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Late June 2021 The Iceberg A dark, sleek dynamo at five foot three, Kalinda Kaur had moved through the AEGIS base with a bright smile and firm handshake. The Vice-President was known as a critic of law enforcement outside but inside she'd been nothing but professional, even friendly, as she'd met with everyone from Director Bonham to the lowest office drones. She was the sort of protectee that liked to bull ahead of her bodyguards without so much as a backwards look. Luckily they'd spent most of today down in one of the most secure sites in Freedom City. Special Agent Ashley Tran, on special assignment to the Vice-President's detail, had done her best to blend into the agents who occasionally had to jog a little to keep up with 'Desi'. Jim Ward, the VPOTUS's usual detail head, had proved to be philosophical about the whole affair; something Ashley appreciated. This was supposed to be a big day. In just a week now, Paul Revere would make his Fourth of July debut as Patriot II - a new hero for a new generation! The program had been founded in the early days of the Cahill administration but the O'Connor administration had embraced the idea, even if Revere (who had been left quite the blonde, blue-eyed Aryan superman by the DNAscendant treatments he'd been given) wasn't quite the kind of person the O'Connor administration tried to promote. Ashley had heard about the program in its early days, even if her duty to Judith Cahill meant she was never seriously in the running for it. The man who had actually gotten the position? She'd met him, even sparred with him, having been brought in to test his facility with hand-to-hand combat. He was cute, certainly; she liked big, muscular alpha males and the fact that he was a cop wasn't bad. But something else was...not right. - The Iceberg was home to a small studio, where against a curtained backdrop, Revere was practicing his speech. He stood behind the podium and gave the cameras a winning smile as he continued: "Not too long ago, two friends of mine were talking to a Cuban refugee, a businessman who had escaped from Castro, and in the midst of his story one of my friends turned to the other and said, "We don't know how lucky we are." And the Cuban stopped and said, "How lucky you are? I had someplace to escape to." And in that sentence he told us the entire story. If we lose freedom here, there's no place to escape to. This is the last stand on earth. And this idea that government is beholden to the people, that it has no other source of power except the sovereign people, is still the newest and the most unique idea in all the long history of man's relation to man. Whether we believe in our capacity for self-government or whether we abandon the American revolution and confess that a little intellectual elite in a far-distant capitol can plan our lives for us better than we can plan them ourselves. You and I are told increasingly we have to choose between a left or right. Well I'd like to suggest there is no such thing as a left or right. There's only an up or down - [up] man's old-aged dream, the ultimate in individual freedom consistent with law and order, or down to the ant heap of totalitarianism..." "Well he certainly can handle himself in front of the camera," said the Vice-President thoughtfully, "even if he does sound he's Ronald Reagan personified." She looked a little skeptical, but many of the agents in the room looked very interested in what the man had to say. Ashley knew for almost certain that one of the agents, a star-struck young sound engineer from Oklahoma, was actually sleeping with Revere on the sly. She hadn't said anything, but the number of people she could talk to about any of this was damn thin. "Beth, are the defense contractors on schedule?" Ashley knew for sure that they were; Alek and company wouldn't be late without finding a way to let her know, so while the Vice-President (and technical head of the project, answering only to the POTUS himself, who was back in DC getting ready for the holiday) chatted with her immediate staff, Ashley looked around and spotted maybe the only other person in the whole Iceberg whose knowledge of superhuman tactics wasn't theoretical. "Agent Zermeño," she said cooly from behind her shades, "a word?" She cocked her head towards the studio control room door.

March 2020 Alpine, Texas There's not much in the Big Bend region of Texas except space. The city of Alpine is relatively large; almost five thousand people, with a state university in Sul Ross, and the remotest AEGIS base in the Lower 48 States - tucked away inside an old gas station on the edge of town, the one most of the locals think might be haunted. There are a lot of old hippies in this area, people who liked the isolation better than the California or Nevada deserts, or just wanted to be able to disappear into the mountains, so when news came of robot reptiles appearing all over the area, originally the local office treated it as just more poppycock. At least until the twenty-foot robot crocodile crawled out of the sewers and tried to make a nest in the country club's golf course. So now there's a veteran AEGIS agent on the scene! But on the other hand, even a robot crocodile is just a crocodile. So this is a good mission to bring super-teens along; especially those who know a thing or two about machines and giant reptiles - or perhaps those careers might not take them into conventional superheroing. - Eira hadn't said much to Danica on the flight to West Texas, but she hadn't been quite the cold fish that she'd heard. She was dressed in an outfit suitable for West Texas - denim jeans and a blue and gold patterned shirt, dark glasses against the glare (though why would a robot need those?), and a white cowboy hat perched on her head. The Freedom League Javelin (albeit one disguised as a regular Learjet to avoid attention) had covered the 2000 miles from Freedom City to Alpine in about two hours; and had left early enough that it was still only about eight-thirty when they landed at Alpine–Casparis Municipal Airport. There had been very little signs of towns below until they got here; even now this was still obviously very remote.

Let's have checks! Eira is going to take 20 on her Computers - even with her Quickness, gonna be a while. Life Sciences for you, @Electra, and detective stuff for you, @HGM

Week 1 (June 1-June 7) . The Iceberg, Freedom City In AEGIS circles Wednesday gave everyone a case of the Mondays. Those assigned to AEGIS posts had to attend 15 minute stand up meetings with their teams. But Wednesdays the meetings were an hour and a half conferences. Sometimes you could be assigned to a separate department's conference. Which is where Yves Zermeño found herself this very Wednesday. Having the unfortunate draw of being assigned to a private conference with Stewart “Rock Star” Bonham. It wasn't that Yves hated Bonham. Quite the opposite. But, a conference with a department head often lead to a special assignment. And in her experience an assignment from Bonham was babysitting duty. The Dame might send Yves to investigate Terminus related crimes. Dr. Volk would want to collect data. And her team would just do the weekly review. But, Bonham always made it a production. And judging by the smoke filling the room as Yves entered, this meeting would be no different. That was until it became readily apparent that Bonham was nowhere to be seen. Yves quickly scanned the office. It was a windowless conference room with a holographic display in the center of the table. There were a dozen seats all around and a series of computers. But no acting Director to be seen. There were however five people sitting on the chairs around the conference table. The first person Yves recognized was Jessie Baker. Jessie had a reputation on the Iceberg for being opinionated to the point of fault. If there was a thought that went through agent Baker's head, she let everyone know about it. Said thought was often about how wrong everyone else was which didn't endear her too many friends. If not for her impressively accurate results, she would've been out of a job a long time ago. But, it did seem like an inevitability. Next to Jessie Baker was Lee Franks. Aside from Yves, Franks was the only other field agent in the room. And likely the only other person over 40. Yves, had also heard rumors that Franks was a former costumed hero. Though she had never personally inquired as to his past. Everyone deserved their secrets. That was everyone but the person sitting next to Franks, Lyla Chen. Lyla Chen had worked for just about every super-criminal one could think of. A professional henchman, Chen had actually bankrolled her entire career by stealing from a wide variety of her superiors. After all, super-criminals always ended up caught. And their last concern would be remembering the henchman who took a few trinkets here and there. AEGIS was less forgiving, at least on the surface. But, once it turned out that Chen's loyalty lasted as far as her mouth she quickly turned confidential informant with the matching leg jewelry to prove it. The government had made a deal for an earlier release if she cooperated. And somehow she wasn't even the most untrustworthy person in the room. Not with Matti Scoggins there. Matti Scoggins had been the talk of AEGIS for a week. An embezzler among their ranks. The Harvard grad worked for their financial crimes division, and had been skimming a little off the top for years. He was fearless in amassing his collection of stolen goods from super criminals. But, after years he had been caught by the tireless efforts of none other than Jessie Baker. No wonder the two hadn't been placed together. The last person in the room was Hamid Zafiya. The Fresh MIT graduate was a star in the cyber crimes division. Or at least he would've been if he ever took the job seriously rather than playing games with the criminals he targeted. No amount of reprimands and threats of demotions had any effect on the young agent and clear thrill chaser who time and time again had been denied field duty status. It was a motley crew of people that didn't need to be motleying up anything. Agent Alyssa Wild walked up behind Yves. She was Argonaut's long-time partner in the field. And jokingly her work-wife despite the fact that Yves' husband also worked for AEGIS. That was just how much time the pair spent together at work. So when Wild tapped Yves on the soldier to be let in with a whispered, "glad you could make it." The Freed drone was utterly confused. "Well now we can start. Acting Director Bonhan has noted a failing on AEGIs' part-" "Ahem. I noticed a failing on AEGIS' part." Agent Baker interrupted. Only to get stared at by Wild. Neither woman backing down before Wild continued. "As I was saying. After a completely preventable incident, Acting Director Bonham has deemed it necessary to circumvent traditional AEGIS operating procedures. As such he has created a task force with one simple mandate to think like villains in order to predict upcoming conflicts and sabotage them before they happen. This task force will report directly to Special Agent Zermeño." As they all turned their heads to hear Yves say 'No' before storming out of the conference room. She absolutely wasn't going to be in charge of AEGIS castoffs and outcasts. Alyssa chased after her friend in a huff, quickly catching the Lor whom was simply walking at a leisurely pace. "You know when Jack Simmons founded AEGIS, he specifically sought the most insubordinate members of every br1anch of government for his recruits. The Dirty Forty as we call them now. The Patriot believed that a willingness to question orders was the one of the most important foundations of an AEGIS agent. Assuming they were competent and with a bit of drive that is." Alyssa told Yves. "Why me? Most people don't know what or who I am. Why me? Does Bonham really need me to be his fall girl when this entire crapshoot blows up in our faces. And believe me it will." "Someone just has to get them up and running. They'll report to you as needed. You don't need to tell them your story if you don't want. And Bonham's not expecting Argonaut to suddenly slink to the shadows. But, they need oversight, And frankly this is your job." "I'm no leader." "Agent! When there's trouble..." "AEGIS takes the initiative. AEGIS does not play it safe." Every agent worth their salt new how to answer a challenge response to one of the mantras in the AEGIS code.

Club Ice The Fens, Freedom City, New JerseyFriday, November 9th, 201812:05 AM The street the club was on was much better lit than most of the Fens, although not quite as brightly as the streets toward the heart of the Theater District. Open three nights out of the week Club Night shone with an effulgent blue glow tonight as it hosted its latest musical act, Monster Blast. The nightclub was in an old three-story building, refurbished to look newer and trendier. It was hard to tell how much of the upper floors were for the club, or for offices and storage not only from the outside. But, at the very least the first floor was an ice bar and lounge. Visitors in the club donned custom-designed insulated capes and gloves to keep warm while exploring the venue’s dramatic interiors. The space was designed with artistic carvings and features an elaborately carved bar, chandelier, sculptures, lounge seating and paintings, all made of ice. In the center of it all was a circular crystal clear stage in which full view of Monster Blast could be seen. Although people could be seen occasionally heading to the second floor there wasn't a clear view of what went on there. Rumors have always swelled that Club Ice was own by the mob. Which wasn't a rare bet with its location. But, the audience in attendance were clearly local twenty somethings just looking to catch an underground concert.

The OOC. Put all rolls here.

June 2017 White Sands Missile Range New Mexico "Mayday, mayday!" came the alert as the plane descended towards the base runway, the beings surrounding it jetting back and forth like mites attacking a bird. But these mites had teeth - and super-strength. "This is Air Force One with a Code Uniform Mayday, repeat, a Code Uniform Mayday! We are in distress and about to make an emergency landing at White Sands Missile Range!" General George Bradley, the overall commander at White Sands, was a scientist more than a warrior - but he knew a Code U Mayday well enough. He'd been a young second lieutenant assisting Colin Powell the last time a Code U had been called - when the man it had been named for, the Ubermensch, attacked the White House during the first Gulf War and only barely been defeated by the Centurion. Superhumans were attacking the President! "Clear the runaway, now!" he called, running out the door from his office to his command post at top speed. "Get Kirtland and Cannon to scramble their jets now!" The Air Force bases weren't that far away, not at jet speed. The moment he stepped outside, he heard the battle in the air - Air Force One was screaming in for a landing at breakneck speed, smoke pouring from its engines, the zipping forms of attacking metas on either side now taking fire themselves from White Sands' small MP force. "And put out an alert - White Sands is under attack by unknown hostile forces!" There was no point in letting the world know the President was arriving - not yet!

Wednesday April 27, 2016 Washington, DC AEGIS Headquarters The AEGIS headquarters in Washington, DC is not where most of the field agents are posted - the single largest AEGIS facility is located in Freedom City. This building, one of dozens of other square glass boxtowers built along the Anacostia River, is a place of bureaucrats; payroll clerks and human resources types, archivists and pension planners, the thousands of other workers whose unglamorous jobs keep the glamorous agents of AEGIS fed, happy, and well-paid. The MAX Armor agents kept on staff here are there mostly to deal with supervillains whose research for major super-battles consists of Googling "AEGIS Headquarters." With a heavy BOOM, the last of the MAX agents hit the parking lot asphalt, the sound of impact soon drowned out by the cataclysmic storm overhead. As millions of fist-sized hailstones rain down on AEGIS, tough windows cracking but not shattering, as lightning splits the sky overhead, a voice breaks the heavens, carried by the thunder itself. Although it seems to crack the air above AEGIS headquarters, it echoes across the city, reflected by nearly every surface in an intimidating feat of acoustics. "LADIES. GENTLEMEN. HERE WE ARE, AT THE HEART OF THE CANCER THAT CALLS ITSELF 'POLITICS.' FOR TOO LONG, YOU HAVE DEFIED THE WILL OF THE EARTH! YOU HAVE CRAFTED LAWS THAT ENABLE AND SHELTER THOSE WHO SPILL POISON UPON THE LAND AND THE SEA! YOU HAVE SHELTERED THOSE WHO IMPRISON AND TORTURE THEIR FELLOW CREATURES, DOING NOTHING AS THESE BUTCHERS CONDUCT A BLOOD-STAINED CAMPAIGN ENDING IN THE DEVOURING OF FLESH! YOU WASTE YOUR TIME WITH SENTIMENT AS PEOPLE ARE ENCOURAGED TO WASTE THE SEED AND THE EGG, DENYING THE CREATION OF NEW LIFE! THE STORM WILL COME TO SWEEP AWAY ALL YOU PERVERTS, POLLUTERS, AND OTHER FILTH - AND I AM THE STORM! WHEN THE HARD RAIN FALLS UPON YOU, YOU WILL KNOW YOU HAVE A CHOICE TO MAKE. REPENT YOUR SINS... OR BE WASHED AWAY."

Monday, July 11th 2016 AEGIS Headquarters, City Center, Freedom City 8:21 AM A Monday morning. Nobody likes Monday mornings. Not even the men and women at AEGIS. No matter how much they liked their job, they also liked sleeping, and Monday mornings generally didn’t allow for the latter, even more so when employed by the American Elite Government Intervention Service. At least, that was usually the case. It did not always apply, especially for the people working in the less public Headquarters, down below Federal Building. Here, many people were working tirelessly, shifts upon shifts, 24 hours, 7 days a week. A few hours ago Field Agent Yves Zermeño had gotten a call by the agency. Early, on a Monday morning. That usually meant something urgent. While the caller had refused to talk about details on the phone, he had sounded rather calm. Which already set off some alarms. AEGIS would not call at 5 AM on a Monday if the matter was something that had time. Yves had just arrived on the floor she had been summoned too. She’d been here a few minutes too early, her handler for the mission would only arrive in a few minutes.

OOC for this

En Route to Star Island Lonely Point, Freedom City, New JerseyFriday March 4th, 2015 The Star Island Space Control Center was known for its cooperation with the Freedom League and the Lonely Island Naval Base. What was less spoken of was the close relationship between AEGIS and the facility. The frequent number of alien attacks prompted Director Powers into commissioning a black project with the assistance of the SCC some weeks ago. Since then three AEGIS/SCC scientist have gone missing during the course of the project. Stewart Bonham has personally seen fit to explore these strange disappearances. Knowing full well the very public figure couldn't comb through the facility without alerting a possible perpetrator that AEGIS was on to any wrongdoing, he saw fit to ask Argonaut to accompany him posing as "personal security" for the Chief AEGIS Administrator of Freedom City. Titan was brought using the cover of being the US military liason to AEGIS just keeping an eye on Bonham as he took a civil tour of the facility. Stewart Bonham was dressed in his AEGIS blues. A half glass of wine cupped closely. The three were traveling on the director's personal yacht. An AEGIS agent at the helm of the wheel. Leaving the three undisturbed in the dining area below to talk business before docking on Star Island. "Your predecessor. Major Chulpak wouldn't have liked the subterfuge. She'd prefer for me to make this an officially sanctioned investigation. Pour on the heat. Director Powers hardly agreed with her on anything, but they respected one another. As the current US military liason to AEGIS here, how would you handle this situation?"

September 5, 2015 Fort Meade, Maryland Supervillains were attacking Fort Meade. Well, not supervillains exactly. It had started out as a typical enough Saturday for the large military base close to Washington, DC; crowds of tourists at the National Cryptologic Museum and the Fort George Meade Museum, the Washington crowd taking advantage of Labor Day Weekend for one last hurrah. What followed next made its way onto the Internet quickly in one of those videos that goes viral the moment it hits Youtube. First, the golden gate had opened just across the street from the museum and a small group of costumed individuals had emerged - Argonaut, the armored AEGIS agent, Cannonade, the blue-collar brawler, Miss Americana, the patriotic paragon, and Vigilant, the all-American action hero. As the gate closed behind them, they ran, flew, and leaped across the street towards the museum, Cannonade casually sweeping aside a uniformed MP who (sensing trouble) had tried to block their way into the Museum. "F*cking typical!" he was heard to declare as they made their way in. "A world we didn't take over and it's already falling apart at the seams." Once inside, Miss Americana declared, "I'll get the missile! The rest of you get these wimpy bastards out of here and guard the perimeter. And get rid of all this trash!" The crowd, mostly civilians, didn't need any encouragement to run from the rampaging superheroes; a photographer outside caught Vigilant hurling a Mark VIII Liberty tank right through the museum wall with a tremendous crash! Whatever missile Miss Americana was after, she evidently found it - while the other 'heroes' took up position outside the museum, Miss A could be seen working on the preserved Ajax missile inside. It was Argonaut who dealt with the first wave of security, laughter coming from behind her armored faceplate as she cut her way through Jeeps, casually battering aside the MPS who arrived in them with cruel efficiency. "It's a bad time to be a bastard, kids! Sleeping in boxes and eating field rations for the past twelve months has built up a lot of negative energy in me, Miss A!" She called out, evidently over her suit's radio. "Treating these dirtbags to a little eye-gouging and back-breaking for a few minutes might be just the kind of cathartic exercise I was looking for!" For his part, Vigilant lived up to his name, taking up position on the roof and keeping stern watch on the surrounding base neighborhood even as chaos ensued all around them - Argonaut and Cannonade casually rampaging in the streets, sirens and gunfire ringing out, and panicking civilians being hastily evacuated away by the troops still standing who had not tried to directly engage Argonaut or Cannonade. "Attention, everyone!" he finally declared, using a voice amplifier. "This building is now the property of the Vigilance Committee! We are the baddest of the bad on this planet and several others you've never been to. Every once in a while we have to prove that to stupid people like yourself. Once we're done with the missile, we'll leave you to rot in your petty little world! Now, leave us alone...before we stop playing NICE."

Gina's Gather Info (repped through Computers) is sufficient to tell whatever the players are comfortable with you knowing about their characters. (maxing out the relevant rep tables) So she knows Vigilant is a patriotic hero whose daughter is a Claremont student named Miracle Girl, she knows Argonaut's story pretty well already, and everything that's public about Cannonade. So far the group at the museum in Fort Meade hasn't made any demands of the base commander or the US government, despite being within just a few blocks of CIA Headquarters. They have made some very public demonstrations of power, violently crushing several attempts by light armor and commando personnel to drive them out of their position. They've taken no prisoners and no hostages, but they've made sure everyone nearby has fled the area or gone into one of several secure shelters. "Miss Americana" is working on a defunct Atlas missile stored at the base museum, but Gina can't imagine what that would accomplish - Atlas missiles are long since retired and there's nothing dangerous in a museum piece anyway!

September 2015 Gruen Tanzer Contacting the two other Terminus survivors living on Earth-Prime had been no easy task - particularly Blue Jay, who unlike Argonaut had never actually exchanged contact information with Harrier except in those days after their abduction by the Curator. But he'd gotten the job done, with a little help from Miss Americana's connections. He hadn't directly discussed with Gina what the meeting was about, but he was supremely confident his genius lover had figured it out. She was very smart, after all - and she'd heard the same things from Sharl Tulink that he had. So he sat alone in a private room in the German restaurant Miss Americana opened, a hot buffet on one side of the room, the seats on the opposite side of the table empty. He'd given both Yves and Tona a message they'd have to respond to - a message that asked them to come meet and talk about the Terminus.

Argonaut Power Level: 10/14 (206/212) Trade-Offs: +3 Attack/-3 Damage (Power Pike), -2 Defense /+2 Toughness Unspent PP: 6 In Brief: Omegadrone Agent of A.E.G.I.S! Alternate Identity: Yves Zermeño, Yvejskrujanharbh'aar Identity: Secret Birthplace: Lor-Zul Occupation: AEGIS Field Agent Affiliations: AEGIS Family: Carlos Zermeño (Husband), Luz Zermeño (Eldest Daughter), Anna Zermeño (Middle Daughter), Sophia Zermeño (Youngest Daughter) Description: Age: 50 (DoB: Born March, 16 1968) Apparent Age: 30 Gender: Female Ethnicity: Lor Height: 5'2 Weight: 210 lbs Eyes: Brown Hair: Brown Yves is a slightly muscular brown skinned woman with no visible natural body hair. The missing hair on her head was replaced with a very expensive lace wig. The wig is styled into a short bob. She often dresses in modest fashions that leave very little skin showing. Hiding the various scars throughout her body that she actually opted not to have surgically removed. Never wanting to forget the monster that she was. As Argonaut, Yves' MEGA-MAX bears a recolored Shocktrooper Omegadrone Armor. The face plate retains an all too familiar skull like design. The armor does not have wings due to having a far sleeker design than Steelgrave's original bulky model. The back does, however, have secondary thrusters to to aid the jet boosts propulsion outside of atmospheric conditions (although the secondary boosters are currently damaged), The rocket boots can maneuver through the air with no issue having lost no air superiority. The Armor's left breastplate has the AEGIS emblem engraved. History: In another world in which the Lor's First Age never came to a close, the Lor Republic stretched to every corner of explored space. The military existed primarily for the purpose of exploration and further colonization of Lor Space. Quality of Life for citizens of the advanced civilization was such that only a sci fi novel could compare. Yvejskrujanharbh'aar was a freshly graduated university student with a future as a star faring diplomat in all but certain. Her life was pretty much uneventful. She had friends, family, loved ones and her personal tragedies were no more exciting than a lost pet here or there. Having never left her home planet, her dream was to engage in interplanetary relations perhaps to eventually take a seat as a Senator. The Lor citizens born on the planet of Lor-Zul are known for being born with two very distinct features. The first being a long life span in which they maintain a youthful appearance, only showing signs of aging during the last quarter of their lives. The second a natural affinity with languages their mind able to comprehend all spoken and written word as if they were living ciphers due to a unique psionic mutation. It was only the first trait that appealed to Shadivian Steelgrave after the Terminus came. With no enemies to oppose the Lor the military was nowhere near qualified to handle the unified front of the combat drones that swept their world. The Lor were crushed and in the end there was only the Terminus. Life as a conquered slave with the Hundred Worlds was far different for the Lor. Gone from Spacemen to cavemen one had to let a piece of himself die just to survive. In Nihilor only the strong survive. And what she lacked in physical might, Yvejskrujanharbh'aar made up for with sheer willpower and luck. Engaging in brutal gladiatorial fights until she scrapped by on top of her opposition. Her prize? Her mind was torn asunder as she underwent the unspeakable acts that defined the Omegadrone conditioning. Brainwashed by the Omegadrone conditioning Yvejskrujanharbh'aar had long faded she was merely a servant of Omega. Serving on the front lines as an Omegadrone Shocktrooper. Many people remember the Terminus Invasion of 1993 differently. Most of those memories are not looked back on too fondly. But for Yvejskrujanharbh'aar it was her first real memory since her first shot at life had ended. As one of those very invaders, she found herself barely clinging to life by the time the battle had come to a close. Her armor was skewered onto a steel rod at her abdomen. Recovered by AEGIS field agents, she was given medical treatment as the organization wasn't out to just let people die. Even those part of a foreign invasion force. Of course if it brought about the opportunity to learn more about the Terminus forces more power to them. It took a think tank of the top AEGIS psychologists and doctors to match Daedalus efforts in deprogramming the Omegadrone conditioning. They even crafted a new identity for her to live, monitored by a field agent, just outside of their Baltimore offices. Yvejskrujanharbh'aar or Yves as she had now come to be known just had to agree to surrender her armor to them as well as acting as a consultant whenever the need struck the agency. When Dr. Doris Volk joined AEGIS in 1997 amongst the many projects she pursued was the development of MAX series Power Armors. Shorty after completing the designs on the Super-Max armor Dr. Volk had already begun considering the process for advancing upon her design. Searching through old AEGIS files for inspiration Dr. Volk eventually came to learn about the deal AEGIS made with Yves. It took a decade to combine the technology of the Omegadrone with that of a SUPER MAX armor creating the first flight capable power armor, far before the distinctly more well known models used by Subjects V and V2. The most problematic bit of integration was that the armor's neural interface would only respond to omegadrones like the armor's previous pilot, Yves. A neural interface was originally designed to reinforce the Omegadrone conditioning and improve Nihilor's Mixed Murder Arts by recording combat data and aiding the pilot adapt in all situations. Dr. Volk's attempts of repurposing the interface to aid field agents in saving lives could not completely overcome the fact that only a mind whom had gone through Steelgrave's brainwashing was the only one capable of conceptualizing such an idea. So she requested Yves assistance in improving the combat data of the interface as Dr. Volk attempted to overcome the flaw in the design. An offer that went through a very long series of refusals before Yves finally relented with some trepidation. Spending weekends as a test pilot for the tongue in cheekily named MEGA-MAX armor. Breaking away from the training simulation when the armor caught the transmission of a nearby alarm system in which a shoe store was being robbed by three heavily armed men. Within the comfort of her armor she was able to easily able to deal with the crooks. Disappearing before AEGIS latest line in experimental technology could be shaken. Upon her return she wasn't admonished for taking off with government property as she expected. Instead there was a congratulatory fanfare and applause and she was offered a real job with the agency. After weighing her options and the sense of satisfaction that came with actually doing something good with the armor she took the job. In her personal life, Yves and her handler had wed some years back. Together they were raising three girls from his first marriage. Although at this point the eldest was studying at FCU, so the children did not exactly outnumber the parents in the household. Eventually the Zermeños requested a change in duty station from Baltimore to Freedom City. Marking her return to the city after 20 years as the armored hero Argonaut. After Argonaut returned from a mission off planet. Dr. Volk claimed to have attained enough data to begin work on the MEGA-MAX series of prototypes. AEGIS set about fully repairing Argonaut's Shocktrooper armor and upgrading both it and her pike with the information on display. Personality & Motivation: Yves may not have been quite herself when she worked as a soldier of Omega. But she remembers every waking minute of that nightmare. Every slash, every stab, every atrocity committed in the name of the Lord of the Terminus. She tries not to let it weigh on her conscious too much and for the most part succeeds with bravado and gumption (albeit a silent gumption), but the memory is always there gnawing at the back of her head. Despite that one would be hard pressed to find her without a smile on her face. Whether it is forced or not. Outwardly confident, albeit carefully spoken, she works hard at covering up her own insecurities of not being qualified for being a 'hero' due to her past a Terminus soldier. Despite the fact that AEGIS already has a solid history of working with reformed criminals. Yves is very good at seeing through people's intentions. Above all else, she feels as if she has seen enough death in her lifetime and will go through absurd lengths to try and save everyone she can even if it cost her life in doing so. In her daily life, Yves can be downright domestic. Attempting to portray the image of a perfect mom next door type, while still keeping conversations as short as possible. Yves is not a talker by any measure for those outside her family. But, when she does speak it's usually either snark covered or blunt with absolutely no sense of tact. A self described realist through and through Argonaut does not mince words or paint optimistic pictures. Powers & Tactics: Yves relies on the Argonaut armor to do all her heavy lifting. Even with her now rusty training in the mixed murder arts, she is quite effective at using her power pike for close range combat. At a distance, Argonaut fires bolts of cosmic energy at her foes from her pike. Her Shocktrooper armor has multiple thrusters throughout potentially allowing her to fly through the air with ease. The rear thrusters allow her to traverse the atmosphere with much more force than she can muster inside the planet without risking damaging the surroundings. Taking a cue from Omega himself, Yves can compress the entropic energies of her Blast blade creating a small endothermic reaction that releases in a bright flash of light to blind her foe. Lastly, AEGIS has created a sort of funnel exhaust to allow Yves to release the entropic energies of her power pike from the middle of the shaft. Specifically forming it into the shape of a shield with AEGIS’ symbol on the center. Seeing as the pike is both collapsible and kept on a wrist sheath underneath her arm this can make it appear as if her only weapon is the shield itself when not wearing the armor. The Shocktrooper Nanites in her body use a "stim pack system". Using a chemical delivery system with a variety of entropic fueled stimulants designed to appeal to an Omegadrone's implants. This activates the whenever she successfully slices matter with her entropic blast blade. In turn creating a sort of painkiller effect in the heat of battle to keep fighting. This allows the mindless drones to push forward in the heat of battle with even less care for their well being. For a freed Omegadrone like Yves, it means having to combat her baser urges every time she fights. Yves body contains tiny nanofibers that are far stronger than human muscle fibers of equal size. The tiny nano muscles allow her to perform feats of strength above what is humanly possible. In fact her very physical condition is improved well above what should be humanly (or rather Lorly) possible. Her neural implants allows her to react with split second timing. When not in use the Omegadrone armor is stored in a portable suitcase Complications: AEGIS Defend!: Yves has an almost unhealthy obsession with pursuing redemption. Nominally this just presents in her wanting to try and protect as many lives as she possibly can. Which on its own is not a problem. But ,Yves runs blindly into action without thinking of the consequences if she thinks it can help someone. Theoretically making her an easy target for a villain's manipulations Broken Arrow: The Terminus did the former Omegadrone no favors. Matters related to Omega and his Annihilists, are a possible trigger for Yves' PTSD to flare up. Flashbacks, hallucinations, and panic attacks are among the many possibilities of how this can manifest. While distracting all on their own, it can be real inopportune in the midst of a high stress chaotic combat zone. Calling for Pegasus: Her identity as Argonaut or even as a former Omegadrone is not common knowledge. AEGIS keeps its secrets well guarded. Her would be allies could even assume her to be a criminal due to the design of her armor looking as if it was a riff on Omegadrones. Local law enforcement or overly enthusiastic civilians may try and attack the Azure Omegadrone mistakenly believing themselves to be attacking a villain. Shield Cracked: The neural interface on the Argonaut armor connects her mind to the machine. This means that , Argonaut's brain can be "hacked" by means that would normally only affect machines while connected to her armor. GM's can feel free to have not only be affected by attacks meant to "mind control" technology but even have her auto fail it. Shields High!: Yves is given a lot of autonomy as an AEGIS agent, but still she has to formally request permission to activate her Omegadrone Armor unless the situation is exigent enough for her to do otherwise. Shield Wall!: Argonaut's Vampiric Damage Effect doesn't really heal her. The Vampiric effect is only a temporary stimulant release for sedation. The GM can at any point in time have any healed injuries return. Furthermore, the stimulant release was not designed with a conscious person in mind. The GM could apply any number of new conditions (such as nauseate, paralyze, etc) with or without the prior healed Damage condition to show her body is suffering from adverse effects from the entropic energies flush in her body. Abilities: 6 + 6 + 6 + 6 + 10 + 2 = 36PP Strength: 16/24 (+3/+7) Dexterity: 16/24 (+3/+7) Constitution: 16/24 (+3/+7) Intelligence: 16 (+3) Wisdom: 20 (+5) Charisma: 12 (+1) Combat: 8 + 8 = 16PP Initiative: +7 Attack: +4/10Armored Ranged, +7/13Armored Melee Grapple: +16/+17 Defense: +5/+8 (+4/7 Base, +3/ Dodge Bonus), +4 Flat-Footed Knockback: -9/-10 Saving Throws: 3 + 0 + 2 = 5PP Toughness: +12 (+7 Con, +2 Density, +2 Armor, 7 Impervious) Fortitude: +10 (+7 Con, +3) Reflex: +7 (+7 Dex) Will: +7 (+5 Wis, +2) Skills: 104R = 26PP Acrobatics 1 (+8) Computers 12 (+15) Skill Mastery Craft (Structural) 2 (+5) Craft (Mechanical) 2 (+5) Disable Device 7 (+10)Skill Mastery Diplomacy 4 (+5) Drive 1 (+8) Gather Information 1 (+2) Intimidate 9 (+10)Skill Mastery Investigate 2 (+5) Knowledge (Behavioral Sciences) 2 (+5) Knowledge (Civics) 2 (+5) Knowledge (Cosmology) 10 (+13) Knowledge (Current Events) 2 (+5) Knowledge (Galactic Lore) 5 (+8) Knowledge (Streetwise) 2 (+5) Knowledge (Tactics) 2 (+5) Medicine 1 (+6) Notice 9 (+14) Pilot 8 (+15)Skill Mastery Search 2(+5) Sense Motive 10 (+15) Stealth 3 (+10) Survival 5 (+10) Feats: 10PP Attack Focus (Melee) 3 Benefit (AEGIS Security Clearance) Dodge Focus 1 Favored Opponent (Omegadrones) Fearless Interpose Skill Mastery (Computers, Disable Device, Intimidate, Pilot) Startle Powers: 6+ 8 + 20 + 1 + 1 + 29 + 50 = 115PP Communication 4 ( Radio [1 Mile]; Power Feats: Selective, Subtle ) [6PP] Comprehend 4 ( Codes & Ciphers, Languages [Read All, Speak Any One at a Time, Understand All ) [8PP] Device 6 ( 30PP container; Feats: Restricted to Omegadrones, Subtle; Flaw: Easy-to-Lose ) [20 PP] (Collapsible Power Pike) Concealment 4 (Normal Sight; Flaw: Passive ) [2DP] (Cloaking) Terminus Blast Array (25PP Array; Feat: Alternate Power 3 ) [28DP] BP: Damage 10 ( Extra: Ranged; Feats: Affects Insubstantial 2, Incurable, Precise, Split Attack) (Entropic Blast) {25/25} AP: Damage 0 ( Extras: Penetrating 7, Vampiric 7 ; Feats: Affects Insubstantial 2, Extended Reach [5'], Improved Critical 2, Incurable, Mighty, Precise, Variable Descriptor 2 [Any Technological] ) (Blast Blade) {24/25} AP: Deflect 5 ( All Ranged Attacks; Extras: Redirection, Reflection ) {25/25} (Shield of AEGIS) AP: Dazzle 10 ( Visual Senses ) {20/25} (Blinding Blast) Feature 1 ( Temporal Inertia ) [1PP] Immunity 1 ( Aging; Flaw: Limited to Half-Effect ) [1PP] Device 8 ( 40PP Container; Feat: Restricted to Omegadrones; Drawback: Full-Round to Don the Suit [-4] Flaw: Hard to Lose ) [29PP] (AEGIS Upgraded Omegadrone Armor) Enhanced Attack 6 [12 DP] (Combat Computer) Enhanced Defense 3 [6DP] (Combat Computer) Flight 3 ( 50mph, 500 ft./rnd; Feat: Move-by-Action ) [7DP] (Jet Boots) Immunity 4 ( Disease, Poison, Sleep, Starvation & Thirst; Flaw: Limited to Half-Effect ) [2DP] Immunity 6 ( Environmental Conditions [Cold, Heat, High Pressure, Radiation], Suffocation[All] ) [6DP] Protection 3 [3DP] Super-Movement 1 ( Space Travel [Interplanetary] ) [2DP] Super-Strength 1 ( Effective STR 39 [Heavy Load 2.8 Tons] )[2DP] Omegadrone Shocktrooper Nanite Enhancements ( 50PP Container ) [50PP] Density 4 (x2 Weight, Flaws: Permanent, Feats: Innate, Subtle) [14PP] Enhanced Constitution 8 [8PP] Enhanced Dexterity 8 [8PP] Enhanced Feats 2 ( Affects Insubstantial [Unarmed] ) [2PP] Impervious Toughness 5 [5PP] Speed 1 ( 10 mph, 100' per round ) [1PP] Super-Senses 10 ( Analytical [All Vision], Darkvision, Infravision, Microscopic Vision 3 [Molecule Size], Radio, Tracking [Infravision/Half-Speed] ) [10PP] Super-Strength 1 ( Effective STR 34 Heavy Load=2.8k lbs ) [2PP] Drawbacks: -2PP Vulnerability (Magnetism; uncommon, Major, +50%) [-2PP] DC Block ATTACK RANGE DC EFFECT Unarmed Touch DC22 Toughness Damage (Physical) Blinding Blast Ranged DC20 Fort/Reflex Dazzle (Light) Blast Blade Ranged DC22 Toughness Damage (Technological) Entropic Blast Touch DC25 Toughness Damage (Cosmic) Totals: Abilities (36) + Combat (16) + Saving Throws (5) + Skills (26) + Feats (10) + Powers (115) - Drawbacks (2) = 206/212 Power Points

The OOC

August 1, 2015 Shreveport, LA Argonaut and Pulsar got the message a couple of days ago - inviting them to meet Detective Samuel Winters at a murder scene in Shreveport, Louisiana. The murder took place in Apartment #404 in the Venture Arms, an impoverished part of a city that's not very wealthy at all. The Venture is located close enough to Barksdale Air Force Base that the airmen come here to buy cheap liquor and maybe gamble away from the watchful eyes of MPS - but it's not really important enough for the city to devote a lot of attention to. The Venture, a squat, four-story building is just off the exit from Interstate 20 by the base, is one of the largest buildings in a neighborhood of chain gas stations, convenience stores with lottery tickets, and pool halls. A week ago, on July 23, local resident Vincent Sabatelli strangled his girlfriend Carla Bell to death. Shreveport PD got a full confession - Sabatelli, angry but obviously remorseful, said he strangled his girlfriend to death when she wouldn't stop laughing at him. It would normally be an open-and-shut case. Except - the day after the murder, Satanic Panic, the Southeast's most famous glam/death metal band, rented the apartment just below Sabatelli's to record for their latest album. This isn't too strange; Satanic Panic is something of a vulture when it comes to real-life crime and murder - they've recorded near Littleton High School, the 9/11 Memorial, and other scenes of carnage and mass killing. (No mainstream distributor would touch them, but they have a massive Internet following). However; Satanic Panic's manager, one Richard Little, called the building's owner and reserved the apartment the day _before_ the murder took place. Winters wants to investigate - but his sergeant isn't interested. After all, they have a signed, videotaped confession from the killer. Why look further? So Winters has contacted AEGIS - going in two directions. One message has gone to the nearest AEGIS office in New Orleans. which has wound up getting forwarded to Freedom City because people in Freedom City tend to deal with the rough stuff. Argonaut will need to be careful operating in Shreveport, a city with a bad institutional relationship with AEGIS, but she does technically have jurisdiction there. Another message went out to the man who gave Sam Winters his favorable attitude about AEGIS - Pulsar, who once had a perfectly fine mission in Shreveport about five years ago blasting swamp creatures attacking the city alongside Shreveport PD Officer Sam Winters. He was a little surprised to hear Pulsar was no longer with the agency, but still gave him all the vital information he needed. It's late on the night of August 1, and hot and sticky in Shreveport, enough to make even some superhumans sweat. There's traffic on the freeway tonight, and from the sidewalk in front of the Venture Arms one can see the cars backed up all the way to the last exit, and the emergency lights from a nearby roadblock. Somebody's not having a good night up there.

OOC for this thread. Feel Free to work up whatever opening you want to/reasons for being at the Cultural Arts festival. Note: The AEGIS video footage is indeed tampered with. SHADOW's attempting to make Blue Stinger look dangerous so that if gets captured they can kidnap him with ease. Not that Seahawk or Blue Stinger are aware of the AEGIS footage, unless you wish to write them having their own copies of similar footage. Which I'm game for.

Footage played on a projector showing the destructive wreckage of a buglike battlesuit destroying some sort of facility There was fire, bloodshed, and above all corpses. The bugman left swathes of bodies in his wake. Blood dripping down his armor. He looked up at the camera before the feed cut off. Yves Zermeño, Alyssa Wild, Sven Johnson, and Carlos Zermeño were all sitting inside of a meeting room. Called together as part of an impromptu task force under Agent Lazeny. "Who is this?" Wild asked. "A new player is in town. We don't have any real data on him. The higher ups have been referring to him as the Beetle. Forensics thinks the building he destroyed was some sort of lab, perhaps a Powerhouse facility as there are signs of genetic modification. All of the research in the facility had been destroyed. Our techs were able to scrounge up and piece together this footage. Recent sightings have seen the Beetle apprehending local criminals, no new confirmed casualties. " Lazenby responded "Are we sure the footage hasn't been tampered with? Someone could be using AEGIS to hunt down an escaped science experiment. If the subject has been fighting criminals without any confirmed kills. It doesn't exactly speak to the blood soaked image we just saw." Carlos asked. Skeptical that they should take the footage at face value. "We're not. That is why the other Agent Zermeño will merely be conducting a threat report. Whether ally or foe, AEGIS cannot afford to be left in the dark. You and Sven will be monitoring her from an AEGIS relay station. Agent Wild will standby and provide fire support if it is needed." "..." Yves sat there silently. Somehow suspecting she'd be the one stuck with the investigating. Collecting her thoughts for a moment she finally asked. "How will I find this Beetle?" "Hang around Freedom College. His recent sightings all fall within a certain area around the campus. We don't know if he's a student, faculty, an employee of a nearby business, or merely that it's all coincidence. But, if he pops up you should be near enough to find him." Essentially confirming AEGIS had absolutely no way to track "The Beetle" down yet. * * * Freedom College Southside, Freedom City, NewJerseyWenseday, May 6th, 20153:15 PM Freedom College was hosting its annual Cultural Arts Festival. A joint campus production with FreeSA. There were public performances. Indoor galleries. Even the food itself was a work of art. Both in taste and production. Students were urged to participate in the local productions or at the very least attend in support of their schools.

Outer edge of the Sol System The Communion's attack on Earth had been repulsed by many of the planet’s heroes, working alongside several military and extra-governmental forces. For the moment, the planet was safe. But the Communion's world killer weapon was still positioned at the outer edge of the solar system, barely held in check by the Freedom League and their allies. With reports reaching back to the Freedom League and Earth's heroes from the Star Knights about a fleet of Communion ships headed towards the Sol System, possibly to try to assist in getting the world killer free, it was decided that merely holding the world killer at bay was no longer a viable solution. So the remaining League members on Earth had begun gathering a number of volunteers to try to help destroy the world killer before the Communion relief fleet could arrive. The gathering of the various heroes coincided with the return of one of Earth's Star Knights, Kyle Steward, who had firsthand experience against the Communion's deadly weapon. Now, Geckoman was behind the controls of one of the League's Pegasus spaceplanes, flying a rather odd collection of heroes to help in the fight against the world killer….

GM AEGIS Stealth Fighter En Route to Hong Kong Sunday, February 22nd, 2015 6:05 PM On October 10th 2014 Agent Henry Hand, an ex-special forces officer turned AEGIS agent, betrayed the organization. Exposure to Daka crystals had turned hand into a madman. That was only the start of AEGIS' troubles. Hand's capture did nothing to prevent various exotic stolen artifacts that the man had acquired from entering the black market. It was the heroine Terrifica who made the first great strides in following chatter of some sort of secret underground auction occurring in Hong Kong. AEGIS efforts to collaborate with local law enforcements had been stymied behind walls of political red tape. Despite the high level of autonomy Hong Kong managed, the city state had to let the MSS (Ministry of State Security: China's premier intelligence and security agency) take point. The MSS agent in charge of the proceedings only relented in allowing AEGIS to conduct their operation in Chinese soil if AEGIS agreed to bring Terrifica in as an outside third party. Apparently impressed with her investigative efforts. So it was that AEGIS sent a stealth transport plane to Hong Kong in the hopes of recovering some of their stolen artifacts. The US Government also saw the need in keeping its ducks in line. Wasting absolutely no time in sending their special liaison to AEGIS on the flight. Special Agent Lazenby stood in the middle of the craft holding a small laser pointer as he readied himself to brief the small four man party on board, consisting of Terrifica, Captain Henry Thompson, Special Agent Yves Zermeño, and Agent Alyssa Wild (an Israeli woman who spent most of the flight cleaning the parts to a sniper rifle). "If there are no questions may I begin the briefing?" Agent Lazenby openly questioned.

Player Name: HG Morrison Character Name: Argonaut Power Level: 10 (162/163) Trade-Offs: +1 Attack/-1 Damage (Blast), -2 Attack/+2 Damage (Strike), -2 Defense /+2 Toughness Unspent PP: 1 Progress to Gold Status: 26/90 (24PP pre-bump [PL8/144PP > PL10/158PP], 4PP post-bump; Silver Status earned with Foreshadow II) Bronze Reward: 10PP of Equipment for Foreshadow, 5PP gone into shared Vanguard HQSilver Reward: 3rd PC [Argonaut] at PL10/150PP In Brief: Omegadrone Agent of A.E.G.I.S! Alternate Identity: Yves Zermeño, Yvejskrujanharbh'aar Identity: Secret Birthplace: Lor-Zul Occupation: AEGIS Field Agent Affiliations: AEGIS Family: Carlos Zermeño (Husband), Luz Zermeño (Eldest Daughter), Anna Zermeño (Middle Daughter), Sophia Zermeño (Youngest Daughter) Description: Age: 47 (DoB: Born March, 16 1968) Apparent Age: 30 Gender: Female Ethnicity: Lor Height: 5'2 Weight: 105 lbs Eyes: Brown Hair: Brown Yves is a slightly muscular brown skinned woman with no visible natural body hair. The missing hair on her head was replaced with a very expensive lace wig. The wig is styled into a short bob. She often dresses in modest fashions that leave very little skin showing. Hiding the various scars throughout her body that she actually opted not to have surgically removed. Never wanting to forget the monster that she was. As Argonaut, Yves' MEGA-MAX bears a recolored Shocktrooper Omegadrone Armor. The face plate retains an all too familiar skull like design. The armor does not have wings due to having a far sleeker design than Steelgrave's original bulky model. The back does, however, have secondary thrusters to to aid the jet boosts propulsion outside of atmospheric conditions (although the secondary boosters are currently damaged), The rocket boots can maneuver through the air with no issue having lost no air superiority. The Armor's left breastplate has the AEGIS emblem engraved. History: In another world in which the Lor's First Age never came to a close, the Lor Republic stretched to every corner of explored space. The military existed primarily for the purpose of exploration and further colonization of Lor Space. Quality of Life for citizens of the advanced civilization was such that only a sci fi novel could compare. Yvejskrujanharbh'aar was a freshly graduated university student with a future as a star faring diplomat in all but certain. Her life was pretty much uneventful. She had friends, family, loved ones and her personal tragedies were no more exciting than a lost pet here or there. Having never left her home planet, her dream was to engage in interplanetary relations perhaps to eventually take a seat as a Senator. The Lor citizens born on the planet of Lor-Zul are known for being born with two very distinct features. The first being a long life span in which they maintain a youthful appearance, only showing signs of aging during the last quarter of their lives. The second a natural affinity with languages their mind able to comprehend all spoken and written word as if they were living ciphers due to a unique psionic mutation. It was only the first trait that appealed to Shadivian Steelgrave after the Terminus came. With no enemies to oppose the Lor the military was nowhere near qualified to handle the unified front of the combat drones that swept their world. The Lor were crushed and in the end there was only the Terminus. Life as a conquered slave with the Hundred Worlds was far different for the Lor. Gone from Spacemen to cavemen one had to let a piece of himself die just to survive. In Nihilor only the strong survive. And what she lacked in physical might, Yvejskrujanharbh'aar made up for with sheer willpower and luck. Engaging in brutal gladiatorial fights until she scrapped by on top of her opposition. Her prize? Her mind was torn asunder as she underwent the unspeakable acts that defined the Omegadrone conditioning. Brainwashed by the Omegadrone conditioning Yvejskrujanharbh'aar had long faded she was merely a servant of Omega. Serving on the front lines as an Omegadrone Shocktrooper. Many people remember the Terminus Invasion of 1993 differently. Most of those memories are not looked back on too fondly. But for Yvejskrujanharbh'aar it was her first real memory since her first shot at life had ended. As one of those very invaders, she found herself barely clinging to life by the time the battle had come to a close. Her armor was skewered onto a steel rod at her abdomen. Recovered by AEGIS field agents, she was given medical treatment as the organization wasn't out to just let people die. Even those part of a foreign invasion force. Of course if it brought about the opportunity to learn more about the Terminus forces more power to them. It took a think tank of the top AEGIS psychologists and doctors to match Daedalus efforts in deprogramming the Omegadrone conditioning. They even crafted a new identity for her to live, monitored by a field agent, just outside of their Baltimore offices. Yvejskrujanharbh'aar or Yves as she had now come to be known just had to agree to surrender her armor to them as well as acting as a consultant whenever the need struck the agency. When Dr. Doris Volk joined AEGIS in 1997 amongst the many projects she pursued was the development of MAX series Power Armors. Shorty after completing the designs on the Super-Max armor Dr. Volk had already begun considering the process for advancing upon her design. Searching through old AEGIS files for inspiration Dr. Volk eventually came to learn about the deal AEGIS made with Yves. It took a decade to combine the technology of the Omegadrone with that of a SUPER MAX armor creating the first flight capable power armor, far before the distinctly more well known models used by Subjects V and V2. The most problematic bit of integration was that the armor's neural interface would only respond to omegadrones like the armor's previous pilot, Yves. A neural interface was originally designed to reinforce the Omegadrone conditioning and improve Nihilor's Mixed Murder Arts by recording combat data and aiding the pilot adapt in all situations. Dr. Volk's attempts of repurposing the interface to aid field agents in saving lives could not completely overcome the fact that only a mind whom had gone through Steelgrave's brainwashing was the only one capable of conceptualizing such an idea. So she requested Yves assistance in improving the combat data of the interface as Dr. Volk attempted to overcome the flaw in the design. An offer that went through a very long series of refusals before Yves finally relented with some trepidation. Spending weekends as a test pilot for the tongue in cheekily named MEGA-MAX armor. Breaking away from the training simulation when the armor caught the transmission of a nearby alarm system in which a shoe store was being robbed by three heavily armed men. Within the comfort of her armor she was able to easily able to deal with the crooks. Disappearing before AEGIS latest line in experimental technology could be shaken. Upon her return she wasn't admonished for taking off with government property as she expected. Instead there was a congratulatory fanfare and applause and she was offered a real job with the agency. After weighing her options and the sense of satisfaction that came with actually doing something good with the armor she took the job. In her personal life, Yves and her handler had wed some years back. Together they were raising three girls from his first marriage. Although at this point the eldest was studying at FCU, so the children did not exactly outnumber the parents in the household. Eventually the Zermeños requested a change in duty station from Baltimore to Freedom City. Marking her return to the city after 20 years as the armored hero Argonaut. After Argonaut returned from a mission off planet. Dr. Volk claimed to have attained enough data to begin work on the MEGA-MAX series of prototypes. Keeping the old Argonaut armor, AEGIS set about fully repairing Argonaut's Shocktrooper armor (At her request). Her thorough cybernetic modifications allowed the armor to once again return to storage within her body. Personality & Motivation Yves may not have been quite herself when she worked as a soldier of Omega. But she remembers every waking minute of that nightmare. Every slash, every stab, every atrocity committed in the name of the Lord of the Terminus. She tries not to let it weigh on her conscious too much and for the most part succeeds with bravado and gumption (albeit a silent gumption), but the memory is always there gnawing at the back of her head. Despite that one would be hard pressed to find her without a smile on her face. Whether it is forced or not. Outwardly confident, albeit carefully spoken, she works hard at covering up her own insecurities of not being qualified for being a 'hero' due to her past a Terminus soldier. Despite the fact that AEGIS already has a solid history of working with reformed criminals. Yves is very good at seeing through people's intentions. Above all else, she feels as if she has seen enough death in her lifetime and will go through absurd lengths to try and save everyone she can even if it cost her life in doing so. In her daily life, Yves can be downright domestic. Attempting to portray the image of a perfect mom next door type, while still keeping conversations as short as possible. Yves is not a talker by any measure for those outside her family. But, when she does speak it's usually either snark covered or blunt with absolutely no sense of tact. A self described realist through and through Argonaut does not mince words or paint optimistic pictures. Powers & Tactics: Yves relies on the Argonaut armor to do all her heavy lifting. Even with her now rusty training in the mixed murder arts, she. Preferring to use her Power Pike at a distance, Yves will pelt away at her foes with the entropic energies of the Terminus contained in the blast blade. If need be she can close the distance and strike at her foes with the actual pike itself. The Shocktrooper Power Pike has a "stim pack system". Using a chemical delivery system with a variety of entropic fueled stimulants designed to appeal to an Omegadrone's implants the Pike can actually deliver a sort of painkiller effect in the heat of battle while filling an Omegadrone with a sort of bloodlust. This allows the mindless drones to push forward in the heat of battle with even less care for their well being. For a freed Omegadrone like Yves, it means having to combat her baser urgers every time she fights. Yves body contains tiny nanofibers that are far stronger than human muscle fibers of equal size. The tiny nano muscles allow her to perform feats of strength above what is humanly possible. In fact her very physical condition is improved well above what should be humanly (or rather Lorly) possible. Her neural implants allows her to react with split second timing. When not in use the Omegadrone armor is stored in the hollow parts of her bones. Complications: AEGIS Defend!: Yves has an almost unhealthy obsession with pursuing redemption. Nominally this just presents in her wanting to try and protect as many lives as she possibly can. Which on its own is not a problem. But ,Yves runs blindly into action without thinking of the consequences if she thinks it can help someone. Theoretically making her an easy target for a villain's manipulations Broken Arrow: The Terminus did the former Omegadrone no favors. Matters related to Omega and his Annihilists, are a possible trigger for Yves' PTSD to flare up. Flashbacks, hallucinations, and panic attacks are among the many possibilities of how this can manifest. While distracting all on their own, it can be real inopportune in the midst of a high stress chaotic combat zone. Calling for Pegasus: Her identity as Argonaut or even as a former Omegadrone is not common knowledge. AEGIS keeps its secrets well guarded. Her would be allies could even assume her to be a criminal due to the design of her armor looking as if it was a riff on Omegadrones. Local law enforcement or overly enthusiastic civilians may Shield Cracked: The neural interface on the Argonaut armor connects her mind to the machine. This means that , Argonaut's brain can be "hacked" by means that would normally only affect machines while connected to her armor. GM's can feel free to have not only be affected by attacks meant to "mind control" technology but even have her auto fail it. Shields High!: Yves is given a lot of autonomy in her identity as Argonaut. Mostly because Dr. Volk judges any superheroics she pursues as still useful for data gathering purposes. But she still is an AEGIS agent and as such does still have certain obligations expected of her that can come into conflict with other heroes. Shield Wall!: Argonaut's Power Pike doesn't really heal her. The Vampiric effect is only a temporary stimulant release for sedation. The GM can at any point in time have any healed injuries return. Furthermore, the stimulant release was not designed with a conscious person in mind. The GM could apply any number of new conditions (such as nauseate, paralyze, etc) with or without the prior healed Damage condition to show her body is suffering from adverse effects from the entropic energies flush in her body. Abilities: 6 + 6 + 6 + 0 + 0 + 0 = 18PP Strength: 16/30 (+3/+10) Dexterity: 16/30 (+3/+10) Constitution: 16/30 (+3/+10) Intelligence: 10 (+0) Wisdom: 10 (+0) Charisma: 10 (+0) Combat: 16 + 8 = 24PP Initiative: +10 Attack: +8 Base, +9 Ranged, +11 Power Pike Blast Grapple: +18 Defense: +78(+4 Base, +4 Dodge Focus), +2 Flat-Footed Knockback: -6 (Outside of Armor), -9 (Inside of Armor) Saving Throws: 0 + 0 + 2 = 2PP Toughness: +12 (+10 Con, +2 Protection, 7 Impervious) Fortitude: +10 (+10 Con) Reflex: +10 (+10 Dex) Will: +2 (+0 Wis, +2) Skills: 76R = 19PP Computers 10 (+10) Skill Mastery Disable Device 5 (+5)Skill Mastery Intimidate 10 (+10)Skill Mastery Knowledge (Cosmology) 10 (+10) Knowledge (Galactic Lore) 5 (+5) Notice 8 (+8) Pilot 5 (+15)Skill Mastery Sense Motive 15 (+15) Survival 8 (+8) Feats: 8PP Attack Focus (Ranged) 1 Benefit (AEGIS Security Clearance) Dodge Focus 4 Fearless Skill Mastery (Computers, Disable Device, Intimidate, Pilot) Powers: 6 + 17 + 1 + 1 + 25 + 44 = 964PP Comprehend 3 ( Languages [Read All, Speak Any One at a Time, Understand All ) [6PP] Device 5 ( 25PP Container; Feats: Restricted to Omegadrones, Subtle; Flaws: Easy-To-Lose ) [17PP] (Power Pike) Concealment 2 ( Normal Sight; Flaw: Passive ) [2PP] (Cloaking) BP: Damage 9 ( Extra: Ranged; Feats: Accurate, Alternate Power 1, Improved Range, Incurable, Precise ) (Entropic Blast) [23PP] AP: Damage 4 ( Extra: Penetrating 2, Vampiric 12; Feats: Extended Reach 1 [5 ft.], Improved Critical 2, Incurable, Mighty, Split Attack ) {22/22} (Power Pike Strike) Feature ( Temporal Inertia ) [1PP]Immunity ( Aging; Flaw: Limited to Half-Effect ) [1PP] Omega Armor 5 ( 25PP Container, Free Action, Sustained Duration ) [25PP] Flight 3 ( 50mph, 500 ft./rnd ) [6PP] (Jet Boots) Immunity 9 ( Life Support ) [9PP] Impervious Toughness 7 [7PP] Super-Senses 3 ( Darkvision, Radio ) [3PP] Omegadrone Shocktrooper Nanite Enhancements 8.8 ( 44PP Container ) [44PP] Enhanced Constitution 14 [14PP] Enhanced Dexterity 14 [14PP] Enhanced Strength 14 [14PP] Protection 2 [2PP] Drawbacks: -3 = -3 Vulnerable (Magnetic; Frequency: Uncommon; Intensity: Major ) [-3PP] DC Block ATTACK RANGE SAVE EFFECT Unarmed Touch DC25 Toughness (Staged) Damage (Physical) Entropic Blast Ranged DC24 Toughness (Staged) Damage (Entropic) Power Pike Strike Touch DC27 Toughness (Staged) Damage (Piercing/Slashing) Totals: Abilities (18) + Combat (24) + Saving Throws (2) + Skills (19) + Feats (8) + Powers (94) - Drawbacks (3) = 162/163 Power Points Note: Argonaut was originally bought as my 3rd PC with my Bronze Reward as a PL 8 (120/120). This Rebuild switches her over to my Silver Reward as a PL 10 (150/150). Seeing as this counts as a roundabout bump, Rollover from her time as a Bronze Character Slot has been applied. The Bronze Reward is instead taking the place of my Silver Reward (15 Equipment points. 10 Spent on Foreshadow, 5 on Vanguard HQ).

OOC for >this thread.

OOC for >this thread