Solis Vivent

"Cast away all weakness and strength will surely follow, right?"

Solis Vivent is a troubled young man. As a child, he was held in thrall by an insane, machine obsessed cult of trans-humanists who filled his mind with hatred and crushed his self-worth until he viewed himself solely as useful as a weapon of war, the pilot of the enormous machine the Hostis Xeno Generis. He has slowly been improving, after the death of his ersatz father figure Ringo Mason, Solis broke with the Divine Crusaders, aiming to continue the 'true crusade' of mankind's defense from within the odd confines of the Trailer organization. He has slowly been improving and maturing into a normal human being, but it's been strangely difficult. Questions linger about whether Solis' difficulty in becoming normal are due to his own recalcitrance, or the influence of the machine he so prizes.

Background Information
Solis’s story starts primarily with the story of his machine. In the year NCA 68, the discovery of Evidence 01 led to many monumental changes in the opinions and concerns of the human populace. This was preceded only a few years before by the announcement by the hero George Glenn, as to the existence of the 'Coordinators' specially engineered human beings. The world at large looked to the newly founded EOTI organization for its solutions to the issue of the alien problem. Not everyone agreed. There have always been strange apocalyptic cults, strange individuals with hidden motives and far too much money to spend, borrow, earn or steal. The cult of the god-machine was one of these. Initially, it grew out of an organization of MIT researchers and philosophical transhumanists, who had gloried at the arrival of the massive machines used in the gundam battles, but who had by the same thought, been deeply disappointed at the lack of improvement to the "human animal." The cult worked in secret, its corporate sponsors pulling technical minds, madmen, the occasionally self-proclaimed magician or psychic as well as genetic and mechanical researchers of decidedly low moral caliber into their personal quest for the secular apotheosis of mankind into a 'cosmic entity.' Their vision was of a mankind freed of emotions, free of chains of morality they thought they had outgrown, and free of the weaknesses of the flesh. Their organization remained small and relatively harmless however, festering away from the light of normal human attentions.

The cult’s primary elements, and support, always came from the occasional rich old man, or up and coming social Darwinist, or even perhaps the odd objectivist scientist who felt that the morality of the old world was ‘getting in the way.’ They tended to view the human being itself as a collection of useless emotions and feelings, and prided efficiency above all other things, although some would argue they were penny-wise and nickel-foolish in this approach. Their funding mostly arose from corporate embezzlement, theft and ‘old money,’ generally relying on the individual twisted natures of their membership to capture the necessary money.

The destruction of the Luxion in NCA 101, drove the cult into action. Fearing for the continued existence of human life, and not trusting in 'the weak human' defenders of the earth. They began an intensely expensive and insane project. They would build a massive effigy of their god, to defend mankind, and then to triumph over and destroy the remnants of the old order. They entitled this project the Exult Deus Mechanicus. Construction began in earnest, initially their plans were for a machine on par with Giganscudo, but as the less rational among them grew in power in the cult at the fear of the distant 'space monsters,' they began to intensify their desire for larger, and more insanely massive designs. They envisioned themselves as building a god.

The Exult Deus Mechanicus slowly took shape in secret underground construction facilities. Labor was shipped in from across the planet, and convinced they were working on prefabricated elements of starships or even colonies, such was the scale. The construction process nearly bankrupted the cult, devouring almost the massive, titanic 85meter tall machine's weight in money, blood and tears. Technical crews attempted to create an appropriate system to operate the vehicle, attempting to imbue the machine itself with a bitter sentience and a desire to rule with an iron fist of pure amoral strength over mankind. They eventually concluded that the systems would be far too complex for reasonable operation, and despite the size there was not sufficient crew to handle all of the necessary sundry function of operation.

While the rest of the world was reeling from Second Impact, the cult had begun a specific preparation program for its recruits. Not trusting in 'mere human' biology, they had taken it upon themselves to 'adopt' and then begin to 'adapt' several orphans and cast off children. Most did not survive the process, the few who did generally did not survive the brutal methods of training. Solis, only an infant when adopted, was one of these. The program itself, from a physical standpoint consisted of sim-battles, information on the mecha itself, operational dogma, combat doctrine for dealing with various targets, and suffering levels of exercise, calisthenics and enforced privations of food, water, exposure to heat, endurance tests, wound infliction and cold exhaustion, and during a period of it, intentional infection with diseases. This was coupled with intense punishments for failure in any of these tests. These processes were designed to 'bolster' the "weak human animal." They resulted in several fatalities, although not from Solis’s group.

Additional work was undertaken on creating the proper nerve to circuit synthesis systems, while the cult attempted to indoctrinate its potential pilots in the doctrine of the cult, the ideals of casting off the weak flesh and its morals, for the amoral strength of steel. Weapon systems and a complete overhaul of the Exult Deus Mechanicus' power systems occurred, to bring them up to line with the new discoveries involving Minovsky particles. While the technical scientists continued to slowly bankrupt the cult's funders, the children continued to be trained. Solis was subject to a harsh regime of training, indoctrination, and genuine education for his early formative years. He, like all of the other pilots, was also given implants for the specific reason of interacting directly with the mecha's manifold systems.

The circuit synthesis system seemed to be designed at least initially to represent a three-fold manifold of operators. The primary purpose of its primary operator was to provide the autonomous and motive commands for the machine, his neural signals for breathing, or a beating heart, or digestion, would attend to the hundreds of thousand complex routine tasks required to operate similar functions relating to power management throughout the titanic machine. The additional sub-pilots, would oversee the tremendous flow of more complex information relating to tactical sensory data, and internal ammunition management, as well as radar and radio contacts, and then forward that information to the pilot in a non-visceral fashion. The cult made allusions to the interface being akin to angels whispering into the ears of a god the prayers of men on earth, those in the pilot program would more often comment that it was akin to angels informing the god where the mortals were hiding so that said deity could whallop them with a lightning bolt. Due to the three-fold nature of the manifold system, Solis was trained alongside five other potentials, one of these potentials was a replacement for him, and the remainder was meant to fulfill the moderating portion of the manifold process.

The system was first brought online in any real sense in NCA 116, following the invasion of the Spiral King and his forces, a command initiated by adept Alvin Moog. However, the cult decided the issue a matter or little importance to them and demanded additional preparation be conducted. Angry at the lack of action, Moog contacted the EOTI to inform them of the project, its details, and the location of its facilities, as well as its potential use against invaders.

During the N-Jammer crisis, the then emergent Divine Crusader force, sent a special team to capture the construction facility, the cultists and the Exult Deus Mechanicus. Elements of the cult successfully escaped, and the Crusaders succeeded only in capturing Solis’s team of pilot candidates, the Exult Deus Mechanicus, the rest of the pilots being killed by escaping cultists as an attempt to cover their tracks. An action the DC Commander of the attack thought bitterly laughable, since they were apparently abandoning a 200+ foot tall war robot. The machine itself was renamed as the Hostis Xeno Generis by Alvin Moog as he saw its use in fending off the alien invaders. He officially renounced his cult status, and took over the process of attempting to normalize the use of the machine and its pilots into the Divine Crusader force as a whole. The project however was put on hold during the period where DC higher level management was unavailable.

Solis, through most of this, existed almost in a haze. Little information from outside was allowed to sink through to the relatively sheltered world of the pilot trainees. For security reasons, he was never allowed to actually see any of the other pilot teams, only interact with them alongside elements of his own team through computer simulations. Entertainment offered was scarce, although Solis and one of his moderator-pilots, June Shelbech often succeeded in breaking through the internal security blocking systems to get samples of the world around them. While in many ways the pilot trainees were spoiled, offered almost anything they demanded, they were given absolutely no affection, and only barely any encouragement. They were told to despise the weaknesses of their bodies at every turn, that the human body was a shell that was piloted akin to a mecha. Solis and June generally took this as an example of a curse, they typically focused on actions that were aimed to put themselves apart from their body, cold showers, eating less or less tasty food, and so forth. The rest of the candidates, notably Castilla Shale, took the opposite tact, seeing their bodies as almost expendable. One of the reasons that Solis was chosen as the primary candidate for pilot, his alternate Samson Wells had grown relatively obese in the period following the Divine Crusader's annexation of the pilots and the mecha, and their subsequent cessation of the horrendously painful 'character building' routines of the previous program.

The cult for its part, has gone back into the shadows, having lost most of its monetary assets, membership, morale, technical assets and the like following Moog’s betrayal. Its quietly attempting to regain its power, and likely working on plans to recapture, co-opt, or rebuild, a combat model similar to the Hostis Xeno Generis. They likely will attempt to contract operatives, rather then trusting internal ones to accomplish these goals, since Moog’s actions have left them with a conscious lack of trust towards one another. It is likely however, that given time, the higher level management may actually attempt to network their minds together, in a way of creating a sort of hive-mind, which they believe will be abjectly trustworthy by virtue of its oddity. They are not reasonable people. While the AI construct within the Hostis shares many of their beliefs, it has absolutely no loyalty to them, its dog-like sentience loyal primarily to its pilots.

After the annexation, Solis, and the other pilots, were offered the opportunity to be released to be placed back into the orphanage system and even potentially offered therapy. Of the surviving candidates, only Solis, Castilla, and June, chose to stay on, more afraid of life outside of the program then an alien threat. Alvin Moog supported their remaining, attempting again to press the Hostis into mainline combat usage, hoping that experiences with normal human beings would help to normalize and overcome the damage to the psyche of the young pilots.

Moog's relationship with the pilots soured considerably during the time in the Divine Crusaders, specifically as the combat doctrine Solis was provided with did not match up to the realities of combat they were made to face, and in Moog's mind endangered further production of similar combat engines. He became increasingly less interested in normalization of Solis and the others, and more interested in mechanically increasing their effectiveness, for what he viewed as the betterment of mankind.

Due to the increased stress, Solis became increasingly more self-destructive, his self-esteem already poor taking a nose dive. And after one particularly painful battle, defeated both physically and mentally at the hands of Graham Aker, he was comforted by Ibis Douglas, who visitted his medical room and informed him that he was not a failure and she would be upset were he to die. These words caused Solis to become enamoured with the young girl, much to her eventual embarassment.

During this time, Solis was building a relationship through combat with the Trailer Kazuma Ardygun, and had served frequently beside Jiron Amos. Both had made it clear their doors were always open to Solis, and some subtlety attempted to lead him from the Divine Crusaders.

Eventually Huang Qin Shi grew tired of the increasing stress and dehumanization Moog was inflicting on his charges, and through use of political manuevering and fear, placed Solis and his 'sisters' under the care of RIngo Mason and Novas Stellas respectively. Qin Shi presumably also hoped to help curb the omnicidal hatred the teens had towards alien life, a monomania which was rapidly causing Solis to be ostrasized by the members of the divine crusaders who were not completely insane or of similar mindsets.

After the disaster at Aidoneus and the death of Bian Zoldark, Dr. Moog disappeared, leaving Solis solely with Ringo Mason. Ringo attempted to be a loving father, forcing Solis out of his shell, and making him play and goof off like a 'normal' teenager. He further supported Solis' unrequited quest for Ibis' love, mistakenly believing the beleagured redhead shared Solis' affections. Solis' development was still slowed however by the rigorous demands that the HXG prove its usefulness, as well as the political situation following Zoldark's death.

Huang Qin Shi became the acting leader of the crusaders, and supported an objective of reconciliation with the Federation, but Zeon and other elements of the DC stood in his way. An assassation attempt on Haman Karn's life eventually led to Huang being 'killed' and Ringo being placed under probation. Haman Karn and Archibald Grims began to take the DC in a new direction, one which Solis, whose whole life to this point was predicated on defending humanity, did not agree with.

After Ringo was killed by Axel Almer and others, and his death and service denigrated, Solis couldn't take it any longer. He left to carry on the 'true crusade,' and took up residence with the Trailers in The Den.

He has slowly come to identify himself as a Trailer, and indeed has learned the 'truth' of the crusade from Sanger Zonvolt since departing. He is now left on his own to make his own mark on the world. Left to his own responsibilities.

...and it terrifies him.

Personality Traits
Solis is not a happy person.

The principle problem Solis has faced, is that unlike other similarly damaged people, who were raised to be weapons, or raised to fight, he was raised not only with the requisite desire to kill and destroy, but also, fiercely /socialized/ into it. Solis was not so much trained, he was raised. He was normalized into a society where the machine was valued above the flesh, where a person's value was linked to how they could contribute or what could be taken from him, a world where love was taught to not exist, a culture based around despair, death and hate. And thus attempting to reform has become difficult because he must not only learn how to be human, but must do so in the face of every iota of cultural or personal identity he has ever been imbued with. He is not a blank slate, he's a stone slate with insanity carved into it. Insanity that he has to sponge and erode away.

Formerly, he went from serving as the hate filled maniacal controller of a giant robot death machine for the cult, to a maniacal hate filled controller of a giant robot death machine for the divine crusaders. In the crusaders he did find many friends, and many acquaintances who sought to help him, but his intense and angry personality drove most of them away or contributed to situations that his burgeoning personality misinterpreted. He however, truly believed in Zoldark's ideals, ardently wanting a world where the normal people (with whom he felt disconnected) would be safe. After Zoldark's death, the ascendancy of Haman Karn and Vindel Mauser, the apparent betrayal of Huang Qin Shi, he became increasingly delusioned, but still fought for the only cause he had. At least until his foster father figure, Ringo Mason, was killed in action, and post humously, and callously, declared a traitor. Something in the invincible armor of Solis' indoctrination cracked and he left the crusaders, fleeing to the trailers to carry on the good fight without what he viewed as the increasingly political, and short sighted, motives of the DC.

Solis is still mentally dealing with the situation of being on his own, cut off from the Divine Crusader command structure, or indeed any command structure. He's stuck making his own decisions, and having to live with them, and they're weighing heavy on the tenuous framework that already forms his mind. That being said, he's found a great deal more support within the Trailers, from Jiron Amos, the Ravens, Kazuma Ardygun, Sly Heckler, Marcus, and even backhanded support from Juku Reimaru and Leonhardt. Unlike the divine crusaders, there was no attempt at military structure and opposed to reinforcing his subservient militaristic ways, having to deal with people 'raw' has forced Solis to adjust and evolve, although with spectacularly irritating slowness to those involved. The fact they don't care one whit about his combat capacities helps as well.

Talents & Abilities
Solis is a relatively competent close combat specialist, is a good shot.

He's also got a strange 'way' with machines, able to understand almost any device almost instinctually via listening to its 'song.' Whether this is due to a cybernetic enhancement, or if his constant mentions of the 'machine god' have anything to do with it, is up for debate.

Logs
Logs go here.

Finally, make sure you give your page a category!!

At the very least, give your character a faction category by clicking on the Add Category button at the bottom. Earth Federation Alliance, Divine Crusaders, A-LAWS, Katharon, Trailers, and Unaffiliated all apply. Other categories are OK, but please don't bog the site down with stupid things. If you think it is appropriate, put it in.

To fill out those crazy boxes on the sides, check the Source of your page while you're editing it. Have fun!