initial character vibes from the campaign discord:
basically, think of her as galo from promare, kamina from gurren lagann, and blossom from powerpuff girls thrown in a blender. she believes in the you that believes in her. you know that moment in 90s cartoons where it turns out the older sister who picks on the protagonist is actually very cool & believes in & supports them when the chips are down? that's PALADIN's every moment. my like, anchor image for her approaching a scared kid who she needs to calm down & take into her cockpit for transport—she kneels her mech in front of them, popping open the cockpit and reaching out her hand with a confident smile, before asking "So, you want help me punch some fascists? ✨"
full backstory & mech loadout below the break
PERSONAL HISTORY
Petra Novikov was born to a family of influential Sanjak politicians—though many outside of her homeworld have a mistaken idea of what it means to be a 'politician' there. Her mothers were dedicated community organizers and patrons of the people, and they raised her with a strong sense of justice and commitment to the people. They were surprised when she volunteered for the military—while they carried no animus towards the Sanjak troops who kept the Baronies off of their world, they were always far more focused on what it meant to serve your direct, local community. Petra, though, dreamed bigger. Internalizing her parents ideals, she saw the Sanjak military as the only way that she could protect everyone on in the Free Sanjak Commune, and maybe, some day, those beyond it, who still lived under the chains of the Baronies. Petra's quick reflexes had her funneled quickly into the blockaded Sanjak's most valued military role: starship pilot.
Petra was a capable pilot, but in the end, it wasn't her prowess in the cockpit that earned the soldier her reputation. As a young lieutenant flying wing to her squadron's captain on a regular patrol along the border of the Baronic blockade, she found herself suddenly alone as two Baronic stealth fighters dropped from behind an asteroid and shot out her captain's engines. The captain ejected just in time, screaming into comms for Petra to bug out and go back to the carrier before passing out and drifting unconscious in space. Petra, meanwhile, did no such thing. Rather than engaging in a head-on fight, questing for vengeance, she weaved in and out of the asteroid fragments, taking clumsy potshots at the Baronic fighters, just enough to draw their attention and keep them focused on her—rather than recovering a valuable Sanjak prisoner. Using this tactic, she managed to stall the fight long enough for her carrier to arrive, scaring off the Baronic fighters and allowing them to recover the captain. This suicidally brave stunt and her insistence that it was "just the right thing to do" earned her the callsign PALADIN, while the surprisingly levelheaded tactical wisdom of her engagement strategy attracted the attention of Sanjak naval brass. Petra was fast-tracked once again: this time to command.
[[Petra gets given a command of a small corvette, is a very effective & inspirational leader, inheriting her leadership skills from her mothers, I didn’t want to write this part today]] But eventually, Petra grew disillusioned with her post. The Sanjak navy had been at a standstill with the Baronic blockade for half a millennium. Was that really going to change any time soon? She knew it was still important to man the defenses, but she still dreamed of liberating Sanjak of the Baronic blockade—perhaps, even, the universe-at-large from the Baronies entire. This feeling built for years and years and years until one day...she sent letters explaining herself to her friends, her parents, Sanjak command, then hopped in a Sanjak stealth fighter and left.
After piloting the fighter through the blockade, she made her way to a Union world, and announced that she was a Sanjak defector, and—having grown up on a blockaded planet desperate for naval talent—expected to be given command of a ship in the Union navy, through which she could work on ensuring "no walls shall stand between worlds" like all of the ThirdComm propaganda claimed. Instead, the UIB politely soaked up every bit of information she could give them, then stuck her in a mech, insisting that she learn the Union school of warfare and work her way up from the bottom. Refusing to be deterred, she trained hard, and her experience as a starship pilot led her immediately gravitate to the flight frames. In the end, after passing basic, she chose the SSC Monarch, fitted with an SSC All-Theater Movement Suite for flight. The frame's indirect-fire missile racks reminded her of commanding a capital ship's weapons unit, and so out of continued nostalgia for naval command, she named the flying missileboat "Ship's Complement." Once again her inspirational bravery and keen eye for tactics led her to climb in the ranks, making Captain in just a short two years of Union service. Now Petra is ready to lead her first team of Union lancers, hoping to prove to Union leadership that she can be given a true command—one that she hopes she can use to gather sway in the Union military and pressure Union into a more aggressive fight with the Baronies. There is a long way from here to there, and only time will tell if Petra can once again make her sky-high dreams into reality, or instead might find herself disillusioned once again, giving up on Union and opting to take matters into her own capable hands.
SKILLS & MECH LOADOUT
» PALADIN «
Petra Novikov
Naval Commander, LL3
GRIT:2 // H:1 A:2 S:0 E:2
[ SKILL TRIGGERS ]
LEAD OR INSPIRE (+6), READ A SITUATION (+4)
SPOT (+2), DEFEND AN AREA (+2)
[ TALENTS ]
SPOTTER 2, TACTICIAN 2
ACE 1, LEADER 1
[ LICENSES ]
SSC MONARCH 2, SSC DUSK WING 1
[ CORE BONUSES ]
ALL-THEATER MOVEMENT SUITE
[ GEAR ]
MOBILITY HARDSUIT, LIGHT SIGNATURE
MEDIUM A/C, DATAPLATING
PATCH, EXTRA RATIONS
----------
« SHIP'S COMPLEMENT »
[ SSC MONARCH ]
STRUCTURE:4 HP:8 ARMOR:1
STRESS:4 HEAT:0 REPAIR:3
ATK BONUS:2 TECH ATK:1 LTD BONUS:1
SPD:6 EVA:10 EDEF:8 SENS:15 SAVE:12
[ WEAPONS ]
Flex Mount: VEIL RIFLE
Main Mount: SHARANGA MISSILES
Heavy Mount: GANDIVA MISSILES
[ SYSTEMS ]
JAVELIN ROCKETS, EXPANDED COMPARTMENT
PATTERN-A SMOKE CHARGES, PERSONALIZATIONS
