Susan

by on March 5, 2017 at 12:01 am
Posted In: Art, Character Profiles

The Marine Corps ordered Susan to shut down her physical body. They were against Corps policy back then, you see. I remember her calmly saying no. Then they threatened to drum her out of the service and she invited them to do their best. There’s still a letter of reprimand in her file over that. We all got one that day. But we were Cowboys. We worked with Aneerin, and he endorsed our use of physical cybernetic avatars, citing the advantage it would give us in ground operations in the Hyades Cluster. The Corps backed down. They acted like they’d “allowed” her to keep her body. But I know they didn’t. They never could have made her give it up. She would have paid any price to keep her body after that first day, and I don’t blame her. Luckily, Aneerin’s word is good for a few things, killing Shang coverath a multitude of sins, and Susan knows her sins real good. God, am I glad she’s on our side. I would hate to fight her for reals.

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Jessica

by on March 4, 2017 at 12:01 am
Posted In: Art, Character Profiles

Once a Cowboy, always a Cowboy. That is our policy. Jessica may have gone her own way since War’s End, but she will always be one of us. We will always be here if she needs us, and she is always there when we need her. Her job as a bounty hunter keeps her sharp, or so she says. But I know it is no mere wish to maintain her readiness that keeps her working. She enjoys the thrill of the hunt. She relishes the adrenaline rush of completing a mission. She loves to fight. The heart of a predator beats inside her tiny body, and that makes her far more dangerous than most of us. I am pleased that she has chosen to target other predators. She can enjoy herself while making the galaxy a safer place at the same time. It is a good use of abilities and instincts. I am proud to have her as one of mine.

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A Primer on the Races of Humanity – Peloran

by on March 3, 2017 at 12:01 am
Posted In: The Races of Humanity

The Peloran have a genetic imperative to seek peace and calm in every situation. It is hard to make them fight, and seemingly harder to fluster them. Many of them have lived for hundreds or thousands of years, and they have seen it all. They are friendly, but reserved. But there is one thing guaranteed to break through their cool demeanor. Children. Peloran love the sound of children playing and having fun. Running, jumping, and laughing. Most Peloran will join them in play without a second thought, simply to take part in the fun. And Heaven help anyone who threatens a child in the presence of a Peloran. It is one of the quickest ways to trigger every single supersoldier instinct they have, which is usually unhealthy for those who triggered them. It is notable that the largest daycare center chain in Terran space has long had a permanent office in the Pleiades Cluster, recruiting any Peloran willing to leave their worlds to visit our own.

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Susan

by on March 2, 2017 at 12:01 am
Posted In: Art, Character Profiles

Susan was always a bit of a rebel. She got that from her pilot, by the way. She’d been a street rat that joined the Marines to get away from the gangs. I asked Susan once what she’d seen in Jess that made her pick the girl. Susan didn’t tell me. She’s like that, you know. She never betrays a confidence. But she told me how many times the cybers denied her. Five. That doesn’t happen. When the cybernetic families say no to a prospective pilot, the answer is final. But Jess kept coming back and demanding to see them again. They’re both like that now. No respect for the rules. Susan was one of the first to get a real solid body, despite the Marine Corps rules on that point. I remember seeing her with it the first day. She looked…amazed. Like it was her first day being alive. She wasn’t the first cyber I saw get her first body, but she crystallized it for me. We were on Guardian Light, and she sat under the landing bay tree, just enjoying the sound of a breeze through the leaves with her real ears. That was the day I truly realized just how much the cybers sacrificed when they agreed to join our military.

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Jessica

by on March 1, 2017 at 12:01 am
Posted In: Art, Character Profiles

Jessica joined us on New Earth. She was born there, you know. Joined the Devilcats because she was bored and wanted to try something new. She turned out to have a gift for piloting, and was one of the best they had when we arrived. She flew a Hellcat at the time, of course, but she did well at New Washington and beyond. It was a pleasure to have her under my command. It did not last, though. She was always quick to seek new opportunities. Quick to become bored and move on. She went her own way after The War and is a bounty hunter now. Many of us have dabbled in it, but she went full time long ago. Some would say she is an adrenaline junky, always looking for the next rush. Far be it for me to disagree. She certainly gets her share of adrenaline rushes in her chosen profession.

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