The World In The Aftermath (Formerly A World Less Magical)

[Davies]

Parnyye Provoda/парные провода

Innessa Belsky

Karina Ivanovna

One of the most accomplished and famous groups of cybernetic mercenary operatives active in contemporary Russia and its constituent republics, Parnyye Provoda ('the pair of wires', sometimes translated as 'the wired pair') are associated with a number of reputations. First and foremost, they are famous for getting jobs that they accept done. To a somewhat lesser degree, they are well-known for refusing jobs that would violate their ethics, while generally not acting as informants about them. Finally, and perhaps more notoriously than famously, their operations tend to cause extensive property damage (though not usually loss of life.)

As their name would suggest, the group consists of two main operatives backed up by a small support staff. (In the eight years that they've been active, they've occasionally tried working with additional operatives, but this has never worked out well for them.) The senior member of the team, neither of whom use aliases, is Karina Ivanovna, formerly of the FSB. She had only been with the agency for a few months when she was seriously injured during the 2009 coup attempt, and found herself dismissed in the aftermath. Just how she managed to obtain the funds with which to have her cybernetics implanted is not something she will voluntarily discuss. She generally acts as a sniper, providing covering fire for her partner, but is also a highly skilled crime scene investigator.

While Karina's cybernetics were obtained as a matter of necessity, having boosted reflexes and headware installed in her body seems to have been a life-long ambition of Innessa Belsky. She grew up hearing stories about her single mother's activities as a member of the SNM in the late eighties, and as she hadn't inherited the woman's trivial superpower, the cybernetics she'd also possessed back then seemed to be the key to living the same exciting life. Again, it's not clear how Innessa's brief career with the Russian army (2011-2013) allowed her to garner the funds to have her work done, and she reacts even more poorly to questions about the subject. In addition to her implants, Innessa employs a pair of exoskeletal gauntlets in her activities, getting much more up close and personal with targets than her partner usually does. (And while not as well-educated or informed as Karina, she's actually the better technician of the two.)

One of their more embarrassing failures has been the relatively easy defeat that they suffered, early in their team's history, at the hand of Zloba. Combined with their repeated inability to capture the anarchist, even if they succeed in thwarting her schemes, they have reached the point where they won't accept jobs if it seems likely that they'll end up opposing her. Ironically, this has led to them being on the same side as their adversary on a number of occasions, such as their current assignment. Having a number of outstanding favors owed to Remontnik, they have had their markers called in to join up with a small force including Zloba, Baba Yaga, Koschei and the Indian heroine called Trijata to travel to some alternate reality called the Sprawl and deal with a developing situation there. This is not the sort of thing that either of them world normally sign up for, but the old man was very persuasive. Well, it won't be boring.

Innessa - PL 8

Abilities:
STR 3 | STA 4 | AGL 4/2 | DEX 3 | FGT 8/5 | INT 1 | AWE 2 | PRE 1

Powers:
Cybernetic Implants: Enhanced Advantages 2 (Eidetic Memory, Improved Initiative); Enhanced Agility 2; Enhanced Fighting 3; Speed 3 (16 MPH) - 15 points
Mega-Gauntlets: Enhanced Strength 5; Removable (-2 points) - 8 points

Advantages:
Agile Feint, All-out Attack, Defensive Roll, Equipment 2, Fearless 2, Improved Critical (gauntlet), Improved Defense, Languages 2 (Armenian, Azerbaijiani, Khazakh, Pashto, [Russian is native]), Power Attack, Takedown.

Equipment:
Body Armor (Protection 2), goggles (+2 to resist visual afflictions) and 7 points of equipment as needed (normally pooled with Karina.)

Skills:
Acrobatics 5 (+9), Athletics 7 (+10), Expertise: Streetwise 6 (+7), Insight 4 (+6), Intimidation 8 (+9), Investigation 4 (+5), Perception 6 (+8), Stealth 2 (+6), Technology 6 (+7), Vehicles 4 (+7).

Offense:
Initiative +8
Unarmed +8 (Close Damage 3)
Gauntlet +8 (Close Damage 8, Crit 19-20)

Defense:
Dodge 6/4, Parry 8/5, Fortitude 7, Toughness 8/6/4, Will 5

Totals:
Abilities 42 + Powers 23 + Advantages 11 + Skills 26 + Defenses 8 = 110 points

Offensive PL: 8
Defensive PL: 8
Resistance PL: 6
Skill PL: 5

Complication:
Thrills--Motivation. Frequent Property Damage. Temper.

Karina -- PL 8

Abilities:
STR 1 | STA 1 | AGL 4 | DEX 5/4 | FGT 4 | INT 3 | AWE 2 | PRE 1

Powers:
Cybernetic Implants: Enhanced Dexterity 1; Enhanced Defenses 4 (Dodge 2, Parry 2); Senses 6 (accurate hearing, analytical and extended vision, tracking infravision) - 12 points

Advantages:
Assessment, Defensive Attack, Defensive Roll 2, Equipment 5, Improved Aim, Languages 2 (English, French, Japanese, Korean [Russian is native]), Improved Critical (rifle), Non-lethal Tactics, Power Attack, Precise Attack (Ranged/Cover), Teamwork, Ultimate Aim.

Skills:
Close Combat: Unarmed 2 (+6), Expertise: Streetwise 4 (+7), Insight 6 (+8), Intimidation 5 (+6), Investigation 8 (+11), Perception 8 (+10), Persuasion 6 (+7), Ranged Combat: Guns 6 (+11/+10), Stealth 5 (+9), Vehicles 4 (+9/+8).

Equipment:
Rifle (Ranged Damage 5, Improved Critical), and 14 points of equipment as needed (normally pooled with Innessa.)

Offense:
Initiative +8
Unarmed +6 (Close Damage 1)
Rifle +11/+10 (Ranged Damage 5, Crit 18-20)

Defense:
Dodge 10, Parry 8, Fortitude 5, Toughness 6/1, Will 7

Totals:
Abilities 40 + Powers 12 + Skills 27 + Advantages 18 + Defenses 15 = 112 points

Offensive PL: 8
Defensive PL: 8
Resistance PL: 6
Skill PL: 6

Complications:
Justice--Motivation. Frequent Property Damage. Temper.

[Davies]

Sparrow


Her first life was painful, sad and hopeless. The life she has led since her second birth is still all those things, but it differs from her first in that she has a purpose. Even if that purpose is impossible to fulfill, and she suspects that it is, she will keep striving to achieve it until she dies for the second time. Her one bit of hope is that her second death will be her last.

She has chosen to forget the name she was given as a child, in the settlement at Kitselas. That person is dead, now, and had been even before her life truly ended. She likewise chooses to forget the faces of her parents, whom she did not understand and who did not understand her. She left home twenty years ago, when she was just shy of sixteen years, and traveled to Prince George, where she found the only sort of work that someone without prospects could expect to find. Painful, sad and hopeless as it was, she at least took comfort that the men who passed through her life did not care about what was wrong with her body, as long as she satisfied their needs.

After two years of this, weary in body and soul, she ignored her better judgement and got into a car with a prospective customer and found herself taken down the Highway of Tears, but only a short distance. He had a knife, and he would likely have used it regardless of what he discovered about his victim, but probably afterwards instead of beforehand. Despite that, she managed to get away from him and flee into forest before she collapsed from her wound. Before she passed out, she wondered not why she was dying, but why she had ever been born.

And then a sparrow carried her half-way into the land of the dead, before turning back to return her to life, with the journey imbuing in her the power to hear the hidden voices of the living and the dead, with the latter also teaching her many of their secrets. Or her injury and her panic combined to awaken certain latent psychic abilities she possessed, which allowed her to unconsciously learn many different skills and talents. As Sparrow dislikes the person who suggested that alternate explanation, she has understandably ignored it.

Regardless of the nature of her powers, Sparrow has used them ever since to try and prevent further assaults, abductions and murders along the Highway of Tears, and to avenge what she cannot prevent. It is a truly never-ending battle, and sometimes Sparrow wonders if she has not been blessed, but actually cursed. Will more violence really help matters? Will the deaths of those she hunts truly ease the suffering of their victims or their loved ones? Regardless, that is the only tool that she has in her arsenal, so that is what she uses.

Sparrow has not encountered many other superpowers in the course of her career, as she focuses on mundane and banal evils rather than supervillainy. An exception to this was when her path crossed that of Maureen Summerisle, the person who proposed the 'alternative' explanation mentioned above. Had they not just come out of a struggle where Sparrow was attempting to help an understandably angry ghost whom Maureen casually killed, she might have been more inclined to consider her theories. As it happens, Sparrow will probably try to kick the crap out of Maureen if they ever meet again. For her part, Maureen views Sparrow as a kook best left to her own devices.

Sparrow -- PL 7

Abilities:
STR 0 | STA 1 | AGL 2 | DEX 2 | FGT 3 | INT 1 | AWE 4 | PRE 3

Powers:
Striking Strength: Strength-based Damage 2 - 2 points
Voices of the Spirits: Enhanced Advantages 4 (Assessment, Contacts, Jack-of-all-trades, Well-informed); Enhanced Defenses 6 (Dodge 3, Parry 3); Enhanced Intellect 4, Limited to benefiting Jack-of-all-trades; Mind Reading 7, Limited to emotions, Subtle; Senses 5 (danger sense, postcognition) - 19 points

Advantages:
Assessment, Contacts, Defensive Attack, Defensive Roll, Evasion 2, Great Endurance, Hide in Plain Sight, Improved Defense, Improved Initiative, Improved Trip, Jack-of-all-trades, Move-by Action, Power Attack, Uncanny Dodge, Well-informed.

Skills:
Athletics 5 (+5), Close Combat: Unarmed 3 (+6), Expertise: Religion 5 (+9), Expertise: Streetwise 6 (+7), Insight 7 (+11), Investigation 8 (+9), Perception 6 (+10), Persuasion 6 (+9), Stealth 6 (+8).

Offense:
Initiative +6
Unarmed +8 (Close Damage 2)

Defense:
Dodge 9/6, Parry 11/8, Fortitude 4, Toughness 3/1, Will 8.

Totals:
Abilities 32 + Powers 29 + Advantages 12 + Skills 26 + Defenses 16 = 115 points

Offensive PL: 5
Defensive PL: 7
Resistance PL: 6
Skill PL: 6

Complications:
Justice--Motivation. Mysterious & Enigmatic. Prejudice (First Nations, transgender.) Unhoused.

[Davies]

Max Ryan


When Howard Ryan, one of the founders of Argus Security who had acrimoniously broken with the company, passed away in 2008, there was understandable speculation about what was to become of his business empire, as he had no known family following the death of his daughter Bethany in the assault by Cerebron, seven year prior. It lasted less than a single news cycle before Ryan's attorneys announced that they had discovered a distant cousin, one Maxime Ryan, a resident of Anchorage, who was now the sole heir to all of Ryan's wealth. Now the speculation focused on who this hitherto anonymous person was, and what he was going to do.

The first one of those is something Max would like to know himself. His earliest memories are of growing up in a Catholic-run orphanage in Fairbanks, Alaska, under the name Maxime Philippe, trying and usually failing to stay out of trouble and hoping that someone would eventually adopt him. That never happened, and at eighteen he was released into the world with a basic education and no real prospects. He decided to hitchhike his way to Fairbanks, throwing himself on the mercy of fate to see what the world would make of him.

Fate threw him a curve in that he happened on the scene of an automobile breakdown, and offered his assistance to the elderly couple who were trying to determine what had gone wrong with their car. Max had paid attention in shop class, and was able to get it up and running again, and they offered to repay him by taking him the rest of the way to Fairbanks. After spending the trip there talking with Gregory and Cara Ryan, they further offered him a place to stay until such time as he found his footing. It was more charity than Max had ever expected to find, and he agreed.

Five months later, he had all but become the child these two had never had, and Max and Gregory were both devastated when Cara passed away after a sudden stroke. Gregory didn't outlive his wife by more than a few weeks, but lived long enough to change his will to declare Max to be his sole heir, leaving him the house. Grieving, Max adopted the name of these two good people as his own, and continued to look for work that he hoped would let him maintain the only real home he'd ever known.

One month after that, the attorneys for the Ryan estate contacted him. Gregory had been the unknowing uncle of Howard Ryan, and so Max was now also the heir to the Ryan fortune. Dazed by these sudden changes in his circumstances, Max found himself waiting for the other shoe to drop. The good luck of meeting people he had come to care about had been balanced out by their sudden loss, and he wondered what would balance out this sudden wealth. It would probably be something horrifying.

He was right. The first thing that he was shown after being taken to New York was a video message from the late Howard Ryan, recorded shortly before the man died. In it, Howard explained that he was placing the business empire he had created in the hands of his cousin so that he could take care of it until he fulfilled a last request. "Find my daughter," said the recording. He believed and presented evidence that he proved that someone had kidnapped Bethany Ryan during the chaos in 2001, and had held her hostage ever since. If his young cousin succeeded in this quest, he would receive a generous gift that would let him live in luxury for the rest of his life. If he chose to abandon it, or failed, however, the lawyers would see to it that he lost everything.

The simplest thing would have been to just give up at that point, and return to Alaska. But this girl whom he had never met was tied to two people whom he genuinely admired, and so the harder course of action was clearly the right one. Max took up the gauntlet thrown down before him, and began a search that has lasted right up until the present day. In the course of these activities, he has also had to work to protect his financial holdings from a variety of other enemies, whether mundane or superpower. So far, his cunning, guts and sheer luck have all kept him going despite this opposition.

While not a superpower by any stretch, Max has taken advantage of his wealth to acquire highly advanced technological devices that assist him in his exploits. He also maintains something of a secret identity. In order to get people to underestimate him, he acts much more brashly and impetuously than he actually is, behaving as though the danger and excitement of his life is what he enjoys and he cares about nothing but his money. His true character is known only to attorney Robert Oldcastle, who has been retained to monitor Max's attempts to find Bethany. Max and Oldcastle have an uneasy alliance; as long as the lawyer believes that Max is sincerely doing all that he can do to fulfill the honestly impossible task he was given, Oldcastle will refrain from starting procedures to have Max removed from his position.

However, it has been more than a decade since this whole affair began, and Oldcastle is running out of patience -- or more accurately, time. If Max cannot produce some genuine results before Oldcastle retires from practice, in less than five years, it seems likely that whoever succeeds him in handling this case will be much more inclined to declare the quest has ended in failure. (Oldcastle has not issued any ultimatums, but he has not hidden the fact that many of the younger associates in his firm look forward to getting to do that.)

Max clearly needs help if he is to do what he agreed to do, but who can he trust with this problem?

Max Ryan -- PL 7

Abilities:
STR 2 | STA 2 | AGL 2 | DEX 3 | FGT 3 | INT 2 | AWE 1 | PRE 3

Powers:
Cool Shades: Senses 5 (direction sense, time sense, tracking infravision, ultravision); Removable (-1 point) - 4 points

Advantages:
Attractive, Benefit 4 (Multimillionaire), Daze (Deception), Defensive Roll, Equipment 8, Evasion 2, Fearless, Improved Initiative, Language (French, [English is assumed to be native]), Ranged Attack 4, Seize Initiative, Taunt.

Equipment:
Concealed protection (Protection 2, Subtle), hoverboard (Speed 6), meta-taser (Ranged Affliction 5 [Fortitude; Dazed, Stunned, Incapacitated), and 11 points of equipment as needed.
Fortified Home: Size Medium; Toughness 10; Features Communications, Computer, Library, Living Space, Power System, Security System 2 - 10 points

Skills:
Acrobatics 7 (+9), Close Combat: Unarmed 3 (+6), Deception 7 (+10), Expertise: Business 5 (+7), Expertise: Civics 4 (+6), Insight 4 (+5), Investigation 4 (+6), Perception 7 (+8), Persuasion 8 (+11), Ranged Combat: Meta-Taser 2 (+5), Stealth 5 (+7), Technology 4 (+6), Vehicles 4 (+7).

Offense:
Initiative +6
Unarmed +6 (Close Damage 2)
Meta-Taser +9 (Ranged Fortitude 5)

Defenses:
Dodge 8, Parry 6, Fortitude 4, Toughness 6/4/2, Will 5

Totals:
Abilities 36 + Powers 4 + Advantages 26 + Skills 32 + Defenses 14 = 112 points

Offensive PL: 7
Defensive PL: 7
Resistance PL: 5
Skill PL: 6

Complications:
Responsibility--Motivation. Reputation (thrillseeking jerk.) Secret.

[greycrusader]

Two VERY well-crafted backstories for Max Ryan and Sparrow! If you ever do prose fiction, I'd love to read more about their exploits. I can easily envisage both as protagonists in a number of genres-cyberpunk (or psi-punk, in the case of Sparrow), urban fantasy-noir, neo-pulp, techno-or ghost-centered horror. Well done.

All my best.

PS: I'm afraid I've lost the thread a bit though...how many known parallels are there in the setting? I recall the primary World More Magical, the World More Grim, the World Closer to the End, and the World More Sorcerous, but fear I'm forgetting a few.

[Davies]

There's the World That Burned (this is the Twilight 2000 inspired world where Nephren-Ka originated), the World of the Broken Moon (Elfquest reimagined as a cheap swords and sorcery movie), the World Turned Upside Down (straightforward historical divergence that produced Travis Ritter) and the World of a Thousand Tiny Suns (Micronauts as Star Trek rather than Star Wars.) There's also the world where the Sprawl originally existed, a "deeper" historical divergence parallel (the Armada conquered England, and --) that never had superheroes.

The World Too Far may exist somewhere in this continuity as well.

And thank you, of course!

[Davies]

"Cog" Cosgrave


Born in 1961, Anthony Cosgrave has always faintly regretted having been just a bit too old for the people who were recruiting for the first Think Tanks in his area. He suspects his life could have gone down some very different paths. Well, that was the way it was, and things probably worked out for the best regardless. Instead of that life, he followed family tradition and enlisted in the army right after graduation, quickly demonstrating a talent for electronics. He wound up assigned to a unit testing a new generation of laser rifles, offering insights into how to improve their designs.

Those insights were probably what led to him being tapped for the Joint Special Operations Task Force when it was formed in 1982. Cosgrave was not quite as happy about that as he might have been; while patriotic, he was all too aware of all the potential risks that someone using the current version of the laser rifle was running, most notably the likelihood that a stray shot would damage its gas supply and kill the operator. Nevertheless, the operator codenamed Beam stolidly did his duty and kept his griping to a minimum.

However, as the laser rifle began to be replaced by the blaster rifle, which had fewer safety issues, Cosgrave let out a sigh of relief. He was also comforted when he was promoted to a more administrative role in the Task Force in 1987, training other operators and working to improve their equipment. Of course, that led to other sorrows, such as when his students came back injured or not at all. It also meant that he was not part of the Mars mission, which he profoundly regretted.

Eventually, the Insurgency came to its bloody end, and Cosgrave, having obtained his Engineering degree, was discharged from the army in 1995. He considered the job offer he received from the R&D department of Argus Security, but some gut instinct told him that it was a bad idea. Instead, he went into business for himself, establishing a small technology firm in his home town of Lodi. The business went through a lot of ups and downs over the next decade, but he was mostly happy, though "Cog" (a nickname he acquired from his interest in steampunk fashion in the late 90s, something that no longer really interests him) would never have admitted to that.

In 2008, he had his first real adventure (aside from his old job) when Duck Junior frantically sought out help from someone able to help repair his friend Hardhead, which naturally led to him fighting against the people who had inflicted the injuries in the first place. The experience was a thrilling one -- though of course he complained the whole time -- and it made Cog realize that his life had been pretty dull and boring for the last little while. While adventure and excitement was supposed to be the province of the young and immature, he decided that he wanted to be young at heart. Besides, old age and treachery and skill had to be a completely unbeatable combination.

So began his new career as a freelance tech specialist for hire, frequently employed by superhero groups who lacked a gearhead of his own. In the last few years, as Cosgrave has entered his sixties, he has started to slow down a bit, but has decided to keep going until he absolutely cannot. However, he accepts only those job offers that really interest him, such as the long-term contract to keep the Zero suit in working order, or his (secret and unwritten) agreement with the Argus agents in St. Louis to help disarm the bombs installed by the Combination when they have all been identified.

Cog Cosgrave -- PL 7

Abilities:
STR 0 | STA 1 | AGL 1 | DEX 3 | FGT 4 | INT 7 | AWE 4 | PRE 2

Powers:
Goggles: Immunity 2 (visual sensory afflictions); Senses 6 (direction sense, distance sense, tracking infravision, microscopic vision, time sense); Removable (-2 point) - 6 points
Jolter: Array (10 points); Easily Removable (-4 points)

• Dazzling Jolt: Ranged Cumulative Affliction 5 (Resisted by Dodge, Overcome by Fortitude; Visually Impaired, Visually Disabled, Visually Unaware), Limited to One Sense - 10 point
• Electric Jolt: Ranged Damage 5 - 10 points
• Stunning Jolt: Ranged Affliction 5 (Resisted by Fortitude; Dazed, Stunned, Incapacitated) - 1 point

Advantages:
Benefit 2 (independently wealthy), Defensive Roll, Equipment 6, Improvised Tools, Inventor, Jack-of-all-Trades, Power Attack, Ranged Attack 3, Skill Mastery (Technology), Speed of Thought.

Equipment:
Smartphone, concealed body armor (Protection 2, Subtle), and 25 points of equipment as needed.

Skills:
Deception 7 (+9), Expertise: Pop Culture 4 (+11), Expertise: Science 5 (+12), Expertise: Streetwise 3 (+10), Insight 3 (+7), Intimidation 6 (+8), Perception 4 (+8), Ranged Attack: Jolter 3 (+6), Technology 5 (+12).

Offense:
Initiative +7
Unarmed +4 (Close Damage 0)
Electric Jolt +9 (Ranged Damage 5)
Dazzling Jolt +9 (Ranged Affliction 5, Resisted by Dodge)
Stunning Jolt +9 (Ranged Fortitude 5)

Defense:
Dodge 6, Parry 4, Fortitude 3, Toughness 5/3/1, Will 9.

Totals:
Abilities 44 + Powers 14 + Advantages 18 + Skills 20 + Defenses 12 = 108 points

Offensive PL: 7
Defensive PL: 6
Resistance PL: 6
Skill PL: 7

Complications:
Professionalism--Motivation. Curmudgeon. Elderly.

It's alright, it's okay,
It doesn't really matter if you're old and grey.
It's alright, I say, it's okay,
Listen to what I say.

[Davies]

I will be taking a break to spend time with my family for the next twenty days, planning to return on January 6. I'll still be available to discuss this thread. Season's Greetings to you all.

[Davies]

Fancy Arviss


The woman presently using the alias Fancy Arviss was first officially recorded under the name Racquel Rabinovich in 1991, when she was hired by the Carter Detective Agency. At the time, she claimed to be twenty-four years of age, and to have been born on Staten Island. Her name, date and place of birth would all be demonstrated to be lies, but not until fifteen years had passed; at the time, everything that she claimed about herself held up to official inquiry. Quoting a somewhat notorious American operative, she once stated, "The political opinions of an agent are those of the job at hand ... as is everything else about them." Identity included, it would seem.

"Rabinovich" was still employed by Carter in 1999, when it was bought out by Argus Security; she was one of the handful of its employees to be recruited for the agency, and it has been speculated that she might have been unofficially recruited sometime before that. Quickly rising in the ranks until she was an agent under the personal supervision of Director General Billie Zane, she would become one of the few members of her circle to be neither deceased nor captured in the aftermath of the attempted coup in 2006. The fact that she was in the wind, and in possession of a disturbing number of Argus secrets, made her an extremely high priority target, since Zane herself and most of the other members of that conspiracy were believed dead.

Of course, after this was discovered to be a feint in 2008, that priority was lowered, but "Rabinovich" -- by that point using the alias Erica Meyers -- remained on the list, especially after the extent of her deceptions was also discovered. Finally captured in 2013, after Saturn operations in St. Louis were disrupted by the rise of the Combination, it was planned that she would be briefly interviewed by Argus personnel, telepathically scrubbed of any sensitive information, and then turned over to the FBI for further processing.

It did not happen that way. The first words out of her mouth at the start of her interview were a code phrase included in the first report of a deep cover agent within Saturn who had been reporting directly to Shannon Hazzard; Rabinovich/Meyers was now revealed to have been that agent. She had not been captured, but had seized the opportunity to arrange her extraction from Saturn, as another of Zane's inner circle had been on the verge of discovering her treachery. Everything she claimed checked out, and Argus arranged for her to receive a new identity under the new alias Fancy Arviss.

While required to make herself available for consultation by Argus agents whenever information about Saturn's activities (or other matters) is needed, most of Arviss' time is her own. She has responded to these circumstances by becoming a mercenary who works effectively pro bono, contacted through online methods and personally vetting her clientele. While willing and able to employ violence in the pursuit of these activities, her preference is to manipulate the opposition into self-destruction.

However, recent discoveries may be bringing about a change in the arrangement that Arviss has had with Argus up until this point. While sorting through some old files 'liberated' from a certain branch of British intelligence, while assembling a report concerning the gradual vampiric takeover of the United Kingdom, a photograph depicting Rabinovich/Meyers/Arviss was discovered ... dating from the mid-1960s, and looking exactly as she does today. When asked about the matter, she offered neither excuses nor explanations, but simply inquired as to the health of Dame Beatrice Barrowman.

Fancy Arviss -- PL 7

Abilities:
STR 0 | STA 1 | AGL 2 | DEX 2 | FGT 5 | INT 6 | AWE 4 | PRE 3.

Powers:
Longevity: Immunity 1 (aging) - 1 point

Advantages:
Attractive, Benefit 4 (cipher 2, independently wealthy), Connected, Contacts, Defensive Roll, Eidetic Memory, Equipment 8, Evasion 2, Fearless 2, Languages 3 (Several, [Russian is probably native]), Ranged Attack 3, Speed of Thought, Ultimate Effort 3 (Deception, Insight, Persuasion), Well-Informed.

Equipment:
Blaster (Ranged Damage 5), Body Armor (Protection 2, Subtle) and 27 other points of equipment as needed.

Skills:
Close Combat: Unarmed 2 (+7), Deception 9 (+12), Expertise: Civics 5 (+11), Expertise: Streewise 3 (+9), Intimidation 6 (+9), Insight 7 (+11), Investigation 4 (+10), Perception 5 (+9), Persuasion 6 (+9), Ranged Attack: Blaster 4 (+6), Stealth 6 (+8), Technology 2 (+8), Vehicles 5 (+7).

Offense:
Initiative +6
Unarmed +7 (Close Damage 0)
Blaster +9 (Ranged Damage 5)

Defense:
Dodge 9, Parry 7, Fortitude 4, Toughness 5/1, Will 10.

Totals:
Abilities 46 + Power 1 + Advantages 32 + Skills 32 + Defense 18 = 129 points.

Offensive PL: 7
Defensive PL: 7
Resistance PL: 7
Skill PL: 7

Complications:
Justice (Or Something Like That)--Motivation. Secrets (many.)

[Daibhid C]

Everything she claimed checked out, and Argus arranged for her to receive a new identity under the new alias Fancy Arviss.

Maybe I'm overly suspicous, but everything she claimed about being born on Staten Island also checked out at the time...

[Davies]

Everything she claimed checked out, and Argus arranged for her to receive a new identity under the new alias Fancy Arviss.

Maybe I'm overly suspicous, but everything she claimed about being born on Staten Island also checked out at the time...

They were much more exacting this time, though given what's been discovered since, perhaps you're right that they still weren't exacting enough ...

[Davies]

Bezenst

Disguised form. In normal form, Bezenst resembles a normal member of their species.

"Heaven has no rage like a love to hatred turned," is a proverb well-known in the Imperium. (It is also part of a phrase known on Earth, by an odd coincidence.) But what few consider is what sort of rage might be inspired by a hatred turned to love. Or whether the indifference that is the edge of this particular coin might inspire something else again.

Prior to her first brush with notoriety, some forty years* ago, no one expected much of Hahlana Haiwright, then in the first year of her enlistment with the Crimson Imperium Marines. She had not been noted as possessing any unusual talents during her training, and it seemed most likely that she would spend her life in the service of the Imperium long before she would be released from service, and that she would not be missed. And then, through some quirk of good fortune or quick wits, she became the lone survivor of the first contact between the Imperium and the Hivers.

In the aftermath, she was made into a hero of the Imperium, which had its perks but was not something she really enjoyed, particularly the way that others kept turning to her for advice and counsel about how to contain the creatures. As her advice was always the same -- "If you even suspect that they might be somewhere, bombard the site from orbit." -- she found herself frustrated that it was rarely if ever heeded, and that her services were often called upon to deal with infestations in a much less efficient and much more dangerous manner. Hahlana always survived. Others were not so fortunate, and she came to be viewed as a jinx, of sorts.

After about a decade* of this, she was finally rotated to a different sort of assignment, though one she expected to enjoy even less: protection detail for the heir to the Crimson King and his new bride. She imagined that the young prince would be a spoiled, decadent cad, and his wife a petulant shrew. She was surprised to find him a kind, gentle creature who dreamed of making the Imperium a more just place, and her almost as strong-willed as Hahlana herself, but better-humored. She was definitely surprised to fall in love with them, and pledge her allegiance to their plans to reform the Imperium.

But no sooner had she done that than her history once more came calling, with her recruited for one more bughunt. She was suspicious about the timing, concerned that her relationship with them might have been discovered. But there was no real opportunity to discover the truth, for it was time for her to discover that even heroes of the Imperium cannot choose which battles they will win, and that this is why all of them die in the end. Hahlana Haiwright found herself infected by a fresh Hiver egg, and failed in her attempt to end her own life before the warrior was born from her. She died alone and afraid.

And then a remarkable thing happened, both due to the remarkable determination of this latest victim of the Hive and to the death of its queen at nearly the same moment that the warrior emerged. All Hiver warriors are able to call up memories of their prior existence to assist in creating their disguise, but this warrior possessed all of the memories of Hahlana, and had none of the normal Hiver urges to protect or expand the Hive. They successfully hid from the survivors of the assault, and found a way off the asteroid where they had been born, traveling to a nearby inhabited planet and hiding themselves there. Eventually, they named themselves Bezenst, after the Imperium Standard word for the disease known elsewhere as rabies.

While Bezenst has no interest in rebuilding their original Hive nor in creating a new one -- possible by stealing the reputed "royal jelly" from another Hive -- they also have no remaining loyalty to their original species or nation. Whatever remained vanished after learning that her prince and princess had died. They travel across the Imperium, striving to stay at least one step ahead of the Inquisition and the Border Patrol task force that hunts Hivers. Bezenst invariably kills beings who discover their true nature or seem likely to do so, but is not otherwise cruel or malicious. The worst that could be said is that they are utterly indifferent to the lives of any other creature.

With one exception. If Bezenst were ever to learn about the existence and activities of Shaitan Topaz, the daughter of that royal couple, all the loyalty that Hahlana possessed would return in force. And the Imperium would learn the fury of a chilling indifference turned to love.

Bezenst -- PL 12

Abilities:
STR 8 | STA 6 | AGL 3 | DEX 4 | FGT 12 | INT 2 | AWE 4 | PRE 1

Powers:
Alien Movement: Movement 3 (slithering, wall-crawling 2); Speed 2 (8 MPH) - 8 points
Alien Senses: Senses 2 (accurate tracking hearing) - 3 points
Armored Chitin: Immunity 11 (corrosive blood, life support); Protection 4 - 15 points
Corrosive Blood: Reaction Burst Area Damage 7 (triggered by lethal damage), Secondary Effect - 42 points
Dance in the Skin of an Enemy: Morph 1 (original Chiraben appearance), Standard Action - 3 points
Teeth and Claws: Strength-based Damage 3 - 3 points
Translator Implant: Comprehend Languages 2 (understand all languages, speak any language) - 6 points
Voice of the Hive: Mental Communication 3, Limited to Hivers - 9 points

Advantages:
All-out Attack, Equipment 15, Fearless, Hide in Plain Sight, Improved Grab, Improved Initiative, Improved Trip, Move-by Action, Power Attack, Set-up, Startle, Teamwork.

Equipment:
Blaster Rifle (Ranged Damage 8), Starship (see below.)

Skills:
Athletics 2 (+10), Deception 8 (+9), Expertise: Galactic 6 (+8), Expertise: Military 6 (+8), Intimidation 6 (+7), Insight 6 (+9), Perception 7 (+11), Ranged Combat: Blaster 6 (+10), Stealth 5 (+7), Vehicles 4 (+8).

Offense:
Initiative +7
Unarmed +12 (Close Damage 8)
Teeth and Claws +12 (Close Damage 11)
Blaster Rifle +10 (Ranged Damage 8)
Corrosive Blood -- (Burst Area Damage 7, when takes lethal damage)

Defense:
Dodge 10, Parry 12, Fortitude 9, Toughness 10, Will 13

Totals:
Abilities 80 + Powers 99 + Advantages 26 + Skills 18 + Defenses 19 = 242 points

Offensive PL: 12
Defensive PL: 11
Resistance PL: 11
Skill PL: 6

Complications:
Survival--Motivation. Family (Shaitan Topaz.)* Hunted by the Imperium. Secret Identity.

* Eventually.


Heavily Modified Moshambik-class Freighter - 59 points

Size Gargantuan; Strength 12; Speed 12 (air/space); Defense 6; Toughness 13
Features:
Autopilot (+4), Communications, Computer Living Space, Navigation System, Remote Control.
Powers:
Guns: Ranged Damage 9 - 18 points
Hyperspace Drive: Movement 2 (space travel 2) - 4 points

[Davies]

Daygleam


Before the rise of the Crmson King, many worlds that joined the Imperium negotiated the terms of their annexation to allow themselves considerable local autonomy. The treaties guaranteeing this are more honored in the breach than the observance in the contemporary Imperium, but there are still examples that have endured up to this point. One of them is to be found on the planet Kinbasran and its surrounding solar system, where law enforcement is still in the hands of a local agency, whose name might best be translated into English as "the Alluminati."

While the majority of the personnel belonging to the Alluminati are mundane law enforcement officers, the organiation is better known for its group of transhuman operatives, numbering less than a hundred. These agents undergo extensive cyborg modification, replacing more than 70% of their body with machinery that permits transatmospheric flight and facilitates operations in environments ranging from the depths of the sea to the void of space. In order to preserve the sanity of these "Silvertwins", they typically retain a biological face and possibly a hand, as well, though all these are protected by physical shielding or force fields, and do not constitute a vulnerability in the system.

While the Alluminati remain the primary law enforcement agency within their star system, this frequently results in contact and conflict with the Inquisition and other agencies within the larger Imperium. In order to smooth over a recent conflict, the leaders of the Alluminati consented to a proposal made by the Crimson King, and sent one of their best operatives to Taranta to join the recently formed Scarlet Knights. Tassio Hu'lukai, aka Daygleam, was selected for this mission due to his reputation for efficiency and incorruptiblity, and hopes to teach these traits to his fellow "Knights".

At least, that is how Tassio chooses to interpret his current situation. The truth of the matter is that the Alluminati is possibly even more corrupt than the Inquisition, which takes some doing. Daygleam had repeatedly demonstrated a refusal to cooperate with this corruption, the extent of which is beyond his understanding, and also a perverse luck in avoiding the lethal consequences of such refusal. He was indeed sent to the Scarlet Knights because of his reputation, but in a negative sense; his superiors wanted him out of the way, and the "proposal" (for which read demand) from the Crimson King came at exactly the right time.

Since joining the Scarlet Knights, Daygleam has quickly become disenchanted with his new companions. Many of them seem as corrupt as the worst of his former fellow officers, some are frankly insane, and many others are distressingly brutal. However, he sees no opportunity to escape from this situation that is consistent with his oath of service, and so will remain there for the foreseeable future, a weak link within the organization ...

... which is exactly what he was designed to be. The Crimson King fully expects this virtuous champion to be attracted to the more noble spirits within the superpower community of Earth when the Scarlet Knights are dispatched there. He fully expects that Daygleam will defect when he has the opportunity. And when he does, one of the more trustworthy members of the Scarlet Knights will detonate the explosive device added to his systems when the Alluminatus joined, eliminating him and possibly several of the defenders of Earth at the same time.

Daygleam -- PL 11

Abilities:
STR 7 | STA 8 | AGL 6 | DEX 4 | FGT 8 | INT 1 | AWE 4/2 | PRE 3

Powers:
Cybernetics: Enhanced Awareness 2; Enhanced Advantages 2 (Improved Initiative 2); Enhanced Defenses 10 (Dodge 5, Parry 5); Flight 12 (8000 MPH), Winged; Immunity 10 (life support); Impervious Toughness 8; Movement 1 (space travel 1); Senses 7 (Accurate and Extended Hearing, Analytical and Extended Vision, Darkvision) - 55 points
Space Adapted: Movement 1 (environmental adaptation-zero gravity) - 2 points

Advantages:
Agile Feint, All-out Attack, Equipment 4, Favored Environment (vacuum), Fearless, Improved Critical (unarmed), Power Attack, Skill Mastery (Perception), Ranged Attack 3, Takedown, Tracking.

Equipment:
Wrist-mounted Blaster (Ranged Damage 5), and 10 points of equipment as needed.

Skills:
Acrobatics 5 (+11), Athletics 5 (+12), Close Combat: Unarmed 5 (+13), Expertise: Galactic 8 (+9), Insight 4 (+8/+6), Perception 6 (+10/+8), Ranged Combat: Blaster 6 (+10), Stealth 5 (+11), Technology 6 (+7), Vehicles 6 (+10).

Offense:
Initiative +14
Unarmed +13 (Close Damage 7, Crit 19-20)
Blaster +13 (Ranged Damage 5)

Defense:
Dodge 11/6, Parry 13/8, Fortitude 10, Toughness 8, Will 8/6

Totals:
Abilities 78 + Powers 57 + Advantages 16 + Skills 28 + Defenses 6 = 182 points

Offensive PL: 10
Defensive PL: 11
Resistance PL: 9
Skill PL: 7

Complications:
Duty--Motivation. Out of His Depth. Temper.

[Davies]

Gangstar Prime


Even in the Crimson Imperium, where most of the underworld is firmly under the sway of the Augrah crime syndicate, there are still independent operators who have managed, through cunning and might, to carve out relatively small domains for themselves. Perhaps the most notorious and certainly the most visually striking of these, is the entity known as Gangstar Prime. (That is an English translation of his Imperium Standard name, but the pun, oddly, works in both languages.) While most of his interests are on Kinbasran, where he has the local authorities bought and paid for, he supervises criminal activities in a number of nearby systems, traveling in a unique, humanoid-shaped starship of unknown manufacture.

Little is definitely known about the origins of this entity. He is believed to have his origins on Aunshai, a planet devastated by the incursions of Galactor, and may be a mutant. Inquisition records state (with certainty if not much supporting evidence) that he was a young adult when he began working as a mercenary for the Augrah crime lord Auttel, some fifty years* ago. There is an account which claims that Auttel hired him to prove that he could create the perfect criminal from this raw material.

If that is the case, Auttel had ample reasons to regret that claim, as it took the Gangstar a bit more than a decade* to eclipse him, betray him, frame him and arrange for his incarceration and death behind bars, seizing control of his rackets on Kinbasran and fighting other Augrah for control of the illicit trade on nearby worlds. Shortly afterwards, he obtained the robotic vehicle that he currently uses as a mobile headquarters, possibly constructed by an exiled Yusei scientist in a foundry on the moon of Kinbasran, as some stories would suggest.

It has been at least two decades since anyone has seen Gangstar Prime (as he is now known, with any trace of a previous name long forgotten) in person. He communicates with his employees only through video communication, and with rivals and enemies only through the actions of those employees -- or more rarely through his own actions undertaken against them. Even these actions are always performed by his robot. There are whispers that he has lost the might that once terrified those who opposed him.

Those rumors are untrue, but cover a deeper problem. Fundamentally, the Gangstar is paranoid and something of a coward, convinced that the many enemies he has made during his rise to power are uniting against him. This is a nonsensical fear, as most of them despise each other as much or more than they despise him. Nevertheless, he hides within his robot, taking comfort in its impervious armor, and has spent vast sums to make it nigh-impossible for anyone to enter it without his permission. If someone were to do so anyway, he might collapse in a panic ... or overcome his fears and once again become the terror he once was.

Gangstar Prime-- PL 13

Abilities:
STR 13 | STA 13 | AGL 3 | DEX 2 | FGT 9 | INT 6 | AWE 5 | PRE 7

Powers:
Might of the Mobstar: Enhanced Strength 5, Limited to lifting only (6 kilotons); Impervious Toughness 9; Leaping 5 (250 feet), Speed 5 (60 MPH) - 24 points
Translator Circuit: Comprehend Languages 2 - 6 points

Advantages:
All-Out Attack, Benefit 6 (Crimelord, Billionaire), Connected, Contacts, Equipment 40, Set-Up, Well-Informed.

Equipment:
Giant Robot (see below).

Skills:
Deception 6 (+13), Expertise: Criminal 8 (+14), Expertise: Galactic 4 (+10), Insight 7 (+12), Intimidation 6 (+13), Perception 4 (+9),
Persuasion 6 (+13), Ranged Combat: Reaction Cannon 6 (+8), Vehicles 9 (+11).

Offense:
Initiative +3
Unarmed +9 (Close Damage 13)
Robot Arms +9 (Close Damage 16)
Reaction Cannon +8 (Ranged Damage 12 and Ranged Burst Damage 9)

Defense:
Dodge 7, Parry 9, Fortitude 13, Toughness 13, Will 9.

Totals:
Abilities 116 + Powers 30 + Advantages 51 + Skills 28 + Defenses 8 = 233 points

Offensive PL: 13
Defensive PL: 11
Resistance PL: 11
Skill PL: 9

Complications:
Greed--Motivation. Enemies (oh so many.) Paranoia. Temper.

Giant Robot -- 197 points


Size Colossal; Strength 16; Speed 12 (space only); Defense 6; Toughness 16.
Features Communications, Computer, Living Quarters, Security System 3 (DC 30)
Powers:
Anti-Teleport Defenses: Perception Range Nullify Teleportation 15, Reaction (attempt to teleport inside the robot); Senses 9 (accurate extended teleport awareness counters all concealment) - 84 points
Manipulator Arms: Extra Limbs 2 - 2 points
Fortification: Impervious Toughness 16 - 16 points
Reaction Cannons: Linked Ranged Damage 12; Linked Ranged Burst Area Damage 9 - 51 points
Star Drive: Movement 2 (space travel 2) - 4 points
Walker: Speed 2 (8 MPH) as an Alternate Effect of Flight - 1 point

[Davies]

Hanom the Gray


In the Earth year 1989, while exploring the spinward regions of the Technate, the TSV Adventure detected a weak distress signal and investigated, discovering a large spacecraft of what appeared to be Albadine origin moving at slower-than-light velocities. Boarding the vessel revealed it to be a sleeper ship, equipped with hundreds of suspended animation capsules, most of which had failed during the voyage. Only one of the passengers could be safely awakened; once communication was facilitated, he identified himself as Hanom the Gray, a soldier and commander of soldiers, and estimated that he had been in suspended animation for approximately fifteen hundred years*.

As this date, which was consistent with what could be discovered from examinations of the ship, placed his origins during the hypothetical era of the Albadine Empire, the historical department of the Adventure was keen to learn as much as they could from this living artifact. To their surprise, however, Hanom insisted that there had been no such Empire, but rather a large number of competing Albadine-ruled states which had employed him and his army as mercenary soldiers. Subsequent events would lead to him being labeled as an extremely unreliable source about his era, but his original, blunt statement on this subject is still sometimes cited in arguments on the topic, strengthening the school of thought which views the Albadine Empire as a myth.

Regardless, Hanom was quite willing to discuss these matters, particularly with a young historian of his own species, who ended up revealing far more about the workings of the Adventure and her crewmates than she learned from him. Eventually, Hanom seized the opportunity to hijack the ship, employing his psychic powers to hypnotize key personnel into obeying his commands. He was nearly successful, only suffering a reversal when he attempted to dominate Commander Deleh Massovy and failed due to her immunity. This distracted him enough that Commander Hayez and other members of the crew were able to defeat and incapacitate him.

Hayez was then left with the problem of what to do with his captive. Hanom absolutely refused to submit himself to psychological reconditioning in a Technate facility, and Hayez recorded in his personal log that he had concerns that the Albadine warrior would manage to seize control of any such organization. Eventually, a compromise was reached whereby the Adventure would transport Hanom to a world he identified as his home planet and maroon him there. On arriving in orbit around this planet, located within the Unclaimed Regions, it was discovered that this planet was currently home to what appeared to be several thriving Garkun settlements.

Despite this, Hanom insisted that he wished this planet for his final disposition. The historian who had assisted him offered to join him in this exile, but he -- with apparently sincere regret -- refused her, claiming that the path he was now walking was too grim and uncertain to walk with anyone else. Before departing, he offered one final bit of information, claiming that the species currently resident on this planet were not Garkun, but rather the Garbadine, hybrids of the Albadine and Garkun -- or rather, the original species from which they were both descended. He offered no proof of this, either, and it has been discounted by most scholars of Albadine history.

In the last decade*, the Unclaimed Regions have seen a upswing in piracy, committed by these so-called Garbadine soldiers and led by an individual who matches the description of Hanom the Gray. There are some accounts which suggest that he is slowly building a new stellar nation in this region. The Cosmic Intelligence Agency considers him a serious threat to the stability of the region, and have attempted to eliminate him on several occasions, failing each time. They may be forced to recruit more potent aid to deal with this problem in the future.

The greatest weakness Hanom suffers may be his tendency to brood, retreating to reflect on his situation and what has led to it. Any failure in his schemes, however momentary or trivial, can trigger such a reaction, leaving him slow to react to changing circumstances. The situation on the Adventure, with his inability to psychically influence Massovy, is a good demonstration. It might be possible to trick him into believing that he has failed, with this tendency then opening up the possibility of a genuine defeat. However, fooling him is no easy task.

As for the historian who assisted him, Denev Arakete, she was returned to Muraddin and court martialed for her role in this hijacking, ultimately drummed out of the Agency and returning to civilian life, and gave birth to a daughter late that year*. She has never discussed the father of her child with that child, who has also entered the TSA and risen higher than her mother ever did, currently assigned to Station X-11 in the Sol system ...

Hanom the Gray - PL 13

Abilities:
STR 13/8 | STA 13/8 | AGL 3 | DEX 5 | FGT 11 | INT 4 | AWE 3 | PRE 6

Powers:
Basic Telepathy: Mental Communication 2; Comprehend Languages 2 - 14 points
Longevity: Immunity 1 (aging); Immunity 2 (disease, poison), Limited to Half-effect - 2 points
Mental Powers: Array (40 points)

• Hypnosis: Perception Range Cumulative Affliction 13 (Resisted by Will; Dazed, Compelled, Controlled), Insidious, Vision Dependent - 40 points
• Physical Enhancement: Enhanced Stamina 5; Enhanced Strength 5; Sustained Impervious Toughness 10; Sustained Regeneration 10 - 1 point
• Psychic Probe: Cumulative Mind-Reading 13, Subtle - 1 point
• Psychokinesis: Perception Range Move Object 13, Subtle - 1 point

Shielded Mind: Impervious Will 12, Limited to mental effects - 6 points

Advantages:
Defensive Attack, Fearless, Improved Initiative, Inspire 2, Leadership, Power Attack, Startle, Teamwork, Trance, Ultimate Effort (Will resistance), Uncanny Dodge.

Skills:
Deception 4 (+10), Expertise: Galactic 4 (+8), Expertise: Military 6 (+10), Insight 10 (+13), Intimidation 7 (+13), Perception 6 (+9), Persuasion 6 (+12), Technology 7 (+11), Vehicles 6 (+11).

Offense:
Initiative +7
Unarmed +11 (Close Damage 13/8)
Hypnosis -- (Perception Range Will 13)

Defense:
Dodge 9, Parry 11, Fortitude 13/8, Toughness 13/8, Will 13.

Totals:
Abilities 96 + Powers 65 + Advantages 12 + Skills 28 + Defenses 16 = 217 points

Offensive PL: 13
Defensive PL: 12
Resistance PL: 13
Skill PL: 8

Complications:
Power--Motivation. Brooding Tendencies.

Note: His Garvadine soldiers are minions equivalent to Garkun Warriors, but remove their Sidekick advantage and Mindlink powers and add Basic Telepathy (as above) instead; also increase their INT to 1 and add Expertise (Military) 4 (+5) and Technology 4 (+5).

[Davies]

Martian Overmind


The current Martian Overmind, sole ruler of their species, only rose to their current position roughly half a century ago. Prior to that, they were just one of the first Martian Masterminds to have led troops on a raid against Earth -- not the first, not the one who commanded the raid on Duryea. That lack of primacy gives them something of a complex, and informs a number of the choices that they have made during their rule.

Their ascent began after the entity known as the Super Wizard launched what appeared to be a major assault against the headquarters of the former Overmind, then located in what humans refer to as the Utopia impact crater on Mars. The Overmind survived, but only because the Super Wizard seemed distracted, and the episode provoked what could be termed a vote of non-confidence among the Masterminds. Essentially, the Overmind was required to use their psychic mind control abilities against each of the Masterminds in turn; should any of them prove resistant to them, the resistant Mastermind would be elevated to become the new Overmind.

Of course, this was not a test of will alone, but also of cunning, for each of the Masterminds possessed techniques that (they believed) would assist their resistance, and each of them sought to sabotage the techniques used by the others. The current Overmind believes that they succeeded in sabotaging all of the others while preserving their own, but is not completely certain. The possibility that they rose only because someone decided, for unfathomable reasons, to throw the competition, is one that haunts them.

Regardless, the former Overmind acknowledged their victory, and administered the hormone treatments that transformed them into a new Overmind, possessing vast psychic powers but a diminished body. They then assisted the former Overmind to commit suicide, breathing a sigh of relief that the tradition of former Overminds attempting to psychically transfer their consciousnesses into their successors had fallen into disfavor generations earlier. (At least, they were relieved initially. Now they wonder whether they could have withstood such an assault, whether the fact that they were never tested in that way indicates some weakness on their part.)

Now the new Overmind was left with the decision about what to do about Earth. As their monitoring of the planet revealed that the Super-Wizard had apparently departed the planet for unfathomable reasons, they decided to continue the raids, but urged greater caution on the parts of their Mastermind followers than in the past. They also chose to entertain contact with Vaskhane for the first time, trading Martian psi-electronic technology for improved "cold" tech that could enhance their weapons and vehicles. Both decisions caused grumbling from the Masterminds, but no challenge. Not yet.

The alliance with Vaskhane eventually led to an arranged meeting on Mars between Vaskhane and a human faction, which the Overmind regarded with distaste. Nevertheless, they agreed to participate, and were horrified when another human faction attacked Mars, in cooperation with the blasted Aqueroddi! Immense damage was done to their fortress at Cydonia, and they themselves were wounded. For months, all the Martians hid beneath their fortresses, certain that the nuclear retaliation they had feared for decades was finally upon them.

It never materialized. Not even after two decades, when humans actually intervened to prevent a different alien from attacking Mars, which sent the Martians back beneath their fortresses once again. The Overmind eventually came to the conclusion that these strange beings from another world were never going to take their richly-deserved vengeance. How utterly bewildering!

Unfortunately, this leads to the conclusion that they owe Earth a debt of gratitude. The raids cannot resume until that debt is repaid, and this is causing considerable strains among the Martians -- the youngest Masterminds are untested, and the population of the troopers is exceeding the resources needed to feed them. Obviously, there is no question that the raids must resume; the notion of peaceful coexistence is utterly ridiculous. But how to repay that debt? The Overmind must find a way and soon, or face a vote of non-confidence of their own -- and they are not sanguine about their ability to triumph there, either.

Martian Overmind -- PL 11

Abilities:
STR -2 | STA 4 | AGL -2 | DEX -1 | FGT -2 | INT 11 | AWE 5 | PRE 3

Powers:
Mind Field: Sustained Impervious Will 12, Limited to Mental Powers - 6 points
Psychokinetic Shield: Sustained Immunity 10 (life support); Sustained Impervious Protection 10 - 30 points
Telepathic Basics: Selective Area Mental Communication 4 [planetary], Limited (only level 3 [national] with non-Martians) - 23 points
Telepathic Techniques: Array (44 points)

• Implant Image: Illusion 11 (all senses), Insidious, Limited to One Subject, Dynamic - 45 points
• Dominate Mind: Perception Range Cumulative Affliction 11 (Resisted and Overcome by Will; Entranced, Compelled, Controlled), Dynamic - 2 points
• Invade Thoughts: Cumulative Effortless Mind Reading 11, Dynamic - 2 points
• Mass Domination: Burst Area 3 (500 foot radius) Affliction 11 (Resisted and Overcome by Will; Entranced, Compelled, Controlled), Dynamic - 2 points
• Psychic Blast: Perception Range Damage 11, Resisted by Will, Dynamic - 2 points

Vast Intellect: Comprehend Languages 2 (speak and understand); Quickness 8, Limited to Mental Tasks - 10 points

Advantages:
Assessment, Benefit (ruler of Mars), Eidetic Memory, Equipment X, Jack-of-all-trades, Seize Initiative, Second Chance (resistance to mind control), Speed of Thought, Well-informed.

Skills:
Deception 7 (+10), Expertise: Galactic 2 (+13), Expertise: Military 3 (+14), Expertise: Science 3 (+14), Insight 7 (+12), Intimidation 8 (+11), Investigation 4 (+15), Perception 8 (+13).

Offense:
Initiative +11
Unarmed -2 (Close Damage -2)
Psychic Blast -- (Perception Range Damage 11, Resisted by Will
Dominate Mind -- (Perception Range Will 11)

Defense:
Dodge 2, Parry 1, Fortitude 7, Toughness 14, Will 15

Totals:
Abilities 34 + Powers 122 + Advantages 8 + Skills 21 + Defenses 20 = 205 points

Offensive PL: 11
Defensive PL: 8
Resistance PL: 11
Skill PL: 10

Complications:
Power--Motivation. Deep-seated Insecurities. Sessile (no movement without dedicated equipment.) Weakness (dies in Earth atmosphere without protection.)