Helena Kogg

"It's all a matter of the proper pressure. How much do you think I'm under right now?"

Relatively new to the world of piloting giant robots for fun and profit. Doctor Helena Kogg is the latest in a long line of engineers from the Kogg family. That proud family line has produced many of the finest advancements in steam power that the world has seen. Unfortunately, steam power hasn't actually been used for much for a very, very long time. Helena is marginally famous, especially in her home country of Germany, for bankrupting the Kogg family fortune, and squandering millions chasing after the creation of a steam powered giant robot. This project did bear fruit in the form of the Steam Giant, a one hundred and twenty foot tall, nine hundred ton folly of monumental proportions. Rather than sacrifice her dream to satisfy her creditors, however, Helena aligned herself with the Trailers. Whether or not this turns out to be a decent career move remains to be seen.

Background Information
Helena's upbringing was a strange mixture of aristocracy and relentless, demanding hard work.

Her parents- ever a bitter disappointment to her Grandfather- were quite happy to coast along on the amassed fortune that her Father's ancestors had left for them. They were far more interested in ensuring that their daughter received the high society upbringing which would enable her to move in the proper social circles than they were in making sure she actually got an education. If it had been up to them, Helena would probably have turned out very differently indeed.

Thankfully, depending on your point of view, it was not up to them. Her Grandfather maintained control over the family finances, and he was determined to maintain the family's traditions. He spent a great deal of time caring for and creating new steam engines, and his workshop dominated roughly half of the family grounds, either with work in progress or the facilities necessary to create every part you can possibly dream of. Helena, unlike her parents, was always drawn to these projects, and from a very young age, her Grandfather instructed her in what was really important- the power of steam.

Sequestered away from the menaces of the outside world, it wasn't until her Grandfather passed on that Helena ventured outside the family grounds. This was largely because she had been left everything, and she didn't want to deal with the constant nagging and irritation of her family. As far as she is concerned, they have betrayed everything that the Kogg family should stand for, and although she can't hate them for it, she certainly can't live with them.

Her travels took her around a lot of Europe, and along the way, she was inspired by several mecha battles that she witnessed. The end result was that when she returned, she had a new plan for how to put the Kogg family back at the heart of scientific endeavor. Personally skeptical of the benefits of alternative power sources (excepting, for the moment, limitations in regards to underwater and space applications), she drew up the plans for the Steam Giant, and got to work. This turned out to be far more expensive than she had originally anticipated, and necessitated that she mortgage her family grounds, and much of everything else. The protests of her family were ignored, and eventually, the project bore fruit!

Unfortunately, the bank had by this time grown tired of waiting for it's money back. In order to settle her debts, they demanded that she hand over the Steam Giant. She refused, and simply skipped out on the money she owed. So far, she's avoided paying for her crime. There's still so much work to do on it, too! Whether or not she ever manages to truly complete her pet project, is a question which may never be answered.

Personality Traits
Helena is a very straightforward personality. She doesn't have time for politics or deception. She's polite, to a point, and does her best not to upset people unnecessarily, but she says what she thinks, and rarely sugarcoats it.

She's somewhat ignorant when it comes to the details of the outside world. Having spent most of her life carefully kept away from it, she doesn't pretend to understand the intricacies of global conflict. Instead, she concentrates on the here and now. Namely, who is willing to pay her cash, and what can she use that cash for in order to further the development of the Steam Giant, and other steam-related technologies.

Her love of steam power does not blind her to the utility of other forms of technology, though. She doesn't particularly like most technology, considering it wasteful, or needlessly dangerous, but she does accept that there are some realms that steam power is limited in. Although she's working to overcome these issues, primarily, they are in the realm of nonstandard environments. Steam power is not terribly practical underwater, or in space, but who knows. She may yet overcome these niggling issues. More to the point is that she isn't above appropriating modern technology when it helps her reach her own ends. Most obviously, as the Steam Giant is very expensive, she has developed a quick and easy system to convert Zaku II mobile suits to steam power. These machines are cheap, efficient, and as far as she is concerned, far better than their standard cousins.

Helena is primarily concerned with money, though. Which is amusing, as she doesn't actually consider money in itself as being terribly important. The problem is, the rest of the world does. She works hard to try and continue her developments in steam technology, and to do that, she needs cash. She's not picky about where it comes from, and she's never thought about trying to save it. When she's got money, it flies out again as quickly as it came. When she doesn't have money, she often gets antsy, and sometimes is willing to resort to criminal activity in order to get the parts, resources, or food she needs to keep going.

Talents & Abilities
Despite her focus on steam power, Helena is a genuine scientific genius. She can understand most technology, and even if she can't figure out the details, she can usually get enough of an idea to try and cobble together a makeshift repair on the battlefield. Off the battlefield, she is a scientist, and engineer, and something of an artist with it.

She is a decent pilot, though hotblooded and fairly lax when it comes to collateral damage. She favors long-distance engagements, partly because of the clumsy nature of her usual machines. She is very dedicated, although not suicidal, so long as there is power in her machine she will rarely consider retreat unless the odds are truly, staggeringly overwhelming.

Logs
Coming soon, hopefully!