Riya Bhatia - Human Space Marine

## **Biography**

#### ***Early Aristocratic Upbringing***

Riya Bhatia was born in 2528 in Delhi, the capital city of the Province of Challah (and former capital of India), which itself is the capital province of the Far-Eastern Quadrant in the Democratic Republic of Terra. She is the daughter of Terran Representative Rao-Pranap Bhatia, a pragmatic aristocrat influential in the allocation of EXOGEN investments and assets into both Delhi and the surrounding province over which he presided.

## Riya Bhatia

### Aliases

Omega 6 (Official Call Sign)
"Jungle Jumper"

"Queen Cobra"

"The Girl With Unlimited Range"

### Relatives

Parents: Rao-Pranap Bhatia, Kareena Bhatia

### Affiliation

Terran Space Marines - Deniable Warfare Division

## Biographical information

### Place of birth

Delhi, Province of Challah, Far-Eastern Quadrant, Democratic Republic of Terra

## Appearances

### Debut

The Ballad of Proxima-B

Beyond access to luxuries, Riya was the furthest thing from the archetypal characters of her social class. Instead of embracing cyborgism, she preferred the feeling and control she consciously possessed over her natural body; Riya simply didn’t trust technology enough to intrude on her own free will. Instead of attending cocktail parties and government balls while wearing expensive gowns, she was often seen dressed in Terran military red-and-blacks as she trained within the various ranges and scenario-rooms of the Delhi Marine Stronghold (she was granted such privileges as Representative Bhatia is also commander-in-chief of his quadrant region); having won multiple crossbow and air rifle championships in school, Riya quickly familiarized herself with the MK-280 rifle and became an exceptional marksman, according to those who witnessed her progress. And instead of socializing with other children of the same social status, she often retreated from the administrative district to explore the urban maze (nicknamed “The Jungle”) which made up most of Delhi.

#### ***A Tragic Friendship***

Spending time within The Jungle led to Riya meeting Karthik Abarama, a young man of similar age modified with obsolete cybernetics and augmented for work within one of two large turbinium refineries built in Delhi by EXOGEN (courtesy of her father). Upon first acquaintance, it was clear that despite being from different classes and of contrasting body styles (natural versus cyborg), there was a genuine connection between the two youths. Riya never looked down upon the less-fortunate, but Karthik was among the first of such people who didn’t judge her based on her elite status. The young cyborg quickly became her best friend, and the pair were inseparable throughout their teens and early adulthood. Karthik often shared stories with Riya about his great-grandparents who lived in the former Kashmir region, stories which contained imagery of a bygone era where Earth still possessed natural beauty, blue skies, and people who lived happily and worry-free.

It was a stark contrast to the conditions which Karthik and residents outside of the administrative district endured; the people in The Jungle had little to no access to medicine, food, clean water, or even fresh air. Many were sick, malnourished, and dying. By the time Riya and Karthik first met, Karthik’s parents had already succumbed to pneumonia. For Riya, it was a somber feeling knowing what life was like just outside her bedroom window. But what was most appalling to her was the reality that on top of horrendous living conditions, her father and the Terran administration's focus on strict augmentation meant most people in Delhi had virtually no freedom of choice and no way of uplifting themselves. Riya always heard her father give emotional speeches promising that conditions would get better, that EXOGEN and its prized turbinium fuel would be *“the way forward to a better tomorrow”*. But the “better tomorrow” never seemed to come, and on the first day of March in 2549, Riya witnessed a mass exodus of augmented cyborgs and human clone slaves from the two turbinium refineries. They marched in protest towards the administrative district, demanding less augmentation and the fulfillment of basic needs. Riya was in her father’s presence when he gave the order for armed adjudicators to erase the mob with *“direct and absolute prejudice”*, and remained when he followed up with an order to shut off large areas of Delhi’s power grid. Many cyborgs who weren’t cut down by the storm of gunfire would slowly perish later that evening when they were unable to recharge their power cells. When Riya finally had the opportunity to run off hours after the shooting stopped, she found among the deceased her best friend, Karthik Abarama.

#### ***Newfound Purpose***

For years after the deadly protest, Riya simply wanted to get away. From Delhi, from her father, and from the life towards which she felt she had no rightful claim. As fate would have it, the combat effort to settle a newly discovered planet, Proxima-B, provided her with the perfect opportunity. After a lengthy period of studying reports from early human expeditions to the planet, Riya realized it was more than just a chance to leave her father and the shadow of EXOGEN; it was a chance for what was left of humanity to start anew. She wanted freedom for the people which her father and EXOGEN ignored and exploited, and in her mind there was no better first step than fighting to secure a permissive environment.

After officially enlisting in the Space Marine Corps, Riya passed basic training at the top of her cadet class (in large part due to her previously acquired skills) and was recommended for specialized skills selection. Demonstrating elite marksmanship and strong mental resilience during the selection process, she entered service as an advanced reconnaissance sniper and was placed within Dark Omega, a highly secretive Space Marine unit whose activities were only ever shared on a need-to-know basis. For Riya, whose call-sign became "Omega 6", joining the war effort on Proxima-B is not just about escaping the culture of deceit promoted by her father back home in Delhi, but also about staying true to a self-proclaimed ultimatum: secure a future for humanity to create a new society, free from the chains of evil curled around Earth, so that the stories of Kashmir told by the late Karthik Abarama may become reality once again.

## **Gear**

As an advanced recon sniper of the Space Marine Corps, Riya Bhatia primarily makes use of a highly modified MK-280 rifle built in a configuration for precision shooting. Upon being assigned to Dark Omega, she wasted no time in customizing her weapon by:

* Swapping out the standard MK-280 upper receiver group for the X10-D3D Harbinger, which contains a 20-inch barrel and allows her to fire a prototype ammunition known as the HX-5 Wormhole (rumored to be the most powerful precision ammunition ever created for the Space Marine Corps).
* Mounting a 1-to-10 variable-zoom optic for engaging targets at various distances.
* Replacing the standard MK-280 carbine stock with a slightly larger Stalker-S non-adjustable sniper stock in order to achieve increased aim control while idle.
* Adding a quick-deploy bipod to mitigate aim-idle sway while lying prone.

To successfully carry out her recon duties, Omega 6 makes use of the following specialized tactical support equipment in order to help her team gain an advantage in situational awareness during combat:

* The Z-900 Hunter-Killer, a binocular-like device capable of spotting and marking enemies up to 300 yards away (can be switched to night-vision with just a simple click of a button).

## **Wardrobe For War**

Riya's extensive collection of various combat uniform and armor kit pairings serves as a reminder of her upbringing and a reflection of her fiery individualism. Surrounded by high fashion on a daily basis growing up, her development of a keen interest towards style was inevitable. But this interest was always impeded upon by the countless bickering opinions of private seamstresses and "professional" stylists the Bhatia family consulted, all of whom she loathed. Now as an elite operator, Riya finally had the chance and privilege to pursue style in a practical manner which she could truly call her own, free of aristocratic nonsense. It could be argued that her wardrobe for war is just as extensive as (if not greater than) that of her former administrative district penthouse. Riya's so-called "Military-Industrial Sewing Complex" contains tactical clothing for just about every combat scenario she could potentially face as Omega 6; there are outfits to fulfill roles for ground assault, air support, underwater warfare, space combat, and for protecting against biochemical weapons. There are even rumors suggesting that a few of her kits have been retrofitted with cloaking devices. But despite having plenty in terms of choice, it is critical that Riya picks the right combination for the right job every time.

There are two common denominators that are spread widely throughout the military closet of Omega 6. First, all of the outfits are designed to prioritize ease of movement instead of being able to successfully carrying large quantities of heavy protective armor plates. While her hit points are certainly more vulnerable compared to most of her fellow operators in Dark Omega, Riya counteracts the threat by staying mobile and/or engaging from distances well beyond her targets' comprehension. Second, nearly all of her outfits are designed to make use of a bit of psychological warfare, which she calls her signature look: a simple hood and face coverings. As Riya Bhatia herself puts it, ***"If I hide my face, I can hide all my emotions. This serves me well, for my first step towards victory is making the enemy believe that I am not sentient, but a machine whose purpose is to complete a task by any and all means without reservations. When the enemy comes to the realization that they may indeed be facing something other than human, they will begin to fear me. When their fear takes over, they will make tactical errors which they cannot afford. And that is when I strike like a Cobra, and pick them off, one by one."***

## **Image Gallery**

A young Riya Bhatia exploring "The Jungle" that makes up most of Delhi.Riya Bhatia wearing an advanced air-to-ground assault kit during her time as a Space Marine Cadet. Note the American flag patch; national flags are symbols of a bygone era collected by Terran soldiers as souvenirs.Riya Bhatia at the Delhi Marine Stronghold some time prior to leaving for Proxima-B.Riya kitting up before departing the Gandar Marine Citadel on Proxima-B for a mission with Dark Omega.Riya carrying her customized MK-280 sniper during a mission on Proxima-B.Riya on assignment with Dark Omega holding a standard-configuration MK-280.Riya overseeing the launch of a Terran-built ballistic missile from a Proxima-B desert.Riya engaging in underwater combat with an SMG.Riya wearing a protective combat outfit during a Haifisch bio-weapon attack.Riya after capturing an abandoned Haifisch forward-operating-base with Dark Omega.Riya, equipped with an air attack combat outfit, prepares to provide close air support for a besieged unit of Space Marines.Riya making her way through some mountains on Proxima-B.Riya onboard a Marine dropship, preparing herself for a solo assassination behind enemy lines.Riya shortly after reconfiguring her MK-280 into a sniper from its standard assault rifle form.Riya after causing some mayhem for enemy Haifisch during underwater combat.Riya on a mission with Dark Omega preparing to engage a contingent of Haifisch combatants in a desert on Proxima-B.Riya emerging from a forest, reuniting with the rest of Dark Omega after becoming separated during a mission.Riya during her first deployment onboard a Terran dreadnought in orbit over Proxima-B.Riya scouting ahead on a mission with the rest of her unit not far behind.Riya and Dark Omega decide to call it a day during a mission in a Proxima-B desert.Riya dressed in a combat outfit containing OD Green paint color, a throwback to the American Imperial Military.Riya dives in (notably without her signature hood) in order to save a fellow Dark Omega operator.Riya preparing to lead a unit of Space Marine Raiders on a mission to take out an unsanctioned EXOGEN Biochemical Lab on Proxima-B suspected of collaborating with the Haifisch.Riya and Omega 9 sweeping through a major haifisch weapons factory after it was struck by a Terran-built ballistic missile.Riya Bhatia brandishes a Scyaunn Systems SI-44 Hand Cannon moments before assassinating a notorious Haifisch Shaman.Riya equipped with her "Swamp Monster" amphibious assault suit and a Trauma Defense TDM-125 assault carbine.Riya waiting for her next assignment onboard a Terran warship.Riya Bhatia, sporting her signature look, carries a DS-30 Battle Rifle during exfil towards Space Marine-controlled territory with Dark Omega.Riya wearing her "Buzzard" air attack combat outfit after arriving at the Space Marine-controlled Mesasho Power Plant on Proxima-B.Riya enters the war-torn human colony of Neue Bonn on Proxima-B to carry out a solo capture-or-kill mission.Riya Bhatia mourns after a human traitor's actions result in the death of new teammate Omega 7.Riya gets revenge for Omega 7, mortally wounding the human traitor responsible with an obsolete energy sword modeled after the legendary Excalibur.Riya successfully infiltrating a Haifisch city.Riya testing out the 3rd-gen advanced air-to-ground assault suit while back at the Delhi Marine Stronghold.Riya equips her "Crimson Widow" assault outfit.Annoyed and angry onboard a Terran dreadnought, Riya prepares to neutralize a Haifisch boarding party all by herself.Riya about to jump down with Dark Omega to Proxima-B from a Terran warship high the planet's exosphere.Riya, carrying her modified MK-280 sniper, moves from one position to another in an abandoned city on Proxima-B.Riya on assignment with Dark Omega, during a rainstorm in a jungle on Proxima-B.Riya leads a Space Marine convoy through a ransacked human colony on dark side of Proxima-B.Riya having a sixth sense moment while on a recon mission with Dark Omega; shortly after, she and the rest of her unit would successfully fend off a Haifisch ambush.Riya and her fellow teammate, Omega 3, stranded in a desert on Proxima-B after evacuating from a burning Terran warship above.Riya finds herself in the middle of an urban warzone somewhere on the continent of Leicht on the light-side of Proxima-B.Riya puts on her "Doomswitch" multi-purpose planet-side combat suit before departing the Gandar Space Marine Citadel on a mission with Dark Omega.Riya Bhatia showcased in a Space Marine propaganda poster; she and Dark Omega had a good laugh about her decision to participate in the shoot.