Name: Rimau binti Rayyan
Appearance:Gender: Female
Age: 36
Personality: Rimau has two modes of being: what her adopted country wants her to be like, and what she's actually like. Gyrland needs her to present herself as a loyal and devoted soldier, dedicated to the cause and unwavering in her support. She is upbeat in the face of danger but not blase about it, treating combat as a serious but righteous effort.
While there is an element of truth to this facade it covers up much of the real Rimau. She's spent her entire adult life manipulating people to get them to support one military or another, and while she'd never even think that she's on the wrong side she can't help but feel guilty. She knows for a fact that people from her home country have come to fight and die, feeling the weight of their fates on her shoulders (rightly or wrongly). The past ten years have been filled with doubt for her, and it's unlikely that she'll ever shake her worries.
In the meantime, she just keeps doing her job.
Background: Rimau was born in Temasek, a nation stretched across tropical islands about far as possible from Gyrland. Once a disparate set of feuding tribes ruled by distant foreigners, Temasek had quickly modernized after gaining its independence, becoming a leader in technological research and development. By the year of her birth Rimau's hometown, the capital city Ancar, was renowned for its information industry. Her father worked in cybersecurity, her mother headed systems design at a major software firm, so it was of little surprise that Rimau grew up with technology.
Like many teens Rimau grew up with social media, but she had a knack for online popularity that was abnormal among her peers. While not particularly interested in becoming any sort of media personality or influencer she did think it prudent to try and turn her talent into a career. Advertising seemed a natural fit, and Rimau went to university to study digital marketing.
This was not a field she particularly enjoyed but it did offer decent pay. Before she could apply to any firm however the military got to her first, calling her up for the two years of service required of every young adult. Like every other cadet she was the basics of military service but when it came time for her to specialize she was pulled in two very different directions.
The Armed Forces knew about her studies and experience with marketing and thus wanted her to work with the recruiters, churning out videos and posts trying to entice people to sign up after their mandatory service. She was good at the work to be sure, but found it soulless and ultimately kind of ugly. She was drawn to the Battle Frames, the walking weapons that were changing the way wars were fought.
Rarely does the military do what its individual cogs wish for, but Rimau did so well in the tests that it would have been wasteful to keep her away from a Frame. Some kind officer made the decision to split the difference for her: she would create recruitment-driving puff pieces for the army, but as part of the Battle Frame Corps. Her job was to present as being a patriotic citizen who was just so glad to serve her country that she couldn't help but share her adventures with the world.
And that was just what she did. Rimau recorded herself and her squad mates at the range and during maneuvers, the footage carefully poured over by a team of PR people to squeeze the most value possible out of it. During her tenure reenlistment jumped by a little over forty percent, and while it couldn't all be attributed to her work she had undeniably played a major part in it.
Rimau was the face of Temasek's Battle Frames, and by her fourth year she was sick of it. For all the nation's fear-mongering and hoard-building she had yet to see combat against any force more powerful than jungle-dwelling rebels and pirates on captured tankers. After so much time playing pretend Rimau wanted to actually fight for a cause.
She had just resigned from the Corps to go search for civilian work when the invasion happened, and she jumped at her chance. Rimau made the trip to Gyrland and presented herself to the rapidly-disintegrating Homeguard, joining the first wave of foreign volunteers.
To her dismay, the Homeguard put her to work doing the same thing she did back home. In between sorties and probing actions against the Ruzis Rimau made calls for material support from Temasek, serving as a pretty face through which Gyrland could seek assistance.
The nagging doubts over the validity of her service came to a head when she was honored for bravery under fire. Five years into her time with Homeguard a force of requisitioned Frames supported by infantry and light vehicles attempted to push into one of the outer territories controlled by Ruziyane. Rimau was part of the supporting forces, and when the attack began to stall she was pulled up to assist.
The breakthrough attempt failed and what began as an ordered retreat threatened to disintegrate into a route. A unit of anti-armor infantry had overstretched itself, shunted out of position so that they were at risk of being totally surrounded. Rimau had the only heavy ordnance left in the area and thus swung into action, attracting enemy attention and laying down covering fire to give the Guards time to escape.
She sustained shrapnel injuries to her chest and neck as well as minor burns to her torso and was recognized for her gallant efforts with not only a Purple Heart but the extremely prestigious King's Star. Such a high honor was bittersweet due to there being no king to bestow it upon her, but she also couldn't shake the feeling that she wouldn't have been given it if she wasn't expected to parade it on camera.
Rimau considered leaving but stayed in hopes of eventually living up to the medal she had been given. She has failed to do so in the five years since.
Other things: - In addition to her role as Frame pilot and walking propaganda poster Rimau is sometimes called into service as infantry when a patrol needs to be rounded out or a unit is short on manpower in the aftermath of a raid. She actually enjoys ground-pounding because it feels more real to her than her piloting career at this point.
- Other item!
Nation name: Temasek
Membership: Suspicious of Avrupa and Ruziyane but closely allied to Vinland.
Position in the world: The Republic of Temasek lies far to the west of Avrupa, a small nation-state stretched across an archipelago.
Recent history: Temasek was once split between the nations of Avrupa, colonized by outsiders so that distant monarchies could get rich off the land's natural resources. After centuries of subjugation and the tribes and clans that lived on the island rose up against their Avrupan masters in a coordinated rebellion, one that was in part funded and equipped by Vinland. This sparked a strong relationship between the two countries, one that held together even as Vinland began to treat Avrupa with less hostility.
Its alliance with Vinland as well its relatively abundant supply of Therranite led to Temasek taking quite well to Battle Frames. The country is, while densely populated considering its small size, still drastically outnumbered by the Hegemony or any other major power that might wish to invade so technological prowess is a key part of its military strategy. Temasek invested heavily in Battle Frame and Therranite research, working with Vinland to back up its conscription-based army with powerful equipment.
In recent years Temasek has been particularly paranoid about the possibility of invasion. While it had no real connections with the now-largely defunct Gyrland, its brazen occupation has sent the republic's leaders into a frenzy. Some sectors have been converted from low-priority production of luxury items into wartime industry, factories churning out armor and ammunition to be stashed away until needed by military or paramilitary forces. The R&D community has particularly focused on further refining Therranite. Advances have been made in weaponizing the material, and early efforts to make Frames more fuel-efficient show promise.
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