Caasicam

Advance on Distant Proxima (Mecha RPG)

---

Volana looked up from her dwindling supply of food as another soul dropped, for lack of a better word, into the seat across from her. Her attempts at removing the tinge of anticryo that still clung to her tongue temporarily halted.

"Privyet," she responded in kind, a faint smile playing across her features as she recognized the greeting. There was a slight pause, primarily as Volana combed through memories over a decade old now to fit a name to the sandy-blonde hair and bright eyes. "Stojanović, yes? Looks like you thawed out all in one piece, lucky you."

She gave her arm a wave, the rest of the limb still resting on the table next to her food.

"It's a good thing I keep spares though huh."

Advance on Distant Proxima (Mecha RPG)

volana just hanging out if anyone wants to chat before we head off

Advance on Distant Proxima (Mecha RPG)

---

Cryo sucked.

Volana had heard that some people simply go out and then wake back up years later, no feeling of time in between. She always felt rather envious of them. Not for her, Volana had half a mind to ask if it was some running joke to spike her nutrient drip with the good stuff, the dreams her frozen mind decided to conceive always tended to be far more unsettling than she particularly cared to experience.

Even so, waking up from cryo sucked more.

Light, blinding painful white light, was the first sensation that came rushing back to greet her, forcibly dragging her out of the artificially induced stasis like being dropped in ice cold water. It was closely followed by the sound of an announcement coming back over the ship's comm system, a muffled jumble of words that her groggy mind couldn't yet parse. A single, uncoordinated motion draped her right forearm over her eyes, offering a slight reprieve from the shock of stimulus. The limb felt heavy, like her arm was full of lead, and Volana exhaled consciously for the first time in fifteen years.

By now words were beginning to fall back into place, and she caught snippets of a familiar voice giving instructions. It was another beat before she could place it as the captain.

She could hear other voices too now, along with a general hum of activity that was steadily increasing as what she assumed were technicians monitored vitals as others aboard awoke. A breath in, the recycled air smelled astringent and metallic. It took a few more beats for feeling to return to her limbs, and she risked lifting her arm from her head to squint her eyes open. Above her the transparent cover for the cryopod hung open, having been opened well before she regained consciousness. Volana rolled her head to the side, blinking to force her vision to focus on the stasis pod next to her own.

"...to ready stations. Pandora will reach orbit in one hour. Follow the post-hibernation routine and proceed to your station by then. I repeat..."

Right.

Rise and shine.

Steeling herself for the exertion, Volana made to push herself up to sitting with both hands.

And only succeeded in nearly rolling herself off the left side of the pod, her heart jumping in her chest from the unexpected motion, while the shot of adrenaline shocked the rest of her body awake.

Volana waved off the technician which had noticed and moved to help with her good arm, and cursed under her breath at the phantom hand that had not been able to support her weight. Her face flushed, and she felt her cheeks grow hot from the rush of blood. She really hoped no one else had noticed her momentary lapse.

Less than a minute in a completely new solar system and a swear were the first words out of her mouth.

"I'm fine, fine," Volana insisted, properly pushing herself up to sitting this time as she swung her legs around for them to hang off the side of the padded pod. A chill worked its way up her spine as she dropped to the floor, the metal floor sucking the warmth out of the soles of her feet. Not that the insubstantial garments they had spent cryo in provided any sort of protection against the chilly air either.

Spurred on by the temperature, Volana took a few shuffling steps forward to reacquaint herself, and her legs, with the sensation of not falling over. Confident that she did remember how to walk, she made her way over to the showers nearby, following both the labels posted to the walls and her now fifteen year old memory of the layout of the ship.

Small blessings, the water was actually above room temperature once she stripped down and made it into a shower, a rarity on board most vessels she had been on. While it felt amazing, she didn't linger too long, her stomach was beginning to remember that the last meal she had was a distant memory at this point.

It wasn't long after that she found her locker, inside the few things she had brought with her on this distant journey. Slipping into her pilot's suit with a practiced efficiency, Volana grabbed her prosthetic before heading off to find something to eat.

It was only when she sat herself down in the mess that Volana finally took the time to look around, she wasn't the only pilot who had decided to get something to eat before getting to her station.

Advance on Distant Proxima (Mecha RPG)

artemie unapproved not enough artillery

we need to be able to shell xenos from orbit

Advance on Distant Proxima (Mecha RPG)

sleepy moon gorl

EDIT:

approved

Advance on Distant Proxima (Mecha RPG)

give me temporary power i will do nothing wrong with it

Advance on Distant Proxima (Mecha RPG)

Volana

Name

Volana Jacira

Gender

Female

Age

Biologically mid 20s, chronologically older.

Appearance

A 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.

Volana

Personality

A 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.

Backstory

Volana 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 Flaws

A 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.

Equipment

A 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 old 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. Rumored to have a hidden stash of vodka, which she tends to deny.

Model Number

IK32-E Aurora

Role

Heavy Close Combat/Direct Fire Orbital

Appearance

A visually distinct mech standing at approximately 22 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.

Aurora

Systems

MARAUDER Dynamic 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.

CoreDyn Tau 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.

Weapons

IK 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 uranium rounds are belt fed from an internal ammo store in the forearm, though specialty ammo can be used if needed, and is fired in quick succession from the dual barrels for improved penetration.

EDI Gram Plasma Blade- Close in melee weapon. A broad single 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 History

A 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.

Weaknesses

The 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.

Advance on Distant Proxima (Mecha RPG)

(ノ°Д°）ノ︵ ┻━┻

Advance on Distant Proxima (Mecha RPG)

Volana

Name

Volana Jacira

Gender

Female

Age

Biologically mid 20s, chronologically older.

Appearance

A 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.

Volana

Personality

A 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.

Backstory

Volana 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 Flaws

A 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.

Equipment

A 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 old 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. Rumored to have a hidden stash of vodka, which she tends to deny.

Model Number

IK32-E Aurora

Role

Heavy Close Combat/Direct Fire Orbital

Appearance

A 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.

Aurora

Systems

Dynamic 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.

Weapons

IK 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 uranium rounds are belt fed from an internal ammo store in the forearm, though specialty ammo can be used if needed, and is fired in quick succession from the dual barrels for improved penetration.

EDI Gram Plasma Blade- Close in melee weapon. A broad single 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 History

A 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.

Weaknesses

The 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.

Blades of Iron Roses: An Anime-Inspired Fantasy Knight RP

@Caasicam: Yes, yes we do!

@VitaVitaAR

awesome

busy for the next few days but i've got some concepts in mind. should have some semblance of a CS up by the end of the week.