of hugs and promises of frequent contact, Lokea set off for the Citadel, where she would soon be assigned to the Intervention.
Powers/Skills | Lokea herself is a rather skilled individual, who's capabilities can be best summed up as a healthy mix of Asari Commando and Alliance Marine. Thanks to the memories that were planted in her since creation, Lokea has access to a wide variety of skills acquired from Shiala and many of the colonists of Zhu's Hope. Despite her natural biotic potential, her thorian-based biology forces an instability in most of her biotic projection, limiting her mostly to using her biotics in a local or defensive capacity. Despite that, her planted memories and years of combat experience have allowed her to excel in the use of firearms and martial arts, among many other things.
Aegis Barrier - While it was Lokea's first and most basic biotic abilities, it is also the only stable one she could maintain control over. It acts in the same way kinetic shields would, but with only light focus, it can greatly reduce the effects of any incoming kinetic attacks. This barrier can be broken with enough force, or sustained force. However, Lokea has the ability to focus a lot of that protection into the form of a near-unbreakable aegis shield, not unlike that of the Backlash skill. The aegis barrier can withstand more damage than the standard one, as most of the energy is focused in a specific direction. Biotic Focus - If Lokea focused her biotics into herself, she could greatly increase her physical strength and speed, as well as greatly reduce the damage of melee attacks. The physical strength granted to her from this ability would allow her to stand up to even krogans. Tactical Cloak - Ever since Lokea joined the NAFB, she used concealment and cover to her advantage to surprise and ambush enemies. It wasn't long before she took it to the next step by the use of a tactical cloak. Using the energy from her shields, the cloak manipulates light in a way in which Lokea herself would nearly be invisible. She'd still have to be very quiet to completely evade detection, though.
Equipment | Most of Lokea's equipment came from both her security work under Eppo, as well as her service in the Nos Astra Freedom Battalion. She used to privately own her own equipment, but she sold all of it once Eppo issued her some new toys. She does her best to maintain all of her gear herself, but every now and then she might purchase a few new parts and upgrades. Since her enlistment in the Citadel Security Fleet and her assignment to the Intervention, she's gained access to some new tools to squeeze some better performance out of her gear.
M-8 Avenger Assault Rifle - This tough, reliable firearm has been a design success, and thanks to its cheap and reliable nature, it was fielded to militaries and militia groups the galaxy over during the Reaper War. Issued to Lokea when she joined the Nos Astra Freedom Battalion, she used this weapon well, and upgraded it to her liking, installing a power condenser and rate of fire selector to give it comparable performance to that of a Mattock in single fire mode. Accurate and deadly in single fire mode and devastating in full auto, this weapon has only failed unskilled users. M-5 Phalanx Handgun - Issued to her when she started working for Eppo Cal, this versatile handgun served with distinction as Lokea's sidearm. With some slight modifications, this weapon found the perfect balance between fire rate, power, range and heat capacity. She has also kitted it out with a green laser sight, which she can activate with a switch. Since Illium, this gun has always been at Lokea's side. Omni-forge - While the standard configuration of such weapon is usually an omni-blade, Lokea often uses the omni-knuckles configuration to augment her biotic punches as well. Sometimes, she uses both in conjuction with her Disruptor modifier, adding an electrical shock. Disruptor Ammo - When activated, Lokea's weapon is empowered by an electric field that causes additional damage to shields. The ammo also deals increased damage to synthetic enemies and adds a chance to temporarily disable them. In addition, the ammo has a chance to overheat enemy weapons thereby disabling them. Arc Grenade - Depending on what setting she uses, Lokea could either uses these grenades as a way to non-lethally stun targets, or absolutely fry and destroy everything within a large radius via electric shock. Ajax-class Kinetic Barrier - Thanks to the Ajax-class armor that Lokea's wearing, her kinetic barriers can withstand quite a bit of a beating, and can regenerate in a reasonable amount of time. However, like all kinetic barriers, while they can absorb damage from most ranged weapons and explosions, they do not protect from melee strikes. While the kinetic barrier is small enough to be worn on normal clothing, without the armor conduits the shield loses some of its capacity. Combined with the Ajax armor's shield conduits and ceramic plating, the shield provides a decent amount of defense. Thermal Clips - Lokea's thermal clips are only used in emergencies. In extended periods of fire, when Lokea is often using single-shot fire modes, she doesn't use thermal clips, and instead waits for the weapons to cool. However, in the event when the weapon is needed in that moment, she uses the thermal clip to change out the heat sinks and keep firing. Rangefinder - This rangefinder is a smart scope that allows Lokea to see very far distances, and she has employed it when acting as a spotter for the Nos Astra Freedom Battalion sniper groups. Omni-Tool Modules
Medigel/Healing Module - This omni-tool module allows her to perform basic first aid easily on any wounded victims. While it doesn't cure them, it can buy wounded victims enough time to get proper help. Uses this module primarily in her combat lifesaving duties. 'Swiss Army Knife' Module - Using the omni-gel converter that comes with the omni-tool, it can forge small tools that can be used for any basic need. Knives, screwdrivers, powersaws, corkscrews, nails... there's nothing the Omni-tool can't do! Almost. Digital Art Module - Lokea often likes to paint and draw with this digital interface, her Omni-tool projecting a canvas on any flat surface for her to use. In the absence of one, one is created on the omni-tool interface itself.
Affiliations | Lokea still maintains frequent contact with most of those on this list, as she has them to thank for her growth and development, as well as her survival. She has made more friends than listed below, but these are the more prominent figures in her life.
Nos Astra Freedom Battalion - A tight alliance of militias that formed in the capital of Illium during the Reaper War. Was crazy effective at guerilla tactics and anti-gang operations until they were forcibly shut down by the reformist Illium government. Lokea was once a proud member, came in as a Sergeant and left as a Staff Sergeant once the whole group got demobilized.
Eppo Cal - Alive. A wealthy and eccentric business tycoon, and a powerful biotic volus. Was a bit of a 'crazy cool uncle' for Lokea, if she had the closest human description for him. Was her boss before, during and after their tour in the NAFB, but he treated her and her friends quite well and the two became close friends. Urdnot Stax - Alive. Nicknamed "Fat Stax", this friendly krogan is the closest friend Lokea ever had. The two of them kicked ass together before, during and after the Reaper War, and hope to do so long after Lokea's tour in the Intervention. To Lokea, he's more akin to a big brother than just a business partner, despite starting as such on Korlus.
Zhu's Hope - A colony from Feros that experienced some of the opening shots of the Eden Prime War in 2183. Lokea came from here, or rather the Thorian that lived here, and spent the first year of her life on this little colony.
Shiala - Alive. An asari commando that provided the basis for the clones the Thorian created. She was there to help Lokea get her mind back on track, and work through her problems. Kielo Zhu - Alive. One of the other clones that emerged with her. Lokea owes her survival to her, as they were able to get through the first three days together. Ended up being one of the colony's doctors. Numeka Zhu - Deceased. Another clone that emerged with her, who also helped Lokea out in the first three days. She helped out with the colony's defense, but perished in the Reaper War. Davin Reynolds - Alive. Hunting partner and drinking buddy, Lokea and Davin were decent friends who hunted animals together on Feros. With Davin's help, Lokea was able to keep her skills sharp.
(Verse 1) Feels like I've been drifting Away from home Another night of wishin' I had control My thoughts drown me like a river Oh-oh-oh Always stuck in the middle
(Pre-Chorus) Wish I wasn't falling slowly Never thought it'd be so lonely Walls are closing in Don't wanna be another sad story
(Chorus) When it's all over I want you to know It was all worth it, oh Promise I won't be, I won't be another sad story
(Drop) I won't be another sad story Oh, I will never be Oh, I won't be another sad story
(Verse 2) I don't wanna watch myself fall apart 'Cause I've seen all of the pieces of myself I didn't know I had My thoughts drown me like a river Woah-oh-oh Always stuck in the middle
(Pre-Chorus) Wish I wasn't falling slowly Never thought it'd be so lonely Walls are closing in Don't wanna be another sad story
(Chorus) When it's all over I want you to know It was all worth it, oh Promise I won't be, I won't be another sad story
(Drop) I won't be another sad story Oh, I will never be Don't wanna be another sad story
When it's all over I want you to know It was all worth it, oh Promise I won't be, I won't be another sad story
Picture Gallery | Just Lokea's character art. All are hidden below here to make the character sheet neater and easier to read.
This character sheet format was poached from someone eons ago, while Lokea herself was an older character concept that I had for another Mass Effect RP 3 years back. However, she's a bit different this time around. I would consider this the best CS I ever wrote in my 6 year tenure on this site. Despite that, I wrote most of this while being super tired and braindead thanks to my job, so if there's any questions or suggestions for improvement, please don't hesitate to let me know. Thank you!
Changelog _______________________________________________ 12/12/2021 - Created character sheet.
Kaevius is tall and well built like most military Turians with a stark white carapace that is decorated with the black markings of his family and uniquely gold eyes. He keeps himself well put together whether it be with his armor or when he is relaxing in his more comfortable clothes. He has surprisingly kept himself mostly free of scars due to sheer dumb luck most of the time, and wearing a helmet, but that doesn’t mean there aren’t a few that are scattered underneath the armor. He tends to keep to neutral colors that more closely match his complexion than anything bright.
Height 6' 5"
Personality When on duty Kaevius has a strict no nonsense type disposition. He understands the necessity of following orders and playing things careful and safe in order to protect the well being of the team and make sure that the mission goes smoothly as his trainers and COs taught him over the years. There isn’t time for hesitation when lives or the hood of the mission is on the line, so snap judgements need to be made.
However, when he's off the clock he is more than willing to let loose a little bit and have some fun. When not on a mission he likes to keep things light and avoid serious topics of conversation, unless strictly necessary. This doesn't mean he's oblivious or lacks insight-he knows full well how to read a room and when it's time to sober up. A lot of his jovial nature comes from a desire to cover up the stress and anxiety of the aftermath of the Reaper Invasion, and try to do that a bit for others as well. The only time he’s really quiet when off duty is when he holes himself up with his weapons in order to tinker with them.
Being a sniper makes him highly observant and patient, which translates into the time he spends around the crew. He can frequently tell when someone is struggling with something and he will try his best to help, if he can. The stark difference between the two sides of his personality can be somewhat jarring to those who haven’t spent more than one mission on his team, which is something he finds rather amusing. Most everyone expects Titian’s to be no nonsense rules followers all the time and he revels in breaking that mold.
Rank/ Role / Specialty Turian Navy Lieutenant/ Infiltrator/ Weapons Specialist
Equipment M-97 Viper M-3 Predator M-15 Vindicator Disruptor Ammo - With a focus on tech it’s important to have an ammo that can damage shields and synthetics. Adding an electric field to his ammo for additional damage and possible disable will do just that. Frag Grenade - Kaevius doesn’t like to use them often, but when he’s in a bind ripping enemies apart with shrapnel will do. Powers/Skills Incinerate - Fires a plasma projectile that does bonus damage to armor and inflicts ongoing burning damage to unshielded foes. Suffice to say it’d be foolish not to have something that can damage armor as well. Tactical Cloak - Employs light-bending technology to render the user invisible at the cost of shield regeneration. Kaevius mostly uses it to slip undetected into position so he can take a clean sniper shot or hit a weak armor point with incinerate. It’s the most important power in his arsenal. Proximity Mine - Deploys an explosive mine that triggers when an enemy comes within proximity of or crosses a sensor laser. Enemies suffer more damage the closer they are to the mine. When combined with is tactical cloak and a bottleneck ambush this power is incredibly useful. Luring enemies near it with a few well placed shots also works. Biography
Kaevius was born shortly after the beginning of the First Contact War in 2161 to a family of, at the time three, and quickly became the focus of his father's attention. Having an older sister meant that he was the first born son and therefore was meant to follow in his father's footsteps and join the military and become an officer. High Admiral Costus Mercarian is a well known name across Palaven and the Citadel which puts a great deal of pressure on Kaevius for the sake of the family name and his people. His father served in the First Contact War and, supposedly, held the ear of the Turian Councilor, but he never confirmed or denied the statements; preferring to let the people add to his heroic standing.
This didn't mean that Kaevius had a difficult or unloved childhood. Quite the opposite really. His father and mother both doted on him, as much as Turians do, and he found himself at the whims of the universe when it came to what he wanted to spend his free time doing. Much of that time was spent with his best friend Lucus Scrilin in the forests and fields on his family's property playing soldier or whatever else caught their fancy. He remained friends with Lucus all through boot camp and all through his service in the Turian Navy, and then on The Citadel for a brief stint of time until the war.
Being the first son his older sister, Iciana, got somewhat pushed to the wayside in his favor leading the two of them to have a less than friendly relationship for most of his youth up until he left for boot camp. Before he left she got married and moved away, he never expected to see her again and at the time his adolescent brain told him "good riddance" which is something he would come to regret years down the line. On the other head the birth of his younger brother Tiberius brought about a whole new series of fun things to do with the younger Turian and his father greatly encouraged their closeness and interaction as time went on. Even before he went to boot camp the two of them trained with Costus on simple hand to hand and how to shoot the most basic of weapons. At the time it always just felt like another fun game, but he is more than grateful for his father's careful guidance.
Boot camp came with more difficulties than he'd ultimately anticipated. He fun loving and jovial child he had been was quickly squashed by harsh COs and difficult training regimes in order to prepare him for work as a military officer, which meant even longer than just the required year of training. Once he let the COs think they'd worked the sense of self out of him and left behind a structured and obedient soldier his life got quite a lot easier, but that didn't stop himself and Lucus getting into trouble after lights out. Thankfully they never truly got caught or he would've seen the last of officer training. Instead he passed with flying colors and was assigned to a field unit where he spent the first part of his career working on fighting ground troop pockets of mercenaries and slavers all over the nearby systems and even leading a few teams himself. It was exciting and let him get an idea for the kind of work he could do across the galaxy, but he felt like he wanted to broaden his horizons, and what better place to do that than on The Citadel.
A little before Saren's invasion of the Citadel with Sovereign and his geth army Kaevius began work with C-Sec after coming to The Citadel as bright eyed as any young recruit; looking at the arms and vast number of ships that sped in and out of port. It was exactly the kind of place he had always wanted to see and he took no time in learning the ins and outs of every place that criminals might like to hole up. Not to say he didn't spend time enjoying some of the finer things in life that could only come with working a Citadel job, but the COs didn't need to know about that. Working with C-Sec was different than working with the Turian Military and thankfully he was already accustomed to the amount of red tape and bureaucracy that comes with serving in a structured organization. It was a bit of a step down from leading field teams, but what he ultimately wanted was to serve in the Turian Navy and any connection he could get would serve him well.
He kept his nose to the grindstone and worked hard to prove himself an asset to his superior officers and hopefully get recommended to a ship within the Turian Navy so he could explore the stars as he and Lucus had always imagined when they were children. Things were going well until Saren's invasion where he mostly focused on helping people evacuate with the occasional run in with pockets of geth that sent most of his C-Sec team scattering. He took a few good hits from the synthetics, but thankfully none of the civilians he needed to evacuate got killed. The rest of his team was not so lucky. A blown hole in the side of the arm they were serving in sent more than a few out into open space without a suit.
With the destruction of Sovereign by Commander Shepherd, a man that Kaevius had a large amount of respect for, he was able to turn his attention back to the protection of the Citadel. What he couldn't believe was that after the invasion the Council seemed disinclined to believe the Commander when it came to the threat of what Sovereign truly was. A Reaper, according to some of the interviews he saw, but he kept his mouth shut and let the Council say what they wanted. He knew the Commander wouldn't have lied about as big a threat as this, but its not like there was anything he could do about it.
He only heard rumors of the fights with the creatures known as the Collectors and the involvement of the human supremacy organization Cerberus. He was grateful that none of that fight made it to the The Citadel, the last thing they needed was a second invasion just after everything had been mostly fixed. Based on the reports and hushed words that he heard he couldn't help but think that the Commander had a point and that they were up against something far more dangerous than just the geth or Collectors.
With the recommendation of one of his commanding officers at C-Sec Kaevius did get the post he was seeking with the Eighth Assault Fleet that served in Citadel space. He served under Velnus Domidros. A stern "lifer" who'd been serving in the Turian Navy since the moment he was able to. The older Turian must've seen something in Kaevius and took him on as a sort of apprentice. Teaching him leadership, command, and what became a massive hobby for him: weapon modification.
Unfortunately he didn't get to spend much time with the Eighth Fleet as the Reaper Invasion took quick hold of many systems. They got reports of whole planets and even solar systems going dark across the galaxy and it didn't take long for them to understand why. Shepherd had been right all along, and they were going to have to fight.
The Eighth Fleet was quickly called back to Palaven and Kaevius decided to utilize his time working as a field leader on the ground to his advantage. As much as he wanted to stay with the Navy ship he knew where his specialties would be most well utilized and he wasn't about to let his own wants get in the way of what was best for Palaven. He quickly found his father, who had previously been in the Reserves, and joined up with the troops that were under his command. He also found that his mother and brother were able to get off world-Tiberius taking up the responsibility of taking care of her. He also learned of the death of his sister and her whole family. While he had never had the best relationship with her, he never wanted her dead and this lit a fire inside. He would not let anyone else he cared for die in this war.
The fighting on Palaven was brutal and bloody, that was the arena he spent almost the entire war in. They had holed themselves up and it was siege at that point. He went out on the occasional raid with his father in an attempt to thin the herds of husks, marauders, and brutes or just keep communications up and running. One raid went horribly wrong and left the majority of his father's troops too mutilated to move or dead where they lay. An ambush set by marauders in a choke point that was run down by a brute. Efficient and deadly-just like the Turians. He stood by his mental declaration at the beginning of the war and saved his father. They were the only ones to make it back to base, bloody but alive. His father fully lost one of his legs to the tearing strength of the brute, but that didn't stop him from getting back out and giving orders. At that point Kaevius knew he couldn't give in either.
When the Battle of Earth began preparations he once again joined up with the Turian Navy Fleet, though he was upset to learn of the death of his CO. He joined in with the fleet and watched as many other ships were shot down by the Reapers. He could feel his determination flagging the wave of red light shut down all of the Reapers and just like that the war was over. He knew that it would take months to get even the most rudimentary jump ready with how damaged the relays were, but just like everyone else he was happy to know that they weren't all about to die.
After then invasion Kaevius lost a little bit of direction. With the death of his sister, the loss of his father's command, the knowledge that his best friend was declared MIA, and the general reeling that the whole of the galaxy was going through he found it difficult to find the drive to do anything more than watch the world go on around him and the surviving members of every race begin to rebuild.
It took several years before he was actually able to pull himself out of his torper and try to find his way in the world again. He found that direction with the Citadel Security Fleet. The new initiative gave him back that sense of camaraderie that he was lacking. With his assignment to the Intervention and the new crew he hopes to be able to at least somewhat restore that sense of wanderlust and excitement that he had so many years ago.
Affiliations Mother: Allonia Mercarian: Alive Father: Costus Mercarian: Alive but crippled in the Reaper Invasion on Palaven Younger Brother: Tiberius Mercarian: Alive Older Sister: Iciana Mercarian: Dead Best Friend: Lucus Scrilin: Unknown CO: Velnus Domidros: Dead
Kaevius is tall and well built like most military Turians with a stark white carapace that is decorated with the black markings of his family and uniquely gold eyes. He keeps himself well put together whether it be with his armor or when he is relaxing in his more comfortable clothes. He has surprisingly kept himself mostly free of scars due to sheer dumb luck most of the time, and wearing a helmet, but that doesn’t mean there aren’t a few that are scattered underneath the armor. He tends to keep to neutral colors that more closely match his complexion than anything bright.
Height 6' 5"
Personality When on duty Kaevius has a strict no nonsense type disposition. He understands the necessity of following orders and playing things careful and safe in order to protect the well being of the team and make sure that the mission goes smoothly as his trainers and COs taught him over the years. There isn’t time for hesitation when lives or the hood of the mission is on the line, so snap judgements need to be made.
However, when he's off the clock he is more than willing to let loose a little bit and have some fun. When not on a mission he likes to keep things light and avoid serious topics of conversation, unless strictly necessary. This doesn't mean he's oblivious or lacks insight-he knows full well how to read a room and when it's time to sober up. A lot of his jovial nature comes from a desire to cover up the stress and anxiety of the aftermath of the Reaper Invasion, and try to do that a bit for others as well. The only time he’s really quiet when off duty is when he holes himself up with his weapons in order to tinker with them.
Being a sniper makes him highly observant and patient, which translates into the time he spends around the crew. He can frequently tell when someone is struggling with something and he will try his best to help, if he can. The stark difference between the two sides of his personality can be somewhat jarring to those who haven’t spent more than one mission on his team, which is something he finds rather amusing. Most everyone expects Titian’s to be no nonsense rules followers all the time and he revels in breaking that mold.
Rank/ Role / Specialty Turian Navy Lieutenant/ Infiltrator/ Weapons Specialist
Equipment M-97 Viper M-3 Predator M-15 Vindicator Disruptor Ammo - With a focus on tech it’s important to have an ammo that can damage shields and synthetics. Adding an electric field to his ammo for additional damage and possible disable will do just that. Frag Grenade - Kaevius doesn’t like to use them often, but when he’s in a bind ripping enemies apart with shrapnel will do. Powers/Skills Incinerate - Fires a plasma projectile that does bonus damage to armor and inflicts ongoing burning damage to unshielded foes. Suffice to say it’d be foolish not to have something that can damage armor as well. Tactical Cloak - Employs light-bending technology to render the user invisible at the cost of shield regeneration. Kaevius mostly uses it to slip undetected into position so he can take a clean sniper shot or hit a weak armor point with incinerate. It’s the most important power in his arsenal. Proximity Mine - Deploys an explosive mine that triggers when an enemy comes within proximity of or crosses a sensor laser. Enemies suffer more damage the closer they are to the mine. When combined with is tactical cloak and a bottleneck ambush this power is incredibly useful. Luring enemies near it with a few well placed shots also works. Biography
Kaevius was born shortly after the beginning of the First Contact War in 2161 to a family of, at the time three, and quickly became the focus of his father's attention. Having an older sister meant that he was the first born son and therefore was meant to follow in his father's footsteps and join the military and become an officer. High Admiral Costus Mercarian is a well known name across Palaven and the Citadel which puts a great deal of pressure on Kaevius for the sake of the family name and his people. His father served in the First Contact War and, supposedly, held the ear of the Turian Councilor, but he never confirmed or denied the statements; preferring to let the people add to his heroic standing.
This didn't mean that Kaevius had a difficult or unloved childhood. Quite the opposite really. His father and mother both doted on him, as much as Turians do, and he found himself at the whims of the universe when it came to what he wanted to spend his free time doing. Much of that time was spent with his best friend Lucus Scrilin in the forests and fields on his family's property playing soldier or whatever else caught their fancy. He remained friends with Lucus all through boot camp and all through his service in the Turian Navy, and then on The Citadel for a brief stint of time until the war.
Being the first son his older sister, Iciana, got somewhat pushed to the wayside in his favor leading the two of them to have a less than friendly relationship for most of his youth up until he left for boot camp. Before he left she got married and moved away, he never expected to see her again and at the time his adolescent brain told him "good riddance" which is something he would come to regret years down the line. On the other head the birth of his younger brother Tiberius brought about a whole new series of fun things to do with the younger Turian and his father greatly encouraged their closeness and interaction as time went on. Even before he went to boot camp the two of them trained with Costus on simple hand to hand and how to shoot the most basic of weapons. At the time it always just felt like another fun game, but he is more than grateful for his father's careful guidance.
Boot camp came with more difficulties than he'd ultimately anticipated. He fun loving and jovial child he had been was quickly squashed by harsh COs and difficult training regimes in order to prepare him for work as a military officer, which meant even longer than just the required year of training. Once he let the COs think they'd worked the sense of self out of him and left behind a structured and obedient soldier his life got quite a lot easier, but that didn't stop himself and Lucus getting into trouble after lights out. Thankfully they never truly got caught or he would've seen the last of officer training. Instead he passed with flying colors and was assigned to a field unit where he spent the first part of his career working on fighting ground troop pockets of mercenaries and slavers all over the nearby systems and even leading a few teams himself. It was exciting and let him get an idea for the kind of work he could do across the galaxy, but he felt like he wanted to broaden his horizons, and what better place to do that than on The Citadel.
A little before Saren's invasion of the Citadel with Sovereign and his geth army Kaevius began work with C-Sec after coming to The Citadel as bright eyed as any young recruit; looking at the arms and vast number of ships that sped in and out of port. It was exactly the kind of place he had always wanted to see and he took no time in learning the ins and outs of every place that criminals might like to hole up. Not to say he didn't spend time enjoying some of the finer things in life that could only come with working a Citadel job, but the COs didn't need to know about that. Working with C-Sec was different than working with the Turian Military and thankfully he was already accustomed to the amount of red tape and bureaucracy that comes with serving in a structured organization. It was a bit of a step down from leading field teams, but what he ultimately wanted was to serve in the Turian Navy and any connection he could get would serve him well.
He kept his nose to the grindstone and worked hard to prove himself an asset to his superior officers and hopefully get recommended to a ship within the Turian Navy so he could explore the stars as he and Lucus had always imagined when they were children. Things were going well until Saren's invasion where he mostly focused on helping people evacuate with the occasional run in with pockets of geth that sent most of his C-Sec team scattering. He took a few good hits from the synthetics, but thankfully none of the civilians he needed to evacuate got killed. The rest of his team was not so lucky. A blown hole in the side of the arm they were serving in sent more than a few out into open space without a suit.
With the destruction of Sovereign by Commander Shepherd, a man that Kaevius had a large amount of respect for, he was able to turn his attention back to the protection of the Citadel. What he couldn't believe was that after the invasion the Council seemed disinclined to believe the Commander when it came to the threat of what Sovereign truly was. A Reaper, according to some of the interviews he saw, but he kept his mouth shut and let the Council say what they wanted. He knew the Commander wouldn't have lied about as big a threat as this, but its not like there was anything he could do about it.
He only heard rumors of the fights with the creatures known as the Collectors and the involvement of the human supremacy organization Cerberus. He was grateful that none of that fight made it to the The Citadel, the last thing they needed was a second invasion just after everything had been mostly fixed. Based on the reports and hushed words that he heard he couldn't help but think that the Commander had a point and that they were up against something far more dangerous than just the geth or Collectors.
With the recommendation of one of his commanding officers at C-Sec Kaevius did get the post he was seeking with the Eighth Assault Fleet that served in Citadel space. He served under Velnus Domidros. A stern "lifer" who'd been serving in the Turian Navy since the moment he was able to. The older Turian must've seen something in Kaevius and took him on as a sort of apprentice. Teaching him leadership, command, and what became a massive hobby for him: weapon modification.
Unfortunately he didn't get to spend much time with the Eighth Fleet as the Reaper Invasion took quick hold of many systems. They got reports of whole planets and even solar systems going dark across the galaxy and it didn't take long for them to understand why. Shepherd had been right all along, and they were going to have to fight.
The Eighth Fleet was quickly called back to Palaven and Kaevius decided to utilize his time working as a field leader on the ground to his advantage. As much as he wanted to stay with the Navy ship he knew where his specialties would be most well utilized and he wasn't about to let his own wants get in the way of what was best for Palaven. He quickly found his father, who had previously been in the Reserves, and joined up with the troops that were under his command. He also found that his mother and brother were able to get off world-Tiberius taking up the responsibility of taking care of her. He also learned of the death of his sister and her whole family. While he had never had the best relationship with her, he never wanted her dead and this lit a fire inside. He would not let anyone else he cared for die in this war.
The fighting on Palaven was brutal and bloody, that was the arena he spent almost the entire war in. They had holed themselves up and it was siege at that point. He went out on the occasional raid with his father in an attempt to thin the herds of husks, marauders, and brutes or just keep communications up and running. One raid went horribly wrong and left the majority of his father's troops too mutilated to move or dead where they lay. An ambush set by marauders in a choke point that was run down by a brute. Efficient and deadly-just like the Turians. He stood by his mental declaration at the beginning of the war and saved his father. They were the only ones to make it back to base, bloody but alive. His father fully lost one of his legs to the tearing strength of the brute, but that didn't stop him from getting back out and giving orders. At that point Kaevius knew he couldn't give in either.
When the Battle of Earth began preparations he once again joined up with the Turian Navy Fleet, though he was upset to learn of the death of his CO. He joined in with the fleet and watched as many other ships were shot down by the Reapers. He could feel his determination flagging the wave of red light shut down all of the Reapers and just like that the war was over. He knew that it would take months to get even the most rudimentary jump ready with how damaged the relays were, but just like everyone else he was happy to know that they weren't all about to die.
After then invasion Kaevius lost a little bit of direction. With the death of his sister, the loss of his father's command, the knowledge that his best friend was declared MIA, and the general reeling that the whole of the galaxy was going through he found it difficult to find the drive to do anything more than watch the world go on around him and the surviving members of every race begin to rebuild.
It took several years before he was actually able to pull himself out of his torper and try to find his way in the world again. He found that direction with the Citadel Security Fleet. The new initiative gave him back that sense of camaraderie that he was lacking. With his assignment to the Intervention and the new crew he hopes to be able to at least somewhat restore that sense of wanderlust and excitement that he had so many years ago.
Affiliations Mother: Allonia Mercarian: Alive Father: Costus Mercarian: Alive but crippled in the Reaper Invasion on Palaven Younger Brother: Tiberius Mercarian: Alive Older Sister: Iciana Mercarian: Dead Best Friend: Lucus Scrilin: Unknown CO: Velnus Domidros: Dead
Appearance | Lokea bears an uncanny resemblance to the asari commando Shiala, green skin and all. She maintains a fit physicality, her feminine curves noticeable and prominent, but not hindering. Surrounding her green eyes are a warm orange and red fade, as well as a variety of darker markings that surround her eyes. On-duty, she wears the standard issue Intervention uniform, but while she's off-duty, she sticks to a simple brown NAFB hoodie and black slacks. In combat missions, however, she wears a worn dark set of Ajax Armor, as well as a black breather mask with a painted skull on it. The Ajax Armor once had the emblems of the Nos Astra Freedom Battalion and her rank of Sergeant, but they were erased away. (Will update once I start creating character art, which will be hotlinked and posted below)
Personality | Like her clone sisters, she didn't really have much of a personality when she first emerged. Well, she did have hundreds of personalities, but they all came in the form of thoughts and memories planted into her from the Thorian that created her. It took a lot of time and experiences for her to figure out which of the memories and personalities she should rely on, and over time she found the ones she liked and came into her own being. As time went on, she became more of an expressive individual who enjoys the company of friendly creatures. From her planted memories and experiences at Zhu's Hope, she uses them in her attempts to be a kinder and friendlier person. She once struggled with the idea of being a clone, but thanks to her close friends, she was able to find security and grace within herself. Her expressive attitude compels her to create beauty, often in the form of drawings and paintings. Thanks to having the implanted memories of one asari and many humans, she's adopted expressions and body languages of both. As for the many values that have been planted, she stuck with the ones that she's liked the best (being kind, standing up for the weak, etc). On the other hand, she is a rather hedonistic individual who lives for the present. Thanks to the Reaper War, she doesn't really plan too far ahead. Despite being secure in herself, the Reaper War made her feel small again, and the loss of many of her friends gives her quite a bit of survivor's guilt. Regardless, she maintains a wanderlust that compels her to go see the stars for herself. (Will edit and develop through play)
Backstory | Long story short, Lokea Zhu is an Asari Clone born from the Thorian who made a name for herself in Illium. She spent some time on Feros helping out its residents, finding out who she was and who she wanted to be. She travelled the stars for a short period of time, eventually ending up on Korlus and working with a friendly krogan named Urdnot Stax. Their work on Korlus earned them residence on Illium, where they worked for an eccentric volus who went by Eppo Cal. When the Reapers arrived, she joined the Nos Astra Freedom Battalion, saved the lives of many with her abilities, and served with distinction. After the war ended, Lokea continued to serve with the NAFB for a bit, and after it disbanded, she was rehired by Eppo Cal and continued to work for him. It was only recently that she was poached by the Citadel Security Fleet, where she would be assigned to the Intervention.
Born from the genetic stock of the Asari Commando Shiala in 2183, Lokea was created under strange circumstances by the Thorian, an ancient sentient plant found on the planet of Feros. While the Thorian exerted its influence and control of the populace of the nearby colony of Zhu's Hope, it created strange green-skinned clones of Shiala in order to speak for it and defend it. While quite a few were deployed when Commander Shepard arrived in search of the conduit, some were stored in sacks as a quick response measure. Some were deployed in order to quickly stop Shepard as the Thorian resisted Shepard's attempts to dispose of it. However, Shepard's squad was able to quickly dispatch the clones, the creepers and the nodes that held the Thorian in the building. The Thorian was killed, Shiala and the Zhu's Hope colonists were freed, and Shepard was able to use the conduit as planned, getting closer to Saren.
However, not all of the sacs were destroyed, and not all of the clones were killed. Hours after the incident, Lokea surfaced from one of these sacs, free from the grasp of the Thorian. While she had a mixture of memories given to her by the Thorian when she was created, these memories were all scrambled, all from different minds and different bodies. She struggled to figure out who she was, what her name was, and who to speak for. As she walked amongst the corpses of the creepers and clones that had fallen in the battle earlier, two more clones like her emerged as well. They met and got acquainted, and knowing that they were all in the same boat, they worked together to get out of the ruins they were in. Once they got hungry, they worked together to hunt some varren that wandered around the ruins. The three clones wandered the ruins for three days, all while trying to figure out who they were and what they should do next. It wasn't long before they stumbled into some of the colonists at Zhu's Hope. The colonists immediately tended to their needs and sent them back to their colony, where all three of them met Shiala.
Shiala proved herself to be more than helpful to both the colony and the clones. As they were fed and sheltered at the colony, Shiala explained to them who they were and why their minds were so clouded with memories and thoughts from others. After some impromptu counseling from Shiala and Lizbeth Baynham, the three eventually picked their names. The two other clones came to be named Kielo and Numeka, taking on the last name of 'Zhu' from Lizbeth's suggestion. Lokea followed suit with her last name, chosing her first name from the word 'Hope' from an ancient asari language, her name roughly translating to that of The Hope of Zhu. All three of them were known in the colony as the Zhu Sisters. Over the period of a year, the sisters ingratiated themselves into the colony and functioned quite well. While Kielo and Numeka assisted Shiala in her efforts in rebuilding and healing the colony, Lokea carved a path of her own, often going out on hunts and scouting missions with Davin Reynolds. In that time, the biotics of Shiala and the Zhu Sisters degraded thanks to the effects of the Thorian, and the four of them had to adapt to that. As Lokea's planted memories gave her visions of different places, her wanderlust grew, especially after hearing about Shepard's galactic exploits from the news.
In 2184, Lokea made the difficult decision to move away from Zhu's Hope to go see the galaxy for herself. While she had grown very close to many of the members of the colony, she felt that she would find her true calling elsewhere, as there wasn't much left for her to do at the colony. Ledra gave Lokea a free ride to Eden Prime during one of his supply runs, and from then, she wandered across the Milky Way.
In her several months of travels, Lokea's been to Eden Prime, the Citadel, Bekenstein and Korlus, doing odd jobs and light mercenary work to put food on the table and pay for other expenses. Her planted memories gave her quite a unique advantage in most job markets, as she had the combined skills of most of the affected colonists from Zhu's Hope. In Eden Prime, she mostly did contract work in the construction of homes and small buildings to pay for her ticket to the Citadel, all while visiting the sites of where the first shots of the Eden Prime War took place. She quickly made her way to the Citadel, where she spent a month doing maintenance and security work. She got into a few light scuffles with petty criminals, but she was able to end them quickly without causing serious harm. It slowly became clear to her that she couldn't afford to live on the Citadel, so she kept moving. She spent a week at Bekenstein sightseeing before saddling up for Korlus.
The moment Lokea made landfall on Korlus, she knew already that she hated it. A hot, noxious scrapyard world almost uninhabitable, the asari spent most of her time there in a rather dilapidated climate-controlled motel room. Thanks to the rather cheap rates of almost everything here, Lokea was actually able to turn a profit this time around from the odd jobs she did here. When she wasn't doing security work, she was also performing maintenance and deliveries for a few tidy sums. After about two weeks, Lokea got her first taste of blood when she killed six batarian gangsters and wounded four more when they attempted to murder her and one of her clients. Despite the rather terrifying incident, Lokea's implanted combat experience helped her during the fight and after it. Since that incident, Lokea got more jobs and earned some notoriety from some of the local gangs. On a particular anti-gang job, she was hired by a friendly krogan named Urdnot Stax, whom she later befriended and nicknamed 'Fat Stax'. She did a few jobs with him, and thanks to how crazy effective they were as a team, both of them agreed to a partnership. The neighborhood they lived in noticeably improved with their presence, and inspired some of the residents to stand up to some of the gangs that ravaged it.
After a month of doing anti-gang and bodyguard jobs, work died down a bit, as their neighborhood became arguably one of the safest on the planet. More people came to the neighboorhood, and the cost of living started to climb there. Both Lokea and Stax knew that the positive direction the neighborhood was meant that they would have to move somewhere else to keep making money, and while they considered their options, a new job came in. A wealthy volus merchant named Eppo Cal contacted them, and told them that his brother Niftu Cal had been kidnapped and held for ransom by a group of slavers, who also kidnapped a number of Eppo's staff. Eppo tracked the slavers down to a large building in Korlus, and he is paying good money for the recovery of both his brother Niftu and his staff. They took the job, and were soon greeted by a small group of mercenaries from Illium. The team worked on a proper plan and executed it the next morning. While Lokea and some lighter members of the team came in from the roof by rappelling down along the wall, Stax and the heavier team members stormed the building from the ground floor. Lokea's team quickly found Niftu, and shot the slavers through the windows before bursting through. Stax's team located the missing staff, who were in the process of being auctioned off, and promptly rescued them after gunning down all hostiles in the room. The rest of the building was cleared out within minutes, and all hostages were safely rescued.
It wasn't long before Eppo recieved the good news on Illium. Due to their resounding success, he paid all involved what they were owed, along with a bonus. As a further token of gratitude, he offered Lokea and Stax a ride to Illium, as well as a free two-week stay at one of his resorts in Nos Astra. Lokea saw a means of leaving the planet, and Stax saw a business opportunity, and both immediately accepted.
It was clear to both Stax and Lokea that their free resort stay was to sweeten an upcoming deal Eppo had for them, so when it came, they kept their heads clear about it. Eppo offered both Stax and Lokea jobs as high ranking members of his security team, and after some calm negotiation, both Stax and Lokea agreed to it and signed on. The next day, they got acquainted with the rest of Eppo's team, a good portion of them being the same mercenaries that participated in the Korlus rescue mission. Eppo made sure to give both Stax and Lokea new weapons, and both continued to use their new toys well into the present. Since mid 2184, Stax and Lokea worked as members of Eppo's security team. Most of the work itself was rather boring, but it did pay well and the duo took every chance they got to live like monarchs, even if it was for a few days out of the month. While Lokea and Stax performed rather dull duties throughout their new career, the few oddball assignments they did get broke up the monotony. Some missions they performed involved hostage rescue, others involved a little bit of corporate espionage, and sometimes Eppo just liked going to dangerous places and forced both Lokea and Stax to tag along.
Both Stax and Lokea knew that Eppo was a biotic since they signed on with him, but they never knew the full extent of his powers until the beginning of 2185. During a "business trip" to Omega, Eppo and his security team were ambushed by some Blood Pack mercenaries, but the volus didn't fret in the slightest. The three krogan and five vorcha that came for them couldn't stand back up for hours after Eppo thrashed them with his biotic powers, and the duo couldn't help themselves but be incredibly impressed by Eppo's biotic ability. Lokea herself was only slightly jealous of his ability to perform a biotic charge, but she managed to keep these feelings to herself. They later found out that those Blood Pack mercenaries were sent by one of Eppo's rivals, and while Stax suggested reprisal, Eppo declined on the basis of principle.
Both Stax and Lokea continued working for Eppo, taking on assignments and completing them with ease. Their effectiveness earned them a little bit of notoriety, where the duo started getting job offers from other businessfolk with promises of higher payouts. The duo considered them, but a little research often revealed the would-be poachers to be rather shady and untrustworthy individuals at best. It took some time for the duo to start trusting Eppo, but they've grown to be rather fond of the eccentric volus. While the rest of Eppo's security team were at first cautious about the duo, they've also bonded well with Lokea and Stax. On days off, the whole security team threw parties at Eppo's Nos Astra resort (where he lets them live free of charge), parties that soon became the source of many of Lokea's positive memories.
When Lokea didn't feel like partying, she dabbled a bit in her artistic side, often painting and drawing digital art with the help of her omni-tool. Her artistic skills left much to be desired, but using implanted skills from some of the colonists, she got a small head start on some of the basics. At the time, her art hasn't really impressed anyone, but Stax and Eppo liked seeing this side to her.
The year of 2186 was one that was burned into the memory of the rest of the galaxy. The Reaper Invasion began with little warning, and the devastation was staggering. Thanks to the quick actions from most of the companies on Illium, the planetary fleet managed to keep most of Reapers from landing on the planet's surface by targeting the troop transports. For a while, the planetary fleet remained engaged with the Reaper capital ships, buying those on the surface enough time to evacuate to safer locations. However, while most of the Reaper's transport ships were destroyed by Illium's flotilla, a few made it through and landed on Nos Astra. The chaos of the evacuation and the battle in space made it rather difficult to really coordinate a ground defense, and Illium's authority had their hands full managing the situation.
At the first signs of the Reaper invasion, Eppo immediately liquidated all of his assets and went to work on purchasing weapons, armor and survival gear. He rallied all of his staff and immediately assigned them different jobs. All of his non-combat personnel were to build and maintain public shelters while his security teams were to form a militia. Eppo's quick actions garnered attention from other groups, and within a week, a tight alliance of various assembled militias became chartered as the Nos Astra Freedom Battalion. Consisting of mercenaries, law enforcement personnel and combat veterans, the Nos Astra Freedom Battalion became a well-regulated paramilitary force in its own right, and immediately began operations throughout the capital of Illium. Thanks to their experience, both Stax and Lokea were signed on as sergeants, and had their armor colored to match the battalion's uniform.
During the Reaper War, Lokea served with distinction. Her defensive biotics and her new cloaking ability allowed her to save the lives of countless civilians and combatants alike, often pulling them away from the line of fire to allow them to be evacuated to safer places. Most of the operations she participated in was in the evacuation of citizens, often attempting to bring them away from combat zones so the rest of Illium's forces could better fight the invading Reapers. The asari clone had a few close calls herself, having nearly been torn apart by the Banshees that the Reapers deployed on Illium's surface. Slowly but surely, Lokea and the rest of the NAFB were able to build up a proper resistance and keep the Reapers off the planet for the most part. Lokea's guerilla tactics proved to be quite effective, with Stax acting as the vanguard and Eppo providing shield support and aggressive biotic attacks. The three of them, along with most of the former security team they worked with, were able to cut through enemy resistance like hot knife through butter, allowing other elements of the NAFB to quickly complete their objectives. Reaper ground troops were only able to come in small numbers, and the NAFB made quick work of them anytime they landed in the city. Thanks to the NAFB, civilian losses were very limited, and the Reapers still had a hard time getting their troops onto the surface.
Despite the low casualty rate the NAFB suffered, the battalion still suffered some losses. Despite the Reaper's heavy disadvantage on the ground, their troops still didn't need to be fed, supplied or rested. Their relentless attacks wore down the NAFB and its allies, with some finding it difficult to keep fighting day in and day out. Some of the almost impervious Reaper capital ships made it onto the planets surface and laid waste to many of the settlements, and while civilian losses were still low thanks to the NAFB's efforts, many combatants lost their lives thanks to the capital ship's attacks. Lokea watched as many of her friends burned away in the death beams the Reapers fired, nearly avoiding the ship's gaze by sticking to the buildings. The NAFB had to maneuver around the capital ships to continue their operations, though they were able to neutralize at least two Reaper destroyers with what little heavy weapons they could get their hands on. And because of their actions, they continued to be a nuisance to the Reapers who tried to take Nos Astra.
As the months went on, normal life became a distant memory. Lokea could barely keep herself motivated anymore as the fight continued. Nos Astra was almost in ruins, and the life the city had once had was long gone. The only people that remained here at this point where just the soldiers who were doing their best to keep the Reapers away from the planet. Despite the presence of the capital ships and destroyers, the NAFB still did a good job at keeping the ground troops away. The only thing left on Lokea's mind was war. It felt like that was all her life at this point, and she felt a bit empty for it. The company of Eppo and Stax did keep her in moderate spirits, but when she was all alone, all she could do was draw and paint the pain away.
And then the Reapers fell. A massive wave of red static energy washed over the planet, and encased in red lightning, the Reapers ceased to function and all of them fell. The wave blown all Reaper ground forces to ashes. After the Reaper ships fell to the ground, there was an almost deafening silence. A cease of explosions, death beams and gunfire. A cease of blood-chilling screams, hostile or friendly. After three minutes of complete silence, a human member of the NAFB raised his rifle in victory and shouted at the top of his lungs. Lokea, Stax, Eppo and the rest of the NAFB followed suit in the celebration of galactic victory. They won.
And they were free.
After the Reapers were defeated, everyone had time to finally grieve. Many of Lokea's friends died during the war, but thankfully, many of those closest to her survived. Almost all of Zhu's Hope made it through the war unscathed, and both Stax and Eppo survived the war with her. Those that maintained the shelters went to the surface to help rebuild the city, and Lokea assisted in the NAFB's post-war peacekeeping efforts. Despite the grief and emptiness the whole galaxy felt after the war was over, there was still some celebration and partying happening. Eppo's element of the NAFB returned to his (now ruined) resort to party like old times, and despite the festivities, everyone knew in their hearts that nothing will be the same again.
Lokea did her best to apply her non-combat skills to the rebuilding efforts anytime she wasn't on peacekeeping duty. For the next year, she and the rest of Nos Astra's survivors helped rebuild the city, as well as some of its culture. A lot of things changed since then. As the economy slowly recovered, a greater emphasis was placed on the preservation of life, and the planet saw lots of reform. As Illium was rebuilding, Lokea and the NAFB continued in their peacekeeping duties, often fighting gangs and slavers that forgot the main lesson that the Reaper Invasion taught the galaxy. The NAFB's combined experience made them a feared fighting force, and it didn't take long for most of the local criminal elements to back off. Off-world criminal elements got the message too, but two years too late. Lokea herself was involved in many of the anti-gang and anti-slaver operations that the NAFB completed, many of them completed with the help of Stax. Eppo, however, had long since quit the NAFB and went to work on rebuilding his financial empire. While it would take years, Eppo promised all of his former staff that he would rehire them once he regained his wealth and assets, and that they were free to come visit him anytime they were on leave. Lokea, Stax and most of Eppo's surviving staff obliged him any chance they got.
As time went on, the NAFB's activities died down. By 2190, Illium had rebuilt most of its law enforcement and military, and the government made the rather controversial decision to disband the Nos Astra Freedom Battalion. Officially, they said that such a paramilitary organization was no longer necessary since most societal functions were now restored, but a popular conspiracy says that Illium's corporate elite pressured the government into disbanding the NAFB, as the group often hurt the profits of companies that relied on less ethical means. However, most members of the NAFB were reintegrated into Illium's military and law enforcement, and the rest were rehired by the companies they used to work for. Lokea and Stax found their way back to Eppo, who rehired them and a few other members of his security staff.
The next year was rather quiet. Since Eppo wasn't the tycoon he used to be, he had to hire all of his staff at a lower wage as he couldn't afford to pay them their old rate. He still housed them for free at his hotel, though it wasn't as good as his old resort was. Work was slow and dull, and while they still managed to salvage some good days, things still didn't feel the same. Lokea, like a good portion of the galaxy, had to battle with a lot of demons that the Reaper War gave her. She coped with it by painting and drawing, and Eppo offered to buy her art to fill up the space in his properties. Lokea agreed, and she created more pieces and tried new ways to breathe life into the places Eppo ran. Eppo ran friendly competitions with all of his staff to see who would make the best hotel room, and the results of the competitions brought more people to his hotels. Eppo slowly regained his wealth, and he slowly regained his old staff and his old resort. He slowly raised their wages to their old rates as he could afford them, and soon enough, things were kind of like old times again. Joy came back to the parties Eppo's staff threw, and Lokea found the warmth of new and familiar friends. It took years, but now Lokea felt like she was living again.
Life was good in late 2191. Almost all of Nos Astra had been rebuilt, and its economy was starting to boom again. Things were almost like they were before the war, with some downsides and some improvements. Every month, Eppo's staff would party in the memory of the friends they lost in the war, as that's what the dead would've wanted. Lokea and Stax went on their fun little adventures again, and Lokea herself continued to paint for Eppo. One day, Lokea got a letter in her virtual inbox, one from the Citadel Security Fleet. A representative came shortly after to discuss terms with Lokea, with the help of Eppo and Stax. The representative told all three of them that the Citadel Security Fleet was on a massive recruitment drive, and they were looking for skilled individuals from allied areas to help them in their new scout ship program. Lokea was personally on the fence about it, but after some discussion and consideration, her wanderlust grew once again and she decided to give it a shot. She could use some time away from Illium for a while, anyway. Eppo reassured her that there would always be a home for her within his company, and that she is more than welcome to come back after she served her tour. After some light prodding, Stax finally admitted that he would miss Lokea, and that things wouldn't really be the same without her. He did admit that he was proud of her, and he would be supportive of whatever decisions she would make. After lots of hugs and promises of frequent contact, Lokea set off for the Citadel, where she would soon be assigned to the Intervention.
Powers/Skills | Lokea herself is a rather skilled individual, who's capabilities can be best summed up as a healthy mix of Asari Commando and Alliance Marine. Thanks to the memories that were planted in her since creation, Lokea has access to a wide variety of skills acquired from Shiala and many of the colonists of Zhu's Hope. Despite her natural biotic potential, her thorian-based biology forces an instability in most of her biotic projection, limiting her mostly to using her biotics in a local or defensive capacity. Despite that, her planted memories and years of combat experience have allowed her to excel in the use of firearms and martial arts, among many other things.
Aegis Barrier - While it was Lokea's first and most basic biotic abilities, it is also the only stable one she could maintain control over. It acts in the same way kinetic shields would, but with only light focus, it can greatly reduce the effects of any incoming kinetic attacks. This barrier can be broken with enough force, or sustained force. However, Lokea has the ability to focus a lot of that protection into the form of a near-unbreakable aegis shield, not unlike that of the Backlash skill. The aegis barrier can withstand more damage than the standard one, as most of the energy is focused in a specific direction. Biotic Focus - If Lokea focused her biotics into herself, she could greatly increase her physical strength and speed, as well as greatly reduce the damage of melee attacks. The physical strength granted to her from this ability would allow her to stand up to even krogans. Tactical Cloak - Ever since Lokea joined the NAFB, she used concealment and cover to her advantage to surprise and ambush enemies. It wasn't long before she took it to the next step by the use of a tactical cloak. Using the energy from her shields, the cloak manipulates light in a way in which Lokea herself would nearly be invisible. She'd still have to be very quiet to completely evade detection, though.
Equipment | Most of Lokea's equipment came from both her security work under Eppo, as well as her service in the Nos Astra Freedom Battalion. She used to privately own her own equipment, but she sold all of it once Eppo issued her some new toys. She does her best to maintain all of her gear herself, but every now and then she might purchase a few new parts and upgrades. Since her enlistment in the Citadel Security Fleet and her assignment to the Intervention, she's gained access to some new tools to squeeze some better performance out of her gear.
M-8 Avenger Assault Rifle - This tough, reliable firearm has been a design success, and thanks to its cheap and reliable nature, it was fielded to militaries and militia groups the galaxy over during the Reaper War. Issued to Lokea when she joined the Nos Astra Freedom Battalion, she used this weapon well, and upgraded it to her liking, installing a power condenser and rate of fire selector to give it comparable performance to that of a Mattock in single fire mode. Accurate and deadly in single fire mode and devastating in full auto, this weapon has only failed unskilled users. M-5 Phalanx Handgun - Issued to her when she started working for Eppo Cal, this versatile handgun served with distinction as Lokea's sidearm. With some slight modifications, this weapon found the perfect balance between fire rate, power, range and heat capacity. She has also kitted it out with a green laser sight, which she can activate with a switch. Since Illium, this gun has always been at Lokea's side. Omni-forge - While the standard configuration of such weapon is usually an omni-blade, Lokea often uses the omni-knuckles configuration to augment her biotic punches as well. Sometimes, she uses both in conjuction with her Disruptor modifier, adding an electrical shock. Disruptor Ammo - When activated, Lokea's weapon is empowered by an electric field that causes additional damage to shields. The ammo also deals increased damage to synthetic enemies and adds a chance to temporarily disable them. In addition, the ammo has a chance to overheat enemy weapons thereby disabling them. Arc Grenade - Depending on what setting she uses, Lokea could either uses these grenades as a way to non-lethally stun targets, or absolutely fry and destroy everything within a large radius via electric shock. Ajax-class Kinetic Barrier - Thanks to the Ajax-class armor that Lokea's wearing, her kinetic barriers can withstand quite a bit of a beating, and can regenerate in a reasonable amount of time. However, like all kinetic barriers, while they can absorb damage from most ranged weapons and explosions, they do not protect from melee strikes. While the kinetic barrier is small enough to be worn on normal clothing, without the armor conduits the shield loses some of its capacity. Combined with the Ajax armor's shield conduits and ceramic plating, the shield provides a decent amount of defense. Thermal Clips - Lokea's thermal clips are only used in emergencies. In extended periods of fire, when Lokea is often using single-shot fire modes, she doesn't use thermal clips, and instead waits for the weapons to cool. However, in the event when the weapon is needed in that moment, she uses the thermal clip to change out the heat sinks and keep firing. Rangefinder - This rangefinder is a smart scope that allows Lokea to see very far distances, and she has employed it when acting as a spotter for the Nos Astra Freedom Battalion sniper groups. Omni-Tool Modules
Medigel/Healing Module - This omni-tool module allows her to perform basic first aid easily on any wounded victims. While it doesn't cure them, it can buy wounded victims enough time to get proper help. Uses this module primarily in her combat lifesaving duties. 'Swiss Army Knife' Module - Using the omni-gel converter that comes with the omni-tool, it can forge small tools that can be used for any basic need. Knives, screwdrivers, powersaws, corkscrews, nails... there's nothing the Omni-tool can't do! Almost. Digital Art Module - Lokea often likes to paint and draw with this digital interface, her Omni-tool projecting a canvas on any flat surface for her to use. In the absence of one, one is created on the omni-tool interface itself.
Affiliations | Lokea still maintains frequent contact with most of those on this list, as she has them to thank for her growth and development, as well as her survival. She has made more friends than listed below, but these are the more prominent figures in her life.
Nos Astra Freedom Battalion - A tight alliance of militias that formed in the capital of Illium during the Reaper War. Was crazy effective at guerilla tactics and anti-gang operations until they were forcibly shut down by the reformist Illium government. Lokea was once a proud member, came in as a Sergeant and left as a Staff Sergeant once the whole group got demobilized.
Eppo Cal - Alive. A wealthy and eccentric business tycoon, and a powerful biotic volus. Was a bit of a 'crazy cool uncle' for Lokea, if she had the closest human description for him. Was her boss before, during and after their tour in the NAFB, but he treated her and her friends quite well and the two became close friends. Urdnot Stax - Alive. Nicknamed "Fat Stax", this friendly krogan is the closest friend Lokea ever had. The two of them kicked ass together before, during and after the Reaper War, and hope to do so long after Lokea's tour in the Intervention. To Lokea, he's more akin to a big brother than just a business partner, despite starting as such on Korlus.
Zhu's Hope - A colony from Feros that experienced some of the opening shots of the Eden Prime War in 2183. Lokea came from here, or rather the Thorian that lived here, and spent the first year of her life on this little colony.
Shiala - Alive. An asari commando that provided the basis for the clones the Thorian created. She was there to help Lokea get her mind back on track, and work through her problems. Kielo Zhu - Alive. One of the other clones that emerged with her. Lokea owes her survival to her, as they were able to get through the first three days together. Ended up being one of the colony's doctors. Numeka Zhu - Deceased. Another clone that emerged with her, who also helped Lokea out in the first three days. She helped out with the colony's defense, but perished in the Reaper War. Davin Reynolds - Alive. Hunting partner and drinking buddy, Lokea and Davin were decent friends who hunted animals together on Feros. With Davin's help, Lokea was able to keep her skills sharp.
(Verse 1) Feels like I've been drifting Away from home Another night of wishin' I had control My thoughts drown me like a river Oh-oh-oh Always stuck in the middle
(Pre-Chorus) Wish I wasn't falling slowly Never thought it'd be so lonely Walls are closing in Don't wanna be another sad story
(Chorus) When it's all over I want you to know It was all worth it, oh Promise I won't be, I won't be another sad story
(Drop) I won't be another sad story Oh, I will never be Oh, I won't be another sad story
(Verse 2) I don't wanna watch myself fall apart 'Cause I've seen all of the pieces of myself I didn't know I had My thoughts drown me like a river Woah-oh-oh Always stuck in the middle
(Pre-Chorus) Wish I wasn't falling slowly Never thought it'd be so lonely Walls are closing in Don't wanna be another sad story
(Chorus) When it's all over I want you to know It was all worth it, oh Promise I won't be, I won't be another sad story
(Drop) I won't be another sad story Oh, I will never be Don't wanna be another sad story
When it's all over I want you to know It was all worth it, oh Promise I won't be, I won't be another sad story
Picture Gallery | Just Lokea's character art. All are hidden below here to make the character sheet neater and easier to read.
This character sheet format was poached from someone eons ago, while Lokea herself was an older character concept that I had for another Mass Effect RP 3 years back. However, she's a bit different this time around. I would consider this the best CS I ever wrote in my 6 year tenure on this site. Despite that, I wrote most of this while being super tired and braindead thanks to my job, so if there's any questions or suggestions for improvement, please don't hesitate to let me know. Thank you!
Changelog _______________________________________________ 12/12/2021 - Created character sheet.
With Crimbo out of the way, I'm going to begin gearing up for writing the introductory post for this RP, but obviously I'd like to make sure people get their sheets in on time. Do keep in mind, if the RP starts, then that's not locking out any new sheets, I'll still be taking new ones as we go along. But I'd like a good update from all on how things are going, what people are planning and if you're busy and all that, just a friendly reminder so I don't bug you accidentally!
Sorry for the delays but the December start of a new RP is always a tricky one haha
N7 Hurricane
M3 Predator
M-8 Avenger Assault Rifle
M-5 Phalanx Handgun
