Bone2pick
Minority of One
This is for Bone2pick
- Name: Philomena Diane Nyanchoka
Nickname: Philo
Age: 26
Gender: Female
Height/Weight: 5'9 // 134 lbs
Homeworld: Mars
Faction: DUPC citizen, work visa with the Martian Civil League
Occupation: Mech Warrior
Rank: Squad Leader
Callsign: Rapier
Combat Skills: Close quarter combat training, small arms proficiency, fencing
Appearance: She has the body of a professional tennis champion, powerful through the limbs but light on her feet. There's practically a bounce to her every motion. Her eyes are full of energy and her hair is short, black, and neat.
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How She Got Started
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Forty one high school seniors were personally recruited by Dr. Douglas Huntsman, the CEO of Pioneer Equipment. The last six years of each candidate's life—without their knowledge—had been closely monitored by the multibillion-credit Martian company. They were exceptional young men and women: athletic champions, social club leaders, top five percent exit exam scorers, and behavioral models for their "lesser" accomplished peers. According to all measures each selected senior was on track to certain success. But Dr. Huntsman offered more than success; he showed them a path to be heroes.
The ultimate weapon system serving mankind was the Mech: a hulking, brutally-armed walker that could dish out more firepower than nearly any opposing threat. Mecha win / loss records against whatever the plantae rebels managed to throw at them were unparalleled. If mankind was going to win back Earth, they would need more Mecha.
All of the first Mechs had been designed, manufactured, and unleashed on the battlefield by Power Play Solutions, a subsidiary of Pioneer Equipment. But it took less than three years for PPS' original units to get ripped off and replicated by everyone else with a stake in the Earth War. Dr. Huntsman's team at Power Play had foreseen this tactic and were unconcerned. PPS engineers were ready to evolve their Mecha, but they required new pilots. The next crop of Mech Warriors had to be younger, better trained, and more integrated into their machines. Only then would mankind once again be a giant step beyond what their enemies could match.
It was easy to see why Dr. Huntsman wanted Philo — she was fourth in her class, voted most likely to succeed, president of her school's Stundent Athletes for Community Service, a three time tennis conference champion, and a fencing silver medalist in the Martian Junior Olympics. She was a young woman whose hard work afforded her enviable opportunities. Philo didn't need the military, but a Power Play Mech pilot wasn't quite military. It was private, it was well financed, and it was run by one of the most influential CEOs in the entire solar system. She couldn't help being flattered by Dr. Huntsman's interest.
Of course the company wasn't relying solely on flattery and heroic opportunity to secure their commitments. Whoever signed with Power Play would receive a full scholarship to the Hawking School of Technology, a twelve year comprehensive medical plan, and a six-figure per year salary while under contract. It was an undeniably generous offer, but they would be putting themselves in undeniable danger should they accept it. War managed to be terrifying no matter how much you paid the soldiers.
Twenty five of the original forty one signed Power Play contracts; Philo was one of them. Dr. Huntsman assumed the young woman was simply being prudent, while her parents suspected their daughter had gotten swept away by emotional feelings of humanitarian obligation — neither were correct. If Philomena could ever summon the courage to voice her reason for joining the ranks of the Mech warriors, it would be a single name: Thurman.
Growing up, she had never been close with her kid brother. They were oil and water, night and day, and quite content to grow in different directions. Philomena was the leader, the achiever, the champion; while Thurman was the dreamer, the procrastinator, and the meek. Her brother, for all his faults, always had noble aspirations. He told anyone who would listen that when he was old enough, and strong enough, he would enlist in the DUPC marines. Thurman believed that his service would make a difference; he believed that the battle for their homeworld was worth his sacrifice. He wrote his eighth grade writing submission about the pockets of humanity left on Earth. How they were absurdly over matched, yet they contined to resist the plantae menace. Thurman only received a B for the report, but he considers the paper his finest work.
He was diagnosed with a rare type of juvenile arthritis right before turning fourteen. Besides bringing the boy searing pain and permanently limiting his mobility, it also crushed his hopes of joining the Earth War. After the diagnosis Philo and her brother finally put their differences aside and healed as siblings. Both of their perspectives would never be the same, and both would grow to view the other as their hero.
And so Philomena Nyanchoka signed up to fight the battles that her kid brother would never be able to.
▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃
Forty one high school seniors were personally recruited by Dr. Douglas Huntsman, the CEO of Pioneer Equipment. The last six years of each candidate's life—without their knowledge—had been closely monitored by the multibillion-credit Martian company. They were exceptional young men and women: athletic champions, social club leaders, top five percent exit exam scorers, and behavioral models for their "lesser" accomplished peers. According to all measures each selected senior was on track to certain success. But Dr. Huntsman offered more than success; he showed them a path to be heroes.
The ultimate weapon system serving mankind was the Mech: a hulking, brutally-armed walker that could dish out more firepower than nearly any opposing threat. Mecha win / loss records against whatever the plantae rebels managed to throw at them were unparalleled. If mankind was going to win back Earth, they would need more Mecha.
All of the first Mechs had been designed, manufactured, and unleashed on the battlefield by Power Play Solutions, a subsidiary of Pioneer Equipment. But it took less than three years for PPS' original units to get ripped off and replicated by everyone else with a stake in the Earth War. Dr. Huntsman's team at Power Play had foreseen this tactic and were unconcerned. PPS engineers were ready to evolve their Mecha, but they required new pilots. The next crop of Mech Warriors had to be younger, better trained, and more integrated into their machines. Only then would mankind once again be a giant step beyond what their enemies could match.
It was easy to see why Dr. Huntsman wanted Philo — she was fourth in her class, voted most likely to succeed, president of her school's Stundent Athletes for Community Service, a three time tennis conference champion, and a fencing silver medalist in the Martian Junior Olympics. She was a young woman whose hard work afforded her enviable opportunities. Philo didn't need the military, but a Power Play Mech pilot wasn't quite military. It was private, it was well financed, and it was run by one of the most influential CEOs in the entire solar system. She couldn't help being flattered by Dr. Huntsman's interest.
Of course the company wasn't relying solely on flattery and heroic opportunity to secure their commitments. Whoever signed with Power Play would receive a full scholarship to the Hawking School of Technology, a twelve year comprehensive medical plan, and a six-figure per year salary while under contract. It was an undeniably generous offer, but they would be putting themselves in undeniable danger should they accept it. War managed to be terrifying no matter how much you paid the soldiers.
Twenty five of the original forty one signed Power Play contracts; Philo was one of them. Dr. Huntsman assumed the young woman was simply being prudent, while her parents suspected their daughter had gotten swept away by emotional feelings of humanitarian obligation — neither were correct. If Philomena could ever summon the courage to voice her reason for joining the ranks of the Mech warriors, it would be a single name: Thurman.
Growing up, she had never been close with her kid brother. They were oil and water, night and day, and quite content to grow in different directions. Philomena was the leader, the achiever, the champion; while Thurman was the dreamer, the procrastinator, and the meek. Her brother, for all his faults, always had noble aspirations. He told anyone who would listen that when he was old enough, and strong enough, he would enlist in the DUPC marines. Thurman believed that his service would make a difference; he believed that the battle for their homeworld was worth his sacrifice. He wrote his eighth grade writing submission about the pockets of humanity left on Earth. How they were absurdly over matched, yet they contined to resist the plantae menace. Thurman only received a B for the report, but he considers the paper his finest work.
He was diagnosed with a rare type of juvenile arthritis right before turning fourteen. Besides bringing the boy searing pain and permanently limiting his mobility, it also crushed his hopes of joining the Earth War. After the diagnosis Philo and her brother finally put their differences aside and healed as siblings. Both of their perspectives would never be the same, and both would grow to view the other as their hero.
And so Philomena Nyanchoka signed up to fight the battles that her kid brother would never be able to.
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