Toil

Toil is the H.M.V operated by Yvonne Dafoe, a member of Axel Erachin's squad of mercenaries. The mech is fitted specially for sniping and stealth mission, although it can at times engage in close-quarters combat. It is painted a bold red color by its pilot, an enthusiastic communist.
===Origins and History===
Toil is a strange H.M.V of primarily alien design, though it is not clear which race designed it and when it was built. It was purchased in an arms market on the outskirts of Empire space by a large group of aliens and poorfolk, who then presented the mech to their leader, Yvonne Dafoe, as a gift. Yvonne was intended to use the robot when she inevitably led the charge against the hordes of the Empire in a glorious workers' revolution, but upon the eventual realization that all of her followers were "too lazy and stupid to start a revolution," she fled the planet and took Toil with her.
For a while Yvonne Dafoe and Toil dominated stealth missions without difficulty, until eventually they were contracted by Axel Erachin. During a mission in which Axel's team was hired to ambush an Imperial deep space freighter, Toil was forced into combat with another H.M.V from its own squad: Guildenstern. Toil's speed and maneuverability allowed it to elude Guild long enough for its pilot, Haken Wastia, to help Yvonne determine how best to deactivate the rogue mech. In the process of the battle the spearhead on the tip of Toil's tail was broken off after being lodged in Guild's knee joint. Toil's sniper rifle was also cut in two and made useless by one of Guildenstern's blades.
After Yvonne left the Paladins she refitted Toil in preparation for their next mission, although the mech went unused for about a year afterward while Yvonne temporarily abandoned her mercenary career. Toil would later be used to assist Yvonne in her escape when the Empire raided the alien colony she was living in.
During the mission on Villa the mech was heavily damaged by the suicide attack orchestrated by the Jackals. A good deal of Toil's armor plating was replaced, forcing Yvonne to give it a new coat of red paint.
===Weapons===
Toil is currently outfitted with a hypervelocity sniper rifle which fires high-powered rounds that can penetrate most H.M.V armors and cripple limbs while causing little kickback. It is a slight upgrade over Toil's original rifle in terms of power, caliber, and durability. The former rifle was destroyed in combat with the H.M.V Guildenstern.
For close-quarters combat, Toil is equipped with dual light repeating plasma cannons mounted conveniently on its left forearm. The cannons retract for easier handling of the rifle, but the drawback is that they take a few seconds to emerge from their casing when needed for use. Yvonne frequently uses the plasma cannons to blind enemy mechs and scramble their heads-up displays by overheating their visors.
The H.M.V has another trick up its sleeve for CQC; Toil is capable of using its whip-like, stabbing tail in combat with other mechs. The original tip of the tail was broken off in combat with another H.M.V, so Yvonne had it replaced by a larger tip made out of a more durable metal. She also had the tail on the mech shortened to provide her with greater accuracy when using it in combat, sacrificing range for functionality. Toil is now capable of sending an electrical shock through the end of the tail, making it so that it can thoroughly fry enemy pilots once an opposing H.M.V's armor is penetrated.
===Special Attributes and Equipment===
Toil specializes in stealth and scouting, and the H.M.V's abilties compliment this fact. The helmet is built to accommodate a targeting system capable of lock-on, thermal vision, and night vision. The rifle is not designed to automatically hit designated targets, but the helmet sensors center targets in the visor, making aiming more precise and simple.
While incapable of simply becoming invisible, Toil comes quite close. It is undetectable by the most common, simplistic radar systems, and lock-on is impossible. Enemy pilots must manually target the H.M.V after spotting it without radar assistance, and that can be quite difficult due to the H.M.V's lightweight speed. Yvonne has also increased Toil's mobility by equipping its right forearm with a retractable grappling hook. The wire that tethers the hook is made of a dense fiber that is strong enough to support an H.M.V's weight and thus very difficult to sever.
There are drawbacks to Toil's design. The red paint makes the H.M.V more easily spotted, which requires careful maneuvering by the pilot when hiding. Due to its speed and its low affinity for CQC, the H.M.V is lightly armored and frail, and so it is ideal to avoid head-to-head combat. Though invisibility shielding is something that Yvonne has always worked for, she is no skilled mechanic and has yet been unable to develop or afford such technology. She always hopes that one day she will be able to save enough money to buy at least a prototype of such a system.
Category:HMVs