Player: Sulaco

Character Name: Agni Vasudev

Age: 25

Sex: Male

Species: Hybrid

Height/Weight: 5'6 / 175 lbs

Social Status: UniClass

Physical Description:  
Although slightly compact in terms of height, Agni's gymnast's build easily meets Ministry physical standards and serves as a physical demonstration of hybrid superiority. He doesn't have rippling supermodel musculature, but the sort of figure that is simply very capable of getting done what it needs to get done, and there's a lot that has to be done in his line of work. In movement, Agni's actions lean more towards feline fluidity and grace, quietly enforced by the strength packed into the rolling muscles gliding beneath his silky pelt. Unlike some UniClassers whose species blend can be identified at a glance, Agni is clearly the result of a far more complex ancestry which might prove impossible to discern through appearance alone. Close examination suggests an uncertain mixture of ring-tailed lemur, snow leopard, and Eastern dragon, yet this is all accented by hints of yet even more species. Even then he never really kept track of his full genetic makeup, instead preferring to shed all forms of vaguely purebred categorization to simply identify himself as a Hybrid.

Dominating most of his sleek pelt is a very light shade of grey, dotted with snow leopard-pattern spots along his outer thighs, hips, back, shoulders, and upper arms. Starting at his jaw and then covering down his chest, belly, inner arms, groin and inner thighs, is a softer coating of pure white fur. His digitigrade feet appear rather draconic, though are jointed similarly to primate feet, having opposable thumb-like digits capable of grasping and object manipulation, making him practically quadradextrous. Tipping the digits on both his feet and paws are a set of white, extremely sharp, semi-retractable claws. Both his paws and feet are white on their pads, while the rest of their surface is covered in dark red fur, which smoothly blends up his forearms and calves into the rest of his snowy coloration. Swaying behind him is his long, fluffy, grey-ringed tail, which, like an artist's freshly used paintbrush, ends in black fur tipped in dark red.

Agni's muzzle is dark grey in color, matched by similarly dark patches streaked from his eyes and down his cheeks, both of which have a snowflaking of white freckles on his cheeks. Also sharing this dark grey hue are his large ears, each of which are marked with a white crescent on their back. Contrasted against this is his mane of soft, fiery red headfur, the back portion of which is kept tied in a fluffy plume spraying out from the back of his head, while the headfur on the front half is allowed to loosely feather over his forehead and face. Overall, Agni has a warmly approachable quality to himself, his white-freckled face often displaying a polite smile, which is further carried by his soft and rather soft voice... Yet behind all this, even in his most lighthearted moments, that subtle, ever-burning glow of brutally selfless determination and suspicious searching in his bright red eyes, the grim, unblinking gaze of the Ministry, never truly leaves him.

If one were to look rather closely, here and there are several faint scars on his body, though most are difficult to notice due to blending in with his light fur coloration. Generally they're only really visible if you're up close to him or actively looking for scars.

Casual Attire (click for image):
Off-duty and away from formal obligation, Agni's garb takes on a noteworthy contrast to his more professional wardrobe and leans more towards typical Einheit City clubgoing wear.

Snugly binding his torso is a grey high-necked two-component leotard which covers his front. The top piece is like a tanktop or vest in shape, the sides and back consist of black meshed fabric between straps which buckle together at his side, and at his neck is a snug collar and buckle, usually with a small Flame of Unity pin on the strap. This is combined with the lower portion, a mokko fundoshi-type piece, the minimalist nature of the garment providing both flexibility, as well as leaving bare his soft-furred, Ministry-toned thighs. His arms sport a pair of tri-buckled grey sleeves which end in similarly grey fingerless gloves, with the bicep portions consisting of the aforementioned mesh fabric. Covering his knees and shins are a pair of padded grey leggings which end in a pair of toeless footgloves similarly tailored to the ones he wears while on-duty or attending professional functions, though more suited for casual wear.
 
Bound around his left thigh is a dark grey strap which holds a small munitions pouch used for storage of mundane small items such as ID and creds. Holstered at the small of his back is a licensed 10mm handgun, with a couple small pouches underneath it, presumably for extra magazines.

Although generally he's quite comfortable even in extremely cold temperatures, Agni normally has a coat on hand should he desire the extra layer. The coat itself is an outdated Ministry surplus piece similar to the one he wears for ceremonial events, though a little more rugged and suited for everyday use, its coloration predominantly white with bits of grey and some black. It's of a single-flapped design, the front portion a double-breasted configuration buttoned up at his neck and down his chest, then ending in a rectangular flap which stops just below his knees.

Garrisson Whites (pictured above):
Usually worn when taking part in informal non-combat Ministry-related functions, such as physical training, office work, or simply going to or from the station where he suits up for armored duty. Consists of a tight dark grey leotard singlet worn under a pair of slightly baggy yet firm-hipped white fatigues which are tucked at his knees into a pair of white leggings and toeless footgloves. A white beret marked with the Flame of Unity is usually present on his head, or tucked into his belt, and a pair of white fingerless gloves cover his paws. A name print on the left breast of his leotard simply reads: "VASUDEV". When engaged in physical training, Agni usually sheds the trousers and sports only the leotard, gloves and leggings, thus minimizing weight and allowing for maximum flexibility.

Ministry WhiteGear SM-3 (click for image):
While serving in active duty, Agni's figure is entirely covered in the predominantly white biomechanical medium-armor of the Ministry. Like any active Minister, his head is covered by a helm crafted to fit his skull, made up of several component pieces which can be removed individually while leaving other parts in place if need be. The face and muzzle plating holds the usual built-in gas mask, comm-set and vocoder, which transforms his normally soft voice into the harsh, androgynously mechanical growl of the Ministry. His feet are protected by a pair of black footgloves, allowing him full use of their grasping capabilities as well as their sharp claws. His hands are also mostly armored, save for at the tips of their similarly clawed digits which are left exposed to maximize defensive capability, and on the shoulderguards and over his left breastplate is the black imprint of the wreathed Flame of Unity. Slowly swaying behind him with a mind of its own, Agni's long tail is encased in a sleeve of armor, scaled with segmented plating on the top, and ballistic nano-fabric underneath to complete his full-body protection protection. Beneath his WhiteGear, the only things worn on him is a pair of black athletic briefs, and a snug-fitting vital signs-monitoring collar hooked up to his WhiteGear.

Aside from the obvious accomodations to fit his anatomy and build, Agni's gear is functionally the same as that of any other Low Minister infantryman, down to the aggressively-glowing red goggle lenses which complete his identity as a single cell in the Ministry organism. Other WhiteGeared or otherwise HUD-equipped Ministry personnel will notice Agni's unit, name, and rank projected over him in their HUD.

NOTE: When on deployment aboard a skyship, Agni wears a different WhiteGear suit unique to the Ministry's skyship-serving marine corps.

Dress Whites:
For especially formal functions, Agni can be seen in Ministry full dress, which consists of white fabric accented by hints of grey, and black trimming. Covering his top is a high-collared, double-breasted coat lined with buttons at his neck, then down his chest and ending in a long rectangular flap which extends about to his knees. Over his heart is a set of order insignias and medals, and a belt snugly bound around his waist with a Flame of Unity symbol on the buckle. His trousers are similarly white, and end at his calves where they are neatly tucked into a pair of grey buttoned spats which are worn over his footgloves. Topping his head is a military beret, also marked with the Flame of Unity.

Worn at his side during such formal occasions is a scabbard holding a mostly ceremonial long Tesla talwaar. Though like any Minister with a ceremonial weapon, Agni is fully capable of wielding it with tremendous skill in the highly unlikely event that it should be necessary.




Background:
According to Ministry records, Agni was born in the hybrid ghettoes of the feline Colony of Neo-Bangalore. When Colonial oppression against hybrid minorities increased after Einheit City's reluctant entry into the Species Wars, Agni's threatened community was one of those reached by Ministry rescue efforts. While Agni was brought onto one of the last overcrowded Ministry ships, it is assumed that his biological family were left behind or killed by the feline city-state's paramilitary before they could reach the ships.

Yet unlike many tales which start off on such an unpleasant note, Agni's youth in Einheit City was a positive one with no lack of friendship and support. While the Species Wars hammered at the city's walls, Agni, along with many other displaced young hybrids, grew up in the arms of the Ministry itself. Rather than being simply adopted by a traditional parent couple, it was decided that it would be more ideal for him and others like him to be raised by the Ministry in a manner which would instill a more community-oriented mindset at an early age. Family became a word of ambiguous meaning, as everyone and no one became mother and father, sister and brother to him. Unnatural or even unsettling as this might sound to those bound to the chains of primitive instinct and undeveloped purebred thought, Agni never once felt wronged by the nature of his upbringing by the State, and if asked about it today, would say that he was made better for it.

Tests taken immediately after him being brought to Einheit City proved that Agni showed great potential for future Ministry material, and was inserted at a very early age into the Ministry's martial academy, more specifically to serve in the Ministry's skyship-based marine corps. With the war still raging well into his mid teens, Agni's education and training was completed and the young hybrid was assigned in 23 ECE to V-Unit, a Ministry marine unit stationed on the skyship Ma'at. V-Unit's primary duty was that of any other sky marine unit; shock-troop tactics and ship-to-ship warfare, which often entailed boarding and counter-boarding combat in order to capture enemy skyships, or prevent the Ma'at's capture by hostile boarding parties. The second common duty was aiding in rapid extraction operations, usually entailing the Ma'at breaking through Colonial lines to rescue hybrid refugees in hostile purebred territories and making quick escapes to friendly skies. The Ma'at and its on board Ministry SkyMarines were often called upon for additional duties of course, though these were their primary focus.

The extremely high-risk nature of the Ma'at's specialization coupled with a long streak of unfortunate coincidence made it one of the most dangerous postings in the Ministry. More than a few brushes with death and several harrowing events over the course of his many missions while serving in V-Unit gave Agni firsthand experience with the Ma'at's reputation. While most of the Ministry was hugely successful in defending Einheit City over the course of its involvement in the final decades of the Species Wars, the Ma'at was seen as one of the few exceptions, not for any lack of skill or hardware, but simply ill chance.

This unfortunate pattern changed during the Battle of Rabashad Secundis against the canine empire of Yerushalem VI. In an attempt to weaken the Obsidian Throne's share of the siege upon Einheit City, the Ministry cruiser Nidhöggr, accompanied by several fighter squadrons and two destroyers, the Thoth and the Ma'at, were swiftly dispatched to the Colony of Rabashad Secundis. The primary objective was the Colony's shipyard, which was a key staging point for Yerushalem VI's Imperial Armada. At that time, most of Yerushalem VI's fleet that wasn't laying siege to Einheit City was occupied with fighting the Feline Coalition colonies and fending off harassing hordes of maurauding Kossaks and reptilian Turranic Raiders from its supply lines, hence resistance was expected to be only moderate, and the vastly superior speed of the Ministry skyships would ensure a rapid escape before enemy reinforcements could respond.

Initially the operation went as planned with only light resistance from anti-aircraft installations and a few patrolling corvettes.. Until a large group of Yerushalem VI skyships de-cloaked from high altitude and released a storm of salvo fire and attack fighters above the ambushed Ministry group. The Nidhöggr's highly advanced armor and shielding was able to absorb most of the fire for a time, yet leading the ambush was one of Yerushalem VI's most dreaded vessels, The Emperor's Hammer, a sky-devouringly colossal Saarkin-Cho class dreadnaught which had terrorized the stratosphere for well over a century, and with an unbroken line of victories to its name. While a Ministry cruiser's Architect-influenced hardware might have stood a chance in a one on one firefight with the Hammer, the heavier dreadnaught was accompanied by vastly superior numbers which the Ministry group could not hope to defeat, and attempting a retreat would have been similarly suicidal. The only hope for survival was a nearly mad one - destroy or capture The Emperor's Hammer

While the Ministry fighter aerodynes engaged the attacking Imperial fighters and the Nidhöggr unleashed Hel while drawing the brunt of enemy fire, the Thoth and Ma'at steamed forward to prepare for boarding. The Thoth, despite valiantly eliminating hundreds of enemy craft and shredding a path of stratospheric carnage in its final moments, was downed by several Imperial fighters kamakazi-crashing into it. Yet in its final moments as it fell flaming from the sky, the Thoth's crew succeeded in steering the doomed vessel enough to slam it into an enemy carrier during its descent, buying the remaining Ministry ships vital time.

The Ma'at's marines, V-Unit among them, succeeded in making contact with the enemy cruiser's hull and sawing their way aboard. Furious resistance was met from the Hammer's defense teams, and the struggle to take the ship was not without great loss. Despite the overwhelming odds in the skies over the burning city, the sheer cunning and co-ordination of the two greatly outnumbered Ministry marine units granted them victory in capturing The Emperor's Hammer before it could destroy the Ministry air group, then turning its colossal guns upon its own accompanying ships and the Colony below, killing hundreds of thousands of canine civilians and military personnel in an apocalyptic firestorm. Aside from securing the mission's objective of neutralizing Rabashad Secundis as a staging point for the Imperium Canidae, this act also captured a major piece of Colonial weaponry and provided a great boost of morale to the besieged Einheit City.

Some years and many battles later, Operation Boreas was ordered and major combat operations came to an end, with the Ministers aboard the Ma'at having gained distinction for their role in Rabashad Secundis, as well as having rescued countless hybrids from Colonial oppression over its years of service. With the end of major hostilities, many accepted the opportunity to retire and to tend to their families, yet Agni, like many of the Ma'at's on-board Ministry marines, turned down the chance to end his career so early in his life, and requested to continue service.

Presently, the Ma'at now serves as an aerial Ministry station, with the marines of V-Unit functioning in nightly patrol and tactical roles over the city and Vorhang. Agni current lives in is presently V-Unit's Sturmführer.

Agni currently lives mostly on his own in a humble middle-class, mostly Ministry-personnel, residential sector in the Toride, just a sector below Ministry Command.

Personality:
Contrary to the common purebred-perpetuated stereotype of the Ministry, Agni does not present himself as heartless or cold. Instead he has a quietly enthusiastic and approachably friendly aura about himself when among other hybrids. He isn't one for shallow socialization, but he's definitely someone that one might look upon and perhaps get the impression that he'd be someone who could be approached to for help. Community-minded and a true worker for the collective, Agni has several close friends, though his Ministry unit are closer to him than family are for most people. The Ministry is why Agni is alive today, and he militantly protects that which gave him life and opportunity, on and off duty.

Although Agni is known for his off-duty flirting and enjoyment of loud music, whoever he is in those hours is but a fleeting personality afterthought permitted by the immovably loyal military-bureaucrat at the core of his being. It's just that there is objectively no wrong in enjoying the fruit of one's labors, so long as those labors are to help build a better, United future, and so Agni sees no harm in doing just that. If the Ministry were to demand otherwise, Agni would obey without a second thought, yet the Ministry has no reason to, thus Agni permits himself to take part in such off-hours pleasure.

While his Ministry rank and record speaks for his undeniable leadership skills, Agni viciously shuns the sort of alpha male chauvenism or rugged individualism associated with leaders in purebred societies, instead seeing himself merely as a fellow worker hammering away on the assembly line to help build a better future, ever ready and willing to lend a hand or boost of morale to help a fellow hybrid back on their feet. Even though his strategic cunning and combat skill played a vital role in the Ministry victory over Rabashad Secundis and other battles, Agni rarely speaks about his individual accomplishments even when pressed about them, instead emphasizing the efficiency of his teamates and the Ministry as a whole which made such a victory possible. He carries himself with a sense of quiet pride, not for his own deeds, but for the cause he commits those deeds for - Unity.

For some, Unity is simply a good social principle. For Agni, it is something far greater, something which one cannot merely agree with, but must completely and utterly devote themselves towards protecting. The will of the individual must be forfeited, and only then will one truly find the freedom and enlightenment that comes with embarking on the path to higher evolution. Unity is the last precious hope for civilization, and to reject it is to choose the cold night of the Fimbulvetr, and the death it brings.

Even then, death does not begin to describe the absence of Unity for him.. It is something beyond mere wrongness or corruption, something so unknowably, impossibly black and unrelentingly, corrosively hostile to existence itself, that to set one's self against Unity is to choose extinction over evolution. With his service record peppered with multiple operations of torture, execution, and mass execution directly carried out by his order or by his own hand, Agni is an efficient tool in that force working to defend what he sees as civilization's survival from those who would threaten it.

On the matter of purebreds, Agni does not hold the lowbrow hatred for them which the Ministry is often accused of, but regards them as chaotic and uncivilized things which need to be carefully sorted out in order to find those scattered few who may be worthy of Unification urgent need to be sorted out, that the ones worthy of it may be. The ones who sincerely seek to evolve should be aided towards hybridization, if they are indeed worthy that they may join the fold of higher civilization and add their voices to the song of utopia. Yet the ones who stand against Unity are nothing more than diseased, ravenous beasts which must be eliminated before their sickness can spread any further.


Misc Info:

- Agni was one of the of the Ministers seen in "Evacuating Kyryn-Tow", a very well known and iconic photograph taken during Einheit's involvement in Species Wars by UniClass war photographer Anastasia Yezhov. The photograph depicts a Ministry drop ship rescuing hybrid refugees near the border of the purebred Colony of Kyryn-Tow, while under heavy attack. Agni is one of the Ministers visible in the foreground, using himself as a shield to protect a pair of hybrid children while returning fire, despite being obviously wounded. Due to his physical features being obscured by his Ministry armor, Agni is not identifiable in the photograph, though his identity in it is known only to several Ministry personnel and a few civilians who are well-versed in wartime trivia.

- Much like his role in the evacuation of Kyryn-Tow, Agni's important role in the Battle of Rabashad Secundis and the capture of The Emperor's Hammer is similarly known only in a few circles, mostly with Ministry personnel, historians, and simply individuals who've done significant reading on wartime history.

Weapons & Equipment:

Shimago Motors XV-2 – A small two-door sedan-sized sports aerodyne. Aside from security features it has no noteworthy defensive/offensive capability, though a Saito-12 shotgun is kept in the trunk.

RSA-10 – Semi-auto dual-barrel handgun. Upper barrel fires standard gel propellant 10mm hollowpoints fed by a 12 round magazine handgun. Lower barrel fires a single-shot 14mm gyrojet explosive round. Carried while both on and off-duty, held in a holster located at his lower back.

Saito-12 – 12-gauge pump-action shotgun. Usually kept in the trunk of his XV-2. Not normally used as a Ministry service weapon, but kept on hand in the event that he needs to use deadly force while off-duty.

Telescopic stun-baton – Rigid baton capable of collapsing and extending at the flick of a wrist, and carrying a muscle-disabling electrical shock when activated. Carried on-duty and sometimes off-duty.

WhiteGear SM – Ministry medium armor system. Provides head to tail to toe protection from most ballistic, energy, and bladed attacks, as well as standard NBC protection. Equipped with visual HUD, thermal signature control, visual/audio enhancement, vocoder, comm-set, and other unlisted features.

Harmat M51B Pulse Rifle (Ministry duty only) – Over-and-under configuration which incorporates a pulse-action 6mm PenEx penetrating-explosive round assault rifle on top with a 25mm smart-grenade launcher below. Primary weapon while on Ministry duty.

Centauri Systems 11mm Coil Rifle (Ministry duty only) – Standard Ministry selective-fire gauss rifle. Rarely required due to its excessive power, but usually kept nearby in the event that such extremely high-powered weaponry is needed.

Long Tesla-talwaar – A long, curved, two-handed electrified single-edge sword. Normally only worn for formal or ceremonial occasions.