C4-621

Augmented Human C4-621, also known by their stolen callsign as Raven or simply 621, is the main protagonist of the 2023 mecha-based third-person shooter, Armored Core VI: Fires of Rubicon. They are a Generation 4 Augmented Human, an Armored Core pilot, and independent mercenary of the infamous Handler Walter who wants to get a free life after doing all their works. Their signature AC is a C-2000 model called LOADER 4, thought they can also pilot other (customized) ACs like TENDERFOOT.
==Personality==
621 does not speak for the whole time, and it seems they are like an emotionless tool. However, they still desire for freedom and want to make choices of their own.
==Biography==
Very little is known much about 621's past, however, they became a mercenary under Walter and undergo an older and dangerous method of augmentation surgery to enhance their performance to become an AC pilot.
===Chapter 1===
621 is acquired by Walter sometime after a combat operation involving 617, 619, and 620. As 621 lays on an operating table, Walter tells them that they will be a given reason to live for. Upon arrival on the Southern Belius area of Rubicon 3, 621 is tasked with scavenging from Armored Core wrecks a mercenary license that they can use as a cover identity on the planet. Eventually 621 finds one with the callsign "Raven."
Later on, Walter negotiates a job to support Balam Industries' Redguns unit in attacking the Rubicon Liberation Front-controlled Gallia Dam Complex. Under the supervision of the Redguns commander G1 Michigan, 621 joins G4 Volta and G5 Iguazu on the field as "G13", a callsign considered by the Redguns to be unlucky. As the operation starts, Walter insists on calling 621 by their serial designation instead of G13 and tells them not to learn bad manners from the Redguns, who are ultimately impressed by 621's performance to the point that Michigan makes G13 an honorary callsign for 621.
After their victory against a gargantuan RLF mobile resource base and Handler Walter's subsequent campaigning, they are hired by the Arquebus Corporation to join the Vespers for Operation Wallclimber, an offensive against the RLF stronghold The Wall. Following V.II Snail's plan, 621 destroyed key defenses and reaches the top, whereupon they are joined by Vespers squad leader V.IV Rusty in defeating the JUGGERNAUT, thereby marking the operation a success. In a later private debriefing, Rusty — out of newfound camaraderie — confides to 621 that Arquebus intended to sacrifice independent mercenaries in the operation; the Vespers would enter only once the mercenaries had died clearing the way. 621's surprising survival has brought the attention of both the higher-ups and Rusty himself, and gained them renown on Rubicon as the "Wallclimber".
Later on, Walter instructs 621 to attack the Planetary Closure Administration-occupied Watchpoint Delta as part of a personal request by a "friend" of Walter's. In the ensuing engagement, 621 defeats the PCA security forces and the AC pilot Sulla, and inflicts damage to the facility that causes a surge of Coral unexpected by Walter and knocking 621 unconscious. Upon awakening, 621 inexplicably obtains an audial bond with Ayre, a disembodied Rubiconian who helps 621 gather their bearings then provides mission support for their subsequent battle against an AAP07: BALTEUS autonomous craft.
On returning to base, 621 reveals the situation with Ayre to Walter, who dismisses it as a side effect of 621's enhancement surgery then shifts their attention to how the Coral surge from the Watchpoint is now heading towards Rubicon's Central Ice Field. At Ayre's request, she and 621 agree to keep in contact as Ayre seeks to follow the struggle over Rubicon's Coral to its conclusion.
===Chapter 2===
Later, 621 is tasked by Walter to follow Coral from West Belius to Central Ice Field. Ayre is always ready to support 621 and became their another Operator alongside Walter. But first, they have to meet "Cinder" Carla, leader of Reuse and Development, to invite them to Grid 086, where they can use the cargo launcher on the top of the facility to cross the Alean Ocean to reach the Central Ice Field. But first, 621 must pass the test made by Carla. After passing the test and reaching the top of Grid 086, they have to evade the PCA's beams and fight a Coral-powered C-Weapon, SEA SPIDER. After destroying it, 621 and their AC gets inside the container as it is launched to the Central Ice Field at a high speed.
===Chapter 3===
After reaching the Central Ice Field, 621 sees a fleet of PCA starships. Later on, 621 and Rusty are tasked to eliminate a PCA force where they encounter the ICE WORM for the first time. 621 is later tasked by Arquebus to take down another PCA force, but when they reach the battlefield, the battle was already over. From there, 621 encounters and fights the original owner of the callsign Raven and defeats them. In New Game+, they have to fight a group of independent mercenaries called Branch where the original Raven is affiliated after 621 was tasked by the Liberation Front. After the Raven/Branch battle, 621 joins the joint operation of Arquebus and Balam, where they work with Michigan, Snail, Iguazu, Chatty, and Rusty to take down the ICE WORM using the Rail Cannon and newly developed stun needle launcher.
===Chapter 4 ===
After the Ice Worm operation, 621 is tasked by Walter to go to Watchpoint Alpha. During their way to the deepest point of Watchpoint Alpha, they have to emilinate the remaining PCA forces, including the Enforcement System. After that, there will be 2 alternative missions for 621: destroy the remaining Balam's Redguns forces and kill Michigan or ambush V.V Hawkins and V.VIII Pater along with Middle Flatwell. Arquebus later contacts 621 to kill Rusty, but failed; in New Game+, Flatwell with help Rusty fight 621, but also failed. After that, 621 finally reaches the Institute City. Arquebus order them to discontnue the survey and hand things over their own AC squad, Walter, however, doesn't want letting this chance go away, so he orders 621 to go to the city. 621 later encounters an Ibis Series C-Weapon, the IB-01: CEL 240. After destroying it, 621 is ambushed by Snail, loses consciousness, and is captured by Arquebus to the re-education facility.
===Chapter 5===
Before Walter's signal is lost, he tells 621 about his true objective and gives them his last order: escape the re-education facility with AC JAILBREAK. After escaping from the facility with the help of Carla, she tells 621 that she and Walter are the members of Overseer, an organization who oversees Coral, and tasks them to go to Xylem to activate it again as a starship to destroy Coral inside the Vascular Plant. After Ayre heard of that, she requests 621 to not kill her family. From there, 621 has two choices: help Carla or help Ayre.
==== Fires of Raven ending====
If they choose to help Carla, Ayre will cut off communication disappear from 621's awareness. 621 later defends the Xylem from Arquebus' forces with the help of Chatty. Later, V.I Freud appears and destroys Chatty, beginning a fight between 621 and Freud. After destroying his AC LOCKSMITH, 621 flies their AC to destroy Arquebus' warships, but then, Rusty, who pilots his new AC, appears, and he must stop the Xylem and 621 from destroying Coral for all cost, however, 621 also has to kill their best comrade Rusty. After killing him, Ayre contacts 621 again and fight them using the IB-07: SOL 644, but she is eventually killed by 621. When the Xylem crashes the Vascular Plant and explode together, 621 escape from a massive Coral explosion. 621 becomes "the Monster who Burned the Stars" and no one never saw them again. After the credit, 621 receives the final message from Walter, telling them that they are free now.
====Liberator of Rubicon ending====
If they choose to help Ayre, 621 has to destroy the Xylem and Arquebus' forces. They can also chooses to fight Snail or ignore him. After reaching inside of the ship, Carla and Chatty will be 621's opponents, but they manage to kill Carla and destroy Chatty's AC. Ayre uses' 621's callsign to mobilize Rubiconians to oppose Arquebus. Rusty, piloting his new AC, helps 621 fight Arquebus. After destroying the ship's drive system, 621 encounters Snail who pilots the ARQUEBUS BALTEUS, and they manages to destroy the craft and kill him for this time. However, Rusty gets attacked and his signal is lost, so 621 has to go to the deck of the Xylem. After reaching the deck, 621 encounters a manned Ibis Series C-Weapon, IB-C03: HAL 826, piloted by the brainwashed Walter. 621 manages to kill and free him. After that, they are praised by Ayre and the Rubiconians and become the "Liberator of Rubicon".
===New Game++/Alec Iacta Est route===
The beginning of the game is similar, except that ALLMIND reveals herself to have a plan to evolve humanity and Coral from their limit via Coral Release. 621 has to do the Analysis division of Arena made by ALLMIND, and is tasked by her to kill Sulla, V.III O'Keeffe, Thumb Dolmayan, and Iguazu. 621 encounters Iguazu for multiple times, and they can defeat him multiple times. When 621 reached the Institute City, ALLMIND cuts communications between them and Walter and orders them to ambush Snail, but the plan is interfered with by Iguazu who wants to kill 621. During the Analysis Arena fight, Ayre manages to bring some classified AC information from ALLMIND's database to 621, including STEEL HAZE ORTUS, the HAL 826, and ECHO. During the Xylem battle, 621 is tasked to destroy the ship's drive system, and they eventually kill Chatty. After destroying the Xylem, 621 and Ayre meet ALLMIND and Iguazu and begin a fight. After Iguazu's new AC is heavily damaged, he completely uploads his mind to ALLMIND and pilots her version of the SOL 644 to fight 621 with the help of two SEA SPIDERs. With the help of Ayre piloting AC ECHO, 621 faces Iguazu for the last time, and finally kills him and destroys ALLMIND for all cost. After that, 621 and Ayre trigger Coral Release, leading humanity and Coral to their new evolution.
==Armored Cores==
===LOADER 4===
LOADER 4 is a tan and gray RaD Scout C-2000 AC used by 621 to enter Rubicon 3. It wields a Balam RF-024 TURNER assault rifle, a Furlong BML-G1/P20MLT-04 missile launcher and a Takigawa HI-32: BU-TT/A pulse blade. It is also 621's default and signature AC.
===TENDERFOOT===
TENDERFOOT is a customized Balam 012 MELANDER C3 model colored indigo blue with bright red stripe accents, particularly on the gun and/or gun barrel, and marked for the Redguns' G13. As a variation of the MELANDER model, it is a middleweight bipedal with a balanced loadout. It shares the same internals and weapons as LOADER 4.
===JAILBREAK===
The JAILBREAK is a stripped-down and heavily-worn BAWS BASHO model AC only used in the mission "Escape." It has extremely poor AP, energy consumption, and stability due to being a wreck that was secretly restored to minimal functionality by Reuse and Development engineers. It is used by 621 to escape Institute City after they have been captured by Arquebus, and is discarded shortly after. Notably, the JAILBREAK in "Escape" has artificially low stats that cannot be replicated outside of that mission even by assembling the same loadout.
==Gallery==
AC Data icon ACVI Preset C4-621 LOADER 4.png|LOADER 4, 621's initial, default, and signature AC.
AC Data icon ACVI Preset G13 Raven TENDERFOOT.png|TENDERFOOT, 621's second AC.
JAILBREAK.png|JAILBREAK, 621's third and temporary AC.
==Trivia==
*Their ALLMIND registration number upon taking the callsign Raven is Rb23.
*The choice of naming 621's AC "LOADER 4" is curious as the number 4 is generally seen as an unfavorable number in several Asian cultures, believed to bring bad luck or outright death, something 621 brings a lot of during their adventures in Rubicon 3.
**G1 Michigan's choice of assigning them the "G13" callsign is another ominous sign as the number 13 is typically associated with bad luck in western cultures.
*621's goal of wanting to undo their surgery is a callback to Catarina from the Tower Blade City manga, whose brother wanted to raise enough funds to undo the surgery and save her life.
*621 is the second protagonist to begin the story with human augmentation rather than gaining it later on, the first being Anatolia's Mercenary. They are also the first character to potentially undo their surgery as implied during Bring Down the Xylem.
==External Links==
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==Navagation==
Category:Video Game Heroes
Category:Science Fiction Heroes
Category:Mechanically Modified
Category:Genderless
Category:Mentally Ill
Category:Pawn of the Villain
Category:Military
Category:Mercenaries
Category:Fighters
Category:Status Dependent upon Player Choice
Category:Neutral Good
Category:Anti-Heroes
Category:Mute
Category:Honorable
Category:The Hero
Category:Freedom Fighters
Category:Friend of a Villain
Category:Good Vs. Good