Omega House: Scientist K. Panov

Art by Juan Ochoa

Centuries ago, Scientist K. Panov ventured into the Zone with a shopping list. He never came back. Perhaps he backed into something, maybe one of the crackling Silver Cobwebs. Or he stepped into hell slime? Who can tell?

What matters is that the Stalker who brought Panov into the Zone didn't bring him out. Scientist Panov was never seen again on Earth.

But the physicist was found centuries later by a salvage crew trawling space junk in the ring of a gas giant. He was encased within some kind of alien life support vacuole. The crew brought the vacuole on board; they cut Panov out using lasers. A few clean cuts were all it took.

But he wasn't the old Panov.  No legs, no hands. Only one good eye. A torso covered in alien polyps.

The salvage crew froze him, and took Panov to a nearby R.U.R externality within the Empire for medical treatment and further study. The R.U.R. of course repaired him. Just like they would any machine. R.U.R. artisans custom-built new replacement parts for Panov, including cybernetic forearms and a perambulator frame. They also gave him numerous implants and neural augmentations like most organics who live with the R.U.R.

Panov recovered quickly. He started learning about the world he had awakened and joined. He absorbed hundreds of years of technological advancement in a few months. Panov branched out from physics to also learn a few new languages:

• The Prate - the common tongue of humanoids in the Empire
• Afuera - an ancient galactic language from the long-consumed core worlds, used to communicate with other-planar entities
• Glopnic - the R.U.R. language for communicating with space-time itself, as well as with other universes 

Panov fit right in here: so many of the aliens and fellow humans who chose to live on R.U.R. externality were scientists, technicians, and inventors. Or philosophers, linguists, and mentats.

But a few of the organics were salvagers and smugglers like the ones who brought him to the R.U.R. From one of them he learned of Omega House. Their work sounded like something familiar; work he could do.

The smuggler invited Panov to visit Omegapoint.

When the ship reached there, Panov signed-on.  He now crews for Captain Amargura on the Omega House Vessel Iboy.  They have a nickname for him. (He doesn't like it.) They think he's a little weird. (But aren't they all?) They say he has disgusting habits. (He wouldn't disagree.)

Scientist Panov

Science Specialist on the OHV Iboy

ASPECTS:

• High Concept: Multi-legged cyborg physicist
• Trouble: After spending centuries in an alien vacuole, there's a lot I don't know
• Aspect: Please, don't call me "Tapdancer"
• Aspect: I'd love to get a look under the hood of Clay
• Aspect: Science comes easy to me

APPROACHES

• Careful: +2
• Clever: +3 
• Flashy: 0
• Forceful: +2
• Quick: +1
• Sneaky: +1

STUNTS:

• Deadly Handstand - Once per session, Panov can go first in combat, by making a backflip to stand on his cyborg hands. Then take a +2 to Flashy Approach to Attack using the metallic pincer-like legs of your perambulator frame. 
• Figure It Out - Because you are an expert scientist with R.U.R. cognitive augmentations, take a +2 to Clever Approach to Create an Advantage while analyzing new scientific phenomena in your lab.
• Gauntlet Sensors - When you are studying something within hands' reach, you may take +2 to Careful Approach to Create an Advantage using the sensors in your cyberhands. 
• Master Linguist - Once per session, you can master a new language - or crack a code.
• My Children - It's painful, but Panov can tear the alien polyps from his skin, and send them off 1-3 Zones to check things out for him. He takes 1 Stress for every polyp he sends off. When the polyps are spying for him, Panov takes a +2 on his Careful Approach to smell, see, and hear what they experience in real time. Panov re-attaches the polyps to their source wounds when their mission is completed. We did say the crew thinks he's a little weird...do you believe us now?

REFRESH: 1

Omega House: Clay and Fury

Art by Juan Ochoa

The duo of Clay and Fury are always together; usually, they occupy almost exactly the same space. Clay is the alien Ceramoid mobile suit. Fury is the archaeologist-sapper. They crew for Captain Amargura on the Omega House Vessel Iboy.

The twain met when Fury was in the Empire's special forces. She was one of The Banishers of Gloom, the elite Imperial Order charged with cleansing dead planets and space hulks. The Banishers are feared and revered as fearless hunters of other-planar abominations and the undead. They are masters of the Smoking Mirror Engines, and use the sentient mirror machines to cross to other worlds.

The Banishers fight abominations in labyrinths and other hidden places. They are masters of both traditional hand-to-hand weapons, and gem-like occular energy projection weapons. Even The Banishers' bodies  are mystical weapons. Their skin glows in the presence of otherworldly enemies, because their flesh is inscribed with protective glyphs from all-but-forgotten ancient languages.

Fury discovered Clay in the heart of an alien labyrinth on a proscribed world besieged by spectral forces. A archaeologist-sapper, her combat role was to discharge the other-planar energies accumulating in such structures. Often the easiest way to dissipate such energies was to cause the structures to collapse by means of a few well-placed explosive charges. Fury discovered Clay while she was planting a series of such charges.

Clay, the Ceramoid mobile suit, was trapped within intersecting stasis fields deep below the labyrinth. It might have been stuck there for centuries - or possibly even longer. Fury found the stasis field projectors easily enough. She disarmed them. Then the walls and ceiling of the labyrinth began to collapse. And then the charges detonated.

When Fury awakened, she was within the mobile suit. She was walking up a ramp toward the surface of this deadly world. Being walked, actually. Fury gradually became aware of the Ceramoid's thoughts. A symbiosis developed.

Fury's fellow Banishers were not entirely comfortable with this symbiosis. Clay was always underfoot. Even when Fury wasn't wearing Clay as armor, he followed her like a dog, always exactly two meters behind her.

The Order called Clay a Golem. The Order didn't like Clay; Ceramoids should not regenerate. The Order suggested to Fury that she had become too dependent on the armor. She was taking too many risks. That put other people at risk. They hinted that it was time to move-on.

Shortly thereafter, Clay and Fury took the hint and left the Order, hauling all of Fury's sapper gear with them.
Omega House was watching and waiting. They always keep an eye on the Orders; their cast-offs make good recruits. Omega House made the two a generous offer. Clay and Fury signed on.

Fury

Archaeologist-Sapper of the OHV Iboy

ASPECTS:

• High Concept: Archaeologist-sapper of Omega House
• Trouble: When I wear Clay I feel invulnerable
• Aspect: Veteran of The Banishers of Gloom
• Aspect: I can find the heart of any maze
• Aspect: Clay will back me up

APPROACHES

• Careful: +1
• Clever: +2 
• Flashy: +3
• Forceful: +1
• Quick: 0
• Sneaky: +2

STUNTS:

• A Sapper Knows - Take +2 to Sneaky Approach to Create an Advantage find the weakest point in a structure.
• Armor Helps - When wearing Clay in combat, the mobile suit takes the stress and consequences from physical attacks first.  
• Glyphs of the Banishers - Take +2 to Flashy Approach when Defending against undead and other-planar entities, due to the glowing protective glyphs that cover your flesh.* 
• It Went BANG! - Take +2 to Flashy Approach when using explosives to Overcome an Obstacle.  

REFRESH: 2

*When wearing Clay, the glow comes mostly from glyphs on Fury's face.

Clay

Ceramoid Mobile Suit

ASPECTS:

• High Concept: Fury's Loyal Golem
• Trouble: "CLAY, be careful with that - it's DELICATE!"
• Aspect: Surprisingly stealthy for such a hulk
• Aspect: I am no mere Extra!
• Aspect: The sword on my back weigh more than you do!

APPROACHES

• Careful: +1
• Clever: +2
• Flashy: +1
• Forceful: +3
• Quick: 0
• Sneaky: +2

STUNTS:

• Armored Telepath - Once per session, you may establish and maintain an ongoing telepathic connection with one individual. The connection lasts as long as the two of you remain in the same Zone. 
• Kadmonic Regeneration -  Once per session, you may remove up to three checked stress boxes or one Mild or Moderate Consequence due to physical damage - as long as you have a humanoid occupant within your armored shell.
• The Armor Makes A Way - Take +2 to Forceful Approach to Overcome an Obstacle by smashing physical barriers.
• Swordmaster - Take +2 to Forceful Approach when wielding a sword in both hands for an Attack. This may create an opportunity for the GM to Compel a humanoid occupant if the occupant is attempting an action for which swordplay could be distracting. 

REFRESH: 2

Omega House: Captain Amargura

Art by Juan Ochoa

This is the first in a series of posts featuring the crew of a Quetzal-class Rapid Intervention Vehicle, the OHV Iboy. The Quetzals are the workhorse vessels of Omega House, the chartered imperial organization responsible for developing resolutions to many dangerous situations on the frontiers of the Empire. Omega House assets are usually the last ones to evacuate dangerous places where an exurgent crisis has developed. Omega House brings things to an end

But of course every omega has its ourboros-like ontological ties to a prior alpha. Omega House teams are often the first resource deployed to explore unusual or potentially dangerous phenomena. They're a safe bet, because Omega House teams are usually successful. And they have enough ordinance to cover most of their mistakes.

They also have good PR. Omega House's alpha-flight explorations often trigger crises, although they never, ever admit to that. When reinforcements arrive, they pose as the Empire's first responders. They clean up - or at least try to do so.

Captain Amargura is one of the operatives of Omega House. She's a Captain, in fact. Her current assignment is the Quetzal-class Omega House Vessel Iboy.

Something of a promotion, especially for a Witchfinder-class android.

Amargura had one previous assignment. Back then, she was known as Medical Officer Stillwater of the OHV Jaguar Mantle. That last mission had not gone well.

The Mantle had been assigned to investigate an inky ultraglassine ziggurat on a bleak moonless world orbiting a brown dwarf.  The Captain of the Jaguar Mantle decided to land the vessel directly on top of the ziggurat. The structure seemed made for that and had an intriguing central 5 meter-wide shaft running into the ziggurat's interior from the "landing platform" on top of the structure.

The Captain and the rest of the crew suited up and prepared to descend into the shaft. They used a belts-and-suspenders approach, wearing AG harnesses and a superstrong cable/winch system, which depended from underside of the Mantle. Stillwater remained onboard to monitor drones and safeguard the ship.

Drones went in first of course. Both Stillwater and the descending crew were monitoring the drones; no one detected anything of concern. Unfortunately.

Twenty seconds into the crew's descent, they just weren't there anymore.  Neither were the drones. Within seconds, Medical Officer Stillwater sent a second flight of drones down the shaft. Those returned just fine. In fact, the drones carried extra data packets back up the hell-shaft with them: the recorded screams of the terrified crew in their last moments, along with a jumble of random memories from crewmembers.

Stillwater defied standard orders and immediately took the Mantle to the R.U.R. shellworld called Rainhaven. Unfortunately the R.U.R. Intelligence known as Drowned One said there were not quite enough memories for the R.U.R. to reconstitute the crew.

Stillwater took the Mantle back to Omegapoint. She was surprised to find herself praised for taking initiative and heroic measures to save her crewmates. Omega House offered her a promotion.

Stillwater first took a leave of absence to reflect on what had happened. She blamed herself and changed herself. As a sort of penance, she tore off every bit of synthflesh covering her hardcase sheleton.  She reprogrammed herself as well. Deleted useless Medical Officer programming. Mastered strategy and tactics. Changed her name to Amargura.

Then Amargura went even further, reprogramming herself to constantly relive those 20 seconds of terror when she lost her crewmates. The events cycle through her processors, in full fidelity, every three minutes. She'll never forget the incident. She keeps it fresh. It's an accident that should never be repeated, and that is Armagura's responsibility.

She stores the crew's remaining memories too - someone has to remember them.

The crew call Amargura the Cold Restart, but never to her face. They have no idea what she is capable of, or what she is planning.

When the Iboy's crew are ready - when they finally meet Amargura's exacting standards - she has a detour planned.  Amargura is going back to that cold Ziggurat to find out what happened there.

Captain Amargura

Captain of the OHV Iboy

ASPECTS:

• High Concept: Embittered, hypervigillant Captain of the Iboy
• Trouble: The wound is still fresh
• Aspect: Mistakes must not be repeated
• Aspect: Sometimes a Cold Restart is necessary
• Aspect: "Proceed with caution"

APPROACHES

• Careful: +3
• Clever: +2
• Flashy: 0
• Forceful: +1
• Quick: +1
• Sneaky: +2

STUNTS:

• Logic Prevails - Take +2 to Clever Approach when Create an Advantage in a battle situation.  
• Omega Sniper - Take +2 to Careful Approach to Attack an enemy who is three zones distant, using a ranged weapon 
• Sheleton - Take +2 Forceful Approach to Defend against melee and projectile weapons.
• There's A Safer Way - Once per session, you may identify a way in or out of a situation that is safe from one kind of Attack (i.e., close-in, ranged, energy, automated deathtraps, mines, etc.).

REFRESH: 2