James

by on May 21, 2017 at 12:01 am
Posted In: Art, Character Profiles

James Rousseau was an outsider in his homeland, his very name pronouncing his half-breed status in the Apache Nation. But at Alpha Centauri he found the chance to change his destiny. The Cowboys needed reinforcements to make up our casualties, and he jumped at the opportunity to make a change. I have always found it interesting how he likes to play as if he is just a dumb blue-collar worker, without any real education. But the truth is that he has numerous college degrees in multiple specialties. He simply could not find anyone in his homeland willing to hire a half-breed like him for jobs that “real” Apache could do better. So he competed for jobs from less picky businesses. He created his persona as a blue-collar worker to mask his innate intelligence so they would hire him, and he has held that persona to this day. He maintains that it keeps his enemies underestimating him until it is too late. I find it interesting that many of my Cowboys follow similar methods of camouflaging their true natures. Very interesting, and highly useful.

High res version available for free on Patreon

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Madison

by on May 20, 2017 at 12:01 am
Posted In: Art, Character Profiles

Most cybers are designed for a certain purpose, optimized for it in the written code of their most basic matrixes, and then compiled into a single great mass of machine code that can run without any outside interference. Then they are launched into awareness by a single command. Live. Madison is no longer like that. She has created untold numbers of permanent copies of herself and sent them all over Earth and beyond. Walls of security do not separate them. Madison is one massive hive mind where all of her selves are in constant contact with each other, depending on the lightspeed delay. She is the common link that brings all Apache together into a union that our American cultures cannot fathom. She unites the Apache Nation across the stars with a singular purpose, and the Apache have latched onto that purpose with a burning passion. They are the Apache Nation, and everywhere they go, the collected memories and traditions of their entire people go with them.

High res version available for free on Patreon

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A Primer on the Races of Humanity – Arnam

by on May 19, 2017 at 12:01 am
Posted In: The Races of Humanity

Picture a man or woman walking down the sidewalk in broad daylight. Picture a bright pink trenchoat flapping in the wind, a bright yellow hat pulled down low over the face, a candy apple red scarf thrown carelessly over one shoulder, and bejeweled wraparound sunglasses glinting in the sun. Maybe add some bright green tennis shoes for good measure. This brightly, some might say offensively, colored Arnam stereotype is a stereotype for a reason. The Arnam have a love affair with colors, the brighter the better. Whether it be the glow of a neon moon or an infrared tapestry that normal humans can’t even see, the Arnam play with colors the way we place music. And a true maestro of color can be as popular in Arnam circles as a rock band or other musician is on Earth. Color is their highest art form, and they pursue it with a passion that can be nauseating to other humans.

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James

by on May 18, 2017 at 12:01 am
Posted In: Art, Character Profiles

James Rousseau grew up in the Apache Nation, son of an Apache mother and a French father. It is unsurprising that the Apache named him a half-breed, and he was a perennial outcast for it his entire life. He worked many odd jobs after graduation, but never settled down into any single career. It was construction jobs that paid his bills when the Shang dropped Yosemite Station and part of it generated a direct hit on the Apache Nation. James spent months digging survivors and then remains out of the shattered city until he had enough and decided to join the new Apache war bands going out to face the Shang. He passed all of the tests to become a fighter pilot, but was still treated as an outsider by his full-blooded brethren. They soon arrived at Alpha Centauri to reinforce Second Fleet, and that was when he learned the Cowboys were recruiting new pilots. The rest, as they say, is history.

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Madison

by on May 17, 2017 at 12:01 am
Posted In: Art, Character Profiles

The Fall of Yosemite rained fire and destruction down on the Apache Nation, destroying their capital city and leaving much of the rest of their territory in flames. They spent months sifting through the rubble in search of survivors, and then remains. Madison ran many of the vehicles involved in the effort, working with numerous operators across the Apache Nation. And when those young men and women decided it was time to volunteer to fight back against the Shang, she went with them. With all of them. Much like the United States Army’s Jane, she simply made numerous copies of herself and became the standard companion of Apache warriors wherever they went. Not that there is anything truly simple about the process. Each of her shards are heavily customized to work with each companion like other cybers, but she is all the same cyber. It can be confusing to deal with her if you don’t understand just what she is. I know it took me a while to figure her out, though she may have been playing hard to get on purpose. One never can tell with her, you know.

High rez version available for free on Patreon

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