Deathwave

Deathwave is the leader of the Ragnarök Mercenary Company, and a former Pre-War Technician for the Defense Intelligence Agency of the United States of America. Aware of the impending nuclear attacks, Deathwave was able to secure a secret facility within Vault 111, setting himself to be thawed from cryogenic sleep once the Vault door was opened from the inside by a Vault 111 issued Pip-Boy. When Nora, the Sole Survivor, left the Vault for the first time, Deathwave was awakened, and spent the next few years establishing himself in this new world by learning secrets, conducting secret operations, and hiring Raiders to assist with certain tasks, which usually ended in failure due to their animal-like behaviors. Deathwave ultimately provides an escape means for Kairune and Rayne, who were fugitives of the Brotherhood of Steel. Finding Crow and Chaos, the group eventually formed a neutral contract organization, the Ragnarök Mercenary Company.

## Background

### Pre-War

Deathwave was originally a high level research engineer and officer within the United States Defense Intelligence Agency, having recently accepted a position to serve as a liaison between the DIA and the Boston branch of the Defense Engineering Research Project Initiative (DERPI), which provided him access to classified technology from Arc-Jet Systems, General Atomics, and many other companies involved in the development of future weapons of war. Deathwave was a relatively antisocial member of the group, keeping to himself to simultaneous conduct his own weapons and selling them to government agencies, selling under the alias of Deathwave. Due to his connections to high ranking members of the military, Deathwave received relatively advanced notice of the upcoming nuclear weapons deployments that were projected to destroy the current way of life, and as such, he elected to begin construction of a private cryopod and section within Vault 111, along with terminals containing his current network of tech and blueprints, and his research. By September of 2077, Deathwave had finished his preservation room, and had accrued a sizable cache of his weapons designs and resources for life in the post-war world. On October 23, 2077, an alert on his office computer notified him of enemy bombers breaching US airspace, and as a precautionary action, he evacuated to the Vault. When nuclear ordinance was confirmed, he collapsed the entrance tunnel to his vault, and set it to unfreeze him, when a Vault 111 issued Pip-Boy would be used to open the Vault's door.

Deathwave was unfrozen upon Sole Survivor Nora's departure of the Vault in 2287, resulting in him taking the rest of the day to check on his bunker and ensure that it was stable. Although the bunker had sustained the original nuclear blast, the two centuries without formal maintenance had rendered it somewhat unstable, prompting him to begin efforts to find a new location. Prior to the war, his cache of doomsday equipment included a number of network terminals connected to a large computer, allowing access to many of the Commonwealth's remaining computers and networks. Deathwave spent the next few months, repairing his equipment, building himself armor and crude weaponry, and monitoring the activities of those in the immediate area, including Nora, who began colonizing the nearby neighborhood of Sanctuary after saving one of the last remaining members of the Commonwealth Minutemen.

Deathwave, out on a supply run, witnessed the arrival of the Brotherhood of Steel in late-2287, only two months after his awakening. Deathwave had stopped by in Diamond City, purchasing goods from the merchants there, when the massive airship, The Prydwyn, flew by overhead. Unbeknownst to him at the time, the Prydwyn had one crew member aboard that would help him begin the RMC.

In early 2288, after the formation of the Minutemen and the settling of the Brotherhood of Steel, Deathwave was near Sanctuary, en route to a nearby military installment to check for potential salvage, when he spotted a bright blue flash and a small shockwave of dust. Investigating, he spotted a young girl named Rayne, who wore an Institute field suit. She spotted Deathwave, and spoke to him briefly, asking for him to take her to Diamond City, where she believed she would be able to evade her pursuers. Unfortunately, moments after, several Institute synths and two coursers appeared and engaged the two. Deathwave took cover, plotting an escape route. While he backed away, a passing Brotherhood of Steel vertibird flew by, dropping a Sentinel and a Knight, who quickly subdued the synths and one of the coursers. The remaining Courser retreated back to the Institute, and Deathwave fled back to Sanctuary, evading the Brotherhood troops, who then took Rayne into custody. Fearing his bunker was compromised, he made plans to gather his belongings and link up with allied robot Captain Ironsides, who was plotting to prepare to launch the USS Constitution into the Atlantic.

While away, back at the Prydwyn, Brotherhood officers interrogated Rayne, believing her to be a synth, and remarked that she wouldn't live long in their control. Although she pleaded with them that she wasn't a synth, they disregarded her. Elder Maxson, commander of the Brotherhood, ordered Sentinel Kairune to execute her. The last straw of a thousand other problems she had with the Elder, she refused his order, starting a shouting match that ended with her challenging Maxson's title through the 'old ways'. Maxson refused to honor the challenge, and ordered Kairune to surrender and be taken into custody to stand trial. Kairune fought back, incapacitating Maxson, and fled the airship with Rayne on a vertibird before the ship was alerted to her actions. Kairune initially planned to fly up North, potentially to Far Harbor off the coast of Maine, as the Brotherhood did not have any presence there. Rayne urged her to fly west, towards Sanctuary, although Kairune was hesitant due to the Minutemen set up in the area. As they flew North, Kairune observed a conflict between the crew of the USS Constitution and scavengers, remarking on the battle. Rayne recognized Deathwave, and demanded that they help them out, citing that Deathwave had access to technology and could help them keep safe. Agreeing reluctantly, Kairune landed the vertibird and assisted the crew. Shortly after, they offered to aid the USS Constitution, helping to get her engines and systems back online. They stayed aboard for her maiden flight, but were shocked when the vessel flew high into the air, colliding with Baxter Building and becoming securely lodged in the top. The group walked around the deck, shocked at the stability of the vessel, while Ironsides and his crew prepared to start repairs to get the vessel into the Atlantic. It was then that they were ambushed by the courser from earlier, who had been capturing a synth in that very tower and recognized Rayne when the ship crashed. Although he was successful in disabling a few of the ships members, he ultimately was knocked unconscious, allowing the group to contain him. Rayne, having experience with his operating system, was able to reset and in a sense 'reprogram' the courser, giving him a sentience but retaining his tactical prowess as a courser. He was accidentally exposed to the teachings of the Children of Atom, and believes that his new life was done so by Atom's hand, making him a devout follower. It also began his obsession with nuclear fission. Kairune, sensing that his interests were rather hazardous, found and gave him a small piece of Uranium-235 used during the testing of the first nuclear weapon, which formed a massive bond between him and her, and ensured his loyalty and friendship with the group. It was at that point that they'd started to refer to themselves as the Ragnarök Mercenary Company, taking on small contracts to build up their arsenal and fund Deathwave and Rayne's crafting. They typically loitered in Diamond City until DC security began harassing them, prompting them to set up in nearby Goodneighbor instead. Forming a fast friendship with town mayor Hancock, the group rented out a small office space for citizens to request contracts at.