[Bijuu] Miranda Lawson {Mass Effect}

General Information

Name:
Miranda Lawson

Alias:
The Loyalist
The Officer
Cerberus Cheerleader
The Ice Queen
Miri
Randa

Age:
35

Origin Game:
Mass Effect 2

Homeland:
The Nebula

Faction:
Cerberus

Gender:
Female

History:


Drive:
Miranda's goals are those of Cerberus and particularly, The Illusive Man. She aims to upheld his human-centric agenda, using her extensive skillset to establish footholds wherever possible. Miranda is his tool and she follows his orders to a fault. What The Illusive Man wants, he gets. Something she has little quarrel with.



Visuals

Image:

Visual Appearance:
Miranda Lawson was engineered to be perfect in every possible meaning of the word. Her appearance is the first and most obvious example. In many ways, she embodies a femme fatale, made to be dangerous and alluring simultaneously. She stands at 5'9", shoulder-length black hair, with striking blue eyes. Miranda's figure is reminiscent of someone who exercises daily or even multiple times a day, with the benefit of not having to do any of that at all. Her job keeps her on her feet, but even then it is her genetic predisposition that makes her look the way she does. Miranda is fully aware of her looks and often uses them to her benefit, seeing them as an effective tool to reach her goals. She doesn't sexualize herself and at the same time, doesn't pay much mind to anyone who does. Why hide it? It's a reflection of her upbringing and a sign of quiet rebellion even as an adult.

Clothing/Armor:

Miranda's attire primarily consists of a full bodysuit. Largely white, with hexagonal patterns throughout, it is contrasted by black thigh-high heels and an upper piece that stretches from her shoulders to her hands. The piece is connected in the back, giving it a cohesive look. In her midriff, Miranda employs a belt that resembles a harness. The suit is completed with a Cerberus insignia on the left side of her chest. The entire suit is also reinforced, meaning it is capable of protecting her fairly well from small-caliber weapons and blades. It is her most common and most professional outfit, certain comments about it are disregarded. 

An alternative look to her regular suit is an identical one, but with a black and orange color scheme. The hexagons are dismissed for a more sleek look, making it a suitable alternative for whenever she needs one.

On the rare occasions where Miranda needs a more heavy-duty outfit change, Cerberus has her covered. A suit of armor, specifically made for her, is the answer. The color scheme is the same as her alternative regular suit. Other than that, it is a fairly standard suit of armor. By Cerberus standards, anyway. Which means that it is highly protective and able to withstand larger weapons and environmental effects.

All of Miranda's suits come with a compact breathing apparatus should the need arise, which can also extend to a transparent helmet, deceiving her opponents into thinking that her head is unprotected.



Personality
Miranda Lawson's personality is both defined by and cultivated to spite her upbringing. Expectations placed on her were far beyond the realm of reason, which says a lot for a woman who was engineered to be the pinnacle of human capability. Her father's neglect, disdain, along with countless other negative adjectives lobbed at her, left Miranda as someone who didn't see her worth in the world. Thankfully, she proved herself to be more than the sum of her parts, enabling her to remove herself from her father and venture into the great beyond to shape herself into the woman she is today.

The first thing most notice when speaking to Miranda would be her directness. She seldom minces words, finding a more gentle approach unnecessary and ineffective in yielding reliable results. And only doing so when other options aren't available. This goes in excellent synergy with her overall cold demeanor, believing in the struggles of others to be lesser than the big picture. There is always a justification for how she behaves, a conditioning of Cerberus' make. Miranda loathes small talk. To her, it is a waste of precious time, namely hers. When you're working with top minds, constantly surrounded by grand ideas and discussions, anything other than that seems beneath you. 

It bleeds into her professional nature, which is second to none. Miranda takes no time getting to the point and moving along at a breakneck speed. Whatever needs done, Miranda is certainly the person to get it done the best and the quickest. But she isn't averse to longer operations, knowing when to use subterfuge and cunning. Though overall, she prefers to get what she wants by any means necessary. Violence is always an option and she's exceedingly good at it. Mostly, however, her extensive intelligence and information gets the job done before anything needs to get physical. Her reputation throughout the known world is evidence enough for that.

Miranda is a Cerberus loyalist through and through, believing in its ideals and goals whole-heartedly. Her sense of duty is obvious. To some that may be seen as fanaticism, worship of an organization (and man) who are known throughout as unsavory to say the least. To Miranda, Cerberus' methods are a means to an end. Means to ensure human significance and impact. She believes in a greater good and is convinced that Cerberus is the path towards reaching a better future. But because of Cerberus' reputation, secrets are a necessary tool of the trade. Same goes for Miranda. And while she trusts her employers fully, there are still secrets even they don't know. The opposite is true as well.

Her sense of duty and professionalism also showcases Miranda's fearlessness. Few things shake her these days, always meeting fear with a steely gaze and a well placed bullet. She is confident to a fault and that has rarely let her down so far. But as much as she is hailed as "perfect," Miranda herself knows that is not true. Even with her gifts, she is still human and humans make mistakes. When she does so, she is typically prepared to face the consequences, even if it means she won't necessarily change her ways.

Anyone attempting to get close to Miranda personally will be met with a swift rebuttal. She keeps her cards close to her chest and trying to pry them out of her hands will result in dire consequences. Miranda's secrets and privacy are her own, nobody is entitled to them, no matter how powerful they may be. That is typically a non-issue, because of how competent Miranda is. She may be feared and loathed, but she is equally respected by just as many people. Getting her trust, however, is a whole other matter. She can count the people she trusts fully on one hand and even then she remains vigilant to any lapses in that trust.

All this isn't to say that Miranda is entirely devoid of feeling. She possesses a dry sense of humor, but humor nonetheless. And while experiencing that isn't a guarantee into her inner world, it is good enough for most to consider her a colleague or a friend. After all, it takes a certain amount of charisma to survive and thrive in the unlawful space of the Nebula for as long as she did and has to this day.


Weapons/Items

M-25 Hornet
The Hornet is a long-range submachine gun created by Cerberus. It is standard equipment for Cerberus troops, who are trained to handle the recoil from the gun's three-round bursts. Cerberus designed the Hornet to conserve ammunition and provide cover-fire during prolonged conflicts.

M-11 Suppressor 
The M-11 Suppressor is the product of one of Cerberus' rival organizations that developed an infiltration weapon to be used in close-quarters situations where silence is key. The Suppressor features a built-in integral sound moderator that reduces noise and muzzle flash. Civilian variants of the weapon are considered illegal but can be found in some sectors.

M-358 Talon
The Talon is a close-range pistol favored by Cerberus Operatives. Firing heavy-gauge shotgun pellets, it delivers massive trauma to unarmored targets. Its waste heat is sufficiently excessive that it carries six separate ammunition blocks, rotating like a revolver to prevent shaver jam or misfire due to premature melting of the shot.

Omni-tool
Omni-tools are multipurpose diagnostic and manufacturing tools as well as computers used for a variety of civilian and battlefield tasks, such as hacking, decryption, or repair. Higher-end omni-tools are equipped by tech specialists to make use of their talents and powers. When activated, an omni-tool can appear over either of a person's forearms and/or hands, and occasionally both, as an orange hologram.

Omni-tools combine a computer microframe, sensor analysis pack, and minifacturing fabricator. Versatile and reliable, an omni-tool can be used to analyze and adjust the functionality of most standard equipment, including weapons and armor, from a distance.

L4 Biotic Implant
All biotics seeking to wield their abilities on a usable level are fitted with an electronic brain implant during puberty. Once the implant is installed, it can only be replaced or altered through extremely dangerous brain surgery, so most individuals keep the same implant their entire lives. Biotics are classed according to their implant model and the strength of their ability.

The L4 implants use biotic amplifiers with built-in VI interfaces to enable external monitoring and enhance the user's abilities. They are an obvious step up from L3 implants, but are rare in distribution due to their price-range and exclusivity. Miranda originally had an L3 implant, which was further retrofitted by her father as he saw fit and later replaced with the L4 implant by Cerberus as per The Illusive Man's request.

Near limitless resources
Being one of Cerberus' top agents and most effective operatives, Miranda has access to almost anything she needs to accomplish any given task. Be it finances, weaponry or intel, she is able to get the upper hand in most situations due to Cerberus' backing alone. The Illusive Man spares no expense to ensuring that his vision is enacted and who better to do so than his right-hand woman. This is further compounded by Miranda's extensive network of contacts all over the known world. These people range from diplomats and other governmental figures to mercenaries and even criminals. Most owe her favors, others are aligned with her and Cerberus' goals.

Abilities/Powers

Biotics
Biotics is the ability of some lifeforms to create mass effect fields using element zero nodules embedded in body tissues. These powers are both accessed and augmented by using bio-amps. Biotic individuals can knock enemies over from a distance, lift them into the air, generate gravitational vortices to tear obstacles or enemies apart, or create protective barriers. Miranda's biotics are the result of her genetic engineering, enhanced specifically to make her more potent than the average biotic. While she doesn't employ a large variety of specific biotic skills, she is masterful in the basics and the particular specific techniques that she uses are much more dangerous than those of other human biotics.

Tech
'Tech' refers to abilities based around reverse engineering or hacking various technologies, including suit systems, weapons, and synthetic enemies. Tech abilities are particularly useful due to the large number of technological weapons, armor, and shields employed throughout the world. Tech talents range from disabling enemy shields and weapons, to hacking a synthetic to turn on its own kind, to restoring the health of allies through stimulants. Tech abilities are deployed through Omni-tools. Miranda's effectiveness in using an Omni-tool exceeds that of its regular smaller capabilities. She has particularly focused on dealing damage and overloading shields, synthetics, and other types of technology.

Enhanced Physical Constitution
Miranda was engineered for the purpose of her father's desire to create a dynasty in his own image. As such, his "offspring" were granted capabilities beyond that of a normal human. Miranda heals faster than a regular human and will likely live twice as long. Her immune system is bolstered to a degree where being affected by illness is very difficult. She is also resistant to most poisons, no matter how they may enter her bloodstream. And while she isn't entirely immune, these effects take much longer to be administered as well as her recovery period being significantly shortened.

Miranda's physicality overall is additionally upped, making her stronger, more nimble and she possesses heightened stamina. While not at a superhuman level, she can be compared to a career athlete with extensive combat capabilities.

Cerberus Operative Training
As is the case with all recruits who aren't assigned as scientists, Miranda went through extensive training when she joined Cerberus. Her hand-to-hand combat skills are at an adept level, making close-range fights against her a struggle for many. Her particular skill is also in using her biotics to enhance her physical strikes. These don't provide a monstrous boost, but are enough to make one punch feel like that of four at once. Miranda is also an expert marksman and is the combat skill she uses the most aside from her biotics. Her weapons of choice are typically heavy pistols and submachine guns, though she can also effectively wield assault rifles and sniper rifles should the need arise.

Keen Intellect/Expert Tactician
Another relative boon of her genetic makeup, Miranda is naturally gifted in almost anything she sets her mind to. In her case, she has used those talents to learn the inner workings of most systems present in wherever she has visited. This includes local and international law, law enforcement, government structures and workings, intelligence organizations, culture, art, and the criminal underworld. Her knowledge in these fields is instrumental in the success of her missions, as knowing how her targets operate is key to gaining their trust and cooperation. Additionally, Miranda has become an expert tactician both on and off the battlefield. She typically has crafted multiple plans and backups for any task, usually ensuring that they all go off without a hitch and exactly the way she intended them to.

Roleplay Sample

The datapad shone its blue light, beaming as far as its small screen permitted. It contrasted sharply with the room's warmer light. A spacious apartment illuminated by these numerous lights, attempting to mimic sunlight. Miranda bore none of it any mind, her eyes fixated on the screen before her. She sat comfortably in her lounge chair, going over Cerberus' latest mission and news reports. Something was constantly happening in a world like hers and she needed to be on top of it all. Breaks were few and far between, to which Miranda would scoff at, finding "time off" a useless endeavor. With her free hand, she sipped on a dry, red wine that to most others, would remind something more akin to wood than anything drinkable. It was the strong stuff she gravitated towards. Something she had learned to appreciate from her employer. A telling admission.

Miranda's reading was then interrupted by a discernible series of beeps coming from her desk. There was only one person who would and could freely call her like this. She promptly got up from the chair, exchanging it for the one at her desk. She sat down, the glass still at hand, as she accepted his call.

The Illusive Man came into picture a moment later, the projected image of him pristine, laden with color. His eyes looked especially otherworldly during these calls. But that was all merely human ingenuity. Miranda had never learned what capabilities they lent him and even in her position, she was not going to be privy to that knowledge. He then spoke.

"Miranda, excellent work on your assignment. I have your next task at hand."

"Thank you. What am I up against?"

"The nature of this mission is different. We're looking at long-term goals here. Real impact."

The way he spoke was an attribute most public speakers and organization heads could only dream of. His conviction and true belief in his cause, along with his charisma, made The Illusive Man into a powerful figurehead. No wonder Cerberus had grown so exponentially in the recent years. It also made him dangerous, which he made no effort to hide. Danger was often what propelled change. He continued.

"You'll be going on a longer assignment, away from Earth. Amalgamos and the closer sectors of the Nebula will be your base of operations for the near future. I know you're familiar with the region, making you the best candidate for something this delicate."

Miranda took the information with relative indifference. It was another task, another job. Nothing she hadn't done before. Though she hadn't been too far away from Earth ever since she came back. But he was also correct, she knew the area. Familiar grounds with contacts already present.

"Understood."

The two had made away with formal titles like "sir" a long time ago. They were peers... ostensibly. Because even Miranda knew that The Illusive Man would never truly view her as such. It didn't matter. She had his audience and that was a status symbol already. She continued to listen to his briefing on the mission. A delicate task indeed. Soon after, he bid her farewell for now, asking her to make contact once she had settled in. His projection disappeared, Miranda took a final sip from her glass and reinforced her ever-present game face. The work was never really done and Miranda Lawson lived for it.