About Nathaniel Kenson; "Paladin"- - - - - - - - - -
Total Karma: 8
Street Cred: 1
Total Edge: 1
Magic/Resonance: N/A
----- Ares Macrotechnology Business Practices: 1
English: N
Restricted Gear
Negative Qualities: Bipolar Disorder
Argus Finch (5/3):
Argus Fincke is a stocky and stubborn old dwarf, with a bald head—Argus insists that it's shaved—and a thick red beard speckled with gray. While short, the dwarf's body is thick with corded muscle and the datajack built into the side of his skull denotes his intellect and technical aptitude. The dwarf's biceps are thick and sturdy, although they abruptly end at the elbow; both of the dwarf's lower arms are cybernetic, a result of an unfortunate explosives incident decades earlier. The cyberlimbs are utilitarian and functional, the stainless steel often coated with grease or oil from the dwarf's tinkering. His upper bicep sports an elaborately drawn blade and shield, which Argus claims is an old family symbol. The dwarf's features are squarish and rugged, with a wide nose and sunken blue eyes. While working in his workshop the dwarf wears simple work garb such as overalls and a plaid shirt, but he never goes anywhere without an armored vest beneath his clothing. Otherwise, the dwarf wears nicely made, if somewhat plain, clothes and cleans himself of the routine grime he encounters daily. At his hip, the dwarf typically carries a handgun, and he has a built-in shotgun installed in one arm and a set of blades fashioned into the other. While an ornery old man, Argus respects others despite his habit of being non-sociable with most, and does well by his clients as his reputation deserves.
While Nathaniel met the dwarf during his time with Knight Errant—where Argus served as the regional quartermaster for Seattle's HTR squadron—he learned after leaving that Argus moonlights as an international arms dealer, using the facilities and equipment available to him at Ares in order to custom-craft anything his customers desire. While the two aren't close friends, Argus originally trained Nathaniel in repairing cybernetics as well as his armor and weapons, and during his time with the corp the two got along well enough. Incidentally interacting after Nathaniel's departure, the two reconneted over the Matrix once they both realized the other was not a plant by Ares in order to lure them into a trap. Well-connected in the shadows with a considerable amount of pull, Argus now serves as a useful contact when Nathaniel needs use of someone's facilities or tools for repairs, as the dwarf knows all the reputable people in Boston who don't have a problem with shadowrunners. Cuervo (2/6):
Cuervo towers over most people, being over a full head taller than Nathaniel. His stocky, muscular build is impressive even for an ork; his biceps are nearly as thick around as Nathaniel's thigh and the man is capable of lifting their full-grown bull mastiff—named Bucky—clear off of the ground as if he was a lap dog. His skin is well-tanned and leathery, and he keeps his black hair trimmed short out of habit; having grown up in Tenochtilan's underground fighting pits, anything extraneous on his body such as long hair was a weakness the ork couldn't afford. His tusks are short and wickedly curved, and his brown eyes have a distant look to them. Cuervo typically wears whatever he wishes when not on a job, but while on runs with his own crew the ork suits up in heavy-grade military armor he managed to obtain sometime before he met Nathaniel. His arms are striped with Azlant tattoos from his time in the fighting pits and a huge scar runs down the ork's back where the cybernetic replacement for his spinal chord was shoddily implanted into his body many years ago. He sports other old injuries from his time in the pits as well, but unlike Nathaniel still posseses all of his original limbs. His senses were deadened by the years of beatings and wounds, and now relies on his touch-link cyberware for much of his physical sensation.
Forced to fight for his life from an early age, Cuervo maintains his killer edge from his time in the fighting pits. While capable with a firearm—he constantly wears a massive revolver crafted for him by Nathaniel at his hip—the ork truly shines in close-quarters. His diamond-coated nodachi is nearly as long as he is tall, and slices through steel and bone with relative ease. While generally a jovial person, Cuervo possesses a fighting instinct that he finds difficult to quell; in combat, the ork rages against foes and shrugs off blows that would fell lesser men as he rampages through his foes with his blade drawn, often unable to bring an end to the carnage until he has killed his foes to the man. While not immensely well-connected in Boston's shadow community, he thinks of Nathaniel as a brother and is willing to risk his life, knowing that Nathaniel has and will continue to do the same for him. - - - - - - - - - - - AUGMENTATIONS AND GEAR - - - - - - - - - - - Bioware:
Essence Cost: 1.6 Cerebral Booster (Rating 2)
Cyberware:
Essence Cost: 2.96 Wired Reflexes, Alphaware (Rating 1)
Armor and Clothing:
Goggles, Rating 6 - Image Link - Smartlink - Flare Compensation - Thermographic - Ultrasound - Vision Enhancement (Rating 3) Headphones, Rating 3
Armor Vest (6/4)
Gas Mask Commlink and Programs:
Transys Avalon --Novatech Navi --Firewall (Rating 5) --Response (Rating 5) --Signal (Rating 5) --System (Rating 6) Analyze (Rating 4)
Armor (Rating 3)
Weapons:
ARES PRAETORIAN TYPE-02 Damage: 9P AP: -1 (Impact) Mode: SA/BF RC: 5 Ammo: 15 (c) - Armor Piercing Flechettes (240) - Spare Clips (8) ----- Inherent Modifications Melee Hardening (-) Reduced Weight (-) ----- Additional Modifications (2/6) Personalized Grip (1) Smartgun System (1) ----- Accessories Gas-Vent 3 System Shock Pad ARES PREDATOR IV
COUGAR FINEBLADE KNIFE, LONG BLADE
SINs, Licenses, and Contracts:
SIN, Nathaniel Kenson - Firearms License - Bioware License - Cyberware License - Body Armor License - Smartlink License Fake SIN; Marcus Kubrick (Rating 4)
DocWagon Contract (Basic) Drugs and Medical Supplies:
Medkit (Rating 6) Kamikaze (5) Nuyen: 36,000¥
Positive Qualities: Homegrown Farming (+1 LP)
Negative Qualities: Ambusher's Delight (-3 LP)
Character Description:
Nathaniel stands a hair over six feet and weighs considerably less than the average human of his height. His body is lithe but also toned and muscular, with slightly tanned skin. His left arm is amputated at the shoulder, replaced with a cybernetic limb in its stead; the black and red metal plates cover most of the external workings of the arm, with orange accenting around his joints. In addition, bright orange lights shine from two indicators, one on his shoulder and another at the elbow, in addition to on his knuckles. The metal plating on his elbow, and at the connection to his body, is unpainted titanium. Several tubes, some orange and some black, connect different parts of the arm as well as connecting to his flesh. While his surgery was excellently performed, his body still bears numerous scars from his former implants as well as years as a combatant, and a huge patch of scar tissue surrounds the junction at which his cybernetic arm attaches to his torso. His facial features are sharp and angular like many elves, but his features are hard and unforgiving. His naturally white hair is shaved close at the sides of his heads—exposing not only his pointed ears but his datajack as well—while the top is long and wavy, leaving bangs hanging over his pale blue eyes. Nathaniel’s movements seem to always have a deliberate purpose; the elf doesn’t fidget even under pressure, nor does he seem to have any sort of nervous energy.
Nathaniel wears clothing that feels familiar to him, typically meaning that when possible he wears garb that wouldn't be out of place in a combat zone. His pants are a drab olive color and are made in a military style, tucked neatly into the top of his combat boots. With both his legal and fake SINs having firearms licenses, he constantly keeps his pistol holstered at his hip with spare magazines stored in a pouch at his belt. He also keeps a knife strapped at the small of his back, and he wears a sleeveless undershirt designed to stop ballistic weapons as well as an inconspicuous armored vest strapped to his torso with auxiliary armor on his arms and legs. His shirt is a dull red with the torso having grey sides, the whole thing form-fit to his body to prevent it from hindering his movement. His goggles, when worn, are the same polished black metal as his cybernetic limb; the goggles' various sensors and scanners glowing with the same orange light as his arm as well. At the bottom of his goggle, a few small latches can be seen, to which his gas mask connects when working a job. When possible he also carries his shotgun slung across his back with a drop-leg magazine carrier, along with whatever he might need for the work at hand. ----- A man haunted by his past, Nathaniel clings to his regimented lifestyle from his time in the military in order to keep himself from fracturing apart. Even when he seems to be relaxing, there’s some tense about his movements. While his medicine and years of military experience help to keep his emotional extremes in check, in the process his actions have become almost mechanical. Someone observing him might notice his eyes always scanning a room when he enters, identifying threats as well as exits, or how he reacts to any small noise or innocuous sensory clue almost instantaneously. While left-handed, he performs as many activities as possible with his right in order to keep his dominant hand free to draw either his knife or pistol, and his hand leaps to either whenever he senses danger. Still, the elf's personality seeps through at times when he seems particularly at ease; Nathaniel is fond of sarcasm and wit and displays his proficiency with them often, and it's clear the elf is inordinately smart due to the speed and accuracy with which he makes logical decisions or calculations when necessary. While he is closely guarded, when he opens up—such as when talking to Cuervo and their dog Bucky—Nathaniel reveals a kind and caring individual who seeks to help those in need whenever possible, even if doing so might put himself at risk in the process. He also has no patience for people filled with bluster and empty threats, as shown by the members of the Humanis Policlub chapter immediately next to his apartment; most of them immediately flinch away from Nathaniel on sight, and several sport previously broken bones or knife wounds from the elf's lack of patience for their racist comments and general obnoxiousness. Still, in the end Nathaniel is immensely psychologically troubled. While medicated for his bipolar disorder, he still occasionally enters periods of less severe melancholy or hyperactivity; while he maintains his disciplined exterior, it's easy to see something roiling beneath the surface. While realistically understanding that Ares isn't likely to be tracking him down and almost certainly doesn't know of the blood on his hands, he still compulsively scours the Matrix for any trace of his real identity and uses his skills to eradicate it. Anything that reminds him of the Ares bioengineering complex—be it mention of Ares Firewatch, containment breaches, or the sight of something similarly unnatural and alien—sends his mind careening back to the moment he killed his brother-in-arms and lets the voices of the dead creatures enter his mind again, paralyzing him in his memories. Backstory:
Nathaniel originally grew up in Seattle, the youngest of three children born to his parents. From the moment he was born, Nathaniel was different than his siblings; a rare birth defect had resulted in his left arm being almost completely devoid of musculature, rendering the limb more or less useless. While they initially held off on fitting Nathaniel for a cybernetic replacement, his parents eventually took him to be fitted for a cyberarm when he was six years old. The cybernetic prosthesis was immensely helpful for a young Nathaniel, who found himself enjoying athletic and physical pursuits, but the need to constantly replace the cyberlimb as he outgrew the previous prosthesis put a large economic toll on his parents. With few other places to turn, his parents eventually turned to working for Ares Macrotechnology; the corporate job offered slightly higher pay along with medical and housing benefits, enabling the couple to adequately provide for their children. Nathaniel, fifteen at the time they began working for Ares, was uprooted along with his older sister—his brother had left home a year before they became a corporate family—and moved onto the Ares corporate territory within Seattle. While he disliked the change, he marveled at the resources now available to him academically. After completing his education, Nathaniel left Ares behind; while his family continued to work there, he ultimately decided to enlist with the UCAS military.
Nathaniel served within the military for several years, but was ultimately forced to return to Ares Macrotechnology. His father, overworked for years as a corporate wage slave, suffered a stroke. While he survived, he wasn't able to continue working for the corporation. While his mother continued, her service wasn't enough to continue their assured housing and medical benefits. His older siblings had started families, and while they were worried for their parents and did what they could, they couldn't provide for them monetarily. Nathaniel contacted his father's boss within the megacorp, and struck a deal; he was discharged from military service—through Ares's own doing—and drafted into Knight Errant for assessments of his skills for later placement amongst their ranks. Intelligent and highly capable, Nathaniel was placed onto one of Knight Errant's High-Threat Response (HRT) teams within Seattle, used to respond to situations beyond the means of a normal Knight Errant security force. His prosthetic arm was replaced upon his arrival with a top-of-the-line model, and he underwent surgery to be implanted with high-grade cybernetic and biological enhancements. Reborn as a corporate soldier, Nathaniel was his team's designated "spider", a corporate hacker trained to repel attacks in the Matrix and track down criminals, and received more advanced training as a close-quarters combatant as if he engaged enemies it was likely they would be in close proximity to him. He served for almost a decade in the HRT squadron in Seattle, before being called in to meet with his supervisor. He received the news that would bring to life the dreams of so many who worked for Knight Errant's private security force; he was a candidate for Ares Firewatch. Nathaniel trained with other candidates for the Seattle-based Firewatch team, watching as others were weeded out of the training program slowly but surely. Their instructors were current and former members of Firewatch, drilling them in combat tactics and a variety of necessary universal skills as well as specialized requirements for operatives with certain focuses. Nathaniel was one of three candidates with skills operating in the Matrix, and quickly found himself alone after one of his competitors snapped his leg on an obstacle course and another failed a Matrix live-training exercise and had his brain partially fried by Black IC. As the prospective Firewatch members dwindled nearly to the single digits, the remaining few operatives were faced with the reality of their job as Firewatch Team 2 was called into active duty due to an Ares facility under attack by highly-armed and dangerous criminals. They suited up, armed to the teeth and assisted by two acting members of Firewatch. His instructors referred to it as trial by fire, wishing them luck before they took off towards the locked-down Ares facility. When they arrived, they were immediately under fire. The helicopter was struck by a missile, nearly crashing into the roof of the building as Nathaniel and his team dropped into the combat zone. With his team providing covering fire, Nathaniel hacked into the Matrix node—it had been accessed and locked down by a decker working for the criminals attacking the complex—and used his control over the system to unlock the complex for his team to storm the area and close in on the opposing gunmen. Jacking out of the Matrix, Nathaniel rejoined in his team in a fight to retake the entrance to the science labs where the criminals had fortified the area in an attempt to hold off the Ares paramilitary forces. While vastly outnumbered, the fledgling Firewatch members managed to fight their way through into the heart of the complex. Splitting up in order to both determine what the criminals were after and figure out where they were, the Firewatch team split into groups of three and fanned the complex. Entering bioengineering lab, Nathaniel and his two squad mates were ambushed by five of the criminals. One of them went down after a shot from an assault cannon blew through his chest, while another fell at the hands of a summoned spirit just as he managed to kill its master. Nathaniel killed one of the last two remaining combatants, before being knocked halfway across the room by a massive, hulking ork. While his combat armor saved him from serious injury, the ork again charged him with a massive blade in hand, nearly cleaving Nathaniel's head from his shoulders. He fired a few shots from his shotgun, but the ork's armor was even heavier than his own and it barely fazed the monstrous man. The ork eventually cleaved through Nathaniel's weapon with a swipe of his blade, leaving the elf to draw his knife and service pistol. The two engaged in an extended fight at close-quarters, Nathaniel managing to inconvenience the ork with his sidearm while narrowly avoiding being cleaved in half before retaliating with his own weapon. At some point, either he or the ork managed to damage one of the many tubes and ducts that ran through the facility, and the lights shut off. Soon replaced with red emergency lights and a blaring siren, the ork took off through the passages leading farther into the complex. While his combat mask was sealed against airborne toxins, he gave pursuit to track down the ork and put a stop to whatever is was they were planning in the facility. When he finally tracked the ork down, he had regrouped with several of the other criminals deep within the bioengineering wing. Nathaniel raised his firearm and started to order them to drop their weapons, when he saw them. Even with the flashing emergency lights, the series of huge tubes set into the far wall glowed a sickly green color. Within them writhed mockeries of the metahuman form, grotesque and alien creatures that pressed their deformed appendages against the glass. He froze, his gun pointed at the ork's chest, paralyzed by the sight. He heard them then, the alien monstrosities contained within the vats, and they filled his mind with psychic suffering. They pleaded to die, to be allowed to leave their mortal coils and be at peace in death, to allow those who had come to kill them to do their work. He was broken from his stupor as the doors across from him were flung open as he began to lower his weapon; Nathaniel swiveled on his feet and unloaded his unloaded the magazine of his pistol into the newcomer's chest. The barrel of his gun smoking, he watched as his fellow Firewatch team member collapsed to the ground bleeding from a dozen gunshot wounds. His hands trembling, his service pistol clattered to the floor as he looked again to the criminals, whom he realized were rigging the facility to blow. He and the ork locked eyes, even through Nathaniel's helmet, and the massive man walked to his fallen comrade and beheaded him with one quick stroke, before delivering several savage cuts to the man's torso. Nathaniel left his pistol on the ground, before watching as the last of the bombs was planted. He and the criminals, nodding to each other, ran in opposite directions. Nathaniel established connection over his commlink with the remaining trainees, ordering them to evacuate as the building was rigged to explode. He and six of the other trainees, as well as the two supervising Firewatch members, escaped the building alive. In the aftermath, the mission was deemed a failure and the Firewatch candidate selection postponed. In the months following the mission, Nathaniel used the sizeable pension granted to him by Ares to relocate his parents to a non-corporate home along with privatized health care. He returned to his work on the HRT team and resumed working in Seattle, but he was plagued in his dreams and idle moments by what he'd seen in the Ares facility. He became disconnected and withdrawn, eventually ordered by his unit chief to visit a psychiatric professional. Unable to tell the doctor what haunted him, Nathaniel ultimately failed to improve his mental health and further lagged behind his squad members. His life was a downward spiral for nearly a year after the incident, until he met the ork again. It was a call from a museum with a Knight Errant security contract, an alarm had been tripped during a break-in and the on-site security had already been killed. Landing on the roof, he and his team swept the building for the intruders, before he and the ork came face to face again. They saw each other from across a short hallway, with the ork cocking his head to the side as they realized they had met before. From farther into the museum he could hear the sounds of a firefight emerging, and the ork raised his hand to his ear as he received communication of his commlink. He shrugged at Nathaniel, who replied with a slow shaking of his head. The ork nodded, before heading off to join the fighting. Unsure of what to do, Nathaniel sat and listened to the deaths of his team members before the ork and his team moved back through the facility. The two exchanged a look, but nothing more. Taking a few moments to access to the security feeds from the museum and wipe them in their entirety, he ran to the roof and explained to the pilot that the rest of the team had been killed and the mission was a failure. Soon after, Nathaniel was put on leave as he went through the process of being placed onto another HTR team in Seattle. Alone in his corporate apartment, Nathaniel combed the Matrix for any hint of the ork he had encountered, using a proxy and his knowledge of Ares Matrix security to avoid being detected or traced. He searched through news records and official Ares reports, even shadowrunner havens until he had a name—Cuervo. Once he had the information he needed, he left the Ares corporate haven—he told the guard on-duty that he was simply heading out to meet a friend for dinner—and never came back, tracking down the ork and using his underworld connections to remove the enhancements Ares had implanted in his body so many years ago. Using the money from selling the high-grade augmentations, he paid the cost for the extensive surgery and purchased replacements for the pieces his body could no longer realistically function without and pocketed the change. Cuervo told Nathaniel that his crew had split up after the last job—personal differences had pushed them all to the brink—and that he was headed east, to the Boston sprawl where he knew a guy who worked the shadows. He offered Nathaniel an escape from Seattle, from the life as a corporate soldier, and Nathaniel took it. Leaving as soon as he was able, the two packed up and left for Boston, with Cuervo finding a new crew to run with and Nathaniel lying low, living off of the nuyen withdrawn from his account before his departure. His combat skills grew soft and his interest in other areas increased over the intervening years, and he and Cuervo turned an uneasy truce into a strong friendship. Eventually though, money became thin and Nathaniel turned to the only option left to him, finally taking the last step into the shadows. |
