Qu'est-ce qui s'est passé, père Joan?
Tout s'était passé si vite.
Le Danube bleu avait été victime du jugement du Seigneur avec nary un souffle, finalement confronté à un mandat du Reaper que même sa machine améliorée ne pouvait pas se fâcher. Nouvellement libre, Rising Star a terminé le pilote Bradley en une frappe cruelle, exactement comme elle l'avait appelé. Le HFV de combat rapproché et son Messer sont tous deux tombés boiteux, flottant dans l'espace. La gorge du père Joan gronde d'un cri de félicitations...
- qui a été avortée dans sa gorge quand les renforts sont arrivés. À ses yeux, les pirates HFV ont compté dix (Lumen a détruit seulement cinq?) et, bien que endommagé, cela a pu suffire à faire tourner la marée. Mais en voyant la nuée de fumée qui était devenue de leur as vanté et de sa mech hyperkinétique, ils avaient tourné la queue et s'étaient enfuis comme les hommes d'Égypte face à la peste.
Seul Paper Tiger est resté, jusqu'à leurs cockpits dans l'épave de machines mortes.
Priez dur ce soir, les gars. Pour vous-mêmes et pour ceux que je vous ai pris.
- C'est quoi, ça?
Ma... ma tête...
C'était censé faire autant de mal? Elle se sentait comme si elle était encore une petite enfant, la fouettant de côté en côté et riant adroitement alors que ses longs cheveux blancs grondaient autour d'elle... elle se sentait comme si elle se tapait à nouveau sur son premier CD en métal...
Elle avait l'impression de passer à nouveau par le pare-brise. Woozy. C'est pas vrai. Consterné. Peur.
Six Rooks. Plus que quiconque sur le terrain. Plus que tous les Lumen réunis.
Danube bleu. Qui avait évité la mort aux mains de l'énorme Cannon Mega Beam de Lydia Popova et de la foudre rapide de Rising Star Waverider. Elle l'avait tué en une seule frappe. Je n'ai rien laissé derrière.
C'était si excitant pendant que je me battais...
Mais maintenant, alors qu'elle s'envolait vers Jannah dans le silence relatif et commença la procédure d'amarrage appropriée dans une brume engourdie, Joan Heidenreich sentit un désir familier - celui qui, bien que sans doute bientôt d'être amélioré par la munchkine dans le hangar, était encore douloureux à l'intérieur d'elle. Elle avait besoin d'un câlin.
Je me suis seulement inscrit pour les aider à prier.
Lorsqu'elle avait grimpé en Juda quelques minutes auparavant, elle était nerveuse à propos de sa place de nouveau venu de l'équipe. Maintenant, alors que son cockpit s'ouvrait avec un sifflement hydraulique et qu'elle s'éloignait provisoirement, elle craignait qu'elle ne devienne leur Danube bleu. Le Lion de Juda.
Ça n'a pas l'air d'un changement positif.
Son casque s'est éteint lentement, flottant dans l'air avant elle, gravité artificielle faisant ce qu'il pouvait pour réparer ses cheveux d'albâtre massacrés. Joan a baissé la tête sans mot le menton appuyant contre son collier pour éviter les regards des nouveaux et des anciens arrivants à l'intérieur du hangar. Elle s'est accrochée, transfixée, devant la poitrine de son Lion...
Je vous salue Marie, pleine de grâce. Le Seigneur est avec toi...
...et a prié.
Name: Father Joan Heidenreich, OSDT Chaplain
Age: 26
Gender: Female
???: Y
Skills: Skilled pilot and capable enough mechanic, public oration, soothing spirits, quiet hymnals, photographic knowledge of relevant Scripture, Saturday morning cartoons.
Appearance: Standing at five and a half feet even and thin, the chaplain tends towards a naturally lithe, willowy figure. It's made easier to notice by her priest's robes, which are somewhat tighter than an average frock, and her standard-issue military uniform. Her rosary tends to hang from her slim neck no matter what outfit she wears, the polish blending into her dark skin. A pair of startlingly green eyes and stark white hair offset her natural skin tone, and the gentle smile she often wears is more than bright enough despite how faint it usually is. Off-duty or on Earth, she will often default to distinctly unholy sundresses (even daring to show her knees off) or casual blue jeans.
Personality: Even for a priest, Joan is atypically gentle and polite. In fact, it is difficult to even determine why such a beatific soul would want to be attached to a squadron of HFVs in the first place. In truth, it is both the excitement of the profession itself and her concern for those who thrive off that excitement - her understanding of the thrill of jockeying is most of what drives her to act as spiritual and psychological counsel for those on board Jannah. For those seeking something besides a sermon or advice, Joan is also surprisingly willing to get up to mild, good-natured mischief, which she explains away serenely as trying to bring a sense of levity to those few who choose to live in the moment.
Biography: For the first half of her life, the clergy was about as far away from Father Joan's long-term plans as you could get. Joan grew up with a passion for literature, whiling away her days reading voraciously and imagining lush fantasy lands and what lay in the farthest reaches of space. Growing up on Earth in an age of space colonies and evidence of extraterrestrials only kindled the fire of adventure in the young Earthling growing up, and she had no time to debate theology or dole out advice when there was adventure to be had.
Then, at the age of fourteen, Joan was in an enormous car wreck along with her parents and three older siblings. Though only her parents were wearing seat belts at the time, all four children nonetheless escaped the family van with more than moderate injuries. In the hospital, Joan was baptized, and told repeatedly that the family's good condition was nothing short of a miracle - an act of God. Never being particularly religious, or having much idea of what religion pertained to besides the pieces that had seeped into popular culture or modern idioms, Joan was now possessed with a childlike belief in miracles. Her path in life diverted as such, and upon graduation she went to school for philosophy and began a path to the clergy.
Upon leaving the seminary a year ago, Joan requested what must have seemed a bizarre choice for one who so nearly had her life taken by machinery as a child - the OSDT, where she was posted upon the spaceship Jannah to serve as a support pilot and adviser to the crew. In truth, she sees a little of herself in those who deign to pilot such dangerous vehicles, and seeks to give them the same peace of mind that the Father feels daily, and seeks to stave off any feelings of despair or loneliness with all her might.


>*******
>Enter


Model: XC|PT-003 "Judah"
Specialty: Prototype-Run Quadrupedal Testbed HFV
History: (See File: “Project Overview” located in 001)

Quadrupedal Mode - 12.8 meters
Bipedal Mode - 19.1 meters
Features: Quadrupedal Form - The PT-003 is unique among most HFVs in production (save a smattering of Martian prototypes in lesser stages of development) in that it does not shift into another vehicle, but into a quadrupedal form in the shape of a lion, designed for reconnaissance and easy maneuvering. This allows the PT-003 to serve in multiple capacities when on four legs - the most prevalent of which are a lightweight mobile assault role or its originally intended role as a scout.
Special Comm Systems - Not a remarkable feature, but still one worth mentioning, Judah has a specialized communication system to allow for further encrypted communication with other HFVs from the XC|PT series. In addition to encrypted communication, the system allows for ease in transferring data between units as well as GPS position relaying.
Armaments: 460mm High Velocity Railguns x2: Mounted on hardpoints on Judah's back in quadrupedal configuration. When bipedal, a railgun is positioned over each shoulder.
400mm Rocket Launcher x1: Comes chambered with thirteen rounds, able to be stored on a hardpoint on the suit's back in quadrupedal form. This weapon is mostly used in quadrupedal form, as Judah's hands wield beam sabers and the railguns are mounted upon each shoulder in its bipedal configuration - obviously, making use of an extra rocket launcher difficult.
Beam Sabers x2: Stored in the mouth of the PT-003's cranial unit when in quadrupedal configuration, the lack of holsters on Judah requires both sabers to be wielded by hand when in bipedal configuration.
80mm Auto-Tracking Head Vulcans x2: Oldie but goodie.
Weaknesses: Despite its considerable array of firepower, the PT-003 itself is a relatively light suit designed for quick but heavy strikes and offensive capability. The HFV has little in the way of defensive capability beyond mounting a good offense.