Pilot<br/><br/>Name: Erich Oststein<br/>Sex: Male<br/>BattleMech: AWS-8Q Awesome (Level 2 Tech Upgrade)<br/>Homeworld: Odessa<br/>Original Faction: Lyran Commonwealth Armed Forces (LCAF)<br/><br/>Description: Erich makes the description of 'massive' seem unfitting; Towering over most people, at nearly six and a half feet tall, his broad shoulders, barrel chest, and deeply tanned and scarred visage showcase the wear and tear he's put on his body over the last forty years. His short brown hair is fading to grey at the temples, and his dark hazel eyes are overshadowed by his perpetual scowl and thick brow.<br/><br/>Background: A native of Odessa, a core world of the Lyran Commonwealth, Erich came from a long family tradition of serving in the LCAF. Many of his records are sealed, implying that he spent more than his fair share of several tours of duty doing things that were not strictly legal, or ethical in the service of House Steiner, but, it appears that, around 3042, he was cut loose from his contract during the continued merger of the LCAF and the AFFS, after he was given the 'responsibility' of explaining to his commanding officer how the CO's orders had ended up with the near-destruction of a full battalion during a raid gone wrong. Soured from the experience, he's struck out on his own, acting as a freelancer; most contracts he takes are acting as a voice of reason and keeping the leash on young hotshots.<br/><br/>Personality: A sour, grouchy 'old man', He lives hard, fights hard, and has no problems ripping someone down and building them back up into a good soldier, even if they don't much care for his intervention, or tactics. Soured on the 'social generals' of the LCAF, and the egotism of the AFFS, he has earned a reputation of making people from disparate backgrounds work well together, even if it's only out of sheer hatred for him.<br/><br/>Speciality Skills: Crack shot with a variety of rifles, has a decent range of survival skills, including how to escape from behind enemy lines. A bit of a scrounger, he can find some hard-to-find parts less often than the ones with the 'magic touch' of mechanical scrounging, but he compensates by having knowledge on a range of subjects, and has been known to surprise subordinates by getting fresh fruit, often a valuable commodity in itself, depending on where one's stationed.<br/><br/>BattleMech Characteristics<br/><br/>Chassis: Technicron Type G<br/>Weight Class: Assault (80 tons)<br/>Callsign: Brick<br/>Description: This Awesome has seen Centuries of hard use; over the years, several 'techs that have examined the war machine have joked that it was probably one of the first to come off of Technicron's Manufacturing lines back in 2665, but centuries of constant warfare and abuse have ensured that its history has been lost due to replacement parts outnumbering originals. Deep scars cover nearly every inch of the 'mech's armour, showing a variety of impact points from missiles, ballistics, energy weapons, and even an avalanche or two, if the pilot is to be believed. Despite the appearance, the 'mech is fully functional, coming as a nasty surprise to rookie pilots that think its looks directly impact its performance.<br/><br/>Painted a dusty black, the only real colour on the war machine are the blued apertures of its weapons, and the dull red glow of its cockpit, often the last things enemies see in urban combat. Recently, It's been refit to an experimental advanced technology version, swapping the 28 original heat sinks for 19 Double-strength freezers, freeing up enough room for a fourth PPC and an ECM suite. Unlike the XL-engine equipped 8M, this Awesome retains its inability to be 'killed' by anything short of having its engine cored, or its head destroyed, with an increase in firepower by a full quarter.<br/><br/>Loadout:<br/>4 Particle Projection Cannon<br/>1 Small Laser<br/><br/>Modules:<br/>Guardian ECM suite<br/><br/>Upgrades:<br/>Double Heat Sinks (19)<br/><br/>General Armor Values: 16 tons of Durallex Heavy