Aberrant: Stepping from Eden - Profiles

[Rorx]

Ok, guys, peoples backgrounds etc are getting lost amonst the Game propposal thread and the OOC Nova thread, so can we have two entires each here please. One is the actual character background, the other is the summary profile that has been given to the UN and/or the Earth Media. The UN are more likely to try to push for the actual background of course, but we'll need something to keep the Media happy, to begin with.

[SkyLion]

[attachmentid=448]

Exceprt from Security Council Meeting: Summary Profile for UA/Nova: Ricochet

This untainted Aberrant, or Nova as they prefer to be called is billed as genuine returning war hero. Apparently a veteran of the War, Ricochet claims to fought against many of the twisted Aberrants and fled the planeet long before the final Ultimatum. He is accompanying the diplomatic corps in a security capacity as well as in an advisory one, ostensibly for his now hopelessly out of date knowledge of Terran society. We are told that he never removes his concealing bioarmor beacuse of some terrible disfiguring taint disease. Over a century old, he has reportedly spent his time on Eden in a remote monastery, where meditative techniques have halted the progression of the disease while their researchers look for a cure. He is also apparently a lorekeeper and respected arbiter of disputes between his fellow UAs. This represents a double edged sword for us. On one hand, getting access to Eden's historical records and human genome project would prove ultimately invaluable to us. On the other hand it is possible that this Nova's "alternate" version of history might blow the lid off of some of our "creative reimaginings."

Interestingly, public polls show him tracking as the lowest among the group for public approval with a high degree of fear and uncertainty reported among the populace. Conversely, his overall interest rate is among the highest, second only to Apollo in OpNet hits per second. It would appear as if the masked gaurdian mystique still holds some appeal. In light of his Titan-Class threat status and the off the scale readings our psions have reported with Attunement (Clear Proxy Herzog himself described him as a Small Sun of Taint Interferance) it is the opinion of this analyst that we insist on demasking this not so untainted UA, It is possible that this entire debocle is an Aberrant ploy to make us lower our guard.

***

Character Background:

Early Life and Eruption

On Eden, the Nova called Ricochet is a reclusive mystery. Always wearing his archaic Eufiber costume and mask it is rumored among the human populace that underneath he must be hideous, a taint afflicted casualty of the Aberrant War. They are only half correct.

Born in the summer of '98, Ashley Hale grew up utterly steeped in the culture of the Nova Age. Unlike the prior generation, Novas were simply a fact of life, albeit no less marvelous. Nova comics, movies, toys, N! Prime, the XWF, all of it was absorbed into the impressionable young minds born during that time. Some kids grow up wanting to be an Astronaut, or the President. Ashley Hale wanted to be a Nova. Be careful what you wish for.

Unfortunately for Ashley he was never anything other than average (2 in every stat) and in a world of Titans and Demigods striding the Earth and Utopia making the world a better place for overachievers, being average and ordinary was as good as being invisible. Oh sure, he had a few friends, coasted through school with a solid C average and created his own adventures when he could but to the outside world, he was just another face in the crowd. For all of his idolatry, Ashley harbored a secret envy locked away in the deepest parts of himself where even he would not have to face it. Ashley longed to be a Nova. Fortunately he harbored the special genetic code for latency.

Burning Man Festival, Black Rock Desert Nevada, Labor Day weekend of '17, it finally happened. Maybe it was the raw quantum energy flooding the playa by a cadre of pyrotechnic novas. Perhpas it was the exotic cocktail of hallucinogens he had consumed. Whatever the reason, as the Man burned, Ashley felt a strange sensation as his mind turned inward and he realized something about himself. All this time, worshipping these others, he had secretly harbored a resentment for his lot in life. Had denied himself his own self worth, and that all he needed to do was to love himself, and accept the love that the world had for him. He wasn't a nobody. He was somebody. At first it just felt like the giddy confidence of his high. When he realized the gorgeous throng of young women in lingerie and fur coats approaching him, he just enjoyed it. From there things quickly got out of hand. It wasn't just the hot women...it was men too. Soon, everyone was staring at him, reaching for him, crowding him, smothering him. Ashley panicked and in that instant the horde of people nearly trampling him to death were blasted back as he rose into the air, a shining new beacon of godhood as the hundreds of thousands of revelers looked up in awe. At that moment, Astaroth made his final play for power, leeching the power of his followers to become a hideous Q 6 monstrosity. Ashley, fueled by the nigh limitless expansion that seems only available at eruption, fought the beast and with the help of a few dozen other novas, the creature was defeated. Ashley was only 19 years old...

The Elite Years and the Aberrant War

Shortly thereafter, and with few other ambitions, Ashley was picked up by the DeVries group. Masking his identity took on an even more important function, for those who laid eyes on him were often smitten at the very least. Even Bruce Savauge himself took a shine to him, but his own Mega Socials proved enough to maintain professionalism. Christened Ricochet (Often called Rico Suave or the Bug Zapper behind his back by jealous ingnorants who didn't realize that his beauty was a curse), Ashley began a lucrative career as a contract Elite. Eschewing the more hard core bloody business of proxy wars, he often found employment as a specialist, "smash and grabs," extractions and bodyguarding became his areas of expertise. Life was good for awhile. By the time the War began in earnest, Ashley was for the most part, wealthy, happy and semi-retired, living off of royalties and stock dividends. Then everything went to hell.

During the War, Ashley did his best at first to mediate and when that failed he tried to fight on the side of "good." Things weren't that simple then however and more often than not the situation devolved into a free for all. Often, merely standing up for and protecting baselines or even other novas was enough to get one jumped by a whole gang of ever more mutated and insane aberrants. It was during this time, that he crossed the threshold barrier into godling territory (Q6). Despite winning many battles, after 8 years of non-stop escalation it became clear that there was no winning the war. Along with a handful of others, Rico left in 2051 to found the Eden Colony.

A New Eden

By the start of the game, Ricochet has lived on Eden longer than he was alive on Earth. He lives apart from the humans, and even most of the Novas, in the remote monastary mentioned by DarkLighter. There he enjoys a simple life of calm meditation, gardening, reading and writing. He has taken on the unofficial role of historian for the colony as well as having one of the largest libraries of actual paper books in the colony located in his study. He is known as a fair and just mediator, keeping himself out of disputes and for this reason he is often called upon to arbitrate and preside over cases that require the attention of the Nova's court system, as well as simple disagreements between his fellow Novas.

Rico had long thought himself finished with war and violence, his experiences on Earth having changed him. He is, by and large, a pacifist, who would rather work things out diplomatically. However, now that the bastard children of abomination have returned to wreak vengeance on Earth, Rico is realizing that peace may never be truly an option and eternal vigilance is the price that must be paid. He hates the Aberrants for this, for pulling him from his peaceful retirement once again to fight bloody battles against an intractable and monstrously insane enemy. He volunteered for the Earth mission. The thought of revisiting his old home brings pangs of nostalgia, but in many ways is just as alien as anything else they have found. Earth has changed so much as to be barely recognizable. Aliens walk amongst the humans, a new race of psions has sprung up to fill the void of power left by the novas and the sins of their fathers return to haunt them.

Powers

Ricochet is a study in paradox and contradiction. His Quantum features are so painfully beautiful as to make people instantly fall in love with him. Not only that but the effect is andogynous, affecting men and women equally. This can be extremely awkward as men question their sexuality and long time partners question their devotion, merely at the sight of him. He is a Beacon of power that calls people unwaveringly to him, while his other powers are designed to escape or push people away. He generates a powerful Repulsor Field that makes him effectively invulnerable and makes it exceedingly dangerous to directly attack him. This field also allows him to fly at tremendous speeds and in ways that seem to defy physics, making sharp turns at angles less than 90 degrees and gaining full acceleration and deceleration instantaneously. He can boost his already formidable strength to titanic levels, cannot be held by any known force and can survive indefinitely in space, sustained by the unquenchable energies that flow through him.

(Yes that is really an image of a man! Ricochet is much more muscled though, a truly Nova Physique, Atlas and Adonis combined. Pefect Blond hair, and gorgeous eyes that are a kaliedoscope of blues and greens with dashes of hazel and violet. He almost always hides these features beneath his mask, a throwback to the Golden Age of Novas and Elites.)

[Alex Green]

Public Interview:

Announcer: “Now that we know a little about Eden’s ecology, let’s talk to one of the Eden novas. Let’s say hello to ‘Ares’, aka David Carpenter.”

David walked into the camera’s view and sat down. He was wearing a scarlet and gold outfit that was vaguely Roman-ish.

Announcer: “I understand you’re a native to Eden? Ares, could you tell us how you erupted?”

Ares: “Be glad to Susan. Five years ago I was part of a Myriasoma research crew looking into the ongoing war between the Stabiles. We were closer to the border than we realized and ran into a raiding party. There were thirty or so warrior units, and Stabile raiders are big and dangerous, think of your Grizzly bears.”

Ares: “At first we figured, ‘Hey, great, we can watch them set up’. All of us were scent coded for the local Stabile and we thought we’d follow them to the boarder and see what they did. Problem was this group wasn’t a local party getting ready to attack the other side; it was from the other side and looking for trouble. We were shocked when they grabbed a couple of us and clawed a few others who got in the way. At that point we realized most of us were probably going to die.”

Announcer: “Sounds scary, what happened next?”

Ares: “I know this is going to sound stupid, but I tried to pull a 500 kilo Stabile warrior off one of my fellows, and boom, all of a sudden I was heavier and stronger than it was, and a moment later there were as many of me as there were of them. I pulled the raiders off my fellows, picked everyone up, and flew away. Several people were hurt pretty bad but I fixed them up on the way back.”

Announcer: “Wait, so with an army of novas, you didn’t fight it out with them?”

Ares: “No, mindlessly butchering them wouldn’t have been very ethical, or smart, for an ecologist. We were there to study them. Also it would have been pointless, my priority was my friends and myself out of there before anyone else could be hurt, and running away was easier and better. ”

Announcer: “But the name ‘Ares’ seems to go with mindless butchery.”

Ares: “Not on Eden. But if you want the name of a war god, your options are pretty limited. Athena is a chick. I thought about Hercules but that was just one guy and no way could he fly. Also my powers during eruption were slightly different then and I felt like a war-ish name was the way to go.”

Announcer: “Why choose a new name at all?”

Ares: “It’s traditional. It’s not like a rule or anything and not everyone does, but I wanted to.”

Announcer: “So, ah, how strong are you?”

Ares: “Without increasing my mass? Not very. I could pick you up but carrying people around is more a movie stunt than reality. With some warning I can increase my mass and wrestle a 500 kilo Myrisoma war raider or a Grizzly.”

Announcer: “So, ah, Flight, Density Increase, Duplication, and Healing too?”

Ares: “Yes, Healing. That’s one of the reasons I’m here. We suspect that many of your taint diseases can be cured with that.”

Announcer: “That sounds very promising; do you have any other powers?”

Ares: “I can survive without aid in any environment. Useful for a researcher in the outback, but it also means I’m space worthy.”

Announcer: “On Eden, where do you live? Do you have a citadel in Harmony, or your own estate, or what?”

Ares: “In the citadel, but I do a lot of traveling. I’m a people person and Healing is most useful if I’m actually with the people who need it. I spend a lot of time mingling.”

Announcer: “What do you think of contact with alien races?”

Ares: “The stabiles are pretty much an alien race so it’s nothing new. Dealing with aliens is interesting and will bring mixed benefits, but it's also necessary. We’ve hit the point where they’re going to come looking for us if they wanted to cause trouble so we don’t have a choice.”

Announcer: “What’s your opinion of this re-contact with Earth?”

Ares: “I think the Earth and Eden have a lot to offer each other. We have shared roots, and some screwed up parts of history. I don’t view blaming each other for that to be a useful exercise. Just for starters, if we can help you deal with the abberants, you should let us.”

Announcer: “Many people would claim that you are an aberrant.”

Ares: “Then many people are wrong. I’m a nova. All dogs are mammals, not all mammals are dogs.”

==========================================

UN & Publically Known Facts:

Appearance, Personality, Background:

“Ares” (David Carpenter) is strikingly handsome man who normally wears either brilliant scarlet and gold outfits in a vaguely Roman style, or stylish black leather (think Kevin Smith from Xena). Even without the clothes he stands out because of the ‘nova physic’. He has no aberrations and although he’s 30, he still looks like the 25 year old who erupted during a run in with a Myrisoma raiding party. Dave picked the name "Ares" because he's a "war" researcher, his powers are mostly strength and toughness, and Athena is a chick.

Ironically Ares isn’t especially tall or big, he’s barely 90 kilos and less than 6 feet tall. He’s muscled, but not really to the degree you’d think a god of war should be. Ares is also charming, intelligent, witty, well educated, diplomatic, and speaks Chinese & Portuguese in addition to English. He likes attention, especially from the ladies, but other than that ‘Ares’ seems to be a fairly poor choice for a name. To the public (and the UN for that matter) Ares and Eden types have always stressed his Healing powers and the fact that he’s a handsome, charming man… although his social abilities aren’t quantum powered.

Ares’ Flight, Density Increase, and Duplication get mentioned as minor side notes if they’re mentioned at all. The UN and general public know Ares can increase his Density so he masses ‘tons’. While true, it hasn’t been pointed out to anyone that his upper limit makes him so heavy he effectively becomes invulnerable, immovable, and unstoppable, a literal Juggernaut.

==========================================

Eden Nova Known Facts:

The Eden novas are aware Ares knows when trouble is coming (Intuition). They also know Ares’ mind is extremely difficult to read or control (INV: Mental). Presumably this is a side effect of being an “army” or possibly a temporal thing. Ares can also increase his durability by concentrating on doing so (Force Field).

[Jackson Creed]

Jack Jameson

Rogue Scholar and Man of Will

Jack has no knowledge of his past prior to becoming a Nova. He was found unconscious, washed up on shore, by Diane Kadmon shortly before the final exodus to Eden in 2055. It is likely that an accident at sea resulted in his eruption, and his memory loss, but his past prior to that day has been lost forever. To all intents and purposes Jack (the name Diane gave him) was an innocent newborn, though fully adult in intellectual and emotional maturity. It rapidly became clear that he was a master of every field of human endeavour; there was almost no skill, occupation or training that he was not intimately familiar with. He agreed to leave Earth along with the others and his knowledge of engineering, administration and science was instrumental in helping set up the infrastructure of the new colony.

Even though his raw power is far lower than many of his Nova peers, Jack has been a close confidant, advisor, and occasional lover, of Diane Kadmon and a close friend to many of the other Novas within the ruling council. He is as greatly respected for his wisdom as he is for his incredible talent. Unlike many of the other Novas, Jack has spent a great deal of time among their baseline subjects, usually as a guest lecturer and teacher (he is the honorary Chancellor of every College and University on Eden) has served as an advisor to the baseline justice system.

Jack Jameson is a paragon of humanity; strong, rugged, handsome and charismatic. He looks completely human, but while he exhibits no Taint at all, his quiet aura of raw magnetism marks him as being more than human. Men want to be like him, women just want him. While a practical man, Jack is an idealist and eternal optimist. On top of this he is incredibly intelligent and sophisticated; a dedicated student of many disciplines and a master of most of them. He keeps a degree of professional distance from Eden baselines, but more so as not to confuse them, than for any ideological Nova/Baseline seperation. Around non-Eden baselines, Jack is far more down to earth and informal, treating them as equals for the most part.

Jack has an insatiable curiosity about the unknown and cannot resist investigating a mystery. He will often ignore accepted conventions of rank and etiquette to get to the heart of a problem and, through a combination of force of personality, daring and pure bare-faced cheek, usually gets away with it. Jack finds the human capacity for innovation to be absolutely fascinating and often exhibits an almost childlike enthusiasm that is very difficult to dislike.

He is often quite jocular but switch to deadly serious in a heartbeat. While Jack appears to be baseline in appearance and demeanor, he is not. He is smarter and has a greater depth of understanding than everyone around him, even his Nova peers (especially his Nova peers), and can tend to treat others in the same way that an adult treats a child. While this can make him seem condescending on occasion, his raw charm tends to outweigh any feathers that he inadvertently ruffles.

How long ago did he erupt?

2055 (68 years ago)

Does he live in the citadel in Harmony or has he (had) built his own villa/estate?

In the Citadel for the most part, but his inquisitive and adventurous nature has meant that he has travelled to every part of Eden.

What does he think of the contact with alien races?

Absolutely fascinating. He is highly enamoured of biotechnology and would love to learn more about how the Qin have become so skilled at it. Chromatic history and culture would make a fascinating study, and the advanced technology of the Coalition gives him goosebumps with excitement. However, he is more than aware of the potential danger that each of these races could pose to Eden and his caution would restrain his enthusiasm to a degree.

What is opinion of this recontact with Earth?

When the Upeo made first contact and began telling the story of how Earth had changed in the last eighty years, Jack immediately saw the benefits, and risks, of an alliance but felt that the danger posed by the Aberrants was worth it. Jack was a natural choice to be part of the delegation to Earth.

Powers

Jack Jameson is quite possibly the most talented Nova ever; there are a few with greater raw Mega-Intelligence that surpass him in certain areas, but there are none who have such breadth of raw skill. This phenomenal expertise is largely intuitive in nature; even though he had no knowledge of noetics prior to first contact with the Upeo, after studying with some of the noetic specialists among them, Jack can now probably be counted in the top five experts in the field of noetic science. It is the same with any other information, knowledge or skill he encounters. He is tough enough to handle most threats; it takes a lot to knock him down but he can regenerate injuries easily. Even when he gets into situations that are hostile and dangerous (more often than not) he always seems to find a solution at the last minute and his incredible Luck tends to get him out of trouble relatively unscathed.

Mechanics Fluff

7 Willpower dots (14BP), 1 Initiative dot (1BP)

21 Attribute dots (7NP), 10 Background dots (2NP), 126 Ability dots (21NP)

7 dots of Mega Attributes (Dex, Stam, Int, Wits, Cha, App, Man) + 1 Enhancement (24NP)

Luck 5 (5NP)

Body Modification (2 Maimed Health Levels (1NP))

[Yes, that's right; Jack Jameson is a Quantum 1, Taint 0 Nova... No uber powers, no ultra-unkillability, no aberrations. Just an ordinary guy (charismatic, good looking... just downright heroic... ordinary guy) who is quite probably the most brilliant and talented man alive. Think 3 parts The Doctor (Doctor Who), one part Ace Rimmer (Red Dwarf), one part Jarod (from the TV series the Pretender) with just a touch of Flash Gordon. It is for these reasons that he on the diplomatic mission to Earth, not only is he almost completely human seeming, he is also Eden's best diplomat... and the best scientist... and the best pilot, doctor, engineer, lawyer, socialite, explorer, historian... in fact he's Eden's best everything!].

The dossier given to Earth pretty much encapsulates all this information. Aeon may suspect that he has hidden powers (after all, Abber... er Novas are uber powerful quatum wielding demigods... aren't they?) and some Edenites may suspect the same. Quite frankly, the Earth delegation will probably know as much about Jack as Eden does. Jack does have hidden depths, and a hidden history that is considerably longer and more interesting than any couls imagine, but it is all hidden from everyone, human and Nova alike... including Jack himself.

[Rorx]

John Simon Doe

Currently with Aeon assigned as UN/Eden Liaison

This 30 year old Psion has a highish profile after being involved in various events over the last 3 years, including the Investigation into the Huang-marr conspiracy and the discovery of the Chromatic attempt to invade Earth. [OOC, yes he was a PC in a TT game of the published campaign]

He was found with amnesia in the ruins of France after his cargo plane was hit by some of the falling debris from the Esperanza. Over the next 6 years he spent some time travelling and joined Aeon Trinity, but had not recovered his memory nor his original Aptitiude abilities. All that he had were a number of Auxiliary Modes that he picked up. It was when he first experienced a Jump on a Leviathan that his memory and original abiilties started to re-emerge - he had been an Upeo/Teleporter before the accident. Since then he has carried out some assignments with Aeon, but also been re-learning and expanding his Teleportation skills. This has also entailed several stays on Eden of upto 6 months at a time working with the Novas, Upeo and UN teams there.

Following the events of the invasion of Chromie Prime, he has also liaised with members of the Starcrossed and those Upeo who had been captured by the Chromatics.

Know Abilities

Teleportation: Known to shown evidence of grade 4 abilities in all Modes and has recently achieved Ferryman status (80m dia unassissted)

Known Auxiliary Modes: Vitakinesis, Biokinesis, Psychokinesis

[Rorx]

Mr E. Bowen

Upeo Monitor since 2111

In contrast to John Doe, Bowen (as he is universally known) has no media profile, and is virtually totally unknown outside the Order. However, he was one of those assigned to the job of recovering Liam in the time running up to the Upeo Exodus, and has spent virtually all the time since as Liam's assistant and guardian. Bowen was assigned to this task largely due to his competence, his suprahuman agility, and the auxilairy mode that he exhibited on being triggered in the Prometheus Chamber. A large part to his low profile, and the tiem he has spent on Eden with Liam, is that he is one of those very rare few, that have exhibited a Quantakinesis Auxiliary Mode. Unlike the majority of them he was dealt with sympathetically by the Upeo, and when he was assigned to Liam, was able to actually practise and further develop his skill with this Aptitude at the Auxiliary level.

Know Abilites

Translocation - Long Jump, this is not common with Monitors but his work with/for Liam and to safeguard himself due to his Auxiliary Mode he has spent the time/effort to attain this level.

Transmassion and Warp are only at the 1st level

Liam knows that he has in Quantakinesis

Enhancement 1 +1

Energetics 1

[Forge]

UNITED NATIONS ARCHIVE – CLASSIFIED

>>>SUBJECT: ALEXANDER TITOV<<<

Name: Alexander (Pronounced Sasha) Titov

DoB: October 14th, 2105

Age: 18

Height: 6’ 3”

Weight: 230lbs

Hair: Blond

Eyes: Blue

Ethnicity: Eastern European/Black

Primary Residence: Ruan’s World

Position: Noetic Liason

Appearance: Titov stands tall with a confidence rarely found in men of his age. His blue eyes stand out as a prominent feature on an otherwise average countenance. He has close-cropped, curly, dirty-blond hair, and usually dresses in plain, yet well-cut clothing.

Background: Officially his mother is listed as Dina Titova, but we have doubts as to his specific maternal heritage, as facial recognition bioapps leave only a 45% chance of relation to Dina. Dina was listed as a casualty of a skirmish outside of Nyota Kukumbatia, though recent information from the Star-Crossed has disproved this. Titov’s paternal heritage is unknown, though obviously believed to be of African descent.

The informant at the Star-Crossed stated that after his mother’s “death”, and during most of the Exodus he grew up on Ruan’s World, adopted collectively by the Order, and looked after in part by Atwan herself. Titov does not belong to any divison of the Upeo, as he is seen more like everyone’s ‘younger brother’. According to reports, his ability with noetics has garnered him some respect and status, though specific details of these skills are sketchy at best.

Profile: We have been told that Atwan felt a conflict of interest in performing the final interview with Titov, and in a landmark first, passed the duty to an unknown person. Titov does not seem to share the same drive as Atwan, but does share the same ideals and is utterly loyal to the Upeo. Titov is an extremely gifted psion and apparently has developed new techniques within the Upeo’s aptitude that were previously unknown. While he has no official certifications, he did grow up within the Upeo, and with that came a practical knowledge of the field of Noetics. In fact, it would seem, based on reports, that Titov spent more time studying his noetic abilities than those of a more physical nature. He is confident in himself and can be endearing at times.

,,

UPEO ARCHIVE

>>>Excerpt from Alexander Titov’s journal, Long Walk Interview<<<

“Anything else not allowed?”

“No, please proceed to the door at the end of the hall, someone will take you from there.”

In an effort to keep this brief, I will sum up what happened for the next day and a half after I entered that door. I was violated. It was like you had received intel that the Ark of the Covenant was a bioapp up my ass and had sent Option-8 to retrieve it. Even while I slept that night everything was recorded.

The psych eval was disturbing in its own right, ‘If you had to choose between saving your father from burning to death or your mother from drowning, which would you choose, and why?’ Who thinks up that crap?

The panel interview with the Nguzo wasn’t too bad, they seemed more interested in gleaning information from me than in actually interviewing me, and I was more than happy to give them information, plus a few key pieces of nonsense.

The interview with the Khaldun was surprisingly calm, he spent most of his time with behavioral interviewing, trying to get me to relay my past experience with situations that could occur on mission, and where my loyalties lay…blah blah blah.

The interview after that was with a man I still swear came in the wrong room. He kept asking me questions about my experience with Olaminium Tape sealer applications on intrastellar craft, and despite my attempts to tell him he had apparently came in the wrong room he kept at it. I even tried answering his questions! Three hours later I finally resorted to shorting his comp’s holo so that the insanity would end.

The last interview seemed the most hollow of them all, of which I have attached an excerpt. They hooked me up to a VSB with GSR! (voice stress bracelet with galvanic skin response) Are they really that naïve? They even had a two-way mirror on the wall of the room, it was so cheesy. I will add more later.

>>>Attachment: textfile conversion<<<

“Have you ever considered violence as a reasonable option to make your point? If yes, explain why.”

“If the situation called for it, a threat of violence can lend itself to a hasty resolution in which casualties can be kept to a minimum. Though is violence ever really needed?”

“Only five crew members can fit in a life-pod. They will be landing on a barren, hostile world and need to survive for upwards of four months before help arrives. Pick who goes and justify your decision.”

“It would depend if the crew was made up of Neutrals, Psi’s or a mix. Obviously the five with the most indispensable skills and information would go. If I get to pick any five people with stereotyped skill sets, then a Rex doctor, an EK engineer, a 7th Legion survivalist, PK has insurmountable applications in a hostile environment, a Tel to keep us all calm, and assuming that he/she is none of these, the Captain.

“How do you feel?”

“That is an open ended question if I ever heard one…tired and hungry. How are you?”

“Do you believe you have greater destiny than the rest of humanity?”

“A greater destiny…”

“Pardon?”

“Destiny is not a quality you can signify with ‘greater’ without first identifying it in a singular sense.”

“Sorry…Do you believe you have /a/ greater destiny than the rest of humanity?”

“Yes”

“Why?”

“You don’t have high enough clearance for me to answer that, sorry.”

“Ok... if not chosen, what will you do?”

“Continue my position here at Freedom, though the chances of me not being selected are slim odds indeed.”

“Are you comfortable?”

“Well, now that you mention it, this chair is horrible, it must be a Norca design....”

“Would you kill in self defense?”

“Yes.”

“Would you kill if given a direct order?”

“Yes.”

“Would you complete a suicide mission if ordered?”

“No, the only reason a mission is suicide is because someone without all the information is calling the shots.”

“Would you volunteer to complete a suicide mission?”

“Would you?”

“Please answer the question.”

“No.”

“Would you kill if enraged?”

“If by enraged you mean that I have lost all self control and withdrawn to my id, then yes, anything is possible.”

“Imagine you are suddenly stripped of all your psion abilities with no warning. Do you terminate your position? Do you terminate your employment with the Upeo? Do you terminate your life?”

“Whoa, slow down there, where’s the fire? If I lost my talent, then yes, most likely I would relieve myself of duty and wait for reassignment. As far as leaving the Upeo, have not the Nguzo proven that psionic abilities are not necessary to be a part of our family? Unless the conditions in which I lost my talent are extraordinary, and by that I believe you are referring to Atwan, then I would say yes. By no means would I kill myself under any circumstances.

“What is the most precious thing to you in the world? Would you voluntarily destroy it for a position of importance? If not, why not?”

“You must want to get out of here as much as I do, grouping questions like that. The most precious thing to me is my family. Obviously I am not going to destroy my family for a job, because its just not worth it, there are more constructive means to an end. That, and I don’t see myself single-handedly destroying the Upeo.”

“Would you like a break?”

“How many are left?”

“Do you consider yourself to be stable and predictable?”

“I don’t think you are listening to me anymore, yes I am stable, predictable…who is?”

“Do you see value in unpredictability?”

“Yes, you have to keep people guessing.”

“Define pain.”

“These interviews.”

“Define ecstasy.”

“The feeling of oneness that can be achieved through the use of our abilities granted to us by fate.”

“Are you religious?”

“I follow Baha’i to a certain extent.”

“How so and do you feel comfortable allowing people without faith to make decisions for you?”

“I believe their founding principles to be what men’s should be. Faith does not make a man good or evil…so yes I am comfortable.”

“Will you submit to a deep telepathic scan while observing recorded videos of interrogation sessions of hardened criminals?”

“I did that yesterday.”

“Have you made any life altering decisions that you are unhappy with?”

“…no…”

“How do you feel?”

“I don’t know…are we done?”

>>>end conversion<<<