Lycas Kolbeth

Lycas 'Rider' Kolbeth is a NPC of the MC-90 Renegade. He was created by Caius Lao Bistail as part of the Find a WC for Wing XXII competition.

Background

Marital Status

Lycas 'Rider' Kolbeth is single.

Family

No significant familial ties at the present time. Lycas's father is unknown and he does not keep contact with his mother ever since his first imprisonment in Arabanth.

Social Status

While living in Arabanth, Lycas was considered a third-rate citizen for a variety of factors, including his gender, his disfigured appearance and his short stature. He was frequently made into a scapegoat and then imprisoned, to the point he wanted to get away from the planet as soon as possible.

Significant events of his youth

When Lycas was twelve years old, he ended up taking shelter in a building owned by Kythara Ty'Eth, an up-and-coming businesswoman known for her ruthless tactics and less-than-legal deals for the sake of profit. Kythara, worried that Lycas had either stolen some of her merchandise or uncovered information that could damage her reputation, had the boy apprehended and arrested for countless charges, including larceny and ideological association with the extinct Lorell Raiders. Although Lycas did not receive the death penalty at the time owing to his age, he faced extensive imprisonment coupled with severe physical punishment that disfigured his body.

Significant events of his adulthood

Unwilling to be hostage to the culture of his planet or the limits of his body, Lycas began to focus on mechanical engineering and body-machine integration techniques in secret, planning to leave Arabanth as soon as possible. Although he knew he could never sell his inventions publicly without being accused of intellectual property theft, Lycas banked on the fact that one day he'd be able to be recognised for the value of his work rather than other superficial traits.

His main invention was the development of a haptic feedback helmet that gave him precise tactile information on any type of electromagnetic radiation, including light, that reached the visor; his invention made use of variables such as temperature and intensity in order to indicate the strength of the received radiation, its nature or colour, and other important qualitative observations. After creating that prototype, Lycas knew that maybe this was his ticket to leave Arabanth - although his poor night vision would likely have disqualified him from taking part in the Emperor's Hammer previously, he knew that he had a chance of fighting with the same level of ability - if not a higher one - once he perfected his invention.

General alignment and attitude

"Value is only present in the world you can touch" is a statement that describes Lycas's personality well; rather than believing in words and diplomacy, he considers that only tangible acts and physical objects can be trusted. Owing to his past, Lycas is extremely cynical and does not value typical human emotions such as love or loyalty, believing that people are bound to change their worldview as soon as following their personal code becomes inconvenient. It is also based on this reasoning that Lycas tends to rely more on collective systems, believing that an individual person may be fickle but a group will not change its beliefs overnight.

Previous occupations

Before joining the Emperor's Hammer, Lycas sold both mechanical parts and assembled machines to a wide array of people, regardless of their allegiance. As long as they had money and could keep a secret, Lycas would have something for them.

Hobbies

Besides mechanical engineering itself, Lycas is also a fan of puzzles and playing a variation of the jett organ that he invented.

Tragedies in their life

In order to avoid any negative associations that could harm her social standing, Lycas's mother cut all ties with him and publicly endorsed Kythara's stance when criminal charges were brought up; some argue that having his own mother speaking against him was one of the determinant factors in how severe his punishment was at the time. The unfair criminal charges and the abandonment by his mother led Lycas to a feeling of solitude and an overall contempt for people, especially those belonging to the Hapans.

Phobias and allergies

Lycas has mild haphephobia (fear of being touched) and may reflexively turn around to punch people who touch his back.

His view of the Empire and the Emperor's Hammer

To Lycas, the Empire was a chance to start anew without being bound by others' perception on who he was. Although he was not trusting enough to believe that they would see past his appearance or status at first, the recognition of his successes with promotions and awards gave him some hope, no matter how slight, that he was at the right place. He also defends that being on his own inside a spacecraft gives him the freedom to not worry about how others perceive him; Lycas unironically states that "when I am piloting, my pronouns are X/Y/Wing", referring to both the overshadowing of his personhood by his duty and the fact he's able to be perceived as more than a "good-for-nothing breeder male" when inside a cockpit.

His reason for enlisting in the Emperor's Hammer

Lycas simply wanted to live in a place where he was not set up for failure or considered lower-class exclusively based on the randomness of his birth, and the Emperor's Hammer was the first opportunity he had to try this new life. Although he expected that he'd still be subject to the prejudiced judgement of others, Lycas figured he had nothing to lose in Arabanth and that if push came to shove he could just bail on the Emperor's Hammer if he was as miserable as he had been on his birth planet. Luckily for Lycas, this day never came.