#runner oc

About Assassin#6053

Vale, formerly a Martian colonist named Vallen Dimitrios, lived during the years of early interplanetary expansion when Mars was struggling through political unrest, resource shortages, and famine. At some point in his youth, he became entangled with powerful corporate interests (possibly after committing an act that threatened corporate authority).

Whether he was guilty, framed, or simply inconvenient no longer matters because I'd assume with most people they become runners after they're approached by Traxus, Sekgen or CyberAcme according to the new codex entries.

He could either accept induction into a Runner program and surrender his future or watch the people he cared about suffer the consequences. The corporate talk was fishy, backhanded threats like usual.

The original Vallen Dimitrios died long ago. His organic remains deteriorated beyond recovery generations ago, not that they had any reason to return him back to his biological self. The entity known as Vale exists as a digital consciousness and for centuries he served as an Assassin(Void) class Runner.

Intel destruction

He fought on Mars during periods of faction warfare and instability, died countless times, and was reconstructed countless more. Every reconstruction added to a debt that became effectively impossible to repay. Over time the repeated reconstruction process damaged him and memories of his original self eventually deteriorated. At most, he experiences brief emotional echoes of a life that no longer exists.

Despite the loss of memory however, certain traits survived. He remains observant, protective, strangely patient, and drawn to remnants of the past. He enjoys old artwork left behind by colonists, spends time looking out station windows, and occasionally becomes fascinated by objects or places he cannot explain. These are likely fragments of the person he used to be?

NuCaloric became his primary employer, offering relatively stable contracts, decent equipment, and a measure of autonomy. His debt remains enormous, but I'd imagine enough has been paid that he is no longer treated as purely disposable.

Unresolved Aid In White

His greatest remaining attachment is Dr. Forbs, his handler and personal sponsor. When they first met, Dr. Forbs was already suffering from a serious autoimmune illness. Cryogenic suspension was supposed to preserve her long enough for future medicine to solve the problem. Before entering cryosleep, an ai set up Dr. Forb's pod with oxygen, feeding and disposal tubes. At the time, Vale made a promise with Dr. Vale that he genuinely believed he could keep.

But the cryogenic program changed and corporate priorities shifted. Management repeatedly delayed the wake schedule. At first, Vale had expected his so called 'handler' to return in a couple of decades, something he could wait for.

....The wake-up date just keeps moving. And moving. And moving.

The century became longer. Dr. Forbs never woke up not because she died, but because she was never released. Vale is constantly trapped in a state that humans aren't built to sustain, permanent anticipation. The other runners notice that he talks about it constantly, the status of the cryo bays and which technicians have access. The disturbing part is that everyone knows Dr. Forbs is technically alive. That's what keeps the wound open because if she had died a century ago, there would be closure. Instead all he gets is delay, hope's crueler cousin.

He can hardly remember who he's waiting for anymore, but he only knows he has to be there.

50 years later

About thirty years after Dr. Forbs goes into cryo sleep, his original arrangement quietly collapses. Without her as an active sponsor, he loses the only real personal anchor he had inside the corporate structure. He’s no longer maintained as attached asset to a specific handler, but instead reassigned as a runner under Tau Ceti operations.

At first he remembered Dr. Forbs clearly then the years started taking their toll. For reasons he cannot fully explain, Vale protects that name from deletion or overwrite. He dedicates a tiny portion of his memory reserves to preserving it. He no longer remembers everything, but he remembers that it is important (wake up date, exact location, memories, etc)

New co-workers in bad places

Vale (Assassin) is the oldest of the three by a ridiculous margin, though he rarely acts like it. He spends most missions being quietly competent, appearing where he's needed, and disappearing when he isn't.

Destroyer#2585 is the only one who openly worries about him. Not because Vale is visibly unstable which he isn't. It's because Destroyer notices his patterns. How often Vale checks his diagnostics. How long he stares at cryobay manifests. How many reconstruction cycles he's been through without taking proper downtime. Destroyer#2585 keeps trying to treat problems that aren't really solvable. Suppose it's due to Destroyer personality matrix which adds to this.

Destroyer#2585: Your memory integrity is declining. Assassin#6053: Yes I'm aware. Destroyer#2585: You should be concerned. Assassin#6053: ...maybe Destroyer#2585: You don't sound concerned. Assassin#6053: That is because concern hasn't done anything for me yet.

Destroyer hates that answer. All and all, the two have probably had the same conversation dozens of times over the years. Not that Destroyer can remember who they were before this either.

Then comes in Vandal#7005.

Vandal's original consciousness belongs to a someone who, unlike Vale, never really lost themselves in reconstruction. They remember enough of who they used to be that thier personality still shines through the shell.

Life had already spent enough time telling them who they should be and the Runner program wasn't going to get a vote.

Within the squad, Vandal#7005 functions as the peacemaker. They are supportive, observant, and unusually consistent in checking on others, even if they do it casually rather than emotionally. Vandal remembers small details about people, follows up after missions, and leaves brief messages when away on solo deployments. However, their work often pulls them out of the group for extended periods so Vale and Destroyer usually encounter them on the enemy team. Despite Vandal's busy schedule, they simply show up again when they can, which is enough to make them dependable.

Codex Entries Unknown Runner System Overhaul Excerpt #1 This log was recovered somewhere on Dormitories, Outpost, with a blue packet spoiled ration next to it.

Cryobay records were updated today, projected wake date revised. Again. I calculated the difference. I wish I hadn't. The number was larger than the last time. I don't remember what the original date was anymore. I only remember that it was sooner.

Unknown Runner System Overhaul Excerpt #2

What would I do if they woke up tomorrow? I told them I would fulfill my promise. They asked me what that meant, but I didn't have an answer. That concerns me. I feel myself slipping away, loosing myself. How many years has it been again? I checked my allocated memory segments after reboot. Most of it is system residue. Fragmented mission logs. Partial reconstruction data. There is one segment that remains untouched. 1 gigabyte. Access is locked, though, how do I bypass it again?

Unknown Runner System Overhaul Excerpt #3

Well, since you’re reading this, that means the UESC got to me first. The warden patrolling nearby is a hard hitter, even if I intended on staying. You’re like me in a way, right? I don’t like shutdowns. Nobody warns you if the next one is the last one that works properly. They treat it like a breath of new life. I however, call it guessing. Every restart feels slightly less certain than the last. I used to think I was afraid of dying. I think now I’m afraid of not coming back correctly or not coming back at all. If you ever find me, I’ll be running an Arata. Make sure I’m gone for a long time. Or if you prefer, we can talk while I bleed out. The kill’s still yours. I won’t even bother popping a self-revive. It’s better that way. Trying to pass the time. Can’t afford to wait anymore.

80 years later

Over the following decades, Vale grew more aggressive, more persistent, and far more experienced than most runners on Tau Ceti. He developed a reputation for hunting down enemies who had killed him previously, sometimes across multiple deployments and long periods of time. Seeing his runner ID pop up on the feed doesn't instill fear in the others, but they must've seen him enough times to dread his return.

At some point he abandoned his original Assassin configuration and adopted the Arata Vectus shell series. Whether this was a personal choice, an upgrade, or the result of serving different corporate interests is unclear. The new shell suited the person he had become faster and deadlier.