Persey

> *"You're not allowed to die while my shield stands."*
> ~ to Elena Trotskaya. (\*)
>
>

## Introduction

**Persey**, named for the Greek mythological hero Perseus, is a Chthonian hypersoldier in the Mecharussian Armed Forces. The oldest of the Chthonian soldiers by a considerable margin at 117 years of age (as of 2152) and one of the programme's only three volunteers (the others being Atalanta and his late best friend Ajax), he is something of a father figure to the younger warriors, particularly the traumatised Ippolyta and the naïve Atalanta.

Persey's trademark weapon is the aspis from which he derives the title 'Unbreakable Wall' – a massive, nigh-invulnerable circular shield that is shown to be completely impervious to tank-sized railgun fire, still less small arms. The shield is even capable of absorbing the powerful laser blast of a European X-40 Prétorien THEL emplacement (albeit barely). In his other hand he wields a deadly plasma spear that can pierce even the underside of a Panzer Schlachtross, using a heavy durasteel mace as a backup weapon should the spear become unavailable for use. As far as personal ranged capability goes, he possesses a large, back-mounted cryogenic blastgun that he can deploy over his shoulder while his shield is up. However, the cryo cannon possesses little in the way of range, roughly equivalent to that of a shotgun.

Astride his right shoulder is a semi-sentient spider drone, which has the personality of a guard dog. Originally it was equipped with a 6V24 Drakon Gatling laser, but its owner recently upgraded it to the far more powerful GShGm heavy chaingun. The drone can detach from its shoulder-port and scuttle about alongside him, pinning down anyone who tries to outflank him.

## Personality

The archetype of the gentle giant, Persey speaks with a deep, rasping voice, and then only for short periods. This is owed to a horrible burn wound that he suffered while fighting in the Salvagings: his body and most of his face had to be reconstructed when he was blasted with a plasma thrower, and the assault suit that he wears serves the prime function of life support. When he does speak, however, it is with calming and reassuring words of wisdom. He attaches great value to the concept of chivalry and actively goes out of his way to protect the weak. It is for this reason that he is often seen on humanitarian missions with the Popular Front to Siberia and abroad, lending his wise words and assistance to those in need.

Persey's charitable nature should by no means be mistaken for weakness, however. When called to fight, he can be just as ferocious an opponent as the rest of his blade-siblings. He will fight tooth and nail to protect his fellow Chthonians and for what he believes in, and has proven a formidable opponent as a result of both his heavy armour and armament and his unswerving determination.

Persey is also known to have a soft spot for children and animals – to such an extent that, when he saw the remains of a child killed by artillery fire during the Second Russo-European War, he had to be carried away by his fellow Chthonians as he broke down, so saddened by the sight he was.

## Notable appearances

* Persey makes an appearance in the Tales storyline *The Trail of Bones*, his most notable appearance being in its conclusion, *The Charge over the Grosser Priel*.

## Trivia

* Persey is loosely based upon Alex Louis Armstrong (from the *Fullmetal Alchemist* anime and manga), another gentle giant who acts as a father figure and is freakishly-strong.
* He can be considered an interesting juxtaposition to Darius, a character created by Imperium Sidhicum. Where Darius is harsh, brutal and at times sadistic, Persey is kind-hearted, chivalrous and gentle. At the same time, the two are strikingly similar to each other: they are both elite soldiers, both wear hulking suits of powered armour as a form of life support, and both also prefer to engage their enemies in melee combat (though Darius favours a scimitar, whereas Persey makes use of a spear).