Queen Kusunoki Masako

“Well, Doctor Hellstrom, I may not be wanting to stay on Earth forever, but that doesn’t mean that I and mine will allow you to take it over! You may consider your creations the apex of evolution, but I know otherwise! Using your own analogies, your abomination is just a big juicy caterpillar for my winged warriors to sting and eat! Feel our sting, Doctor, deep and paralyzing, after which you’ll feel us cut your organization to pieces for our own use!”

## Doctor Kusunoki Masako - Queen-Matriarch of Clan Vespa

A brilliant, if eccentric, nanotechnologist, Doctor Kusunoki Masako was a rather self-centered and self-absorbed loner of a genius, sought for hire by both government and private industry concerns, until she was headhunted first by the Swarmy, who wanted her to produce weapons and perform high-level computer sabotage for them. Changed into a BeeGirl drone, the cybernetist was enthralled to the rapture of the Swarmy groupmind which sought to use the genius's own sense of loneliness and isolation to enslave her and mold her will to the insect-minds’ needs. Her enslavement came as a surprise blow to her ego and sense of self; her sudden liberation from the Swarmy hivemind came almost as a bitter release and second blow to her psyche.

The Swarmys’ interest in Doctor Kusunoki Masako seems justified by her activity since. Something in her conversion set her off on a creative and innovative jag that shows no signs of slowing (it’s been speculated that the Swarmy Queen responsible for turning her was experimenting with creating an “Egghead” caste-drone). On her own again, Doctor Kusunoki has been engaging in a white-hot surge of revolutionary technological development. With her cutting edge knowledge of alien technologies, combined with her own innovations and her arguably unhinged psyche, Doctor Kusunoki could easily become a most potent supervillain posing a serious threat to the Earth, but her interests don’t bend towards world domination.

Fortunately (or UNfortunately), Miss Kusunoki seems to have replaced her infatuation with the Swarmy groupmind with an obsession with the Shemarrians. Though more independent-minded than a Bee-thrall (as evidenced by her taking as inspiration wasps and hornets), Doctor Kusunoki is very much in love with the idea of the super-internet-like EShemarrian COMMUNITY of minds. Her ultimate goal is to unite with that community. Though the realist in her acknowledges that the EShemar likely aren’t as perfect as she makes them out to be, they’re as close to perfect as she can reach. Subconsciously Doctor Kusunoki feels that to insure that the EShemar will accept her, she is building up her own sub-Tribe and developing a host of useful technologies to prove that she and her followers are of benefit to the Shemarrian Nation (ARCHIE-3 would LOVE to have worshipful followers like Kusunoki Masako).

When she gets older and her Swarmy-enhanced body begins to fail, Doctor Kusunoki plans to have her brain transplanted/transferred into a fully cybernetic body similar to a Shemarrian’s, completing her transformation.

## Abilities

### Rank

CEO, Vesparii Technologies & Hornet Security Inc. Queen-Matriarch of Clan Vespa.

Race

Human, BeeGirl metamorph

Land of Origin

Earth (Heroes Unlimited analogue)

Age

Appears to be in her mid-30’s, but is closer to 50 years old.

Sex

Female

### Physical Description/Appearance

An attractive-looking human woman of Asian descent, with long dark hair (with green and red highlights) and dark eyes. Her skin has a slight shiny sheen to it.

Fully ‘morphed in her BeeGirl form, Doctor Kusunoki’s skin takes on a shiny appearance accented with swirls of yellow and green. She can manifest a light suit of chitinous armor that looks like a leotard, leggings, and arm gloves. Her hair sprouts two antennae, her eyes take on a faceted look, and four membranous transparent wings sprout from her back.

Normally wears business suits or lab coats when appearing as human. When acting in her role as Clan Vespa Matriarch, she wears a suit of green and gold composite plate armor patterned after Shemarrian body armor. She wears a diadem or techno-headband at all times.

### Disposition

Was a cold and impersonal genius, suffering from a sense of isolation and loneliness due to her genius, which set her apart from others since childhood. The Swarmy played on this by offering her seemingly unconditional love, in order to break her will and subvert her to their purposes.

Since being liberated from the Swarmy, the good doctor has become more emotional and aggressive. Though intellectually she knows what the Swarmy was doing to her, on a subconscious level she still craves the drug-like euphoria of the Swarmy’s approval-rewards. Doctor Kusunoki instead now gets high off the successes of her little clan, and each step of progress towards the larger goals she has set for Clan Vespa. Being Queen-Matriarch also assuages any lingering loneliness and withdrawal pangs she feels from her absorption in the Swarmy hivemind.

Tends to slip into creative ‘fugues’ during which she often goes nonstop for days, hardly eating or sleeping, fully focused on what she is working on. These fugues have become more common since she became Queen-Matriarch but at least now she has assistants who will pull her out of the worst fugue-spirals and make sure she eats and rests.

Doctor Kusunoki looks upon her followers with the love of a matriarch looking over her family, rather than arrogant superiority overseeing tools. The good (mad) doctor means to see her little clan survive and flourish, and make a good showing to their kin in the greater megaverse.

For the time being, Doctor Kusunoki is focusing on her Shemarrian plan. Once she establishes Clan Vespa comfortably, she intends to turn her new sense of passion to more normal undertakings; seek a suitable mate, start a family, have children, and insure the future of her clan.

### Insanities

Obsession: Shemarrians. Arguably Doctor Kusunoki’s ambition to join the Shemarrian Nation counts as an obsession. Some Wayfinders have observed this and have expressed hopes that her obsession doesn’t prove to be a detrimental one. Fighting crime and introducing powerful new technologies on her birthworld are merely sideshows to her plans to leave her Earth and join the spacefaring cyberoids.

MDC

A BeeGirl’s SDC becomes MDC, plus they can spontaneously grow a suit of Bioarmor (see special abilities below).

### Special Abilities/Characteristics/Powers

#### Insect Wings

Female BeeGirls sprout four lacy transparent wings from their backs. These wings can be retracted into sheaths in the back (appear as simply more prominent and angular shoulder blade bones). While physically too small to support a grown human being, through what may be magic or psionic levitation, the wings can allow the BeeGirl to fly at up to 100 MPH, at altitudes up to 15,000 ft. When in flight, BeeGirls have a +1 on initiative, +1 to strike and roll, +2 to dodge, and +4 SDC damage for every 20 MPH of speed. Wings have 2d6+15 MDC each and can be regenerated (takes about a week) if destroyed.

#### Armored Eyes

A nictating membrane can fold over the eyes, giving them a cloudy appearance (close inspection will give the impression of multiple facets). These membranes block the effects of extremely bright lights, tear gas, and other airborne irritants.

#### Antennae

These can fold back into the hair if necessary, or hidden under head coverings, in order to hide their presence, though this prevents their use.

* Hears at DOUBLE normal human range
* Track by Sound: 50%+5% per level of experience
* Track by Scent: 40%+2% per level of experience
* Identify Common Odors: 80%+2% per level of experience
* Identify Specific Scent: 60%+2% per level of experience
* Accurately Identify Common Known Objects: 60%+2% per level of experience
* Identify Temperature of Object: 80%+2% per level of experience
* Accurately Identify Wind Direction: 80%+2% per level of experience
* Feel Vibrations of Approaching GroundVehicles/ Large Animals up to six miles way, walking/running humans at 2,000 ft away, and flying objects at 4,000 ft.
* Penalties from being blinded or being in total darkness, penalties are reduced to -4 to strike, parry, and dodge.
* When freed for action, the antennae give +2 to initiative, +2 to strike, parry, and dodge, +1 to roll, and penalties for being blind are HALVED.
* If covered, the BeeGirl suffers a loss of the above bonuses, and -1 to initiative, strike, parry, and dodge.
* Each antennae has 4 MDC each

#### Bio-Armor

This is a chitinous or leathery cartilage that emerges from the pores and quickly (1 melee round) forms a thin exo-armor over the BeePerson. It typically resembles a shiny swimsuit or leotard, with thinner or open joints at hips and shoulders.

MDC: 60+5 per level of experience.

#### Pheromones

BeeGirls (and BeeMen) fairly exude persuasion; these airborne scents effectively raise M.A. and P.B. by 10, and +10% to Seduction skill when dealing with the opposite gender (+5% when dealing with the same gender). Pheromones can also be used to mark targets/persons/property, and even sound a silent alert; the BeeGirls’ senses are keyed to pick up on pheromonal triggers.

Doctor Kusunoki’s pheromones are even more potent and work equally well on BOTH genders.

In general, these are most effective in close quarters with little air movement. Pheromones are less likely to be effective in the open, with a good stiff wind blowing.

#### Superhuman Strength

BeeGirl strength becomes Superhuman; can carry 200 times their P.S. and lift 300 times their P.S. Also fatigues at HALF the normal rate. Punches and Kicks CAN do megadamage in the higher P.S. ranges.

#### Regeneration

BeeGirls heal fast, recovering 2d4 MD per hour. Amputated limbs grow back in a week.

#### Resin

BeeGirls can drool or weep a thick mucus-like resin that hardens into a waxy, plastic-like material; can produce about 2 cubic feet of liquid resin per hour, that hardens into 3d6x10 SDC (A.R. 13) and can be used to reinforce structures, seal openings, and form restraints.

#### Venom Stinger

A gland in the forearms feeds paralytic venom to injectors under the fingernails, which are now hard and sharp enough to serve as stingers.

Range: Melee

Damage: +1d4 SDC/MD, plus victim must save versus non-lethal poison or will lose the use of the stung limb (reduce speed, roll, and dodge bonuses by HALF if a leg, reduce APMs and parry bonuses by HALF if an arm) or will fall unconscious/paralyzed if struck in the neck or main body. Effects last 2d6 minutes. Multiple stings do cumulative duration.

#### Hivemind

BeeGirls mutually support each other, such that as long as at least two are within sight or psionic range of each other, they get a +1 to Initiative, +1 save versus psionic attack, and +1 to save versus Horror Factor. DOUBLE these bonuses for ten or more BeeGirls. Outside psionic range, they lose these bonuses, but do not suffer from isolation shock (they can still hear a reassuring, if distant, telepathic murmur) unless deliberately severed from the Hivemind.

### Vulnerabilities

#### Cold

BeeGirls do not handle cold well, and take double damage from cold-based attacks. Temperatures of freezing or below will remove ALL initiative bonuses, and HALF their combat bonuses and Speed.

#### Telepathic Disruption

Disrupting their telepathic link is another way to discombobulate BeeGirls; -20% to skill rolls, reduce Perception and combat bonuses by HALF, -3 to save versus Horror Factor, and will feel panicked and abandoned for however long the disruption lasts.

Because of her liberation from the Swarmy Queen who converted her, Doctor Kusunoki is less vulnerable to this (she and her ‘retinue’ will only suffer a -5% to skill rolls, Perception, combat bonuses, and save vs Horror Factor only drop by -1. She also has her cyber-telepathy system as back-up.

#### Psionics

BeeGirls and BeeMen possess a limited form of Empathy/Telepathy with other BeePersons. This costs NO ISP, and has an effective range of 300 ft.

If the BeeGirl was psychic before, they will retain their abilities, but the use of their powers will typically be suborned to the use of the Hive.

Doctor Kusunoki was actually a latent Minor Psychic before her conversion. That latency was activated as a result of her mental reconditioning. She has the following:

* Perfect Recall
* Machine Ghost

### Cybernetics/Bionics

None; the BeeGirl conversion prevents implants, but Kusunoki has been working on workarounds to this limitation.

### Skills of Note

* Math: Advanced 98%
* Cybernetic Repair (+ 30%) 98%
* Biology 98%
* Chemistry 98%
* Chemistry: Analytical 98%
* Computer Operation 98%
* Computer Programming 98%
* Computer Repair 98%
* Electrical Engineer 98%
* Mechanical Engineer 98%
* Nanotechnology 98%
* Nanomanufacturing 98%
* Nanorobotics 98%
* Robot Electronics 98%
* Robot Mechanics 98%
* Circuit Board Micro-Electronics 98%
* Optic Systems 98%
* Surveillance Systems 98%
* TV/Video 98%
* Radio: Basic 98%
* Radio: Scramblers 98%
* Radio: Subspace 75%
* Entomology (+10%) 75%
* Language/Literacy
* American English 98%
* Techno-Can 65%
* Cooking 98%
* Pilot Automobile 92%
* Pilot Hovercraft 65%
* Read Sensory Instruments 98%
* Athletics
* Swimming 98%
* Hand to Hand: Martial Arts
* W.P. Knife (+4 strike, +4 parry, +5 strike w/ throw)
* W.P. Paired Weapons
* W.P. Pistol (+3 strike)
* W.P. Energy Pistol (+1 strike)

### Combat

 Dodge
 Parry
 Auto Dodge
 Roll
 Pull Punch
 Disarm
 Entangle
 Knockout/Stun
 Critical Strike

Doctor Kusunoki had no combat experience before being captured by the Swarmy, but learned to fight from them, and after being freed by the Shemarrians to help defend herself and her fledgling tribe.

* Damage:+4
* Judo-style Bodyflip/throw
* Backflip/Escape

### Saves

* +4% Vs Coma/Death
* +1 Vs Magic/Poison
* Vs Psionics (12 or better)
* 45% Charm/Intimidate

## Notable Possessions/Equipment

The Queen-Matriarch has the assets and resources of Vesparii Technologies & Hornet Security Inc. at her disposal. This includes laboratories, warehouses, private aircraft, ground vehicles, and support/security personnel.

Personally, Doctor Kusunoki wears tailored executive clothing or lab coats, and carries a heavily modified laptop on her person at all times. She has a suit of personalized Shemarrian-style body armor w/ 80 MDC.

For self-defense, she carries several vibroblades, a 9mm pistol firing ‘Bee-Rounds’, and a Shemarrian-style laser gauntlet. She also frequently carries some of her nanoweapons, such ‘beehive grenades’ that unleash several dozen microrobots armed with toxic stingers, armor-dissolving nanites, or paralysis-inducing nanotech.

### Cyber-Telepathy Headset

Built into a headband and the doctor’s Shemarrian-style headdress, this headset allows the Matriarch to interface between the BeeGIrl Hivemind and the cyborg personal network, and to command her many robot minions, though microneedles that go right into her skull (her enhanced healing abilities negate any damage or discomfort from this procedure). The headband uses advanced subspace radio technology and has an effective range of 5,000 miles.