NameVolana Jacira
GenderFemale
AgeBiologically mid 20s, chronologically older.
AppearanceA striking young woman whose alabaster complexion and shock of stark white hair makes her easily recognizable, and difficult to miss. Though not physically imposing by any stretch, standing about a meter seventy, she is clearly no stranger to rigorous physical activity nor combat, given both her toned physique and the few faint scars that are visible on her frame. As well as, much more noticeably, the fact that her left hand is a prosthetic from the elbow down, one which normally doesn't have an artificial skin covering over the bare alloy components. Her posture is generally relaxed, and she possesses an overall casual demeanor, though she walks with an ever so slight limp under normal gravity; which her gliding gait can't entirely hide. Her features are sleek, and if she lost any weight would probably look far sharper than they do for the most part. They are normally adorned with an easy going smile that compliments an almost unconcerned look behind her bright grey eyes. Usually wears her hair no longer than chin-length to better fit under a helmet. Speaks with a noticeable inner-colony accent.
PersonalityA driven individual with an intensity about her that's laser-focused on the task at hand. Off the clock and out of uniform she lets her hair down a bit, far more relaxed than behind the controls of an Orbital, though she is still very much self assured in her capabilities. A quiet confidence that underpins her laconic, casual tone. While not particularly open about herself as a whole, she's not antisocial by any stretch, and enjoys conversation and company.
BackstoryVolana isn't native to anywhere in particular, the only home she knew for the majority of her childhood was just the cargo ship her parents ran. Not that it was something that she thought about much, by the age of ten Volana was more well-traveled than most people could even claim to be, and it resulted in an innate love for the otherwise bleak unknown of space. Her family was never affluent, but they always made it through whether times were good or bad.
It didn't last. Human nature hadn't changed in the centuries since space had become populated, it merely had room to grow. The vacuum hid within it dangers as much as wonders. While, understandably, the events that transpired aren't something which she talks about openly, what can be pieced together paints a grim picture of the ship she had called home for the past sixteen years being ripped apart by an ill-fated attack by pirates. All hands lost just inside Venus' sphere of influence. All save for one. A single escape pod was recovered from the wreckage by the security forces responding to the distress call put out.
From there, a shaken Volana was dumped planetside, her world shattered. It took time for her resolve to mend itself, but what came out of it was a sharp focus, for better or worse. By her 17th birthday she had enlisted in the Cytherean military, and while she initially served in piracy response units, her aptitude for both piloting and her innate familiarity with space fast tracked her to becoming one of the new breed of pilots bound to operate the newest generation of mechs: Orbitals.
That resolve carried her through a stringent selection process, though her drive often blinded her to everything save the task at hand, every obstacle was simply another stepping stone towards her eventual goal. Even if that goal was not as concrete as she thought it to be. More than once Volana had snapped out of the fervor that she had caught herself up in, only to find herself increasingly locked onto a path. This culminated to her arrival at a unsanctioned Cytherean research blacksite orbiting Titania, a heavily shielded facility where she first began piloting the Orbital which would become known as the Aurora. This area of her record is heavily classified, even to some senior command aboard the ship she now serves on, with what little information that wasn't redacted simply gone. Even so, what is there suggests a tremendous push for the development of not just the next step in combat mechs, but the advancement of the pilots behind the controls. Fortunately, or unfortunately, the program didn't last. Whether from a series of catastrophes or just lack of funding, Volana was quietly reintegrated back into the Cytherean Defense Force proper and that chapter of her service hidden away.
Though her drive never died, and it came to no surprise that upon hearing of the Proxima colony project she immediately petitioned to be part of the constitute security detail. Having little to no ties to the Sol system proper, it wasn't a particularly difficult final decision for her to stick with it once the Pandora set off from Jupiter.
Skills and FlawsA gifted pilot who, like most of her ilk, feels far more comfortable behind the controls of an Orbital than on her own two feet. She is intelligent, and while not particularly booksmart, tends to prefer finding solutions herself rather than relying entirely on others to do so for her. Having spent the majority of her life in space rather than planetside, Volana navigates zero-g as naturally as one walks, both in and out of an Orbital. This only serves to complement her combat proficiency, she is a remarkable marksman with an almost preternatural spatial sense, a trait which makes her particularly lethal in close quarters combat. Avid martial artist, she enjoys challenging her abilities, though can be overly protective of the Aurora.
However, she has a tendency towards tunnel vision, hyper focusing on the task at hand at the expense of all else around her. While on the battlefield this is usually mitigated by friendlies in the area, she nonetheless opens herself up to harm more often than not. This disregard for even her own well-being continues out of the fight just as much, necessary things such as sleep and sustenance seeming unimportant until someone has to drag her back to quarters for rest again.
EquipmentA modified Cytherean pilot's harness and helmet. Both of which bear a white and black coloration, adorned with a pair of parallel yellow stripes indicating her status as an Ace within the CDF. Also wears the standard duty and dress uniforms of the Pandora's crew when the situation calls for it. Elects to carry her standard issue sidearm most of the time, a habit that she hasn't been able to kick since she was part of the piracy response unit, long before she became a pilot. Otherwise, her possessions remain sparse, save the kit and tools necessary to keep her prosthetic operational.
Model NumberIK32-E Aurora
RoleHeavy Close Combat/Direct Fire Orbital
AppearanceA visually distinct mech standing at approximately 21 meters tall, just above average for most Orbitals. It features sleek, swept lines that give it an overall predatory appearance. The mirrored composite armor is primarily an iridescent cyan paired with a secondary metallic cobalt color. A shimmering lattice ripples across the armor when energized.
SystemsDynamic Variable Geometry Weapon System- An experimental dual-use weapon which attempts to leverage a single system for both offensive and defensive use. In standard form it takes the shape of a durable resistant shield comprised of multiple interlocking plates. These plates reconfigure to form a large, split barrel energy cannon for use as a weapon.
Energized Combat Plating- An active defense system to improve survivability of the Aurora as a whole. Beneath the mirrored composite armor of the Orbital are arrays of microgenerators which, when activated, hardens the armoring against kinetic impacts, while subsurface magnetic fields dampen the effectiveness of energy weaponry. The system takes time to activate and deactivate, and cannot be switched on or off instantly, in addition to being a substantial power draw when in use. While in theory the system could be run indefinitely on the Oberth Reactor's output, when active there is not much energy left for the Orbital's other powered weapons. The system does not provide complete immunity to damage, merely a high degree of resistance.
WeaponsIK HEC/PI Collimating Particle Lance- The offensive form of the Variable Geometry System, taking the form of a powerful and power intensive directed energy weapon. While similar in appearances to a modern beam cannon, the technology behind the design predates it. Rather than directly channeling power from the Orbital's Oberth Reactor into an energy beam, the weapon instead utilizes it to stimulate the generation of heavy subatomic particles. These particles are fired out of the barrel at near relativistic speeds in a focused beam. The high mass of the particles fired imparts a much greater amount of kinetic energy on target compared to beam cannons of similar size. However, the rapid decay of the particles limits the range of the weapon to below that of comparable beam weaponry. The intensity of the shots fired is able to be graded slightly, thought even the lowest power shots still require time between firings to leave energy for the Orbital's other weapon systems. At max power the Aurora is left completely inoperable for a time, and risks overloading power systems completely. As with the shield it reconfigures from, it is arm-mounted on the left side of the Orbital.
Fujiwara Heavy Industries Type-141 LKR- A projectile weapon taking the form of a twin barrel railgun filling a comparable role to a human-scale battle rifle. As the weapon is electromagnetic, albeit approaching the lower limit of the size of the technology, the Linear Kinetic Rifle requires energy to fire. Though this is rarely a downside given the advantage in stopping power the weapon has over more conventional armaments. Caseless HVAP rounds are fed from a top mounted magazine, specialty ammo can be used if needed, and fired in quick succession from the dual barrels for improved penetration.
EDI Gram Plasma Blade- Close in melee weapon. A broad double edged nanoalloy sword. Can be energized to emit a high energy plasma which shapes around the prismatic blade. While just as effective as more modern beam sabers, it gives up low weight and portability for better energy efficiency. In addition to the advantage of being useable without being powered. Stored along the Orbital's right forearm when not in use, with the blade extending out past the elbow.
Fujiwara Heavy Industries Type-5 Combat Knives- A pair of heat blades which utilize their own built in energy source for powered use. An old, but rugged and battle proven design. Sheathed at the hips.
EDI Sethlans 35mm Gastguns- Two pairs of head mounted CIWS for use against lightly and unarmored targets. Mounted above and below the sensor unit on each side.
Manufacturing HistoryA testbed unit built on the standard IK32 Bayara Orbital in use by the Cytherean Defense Force. As with most Venus-built designs it has a distinct lineage from most Orbitals, with many core systems, including the Oberth Reactor itself, being a proprietary make. It was originally used by Ishtar Kinetics as a late stage test frame for advanced weapons and systems development, though it quickly became the preferred Orbital of a particular Cytherean ace pilot who was chosen to operate it. Far more combat-capable now than its original iteration, the newly christened Aurora was brought along for the Proxima expedition with its pilot.
WeaknessesThe Aurora balances on a knife's edge in terms of power allocation, and requires careful management of on board systems to avoid leaving the Orbital dead in the water. And not just with non-functional weaponry, core systems such as thrusters and life support are at risk of being starved of energy if not enough care is taken. The Aurora, while impressively outfitted, is still only average in terms of maneuverability and speed. While the energized armor is active the Aurora is the exact opposite of stealthy, with large amounts of EM signals being emitted beyond just the visual.
Plank Sinatra
