Mavericks[]
Maverick Insignia. Art by RyuLi@DeviantArt.
When the word "Maverick" first came into use to refer to robots, it was merely a term for a robot who harmed or killed a human being, or actively worked against them. Today, it has been repurposed as the name of a whole faction of reploids. Led by Sigma, a former commander from Repliforce, they work towards the goal of exterminating humanity, leaving the "superior" Reploids to take their place.
The Mavericks as a group trace their origins to the rage of Dr. Doppler, the first Reploid scientist. In his role as a Repliforce researcher, he performed research into improving the well-being of Reploids. This lasted all the way up until he gave them an upgrade which he claimed would double the recipient Reploid's processing power, thus improving their ability to think fast on the battlefield. Little did they know however, that lurking within these chips was the Maverick Virus, a virus designed to infiltrate a Reploid's core and disable their conscience. It would be named for the most commonly-seen — but by no means the only — manifestation of the virus: an increased willingness to hurt or kill humans.
Within two months of their inception, virused Reploids committed disobedience, desertion, and even murder. In the midst of this chaos, Sigma, a charismatic leader who had long believed Reploids to be superior to humans, used his status to influence his soldiers away from Repliforce to form his own army. The virused Reploids, acting on impulses a conscience would have inhibited, followed him without a second thought — and half of Repliforce, including Dr. Doppler, came with them. The resulting army would become known as the Mavericks, reclaiming the label used to mark them for death.
Structure[]
The Maverick command structure is a rigid one, second only to that of the Repliforce itself. As befits a militant group comprised largely of ex-military, it follows similar rules to Repliforce's: orders must be followed, superiors must be obeyed, and fraternizing with superiors is forbidden, at least in theory. In practice this is handled more loosely. While the one who issues an order can be expected to physically force their subordinates to comply, Reploids with a good record are permitted to out-muscle their superiors if they have issues with it, up until it gets in the way of the faction's mission. Potentially, one can even disobey direct orders as long as they get the results the leaders want, but doing so is risky as failure carries a double penalty.
In addition to the main chain of command, the Mavericks also maintain close ties to regional maverick cells and non-maverick reploids engaged in illegal and lucrative businesses (where those reploids are willing to cooperate). Mavericks who maintain these ties or otherwise spend long periods of time dealing with non-Maverick allies are generally afforded more freedom to accomplish their objectives, but results are paramount and failure to deliver can be expected to revoke the privilege of such freedoms.
The Mavericks' policies regarding non-Mavericks are also a near reverse to that of Repliforce. Humans, as per their mission, are to be exterminated without remorse and the same applies to Robot Masters who side with humans. A Reploid, however, should be killed only if there is no chance of them becoming Maverick. Otherwise, Mavericks are advised to convert as many Reploids to their cause as they can, virus or no virus.
Sigma himself is revered as the liberator of the Reploids, to the point where a cult of personality surrounds him. Throughout the Maverick premises, one can find images of Sigma on everything from murals to motivational posters, along with a few Reploids singing of his heroics, and at the very center is a statue of the commander himself. Most surprising about these odes to their leader is that Sigma did not commission any of them. Some Mavericks, in fact, make "cult of personality" literal by proclaiming Sigma as an almighty God. Sigma, for his part, welcomes these, although he is careful not to let all of this adoration get to his head.
Goals[]
The Maverick goal is human extermination and the establishment of robots as Earth's ruling species. Within the Mavericks, robot supremacy and human extermination are not fully universal, with some members seeking human subjugation under robot rule, and others seeking the advancement of robotkind with disregard rather than hatred for humanity, but the general thrust of robot superiority over humans is common. A Maverick's usefulness may also be weighed along with the strength of their conviction, with less extreme leanings being tolerated in exchange for effective execution of orders. Shows of genuine human sympathies however are quick to draw distrust and a Maverick who shows too much empathy may quickly become a candidate for virusing, a memory wipe, or extermination of his own.
The Maverick Virus[]
At the core of the Maverick movement is the emponymous Maverick Virus, a poorly understood and feared entity to the rest of the world and both a weapon and rallying source for Mavericks. Although the virus used by Dr. Doppler to spark the rebellion can be called a true Maverick Virus, independent maverickism has existed since the first generation of reploids and causes of maverickism are myriad; defects in generation, physical core damage, or excess exposure to radiation can all cause a reploid or robot master to go berserk, often leading to maverickism. Even simple mistreatment if sufficient can drive a reploid to maverickism. Partly because of this, and partly due to the ingenuity of Dr. Doppler's creation, the "Maverick Virus" has never been fully cured, with patches only providing a temporary respite before a new source or mutation overcomes them.
Using deep system scans, a true viral infection can be detected although not cured short of a full erasure, and because of this uninfected Mavericks are often maintained for espionage use. Currently, the only known vector of the original Maverick Virus is DNI, but with its elusive nature, rumors abound of other, unproven methods.
Character Creation Guidelines[]
Player characters intended to be a part of the Mavericks must be robots as a general rule. Robot Masters are permitted although reploids constitute the heart of the group. In rare cases, full conversion cyborgs are permitted in, either as such or after being upgraded from a lesser cybernetic stage. A staunch belief in robot superiority is mandatory and a desire for human extermination is preferred. Generally Mavericks tend to avoid truly defective robots, with the label carrying just as much if not more stigma among them as it does to robots in general, but as with other policies, a controllable and effective member is often permitted their eccentricities. Particularly among front line fighters (a group which most active Mavericks are), a human body count and personal initiative to increase it is looked well upon. Unless a Maverick enters into a direct subordinate or mentor/apprentice role with an existing Maverick, they are often expected to be self-starters with their activities, with a great deal of free reign given to "minor" operations comprising only a handful of Mavericks in the absence of other orders.
Much like Repliforce, all Mavericks regardless of post are upgraded to a basic level of combat readiness, given armor, at least one weapon, and training to use it.