R-HFH1
Custom Chimera Division: Ripley Heavy Feliform Hexapod (CCD-RHFH-1)
Timeline
- 45 BBY Original research started as private commission
- 36 BBY First functional pair created and assigned to Ripley.
- 31 BBY First natural born hex litter born at Ripley’s Estate. Keen, Kiley, Mara, and Reese
- 29 BBY: First pair-bond locked systems available
- 27 BBY: Project pushed to keep up with Wildkin project. First 25 fully functional and trained Hex systems become available and part of rotations with Wildkin
Attribute Dice
12D
Dexterity 1D/3D, Knowledge 2D/4D, Mechanical 1D/4D, Perception 1D/3D, Strength 3D/6D, Technical 1D/3D.
Special Abilities
Hexapod:
The HFH has six limbs and the middle pair can be used as hands or feet. When the HFH is on hind legs only, it can carry four items at once or it can swap items as a free action. When on all four paws, they gain +1D to running and +1D lifting to carry cargo.
Thick Hide:
HFH have thick, tough hide that adds +2D to Strength when resisting physical damage, and +1D to Strength when resisting energy damage.
Skill Bonuses
At the time the character is created only, the character gets 2D for every 1D placed in the running, brawling, intimidation, lifting, stamina, and survival skills.
Move: Biped 8/12 Quad: 12/15
Size: Quad: 1.8-2.0 m lower shoulder. 3.2 meters to top of head. Bipedal: 5.2-6 meters to top of head Weight: 600-900 kg
Notes
Behavioral Note
HFH units are usually trained from childhood instead of accelerated via a feral state for other wildkin due in part to use of older methods. Because of this, HFH unitrs bond tightly with trainers and those they work with. Their devotion to those they bond to is powerful enough that some suggest control chips are not even needed. Unfortunately, this kind of bonding takes time and is not amenable to large scale production.
HFH also take well to mechanical and technical work when well trained, and they will take to these tasks happily.
Unit Notes
The Ripley Heavy Feline Hexapod derives its name from the bounty hunter who commissioned it. The way Ripley described what he wanted was as follows:
"I want to go to Hoth and track down a wampa. Then I was this thing to take it down with its own paws, but not directly. I want it to be able to pick up one of your bears, bludgeon the wampa to death with that, and still hold a meaningful conversation while we skin and roast the beast."
The bears being the largest platform at the time, a new more versatile system was called for. Ripley was very hands on with the design, and the final layout called for a feline hexapod. Special care was given to the paws to keep them dextrous enough despite their size, and so heavy claws that might get in the way were opted out. Instead grip strength, heavy insulation, and high traction pads were chosen. The form roughly used some of the bears size and durability melded with parts of a snow leopard flame. The overall coat became cloudy gray with sparse rosettes, and a heavily furred tail was kept for balance. Great core strength was needed to keep the frame working on two or four paws. In addition, extra attention was paid to seeing how much the frame could carry including some concepts for a back mounted turret.
The initial commission was for two units with no restrictions, and Ripley would get to train them. The male was to be first and a female after when called for. In addition to finding, Ripley signed over the rights to produce more HFH units to Protein Solutions outside of those done by natural breeding. The first unit was introduced to Ripley when it was about waist high to a human and still growing so fast some claimed you could hear his bones creak. Ripley taught not only combat skills but also survival skills including both how to stay alive, how to keep someone else alive, and how to use psychology to fake out an opponent. This close personal time resulted in a very tight bond between Ripley and the first HFH they named Azi.
Azi was tested against opponents when he reached about 75% of his final size after only 1.5 years of age. The first bear made the mistake of getting close to Azi only to see the massive hexapod rear up and use all four paws to grapple. That bear was dropped on his head and another was sent in. That one was more careful and even managed to get around Azi to jump on his back. That one found Azi dropped his upper body down and kicking off hard with his back legs. The act effectively turned him into a catapult and chucked the bear into wall. The last one to challenge Azi was a deer. Sleek, agile, and cautious, they exchanged a number of blows and redirections of those impacts until she finally got around him and was able to place a blade to his throat.
Azi felt he had failed, but Ripley seemed happy. "Now you know what to be watching for. That is why you were never meant to be alone." Ripley arranged another test to teach Azi this lesson. This time, they picked out a marsh mouse named Quill that was trained in starfighter and mounted weapons. They placed a heavy blaster turret on Azi's back and provided the HFH with his own blaster. They were told to run and shoot anything that moved. With front and rear guns blazing, they did quite well. Quill's crying out "Eat hot photons you sons of bitches!" as they went by earned a chuckle and a consideration from the retired hunter.
When the time came, Azi was presented with a younger female, and both HFH units and Ripley left the facilities. AS far as anyone knows, they are out there on Hoth hunting wampa for sport. Today's current HFH units carry the standard control mechanisms of all other wildkin. Because they lack a natural starting species, like most chimera core systems, they take longer to grow, but they have been made to mature at a much higher speed than usual. Because they often bond well to a trainer, these rare units are generally trained early and allowed to grow on their own without artificial acceleration that is not part of their biology.