Veroga
In the heavy rains, a wounded VIPER soldier desperately ran through the thick jungle. He checked his helmet's HUD to confirm he's on route to the location as he jumped a low brush, stumbling briefly before taking off. Being given pity by an enemy had been humiliating enough, accepting it worse, but it beat the alternative for his failure that was offered by VIPER. That he can't die here is all that echoed through his mind as he ran, ignoring the throbbing pain of his muscles and the bullet wounds in his abdomen and arms, the hole in his calf being the hardest to endure during this escape. As he stumbled into a clearing, the view of a figure in white armor greeted his empty visor. Not who he was searching for, he confirmed at a glance. He ignored the man and kept running, but as he passed the figure, a cold voice greeted him. "Target secured." As the soldier processed what was meant by that, the back of his neck was struck and he collapsed onto the forest floor, the blood from his wounds staining the leaves below him before washed away by the rains. The figure looked down at the fallen soldier. "We'll find a use for you."
Three years later, a white armored figure strolled down a hallway. A soldier in white armor walked up behind him and bumped him as he walked past. "Pardon, skinny." The soldier laughs as he brushes the man aside. The figure slowly turned its head to glance at the soldier, revealing a featureless green visor as he glances over at the man. As the man noticed the helmet, his face quickly drained of blood. "S..sir, I didn't mean to!" The figure doesn't respond, instead brushing the soldier aside and walking off. One of the other soldiers there walks up to the man as the armored figure left. "Got him in a good mood, you lucky bastard." The second soldier laughed as he patted his comrade on the back. Farther down the hallway, the figure turned and walked into a room. He settled on the couch and kicked his feet up on the table as the well-dressed man behind the large desk in front of him glared briefly before speaking. "Here's what we need you to do, Veroga."
Favorite Toys
Malice and Cruelty - Dual pistols that were created by an outside source, they are capable of firing many kinds of rounds with minimal recoil by channeling the excess gas from the shots out of angled vents. Veroga has several kinds of ammunition made especially for the usage by these guns. They are more accurate than standard pistols thanks to the alterations and can hit targets reliably at a range where most would consider it unfeasible.
- THEIAP Rounds- Tactical High Explosive Incindiary/Armor Piercing Rounds. These bullets are a modified and shrunk version of standard HEIAP rounds, outfitted with a chip that allows Veroga to detonate them remotely or set a timer upon firing to ensure they explode on traveling a set distance. When things just have to die, they also work as normal HEIAP rounds with a devastating effectiveness. More fitted for taking out armored vehicles than meta-humans, but it doesn't stop him from unloading these rounds on standard targets when the need strikes. The mercenary is extremely fond on these rounds, often carrying multiple clips on his person no matter what the mission may be.
- SVR Rounds - Serpentes Venom Replica Rounds. These bullets deliver a payload that is a combination of potent neurotoxins and hemotoxins that are based on snake venom. The neurotoxin component attacks the nervous system by blocking the exchange of ions across the neuronal membrane, shutting off nerve impulses completely. This toxin, given a short period of time time to spread, can shut down the lungs and heart by disabling the nerve impulses to these organs. The hemotoxin component of the poison causes both hemolysis and disrupts coagulation, making any further wounds taken or recent injuries far more dangerous, bleeding the targets out. The mercenary often carries two clips or more on his person, but prefers to use these as a last resort.
Palm Injector - These fit inside his gloves and on a trigger from him a spring mechanism causes a 2 cm khendrium spike to pop out. The force is enough to pierce half a centimeter of steel plating. The injectors are typically loaded with the same poison he has contained in his toxic rounds, but they can have their toxins swapped with ease. Once triggered, he can easily retract the spike so it doesn't hinder his own movement and grip.
Remote Mini Mines - Veroga's favorite tool, these micro-explosives pack more punch than a standard grenade. The mines are detonated remotely by detonators built into Veroga's gloves, while his helmet's system allows him to select which mines he chooses to detonate. This allows the mercenary to trap larger areas and pick off foes without using up his full arsenal all at once. He always carries a number of them on his person, hidden away all over his body.
Lower Extremity Exoskeletal Braces - Not a weapon, but these braces, when attached to his armor, allow him to carry far greater loads and increase his jumping and movement speed. The boots have a system built in that converts some of the impact energy from walking to electricity, keeping them self-sufficient to where a small battery is enough to last hours before replacement.
Other Standard Equipment
- Backup Pistols
- Energy Rifle
- Smoke Grenades
- Fragmentation Grenades
- Microfilament Wires
- Proximity Mines
- Recall Teleporter
Argent - Veroga's main contractor. In exchange for a steady pay, he answers to them first, others second. Argent lets him occasionally test some of the newer prototypes they have developed, though he rarely carries them out of the lab to actual missions. Instead, he typically relies on their gear that has already proven itself on the field before from past experience. The mercenary occasionally displays loyalty to Argent that goes beyond the narrow confines of the contract, such as bringing back information and technology of use to Argent while on a mission from another private contractor. Any and all outside contracts he takes have already been reviewed to see if they would negatively impact any known goals of his parent company. That said, he doesn't always have a choice in matters concerning his contracts with them. Argent knows he doesn't want to lose the contract, and has occasionally used his failures to strong-arm him into accepting missions he wouldn't remotely consider under normal circumstances.
Flawless - A company of minor interest that Veroga has been watching, it has grown enough to where he has taken an interest in its activities. Official records show that despite his occasional presence at the company's activities, he has yet to directly approach the the company with any offers. The reason for his interest in this company remains unknown at this time.
Viper - While some claim to combat the VIPER threat during their missions, Veroga wants nothing to do with them, even shirking assignments that have to deal with VIPER, be it supporting their actions or sabotage. Despite this, he's not above using their technology, aquired from the black market, in his assignments and occasionally uses tactics he learned from them before his defection. To them, he's a faceless mercenary that rarely troubles them and is of no merit. They appear to be unaware of Veroga's real identity being that of a faceless soldier that was 'killed' long ago when he tried to defect, and he plans to keep it that way. The less potential interference in an operation, the better.
Neutral: A black armor he wears when he's working for outside contractors on private requests. The plates are thin but cover the whole body, providing minor protection. The armor comes equipped with an energy rifle as a spare weapon and a cloaking system that allows up to ten minutes of thermal and optical camouflage, after which he has to replace the battery that powers the system. Due to the location of the battery pack being in the clip that holds the rifle in place, replacement of the battery is impossible during deployment.
Argent Soldier: A standard uniform that Veroga has customized and strapped full of weapons. Despite its appearance, it's lighter than his heavier duty armor, meaning he can move at a normal pace without the augmented strength provided by the leg braces. Due to lacking these braces, he generally tries to avoid situations where he'd be required to flee when using this armor, or just utilizes the recall meant for emergencies if cornered and puts up with the yelling of his superiors later. Despite the disadvantage, he seems to prefer to use this armor over the heavier armor when he can afford to.
Argent Armor, Heavy Variant: This armor comes equipped with a higher powered version of the standard energy rifle he always carries as backup. The armor has thick kevlar 'plates' that help absorb heavier rounds, but the dispersal isn't enough to stop those aimed below the metal plates from bruising him or breaking a bone or two. Despite it being worn when he's working for Argent, there's rumors of the armor having been produced by an outside source and recolored in Argent's colors on obtaining.
Expert Marksman - The mercenary displays proficiency in the usage of ranged weaponry. Even without the armor's hud assisting his aim, Veroga is extremely accurate with his pistols and the rifle he often carries. He may not be able to shoot the eye out of a bird in flight at three hundred yards like some crack shots with a pistol, but that's what the explosive ammunition is there to take care of. And the rest of the little birdy too.
Demolitions Expert - A lover of things that go boom, Veroga is an expert when it comes to blowing things up, be it by mine, grenade, or by explosive round. More often than not he uses his experience with the usage of these types of weapons to quickly set up deadly traps for his quarry. Waiting for someone to enter a minefield before detonating the mines beneath them may not be the most subtle way of eliminating a target, but it gets the job done.
Tactician - By no means a front lines soldier, Veroga prefers to plan ahead and lay traps for his opponents, engaging them on his terms. He prepares for individual targets based on info received prior to the mission and his expectations. This doesn't always work out for him, but where a trap might fail, bullets may prevail.
Weapons Expert - Veroga can identify and assemble most conventional weaponry from their base parts. He can't build the more complex weaponry from their parts or assemble an energy weapon from spare parts, but that rarely is a problem due to his choice of weaponry.
Only Human - Under the thin armor, Veroga is human. He bleeds, his bones break, and he's able to feel pain even if there's no vocal response. His armors protect him from small caliber rounds and some impacts by dispersing the force from the metal plates to across the body, but he still feels the force of the blows, and the armor has a limit to the punishment it can take before it's too much.
Limited by Equipment - There's a limit to how much equipment he can carry, and Veroga picks equipment based on the information he's given regarding a target and the environment he plans on engaging them in. When plans go awry or data is incomplete he can find himself lacking the tools required to finish the job, putting him at a severe disadvantage.
Easily Discouraged - Veroga is far from a determinator. If the mission takes a turn for the worse and appears to be impossible to complete, he will abandon the assignment and report it a failure. He takes steps to try to ensure this rarely happens, but won't risk capture or his life over a paycheck. He's being paid to complete assignments, not to die struggling in vain.
Communication - His lack of speech can become a major drawback in missions where he is required to work with others. Preferring to ping locations of destinations and targets or total silence, this lack of communication can result in confusion regarding his status and potential conflict with team members.
Short Temper - While he tries to keep it in check, Veroga's short temper can sometimes cause him to act irrationally and drop all remants of a strategy, just blowing things up till he gets the target or is forced to retreat.
Paranoia - He thinks you're all out to get him. Even the harmless kitties may have an improvised explosive strapped to them. This fear of everything manifests itself in his refusal to expose himself except for when he's geared and has weapons on him.
-A creation of @Kagewoe
