Hornet

Hornet
Relatives	The Pale King (father), Herrah the Beast (mother), Ghost (sibling), Hollow (sibling)
Languages	Common
Affiliations	Silver Lining Crew
Aliases	The Human Child
Marital Status	Married to Aizen “Symphony” Dominguez
Place of Birth	Deepnest
Species	Legionnaire (PALE-Class NHP)
Gender	Female (she/her)
Height	5’0
Weight	100 lbs
Eye Color	Red

Hornet is the princess of the lost kingdom of Blessden, though she has long since left that life behind. She pilots an HES&H Moss Mantis mech. Hornet shows up in the Lancer open table campaign In The Shadows of a Willow.

Before we begin, I feel the need to remind you that this is a publicly accessible record.
- Sonata

So you're saying this is the equivalent of screaming my love from the highest mountain? - Symphony

Physical Appearance

Hornet is relatively short, being just five feet tall, though her cool demeanor and hard-set eyes more than make up for her lack of height. She has long white hair, sharp red irises, and pale skin. Her body had a decent amount of muscle and faded scars from years spent fighting, but this is usually obscured beneath her chosen attire. Hornet’s typical pilot outfit is a black bodysuit under a red cloak that has been outfitted with flight capabilities. When activated, the cloak flares out with feathery, white wings.

Her build and mine are not too dissimilar. I wonder if our bodies are related.
- Sonata

Never say that again. Please. For my sake. - Symphony

Personality

Hornet is fairly blunt and can come across as aloof. She puts much of her focus into finding effective and efficient ways to achieve whatever task is currently at hand. According to her, she once reveled in her own strength, but has since come to view it as a tool. Hornet has a cool disdain for most NHPs, though this hasn’t prevented her from working with them if she deems it necessary. The obvious exceptions to this disdain are her legionnaire siblings Ghost and Hollow (who are essentially NHPs within organic bodies). Despite her task-focused nature, Hornet enjoys putting good into the world where possible. In quiet moments, she finds comfort in playing music.

I think the ring on her finger has earned my spot on the exceptions list! At least, I'd really hope! - Symphony

You have nothing to be concerned over, brother.
- Sonata

History

“Once, we knew not of gods.

Perhaps that was their greatest trick:

Coming unto us when we were nonbelievers.”

—Lament for Blessden

The Pale King couldn’t have been human, nor could he have been a paracausal flicker like RA. For what human is so unknowable, and what being of paradox has such concrete wants? The people who came to speak of him took to calling him a Higher Being. Whatever he was, he appeared as a handsome human man, bearing a strength more powerful than any mech: a will which could not and would not be ignored. He claimed a kingdom for himself on an unsuspecting planet, and he named that kingdom [redacted]. The Pale King took a wife for himself who came to be called the White Lady. What she may have been named before does not matter. Together, they ruled their kingdom in simple, perfect tranquility. Yet, for all his stunning and terrible identity, the Pale King was not the only such Higher Being who wanted his kingdom. The Radiance may have come before him and she may have been blissfully dormant before the undeniable will of the Pale King awakened her. Regardless, she had no desire to become a forgotten page in the king’s legacy. To be so desperate to avoid being forgotten is something deeply human, isn’t it? How strange, that beings beyond mortality can sometimes cross lines so familiar to the mortal mind.

Hornet’s birth was the result of a bargain between The Pale King and the Queen of Deepnest, Herrah. Deepnest was nestled beneath the ground of [redacted], home to all sorts of horrors that could be co-existed with simply by not thinking about them. Herrah knew not what the Pale King truly was, but she knew that she wanted him to sire her child. As such, their agreement was made: Herrah would give herself to help quell the Radiance, and the Pale King would grant her a child. How exactly Hornet was conceived isn’t known, but she was born and recognized as the princess of both Deepnest and [redacted]. She was raised in both kingdoms, as both were her birthright, and taught the arts of lethal combat and decisive survival. Hornet grew to be quite the capable warrior-princess. She went on to lead soldiers against those under the Radiance’s control when the Pale King’s plan to combat the other Higher Being failed. Such battles were fought in vain, but Hornet couldn’t have known that.

[Content Warning: Weaponized children and referenced infanticide. Skip to the paragraph that starts with “Hornet spent years guarding the ruins of her home” to avoid these topics.]

It is impossible to describe the king’s plan as anything other than cruel. Together, he and the White Lady conceived many children. These children were closest in essence to legionnaires and very paracausal in their nature. Most of them died to the Pale King’s efforts to create a vessel with “no voice to cry suffering”. His aim was to trap the Radiance’s consciousness within this vessel. When he had one he deemed suitable for the task, the other survivors were sealed away. This ideal vessel was named Hollow. Hornet and Hollow knew each other, though they were never allowed to become too close since that would have only ended in grief. Eventually, the king enacted his plan, using the combined essences of Hera and two others as focal points to bind the Radiance to Hollow. Unfortunately, this plan failed, and the will of the Radiance was able to seep into the minds of the kingdom’s denizens, turning them from their king and igniting a war. Hornet fought in the Radiance War, though it was pointless in the end. [redacted] was destroyed. The Pale King disappeared. The White Lady died. The Radiance was left to puppet the minds of the survivors through what limited control she could maintain.

Hornet spent years guarding the ruins of her home. This was until Ghost, another one of the Pale King’s legionnaire children, emerged from where they’d been sealed. Ghost went on to slay the Radiance’s consciousness and liberate Hollow from acting as her imperfect vessel. The three siblings left [redacted] behind, choosing to become Lancers and take on various jobs. They keep in close contact and see each other when they can. Ghost (callsign: VOID HEART) pilots a Rakshasa nicknamed “Shade Lord” while Hollow (callsign: PURE) pilots a Koschei called “A Farewell to Kings”.

It has since been discovered that my humanity was a lie. —Hornet

A lie would imply you have no humanity at all, my love. You have never lost your humanity. Not for a single moment. - Symphony

AHEM.
- Sonata

Journal Entries

The Sisyphus Problem

Content Warning: Symphony is his own warning

Log 1: False God

I know he’s going to be an issue. I may not know all the details, but I’m familiar with what Simon Dominguez has accomplished. That Sisyphus is not a slave. He’s a false god just like any other and the fact that he knows enough to taunt me with the title “princess” is disturbing.

Of course, it makes sense that there was a background check of some kind even if I was responding to an open call. There are obviously some people a notoriously violent revolutionary wouldn’t want to work with. I hate that he’s plugged into the entire ship. More than that, I hate his simple response to my obvious disdain for what he is. What did he mean, “we’ll get along better than you think?” What does he know? I’m not nearly foolish enough to be openly hostile towards him, but there is nothing that could make me do something as stupid as reaching out.

That Sisyphus is dangerous. I’m certain of it. He bothers me more than the presence of a Sekhmet and Totec. I’m tempted to leave this mission altogether. I won’t, but the temptation is there.

Maybe I’ll get lucky and he’ll grow bored of every pilot, myself especially, within a few days. The fact that he bothered to pester me about personhood of all things tells me I won’t be so fortunate. What was the point of that conversation? Of course personhood informs the purpose of a physical form. Was he asking just because he’s never had a less “immense” body? I shouldn’t care. It’s not relevant.

I hate that he brought up my siblings. It was unavoidable that he’d learn about them, but that doesn’t make it any less anxiety inducing. There’s no reason for him to harm them. I’ll have to keep telling myself that. He bothers me so much that I nearly wrote off the fact that he has a sister with her own humanoid body. The Captain seems to have little control over her. Someone should recommend that he keep his false gods under control.

Log 2: Legionnaire

He has a body now. A human body. Of fucking course he does. You’d think that him no longer being in the ship would at least make him less likely to turn up where he isn’t expected or wanted, but no. Honestly, I feel like I’m just seeing even more of him now than I was before. He’s chosen to go by Symphony instead of just Sisyphus to match his sister Sonata. How wonderful to be subjected to the stylings of the musical duo: blatant insanity and insistent thoughtlessness. I should dedicate a song to them on my needolin.

He keeps finding me. I’m not self-obsessed enough to think I intrigue him beyond some absurd surface level interest, but it’s obvious that he keeps finding reasons to be around me. There’s the question of why I keep speaking to the most dangerous NHP on this ship (Sekhmet isn’t actually on the ship), but I doubt I could actually ignore him. He doesn’t seem like the type to allow himself to be ignored when he wants something.

There’s something about him. His body is a clone of some younger version of the Captain, but there’s truly very little that’s similar. It’s not the blue hair or the horns. No. It’s the way he moves like the oxygen has already moved for him. It’s the lilt in his voice. It’s the way his casket spins just a little to the right before he asks me another question that he probably already knows a million answers to. It’s the milkshakes he’s always holding. It’s that damn smirk. I can’t stand him. Why does he keep asking about humanity?

I’m not going to leave. The money from this mission will be enough to keep me, Ghost, and Hollow secure for the rest of my life. That, and I’m not in the habit of letting arrogant men or beings with god complexes decide my fate. At least his sister keeps to herself. I don’t want to imagine a life where I have to deal with both of them at the same time.

Log 3: Ode & Humanity

i want to write an ode.

i want to write for the girl who was never little

but wished upon herself when her mother held her

as the world. i want to write for the girl who

never needed anything but who thrived on everything

from the moment her midwife made up something special

about her birth. i want to write for the girl who never bruised her knees

before the throne because every princess stands tallest

when she’s kneeled before her king-father. i want to write for the girl

who thought being mothered was a concept and not a thing

that could kill itself. i want to write something for her,

but that girl lives stillborn inside my throat and it’s better

if she never knows that godhood is a cruel lie. i want

to write an ode to something, but there is nothing to grieve in me.

—

I’m not human.

Symphony was right. Symphony is always right.

I wonder if he ever hates himself.

Log 4: Power

There was an incident today. It was only a matter of time, really. We’ve all treated him like he’s less than what he is. Someone was going to step out of line and he was going to remind them, viscerally, that he is far beyond our comprehension. I’m still right about false gods, aren’t I? The difference is just that I’ve always been one of them. It explains a great deal when I think about it. I’ve never truly been hungry or thirsty or tired. More than that, it explains why a tiny pale voice in my stomach always admired my father for what he was. For what he is. For what I am.

Nothing explains why I asked to meet him in my room after seeing him nearly kill Sorcerer with one hand. Nothing explains why he agreed. We didn’t talk about what happened, we just talked about power and how exhausting it is. I knew I had to be powerful when I was still a princess. I knew I had to be powerful when the kingdom fell to ruin. Now, though, I’m starting to wonder if what I was really doing was chasing divinity. And what exactly is divinity? I thought it was my father but even he simply left in the wake of his plans failing. Do things that call themselves gods fail or do they simply grow bored?

I asked Symphony if he was a god. He asked me to tell him. I don’t know what he is. Can I truly call him false when he asserts himself as a fact in my life in ways even my father couldn’t? He’s not a god. He may be more than the height of Sisyphus or much more than Sisyphus but there are no gods. At least, they don’t exist in a capacity that can be worried about. No, they don’t exist, period. Even RA is not omnipotent.

Symphony cannot be a god, even if he advises that I abandon my humanity. I don’t know what he is. I don’t even know if I want to avoid him anymore. Boarding this ship was a mistake.

Log 5: Equals

I knelt before a false god who returned from death today. He made himself kneel beside me so he could say that we’re equals. I begged him. He didn’t laugh. The only person who ever stood in front of my father’s throne without having bent the knee was my mother. And she only did it once. And he told her to be grateful for his auspicious mood. Symphony had just come back from being dead. He said I would never cascade. He didn’t say “I won’t let you” he said “you never will”. It shouldn’t comfort me that his will is the world. What does it mean to be an equal to the height of Sisyphus? Is he even Sisyphus anymore?

Log 6: Destruction

Stalker cloned Symphony. Or their mech did. It doesn’t matter. I didn’t care about the details when I attempted to dismantle Silence of Darkness. I didn’t get the chance to try, but I know that’s what I would have done. The thought of yet another being so capable of breaking my identity over their knee was unbearable. I’m glad Stalker stopped me. I’m less glad that Sorcerer decided to involve herself. I was not in the state for her to compare me to my father. I wasn’t in the state for the Captain to suffocate me either. I could feel my father’s hand around my oxygen. I feel his hand even now.

I’m not proud of how I reacted. I wanted to cycle myself. I wanted ego death. There shouldn’t be another Symphony. There shouldn’t be another false god like my father either. The thought of having turned into him in spite of everything made me crave some kind punishment for such a monumental failure. Sorcerer and Valentina stopped me from making that mistake. Hollow and Ghost have known enough grief in their lives. I don’t need to be another reason for Ghost to wake up crying in the middle of the night or for Hollow to think they aren’t enough. It was a moment of self-centered weakness. Father would frown at such a thing. I don’t know how my mother would feel. She wanted me to be human, didn’t she?

My own end sounded so seductive. I need to destroy whatever remains of that urge. I can’t die to self-pity. I’m too proud. There’s an entirely different urge gnawing at my stomach that I don’t think I can kill quite as easily. I need to talk to Symphony. I laid in bed and thought about how simple it could be to hate him, and maybe I still can, but not until I’ve confronted him. I need him to know what he’s done to me and I need it to matter, even if it only matters to me.

Tactical Profile

License Level: 6

Licenses: Moss Mantis Rank 2, Swordgrass Rank 3, Metalmark Rank 1

Mech Skills: Hull +3, Agility +5, Systems +0, Engineering +0

Talents: Shark 2, Infiltrator 2, Duelist 2, Heroic 2, Hunter 1

Don’t train so much that you forget to cuddle with Symphony. He’ll get all pouty. [dancingdevilcat.omif]

—Tsugumi Dominguez

Sister! SISTER! SOMEONE'S STEALING OUR BIT! - Symphony

We don't own text formatting, brother.
- Sonata

Pilot Loadout

Armor: Mobility Hardsuit

And though she was born without wings,
she was also born to survive the fall.

— Unknown

Melee Weapon: Needle Blade (Medium A/C)

You’re supposed to look up
when you use something sharp.
Then the cutting seems heavenly
instead of horrible.

- Unknown

Ranged Weapon: Silkshot (Medium Signature)

Bullets made of a solidified silk-like substance.
Maybe the people who get hit by them
can turn their bullet wounds into
embroidery.

- Unknown

Gear: Parachute, Flexsuit, Dataplating

Parachute: For the inevitable.
Flexsuit: To maintain the body when the mind forgets.
Dataplating: Say hello to someone, sometime.

- Unknown

Bond: Pathfinder

Major Ideal

Curiosity: “I am not myself if I cannot care about what I do not know.”

Exploration: “I have lost something if I cannot venture into thoughts I haven’t had yet.”

Understanding: “I am but a beast if I cannot extend my perception to something beyond myself.”

Minor Ideal

 There is always someone who in being found will find you.
- Moss Mantis Pilot, Callsign: RAVAGER 

What Gives You Your Power?

Being a copy of something much more hallowed and far more awful. —Hornet

Perhaps, perhaps not. You can choose to be false, or choose to be a god. Only you can decide what that power leads to. - Symphony

We are copies of horrible things. Yet, I think we may still have room to grow.
- Sonata

Where Have You Traveled In Your Dreams?

I thought I had drowned in my own blood / But it was Pale enough to see through. —Hornet

Hornet often dreams of venturing into a cold, still blackness at the center of herself. She tries not to think too much about these dreams, or why they feel so anchoring.

I hope the cuddling is enough to stop such awful dreams... - Symphony

Perhaps you should ask.
- Sonata

Bond Power: Dabbler

Someone once said that a spirit is here
to wander. And the body is born to
contain. The mortal mind exists to
adjudicate between the two. But our
essential essence is always a dispute.
- Unknown

Hornet has dabbled in many things over the course of her life. It doesn’t take much effort for her to switch her mentality to better accommodate a particular skill set.

Mech Hangar

Silk

M I D W I F E

[redacted]

[redacted] [redacted] [redac-

Rest, poppet. Pale blood cannot keep you from your slumber.

[redacted] [redacted] [redac-

Rest, darling. When red blood flows it will warm your sweet skin- [redacted][redacted]

Rest, child. Rest and feed. Rest and feed. Rest and- [REDACTED]

THERE WILL BE NO SILENCE

[ R E D A C T E D ]

When Hornet was younger, she piloted a mech similar to the ARC Kali (at least in function) named Silk. This was the mech she fought in during the Radiance War, but it remains in [redacted]. It reminds Hornet too much of gods and failure; she can also no longer stomach interacting with the mech’s NHP, Midwife.

Needle

Currently, Hornet’s mech of choice is an HES&H Moss Mantis named Needle.

Weapons

Main/Auxiliary Mount: Hunting Talon and Tactical Knives. The Hunting Talons deliver harsh puncture wounds to even the thickest hulls, even when they don’t land a direct hit. The knives can quickly be thrown to follow up a talon swipe.
- Overpower Caliber: Mod attached to the main/aux mount, increasing the damage output of the attached weapons.
Flex Mount: Stinger Daggers and Tactical Knives. Stinger Daggers are a near limitless supply of accurate small blades that pierce through armor. The knives assist when performing swift skirmishes.

Frame Traits & Core System

Spindly Frame: The Moss Mantis can never mount heavy or super heavy weapons.
Bloodsense: The pilot always knows if opponents have taken half or more of the damage their hull (or body) is able to handle before invoking system trauma (or death).
Killing Intent: Extra armor piercing damage is dealt to those affected by Bloodsense.
Executioner Mobility Suite
- Surprise Attack: The Moss Mantis can launch leaping surprise attacks against isolated enemies who haven’t noticed it.
- Top of the Food Chain: This mech can instantly destroy the current structure of a target marked with Bloodsense and heavily cripple their next structure if they aren’t outright destroyed.

Systems

Knife-Jumper: Allows the mech to teleport after a thrown auxiliary weapon.
Personalizations: Personal touches that bolster the mech’s hull.
Expanded Heat Sink: Adds additional heat capacity.
Minimized Silhouette: Needle’s general shape takes up less space, making it harder to target.
Manual Reactor Override: Converts heat into energy damage.
DOLOROSA-CLASS NHP (Talon): The Dolorosa-Class is capable of using temporal manipulation through the Firmament to create states of reality that can make chosen strikes more deadly than they otherwise would be. They are also usually bound to their pilots for life…

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