Jamie Richards
Jamie Richards
Jamie Richards was a school-aged friend of Aaron Sharpe, raised alone by her mother, Grace Richards. However, when she was seventeen, her mother died from cancer. Never having met her father, Jamie asked if Aaron’s family would let her live in their home for the last year of highschool. But Aaron’s family went further, offering Jamie their permanent guardianship. She accepted the offer and became “part of the family”. When Aaron began having success in his startup endeavors, Jamie was the first person he hired.
After Destroyer took over, when Sharpe snuck into an XPlore Corp space plane to secretly put satellites into orbit, Jamie was the only person who knew about it — even Sharpe didn’t know she was aware. So when his plane was struck by a mysterious asteroid and plummeted to the earth in flames, she got to the crash site before anyone else. While Sharpe absorbed the majority of Oqthcalian energy, Jamie’s was in close proximity to the wreckage while the “runeforce” was still unstable. She carried Sharpe to safety and personally transported the wreckage to a secret warehouse. She became very sick afterward, but when she recovered she also gained similar powers to Runeforce, though the cosmic energy she absorbed is not fully fused to her DNA. She calls this being “out of phase” when it happens.
Physical Description
General Physical Condition
Similar to Runeforce, she must allow the Oqthcalian runes to course through her body, which can be a painful transformation for her. She covers her face with a mask, though the runes glow brightly enough to be visible. She wears a dark hoodie, black jeans, and black converse sneakers.
Special abilities
Jamie most often uses invisibility to go about unnoticed…performing reconnaissance and other prohibited tasks more stealthily. She has recently been entering burning buildings, rescuing the weak, and healing the injured. When Jamie rescued Sharpe from the space plane wreckage, her entire motivation and energy was to “…help Aaron and make sure he was OK.” For this reason, the “healing” rune embedded into Jamie (and not Aaron). Whereas Runeforce can heal himself, Jamie can heal herself and others.
Mental characteristics
Employment
Deputy CEO of XPlore Corporation
Personality Characteristics
Motivation
Richards is a hands-on “fixer”. She helped Sharpe build the XPlore Corp empire and is motivated by Sharpe’s approval and her own desire to accomplish ever more impressive goals. She has chosen the alternate name “Fazer” because she feels like her powers are “out of phase” without Runeforce. But the word “fazer” can also be translated in many languages as “to do”, “to make”, or “to build”…these verbs definitely represent Jamie Richards.
Savvies & Ineptitudes
Jamie is an experienced mechanic and is a savvy executive with the uncanny ability to charm her way out of a pickle.
Richards goes by the secret name “Fazer” . She is a hands-on “fixer” — typically wearing a hoodie with jeans and sneakers. Her bright red hair is unmistakable. Jamie is Aaron Sharpe’s #1 confidant and the Deputy CEO at XPlore Corp.
View Character Profile
Children
Eyes
Green
Hair
Red
Quotes & Catchphrases
“Let’s do this!”
Panic and the Void
I was in the form of the Kazar Warrior when I swiped at the first Destroid on the cargo ship. But they were not yet physical manifestations…and my surprise attack was wasted.
And before I could think, they seemed to materialize…and, of course, they took easy shots at me…energy blasts, multiple times. Like being punched in the gut with bolts of electricity.
As strong as it is, this Kazar form is a hulking giant of a creature. Of course the Destroids would find it an easy target.
BLAST
And this form can take it…
BLAST
But this is starting to wear me down…
BLAST
OK, I’ve got to get away from these things.
I could see Max down below dealing with more mechs and now another brutish mutant. But I can’t get close enough to be helpful!
In a flash, my form reverted to ‘The Vessel’…appearing similar to my true form, but with the devastating red energy from Soal exuding from my eyes and wrapping around my face.
In this form, I could portal down to the ground level of the cargo ship. But with everything going on at once, I felt overwhelmed. This is just silly. So many mechs, mutants, and Destroids all on the same ship. I called out to the New Champions over comms,
“We are outnumbered and taking significant damage out here on the Cargo Ship in Thunder Bay. Any assistance would be appreciated!”
Sandcrab’s stoic response made me want to spit.
“Work together and face them as a team.”, he said.
My sarcasm was probably a little too evident, but outnumbered 3 to 1, I didn’t really appreciate the tactical instruction,
“Thanks Sandcrab, that ‘do better’ response doesn’t feel very helpful.”, I retorted.
We need help out here, not advice.
In a panic, the only thing I could think of was self-preservation. Or maybe that was ‘The Vessel’ thinking for me…
In a blink, a field of energy expanded from my eyes to envelop the entire area around me. It was like a void, but I could see it. Within the void, the swirling cosmos was visible…almost as if inside this ‘void’ was a separate plane of existence…or maybe a different celestial location.
I could still feel rocket-fire exploding around me, but I was ‘invisible’ to everyone else. A Destroid dropped down into the void, but was clearly disoriented by it. It looked left and right, but couldn’t locate me. It even stumbled around a bit, tripping over barrels and equipment. Inside this cosmic void, I am safe.
Or am I?
Welcome Back
Reality set in quickly after we returned from Russia.
Lil’Rocket had returned Aaron to the medbay at Homestead within moments of the XPlore Plane explosion, but I couldn’t hear him the entire time we were in Russia. I knew he wasn’t dead…but why couldn’t I hear him?
So when we were back on solid ground — Lil’Rocket’s speed is intense — I portaled into the medbay to see Aaron for myself. Holding his hand, I felt helpless. He was cold and motionless…thoughtless, even.
And his body was slightly green. There were no runes covering him. The knowledge we had ignorantly called the ‘runeforce’ wasn’t in him anymore…it’s inside me now.
But the ‘runeforce’ isn’t just about ‘runes’. It is the legacy of an entire civilization. All of the knowledge and energy of a star system…encapsulated inside Aaron…and now me.
But why did it leave Aaron? To protect us during the explosion of the XPlore Plane? And why didn’t it return to him afterward? Oh God, if Aaron had the ‘runeforce’ right now, he wouldn’t be in a coma.
But there was no time to think about these things.
Destroyer’s raids against resistance forces were becoming constant…and the New Champions received two urgent pleas for help within seconds of each other.
I went with Max and Dragon Lady to the requests that came from a cargo ship not too far from the city. Ghost, Sandcrab, and Lil’Rocket went the distance to a resistance cell in Nebraska. I didn’t even know there were resistance fighters in Nebraska…I thought they just had farms.
When we got to the cargo ship, Max went into action first. I couldn’t see Dragon Lady, though I could sense her mental prowess when I embodied the form of the Abril Legacy. In that form, every mind in the nearby vicinity became ‘near’.
But Max…I was close enough to see the devastation he caused. Black Talons are some of the most ferocious mechanisms we’ve seen. They obliterate entire resistance cells. But Max’s electrical blasts devastated them.
Admittedly, I’m still learning about the Abril Legacy…but their ‘Power of Knowledge’ is something I have found extremely useful. Locating the mind of the human inside the Black Talon suit, I commanded it,
“POWER DOWN”
It resisted for a second, but then I thought the words again — penetrating his synapses with the sheer force of truth — more forcefully, I shook the words into his skull,
“POWWERR DOWWNN!!!”
The hulking Black Talon collapsed under the weight of gravity as its rocket boosters shut down and its visor dimmed. The mech splashed into the water.
I could sense the minds of many resistance fighters on the ship, but only two other’s loyal to Destroyer. So I prepared to shift form back into Lyzen (the Oqthcalian word for “Vessel”), in that form capable of portaling between time and space. But in that moment, I heard the sound of cracking electricity — the unmistakable warning sound of Destroids portaling onto the scene.
So I continued shifting into Lyzen and then portaled onto the highest lookout of the cargo ship…and right next to two Destroids. Instinctively, I shifted forms a second time…into the Legacy of the Kazar Warriors — a giant with enormous arms and hardened skin. But to no avail, my first swipe at the Destroids was foiled by their intangibility.
Their tactics disgust me. Robots commanded from afar by a coward. Their intangibility is only proof that Destroyer knows we’ll win, eventually. When they turn solid, Max will obliterate them like he did in the warehouse district.
Maybe Dragon Lady and I can asses the damage that has been done to the ship?? I sure wish we had the XPlore Plane on-hand.
What Am I Doing Here?
My memories are a blur…I cannot remember everything that happened: there was a series of explosions. And then the XPlore Plane disintegrated. Aaron died but came back…even after the Runeforce left him. I cannot process this right now. It is too much.
Jamie’s thoughts were chaotic… “This isn’t my fight. Why didn’t I go back to Homestead with Aaron when Sandcrab suggested it?” ”Because that just pissed me off, that’s why! Aaron always made me stay behind…and now Sandcrab too? I’m done with it. Screw you old man!” ”And the runeforce, why is it residing in me now? Aaron is probably dying without it…and I don’t even know how to use it properly.”
Sandcrab tunneled us underground as we made our way from shore to the small French town where the safe-house Sean mentioned was located. In the few hours it took us to arrive, I must’ve gone in and out of trances, similar to the ones Aaron was having. But by the time we got to the safe-house, everything was becoming clearer. Jamie thought to herself, ”I am the vessel of the Oqthcalian Civilization now. Their memories, their knowledge, their technology, their energy…reside inside me. This isn’t a ‘runeforce’, this is pure knowledge…in the form of energy…inside me.” ”I previously called myself “Fazer” because I felt out-of-phase with the runeforce. But now, I am the runeforce…or at least a vessel for it. So I won’t go by that name anymore.”
I hadn’t spoken for hours, but my first words to Sandcrab, Liliana, and Lil’Rocket were straightforward, “Call me ‘Lyzen’ now. The Oqthcalian word for ‘Vessel’. I am a vessel for the preservation of the Oqthcalian Civilization.” And in a flash, my form changed…cycling through various races of the Oqthcalian people. A giant warrior, a powerful librarian?, a harvester, and a Dark Knowledge Master. ”Not all of these forms feel very heroic, nor very practical…but that isn’t the point. I am the vessel.”, there is no one to share my consciousness with me, but maybe Aaron will remember these thoughts eventually. Inside the safe house, I sat down in the foyer and rested my head in my hands. I reached out telepathically for Aaron again, but his conscious thoughts were absent…only his memories remained available to me. And as the rest of the team searched the building, I sat in disbelief, asking myself quietly… “What am I doing here?”
Jamie’s thoughts were chaotic… “This isn’t my fight. Why didn’t I go back to Homestead with Aaron when Sandcrab suggested it?” ”Because that just pissed me off, that’s why! Aaron always made me stay behind…and now Sandcrab too? I’m done with it. Screw you old man!” ”And the runeforce, why is it residing in me now? Aaron is probably dying without it…and I don’t even know how to use it properly.”
Sandcrab tunneled us underground as we made our way from shore to the small French town where the safe-house Sean mentioned was located. In the few hours it took us to arrive, I must’ve gone in and out of trances, similar to the ones Aaron was having. But by the time we got to the safe-house, everything was becoming clearer. Jamie thought to herself, ”I am the vessel of the Oqthcalian Civilization now. Their memories, their knowledge, their technology, their energy…reside inside me. This isn’t a ‘runeforce’, this is pure knowledge…in the form of energy…inside me.” ”I previously called myself “Fazer” because I felt out-of-phase with the runeforce. But now, I am the runeforce…or at least a vessel for it. So I won’t go by that name anymore.”
I hadn’t spoken for hours, but my first words to Sandcrab, Liliana, and Lil’Rocket were straightforward, “Call me ‘Lyzen’ now. The Oqthcalian word for ‘Vessel’. I am a vessel for the preservation of the Oqthcalian Civilization.” And in a flash, my form changed…cycling through various races of the Oqthcalian people. A giant warrior, a powerful librarian?, a harvester, and a Dark Knowledge Master. ”Not all of these forms feel very heroic, nor very practical…but that isn’t the point. I am the vessel.”, there is no one to share my consciousness with me, but maybe Aaron will remember these thoughts eventually. Inside the safe house, I sat down in the foyer and rested my head in my hands. I reached out telepathically for Aaron again, but his conscious thoughts were absent…only his memories remained available to me. And as the rest of the team searched the building, I sat in disbelief, asking myself quietly… “What am I doing here?”
XPlore Corp Mining Operations Destroyed
It was a late night with an emergency call for XPlore Corp’s Executive Leadership Team to convene in our underground ‘war room’. It was just past 7:03PM when the destruction began in Madison, Indiana. And our meeting began at roughly five minutes after eight o’clock in the evening. XPlore Corp’s operations in the area were entirely devastated.
On the drive into headquarters, Jamie’s thoughts wandered…
Just a few years ago, we had executed the agreements with city and state leaders to purchase the Magnesite mining operations in Jefferson County. Magnesium alloys are a vital component in our deep space radiation prevention designs. Procurement of this mineral was becoming more costly under Destroyer.
And now that operation is gone. The people who lived in the town…gone. And the New Champions were blamed for it. Disgusting.
I was in the emergency planning meeting (covering for Aaron) when another distressed plea came over the DarkR web’s open channels…from a resistance cell in Arizona. And then Aaron’s voice was ominous as I closed my eyes and put my head in my hands, hearing both him and our Head of Mining Operations speak about contingency planning. Aaron’s thoughts prevailed for my attention:
“Is Sarah with this resistance group?”
“I don’t know, Aaron. I haven’t talked with her in a couple of days.”
“Did you give her the ring?” He persisted.
“Yes, she doesn’t yet understand what it is.”, I thought in response.
“I’ll tell her, eventually.” Aaron weakly promised.
The strategic planning meeting was wrapping up. XPlore Corp’s Jefferson County mining operations were a total loss. The Public Relations team was planning how to respond via news outlets and other social channels, the Foundation was going to prepare a fund to assist any survivors, and Security Operations would plan to make a covert visit to the site. The Executive Team was of mixed opinions on the reported involvement of the ‘vigilante terrorists’. But everyone agreed that facts were necessary from our team on the ground.
And then Aaron’s voice,
“We are going to help the resistance fighters in Arizona. Will you join?”
“Yes, the ELT just finished meeting. I’ll be in my office.”
Runeforce portalled into Jamie’s office and then in moments they were both aboard the invisible XPlore Plane. When the hangar doors opened and the invisible plane departed, it was clear that a NAGA vehicle was parked on the street nearby. Even as the plane departed, an agent could be seen walking toward the empty hangar.
“Another warehouse location wasted. We’ll have to find another spot to park.” I spoke half jokingly, but with some seriousness.
“Are we OK, Fazer?”
“Yes, I’ll just need companies you don’t own to buy a few more warehouses…at this rate, you won’t own more warehouses than actual houses.”
Runeforce and Fazer navigate the invisible plane to a site directly above the Homestead base, portalling into the ready-room and then back into the plane once the team was ready to depart. Then, within fifteen seconds, the team was arriving on the scene in Arizona.
Runeforce spoke quietly, “Please stay in the plane, Fazer. We’ll be portalling resistance fighters into the cargo bay and they may be in bad shape.”
Fazer had grown accustomed to ‘staying behind’. Her unification with the ‘runeforce’ was only partial…whereas Aaron could shift between runes at will, she often experienced tremors and couldn’t stay away from Runeforce or the XPlore Plane for more than a day without exhibiting signs of fatigue and even worse, vomiting and fainting.
Remaining in the pilot’s seat, Fazer could still see the battle ensuing below:
Lil’Rocket dashed around at breakneck speed, saving the lives of unwitting resistance fighters…Max portalled them into the plane. All the while, Ghost, Sandcrab, and Runeforce went toe-to-toe with countless Black Talons, Destroyer’s hardest-hitting mechs.Even Dragon Lady, a new ally in the fight, was holding her own against them.
She thought to herself, “Even though I’m not ‘in the fight’, I still have a part to play. And when the battle ends, we fly away to safety. Just like we always do. Just waiting for another emergency. Another devastation.”
On the short trip back to Millennium City, these thoughts turned over and over until the final question came,
“But am I doing enough?”
The Crash
Jamie Richards was a ruddy tomboy who got picked on by the other kids in school. But even as kids, she and Aaron Sharpe were inseperable. Camping trips, after-school clubs, and even cross-country running for their high school athletic team — Jamie and Aaron could be found making (and getting into) trouble, mostly good trouble.
When Sharpe started — and bankrupted — his first business, Jamie was with him through it all. Then, for a season, Aaron lived in Jamie’s basement...he would invariably create disasters and accidental explosions; Jamie was always ready to repair and to offer Aaron constructive criticism.
They’d been working together for a few years when Sharpe finally stumbled onto his first breakthrough invention — reusable jet fuel-cells. Soon afterward, Jamie helped negotiate the license and supply agreements for the fuel-cell technology to be used in military aircraft. Jamie helped design the retro-fitting machinery necessary to upgrade older fuel-systems for the reusable fuel technology. It was only a few years later when Aaron started XPlore Corp — with spacecraft designed around the fuel-cell technology. Jamie was with him the from the beginning.
Soon after Destroyer took over, Jamie knew that Sharpe was planning to put encrypted satellites into orbit, but she didn’t expect that he was planning to commandeer an XPlore Corp plane for the task. After launching, Sharpe sent Jamie a secure message,
“I’m onboard ship #17. If something happens to me, I’ve left papers for you to take over the company along with some other instructions. I hope everything goes to plan and I’ll see you next week.”
When Sharpe’s solo-mission aboard the XPlore plane ended in a fiery explosion, Jamie used her corporate access to monitor the plane’s re-entry trajectory and arrived at the crash site before anyone else — it was an “unmanned” craft, after all...there were no emergency crews expected, only fire and clean-up crews.
She immediately took one of XPlore Corp’s autonomous jets to the Nevada desert where plane #17 had crashed. As expected, there was no one present at the crash-site. In the clear night sky, the flames from the jet were like a beacon. But there was something else shining brightly — an eerie blue field of light surrounding the wreckage.
After landing nearby, Jamie ran toward the wreckage, thinking to herself, The fuel-cells don’t glow blue like this...what was the cargo on this spacecraft?
Quickly bringing up the ship’s manifest, Jamie confirmed there were only small satellites, drones, and other typical cargo. Nothing unusual...
Aaron was on this spacecraft, too.
She began to weep for her childhood friend, still running toward the burning spacecraft, now visibly encompassed by the blue field of energy.
As she moved closer to the wreckage, it became obvious that the flames were not hot. This spacecraft was a heap of warped metal, engulfed in a blaze of fire...and Jamie was only 20 meters from it now, but there was no heat escaping from the energy field surrounding the spacecraft.
Jamie slowed as she neared the light, now walking up to the swirling field of energy. There were flecks of gold and other shimmering colors floating in the air. She raised her hand and reached outward, carefully touching the edge of the swirling energy.
In that moment she understood. She knew that the field of energy was protecting Aaron...and it was protecting her as well.
Jamie slowly walked through the edge of the blue swirling energy and into the flames, climbing onto the wreckage in search of Aaron’s remains. But instead, she found Aaron lying naked and unconscious, covered in blue markings with bright gold lines that looked like ancient letters — entirely unharmed. When she reached out to him, Aaron eyes opened as if for the first time.
Without speaking, Jamie knew Aaron had so many questions and fears, almost as if his thoughts were echoing in her[/I] mind. Aaron shakily stood from the wreckage and Jamie walked him back to the autonomous jet awaiting several hundred meters away. Aaron didn’t speak for hours, but Jamie “heard” his thoughts all the same.
After returning to Millennium City, Jamie took Aaron to the Sharpe Mansion and they entered his workshop through a private entrance. The strange markings on his skin faded away well before they returned to the city...so there was no explanation to give to Jeremy and Regina, Sharpe’s driver and chef, like family, really.. And his daughter Sarah wouldn’t have noticed he was gone anyways...
In the coming days, it became obvious that Sharpe didn’t want to talk about the accident or the mysterious blue light around the wreckage. Jamie also realized that Sharpe didn’t know that their thoughts were somehow connected.
Maybe Aaron was in denial. Maybe he didn’t have any memories of the crash. But Jamie did remember. And whenever Sharpe was ready to talk about it, she’d be there for him...just like she always was.
The Ring
Aaron is always in a trance, it seems. He doesn’t eat or sleep and he has become almost emotionless in the last few weeks.
When he isn’t in a trance, he’s in the vault working on gadgets. We are always connected, Aaron and I. Never speaking anymore, but always connected.
He’s terribly worried about the ones he loves. He’s gone so far as to attempt imbuing ‘pieces’ of the runeforce into trinkets, hoping to give them to Regina and Jeremy…just in case. But also to Sarah, when she comes home again, eventually.
He gave me one of the rings he made, knowing that I’m closer to Sarah these days…hoping I can give it to her without raising suspicions. I’m not sure why he won’t tell her what he is now…even with our mind’s connected, he won’t reveal that to me.
Sarah has been trying to organize resistance fighters for several years now, but they just don’t have a chance. I flew her out to help a group in Portland, but almost as soon as we got there, they were under attack by Black Talon agents.
So, of course, Sarah calls for help from the New Champions using the open DarkR web. And Aaron instantly connects the dots, portaling to the XPlore Plane, then to Homestead, and then back to the XPlore Plane with several of the New Champions alongwith.
He’s angry with me, but I’m glad I did it. And I’m glad I had the plane here…or else he couldn’t have gotten here so quickly with the New Champions. The XPlore Plane is an innate ‘safe’ location for him. He can portal into the plane from almost anywhere in the world, it seems.
I think openly to Aaron, “Sharpe, when I was bringing Sarah here on the plane, I saw government vehicles approaching the warehouse where we keep the plane. That location isn’t safe anymore. They are catching up to us more quickly nowadays.”
His thoughts were short and intense “That doesn’t matter right now, Fazer. We have to protect Sarah.”
He didn’t even ask me why I agreed to bring Sarah here. And then the New Champions all just spring into action…
And, of course, I remain in the plane…in standby. I might as well be in a ‘trance’ like Sharpe is most of the time these days.
Maximum Resistance and the others move straight up toward the front of the fighting. Lil’Rocket just seems to swirl in and out of the bad guys, I can’t even pinpoint where he is and where he isn’t.
The new hero on the team, Liliana stays back with Runeforce…but I can tell she is mentally attacking the agents. I’ve heard others talk about her powers causing anguish over past regrets…boy would Aaron have a hard time if she ever turned on him.
But she and Runeforce fight side by side. Runeforce opens a supernova near a handful of agents down the street — his powers are more destructive than I’ve seen before. He’s angry.
The large mechs seem to come out of nowhere from behind Liliana and Runeforce — a blast hits both of them square-on. Runeforce is unmoved and Liliana seems to be pushed back only a bit. I’m gripping the controls of the plane. Should I join the battle? I can heal Liliana if she’s hurt…but I sense from Runeforce that all is fine.
In the next moment, Runeforce enacts protective auras around them both…and then around almost the entire building across the way. He’s afraid Sarah is in that building.
Soon enough, Ghost appears near that same building and punches the lights out of the last few Mechs. Literally.
And as soon as it began, this fight is over. Aaron portalled several injured agents into the plane for a moment while they healed. He doesn’t want me to come nearby while Sarah is there. He’s afraid if I’m close-by, it will eventually lead to him having to tell her the truth about who he is.
And eventually, he portals away on his own…back into the Sharpe Mansion Vault in Millennium City. And the New Champions return to Homestead.
On the return trip, Sarah comes and sits in the co-pilot’s seat…where Aaron usually sits.
“Should I tell my father what I’m doing?” she asks.
“You will when you are ready. I’m sure he has a few secrets of his own. Maybe one day you’ll both be ready to talk to each other about your secrets.” I respond, truthfully…hoping Aaron isn’t already in a trance and is still listening to my thoughts.
Sarah smiles, “Yeah, one day I’ll tell him. I just hope he’s proud of what I’m doing.”
“He’s proud of you, Sarah. Believe me.” I reach into my pocket and take the signet ring Aaron imbued with the runeforce into my hand, offering it to Sarah. “He wants you to have this. Put it on now and never take it off, OK?”
Sarah looks confused, “What? Why? Is everything OK?”
“Yes, he gave me one as well. He’s just getting sentimental, I guess.” Fazer shows Sarah the ring on her right pinkie finger. “At least it’s a nice-looking ring. He’s made worse…”
There is laughter at the memory of past creations, experiments, and ‘accidents’. And after a few moments, Sarah puts on the ring and then stands up to leave.
“Never take it off, Sarah. Promise me.”
“I promise.” Sarah says quietly as she walks away toward the back of the plane.
In my thoughts, I whisper to Aaron, “She’s wearing the ring now…if you are even listening.”
After a few moments, Runeforce’s thoughts answered quietly, “I am.”
