name: Roland Freud status: alive gender: male age: 19 (born 19.12.814)
place of birth: Planet Pittsburgh, New York system, Liberty education: none current affiliation: Task Force Prometheus current occupation: mechanic, pilot
height: 6’3”/191cm weight: 180lb/82kg eye color: grey hair color: black
known family: younger sister Emilia Freud (alive, 17 years old, born 14.11.816) home: Invergordon Salvage Yards, Inverness system crime record: theft, sabotage, blackmail, smuggling resources:access denied
Roland was one of the orphans that Ageira took in for an experimenton introducing AI capabilities into humans using alien technology. The experiment was a partial failure: the AI remained dormant, influencing Roland's mind only in a passive manner. While transporting the orphans, Ageira was attacked by Lane Hackers. Having rescued the children, they found them fake foster families, hoping to hide them from Ageira under their noses. All orphans received the surname "Freud".
Roland Freud and Emilia Freud were taken into a poor family of miners from Pittsburgh. Emilia, who, due to extremely poor health, required care and medication. To help her, Roland worked part-time from an early age, doing simple errands; in his free time, he tinkered with unusable equipment. Subsequently, by adolescence, he began to earn money by repairing various devices. Thanks to this, he made friends in a variety of circles, including unlawful ones. His dormant AI helped in this, making the boy a natural mechanic and technician.
Returning home one evening, Roland overheard his parents discussing killing their daughter in order to “save her the pain and family the burden”. The teenager, horrified, fled with his sister, hiding among those who could use his skills as a repairman. Of course, more often than not, these people were outside the law.
Ultimately, this lifestyle led Roland down a slippery slope: theft, sabotage and blackmail became commonplace. Unfortunately, despite Roland's best efforts, his sister's health grew increasingly worse until she was almost completely bedridden.
Junker
One day Roland got lucky. A lonely, old space drifter who arrived on the planet noticed his skills. The man was a Junker named Mason; he offered Roland to leave Pittsburgh to work for him. Roland jumped at the chance to get off the planet with his sister. For a couple of years, Roland repaired Junker ships, simultaneously caring for his sister and learning all he could from his benefactor. Until one day he received news that Mason had died. Since he had no children, he left Roland an inheritance of two small, battered ships. Of course, this served as another turn in Roland’s life. In the vastness of space, he could earn much more than vegetating at the station.
While flying on an errand, Roland encountered a patrol from Task Force Prometheus. During the conversation with them, he learned about their cause and many monstrous things that the Liberty Republic had commited under the guise of good intentions. What's even more surprising is that he encountered aliens about whom there were vague rumors among the Junkers. And even made one friend among them — or so he thought, anyway.
Having received an invitation to the task force, Roland returned to his little room at Invergordon Salvage Yards, wanting to get a good night's sleep... And he couldn't. Closing his eyes, he saw the same thing every time: flame blazing before his eyes. Unable to sleep, he set to work on the ships he had inherited, to prepare them for battle. The work went quickly: Roland paused only when exhaustion forced him to fall asleep. And even in his dreams he saw the flames.
He did not doubt for too long whether he should accept the offer to join Prometheus. For the first time in his life, he could have a hand in something bigger and make the world a better place for people like his sister. That alone meant the world to him.
Task Force Prometheus
After joining the task force, Roland took part in several missions. In one of them, aimed at confronting Liberty, whether it was by coincidence or malicious intent, civilians perished in the crossfire. Despite the fact that Roland had seen innocent people suffer many times in his life, this was the first time he was among those who caused them to suffer. This mental struggle aggravated his health, already undermined by lack of sleep.
Not having sufficient experience in piloting and not being in the best condition, during the missions he was unable to protect his ship from serious damage, often ending up injured.
After talking with Yoko Mori, whom Roland knew from the moment he joined the task force, he decided to go further and try to get rid of obsessive nightmares with the help of cybernetics. Having already managed to agree on the appropriate operation with the Technocrats, Roland was urgently called to the next mission.
Only by luck, bordering on a miracle, this mission was not his last. In a skirmish with the Xenos, his ship was destroyed, and he himself drifted, almost deprived of life, in a damaged escape pod. Once he was found and brought to the Technocrats, they managed to save him by replacing some of his body parts with cybernetics.
However, the real cause of his nightmares was the AI awakening from Nomad Vagrant's influence and adapting to its new reality.
recording...
location: invergordon salvage yards, inverness system
current date: 16.05.834
local time: 23:04
detected entities: locksmith
The sounds of slow footsteps broke the monotonous silence of the humble abode that Roland called home. The click of the door being locked seemed to awaken the previously dormant electronic life inside the room: several lights on the ceiling lit up first, illuminating the room with subdued light. Then, obeying the program embedded in them, large screens on the walls reluctantly woke up from sleep, depicting the illusion of a night city outside the windows. Manhattan. A cheap, fake fulfillment of a childhood dream.
After removing his boots, helmet, and outerwear, Roland spent a few minutes preparing a modest meal and coffee. He didn't like coffee. Especially here. To call this flavored sludge a "drink" would be a compliment, but right now he needed something to keep him going.
Having hastily swallowed his food, Roland took the cup to the table and sat down tiredly on a chair. Another electronic life awoke from its slumber: the monitors in front of the young man illuminated his face with a cold light. With a wince, Roland made sure that the room, as he had intended, was recorded on every visit.
“Entry one.” Roland sighed, placing his palm on his forehead. “Before, it would never have occurred to me to record my own reflections and changes in my thinking. Now everything has changed. After meeting with the... Nomads as they call them; constant nightmares; and an operation that partially turned me into a machine, I fear for my sanity. I don’t care what happens with me, but I cannot allow myself to harm Emilia. Therefore, I will write down my every step and track the direction in which my mind is going."
Roland knew it sounded naive. In the event that he does fall under the influence of the Nomads or someone else, most likely he will not be able to maintain rational thinking and prevent anything. And yet it was the only thing he could do. After taking a sip of the muddy liquid that the locals call coffee, Roland bent over the keyboard.
Fingers quickly tapped buttons; screens flickered under a focused, defying gaze.
He was not going to sit and wait for his fate. The implants in him would have allowed him to sleep peacefully without seeing nightmares, but this was not a solution. He needed to get to the bottom of this.
"I have acquired equipment for semi-automated surgery from the Technocrats. I intend to slightly adjust effects of the implants, allowing myself to dream, but reducing the intensity of the nightmares so as not to wake up prematurely. I hope to understand the essence of these nightmares and find out their cause."
After some time of intensive work, the equipment was ready. All that was left was... To make sure that someone would take care of Emilia if something went wrong.
Having put on his usual clothes again, Roland left the room. Electronic life fell asleep again to the sound of distant footsteps.
recording...
location: invergordon salvage yards, inverness system
current date: 18.05.834
local time: 04:11
detected entities: locksmith
Despite the fact that the room was not empty, it was surprisingly quiet. Roland sat silently in the chair, not moving; only his breathing and the rhythmic hum of the mechanisms broke the almost complete silence.
He was stalling. It was time to move on to the next stage; he had the best equipment he could get, and Yoko promised to take care of Emilia in case something goes wrong. Yet, fear forced him to postpone the execution of a decision he had already made, to try to delay the inevitable. Even though he had done everything he could, including minimizing the risks and consequences of the worst possible outcome, fear still gripped his body; entwined him like a parasitic plant. Only after some time did he realize that the fear was not due to the fact that he could die. And not even about the fate of his sister.
No. He was afraid of what he might see inside himself.
“Entry two. Taking back my nightmares.”
After double-checking all the equipment and drinking the last sip of mediocre drink, he finally lies down on the makeshift couch. A short command - and the mechanisms into whose metal manipulators Freud entrusted his fate begin to move. First of all, they have to put him into artificial sleep.
Quiet exhalation. He drowns in darkness, falling into the abyss of the unconscious. At first, he doesn't see anything. He does not hear the slightest sound, does not feel the slightest sensation. He is alone with the darkness of the non-existent, and even thoughts are unable to arise in his mind.
And then everything changes dramatically.
Flame. It displaces darkness in a fraction of an instant, as if guided by someone’s inexorable will. Roland wants to scream, but his mouth makes no sound. He wants to run, but his legs don't exist; he is just a ghost in a world of raging fire. And he is not alone.
Contrary to his misgivings, the flames do not harm him. They move around in a bizarre dance, as if trying to prevent Roland from seeing what is behind them. But he sees silhouettes of people, both familiar and not. Focusing his gaze, he manages to make out some of them.
He sees... Himself. Still just a child, standing in front of a burning building, holding the hand of a crying sister. His face is contorted with fear; but it is not the flame he fears, but what he has done. Gradually fading screams are heard from the building until the vision dissipates like smoke in the wind.
Roland desperately tries to peer into the flames to see more, but his emotions overwhelm him in an uncontrollable wave. And this wave carries him away, crushing any resistance.
He opens his eyes. The measured hum of machinery, his ragged breathing. He is back.
recording...
location: invergordon salvage Yards, inverness system
current date: 20.05.834
local time: 18:54
detected entities: locksmith
He spent two days in silence. Trying to comprehend what was revealed to him in his dreams. And then trying to accept it. His mind, with the desperation of a cornered animal, tried to deny what he saw, to find another explanation for it.
But there was simply no other interpretation. And he felt in his gut that it was true.
“Entry three...”
The words were spoken slowly, reluctantly, quietly. Roland, sitting on the couch in a hunched position, covered his eyes with his hand.
He didn't just run away from his parents all those years ago. He burned them. Locked them inside and set the house on fire.
He heard them. Their curses, their pleas, their cries of pain. And then silence came. It would have reigned supreme if not for the crackling of the fire and the quiet sobs of the little girl.
Was it right? Was it fair? It didn't matter. Especially then. They would have killed her, so he just killed them first.
"It was survival... It was, right?"
He slowly got up and walked over to the table. He lowered his head, peering into the visor of the helmet lying there. As if trying to find confirmation of his words.
"It was... It had to be. It was us or them... Us or them! It was! IT FUCKING WAS!!"
His voice broke. His eyes glowed with a mixture of anger and pain, lost and found again. His chest heaved heavily, and he felt a treacherous weakness in his limbs. He had hardly eaten for the last two days.
Roland grabbed his head and sat down at the table. Several deep breaths and exhalations. His composure gradually returned, slowly allowing him to think.
"She probably doesn't know. Even if she remembers the fire, she doesn't know that I started it."
Fingers tapped on the table. Roland, looking thoughtfully at the monitor, sighed a few seconds later.
"And it will remain so. At least for now. She has the right to know, but... I can't risk worsening her condition. Not now, when she finally has a chance to get better thanks to the Technocrats."
His hands fell on his helmet as if of their own accord. He needed to get away from here for a while. To fill his head with something else.
recording...
location: Invergordon Salvage Yards, Inverness system
current date: 23.05.834
local time: 00:29
detected entities: locksmith . . . ??????? . . . cannot identify
He ran into his abode, trying to hide as deep as possible in a dark corner. Roland didn't know what was going on, and it scared him. He was afraid that his implants were starting to malfunction and he might unwittingly hurt someone else, so he ran away from the talk after the patrol. His head gave off a throbbing pain, as if something was beating inside. A binary code he did not understand kept running across his visor, and there was a buzzing noise in his ears.
“Make it stop...”
He collapsed in the corner, knocking over a potted plant, curled up in a fetal position. A shudder ran through his body. He felt nauseous.
“Not like this. Not like this...”
The binary code on the visor became increasingly visible. There was more of it. It was as if something was trying to speak to Roland through these numbers. He took a few deep breaths, closed and opened his eyes, but it didn't stop, at first. And then... The buzzing noise suddenly ended. It was quiet. The binary code that had been moving without stopping slowed down.
It took a couple of moments to realize. The binary digits were not on the visor. He heard them.
“No... No, no, no, no. Get out! Get out from my head!”
Roland tore the helmet off his head, throwing it to the side. For a few seconds everything was quiet. But then...
"you understand me. good. do not be alarmed. i will not harm you."
Roland froze in shock. He actually heard it.
“Just... Just leave me alone... Whatever you are...”
"i cannot do that."
Roland struggled to his feet, despite the throbbing pain in his head. He tried to run, to get some help, but his legs failed him. He fell in the middle of the room. Everything slowly went dark.
"i am sorry. you cannot run from yourself. rest."
He opened his mouth to answer, but couldn't. Blissful nothingness embraced him.
recording...
location: invergordon salvage yards, inverness system
current date: 24.05.834
local time: 19:24
detected entities: locksmith
Consciousness returned to him slowly and reluctantly. His mind was foggy, his eyes could barely open, and the floor felt like a comfortable bed. Despite this, with the remnants of his will he cast aside his drowsiness and, with a quiet groan, raised his head.
“Was it just a dream?..”
Once again, he searched for a simple explanation, trying to push away his fears. Blame it all on overwork...
Carefully rising to his feet, Roland was surprised to find that he felt fine, except for drowsiness. He had clearly been lying here for at least several hours, but he felt neither hunger nor thirst. Picking up his helmet from the floor, he placed it on the table and fell onto a chair. He then quickly checked the previous recording that was made when he came here. No... He couldn't deny what happened. It wasn't a dream. Especially considering what he saw in the real dream. And he saw a lot.
Whoever or whatever it was that contacted him, it revealed to him details of the distant past that he did not remember due to his age at that time. Of course, he had no reason to simply trust this information that was so conveniently given to him... But he could not find a flaw in this story.
If what was shown to him in his dream is to be believed, he was, along with many others, Ageira's experiment to create humans with AI capabilities using alien technology. The experiment was partially a failure: the AI remained dormant, and Ageira was unable to awaken it by any means.
The influence of the dormant AI would explain his ability in the technical field, given that he had never received any education or training. This story also explained what happened after contact with the Nomad. Technology created using alien knowledge was awakened by contact with one.
Still, the thought that he would have to share his body with someone else, even if they did not wish Roland harm, was not the most pleasant. He did not want to address this problem to Technocrats; they might decide that the knowledge they could extract from him was more valuable than his life and freedom. Moreover, he could not deny that only thanks to this he was able to get out of Pittsburgh... And, more importantly, get his sister out of there. Perhaps she would already be dead otherwise.
Thinking about this, Roland thought he saw a red glimmer on the helmet. Turning his head, however, he did not notice anything unusual. Although he could almost swear he saw a red light...
“Entry... Fifth.” Roland turned his gaze to the monitor, wanting to check the information he had received, at least indirectly. “Biography update.”
The rest of the day was filled with lengthy searches for information and attempts to verify it. And trying to cope with the feeling of being watched.
recording...
location: invergordon salvage yards, inverness system
current date: 30.05.834
local time: 14:06
detected entities: locksmith
Lately, he had been able to sleep less and less often in his abode. Most often, he had to sleep right in the chair of his ship, while the autopilot guided the fighter along a given course.
A lot was happening. Constant skirmishes with Outcasts, Xenos and Liberty forces gradually turned from something previously unheard of into an almost daily routine. And that was the least of his worries.
He had almost forgotten how the sight of his childhood dream soothed him. The skyscrapers on the wall screens, although fake, reminded him of what and who he was fighting for.
“Entry six.” Roland slowly sat down on a chair, stretching his fingers. Even the rare hours he spent here had to be devoted to business. “New direction of work.”
He leaned back in his chair and was silent for a few seconds, as if trying to get into the right mood for work.
"Frankly, a lot has happened lately that is worth recording. New developments with this... AI. Ships piloted by androids claiming to be under my supervision. But all this will have to wait. Work comes first."
His eyes quickly ran over the files provided by his superiors. Schematics, characteristics, records... He had to study all this in the coming days. For the first time in his life, it was not enough for him to understand the structure of technology himself. He had to teach this to other people. But the expected result? More than worth the effort.
"Defender". The workhorse of the Liberty fleet. Placed at the service of their cause. One step closer to the dream. Roland agreed without hesitation.
Once upon a time, on the planet Pittsburgh, a little boy often dreamed that one day he would sit at the helm of such a fighter and fly off towards the stars. To protect his sister, who will live happily on Manhattan.
But dreams are meant to remain dreams. Even what was happening now was an almost incredible coincidence. But he didn't complain. They were alive, they had hope. And maybe one day... One day the view from the window will no longer be fake.
All that remained was to snatch it from the hands of the corrupt.
recording...
location: valravn citadel, inverness system
current date: 02.06.834
local time: 16:37
detected entities: locksmith, emilia freud
It was unusually quiet for him here. Fewer people, more space. And it was clean... No stains, no rust, not even dust. Even the light seemed more pure and whole.
He was glad that he was able to provide his sister with this private room. Here was the comfort and peace she needed. And, perhaps more importantly, safety. The Technocracy protected her from people who might wish them harm and ensured that her vital signs were monitored around the clock.
And it was all the more worrying to receive this sudden call from her while returning from a reconnaissance mission. So he came as quickly as he could.
“Emilia?”
A young girl was sitting on the edge of the bed. Snow white hair and skin. Eyes like bright rubies. Slender frame, thin and long fingers. And a constantly studying gaze. She was seventeen, although she looked a little younger due to her paleness and thin figure. And instead of the usual tiredness and soreness, she looked... Fine.
Seeing her brother, the girl smiled, got out of bed and then quickly walked up and hugged him tightly. There was no trace left of her former weakness. He was so shocked that he did not immediately react, simply freezing in place.
"I'm okay. I didn't want to bother you, it's just... I couldn't do this for so long."
The girl's hug became tighter, and a tear rolled down her cheek. Taking a deep breath, Roland finally hugged her back. He couldn't help but smile widely under his helmet. In the past couple of years, she hadn't had the strength to stand up and hug him like that. Although he often held her hand while sitting by her bed, it was not the same at all.
“But how?..”
Although the Technocrats were able to achieve gradual improvement in her condition, such a leap seemed impossible. The girl, moving away slightly and continuing to smile, looked straight into the visor of Roland’s helmet.
"I heard a voice inside... You heard it too, right? This voice gave me strength, freed me from these shackles. I'm finally free."
The smile disappeared from his face, replaced by concern. Was she really talking about the very voice that had awakened in him a few days ago? And now in her too? The voice gave him knowledge, he returned her health... But they still did not know what it was and what it wanted.
“Emilia, I... This is great news, but what do you think this voice is?”
"A friend?"
Emilia smiled carefree and happily. It was incredibly tempting to give in and just enjoy the moment with her. And yet... Something was wrong here. Nobody ever helped them for nothing. Looking down, Roland noticed something else.
"What are you wearing? I've never seen something like this on you."
She gently broke the hug and looked at herself. The dark tight clothes with reddish electronics looked unusual.
"I don't remember. I woke up already in it. It's comfortable, though."
"I'm not sure if it's safe."
"It is. Please stop worrying and just... Stay with me a bit."
He couldn't stop worrying. But he couldn’t refuse her either. It could wait. For now, he could just share stories about his latest little adventures.
It was so good to see the bright smile on her face again.
recording...
location: invergordon salvage yards, inverness system
current date: 18.06.834
local time: 19:24
detected entities: locksmith
Several shots broke the silence in the dusty hangar, cutting through the air on their way to the target. These shots were fired by automated turrets. Simple mechanisms that had no algorithm other than shooting at a given target. There was no fault with their performance: their shooting was fast and accurate, the target was hit. Yet it still continued to move.
“Commander, hm... Not sure I can get used to it. Who would have thought that people would call me that?”
Despite his large size, the armored man moved quickly. Servomotors neutralized the heavy weight of the armor and eased the load on the muscles, allowing to move from cover to cover with unprecedented speed.
“The promotion was unexpected. Even despite the success of the operation to acquire Liberty's resources. I thought that the incident with the Corsair, whom I helped bring treatment for their people, would not please the brass. After all, I did violate their instructions.”
The armor was strong enough to ignore tangential bullet hits. And even direct hits from small-caliber weapons could only scratch the surface.
“And yet they... Approved of what I did. Because it was the right thing, promising good prospects. The risk paid off.”
He jumped over a high obstacle, taking several more bullets. Without any noticeable effect.
“Also... Yoruha seems to have become friends with Emilia. We talked. Shared our stories. It's funny, but this AI seemed more humane to me than myself. Especially after what I did.”
He was approaching the turrets. There was no cover from bullets in the last part of the route.
“And yet those people had to die. I couldn't let them come for us.”
The retractable blade, pulsating with energy, cut metal as if through butter. The turrets fell silent one after another, unable to do anything against the prototype armor.
“But now, even if someone comes, I will be ready for it.”
Standing in the middle of the turrets cut into pieces, he suddenly noticed that there was a small hole in the chest, exposing a non-critical part of the electronics. Probably from a point-blank hit. A short chuckle echoed through the now quiet hangar.
recording...
location: ontario system
current date: 06.07.834
local time: 04:24
detected entities: locksmith . . . ??????? . . . cannot identify
It was dark and quiet here. Only the energy of the shield covering the mysterious structure on the planet flickered — seemingly chaotically. But at the same time, it seemed meaningful. Or maybe what was hidden behind it was meaningful, at least.
“Why am I here again?..”
This place was dangerous. And not even because of the constant presence of Xenos, Liberty and Bounty Hunters. Ultimately, all these groups were people.
He could fight people. He could hurt people. He could kill people.
But this? He didn't know what it was. Except that it seemed to constantly beckon him to fly closer. And the fact that it gave him a terrible headache.
“What are you?”
It didn't answer him. Meanwhile, his head continued to buzz with pain. It was as if it was being fed an endless stream of information that made no sense to him. Or, perhaps, on the contrary — was it actually his body sending some information?
He'd been here a couple of times before with Revenant. And yet he decided that he had to visit this place alone. If, of course, the concept of "alone" could still apply to him.
"we would strongly recommend leaving."
He almost suppressed a startled shudder. The voice he had already heard suddenly addressed him. Freud already knew that he belonged to the result of Ageira's experiment on him. It was the voice of those whose vessel he was to become according to the plans of the corporation.
“... Why? What is this thing?”
"we do not know. yet, being near it can result in unpredictable consequences. your mind is still too fragile for us to fully explore this place. at least by the method we can use from this distance."
The answer did not satisfy Freud. But he had nothing to object to. He knew he couldn't do anything about it now.
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