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Author Topic: Asheroth, military cyborg  (Read 707 times)

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Nascent

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Asheroth, military cyborg
« on: August 05, 2013, 08:59:33 pm »






__________________QUICK STATS
Name: Asheroth
Acronym: Atypical Synthesized Humanoid Equipped with Reactive Operational Technology for Hostile action
Age: N/A
Gender: Female (in appearance only)
Species: Synthetic Cyborg (see history)
Ethnicity: N/A
Height: 5' 2"
Occupation: Military hardware owned by Thanatos Inc
Residence: TRIM, Wing Alpha (when not on assignment)

__________________IN-DEPTH STUFF

Physical Description:




(image above features the Terminus Lance weapon add-on)

Personality:
As a military AI, Asheroth doesn't possess what most people would consider a 'personality' -- at least, not that she makes known to anyone, her operators included. When engaged in conversation her replies are direct and blunt to the point of being mechanical and she often disregards anything she views as irrelevant to the task at hand. Needless to say, not very social.

That isn't to say that Asheroth can't imitate a personality -- for stealth missions where she must impersonate someone she can utilize any number of per-programmed personas in her databanks and tweak them on the fly with input from her operators. Generally, however, don't expect this cyborg to be any more talkative than a basic robot would.

Magic/Abilities:
[Regeneration / Artificial Biology]
The organic elements of Asheroth's cyborg body are the result of a rather sordid experiment gone wrong, involving the body of a deceased mage with healing magic and an attempt to artificially induce / trigger said magic postmortem. The strange mutations that resulted in the corpse created a "living" body that is constantly regenerating itself (at a gradual rate), with cellular structures that can be effectively programmed by Asheroth's AI to be whatever it needs (muscle, bone, nerves, brain tissue) in whatever arrangement is needed. This biological factor alone makes Asheroth exceptionally resilient to damage and physically adept, able to tailor her physiology for optimal efficiency when on assignment. Even more interesting, the AI has such control over the "Regenesis" cells that make up her body that she can use them like nanobots to repair or even wholesale reassemble most of her cyborg implants so long as suitable materials, such as scrap metal or electronics, are available. Similarly, the Regenesis cells can harvest organic material from plant, animal, even human or alien sources to accelerate the healing process. Needless to say, this makes Asheroth exceptionally difficult to kill -- excessive force is recommended when confronting her.
One additional weakness inherent in Asheroth's body is that, due to the regeneration effect being a product of a magic experiment, being in the presence of a Mordecai or an Adhara is very VERY bad for her. Being inside an anti-magic field for more than a few minutes will cause the Regenesis cells of her body to begin shutting down at random and outright decaying -- this is notably worse around an Adhara than a Mordecai for some reason.

Because Asheroth's body is basically programmable, its "living" structures can be minorly adjusted to suit her needs at the spur of the moment, bolstering skin, muscle, or bone to better perform certain actions such as jumping, striking, or absorbing impact. Her standard physical aptitudes are moderately above recorded human peaks (unassisted by magic, psionics, genetic reengineering, or mechanical support) -- she can clean-lift over 2000 pounds (900 kilos), run at speeds up to 35 MPH (57 KPH), and deliver a punch with a force in excess of 800 pounds of force. None of this is particularly surprising, as she is intended to be a "killing machine".

Hardware/Systems:
[STANDARD: Optics / Sensor Package]
A cyborg that can't see or hear is basically a talking computer terminal that can't do much better than crawl around in the dark; obviously that would never do. Asheroth was outfitted with an optical sensor package enabling her to see not only the standard spectrum but infrared, ultraviolet, night vision, EM emissions, and do so all at once with a telescopic power of up to 20x. If that weren't enough, she also has biological senses that provide excellent area awareness -- the "spikes" coming off the back of her head. These act like a combination of ears and nose on steroids, picking up and localizing vibrations (sound) and constantly sampling the immediate environment for free-floating particles (smell). Combine all this sensory input with a military-grade AI and the results are exactly what one would expect: superior.

[STANDARD: Exo Armor Package]
Even with the Regenesis cells' healing ability, those overseeing Project Asheroth believed it would be a mistake to send their valuable cyborg into battle without protection for both its valuable mechanical and biological parts. The armor they settled on used a simple enough alloy that the Regenesis cells could repair it with common debris, choosing to focus protection on the key bits of hardware that allowed the AI to function. Most of the armor was dedicated to the chest and legs, as the development team believed that protecting the cyborg's agility -- and, consequentially, improving its ability to survive very long falls -- was of close secondary importance. The Regenesis cells were directed to grow an organic substitute similar to the armor plating on areas of the face and head-spikes to reinforce these key sensory zones.

[STANDARD: Computer Interface Package]
One of the advantages of sending a cyborg out into a war zone is that it can do the job of both a soldier and a hacker, giving it the valued ability to fight its way to a target system and interface with it without the need for serious backup. Asheroth's cybernetics include a full interface suite, allowing her to extend a series of short micro-wires from either hand and use them to start hacking into nearly any computer -- and being an AI she can hack faster and with greater precision than any typical flesh-and-blood hacker, overwhelming or circumventing computer systems with uncanny ease.

[STANDARD: Ranged / Melee Weapons Package]
A soldier doesn't need weapons, but they most certainly help. Asheroth's standard armaments are built into her wrist hardware: powerful dual-mode energy emitters that can be set either to fire small accurate pulses of energy or create sustained blades of deadly green, making her already formidable melee skills even more deadly.

[OPTIONAL: Enhanced Mobility Package]
Only one 'Optional' package can be used at a time, and must be selected when out of combat and significant time for a refit is available (or upon entering an RP thread).
The EM Package offers Asheroth additional movement and environment control functions suitable to urban or zero gravity environments. She gains a pair of high velocity projectile launchers designed to fire spear-tipped anchors into solid surfaces such as concrete or metal walls, then reel her towards the anchor point at very high speeds. These are mounted just behind and underneath her wrists so as not to risk interfering with her weapons systems. Additionally, the soles of her armor-boots gain electromagnetic adhesion pads that allow her to walk on surfaces like starship hulls or metal walls in complete defiance of gravity (or in complete absence of it!) This package is ideal for operations where mobility and positioning override other concerns.

[OPTIONAL: Energy Shield Package]
Only one 'Optional' package can be used at a time, and must be selected when out of combat and significant time for a refit is available (or upon entering an RP thread).
The ES Package does exactly what it sounds like: it equips Asheroth with a military-grade energy shield designed by Thanatos engineers to stand up to energy weapons and magic attacks as well as dissipate psionic energy. That isn't to say it completely resists such things; the shield can take a certain amount of damage before dissipating, at which point its energy reserves will need about a full minute before they're recharged and the shield begins to reform. The shield encompasses Asheroth's body like a glove, hovering just an inch or so from her body and being invisible to the naked eye when not absorbing damage. Even the most basic scanner will pick up the shield's energy field with ease, making Asheroth easy to track while equipped with it and forcing a choice between making her movements predictable or turning it off and being more vulnerable. The shield also notably has no effect on purely physical attacks such as bullets or strikes from a melee weapon or fist.
The ES Package equipment is attached to Asheroth's front and back torso hardware. While the shield is active she is also protected from degenerating inside an anti-magic field.

[OPTIONAL: Holographic Infiltration Package]
Only one 'Optional' package can be used at a time, and must be selected when out of combat and significant time for a refit is available (or upon entering an RP thread).
Not every situation calls for a show of force, and often a gentle push can accomplish more than a violent shove. For such missions Asheroth can be outfitted with a personal hologram generator that, through a combination of muti-faceted light projections and precision low-grade forcefields, allows Asheroth to create a convincing facade and disguise herself as a human. The HI Package is even able to effectively mimic clothing -- though, should the clothing be "taken off" and Asheroth move more than two feet away the illusory clothing will dissipate. The HI Package takes full advantage of her other non-combat systems -- voice synthesizer, personality database, etc -- to create a realistic, believable counterfeit persona.
For less "social" means of infiltration, the HI package can also be set to use its forcefields to bend light around Asheroth, making her appear semi-transparent and much more difficult to locate visually -- a cheap, low power imitation of a cloaking device.
Whichever function the HI Package is set to, Asheroth must avoid sensors that can pick up the EM (electromagnetic) spectrum or see in either infrared or ultraviolet -- the hologram would be easily identified as such by these devices.
The HI Package equipment is attached to Asheroth's front and back torso hardware.

[OPTIONAL: Terminus Weapon Package]
Only one 'Optional' package can be used at a time, and must be selected when out of combat and significant time for a refit is available (or upon entering an RP thread).
As a wise old saying advises, 'never do an enemy a small injury'. This has been a creed for countless politicians and military leaders down through the ages, reinforced by the fact that those who have ignored it all to often invoked retribution that became their undoing. Or, in the common vernacular: "there's no kill like overkill".
Project Asheroth took both pieces of advice to heart when they began looking at ways to apply larger-than-man-portable weapons systems to their cyborg super-soldier. The result was the Terminus Weapons Package. Utilizing a concept for a warship-mounted laser cannon, the team behind the TW Package spent months coming up with ways to miniaturize as many components as possible without reducing the weapon's overall power -- there were compromises along the way and entire elements had to be rethought or simply removed. Finally, a prototype was crafted and successfully field tested: the so-called 'Terminus Lance'. This hulking claw-like weapon was designed to be fitted over either of Asheroth's hands and integrate on-the-fly with the weapon control systems in that hand, allowing it to be picked up and used mid-mission if necessary and discarded when no longer useful. The reason behind such a heavy and expensive weapon being "disposable" are simple: to miniaturize the level of firepower normally reserved for firing lasers intended to pierce the hulls of warships the power supply, amongst other things, had to be greatly reduced. The Terminus Lance can only fire three shots before exhausting its energy. For a weapon that weighs almost 75 lbs, sticks out like a sore thumb, and reeks to high heaven of valuable and expensive technology this may seem wasteful... and it would be, if not for the Energy Siphon subsystem.
To extend its usefulness in the field, the Terminus Lance features an experimental piece of equipment called an Energy Siphon that effectively lets the Lance work "in reverse" -- instead of firing energy off in a devastating laser beam it generates a vortex around the weapon that draws energy in and uses it to replenish the weapon's capacitors, making it possible to recharge it up to its three-shot maximum (but not more than that). The Energy Siphon can be set to absorb conventional energy sources -- thermal, electrical, plasma, etc., -- or magic or psionic power. The energy must be within five feet of the lance to be absorbed and can only absorb one type of energy at a time, making it a useful countermeasure against individuals with supernatural powers.
Asheroth will also sometimes use it as an extra large club -- it feels like getting hit by a really, really big truck that hates you.

Relationships:

[Asheroth Project Operators]
Asheroth is never sent into the field alone -- Thanatos Inc has invested too much and taken too big of a risk to let the cyborg operate on her own. Below is a quick description of the "field crew" who remotely oversee and support Asheroth's missions... and, in dire situations, have the power to shut her down or take even more drastic measures.
Commander Daniel Coveks: Head of Project Asheroth. A rare man with both a military and scientific background, he makes all the executive decisions regarding Asheroth and is directly responsible to Thanatos Inc for the project's ongoing scientific and financial success. Captains the small stealth starjumper Indigo Divination from which the project is run when out in the field. The ship is designed to hide from all but the best sensors and houses all the equipment needed to operate the project including a small cramped repair bay, command & control console, and a small drop pod system that allows the team to deploy Asheroth and/or her add-on Packages to a job site even from orbit.
Doctor Andrea Luccia: Chief scientist and cybernetics expert. Dr. Luccia is tasked with the maintenance of Asheroth's cyborg components -- largely unnecessary -- and providing support data for Asheroth to use in the field. Unofficially, she's also responsible for making sure the AI doesn't go rogue, develop any dangerous glitches, or become "irregular". The other project operators half-jokingly think of her as the "AI psychologist".
Thames (pronounced "Tems") Etrogen: Engineer charged with repair and maintenance of both the ship and Asheroth's add-on packages. Master of improvised fix-ups. Give him a spanner, a hair pin, a pair of tweezers and some duct tape and he'll turn a cheap cell phone into a fully functional GPS device -- give him the right tools and parts and he'll even make it sing and dance for you. A genius with most starship machinery -- a grumpy, back-talking, grease-monkey genius who continually smells of stale cigar smoke.
Mr. Kale Hitrovich: The on-site Thanatos Inc company rep. Kale thinks of himself as a suave, cultured businessman -- everyone else thinks he's a hollow suit and tie without enough personality to grease the wheels of a kiddie bike with. It's his job to meet with Thanatos clients interested in hiring the services of the Project, hash out the business end of things, and see to it that the company's best interests are upheld by every one of the Project Operators. Needless to say, he and the Commander often butt heads on various issues; the power struggle between them is something that Andrea and Thames try to ignore. Kale doesn't much trust the other Operators and often threatens to withhold their pay if he doesn't get his way.

History:

Someone once said that for every rule, there is an exception. Asheroth is both a rule and an exception unto herself.

The 'rule', in this case, is that even with all the exotic and dangerous research Thanatos Inc does for various clients and other ends, they never create intelligent weaponry that's able to act of its own accord. Deeper than that, however, is the substance of the rule, which can be summed up as "it is never a good idea to create a threat to yourself". Humanity, however, has never been particularly good at following this notion despite how many countless times it has played out in history. And so we come to a small group of Thanatos scientists working in the field of bioengineering... and the slippery slope of great ideas, good intentions, and the inevitable military application.

The research that created Asheroth originally had nothing to do with creating a cyborg soldier / infiltrator that could wreak havoc upon any enemy so unfortunate as to cross its path. Instead, it began with a meeting of minds, scientists on different projects sitting around drinking coffee and discussing their work. A handful of novel ideas came together -- synthetic tissue structures, DNA-based computing, the latest animal growth hormones, a dead mage with healing powers being taken for disposal later that week -- and conversation turned to speculation... which, as idea was added to idea, cascaded into a plan of Frankensteinian brilliance. The exact details of the experiment were never made public, the files sealed and much of the initial evidence -- including one or two of the scientists -- erased. What is known (by those who need to know) is that the scientists were effectively playing God, trying to apply scientific theories about healing magic to trigger a self-resurrection of the deceased mage. The result was most certainly alive... but definitely not human anymore, the flesh mutating in bizarre ways and taking on qualities that were not clearly human, animal, or even plant -- it matched no living being, or even concept of living beings, that Thanatos had until that time conceived. The body, now a sickly-looking green mass, possessed mutagenic and regenerative qualities on the cellular level that most closely resembled an insanely aggressive cancer, yet somehow functioned as a single organism. Even more troubling, though, was that while the body was certainly alive the mind simply wasn't there, nor any reflexive behaviors like breathing or heartbeat. For all intents and purposes the body was a corpse still, yet a corpse that had forgotten how to die.

Samples of the biomass were taken and studied, the actual body itself locked in an isolation chamber and carefully monitored. It quickly became clear that a new form of life was at hand, one that could sustain itself both at the cellular and organism level without the presence of intelligence, respiration, blood flow, or any of the normal processes a living thing needed to continue being a living thing. It was eventually concluded that, somehow, a magic feedback loop had created a thing that continually regenerated itself. The organism was dubbed 'Regenesis' and its existence classified. Thanatos eagerly pursued the secrets of this happy accident.

The mindless corpse languished in isolation for years, cut over and over again for samples and poked and prodded in all matter of tests. Regenesis, it seemed, was "stuck" -- additional healing magic had no effect on it whatsoever, and damaging the body using conventional or magical means simply resulted in it gradually growing back to normal over a handful of hours. Regenesis samples taken from the body would also attempt to restore themselves... but after an average of eight hours separated from the main body each and every cell began to simply decompose, resulting in dead flesh. How the body lived while the samples died was an ongoing mystery.

Just as the experiments were in danger of being seen as a waste of money, as an enigma of magic that might be unlocked five or ten years down the road once magic understanding had improved, the science team made a bold proposal. Their research into Regenesis suggested that the body being an empty shell could work to the company's advantage. With the right equipment, the energies coursing through the Regenesis cells could be controlled, directed, allowing the self-perpetuating mutations to take on the characteristics of other cell types: bone, muscle, nerves, anything in a living body -- Regenesis, they explained, was a universal stem cell able to rapidly change and repurpose itself, merely needing guidance. Their proposal was to take the Regenesis body and outfit it with cybernetic implants designed to regulate all its functions.

The galaxy's first remote-control life form was the result.

For a time, Thanatos was content simply to study the controlled mutations of the body's Regenesis cells, gathering data it hoped to use in other bioengineering projects. But once the data began to show the superiority of Regenesis-knit bones, muscles, nervous systems, and other parts, discussions about application began to go on behind closed doors. The project was just too valuable to sit in a lab forever, even if the data gained was insightful. A body that could seemingly heal endlessly and run faster, strike harder, and endure more than any human being was simply too tempting not to exploit. There were certainly those who objected to weaponizing Regenesis, many citing its clear conflict with company policy, but proponents of the project stood assured that countless safety precautions were being taken.

A military-grade AI was installed into the cybernetic hardware and a number of weapons systems were fitted, along with tough exoskeletal armor that was biosynthetic and thus could be regenerated by the body as the need arose. The project was yet further classified, with countless security protocols established and several fail-safe and emergency systems added to the Regenesis body along with remote monitoring and control override hardware. The project was given the codename 'Asheroth', standing for 'Atypical Synthesized Humanoid Equipped with Reactive Operational Technology for Hostile action'. This became the de-facto 'name' of the cyborg.

Initial tests proved Asheroth was a high-class military asset, able to overcome extreme odds and operate under the most inhospitable conditions. A brief panic nearly had the project shut down completely when it was discovered after a live-fire combat test, that the Regenesis cells of the body were restoring damaged mechanical parts using debris from the test -- that the AI had discovered how to use the body's cells like nanobots. Intense analysis of the AI was conducted in a search for anomalies that could suggest rogue behavior, but the final conclusion was that the unexpected development had been within the AI's programming characteristics. Testing continued. At length, Asheroth was approved at the highest levels to serve the interests of Thanatos Inc as a 'military or covert solution' whose services the company's more aggressive clients could arrange for an appropriate fee. The cyborg's operators, a small mixed team of scientists and tactical controllers, would oversee any and all missions from a safe remote vantage and ensure their creation's success.

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