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Octavio "Sumo" Zhou is a Ronin mechwarrior in Battletech.
Bio[ | ]
Octavio Zhou is from a minor noble House in the Itrom system. The second son of a second daughter, he grew up as indulged and arrogant as any young noble from a basically peaceful world. He was piloting 'Mechs as soon as he was big enough to wear a neurohelmet, playing at war with his cousins and participating in local tournaments. When he was of age, he joined the Itrom system security force as all nobles from his House traditionally did. He anticipated a glorious two years chasing pirates across lunar landscapes, and firmly planned to extend his military career as long as he could.
Unfortunately, in his first year of service, his lance was ambushed and Octavio was so badly injured that his tour of duty ended immediately. Even though he was attended by the best doctors in the system, it took him over a year to recover full mobility. By the time he had, he'd found something more interesting to him than war games and tournaments.
While he was recovering, he was visited often by a more bookish cousin. When he was an up-and-coming MechWarrior, Octavio hadn't seen the appeal of reading for pleasure but after days of tedium and a few careful selections by his cousin, the young noble became a convert. Alas, he did not become scholastic, as some of his elders hoped. No, Octavio became an inveterate reader of fiction, of novels, and of the trashiest variety.
He spent years reading genre classics he'd ignored as a child. He participated in book clubs, along with other aspects of society he'd previously scorned. He was, in general, a somewhat distracted but very well behaved noble scion. And then the war his younger self had dreamt of invaded his home.
His was only a minor House, but everybody had to pick sides after Espinoza's coup. Octavio and most of his family were unquestionably on the wrongside, and leaving Itrom was their only option. In the wilds of the Periphery, they were no longer a noble family. They all needed to work for their dinner. Fortunately, Octavio's active youth left him with a marketable skill that never went out of style, and he found work as a mercenary 'Mech pilot.
It is, he admits, more interesting than Society on Itrom. There are so many personalities all crammed together on a mercenary DropShip. It's giving him ideas. And one day soon, he's going to finish his own novel. It's sure to be a hit.
Strategy[ | ]
There's no mistaking the obvious; Sumo is a pilot built for heavy combat, which Battletech provides in spades. His high durability and multi-target skills means he's most efficient in the thick of it, while Coolant Vent means he can alpha-strike more often with heat-intensive builds. Take advantage of this by pairing him with a tough frontline mech like the Kintaro, Hunchback, or Orion.
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