- Location
- ?????????
So...anyone have knights or what?
Sterbelicht - One Sacrifice At A Time Against The Galaxy (40K)
- Thread starter HeroCooky
- Start date
- Mature Sci-Fi
A Living World - [Canon]
[] Name: Xexes Onast
-[] Origin: Voxx-Primus born, from Howling Gale.
-[] Specialty: Fast and decisive melee kills
-[] Pattern: Stalker-Pattern
-[] Backstory: Xexes was born on one of the crowded Canis-major bulk transport liners carrying refugees away from the Hive World of Voxx Primus in the years after peace was negotiated with the Van Zandt Duchy. She did not have personal experience of life on the Hive World, but both of her parents were veterans of the revolution and noncommissioned officers in the 14th Augmentic Assault Legion. She grew up in the community of Howling Gale knowing what had been sacrificed to buy that life for her, and she strongly believes that she needs to pay that debt forward and make life better for others across the Galaxy
Alright, here's my pilot. I thought to combine it with the Omake below, though I don't think I focused quite as much on the culture as I wanted to. I was trying to get across that Howling Gale is a world in large part colonized by the earliest and most fervent converts to the Glimmering Federation from Voxx Primus. It still retains a strong military tradition from those immigrants, but it will take generations to unlearn the lessons of the Hive World and adapt to a truly comfortable life.
Xexes saluted the transit officer as she stepped out of the cable-car. "Thank you sir!"
Silan smiled down at her affectionately and returned the gesture with an arm that gleamed with the pasteel of a high-quality augment. "Get yourself home safe."
The older man operating the vehicle shook his head as he watched the eight-year old girl scuttle down the darkened street, darting cautious looks around for any lurking gang members. She wouldn't find any. None of the gangs of old were present on Howling Gale, at least not in the form they'd once been. But every parent still taught their children those habits, for they had once been necessary to survival.
His very own 14th Augmentic Legion had once been a Hiver gang worthy of caution - they'd called themselves the Steel Screamers, and had been known to cover themselves in scavenged metal plates and get in close for vicious brawls. But that was not the gang Silan had known. By the time he'd joined they'd already been trained into shock troops by the Federation. They'd had better armor then they'd ever had before and earned a reputation as vicious close-in fighters who could take a fortified hab-block by storm.
But they'd been worn down by the years of war, fighting through hab-block after hab-block. At the end of it there hadn't been anybody left, Just the wounded like him. He'd had three limbs and one lung replaced, and that was just over average for the veterans who had settled into this neighborhood. Now was like living in the hab block of your own gang, though everybody bore more metal in peace then they had in war. He waved to an old friend who was busy carrying a dozen bags of groceries on one arm.
But now we don't need to kill to eat.
Slian pulled the lever to get the cable-car moving again, looking out over the darkened landscape. The white flakes drifted slowly from the world-cover above, giving the whole scene a peaceful air.
I never thought I would live to see what was promised to us. But now I'm here, and I wish I could tell those who died that it was worth it. All the blood, all the fighting, truly delivered us to a better future. A future where our children can choose.
He sighed and looked back at the other children bickering and poking each other in the cable car. They all shared some degree of military discipline inherited from their parents, but it was still a handful to take care of them.
He wouldn't trade it for anything.
-
"My daughter. You should climb higher than the 14th," Xaxon said over the dinner table.
His daughter's brows drew down and her lips pursed, though she remained quiet in the face of her father.
He knew that look. She wouldn't disagree to his face, but she wouldn't take his advice unless he convinced her. And he did not order his daughter. She was not one of the soldiers under his command, as much as she wanted to be. He shot pleading look to his wife, asking for her help.
Castlis took mercy on him, leaning forward and addressing their daughter. "Xexes, why do you want to join the 14th?" She shot Xaxon a calming look, telling him to wait for the response, despite the fact that they both knew the answer.
They didn't have to wait long for the impassioned outburst. "Because it's what you did! You talk about the old times, the life in the Hive, and fighting to get free of it! Because I owe a debt to the Federation, to you, to everybody who died to give me..." She swept a hand around, indicating their home, the food on the table, the planet itself with its safety and opportunities. "Everything. How could I do anything else?" Wetness glimmered in her eyes at her passion, but not enough to spill down her face.
Xaxon smiled at the words. "Yes, but you don't have to don our uniform to do that. The Federation is more than its footsoldiers, and the augmentic legions are not even the most elite of those." He leaned back to tap the wall where they kept her academic awards. "You are smart, and you could be so much more than a Technical Sergeant in the Legion. Join the Star Force, run the engines that deliver the forces of the Star Child across the Stars. That is a better repayment than becoming another soldier."
Xexes looked down, and he could tell the argument wasn't landing. She murmured something that he couldn't hear, and then looked up and spoke louder. "I don't want to fight in the void, with an enemy as numbers and icons. I want to fight on the ground, so I can see my enemy and tear them apart." Her eyes blazed with anger. "I wish I was born back then. On Voxx. So I could have fought in the Spires, to kill the Duchy troops who - who kept us down."
"Oh, Xexes." He said gently. "You don't really..."
He was cut off by his wife's gentle squeeze of his wrist, and wisely shut up. Castlis leaned forward, her augmentic eyes whirring as she cocked her head at her daughter. "There are places for that kind of fighting beyond the Legions."
"Where?" Xexes asked, furrowing her brows at her mother.
"The Knights," Castlis said with a nod, then held up a hand at Xexes' snort of disbelief. "You should apply regardless. Your scores are good enough, and I am not speaking with a mother's pride when I say you have what is needed."
Xexes shook her head. "They have one slot open every decade, and hundreds of thousands who apply! I don't stand a chance."
Castlis shrugged, the servos in her neck gleaming with the motion. "Apply anyways. But there is also the school of Paladins. We could only fight the Duchy because of the trainers and teachers they sent us, and you would be deployed to a far-off world, to bring them into the Federation."
Xaxon's lips thinned as his daughter's eyes lit up at the suggestion. He had to interject. "But it would likely mean never coming home. None of those who joined us on Voxx returned to their homes."
"But they gave us a future." Xexes countered, and she stood up from the table. "I need to go look at the entrance requirements for the Paladins."
"Sit and eat your dinner, dear," Castlis said. "The Paladins will still be there after dinner."
-
Xexes offered a hand to the boy on the floor, giving him an apologetic smile. Her victory over him meant he was out of the running to join the Order of the Blazing Sun, and they both knew it.
After a moment of intense emotion he reached up and clasped her hand, letting her pull him to his feet with words of congratulation. "Well fought."
She clapped him on the shoulder. "Well fought. You're good at controlling the distance."
He shook his head. "You're a demon in close. I didn't stand a chance." He brushed off some of the chalk on the abdomen of his combat suit that marked a hit she'd scored.
"Candidate Onast, follow me."
Xexes snapped to attention, saluting the mechanic-lieutenant and striding after her to the one test that she couldn't prepare for. The one that she was most scared of. She could learn combat and study mechanics, she could speak about her devotion to duty. But she could not practice interfacing with a machine-spirit of a Knight. This was not a test she could prepare for, or know her chances. It simply was.
She found herself speaking almost without intending to "Ma'am, if I may ask a question?"
The mechanic-lieutenant chuckled and waved away the formality. "Go ahead."
"Which knight will I be interfacing with?"
The woman shrugged. "Tenebris. One of the oldest Knights on this planet, a venerable chassis from another War-Pack that chose to follow us to Howling Gale. " She shot a look back at Xexes. "But what you truly wish to know is the principles of the machine spirit. Don't worry, we use Tenebris because they are gentle, as knight-spirits go. They cares for duty and sacrifice. The spirit will treat you gently."
Minutes later she was sitting in the command throne plugged into the base of a hulking Knight painted in darker colors than most she'd seen. She felt the connection form to the spirit of Tenebris. The communication wasn't so much in words as concepts, but the concepts were clear.
Duty? The spirit asked.
Duty. She affirmed. To repay those who sacrificed for my future, to pay it forward to future generations.
The cycle of self-sacrifice. The spirit agreed, then began to show her memories. Memories of battle on the hiveworld of Voxx.
The environment was at once familiar and alien, densely packed streets and structures seen through a dozen different sensors, mapped and catalogued in a deluge of information. It took her a moment to become accustomed to the new senses, but she got it after a moment.
Then the memory sped up and she relived the fighting on Voxx, close and brutal duels with tanks and elite troopers. She felt excitement and fervor at the memory, and when faced with impossible odds shared the same courage of the pilot who had won those battles. Those who had freed her world.
She hungered to do the same for future worlds, and the machine spirit felt that want and purred in satisfaction, showing her more battles, victories and defeats alike before disengaging the connection.
Xexes found herself tired and thirsty, drenched with sweat. She stood shakily from the throne, looking over to see the mechanic-lieutenant staring down at her screen in puzzlement and awe. She raised an eye towards the woman "Well?"
The mechanic-lieutenant looked up and blew air between her cheeks. "Higher compatibility than I've ever seen. Congratulations."
Xexes smiled, feeling true joy bloom in her breast. Maybe becoming a Knight wasn't impossible after all.
-
Nyros's feet dug into the stony ground, pivoting as Xexes moved in unison with her machine. Her shield gauntlet deactivated, letting the harpoon of the rival Godclad-pattern flash by just feet away. She grabbed onto the adamantium cord with her gauntlet before her rival pilot could retract or flick it towards her and pulled, leaping forward at the same time to put them on a collision course.
But her opponent was older than her, though not necessarily more skilled. They brought up their own free hand to meet her charge and stabbed forward with both Mechadendrites.
Xexes had been expecting that, and the re-energized shield guantlet came back up just in time to deflect away the heavy mechadendrites as she slapped aside her opponent's blow with one hand while driving her slaughterclaw directly into her opponent's torso.
Of course the blow wasn't hard enough to actually punch through plating, merely leaving deep scratches across the paint of the opposing knight. Xexes and Nyros stepped back, blaring their horn victoriously.
She exulted in victory along with her machine spirit. She'd done it. Her vicious brawling style had won the Irridanus tournament of the Order of the Blazing Sun. Now it was time to advance to the Federation-wide tournament held every decade on Brotar Primus, the first place the Knights of the Federation had seen battle.
-
Some distance away a Paladin watched the duel, checking Xexes' bio on their pad. She was perfect. A vicious and talented fighter, among the best Knight Pilots the Federation had to offer. Gorgeous by the standards of the Black Ash, with the healthy flush and clear skin they associated with royalty.
Above all else, clearly in sync with her machine in a way that few of the nobles of the Black Ash Clan could boast. After all, she was selected from hundreds of thousands of applicants, while they were merely raised for it from the moment they could walk.
It was a shame she would have to miss the Brotar Tournament, but the Paladin thought it wouldn't be hard to convince her to fight to induct a world into the Federation. It was what she trained for, after all.
-[] Origin: Voxx-Primus born, from Howling Gale.
-[] Specialty: Fast and decisive melee kills
-[] Pattern: Stalker-Pattern
-[] Backstory: Xexes was born on one of the crowded Canis-major bulk transport liners carrying refugees away from the Hive World of Voxx Primus in the years after peace was negotiated with the Van Zandt Duchy. She did not have personal experience of life on the Hive World, but both of her parents were veterans of the revolution and noncommissioned officers in the 14th Augmentic Assault Legion. She grew up in the community of Howling Gale knowing what had been sacrificed to buy that life for her, and she strongly believes that she needs to pay that debt forward and make life better for others across the Galaxy
Alright, here's my pilot. I thought to combine it with the Omake below, though I don't think I focused quite as much on the culture as I wanted to. I was trying to get across that Howling Gale is a world in large part colonized by the earliest and most fervent converts to the Glimmering Federation from Voxx Primus. It still retains a strong military tradition from those immigrants, but it will take generations to unlearn the lessons of the Hive World and adapt to a truly comfortable life.
Xexes saluted the transit officer as she stepped out of the cable-car. "Thank you sir!"
Silan smiled down at her affectionately and returned the gesture with an arm that gleamed with the pasteel of a high-quality augment. "Get yourself home safe."
The older man operating the vehicle shook his head as he watched the eight-year old girl scuttle down the darkened street, darting cautious looks around for any lurking gang members. She wouldn't find any. None of the gangs of old were present on Howling Gale, at least not in the form they'd once been. But every parent still taught their children those habits, for they had once been necessary to survival.
His very own 14th Augmentic Legion had once been a Hiver gang worthy of caution - they'd called themselves the Steel Screamers, and had been known to cover themselves in scavenged metal plates and get in close for vicious brawls. But that was not the gang Silan had known. By the time he'd joined they'd already been trained into shock troops by the Federation. They'd had better armor then they'd ever had before and earned a reputation as vicious close-in fighters who could take a fortified hab-block by storm.
But they'd been worn down by the years of war, fighting through hab-block after hab-block. At the end of it there hadn't been anybody left, Just the wounded like him. He'd had three limbs and one lung replaced, and that was just over average for the veterans who had settled into this neighborhood. Now was like living in the hab block of your own gang, though everybody bore more metal in peace then they had in war. He waved to an old friend who was busy carrying a dozen bags of groceries on one arm.
But now we don't need to kill to eat.
Slian pulled the lever to get the cable-car moving again, looking out over the darkened landscape. The white flakes drifted slowly from the world-cover above, giving the whole scene a peaceful air.
I never thought I would live to see what was promised to us. But now I'm here, and I wish I could tell those who died that it was worth it. All the blood, all the fighting, truly delivered us to a better future. A future where our children can choose.
He sighed and looked back at the other children bickering and poking each other in the cable car. They all shared some degree of military discipline inherited from their parents, but it was still a handful to take care of them.
He wouldn't trade it for anything.
-
"My daughter. You should climb higher than the 14th," Xaxon said over the dinner table.
His daughter's brows drew down and her lips pursed, though she remained quiet in the face of her father.
He knew that look. She wouldn't disagree to his face, but she wouldn't take his advice unless he convinced her. And he did not order his daughter. She was not one of the soldiers under his command, as much as she wanted to be. He shot pleading look to his wife, asking for her help.
Castlis took mercy on him, leaning forward and addressing their daughter. "Xexes, why do you want to join the 14th?" She shot Xaxon a calming look, telling him to wait for the response, despite the fact that they both knew the answer.
They didn't have to wait long for the impassioned outburst. "Because it's what you did! You talk about the old times, the life in the Hive, and fighting to get free of it! Because I owe a debt to the Federation, to you, to everybody who died to give me..." She swept a hand around, indicating their home, the food on the table, the planet itself with its safety and opportunities. "Everything. How could I do anything else?" Wetness glimmered in her eyes at her passion, but not enough to spill down her face.
Xaxon smiled at the words. "Yes, but you don't have to don our uniform to do that. The Federation is more than its footsoldiers, and the augmentic legions are not even the most elite of those." He leaned back to tap the wall where they kept her academic awards. "You are smart, and you could be so much more than a Technical Sergeant in the Legion. Join the Star Force, run the engines that deliver the forces of the Star Child across the Stars. That is a better repayment than becoming another soldier."
Xexes looked down, and he could tell the argument wasn't landing. She murmured something that he couldn't hear, and then looked up and spoke louder. "I don't want to fight in the void, with an enemy as numbers and icons. I want to fight on the ground, so I can see my enemy and tear them apart." Her eyes blazed with anger. "I wish I was born back then. On Voxx. So I could have fought in the Spires, to kill the Duchy troops who - who kept us down."
"Oh, Xexes." He said gently. "You don't really..."
He was cut off by his wife's gentle squeeze of his wrist, and wisely shut up. Castlis leaned forward, her augmentic eyes whirring as she cocked her head at her daughter. "There are places for that kind of fighting beyond the Legions."
"Where?" Xexes asked, furrowing her brows at her mother.
"The Knights," Castlis said with a nod, then held up a hand at Xexes' snort of disbelief. "You should apply regardless. Your scores are good enough, and I am not speaking with a mother's pride when I say you have what is needed."
Xexes shook her head. "They have one slot open every decade, and hundreds of thousands who apply! I don't stand a chance."
Castlis shrugged, the servos in her neck gleaming with the motion. "Apply anyways. But there is also the school of Paladins. We could only fight the Duchy because of the trainers and teachers they sent us, and you would be deployed to a far-off world, to bring them into the Federation."
Xaxon's lips thinned as his daughter's eyes lit up at the suggestion. He had to interject. "But it would likely mean never coming home. None of those who joined us on Voxx returned to their homes."
"But they gave us a future." Xexes countered, and she stood up from the table. "I need to go look at the entrance requirements for the Paladins."
"Sit and eat your dinner, dear," Castlis said. "The Paladins will still be there after dinner."
-
Xexes offered a hand to the boy on the floor, giving him an apologetic smile. Her victory over him meant he was out of the running to join the Order of the Blazing Sun, and they both knew it.
After a moment of intense emotion he reached up and clasped her hand, letting her pull him to his feet with words of congratulation. "Well fought."
She clapped him on the shoulder. "Well fought. You're good at controlling the distance."
He shook his head. "You're a demon in close. I didn't stand a chance." He brushed off some of the chalk on the abdomen of his combat suit that marked a hit she'd scored.
"Candidate Onast, follow me."
Xexes snapped to attention, saluting the mechanic-lieutenant and striding after her to the one test that she couldn't prepare for. The one that she was most scared of. She could learn combat and study mechanics, she could speak about her devotion to duty. But she could not practice interfacing with a machine-spirit of a Knight. This was not a test she could prepare for, or know her chances. It simply was.
She found herself speaking almost without intending to "Ma'am, if I may ask a question?"
The mechanic-lieutenant chuckled and waved away the formality. "Go ahead."
"Which knight will I be interfacing with?"
The woman shrugged. "Tenebris. One of the oldest Knights on this planet, a venerable chassis from another War-Pack that chose to follow us to Howling Gale. " She shot a look back at Xexes. "But what you truly wish to know is the principles of the machine spirit. Don't worry, we use Tenebris because they are gentle, as knight-spirits go. They cares for duty and sacrifice. The spirit will treat you gently."
Minutes later she was sitting in the command throne plugged into the base of a hulking Knight painted in darker colors than most she'd seen. She felt the connection form to the spirit of Tenebris. The communication wasn't so much in words as concepts, but the concepts were clear.
Duty? The spirit asked.
Duty. She affirmed. To repay those who sacrificed for my future, to pay it forward to future generations.
The cycle of self-sacrifice. The spirit agreed, then began to show her memories. Memories of battle on the hiveworld of Voxx.
The environment was at once familiar and alien, densely packed streets and structures seen through a dozen different sensors, mapped and catalogued in a deluge of information. It took her a moment to become accustomed to the new senses, but she got it after a moment.
Then the memory sped up and she relived the fighting on Voxx, close and brutal duels with tanks and elite troopers. She felt excitement and fervor at the memory, and when faced with impossible odds shared the same courage of the pilot who had won those battles. Those who had freed her world.
She hungered to do the same for future worlds, and the machine spirit felt that want and purred in satisfaction, showing her more battles, victories and defeats alike before disengaging the connection.
Xexes found herself tired and thirsty, drenched with sweat. She stood shakily from the throne, looking over to see the mechanic-lieutenant staring down at her screen in puzzlement and awe. She raised an eye towards the woman "Well?"
The mechanic-lieutenant looked up and blew air between her cheeks. "Higher compatibility than I've ever seen. Congratulations."
Xexes smiled, feeling true joy bloom in her breast. Maybe becoming a Knight wasn't impossible after all.
-
Nyros's feet dug into the stony ground, pivoting as Xexes moved in unison with her machine. Her shield gauntlet deactivated, letting the harpoon of the rival Godclad-pattern flash by just feet away. She grabbed onto the adamantium cord with her gauntlet before her rival pilot could retract or flick it towards her and pulled, leaping forward at the same time to put them on a collision course.
But her opponent was older than her, though not necessarily more skilled. They brought up their own free hand to meet her charge and stabbed forward with both Mechadendrites.
Xexes had been expecting that, and the re-energized shield guantlet came back up just in time to deflect away the heavy mechadendrites as she slapped aside her opponent's blow with one hand while driving her slaughterclaw directly into her opponent's torso.
Of course the blow wasn't hard enough to actually punch through plating, merely leaving deep scratches across the paint of the opposing knight. Xexes and Nyros stepped back, blaring their horn victoriously.
She exulted in victory along with her machine spirit. She'd done it. Her vicious brawling style had won the Irridanus tournament of the Order of the Blazing Sun. Now it was time to advance to the Federation-wide tournament held every decade on Brotar Primus, the first place the Knights of the Federation had seen battle.
-
Some distance away a Paladin watched the duel, checking Xexes' bio on their pad. She was perfect. A vicious and talented fighter, among the best Knight Pilots the Federation had to offer. Gorgeous by the standards of the Black Ash, with the healthy flush and clear skin they associated with royalty.
Above all else, clearly in sync with her machine in a way that few of the nobles of the Black Ash Clan could boast. After all, she was selected from hundreds of thousands of applicants, while they were merely raised for it from the moment they could walk.
It was a shame she would have to miss the Brotar Tournament, but the Paladin thought it wouldn't be hard to convince her to fight to induct a world into the Federation. It was what she trained for, after all.
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- Location
- ?????????
-[]Name: Kiri Milize
--[]Origin: Perfinda
--[]Specialty: Close-in brawling
--[]Pattern: Dominator Pattern
--[]Backstory: Born to the unlikely marriage between a very infamous knight and a Colonel noblewoman and born on the planet of Perfinda, Kiri was born to ride the Karnivore. After a rather politically complicated childhood she joined the knightly order and rose up the ranks despite her more disgraceful background. Headstrong and with a reckless streak rivaling her infamous father and the tactical prowess of her mother she is always seeking to be in the fray and will be found, more often than not, in the melee.
My totally not a 86 OC who is designed to be a melee fighter designed to just stab hard, stab often and dance around the battlefield.
--[]Origin: Perfinda
--[]Specialty: Close-in brawling
--[]Pattern: Dominator Pattern
--[]Backstory: Born to the unlikely marriage between a very infamous knight and a Colonel noblewoman and born on the planet of Perfinda, Kiri was born to ride the Karnivore. After a rather politically complicated childhood she joined the knightly order and rose up the ranks despite her more disgraceful background. Headstrong and with a reckless streak rivaling her infamous father and the tactical prowess of her mother she is always seeking to be in the fray and will be found, more often than not, in the melee.
My totally not a 86 OC who is designed to be a melee fighter designed to just stab hard, stab often and dance around the battlefield.
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Sure, though notably it's a civilian world, not a hive world. The last time we converted one of those (Phantom) it took like 60 years and not many hiccups.
Also, we'll get intelligence from the first decade of subversion to know if there is any risk and figure out how we need to angle it. For now I'm content to aim the subversion department at them and adjust as necessary later. We might need to plow an action into it some point to get the battleship, but I'm happy to do that if it means we subvert the Black Cat without a war or a half-dozen actions like the Ashan are taking.
Hmm. Both of ours are close-in brawlers, though at least they have different patterns. Arguably good because that's where skill can come to the fore, but probably shouldn't have another one of those.
I'm also slightly wary of sending a man to the Black Ash, given how sexist they are. I don't think they'd really accept a man winning a duel. Not sure if we want to play to that or not, but it's a choice being made.
Of the other patterns available, I like
-Dawn Pattern: 1x Thermal Cyclone (Right Hand), 1x Infernus Minor (Left Hand), 1x Havoc Multi-Launcher (Back-Mounted)
since it seems to have a high potential for alpha-strike, and the
-Howler Pattern: 1x Reaper Chaintalon (Right Hand), 1x Star Impulse Rotary Lascannon (Left Hand), and 1x Seraphim Class Jump Rig (Back-Mounted)
because it's very mobile, able to dodge and wear down their opponent before coming in for the kill. Again, a build that allows skill to triumph.
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Gender is certainly gonna be an issue with this one. In our case we are supporting but uhh...it's gonna cause controversy if we gain this planet because of a man...I will change the gender perhaps. The idea was a melee fighter with undertones of 86 anime background
-[]Name: Kiri Milize
--[]Origin: Perfinda
--[]Specialty: Close-in brawling
--[]Pattern: Dominator Pattern
--[]Backstory: Born to the unlikely marriage between a very infamous knight and a Colonel noblewoman and born on the planet of Perfinda, Kiri was born to ride the Karnivore. After a rather politically complicated childhood she joined the knightly order and rose up the ranks despite her more disgraceful background. Headstrong and with a reckless streak rivaling her infamous father and the tactical prowess of her mother she is always seeking to be in the fray and will be found, more often than not, in the melee.
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What about the Honor Guard? A more ranged fighter for our melee nonsense.
Cool. One more and then we can setup a plan vote with all three. If there isn't one in an hour or so I'll make one. Probably a Yeeni from their homeworld, similarly the best of the best of the best. Probably make her a celebrity, constantly annoyed with the amount of attention she gets (but secretly enjoys it). She knows she's worshipped by more fans than the planetary duchesses of the Black Ash have subjects and isn't above trash talking about that.
Ok nevermind I just built the internal image of that character. Let's write it out.
-[]Name: Violet Skies of Dusk
--[]Origin: Teardrop
--[]Specialty: High-mobility Harassment
--[]Pattern: Howler Pattern
--[]Backstory: Violet Skies has always excelled at everything she's put her mind to, and has grown an ego and personality to match. Born to a wealthy family on Teardrop, she overcame her disappointment at not being born a Psyker by setting her sights on the most exclusive group she could possibly join - the Knights. She succeeded with flying colors, and is a core fighter of the 9th War Pack, the "Inheritors of Starlight." Her beauty, charm and skill have made her a media phenomenon, with hundreds of millions of fans from across the Federation consuming every scrap of information on her life, as well as the sporadic posts made to her social media platform. In one of the extremely rare interviews she has given, she was asked if she would ever consort with a Thule. She looked into the camera and said "Only if they were as skilled as I am." Thule simulation scores Federation-wide rose 9% in the following months.
Oh. We should probably make at least one of these pilots from the Order of the Obsidian Hammer? Hmm. They're much smaller and newer, so it's probably ok if they're not.
Ok nevermind I just built the internal image of that character. Let's write it out.
-[]Name: Violet Skies of Dusk
--[]Origin: Teardrop
--[]Specialty: High-mobility Harassment
--[]Pattern: Howler Pattern
--[]Backstory: Violet Skies has always excelled at everything she's put her mind to, and has grown an ego and personality to match. Born to a wealthy family on Teardrop, she overcame her disappointment at not being born a Psyker by setting her sights on the most exclusive group she could possibly join - the Knights. She succeeded with flying colors, and is a core fighter of the 9th War Pack, the "Inheritors of Starlight." Her beauty, charm and skill have made her a media phenomenon, with hundreds of millions of fans from across the Federation consuming every scrap of information on her life, as well as the sporadic posts made to her social media platform. In one of the extremely rare interviews she has given, she was asked if she would ever consort with a Thule. She looked into the camera and said "Only if they were as skilled as I am." Thule simulation scores Federation-wide rose 9% in the following months.
Problem is that that's a sniper build. Stealth and a long-ranged giant rifle. It doesn't seem appropriate to fight duels, especially duels in a small arena.
Oh. We should probably make at least one of these pilots from the Order of the Obsidian Hammer? Hmm. They're much smaller and newer, so it's probably ok if they're not.
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So technically we can make a vote right now, though I feel a little bad about contributing 2/3 of the knights. Happy to get input on this, but I would like to get a vote out there before I go do family stuff.
[X] Plan: The Best of the Federation
-[X] Name: Xexes Onast
--[X] Origin: Voxx-Primus born, from Howling Gale.
--[X] Specialty: Fast and decisive melee kills
--[X] Pattern: Stalker-Pattern
--[X] Backstory: Xexes was born on one of the crowded Canis-major bulk transport liners carrying refugees away from the Hive World of Voxx Primus in the years after peace was negotiated with the Van Zandt Duchy. She did not have personal experience of life on the Hive World, but both of her parents were veterans of the revolution and noncommissioned officers in the 14th Augmentic Assault Legion. She grew up in the community of Howling Gale knowing what had been sacrificed to buy that life for her, and she strongly believes that she needs to pay that debt forward and make life better for others across the Galaxy.
-[X]Name: Kiri Milize
--[X]Origin: Perfinda
--[X]Specialty: Close-in brawling
--[X]Pattern: Dominator Pattern
--[X]Backstory: Born to the unlikely marriage between a very infamous knight and a Colonel noblewoman and born on the planet of Perfinda, Kiri was born to ride the Karnivore. After a rather politically complicated childhood she joined the knightly order and rose up the ranks despite her more disgraceful background. Headstrong and with a reckless streak rivaling her infamous father and the tactical prowess of her mother she is always seeking to be in the fray and will be found, more often than not, in the melee.
-[X]Name: Violet Skies of Dusk
--[X] Origin: Teardrop
--[X] Specialty: High-mobility harassment
--[X] Pattern: Howler Pattern
--[X] Backstory: Violet Skies has always excelled at everything she's put her mind to, and has grown an ego and personality to match. Born to a wealthy Yeeni family on Teardrop, she overcame her disappointment at not being born a Psyker by setting her sights on the most exclusive group she could possibly join - the Knights. She succeeded with flying colors, and is a core fighter of the 9th War Pack, the "Inheritors of Starlight." Her beauty, charm and skill have made her a media phenomenon, with hundreds of millions of fans from across the Federation consuming every scrap of information on her life, as well as the sporadic posts made to her social media platform. In one of the extremely rare interviews she has given, she was asked if she would ever consort with a Thule. She looked into the camera and said "Only if they were as skilled as I am." Thule simulation scores Federation-wide rose 9% in the following months.
[X] Plan: The Best of the Federation
-[X] Name: Xexes Onast
--[X] Origin: Voxx-Primus born, from Howling Gale.
--[X] Specialty: Fast and decisive melee kills
--[X] Pattern: Stalker-Pattern
--[X] Backstory: Xexes was born on one of the crowded Canis-major bulk transport liners carrying refugees away from the Hive World of Voxx Primus in the years after peace was negotiated with the Van Zandt Duchy. She did not have personal experience of life on the Hive World, but both of her parents were veterans of the revolution and noncommissioned officers in the 14th Augmentic Assault Legion. She grew up in the community of Howling Gale knowing what had been sacrificed to buy that life for her, and she strongly believes that she needs to pay that debt forward and make life better for others across the Galaxy.
-[X]Name: Kiri Milize
--[X]Origin: Perfinda
--[X]Specialty: Close-in brawling
--[X]Pattern: Dominator Pattern
--[X]Backstory: Born to the unlikely marriage between a very infamous knight and a Colonel noblewoman and born on the planet of Perfinda, Kiri was born to ride the Karnivore. After a rather politically complicated childhood she joined the knightly order and rose up the ranks despite her more disgraceful background. Headstrong and with a reckless streak rivaling her infamous father and the tactical prowess of her mother she is always seeking to be in the fray and will be found, more often than not, in the melee.
-[X]Name: Violet Skies of Dusk
--[X] Origin: Teardrop
--[X] Specialty: High-mobility harassment
--[X] Pattern: Howler Pattern
--[X] Backstory: Violet Skies has always excelled at everything she's put her mind to, and has grown an ego and personality to match. Born to a wealthy Yeeni family on Teardrop, she overcame her disappointment at not being born a Psyker by setting her sights on the most exclusive group she could possibly join - the Knights. She succeeded with flying colors, and is a core fighter of the 9th War Pack, the "Inheritors of Starlight." Her beauty, charm and skill have made her a media phenomenon, with hundreds of millions of fans from across the Federation consuming every scrap of information on her life, as well as the sporadic posts made to her social media platform. In one of the extremely rare interviews she has given, she was asked if she would ever consort with a Thule. She looked into the camera and said "Only if they were as skilled as I am." Thule simulation scores Federation-wide rose 9% in the following months.
Last edited:
- Location
- ?????????
[X] Plan: The Best of the Federation
Sorry, I edited it right after I posted it, it's "Plan: The Best of the Federation" now. That was bad etiquette on my part.
- Location
- ?????????
Also, I want to take the measures that the Lords of Eternity do for their populace and implement them. Mental health Checks and Meditation for all sounds great
ConfusedCanuck
Where did it all go wrong?
- Location
- Neverland
[X] Plan: The Best of the Federation
- Pronouns
- Zack
[X] Plan: The Best of the Federation
Vote closed
054.M43 - A Bunny-Woman
HeroCooky
Unverified Monstergirl
High Queen Catherine De Villiers politely clapped as the latest bout in the dueling fields ended in a draw; the two contestants, some minor noblewomen who had been chosen to act as light entertainment between the official duels, bowing in their Knights as they limped out of the field, swarms of menials and mechanics swarming the same the second propriety allowed them to do so, their hands swiftly busying themselves with cleaning and salvaging all the metals and materials that had been lost in the fight.
"I am still convinced that this is a trap," Lisia De Villiers, her little sister, said in ominous tones, her face shadowed in her grey-black robes, bones of animals clinking beneath the same as she muttered spells over them. "To have one of our-I mean your systems be taken by a foreign power so quickly as to leave? There are foul magics at work here, my Queen," she said in dark whispers, leaning over to stare at her with shadowed eyes.
That is until Catherine rolled her eyes and pulled the hood of her sister back, revealing her golden hair and bright green eyes that had enamored so many boys at court. "Could you please act your age? You are already 13 cycles old; stop doing...this," she said, gesturing at the whole outfit her sister had dressed in today.
"No way! You don't have any Dark Advisors, and if I don't play the role, someone else will, and they may actually pull this off! Can't you imagine the damages that would happen if there was someone at court whispering poison into your ears?" Her little sister denied immedieatly, pulling her hood back on with a cute pout, squinting her eyes and scrunching up her nose as she did so, her freckles adding to the image.
Chuckling, Catherine ruffled her hair without care as Lisia tried to stop her. Tried being the operating word here, Catherine had her little sisters body-weight in muscle on her frame. A testament to the little sister needing some more "secret" visits to the kitchens at night to pilfer the larders for sweets. "Oh, if I only had your innocence. No, the scorpions in court are far too clever to wear dark robes and weave darker spells. They smile pleasantly and wear good perfume to mask the stench of politics clinging to them, dressed as they are in finery and jewelry. Besides, the Glimmering Federation may be queer about their views on gender, but they are honorable enough to be host to Her Angels for over a millennium. No, Brans is taken as a man on his way to the altar to be wed, there is no dark magic happening here. They'll come to their senses even if we lose. You'll see, they'll return."
"I don't know. Have you seen the Armigers they have sent? They are, to the last, freshly produced and perfectly maintained. The Federation has even sent Scions from their Knight Orders to partake in the duels and rites! Even if one of them is an Abhuman, they clearly have strings to pull Brans along." She paused for a moment, taking one of the snacks she had plundered from passing servants and munched it down in moments. "Not to speak of the-"
"One more word about those harlots, and I will throw you into a pigsty," Catherine half-jokingly threatened her sister, utterly done with hearing about the clone pilots of the Federation. Yes, they were novel; yes, it showed that the Glimmerlings had some sense in them, but Lisia was infatuated by them beyond propriety. "Couldn't you be more interested in the men they have sent along? I, for one, am more interested in the strapping Order Master of the Blazing Sun. Wouldn't mind taking him for a stroll, if you know what I mean," she joked, eliciting a retching sound from her little sister.
"I was actually about to talk about their casual use of sorceries and magics, but you do you, pervert," Lisia muttered, staring into the distance to where one of their 'Choirs' stood, the five witches doing Empress-knows-what as they drew cards and laid them onto a table. From the briefings and information given by the royal advisors and the Federation itself, she knew they were called 'Hymnals' due to using song to manifest their powers into existence, but beyond that the only thing she liked about them was the Mythos they had woven around their founder. Bnuy the First Hymnal had been depicted as a Bunny-Woman in every pict they had been sent, and she couldn't fault them for portraying her as such. Bunnies were fearsome creatures, fierce and loyal to their mates and pack, with wise foresight and quick in mind and foot alike. Still. Magic.
Bad juju and all that, she thought, munching on another snack.
"ANNOUNCING THE FINAL DUEL BETWEEN THE HONORABLE CHAMPIONS OF THE BLACK ASH CLAN AND THE GLIMMERING FEDERATION!" The announcer finally screamed, her voice carrying through the speakers set around the stands and into the cities around the planet via vox and pict.
"CHAMPIONING THE CAUSE OF THE BLACK ASH CLAN IS THE MOST HONORABLE, THE GALLANT, THE BEAUTIFUL, AND HUMBLE MARIE-FRANCE BEAULNE OF HOUSE BRIAR-ROSE IN HER ANCESTRAL KNIGHT 'THORN OF BEAUTY!'"
With great fanfare and more tremendous cheer, the giant Knight Gallant strode unto the field, its entire form etched with artwork and poems, roses featuring prominently amongst them, its gauntlet raised in honor to the High Queen and to rouse the crowds to higher cheering.
"CHAMPIONING THE CAUSE OF BRANS ARE THE HONORABLE AND FOREIGN COMPETITORS; XEXE ONAST IN HER STALKER PATTERN ARMIGER; KIRI MILIZE IN HER DOMINATOR PATTERN ARMIGER; AND VIOLET SKIES OF DUSK IN HER HOWLER PATTERN!"
Another cheer rose as the trio of Armigers, smaller than the Knight on the field of battle, strode from their pens, presenting a united front in their black and yellow and gold colored Armigers, the banner of their Order carried by Violet and the pole from which it flapped in the wind driven into the ground once they were at the specified position with one swift strike, their faces of noble animals painted white with swirls of gold and black with red tears enlarged upon the hovering pict-feeds showing details to the assembled crowds. And as the seconds passed, so too did the servo-skulls carrying the pict-recorders swerve around the trio, recording the painted hands upon their backs and zooming unto the oaths etched into the thigh plates of each.
"LET THE MATCH..."
"BEGIN!"
(6-Hour Moratorium)
[] (Write-In Strategy)
AN: Guess who's straight up not having a good day? This idiot right here!
"I am still convinced that this is a trap," Lisia De Villiers, her little sister, said in ominous tones, her face shadowed in her grey-black robes, bones of animals clinking beneath the same as she muttered spells over them. "To have one of our-I mean your systems be taken by a foreign power so quickly as to leave? There are foul magics at work here, my Queen," she said in dark whispers, leaning over to stare at her with shadowed eyes.
That is until Catherine rolled her eyes and pulled the hood of her sister back, revealing her golden hair and bright green eyes that had enamored so many boys at court. "Could you please act your age? You are already 13 cycles old; stop doing...this," she said, gesturing at the whole outfit her sister had dressed in today.
"No way! You don't have any Dark Advisors, and if I don't play the role, someone else will, and they may actually pull this off! Can't you imagine the damages that would happen if there was someone at court whispering poison into your ears?" Her little sister denied immedieatly, pulling her hood back on with a cute pout, squinting her eyes and scrunching up her nose as she did so, her freckles adding to the image.
Chuckling, Catherine ruffled her hair without care as Lisia tried to stop her. Tried being the operating word here, Catherine had her little sisters body-weight in muscle on her frame. A testament to the little sister needing some more "secret" visits to the kitchens at night to pilfer the larders for sweets. "Oh, if I only had your innocence. No, the scorpions in court are far too clever to wear dark robes and weave darker spells. They smile pleasantly and wear good perfume to mask the stench of politics clinging to them, dressed as they are in finery and jewelry. Besides, the Glimmering Federation may be queer about their views on gender, but they are honorable enough to be host to Her Angels for over a millennium. No, Brans is taken as a man on his way to the altar to be wed, there is no dark magic happening here. They'll come to their senses even if we lose. You'll see, they'll return."
"I don't know. Have you seen the Armigers they have sent? They are, to the last, freshly produced and perfectly maintained. The Federation has even sent Scions from their Knight Orders to partake in the duels and rites! Even if one of them is an Abhuman, they clearly have strings to pull Brans along." She paused for a moment, taking one of the snacks she had plundered from passing servants and munched it down in moments. "Not to speak of the-"
"One more word about those harlots, and I will throw you into a pigsty," Catherine half-jokingly threatened her sister, utterly done with hearing about the clone pilots of the Federation. Yes, they were novel; yes, it showed that the Glimmerlings had some sense in them, but Lisia was infatuated by them beyond propriety. "Couldn't you be more interested in the men they have sent along? I, for one, am more interested in the strapping Order Master of the Blazing Sun. Wouldn't mind taking him for a stroll, if you know what I mean," she joked, eliciting a retching sound from her little sister.
"I was actually about to talk about their casual use of sorceries and magics, but you do you, pervert," Lisia muttered, staring into the distance to where one of their 'Choirs' stood, the five witches doing Empress-knows-what as they drew cards and laid them onto a table. From the briefings and information given by the royal advisors and the Federation itself, she knew they were called 'Hymnals' due to using song to manifest their powers into existence, but beyond that the only thing she liked about them was the Mythos they had woven around their founder. Bnuy the First Hymnal had been depicted as a Bunny-Woman in every pict they had been sent, and she couldn't fault them for portraying her as such. Bunnies were fearsome creatures, fierce and loyal to their mates and pack, with wise foresight and quick in mind and foot alike. Still. Magic.
Bad juju and all that, she thought, munching on another snack.
"ANNOUNCING THE FINAL DUEL BETWEEN THE HONORABLE CHAMPIONS OF THE BLACK ASH CLAN AND THE GLIMMERING FEDERATION!" The announcer finally screamed, her voice carrying through the speakers set around the stands and into the cities around the planet via vox and pict.
"CHAMPIONING THE CAUSE OF THE BLACK ASH CLAN IS THE MOST HONORABLE, THE GALLANT, THE BEAUTIFUL, AND HUMBLE MARIE-FRANCE BEAULNE OF HOUSE BRIAR-ROSE IN HER ANCESTRAL KNIGHT 'THORN OF BEAUTY!'"
With great fanfare and more tremendous cheer, the giant Knight Gallant strode unto the field, its entire form etched with artwork and poems, roses featuring prominently amongst them, its gauntlet raised in honor to the High Queen and to rouse the crowds to higher cheering.
"CHAMPIONING THE CAUSE OF BRANS ARE THE HONORABLE AND FOREIGN COMPETITORS; XEXE ONAST IN HER STALKER PATTERN ARMIGER; KIRI MILIZE IN HER DOMINATOR PATTERN ARMIGER; AND VIOLET SKIES OF DUSK IN HER HOWLER PATTERN!"
Another cheer rose as the trio of Armigers, smaller than the Knight on the field of battle, strode from their pens, presenting a united front in their black and yellow and gold colored Armigers, the banner of their Order carried by Violet and the pole from which it flapped in the wind driven into the ground once they were at the specified position with one swift strike, their faces of noble animals painted white with swirls of gold and black with red tears enlarged upon the hovering pict-feeds showing details to the assembled crowds. And as the seconds passed, so too did the servo-skulls carrying the pict-recorders swerve around the trio, recording the painted hands upon their backs and zooming unto the oaths etched into the thigh plates of each.
"LET THE MATCH..."
"BEGIN!"
(6-Hour Moratorium)
[] (Write-In Strategy)
AN: Guess who's straight up not having a good day? This idiot right here!
Professor Vesca
Good News Everyone!
I am surprised no one has commented on the fact we have uncorrupted kharnivores.
HeroCooky
Unverified Monstergirl
How would they know your Armigers are Karnivores? You changed them pretty drastically, and they'd need to know what those even are in the first place.
Yup, and sending people that mostly appeal to their prejudices is a good step forward.
Brainstorming strategy, a Knight Gallant is a Questoris-sized knight entirely focused on melee. Chainsword, power fist and ion shield, with optional stubber & missiles. I don't think we need to worry too much about the missiles given we've got a point-defense unit on Xexes, but really it seems like the goal is to split up and harass, trying to flank the Gallant, get behind the ion shield and whittle it down, focusing on mobility before going for the killing blow.
Brainstorming strategy, a Knight Gallant is a Questoris-sized knight entirely focused on melee. Chainsword, power fist and ion shield, with optional stubber & missiles. I don't think we need to worry too much about the missiles given we've got a point-defense unit on Xexes, but really it seems like the goal is to split up and harass, trying to flank the Gallant, get behind the ion shield and whittle it down, focusing on mobility before going for the killing blow.
Anyways
And I think Kiri Milize will be our Trump Card with her loadout. She's got a dagger that's able to inject Malevolent Machine-Spirits and a caustic Spore Sprayer. This is some pretty nasty stuff that I'm surprised was allowed due to how "dishonorable" one could claim they are, so I'm thinking our strategy should be based around allowing her to get close enough to do her work with the others distracting the Target.
It's probably because she's in an Armiger. There's a word for an Armiger who takes on Questoris-level opposition honorably, and that's dead.
- Pronouns
- Zack
out of curiosity, has the second Tau schism already happened or has it not happened yet?