Sgt. Tesahli
From Unofficial Handbook of the Virtue Universe
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| Tesahli's mugshots from her time in the Zig | |
| Sgt. Tesahli | |
| Player: Tesahli | |
| Origin: | Mutation |
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| Archetype: | Mastermind |
| Threat Level: | Confidential |
| Personal Data | |
| Real Name: | Tesahli |
| Known Aliases: | None |
| Species: | Feline Mutation |
| Age: | 26 |
| Height: | 5'5" |
| Weight: | 124 pounds |
| Eye Color: | yellow |
| Hair Color: | Black, though she often dyes it grayish-blonde |
| Biographical Data | |
| Nationality: | Naturalized American |
| Occupation: | Mercenary |
| Place of Birth: | South Africa |
| Base of Operations: | Cap Au Diable |
| Marital Status: | Unknown |
| Known Relatives: | None known |
| Known Powers | |
| Minor healing factor | |
| Known Abilities | |
| Tactical prodigy, skilled leader, and Martial artist | |
| Equipment | |
| Hero Corps equipment stolen after going Rogue, various technology acquired from different factions | |
| No additional information available. | |
Contents |
Personal details
Origin
Much of her origin since before she came to America is unknown to us. We know that she was born in Capetown, South Africa on April 15th, 1982. The harsh conditions of being both a black african and a mutation in apartheid South Africa may have been what tempered her character as ruthless and brutal to this day. In 1998, she managed to immigrate from South Africa to America, though by the means of which is unknown.
Personality
Tesahli's personality can range depending on where she is and the situation, from a quiet stoic behaving with almost robotic efficiency a facade she takes on often during missions, to "just one of the boys" heavily drinking. swearing, and laughing, when she's relaxing with her squad. Her morality can also range quite a bit as well. Within a mission parameter, Tesahli works with ruthless efficiency, and will cut through innocent civilians if it gets the job done as long as saving civilians isn't a part of the mission. When it is however, she has been known to go to great lengths, to rescue hostages, innocent civilians, members of rival factions, even going as far as to rescue Longbow members in the name of Vanguard. Outside of a mission context however, her morality is ambiguous, at times she will go out of her way to do heroic things while at other times she'll kidnap or steal to get what she needs.
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Power Profile
A rarity in both Hero Corps and the mutation origin, Tesahli has no traits that could be classified as "super powers". Her mutation takes it's form in a number of deformations, a feline-esque face, longer pointy ears, admittedly dangerous clawed hands and feet, and a long black tail. There is some speculation that due to her cat-like mutations, she has heightened senses and reflexes, but there is no solid evidence to this point. Her main strengths come in Tactical movements and Leadership of her squad of soldiers. She uses this and a number of devices, gadgets, and equipment to make up for the lack of super powers by exploiting the weaknesses of her super-powered combatants or using their power against them. Due to her lack of powers, she has no specific weaknesses beyond that of a normal human.
Power Rating: 4.9
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Operation in Paragon
Tesahli has recently expanded her operations from Rogue Isles back to Paragon, normally we wouldn't allow any sort of Villain presence in Paragon, but in light of Tesahli's personality profile showing she has more morals than we had originally thought, and the fact that she officially licensed as as Superhero even under the terms of "Non-Lethal take-downs only", we're willing to give her a chance, but agents are asked to keep surveillance on her just in case.
Melee Combat: Due to the Non-lethal take-downs only clause, Tesahli operates differently when in Paragon: her soldiers and her equipment was left behind in the Isles, instead calling back on her training in Sambo, boxing, and what could only be described as dirty fighting. All of this is aided by her natural claws on her hands and feet, proving they're more dangerous than we originally thought.
Super Soldier Serum: Tesahli has been using a stable and therefore approved-for-use Super Soldier Serum to boost her abilities and keep them up to that of her super powered targets. This serum extends her natural attributes, making her stronger, faster, and more agile. The Serum itself has no known side effects, but needs to be continually injected to maintain it's effectiveness, and thus a strap full of extra shots can be seen strapped around her chest.
Healing Factor: Unbeknown to us and possibly her, Tesahli had a natural Healing Factor, normally it's too minor to take any particular note of: she heals a bit faster than normal humans and is more resilient to disease. However, the Super Serum, in addition to boosting her strength, boosted her Healing factor exponentially, taking her healing ability to astounding rates, letting her fully heal near-lethal wounds in a matter of minutes. However, like her strength, speed, and agility, the healing factor's effectiveness wears off when the serum does.
Employee History
Hero Corps
Employed in 2001, Tesahli spent only two years enlisted with Hero Corps, gaining the rank of Sergeant that she still uses to this day. Initially seen as a bright and promising recruit, she was allowed her own squad of soldiers to command. Her squad became intensely loyal to her and every mission she was sent out on was a success in terms of the core objectives, but a nightmare in terms of PR. Targets killed instead of arrested, villains blown up, buildings set fire to, and if it wasn't specifically listed in the mission parameters: safety of civilians ignored. To an extent we can deal with this behavior, but the press caught wind of Tesahli's activities within Hero Corps and was featured in a newspaper exposé called "Hero Corps: Paragon or Pariah?" Hero Corps CEOs had no choice but to react by reprimanding Tesahli and revoking her rank as Sergeant, losing command of her soldiers and her unrestrained movement in the organization. Angered by her rejection, she went rogue, taking with her a number of Hero Corps technology, web grenades, assault rifles, caltrops, a prototype triage beacon, and her squad of soldiers, and slipped away under the guise of a training exercise. Hero Corps teams were dispatched to receive the lost property but by the time her defection was noticed, she had evidently already boarded a ferry to Rogue Isles.
Post-Hero Corps
We don't know much about her initial time on Rogue Isles. Evidence shows however that she had a hard time finding work, possibly due to her reputation as a Hero Corps operative or lack of any contacts at all in Rogue Isles. Most analysts believe this and lack of equipment lead to an act of desperation: attacking a Longbow base in Warburg in April of 2004. The Report from Longbow said it was impressive she even made it in at all, the base was heavily defended and staffed, though from outer appearances it was intended to look like much more of a smaller operation. Reportedly, she was caught laying C4 on the bases power core and arrested. In spite of the failure of the mission, she was able to gain many Rogue Isle contacts from within the Zigg [1], and when she escaped it was through one of Arachnos' ridiculous "Destined one" break-outs.
This began her real career work within Rogue Isles, Agents first spotted her working for Arachnos, possibly as a due or barter for the escape. A lot of activity is spotted around Mercy Island before she evidently gained more contacts and began to branch out her operations to many more of the islands in Rogue Isles. Evidence shows that Tesahli scavenges equipment from groups she fights as her arsenal has been seen to be larger and more eclectic than originally thought. Tesahli has been known to use anything from standard military gear, high tech gadgets, to even magical runes and equipment, if it can be used to advance the mission, she'll utilize it. From here our reports become erratic on her however, as her movements across Rogue Isles spread out and become diversified, we are only able to catch varied reports of her movements. Annoyingly, some of the times that she was spotted working in Rogue Isles, she was in her old Hero Corps uniform, this may be a ploy to discredit Hero Corps by doing villainous acts in our name.[2]
Vanguard
In a surprising move, Tesahli was spotted enlisting in Vanguard to combat the Rikti threat. It is unclear whether Vanguard is paying her as a Soldier of Fortune or this is a rare act of altruism for her, though considering the Rikti world-threat, this may just be a long-term strategy in keeping her business (and life) going. Her time in the Rikti Warzone has been successful and helpful to the Vanguard cause so far, completing a number of missions, including saving hostages, bringing down raid leaders, and even rescuing longbow soldiers who got in over their head. In August of 2008, she took part in a number of major raids on the crashed Rikti mothership. She was even spotted working Security Detail during the much exalted peace talks between the Rikti traditionalist faction and UN politicians. She seems to have no qualms with working side-by-side with those classified as Heroes, nor does she have any problem working with some of the more dangerous villains out there.
Arachnos
Tesahli's employment and dealings with Arachnos seems to be flimsy at best. As stated, her first encounter was through the breakout in the Zigg, and by the time she had left Mercy Island, she had nearly broken off all contacts with the group of Arachnos she was working with. From there, we only report seeing her as conversing with Arachnos soldiers on rare occasions. Sources even suggest that Tesahli has attacked a number of Arachnos bases, however each of these reports seems to be intricately set up to absolve her as a suspect and implicate some other person or faction. Her pull within Arachnos however could be seen as extremely far reaching, as recently sources claim that she was spotted within Lord Recluse's throne room conversing with Black Scorpion. We have not ruled out the possibility that Tesahli has begun to work for Black Scorpion, as she has been linked to the destruction of Crey facilities that were rumored to be working on an illegal copy of Black Scorpion's armor. However, if she is working so high within Arachnos, it's strange we've noticed that she still seems to get attacked on sight by lowly Arachnos Patrols in the streets.
Weapons Union
Tesahli has recently been found with a coalition of Mercenaries known as "Weapons Union".
Faction Relationships
Council
In almost all cases we've seen, Tesahli has remained emotionally distant from any group she deals with or fights, not making any ties. She may fight a group one day, and work for them the next. The only exception to this rule is Council. The most likely reason is due to Council's history emerging from the Racist organization 5th Column, and Tesahli's background in apartheid South Africa. Whenever Tesahli is spotted dealing with Council, it is often noted that she attacks with abnormal brutality leaving no survivors. We have never had a recorded instance of Tesahli doing a job for Council, but we do have records of Tesahli taking jobs against the council at discounted prices.
Sky Raiders
Tesahli seems to hold a professional but friendly rapport with the Sky Raiders, both having common ideals and modus operandi. While there are reports of Tesahli fighting Sky Raiders, it has been often shown that she holds back her brutality around them, preferring non-lethal take downs and letting them escape, and she has a history of taking jobs for the Sky Raiders.
Longbow
Tesahli clearly stated her feelings on Longbow in her recent Time Magazine interview (See: Tesahli in the Public Eye). While she respects them as skilled soldiers and an organized group she considers them an unrealistic idealistic moral absolutist group incapable of understanding the real world. We have many reports of her attacking Longbow and no reports of her working for Longbow, though this is likely less because she refuses to work with them, and more because they refuse to work with her. The only exception is when she works alongside Longbow during her Vanguard work, but even that is a shaky relationship at best.
Hero Corps
We're not sure what exactly Tesahli thinks of us, but her actions seem to show that she harbors no hard feelings against our organization, and is more than willing to work with our operatives towards a goal when we allow her too.
Confirmed Take-downs
These are take-downs of big name figures that Hero Corps Intel has confirmed that Tesahli has been involved with or personally done:
Equipment
Weaponry
Assault Rifles: The standard of her arsenal, originally taken from her time with us in Hero Corps it's since expanded out to include guns from Council, Sky Raiders, Lost, Rikti, and Vanguard.
Grenade Launcher: Taken from us and intended to launch only tear gas and flash bangs, it has since been expanded by her to launch poison gas and live grenades as well. While she doesn't personally use it her specialist soldiers both have one.
Flame Thrower: As far as we can tell, scavenged from an attack on Longbow, she only saw fit to trust it with her Corporal.
LRM Rocket Launcher: Taken from Council Mechanized troops, only her Corporal has control of this weapon.
Acid Mortar: We're unsure where this came from, possibly Council. It launches gelatinous globs of concentrated acid, capable of eating through the defenses of highly armored targets, and doing much more horrible things to lightly armored targets.
Trip Mines: Scavenged from the Malta Organization, these mines are hard to detect and are capable of large explosions when an enemy target trips the invisible laser wires it emits.
Remote detonation C4: Scavenged from the Malta Organization, the C4 is capable of devastating large scale explosions and is set by a soldier who risks his personal health doing so. Each time the C4 has been spotted in use, the soldier who set it is knocked unconscious or almost killed.
Devices
Web Grenades: One of the favorite non-lethal gadgets of Hero Corps for the purpose of easily trapping a subject for Arrest, Tesahli has since repurposed it's use for lethal tactics, either to finish off fleeing opponents, or to keep dangerously strong melee opponents at bay while her soldiers fire from a safe range.
Caltrops: Part of our arsenal, it was only intended to be used in roads to gash the tires of escaping vehicles however Tesahli has since started using caltrops on people, to slow their movement and block passages.
Triage Beacon: A prototype from our R&D, the Triage Beacon is meant to be used in Secure home points or standing ground in a battle. It lets out waves of nanites that repair damaged tissue. However, it is only a prototype and it's efficiency rating is low at best.
Force Field Generator: Stolen from the Sky Raiders, this device is capable of emitting a large but thin force field that is capable of deflecting some fast moving projectiles like bullets and grenades, slowing melee attacks, and absorbing fire and other common powers.
Poison Trap: We're not sure where Tesahli got a hold of this weapon, but the effects suggest Vahzilok. Humanoids caught in the gas the trap releases will become nauseous and begin choking or vomiting.
Teleportation device: Likely taken from Sky Raider porters, this device was recently acquired. It's hard to say whether she altered the device or simply does not understand it's use, but each reported instance of use has shown her teleporting a target to her, rather than the other way around.
Personal Medicom Unit: Taken from our R&D department and used by both Tesahli and her medic, this small device releases a short range spray of powerful nanites that repair damaged tissue.
Rocket Boots: Scavenged from Sky Raiders, each of her troops has some form of rocket boots or pack, while this doesn't allow flight, it does greatly enhance her and her squad's ability to jump superhuman distances.
Super Soldier Serum: Possibly a creation of Longbow or US Government, this serum greatly enhances a soldier's reflexes, strength, agility, and speed. Within the context of being a squad leader, this serum has little use to her, however her recent operations in Paragon under the condition of "Non-lethal take downs only" has seen it's continued use to boost her reflexes in hand to hand combat.
Black Scorpion based Power Armor: Evidently Tesahli was able to get a power armor based on Black Scorpion's in her time dealing with him, it is unclear whether these designs were stolen and created independently or whether they were done with the blessing of Black Scorpion. This power armor, while not as advanced as Black Scorpion's, features an advanced digital targeting and communication system and is also capable of deflecting bullets, melee attacks, energy attacks, and has purifiers and rebreathers to deal with Toxic chemicals. Unlike Black Scorpion, her armor is not integrated with her body, but is rather a powered exoskeleton that can be removed or worn like a suit.
Squadron
Corporal Matrix
A championship body-builder, he represents the muscle both figuratively and literally of her group. Armed with flame throwers, machine guns, rocket launchers, and shotguns he does the heavy hitting in the squad. Outside of battle however, he is the loud rambunctious party animal often seen dancing like an idiot and drinking heavily in Pocket D. He claims his hero is Arnold Schwarzenegger.
Specialist Zaytsev
A former Russian sniper, he immigrated to America in 1996 and joined Hero Corps in 2001. Excelling at stealth and long range combat, he is often spotted a distance away from the group, taking out dangerous targets from a range. He prefers to be unnoticed and quiet out of combat and is a long time friend of Specialist Surkov.
Specialist Surkov
Former Spetsnaz, he immigrated to America in 1996 and joined Hero Corps in 2001 with Zaytsev. Surkov carries a grenade launcher that launches tear gas, poison gas, flash bangs, and live grenades. Outside of Combat, Surkov can often be found drinking vodka and telling war stories to anyone who will listen.
Dr. Krieg
A combat medic originally from Germany, Krieg has proven to be more than just a medic, with an advanced working knowledge in medicine and application of nanites for healing purposes, he's the one that keeps the soldiers healthy and fighting harder than any human could. He carries an assault rifle, but is not as skilled with it as the rest of the soldiers. When not in battle he can often be seen taking notes on a clipboard.
Private Murphy and Private O'Brien
Cousins and Friends immigrated from Ireland, they represent the base firepower of the group, able to provide fire support with assault rifles and clear encampments with grenades. Off duty, both like to drink heavily and air their grievances about being the lowest rung on the ladder. Despite their complaints however, they never falter in their loyalty to Tesahli.
Tesahli in the Public Eye
Time Magazine
In August 23rd, 2008 Tesahli and Corp. Matrix were featured on the cover of an issue of Time Magazine, having given an exclusive interview a Time reporter from within the Pocket D; one of her favorite hang outs. In the interview, she talked about the placement and need for Mercenaries during what Time Magazine refers to as the "Super-war", and talked of her morality and philosophy when it comes to war and combat. Many of our theories on Tesahli's workings and morality were confirmed in this interview, and this marks Tesahli's first entry into national publication.
Threat Analysis
Tesahli's lack of powers is both her weakness and her strength, she may not be able to take a bullet to the chest without flinching or shoot fire from her hands, but her tactical mind and vast store of acquired equipment and the tendency to never underestimate an opponent can be more dangerous than any super-powered villain. Her standards and morality make her much less of an immediate threat however, she seems to only go on the attack when paid by a client as a Mercenary, and will take jobs in the name of both good and evil. Outside of Mercenary work, she has even shown minor acts of heroism. Due to her danger and her operation in Rogue Isles, it is recommended that Hero Corps agents may keep a watch on her but do not take action against her; we can cut the losses of the equipment and personnel involved in her defection. If she operates within Paragon limits in an illegal manor agents are authorized to use force to subdue her, however it has been decided that her presence and operation in Paragon in a legal manner may be tolerated.
Threat: Risky but not immediately dangerous
Signed,
Kit Rafter AKA Luminary
- ↑ It's possible this may have been her plan all along
- ↑ Have already sent out press reports to combat this PR threat. --Steve
- ↑ Defeated on two separate occasions
- ↑ Despite the original theory that Tesahli was working with Black Scorpion we have confirmed that she has attacked and defeated him, though we do not know why.
- ↑ The android, not Kit Rafter
