Kodiak
From Axalon RPG
Contents |
Basic Info
- Created By: Agent Rasp, Tarantulas
- Aliases: Papa Bear
- Faction: Maximal
- Subgroup: Cybertron Military
- Primary Function: Frontline Soldier
- Secondary Function: Charge Leader
- Type: Beast Warrior
- Gender: Male
- Size: Large, 10ft
- Beast Mode: Kodiak Bear
- Rank: Captain
- Theme Song: Taps
Statistics
- Strength 10
- Stamina 8
- Speed 5
- Skill 5
- Firepower 9
- Aim 7
- Intelligence 6
- Discipline 8
- Luck 5
Skills
- Melee-Axe
- Firearms
- Heavy Artillery
- Martial Arts: The Sweet Science
- Leadership
- Tactics
Noted Quotes
“Bein’ older worren’t necessarily bein’ wiser, as the wiser ye are, the older ye get.”
“Tain’t th’metal in your medals, but the mettle in your metal, if’n ye follow me.”
(addressing Massif) “Did ye nae hear me? What’re them things on the side o’yer head for then, chief? Tracking’ atellites?”
“Jings, ‘tis’n absolud’lay baltic dai, d’ye kennit?”
Physical Description
Beast Mode
A massive bear with gray-flecked black fur and a brown crescent at his throat. On two legs Kodiak is a wall of shaggy muscle; he resembles a furry tank when on all fours. His thick limbs have a deceptively long reach, with giant claws hidden under mounds of fur. His big head juts forward on a siege tower of neck, tapering to a scar-twisted muzzle. Tiny round ears with a few notches taken out of each sit back on his head, usually pressed down in wariness.
Robot Mode
Kodiak is a big, broad, solid bot, with age showing its tracks on him. His chassis, despite being minted only forty years hence, is already weathered and faded, hairline cracks starting to show through his superstructure. Of course, he insisted that the engineers integrate a few components from his old Autobot shell, for their sentimental value- he’d grown attached to them, after all. His arms and legs are massive, easily as thick as small trees; either one of his hands is bigger than a good-sized dog. His chest is a barrel, if not a keg, with his bear-mode head snarling down from a round shield-plate smack in the middle of his chest.
Primarily deep forest green and dark dull brown, Kodiak’s shell isn’t exactly pretty, but it’s distinctly ‘him’. Flexible pleats protect his shoulders and hips, made up of chain links and armoured tiles and lending him a distinctly Spartan air. Bandoliers crisscross his chest, recessed slightly into his armour. Kodiak’s hands are encased in bear claw gauntlets. Along with the red Maximal insignia displayed prominently on shoulders, There is also an odd wood-grain pattern on his upper legs and arms.
He has deep-set honey-brown optics below by a high, corrugated brow. His wide frown shows deep furrows on either side. Chipped chrome and rust-spots give the appearance of smile lines and liver-spots and exaggerating his expression. When he smiles or frowns, it completely changes the terrain of his face, as creases shift, trade places or disappear altogether.
Kodiak has a gravelly voice, though a little higher than one might think, holding a light humour that is often unexpected.
Personality
Kodiak is a grizzled veteran, rough, battle-hardened and very old. He's gruff and taciturn, with a fiery temper. He doesn't like to admit his age, but shows signs of senility on the horizon, occasionally tending towards absent-mindedness and overbearing stubbornness. Still, he remains quite the capable leader. For now. He's got a little bit of a sentimental streak, and cares greatly for the lives of his troops- casualties weigh inordinately heavily on his conscience. By default he bounces back quickly, but he still blames himself. This has been known to affect his judgment, although never to the detriment of his unit. If anything, it’s what keeps them alive long enough to become veterans like Kodiak is.
He has the wit and resourcefulness of an old man who’s traveled well, and has had the time to build and perfect his repertoire over time. That is, he often repeats himself, falling back on old standbys and tried-and-true material. Of course, what is old news to Kodiak may still come as a shock to someone without his experience. He’s set in his ways to a fault: but the old bear can still pull off some few tricks, come to that. If there’s one thing Kodiak is known for, it’s being unpredictable. Kodiak rarely does what people expect of him, if for no other reason than because he doesn’t like doing what he’s told. Case in point: he’s been court-martialed on no less than three occasions since the Pax was signed, usually for insubordination. The military court found in favour of his actions each time, saying he was in the right all along, but Kodiak always chalks up his victories to his longtime friend, confidant and trial lawyer Jasper.
Kodiak’s retirement has been a long time coming. It may yet be a long while off. Kodiak was old when humans were still hesitant about newfangled ideas like the wheel and fire. And while there have been periods of extended hibernation, when energon was in short supply, he’s really never given an honest thought to settling down. He was among those first-generation Autobots first in line for a new shell; much as he trumpets the virtues of age and experience, Kodiak says it obviously has its downfalls as well.
Kodiak peppers his speech with archaic slang from a variety of cultures. Some say he’s playing up his reputation as an old-timer, but it’s really just the opposite. Kodiak tries to stay current, and keep up with young people these days. Of course, what constitutes ‘young people’ when you’re as old as Kodiak is entirely relative.
Armament
- ‘Pulverizer’- A massive two-handed long-bore blaster rifle that Kodiak is rarely without. It looks like a relic of old-fashioned (ancient) practicality, at least to the sort mind that considers slap-together assembly as being above streamlined perfection. Die-cast construction- it’s a lost art. The gun is matte-black with cooling vents, bolts and nubs, and is covered with scratches and the like. The long butt of the gun has been worn down to a sharp edge along the bottom, so that the whole affair can be swung like an axe if need be. A battery pack hangs from the muzzle, going on four thousand years old and still yet to burn out. The rifle fires a single shot from its four-inch barrel every three-to-ten seconds; it’s gotten a mite fussy in its old age. Still, you can’t argue with results. Results like a two-meter spread across short range, for instance. Individually, the little energy sparks will take a little chunk out of any armour. That little chunk isn’t much to worry about, but then again there’s about seventy of them coming out the end of the gun, so...
- Grenades- A cocktail of different incendiaries, designed to hurt anything they land near, no matter what it is; Kodiak’s grenades pack a plasma fireball five feet wide, heat-resistant nano-shrapnel and chaff, and a small delayed electromagnetic pulse. It also gives off a toxic fume that will suffocate most creatures, regardless of their preferred atmosphere. He carries six or seven at any given time, concealed about his person. Lovingly hand-crafted, they don’t look like typical grenades. More likely they will take the form of half-crumpled cans and recycled lab containers, jewelry boxes or even mustard bottles.
History
Kodiak is far older than most people realize. Few people know him by his new Maximal name, though he is fast gaining another reputation. His history is long and eventful, and he’ll talk your ear off about the good old days given half a chance. He’s got stories aplenty, but recounted here are only the major events, those which proved pivotal to Kodiak’s life. This history is far from definitive as to events which Kodiak was present at, but events which changed the nature of the universe frequently had little bearing on the captain. When you’re as old as Kodiak is, that’s your prerogative.
Kodiak was never interested in glory or victory or anything more than doing the task at hand, and doing it well, but not at the expense of his troops. War, as General Patton once said, is not about dying for your country, but rather about making the other bastard die for his. Unambitious as he was, Kodiak was always a good soldier. Never a great one, because there always has to be somebody to do the job no one else would want. Kodiak made a long career of slowly gathering like-minded soldiers to his unit.
As an aging Autobot captain, the role in which he was best known, Kodiak put in his time on dangerous frontier worlds, assaulting Decepticon strongholds at the ends of the galaxy, defusing alien revolutions on behalf of the High Council of Elders. For this he garnered a strange notoriety among his fellow Autobots; his command was seen as a dead end career-wise, a punishment reserved for officers fallen out of favour with their superiors. This was not the case, but it was a reputation Kodiak banked on. He had a long-standing grudge against glory-hounds. His subordinates tended to respect his wishes. Autobot Sunchaser, recently retired, famously called Kodiak’s squadron ‘the best-kept secret in the whole army’. This is usually taken as referring to the rumoured (completely falsified) laziness of the division.
A number of generals, admirals and even Elders have proudly served below Kodiak somewhere in their past. These are invariably considered exceptions, and written off because, after all these years, even an old coot like Kodiak is bound to sift a few gems out of the rough-cut crew he’s got.
Kodiak visited Earth near the tail-end of the conflict there, where his troops served with distinction that was naturally downplayed by Kodiak’s political enemies. There are a number of these. Kodiak was never very diplomatic.
Old ‘Papa Bear’ was one of the first volunteers to undergo the upgrade to Beast Warrior. He was eager for any chance to extend his service. Since then he has become slightly more rambunctious and impetuous- entering a second childhood, it sometimes seems. He has been summoned to stand court-martial four times for insubordination, and been acquitted three times. He is currently on Cybertron awaiting his trial for the fourth. It’s just as well. He doesn’t have anything better to do, since his ship is in dry-dock, undergoing repairs for extensive damage sustained on the captain’s last voyage.
He suspected his stationing on the Argos is a prelude to an eventual retirement, and though he would never admit it aloud, he is grateful for this 'adventure' on the Rock.
