Kraft
From Megaman Mush Wiki
| Kraft | |
| |
| Code Name | Kraft |
| Real Name | James Houseman V |
| Creator(s) | James Houseman IV & Clara Hewitt-Houseman |
| Serial Number | UNID 23167-175505-3223 |
| Faction | Maverick Hunters |
| Function | Being Just One Man |
| Primary Specialty | Investment Banking |
| Secondary Specialty | Combat Operations |
| IC E-Mail | j.houseman@lightlabs.org |
| Divisions | Hunters |
| Weapon | Exodus |
| Weapon Type | Energy Explosive |
| Buster | Green and Yellow |
Contents |
Character Data
"Laughing death in the face is better than a living death!"
Profile
James Houseman V never wanted to be anything else but an ordinary man. He rejected his father's offer to become part of Black SHIELD, wanting only to be a common banker, husband and father. When his father was killed, James carried the burden he left behind; endless investigations and death threats against himself and his family. James persevered throughout, trying to raise good children and live an honest life. Meanwhile, his younger brother Thomas rebelled against society and Mavericks, real and imagined. To punish Thomas, the Mavericks tried to destroy James: they razed his home, murdered his family and left him for dead. James was taken into protective custody by the British government afterward, and he used that time to begin campaigning for a humane end to military Reploid production. When the Mavericks struck again, Sigma succeeded in killing Thomas and declared the Maverick mission to have been accomplished: James' mission had just begun. He sought out the power that was his birthright, gaining access to genetic augmentation and advanced technology left in the ruins of the conspiracy. With both extensive VR training and Solo's continuing tutelage, James has remade himself. The man now called Kraft ("strength") remains a quiet man at heart. He maintains the demeanor of an investment banker when he is off the battlefield, and struggles to be a moral and just man in an amoral, unfair world. Those who befriend him speak of his kindness, empathy, honesty and charity; those who fight him know only his merciless pursuit of absolute victory.
Background
James Houseman V is the eldest son of James Houseman IV, former Secretary General of the United Nations and Black SHIELD conspirator. His mother was Clara Hewitt-Houseman. His brother, two years his junior, was Thomas Houseman. Thomas was always a troublemaker while James was more responsible.
James and Thomas were as close as most brothers are. They went to boarding school together until their teenage years, when Thomas was sent off to military school to try to shape up his wild behavior. James continued on at various expensive schools before being admitted to Oxford's prestigious business school.
James met two women at Oxford; Glenda Eggleston and Joanna Neige. He dated Neige, and the two had a passionate relationship built around the principle that opposites attract; a stuffy conservative rich guy and a wild, progressive lower-class girl. James became more radicalized from dating her, but she eventually left him to pursue her dreams of being a critical journalist. He started dating her roommate, Glenda, who came from a wealthy, well-connected family, and they eventually married with the approval of both families. Neige would have never fit in.
James had two children with Glenda. At the time of their deaths, Martin was 3 and Randall was 2. Because of his family, James chose not to join his father when he offered him a position in Black SHIELD; Thomas joined instead and was made into a super-soldier by various augmentations. He did his best to work at his father's former banking firm and live an honest life.
His father was killed during the fallout of the failed UN coup attempt. James and his family suffered greatly, losing most of their position and influence as a result, but James soldiered on, wanting to be an honest man. Thomas lashed out at the world and became something of an anarchist super-hero who targeted Mavericks, which precipitated an attack on James and his remaining family members by the Mavericks.
James' mother, wife and children were killed, and his estate was nearly razed during a Maverick attack personally led by Sigma. James sought to fight back against Sigma, but the Mavericks prevented him from landing a blow. The Repliforce and the Hunters saved him, but James felt his life was destroyed. His brother tried to re-establish contact with him, but James could not agree with his methods.
Later, the Mavericks attacked James again. This time, Thomas came to his aid and was killed by Sigma who was disguised holographically as James. James watched Thomas die, but was powerless to act against him. He then sought the power to get his revenge, so he looked for old Black SHIELD technology to augment himself. He developed physical power and military training, which he honed as a mercenary working for Greymalkin Arsenal PMC.
James, in his Maynard Mongoose mercenary persona, fought Grandmaster Meio to protect Lisa Faulkes of the Blake Foundation. The Foundation supports stopping Reploid production and demilitarization to create peace. Meio tried to kill her, but James fought him to give her bodyguard and creation, Guard Crocodile, time to get her to safety. James was savagely beaten by Meio, but was prevented from being killed by Guard returning to protect him. Guard was killed for his heroism, but it gave Solo the opening he needed to foil Meio and rescue James.
Solo started training James. He tested James to see if he had the conviction he needed to see the war through to the end, and James met his challenges. Solo continues to trounce James once in a while to keep him on his toes; James has speed and power, but Solo has experience.
James restarted his war by going after Amp, fighting his way up to Javelin Whitetail. Fianait had ordered the deaths of his family, and James sought to bring justice to her. He fought his way up to the top, but Fianait forced his hand by kidnapping Neige and making her cover story an attempt at a "final symphony" that could allegedly infect people with the Sigma Virus. James announced himself, revealed who he was, and fought Fianait. After a short battle, James -- now Kraft -- was victorious.
At the end of the battle, James announced his intention to turn himself in, and did just that. However, after a short time, the King issued a pardon for James' actions, allowing him to find a new life for himself out in the world.
Since joining the Hunters, James Houseman V has gone through some hard times. There were after-effects to the augmentation process that started to surface as he began to re-enter normal life. He felt more compelled to act out. He was angry, both at himself and at the world, and while he found numerous successes on the battlefield, James' personal life became a shambles. Many people who used to know him claimed that he had lost his way, "drinking the Kool-Aid" of the Maverick Hunters and losing the moral compass that had made him a hero.
James struggled to find his way again. He became involved with the Gospel insurgency within the Maverick Hunters and was briefly pulled into the intrigues surrounding the sword of Dagobert. He found himself battling ninjas, pirates, Nazis and mercenaries in the employ of an agency called "Nebula" alongside his mentor and friend, Solo. During this period, he encountered an old flame -- Madeline Stafford, now in the employ of Nebula, and someone who had been swept down a similar path of personal empowerment.
Madeline's efforts to restart a relationship with James were forcefully rebuffed. James was not emotionally ready for that kind of commitment and found himself behaving incredibly rudely to Madeline -- a result of his own psychological trauma and the mood swings caused by his body adjusting to its new level of personal output. Madeline eventually found comfort in the arms of a Robot Master terrorist, Daryn Luna. James, upset and worried for Madeline, meddled foolishly once before being rebuffed by a newly violent and angry Madeline. Afterward, he kept his distance. James still means to apologize, but is too ashamed of himself to face up to his misbehavior as of yet.
In the aftermath of that great personal failure, James retreated into combat. He carved a swath of rage through the Robot Masters and Mavericks, building his reputation up as a skilled soldier. James learned at the feet of some of the greatest warmasters in the Hunters and in their allied organizations. In combat, James' skill has only grown keener, and he may eventually rival Elpizo as the greatest living human weapon.
But James' field antics only acted to conceal his inner turmoil. He earned the love and admiration of the people, but James felt cold and empty inside. The weight of his dead family hung heavy on his shoulders. While he kept up a strong outer persona, in private James was often struck with a deep melancholy that was only made worse by problems with his brain chemistry. James still has horrible nightmares about his family being murdered in front of him, and is haunted by Sigma's merciless stare whenever his thoughts turn to them. Vengeance did not make the terror go away. It just made James more like his enemies.
James had taken some time away from active field duty in the Maverick Hunters to seek some counseling for the underlying trauma of having his family murdered and dealing with high-intensity urban combat on a regular basis. He has since started a regimen of medication to help him address his mood swings and violent impulses, and is trying to learn how to meditate from Solo to help him calm himself in tense situations.
Things are improving for James, but he has a long way to go. He's gone back into field rotation, hoping to eventually find his way to find peace with himself and with the memories of his murdered family members. It won't be easy, though. The darkness is calling out to James, and as the long Fimbulwinter sets in, he will be called upon to answer it once and for all.
Trivia
- Kraft prefers to be called "James" or "Mr. Houseman" by allies and friends. He is afraid of what may happen if he allows himself to be consumed by the Kraft persona.
- James is a smoker, though only of cigars. He is disgusted by cigarettes and finds them to be a manifestation of low culture because of their poor taste. James will traditionally smoke a cigar after a fine meal and never without a tumbler of Cognac brandy in his hand. He prefers Nicaraguan cigars, finding them to be strong but not too strong. His father taught him how to produce clean smoke rings, which James can be quite prideful about.
- James' cannon is a Krupps Surgecaster (40 tW, drum-fed underslung micromissile launcher).
- James' caloric intake is very high due to his enhancements, requiring him to organize his day around food and training. A side effect of his high metabolism is that he requires half the amount of sleep of a normal person.
- James doesn't bother much with tea time, though he enjoys a good blood pudding.
