PilotName: Conlan Zapka
Rank: Captain
Age: 42
Equipment: -Ares Armories
Model HS-524c, forged in the vast ironworks on Mars. Designed for work in and out of a mech on extremely hazardous planets and areas.
-Ares Armories
L-12h, a reliable, heavy duty laser handgun.
-Combat Knife and Survival Kit, standard issue Mechpilot knife and kit. Survival kit includes compass, analog clock, rations, matches, etc. Survival kit also includes 'The Spider', a thick metal plate that when placed on the back, becomes a light exosuit with the legs assisting you.
History: Born on the colonies of Mars, Conlan was the child of Lord Frederic Zapka and Lady Irene Zapka, of House Zapka. A known Noble family with a long history stretching back before the Mars Independence War. Praised for their vast, efficient and ecologically friendly farms. They were amongst the second wave of colonists sent to the red planet, where they like many other colonists were overworked, forced to produce materials and consume Mars' natural resources at a rate far faster than its natural cycles could replenish. When the Mars Independence War was lit, House Zapka was one of the few groups with the people to man the mechs. The first conflict to see mech and mech warfare was long and brutal, with House Zapka's pilots becoming well known on both sides. When the conflict ended, House Zapka kept the mechs that their people had piloted, passing them down from father to son as heirlooms. Although their House settled down in a life of peace and agriculture many of their sons would join the armed forces of the United Human Alliances as mech pilots, then coming back to Mars to pass down the mech.
Like many other warriors of House Zapka, Conlan was a natural. Raised with becoming a pilot in mind, and his natural mental strength high, he quickly became a target of both praise and suspicion, as a Martian, and as a Zapka. However this didn't stop him from joining the ranks of the Mech Corps.
Just before he was reassigned to the 6th Exploration Command, he participated in the Ciprian Rebellion conflict. The Ciprian System discovered a strange alien artifact, then halted all communications and trade with the UHA. A rookie Mech Battalion was sent in to investigate, they went dark as well. The UHA pulled all stops and sent in a combined arms force, with Mechs included. The battalion that Conlan was attached to. When they arrived, they discovered that the alien artifact had enslaved the Ciprians and the rookie mech pilots to its will. A large, several month long conflict occurred, with both sides suffering tremendous casualties. It wasn't until an unknown fighter pilot, during a space battle over Ciprian Prime, broke through the rebel defense lines and strafed the artifact with all of his weapons. Out of ammunition, running out of fuel and lasers doing nothing, the fighter pilot turned off his reactor safeties and rammed the relic. Destroying it with a nuclear detonation.
The survivors of the combined arms force, Conlan included was folded into several other groups to form the 6th Exploration Command, where Conlan volunteered to be cryogenically frozen. The plan was to defrost them when the second generation of crew were ready, so they would have some veterans mixed in.
Other: N/A
Appearance:
Mech SheetName: Aspis
Designation: Noble Hoplite, NHP-2a
Origin: Mars Mechworks, Mars.
Tonnage: 100t
Height: Very Tall at 16 meters tall
Mech Speed: Slow at 54 kp/h
Upgrades: Upgraded Engine. Upgraded Heatsinks. Upgraded Skeletal Frame. Jumpjet Capable.
Traits: Semi-Sentient. Inspiring. Grim Reputation.
Exploration Loadout: The primary loadout we'll be using
Head - N/A
Center Torso - N/A
Left Torso - 2x Medium Lasers in 1 weapon turret. 1x Class 1 Heavy Jumpjet.
Right Torso - 2x Medium Lasers in 1 weapon turret. 1x Class 1 Heavy Jumpjet.
Left Arm - Hand. 1x Large Laser on the forearm.
Right Arm - Hand. 1x Large Laser on the forearm.
Left Leg - N/A
Right Leg - N/A
Combat Loadout: Head - N/A
Center Torso - N/A
Left Torso - 2x Medium Lasers in 1 weapon turret. 1x Class 1 Heavy Jumpjet.
Right Torso - 2x Medium Lasers in 1 weapon turret. 1x Class 1 Heavy Jumpjet.
Left Arm - 1x 30mm Rotary Cannon. 2x Large Lasers.
Right Arm - 1x 30mm Rotary Cannon. 1x Gauss Rifle.
Left Leg - N/A
Right Leg - N/A
Lore: The Noble Hoplite, developed on Mars in secret just before the Mars Independence War, was the very first Superheavy Mech ever developed. Typical tactics revolving around mechs centered around mobility, with most mechs being light or medium class. When the war broke out the Noble Hoplite, supported by its Medium mech brother the Hoplite, spearheaded independent martian attacks. The Noble Hoplite proved to be extremely effective, shaking the core of mech tactics with its thick armor and overwhelming amount of firepower. During the war, the UEA destroyed the factory producing the Noble Hoplite and the blueprints of the machine. For the full 20 years of the war, the Noble Hoplites became feared opponents and awe inspiring allies. However as the factory and the plans were destroyed, the knowledge of creating the Noble Hoplite was lost. The remaining Noble Hoplites were kept by their pilots, never scrapped. Now, most Noble Hoplites are parade pieces, sitting in museums, destroyed in battle or time.
The reputation of the Noble Hoplite during the war has made it both famous and infamous to this date. It became the hero and the villain for many platforms of media, in simulation games, movies, shows, books and more.
The Aspis is one of the last operating Noble Hoplites in existence, it has been upgraded constantly to keep up with the development of new technologies. It is also one of the oldest still operating mechs in the UHA, having been first switched on over two hundred years ago. Due to its age, it has developed some 'quirks', as the Engineers call it. The basic intelligence that all mechs have has grown to a slightly more advanced intellect. Its previous pilot called it similar to a small animal in intellect, and it only allows Zapka pilots to operate it. Since Conlan Zapka, it's current pilot went into cryostasis, numerous other pilots have attempted to tame the venerable mech only to be 'kicked out' and being hospitalized with a case of neural shock.
Although the mech is equipped with jumpjets, it was too heavy to really take off when it was first introduced. This wasn't much of an issue, as common strategy with the Noble Hoplite included jumping off of a cliff or dropship and firing the thrusters to provide reverse thrust. Some creative pilots even used their jumpjets to scorch an enemy behind them. Current jumpjets are powerful enough to have the Noble Hoplite lift off, although by not much.
Mech Appearance:
