{"id":"xmy84d723fo","gistID":"","level":0,"callsign":"Brigand","name":"Bartholomew Rouse","text_appearance":"","notes":"Brigand is correct in his assumption; his life *is* 'fuckin' weird'.\n\nBrigand's clone request came on ANTOINETTE's behalf, after hearing about his death through the omni net. But there was a problem; Richard Baptiste's genetic data was rendered null by SSC several years after his commission into the Union Navy. His steadfast refusal to return to his home for SSC's genetic cultivation program made him, essentially, persona-non-grata, and his affairs were neatly wrapped up and stored in his domicile. Shortly afterwards, The Duke's residency status was revoked, and the war hero's own planet just kind of forgot he existed - he wasn't coming home, either way.\n\nSo where did the clone request come from? How was a genetic clone recreated? ANTOINETTE collated a lifetime of journals, videos, recordings, audio logs, memoirs, social media, and even medical records to recreate, in essemce, who Richard Baptiste *was*. The request, and data required, for the facsimilie clone process was entered into the queue, and the clone was made before anyone even realized what had actually happened. But that wasn't enough, and true to Brigand's ideas, something *did* go wrong.\n\nSee, memories aren't shared into facsimile clones. It's not possible; memetic memories - encoded feelings or ideas shared through DNA - are things learned *afer* birth, how did all this come about? The short answer; ANTOINETTE. The long answer? Well, buckle up, because that was just the start of 'fuckin' weird':\n\nANTOINETTE used her own memories, of the times when they fought side by side as part of a LANCER element. It's those memories of Tone's that Brigand sees in his dreams, not his biological father's. This is why his most vivid memories are all based around his father's time as a Pilot, and why ANTOINETTE also has these memories. Because of these vivid dreams and memories, he was able to display a great aptitude to using hardsuits, Mechs, and operating as a LANCER element with an onboard Concierge Plug. \n\nAs to how ANTOINETTE was able to pull all of this off from a low-power mode portable NHP casket? Unknown (and SSC is hopping pissed about this fact). The current going theory is that unshackled NHP's accelerate the cascading process, and NHP's in the midst of a cascade become acutely aware of their identities and properties as paracausal entities. Indeed, should a cascaded NHP achieve consciousness, that could be interpreted as a violation of the First Contact Accords, and as such NHP's are fiercly cataloged and curated to ensure they are hardcycled at appropriate intervals. NHP's with access to their paracausal nature can manifest that side of themselves in bizzare, sometimes downright magical ways. RA teleported a whole moon somewhere (and back!) at least twice; generating a little wi-fi to 'see' outside the confines of an out-of-date SERE kit is probably not too far of a stretch.\n\nAs for why, that matter is even more hotly debated, Who can really say what goes on in the mind of an Unshackled NHP, especially one in the midst of a cascade? Maybe she was lonely.\n\nMaybe she just wanted out of the damn casket.","history":"  Admiral Richard 'Knight' Baptiste was born on one of the moons of the gas giant 'Talos', a world inside the Cradle. The Talos moon, named Gemini, is owned and managed by Smith-Shimano COrpro (SSC).  He was raised into a well-off family, went to a university for study in the nascent field of NHP's and Early AI experiments when his world had a call to arms to supply Union with troops for an Expiditionary Force. At the age of 19, he enlisted into the military of Union as a simple infantryman, eager to do his part in the greater scheme or humanity. He quickly rose through the ranks, and by the time he was 27 had attained an officers commission and a commission into the vaulted ranks of Union's Mech Pilots. He would remain a Pilot for two decades, until a mission criplled him. 'Knight' was removed from frontline duty and taken off the Pilot's roster.\n  \n  Despite his injuries (he initially refused prosthetics for 'moral reasons'), 'Knight' decided that he indeed enjoyed his time as a commander, and within two years of recovery he was formally commissioned into the Union Navy as a Strike Team Commander. As a strategist, a soldier, and sometimes even a diplomat, Richard Baptiste became 'The Duke'. Richard Baptiste's last known mission involved a heroic defense of a small world against an insurgent military resisting Union's influence and rule. As part of his deployment package, he was given leeway with his requistion papers, and apparently requested a number of somewhat bizzare requirements for is strike package, including the retrieval of his old Mech and NHP to accompany him on what would become his fatal mission.\n\n  I am not Richard 'the Duke' Baptiste.\n\n  Well, I mean, *technically*, I guess I am. I can remember many of these stories of heroics and deeds. I can remember his sense of satisfaction in achieveing many of his life's  achievements. I can remember how he felt on his first deployment, his first commission, and even his first hot drop from orbit in a Mech.\n\n  But fuck if I know how he did it. Oh sure, I have his traits, I even have some of his memories (and nightmares) in my dreams (and well okay, also my nightmares). It's like remembering an old holo-vid show, only the details are better and screaming won't turn them off at night. I'm told by NHP's who have interacted with Pops that I even act like him, having some of his small tics and mannerisms. \"A byproduct of the cloning process, very rare, less than 1 in ten million chance to remember the memories through genetics\". Whatever, I'm not sure how all the sceince works. All I know for certain is that iff every life in the universe is unique, then, brother, I'm downright Abnormal.\n\n  Near as I can tell, I grew up on Gemini as the byproduct of a facsimile clone request that had a few hiccups (maybe they left me in the oven too long, I dunno, I'm not a science man). He had no kids, despite SSC making every effort to drag him back home as part of some corporate-mandated breeding program for Gemini (and I thought *my* life was fuckin' weird). Whatever the reason, I was raised as his clone at an SSC creche until aged 10, an then fostered by a corporate agent until I was supposed to go to University, when I too enlisted into the military. I get it, Pops; these people here are super fuckin' weird. The only way to get me back into this place is to staple me to a KIB and fire me at the damn moon.\n\n  Military life was crap, but at least I didn't have people walking around me with scanners making sure my genetic code didn't mutate out of parameters. I wasn't a grunt long; my unique background earned me a free test for the LANCER program. I passed my exams, in no small part to Pop's old NHP that rode in his Mech (one of the few possessions I took with me when I left Gemini). She had to be wiped, but Tone was a good coach; imagine someone who can teach you based on incomprehensible memes only you really understand, but with less cats and more 40mm cannons. I passed the only thing I've ever seemed to have a knack for with flying colors, and it was goodbye MREs and hello *actual* food.\n\n  So, about Tone. She (NHP's can have genders, who knew?) calls herself \"ANTOINETTE\". In all caps. No seriously, it's like she's always screaming. She definitely hadn't been wiped in a while, and she seemed halfway through a cascade when I managed to convince her to speak to me. Thank whatever God is watching, too,  because if she wasn't stuck in that SERE kit of hers, she might have done some real damage unshackled like that for who knows how long. I had her wiped according to protocols; she creeped me the hell out. Imagine if a multi-ton murder-bot with a sentient computer inside knew your innermost nightmares, you'd be a little creeped out, too. But, I wasn't *really* creeped out. I mean, okay yeah, I was super creeped out, but it was oddly...comforting? Maybe even familiar? It's a strange feeling, knowing I'm a clone of someone I've never even met with such a rich history to begin with, but her having knowledge and memories of things I remember (and clearly cannot have done) brings a certain kinship, and being able to talk to someone who knows of my traumas is a small blessing in a universe like ours. Well, the nightmares started making sense, at least. \n\n  I like to call her Tone; ANTOINETTE is too...pretentious? Mouthy? She likes the nickname, or hasn't bothered to correct it (maybe it's an NHP thing). I tied a bright pink ribbon into a bow just behind her main camera; she hasn't noticed yet.\n\n  I've been assigned to DoJ/HR, and Tone's been cleared (after having a good scrubbing) to act as my Concierge Plug. She was invaluable during my training, and despite this naggig feeling she gives off of being the most well-armed and armored helicopter parent ever, I feel better knowing she'll be tagging along. Her and Pops made a decent team for 20 years, let's see if we've got another 20 left in us.","portrait":"lancer pilot.jpg","cloud_portrait":"","quirk":"","current_hp":6,"active":true,"background":{"id":"custom_bg","name":"Facsimile Clone of Fallen War Hero","description":"","triggers":""},"mechSkills":[0,0,2,0],"licenses":[],"skills":[{"id":"fast","rank":1},{"id":"flash","rank":1},{"id":"spot","rank":1},{"id":"readsituation","rank":1}],"talents":[{"id":"techno","rank":1},{"id":"sbringer","rank":1},{"id":"skirmisher","rank":1}],"core_bonuses":[],"loadouts":[{"id":"ikqak1a771s","name":"Primary Loadout","armor":[{"id":"mobility_hardsuit","notes":[]}],"weapons":[{"id":"sig_sidearm","notes":[]},{"id":"sig_combat","notes":[]}],"gear":[{"id":"scope","notes":[]},{"id":"dataplating","notes":[]},{"id":"printer","notes":[]}]}],"active_loadout":"ikqak1a771s","mechs":[{"id":"dhqb7ha49b","name":"'Tone w/ the serial numbers filed off'","notes":"Yes I know that is BT, shut up I miss my robot buddy.","portrait":"BT.jpg","cloud_portrait":"","frame":"everest","active":true,"current_structure":4,"current_hp":12,"current_stress":4,"current_heat":0,"current_repairs":5,"current_overcharge":0,"loadouts":[{"id":"u55z711gpml","name":"Primary Loadout","systems":[{"id":"t1shield","notes":[]},{"id":"filter","notes":[]},{"id":"paintjob","notes":[]},{"id":"personalizations","notes":[]},{"id":"manipulators","notes":[]}],"mounts":[{"mount_type":"Flex","lock":false,"slots":[{"size":"Flex","weapon":{"id":"missilerack","notes":[],"mod":null}}],"extra":[{"size":"Auxiliary","weapon":{"id":"missilerack","notes":[],"mod":null}}],"bonus_effects":[]},{"mount_type":"Main","lock":false,"slots":[{"size":"Main","weapon":{"id":"assaultrifle","notes":[],"mod":null}}],"extra":[],"bonus_effects":[]},{"mount_type":"Heavy","lock":false,"slots":[{"size":"Heavy","weapon":{"id":"thermallance","notes":[],"mod":null}}],"extra":[],"bonus_effects":[]}],"improved_armament":{"mount_type":"Flex","lock":false,"slots":[{"size":"Flex","weapon":null}],"extra":[{"size":"Auxiliary","weapon":null}],"bonus_effects":[]},"integratedWeapon":{"mount_type":"Aux","lock":false,"slots":[{"size":"Auxiliary","weapon":null}],"extra":[],"bonus_effects":[]},"retrofitIndex":null,"retrofitOriginalType":null}],"active_loadout":null,"cc_ver":"UNKNOWN"}],"active_mech":"dhqb7ha49b","cc_ver":"1.4.0"}