Post by Deleted on Apr 23, 2017 21:08:55 GMT -5
PLAYER INFO
Name/Alias: Jaxrond
CHARACTER INFO
Name: Xero
Age: Human equivalent- mid 30’s
Gender: Femme
Species: Cybertronian
Faction: Autobots
Original Occupation: During the time of the caste system, Xero was a member of the military class, a lower ranking officer in Cybertron’s defense network.
Occupation/Specialization: Autobot Special Forces commander/ Autobot soldier
Appearance:
Just a little smaller than Bumblebee, Xero is a rather average four-wheeler femme. She lacks the bulkiness of the mechs, but has a slightly wider chassis and shoulder breadth than most femmes. Her torso maintains the almost curvaceous shape common among Cybertronian females, with the armor being heavier in the chassis and hip areas. Thinner armor runs down the front and back of her abdominal area, leaving her sides openly gray, and openly vulnerable. Her armor is smooth and rounded, lacking an abundance of sharp edges, and mostly black with occasional pink decorative stripes. The shoulder guards curve down from a collar-like neck covering that circles around the entire neck cable. The front wheels of her alt form are located on the back of her shoulders, just under her shoulder guards, with the front of the car serving as her chestplate. Her arms are fully armored, with only the elbow joints bared. Her servos are more slender than those of a mech, with long digits that are made more for combat than any dainty work. Xero’s hips and shins are covered by the same black armor, her thighs left bare. Her pedes are formed by the rear wheels of her alt mode in the back and a stabilizing component in the front. Her armor, though smooth at first glance, holds the tell-tale signs of vorns of combat.
Xero has an almost triangular faceplate shape, with black tinted ‘lips’ covering her denta. Her optics are tilted slightly and narrow, giving her an older, more mature appearance. Along her left cheek, from above her left optic to her upper lip is a scar from a deep gash that was hastily welded shut by a field medic. A nasal strut runs between her optics and is connected to her helm, which is mostly smooth and round aside from two, pink raised stripes run from the back of her helm to the front, where they curve around the edge and finally come to an end at her jawline, fanning out to cover the sides of her faceplate. It is from here that her protective mask extends. Xero’s audios, located just behind the side plating of her helm, are also pink and bear an almost feathery in appearance, with small, thinner pieces of metal spreading out from a circular epicenter. They are most definitely the most feminine thing about her warrior’s appearance, though Xero has been called “pretty for military class” numerous times in the past.
Like many of her fellows on Earth, Xero is capable of generating a holoform. This projection takes on the appearance of an Asian woman in her early thirties, wearing a pink blouse and black slacks with black flats. Her hair is usually pulled up for the sake of practicality and she wears no makeup or jewelry.
Altmode: 2014 Alfa Romeo 4C
www.moibbk.com/images/alfa-romeo-4c-black-2.jpg
Xero’s alt mode is a compact, two door coupe. It follows the rounded shape and lack of hard edges in her armor. The doors swing out rather than lifting up, revealing interior with enough space for two black leather seats. The exterior is black with pink accents trailing from the hood, across the doors, and down around the taillights. This makes the car rather distinctive, though Xero has no inclination to change it. The Autobot symbol can be found at the center of the front bumper, where the maker’s logo would normally be.
History:
Xero was sparked during the time of the caste system and assigned to Military class. She was a skilled and eager young soldier and rose quickly to a low-ranking officer’s position and came to be the commander of a small group of soldiers. It was soon after she achieved her rank that whispers of dissent against the caste system began and Megatron, then Megatronus, published his work, “Towards Peace”. Impressed by the ideas within, Xero found herself supporting the revolution. Though she herself was a member of the middle caste, and of the ridged military structure within, she agreed that all Cybertronians should have equal standing and a voice to be heard. She very much believed herself to be a protector of the peace as a soldier and thought that peace would best be achieved if the castes were done away with. After all, it was the caste system that had caused dissention in the first place. Though she was bound by the regulations of the military and her duty to the government, she did what she could to sway others towards the idea that Megatronus’s ideals were those needed if Cybertron was to be bettered. Without attracting the attention of her superior officers, of course.
Her support of the revolution came to an abrupt and confusing end when Megatron began his terrorism. Suddenly, a shining ideal became tarnished by violence and spilled energon. Lofty ideals were thrown aside in favor of murder and destruction. Xero quickly found herself pitted in combat against Megatron’s new faction, the Decepticons, as a part of the Autobot army, one of many military personnel in the same situation. As war enveloped the planet, Xero was forced to use her training in order to fight for the peace she had believed would come through non-violent protest. The caste system fell apart as the factions clashed day in and day out. Xero became a loyal follower of Optimus Prime when he took leadership of the Autobots, clinging to his words about an eventual peace to be achieved after the war, despite the devastation it had wrought. During the war, she was appointed to lead a small but well-rounded Autobot taskforce simply named “Squad Zero”.
Her experience in having previously commanded soldiers had been limited to routine patrols and the like, but she quickly learned how to best utilize the unique skills of each bot on the squad. She, leading four other Autobots, was responsible for a number of small but effective strikes against the Decepticon forces. Squad Zero utilized guerrilla tactics, targeting supply routes, patrols, and scouts. As the war pressed on, their effectiveness continued, but the members of the team were slowly picked off one by one. The first and most devastating loss was that of the medic, Hotwire, who had been the one to repair Xero’s optic when it was damaged in combat. It was he who had served as her second-in-command and co-pilot. He was followed to death by various teammates as time passed. Others were brought in as replacements and lived for varying lengths of time before they too finally succumbed to the conflict. Despite the inevitability of lives lost in war, Xero blamed herself for the loss of each squadmate, particularly Hotwire, as any leader might. Over time, she became more and more distant, numbed further by each death.
By the time Exodus came, Xero’s hope had gone out with Cybertron’s light. Too many vorns of war had worn at her once eager idealist’s mentality, turning her into a soldier who was resigned to the seemingly never-ending war. Squad Zero was temporarily disbanded as the Cybertronians fled their ruined world. Xero flew out on her own craft before the Ark left the world, acting as an escort for a larger transport ship. As they left the planet, she was forced to engage the Decepticons in spatial combat and became separated from the ship she’d been assigned to. Attempting to avoid a drawn out battle that would drain her fuel and munitions, Xero created enough of an opening to flee. She was pursued to a planet just outside Earth’s galaxy where the life forms were sparse and the Galactic Council had not reached. There, she made a stand. After a long and truly terrible battle in which she was made to use every bit of experience and skill she had to fight odds that should have ensured her end, she remained to temporarily rest and heal before going in search of her Autobot comrades. It was while she was waiting that she picked up Optimus’s transmission of the new battleground on Earth. Despite her war-weariness, she answered the call, making her way to Earth in order to join her commander.
Personality:
During the time of the caste system and at the beginning of the war, Xero was a determined, hardworking, friendly, honorable, and thoughtful individual. It was this thoughtfulness that led her to support Megatronus’s ideals as his influence spread, as she was perfectly capable of processing his reasoning and formulating her own thoughts on the matter. She was also known to be very disciplined and endeavored to do well in any task she set out to accomplish. As the war progressed, however, Xero became less friendly and more withdrawn. Though her ability to lead did not diminish, she became less inclined to allow interpersonal relationships move past the professional level. The fear of getting to know someone only to later lose them is too prominent.
Still as determined as ever, she grimly soldiers on through the continuous cycle of battle, but lacks the eagerness and optimism she had as a younger bot. Her thoughtfulness is still present, but it has turned mostly towards the formation of strategy and other wartime necessities. While she has always been a soldier, she has become much more militaristic as the years have passed. Her discipline turned much more no-nonsense while, previously, she was a bit more lenient with her squad. She no longer holds the same hopeful ideals as before, they died along with Cybertron. Now, she fights because it is all she can do. Out of duty to those who have fallen and respect for and loyalty to Optimus, she continues to apply her skills in combat. This is also a matter of honor for her. It is honorable to bring the Decepticons to justice and to continue to fight for the Autobot cause. Xero is often very serious and has an air of perpetual sadness about her. It has been vorns since she last smiled and she isn’t inclined to do so again any time soon. Despite all of this, she maintains a shadow of her former self, as shown in her choice of alt mode.
Likes:
Order- Xero values order because she equates it with peace. The caste system had a certain order to it, but it bred the chaos of the war. Order also factors into honesty, truth, loyalty, comradery, and the
like.
Weapons- Though, at the beginning of the war, Xero would rather not have inflicted lasting damage upon another being, the war has somewhat numbed her to those sentiments. She enjoys weapons that will end the fight as quickly as possible and those with high functionality.
Quiet- As peace is nonexistent in the continual war, Xero settles for quiet when she can get it. She is not a strictly reclusive bot, but, she has her moments of solitude.
Her comrades- Though it may not seem like it, Xero still very much enjoys being in the company of other Autobots. She feels more secure within the structure of the military system and prefers to remain within it, receiving and giving orders.
Well-regulated soldiers- Though her own Squad Zero was more laid back than the quintessential military unit, Xero kept them in line. She finds regulation relaxing and enjoys ensuring that it is kept.
Dislikes:
Chaos- The opposite of the order she loves. This term encompasses everything she associates with bringing chaos: deception, disloyalty, excessive violence, maliciousness, and so on.
Decepticons- A given dislike. Though, the dislike borders on hatred due to how many comrades she has seen torn apart by Decepticons.
Funerals- She has attended too many. And too few for the number of fallen.
Loud noises- They overload her audio sensors and throw her off-balance.
Truly being alone- To be alone is dangerous in wartime, and it allows her too much time to dwell on the past.
Those who do not take their duty or the war seriously- While she will agree that soldiers need time to rest and recuperate, Xero does not appreciate ‘playing around’. She understands that not everyone is as serious as she is, but she sees it as every Autobot’s duty to do their utmost to defeat the Decepticons, whether for honor or for revenge.
Strengths/Weapons:
Xero has a mind for tactics, particularly those that involve guerrilla warfare. She does best when with a small, stealthy group that hits the enemy hard and fast. She can and will fight alone when necessary, and is able to utilize her environment to her advantage. Her military training and vorns of war experience have made her into a capable soldier and survivor. She is also very fast in her alt mode due to the nature of the vehicle, however, this speed does not transfer to her bipedal form, which maintains an average speed.
Xero’s personal weapons include a pair of energon blasters that replace her servos in combat. While she can, and does, use them with a trained and far-too experienced skill, they are not the primary weapon of her arsenal. Her preferred method of range attack lies with an ionic pulse canon which, depending on the power available to the canon can act as a tranquilizer of sorts or a devastating destructor of equipment. The ionic pulse canon works much like an EMP, focusing on disrupting electrical currents and the flow of power. This can be used to cause a temporarily incapacitating short circuit in a Cybertronian or the failing of a combat vehicle’s necessary functions. It is most effective when used for the latter, as vehicles lack a Cybertronian’s natural repair process and damage caused calls for manual repairmen. The ionic pulse canon, while highly effective, also comes with its failings. It emits a pulse rather than a blast, meaning anything within a certain small radius falls victim to the effects. That includes comrades as well. This canon is formed by a shifting in the armor around Xero’s left shoulder, back, and chassis. When transformed, it is mounted on her left upper arm, just below the shoulder, and extends at least partially when charged, reaching from shoulder to just below the elbow.
Xero also possesses a blade in her right forearm, which she utilizes when stealth or close-combat is necessary. It is often used in conjunction with hand to hand techniques. Xero uses a form of standard hand to hand that all bots in the military were trained in.
Weaknesses:
Stature: Though Xero is of a moderate size, she does not fare well in engaging hand to hand with
significantly larger bots, despite her willingness to do so. She lacks the strength and size to ever engage a bot of, say, Megatron’s size or larger. Though, if the opportunity was ever presented to take a crack at the Decepticon leader, she might very well go straight for his spark
Chinks in the Armor: Her joints and other body parts exposed by her armor serve as a weakness, as they are more easily damaged.
Blindside: Another physical weakness lies in her left optic, which, while mostly repaired by Squad Zero’s medic, is occasionally subject to bouts of unclear vision, pain, or, very rarely, even blindness. Blindness has only occurred when Xero has taken a hard hit to the head that jarred the optics. Usually, if the optic acts up, it has a moment of static or wavering visuals. This has resulted in her being literally blindsided by attacks when her optic fails her during combat.
Cold Shoulder: Due to the grim seriousness of her war weary personality, Xero is often seen as cold. Her lack of desire to develop close personal relationships is often misinterpreted as dislike, though those who have known her for a long time know better.
Just Following Orders: Xero herself has no special love for the indigenous populaces of any of the planets she’s set pede on. However, she will protect them because it is Optimus’s mandate to do so. This goes for humans as well. She will do her utmost to ensure their safety on Optimus’s orders, but, beyond that, she is indifferent towards them.
Holding a Grudge: Xero, though disciplined, holds a vorns old grudge against the Decepticons for killing various members of her Squad and other old friends. Though she is loyal to the Autobots and respects Optimus as a leader, she is most certainly not above ending a Decepticon’s life if the opportunity is presented. She would not do something so dishonorable as killing an unarmed or defenseless soldier, but she most definitely lacks the compassion seen among the other Autobots on Earth. She very much views the killing of Decepticons as justice for the fallen and for Cybertron.
Special Skills:
Military training- Being a member of the military caste outfitted Xero for the Great War better than she could have possibly known at the time of her training. It is because of this that she was able to fight early on in the conflict and build a good foundation for further skill development.
Extensive combat experience- Having been a combatant since the beginning of the Great War, Xero has a large well of combat experience to draw upon. As well as a large well of negative emotions and events to fuel her hatred of the enemy.
Leadership- Though Xero is a soldier who will take and adhere to orders from higher ranking officers, she is just as capable of giving orders. Both her training as an officer and her experience as the commander of Squad Zero have led up to this.
Guerilla Warfare- Xero is all-too familiar with the operations of small strike forces and the tactics they utilize. Her knowledge of tactics is more geared towards small operations than full-scale battle.
Piloting- As Xero has never had a personal flying capability, she has had to use a vehicle when engaging in aerial or spatial combat or transport. Though her current ship is a small craft with room only for the pilot, she has had experience flying the ship she and the other members of Squad Zero used during the war on Cybertron. This piloting skill is limited to small crafts and those that need only a single co-pilot.
Extra Info:
Xero is currently in possession of a small fighter craft, perhaps best described as the Cybertronian equivalent of the Star Wars Rebel X-Wing Fighters. It is made to carry only the pilot and basic weapons systems. While it is made to fly in proximity to others of its kind or larger craft, it does possess the capability to venture off alone as long as fuel is available. The craft is currently heavily damaged from Xero’s escape from Cybertron and has only enough salvaged fuel to make the short jump to Earth. Its weaponry includes a pair of basic canons, which are not functional at the current time due to lack of energon needed for ammunition.
Sample RP:
There it was, hanging against the black backdrop of space, framed by the stars of an unfamiliar galaxy. She had been able to see it for quite some time now. It was so utterly different than Cybertron. Especially Cybertron as she knew it was now, dark and lifeless, torn apart by civil war. In contrast, this planet was completely and organically full of life. Blue optics shifted over the vis-screen as she took in the blues and greens of the planet’s surface. This Earth that Prime had called them to, it was already so strange to her. She briefly wondered if this world, too, would look like Cybertron when the war ran its course there. She could see no end to the conflict. Surely this planet was only their secondary battleground. It could not be where they would achieve peace. Too many long, violent vorns had passed for peace to be an achievable goal. But why bring the fight to this planet?
It did not truly matter. She was a soldier. She did not question orders, only followed them. Her digits tightened around the manual guidance controls as the planet loomed closer, the galaxy’s sun looming behind it. Soon, gravity would take hold and she would have to fight to keep the craft from crashing into anything important. She was close enough now that any bot with proper scanning tools could trace her signal, an Autobot beacon lighting up the dark sky. She could only wonder who would scan her first, allies or enemies.
Her ship passed into the upper layer of Earth’s atmosphere. The wings began to cut visible drag paths as gravity took hold, wrenching the craft towards the planet’s surface. Though her ship had been made for atmospheric entry, it had not been formatted specifically for Earth’s atmosphere, and the thought occurred to her that it might not hold up well in the entry. Not to mention, the low fuel warning had been flashing for quite some time. She was running on fumes. Her optics narrowed as she held firmly to the controls, refusing to allow nature to have its way. Warnings began to flash and beep, telling her of the overheating that would soon occur. She did not need the warnings, she could feel it. She could see the flames around the nose of her craft. But she knew that it would soon pass. She momentarily wished that she could gun the engine and push through faster, but she knew that would do more harm than good. It would waste the barely-there fuel she had, salvaged from the wrecked Decepticon ships she’d brought down in her escape, and would generate even more heat.
The alarms were abruptly silenced as the ship finally gave out, its engine dying as it ran out of fuel and, therefore, energy. The cockpit went dark. Xero gripped the controls tightly enough that they creaked. Either she was about to burn up, or she was going to pull through for a hell of a crash.
It was the latter that occurred. The fire around the edges of her craft disappeared as she entered the cold upper layers of Earth’s atmosphere. Then, she plummeted. The planet’s gravity wrenched her downward at a truly horrific speed, a speed that only grew as she fell. She vainly pulled up on the controls. Without power, she was left at the mercy of nature. There were no proximity alarms as she watched the surface fast approaching through the side viewport. It was nauseating.
Slag
Hopefully, it was the Autobots who had picked up her signal. She knew it was likely that she would need medical assistance after this one. And she probably wouldn’t hold up long if she was jumped by the enemy. Not when recovering from a crash of this magnitude. She quickly tried to think of a way to take the least amount of damage. The only thing that occurred to her was staying in her seat, strapped in.
This is going to hurt…
She burst through the clouds, trailing smoke and debris from what had broken off the ship upon entry. Her optics widened in surprise when she caught sight of what would be her crash site. Tall green, organic structures stretched out across the landscape, much like the towers back on Cybertron. Her craft was sent headlong into them, skidding off the bending and breaking giants. The ship flipped, jostling her hard. She gritted her denta and groaned as she attempted to keep a firm grip and avoid the danger of flailing limps. It flipped end over end a few more times before plowing into the forest of organic structures. Cracking and screeching sounded around the outside of the fighter as it tore through the dirt of the planet’s surface. It slowed as it slid, finally dragging to a stop, partially embedded in the soil.
Xero sat in the cockpit, slumping as the craft halted. She had lost her grip and banged her arm hard enough against the side of the cockpit that her elbow joint’s pain receptors were already complaining. Her helm had been snapped sharply back, straining the hydraulics and cables in her neck and slamming the back of her helm into the seat. Her optics flickered as she groaned. The left remained dim as the other returned to normal. She groaned again, straightening her neck with a wince. Her vision on the right side returned fully. The left remained blurred and unclear, flickering from time to time. She didn’t have the time to tend to it. She had to move. The crash site would soon attract attention. If it already hadn’t. Groggily, she unstrapped herself, struggling with motor control as her body recovered from the blunt trauma of the crash.