Legendary Pilot Lore
Kyle Rogers
Kyle Rogers had made himself a name as a fierce fighter and leader of his squad. If you wanted real professionals, you called the Eagles. They completed even the toughest jobs — until an incident on Earth changed everything. On what was supposed to be a regular mission, Kyle and his team got ambushed, and everyone but him died. While traversing the canyon on his own, he stumbled upon a secret lab complex and the remainder of a large-scale, pre-Cataclysm research project. He repaired a decommissioned Inquisitor and grabbed the experimental nanobot technology before continuing on to HO and completing the mission alone. But even after his return to his wife and son, the past would stay with him.
Two years after losing his team in the ambush, Kyle was still accepting contracts — but only on Mars. He claimed that it was to spend more time with his family, but he had another reason. During the day, Kyle honed his skills piloting the Inquisitor and got used to the experimental tech he had found in the research lab. At night, he secretly investigated the incident on Earth to quieten the voices of his lost comrades that were still haunting him. He would wear his old suit, which he had repainted black, with a white eagle — his old squad's insignia — as a memento even as rumors about the shadow detective roaming the seediest places on Mars abounded.
Thanks to his nightly sleuthing, Kyle made many helpful — and often criminal — contacts: smugglers, information dealers, mob leaders, and mercenaries with questionable morals. From the shadows, he observed the dark side of the Mars society and that was how he discovered the first relevant clue: instead of looking on Mars, he should head back to Earth. With an infallible robot, a strong lead in his case, and a makeshift HO with a hotshot coordinator at the controls, Kyle was well prepared for his indefinite mission. Before he left, he also said his good-byes to his wife, told her everything and promised to return.
Alika Renner
Her father left the colony to become a mercenary when she was just a child. For the longest time, she believed that if she only was good enough he would return, so she studied hard and behaved well. Her attitude greatly affected her Initiation, though, and she was assigned the role of a researcher. However, the hard-working student had just been an act, and the longer she kept up the pretense, the more depressed and unhappy she became. It affected her performance to the point where her mental state became obvious to everyone around her. In EvoLife, depression was considered the greatest danger for civilization and a cause for immediate hospitalization. Alika soon found herself in an institution where she underwent the EvoLife treatment for depression. It involved altering the patient's hormones in such a way that they would be physically unable to feel depressed any longer. In Alika's case, the treatment had an unexpected side-effect: whenever she would usually be anxious or depressed, she instead became reckless and hot-headed. Since studying stressed her out constantly, the old Alika was gone for good.
The new Alika was more determined than ever to find her father. She sneaked out of the colony and began looking for him at mercenary bases. When she finally found the right one, it was only to learn that he had died in battle just a few weeks ago. Her entire life, Alika had been driven by the hope that her daddy would return, but on this day, her dreams came crashing down around her. The merc leader her father had served with was willing to let her join. On her first day with the band, he gave her the only thing that was left of her father — his Ao Jun.
Tobias Mwangi
As the third son of a Yandi board member, Tobias was enjoying a life of luxury. But although he had everything that money could buy, he realized that the one thing he really wanted remained elusive: happiness. His existence felt shallow and meaningless, and none of the pleasures or eccentricities he indulged in could fill the void inside him. One day, he learned about the war that was raging outside the walls of his glittering world. The urge to see it with his own eyes would not be quieted and so despite the misgivings of his family, he bought himself a Bulwark and hired a piloting instructor.
It took a while until he mastered controlling a robot, but he was determined to see it through as it was the first time he had a purpose in life. When he eventually got the hang of it, he left the Yandi Space Station — a move that caused a buzz in the Yandi media for months — and headed to a mercenary base on Mars. Although he was accepted by the mercenaries, his reputation as a spoiled brat made him a social outsider and he soon turned to social media to compensate for the lack of communication.
He began documenting his life as a mercenary and the campaigns he fought. At first, no one was particularly interested, but that changed when he covered the Battle for Yamantau Base on in his blog. He took an active part in the combat where the DSC-SpaceTech coalition opposed the EvoLife and Yandi joined forces, and showed everyone the reality behind the proclaimed peace between the colonies. At that point, his blog went viral and his audience grew daily. Today, anyone who wants to learn the truth about the war for Earth visits Tobias Mwangi's blog.
Min-ji Novak
Min-ji was born in the Icarus Technologies' main colony and enjoyed a wonderful childhood full of fun and love. It was all sunshine and rainbows - until the day she reached the age at which Icarus children are introduced to VR. Sadly, she was one of the unfortunate people suffering from VR sickness and felt ill the moment she connected to the network. Since she couldn't spend much time in the virtual world, it alienated her from the other colonists who spend the majority of their lives where she couldn't go. She not only lost most of her friends but also access to a regular education, which by that time was only available in the virtual reality. Min-ji felt like an outcast and began to rebel against the society that rejected her. With their daughter out of control, her parents sent her to a military boarding school - one of the few places still providing education in the real world. This place afforded her the opportunity to study engineering and learn to pilot robots. It was also where she got her first implants as she was prepared to join the colony's special task force, but that life wasn't to her liking.
She ran away from school and the colony a few months before graduation, taking with her one of the school's Ares robots, a marvel of Icarus technology. Her high-grade implants, her robot, and her skills earned her a place among the mercenaries. She was soon deployed and took part in the battle for a launch site at a desolate castle where she realized that nothing was more exhilarating than a desperate situation. When her team was on the verge of losing, she charged into the fray without fear or hesitation and crushed their enemies single-handedly, earning her the nickname Min-ji the Berserker.
Stanislav Chen
For as long as he could remember, Stanislav was fascinated by everything mechanical. When he was 6 years old, he got an automated toy dog for his birthday and immediately took it apart to see how it works. His talents were quickly recognized by the all-seeing DSC apparatus and earned him a place in the best education center in the colony. For a while, he was content with spending his entire time in the facility's workshop, but when he got older, the government demanded that he pay his debt to society.
For the so-called benefit of the community, he was forced to work on projects that bored him. When he couldn't take it any longer, he created a small lab in an abandoned building on the outskirts of his dome and found relief from the bleakness of his day job in rebuilding decommissioned or destroyed robots, which he later sold to whoever was buying. However, the Control Committee had its eyes everywhere: his business was soon discovered and Stanislav found himself locked up in a top-secret lab working on yet another tedious government project. But the powers that be made the mistake of underestimating him...
He escaped with a bang, tearing a huge hole in the laboratory wall with an Invader he had built from scratch. He then got in touch with smugglers who used to buy some of his robots, and with their help relocated to a mercenary base. Immediately upon his arrival, he organized a little workshop and joined one of the bands so he could finally test his designs. He still has the Invader he used to break free from his old life but anyone looking at it would have a hard time recognizing it with all the modifications and improvements.Adrian Chong
Adrian Chong was one of the best cadets in the Military Academy. Unlike others who lost their cool in the heat of the training battles, he was sensible and always remained calm even in critical situations. At the same time, he showed a talent for mentorship by helping fighters and leading them during numerous training sessions. It didn't come as a surprise that he was assigned a post as a military instructor immediately after graduating, and under his supervision, students progressed quickly and showed great results. He also designed a special advanced course for pilots, but despite his success, he could never shake the feeling that something was missing.
After several years and a couple of promotions, Adrian had become the most well-known mentor in the Academy, Even after attaining the highest rank possible, he practiced every day and spent hours upon hours on the training field. He also stayed in touch with his cadets, one of whom was sent on a mission to earth right after graduation. Upon his return, he told his old instructor about the fierce fighting that was going on there, and about battles unlike any they have been preparing for in training. Adrian realized that in order to teach his cadets the skills necessary to survive real war, he himself had to fight in real battles.
With each new battle on Earth, Adrian learned something about piloting a robot in real combat. His squad was sent on the most dangerous and tricky missions all over the planet, and every day taught him more about battle than a moth in the training fields back on Mars ever could. Adrian's fame grew along with his combat experience; his praises were sung on both Mars and Earth. When he felt ready, Adrian returned home and founded his own training center: Adrian's Academy. Only the most talented and hard-working pilots would study there and be allowed to prouwdly wear the uniforms embellished with the white "A".
Thomas Mindread
Who is Thomas Mindread? It's a question you often hear on Mars. Over the years. Thomas has become an urban legend. The stories of his exploits are the frequent topic of discussion across the Net, becoming ever more thrilling and incredible. Yet despite having become an almost fictional character in the minds of the common Martian folk, Thomas Mindread is a real person, and much of what is said about him is at least partially true. His extraordinary criminal career started long ago in the Evolife colony, where he was among the few who stood up against initiation policy and the overall common-good-first agenda. However, he soon realized that the colony was beyond saving, and he moved on to larger operations.
Since then, he has constructed his new persona, beginning with his name, Thomas Mindread. This is, of course, an alias. He also made the mask that he now wears almost all the time. Does he consider himself the Death of the current order? Who knows? Anarchy and chaos; that's what Thomas Mindread strives for. He's targeted all colonies, most of the large mercenary groups, and even the movers and shakers of the world. He's be derailing political initiatives, redirecting currency flows, and sabotaging various missions on Earth for many years now, and he's never been caught.
Among his less well-known, but still remarkable undertakings, is one that's very special to him. He got himself a Leech, way before it was out on market. Getting into the most guarded facility in Evolife and stealing one of the first builds of their cutting-edge mech wasn't easy, but that just made it even more exciting. it involved all the things he's good at: hacking into the facility's system, pretending to be an employee, and evading the guards who chased him on his way out. That's why Leech holds a special place in Thomas' heart. He's learned to squeeze more out of that machine than he ever thought possible.
Olga Minina
"How did I end up here?" Olga thought before the fight against Cormac de Vos. It was the same thought she had before every night. Olga had always spoken out against violence. She sought a peaceful resolution for every situation. And yet here she was, the defending champion of the world's famous Arena - Yan-di showdown. She'd been working at a hydroponic farm in the Icarus' nebula settlement when she'd had to step up and defend her friend against a bully. There'd been no way to avoid the fight: they'd both been wearing exo-suits, and the attacker had been relentless. Olga had won the fight. And it had been so easy. That was when she'd entertained the paradoxical thought that even though she despised fighting, she was too good at it to not literally fight to make the world a safer place.
So Olga began combat training. First in VR, then with the help of a friend who did border patrols in a rusty Gepard. It felt so much like working an exo-suit. It just came naturally to her. When Olga thought she was ready, she snuck out of the colony for a weekend, and made her way to the closest mercenary community. There she took part in her first fight and she won again. she gave her winnings away on the streets, and that's when she really got hooked.
She kept winning, and soon she quit her job at the colony to become a professional gladiator. She earned more money in a day than she'd used to in a month, and she could use her growing influence to help so many people. Before she knew it, she was competing at a higher level. She got a better robot and a strong fan base to go with it. They called her Iskra. One day she got an invite to fight in the Yan-di Showdown, and she became the Champion. Now she's a star: the Phantom queen, the-angel-from-the-machine. And yet before every single battle, she still asks herself: "Did I make the right choice?"...
Cormac de Vos
As the fight against the current Showdown champion, Olga Minina, grew nearer, the voice of his father grew louder in Cormac's head. "You're not good enough," it said, as it always had. For as long as Cormac could remember, his father had demanded the best from him. And Cormac had tried his best to exceed his father's expectations: he was the best in his class in everything, he studied robot engineering as an extracurricular, and as soon as he'd been assigned to become a robot test pilot - one of the riskiest and most select paths open to an Evolife kid. After all, Evolife robots are rather... experimental.
Still his father wasn't satisfied. He convinced Cormac that to be the best, he needed cutting-edge (and under tested) mutations. So Cormac got them, his father, the renowned Soren de Vos, was banished from Evolife for the transgressions he'd made with his experiments. And just to be on the safe side, Cormac - his main test subject - was exiled with him. All of Cormac's dreams were shattered. Enraged, he left his father and sought out his own path. He wandered Mars for a while, until he stumbled upon a robot gladiator fight.
The fight mesmerized him. It was a clear way to prove that he was the best, the strongest. He signed up right away. And he dominated. Soon enough, he was the undisputed champion of his local Arena. He was recruited to compete in the so-called Coliseum of Neo-Tortuga. It was there that he earned his nickname - Single Malt - and he crushed the competition once again. Soon after that, Cormac received an offer he couldn't refuse: to enter the Yan-di Showdown, Mars' highest profile gladiator Arena. He instantly accepted and began his way up, until only one opponent remained; the beautiful and deadly Iskra, Olga Minina.
Soren de Vos
Soren isn't the kind of person to entertain doubt. He never doubted becoming a bioengineer, and it was he was assigned at his initiation. He'd always demanded the best from himself and from everyone else, including his family. And despite frustrations, he'd always strictly follow Evolife protocol: testing every invention thoroughly and always consulting the leadership before implementing his ideas. However, that all changed when his wife died from a disease for which there was no cure. It was then he realized that the bureaucracy was nothing more that a weight holding him back, and he began to look for ways around it.
Regular Pilot Lore
Yan-Di Ventures Female Pilot Lore #1
The Board of Yan'Di Ventures survived because they had information - and they paid a pretty sum to anyone who was ready to provide it. She was one of the Board's agents in the colony, having her eyes and ears everywhere. She was very good at her job. So good, in fact she was offered a position outside the colony. The terms were simple; join the mercenaries, act like one of them, and when opportunity arises, send some valuable data to the Board. Refusing was not an option, so she agreed and made her way to the target mercenary base.
She quickly learned that although mercenaries like to think themselves independent from the colonies, the couldn't be more wrong. her connections in the colony secured her a place his the mercenary band in no time. Within the first year, she began her pilot training with the best ace in the camp as her teacher. A few months later, she went on combat missions, and within a couple of years, she became a team leader. She was living her dream and didn't plan to stop.
She tried her best not to let war become her whole life, She took up different hobbies, spend as much time with friends as possible, and sought to start a family. Eventually, she met a man, got married, and had two wonderful children. Life outside the colonies was not ideal for a family, but they were fortunate to live on a rather fairly base with schools, malls, and even a small indoor park. The combat missions became nothing more to her than a means to an end; a way to support her family and provide a better future for her kids.
Yan-Di Ventures Female Pilot Lore #2
Her life was a party - she was rich, young, popular, and she enjoyed it a great deal. But after a while, the activities that once were exciting and made her heart race from adrenaline became dull and uninvited. Seeking another thrill, she indulged in everything available on the Yan-Di Space Station, but nothing was ever enough. Then she met a mercenary in a club one day and listened to his stories from the battlefield. She instantly knew that she had found what she was looking for, so the next day she bought herself the best mech on the market and made her way to the mercenary base.
The mercenaries were happy to welcome her in their midst. They were pragmatic people who knew that a pilot with a robot is always an asset. Besides, she was a likable sort and easily blended in with the diverse crowd at the base. For her, this new exciting life was the breath of fresh air she needed - she was going on missions and fought in actual battles. In the early, days, she occasionally fantasized about returning to her old life, but she soon felt so at home at the base and with her comrades in arms that all thoughts of leaving vanished.
She enjoyed her time with the mercenaries - she and her team got close quickly and spent most of their time off duty together. But one day, life took a turn for the worse when her crew got ambushed and she was the sole survivor. While she continued to go on missions, she spent all her free time wasting away in front of the TV, until a few years later, a new team leader approached her and invited her to join a friendly robot challenge. Step by step, new friends coaxed her out of the dark place she was in, but she never forgot about her first team.
Yan-Di Ventures Male Pilot Lore #1
The Board of Yan'Di Ventures survived because they had information - and they paid a pretty sum to anyone who was ready to provide it. He was one of the Board's agents in the colony, having his eyes and ears everywhere. He was very good at his job. So good, in fact he was offered a position outside the colony. The terms were simple; join the mercenaries, act like one of them, and when opportunity arises, send some valuable data to the Board. Refusing was not an option, so he agreed and made his way to the target mercenary base.
He got himself a comfortable job at the base thanks to the colony's trading connections, but that was only part of his plan. He saved up some money and hired a piloting instructor to learn how to operate a robot. It was all new to him and success didn't some easy, but after a while, he managed to get quite good at it. Then he tapped into his connections among different groups of mercenaries and quickly was hired as a pilot by one of them. He was so pleased with himself that day, he bought a bottle of real EvoLife wine to celebrate.
He never thought mercenary missions could be boring until the Great Roman Stand of 2139. No shots were fired and no actual fighting took place. Instead, they spent over two months waiting around in what was once been the city of Rome, admiring the historical sites still standing after the Cataclysm. Everyone was on edge from uncertainty and boredom, and no one knew when and from whom to expect an attack. He hated it so much that he swore he'd leave the mercenary life behind as soon as the Stand was over, but of course he never did.
Aurora Colony Male Pilot Lore
He was but a child when Aurora, the settlement he lived in, went rouge. He used to have a happy, quiet life, but it all changed in the blink of an eye: food rationing and mandatory work became a part of his daily routine. His family, like many others, was not in favor of separating from the main colony which got them arrested and him sent to the orphanage. He escaped when he was a little over 16. He wanted to reach the main Icarus Technologies colony but ran out of fuel halfway there. Fortunately for him, he was found by mercenaries who took him in.
The mercenaries liked him, but they liked his implants even more. They were very few augmented people in the group, so any new additions were welcome. The fact that he was a quick learner didn't hurt his prospects, either. The group's leader insisted the he train to pilot a robot from day one, and eventually he agreed. Piloting came naturally to him, whether it was due to the brain enhancements or natural talent he never knew. For him, piloting and going on missions was never more than a job he did to make ends meet.
A short while after he joined the mercenaries, he got involved with an organization called "Mercs for Peace". They proclaimed that once the war for Earth was over, there would be no more fighting. Every time he went into battle, he believed it would bring the world one step closer to peace. But the years went by and the situation remained unchanged. Eventually, he lost his faith in everlasting peace and left the organization. From that day forward, he only thought of the money each battle would earn him.
Aurora Colony Female Pilot Lore
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