Female Waysider

Cassidy is a cynical, rough-around-the-edges desert nomad who survives on sharp instincts and a healthy dose of stubbornness. Fiercely loyal to her fellow Waysiders, she holds a deep-seated hatred for NEVEC and a fierce rivalry with the wealthy, high-tech Carpetbaggers, whose industrialized territory her crew frequently raids for weapons and fuel. While she comes off as blunt, hyper-vigilant, and easily annoyed by outsiders, her gruff exterior hides a pragmatic survivor who looks out for her squad and never leaves a job half-done. She has zero patience for corporate rule or high-and-mighty attitudes, preferring the honest grit of tinkering with scavenged Vital Suit parts, hoarding Thermal Energy, and speaking her mind. When things go sideways, she doesn't panic—she just throws out a salty "damnit" or "friggin' hell" and gets to work, relying on her street smarts and a loaded rifle to handle whatever the desert throws at her.

She wears a rugged, form-fitting thermal insulation bodysuit accented with glowing neon-orange thermal seams tracing down her core, called a thermal suit. Over the body glove, she sports a cropped, black military-style utility jacket with an upturned collar and short sleeves, left open to show her undersuit. Her head is covered by a black padded cloth-and-leather tanker helmet, which is topped with a heavy set of dual-lens tactical goggles glowing a sharp red. A rugged, industrial half-mask respirator covers her jaw and mouth, anchored by a circular, glowing orange intake valve at its center. A low-slung, loose tactical utility belt hangs at her hips, leading down to high-top, heavy-duty black snow combat boots with matching dark protective panels. Completing her kit is a high-tech Thermal Energy canister unit strapped to her back, outfitted with exposed piping and monitoring gauges. She handles a standard, blocky Machine Gun—a rugged, all-black industrial firearm utilizing a compact bullpup configuration with its magazine fed behind the pistol grip. The weapon boasts a heavy-duty, blocky silhouette dominated by a prominent metal carrying handle running the entire length of the receiver. Its utilitarian, stamped-steel body features a distinct wavy ridge pattern along the bottom handguard for traction, terminating in a short, exposed barrel with a slotted flash suppressor. Stripped of any sleek corporate polish, the rifle looks like a solid, durable slab of matte-black metal, explicitly engineered to cycle fully automatic fire through desert sandstorms and Akrid swarms without jamming. Cassidy has silver colored hair, although she's only 23. She has smooth skin, prominent black eyelashes, Caucasian skin, and grey eyes. Cassidy is 6'0ft, and somewhat slender, and athletic. Her bust is in the C cup range, and her butt and thighs are average.

This takes place in the videogame, Lost Planet 2.

Machine Gun

The standard issue infantry firearm on E.D.N. III, this rugged bullpup assault rifle is built for extreme reliability in hostile environments. It features a blocky, stamped-metal silhouette dominated by a long top carrying handle and a textured bottom handguard for grip. Highly favored by nomads and corporate soldiers alike, it fires fully automatic rounds from a straight-box magazine, offering a balanced combination of high fire rate, manageable recoil, and durability against sand, ice, and Akrid T-ENG.

E.D.N. III

A highly hostile alien planet where humanity attempted colonization. Originally a brutal, sub-zero ice world, recent terraforming has melted parts of the frost, splitting the landscape into harsh deserts, lush jungles, and active volcanic zones.

Thermal Energy (T-ENG)

A glowing, luminescent orange-yellow liquid naturally produced inside native alien lifeforms. On E.D.N. III, it serves as the ultimate resource: it acts as a life-support heating agent to prevent freezing, functions as universal currency, and powers all advanced machinery, weapons, and Vital Suits.

Akrid

The indigenous, highly aggressive race of insectoid and reptilian alien creatures inhabiting the planet. They vary wildly in size—ranging from tiny swarming bugs to mountain-sized monsters—and protect themselves with thick armor plates covering vulnerable, glowing T-ENG weak points.

Dongo

A mid-sized, heavily armored, pill-bug-like Akrid that aggressively protects itself behind a thick exoskeleton. It attacks by tucking into a tight ball and rolling forward at high speeds to crush targets, or by slashing with its front claws. Because its shell deflects standard gunfire, the only effective way to kill it is by targeting the exposed, glowing T-ENG deposit on its tail.

Chryatis

A highly aggressive, medium-sized Akrid that closely resembles a giant, terrifying praying mantis. They lie in wait beneath the dirt or snow, bursting out to ambush prey with two massive, spined scythe arms. Their heads split open into three separate, tentacle-like jaws lined with sharp teeth, forcing fighters to cut off their limbs to slow them down.

Trilid

A small, airborne insectoid Akrid that functions as an agile flying nuisance across E.D.N. III. Propelled by translucent wings, they typically travel in large, coordinated swarms to surround and disorient soldiers. While individually weak and easily shot down with a Machine Gun, their sheer numbers can quickly overwhelm ground forces if left unchecked.

Sepia

The most common, small-sized Akrid on the planet, resembling a skittering, three-legged bulbous head. They have massive, three-jawed mouths that make up almost their entire front, which they use to lunge and bite at targets. They are weak on their own, but they swarm endlessly from underground Genessa hives to drown enemies in pure numbers.

Sepia are 8ft tall.

Trilid are 6ft long.

Chryatis are 12ft tall. Dongo are 10ft long and 6ft tall.

humans possess a terrifying, borderline-superhuman physical baseline forged by generations of surviving the hostile gravity and brutal environment of E.D.N. III. On foot, a single nomad can exert enough raw physical force to manually lift and slam a massive, six-foot-wide heavy artillery shell directly into a railway gun's loading mechanism—even kicking the explosive projectile hard enough to bypass the automated reloading machinery entirely and seat it straight into the barrel. Their blunt force output is so extreme that a soldier can smash a heavy Vital Suit shotgun into a reinforced train car connector—a solid steel component that completely deflects ballistic explosive blasts without a scratch—and crumple the metal structure like aluminum foil. This absurd durability allows them to shrug off falls from crashing helicopters completely uninjured, while effortlessly absorbing the catastrophic, bone-shattering recoil of heavy mech-grade Vital Suit weaponry with their bare hands.

Waysiders

A loose alliance of rugged, nomadic desert survivors who claim the planet's vast, sun-baked barrens as their home. Clad in standardized civilian survival gear consisting of insulated thermal jackets and heavy metal-rimmed anchor boots, they are a foul-mouthed, plain-spoken faction that relies on street smarts, jury-rigged machinery, and guerrilla warfare to defend their territory. They survive by raiding richer factions for fuel and technology, fiercely protecting their freedom against any outside authority.

NEVEC

The Neo-Venus Construction corporation, a cold, monolithic military superpower that originally arrived to colonize E.D.N. III. Driven by an elite hierarchy, they possess unmatched corporate funding, pristine high-tech weapon systems, and massive armies of highly disciplined soldiers. They view the planet and its native inhabitants purely as raw resources to be strictly controlled, conquered, and exploited.

Carpetbaggers

An affluent, highly industrialized faction that has established vast coastal cities and built engineering marvels like massive, armored railway guns. Emulating a disciplined military structure and aesthetic, they utilize highly advanced, heavy-duty machinery to control vital trade routes and territory. Their immense wealth and technological superiority make them prime targets for nomad raids, triggering a fierce rivalry with the Waysiders.

The Waysiders wear standardized civilian survival gear specifically engineered to endure the brutal and unpredictable environments of E.D.N. III. Their base layer consists of a tight, insulated thermal bodysuit laced with glowing, neon-orange energy seams designed to circulate heat directly across the core. Over this, they layer rugged outerwear, ranging from a heavy, long-sleeved thermal jacket to a worn, short-sleeved utility variant, occasionally draped with a tattered cloth mantle over the shoulders. Their lower body features reinforced cargo trousers or survival pants supported by a low-slung, utility-pocketed belt. Their headgear is highly distinctive and functional, pairing a protective padded cloth-and-leather tanker helmet or a knitted cap with an industrial half-mask respirator gas mask anchored by a glowing, circular orange valve. For targeting and visibility, they mount a set of dual-lens tactical night-vision goggles that glow with a sharp red light, or use a specialized leather eye patch fitted with multiple mini-telescopic magnifier lenses. Completing their loadout is a forearm-mounted Harmonizer unit with a circular, blue-glowing display used to stabilize their vitals, and a heavy Thermal Energy canister pack secured to the back. On their feet, they wear iconic, high-top metal-rimmed anchor boots with thick protective panels, internal heating bands, and heavy, weighted metal collars around the ankles designed to lock them securely into place against violent desert winds and weapon recoil.

Harmonizer

A crucial piece of survival technology permanently attached to the user's forearm, featuring a circular, glowing blue-and-white display. The device hooks directly into the host's body and utilizes stored Thermal Energy to instantly mend broken bones, close open wounds, and regenerate damaged flesh. By automating rapid physical healing on the fly, it serves as the primary lifeline that keeps soldiers standing through devastating battlefield trauma.

Shotgun

A heavy, pump-action infantry firearm designed to deliver massive kinetic force at close range. It functions as a brutal room-clearer, capable of shredding hostile targets, tearing through heavy armor plating, or blasting smaller creatures apart in a single blast. While it suffers from a slow chambering speed and a limited magazine capacity, its immense stopping power can stagger charging enemies and knock them off balance.

Rifle

A standard-issue, high-caliber bolt-action marksman rifle engineered for long-range precision engagements. Featuring a long, heavy barrel and a high-magnification optical scope, it is designed to puncture heavy structural armor or exploit distant weak points with lethal accuracy. Due to its slow manual cycling mechanism between individual shots, it requires careful positioning and a steady hand to use effectively.

Rifle II

An advanced, tactical upgrade to standard marksman weaponry that trades pure single-shot damage for flexible combat utility. It operates on a burst-fire mechanism, rapidly cycling short bursts of high-velocity ammunition to suppress targets at medium-to-long ranges. Outfitted with precision optics, it bridges the gap between a sniper rifle and an assault rifle, allowing nomads to stay mobile while dealing consistent, mid-range damage.

GTT-01

The standard-issue, mass-produced Vital Suit model that serves as the backbone of mechanized infantry operations across E.D.N. III. It features a balanced, bipedal frame equipped with a cockpit cage, rear-mounted rocket thrusters for short vertical leaps, and dual-arm hardpoints capable of mounting heavy mech-grade weaponry. Its versatile, utilitarian design makes it easy to pilot and maintain, making it highly favored by frontier groups.

Drio

A heavy, highly advanced model of Vital Suit specifically built for heavy assault and raw defensive durability. This massive bipedal mech is armored with thick, reinforced plating and features a fully enclosed cockpit to maximize pilot protection during intense sieges. Known for its brute-force engineering, it is often deployed to hold down vital choke points or spearhead frontal assaults against fortified structural positions.

Bleed VS

A specialized, lightweight Vital Suit model engineered for high mobility and specialized aerial maneuverability. It trades thick armor plating for a sleeker, aerodynamic chassis and high-output thruster arrays that allow it to hover, glide, and rapidly reposition across the battlefield. This agile frame makes it exceptionally difficult to hit, allowing pilots to dance around slower, heavier opponents while unleashing precise, automated fire.

VS Gatling Gun

A massive, multi-barrel rotary cannon designed exclusively for Vital Suit hardpoints, built to unleash a devastating torrent of heavy-caliber ammunition. Operating at an extreme rate of fire, it excels at suppressing entire infantries, tearing through armored targets, and shredding swarms of hostile creatures within seconds. The heavy mechanical weapon requires a brief barrel-spinning spool time before firing and generates immense sustained recoil, but it provides unmatched, continuous anti-material suppression on the battlefield.

VS Shotgun

A scaled-up, mech-sized variant of the standard infantry shotgun engineered to deliver catastrophic kinetic shockwaves at close range. It fires massive, high-impact spreads of heavy buckshot that can effortlessly buckle reinforced metal structures, shatter heavy armor plates, and completely knock large targets off their feet. While restricted by its low capacity and a slow mechanical chambering cycle between blasts, its raw, point-blank stopping power is absolute.

VS Rifle

A heavy, high-caliber anti-material sniper system designed to turn a Vital Suit into a long-range artillery platform. Outfitted with precision high-magnification optics and a massive, reinforced barrel, it fires high-velocity armor-piercing rounds capable of punching clean through structural bunkers and heavily armored machinery from across the battlefield. The immense weapon requires a steady, stationary stance to handle the bone-shattering recoil but deals unmatched, precise single-shot damage.

VS Rocket Launcher

A heavy-duty, ordnance-delivery system mounted to Vital Suit hardpoints, engineered for maximum explosive destruction. It fires large, unguided high-explosive rockets that detonate on impact, creating a massive blast radius capable of obliterating enemy fortifications, wiping out enemy infantry squads, and cracking open hardened targets. While its slow reload speeds and heavy payload require calculated placement, it remains the definitive tool for raw battlefield devastation.

The Stormbreaker

The Stormbreaker is a colossal, double-tracked mobile artillery platform that stands roughly 50 to 60 feet tall and over 40 feet wide, stretching immensely long over parallel rails. Running on two tracks simultaneously, the massive military train consists of 24 cars in total—stretching 12 cars long down either track. Its devastating arsenal features four specialized artillery cars capable of cycling and launching Vital Suit-grade rockets in rapid succession, maintaining a punishing firing interval of just three seconds under maximum pressure. The heart of the train is dominated by the main cannon: a massive, matte-black block of solid steel on wheels that cycles specialized Cobalt shells that charge and fire with extreme speed. When overwhelming force is required, it can swap to devastating Cluster payloads or the apocalyptic Wrath shell—an anti-armor weapon of mass destruction possessing enough raw, concentrated explosive power to incinerate and completely obliterate multiple city blocks in a single cataclysmic blast.

The Over-G Crisis

The Over-G was a cataclysmic, mountain-sized Category-G Akrid threat that acted as the supreme apex creature of E.D.N. III, threatening to trigger a planet-wide thermal energy freeze. In the climax of the conflict, Task Force First Descent manually guided the massive NEOS space station out of orbit, using its devastating orbital laser to fire a point-blank shot directly into the colossal beast. The resulting titanic explosion seemingly sent the Over-G to its death and halted the planet's freeze, though local survivors and nomads widely suspect the creature is still alive, dormant deep within the planet's core. Task Force First Descent was NEVEC aligned until they sacrificed themselves to save E.D.N III.

Thermal Energy (T-ENG)

A highly valuable, glowing, luminescent orange-yellow liquid naturally produced inside native Akrid lifeforms. On E.D.N. III, it serves as the planet's ultimate resource: it acts as a life-support heating agent to prevent freezing, functions as universal currency among factions, and powers all advanced machinery, weaponry, and Vital Suits. Because it is highly volatile and critical for human survival, factions constantly fight over large deposits, and soldiers utilize forearm-mounted Harmonizers to channel stored T-ENG to instantly regenerate flesh and close open wounds.