Argo Gulskii

"For now, I will do what I must."

A former space pirate, Argo Gulskii is one of the most modern examples of the honorable brigand -- a man who refuses to take lives without cause, even if he takes for himself. Finally caught by Russia not long ago, Argo was placed in a maximum-security prison... until the war against the DC broke out in earnest, and it was decided that Russia needed capable pilots more than it needed to keep Argo Gulskii behind bars, doubly so with the Gundam Fight coming so soon. Given access to one of Russia's most powerful mechs, the Bolt Gundam, Argo is kept in line with the manacles on his hands... and the bomb strapped to his chest.

Background Information
Argo Gulskii has robbed over 200 space-faring vessels and colonies, along with his pirate crew. Convicted of the murder of Norma Graham, he was since imprisoned for life with no chance of parole. This was changed as the Divine Crusaders grew in power, becoming a genuine threat. This, coupled with the fast-approaching Gundam Fight, led Neo-Russia to give him a choice; fight for their country, gaining some limited version of freedom, or die alone in a prison. Argo chose to fight.

Personality Traits
Generally quiet, Argo does not usually say very much. When he speaks, it's usually pretty important. You should probalby listen to him.

Argo is a gentle giant. Absolutely enormous, terrifically powerful, but completely aware of both of these traits. He is careful around everything he comes in contact with; when you can break a concrete freeway divider between your hands like it's made of styrofoam, you learn to be very careful.

Argo is fiercely loyal to his friends. He made it a point to get in the way of incoming fire and draw the attention of enemies during his time as a space pirate, mostly so his crewmates would not get hurt. His loneliness during his time of incarceration also helps this--he appreciates any friendly contact with another human being greatly.

Argo does not like Nastasha. She does not like him.

Talents & Abilities
Argo is eight and a half feet tall. People tend to mistake him for being larger, though.

Argo has submerged his hand in water that was boiling at 150 degrees Celsius. He had no burns. He hasn't tried anything hotter than this.

Argo has been stabbed multiple times. None of these instances have caused any serious damage, as the blade could not travel far enough into his body to hurt his internal organs.

Argo has been shot multiple times with various firearms, but only once with a high-caliber rifle. Nearly every gunshot wound was received through his piracy. The rifle wound was caused due to a misunderstanding and a trigger happy prison guard at his Russian prison. When asked about all of these, he responded with, "The rifle hurt."

One of the pistol wounds was received when a revolver was leveled at his forehead. The .357, copper-jacketed slug was stopped by his skull.

Argo does not typically work out to improve his strength. The most he has ever lifted at one time was a train car, which he used as though it was one piece in a set of freeweights. When asked about this feat, and whether or not he wore a brace at the time, his response was, "If I ever find something heavy enough to put a serious strain on me, I will wear a brace."

Argo cannot lift most things heavier than trains. This is not because he is incapable, but because he cannot get a good handhold, nor good leverage upon the objects in question. He does not know the upper limit of his strength, but doesn't really care about finding out too much.

Argo has no scars upon his body.

Argo has been the topic of many doctors' inquiries. More than once, they have approached Nastasha Zabigov, asking if they can see how much the Coordinator's body has been affected by genetic manipulation, and also whether or not they could find out about the method used to create him. Nastasha's response has always been, "You may ask him, if you like." Nobody knows any of this for sure.

Due to his size, Argo has had no training with most firearms. He can wield certain bazookas, and depending on the size of the unit it was taken from, a mobile suit's firearm. But his fingers are exceptionally large, as are his hands; most firearms are just too small for him. However, his nigh-invulnerability has led him to eschew ranged combat in favor of melee tactics; he is very skilled at using his size to his advantage, and knows how to literally throw his weight around. He grapples and wrestles with people when he needs to fight, and has had a remarkable record of never dealing damage that could not be repaired. It's been rumored that he takes a particular liking to wielding people as human clubs; the accuracy of these claims is debatable.

Argo is surprisingly knowledgeable. During his piracy career, he stole a great number of books, with various different subjects. He has read every book he's ever come across, and knows quite a bit. He does not act in a manner that would suggest intelligence, however; he finds it uncomfortable when people stare at him for not only being very large, but for being very smart.

Argo has a fondness for videogames. His large hands keep him from playing them. This is a source of frustration for him.

Security Report: Pele IV Resort Station
Security Report filed by: Head of Security Cletus Horrigan

Date: November 24th, NCA 108

Subject: Pirate Raid

Good God. I didn't think I'd ever see something like I did today.

The day was going pretty well. Artificial sunlight and weather machines came up without an issue, and the only problems staff ran into were a few people forgetting where the trash cans were and some kids who jumped in the fountains and squirted each other with water. It wasn't until 10:00 AM station time that the ship hit.

A large pirate ship appeared apparently out of nowhere, with a radio hail hitting us hard, demanding response. I saw a large-looking man on the video screen when I accepted, with a body that made him look like a linebacker's worst nightmare and a pair of eyes that'll never leave me.

Those eyes looked like they were cutting into my mind as the man introduced himself. Argo Gulskii was his name, and he informed me that he was going to lead a raid on the station, steal whatever he could take, and leave. He promised nobody would be hurt. When we refused to dock, he slammed right into the docking bay--gratefully, it was the emergency docking bay meant for military personnel in case of such an attack, or a similar hostage situation--and let his crew onboard. They started to waylay opposition, caterwauling their way through corridors and hallways, ransacking rooms and looting all they could find.

It wasn't until they hit the main resort area that our security personnel took their stand, and I saw Argo Gulskii with my own two eyes. I thought he was large.

The man was /colossal/. Nine feet tall if I had anything to say about it, and arms that looked like they could rip a truck in half. He saw our line of riot police and just calmly walked forward, letting his crew members stay back. We shot tear gas into all of them, but the massive man kept coming, like some kind of juggernaut. He hit our lines and they broke without any argument; men crumpled as he just--SHOVED them aside. Some of them commented afterwards that it felt like they'd been hit by a car.

We started to lay into him, striking him with batons, hitting him with tasers, but nothing seemed to even bother him. It was like watching flies buzz into a bull's face. He shoved and clobbered the men aside, tossing them around like toddlers attacking a mobile suit. My God, I'd never seen anything like it.

After at least five solid minutes of our men trying to take him down with nonlethal force, we started in with gunfire. It was about as ineffective; I could swear I saw some of the slugs just bounce off his skin. I knew simple 9mm ammo wouldn't be enough, even in a piddly little resort station like this.

I saw an opening and levelled my own gun at him; I was smart enough to arm myself, unlike most of the officers under my command, and there's not a lot of people that'll stand up to a copper-jacketed .357 slug. I levelled my gun at his forehead, and he seemed to stop, like he knew he'd been beat. And then he brought his arm up.

I knew if he touched me, I'd be dead. There'd be no way I could walk away from getting hit by a hand the size of a baked turkey. I pulled the trigger, and I watched his head snap back. It sickened me, knowing the mess I'd make.

Until he looked at me. He brought his hand up, and removed the flower-shaped bullet that had /stopped on his skull/. There was a mess, all right, but it wasn't the mess I'd thought it'd be. I fell to my knees, looking up at this titan before me. I think I was the last one standing. I knew I was going to die. But he did the strangest thing.

He gently grabbed my hand. His hand was rough, like concrete, and felt as solid as oak. But he was gentle, he didn't harm me. He lifted my hand and placed the blood-soaked bullet in my palm. Then he turned and walked out. That's when I noticed that everyone else had either fallen down, struck by this giant, or run off...and his crew had disappeared as well.

It's the weirdest thing. People only had bruises or minor scrapes at most. There must have been hundreds of pirates sweeping through the station, but nobody was seriously injured. At least half a million dollars in damages and stolen property were destroyed or taken, but no injuries save for those that directly struggled.

People are being compensated for their losses, and everyone's going home safe.

It was the damnedest thing. Was this an honorable brigand? What the hell happened here?

It doesn't matter anymore. This is not only a report, but a letter of resignation. Screw this. I didn't sign up to watch a man take a bullet to the forehead and have him hand it back to me.

The Bomb
Argo Gulskii's harness houses a powerful shaped explosive charge. The knowledge of Argo Gulskii's strength and resilience had Nastasha and many others worried as to whether or not he'd escape. Killing Argo Gulskii requires one to think in terms of destruction of a light armored vehicle, not a human being. Once it was realized that Argo was the best possible candidate for Bolt Gundam, it became a necessity to find a way to keep him from harming anyone.

The bomb was the idea from day one, though it had gone through several iterations. The first thought was a simple grenade, though this was ruled out as the fragments would likely harm those in the room as well. This would run the risk of a hostage situation; he could grab someone, hold them against his bomb, then demand he be set free. The next idea involved a thermite charge, but this was dropped because the thermite would burn through his harness and likely do very little serious damage.

The harness Argo wears today is shaped like a teacup, with the "rim" facing Argo's chest. A shaped C4 charge sits at the "bottom" of this cup, with the cup itself made out of a hardened ceramic material that's resistant to explosives. After the C4 lies an array of flechette darts made from solid tungsten. This is followed by strong, but very penetrable barrier to keep them from irritating his skin while he wears it.

The idea is that, should Argo earn the bomb's detonation, the C4 will go off and launch the flechette darts into his heart and lungs. This will not kill him outright, but it will most certainly kill him eventually. This still allows for a serious risk in case such a situation does occur, as he'll be fully capable of crushing anything around him until he falls over, but it is the only way the device could be crafted that would keep the chances of civilian harm nonexistent.