Name: Erich Stachel
Gender: Male
Age: 118
Species: Mutant
Alias: Stachel, Wasp, Vernichtung.
History: Former Nazi SS Leader. Former South-Central America-based Paramilitary Mercenary leader.
Psychological: Claims to not have any affiliation with his former Nazi allies, as well as a disgust towards the atrocities he has committed in their name. Also claims to have a telepathic link to insects of the Vespidae family. Has been prone to short psychological breakdowns as a result of said insects communicating back. Shows a strange, parental-type relationship with one specimen in particular, a Japanese Giant Hornet whom he has named 'Kleine'.
Division: Maverick Infantry
Squad: Vespa-3
Height: 6'4"
Weight: 225 lbs.
Background
Erich Stachel was born to a non-mutant family in Berlin, Germany in 1898, barely turning 16 before the start of World War 1. Stachel eagerly joined the Nazi soldiers, and marched blindly into war alongside the invasion forces. After the Nazi's defeat in World War 1, he returned home to his mother, who was widowed by the same war Stachel returned from. Not wishing to burden her son int his time of economic crisis in Germany, she ended her own life not a year after Stachel's return home. Stachel's mutation made it difficult for him to find love, leaving his house empty, and his personality bitter. Living a degrading existence of hard work and strict law, Stachel was overjoyed when he first heard of the man by the name of Adolf Hitler. He was a fellow veteran of World War 1, and sought to return Germany to it's former glory. In time, his fame grew, and Stachel rejoined the Nazi party, ready and willing to fight his way to a better life. After the beginning of World War 2, Stachel's skill in leadership surfaced over his raw skill in combat. Despite his mutation, he climbed through the ranks, eventually becoming a major SS leader, second only to Heinrich Himmler. While he did not agree with the Nazi objective of an ethnic cleansing, he followed his path to bringing Germany out of economic crisis at all costs, and idolized Hitler for his role in achieving this goal. Stachel's men were some of the last to retreat as Allied forces attacked, standing their ground until the last second possible on all fronts possible. However, despite their efforts, the Allies claimed victory over the Nazis, and upon learning of his idol's suicide, Stachel fell into a deep depression. His men had died, his leaders had died, the only ones who were left living had fled the country. To avoid execution, he fled to Venezuela, where he lived for years peacefully, but bitterly. He began mercenary work as a way to put his skills to use, while taking out his frustration relating to the rise of Communism in his homeland. He eventually started a small group of mercenaries, which steadily grew. They began to take on contracts from as far north as Florida, and as far as southern Columbia. This progress, however, was halted in 2013 as Charlemagne LeBeau lay waste to the mutant population of the country. There were prices on his head that Stachel's men attempted to claim, but were ultimately killed. He fled North, as did many other of his kind, and immigrated to America, who sympathized with his situation despite his past affiliations. As he reached Florida, he saw the irony in this turn of events. Erich Stachel, Nazi Officer, chased out of his home in fear of an ethnic cleansing brought on by one powerful man. It did not take long for Stachel to realize something had to be done. He was an outcast, shunned, sometimes even attacked. Those who did not see him as a Nazi still saw him as a mutant. Some may say this was a form of poetic justice, but Stachel had long let go of his Nazi affiliations, despite the armband tattooed around his bicep. He had never agreed with the ethnic cleansing that had taken place. Venezuela was his home, and he would fight for it. Rallying under Xenon and his mutant rebellion, he played a minor role in reclaiming the country, sealing it's independence. There, he attempted to gather the remnants of his organization, but failed to find any who were not dead or in hiding. There were very few applicants among the new mutant population. Stachel was distraught. His home was no longer home. It was a burning husk of a land that once held memories, just as Germany was. He was accepted in Venezuela, but instead chose to return to America, mutants having newfound respect and hatred alike. Attempting to find purpose in his life once more, he contacted an organization he had heard much about, but seen little of. That organization was Maverick.
Power Grid
Intelligence: 5 (Stachel's brain functions have been shown to be far more advanced than that of an average person's, most likely as a result of his mutation. This allows him to easily telepathically command entire swarms of wasps at once with minimum strain)
Strength: 4 (Stachel has been shown capable of twisting solid steel, tearing metal doors off their hinges with ease, and dismembering humans with minimal effort. This strength is applied both through grappling and striking, allowing him major damage via concussive blows)
Speed: 3 (Stachel is much faster than the average man in both running speed and reflexes, able to run up to 30 mph and dodge fast-moving projectiles such as arrows and bullets with relative ease. This is further augmented when flying, during which his movement speed is nearly doubled at maximum)
Durability: 4 (Without Armor), 5 (With Armor)
Energy Projection: 3 (Stachel can excrete a potent toxin from his body, the lethality decided by him. This can be released intot he blood stream via a direct strike, or spat at the opponent from range)
Fighting Ability: 5 (Stachel has over the years perfected a custom fighting style integrating his stingers and ability to fly)
Appearance
Stachel's physical appearance draws on multiple wasp motifs. His skin takes the form of a yellow chitinous hide which has hardened tot he strength of bone, being a true exoskeleton. Two pairs of insectoid wings jut out from his back when flying, which can easily fold onto his back as if they were never there. His eyes are compound, having the fractured appearance of a wasps. These allow him a much greater field of vision as well. His teeth are more spaced out and pointed, making them optimal for rending flesh. Multiple small spikes protrude from his forearms and shoulders, as well as a pair of 2 foot long 'Stingers' which emerge and retract from his forearms on command, the length of which determined by Stachel. He has a Nazi armband tattooed around his right bicep, as a show of respect for his former comrades. His blood is a tealish color, having a much thicker consistency than what is normal for humans. This helps to prevent blood loss.
Powers & Abilities
Tactical Analysis: Stachel is a great strategist and tactician. Using his superior problem-solving skills, Stachel can work out a battle ahead of time for many possibilities and predict enemy movements and tactics after the battle has engaged by recalling and utilizing memorized mannerisms acquired through past experience on a moment's notice. This ability extends both into his tactical ability in single combat and using mixed unit tactics, as well as commanding entire armies. He has shown capable of operating optimally in many different conditions and environments, making him extremely versatile as a tactician. This is further augmented his minor telepathy, which grants him the subconscious ability to read an opponent's moves and react accordingly.
Hand-to-Hand Combat: Trained by both the elite of the Third Reich and Maverick themselves, Stachel has become quite adept at hand-to-hand combat. He has developed a specialized martial art incorporating his stingers, firearms, poison, and ability to fly, making him as dangerous an opponent at close range as he is at long.
Enhanced Intellect: Able to think much times faster and utilize that much more of his mind than your average human for information processing and sorting, Stachel's mind is virtually a computer built for strategy and problem-solving, one that works at optimal ability even when under stress and fatigue. It has been said that his mental power rivals that of a Strigidae when focused on a single subject. He is also ingenious in devising solutions against superior aspects of opponents, can observe and exploit, and can calculate distance, speed, and time at lightning speeds; his sense of timing is superb, bordering on perfection. This is all necessary when commanding hundreds of insects at once.
Enhanced Reflexes: Stachel possesses enhanced reflexes. The speed at which he reacts allows him to dodge fast-moving projectiles such as arrows and bullets. He can usually out-react even the fastest humans, no matter how well-trained.
Enhanced Speed: Ability to run at speeds of up to 30 mph and long distances far out-performing any Olympic athlete.
Enhanced Stamina: Stachel can exert himself at peak capacity greater then any human could, due to a resistance to his own fatigue toxins.
Enhanced Strength: Stachel's entire muscular system was hardened and fortified making him many times stronger than an average human to the point of tearing metal doors off their hinges, dismembering humans, and twisting steel with his bare hands. He can place the this capability into his strikes, allowing him the augment the concussive force of his attacks. This strength also extends to his jaw, allowing him to bite through hard, solid objects and tear chunks from humans easily. His strength is sufficient to press about a ton with relative ease.
Enhanced Senses: As a result of his mutation, Stachel's senses have been enhanced greatly. Due to his minor telepathic abilities, he is given a 360 degree field of awareness, able to 'see' in all directions. His hearing has also increased, allowing him to hear a silenced gunshot from miles away and react accordingly. When focused, he has stated that time appears to move in slow motion, while he stays the same speed.
Healing Factor: With an accelerated ability to heal damaged tissue, the rate at which Stachel's body recovers from injury and capable of being repaired before death. As such, Stachel's body can take a tremendous amount of punishment before succumbing to death. Simple gunshot and stab wounds, cuts, and broken bones can heal faster than normal. His controlled insects can be used for healing purposes as well, by eating bullets and placing maggots within a wound.
Longevity: Stachel ages very slowly, being 118 years old and still in his physical prime. When he will die of natural causes is unknown, as is if he ever will.
Chemical Immunity: Stachel is completely immune to most venoms, toxins, and poisons. This allows him not only to survive attempts to kill him in such a way and an immunity to chemical weapons and acid, but also the ability to secrete his own poisons and use them however he likes.
Venom Excretion: Stachel can secrete a venom from his body, a greenish-brown opaque color. The potency and acidity of this poison can be chosen by Stachel, ranging anywhere from excruciating pain, paralysis, or near-instantaneous death. He can inject this poison via his stingers, or spit it at long distances using an abnormal muscle in his mouth, one which would not normally be found in a human. When spat, it is usually in a more acidic form than if it were released into the bloodstream, as to burn the opponent, or the object he wishes to break through.
Stingers: Stachel has the unique ability to extend 'stingers' from his forearms. These Stingers can reach up to 2 feet long, the exact length of which being mentally controlled by Stachel. They can also be extended to maximum length in under a second, and as such can be used to add extra and lethal reach to a punch which would have otherwise fallen short. He can also retract them at alarming speeds, making for a quick and easy fakeout if necessary. These stingers are one of Stachel's primary forms of poisoning, as he can release his venom through the tips of the stingers, into the bloodstream. Upon command, he can move the tips of the stingers so that they are hooked on the end, as well as adding small, downward-angled spines, making them optimal for clinging to the inside of an opponents flesh, controlling distance as well as allowing the maximum amount of poison to be released into them, as they would have difficulty removing themselves.
Claws: Stachel possesses claws rather than fingernails, which are nearly as strong as his stingers. These allow him to cling to surfaces, objects, or people he would otherwise not be able to, and also serve as an array of slashing weapons, being quite sharp.
Wall-Crawling: Stachel possesses the ability to cling to flat, vertical surfaces or hang upside down by simply placing his fingertips on said wall or ceiling. This is controlled mentally, and as such he will not always cling to a wall, but only when he desires.
Flight: Stachel possesses two pairs of insectoid wings which jut out from his back, allowing him flight at low altitudes up to 60 mph. These wings can fold down onto his back as if they were never there, not visible under clothes. Stachel his installed in his armor ports through which his wings can be extended, allowing flight while clothed.
Telepathy: Stachel possesses minor telepathic abilities. Most of these are subconscious, giving him abilities such as lie detection, move prediction, and increased spacial awareness. The main purpose of this ability, however, is his control over wasps and hornets. He can command them via telepathic link, his advanced mind able to battle on hundreds of different fronts at once, using hive mind tactics. There are clear benefits to hundreds of soldiers sharing a single mind, and Stachel has taken advantage of this by using the insects as weapons, temporary shielding, or medics. He has a special link with his 'pet', Kleine. Occasionally, this telepathic ability can overwhelm him. He can sometimes hear the wasps communicate back to him as one entity, often in a chilling manner.
Gear
Armor:
Primary: MP40, upgraded and maintained since joining Maverick.
The MP40 submachinegun is an open-bolt, blowback-operated automatic arms. Fully automatic fire was the only setting, but the relatively low rate of fire allowed for single shots with controlled trigger pulls. The bolt features a telescoping return spring guide which serves as a pneumatic recoil buffer. The cocking handle was permanently attached to the bolt on early MP38s, but on late production MP38s and MP40s, the bolt handle was made as a separate part. It also served as a safety by pushing the head of handle into one of two separate notches above the main opening; this action locked the bolt either in the cocked (rear) or uncocked (forward) position. The absence of this feature on early MP38s resulted in field expedients such as leather harnesses with a small loop, used to hold the bolt in forward position. The MP38 receiver was made of machined steel, but this was a time-consuming and expensive process. To save time and materials, and thus increase production, construction of the MP40 receiver was simplified by using stamped steel and electro-spot welding as much as possible. The MP38 also features longitudinal grooving on the receiver and bolt, as well as a circular opening on the magazine housing. These features were eliminated on the MP40. One unique feature found on most MP38 and MP40 submachineguns was an aluminum, steel, or bakelite resting bar or support under the barrel. This was used to steady the weapon when firing over the side of open-top armored personnel carriers such as the Sdkfz 251half-track. A handguard, made of a synthetic material derived from bakelite, was located between the magazine housing and the pistol grip. The barrel lacked any form of insulation, which often resulted in burns on the supporting hand if it was incorrectly positioned. The MP 40 also had a forward-folding metal stock, the first for a submachinegun, resulting in a shorter overall weapon when folded. However, this stock design was at times insufficiently durable for hard combat use.Although the MP40 was generally reliable, a major weakness was its 32-round magazine. Unlike the double-column, dual-feed magazine insert found on the Thompson M1921-28 variants, the MP40 used a double-column, single-feed insert. The single-feed insert resulted in increased friction against the remaining cartridges moving upwards towards the feed lips, occasionally resulting in feed failures; this problem was exacerbated by the presence of dirt or other debris. Another problem was that the magazine was also sometimes misused as a handhold. This could cause the weapon to malfunction when hand pressure on the magazine body caused the magazine lips to move out of the line of feed, since the magazine well did not keep the magazine firmly locked. German soldiers were trained to grasp either the handhold on the underside of the weapon or the magazine housing with the supporting hand to avoid feed malfunctions.
Stachel has modified this gun to fire high-tech rounds provided by Maverick, as well as made modifications to improve the gun overall, such as insulating the grip to prevent burns to the hand, fortifying the foldable stock, adding an extended magazine (which can hold high-tech Maverick ammunition), improvements to the feed to prevent malfunctions, Maverick-designed recoil-reduction technology, a short-range hybrid optic sight, and a select-fire feature, as well as an ammo selector built-in to the side. He can now choose between Homing, Airburst, Armor Piercing, or Hollow Point (Often filled with his venom) using a small screen interface.
Sidearm: Mauser C96. Stachel has been trained with this sidearm sine it was issued to him, becoming quite skilled with it. Like his MP40, he has made major improvements to the C96 over the years, namely incorporating recoil-reduction technology and loading it with homing rounds. The Mauser C96 is often Stachel's weapon of choice when the situation does not demand heavy firepower.
Grenades: Stachel has a certain fondness for grenades, and often uses them in battle. He has since graduated beyond German 'potato-masher' grenades, and now prefers to use high-tech fragmentation explosives developed by Maverick. They remain true to the basic concept of a fragmentation grenade, only with a custom fuse length, more dangerous projectiles, and an extremely difficult to breach casing which negates nearly all attempts to detonate while still on the belt or while in mid-air. Stachel has also become quite accustomed to 'Swarm' grenades, which, upon detonation, release an abundance of small drones, some equipped with small amounts of hafnium explosive. These 'seekers' are a great minority, about 1/10, and will actively chase an enemy, detonating upon impact with the target or whatever gets in it's way. Although the targeting systems are state of the art, they are possible to fool. The rest are 'eaters', which devour organic material within the radius of the explosion. Stachel has trained his wasps to avoid the nano swarm, keeping them safe during the attack, while they are still available to attack other targets.
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