| Slater | |
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| Pilot | |
| Handle | Slater |
| Real Name | John Chang |
| Nationality | New Zealander |
| Occupation | Medic |
| Factions | Safety Net, Volitant Hospitum, Elforce Alpha |
| Location | Northen Africa |
| Suit (Armored Descent 7.2) | |
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| Comms. |
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| Biology |
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We're all going to have blood on our hands before this is over.
The best we can do is try to control the bleeding.
Slater (Pilot)[]
History[]
Before Suitfall, John was a former soldier and struggling medical student living in Auckland, New Zealand. While out on a camping trip two days after Suitfall, he was lucky enough to find an unopened pod. After breezing through the rest of the semester thanks to his brand-new Brain Implant and AI assistant, he started a "Gap Year" that has lasted nearly 30 months and shows no sign of ending soon.
After a brief stint making deliveries for the Thunderbird Mail Service, he started working as a (technically unqualified) volunteer medic assisting the joint Crusader-Volitant Hospitium mission in Northen Africa. While there, he met and befriended the members of Elforce Alpha, who he now works with when he's not on duty with the VH.
His friends and family remain unaware of his status as a suit pilot, though they do know that he is travelling abroad doing "volunteer work". He keeps in touch with them via online means, only rarely returning home for face to face visits.
He is assisted by a sentient AI named CARI (Cognitive Assistant, Reactive Intelligence).
Soon after joining the Volitant Hospitum, he was attacked by an unidentified Mesh-Suit Pilot, who he was forced to kill in self-defence. Though he does not feel guilt over the incident, he has not dealt with it well.
Personality[]
John's main goal in life is to make the world a better place- this is why he first joined the Volitant Hospitum, and why he continues to spend most of his time working with them despite preferring the company of the Elforce. Though generally reserved around strangers, John is quick to befriend those who make an effort to approach him. He tends to favour a direct approach to things, both in word and action.
He prefers to avoid combat if it is possible, but will not hesitate to defend himself or others should the situation demand it. When forced to fight, he tries to avoid using lethal force, though he recognises that this is not always practical, given the nature of armoured combat.
Though he is comfortable with his past, John tries to keep his life as a pilot separate from his life before Suitfall. He does this partially to prevent people worrying about him, but mostly to avoid making them targets for any enemies he might make.
Appearance[]
After a few months of wild experimentation with his Class II Canvas Nanites, John has settled for something close to his old appearance. Though slightly fitter (and a lot taller) than he was before, he usually keeps his facial features close enough to what they once were that his friends and family still recognize him.
He keeps his hair within military standards, partly for comfort, and partly out of habit.
When not in his suit, he usually dresses simply. His wardrobe consists mostly of denim jeans and cotton T-shirts. When not barefoot, he usually wears a pair of combat boots, souvenirs from his years in the military.
Relations & Allies[]
Briefly worked as a courier for Thunderbird Mail Service. Currently a member of the Volitant Hospitium and The Safety Net, occasionally working with Elforce Alpha.
The Suit[]
Lightly armed and armored (by suit standards), John's suit is built primarily for mobility and high-speed flight. It provides excellent protection against Small-arms fire, but is highly vulnerable to explosives and crew-served weapons. Its only offensive weapon is a single Particle Laser.
Though it has no built-in storage, an improvised rig of straps and pouches allows him to carry the gear he needs to do his work.
The A.I[]
"Hostile is down, but not dead. We should kill it before it can call for help."
Initially described as a "Cognitive Assistant, Reactive Intelligence", CARI started out as little more than a tactical advisor and user interface for the suit. However, thanks to the suit's internet connection, and free access to John's memories and thought patterns (courtesy of his Class II Brain Implant), CARI rapidly grew into a fully-fledged sentient being less than 72 hours after her creation.
She provides John with medical advice when his limited training proves insufficient, and manages the suit's data feeds to prevent information overload, allowing him to focus on specific tasks. By using his Brain Implant, she can regulate his neural activity to further improve his performance of the task at hand. She can also control the suit independently should John be incapacitated, but this has not been necessary so far.
Despite the vast amount of information and processing power available to her, CARI is somewhat emotionally stunted, having never developed much further than the emotional equivalent of a young child. She has trouble interacting with humans other than John, as they tend to find her antisocial bordering on sociopathic. This is not helped by the fact that she also has a limited and very simplistic concept of ethics and morality, which places her own survival as her highest priority. As they essentially share brainspace, and therefore unavoidably influence each other's personality and behaviour, John finds this quite concerning. Luckily for him, CARI considers his well-being to be of equal importance to her own, due to their mental link. So far she has been content to let John make most of the decisions concerning their actions, recognizing that she is still effectively the "junior partner" in their relationship.
She has presented herself using several different avatars, first using geometric shapes of increasing complexity, before finally settling on the appearance of a young woman of indeterminate ethnicity dressed in military garb.