Dios

Backstory:

Dios is a tank-born Hellion Drake. An artificial species created by the AWF from the combined and experimented upon donated genetic stock of Kios’ species, Glacon dragons. The Hellion drakes were designed to be the opposite of their larger colder brethren, well suited to environments involving immense heat, enclosed spaces and hard to reach areas unsuited for climbing.

Though the species initially was raised to assist in colonization and labour demands of harsh arid and volcanic environments, they were found by the AWF’s Regen/Lazarus Project and its military ties to be effective shock troopers. Hence Dios’ batch were bred to be effective and ruthless shock troopers to quell any foe, both outside and within the Federation.

Their creation and training measures were kept a secret for a time, as their raising was considered by almost universally by even the most harden special forces trainers to be far too cruel and brutal to make effective combat units in their eyes. For Dios and his stock were set loose in isolated wilderness, in enemy territory, devastated warzones or in the most crime ridden areas in and around the AWF. The children left to fend for themselves and encouraged by the select few military handlers and Regen observers to commit any horrible atrocities on each other. The project had to often redact data of the many personnel and surviving candidates suicide and mental breakdown cases that became one of the top 3 highest rates in the AWF.

The survivors would eventually “graduate” to be Regen/Lazarus candidates. The results would be one of the most ultra-violent, rebellious, zealous, reckless, aggressive, hedonistic and sadistic super shock troopers among the AWF. Dios and these shock troopers were often deployed into war or riot zones were civilian loss of life or all-out destruction was considered not a matter to be concerned with.

Their constant deployment and incidents of civilian and POW losses and “accidental” friendly fire made the likes of the Flaming Halgons infamous. Which formed rivalries with the likes the Federate Bulwarks. Once in which Dios had an already too personal experience with his rivalry with Aoife Kelly.

Dios excelled at his profession of being a leader for these shock troopers. However, despite being hardened like many of the Hellion drakes of his kind, he was among the very rare few individuals who showed some restraint, self-reflection, regret and other qualities that made him a capable commander and surprising diplomat.

One notable campaign for Dios was the cultivation of a system. Dios’ along with the scouting regiment, the 107th Podders, raided and harvested one of many villages of a planet inhabited by anthropomorphic phoenixes and African Painted dogs. which were seeded there by the AWF for various purposes from food to labour. The raid had the 107th Podders attempt to capture the citizens of the village, in conflict with Halgonians who simply slaughtered whoever they got their hands on. Dios, after many years of conflict and his own insecurities, snapped and would torture and kill two families of phoenixes; one with a female adult and another with male adult in charge of each one.

An action he would forever regret, especially when he learnt later that the village was the home of Kruger and Nyota. The two families that he brutally slaughtered being that of the former.

After this event, Dios' mind and behaviour slowly started to change after he met Kruger, Kios, and Lorisa. At first, they did not get along, but eventually he warmed up to them. To the point that he aided them and vice versa in any tasks, even if it was illegal activities or against his fellow Halgonians. Dios and Kruger in particular gradually formed an unlikely relationship. Many factors such as their refusal to back down to authority to shared stories of bleak childhoods made the two grow closer. The two’s relationship with one another became another reason plan an uprising for a better future.
Dios though feared that his past would catch up with him and make him and others answer for his past mistakes and crimes. Thus, he tried to delay, if not avert the consequences, with swearing to a few of his friends like Kios and Lorisa to keep what he had done secret from Kruger. He hoped that Kruger would never find out the truth or else there would be no-where safe from the furious phoenix. The collective conscious that his powers over time and space would form from each death of himself and other alternative versions of himself desired nothing more than a better future that they could just glimpse but seem almost in reach.

On the eve of the AWF civil war, Dios found that the uprising was less ideal than he had hoped. For the Halgonians and many other factions were loose among the AWF populous during the bloody conflict. Dios with those loyal to him sided with the Zan syndicate. Their combined forces struck for the Regen/Lazarus project headquarters in the efforts to deny other factions the power within. Dios though had his own goal to destroy the records on him before Kruger would find them. It was there that rendezvous with his friends, Kios and Lorisa, that they finally confronted him about his actions: past and present. And unbeknownst to all three, Kruger had eavesdropped on them to discover and discovered many truths about them.

Enraged, Kruger lashed out at Dios. The latter refused to fight back due to immense guilt and spirit crushed. His fellow Halgonians, Kios and Lorisa intervened to prevent Kruger from taking the bloodied drake’s life, and the Zan intervened on Kruger’s side. The sides fought briefly before the fighting broke down to fleeing their separate ways.
Dios found himself alone in the ruins of the headquarters as his friends and comrades fled, died or abandoned him. It was alone that he began to truly reconsider his life. He reflected on the scolding disappointed words of his dear long-gone friends and the memories of his cruel actions. It was then and there Halgonian swore an oath to himself, his dead comrades and his past victims that he would try to do better as he fled the AWF’s burnt out husk of an empire.

An oath that he finds is sometimes easy to uphold, and sometimes nearly impossible to much to his shame.