Lady Lightblade
From Unofficial Handbook of the Virtue Universe
| |
| Lady Lightblade | |
| Player: @Danger Rose | |
| Origin: | Technology |
|---|---|
| Archetype: | Tanker/Scrapper |
| Security Level: | Tanker: 21 Scrapper: 29 |
| Personal Data | |
| Real Name: | Brandy Margaret Holmes |
| Known Aliases: | Margie. Margaret the Mad Scientist. |
| Species: | Human |
| Age: | 32 |
| Height: | 5' 9" |
| Weight: | 169 lbs |
| Eye Color: | green |
| Hair Color: | brown |
| Biographical Data | |
| Nationality: | English |
| Occupation: | Scientist at SDI Ltd. R&D/Heroine at SDI Wolfcry Division |
| Place of Birth: | Manchester, England |
| Base of Operations: | Paragon City |
| Marital Status: | Single |
| Known Relatives: | Lorena Everett [mother], Logan Casey Holmes [father] |
| Known Powers | |
| Genius level intellect, otherwise a regular Jane. | |
| Known Abilities | |
| Well trained fencer [both historical and sport fencing], decent hand-to-hand combat training. | |
| Equipment | |
| Non-Lethal Plasma blades, Phase-Armor. | |
| Footnotes | |
| ' | |
Contents |
Lady Lightblade
Biography
I’m Dr. B. Margaret Holmes. Thanks to the media, the world also knows me as Lady Lightblade. I am a registered Paragon City Heroine out of need [it was the only way I could legally carry around my equipment at all times].
I am also a member of SDI: Wolfcy Division, a privately funded superhero group.
Early life
All right, I suppose I should start from the very beginning. I was born in Manchester, England on May 25th, 1977; the same day Star Wars was released, I know. My parents in all their wisdom decided to name me Brandy; I still haven’t forgiven them for that. Thank goodness for middle names. I can at least pretend my first name doesn’t exist and when I introduce myself I do it as Margaret Holmes. As the only daughter of two Nuclear Physicists/inventors/treasure hunters, I was what you could describe as a precocious child. I showed an affinity for mathematics form an early age. When I was 5 years old, we moved to Atlanta, USA, where I spent most of my childhood. This is why I only have a faint trace of an English accent. My parents had profitable careers, and I lived in luxury as far as I can remember. Despite being very busy, they both did their best to always be there for me; and my education was their top priority.
Education
I always liked studying and learning new things. I’m sure I would have loved school. My parents were advocates of early stimulation and by the age of 3 I was already singing prime numbers. So I was home schooled. I must say I really had lots of fun with my parents. They never made learning a boring chore. At times one had to attend the family business [Trans-Mat, a hazardous waste management company] and sometimes they took me to their expeditions, much to my grandparents’ dismay. When the time came for me to choose a sport, I chose fencing; for some reason I found it appropriate, since my parents were already a blade short of swashbucklers.
When I was 13 I aced my SAT tests and was accepted to MIT's School of Engineering. I also enrolled to do a Physics Major. Overkill, I know, but I would do it again anytime. I studied Electric and Mechanical Engineering. As I was leaving, talks of the Biomedical Engineering program were becoming a reality so I stuck around studying History and honing my skills with the saber. I finished the Biomedical Engineering degree and was convinced by my mentor, Dr. Miles Worrell, to try his alma mater, Cambridge in England, for my post graduate studies. I eventually finished my PhDs in Extreme Environment Survivability and Interdimentional Portal Mechanics.
So there I was, an overly educated, overqualified 25 year old with no work experience. Getting a job was harder than I thought. My parents wanted me to take over the family business, but I just wanted to build stuff and do my experiments. I decided early on I didn't want to be enslaved by the company.
Two year sabbatical
Christmas Eve 2002, with the Rikti War over, I decided to take some time off to 'find myself'. The truth was that I just couldn't tell my parents that I didn't want to take ove the family business. So I went on a globetrotting excercise, searching for and meeting experts on diferent styles of swordfight. I visited Germany, France, Spain, Morocco, Greece, India, Thailand, Hong Kong and Japan. It lasted two years and it was a wonderful experience. Well, except for the last six months...
Captivity
I was visiting Hong Kong. I had just finished a 2-week intensive training session with Nie Shou Heng, the Chinese superstar/martial artists, who is extremely skilled with the Bāguàjian [and a good friend of my Spanish contact, Rogelio Hidalgo, Spanish master swordsman]. As I entered my room I found a man dressed like a ninja, preparing to shoot a crossbow out the window. Upon noticing my presence, he proceeded to attack me. It was the first time I actually had to fight for my life. I managed to hold my ground until the police arrived. Deeming it was not safe to stay there, I moved to another hotel.
That night, more ninja-like masked men invaded my hotel room. I tried fighting them but I was outnumbered 7 to 1 and they were as good as or better than the first one I met. They subdued me, tied me up, and gagged me. I was then silently transported to the trunk of a car, then the cargo hold of a fishing boat.
When I was finally released, I was in a traditional Japanese room. In front of me was an little old man with a severe face. He told me his name was Maeda Noburo. He was the leader of a small Shinobi clan, and I had caused one of his pupils to fail an assassination attempt. He told me I was sentenced to die, but that he was feeling generous and would grant me a chance to defend myself. He motioned to an assortment of swords and weapons. I picked up the one I knew best, the saber. He smiled and said something in Japanese and then translated for me "A light blade?" and then lunged.
The fight didn't last long, he made kebab of my left leg and right arm. I was then treated by a young man who could heal with his hands. I had heard of such mutations, but had never actually met one up close. The exercise went on until sunset when I was granted some diner. The old man told me I would die the day I didn't choose a weapon.
His severity relaxed after the first week; and I knew form the start that if he really wanted to kill me, he would have done so the first time we fought. Although technically I was his prisoner, he always behaved honorably. During our conversations at diner, I learned he was known in the underworld as Death's Whisper and that he knew perfectly well who I was. He trained me in his clan's open-hand fighting style in the mornings; and in the afternoon we would start our duel with blades again. After the first month I was wielding a katana. Whenever I asked him about his motives, he sent me to bed without diner so I learned not to question him. One time, the door to my room was left ajar. I thought about escaping, but my curiosity had gotten the best of me. I was learning a lot and I liked that. I decided to see this trial to its end. We trained for six months.
The day I was able to fight him non-stop, he told me I was free to go. When I questioned him, he told me I had bested one of his students in combat. The student's punishment was death, and I had the burden to carry his honor with me. As I was about to protest, he used a techninque I had never seen and I was knocked out before I could even raise my arms. When I came back to my senses I was in a hotel room in Hong Kong. All of my stuff was there as well. At the table was a red sheathed katana and a note that said "To the Lady of the light blade. My honor is in your hands, wield it wisely."
Back to business
Upon my return to Atlanta, my parents were waiting for me with open arms and 'an offer I couldn't refuse'. They gave me full control over the company's European operation. They also made sure I took the job by cutting off my pocket money. Their logic was undeniable; after all I was almost 30.
I took the job and was bored to death with meetings, growth charts, government officials trying to 'get a slice'. The only part I looked forward to was the inspections to the management plants. On my spare time, which was preciously little, I set up a small shop in London and started my research on plasma fields. The former CEO, George Marcus Gibbon, [who always did a better job than me anyway] helped me make decisions and even took over at times, to allow me some room to do my research.
After 3 years of hard work, I managed to publish my research. It earned me a grant and a position at Cambridge. I will always cherish that distinction, for it bought my freedom. My parents accepted my resignation as CEO and reinstated Mr. Gibbon.
Soon, there was a lot of interest in my work; contractors from around the world were looking forward to the applications, especially on the weapons manufacturing business. In all fairness, I can't call myself a pacifist; after all I do love swords [purely offensive weapons]. However, I started being more secretive of my work. I was designing a plasma field generator and a portable power source. My main objective was to give extra protection form hazardous elements to the workers, but the application in dimensional and space exploration was really promising. The idea of my technology being used for war was never an appealing one to me. Too bad it was for other interested parties...
Margaret, the Mad Scientist
Before people start pointing fingers, I accept that I might be a bit careless at the lab. Yes, sometimes things didn't work as planned and I had 2, OK, 4 mayor explosions in 3 years. But the one that earned me that horrible nickname was not my fault at all!
July, 7 2007. I was working late at the lab when I heard some noise in the next room. I knew I was the last one in the building so I put on the Plasma Field Generator for protection. My suspicions were confirmed when I spotted a group of 8 thugs trying to steal everything that looked like paper and computers. Obviously, they were after my research. I confronted them and floored most of them with ease. Part of my success was due to the plasma field's neural disrupting property. The last one was able to take out a sub machine gun and started shooting. I was hit on my forehead and blacked out. When I woke up, I was in a hospital with a concussion and several bruises, but not a single shot had penetrated. The police was at my bedside and started questioning me. I didn't know it then, but when the thug opened fire, he also shot the plasma containment tanks behind me and they blew up, vaporizing everything around me. I was spared thanks to the Plasma Field Generator. Unfortunately, that also meant that there was no evidence of a break-in, witnesses or dead bodies to corroborate my story; and due to the fact that I had 4 other mishaps in my record, no one believed me.
After a long, grueling trial, I was acquitted form the Professional Negligence charges. But the damage was done. Most of my work was lost, my reputation was in shambles and I was broke. At the time, my parents were at the Amazonian rainforest on one of their expeditions, so the only person I had was the ever gracious Mr. Gibbon. While trying to help me, he was contacted by my parents’ attorney, James Renfield, who had a business proposition for both of us. My parents had left me the whole company, since they weren't coming back from the Amazons [Apparently, they had discovered a community of highly advanced interdimensional castaways, and were very happily accepted among them]. And since Mr. Renfield knew I didn't like the responsibility he proposed that I sold the company to Mr. Gibbon. I really needed the money and Mr. Gibbons had proven to be very trustworthy so I made the deal.
With the sales money I realized I didn't need to work ever again. But where was the fun in that. I applied for a teaching position in several Universities. Unfortunately, my record was marred by the last explosion and no University in Europe was willing to hire me.
On the morning of June 3, 2008 I received a call from Paragon University in Rhode Island to set up an interview for a post as teaching assistant at the Physics department. A new adventure was ahead, and I was not about to let it pass. Not that I had much of a choice anyway.
Paragon City
The City of Heroes, they call it. I was amazed by it. Of course, my amazement was quickly turned to frustration when I had to declare my prototype Twin Plasma Blades and my first Phase Armor at customs. After having to explain in layman's terms the workings of my inventions to not one but three customs officials, I was detained for 4 hours until an officer of the Department of Advanced Technology Application finally came to my rescue. The good fellow also explained to me that my equipment was considered weaponry and it was illegal for a civilian to carry it around. Unwilling to surrender my only surviving work I asked him about my options. He gave me a Superhero Registration Form and explained to me the benefits and duties of a registered hero, which obviously included permits for advanced weaponry and equipment.
When I gave the page to the lady on the booth she asked me what my Code-Name was. I asked for clarification and she asked me if I had a nickname or was known by any other name. The first thing I said was "The lady of the light blade?". She took it literally and that's how Lady Lightblade was born.
As a registered hero, I had the opportunity of working with Portal Corp. That partnership didn't last long. After taking out an Outcast cell that was smuggling equipment to the Rogues Isles, I received an invitation from a woman called Vandellia to join a private Superhero Team called Wolfcry Division, part of Samiel Dayne Industries Ltd.
SDI: Wofcry Division
I had sent my answer to Vandellia along with my resume. I expected the usual "Oh, 'the' Margaret Holmes? We'll call you back..." reply that always came when they read my resume. Instead I was granted an interview with the Head of R&D as well as with Vandellia herself.
I was unlucky enough to arrive exactly at 2:27 pm and was greeted by both receptionists, Miss Foster and Miss Bellingham, at the same time. I must say I felt more comfortable at my Thesis Examination. Thankfully, my interview with Professor Doyal and Mr. Axler went rather well. I had heard of Professor Doyal, but meeting the man in person was a real treat! We spent the whole interview exchanging theories on improvements of trandsdimensional teleportation and plasma field distortion. To find someone with whom to talk at leisure without having to explain anything was a heavenly experience. Poor Mr. Axler fell asleep and didn't wake up until the interview was over. Needless to say, I was hired.
I had similar luck with Vanessa Tremaine. Despite her young age and informal clothes, she seemed to be a very capable and serious businesswoman. Her companion, a young man named Dego had a few concerns about my accident prone career and suggested her that I should work close to another member of the team called Beta Defender. At that time I didn't know it, but I will forever be grateful for that designation. Beta is a robot who's primary objective is to help others. He has become a valuable friend and companion and his grasp of technology baffles me at times. When my experiments go wrong, he's the reason no one gets hurt. Sometimes I feel he's my knight in shining armor.
The supergroup consists of an array of young [and not so young] heroes of different backgrounds and varied abilities that really work exceedingly well as a unit.
Our base of operations is at the SDI Building in Skyway City. There we have access to the latest in technology that SDI can provide. The base has a high tech feel, but it also feels like a big house. It's a wonderful place to socialize, a skill I'm still in the process of developing, and a great place to relax after a hard battle.
Equipment
Twin Plasma Blades
My trademark weapons, the Twin Plasma Blades are classified as non-lethal weaponry. The plasma arc of the blades doesn't cut but it has the ability to disrupt most electrical systems, including the human nervous system. It causes temporal paralysis and causes no permanent damage. The blade appears to be composed of pure light, but in reality, there's a retractable central shaft made of aggregated diamond nanorods which works as plasma conductor. That is why the blades can stop solid objects like swords, axes, rocks etc.
When I stab someone, the shaft retracts upon contact and the plasma arc remains for a few seconds, passing through my oponent. This is a technique I don't like using much, but sometimes the enemies I face are too dangerous and hard to stop due to their super powers or equipment.
There is a danger of actually causing irreversible damage. A direct hit to the heart could paralyze it long enough to trigger a cardiac arrest. Also a strike on the back of the neck, right on the respiratory center could cause respiratory failure. I have never attempted either maneuver and I pray I'll never have to.
Phase Armor
My favorite creation. It is an extreme enviroment survival suit with temperature control, protective padding and reinforced shielding. It also enhances the wearer's strentgh a tenfold, or more if necesary but at the cost of the energy reserves.
The beauty of the armor is that it 'Phases out'. With minimal energy usage, I've been able to shift the armor's molecules vibration pattern, rendering it intangible and invisible, except for the Command Bracelet, which is the armor's anchor to this plane.
After losing my first prototype I have added a small, GPS guided, short range teleporter that returns the Command Bracelet to it's owner's belt in case it is separated 3 feet or more form it.
Other Equipment
While traveling around the world, I tried to minimize my travel equipment and maximize its array of functions. To achieve this end I tried to add al the necessary equipment to my clothes. The outfit consists of:
- Leather-like Nomex jacket and trousers: Fire and tear resistant. Bulletproof, but only for small caliber ammo.
- Reinforced Kevlar leotard: I wear it under the jacket for extra protection. It is also equipped with thermal pads that go cold or hot depending on the surrounding temperature.
- Titanium-Toed Boots: With super-grip traction soles, these babies can walk through fire and climb mountains.
- Multi-Filtered Goggles: My goggles have an array of filters which include thermal, UV, telescopic and magnifying. They also have a small built-in digital camera.
- Utility Belt: Basically a belt with compartments which helps me to carry my grappling gun, several USB flash drives, my pocket PC, some C4 and remote fuses, a GPS device and a stash of dollars, Euros, and yens.
- Grappling gun: A very powerful ascension gun, air powered. It has a grappling claw that fixes to almost any surface and a 300 pound monofilament rope.
OOC-Fun Facts
- Lady Lightbalde is the City of Heroes representation of the very first superhero I ever created. My pitch was to have an intelligent, strong, independent woman with a love for swords. I also wanted a superhero that did the right thing just beacuse it was right, not out of some personal tragedy with the subsequent dark crusade or guilt trip.
- Margie is very fond of Beta. She can't imagine her life without him. Until recently, she was so comfortable around him that she wouldn't mind him being in the same room while she changed her clothes. That changed when Dego pointed out [to Margie's eternal embarrassment] that Beta records everything he sees on High Definition video.
- Margie has a weakness for chocolate, she favors vodka for her drinks and can't function without her morning coffee.
- When she was 12 years old, she went with her parents on one of their treasure hunting expeditions. On the site, she fell through a hole and was overrun by hundreds of giant wolf spiders. The ordeal traumatized her to the point that she developed a severe case of arachnophobia.
- Margie's dislike of her first name is a tribute to my late grandfather. I always found it funny that he never liked his first name and simply chose to omit it forever. Even in his Epitaph he's addressed by his middle and last name.
