Cardia Ortell

The Bodyguard

IC Information
Full Name:	Cardia Ortell
Gender:	Female
Age (Birthdate):	21 (12/20)
Hometown:	Etrenank
Hair Colour:	Silver-Gray
Class:	Cyber-Gunslinger
Role:	Antagonist
Bounty:	0
OOC Information
Theme:	Xenogears (OC)
Groups:	Gebler
Player:	feralknights

An orphan born to the Third Class hives of Solaris to Kislevi parents she never knew, Cardia was raised by a rough-and-tumble beastman that fancied himself a self-styled gangster and thief operating under the nose of authority. Maimed in an accident in her youth, she was taken by physicians and scientists to be inducted into an experimental program to integrate and test new cybernetics and enhancement technologies for soldiers and citizens alike. After being scouted out directly from the labs as a potential asset, she was sponsored for induction into Jugend and became a field asset fighting for the glory of all Solarians. Some have said she is an advocate of the saying 'speak softly and carry a large ARM' -- but she is a young woman of few words, and those that have heard her speak never forget her voice.

Background

Raised in the Third Class hives of Etrenank, Cardia Ortell never knew her real parents. She was told they were proud Kislevi, taken from the surface world. Her father was taken away by Solarian security forces before she was born, and her mother died soon after Cardia was born. Raised by a demihuman by the name of Paskel, he was the rough-and-tumble sort that just barely scraped under the radar of Solarian military police-- if he was not secretly colluding with them to keep the worst troublemakers from running wild.

Small and able to sneak about, Cardia was often sent to other sections of the hives to 'acquire' and 'borrow' food and water for Paskel and his allies. Unfortunately, the hives were being rearranged in the process, and the child was crushed in machinery. Burning every miniscule scrap of whatever currency he had with security forces, Paskel turned a dying, barely-stabilized Cardia over to their medical division.

Seeing an opportunity on top of being able to save the girl's life, she spent a significant portion of her life in hospitals and laboratories, making few friends and being molded into the understanding that her job was to test new equipment-- new cybernetics-- to benefit citizens and soldiers that suffer. Some of these were reasonable; enhancements to her spine and bones to keep her new cybernetic limbs able to support themselves.

Others started to reach a bit-- including the girl losing her eyes and having then-next generation optical replacements fitted into her skull.

Cardia's usefulness finally hit a wall when her body finally rejected an implant. Unsure of how to proceed after they kept her stabilized and unable to remove it-- it would cause more damage to pull it-- she struggled to find value and meaning. Then, she was given a chance: To serve.

Sponsored to Jugend, she had a late start and poor education, but she tore through her studies with zeal. She learned how to take advantage of her cybernetics and her strengths, how to shoot, fight, and survive. Graduating as a field agent specializing in marksmanship, recon, and personal security, Cardia's first assignment was to Gebler, sent to the unforgiving deserts of Aveh not far from the edges of Kislevi territory. Eventually, she was recalled by the one person she calls friend:

Myyah Hawwa.

Powers and Abilities

Cardia's cybernetic enhancements are not to 'super soldier' degree, but some of them definitely grant her a few edges that set her apart from the average grunt or Ether specialist in Gebler.

Operating System

Cardia has just enough wiring done in her head that allows her to recieve information and sensory input from her bodyware-- tactile information, the status of her limbs, etc.

Sensory Enhancements

Cardia's implanted eyesight is sharper than others, allowing her to see with crystal clear accuracy out to a couple hundred feet as well as see better in dim lighting. Tactile sensors in her fingertips can provide clearer information on simple subjects, like the temperature of an object rather than just 'hot' or 'cold.'

Prosthetic Limbs

Cardia's skeletal system has been augmented to allow her body to support the weight of itself and her own limbs. While this comes with the distinct advantage of what remains of her original skeleton tougher and making her more resistant to damage, it comes with the added side effect of her weighing a good sixty pounds more than she should. This weight and the associated density mean that she's... not exactly good at swimming.

Cardiopulmonary Enhancements

In order to help her brain and body keep pace with itself, Cardia's heart and lungs have been augmented to allow her to operate more efficiently than others. She tires a bit slower, she can hold her breath a bit longer, and can keep chugging away at a mission for a greater time than others. The drawback here is that her metabolism is a bit higher than others, requiring more calories in a day to keep things running smooth.

The Voice

Cardia's botched implant, the mistake that can't be corrected. An attempt at augmenting her larynx resulted in severe damage before she was stabilized and treated enough that she would be able to speak again given time and some space. Currently, Cardia speaks with a deep, metallic reverb in the back of her throat that increases in intensity the longer that she speaks. And speaking is difficult after some time-- by her own description, continuing to talk for an extended period of time 'feels like swallowing chunks of glass.'

Tool: Grappling Wire

A gas compression pistol with a super-long retractable wire allows Cardia to reach areas she cannot otherwise climb or jump up to. The wire can also be used to descend from high locations. The tensile strength allows her to carry someone along for the ride, but rapid use or too much weight will render the gun inoperable for a short period of time.

Tool: Ether Supercharger

One of a few devices designed to interface with Cardia's cybernetics, the supercharger is essentially a portable Ether battery designed to briefly pump up the power output of her body for some pretty heavy stuff: Punching through walls, ripping a door off the hinges, or pushing around those oddly perfect stone cubes that litter dungeons for pathway puzzles. Using the supercharger too much is dangerous for Cardia-- essentially she is redlining the output when it's activated, and it puts a great deal of strain on her.

Relationships

Mugshot	Name	The Story So Far
	Myyah Hawwa	One of Cardia's closest friends, direct superior, and cyber-mechanic. Assigned to Myyah as a bodyguard and assistant, she's one of the few people Cardia feels comfortable having a drawn-out conversation with. She knows a lot about a lot of things and sometimes, it seems like Myyah carries the weight of the world on her shoulders-- something that bothers Cardia now and then.
	Elhaym van Houten	Unusual, unsure, and very, very red hair. A nice person, even for a First Class. Doesn't have the stomach for handling cybernetic first aid, and seems protective of her allies.
	Kahm Yugh	Took command of the ground forces during the invasion of Adlehyde. Professional, but decent guy.
	Loren Voss	Kept Cardia in one piece for most of the escape from Adlehyde. No nonsense, smart, and no problems sassing at each other. Helped her get through a bit of a rough romp through a ruin while searching for a person of interest. As 'Carde,' she has caused him no short amount of headaches.
	Gwen Whitlock	A girl met in a tavern while on a recon run. Though drunk, this friendly surface dweller revealed certain details of herself to the cyborg-- ones that she's taking notes on for later.
	Cecilia Adlehyde	Cardia is 70% sure that she's met the missing princess of Adlehyde. Potentially a great political asset if Gebler can get their hands on her.
	Ethius Hesiod	A strange man with unusual Symbological abilities. He makes Cardia very uncomfortable.