Info

[vive_ad_memento]

Basic Info

Name: V (Valerie Chen)
Age: 28
Gender: Female leaning NB (She/Her, They/Them)
Ethnicity: Mixed Asian
Occupation: Mercenary
Background: Corpo
Orientation: Pansexual
Height: 5'8"
Build: Slight, but Athletic.
Hair: Shoulder-length, dyed bright red that fades into Pink/purple. Shaved on the Left side.
Eyes: Violet
Others: Changes her nail plates out with her outfits, though prefers dark colours with metallics. Wears dark lipstick on her top lip. Likes to wear blue eyeshadow and winged liner.

History

To think that being raised a corpo meant that you had life way better than everyone else in Night City isn't wrong, but it ain't right, neither.

Valerie Chen's parents were mid-level Corpos, but they wanted so much more, and were willing to pay any cost in order to get there. V was born to be their player, a chess piece that they could dress up and use to impress others, to get her into a position that would afford them more wealth and favour than they'd managed to accrue so far.

She was trained relentlessly from the age of 4 in tactics, intelligence, networking, lying, the whole shebang. Her 'extra curriculars' included music (Violin, Piano, Classical Singing Training), Ballroom dance, Art, and Fashion; things that would show that she was clearly a cut above the rest.

Sounds like a charmed like, huh?

Yeah. Not so much when the way that any failure or misstep on her behalf was rewarded by lashes, forced drug usage and stims.

By the age of 15, she felt like she was just an empty shell. It was far easier just to do whatever her parents told her to and to it exceedingly well than to rebel. She'd tried once. She'd almost lost her leg.

Between the rounds of a talent competition, where V had been entered to sing, she was attacked by a merc who'd been ordered to damage her voice, almost irreparably. The attack left her shaken and voiceless, a new scar added to her collection, though this one was much harder to hide under clothes. A thick, corded line across her neck.

She'd never be able to sing properly again. Instead of opting for a lengthy surgery and recovery, V's parents opted instead to have some mid-grade cyberware installed in place of her larynx.

She'd met Arthur Jenkins when she was 21, and he was happy to use her as a pawn just as her parents had; but at least Jenkins couldn't control her home life. She had been working on a plan to escape for a long, long while, but had never had the 'perfect' opportunity to execute it.

Jenkins made it so that her plan was put into action immediately.

Her parents died in an explosion, caused by a gas leak.

She began to work for Arasaka shortly afterwards.

[[WARNING: SPOILERS.]]

V trained in creating and maintaining intelligence networks, establishing defense of corporate assets in the event of armed conflict, crisis impact analysis.

Her superior, Arthur Jenkins, was a big reason V was a high ranking counterintelligence operative agent in the Arasaka Tower, Corpo Plaza. They worked for the Arasaka Corporation and over a two-year period of active duty, had completed six defensive and five offensive operations. Their last assignment was a full reconnaissance of an Asaraka facility in Watson. V had tracked and intercepted a spy from Baskin Undercover Inc, the spy was suspected to have been working under Militech orders.

V had proven that they were an effective autonomous operative; Clever and ambitious they were always committed to completing the assignments and never showed disloyalty to Arasaka. However they showed high levels of stress.

During the Frankfurt leak, Jenkins was tasked with dealing with the situation after assassinating a number of ESA representatives without the official approval of his superior, V was tasked with assassinating his boss, Susan Abernathy, who had stolen his position and caused him too much trouble.

V called their street contact and old friend Jackie Welles to meet at Lizzie's Bar. While there V discussed the details of the job, however Jackie was not willing to do it, and did not want V to go through with it either. During the conversation the two were cornered by Arasaka agents under Abernathy's command, they stripped V of their corporate status and took the information regarding Jenkins. Jackie intervened before they extract V.

With her life effectively over, V was offered help by Jackie and was allowed to stay at his home until she got back on her feet. (Taken from the Wiki.)

After the Heist, after everything went wrong for her and she woke up in a world in which nothing had changed except she was dying and there was an aggressive, dead rockerboy in her head, she desperately searched for something, anything that would help her.

She had only just tasted this freedom, one without doing her parents or a Corp's bidding. She refused to let it be the only taste she ever got. She was just learning how to really be herself, who she really wanted to be, when Johnny's Psyche started to invade.

She met Judy, and she really got to know her. She felt she could cry from both joy and utter devastation, because of course she'd meet someone who she might actually learn to love when she was fucking dying.

And then there was Johnny who, though no choice of their own, was with her almost every second of every day for two weeks, sharing her memories and in turn sharing his. Not necessarily with consent, but sharing nonetheless. A soul, digital though he might be, who actually knew her. It was terrifying, it felt like for the first time, she had to face someone else's judgement when they knew absolutely everything about her life, from back when she was Valerie, not the remade V.

It was comforting, someone who would know exactly who she was before she died, to know someone else like they were herself.

When it came to the end, when she knew that her body really wouldn't last another day, she sat on that roof that looked out into Night City, with all it's poison promises and empty words. They decided that they weren't going to put anyone else's life on the line.

They were going to storm Arasaka by themselves, and they were going to get to Mikoshi, or they'd die.

They did it. They dragged their beaten, bruised, failing body to Mikoshi, and then they jacked in, for what they wouldn't realise would be the final time.

As V stood, sat, existed in virtual space as an Engram that could no longer go back to her body, raging at Alt, at life, at Johnny, at everything, she realised that she couldn't - wouldn't go back to a body that would fail her in six months. She couldn't do that to herself, but she also refused to take what could be a second chance at life away from Johnny, a man she didn't expect to care for, but she thinks she maybe cares a bit too much for, now.

She watched him walk into that well, told him not to forget her, and then he was gone.

[[End of Canon information]]

For a second, or maybe for eternity, V raged. She cried, she howled and she screamed. And then she turned to Alt, who had been looming over her, waiting to bring her into the AI's Code.

"No. You don't get to have me. You don't get to have what's fucking left of me. We're gonna find me a body, some poor fucker who got their brain zapped in the Net, an empty droid, something, anything. And you're gonna help me get back. You fucked up, Alt, and now you're gonna fix it."

Cyberware (It's a lot, please bear with)

Millitech "Falcon" Sandevistan Mk.5: Manufactured by Militech, the "Falcon" is hands down the best and most advanced Sandevistan model out there. Previously used only by elite Militech soldiers, its now available to the average consumer. The nickname is no accident - the peregrine falcon was once one of the fastest animals in the world, as this implant is among cyberware. (Allows V to 'slow' time for 18 seconds - though in reality, this actually speeds her up to dizzying speeds, moving faster than the naked eye can catch for short bursts)

Blood Pump: This cyberware implant will restore a large amount of Health on demand on a long cooldown.

Biomonitor: "An implant designed to coordinate regenerative processes." - Will restore a portion of health when V drops to critical condition.

Kiroshi Optics Mk.5: "Kiroshi optical cyberware is a widely popular suite composed of electro-neural enhancements with environment-scanning functionality. This advanced Kiroshi optical system is designed for the most demanding users. It incorporates the latest breakthroughs in neural-link technology, unprecedented support of optic function and the most powerful scanning algorithms on the market." - up to 8x zoom, target tracking, scanning ability.

Kerenzikov: Kerenzikov is a Reflex Booster that is always active, causing the character to always react with a higher reaction speed that is normally feasible.

Cataresist: Hybrid cyberware that protects the body from the inside and out. Increases resistances to damage types by a small amount.

Cyber-Larynx: Due to the damage of her vocal chords, V has what is essentially a 'voice box'. It allows her to talk and shout as normal, but is liable to EMP and shock damage, which is why she also has an Inductor installed.

Inductor: Invigorates the immune system after receiving an external high-voltage stimulus. This cyberware implant will negate the effect of Shock and EMP, and instead increase your Armor by 50%.

Subdermal Armour: What it says on the tin. Thin but strong plating underneath the skin in places where she is the most squishy.

Optical Camo: Makes the user impossible to locate in visible spectrum light for short periods of time.

Heat Converter: A temperature regulation system for your body and cyberware. (Turns any Burn status into a buff instead, because why not!)

Monowire: Whip-like monofilament wire with a cutting edge only a molecule wide. This is built into V's forearms.

Smart Link: Cyberware that allows swift, direct, low-latency connection with compatible objects such as a firearms or implants, while also increasing effectiveness and handling. (Allows V to use Smart weapons that can hone in on her target)

Micro Rotors: Improves agility in melee combat. (Makes her go faster at stabbing)

Lynx Paws: This cyberware implant increases your stealth effectiveness while moving and running, significantly reducing the sound your make and the chance of enemies detecting you.

Abilities

Gun: She can use gun good.
(A specialist in hand-guns, preffering silenced Pistols and revolvers. Uses a Smart Light Machine gun when she needs to run and gun at the same time.)

Blades: What's quieter than a knife flying through the air? The sound of silence it leaves in its wake. V is a bladework pro, preffering to use short knives at a range to decrease the chances of targets locating her, though is terrifying up close and personal with a Katana she stole from Saburo Arasaka himself, the blade Satori.

Monowire: /whip crack noise

Sandevistan: This piece of Cyberware allows her to speed up her brain activity and body, so that time is essentially 'slowed' for her for short periods of time, allowing her to move quickly and with great effect on the battle field.

Musical Talents: Though she's no longer able to sing, she is able to play both the Piano and the Violin. She had started to pick up how to play the Guitar from Johnny's memories, though didn't have the time to indulge.

Techie: Though she's not a great one by any means, she knows how to get around physical systems and locks, and make rudimentary alterations to weapons and clothing.

Social Graces: Her upbringing afforded her the ability to judge people at face value in seconds, getting a fairly good read on them after at least half an hour. Though this has helped her keep herself safe, it's also a pretty good thing to have. She can be very charismatic and persuasive if she needs to be.

Languages: V Speaks English, mostly, but is able to speak Japanese and Spanish fluently, and Chinese somewhat.

☆ code by kimmiserate ☆