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GM January 25th, Saturday, 2020, 11.55PM Outside Emerald Tower, downtown Emerald City, OR The last lingering, heartrending notes pierced the chill night air, and UK's violin went silent. For a moment, all around Robin was an almost sacred hush as the renowned string virtuoso stood to take a bow. In the glare of red lamps that had filled the night sky, held in place by repulsor bands that turned clouds of countless paper shells into magnetically-unified pieces of airborne art, Robin saw K looking almost uneasy at the awestruck hush. Above and about flitted the newsdrones, covering the MarsTech New Years bash while other electric eyes took in events unfolding across the Emeralds. Of all the crowds, though, this was going to be the biggest. There were familiar faces in the crowd, not like looming Chung was ever going to miss a chance to carry his "THE END IS NOW" signs where a camera was going to be, but on nights like this the comforting seas of familiarity was upset with crosswinds of newcomers, people who'd look at you funny and hurry on if you asked them how they werre doing. In that moment, though, all were united, Munchkin and outsider alike, by that same thrill through every heart. To make a sound would have been blasphemous. Max Mars broke the spell, jumping out of the audience and onto the stage beside K with a single bound, applauding furiously with giant grin on his face. "Yue Kei, everybody! All you shapes and flavours out there, give her a big 'welcome home' hand!" With admirable obedience the Emerald citizens cheered, the cold winter air blasted with steam from thousands of throats. In the heated shelter UK started, laughed despite herself, and bowed in rapid succession to different areas of the crowd. Max grinned like an indulgent father. Switching off his mic, he and UK exchanged a word, the young woman nodding and beginning to clear up her music and put back her instruments. As she did so, Mars went on blithely. "Nicely done! now, Kei has to leave us for the night, but stick around! Because on the stroke of midnight, as we enter a new year, I've got a little surprise for you...well, two surprises, but you'll see! Now, may I have a volunteer from the audience?" His brilliant green eyes scanning the crowd suddenly locked on Robin's. "Well hey-hey, Rob! Glad to see you could make it to another of my little shindigs! Like to come up?" he looked deeply chagrined as he added "I promise, no giant robots this time!"

OOC thread for this thread. Supersuits as a Service. @RocketLord

May 27, 2019, 12.47PM, a lovely warm late spring day Emerald City, Oregon, waterfront, annual MarsTech Science Fair "Wow, Meridian! Amazing! If you hadn't stopped those robot ninjas, my MarsTech Olympus-class air-scrubber would be in the hands of evil! Our ozone and oxygen are safe yet again!" Max Mars, standing beaming like a happy child while surrounded by smashed bits of cyclopic glossy-black robots dressed like ancient stage hands, seemed for once even smaller than his five feet next to the towering heroine. His curly red hair, peppered with grey, had caught plenty of the debris from the magnificently-staged mock-combat, and his lovely deep-blue suit and bearded face had caught a full blast of smoke from an all-too real electrical fire, but the grin on his face wasn't damaged or dimmed in the least. The West Coast's favorite source of super-science had been urging for something like this ever since meeting Sophie Powers, and evidently it had lived up to all his dreams at once. The rest of the dock had been cleared and meticulously calculated to allow for the fight to happen without causing any real harm, while the stands stood close enough to the action to let the Emerald City munchkins feel the vicarious thrills. The platform Max and Meridian stood on was two-level, letting the real point of the show make an imposing backdrop-a monolithic black wall marked out with the red planet logo of MarsTech-keep up a presence. The Olympus was some kind of greenhouse gas-condenser, and had been busily proving its worth since its unveiling. By processes Max had been very happy to explain, but which relatively few people understood, it had been drawing carbon and other heat-trapping airborne substances from the air and converting them into other, less harmful solid forms. To hear Max talk, one could be forgiven for thinking the entire ecological crisis was solved for all time. Emerald's favorite son swept a hand to the crowd "A big hand, everybody, for Meridian, today's greatest hero!" The request wasn't necessary, since Emerald citizens weren't yet jaded enough to not be amazed by the sight of people punching robots in front of them, but it did get a standing ovation going! The only less-than-enthralled response was from the Emerald City South Girl Scouts box, in which several hundred uniformed girls busily scribbled notes onto tablets or inspected fragments of metal that blown their way, the wall of uniformed older women around them clapping politely but with veryobvious skepticism. By tradition, the Emerald City North Girl Scouts box was as far from the South's as reasonably possible, and was resolutely and coolly silent. The flying news-drones swept closer, circling to capture the moment, their human counterparts chatting with the MarsTech company reps and snapping photos. Except for the skinny, greasy woman in the grey 50's suit and 'PRESS'-carded trilby who'd been politely put behind the security line after trying to reach the stage and ask questions. She just scribbled and glared from time to time.

OOC thread for this, featuring @NineOfSpades's Meridian and @RocketLord's Justice! Time to fight a robot!

Maximillian Mars Power Level: 11 (166/166PP) Unspent Power Points: 0 Trade-Offs: Under caps. In Brief: Super genius super villain that has mothballed his armor to lead a succesful technology corporation, hiding his ongoing villainy behind a popular reputation Alternate Identity: The Commander (Secret, former) Birthplace: Emerald City. Residence: Riverfront, Emerald City. Base of Operations: MarsTech Headquarters, River Front, Emerald City Occupation: Head of MarsTech, Criminal mastermind Affiliations: MarsTech, the Chamber Family: None known Description: Age: 55 (DoB: 1964) Gender: Male Ethnicity: Caucasian Height: 5' Weight: 170 lbs. Eyes: Green Hair: Light brown, greying at the temples Always dressed in tailored suits from London, Maximillian Mars always looks his best. A bright smile on his lips, a gleam in his green eyes, his hair and beard immaculate, he simply looks perfect, even as wrinkles are beginning to show on his face. History: Once, there was a super villain known as the Commander. He wore a high tech armor, filled with alien technology that he had stumbled upon and reverse engineered as a young man. He wanted power, he wanted riches. He fought the Centurion on several occasions. He was foiled by the Freedom League. Under the Moore Administration, he fought FORCE Ops on several occasions. His ever evolving armor meant that any encounter would mean something new. Never employing the same trick twice, he was a persistent foe. While he was defeated, he always managed to escape, and his identity remained a secret. And then the Terminus Invasion happened. Surprising even himself, the Commander fought side by side with the heroes, even aiding his hated foe the Centurion against Omega. After the Terminus Invasion, the Commander disappeared. Most believed that he had died. Few claimed to have seen him in the years since, but it was never confirmed. It was all just rumors. Years later, the company known as MarsTech appeared. Seemingly out of the blue, the MarsTech brand became synonymous with high tech user friendly technology. The popular Deimos laptop! The Phobos operating system! Stylized and cheap smart phones! They seemed to be ahead of the competition in every regard. Research in the history of the company showed it as a simple start up, all the work of a single man. Working for hire, the founder would eventually create a juggernaut of technological advances that would take the world by storm. That man, that founder, was Maximillian Mars. Inviting the world into his life as the chief designer, creator and director of MarsTech, he would only continue to grow on popularity, as he raised his company to even greater heights in his native Emerald City. He was a man of the people, a friend to every employee, he offered benefits and great pay, paid insurance for all of his employees: In short, the man of the year for all years. And of course, he was also once the Commander, and even now, he was a member of the Chamber, the organization that rules Emerald City from the shadows, supplying his technological expertise and businesses to their goals. The Commander armor left in storage, he now had more power than ever before. Maximillian Mars might be a lighter shade of black than his compatriots in the Chamber, and almost a hero to the people of the world, but make no mistake: At heart, he is still a villain, and his ultimate goal remains: Nothing less than world domination. Personality & Motivation: Maximillian Mars is a genius and a visionary. Even as the mastermind behind MarsTech, and the creator of the vast majority of their technologies and advances, he is friendly and affable. He knows the name and history of every employee, he eats lunch with the janitors every other week, if his time permits. He genuinely cares about his employees, and does his best to keep the them safe from machinations of the Chamber. Still, Maximillian is a super villain, even if he no longer wears the colorful armor of the Commander. He has a ruthless side, having masterminded several of the Chamber's plans, and even if he is the voice that will advocate keeping innocents safe, he is more than willing to go through with anything, if it means furthering his own goals. His ultimate goal? To rule everything. Emerald City is just the start, the testing phase of his plans for the world. After all, Maximillian Mars is a nice man, but he also knows that he is a genius, and he really do know better than everyone else. Powers & Tactics: Maximillian will rarely, if ever, directly confront others in combat. Those days are simply behind him, and he would much rather play mind games, or, if it comes to it, send henchmen, mercenaries or even MarsTech security to deal with any potential trouble. He keeps his involvement in any scheme a secret, perhaps even more so than the rest of the Chamber. Power Descriptions: Maximillian posses no overt super powers, but he incredibly intelligent, able to process knowledge much faster than the vast majority of humanity. His Commander armor is currently in storage, but can be used if necessary. Complications: Better a Villain than Bored: Maximillian wants fame and riches. He wants everyone to respect him, and he has achieved all that. Legally, too. So why do he is he still a member of the Chamber? Why do he still manipulate Emerald City, if he does not always need to? Simple: Boredom. What better way to fall into a lull? The Commander: The stock of MarsTech would surely drop should Maximillian's true nature as a villain and a member of the Chamber come to light. MarsTech: Maximillian genuinely cares about his employees at MarsTech. Abilities: 4 + 2 + 6 + 20 + 8 + 8 = 48PP Strength: 14 (+2) Dexterity: 12 (+1) Constitution: 16 (+3) Intelligence: 30 (+10) Wisdom: 18 (+4) Charisma: 18 (+4) Combat: 8 + 18 = 24PP Initiative: +5 (+1 Dex, +4 Improved Initiative) Attack: +4 Base, +10 Melee (+4 Base, +6 Attack Focus), +4 Ranged, +12 Commander Suit Weapons (+4 Base, +8 Attack Specialization) Defense: +9 (+9 Base,), +5 Flat-Footed Grapple: +12 (+10 Attack, +2 Str) Knockback: -2/-1 (Toughness /2) Saving Throws: 5 + 8 + 9 = 22PP Toughness: +5 (+3 Con, +2 Undercover Shirt) Fortitude: +8 (+3 Con, +5) Reflex: +9 (+1 Dex, +8) Will: +13 (+4 Wis, +9) Skills: 168R = 42PP Bluff 15 (+19) Climb 6 (+8) Craft [Electronic] 15 (+25)Skill Mastery Craft [Mechanical] 15 (+25)Skill Mastery Diplomacy 12 (+16) Drive 6 (+7) Intimidation 12 (+16) Investigation 6 (+16) Knowledge [Business] 12 (+22)Skill Mastery Knowledge [Life Sciences] 6 (+16)Note: Focused on superhumans Knowledge [Physical Sciences] 15 (+25)Skill Mastery Medicine 3 (+7) Notice 12 (+16) Pilot 6 (+7) Profession [Criminal Mastermind] 9 (+13) Sense Motive 12 (+16) Swim 6 (+8) Feats: 27PP Attack Focus [Melee] 6 Attack Specialization [Commander Suit] 8 Benefit 3 (Wealth) Benefit 1 (CEO of MarsTech) Connected Contacts Distract (Bluff) Equipment 1 Fascinate (Bluff) Improved Initiative Inventor Skill Mastery (Craft [Electronics], Craft [Mechanical], Knowledge [Business], Knowledge [Physical Sciences]) Well-Informed Equipment: 1PP = 5EP Undercover Shirt (Protection 2, subtle) [3EP] Smartphone Powers: 3 = 3PP Quickness 6 (Descriptive Name; Flaws: Limited [Mental tasks only]) [3PP] (descriptors) Drawbacks: (-0) + (-0) = -0PP DC Block Name Range Save Effect Attack bonus Unarmed Touch DC17 Tou (staged) Damage +10 Totals: Abilities (48) + Combat (24) + Saving Throws (22) + Skills (42) + Feats (27) + Powers (3) - Drawbacks (0) = 166/166 Power Points