Athena files 003 Hector Eugenio Velasquez aka “Invictus”
In order to accurately depict the capabilities of both the human designated Hector Velasquez and the T.S.C.S. mark one personal weapons system I will be handling this part of the “Invictus” files. To begin with I am an artificial intelligence designated Athena named for the greek goddess of war and wisdom. I am currently fused with Hector’s brain via a series of cybernetic implants and my primary responsibility is to assist in Hector’s cognitive processes. Thanks to me he thinks far faster than humanly possible and has perfect recall and near infinite memory storage. In addition Hector has a variety of cybernetic implants to deal with his various human…..frailties.
Basic Physiology
To begin with Hector was born in Mexico City, Mexico on August 28th, 1948 his parent noted his extreme cognitive development as he spoke his first words fresh out of the womb, solved simple math problems by six months, and by one year he had the faculties of a high student. Further analysis has shown that he has no mutant gene or psionic abilities he is in fact a true mutation. His parents realized he would have little future in Mexico City and proceeded to liquidate everything they owned in order to smuggle him into the United States settling in Massachusetts. He managed to earn a scholarship to a prestigious private school and even in the face of brutal and persistent racism persevered graduating at the top of his class year after year. He went through MIT on a full scholarship when he was ten, completing several doctorate level courses in months. Afterwards he was put through the most grueling academic and physical trials all branches of the military had to offer. He persevered in spite of horrific acts of racism perpetrated by his classmates on every level. His mastery in several scientific disciplines led him to usher in the era of modern cybernetic replacements and later enhancements. Even before being enhanced hector found himself fighting in a shadow war in Vietnam. His team were legendary, likened to ghosts in the jungle. Hector’s teams and tactics had a huge influence in the forming of what would become the army’s elite delta unit which Hector would run for a decade before retiring. Developing and introducing cybernetics was hector’s parting gift from active duty, allowing older soldiers to fight longer would in his mind cut down on incidents like mai lai. Sadly the military and intelligence communities had other plans for hector’s innovation. Hector’s enhancements are what were determined as infantry standard, he has redundant organs, subcutaneous armor, a telecom package with linked heads up display, reflex wires, a nutrient tank, trauma routers, skeletal reinforcements, a repair weave, and muscular fibres. His non standard enhancements include a quantum computer, DNA hard drives, and myself. The result is C class physical attributes, and E class regenerative capabilities. Inside of the T.S.C.S. or tactical suppression command suite his attributes increase to B- class. The T.S.C.S. contains numerous weapons most prominently the St. Michaels’ Electronic Warfare suite. A full detailing of Hector’s enhancements will be detailed below.
Skeletal structure
Hector’s skeleton has been fortified with a mixture of silicon and carbon nanotubes to enhance their overall resilience without increasing their overall weight. In addition due to injuries sustained during the invasion of ’95 most of his limbs have been replaced by this mixture. Hector’s synthetic skeleton houses and produces synthetic blood as well.
Muscular structure
The vast majority of hector’s muscles have been replaced by silicone and CNTs vastly improving their performance. In addition the trauma router leads the muscles to harden seconds before impact. All forms of his muscles have been replaced with more efficient cybernetic replacements due to various injuries during the invasion of ’95.
Nervous system
Hector’s nervous system has been rebuilt from the ground up to conduct and interface with T.S.C.S. and other forms of technology. His spine, arms, legs, and skull all have ports with which the armor interfaces. Through these ports Hector can control the T.S.C.S. as if it were his own body.
Digestive system
Hector’s nutrient tank ensures that he needs very little in the way of food and water especially since he has fewer organic parts than most. Thanks to the nutrient tank, after a standard 2000 calorie meal he can sustain what few organic areas of his body he still possesses for three months. In addition hector’s power supply for his armor and cybernetics can be found in his digestive area. A new form of battery that was developed utilizing technology liberated from the invaders provides an energy output comparable to the reactor of a Nimitz class aircraft carrier.
Integumentary system
Hector’s skin has a layer of carbon fiber in it that serves as a heavy form of subcutaneous armor. This form of armor renders him completely bulletproof without his T.S.C.S. armor on. His skin also possesses the repair weave that assists his body in its healing process.
Senses
Hector’s senses have been augmented by cybernetics, his original five senses are on par with animals. Furthermore he has an augmented reality display can show other spectrums of light as well as serve as a radar and ladar. Suffice to say Hector’s senses can pass into x ray, infrared, electromagnetic, U.V., and more.
Immune functions
With most of Hector’s organic systems terminated from the various injuries sustained during the invasion that took place from 95-98 what few organic systems Hector has are mostly non essential. This frees him from worry when it comes to most diseases, and toxins.
Circulatory system
Hector’s circulatory system has been retasked to support his now mostly cybernetic physiology. Synthetic blood is responsible for the oxygen transport to both his organic and inorganic areas.
Brain
Hector’s brain houses the physical components of myself, a telecom array, and a prototype quantum computer. This allows Hector to effortlessly hack any electronic system or network he comes across and also bolsters his thought processes considerably. In the time it takes most people to decide weather to turn left or right at a fork in the road Hector can deduce how to subdue or kill a team of B- class superhumans, overthrow a first world government, extract a hostile target from a secure location, how to leave zero evidence of his involvement behind, and how to do so with minimal casualties. Hector was already a polymath with a genius level I.Q. before his enhancement procedure, his current state allow him to specialize in several fields most prominently tactics, weapon design, chemistry, ballistics, and cybernetics. He is borderline hypercognative and thinks far faster than any mainframe can operate. He can effectively multitask with between tens of thousads of different tasks at once.
Extraneous physiology
Hector’s extraneous physiology can best be ascribed to his suit of powered armor the Tactical Suppression and Command Suite. Though outdated by the modern power armor employed by the remnants of the U.S. army or the mech suits utilized by the marines the T.S.C.S. still has a great deal of room for growth. In fact Hector has extensively devised upgrades for both his suit, his enhancements, and the other iterations of the now defunct cyber warrior program. However lack of access to a proper lab and industrial equipment has resulted in hector having to rely on software upgrades to the mark one version of the armor. To begin with the armor interfaces directly with Hector’s central nervous system via a series of interface points along his spine, cranium and limbs. Though positively barbaric by today’s standards they allow the suit a 1/1 reflex analogue allowing the suit to act as a second skin. With Hector’s software upgrades the suit reacts before even hector’s augmented reflexes. The suit is comprised of high density carbon nanotubes, Kevlar, and next generation high strength plastics and ceramics. As the suit utilizes various forms of electromagnetic manipulation for its offensive and defensive subroutines and a suit made of ferrous material would be fatal to the user. Hector’s armor despite it being non ferrous is entirely ballistics rated easily able to withstand sustained most hazards up to and including small arms fire, explosives, and most heavy weaponry. While the suit can withstand a great deal of trauma the same cannot be said for the operator, fortunately hector’s enhanced physiology greatly enhances his own survivability. The suit’s power used to be a direct wireless feed from its own dedicated nuclear reactor until hector managed to reverse engineer the power sources utilized by the invaders which greatly enhanced the suits power output. This allows his suit’s features to run almost indefinitely barring being overloaded by violent events. Hector given his penchant for irregular tactics and warfare has made significant alterations to the suit’s original design. Originally intended to be a frontline command unit Hector altered it to suit his set of tactics. His alterations have seen it armed with a suite of weaponry that can be used for LTL or conventional purposes. He sacrificed most of the suit’s defensive mechanisms for more mobility, the electronic offensive measures, and enhancements of its utility options.
Ionic Gauntlets
The ionic gauntlets utilize electromagnetic fields to induce localized ionization at varying ampules, and voltage. The ionic gauntlets are capable of incapacitating or terminating man and machine and are capable of leaping across multiple targets. This is achieved by establishing opposing field charges on targets designated by the suit’s targeting suite. Thanks to the new power source the gauntlets can attain the output of a superbolt. The suit’s quantum computer combined with the active scan software hector developed can alter the output of the gauntlets in nanoseconds and even between discharges. The ionic gauntlets can stun, incapacitate, or incinerate soft targets, armored vehicles, and injure superhumans up to C+ class. They are an ideal mid range weapon effective at around three hundred meters. The gauntlets can be discharged in lines, cones, or omnidirectional blasts. In addition they can be utilized as contact weapons. The discharge from ionic gauntlets are keyed to bypass as much of a targets conventional defenses as possible and are married to hector’s fire control system which is accurate enough to target individual nerves or micro circuits inside of a target. Hector can also use the gauntlets to magnetize and manipulate materials over a wide area of approximately three hundred meters.
Photonic Spaulders
The photonic spaulders are shoulder mounted light and particle accelerators as well as an integral part of the suit’s targeting system. At varying magnitudes the spaulders can blind targets by projecting light directly into a target’s eyes, paint them with non visible lights in order to assist other weapon systems, and at higher magnitudes it can reliably penetrate heavy vehicle armor at extreme range while remaining out of the visible light spectrum. The spaulders require a slight cooling period before being used if the anti armor setting is used however (3.65 seconds) however its extreme range (7,000 meters) compensates for this drawback. The spaulders can utilize an omnidirectional blast to blind several targets at once in addition to the direct blindness. It should be noted that the non lethal setting can be used indefinitely.
Disruption Module
The disruption helmet utilizes sonic waves to incapacitate, weaken, or messily eliminate a target or group of targets. It can also generate counter sound to eliminate noise and counter other instances of sonic weaponry. The distortion helmet can also enhance the voice of the operator and allow him to imitate a variety of vocal ranges. Further software enhancements of the helmet have allowed it to weaken the structural integrity of solid matter considerably. A well aimed burst of low frequency sound can render the front armor of a mech suit brittle as glass, or breach a wall almost silently. It can even produce shockwaves powerful enough to knock down and disorient a B class super human. More subtle uses of the helmet can be used to induce auditory hallucinations in a target. It is quite useful for targets with enhanced immune systems. The disrupter helmet’s offensive measures have a range of about five meters necessitating caution in using it against armed opponents.
Microwave Emitter
The T.S.C.S. microwave emitter is a nightmarish counter measure against electronics and has horrific effects on living beings when the lethal settings are used. On the non lethal settings electronics are shorted out and living creatures are subject to having the moisture in their skin set to a boil at medium range. This causes said living creatures extreme pain and discomfort, at the lethal setting anything that runs on electricity is all but rendered useless and living beings have their body’s moisture heated to a flashpoint. The end result tends to be desiccated corpses and horrified looks on the faces of those fortunate enough to survive. The Microwave emitter is a large scale crowd controller at its lower settings and has a cone range of one hundred meters and a width of twenty meters. On its lethal setting it has half that range.
Dorsal launchers
Hector’s dorsal mounted launchers are able to house and launch a series of micro munitions to add additional tactical options to the T.S.C.S. weapon suite. They can be launched as either grenades or missiles
Corrosive rounds
Corrosive rounds are delivery systems for powerful acids and oxidizers that cripple conventional armor. The rounds can eat a hole through armor plating in approximately three seconds upon exposure. Even non metallic surfaces such as ceramics and organic protection suffer immense damage upon exposure to the corrosive rounds.
Anti Oxygen rounds
These simple sounding rounds are actually a quantum leap in anioxic weaponry; they actually eliminate oxygen within fifteen meters wreaking all sorts of havoc. Concrete crumbles, metal spot wields to itself, eardrums explode, and anything made of water is subject to death or severe injury. Hector only deploys anti oxygen rounds in the most extreme circumstances.
Thermite rounds
Thermite rounds are self deploying thermite munitions aimed at disabling enemy armor, they operate by attaching themselves to a target and then they deploy rapidly burning through metal.
High explosive
High explosive rounds utilize sonic weaponry to deliver more damage at a fraction of the weight.
Frictionless Rounds
A frictionless lubricant that has several non conventional applications, a surface doused with this liquid is rendered incredibly perilous. Only a superhuman with C+ class agility and above has any hope of navigating it safely without falling prone.
Sticky rounds
The aptly named sticky rounds are another utility round, seconds prior to impact it detonates spreading a rapidly solidifying foam that adheres a target to any surface it may be on. This can be used to reinforce a structure as well albeit temporarily. Sticky rounds last an hour at most and have the tensile strength to restrain a superhuman of C+ class and below.
EMP rounds
Containing a multi stage ionic burst mechanism these EMP rounds can shut down even the most well insulated mechanical systems.
Utility Systems
St. Michael Electronic Warfare Suite
The pinnacle of electronic warfare the St. Michael Electronic Warfare Suite allows for the near instantaneous compromising of any electronic or digital system, placing them under the complete control of the operator while locking out everyone else. Missiles streak back at their point of origin, communication relays are subverted, network admins are locked out of systems, drones fire on their allies, A.I.’s turn on their host programs, all communications equipment is rendered useless, or worse hopelessly compromised ect. Hector has made vast improvements on the systems software, however current T.S.C.S. hardware limitations have caused the performance of this suite to plateau, a plateau which was surpassed thanks to the recent development of a prototype communications and electronic warfare drone. This allows hector to control any mechanical object weather or not it is controlled by a digital system reaching into the realm of true technokenisis. It is a punishingly effective and oftentimes underestimated resource. In addition the warfare suite also serves as the control mechanism for six prototype munitions drones that Hector has extensively customized. The drones are Pilum the tactical drone, Gladius the fire support drone, Scutum the defense drone, Dictum the communications drone, Panacea the field support drone, and Malleus the engineering drone. Each drone will be detailed separate from the armor systems.
Icarus Mag lev system
The icarus mag lev system utilizes electromagnetism to achieve flight, it functions in all environments even those devoid of atmosphere. The technology behind it was acquired after initial sorties against the invaders. The system once required immense power and was never slated for mass production, however with the installation of a new power source Hector can achieve super sonic flight.
Spectrum Sensitive mode
Subtle manipulations of photons and differing light spectrums can render the operator and a group invisible to the naked eye and any known sensor. Furthermore it also cloaks sound, and scent completely allowing for complete invisibility. This mode can be maintained indefinitely if need be.
Active Scan
The active scan subroutine utilizes each of the suit’s sensors to rapidly assess the physical condition and composition of anything it is drawn across. Active scan can relay an incredible amount of data in moments. It directly referances hector’s own mind in order to display the results of the scan to the rest of the team and can read an object down to the quark level.
Anisible comm. Array
Utilizing pico bots and quantum entanglement these advanced comm systems allow for faster than light communications. Each pico bot’s atomic structure corresponds to the direct opposite of another bot no matter where it is in the universe. Along with hector’s HUD implants and software a team can share reams of data instantly and silently.
Hard light projector
Hector’s hard light projector can generate optical illusions, and work in tandem with active scan to paint targets for the rest of hector’s weapon and information systems. Using slightly greasy photons that are invisible to most spectrums a target can be marked in milliseconds, the mark lasts for several hours under even the least favorable conditions. The updated illusion suite can affect all five senses up to B- class and provide temporary cover. This cover can withstand attacks up to C class and last for 1 second before safety measures cause the constructs to collapse.
Zero point generator
A hard won technological innovation that came from the aftermath of the invasion of ’95 the zero point generator utilizes zero point reactions to generate an infinite amount of energy without throwing off heat, radiation, or any signature detectable without looking into the subatomic scale. It can generate energy indefinitely, but its energy density is 7,965 megawatts. In the midst of a combat situation this can be drained rapidly by hectors many systems.
Munitions drones
As much a part of the T.S.C.S. as the plates that compose it the drones were slated to be mothballed due to the infeasibility of rigging them for wireless power transfer unit as well as their intended equipment. However with Hector’s new zero point energy generator implanted directly inside of him the drones can now function indefinitely as long as they are within ten miles of him. Each drone is autonomous and uses myself and Hector’s own behavioral patterns to operate. Each drone has a different specialty so that when operating in concert they can bring a variety of tactical options to the field. Each drone is composed completely of high grade ceramics, laminated Kevlar, and CNT reinforcements at key junctures. The drones are all propelled via a miniature Icarus mag lev system and are able to keep pace with Hector at top speed. All drones have had displacement fields and stealth generators installed in lieu of more armor fitting in with Hector’s way of waging war.
Fire support drone mark X aka “Gladius”
Originally intended to be a first response drone to counter enemy presence the Gladius has since been rearmed and retooled by Hector to pack as much firepower as a platoon of soldiers. Its twin linked particle accelerators enable it to suppress multiple targets with ease and anything that doesn’t get behind cover is shredded by explosively reactive ions. Its twin linked rapid firing 2 mm rail cannons makes short work of cover and anything behind it. The sonic warhead dispenser makes it an extreme threat to heavy armor or packed groups of infantry, and its reclamation system lets it utilize enemy equipment to replenish its spent ammunition. The Gladius has a redundant generator to provide extra power to its flight systems letting it fly at hypersonic speeds.
Tactical ordinance drone mark IX “Pilum”
Named for the weapon romans used to weigh down armor and shields the tactical support drone fulfills this function with a suite of less than lethal options. Sticky grenades, advanced sonic weaponry to induce nausea or aural hallucinations, frictionless grenades, photon projectors, compliance gases, electrical projectors, E.M.P. disruptors, and microwave emitters, are but a few of the features packed into this drone. The most unusual feature of this drone is the swarm feature which uses swarms of mini drones armed with weaponized cryo beams to root enemies in place or destroy any munitions they might be holding.
Point defense drone mark XI “Scutum”
Named for the trademark shields of the Roman legion the point defense drone designated scutum is a welcome sight on the battle field. The scutum can project an electromagnetic force field capable of protecting a one hundred meter area the field can sustain several minutes of sustained artillery fire before failing. For more personal protection the scutum can launch a limited number of point defense spheres. These spheres will float around a person and can intercept all but the fastest moving weapons before they harm their charge. These spheres carry a smaller version of the scutum field allowing them to soak considerable damage before failing. In addition the scutum carries a modest 1 mm rail gun, and a plasma projector for armored threats. It has a nano cloud that can drastically reduce the speed of incoming projectiles and will partially diffuse beam weapons drastically reducing the effectiveness of both making direct attacks against scutum far less effective. It can use an advanced form of sticky grenade to create reliable (if temporary) cover even in the most barren of areas. It can also create a near impassible barrier in a dome effectively containing a threat to a fifty meter area or smaller. This allows the Templar to mitigate collateral damage with ease.
Emergency search and rescue drone mark XII “Panacea”
Intended to assist and shield combat medics the Panacea has been upgraded significantly by Hector into a one stop shop for trauma medicine, surgery, and triage. Housing a fleet of micro bots that can be outfitted with a variety of stimulants and meds the Panacea can treat multiple patients simultaneously. It can utilize an onboard a mini facturing kit to produce splints, cots, bandages, drugs and stimulants, and gurneys capable of supporting four hundred pounds of weight. The panacea carries a laser with no lethal setting as it is used to sterilize an infection site or cauterize a would instead of incapacitate. It has a u.v. generator for mass sterilization and can be devastatingly effective against certain supernatural beings. The Panacea has advanced active scan and can rapidly assess the state of a living being and devise the proper treatment. The panacea drone is capable of performing the most complex surgeries in the most chaotic and filthy conditions with ease drastically improving the Templar’s chances of survival in the field. The panacea can neutralize all manner of deadly substances including toxins, acids, bases, even radioactive materials.
Engineer drone Mark XIII “Malleus”
Originally intended to rapidly set up and maintain forward fortifications the Malleus was scrapped early on due to power and cost issues. Carrying a state of the art pico bot repair module the malleus can repair just about anything it comes across. In addition the malleus can reclaim and manufacture just about anything given enough time and resources. Of course this process is incredibly slow and certainly not suitable for combat but it is useful nonetheless when manufacturing facilities are not available. Malleus has a sophisticated V.I. and can even do complicated things like fortify buildings if it has suitable raw material. Malleus has a 2mm rail gun but has the capacity to build other weapons which it can then attach to itself. However given the space needed for its fabrication unit it can’t mount any heavier ordinance and would be better off building said ordinance for someone or something else to use.
Experimental electronic warfare drone “Dictum”
A quantum leap in electronic warfare and communications the Experimental electronic warfare drone designated Dictum is Hector’s most advanced creation. Utilizing experimental pico tech it serves as the hub for all of the Templars radio telepathic communication and serves a host of other functions as well. It can boost the capacity of the already prodigious St. Michaels Electronic Warfare suite providing not only a significant boost in range (giving it global range) and completely concealing any signs of intrusion, its picotech delivery package can render even non digital machinery vulnerable to the Electronic warfare array. Dictum is also capeable of hypercommunicating for extended periods of time though this demands all the other systems at hector’s disposal shut down. Dictum relies solely on sonic weaponry for protection, something an enemy often underestimates until it’s too late. Furthermore dictum can “overclock” any of the drones or hector’s subsystems in order to boost performance at the cost of structural integrity.
Psychology
Hector is first and foremost a being more disposed to using his head than his heart. Hector’s most distinguishing feature is his approach to warfare as detailed in his various rules of warfare some of which include the following.
1. War is never as simple as us vs them anyone who tells you something is a retard
2. Hit them hard when they can’t see you hit them harder when they can
3. Leave no trace
4. Civilian casualties only aid the enemy
5. Nothing evens the odds like a well executed flanking maneuver
6. Never show your real strength
7. War has no front line
8. When facing a superior opponent you don’t fight dirty you do things that make dirty look good
9. Firepower wins battles, logistics wins campaigns, Intelligence wins wars
10. If the enemy is alerted to your presence you’ve done something wrong or something right
11. Tactics can compensate for almost any battlefield condition
12. The only thing sitting still in a combat zone is a corpse
13. Always confirm the kill
14. Never assume a plan will survive enemy contact for long therefore have a backup plan
15. Fighting fair is a great way to die, and a better way to get a lot of people killed.
Hector’s first and foremost concern is practicality in all things he is a major proponent of the old military adage of “if something stops working stop using it”. Nostalgia is something Hector places little value on as far as hardware or software goes, but when it comes to his team mates he is somewhat more empathic. As a tactician and leader Hector is quite demanding, it is on his insistence that the Templar cross train with each other to become a more cohesive fighting force, learn things outside of their normal specialties, and he has used such knowledge to expand the capabilities of the T.S.C.S. to its utmost. Hector’s commitment to continual improvement leads others to believe he is obsessive, and while this is partially true this commitment stems mainly from his perceived failings during the invasion of ’95. Though lauded as “America’s Savior” by the military and surviving populace Hector spurns the title certain he could have done better, that he could have saved more than one hundred thousand of his fellow citizens, or that he didn’t have to rely on sending brain washed criminals into suicide missions in order to retrieve live tech from the invaders. Considering the sizeable attack force sent to the U.S. the fact that a sustainable population of U.S. citizens remains is nothing short of a testament to his skill as a tactician. After the invasion Hector went AWOL and attempted to drown himself in synthetic chemicals and pills, it was only Andrew Clay’s timely intervention that prevented him from suffering irreparable brain damage. Hector has managed to find a way to draw strength from this memory and uses it to drive himself and the templar forward. Hector may be a pragmatist but that is not to say he completely dismisses moral tenants, during his tour in Vietnam the Mai Lai incident affected him gravely. He reasoned that seasoned soldiers would be less susceptible to such deviant behavior, and that there would be more of said soldier if they could serve longer. This led to him developing cybernetics, first prosthetics, then commercial products, then enhancements. Thanks to Hector the cybernetics industry is or was a multi billion industry with an eager consumer base. Revenue the army used for Project Sentinel a civilian surveillance program and sold the data to corporations, Project Clean Slate a means of using cybernetics to make sleeper agents, and later The Redemption Initiative which used brain washed criminals and political dissidents as cybernetically enhanced throwaway troops. Hector threatened to go public with these programs and expose the officers responsible. Unfortunately with the U.S. in dire need of a super soldier program to match the Europeans, New Commonwealth, and Soviets Hector was quickly imprisoned in Fort Leavenworth’s supermax wing for treason. With his faith in the military and his country shattered he languished in the supermax prison for years, his culpability in all of those projects weighing heavily on him. Had his consultation in resolving the Triumph incident not been sought he likely would have deteriorated completely. Thanks to this and later andrew’s timely intervention hector now provides the practical solutions to see the “finer world” Andrew pursues brought into reality. Dubbed “Invictus” by Andrew Hector is a man with a renewed purpose, a finer world guarded by those dedicated to fighting for right the proper way. With this reaffirmation of will and purpose, Hector is a driven, resourceful, and cunning strategist dedicated to the Templar’s mission of a finer world.
Skills
Hector is a genius savant and polymath with doctorate degrees in several fields of study, he was an army ranger in the 75th battalion during Vietnam and joining delta when it first started. His aptitude at unconventional warfare earned him the nickname “steel centurion”. He spent a decade as a Delta Operator before retiring to R and D and effectively modernizing the army’s equipment and tactics over the course of a few years. Hector’s tactical skill is such that he can make a fire team operate with the same fighting capability as a division. His strategies are so brilliant that every nation has had entire schools of tactical thought modeled after his strategies. Though versed in many strategies Hector’s true specialty is non conventional warfare striking from the shadows and disappearing before the enemy knows what happened. Hector is a skilled inventor responsible for ushering in the cybernetic and bionic age, and creating and maintaining the equipment the templar use. As a soldier he is an expert in various fields, firearms, demolitions, survival and evasion, infiltration, reconnaissance, and he even created his own unique combat style from observing various martial arts styles emphasizing economy of motion and precise basic strikes to vital areas with the intent of killing or incapacitating an opponent as quickly as possible. He calls it K.I.S.S. or “Keep it simple stupid” and it has served him well for decades. He has further refined it with the help of Serene into a complete martial art with both armed and unarmed forms. A skilled engineer and salvager Hector can keep even the most hi tech equipment running on spare parts for extended periods of time though the equipment’s performance will degrade over time without proper parts. Simpler devices can be used indefinitely however thanks to hector’s skill. Hector’s true expertise is of course cybernetics, bionics, and wetware which uses medical and mechanical disciplines. Using the last of what he could salvage he implanted each of the Templar with wetware that allows them to communicate silently over global distances aiding immeasurably in any operation. In its warfare applications hector’s knowledge of all three makes storing data digitally, or utilizing the electromagnetic spectrum a dangerous proposition for an enemy. Hector is a pioneer in electronic warfare something the templar have used to great effect in the past in reconnaissance, infiltration, urban combat, and sabotage. An expert scrapper and salvager hector can make just about any seemingly useless item lying around into the tools necessary to maintain his and the templar’s equipment.
Tactical considerations
Hector’s equipment and abilities are paramount in many of the Templar’s operations, even when the group isn’t actively opposing some despot he insists on further training and development of the group’s skills, abilities, and tactics when working as a team or alone. With each of the templar Hector has devised a number of maneuvers that utilize their unique abilities and his load out to their fullest making the Templar a whole that becomes far more than the sum of its parts. Hector’s tactics have allowed the Templar to overcome impossible odds, bring down foes far more powerful than they, and create lasting solutions daunting problems facing the people they are sworn to protect. First and foremost hector’s most favored tactic is to strike from stealth after gathering intelligence. He moves in knowing his enemies moves before they do picking them apart with speed and precision. Failing that he still favors stealth using his suits light bending array to render him and a few other teammates invisible while focusing fire on key elements of an enemy’s formation. Referencing the details of a standard six point formation hector typically seeks to neutralize the edge, followed by jailors, then marksmen, leaving the hardier members of the Templar to deal with frontliners and brawlers.
Andrew Clay
Andrew and hector work quite well in defensive operations, most of the stratagems they have devised together use Andrew’s probability manipulation and hector’s LTL systems to blunt an enemy offensive before turning the tide. Hector is genuinely impressed by Andrew, it is not every day one gets to work with someone wielding divine power. Off the field of combat Hector’s intelligence gathering, along with Andrew’s natural charisma and skill as a public speaker are critical in gaining native support in any Templar operation. Studying andrew’s speech patterns and analyzing his impromptu addresses have led to advances in his sonic technologies.
Niran “Serene” Klahan
Set em up, and knock em down is the phrase best suited to how Serene and Hector work together on the battlefield, given Serene’s extreme speed and precision a millisecond is roughly all he needs to end a fight a second hector can easily buy with a photonic grenade or ion burst. Hector is uncertain about how he feels towards Niran and Lily’s relationship. Nonetheless the two of them are on relatively good terms despite Niran’s constant attempts to engage in physical intimacy with hector and from what I understand near anything within arm’s reach. Niran’s constant suggestion that Lily has feelings for Hector doesn’t seem to help the matter either. Off the battlefield Hector lends credibility to the bluffs Niran uses to infiltrate organizations. Though Niran is incredibly adept at deception the legitimacy gained by Hector falsifying records aids immeasurably. Studying serene’s nervous system has allowed hector to make a more efficient heads up display and communications array for the team.
Lily “silhouette” Crestmere
The other special forces veteran of the Templar Lily and hector compliment each other incredibly well. Having similar training, experience, and a deep sense of trust formed from years of fighting in Detroit have led to a devastating combination of conventional firepower backed by the quintessential expression of modern warfare support. Lily has feelings for Hector and the feeling is largely unfulfilled, likely due to Hector’s war injuries and lingering psychological issues from the war and the exploitation by the organization he loved so dearly. Off the battlefield Lily is the key note in any of hector’s “shadow operations” responsible for everything from sabotage to assassination if need be. Studying her manipulation of ballistics has allowed hector to make improvements on the flight characteristics of his grenades and rail rounds.
EOD01
EOD01 is typically the distraction or guided weapon of mass destruction in Hectors plans. Having little utility outside of combat this is a role EOD01 fulfills quite well. EOD01 makes hector rather nervous despite Aandrew’s insistence that ED will one day “have a soul like you or me”. The tactical concerns of something that dangerous with free will are many. Nonetheless EOD01 remains a valuable asset in any Templar operation. Deep scans of EOD01’s musculoskeletal structure has led to hector making vast improvements to the structural integrity of the T.S.C.S. and drones.
Verrick Bulat
Hector and Verrick have a strained working relationship; it is not just due to Hector’s mild distaste for magic, but the fact that Verrick is abrasive and cruel. Verrick was once the ruler of an empire whose wars of expansion were reputed to have claimed as many lives as the black plague. Verricks ability to summon hordes of extradimensional creatures in lieu of traditional spell effects has a great deal of utility, and Verricks castle and property stored in an extradimensional space serve as a sort of headquarters for the templar (even if they lack proper lab equipment or modern machinery) but there is friction between the two. It may be grudgingly but Verrick actually respects Hector’s tactical prowess even stating “if I had a man like him at my side I would have owned all of Eurasia.” Off the field Verrick’s hosts of minions can serve as eyes and ears over an entire region feeding vast amounts of information to him. The study of various extradimensional creatures has allowed for improvements in the creation of fibers and material for use in all of the armor systems.
Hecryn
Far more personable than his lord and master Hecryn has a friendly relationship with Hector. They tend to disagree on strategy as Hecryn favors a strategic mindset which can only be described as “suicidal” but it is effective in its own way. Though not as powerful as EOD01 physically he is far more skilled in hand to hand combat and often works in tandem with EOD01 to set up particularly resilient foes for devastating follow ups. Hecryn’s unique series of tactics has led hector to diversify his tactical mindset, though a specialist in ambush and stealth tactics he has broadened into other schools of thought in order to allow the Templar to keep surprising their foes.
Anya
With her predatory instincts and versatile power set Anya has found her way into the shadow ops of the Templar. She serves as the muscle, or backup when Lily or Serene are cornered as well as serving as “chief interrogator”. The only downside is her particular need for superhuman/supernatural/predatory animal blood. This makes extended deployment difficult, however they tend to be worth the risk. Anya’s skill in tracking and natural predatory instincts have aided immensely in refining hector’s predictive algorithms when it comes pursuing a target or their sensitive materials.
Invictus belongs to gurlow
art by jazzycat
In order to accurately depict the capabilities of both the human designated Hector Velasquez and the T.S.C.S. mark one personal weapons system I will be handling this part of the “Invictus” files. To begin with I am an artificial intelligence designated Athena named for the greek goddess of war and wisdom. I am currently fused with Hector’s brain via a series of cybernetic implants and my primary responsibility is to assist in Hector’s cognitive processes. Thanks to me he thinks far faster than humanly possible and has perfect recall and near infinite memory storage. In addition Hector has a variety of cybernetic implants to deal with his various human…..frailties.
Basic Physiology
To begin with Hector was born in Mexico City, Mexico on August 28th, 1948 his parent noted his extreme cognitive development as he spoke his first words fresh out of the womb, solved simple math problems by six months, and by one year he had the faculties of a high student. Further analysis has shown that he has no mutant gene or psionic abilities he is in fact a true mutation. His parents realized he would have little future in Mexico City and proceeded to liquidate everything they owned in order to smuggle him into the United States settling in Massachusetts. He managed to earn a scholarship to a prestigious private school and even in the face of brutal and persistent racism persevered graduating at the top of his class year after year. He went through MIT on a full scholarship when he was ten, completing several doctorate level courses in months. Afterwards he was put through the most grueling academic and physical trials all branches of the military had to offer. He persevered in spite of horrific acts of racism perpetrated by his classmates on every level. His mastery in several scientific disciplines led him to usher in the era of modern cybernetic replacements and later enhancements. Even before being enhanced hector found himself fighting in a shadow war in Vietnam. His team were legendary, likened to ghosts in the jungle. Hector’s teams and tactics had a huge influence in the forming of what would become the army’s elite delta unit which Hector would run for a decade before retiring. Developing and introducing cybernetics was hector’s parting gift from active duty, allowing older soldiers to fight longer would in his mind cut down on incidents like mai lai. Sadly the military and intelligence communities had other plans for hector’s innovation. Hector’s enhancements are what were determined as infantry standard, he has redundant organs, subcutaneous armor, a telecom package with linked heads up display, reflex wires, a nutrient tank, trauma routers, skeletal reinforcements, a repair weave, and muscular fibres. His non standard enhancements include a quantum computer, DNA hard drives, and myself. The result is C class physical attributes, and E class regenerative capabilities. Inside of the T.S.C.S. or tactical suppression command suite his attributes increase to B- class. The T.S.C.S. contains numerous weapons most prominently the St. Michaels’ Electronic Warfare suite. A full detailing of Hector’s enhancements will be detailed below.
Skeletal structure
Hector’s skeleton has been fortified with a mixture of silicon and carbon nanotubes to enhance their overall resilience without increasing their overall weight. In addition due to injuries sustained during the invasion of ’95 most of his limbs have been replaced by this mixture. Hector’s synthetic skeleton houses and produces synthetic blood as well.
Muscular structure
The vast majority of hector’s muscles have been replaced by silicone and CNTs vastly improving their performance. In addition the trauma router leads the muscles to harden seconds before impact. All forms of his muscles have been replaced with more efficient cybernetic replacements due to various injuries during the invasion of ’95.
Nervous system
Hector’s nervous system has been rebuilt from the ground up to conduct and interface with T.S.C.S. and other forms of technology. His spine, arms, legs, and skull all have ports with which the armor interfaces. Through these ports Hector can control the T.S.C.S. as if it were his own body.
Digestive system
Hector’s nutrient tank ensures that he needs very little in the way of food and water especially since he has fewer organic parts than most. Thanks to the nutrient tank, after a standard 2000 calorie meal he can sustain what few organic areas of his body he still possesses for three months. In addition hector’s power supply for his armor and cybernetics can be found in his digestive area. A new form of battery that was developed utilizing technology liberated from the invaders provides an energy output comparable to the reactor of a Nimitz class aircraft carrier.
Integumentary system
Hector’s skin has a layer of carbon fiber in it that serves as a heavy form of subcutaneous armor. This form of armor renders him completely bulletproof without his T.S.C.S. armor on. His skin also possesses the repair weave that assists his body in its healing process.
Senses
Hector’s senses have been augmented by cybernetics, his original five senses are on par with animals. Furthermore he has an augmented reality display can show other spectrums of light as well as serve as a radar and ladar. Suffice to say Hector’s senses can pass into x ray, infrared, electromagnetic, U.V., and more.
Immune functions
With most of Hector’s organic systems terminated from the various injuries sustained during the invasion that took place from 95-98 what few organic systems Hector has are mostly non essential. This frees him from worry when it comes to most diseases, and toxins.
Circulatory system
Hector’s circulatory system has been retasked to support his now mostly cybernetic physiology. Synthetic blood is responsible for the oxygen transport to both his organic and inorganic areas.
Brain
Hector’s brain houses the physical components of myself, a telecom array, and a prototype quantum computer. This allows Hector to effortlessly hack any electronic system or network he comes across and also bolsters his thought processes considerably. In the time it takes most people to decide weather to turn left or right at a fork in the road Hector can deduce how to subdue or kill a team of B- class superhumans, overthrow a first world government, extract a hostile target from a secure location, how to leave zero evidence of his involvement behind, and how to do so with minimal casualties. Hector was already a polymath with a genius level I.Q. before his enhancement procedure, his current state allow him to specialize in several fields most prominently tactics, weapon design, chemistry, ballistics, and cybernetics. He is borderline hypercognative and thinks far faster than any mainframe can operate. He can effectively multitask with between tens of thousads of different tasks at once.
Extraneous physiology
Hector’s extraneous physiology can best be ascribed to his suit of powered armor the Tactical Suppression and Command Suite. Though outdated by the modern power armor employed by the remnants of the U.S. army or the mech suits utilized by the marines the T.S.C.S. still has a great deal of room for growth. In fact Hector has extensively devised upgrades for both his suit, his enhancements, and the other iterations of the now defunct cyber warrior program. However lack of access to a proper lab and industrial equipment has resulted in hector having to rely on software upgrades to the mark one version of the armor. To begin with the armor interfaces directly with Hector’s central nervous system via a series of interface points along his spine, cranium and limbs. Though positively barbaric by today’s standards they allow the suit a 1/1 reflex analogue allowing the suit to act as a second skin. With Hector’s software upgrades the suit reacts before even hector’s augmented reflexes. The suit is comprised of high density carbon nanotubes, Kevlar, and next generation high strength plastics and ceramics. As the suit utilizes various forms of electromagnetic manipulation for its offensive and defensive subroutines and a suit made of ferrous material would be fatal to the user. Hector’s armor despite it being non ferrous is entirely ballistics rated easily able to withstand sustained most hazards up to and including small arms fire, explosives, and most heavy weaponry. While the suit can withstand a great deal of trauma the same cannot be said for the operator, fortunately hector’s enhanced physiology greatly enhances his own survivability. The suit’s power used to be a direct wireless feed from its own dedicated nuclear reactor until hector managed to reverse engineer the power sources utilized by the invaders which greatly enhanced the suits power output. This allows his suit’s features to run almost indefinitely barring being overloaded by violent events. Hector given his penchant for irregular tactics and warfare has made significant alterations to the suit’s original design. Originally intended to be a frontline command unit Hector altered it to suit his set of tactics. His alterations have seen it armed with a suite of weaponry that can be used for LTL or conventional purposes. He sacrificed most of the suit’s defensive mechanisms for more mobility, the electronic offensive measures, and enhancements of its utility options.
Ionic Gauntlets
The ionic gauntlets utilize electromagnetic fields to induce localized ionization at varying ampules, and voltage. The ionic gauntlets are capable of incapacitating or terminating man and machine and are capable of leaping across multiple targets. This is achieved by establishing opposing field charges on targets designated by the suit’s targeting suite. Thanks to the new power source the gauntlets can attain the output of a superbolt. The suit’s quantum computer combined with the active scan software hector developed can alter the output of the gauntlets in nanoseconds and even between discharges. The ionic gauntlets can stun, incapacitate, or incinerate soft targets, armored vehicles, and injure superhumans up to C+ class. They are an ideal mid range weapon effective at around three hundred meters. The gauntlets can be discharged in lines, cones, or omnidirectional blasts. In addition they can be utilized as contact weapons. The discharge from ionic gauntlets are keyed to bypass as much of a targets conventional defenses as possible and are married to hector’s fire control system which is accurate enough to target individual nerves or micro circuits inside of a target. Hector can also use the gauntlets to magnetize and manipulate materials over a wide area of approximately three hundred meters.
Photonic Spaulders
The photonic spaulders are shoulder mounted light and particle accelerators as well as an integral part of the suit’s targeting system. At varying magnitudes the spaulders can blind targets by projecting light directly into a target’s eyes, paint them with non visible lights in order to assist other weapon systems, and at higher magnitudes it can reliably penetrate heavy vehicle armor at extreme range while remaining out of the visible light spectrum. The spaulders require a slight cooling period before being used if the anti armor setting is used however (3.65 seconds) however its extreme range (7,000 meters) compensates for this drawback. The spaulders can utilize an omnidirectional blast to blind several targets at once in addition to the direct blindness. It should be noted that the non lethal setting can be used indefinitely.
Disruption Module
The disruption helmet utilizes sonic waves to incapacitate, weaken, or messily eliminate a target or group of targets. It can also generate counter sound to eliminate noise and counter other instances of sonic weaponry. The distortion helmet can also enhance the voice of the operator and allow him to imitate a variety of vocal ranges. Further software enhancements of the helmet have allowed it to weaken the structural integrity of solid matter considerably. A well aimed burst of low frequency sound can render the front armor of a mech suit brittle as glass, or breach a wall almost silently. It can even produce shockwaves powerful enough to knock down and disorient a B class super human. More subtle uses of the helmet can be used to induce auditory hallucinations in a target. It is quite useful for targets with enhanced immune systems. The disrupter helmet’s offensive measures have a range of about five meters necessitating caution in using it against armed opponents.
Microwave Emitter
The T.S.C.S. microwave emitter is a nightmarish counter measure against electronics and has horrific effects on living beings when the lethal settings are used. On the non lethal settings electronics are shorted out and living creatures are subject to having the moisture in their skin set to a boil at medium range. This causes said living creatures extreme pain and discomfort, at the lethal setting anything that runs on electricity is all but rendered useless and living beings have their body’s moisture heated to a flashpoint. The end result tends to be desiccated corpses and horrified looks on the faces of those fortunate enough to survive. The Microwave emitter is a large scale crowd controller at its lower settings and has a cone range of one hundred meters and a width of twenty meters. On its lethal setting it has half that range.
Dorsal launchers
Hector’s dorsal mounted launchers are able to house and launch a series of micro munitions to add additional tactical options to the T.S.C.S. weapon suite. They can be launched as either grenades or missiles
Corrosive rounds
Corrosive rounds are delivery systems for powerful acids and oxidizers that cripple conventional armor. The rounds can eat a hole through armor plating in approximately three seconds upon exposure. Even non metallic surfaces such as ceramics and organic protection suffer immense damage upon exposure to the corrosive rounds.
Anti Oxygen rounds
These simple sounding rounds are actually a quantum leap in anioxic weaponry; they actually eliminate oxygen within fifteen meters wreaking all sorts of havoc. Concrete crumbles, metal spot wields to itself, eardrums explode, and anything made of water is subject to death or severe injury. Hector only deploys anti oxygen rounds in the most extreme circumstances.
Thermite rounds
Thermite rounds are self deploying thermite munitions aimed at disabling enemy armor, they operate by attaching themselves to a target and then they deploy rapidly burning through metal.
High explosive
High explosive rounds utilize sonic weaponry to deliver more damage at a fraction of the weight.
Frictionless Rounds
A frictionless lubricant that has several non conventional applications, a surface doused with this liquid is rendered incredibly perilous. Only a superhuman with C+ class agility and above has any hope of navigating it safely without falling prone.
Sticky rounds
The aptly named sticky rounds are another utility round, seconds prior to impact it detonates spreading a rapidly solidifying foam that adheres a target to any surface it may be on. This can be used to reinforce a structure as well albeit temporarily. Sticky rounds last an hour at most and have the tensile strength to restrain a superhuman of C+ class and below.
EMP rounds
Containing a multi stage ionic burst mechanism these EMP rounds can shut down even the most well insulated mechanical systems.
Utility Systems
St. Michael Electronic Warfare Suite
The pinnacle of electronic warfare the St. Michael Electronic Warfare Suite allows for the near instantaneous compromising of any electronic or digital system, placing them under the complete control of the operator while locking out everyone else. Missiles streak back at their point of origin, communication relays are subverted, network admins are locked out of systems, drones fire on their allies, A.I.’s turn on their host programs, all communications equipment is rendered useless, or worse hopelessly compromised ect. Hector has made vast improvements on the systems software, however current T.S.C.S. hardware limitations have caused the performance of this suite to plateau, a plateau which was surpassed thanks to the recent development of a prototype communications and electronic warfare drone. This allows hector to control any mechanical object weather or not it is controlled by a digital system reaching into the realm of true technokenisis. It is a punishingly effective and oftentimes underestimated resource. In addition the warfare suite also serves as the control mechanism for six prototype munitions drones that Hector has extensively customized. The drones are Pilum the tactical drone, Gladius the fire support drone, Scutum the defense drone, Dictum the communications drone, Panacea the field support drone, and Malleus the engineering drone. Each drone will be detailed separate from the armor systems.
Icarus Mag lev system
The icarus mag lev system utilizes electromagnetism to achieve flight, it functions in all environments even those devoid of atmosphere. The technology behind it was acquired after initial sorties against the invaders. The system once required immense power and was never slated for mass production, however with the installation of a new power source Hector can achieve super sonic flight.
Spectrum Sensitive mode
Subtle manipulations of photons and differing light spectrums can render the operator and a group invisible to the naked eye and any known sensor. Furthermore it also cloaks sound, and scent completely allowing for complete invisibility. This mode can be maintained indefinitely if need be.
Active Scan
The active scan subroutine utilizes each of the suit’s sensors to rapidly assess the physical condition and composition of anything it is drawn across. Active scan can relay an incredible amount of data in moments. It directly referances hector’s own mind in order to display the results of the scan to the rest of the team and can read an object down to the quark level.
Anisible comm. Array
Utilizing pico bots and quantum entanglement these advanced comm systems allow for faster than light communications. Each pico bot’s atomic structure corresponds to the direct opposite of another bot no matter where it is in the universe. Along with hector’s HUD implants and software a team can share reams of data instantly and silently.
Hard light projector
Hector’s hard light projector can generate optical illusions, and work in tandem with active scan to paint targets for the rest of hector’s weapon and information systems. Using slightly greasy photons that are invisible to most spectrums a target can be marked in milliseconds, the mark lasts for several hours under even the least favorable conditions. The updated illusion suite can affect all five senses up to B- class and provide temporary cover. This cover can withstand attacks up to C class and last for 1 second before safety measures cause the constructs to collapse.
Zero point generator
A hard won technological innovation that came from the aftermath of the invasion of ’95 the zero point generator utilizes zero point reactions to generate an infinite amount of energy without throwing off heat, radiation, or any signature detectable without looking into the subatomic scale. It can generate energy indefinitely, but its energy density is 7,965 megawatts. In the midst of a combat situation this can be drained rapidly by hectors many systems.
Munitions drones
As much a part of the T.S.C.S. as the plates that compose it the drones were slated to be mothballed due to the infeasibility of rigging them for wireless power transfer unit as well as their intended equipment. However with Hector’s new zero point energy generator implanted directly inside of him the drones can now function indefinitely as long as they are within ten miles of him. Each drone is autonomous and uses myself and Hector’s own behavioral patterns to operate. Each drone has a different specialty so that when operating in concert they can bring a variety of tactical options to the field. Each drone is composed completely of high grade ceramics, laminated Kevlar, and CNT reinforcements at key junctures. The drones are all propelled via a miniature Icarus mag lev system and are able to keep pace with Hector at top speed. All drones have had displacement fields and stealth generators installed in lieu of more armor fitting in with Hector’s way of waging war.
Fire support drone mark X aka “Gladius”
Originally intended to be a first response drone to counter enemy presence the Gladius has since been rearmed and retooled by Hector to pack as much firepower as a platoon of soldiers. Its twin linked particle accelerators enable it to suppress multiple targets with ease and anything that doesn’t get behind cover is shredded by explosively reactive ions. Its twin linked rapid firing 2 mm rail cannons makes short work of cover and anything behind it. The sonic warhead dispenser makes it an extreme threat to heavy armor or packed groups of infantry, and its reclamation system lets it utilize enemy equipment to replenish its spent ammunition. The Gladius has a redundant generator to provide extra power to its flight systems letting it fly at hypersonic speeds.
Tactical ordinance drone mark IX “Pilum”
Named for the weapon romans used to weigh down armor and shields the tactical support drone fulfills this function with a suite of less than lethal options. Sticky grenades, advanced sonic weaponry to induce nausea or aural hallucinations, frictionless grenades, photon projectors, compliance gases, electrical projectors, E.M.P. disruptors, and microwave emitters, are but a few of the features packed into this drone. The most unusual feature of this drone is the swarm feature which uses swarms of mini drones armed with weaponized cryo beams to root enemies in place or destroy any munitions they might be holding.
Point defense drone mark XI “Scutum”
Named for the trademark shields of the Roman legion the point defense drone designated scutum is a welcome sight on the battle field. The scutum can project an electromagnetic force field capable of protecting a one hundred meter area the field can sustain several minutes of sustained artillery fire before failing. For more personal protection the scutum can launch a limited number of point defense spheres. These spheres will float around a person and can intercept all but the fastest moving weapons before they harm their charge. These spheres carry a smaller version of the scutum field allowing them to soak considerable damage before failing. In addition the scutum carries a modest 1 mm rail gun, and a plasma projector for armored threats. It has a nano cloud that can drastically reduce the speed of incoming projectiles and will partially diffuse beam weapons drastically reducing the effectiveness of both making direct attacks against scutum far less effective. It can use an advanced form of sticky grenade to create reliable (if temporary) cover even in the most barren of areas. It can also create a near impassible barrier in a dome effectively containing a threat to a fifty meter area or smaller. This allows the Templar to mitigate collateral damage with ease.
Emergency search and rescue drone mark XII “Panacea”
Intended to assist and shield combat medics the Panacea has been upgraded significantly by Hector into a one stop shop for trauma medicine, surgery, and triage. Housing a fleet of micro bots that can be outfitted with a variety of stimulants and meds the Panacea can treat multiple patients simultaneously. It can utilize an onboard a mini facturing kit to produce splints, cots, bandages, drugs and stimulants, and gurneys capable of supporting four hundred pounds of weight. The panacea carries a laser with no lethal setting as it is used to sterilize an infection site or cauterize a would instead of incapacitate. It has a u.v. generator for mass sterilization and can be devastatingly effective against certain supernatural beings. The Panacea has advanced active scan and can rapidly assess the state of a living being and devise the proper treatment. The panacea drone is capable of performing the most complex surgeries in the most chaotic and filthy conditions with ease drastically improving the Templar’s chances of survival in the field. The panacea can neutralize all manner of deadly substances including toxins, acids, bases, even radioactive materials.
Engineer drone Mark XIII “Malleus”
Originally intended to rapidly set up and maintain forward fortifications the Malleus was scrapped early on due to power and cost issues. Carrying a state of the art pico bot repair module the malleus can repair just about anything it comes across. In addition the malleus can reclaim and manufacture just about anything given enough time and resources. Of course this process is incredibly slow and certainly not suitable for combat but it is useful nonetheless when manufacturing facilities are not available. Malleus has a sophisticated V.I. and can even do complicated things like fortify buildings if it has suitable raw material. Malleus has a 2mm rail gun but has the capacity to build other weapons which it can then attach to itself. However given the space needed for its fabrication unit it can’t mount any heavier ordinance and would be better off building said ordinance for someone or something else to use.
Experimental electronic warfare drone “Dictum”
A quantum leap in electronic warfare and communications the Experimental electronic warfare drone designated Dictum is Hector’s most advanced creation. Utilizing experimental pico tech it serves as the hub for all of the Templars radio telepathic communication and serves a host of other functions as well. It can boost the capacity of the already prodigious St. Michaels Electronic Warfare suite providing not only a significant boost in range (giving it global range) and completely concealing any signs of intrusion, its picotech delivery package can render even non digital machinery vulnerable to the Electronic warfare array. Dictum is also capeable of hypercommunicating for extended periods of time though this demands all the other systems at hector’s disposal shut down. Dictum relies solely on sonic weaponry for protection, something an enemy often underestimates until it’s too late. Furthermore dictum can “overclock” any of the drones or hector’s subsystems in order to boost performance at the cost of structural integrity.
Psychology
Hector is first and foremost a being more disposed to using his head than his heart. Hector’s most distinguishing feature is his approach to warfare as detailed in his various rules of warfare some of which include the following.
1. War is never as simple as us vs them anyone who tells you something is a retard
2. Hit them hard when they can’t see you hit them harder when they can
3. Leave no trace
4. Civilian casualties only aid the enemy
5. Nothing evens the odds like a well executed flanking maneuver
6. Never show your real strength
7. War has no front line
8. When facing a superior opponent you don’t fight dirty you do things that make dirty look good
9. Firepower wins battles, logistics wins campaigns, Intelligence wins wars
10. If the enemy is alerted to your presence you’ve done something wrong or something right
11. Tactics can compensate for almost any battlefield condition
12. The only thing sitting still in a combat zone is a corpse
13. Always confirm the kill
14. Never assume a plan will survive enemy contact for long therefore have a backup plan
15. Fighting fair is a great way to die, and a better way to get a lot of people killed.
Hector’s first and foremost concern is practicality in all things he is a major proponent of the old military adage of “if something stops working stop using it”. Nostalgia is something Hector places little value on as far as hardware or software goes, but when it comes to his team mates he is somewhat more empathic. As a tactician and leader Hector is quite demanding, it is on his insistence that the Templar cross train with each other to become a more cohesive fighting force, learn things outside of their normal specialties, and he has used such knowledge to expand the capabilities of the T.S.C.S. to its utmost. Hector’s commitment to continual improvement leads others to believe he is obsessive, and while this is partially true this commitment stems mainly from his perceived failings during the invasion of ’95. Though lauded as “America’s Savior” by the military and surviving populace Hector spurns the title certain he could have done better, that he could have saved more than one hundred thousand of his fellow citizens, or that he didn’t have to rely on sending brain washed criminals into suicide missions in order to retrieve live tech from the invaders. Considering the sizeable attack force sent to the U.S. the fact that a sustainable population of U.S. citizens remains is nothing short of a testament to his skill as a tactician. After the invasion Hector went AWOL and attempted to drown himself in synthetic chemicals and pills, it was only Andrew Clay’s timely intervention that prevented him from suffering irreparable brain damage. Hector has managed to find a way to draw strength from this memory and uses it to drive himself and the templar forward. Hector may be a pragmatist but that is not to say he completely dismisses moral tenants, during his tour in Vietnam the Mai Lai incident affected him gravely. He reasoned that seasoned soldiers would be less susceptible to such deviant behavior, and that there would be more of said soldier if they could serve longer. This led to him developing cybernetics, first prosthetics, then commercial products, then enhancements. Thanks to Hector the cybernetics industry is or was a multi billion industry with an eager consumer base. Revenue the army used for Project Sentinel a civilian surveillance program and sold the data to corporations, Project Clean Slate a means of using cybernetics to make sleeper agents, and later The Redemption Initiative which used brain washed criminals and political dissidents as cybernetically enhanced throwaway troops. Hector threatened to go public with these programs and expose the officers responsible. Unfortunately with the U.S. in dire need of a super soldier program to match the Europeans, New Commonwealth, and Soviets Hector was quickly imprisoned in Fort Leavenworth’s supermax wing for treason. With his faith in the military and his country shattered he languished in the supermax prison for years, his culpability in all of those projects weighing heavily on him. Had his consultation in resolving the Triumph incident not been sought he likely would have deteriorated completely. Thanks to this and later andrew’s timely intervention hector now provides the practical solutions to see the “finer world” Andrew pursues brought into reality. Dubbed “Invictus” by Andrew Hector is a man with a renewed purpose, a finer world guarded by those dedicated to fighting for right the proper way. With this reaffirmation of will and purpose, Hector is a driven, resourceful, and cunning strategist dedicated to the Templar’s mission of a finer world.
Skills
Hector is a genius savant and polymath with doctorate degrees in several fields of study, he was an army ranger in the 75th battalion during Vietnam and joining delta when it first started. His aptitude at unconventional warfare earned him the nickname “steel centurion”. He spent a decade as a Delta Operator before retiring to R and D and effectively modernizing the army’s equipment and tactics over the course of a few years. Hector’s tactical skill is such that he can make a fire team operate with the same fighting capability as a division. His strategies are so brilliant that every nation has had entire schools of tactical thought modeled after his strategies. Though versed in many strategies Hector’s true specialty is non conventional warfare striking from the shadows and disappearing before the enemy knows what happened. Hector is a skilled inventor responsible for ushering in the cybernetic and bionic age, and creating and maintaining the equipment the templar use. As a soldier he is an expert in various fields, firearms, demolitions, survival and evasion, infiltration, reconnaissance, and he even created his own unique combat style from observing various martial arts styles emphasizing economy of motion and precise basic strikes to vital areas with the intent of killing or incapacitating an opponent as quickly as possible. He calls it K.I.S.S. or “Keep it simple stupid” and it has served him well for decades. He has further refined it with the help of Serene into a complete martial art with both armed and unarmed forms. A skilled engineer and salvager Hector can keep even the most hi tech equipment running on spare parts for extended periods of time though the equipment’s performance will degrade over time without proper parts. Simpler devices can be used indefinitely however thanks to hector’s skill. Hector’s true expertise is of course cybernetics, bionics, and wetware which uses medical and mechanical disciplines. Using the last of what he could salvage he implanted each of the Templar with wetware that allows them to communicate silently over global distances aiding immeasurably in any operation. In its warfare applications hector’s knowledge of all three makes storing data digitally, or utilizing the electromagnetic spectrum a dangerous proposition for an enemy. Hector is a pioneer in electronic warfare something the templar have used to great effect in the past in reconnaissance, infiltration, urban combat, and sabotage. An expert scrapper and salvager hector can make just about any seemingly useless item lying around into the tools necessary to maintain his and the templar’s equipment.
Tactical considerations
Hector’s equipment and abilities are paramount in many of the Templar’s operations, even when the group isn’t actively opposing some despot he insists on further training and development of the group’s skills, abilities, and tactics when working as a team or alone. With each of the templar Hector has devised a number of maneuvers that utilize their unique abilities and his load out to their fullest making the Templar a whole that becomes far more than the sum of its parts. Hector’s tactics have allowed the Templar to overcome impossible odds, bring down foes far more powerful than they, and create lasting solutions daunting problems facing the people they are sworn to protect. First and foremost hector’s most favored tactic is to strike from stealth after gathering intelligence. He moves in knowing his enemies moves before they do picking them apart with speed and precision. Failing that he still favors stealth using his suits light bending array to render him and a few other teammates invisible while focusing fire on key elements of an enemy’s formation. Referencing the details of a standard six point formation hector typically seeks to neutralize the edge, followed by jailors, then marksmen, leaving the hardier members of the Templar to deal with frontliners and brawlers.
Andrew Clay
Andrew and hector work quite well in defensive operations, most of the stratagems they have devised together use Andrew’s probability manipulation and hector’s LTL systems to blunt an enemy offensive before turning the tide. Hector is genuinely impressed by Andrew, it is not every day one gets to work with someone wielding divine power. Off the field of combat Hector’s intelligence gathering, along with Andrew’s natural charisma and skill as a public speaker are critical in gaining native support in any Templar operation. Studying andrew’s speech patterns and analyzing his impromptu addresses have led to advances in his sonic technologies.
Niran “Serene” Klahan
Set em up, and knock em down is the phrase best suited to how Serene and Hector work together on the battlefield, given Serene’s extreme speed and precision a millisecond is roughly all he needs to end a fight a second hector can easily buy with a photonic grenade or ion burst. Hector is uncertain about how he feels towards Niran and Lily’s relationship. Nonetheless the two of them are on relatively good terms despite Niran’s constant attempts to engage in physical intimacy with hector and from what I understand near anything within arm’s reach. Niran’s constant suggestion that Lily has feelings for Hector doesn’t seem to help the matter either. Off the battlefield Hector lends credibility to the bluffs Niran uses to infiltrate organizations. Though Niran is incredibly adept at deception the legitimacy gained by Hector falsifying records aids immeasurably. Studying serene’s nervous system has allowed hector to make a more efficient heads up display and communications array for the team.
Lily “silhouette” Crestmere
The other special forces veteran of the Templar Lily and hector compliment each other incredibly well. Having similar training, experience, and a deep sense of trust formed from years of fighting in Detroit have led to a devastating combination of conventional firepower backed by the quintessential expression of modern warfare support. Lily has feelings for Hector and the feeling is largely unfulfilled, likely due to Hector’s war injuries and lingering psychological issues from the war and the exploitation by the organization he loved so dearly. Off the battlefield Lily is the key note in any of hector’s “shadow operations” responsible for everything from sabotage to assassination if need be. Studying her manipulation of ballistics has allowed hector to make improvements on the flight characteristics of his grenades and rail rounds.
EOD01
EOD01 is typically the distraction or guided weapon of mass destruction in Hectors plans. Having little utility outside of combat this is a role EOD01 fulfills quite well. EOD01 makes hector rather nervous despite Aandrew’s insistence that ED will one day “have a soul like you or me”. The tactical concerns of something that dangerous with free will are many. Nonetheless EOD01 remains a valuable asset in any Templar operation. Deep scans of EOD01’s musculoskeletal structure has led to hector making vast improvements to the structural integrity of the T.S.C.S. and drones.
Verrick Bulat
Hector and Verrick have a strained working relationship; it is not just due to Hector’s mild distaste for magic, but the fact that Verrick is abrasive and cruel. Verrick was once the ruler of an empire whose wars of expansion were reputed to have claimed as many lives as the black plague. Verricks ability to summon hordes of extradimensional creatures in lieu of traditional spell effects has a great deal of utility, and Verricks castle and property stored in an extradimensional space serve as a sort of headquarters for the templar (even if they lack proper lab equipment or modern machinery) but there is friction between the two. It may be grudgingly but Verrick actually respects Hector’s tactical prowess even stating “if I had a man like him at my side I would have owned all of Eurasia.” Off the field Verrick’s hosts of minions can serve as eyes and ears over an entire region feeding vast amounts of information to him. The study of various extradimensional creatures has allowed for improvements in the creation of fibers and material for use in all of the armor systems.
Hecryn
Far more personable than his lord and master Hecryn has a friendly relationship with Hector. They tend to disagree on strategy as Hecryn favors a strategic mindset which can only be described as “suicidal” but it is effective in its own way. Though not as powerful as EOD01 physically he is far more skilled in hand to hand combat and often works in tandem with EOD01 to set up particularly resilient foes for devastating follow ups. Hecryn’s unique series of tactics has led hector to diversify his tactical mindset, though a specialist in ambush and stealth tactics he has broadened into other schools of thought in order to allow the Templar to keep surprising their foes.
Anya
With her predatory instincts and versatile power set Anya has found her way into the shadow ops of the Templar. She serves as the muscle, or backup when Lily or Serene are cornered as well as serving as “chief interrogator”. The only downside is her particular need for superhuman/supernatural/predatory animal blood. This makes extended deployment difficult, however they tend to be worth the risk. Anya’s skill in tracking and natural predatory instincts have aided immensely in refining hector’s predictive algorithms when it comes pursuing a target or their sensitive materials.
Invictus belongs to gurlow
art by jazzycat
Category All / All
Species Unspecified / Any
Gender Any
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