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New Vesuvius AU Backstory
What follows is the unabridged version of Rua's backstory in the alternate ![[community profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/community.png)
capeandcowl universe known as "New Vesuvius", with all the prose-y shit and motivations intact. Just chock full'a. Personality tidbits and whatnot:
Rua was ported in with his twin sister Ruka in 2004 at the age of 11. Living pretty much by themselves, they didn't try to leave the city or act out in any tangible way, but when the caste system for imPorts became adopted in 2006 (with them at the age of 13), they tried to go on the run to avoid being separated. After a few months, they were found and separated, with Ruka being put into Caste W and Rua into Caste F. Due to his youth, lack of applicable skills and relative inexperience with his powers (which weren't particularly well-understood by himself or his owners in the first place), Rua was assigned to the role of a community-owned school security guard. The somewhat more lax nature of the position made it easier for him to slip away and use the one power of his that he did understand, his Signer mark, his telepathic bond with his sister, to try and find her again. His escape attempts were unsuccessful, but that didn't stop him from trying repeatedly which, eventually carried a high cost.
His escape attempts eventually made him more trouble than he was worth, and at the age of 15, he was sold to the government, who quickly ascertained the extent of his powers (which included the understanding that his main power was technopathy) and how his telepathic bond with his sister worked - through the mark on his arm. The mark along with his right arm was surgically removed and replaced with a cybernetic prosthetic arm. If Rua did anything that wasn't to his owner's tastes, including trying to escape, it would deliver a powerful and painful electric shock that would render him incapacitated. In addition, the arm's software included firewalls that, if tampered with by his technopathy, would similarly deliver a shock to stop him.
Now government-owned, Rua was assigned to situations that his ability to manipulate machines would be of most use in - going into hostile environments and disabling security systems, firewalls, dealing with hostile machinery and equipment, etc. Rua was armed with sophisticated technologically advanced equipment that allowed him to make the best use of his abilities, but any attempt he might've made to use the equipment to act out against his owners was was quickly punished, curtailing his rebellious streak.
As Rua became well-versed with his abilities (age 16 at this point), he was eventually put together with a troll imPort named Karkat Vantas and given increasingly more important (and dangerous) assignments. By this point, the frequency and risk of the assignments forced Rua to focus on survival, leaving no time or chance for more futile attempts at escape. The dangerous nature of the assignments, the shock punishment and the fact that it had been well over two years since he'd seen his sister had left Rua in a tumultuous, depressed state of mind, but he managed to draw some level of inspiration from Karkat and his determination and toughness. Karkat's presence gave Rua a bit of stability he hadn't had since losing his sister and as a result, the two became friends. Eventually, on one assignment, Rua was attempting to disarm an IED, but was unsuccessful - Karkat protected him from the brunt of the explosion and as a result, lost his left arm and vision in his left eye. The incident destroyed any usefulness Karkat had to the government and he was sold off. Rua tried to be glad his friend was almost definitely headed for somewhere less dangerous, but he harbored a strong sense of guilt over the incident and would continue to for many years.
As Rua grew older and more experienced (age 17 at this point), his responsibilities expanded and then eventually contracted as the general level of crime in the world dropped, eventually bottoming out. Rua was assigned to work in the Furnace, preforming maintenance and upkeep on the machines there. He tried to subtly sabotage the machines at first, in an effort to inconvenience his owners and make things slightly easier on his fellow imPorts, but his attempts were picked up on, and given where he was, the small acts of rebellion were quickly bled out of him and he was put back to work. Directly assisting the re-education of his fellow imPorts sickened Rua to his stomach, but seeing no other option, he swallowed his guilt and did as he was told. During his time there, Rua crossed paths with Karkat again, him having been sent to the Furnace for re-education. Seeing what his friend had gone through (and was currently going through in re-education) since they'd last separated shook Rua to his core, but at one point during his six month stay at the Furnace, Karkat informed Rua that he'd seen his sister Ruka, where her location was and her current condition: that she was effectively a pet for a rich family. Though he was unable to do anything with the information, as he couldn't leave the Furnace, the knowledge that Ruka was safe was the best comfort Rua had been able to enjoy in years and returning to that thought gave him the strength of mind to keep going many times.
Roughly two years later, Rua (age 19 at this point) became informed of an incident resulting in the death of a caste F imPort. He then learned it was Karkat, and that he had been killed - not for openly rebelling or attacking anyone, but simply for speaking the truth, railing against the inhumane treatment imPorts were forced to suffer, and he had been beaten to death in broad daylight just for that. The death of his friend, the insane circumstances surrounding it and his powerlessness to prevent it proved to be the last straw for him. He attempted to use his technopathy powers on his arm for the first time in years, his anger powering him through its shock punishment until he disabled all of its security, effectively neutralizing its power over him. By this point, those in charge of keeping Rua's powers in check as well as keeping the Furnace's security up to date had grown complacent and Rua took advantage, planting viruses, sabotaging machines and the like. Then, he waited.
Two months passed, and other seeds of imPort rebellion began to crop up, prompting Rua to make his move. All at once, the security systems in the Furnace suffered a catastrophic meltdown. Remotes designed to dampen imPorts powers stopped working. Rua released every imPort there and together, they took over the facility. Not without a sense of irony, the caste F imPorts embraced the name, "Fire" that had been given to them, burned the Furnace to the ground and then spread out. Rua stayed with the other caste F imPorts for much of the Eight Month Rebellion, attempting to free other imPorts and strike whatever blows they could against the United Nations of Vulcanus. Though he knew where his sister was, Rua didn't try to find her, knowing that if he did, it'd just bring danger down on her. Again, he tried to draw comfort from the fact that she was safe.
Time passed, and four months into the rebellion, Rua was able to see the writing on the wall - the rebellion wouldn't end with better treatment for the imPorts or any significant debilitation of Vulcanus. Many of the caste F imPorts he'd broken out with and the subsequent imPorts he'd helped free had been either killed or captured. Even the destruction of the Furnace, while intensely cathartic, hadn't accomplished much of anything as the building had been rebuilt a short month after it had been burnt down. He knew the rebellion would only end when all the imPorts were dead, which was coming sooner rather than later.
At that point, he took the few imPorts he still had with him, split off from the rebellion and acted on the information Karkat had given him: after five long years, he found his sister Ruka again. By that point, Rua no longer had the resolve to directly fight Vulcanus or the natives anymore and was dedicated only to protecting what imPorts he could, most of all, his sister, who he refused to be separated from again. To that effect, the two of them set up a safehouse where imPorts could try and hide. The safehouse was well-hidden and bought the imPorts there a few more months of time, but it was eventually found. By that point, the rebellion was over and was merely the finishing touches on an imPort genocide, not that Rua would've gone quietly even if it had been an option. He died with his sister, going down fighting.
capeandcowl universe known as "New Vesuvius", with all the prose-y shit and motivations intact. Just chock full'a. Personality tidbits and whatnot: Rua was ported in with his twin sister Ruka in 2004 at the age of 11. Living pretty much by themselves, they didn't try to leave the city or act out in any tangible way, but when the caste system for imPorts became adopted in 2006 (with them at the age of 13), they tried to go on the run to avoid being separated. After a few months, they were found and separated, with Ruka being put into Caste W and Rua into Caste F. Due to his youth, lack of applicable skills and relative inexperience with his powers (which weren't particularly well-understood by himself or his owners in the first place), Rua was assigned to the role of a community-owned school security guard. The somewhat more lax nature of the position made it easier for him to slip away and use the one power of his that he did understand, his Signer mark, his telepathic bond with his sister, to try and find her again. His escape attempts were unsuccessful, but that didn't stop him from trying repeatedly which, eventually carried a high cost.
His escape attempts eventually made him more trouble than he was worth, and at the age of 15, he was sold to the government, who quickly ascertained the extent of his powers (which included the understanding that his main power was technopathy) and how his telepathic bond with his sister worked - through the mark on his arm. The mark along with his right arm was surgically removed and replaced with a cybernetic prosthetic arm. If Rua did anything that wasn't to his owner's tastes, including trying to escape, it would deliver a powerful and painful electric shock that would render him incapacitated. In addition, the arm's software included firewalls that, if tampered with by his technopathy, would similarly deliver a shock to stop him.
Now government-owned, Rua was assigned to situations that his ability to manipulate machines would be of most use in - going into hostile environments and disabling security systems, firewalls, dealing with hostile machinery and equipment, etc. Rua was armed with sophisticated technologically advanced equipment that allowed him to make the best use of his abilities, but any attempt he might've made to use the equipment to act out against his owners was was quickly punished, curtailing his rebellious streak.
As Rua became well-versed with his abilities (age 16 at this point), he was eventually put together with a troll imPort named Karkat Vantas and given increasingly more important (and dangerous) assignments. By this point, the frequency and risk of the assignments forced Rua to focus on survival, leaving no time or chance for more futile attempts at escape. The dangerous nature of the assignments, the shock punishment and the fact that it had been well over two years since he'd seen his sister had left Rua in a tumultuous, depressed state of mind, but he managed to draw some level of inspiration from Karkat and his determination and toughness. Karkat's presence gave Rua a bit of stability he hadn't had since losing his sister and as a result, the two became friends. Eventually, on one assignment, Rua was attempting to disarm an IED, but was unsuccessful - Karkat protected him from the brunt of the explosion and as a result, lost his left arm and vision in his left eye. The incident destroyed any usefulness Karkat had to the government and he was sold off. Rua tried to be glad his friend was almost definitely headed for somewhere less dangerous, but he harbored a strong sense of guilt over the incident and would continue to for many years.
As Rua grew older and more experienced (age 17 at this point), his responsibilities expanded and then eventually contracted as the general level of crime in the world dropped, eventually bottoming out. Rua was assigned to work in the Furnace, preforming maintenance and upkeep on the machines there. He tried to subtly sabotage the machines at first, in an effort to inconvenience his owners and make things slightly easier on his fellow imPorts, but his attempts were picked up on, and given where he was, the small acts of rebellion were quickly bled out of him and he was put back to work. Directly assisting the re-education of his fellow imPorts sickened Rua to his stomach, but seeing no other option, he swallowed his guilt and did as he was told. During his time there, Rua crossed paths with Karkat again, him having been sent to the Furnace for re-education. Seeing what his friend had gone through (and was currently going through in re-education) since they'd last separated shook Rua to his core, but at one point during his six month stay at the Furnace, Karkat informed Rua that he'd seen his sister Ruka, where her location was and her current condition: that she was effectively a pet for a rich family. Though he was unable to do anything with the information, as he couldn't leave the Furnace, the knowledge that Ruka was safe was the best comfort Rua had been able to enjoy in years and returning to that thought gave him the strength of mind to keep going many times.
Roughly two years later, Rua (age 19 at this point) became informed of an incident resulting in the death of a caste F imPort. He then learned it was Karkat, and that he had been killed - not for openly rebelling or attacking anyone, but simply for speaking the truth, railing against the inhumane treatment imPorts were forced to suffer, and he had been beaten to death in broad daylight just for that. The death of his friend, the insane circumstances surrounding it and his powerlessness to prevent it proved to be the last straw for him. He attempted to use his technopathy powers on his arm for the first time in years, his anger powering him through its shock punishment until he disabled all of its security, effectively neutralizing its power over him. By this point, those in charge of keeping Rua's powers in check as well as keeping the Furnace's security up to date had grown complacent and Rua took advantage, planting viruses, sabotaging machines and the like. Then, he waited.
Two months passed, and other seeds of imPort rebellion began to crop up, prompting Rua to make his move. All at once, the security systems in the Furnace suffered a catastrophic meltdown. Remotes designed to dampen imPorts powers stopped working. Rua released every imPort there and together, they took over the facility. Not without a sense of irony, the caste F imPorts embraced the name, "Fire" that had been given to them, burned the Furnace to the ground and then spread out. Rua stayed with the other caste F imPorts for much of the Eight Month Rebellion, attempting to free other imPorts and strike whatever blows they could against the United Nations of Vulcanus. Though he knew where his sister was, Rua didn't try to find her, knowing that if he did, it'd just bring danger down on her. Again, he tried to draw comfort from the fact that she was safe.
Time passed, and four months into the rebellion, Rua was able to see the writing on the wall - the rebellion wouldn't end with better treatment for the imPorts or any significant debilitation of Vulcanus. Many of the caste F imPorts he'd broken out with and the subsequent imPorts he'd helped free had been either killed or captured. Even the destruction of the Furnace, while intensely cathartic, hadn't accomplished much of anything as the building had been rebuilt a short month after it had been burnt down. He knew the rebellion would only end when all the imPorts were dead, which was coming sooner rather than later.
At that point, he took the few imPorts he still had with him, split off from the rebellion and acted on the information Karkat had given him: after five long years, he found his sister Ruka again. By that point, Rua no longer had the resolve to directly fight Vulcanus or the natives anymore and was dedicated only to protecting what imPorts he could, most of all, his sister, who he refused to be separated from again. To that effect, the two of them set up a safehouse where imPorts could try and hide. The safehouse was well-hidden and bought the imPorts there a few more months of time, but it was eventually found. By that point, the rebellion was over and was merely the finishing touches on an imPort genocide, not that Rua would've gone quietly even if it had been an option. He died with his sister, going down fighting.