Falling Skies: PMC (Sci-fi, Mecha, Space-Odyssey/Opera)

[vietmyke]

NO LONGER ACCEPTING INTEREST AT THIS TIME

Falling Skies: Private Military Company

It is year 2899. Humanity has long since conquered the stars around them. The resources and riches from their conquests had brought the human race into an Golden Age of technological advancement. Powerful self sustaining AI's were developed to aid humans and their machines, and cyborg parts allowed cripples and the weak to continue working for society.With the advent of AI, biotech and cybertechnology several centuries prior, the advancement of humanity has grown exponentially. Starships of massive proportions were built, floating worlds in space were created, massive Utopia cities on lush green planets were erected. Worlds beyond even what humanity thought were possible were discovered. Wars weren't fought, the human race was too busy expanding at a breakneck pace. Life was perfect. Nothing could possibly go wrong.

And then it did. By the year 2480, Humanity had overextended itself; the great sprawling empire it had forged had become too large for it to support itself. The empire collapsed onto itself. In the course of 20 years, the mighty empire humanity had established splintered into thousands of factions. The fall of the Empire resulted in a massive power vacuum and the Galaxy erupted into a large feudal war. Some factions grew power by warring with other factions, taking them over; others stayed secluded for as long as they could. Many were taken back by the earth empire, and just as many were lost in deep space.

By the 25th Century, most of the numerous factions had consolidated into 3 major powers: The original Earth Empire, the largest and most numerous of the 3 powers, made up of most of the core empire planets; The Coalition, a group of separatists strictly opposed to the Earth Empire, spanning across most of colonial space; and the Krellian Republic, a reclusive, bizarre group focused mainly along the outskirts of known space. The Earth Empire and the Coalition fight bitterly, the Empire seeking to reclaim their lost territory, and the Coalition fighting for a new order in the galaxy. The Krellians choose to stay out of the conflict, their faraway frontier colonies too far away to be bothered by the other two factions.

By the turn of the 26th century, the Earth Empire and the Coalition had suffered dreadful casualties on both sides, and just as many worlds lost in the splintering had been razed by both sides. The two superpowers agreed to an uneasy truce. That marked the start of an intergalactic cold war, as the two superpowers begin a buildup of military strength and engage in proxy wars with smaller nations and colonies.

As the end of the 28th century drew near, a series of failed operations by the Earth Empire at an attempt at securing a rumored Coalition Superweapon has sparked up and reignited the flames of war. After almost 300 years of peace, war between the Coalition and the Empire had renewed in earnest. Millions of people from both sides are drafted as fleets of starships and planets are thrown into vicious war. The Coalition forces take advantage of the Empire’s overextended lines to take victory after victory by utilizing a new type of fighting machine: Mobile Armor Suits, a humanoid fighting machine much more maneuverable than conventional aircraft and ground units, and effective in most environmental situations.

As the war between the UEE and the Coalition rages on, they leave unstable planets and regions in their wake- drained of resources, life, and infrastructure. This highly contested no-man's region of space between the two mighty superpowers is known ironically as the "Free-Enterprise Zone". Planets and regions within the Free-Enterprise Zone are often left to fend for themselves, as they often bounce between Coalition and UEE control by the month. The Free-Enterpise Zone is rife with corruption, crime, privateers, pirates, and the like. As a result, security and safety for settlements and planets are usually provided by mercenaries- which this region has an ample supply of.

Mercenaries and PMC's are widespread and common in the Free-Enterprise Zone, working for planets, settlements, and even under-the-table Ops for the Coalition or UEE. While looked down upon by the Superpowers, their occasionally seedy nature as independent allows them to engage in actions that would otherwise go against the rules of the Neo-Geneva Conventions.

In this region of unstable space, a group of mercenaries known as the Steel Hunters Company has begun making a name for themselves. A small, but effective task force, these mercenaries find themselves sought out by planets, private corporations, and superpowers themselves. This is Falling Skies: PMC.

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Hello everyone! Welcome to the Interest Check for "Falling Skies: PMC"! This the second iteration Falling Skies, a mecha RP series based on a very old series of mine, formerly known as Operation Crisis (or just Crisis). The Crisis Universe has been relatively cannon, events of the previous Operation Crisis (completed or not) helping to shape the universe of this current one. The rebooted series has been renamed Falling Skies, and for the most part deals with Mobile Armor Suits- or giant Mecha.

This particular RP will follow the adventures of a group of men and women from the Steel Hunters Private Military Company. I will be accepting up to five other players- not including myself or any co-gms, so this is not first come first served. This, like the other Falling Skies RP, will be a Mecha RP, like Gundam and Robotech, Front Mission and Super Robot Wars. Unlike typical Gundam series, I aim to make this RP seem more realistic and gritty and have implemented several systems to make these giant robots feel more like advancements of technology rather than than over-the-top, with super maneuvers capable of destroying dozens of enemies at a time. In shorter terms this will be a hard-sci fi, real robot RP.

Plot:

If you couldn't be bothered to read that huge blurb up top...
We the players will play the role of the Steel Hunters Private Military Company, a small mercenary company based within the Free-Enterprise Zone. After accidentally stumbling upon a cache of powerful weapons while on a routine mission, they will find themselves torn at from all sides. Our story will be dramatic and tense as we attempt to prevail over insurmountable odds. Our characters will face daunting challenges, testing their wit and willpower, as well as their morals as they are pushed to their absolute limits in this RP that blends the humanity and melodrama of a space opera, with giant robots.

Terminology and Technology:

Major Factions

The United Earth Empire:

The United Earth Empire was the originator of the galaxy’s space colonies. Formally known as the United Nations, the United Nations of Earth was formed after humans had first colonized mars. Originally developed to unite humanity against possible hostile extraterrestrials, humanity encountered few alien species, even fewer of which were intelligent. With no need to worry about possible alien attacks, the UNE was free to focus on rapid expansionism, and renamed itself the United Earth Empire, as international differences became less and less important. After the Great War, the shattered remains of the UEE were quick to regroup and reclaimed the majority of the former empire's core worlds with little difficulty. Now one of the largest powers in the galaxy, the UEE is known for its patriotism and solidarity, despite the presence of an unusually large number of corrupt officials.

The Coalition for a Free Galaxy:

The Coalition for a Free Galaxy, better known as just 'The Coalition', was formed shortly after the Great War as a group of colonies' desire to stay separate from the UEE. A loosely tied confederacy of worlds, the Coalition's movement has picked up a large number of worlds against the imperialism and rigidness of the UEE. Due to the fact that they are allied purely to combat against the UEE, competition and rivalries are common between the Coalition Nations. Despite this, their armed forces are able to remain standardized and well equipped to combat the UEE. Well known for their individualism and its dependence on commercialism, the Coalition is constantly trying to dismantle the UEE once and for all.

The Krellian Republic:

Very little is known about the Krellian Republic. They are a reclusive group of fringe world colonies, and were paid little attention to by both the UEE and Coalition. With their proximity to the edge of discovered space, it is believed there is a possibility for them to be in contact with intelligent extraterrestrials, though this notion is widely dismissed as untrue by both the Coalition and UEE. With the Krellian Republic being so far removed from contested space, the galaxy has yet to see the Krellian Military, and many wonder if the Krellians even possess a standing armed force.

The Free-Enterprise Zone:

The Free-Enterprise Zone is a narrow(relatively speaking) region of contested space caught between the main battle lines of the Coalition and UEE forces. Squalor and poverty are high in this region, as occupying powers rapidly take resources from these planets to help refuel and resupply their forces. Furthermore, the high corruption and crime rates in these zones typically consolidates most of the remaining power and wealth in the hands of political puppets and petty governors and magistrates.

Organizations

Steel Hunters Private Military Company:

The Steel Hunters PMC is a small private military company based in the Free-Enterprise region. Like many small PMC's, the Steel Hunters PMC consists of only a single cruiser class capital ship, and less than a dozen MAS. Despite their small numbers, the Steel Hunters have a reputation for being fast and effective, and have a considerable number of jobs under their belt- from typical planetary and settlement defense, to search and rescue, sabotage, and even hit and run operations against major superpowers and corporations. Led by the self-proclaimed Captain Terin, the Steel Hunters have gained no small amount of notoriety in the region- some good, some bad.

101st Special Forces Legion:

Only recently initiated but extremely successful, the 101st Legion is the UEE's primary mechanized fighting force. With heavily specialized training that focuses on not only efficient piloting, but also highly competent infantry tactics, the members of the 101st Legion are notably more individualistic than their standard issue counterparts. Despite their individuality, the members of the 101st are still human and are trained to work well in groups. Analysts have noticed that side effects of these different types of training techniques have often resulted in soldiers that are fiercely loyal to one another, often risking the life and limb of many to save a few. It is noted alarmingly however that this loyalty pertains more to one another than that of the entirety of the UEE. Most members of the 101st utilize heavily customized and personal Mobile Armor Suits, and are considered to be superior in quality and handling.

Coalition Mobile Armor Division:

The Coalition’s Mobile Armor Division was the most dangerous mobile force before the advent of the 101st Legion, and despite the effectiveness of the 101st and the new Mobile Armor units of the UEE, the C-MAD remains the the largest and most numerous mobile force in the galaxy. Though their exact numbers are unknown, it is a well known fact that they greatly outnumber the UEE's MAS units.

Mobile Armor Suits

Mobile Armor Suits are the newest development in mechanized armor, capable of besting space-craft as well as ground armor. Mobile Armor Suits, while generally not as fast as air and spacecraft, are considerably more maneuverable, and can make sharp turns to out maneuver and defeat aircraft. They are also more resilient than conventional ground armor, and are even able to take out space warships when properly equipped.

Typically standing around 40-50 feet tall, Mobile Armor Suits are large humanoid mechs and are extremely versatile and able to be equipped with a variety of weapons and armor. Powered by sealed energy cores, these energy cores are immensely powerful and could power a home for several months, however, due to the nature of Mobile Armor Suits, a single energy core typically only provides a few hour’s worth of power, forcing pilots to be tactical about their power usage.

Mobile Armor Suits are widespread amongst the Coalition forces, who have all but stopped using Aerospace fighters in combat- Though coalition gunships, and bombers are still present in their military forces. UEE forces have only recently begun producing Mobile Armor Suits, and have only a few units equipped with them. The majority of the UEE still relies on Aerospace fighters.

Weapons Technology

Weapons technology has advanced significantly since humanity has entered the stars, but for the most part splits into four main categories.

Energy/Laser Weaponry:
At first rather ineffective and prohibitively expensive, humanity quickly discovered that laser weapons were much cheaper in the long run than typical conventional weapons. Laser weapons are considerably more accurate, lightweight, and lack the need for any sort of ammunition, and are considerably cheaper than their ballistic counterparts. However, despite these perks, laser weapons are rarely used as military grade equipment. While capable of causing serious burns and injuries on unarmored targets, laser weapons are relatively ineffective against body armor and are more fragile and temperamental than their conventional counterparts. Laser Weapons, due to their low cost and light weight are mostly used by police forces and civilian shooters. In regards to ship based weapons, MAS grade laser weapons are effective as point defense and precision targeting, but deal minimal damage to shields and armor. On the other hand, capital ship based laser cannons do considerably more damage to armor and shields in general.

Conventional/Ballistic Weaponry:
The mainstay of weapons technology since before humanity entered the stars. Loud, heavy and hard hitting, mass driving technology has made smaller caliber ammunition more and more effective against body armor and flesh. Effective in most situations, ballistic weapons remain one of the more effective and reliable methods of killing other human beings, though it should be noted that new mass driven rounds tend to overpenetrate soft unarmored targets. However, despite their universality, conventional weapons are considerably more expensive due to their needs for parts and ammunition and the methods used to produce these materials. Conventional weaponry is used extensively by both UEE and Coalition military units.

Plasmatic Weaponry:
A very new concept in modern weapons technology, plasma weapons are regarded as a two edged blade. On the one hand, the damage caused by a plasma burst to any surface, flesh, armor, and nature alike is tremendous. On the other hand, plasma weapons are heavy, difficult to maintain, dangerous to reload and fire, and finicky on a good day. Plasma is not a blast of superhot liquid as the name may suggest, but is instead similar to a bolt of energy. Purely Plasmatic weaponry remains mostly experimental and is not often used in modern military units. Plasma weapons are typically only installed on specialized units. Projectors also make plasma edged weaponry possible.

Hybrid Weaponry:
Combining Plasmatic weaponry with ballistics, Hybrid weapons- also known as E.K.P.(Enhanced Kinetic-Plasma) weapons combine the best of both worlds. Taking the reliability and ease of use of ballistic weaponry, and giving it the enhanced power of plasmatics. While lacking the raw, devastating power of plasma weapons, EKP weapons are exceptionally more powerful than Ballistic weaponry, with only some of the instabilities of plasma weapons. EKP technology is relatively new, making it almost as expensive as plasmatic weaponry, and just as rare- no mass produced unit uses EKP weapons.

Mobile Armor Suit Builder:

Since this RP revolves around Mobile Armor Suits, you need to know how to build one. Not actually physically DIY build it in your backyard, but learn the ins and outs of what your MAS needs to be in order to be a MAS. NOTE: Exceptions to the rules will be allowed, HOWEVER, I must be contacted through either PM or thread to discuss the exception you are making.

IMPORTANT: Since the Steel Hunters are not a company backed by any government or military, their access to military grade hardware is severely limited. The vast majority of military grade weapons and equipment is only obtainable on the black market, and I will be making judgements on all uses of military grade equipment. Military grade equipment will be marked in RED. Most MAS's should be civilian models modified for combat use via the addition of weapons, armor, etc.

Chassis

Chassis, one of the main determining factors of your MAS and its abilities. The Chassis refers to the size and class of your MAS. Chassis are divided into several categories:

Ultra Light: (7WT|10PWR)
Ultra-light MAS's typically stand in at 10-20 feet tall. They have up to 2 Power Cores in their dual core power system, and can support 7 Weight. Ultra Light MAS's are like exoskeletons and often act as direct infantry support, similar to an armored car or scout vehicle. They are typically a liability in MAS v MAS combat. Ultra Lights are capable of flight and are the fastest MAS's in production, with ground speeds reaching 100 Mph.

Light: (15WT|15PWR)
Light MAS's are typically viewed as the smallest "True" class of MAS. Standing at up to 30 feet in height, these MAS's typically use a tri-core power system, and can support 15 Weight. With their relatively thin armor, Light MAS's typically avoid direct combat and are often used in scout and sniper roles. Light MAS's are the fastest flying MAS's in production, capable of rivaling super sonic jet fighters at max speed. Light MAS's are the only types capable of sustained flight.

Medium: (20WT|20PWR)
Medium MAS's are the mainstay and standard class for MAS units. These powerful mecha stand in at anywhere from 40-50 feet in height, and use a quad core power systems, and can support 20 Weight. Combining powerful armor with mobility, Medium MAS's are the versatile standard for frontline units, and can be used in a variety of roles. While capable of limited flight, Medium MAS's are typically incapable of sustained flight.

Heavy: (35WT|30PWR)
Heavy MAS's are like their Medium class counterparts, but with considerably more powerful weapons and armor. Standing in at a bulky 50 feet in height, Heavy MAS's use a 6 core power system, and can support 35 Weight. With its heavy armor, Heavy MAS's are incapable of flight, but are essentially walking artillery platforms, capable in both close and long range situations.

Ultra: (70WT|XXPWR)
Ultra Class MAS's are in a class all their own. Requiring their own special ship to transport them, these machines stand in at 50-60 feet in height, and are heavily custom tailored to meet the needs of their pilot. With powerful defenses and weapons, Ultra Class MAS's are developed for specific roles. Using a unique reactor, Ultra MAS's can often support up to 70 Weight. Ultra Class MAS's are not available for general use, and will not be available to players yet.

Power Cores and Weight

After reading through Chassis, you're probably wondering: What are Power Cores? What does 15 Weight mean?

MAS's are powered through special clean-nuclear power cells. About the size of a bottle of water, a single core possesses enough energy to power a home for a months. However, due to the high energy requirements of MAS's, a single power core typically only provides a few hours worth of operating power. Operation wise, a single power core will provide a MAS with 5 Power units. A MAS's total operating time is "hours = 2x Unused power units". Most military units are designed to provide a minimum of 8-10 hours of combat operating time.

Example: A MAS has 10 power units, and a weapon that consumes 7. The MAS has 3 units of remaining power, or 6 hours of operating time.

Each Class of MAS can also support a limited amount of weight before it starts straining its energy and suspension systems and damaging its body. Weight can be found in any piece of equipment attached to a MAS, extra armor, weapons, shield systems, auxiliary systems, all require some combination of power and weight to use properly.

Weapons

Obviously a machine of war needs weapons and armor. This following list will show you types of weapons, and the Weight and Power required to run them. Items not included in this list I will allow you to make yourself, provided you're realistic with them and have run them by me first.

Primaries:
Primary weapons typically held by MAS units.

• Ballistic Weapons: Assault cannons, hand held machine guns, and the like. Most civilian grade weapons are limited to semi-automatic fire, though a clever mechanic can easily bypass the semi-automatic lock.
  
  • Class A Consisting of Machine guns, rifles, and other large 2-handed weapons, as well as a few 1 handed weapons. These typically have 5 WT (Weight) and cost 2 PWR (power) to run.
  • Class B Consisting of 'submachine guns', carbines, and weapons capable of being carried in either 1 or 2 hands. These typically have 3 WT (Weight) and cost 2 PWR (power) to run.
  • Class C Consisting of pistols, arm mounted cannons, and one-handed firearms. These typically have 1 WT (Weight) and cost 1 PWR (power) to run.
• Energy/Laser Weaponry: Laser cannons, hand held laser weapons, and the like.
  
  • Class A Consisting of mostly large 2-handed weapons as well as a few 1 handed weapons. These typically have 2 WT (Weight) and cost 4 PWR (power) to run.
  • Class B Consisting of weapons capable of being carried in either 1 or 2 hands. These typically have 2 WT (Weight) and cost 2 PWR (power) to run.
• Plasma Weapons: Plasma launching weapons are extremely devastating, and many capable of destroying Light and Medium MAS's in a single hit. These military grade weapons are highly illegal and most non-military caught in possession of plasma weapons will be fired upon without question.
  
  • Class A Consisting of high powered rifles, and other large 2-handed weapons as well as a few 1 handed weapons. These typically have 7 WT (Weight) and cost 9 PWR (power) to run.
  • Class B Consisting of weapons capable of being carried in either 1 or 2 hands. These typically have 5 WT (Weight) and cost 7 PWR (power) to run.
• Hybrid/EKP Weapons EKP autocannons and machine guns are highly damaging, and can easily cripple most MAS's. These military grade weapons are highly illegal and most non-military caught in possession of EKP weapons will be ordered to disarm under the threat of death.
  
  • Class A Consisting of rapid-fire machine guns, rifles, and other large 2-handed weapons as well as a few 1 handed weapons. These typically have 5 WT (Weight) and cost 5 PWR (power) to run.
  • Class B Consisting of carbines, Submachine guns, and weapons capable of being carried in either 1 or 2 hands. These typically have 4 WT (Weight) and cost 5 PWR (power) to run.

Built in Weaponry:
Weapons built into the MAS's body, like head mounted MG's and missile pods.

• Ballistic Weapons: small caliber machine guns and anti personnel/missile weapons typically have 1 WT and costs a negligible0 PWR.
• Laser Weapons: small scale anti personnel/missile laser weapons typically have negligible 0 WT[ but costs 2 PWR.
• Missile Launchers: explosive launchers often fitted into the shoulders or legs of a MAS. The size of the explosives vary, but they typically have 3 WT and costs 2 PWR[. On the other hand, smaller scale launchers have 1 WT and costs 1 PWR. Missiles are considered military grade weapons, but due to the extreme proliferation of these explosives in the Free-Enterprise Zone, they are often, but not always, allowed to slide.

Melee Weapons:
Swords, Axes, and all sorts of medieval implements of death: Modernized.

• Alloy Weapons: Physical weapons made of powerful metal alloys, they have 5 WT but costs no power. Obviously a smaller weapon (like a dagger) will weigh considerably less (1-3 WT)
• Plasma Weapons: Weapons with blades made of pure energy, these lightweight weapons have 1 WT, but costs 7 PWR. Alternatively, plasma weapons can come with their own power capacitors, reducing their power draw to 3 PWR, but reducing their operational time to a maximum of 3 hours. (As opposed to the operational time of the MAS) These are military grade weapons- but are similar to missiles in that they are relatively widespread amongst the FEZ, and are not always regulated.
• Hybrid Weapons: an alloy weapon with an extra cutting edge made of plasma (Such as civilian grade cutters), this weapon combines the best of both worlds, having 3 WT and costing 5 PWR.

Armor and Shields

Armors, shields and extra systems, this section will give you a quick runthrough at the costs and strengths of different methods of defending your MAS.

Armor Plating:
While all MAS's already have their own respective levels of armor, sometimes you just want more.External alloy plates can be added to the outside of your MAS, typically covering the shoulders, forearms, torso, and legs. Its purpose is self explanatory, this armor plating protects your MAS's armor plating, which protects you. Armor plating costs no power. These are commonly used by PMC's to supplement their Civilian grade MAS's limited armor.

• Light Alloy Plating (3 WT) a layer of extra armor over the MAS's arms, shoulders, and legs. A plate of light alloy will survive a single glancing blow from a plasma weapon, and provides limited protection from other weapons but provides little protection from explosives
• Optimized Alloy Plating (5 WT) Combining the best of both worlds. A layer of extra compound armor over the MAS's arms, shoulders, legs, and cockpit. More durable than light plates, but lacking the protection of heavy plates.
• Heavy Alloy Plating (7 WT) a more complex layer of thick armor covering the MAS's extremities, as well as folding over the cockpit when in use. Heavy Alloy plates provide considerably more protection, and are much more durable than light plates. Able to survive a single hit from a plasma weapon, but only provides little protection from explosives.

Alloy Shield:
A solid slab of alloy molded into the shape of a shield for your MAS to hold. These plates provide protection in a singular direction- that is, whichever direction you are pointing the shield, and are often coated with special solutions to help it resist energy and plasma. Alloy shields have about 2-4 WT depending on their size

Energy Shields:
Typically the prime method of defending a MAS, a MAS energy shield is a thin barrier of energy that coats the exterior of the MAS. Easily dissipating laser weapons, shields offer varying levels or protection against the more common ballistic and plasma weapons. All shield units have 5 WT, with the exception of Class 1 Shield generators, which have 3 WT, and Class 5 generators, which have 10 WT. All generators come with quick-recharge capacity. Class 1-5 Shields are considered military grade hardware and are heavily regulated.

• Shield Class 1: 3 PWR. A scaled down shield generator, this shield provides defense against high caliber infantry weapons and lightly armed vehicles, but will shatter when hit with a MAS grade weapon of any sort.
• Shield Class 2: 5 PWR. A standard Shield generator, this shield provides defense against a small amount of MAS grade weapons fire, but will not stand up to sustained fire, or plasma weapons.
• Shield Class 3: 7 PWR. A more powerful Shield generator, this shield provides protection to limited amoumts of sustained fire, and can take a direct hit from a plasma weapon before collapsing.
• Shield Class 4: 10 PWR. The most feasibly powerful shield generator in the standard unit, the Class 4 shield provides protection against some sustained fire, and can take a several direct hits from a plasma weapon before failing.
• Shield Class 5: 15 PWR. A large scale shield generator, Class 5 shields are most often mounted on Heavy and Ultra class MAS's. The protection it provides is much higher than that of normal shields, and is able to protect against small amounts of sustained plasma fire before failing.
• Civilian Grade Shield: 5 PWR. Generally used by space mining and construction craft to protect against debris, Civilian grade shields are considerably weaker than Class 2 shields, but are a step over Class 1 Shields, and would be considered a Class 1.25 shield.
• Optimized Civilian Grade Shield: 4 PWR. A modified Civilian grade shield optimized for combat. This combat optimized increases the relative effectiveness of the Civilian grade shield, while cutting down on power usage. It does this by selectively blocking high velocity projectiles only. As a result, the Optimized shield is useless against debris, and slow moving projectiles (anything moving slower than typical munitions speed) but has a shield rating of a Class 1.5
• Overcharged Civilian Grade Shield: 7 PWR. By forcing more power into a modified civilian shield system, one is capable of overcharging its shield to be the equivalent of a Class 2 combat shield.

Extra systems

Extra systems to give your MAS an edge in combat.

External Power Cores: - Used for extended missions or for power intensive weapons and systems, an External Power Core back obviously provides a MAS with extra energy. With the appearance of a large, bulky, square backpack for a MAS, an external power pack links an extra dual core powerplant to the MAS, providing +10 PWR at the cost of 5 WT.

Improved Reactor Output: - A high end customization used by pilots. Using efficient parts and techniques, this upgrade allows MAS's to add an additional +5 PWR to their generator output. However, this improved reactor requires pilots to reduce the load on their units to prevent damage to the MAS, and costs 3 WT - cannot be taken simultaneously with Improved Reactor Draw

Experimental Reactor: - Often used by newer prototype units, experimental reactors are an improvement to the standard MAS reactor, and effectively doubles the MAS's energy output. Prohibitively expensive, Experimental Reactors are not put onto Mass Production units. Still finicky in design, using an Experimental Reactor comes at a risk, damaging the reactor too much can turn it into a small scale nuclear bomb. This is a highly regulated military grade piece of equipment unless otherwise explained.

Improved Reactor Draw - A high end customization used by pilots. Supercharging the MAS's reactor and hydraulics system, this upgrade allows MAS's to add an additional +5 WT to their maximum load. However, this additional strength draws on the reactor's energy reserves quickly and costs 3 PWR - cannot be taken simultaneously with Improved Reactor Output

Improved Suspension System: - Often added to MAS's that require higher weight caps without sacrificing mobility, improving the MAS's suspension allows it to carry signigicantly more weight at the cost of power. Upgrading the suspension system adds +10 WT support at the cost of 5 PWR

Steel Hunters Systems Specialization: - Surviving in the Free-Enterprise Zone requires tenacity and wit. Steel Hunters that specialize in optimizing MAS electrical and energy systems are granted an extra 5 PWR to their unit. Cannot be taken simultaneously with Steel Hunters Mechanical Specialization.

Steel Hunters Mechanical Specialization: - Surviving in the Free-Enterprise Zone requires tenacity and wit. Steel Hunters that specialize in optimizing MAS suspension and hydraulic systems are granted an extra 5 WT to their unit. Cannot be taken simultaneously with Steel Hunters Systems Specialization.

Tesla Drive: - by equipping a MAS with a Tesla Drive, Light and Ultralight MAS's can fly faster, Medium MAS's can sustain flight, and Heavy MAS's are able to give themselves limited flight capacity. A Tesla Drive system has negligible Weight, but costs 7 PWR. Note that all MAS's can "fly" in space, Tesla Drives are only necessary for in-atmospheric flight.

Boosters: - by equipping a MAS with a large boosters- typically on its back, Light and Ultralight MAS's can fly faster, Medium MAS's can sustain flight, and Heavy MAS's are able to give themselves limited flight capacity. A Booster system has around 3WT, and costs 5 PWR. Note that all MAS's can "fly" in space, boosters are only necessary for in-atmospheric flight.

Countermeasure System: - Countermeasure systems are often used by lighter MAS's to avoid missiles instead of using body mounted machine guns to intercept them. Using chaff and flares, countermeasure systems are negligible in terms of weight and power, but only has 3 chaff uses, and 6 sets of flares before needing to rearm.

Enhanced Radar Suite: - effectively doubles the MAS's radar range, Enhanced Radar Suites, as most extra systems, come in two variants, internal and external suites.

• Internal: An internal suite is built into the the MAS during creation, and therefore has no weight, but draws 3 PWR from the MAS energy system.
• External: An external suite is often installed after the creation of the MAS, and as a result has 1 WT. They often come with their own power system, and only draws 1 PWR from the MAS energy system. As it is an external system, it is more prone to damage than an internal system.

Upgraded Targeting Suite: - Increasing the effective range and accuracy of the MAS's weapon system, Upgraded Targeting Suites has a Smart AI that quickly determines range as well as any other environmental factors faster than MAs's the onboard computer, and projects the predicted weapon path on the user's HUD.

• Internal: Built into the MAS during creation, the targeting suite has no weight, but costs 3 PWR.
• External: Installed after the creation of the MAS, the external suite has 1 WT, and draws 1 PWR, but can be very easily damaged by small arms fire.

Sonar Stakes: - Special stakes are attached to the MAS's legs, and when deployed, drive themselves into the ground, both locking the MAS to the ground, and providing a detection distance 5 times that of the standard MAS. It has 1 WT, and costs 2 PWR. Note that it cannot be used in Space, and can only detect targets on the ground.

Smart-Target AI: - By improving the standard MAS AI with a Smart Targeting AI, MAS's can now acquire multiple targets simultaneously, and can now track up to 40 targets, including missiles, and other MAS's, instead of the standard 5. It has a power draw of 3 PWR.

Stealth Drive: - Stealth Drives allow a MAS to remain hidden from most scanning and targeting modules, and removes most of the MAS's emissions at the cost of a small amount of maximum thrust. It does not however protect the MAS from visual recognition. Stealth Drives draw 5 PWR. This is a moderately regulated military grade system.

Active Camouflage: - A camouflage generator attached to the back of a MAS, it projects a field of particles over the MAS, effectively making it invisible to the human eye, as well as optical scanners, and tracking modules. The generator does not however shield the user from all scanners, and the generator unit itself produces large amounts of heat. Camouflage generators are also notorious for consuming large amounts of energy, and while unable to be used with a external power pack, comes with a small power supply of its own, resulting in 3 WT and 3 PWR. The standard Active Camouflage generator can only continuously produce particles for a single hour before beginning to massively drain the power reserves of the MAS. This is a moderately regulated military grade system.

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Sample MAS's:

Here are a list of commonly encountered MAS's from the UEE, Coalition, and Civilian sector. Some military grade MAS's may be obtainable/usable, these will be indicated with Blue text.

UEE MASs

PTX-051 Sentry

Designation: PTX-051 Sentry MkII M (Mass Produced)
Role: General Combat
Chassis: Medium
Engine: Quad Core Engine. 20 PWR
Operating Time: 10 Hours
Description:
The successor to the original Sentry MAS, the Sentry MkII has replaced the MkI as a general workhorse unit for the UEE. Similar in build quality to the Coalition Ferir, the Sentry MkII is a versatile fighting unit, with no real weaknesses or strengths. Lacking the ability to fly, the MkII serves as the standard ground unit for UEE MAS teams, and comes in standard tan, though many pilots add accents or change the color of their machines. The destroyed husks of these MAS are relatively common in the Free-Enterprise Zone, and many of their parts and systems can be salvaged, some intact units can also be obtained off the black market.
Systems:
M90 30mm Assault Autocannon. 5 WT 2 PWR. - A general purpose machine gun in use by the UEE, the M90 fires 30mm armor piercing rounds from a 250 round magazine. The M90 has a semi-automatic and a 5-round burst mode, and has a fire rate of 600 RPM.
Micro Missile Launcher. 1 WT 1 PWR - This small launcher system is installed in the Sentry's chest and fires six Micro Missiles. Micro Missiles are projectiles that split into four missiles in mid-air, and have a potent payload for their size. While ineffective against most larger MAS's, Micro Missiles have varying degrees of effect on light vehicles and MAS's
Claymore Missile Launcher. 3 WT 2 PWR - A missile launcher system set into the right chest of the Sentry. Launching 3 Claymore missiles from its chest mounted launcher, these small missiles pack a large punch, capable of downing most Light and Medium class MAS's with 1 or 2 missiles.
Dual linked .50 Caliber Machine guns. 1 WT 0 PWR. - A pair of .50 caliber machine guns mounted on the Sentry's chest, these light weapons provide the Sentry with anti personnel and small missile defense. Each machine gun has a 300 round magazine.
Class 2 Shield Generator. 5 Wt 5 PWR. - The Sentry comes armed with a Class 2 shield Generator on top of its standard armor for defense.
Combat Tomahawk. 3 WT 5 PWR. - A combat axe used by the Sentry in close quarters. The edge of the tomahawk uses plasma energy to improve its cutting power.

FTX-003 Sparrow

Designation: FTX-003 Sparrow MkIII M (Mass Produced)
Role: Rapid Assault
Chassis: Light
Engine: Tri Core Engine. 15 PWR
Operating Time: 16 Hours
Description:
Favored by scouts and acrobats for its maneuverability, the Sparrow series of MAS are the UEE's first Mobile armor suit to have sustained flight. The main body is reminiscent of various fighter planes and contains extremely aerodynamic features, with maximum flight speeds reaching over 1000 mph. Though poorly armored when compared to the Sentry, it is capable of performing maneuvers the Sentry could never hope to accomplish. The Sparrow is designed for a variety of purposes, mainly long range reconnaissance and rapid reaction, hence its relatively long operating time. The destroyed husks of these MAS are relatively common in the Free-Enterprise Zone, but are more difficult to salvage, due to them commonly being destroyed while flying at high speeds. A few intact units can also be obtained off the black market.
Systems:
P120 20mm Flechette Mass Driver. 5 WT 2 PWR. - A rail-based rotary cannon attached to the Sparrow's arm, the P120 uses an advanced electronic mass driving system to propel its flechettes at extremely high speeds, resulting in an effective weapon with a high rate of fire. The P120 has a 4000 RPM rate of fire, and uses an integrated 1500 round magazine. The P120's edges are sharpened, allowing it to be used as a sword.
Triple barreled .30 Caliber Light Machine Gun 1 WT 0 PWR. - A body mounted machine gun on the Sparrow's torso, used for strafing and anti-personnel purposes.
Countermeasure System. 0 WT 0 Power. - The Sparrow relies on a combination of speed, maneuverability, and countermeasures to avoid missiles.
'Shield' Missile Launcher. 5 WT 2 PWR. - A missile launcher attached to the Sparrow's other arm, the Shield launcher fires 6 100mm multi-purpose missiles. With impact safe explosives, and a wide launcher size made of hardened alloys, the launcher also works as a shield to pair with the Sparrow's sword railgun.
Class 1 Shield Generator. 3 WT 3 PWR. - A small shield generator provides the Sparrow with the minimum military grade defense system.

PTX-071 Sentinel

Designation: PTX-071 Sentinel MkI M (Mass Produced)
Role: Assault
Chassis: Medium
Engine: Quad Core Engine 20 Power
Operating Time: 12 Hours
Description:
Designed as an upgrade to the standard Sentry, the Sentinel is built for assault and extended combat situations. With its thicker armor, and more potent weapons, the Sentinel maintains the versatility of the Sentry, with an added focus on staying power. Though too costly to mass-produce in large numbers like the Sentry, the Sentinel is often used by advance units and special operations forces. Like the Sentry, it is incapable of full flight, but can use its boosters to both jump large heights, hover over the ground, and boost forward.
Systems:
M290 30mm Support Autocannon. 5 WT 2 PWR. - A machine gun in use by the UEE designed for prolonged engagement and sustained fire, the M290 fires 30mm armor piercing rounds from a 500 round internal belt/box magazine. The M290 has semi-automatic, 5-round burst, and fully automatic modes of fire and has a fire rate of 750 RPM.
Claymore Missile System. 3 WT 2 PWR. - A missile launcher system set into both upper leg portions of the Sentinel. Launching 6 Claymore missiles from each leg, these small missiles pack a large punch, capable of downing most Light and Medium class MAS's with 1 or 2 missiles.
Head Mounted .50 Caliber Machine Gun. 1 WT 0 PWR. - A .50 caliber machine guns mounted on the Sentinel's head, this light weapon provides the Sentinel with anti personnel and small missile defense. It has a 200 round magazine.
Energy Saber - Internal capacitor. 1 WT 3 PWR - The Sentinel utilizes a high powered energy saber stored in its shoulder. The blade length can be adjusted, but due to the saber using its own power capacitors, the operational limit of the blade is 3 hours. As such, pilots are often encouraged to limit their melee time.
Alloy Knife. 3WT. - Ideal for close quarters when the 'continuum of force' has been reduced to hand to hand combat. For optimum performance, the leading edge, 'pointy end', should be applied to the enemy and thrust into vital regions. This should be repeated as necessary.
Class 3 Shield Generator. 5 WT 7 PWR - With a higher level shield generator than the standard Sentry, the Sentinel improves its overall staying power.

PTX-088 Centurion

Designation: PTX-088 Centurion MkI M (Mass Produced)
Role: Fire Support/Heavy Combat
Chassis: Heavy
Engine: Six Core Engine 30 Power
Operating Time: 10 Hours
Description:
Originating as a variant of the Sentinel, the need for a heavy weapons platform soon saw the Centurion as its own unique model, designed with a heavy chassis to allow it to focus more on firepower, at the cost of some mobility. A heavy and somewhat sluggish machine, the Centurion compensates by providing potent firepower over a wide operational range.
Systems:
Jackhammer Missile Launchers. 3 WT 2 PWR. - A missile launcher system consisting of a heavy mounted on each shoulder of the Centurion. Each missile pod holds 4 powerful Jackhammer missiles, designed to deliver critical damage to Heavy MAS's as well as considerable- if not fatal damage to most small to medium sized spacefaring vessels.
Micro Missile Launcher. 1 WT 1 PWR. - A small launcher system is installed in the Centurion's chest and fires six Micro Missiles. Micro Missiles are projectiles that split into four missiles in mid-air, and have a potent payload for their size. While ineffective against most larger MAS's, Micro Missiles have varying degrees of effect on light vehicles and MAS's
Warhammer Artillery System. 3 WT 2 PWR. - Built into the back of the Centurion is a long range artillery system designed to provide accurate fire over a long range. Firing howitzer style shells, the Warhammer artillery system has an internal magazine of 50 150mm shells.
'Oculus' Point Defense Laser. 0 WT 2 PWR. - Mounted in front of the Centurion's 'head' the Oculus serves as a multi purpose camera feed interface, as well as a powerful point defense laser, providing it with anti-personnel and missile defense.
Plasmatic Fist. 3 WT 5 PWR - As the Centurion was too large and bulky to effectively wield melee weapons, the Plasmatic Fists were developed to give the Centurion melee capabilities. When activated, the knuckle 'joints' of the Centurion's hands give off large amounts of heat and energy, allowing it to melt, as well as smash through most hulls with its alloy reinforced fists.
Advanced Internal Targeting Suite. 0 WT 3 PWR. - The Centurion comes standard with an advanced internal targeting suite and computer, allowing the pilot to effectively and accurately lay down fire from long ranges.
Class 4 Shield Generator. 5 WT 10 PWR - The Centurion boasts an extremely powerful shield generator, which on top of its already considerable armor plating gives it very considerable staying power.

Coalition MASs

AAT-004C Ferir

Designation: AAT-004C Ferir MkII M (Mass Produced)
Role: General Purpose Combat
Chassis: Medium
Engine: Quad Core Engine 20 Power
Operating Time: 18 Hours
Description:
The standard Coalition Mobile Armor Suit, the Ferir is one of the first Mobile Armor Suits ever developed, and is the first unit ever developed for combat. Originally only lightly armored and armed, developed for an infantry support role, the Mark I was quickly superseded by the more prevalent Mark II. Heavily armored and easily recognized by its almost alien-like 4 "eyed" sensors, the Ferir Mk II has been in service ever since the start of the 29th Century war. While its aged design raises questions about its capabilities, it has still proved as a serviceable unit for almost 100 years. However, with the advent of the UEE MAS units, the Ferir has begun being phased out by various newer models to combat the new threats. Despite this, the Ferir, with its thick armor and remarkable operating time, remains the most common MAS unit in the Galaxy. Ferir Mk II's are easily salvaged and can be easily bought on the black market. Most PMC's in the FEZ use the Ferir Mk II or gear from the Ferir Mk II.
Systems:
A70 Type-3/5 35mm Assault Autocannon. 5 WT 2 PWR. - A heavy assault weapon utilized by the iconic Ferir, the Type-3 fires a powerful 35mm Armor Piercing round from a 210 round internal magazine. The Type-5 fires the same round from a 1200 round belt fed 'backpack' magazine. The Type-3/5 fires at a rate of 450 rounds per minute, and has a semi-automatic, three round burst, and fully automatic fire modes.
Hammer Missile System. 3 WT 2 PWR. - A missile launcher system set on top of either or both of the Ferir shoulders, the Hammer Missile System fires large, powerful missiles, effective against most MAS types, as well as lightly armored naval vessels. While slower and easier to dodge than smaller missile systems, the projectiles fired from these launchers are also more difficult to destroy with point defense weapons. Each shoulder can launch up to three of these missiles.
Alloy Knife. 3 WT 0 PWR - Ideal for close quarters when the 'continuum of force' has been reduced to hand to hand combat. For optimum performance, the leading edge, 'pointy end', should be applied to the enemy and thrust into vital regions. This should be repeated as necessary.
External Alloy Plating (Heavy). 7 WT 0 PWR - With shields being a more recent technology, energy shielding was unavailable when the Mk II was being designed. While the Ferir Mk III boasts an energy shield, the more common Ferir Mk II utilizes a large coat of heavy plating, with excess armor over all important areas of the MAS. The heavy armor plating results in the bulky, large size the Ferir is known for.
Tesla Drive. 0 WT 7 PWR - Originally an upgrade for Aces and commanders, Tesla Drives quickly became standard for Ferir Mk II MAS's. The Tesla Drive increased its maneuvering and top speeds in space, its improved handling allowing it to easily outclass the already disadvantaged aerospace fighters. The Tesla Drives are also used in atmosphere as the sturdy Ferir can easily survive a drop into a planet's atmosphere from orbit. the Tesla Drives allow them to essentially para drop onto a planet from space. While in atmosphere, the Tesla Drives also grant the Ferir the power of flight, though the weight and bulk from its armor plating slows it down considerably. Ferir Tesla Drives cannot be salvaged or removed.

Ferir Mk III

Designation: AAT-064C Ferir MkIII M (Mass Produced)
Role: Assault
Chassis: Medium
Engine: Seven-Core Engine 35 Power
Operating Time: 14 Hours
Description:
A more advanced iteration of the widespread Ferir Mk II, the Mk III has numerous improvements over its older counterpart, namely: the presence of energy shields. Considerably more advanced than its older variant, the Ferir MK II trades its thick heavy plating and robust stature, for more a more maneuverable and well shielded unit. Due to their cost, and the already massive numbers of Mk IIs, the Mk III has been slow to phase into Coalition military, and is commonly only seen in the hands of veterans and squadron leaders.

Ferir Mk III's are proof of the Coalition's greater mastery over MAS techniques than the UEE, with the Mk III utilizing an advanced engine design allowing 7 power cores instead of the standard 4.
Systems:
P110 Type-9 Plasma Cannon. 7 WT 9 PWR. - An assault plasma launcher utilized by the Ferir Mk III, the P110 provides it with devastating power. Firing high velocity bolts of plasma, the P110 is often capable of destroying lesser shielded and armored MAS's with one or two hits.
Havoc Missile System. 3 WT 2 PWR. - A missile launcher system set into the shoulders of the Mk III, the Havoc Missile System fires medium sized, powerful missiles, effective against most MAS types. Considerably faster than the Ferir Mk II Hammer Missiles, the Havoc missiles trade only a small amount of firepower for their increased maneuverability. Each shoulder launcher carries 4 missiles.
Energy Saber - Internal capacitor. 1 WT 3 PWR - The Ferir Mk III utilizes a high powered energy saber stored in its shoulder. The blade length can be adjusted, but due to the saber using its own power capacitors, the operational limit of the blade is 3 hours. As such, pilots are often encouraged to limit their melee time.
External Alloy Plating (Light). 3 WT 0 PWR - While the Ferir Mk III boasts an energy shield, it still maintains a solid layer of armor plating iconic to the Ferir series. The combination of shields and armor make it incredibly tough.
Class 3 Shields . 5 WT 7 PWR - A more powerful Shield generator, this shield provides protection to limited amoumts of sustained fire, and can take a direct hit from a plasma weapon before collapsing.
Tesla Drive. 0 WT 7 PWR - Originally an upgrade for Aces and commanders, Tesla Drives quickly became standard for Ferir Mk II MAS's- an idea that carried on to the Mk III variant. The Tesla Drive increases its maneuvering and top speeds in space, its improved handling allowing it to easily outclass the already disadvantaged aerospace fighters and MAS's. The Tesla Drives are also used in atmosphere as the sturdy Ferir can easily survive a drop into a planet's atmosphere from orbit. the Tesla Drives allow them to essentially para drop onto a planet from space. While in atmosphere, the Tesla Drives also grant the Ferir the power of flight, which the Mk III uses to its advantage due to the removal of much of its bulk and weight.

Hardballer Mk I

Designation: AAT-007 Hardballer MkI M (Mass Produced)
Role: Anti-Ship
Chassis: Heavy
Engine: Six-core Engine 30 Power
Operating Time: 6 Hours
Description:
The AAT-007 Hardballer is a ship commander's nightmare. With heavy armor capable of shrugging through AA defenses and MAS weapons, and not one, but two heavy plasma cannons, the Hardballer is used by the Coalition to provide heavy firepower and devastation to an assault force. Hardballers are generally disliked by Coalition forces due to their relatively low operational time, as well as the fact that UEE forces tend to concentrate fire on these units. Nevertheless, Hardballers are commonly deployed in small squadrons tasked with destroying enemy capital ships.
Systems:
Twin P170 Type-11 Plasma Cannons. 14 WT 18 PWR. - A heavy plasma cannon utilized by the Hardballer, the P170 is primarily designed to take on and destroy naval vessels, though can be extremely devastating when used against a MAS. Unlike the P110, which launches highly concentrated, high speed bolts, the P170 launches a relatively slow but devastating blast that deals incredible damage over a large area. - The bolts from the P170 are more easily dodged by Light MAS's and are generally used against ships and the largest of MAS's.
Goliath Missile System. 3 WT 2 PWR. - A missile launcher system set either on one or both shoulders of the Hardballer, the Goliath Missile System upgrades the Hammer missile system. Like the Hammer, Goliath Missiles are large, powerful missiles, and are difficult to shoot down but easy to avoid. Goliath missiles were designed primarily for destroying ships and large MAS's. Each shoulder launcher carries 4 missiles.
External Alloy Plating (Heavy). 7 WT 0 PWR - While the Hardballer has its own energy Shields, it also utilizes incredibly thick armor to defend it from all manner of MAS weapons. The cost of this heavy armor is an even slower and more sluggish MAS.
Class 3 Shields . 5 WT 7 PWR - A more powerful Shield generator, this shield provides protection to limited amoumts of sustained fire, and can take a direct hit from a plasma weapon before collapsing.

Civilian Sector MAS

CMS-110 Gowser

Designation: CMS-110 Gowser M (Mass Produced)
Role: General Purpose Work/Non-combat Unit
Chassis: Medium
Engine: Quad Core Engine 20 Power
Operating Time: 26 Hours
Description:
A civilian grade MAS designed by the Coalition based company H&K, the Gowser is a rugged and reliable civilian unit, highly customization and able to be outfitted for a variety of roles, from construction and heavy lifting, to deep space mining and large scale construction. The Gowser is available in relatively large numbers in the Free Enterprise Zone, and is commonly used by PMC's, and militias, as well as civilian sector workers.
Systems:
A70 Modified 35mm Nail Gun. 3 WT 2 PWR. - A heavily modified construction weapon, the Nail Gun has been modified to fire Coalition 35mm Autocannon rounds. The Nail gun is a semiautomatic weapon fire a fire cap of 700 Rounds per minute and has a 200 round integrated magazine. The Nail gun is also mounted with a construction grade chainsaw, capable of tearing through shields and armor alike.
Alloy Knuckle Duster. 3WT - As is aptly described, the Gowser holds a sturdy knuckle duster made of strong alloys allowing it to do more damage with an unarmed strike with less risk of damaging its sensitive hand units.
Civilian Grade Shield: 5 WT 5 PWR - Generally used by space mining and construction craft to protect against debris, Civilian grade shields are considerably weaker than Class 2 shields, but are a step over Class 1 Shields, and would be considered a Class 1.25 shield.
Light Armor Plating 3 WT - Because of its nature as a general purpose construction unit, armor plating is often necessary to provide protection against the elements.

CCS-099 Stylet

Designation: CCS-099 Stylet M (Mass Produced)
Role: Commercial Service/Recreation
Chassis: Light
Engine: Tri Core Engine 15 Power
Operating Time: 12 Hours
Description:
A civilian grade MAS designed by the Coalition based company Mara Aerospace, the Stylet is a high performance suit designed for the rich and wealthy denizens of the Coalition. Agile and maneuverable, the Stylet is one of the best selling civilian grade suits on the market. Often stolen and repurposed as war machines by the black market, the Stylet, while relatively expensive, is well received by PMC aces and can be easily outfitted with a variety of weapons.
Systems:
20mm M600 Vulcan. 3 WT 2 PWR. - A relatively common military grade rotary cannon strapped onto the Stylet's arm, The M600 uses a relatively primitive electrical system to provide the weapon with a 4000 RPM rate of fire, and uses an integrated 1200 round magazine. While capable of firing one handed, considerably better accuracy has been observed when using the free hand to balance and brace the firing arm.
Pilum Missile Launcher 3 WT 2PWR - A missile launcher attached to the Stylet's other arm, the Pilum missile system fires a pair of 100mm impact-safe multi-purpose missiles.
Stylet Boosters. 3 WT 5 PWR - While already quite agile and capable of flight, the Stylet's commercial boosters allow it to reach even greater maximum speeds, at the cost of some maneuverability at close range when activated.
Light Armor Plating 3 WT - A common addon made by mercenaries and black market dealers, armor plating provides the shield lacking Stylet with some much needed protection.

PMT-075 Enforcer

Designation: PMT-075 Enforcer M (Mass Produced)
Role: Police/SWAT Enforcement
Chassis: Heavy
Engine: Hex Core Engine 30 Power
Operating Time: 36 Hours
Description:
A 'Civilian' grade MAS designed by Coalition based company H&K, the Enforcer was designed for Police and SWAT units as a heavy support platform to aid their smaller Ultra-Light police MAS units. A heavy and sturdy machine, it is plain to see why this dedicated civilian grade combat unit would be so valuable on the black market. Found in relatively few numbers on the black market, the Enforcer is a stalwart Heavy MAS capable of holding its own against other military grade machines. The Enforcer is meant to be deployed for long periods of time to settle unruly worlds, and as such has an abnormally long operating time.
Systems:
50mm Battle Autocannon /w 75mm Canister System. 8 WT 4 PWR. - The Enforcer sports a semi-automatic 50mm battle 'rifle' autocannon as its primary weapon, allowing it to send accurate, heavy hitting, and rapid fire down range. The rifle also has a built in canister system, originally meant to dispense large amounts of CS gas, these 6 Canisters are often replaced with 75mm Rocket Propelled Grenades or guided missiles.
Civilian Grade Shield: 5 WT 5 PWR - Generally used by space mining and construction craft to protect against debris, Civilian grade shields are considerably weaker than Class 2 shields, but are a step over Class 1 Shields, and would be considered a Class 1.25 shield. While poor by military standards, these shields are often enough to deal with criminal incursions.
Heavy Armor Plating 7 WT - Heavy plate armor serves to make the already durable Enforcer even more durable, capable of resisting several insurgent explosive and incendiary weapons before sustaining bodily damage.
Alloy Riot Shield 4 WT - This massive shield is often coated with an anti-beam/plasma coating and provides the already defensible Enforcer with even more directional defenses.
Upgraded Targeting Suite Internal: 3 PWR - The massive horn on top of the Enforcer's head, while intimidating is also where its upgraded targeting suite is installed, allowing it to accurately identify and target criminals and individuals at most ranges.

Rules:

1. This Roleplay will have above average standards. I will be expecting at least a few well written paragraphs, and absolutely NO ONE LINERS.
2. Please do not write in first person.
3. No Mary/Gary Sues, its alright for your character to be a hero, but they're not perfect.
4. No God-modding. Its no fun for anyone. I value your characters, but I will not hesitate to injure them if they do something exceedingly stupid.
5. This RP will have mature content. Violence, foul language, and mature themes are freely allowed. However for the sake of decency any sexual acts will fade to black (or will be taken to PM) before it goes too far.
6. Player Knowledge is not necessarily character knowledge. Just because you know something (be it through OOC or someone else's post) does not necessarily mean your character knows.
7. As GM, my word is law, I will expect you to respect any executive decision I make.
8. If players find a ruling of mine unfair, they are allowed, and encouraged to speak up and offer sound reasoning to dispute my decisions. Provided the discussion is productive, polite, and reasonable, decisions I make may change.
9. As proof of reading the rules, I expect all applicants to make a comment about another player's Character Sheet (including mine), this can be something you like, or constructive criticism to help them improve.

Character Sheets:

The following are the Character Skeletons for the Steel Hunters PMC The CS's are a 2 part set. The first part is your character, the pilot. The second part is your MAS, which you can make using the builder above. Since this PMC is not a part of the regular military, there can be a wide range of characters- ex-soldiers, warriors of fortune, freedom fighters, mech-heads, techs, couriers, etc. Characters can also be from the Coalition, UEE, or born and raised in the Free-Enterprise Zone. Most MAS's should be customized civilian grade MAS's, or low-grade military MAS's (IE the Sentry, or Ferir). MAS's created by the player are also welcome, but they should keep in mind that any MAS created from their own imagination should've been primarily designed as a civilian or at most a police unit.

Dossier

Pilot Dossier

Name: Last name, First name
Age: Lets keep it above 18 please.
Gender: Your pilot's gender
Nationality: Coalition, UEE, or FEZ
Callsign/Codename: Nickname/Alias your Pilot goes by in combat(or in general)
Kills: Your pilot's kill record. Obviously a fresh pilot should have pretty much no kills, whereas a veteran should have more. - Note that kills indicate the number of enemy MAS's downed. While the UEE still uses primarily Aerospace fighters and tanks supported by MAS, The Coalition no longer pilots Aerospace fighters and have a MAS military core supported by gunships and bombers and the like.

Psychological Analysis: Fancy talk for 'Personality'. Give me a good paragraph or so describing your character's personality. Rule of thumb: the more detail, the better.

Employment Record: Your Character's background, up to his/her joining up with the Steel Hunters. Again, give me a few good paragraphs describing your character's history. Again, the more detail, the better.

Equipment: Any equipment your character carries on his or her person. Extra flight equipment, sidearms, etc.

MAS Specifications

Appearance: Your MAS's appearance. In this case, an image would be more appealing than text, and a combination of image and text can be used.
Designation: The name of the MAS model as well as its production type ( IE M - Mass Produced, P - Prototype, C - Custom, SOC - Special Operations Custom, etc. Players can create their own custom and mass-produced models- Note that prototype units will be more critically reviewed, and SOC should probably not be a thing.)
Role: It's combat role, CQC, scouting, demolitions, etc
Chassis: its size class, Ultra Light - Heavy
Engine: Power cores in the MAS and the power provided
Operating Time: Hours = Unused Power Units x2
Description: Technobabble about your MAS, regarding its strengths, weaknesses, purpose, role, etc.
Systems: Weapons, armor, shields, and extra systems will be listed here, along with their weight and power requirements

Player Roles

I am a personal fan of smaller scale RPs, as such, I will only be accepting 4-5 other players to join me in this adventure. While you are free to make your character however you like, acceptance to this RP will be judged by me, and is not on a first come, first served basis. While not necessary, there are several roles I would like to see filled:

• Captain Terin - This player will be unique in that instead of flying a MAS with the rest of the team, s/he will play as Captain Terin, and command the ship that houses the the other members of the Steel Hunters. This player has the option of creating his own light cruiser, or using the one that I will provide. This player will likely (but not necessarily) serve as my Co-GM and will be privy to information before the other players. This player should be capable of interacting on his own or with relatively few other players effectively, and may be collabing with me fairly often.
• The Team Leader - This player will be one of the oldest/longstanding members of the Steel Hunters. While the Steel Hunters are a PMC, they are not required to follow military doctrine, therefore this character cannot rely on the chain of command to control his/her team, s/he will have to rely on a combination of respect, fear, and/or willpower to command control of their team. This player will have responsibilities as the Team's leader, and will have to manage and deal with the clashing personalities of the squad- as well as the difficulties some of the NPC pilots may give him/her.

The rest of of the roles will be varied- veterans, new kids, etc. I'd like to see a wide range of backgrounds and and at least 1 member from the Coalition and UEE each for tension/story purposes. This RP will be purposely gray in morality, but players should generally be of the neutral to chaotic good alignments. The Steel Hunters also employs infantry and operators- these individuals typically use Ultra-Light MAS's or Exo-Skeletons in combat.

Who's game?

-------------------------

Vietmyke

Samuel Lin

Standing in at 5'8", and weighing roughly 160 lbs. This short, stocky young pilot possess an athletic build, with lightly tanned skin, Often marred with dirt or grease. His dirty blonde hair is short and out of the way, and his face is typically clean shaven. He has a square face, with strong features and green eyes, his mouth typically curled into a serious, solemn frown. He has a set of tattoos on his left bicep that read "Sara, Robert, Marie"
Name: Lin, Samuel
Age: 22
Gender: Male
Nationality: UEE
Callsign/Codename: Standoff
Kills: 15

Psychological Analysis:
Direct and to the point, this quiet, serious man is incredibly blunt. Level headed and calm, Samuel has a very analytic attitude and can be very perceptive and intuitive in regards to people. Unless he has a well established relationship, Samuel is typically distrustful of others, and will often ignore the advice of complete strangers. With a chillingly cold and calm demeanor, Samuel often comes off as rather aloof and standoffish- hence his callsign. Possessing a well developed, if jaded sense of morality, Samuel acts in what he believes are in the best interests of himself and those he cares about- not necessarily caring what is good or bad.

Military Record: Born the youngest of two to a poor family in the UEE core worlds, Samuel had a rough childhood, lacking the innate brilliance of his sister, as well as her tendency to be in the background, Samuel's blunt personality often found himself in fights in the school yards with other kids. Known throughout his primary school as a delinquent, with his sister's help he graduated and joined up in an imperial military academy soon afterwards.

Military Academies, thankfully, were tuition free- exchanging education for much needed military service, and Samuel and his sister Sara were quickly encouraged by their poverty stricken family to enroll and enlist. As usual, Samuel's sister Sara excelled in the Academy, and was quickly slated to be a pilot for Mobile Armor Suits- a highly regarded position in the academy. Samuel on the other hand, didn't do as well in school, and was slated for the mechanical support branch- to become a military mechanic. His sister graduated the academy and was sent off to pilot school on Mars, Samuel on the other hand was sent to Titan to learn how to service machines.

Shortly after completing his training on Titan, Samuel was inducted into the experimental 105th Mechanical Corps, a logistics unit that used integrated Mobile Armor Suits. As a result, Samuel was taught how to pilot MAS's in order to facilitate heavy lifting, and as well as convoy defense, when the need arised. It was with the 105th however that Samuel's career started going downhill.

Hearing that his family back home was still desperate for money despite the amounts that both him and his sister were sending back from their paychecks, Samuel took it upon himself to find a way of acquiring more money. This need for money, and his presence in a logistics and supply unit, eventually led to him discovering the black market. Originally only trading small items for bribes- snail mail, candy bars, spare rations, extra uniforms, etc, Samuel soon escalated his business as the money began to pour in- body armor, firearms, power cells, even MAS parts.

Eventually, Samuel was caught and court martialed, resulting in dishonorable discharge from the UEE military. Now with nowhere to go in the UEE to find work- as few were willing to offer decent jobs to dishonorably discharged personnel, Samuel eventually found himself in the Free-Enterprise Zone. Signing on with a merchant company- where his black market connections especially would come in handy, especially within the FEZ. Samuel worked with them for a while before a pirate raid destroyed their convoy. Saved from the pirate raid by a PMC known as the Steel Hunters, Samuel joined up with them as a pilot and a logistics person, his black market connections allowing the Steel Hunters to obtain some better hardware.

Equipment: Along with his flight suit, Samuel carries his old .45 caliber service pistol, as well as a combat knife. He has a picture of himself and his sister Sara in his pocket.

CCS-099 Rabbit

Designation: CCS-099 Stylet "Rabbit" C (Custom)
Role: Interception
Chassis: Light
Engine: Improved Tri Core Engine. 20 PWR
Operating Time: 8 Hours.
Description:
Samuel Lin's heavily customized Stylet. This civilian model high performance unit has been drastically altered and modified to a point that it has very little resemblance to its predecessor. Sporting a decent shield system, as well as a wide array of melee, close quarters, and long raged weaponry, this light strike unit is capable of delivering potent firepower from standoff ranges as well as close quarters.
Systems:
Type 907 80mm Anti-Armor Rifle. 5 WT 2 PWR. - A high powered 80mm cannon weapon designed by the Coalition, the Type 907 provides devastating firepower in the form of a massive shell, with surprising accuracy. The Type 907 has incredibly long range, and a hefty kick to it, but fires High explosive shells from a 50 Round magazine. The weapon can fold up onto the back of the Stylet's shoulder when not in use.
Twin Mk25 20mm Autocannons. 2 WT 2 PWR. - A pair of twin barreled autocannons mounted on each arm, these arm mounted autocannons fire 20mm rounds at a rate of 1200 Rounds per minute, each cannon has a 400 round internal magazine.
Countermeasures. 0 WT 0 PWR - Countermeasure systems are often used by lighter MAS's to avoid missiles instead of using body mounted machine guns to intercept them. Using chaff and flares, countermeasure systems are negligible in terms of weight and power, but only has 3 chaff uses, and 6 sets of flares before needing to rearm.
Class 1 Shield Generator. 3 Wt 3 PWR. - Salvaged off a UEE Sparrow, the Stylet is equipped with a military grade shield- typically turned off to avoid detection.
Stylet Custom Boosters. 3 WT 5 PWR - While already quite agile and capable of flight, these custom Stylet boosters allow it to reach even greater maximum speeds, at the cost of some maneuverability at close range when activated.
Steel Hunters Systems Specialization: - Surviving in the Free-Enterprise Zone requires tenacity and wit. Steel Hunters that specialize in optimizing MAS electrical and energy systems are granted an extra 5 PWR to their unit. Cannot be taken simultaneously with Steel Hunters Mechanical Specialization.
E110 Energy Saber - Internal capacitor. 1 WT 3 PWR - The Stylet utilizes a of high powered energy saber deployed from stored in its hip. The blade length can be adjusted, but due to the saber using its own power capacitors, the operational limit of the blade is 3 hours. As such, pilots are often encouraged to limit their melee time.
Upgraded Targeting Suite External. 1 WT 1 PWR. - A head mounted pair of target acquisition assistants- forming "ears" on the Unit's head provides the Stylet with considerably improved targeting capabilities.
OPTIONAL 50mm Battle Autocannon 5 WT 2 PWR. - Occasionally, in place of its 80mm Anti-Armor cannon, Sam will opt for an Enforcer's semi-automatic 50mm battle 'rifle' autocannon as his primary weapon, allowing the to send lighter munitions down range at a greater speed. The rifle's canister system has been removed to save weight.

[Kimiyosis]

....
Sssssh, give me a moment....
.....
........
...........
Just imagining when the Falling Skies PMC meets the Falling Skies 101st IC wise~

On another note, I'd like to try my hand, but considering I'm in the 101st, I'll stay seated unless you don't have enough players.

On a similar yet different note(the second), when/if you ever make a Falling Skies: Navy(or spaceships), please find me.

[Whoami]

Well, well, well. This would indeed be rather interesting. Especially if/when the two plots intersect or have an impact on each other in some way. If you don't grab the interest, I will step in as well. I don't think I'd be your co-GM unless you -really- want me to be, though. We could have a little group chat for all Falling Skies GMs. ^.^

[Alfhedil]

Hmm. I have a couple projects on-going, but if I feel I have the time this would definitely interest me. If anything, ping me when this gets an OOC and I'll re-evaluate what I've got going on.

[vietmyke]

@Alfhedil Actually, I use the interest check as a character application thread. Ooc/ic thread is for accepted characters.

[vietmyke]

@Kimiyosis, @Whoami, lol I was hoping you guys would notice, my character is Sara(from the 101st roster od NPCs)'s little brother.

[Oxenfree]

I am distinctly interested.

I'll throw together a character application.
EDIT: Here's my pilot (sans picture - will get one of those). Mech's not quite done yet.

Personal

Name: Ravelon, Alexander
Age: 21
Gender: Male
Nationality: Coalition
Callsign/Codename: "Berserker"
Kills: 5

Psychological Analysis: An intensely moral person with a penchant for philosophy, Alex's personality is largely consumed with his efforts to be what he calls 'a good person'. He tries to be infallibly pleasant to absolutely everyone he meets, tending more towards appeasement when it comes to interpersonal conflict - as a result, he's fairly bad at standing up for himself. He's deeply extroverted and more than a little bit spacy; his attention tends to flit from subject to subject without really settling. That's all when he's off duty, of course - in a fight, adrenaline causes him to act with extreme enthusiasm for violence and utter disregard for his own safety.

Employment Record: Born a citizen of a highly industrial Coalition world, Alex discovered his love of family and community at a young age. Though he lived with his two younger sisters and his parents in conditions of financial struggle, the support of their neighbors was enough to keep them from going over the brink into poverty, just as they supported their neighbors.

Though both his sisters showed a great knack for education, Alex struggled; it quickly became apparent that he was far too flighty for academia, barely being able to pay attention long enough to complete the simplest of arithmetic. At the age of fifteen, he left school and began working in one of his planet's many weapons factories to support his family. Immediately, he began to show great talent in the operating of industrial machinery, and by the age of seventeen (with the recommendation of some family friends) he became the youngest in the factory's history to be allowed to pilot an industrial MAS, used for heavy lifting, loading and unloading the instruments of war that the factory produced.

He worked in this way for two years, becoming comfortable with the machine he was granted control of. Then, disaster struck - a band of interstellar pirates, lusting after the military-grade weapons the factory produced, attempted to rob Alex's workplace and be gone before law enforcement could arrive: a get-in, get-out, get-rich scheme. Their plan worked perfectly... except for the part where they caught tied down fighting a kid in a civilian suit who'd grabbed a finished plasma sword off the assembly line. That likely caught them by surprise, and they were promptly apprehended at the scene of the crime.

After the battle, Alex drifted away from his community, despite their gratitude. He promptly quit his job at the factory and signed on with the first mercenary company that stopped at his planet: the Steel Hunters. He's been one of them ever since - working on his suit, contemplating his morals, and fighting like a mad dog.


Equipment: Carries a .22 caliber revolver and a book of his favorite poems.

[vietmyke]

I also ask that in applications, characters avoid 'cliche' callsigns like "Archangel, Ghost, Sandman, Killer, etc"

[Oxenfree]

The Man

Image

Think th

Name: Ravelon, Alexander
Age: 21
Gender: Male
Nationality: Coalition
Callsign/Codename: "Softy"
Kills: 5

Psychological Analysis: An intensely moral person with a penchant for philosophy and poetry, Alex's personality is largely consumed with his efforts to be what he calls 'a good person'. He tries to be infallibly pleasant to absolutely everyone he meets, tending more towards appeasement when it comes to interpersonal conflict - as a result, he's fairly bad at standing up for himself. He's deeply extroverted and more than a little bit spacy; his attention tends to flit from subject to subject without really settling.

Employment Record: Born a citizen of a highly industrial Coalition world, Alex discovered his love of family and community at a young age. Though he lived with his two younger sisters and his parents in conditions of financial struggle, the support of their neighbors was enough to keep them from going over the brink into poverty, just as they supported their neighbors.

Though both his sisters showed a great knack for education, Alex struggled; it quickly became apparent that he was far too flighty for academia, barely being able to pay attention long enough to complete the simplest of arithmetic. At the age of fifteen, he left school and began working in one of his planet's many weapons factories to support his family. Immediately, he began to show great talent in the operating of industrial machinery, and by the age of seventeen (with the recommendation of some family friends) he became the youngest in the factory's history to be allowed to pilot an industrial MAS, used for heavy lifting, loading and unloading the instruments of war that the factory produced.

He worked in this way for two years, becoming comfortable with the machine he was granted control of. Then, disaster struck - a band of interstellar pirates, lusting after the military-grade weapons the factory produced, attempted to rob Alex's workplace and be gone before law enforcement could arrive: a get-in, get-out, get-rich scheme. Their plan worked perfectly... except for the part where they caught tied down fighting a kid in a civilian suit who'd grabbed a finished plasma sword off the assembly line. That likely caught them by surprise, and they were promptly apprehended at the scene of the crime.

Unfortunately, large sections of the factory were destroyed in the raid, and both Alex and his parents were downsized. With his parents out of work and his sisters dreaming of higher education, Alex took the one job available to him that could support his family: piloting a mech for the Steel hunters.

Equipment: Carries a .22 caliber revolver and a book of his favorite poems.

The Mech

Appearance:

Viking

As pictured, but with the weapons described below - also, painted entirely in varying shades of green.
Designation: I-47XGL, "The Viking" (Custom)
Role: Close-Quarters Assault
Chassis: Medium.
Engine: Quad Core, 20 PWR.
Operating Time: 12 Hours.
Description: Alex's highly modified job on the Gowser chassis. Designed to be an up-close-and personal monster, the model largely sacrifices flight capabilities and long-range firepower in exchange for land speed, durability, and close-range prowess.
Systems: DR-1X Pattern Assault Rifle: A weapon designed for high rate of fire and armor-piercing capabilities, it is capable of shredding through enemy plating with sustained, close-range fire. Its poor accuracy means that strategy for its use at a distance can best be described as 'close your eyes and pray'. Held with both hands when in use - can he holstered on the mech's back when not. Includes a long alloy bayonet at the front for melee combat. 7 WT, 2 PWR.
E-982 Class Hybrid Axe: A broad single-headed alloy waraxe with a plasma edge. Ideal for melee combat. Can be sheathed on the side of the mech when not in use. 3 WT, 5 PWR.
P-960 Anti Personnel Cannon: Shoulder mounted weapon that sprays small caliber fire wildly at the ground in front of the mech. Makes up for in rate of fire what it loses in accuracy. 1 WT, 0 PWR.
Optimized Alloy Plating: The Viking supplements its shields with increased plating, making it incredibly durable. 5 WT.
Overcharged Civilian Grade Shield: The rough equivalent of a Class 2 Shield. 7 PWR.
Enhanced Fist Plating: The armor on the Viking's hands is even further plated in a simulation of knuckle dusters. Lends a great deal of power and protection to a punch. 2 WT.

That's pretty much it, I think. As far as comments on your character sheet go, I have very few - outside of saying that he certainly seems to have had a full life for his age (I know, says the guy playing a 21 year old).

[vietmyke]

@Oxenfree haha you're not wrong, 22 is pretty young. My main issue is that this character is already established as the younger brother of another character in the Canon, who is only 24 and a decorated veteran.

The mentality is that primary school only teaches until 8th grade, and military academies due to the need of solders take over school from 9th grade onwards. - the dire need for soldiers accelerates the learning process

[Vigfast]

I'd say war time tends to accelerate development as well, looking back at WW2, you have some chaps that managed to log more flight hours than most people could every dream of and earn kill counts in the hundreds before they were twenty five (although I wouldn't suggest that was the norm by any means).*

*Sorry to randomly interject, but I felt it was a suitable time to make an introduction of sorts!

[Oxenfree]

Yeah, I understand what you mean by that. It's not, like, an actual problem I have, just the rules said I had to comment on someone else's sheet and yours seemed pretty spot on otherwise.

And I will always welcome an interjection from a wise Mr. Owl.

[vietmyke]

If anyone has any questions regarding character building feel free to post or Pm me!

[EnterTheHero]

If I can, I'd like to have a mecha of my own. You guys still "hiring," so to speak?

[vietmyke]

Aye, we are indeed hiring. However, keep in mind that any player made mech should also be a 'civilian' grade machine- it can be modified and upgraded to be a effective fighting machine, but it cannot have been created for the explicit purpose of fighting wars.(unless it was designed for policing)

Example would be my characters machine. It is clearly a fighting machine. It is meant to shoot shit. But it's base model originated as a civilian recreation machine.

[Athinar]

Interested. I really like the idea of this.

[EnterTheHero]

Can I have my character's mech have some parts salvaged from a Sparrow? I mean, he's not gonna be able to afford/get his hands on an actual intact one, but the idea is that he's basically bootlegging one as much as possible.

[vietmyke]

@EnterTheHero That would be fine- Also, the Sparrow and Stylet are quite similar to one another- the militarized Stylet being most PMCs response to the UEE Sparrow

@Oxenfree a few notes regarding your character..
- You have a description underneath your character image that I think might have been accidentally cut off
- This is pure technobabble, and has no real effect on the RP itself, but if your machine is a modified Gowser, it would retain the same designation CMS-110 or whatever
- All shield units have 5 Weight- so you're currently at 23/20 WT - quick fix to that would be taking Steel Hunters Mechanical Specialization, adding 5 WT to total capacity so you'd be at 23/25 WT
- For your machine's assault rifle, I'd like to see ammunition type, magazine size/feed type, and Rate of fire. Since the Gowser is a Coalition built machine, it'd be most likely using Coalition weapon calibers- common weapon calibers for Coalition autocannons are 20mm, 27, 35, and 50. 35 is the baseline standard of Coalition weapons- the point of specifying calibers is to relay the amount of damage your weapon does relative to other weapons. Magazine size is important as well- I won't be forcing you to keep track of how many individual bullets you've fired, but in the case of extended conflicts you may have to roleplay your character running low or out of ammunition depending on how liberal he is with his application of the trigger. Rule of thumb, smaller caliber weapons fire faster, most autocannons fire at a maximum of 750-800 Rounds per minute- some weapons, like Sam's 20mm cannons achieve higher fire rates by having a pair of 600 rpm barrels firing at opposite intervals, or by using rotary/gatling systems.
- For the anti-personnel cannon, is it like... a shotgun that sprays bullets? or like a machine gun? List the same characteristics as mentioned above.

All in all, it looks solid.

[Oxenfree]

The Man

Image

Name: Ravelon, Alexander
Age: 21
Gender: Male
Nationality: Coalition
Callsign/Codename: "Doughboy"
Kills: 5

Psychological Analysis: An intensely moral person with a penchant for philosophy and poetry, Alex's personality is largely consumed with his efforts to be what he calls 'a good person'. He tries to be infallibly pleasant to absolutely everyone he meets, tending more towards appeasement when it comes to interpersonal conflict - as a result, he's fairly bad at standing up for himself. He's deeply extroverted and more than a little bit spacy; his attention tends to flit from subject to subject without really settling.

Employment Record: Born a citizen of a highly industrial Coalition world, Alex discovered his love of family and community at a young age. Though he lived with his two younger sisters and his parents in conditions of financial struggle, the support of their neighbors was enough to keep them from going over the brink into poverty, just as they supported their neighbors.

Though both his sisters showed a great knack for education, Alex struggled; it quickly became apparent that he was far too flighty for academia, barely being able to pay attention long enough to complete the simplest of arithmetic. At the age of fifteen, he left school and began working in one of his planet's many weapons factories to support his family. Immediately, he began to show great talent in the operating of industrial machinery, and by the age of seventeen (with the recommendation of some family friends) he became the youngest in the factory's history to be allowed to pilot an industrial MAS, used for heavy lifting, loading and unloading the instruments of war that the factory produced.

He worked in this way for two years, becoming comfortable with the machine he was granted control of. Then, disaster struck - a band of interstellar pirates, lusting after the military-grade weapons the factory produced, attempted to rob Alex's workplace and be gone before law enforcement could arrive: a get-in, get-out, get-rich scheme. Their plan worked perfectly... except for the part where they caught tied down fighting a kid in a civilian suit who'd grabbed a finished plasma sword off the assembly line. That likely caught them by surprise, and they were promptly apprehended at the scene of the crime.

Unfortunately, large sections of the factory were destroyed in the raid, and both Alex and his parents were downsized. With his parents out of work and his sisters dreaming of higher education, Alex took the one job available to him that could support his family: piloting a mech for the Steel hunters.

Equipment: Carries a .22 caliber revolver and a book of his favorite poems.

The Mech

Appearance:

Viking

As pictured, but with the weapons described below - also, painted entirely in varying shades of green.
Designation: CMS-110-5, "The Viking" (Custom)
Role: Close-Quarters Assault
Chassis: Medium.
Engine: Quad Core, 20 PWR.
Operating Time: 12 Hours.
Description: Alex's highly modified job on the Gowser chassis. Designed to be an up-close-and personal monster, the model largely sacrifices flight capabilities and long-range firepower in exchange for land speed, durability, and close-range prowess.
Systems: DR-1X Pattern 35mm Assault Rifle: A weapon designed for high rate of fire and armor-piercing capabilities, it is capable of shredding through enemy plating with sustained, close-range fire. Its poor accuracy means that strategy for its use at a distance can best be described as 'close your eyes and pray'. Held with both hands when in use - can he holstered on the mech's back when not. Includes a long alloy bayonet at the front for melee combat. Fires on semi-auto at 650 RPM from a 250 capacity Mag. 7 WT, 2 PWR.
E-982 Class Hybrid Axe: A broad single-headed alloy waraxe with a plasma edge. Ideal for melee combat. Can be sheathed on the side of the mech when not in use. 3 WT, 5 PWR.
P-960 .50mm Anti Personnel Cannon: Shoulder mounted wide-barrel machine gun that sprays small caliber fire wildly at the ground in front of the mech. Makes up for in rate of fire what it loses in accuracy. Fires at 1500 RPM from an auto-loaded 500 round mag. 1 WT, 0 PWR.
Optimized Alloy Plating: The Viking supplements its shields with increased plating, making it incredibly durable. 5 WT.
Overcharged Civilian Grade Shield: The rough equivalent of a Class 2 Shield. 5 WT, 7 PWR.
Enhanced Fist Plating: The armor on the Viking's hands is even further plated in a simulation of knuckle dusters. Lends a great deal of power and protection to a punch. 2 WT.
Steel Hunters Mechanical Specialization: +5 WT.

Sorted, I think. I confess that my knowledge of guns is limited, so do let me know if the numbers provided are totally insane - I based them off of brief Wikipedia searches.

[Alfhedil]

A few questions, more so for my own curiosity than anything else really. Is the Krellian Republic exclusively a background feature, or is it permissible for player characters to come from the faction? Furthermore, what is the stance regarding transhumanism?