Pale Horsemen Character Bio! · 9:37am Jan 27th, 2018
Major Gabriel Hopkins
Species: Human (formerly)
Age: ~63 years old (Physically in mid-20’s)
Bio: According to old G-Force records, before 1992, Gabriel Hopkins didn’t exist. However, after an interdimensional portal opened up and spat him out at Kaiju Monitoring Station Kwajalein, Hopkins has been busy in world events since then. But, from what has been gathered from what little the mostly classified reports paints a rather morbid picture of the man.
Hopkins was born in an alternate Earth where kaiju never existed outside of fiction, and he had, up until 2015 of his Earth, had a fairly normal life. In that year, a collection of alien species came to the planet, and began abducting people, Hopkins included. He himself was only rescued months after his abduction by a paramilitary group known as ‘XCOM,’ an international task force dedicated to combating the alien menace (and indeed, he is one of its most prominent members in its current iteration today). He willingly joined their ranks, and after two years of slow combat, he managed to help end the war,only to end up on yet another Earth, only, this time, it was a version in which XCOM had been all but annihilated months into the first war. During this time, he discovered that he was surprisingly adept at utilizing an inborn psionic ‘Gift,’ and swiftly rose to be one of XCOM’s more powerful assets.
The interim years of Hopkins’ life are, as of now, still undisclosed, but it is known that he did, at some point, start a family, and waited to strike back against the alien invaders. Apparently, he got his chance in 2035, close to twenty years after, to Hopkins, the war ended. He again would fight with distinction, although he mentions that at some point in the Second War, he went and actually got his psionic powers dampened, for reasons not yet disclosed.
It was in August of 2036 that Hopkins stumbled through another portal to end up on KM Kwajalein, and the rest is more or less a matter of public record. In 1993, Hopkins was present during the Kyoto Research Institute Incident involving Godzilla Sr., Radon, and the infant Godzilla. In 1995, Hopkins himself led G-Force and JGDF forces in combating Destroyah with Godzilla Sr., in part with a ULT MASER turret from an MBAW-93 strapped to the roof of a HMMWV.
In 1999, Hopkins and an XCOM strike force managed to bring down a Millenian UFO, and assisted Godzilla Jr. in engaging its pilot, Orga with a surprising technology: repurposed ballistic weapons. A year later, following the disastrous misfire of the Dimension Tide System, Hopkins called for and pioneered the development of the Armored Support Platform, or ASP, for the containment and combat of Kaiju up to Category Two. Two years later however, Hopkins would pull himself out of XCOM and G-Force service to serve in the U.S. Army, following the terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon on September 11, 2001. Hopkins would finish his tour of duty in 2005.
As of this writing, it is unknown still just what occurred during the events of the ‘Final Wars’ in regards to Hopkins. It is known that under his leadership, XCOM forces were among the few human units on the planet that managed to hold, and in some engagements, gain ground against the invaders, but details are blurry when it comes to just how exactly Hopkins brought down the alien mothership. All that is known is that for a period of roughly eight minutes, a powerful psionic presence was felt aboard the vessel, and after it faded, the vessel was quick to deteriorate.
Post Final Wars, Hopkins was granted permanent Field Commander status within XCOM by special dispensation from the U.S. Army and the EDF, a position that has so far been of little import in the day to day life of Hopkins. Currently, he is assigned to the Second Armored Support Platform Division, Third Armored Combat Regiment, Bravo Company, Second Platoon, code named ‘The Pale Horsemen.’
Skills:
Due to his age and life experiences, Hopkins is highly skilled with most forms of firearms, with a particular proficiency with precision weaponry. As the creative mind and developer of the ASP, his skills in piloting said vehicles are said to be nothing short of extraordinary, which when one considers the sheer number of modifications to his own craft, means volumes.
Hopkins’ psychic skills are, unusual to say the least when compared to the rest of the population. While he is capable of telepathy and telekinesis, those particular abilities pale in comparison to everything else he can do. At all times, he projects a subtle psychic aura that prevents all but the most powerful psychics to affect the minds of those within forty feet of him, including himself. The same aura also negates the effects of radiation poisoning, fire, cold, and the effects of inhaled acids and poisons. In brief, this makes Hopkins, and those in his immediate vicinity, extremely difficult to kill by conventional means.
His other powers are not lacking either, as he is capable of generating what is effectively a localized singularity, a lance of high intensity psionic energy, and lightning bolts and strikes on command. And while he is primarily used to fighting his targets from range, he is still melee capable with twin psionic blade projections, which have been tested to be able under some circumstances to cleave through Erikanite armor plating (which has a melting point of approx. 9,800 degrees Fahrenheit).
Unfortunately, his medical records are sealed, so it is unknown just what his body can naturally do, but it is inferred from battlefield recording analysis that he has a remarkable recovery time from sustaining injuries, healing up from them generally in a matter of no more than two weeks on average.
Weaknesses:
As Hopkins is still technically a human being, he still can be crushed underfoot by Kaiju and falling debris. While his abilities do make him immune to explosives and fire as a broad, environmental threat, directed energy attacks such as plasma and lasers will pass through his aura and injure him. In addition, while his immunities are extended to airborne toxins and fumes, direct injections might actually be able to harm him substantially. Finally, Hopkins actually shows something a mild vulnerability to magic, as his abilities, to our knowledge, do not function well or at all in a magic infused area.
Beyond the extraordinary, Hopkins has much of the same weaknesses as any other human being.
What a cool guy.
Daymn, what a badass!
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He survived what was essentially the Long War mods on Impossible difficulty, and survived. And even then, there were close calls. Hopkins HAD to be badass.