Heli Matharom
Settlement Survivor
CR26 (unarmed) | CR107 (kitted)
As a teenager, Heli had a medical problem. An infection rolled through her town, caused on purpose by a minor raiding gang that wanted to soften the target. Between the disease and fending off the resulting attack, many people died, including her father. Heli was able to fight off the disease, mostly, but her lungs were profoundly damaged by the illness. In desperation to save her little girl, Heli's mother made a bad bargain with the duplicitous son of the recently buried mayor. She traded debt slavery for bionic implants that would give Heli her mobility and her future back to her.
The mayor's son was an excessively cruel master. He had the whole settlement under his thumb through blackmail, poisoned contracts, and the violence enacted by his cronies. The town survived a gang from without just to produce a worse gang within. Heli chafed under the new order, and embittered by the sorry state of her own mother, was an easy mark for the small-time tyrant's latest uneven deal.
If Heli could complete a horrible job for him, he'd transfer her mother's debt back to Heli. Legally, she'd still be a slave. But Heli would be her master, and her treatment would all be up to her. It was a trap, of course. She was never meant to make it back alive, but if she somehow managed a miracle, the ganglord of the town would grow in power in the region. One middle-aged slave would be a tiny price to pay.
Heli did pull off that miracle. And she made a fateful friend.
The lord didn't keep his head.
Heli can't return.
That's a small price to pay to make an example.
So now Heli is a problem solver for hire. She prefers to work as a road guard and a coyote, with a weakness for using a heavy hand to correct gross acts of injustice. She's not above pitching in a day's hard labor, but she knows what starvation feels like and won't suffer it again. She is especially harsh to those that abuse an honest deal - it's a hotbutton issue that her friends have had to hold her back from before.
Heli has a desire for a quiet and simple life, but neither her skills nor her past will let her lead that kind of lifestyle. She tries to find a way to get moments of it on the road, and has higher spirits and a gentler disposition when further away from towns and major centers of power like The University and The City.
200/200 points
Abilities: Pretty Face [-15], Cardio Bunny [-18], Be Nimble Be Quick [-12]
Skills: Trust me I'm an engineer [Free, -10], I am a Scientist [Free], Thermochemistry Specialist [-6], Reckless Heroics [-7], Fightin' Dirty [-7]
Mutations: None
Implants: Level 1 Bionic Lungs [-10]
Heli uses her specialized knowledge for demolitions, chemical weapons, and the maintenance and perfection of her rifle-sized pet project: The Embertusk.
She makes a decent face for her group and dabbles in cartography. Heli can build you an engine from a box of scrap, synthesize hyperdense fuels, or lecture endlessly on calorimetry and kinetics. But outside of her wheelhouse, she can be shockingly ignorant. She likes the mechanics of the universe down in the nitty-gritty and leaves the complex world of symbols and political struggles to big-picture types.
Ranged Weapon: Flamethrower [-28] with Bayonet [-2]
Melee Weapon: Survival Axe [-2]
Thrown Weapons: Molotovs [-6] and C4 [-18]
Equipment: Flak Vest [-17], Remote Detonator [-6], Praise the Lord and Pass the Ammunition [-11], Specialist Tools [-8], Really Good Map [-10], Holorecord Charm [-1], Survival Gear [Free], Combat Webbing [-6]
Romance: 5
Sexuality: 6
Preference: Bisexual, technically.
All typical reduction bonuses apply, as well as special conditions. -1 Sex each if you are a female mutant or have the Downstairs Mix-up mutation. -3 Sex if you're a monstrous shape mutant. It's hard to say why she's this way; maybe she's just into exceptional appearances on both ends of the scale.
-1 Romance if you escape certain death together, if you are also a bio-passing cyborg (at least while clothed), or if you are a skilled poet. +1 Romance penalty each for "Chad" types, the boisterous, and members of a gang. She prefers black hair over blondes.
Human supremacists can make an instant life-long enemy. Interested parties can leave a note listing the place they sleep and will be responded to at Heli's convenience.
Companions:
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Infantry Replacement Unit O-279 CR60 - The two first met running the same job as a mercenary. Seeing as how Heli was the only person around that treated it like it was alive, she had the skills to help it achieve its dream repair job, and the two managed to survive a clusterfuck of a suicide mission together... the two became travelling companions and a package deal.
For her part, Heli trusts Oh-too like the troublesome older brother she never had. It's lasted in the wastes a lot longer than anyone else she's met has even been alive, and she depends on its crackshot and wealth of experience. However, she does not depend on its callous personality and shoot-first programming until the proverbial shit has fully made contact with the metaphorical fan.
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Lilly Mitchell CR15 - It was tough at first to convince Lilly to come along, considering the specialized set of skills that Heli makes her trade on. However, by convincing the younger girl of Heli's strong desire to protect her from the worst of the world as well as their willingness to treat her as a true full member of their team, the scavenger was made to acquiesce.
As a sign of that promise, Heli gave her the nickname 'Doc' and refers to her as the Quartermaster to any clients. Lilly also gets first dibs on any reading materials the group comes across. If anyone starts getting too fresh with her, Heli will bring down the wrath of God upon them.
- Shylock CR50 - Heli and Shylock have a quiet, affectionate, and trusting relationship. He is left to help keep and protect the basecamp (and Lilly) on every mission but the bodyguarding type. There are periods of time when he elects to wander, but he knows that if he can find Heli again then she'll welcome him back for however long he wants to stay around. She admires his fierce intelligence and his resilience, but he's ultimately too soft-hearted for her tastes. It's still more than enough to make it into her found-family.
- Reserved for Anon CR9001 - If you want to make the jump from client to companion, good luck. It would be easier to go from being hired for specialist service and brought on full time. However, neither path is impossible, and there's certain shortcuts for the truly desperate or especially willing.