Almacia

Overview

Archetype

The Construct

"It must be nice having a family."

They built you. You had no family, instead having a personality constructed via rapid brain imprinting. Your first memory is waking up, wet and naked, to see a lab full of people who looked at you like a tool. You were constructed for a purpose. You were programmed to do something well, whether that was combat, research, infiltration, whatever.

Question: What were you built for? Are you still doing it? Or did you evolve beyond your specifications?

"I am a clone of Catherine Nichols, designed to serve as an organic component of a warship and Void Engineer-reliable replacement for Iteration X-provided AIs. Which, just for your information, I am way better than. I'd like to see one of those beep-boop computers handle n-dimensional void translations like I can... oh, wait, they can't. Because they suck. Oh, and I was also meant to have my genesource's strange talent for avoiding the Dimensional Anomaly, but... um, well, I might develop it later!"

Primary: Enhancements 3. 8 dots of Abilities which relate to your purpose. +1 attribute dot to something relevant to your purpose. Construct flaw.

The Ace

*singing Kenny Loggins*

There are pilots and helmsmen. And then there are those who can make vessels dance. You can take a multi-kiloton Voidcruiser and maneuver it like a fighter. You could beat a Technocracy Aurora with a F-16 and no missiles.

The Core Question: Given your skills, you were probably a military pilot back on Earth. Something happened back there which might cause you some serious problems. What was it? Did you accidentally run off with a vampire's favorite blood doll? Bomb a werewolf caern?

"... no. Like, the absolute worst trouble I ever got into was letting all those engineered spiders loose under Area 51, and just so you know, it wasn't my fault that someone let them out of the med-lab. I got a mark on my record for that, and Dr Do told me off for it. That was mean. It's not my fault that some senior people had to answer very awkward questions from Progenitor representatives about why the Engineers were 'carrying out unauthorised genetic research'. I mean, they were just spiders. Anyway, I'm a ship's AI; being away from Earth is what I'm meant to do. So it's not like it's a punishment."

Secondary: Helmsman or Pilot 3, Prodigy (Pilot or Helmsman, choose one).

Background

Fourteen months after the Dimensional Anomaly, the rogue Void Engineer Catherine Nichols provided the Convention with the Nichols Relays, which boost the effects of the Anomaly. Despite our best efforts, the Convention has been unable to replicate the enlightened science or the theories which went into them. Likewise, we have not been able to replicate the casual mastery over the Dimensional Anomaly she has displayed. At the same time, with the threat of Threat Null increasing, our few remaining space capable assets were further harmed by the capacity of Threat Null to subvert many examples of Iteration X AI technology.

To solve both of these issues, Project Meitma was initiated. Under the supervision of Dr Mai Do (on 'permanent secondment' from the Progenitors), eight clones of Catherine Nichols were initiated and modified to make them suitable to be integrated into vessels. Rather than carry out the standard Victor procedure for clone production (known to cause issues due to massively accelerated growth), the clones were instead each subjected to a carefully recreated simulation of the early life of Nichols. The intent was that they would display the same genius as her, which would aid greatly in the Relay-emulation project.

At the subjective age of seven years and one hundred and nine days, Subject 03 underwent an unplanned nervous breakdown. Footage from within the simulation displays her screaming that 'none of this is real' and 'you are not my parents!' at the personality engrams emulating her parental figures. During the discussion of whether to continue with the experiment, Subject 03 displayed signs of natural Genius and somehow overrode the sensory bypasses to attain full consciousness in the growth vat.

The experiment with the CN-geneline clones was immediately put on hold while the stability of Subject 03 was evaluated. Following psychiatric analysis, Subject 03 was decided to be stable in personality, but that attempting to reintegrate her into the simulation would have adverse effects. As a result, she was officially adopted by Dr Do, the project lead, and raised within the research facilities in Area 51 as a full Void Engineer.

Subject 03, who has been issued the designation 'Almacia' to avoid issues as to why she has the same name as a known defector, has integrated well with the Void Engineers and is a full believer in our mission and goals. She is friendly, outgoing, and gregarious, while also possessing all the piloting and weaponsfire skills desired of our ships. Despite her subjective age of twelve years, she is also noted to be a prodigy in the field of Dimensional Science and views the abstract principles intuitively, which is promising indeed for the goals of Project Meitma. She has been noted to have a certain playful attitude to experimental biology, but that may be due to the influence of Dr Do.

If the other Nichols geneline clones are as effective as she is, we will have to consider whether it would be cost-effective to replace all Iteration X model AIs with these new Meitma Integrated Organic Anthropic Component intelligences. Subject 03's performance should be watched closely.

Lessons

On a Voidship, there's not much space. Thus, any personal effects and belongings you have are likely incredibly meaningful to you. How are your quarters decorated and what's the meaning of the decorations you have in them?

"Quarters? Uh, I don't get quarters. Well, I mean, I kind of do, but that's just my life support tank and command capsule. And I don't think I'm allowed to put up posters in there. They'd get soggy. But then again, the ship is sort of all my quarters, and sort of my body, and though I've only just been installed in it, I already have ideas on how to make it better. We'll start by putting some plants up around! Special ones, that I'll make! And then I can make helpful little animals to aid in the recycling process! Ecologies! That's how we'll do it! Um. And as for the personal effects, I have a photo of Dr Do up outside my tank, where I can see it. It helps me think of her and that way I don't miss her, even when we're out of contact."

I'm not entirely sure where the campaign is going. Because there's two characters who are basically space-focussed, and then the rest are more ground. So... hmm, that suggests I really do need to find some way of tagging along with the party. Hmm. Possibly by getting one of those manifest hardlight AIs as a brain-dead familiar, which I can then sensory-jack and puppet using DSci and be the floating blue AI ghost for the away team

Almacia discovered that something happened when she was taking DSci lessons with the PCD, and it left her unwilling to think about it. And that scares her, because before today, she didn't even know that something had happened there.

Vital Statistics

Name// Almacia (003-Nichols-Catherine)

Convention// Void Engineer - Pan-Dimensional Corps (FOC)

Concept// The Meat in the Machine

Image Song//

Nature// Gallant - "Oh, what's that? I got the top scores? Again? Yes, I am wonderful, aren't I?"

Demeanor// Perfectionist - "No, no, no! Do it properly!"

Eidolon// Dynamic - A chaotic fractal pattern which she sees when she sleeps. It's always different no matter how deeply she explores, and yet there's a greater order in the randomness. Sometimes it asks her if she really likes what was done to her.

Construct//

Things to Track

Willpower// 5

Temporary Willpower// 4

Health Levels// -0 x 1, -1 x 2, -2 x 2, -5 x 1, Incapacitated

Current Damage// 0

Enlightenment// 4

Primal Energy//

Paradox// 3 + 1

Active Effects//

Attributes

PHYSICAL/

Strength 1

Dexterity 4 (Inhuman precision)

Stamina 2

MENTAL/

Charisma 4 (My Deadly Technocratic Warship Shouldn't Be This Nice)

Manipulation 3

Appearance 2

SOCIAL/

Intelligence 4 (Brute Force Calculation)

Perception 3

Wits 5 (Optimised For Intuition)

Abilities

SKILLS/

Helmsman: 5 (from background) (+2 background)

Crafts:

Drive:

Etiquette: 3

Firearms: 2 (+2 from VE)

Meditation:

Melee: 1 (+1 from VE)

Performance:

Pilot: 1 (+1 from VE)

Stealth: 5 (+2 background)

Survival:

Technology: 3

Biotech: 3

Energy Weapons: 5 (+2 background)

TALENTS/

Alertness: 3

Athletics: 2 (+2 from VE)

Awareness: 2

Brawl: 1 (+1 from VE)

Dodge: 5 (+2 from VE)

Expression: 2

Intimidation:

Leadership:

Streetwise:

Subterfuge:

KNOWLEDGES/

Academics: 2

Computer: 4 (+1 background)

Cosmology: 3

Enigmas: 3

Investigation: 2

Law:

Linguistics: 1 (English, Chinese)

Medicine: 4 (+1 from VE)

Occult:

Science: 4 (+1 background)

Paradigm

Almacia's paradigm is all too typical of bleeding edge Technocratic constructs who have spent little time in the more harsh constraints of the Earthly one. As, subjectively, she spent the first seven years of her life in the 1920s and then 'woke up' to Area 51, the "culture shock" and her isolation means that she has only learned of current Earth paradigms second-hand. With the correct high performance tools - which are conveniently integrated into her hull - she can do what she is ordered to. She views the vessel she's integrated into as her body, and certain procedures are almost autonomous for her, like running checklists for operational details. //

As her mother-figure and creator was a Progenitor 'transfer' (aka defector), however, she tends rather more towards the biological sciences by choice. While of course she follows conventional Void Engineer protocols in her Dimensional Science, when dabbling in other fiends she often approaches things much more in a Progenitor way. She has received a few cautions from the review board for her playful dabbling in the manipulation and alterations of life forms when docked or undergoing maintenance, but still continues to use specially designed living flesh constructs as avatars when there isn't the standard holosupport for a more conventional projection.

Apparatus and Spheres

Dimensional Science: 4 (7FP)

- Focus: Voidcast Drive

Correspondence: 2

- Focus: Sensors

Matter: 2

- Focus: Onboard fabrication facilities

Life: 3 (4FP)

- Focus: Onboard med-vats (sometimes being used for something they're /technically/ not meant to be used for)

Prime: 3 (4 FP)

- Focus: Main reactor

Mind: 1

- Focus: Psychology

Entropy: 2 (4FP)

- Focus: Statistical Analysis

Forces: 1 (4FP)

- Focus: Sensors

Resonance

Dynamic (Playful): 1

Static (Analytical): 0

Entropic (Absolute): 0

Backgrounds

Enhancements 3 - from template (Covers all necessary link-ups to ship. 3 permadox)

Avatar: 2

Mentor: 1 (Designer and quasi-mother figure) (1FP)

18 Background points towards ship.

Equipment

Outfits

Ionic Cloth// A standard-issue form-fitting bodysuit, designed to negate G-forces and provide physical support.

Soak d2

Merits and Flaws

Merits

People Person - 2 points - -2 difficulty on social rolls to make good impressions on another

No one is quite sure how she turned out so nice. Certainly, no one who knew Catherine Nichols (who was by all accounts a bit of a bitch) understands it.

Gossip - 1 point - -2 difficulty on Interrogation social rolls in a social situation without bullying or intimidation.

She likes people and likes to know about how more normal people live. And also has a very good memory. Which means that if given the chance, she'll chat with her maintenance technicians for hours...

Good Listener - 1 point - -2 difficulty on apparently friendly social rolls which involve other people talking to your character

... and she's also fine with being talked at. Quite a few people who don't get that she's a person wired up to a machine and fully intelligent have told her rather more than they meant to at times.

Good Taste - 1 point - -2 difficulty on social rolls in high society or in business environments to gain acceptance or impress.

Brought up in a mix of a 1920s worldsim and by a high brow elitist Progenitor defector, her culture experience is rather... high brow. Those onboard her may just have to get used to opera being played through the speakers when she's pulling rather extreme manoeuvres.

Flaws

Paraplegic - 6 points

Designed from creation to spend her life floating in acceleration gel, the areas of her brain meant to learn how to walk repurposed so she intuitively controls ships, if taken out of her life support capsule she could barely move under her own power. While certain backup control systems mean she has learned to use her arms, her legs are atrophied and useless.

Machine In The Back Of The Mind (The Bard's Tongue) - 1 point

Sometimes the machines in her head produce analysis she doesn't even know she knows. Usually when something bad is about to happen. And then she blurts it out.

Construct - From template

The fourth subject from the Catherine Nichols geneline.

XP

Freebie Points

Freebie Points

7: Dimensional Science 4

4: Prime 3

4: Life 3

4: Entropy 2

4: Forces 1

1: Towards ship

1: Mentor 1

Experience Gains

Experience Total/Spent/Unspent (43/19/24)

Backstory (10) (Only for use on irrelevancies)

Character Sheet Done On Time (4)

Session 1 (5)

Session 2 (6)

Session 3 (6)

Session 4 (5)

Session 5 (3)

Session 6 (4)

Experience Spending

People Person (2 points = 4XP)

Good Taste 2XP

Good Listener 2XP

Gossip 2XP

Device 3 (cloning vats) for ship 9XP