Pax Cybernetica
From Unofficial Handbook of the Virtue Universe
This is a seldom-used alt, for two reasons: 1) he's dead, and 2) I already have an MM that's a lot more fun. The entry is being created in order to tie in with others' backstories.
On the other hand, there have been rumors of time-travel devices...
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| No image available | |
| Pax Cybernetica | |
| Player: @Protocol 9 | |
| Origin: | Technology |
|---|---|
| Archetype: | Thugs/Poison Mastermind |
| Threat Level: | N/A |
| Personal Data | |
| Real Name: | Unknown |
| Known Aliases: | Master |
| Species: | Human |
| Age: | Approx mid-late twenties at time of death |
| Height: | 5'11" |
| Weight: | 168 |
| Eye Color: | Green |
| Hair Color: | Black |
| Biographical Data | |
| Nationality: | American (presumed) |
| Occupation: | Cybernetic overlord |
| Place of Birth: | Unknown |
| Base of Operations: | Unknown |
| Marital Status: | No known relationships |
| Known Relatives: | Unknown, presumed none |
| Known Powers | |
| None inherent | |
| Known Abilities | |
| Cybernetic command of large numbers of well-armed minions | |
| Equipment | |
| Minions, emergency defense pistols | |
| Confirmed KIA 6/19/02 | |
Contents |
Affiliations
Nothing official, yet.
Personality
Pax Cybernetica was known for his philosophy of "overwhelming force". In almost every recorded sighting, he commanded a large number of servants, and expended them mercilessly to quash any resistance. Except for what appeared to be his guiding philosophy of "peace through linking", nothing else can be definitavely confirmed of his motivations.
Powers
While Pax displayed no particular powers of his own, his minions more than made up for that lack.
The Linked Legion
The most distinctive sign that Pax Cybernetica was on the march was the appearance of the Legion. While unconfirmed reports exist of recognizable people being under his control exist, the most common memory is that of the distinctive and faceless silver-fronted full helmet, as well as varying degrees of obvious cybernetic and bionic enhancement.
There was apparently a heirarchy among the Legion; the following has been pieced together from debriefings by survivors and witnesses.
Alphas
These were the mainstay of the Legion. Designed around the standard human form, they were able to use conventional weapons such as laser rifles, assault weapons, etc. Pain-blockers left them highly resistant to attacks, able to simply ignore it when police or heroes landed a hit.
HKs
These units were fairly few in number, as far as anyone has been able to determine. While still recognizable as a humanoid, these units had rapid-fire weapons gratfed to their arms, tipped by incredibly sharp bayonets capable of carving through a SWAT transport like tissue paper (while no samples could be gathered for analysis, it is presume dthey may have been monoedge weapons). Unlike the Alphas, who were obviously unconcerned with anything beyond the Master's command, the HKs almost radiated an air of hostility. It is believed their brains had been reconfigured to leave the HKs in a near-permanent rage state, ready to shred anything the Master designated as a target.
Deltas
A later addition to the ranks, these units were, to put it bluntly, meat shields. Their hands and forearms had been removed, and been replaced with modified riot shields. Later models also had built-in forcefield projectors, which meant they had to keep themselves between the Master and incoming fire at all times. There are reports that one or more units had been able to create stable forcefields around targets other than itself, but no solid evidence can be found to support this. These units were unarmed at all times.
Heavy
The rarest of the Legion: only two were ever confirmed. These were the farthest from the human norm, and the most powerful. Their legs had been replaced entirely by robotic parts, and their arms ended in massive particle cannons. The full range of weapons carried by these units is unknown; their first engagement became their last.
Interface
In the beginning, Pax Cybernetica appeared to control his minions directly through a gaish helmet that linked him into their net. However, as the ranks swelled, most of the direct command funtctions went to a lieutenant unit named Interface. Pax would give his commands, and Interface would translate the specifics to each appropriate unit. The identity of this unit before joining the Legion is unknown, and it is believed that only one was created.
Character History
Pax Cybernetica first appeared on the scene in the late Nineties, commanding (rather inexpertly) a small unit of minions in a raid on an R&D facility in Virginia. Further raids continued, and the force deployed on these raids grew ever larger, as did the number of dead and missing with each raid.
After a brief lull in activity, Pax reappeared, this time commanding the now-infamous faceless hordes that would mark his reign of terror. By now, he was considered a growing threat, and was butting heads with costumed heroes on a more frequent basis. Apparently egged on by these encounters, the Legion began to move north, bound for the City of Heroes.
Luckily, the question of who would end up on top was never answered: the impending showdown was interrupted by guests from out of town.
The Rikti.
The Rikti War
For obvious reasons, an exact timeline of what occurred is unavailable. However, the following is the best authorities have been able to piece together:
Responding to the offer of limited amnesty for the duration of the emergency, the Legion was assigned to the defense line in the suburbs north of Baumton. Interestingly, this was not the largest force commanded by Pax Cybernetica; as several of his units had signs of battle damage, it is assumed that he had had his own encounters with the alien invaders.
The fighting on the line was fierce, but that seemed to make the heroes assigned there even more determined to hold out. The Legion did prove useful as shock troops, but they were comparitavely undergunned when compared to the Rikti. Only the Heavy-type units seemed to approach that level of firepower, and one was destroyed in an early skirmish, the victim of coordinated fire.
The line held, but barely. Unfortunately, the game of numbers was very much rigged in the Rikti's favor; they could summon reinforcements easily, whereas every defender who died left a hole in the line. Eventually, the odds had swung too far in the invaders' favor, and Pax Cybernetica decided to quit the game. After giving one final order to his minions to protect him at all costs, he attempted to leave the battlefield.
Unfortunately for him (and those around him), the resulting increase in weapons fire and shield charges drew a concentrated response by the Rikti; the entire section was bathed in high explosives and plasma fire, killing everything. This became a chink in the armor; shortly thereafter, the lines fell, and the Rikti advanced all the way through Baumton.
Miscellaneous
The Legion
No one is certain where Pax Cybernetica was able to obtain as many minions as he had. Some believe they were kidnapped civilians and vagrants (there are confirmed cases of this in his early career). Others believe they may well have been volunteers, hoping for enhancement; there is also the possibility of cloning. Unfortunately, any chance of answers to these questions died with the Master.
Base of Operations
The whereabouts of the Legion's HQ is unknown. It's existence is an almost certainty; the amounts of equipment and enhancements weilded by the Legion point to a well-developed infrastructure. All attempts to locate this facility to date have failed.
The Survivor
Although it was never publicized, there is one confirmed survivor of the Legion still in existance. He was found in the rubble of their last stand; only by pushing his forcefield generator to the limits of his prototype power source did he survive the blast. However, subsequent research showed that individuality and even self-awareness were non-existent while under the Master's command. After several years of refitting and rehabilitation (and despite several setbacks), this survivor was granted a Hero's License and was qualified for operations in Paragon City. All links to his past have been sealed and classified to prevent any revenge attacks.
Trivia
I had originally never intended to create, or even name, this character (the survivor always refers to him as "the Master", or more frequently "the Bastard"). However, the wish to fill in his backstory became too strong, and he was created to reserve the name, if nothing else.
And, for some reason, the fact that he's dead is something I've been oddly adamant about, even before he got a proper name. Despite the number of plot devices (or cliches) that could be used, I've gone out of my way to rule them out. For some unknown reason, I simply cannot stand to have this guy live. Thus, he will likely forever be a low-level alt, dusted off only to avoid demotion (or when I want to send some Thugs off to die).
