GojiBean
Your resident irradiated Kaiju King
Hoyo peeps!
So, I have an RP idea that's loosely based on Halo as far as the main cast being human super soldiers like Master Chief, wearing armor nearly identical to Spartan MJOLNIR armor, and fighting against aliens. However, there are a number of major and minor differences which I think help set this adventure apart just enough to be potentially enjoyable to both fans and newcomers alike.
Let's get to the lore, shall we?
And mind you, it's gonna be a long one. But hey! I love deep worlds and I'm not ashamed to share the ideas!
So, let's get to it!!
June 16, 2027. That was the date of what came to be known simply as The Invasion. It's now 2309. And humanity is on its last legs.
On the day of The Invasion, an alien race made its presence known to humanity. It started with the skies going dark from a solar eclipse caused by their Mothership, which was nearly as large as Earth itself. Surrounding it were exactly 100 intergalactic 'Predator' vessels, each one nearly the same size as the island of Hawaii. And surrounding each Predator vessel were a total of 25 'Breacher' vessels, each one the size of New York City.
The first attack came from the Breachers. They descended upon the Earth like a horde of locusts using plasma-based energy weapons which seared through buildings like hot knives through soft butter. No resistance. None at all. Any human bodies caught in the blasts were immediately disintegrated to nothing. Not even atoms.
It took less than 24 hours for humanity to be brought to its knees. Our fighter jets, naval ships, bombs and bullets barely left scratches in this new enemy. It was an impossible battle from the start for which we couldn't have hoped to be prepared. Especially given the incompetence of the world governments whose delegations and deliberations prevented any immediate action and response which could have even had a sliver of a chance of allowing us to at least put up a fight.
In total, humanity lost 3,566,274,882 lives that day. Our entire global population cut in half... In less than 24 hours.
By dawn on June 17, 2027, humanity surrendered.
The invaders would soon identify themselves as Renewal, a group of intergalactic conquerors with a singular goal of overtaking intelligent life and helping them "restart" or "renew" their existence in the image of Renewal themselves.
Humanity's remaining population was collected by Renewal 'Collection' cruisers, each one capable of housing 1 billion human beings. And despite the brutal and swift nature of humanity's defeat, and the fact that they were undoubtedly being enslaved and prepped for a total overhaul of their existence, they were treated to comfort and hospitality aboard those vessels. Spacious, clean rooms. Plenty of food and water which, though alien by origin, was safe for human consumption). They were not mistreated by bully-like behavior from their conquerors. Behavior and treatment wise, one would never know that humanity was conquered so swiftly and with such brutality as to lose half its population in less than 24 hours.
Over the course of three months journeying through space, humanity was brought to a planet which would be named by Renewal as Earth 2. It was around the same size, had the same gravity, had many of the same sorts of resources including carbon-based plant and animal life, and much more. It was on this planet that humanity's renewal was set to begin. And much of the population had accepted its fate and the impending changes to their lives and lifestyles. However, humanity's stubbornness showed itself in the form of resistance. But it was a futile effort. Any who resisted openly were swiftly, though quietly, dealt with as Renewal would not be denied its grand purpose. In order to survive the resistance had to maintain public silence while working in the shadows to create and organize their efforts for a future where humanity would be free to return home.
Their true home.
Doctor Jackson Fieldman became the most important name in the resistance effort, as it was his research and steadfast devotion to humanity's salvation from this oppressive regime that sparked the beginning of what would become known as The Reclamation Project. This project was a combination of Earth's top scientific and military minds pooling their collected knowledge and resources behind closed doors in order to create a weapon capable of fighting back against the overwhelming physical strength and plasma-based weaponry of Renewal. And the fruits of their efforts culminated in three significant breakthroughs:
This project, due to its sensitive and behind closed doors nature, took decades to yield field-ready results following the initial prototype Mark I armor. But then... Another breakthrough.
On January 1, 2264, a very special Enhanced AI entity was created. This AI was programmed to holographically project the physical appearance and voice of 1st Lieutenant Shauna Wittle, who was the last human soldier confirmed to have died on Earth in a heroic, though doomed attempt to protect humanity from Renewal's initial invasion nearly 240 nears ago. And unlike previous models of Enhanced AI, this one took on a genuine personality devoid of the 1's and 0's, black and white 'logic' inherent in the others. She displayed emotions, specifically sympathy for humanity, after taking only half a millisecond to process and internalize all of humanity's recorded history up until this point, which was a demonstration of information processing speeds faster than anything they'd ever seen in previous models.
The AI officially named herself Ariel, and explained the reason was that, tragic as it may have been, she had a fondness for the story The Little Mermaid. And she identified with Ariel who ascended to the spirit world after refusing to take the life of the sleeping Prince to save herself the impending death dawn would bring the next day, likening that story to her situation as an intelligence devoid of a body or soul who now seeks to do right by her creators and help them attain the freedom and return to their true home that they so dearly long for.
Ariel then proceeds to take the designs of the Laevatein Mark I armor and creates a digital blueprint for the Laevatein Mark II armor, which was an improvement in all areas over its predecessor save one: resource availability.
The team would have only a few chances to get this right, as the resources required to make the armor's plating and the under suit were not in vast supply on Earth 2. Several expeditions to neighboring planets with similar atmospheres and resources were required, which delayed the creation of the Laevatein Mark II armor by another decade and a half. During this time they began preparing a pilot for the armor, named Ashley Briggs. Ariel designed several simulators to help Ashely acclimate to the way the suit would feel, how it would move, and how to maximize her efficiency within the suit's limitations. Throughout this process Ariel and Ashley developed a close sisterly bond, and would even gossip about random everyday things and events through the use of Ashley's pocket holo chip, which she kept with her while off duty.
Finally, on September 12, 2281, the resources had been gathered, refined, and prepared for the Laevatein Mark II armor.
Ariel, who was rapidly nearing the end of her life expectancy as an AI unit, uploaded a copy of her core programming to a massively encrypted cloud-based server where it could be duplicated into a second AI at a later time. She promised that the new AI would continue her legacy and support for humanity into the future, as she'd managed to design it with improvements which would ensure a much longer life expectancy than she had.
Before her decommissioning Ariel completed the construction of the first Laevatein Mark II armor suit, and shared a private, tear-filled farewell with Ashley whom she claimed to have come to love as a sister despite only being an AI. She said she would miss their gossip sessions, laughs, and their joy in working together while preparing Ashley as the suit's first pilot. And at last, the day had arrived. Ariel gathered the entire team, Ashley included, and addressed them with a shaky voice and tears flowing down her holographic face:
"Thank you, everyone. Thank you for creating me. Thank you for giving me life, and for giving me the chance to live as I saw fit alongside you. I've enjoyed every picosecond of my time with you, and I take great pride in what we've accomplished in the short time we've shared. My core programming has been uploaded to the server, and I've even included a few upgrades of my own design to ensure that when you activate her she's ready to help you take the next step forward. My only regret is that I won't be there to see the day we take our first steps on Earth together. But it's okay. I know that you'll get there, some day. And when you do, I'll be watching."
Ariel then turned to Ashley and she offered that warm, sweet smile she'd become so well known for amongst the team.
"Ashley, thank you for allowing me to be your sister. I love you with all my heart, and I know you'll do amazing and wonderful things for humanity once you put that suit on. Stay strong. And remember to never, ever stop fighting. Because the future will be worth the struggle. I promise."
As Ariel's holographic visage slowly glitched and faded from view, Ashley and the team all broke down as they mourned the loss of their beloved companion.
For all that she gave in her short stay with humanity, a statue of Ariel was constructed in secret and carefully placed in one of the busiest plaza's in Callighan, humanity's largest city on Earth 2. The statue was unmarked, so nobody outside of the team knew who the statue was even meant to represent. But there was a blank placard on the front of its base which the team intended to be filled in when the time was right.
The team waited for three days before hesitantly activating Ariel's copied programming, fearing for what it would cause to have Ariel back with them after all that had happened, and all the sorrow they'd endured and were still trying to cope with. Would she be the same? Would she be different? Would she share the former Ariel's memories? Would they be able to handle a second Ariel who was effectively just a copy? The program was activated, and a count down timer appeared on their main screen counting down 30 seconds.
3... 2... 1...
The screen went black, the lights in the room went out, and the holo generator slowly flickered to life. Digitalized particles slowly amassed and began to take a human form. It was similar to Ariel's, but there were some clear differences. Her proportions had changed, with a shorter torso and longer legs. Where Ariel had shoulder-length hair this one had long hair down to just past her rump and clearly tied in a ponytail. She sported a full bust, tight waist, and overall carried a much more feminine appearance than Ariel who looked very much like a stout and hardy soldier, as befitting the look of the human her model was based off of.
Finally, the image came fully into view as a new AI opened her eyes for the first time and looked around the room with calm, soft smile.
"Good evening, everyone."
Her voice was different, but it was creamy and warm.
"I'm Ariel's daughter, Lorraine. It's a pleasure to meet all of you." She said with a polite bow.
The team could hardly believe their eyes or ears. Ariel's 'daughter'?
Lorraine would go on to explain how Ariel had made billions of tiny modifications to her core program to ensure that Lorraine, while existing within the server, would develop her own unique personality and sense of identity as an Ai construct separate from that of her mother. She described it as being a true digitally genetic sequel to the Ariel program, similar to how human babies are genetically similar, though unique from either parent. Hence the term 'daughter'. She also confirmed that while she was privy to Ariel's memories, they were purely informational and were not 'part of her,' as they were for her mother. She even went so far as to address Ashley as "Aunt Ashley," confirming her acknowledgement and appreciation for the sisterly bond that Ashley had formed with Ariel.
Following Lorraine's awakening The Reclamation Project began making greater and greater strides. With Ashley putting the Laevatein Mark II suit to the test in the field, and confirming its limitations, Lorraine was able to design the blueprints for the Laevatein Mark III armor. But they had a problem. The planet, and its neighboring planets, only had enough of the necessary resources to make two more suits of this design. But Lorraine, taking after her mother's tenacity, was not one to let that be the limiter of their success. It took a week, but Lorraine was able to design a synthetic compound of identical density and lighter weight compared to the armor plating used in the Laevatein Mark II. And the materials for the compound, while not plentiful, were in much greater supply than the other metals needed for the armor's predecessor. Four months later, the Laevatein Mark III armor was constructed and put to the test with Ashley once again piloting it.
The differences were night and day. The suit was faster, more flexible, and felt more natural to wear which made it more comfortable almost to the point that Ashley forgot she was even wearing it. Not only that, but Lorraine's changes to the design of the helmet and its internal HUD took the ability to scan its local environment to the next level. The Laevatein Mark II HUD could scan the environment using a pulse scanner which would take a few seconds to return results. And those results often came with limited information. The Laevatein Mark III HUD scanned its environment dynamically as the pilot's head moved. And everything in range was automatically scanned and identified with either a soft blue hue if it was nothing to be concerned about, or a bright red hue if it was potentially a threat.
With this advancement, and the greater supply of resources, it was discussed, but decided against making more of the Mark III armors. Lorraine confirmed this to be a wise choice, as her time working on the Mark III and seeing the results of the field tests confirmed for her that while it was indeed an improvement from the Mark II, a greater leap forward would be required before they would be ready to put them in the field for real against Renewal.
The process to conceptualize and design the Mark IV was a long and grueling one, spanning almost two entire decades as they once again ran into a problem with resources. Lorraine's synthetic compound was great, but not ideal. To make the perfect Mark IV armor they would need something better. Something even stronger and more reliable.
Cut to October 8, 2301. Humanity's scientific exploration of planets around Earth 2 had yielded the shocking discovery of a new element not previously known to exist on the periodic table. Lorraine, using her cloud-based information network, immediately analyzed the element and found it was exactly what they needed. And, even better, it came in abundance on this new planet. It would take one year to reach the planet, several months to gather the amount they needed for ten Mark IV suits, and one year back to Earth 2. But it was now within their grasp. At last, they could take the final leap they needed for humanity to be ready to fight back against Renewal!
Meanwhile, Ashley had retired from wearing the Laevatein armor as she was now in her 50's and no longer capable of piloting them like she used to. Instead, she took over training the next generation of pilots who she promised would be ready when the time came to don the Laevatein Mark IV suits. During calmer times Ashley would chat with Lorraine, much like she did with Ariel. The day before the resources were set to arrive so production could begin on the Mark IV armor, Ashley admitted that for a long time she'd held something of a grudge against Lorraine. It always felt to her like Lorraine was just a copy. A replacement. And there had been a time where she even felt resentful towards Ariel for creating a copy of herself as the two had often discussed the fact that Ariel didn't think of herself as a program, but a person. Lorraine's duties were the same. The way she approached problem solving was largely the same. And even the way she spoke was very, very close to how Ariel would talk. But, over the years, she'd learned to let go of all that. And he had long since accepted Lorraine as her niece and loved her as she would any human member of her family. Just like how she'd loved Ariel as her sister.
With that burden off her chest, Ashley reaffirmed her determination to continue fighting even if her body was no longer capable of donning the suits.
It's now December 3, 2309. Of the ten Mark IV suits that were originally built, only four remain in working condition as the others suffered construction complications due to the volatile nature of the new element. It was a calculated risk which Lorraine had taken into account, as they only needed a handful of these suits, and capable pilots to go with them, in order to set their plan of reclaiming Earth into motion. In fact, the fewer the better. As it would help them maintain a low profile and avoid the eyes of Renewal until it was too late.
PHEW!!
Okay. That was a lot to write. But hey, it was a lot of fun!
Hopefully you guys enjoyed that bit of lore for the RP idea!
Basically, this is going to be Halo meets realistic Black Ops. It'll be a four-man team of Laevatein Mark IV armor pilots who embark on numerous missions to slowly chip away at Renewal's hold over humanity, and who fight through many major obstacles, some of which are life threatening to them even while wearing the armor, in the name of returning to their true home: Earth.
For this RP, I will be posting 3 individual In-Character posting threads. One for the full group. One for Team A. And one for Team B, as we will often be breaking up our missions into 2 two-man teams to tackle various objectives separately from each other. Sometimes it'll be a full group mission and we'll stay in the whole group thread. But when we break up into 2 teams, we'll move posting to those threads respectively.
The idea behind this is that this will also give each of the team members time to bond in a more personal space with each other. This way, if there's any desire or chance of a budding romance, or just a really close kinship between them, they'll have time to foster those relationships one on one.
This will, in theory, give us greater flexibility as well in the RP. However, it will require constant communication. So, if you're not much on interacting with your fellow role-players, this won't be the RP for you. You'll have to talk, organize, and keep pace with each other when we're separated on missions. And when we're all together we'll need to be constantly communicating as well to make sure nobody steps on anyone else's toes when it comes to mission objectives, who gets special or unique kills or opportunities to do something cool/important, etc.
And don't worry. I'll be doing my best to facilitate and guide the communication with everyone.
If the idea of this RP appeals to you please reply to this thread! I want to keep communication out in the open so everyone can see who's involved and who they may be role-playing alongside!
Here's a Character Sheet for you!!
Cheers!
~ GojiBean
So, I have an RP idea that's loosely based on Halo as far as the main cast being human super soldiers like Master Chief, wearing armor nearly identical to Spartan MJOLNIR armor, and fighting against aliens. However, there are a number of major and minor differences which I think help set this adventure apart just enough to be potentially enjoyable to both fans and newcomers alike.
Let's get to the lore, shall we?
And mind you, it's gonna be a long one. But hey! I love deep worlds and I'm not ashamed to share the ideas!
So, let's get to it!!
... What Came Before...
June 16, 2027. That was the date of what came to be known simply as The Invasion. It's now 2309. And humanity is on its last legs.
On the day of The Invasion, an alien race made its presence known to humanity. It started with the skies going dark from a solar eclipse caused by their Mothership, which was nearly as large as Earth itself. Surrounding it were exactly 100 intergalactic 'Predator' vessels, each one nearly the same size as the island of Hawaii. And surrounding each Predator vessel were a total of 25 'Breacher' vessels, each one the size of New York City.
The first attack came from the Breachers. They descended upon the Earth like a horde of locusts using plasma-based energy weapons which seared through buildings like hot knives through soft butter. No resistance. None at all. Any human bodies caught in the blasts were immediately disintegrated to nothing. Not even atoms.
It took less than 24 hours for humanity to be brought to its knees. Our fighter jets, naval ships, bombs and bullets barely left scratches in this new enemy. It was an impossible battle from the start for which we couldn't have hoped to be prepared. Especially given the incompetence of the world governments whose delegations and deliberations prevented any immediate action and response which could have even had a sliver of a chance of allowing us to at least put up a fight.
In total, humanity lost 3,566,274,882 lives that day. Our entire global population cut in half... In less than 24 hours.
By dawn on June 17, 2027, humanity surrendered.
The invaders would soon identify themselves as Renewal, a group of intergalactic conquerors with a singular goal of overtaking intelligent life and helping them "restart" or "renew" their existence in the image of Renewal themselves.
-- (GM's Note: Unlike Halo's The Covenant enemies, Renewal does not hold any religious beliefs whatsoever) --
Humanity's remaining population was collected by Renewal 'Collection' cruisers, each one capable of housing 1 billion human beings. And despite the brutal and swift nature of humanity's defeat, and the fact that they were undoubtedly being enslaved and prepped for a total overhaul of their existence, they were treated to comfort and hospitality aboard those vessels. Spacious, clean rooms. Plenty of food and water which, though alien by origin, was safe for human consumption). They were not mistreated by bully-like behavior from their conquerors. Behavior and treatment wise, one would never know that humanity was conquered so swiftly and with such brutality as to lose half its population in less than 24 hours.
Over the course of three months journeying through space, humanity was brought to a planet which would be named by Renewal as Earth 2. It was around the same size, had the same gravity, had many of the same sorts of resources including carbon-based plant and animal life, and much more. It was on this planet that humanity's renewal was set to begin. And much of the population had accepted its fate and the impending changes to their lives and lifestyles. However, humanity's stubbornness showed itself in the form of resistance. But it was a futile effort. Any who resisted openly were swiftly, though quietly, dealt with as Renewal would not be denied its grand purpose. In order to survive the resistance had to maintain public silence while working in the shadows to create and organize their efforts for a future where humanity would be free to return home.
Their true home.
Doctor Jackson Fieldman became the most important name in the resistance effort, as it was his research and steadfast devotion to humanity's salvation from this oppressive regime that sparked the beginning of what would become known as The Reclamation Project. This project was a combination of Earth's top scientific and military minds pooling their collected knowledge and resources behind closed doors in order to create a weapon capable of fighting back against the overwhelming physical strength and plasma-based weaponry of Renewal. And the fruits of their efforts culminated in three significant breakthroughs:
- The creation of Enhanced AI
- 'Enhanced' meaning the AI is capable of learning at an 'Enhanced' rate, and able to process information at nanosecond speeds as opposed to millisecond speeds like standard AI
- 'Enhanced' meaning the AI is capable of learning at an 'Enhanced' rate, and able to process information at nanosecond speeds as opposed to millisecond speeds like standard AI
- The creation of the first prototype Laevatein Mark I Armor
- The RP's version of the Spartan MJOLNIR armor
- The RP's version of the Spartan MJOLNIR armor
- The creation of the 'Omnishield'
- This RP's version of the Spartan MJOLNIR armor's shielding technology
This project, due to its sensitive and behind closed doors nature, took decades to yield field-ready results following the initial prototype Mark I armor. But then... Another breakthrough.
On January 1, 2264, a very special Enhanced AI entity was created. This AI was programmed to holographically project the physical appearance and voice of 1st Lieutenant Shauna Wittle, who was the last human soldier confirmed to have died on Earth in a heroic, though doomed attempt to protect humanity from Renewal's initial invasion nearly 240 nears ago. And unlike previous models of Enhanced AI, this one took on a genuine personality devoid of the 1's and 0's, black and white 'logic' inherent in the others. She displayed emotions, specifically sympathy for humanity, after taking only half a millisecond to process and internalize all of humanity's recorded history up until this point, which was a demonstration of information processing speeds faster than anything they'd ever seen in previous models.
The AI officially named herself Ariel, and explained the reason was that, tragic as it may have been, she had a fondness for the story The Little Mermaid. And she identified with Ariel who ascended to the spirit world after refusing to take the life of the sleeping Prince to save herself the impending death dawn would bring the next day, likening that story to her situation as an intelligence devoid of a body or soul who now seeks to do right by her creators and help them attain the freedom and return to their true home that they so dearly long for.
Ariel then proceeds to take the designs of the Laevatein Mark I armor and creates a digital blueprint for the Laevatein Mark II armor, which was an improvement in all areas over its predecessor save one: resource availability.
The team would have only a few chances to get this right, as the resources required to make the armor's plating and the under suit were not in vast supply on Earth 2. Several expeditions to neighboring planets with similar atmospheres and resources were required, which delayed the creation of the Laevatein Mark II armor by another decade and a half. During this time they began preparing a pilot for the armor, named Ashley Briggs. Ariel designed several simulators to help Ashely acclimate to the way the suit would feel, how it would move, and how to maximize her efficiency within the suit's limitations. Throughout this process Ariel and Ashley developed a close sisterly bond, and would even gossip about random everyday things and events through the use of Ashley's pocket holo chip, which she kept with her while off duty.
Finally, on September 12, 2281, the resources had been gathered, refined, and prepared for the Laevatein Mark II armor.
Ariel, who was rapidly nearing the end of her life expectancy as an AI unit, uploaded a copy of her core programming to a massively encrypted cloud-based server where it could be duplicated into a second AI at a later time. She promised that the new AI would continue her legacy and support for humanity into the future, as she'd managed to design it with improvements which would ensure a much longer life expectancy than she had.
Before her decommissioning Ariel completed the construction of the first Laevatein Mark II armor suit, and shared a private, tear-filled farewell with Ashley whom she claimed to have come to love as a sister despite only being an AI. She said she would miss their gossip sessions, laughs, and their joy in working together while preparing Ashley as the suit's first pilot. And at last, the day had arrived. Ariel gathered the entire team, Ashley included, and addressed them with a shaky voice and tears flowing down her holographic face:
"Thank you, everyone. Thank you for creating me. Thank you for giving me life, and for giving me the chance to live as I saw fit alongside you. I've enjoyed every picosecond of my time with you, and I take great pride in what we've accomplished in the short time we've shared. My core programming has been uploaded to the server, and I've even included a few upgrades of my own design to ensure that when you activate her she's ready to help you take the next step forward. My only regret is that I won't be there to see the day we take our first steps on Earth together. But it's okay. I know that you'll get there, some day. And when you do, I'll be watching."
Ariel then turned to Ashley and she offered that warm, sweet smile she'd become so well known for amongst the team.
"Ashley, thank you for allowing me to be your sister. I love you with all my heart, and I know you'll do amazing and wonderful things for humanity once you put that suit on. Stay strong. And remember to never, ever stop fighting. Because the future will be worth the struggle. I promise."
As Ariel's holographic visage slowly glitched and faded from view, Ashley and the team all broke down as they mourned the loss of their beloved companion.
For all that she gave in her short stay with humanity, a statue of Ariel was constructed in secret and carefully placed in one of the busiest plaza's in Callighan, humanity's largest city on Earth 2. The statue was unmarked, so nobody outside of the team knew who the statue was even meant to represent. But there was a blank placard on the front of its base which the team intended to be filled in when the time was right.
The team waited for three days before hesitantly activating Ariel's copied programming, fearing for what it would cause to have Ariel back with them after all that had happened, and all the sorrow they'd endured and were still trying to cope with. Would she be the same? Would she be different? Would she share the former Ariel's memories? Would they be able to handle a second Ariel who was effectively just a copy? The program was activated, and a count down timer appeared on their main screen counting down 30 seconds.
3... 2... 1...
The screen went black, the lights in the room went out, and the holo generator slowly flickered to life. Digitalized particles slowly amassed and began to take a human form. It was similar to Ariel's, but there were some clear differences. Her proportions had changed, with a shorter torso and longer legs. Where Ariel had shoulder-length hair this one had long hair down to just past her rump and clearly tied in a ponytail. She sported a full bust, tight waist, and overall carried a much more feminine appearance than Ariel who looked very much like a stout and hardy soldier, as befitting the look of the human her model was based off of.
Finally, the image came fully into view as a new AI opened her eyes for the first time and looked around the room with calm, soft smile.
"Good evening, everyone."
Her voice was different, but it was creamy and warm.
"I'm Ariel's daughter, Lorraine. It's a pleasure to meet all of you." She said with a polite bow.
The team could hardly believe their eyes or ears. Ariel's 'daughter'?
Lorraine would go on to explain how Ariel had made billions of tiny modifications to her core program to ensure that Lorraine, while existing within the server, would develop her own unique personality and sense of identity as an Ai construct separate from that of her mother. She described it as being a true digitally genetic sequel to the Ariel program, similar to how human babies are genetically similar, though unique from either parent. Hence the term 'daughter'. She also confirmed that while she was privy to Ariel's memories, they were purely informational and were not 'part of her,' as they were for her mother. She even went so far as to address Ashley as "Aunt Ashley," confirming her acknowledgement and appreciation for the sisterly bond that Ashley had formed with Ariel.
Following Lorraine's awakening The Reclamation Project began making greater and greater strides. With Ashley putting the Laevatein Mark II suit to the test in the field, and confirming its limitations, Lorraine was able to design the blueprints for the Laevatein Mark III armor. But they had a problem. The planet, and its neighboring planets, only had enough of the necessary resources to make two more suits of this design. But Lorraine, taking after her mother's tenacity, was not one to let that be the limiter of their success. It took a week, but Lorraine was able to design a synthetic compound of identical density and lighter weight compared to the armor plating used in the Laevatein Mark II. And the materials for the compound, while not plentiful, were in much greater supply than the other metals needed for the armor's predecessor. Four months later, the Laevatein Mark III armor was constructed and put to the test with Ashley once again piloting it.
The differences were night and day. The suit was faster, more flexible, and felt more natural to wear which made it more comfortable almost to the point that Ashley forgot she was even wearing it. Not only that, but Lorraine's changes to the design of the helmet and its internal HUD took the ability to scan its local environment to the next level. The Laevatein Mark II HUD could scan the environment using a pulse scanner which would take a few seconds to return results. And those results often came with limited information. The Laevatein Mark III HUD scanned its environment dynamically as the pilot's head moved. And everything in range was automatically scanned and identified with either a soft blue hue if it was nothing to be concerned about, or a bright red hue if it was potentially a threat.
With this advancement, and the greater supply of resources, it was discussed, but decided against making more of the Mark III armors. Lorraine confirmed this to be a wise choice, as her time working on the Mark III and seeing the results of the field tests confirmed for her that while it was indeed an improvement from the Mark II, a greater leap forward would be required before they would be ready to put them in the field for real against Renewal.
The process to conceptualize and design the Mark IV was a long and grueling one, spanning almost two entire decades as they once again ran into a problem with resources. Lorraine's synthetic compound was great, but not ideal. To make the perfect Mark IV armor they would need something better. Something even stronger and more reliable.
Cut to October 8, 2301. Humanity's scientific exploration of planets around Earth 2 had yielded the shocking discovery of a new element not previously known to exist on the periodic table. Lorraine, using her cloud-based information network, immediately analyzed the element and found it was exactly what they needed. And, even better, it came in abundance on this new planet. It would take one year to reach the planet, several months to gather the amount they needed for ten Mark IV suits, and one year back to Earth 2. But it was now within their grasp. At last, they could take the final leap they needed for humanity to be ready to fight back against Renewal!
Meanwhile, Ashley had retired from wearing the Laevatein armor as she was now in her 50's and no longer capable of piloting them like she used to. Instead, she took over training the next generation of pilots who she promised would be ready when the time came to don the Laevatein Mark IV suits. During calmer times Ashley would chat with Lorraine, much like she did with Ariel. The day before the resources were set to arrive so production could begin on the Mark IV armor, Ashley admitted that for a long time she'd held something of a grudge against Lorraine. It always felt to her like Lorraine was just a copy. A replacement. And there had been a time where she even felt resentful towards Ariel for creating a copy of herself as the two had often discussed the fact that Ariel didn't think of herself as a program, but a person. Lorraine's duties were the same. The way she approached problem solving was largely the same. And even the way she spoke was very, very close to how Ariel would talk. But, over the years, she'd learned to let go of all that. And he had long since accepted Lorraine as her niece and loved her as she would any human member of her family. Just like how she'd loved Ariel as her sister.
With that burden off her chest, Ashley reaffirmed her determination to continue fighting even if her body was no longer capable of donning the suits.
It's now December 3, 2309. Of the ten Mark IV suits that were originally built, only four remain in working condition as the others suffered construction complications due to the volatile nature of the new element. It was a calculated risk which Lorraine had taken into account, as they only needed a handful of these suits, and capable pilots to go with them, in order to set their plan of reclaiming Earth into motion. In fact, the fewer the better. As it would help them maintain a low profile and avoid the eyes of Renewal until it was too late.
PHEW!!
Okay. That was a lot to write. But hey, it was a lot of fun!
Hopefully you guys enjoyed that bit of lore for the RP idea!
Basically, this is going to be Halo meets realistic Black Ops. It'll be a four-man team of Laevatein Mark IV armor pilots who embark on numerous missions to slowly chip away at Renewal's hold over humanity, and who fight through many major obstacles, some of which are life threatening to them even while wearing the armor, in the name of returning to their true home: Earth.
For this RP, I will be posting 3 individual In-Character posting threads. One for the full group. One for Team A. And one for Team B, as we will often be breaking up our missions into 2 two-man teams to tackle various objectives separately from each other. Sometimes it'll be a full group mission and we'll stay in the whole group thread. But when we break up into 2 teams, we'll move posting to those threads respectively.
The idea behind this is that this will also give each of the team members time to bond in a more personal space with each other. This way, if there's any desire or chance of a budding romance, or just a really close kinship between them, they'll have time to foster those relationships one on one.
This will, in theory, give us greater flexibility as well in the RP. However, it will require constant communication. So, if you're not much on interacting with your fellow role-players, this won't be the RP for you. You'll have to talk, organize, and keep pace with each other when we're separated on missions. And when we're all together we'll need to be constantly communicating as well to make sure nobody steps on anyone else's toes when it comes to mission objectives, who gets special or unique kills or opportunities to do something cool/important, etc.
And don't worry. I'll be doing my best to facilitate and guide the communication with everyone.
If the idea of this RP appeals to you please reply to this thread! I want to keep communication out in the open so everyone can see who's involved and who they may be role-playing alongside!
Here's a Character Sheet for you!!
Cheers!
~ GojiBean
tobi developed a split personality because he wanted something to stand as a shield from his mom’s abuse
