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Character Info
"You keep trying to play yourself off as some sort of weapon. That you don't care about anyone or anything. But the fact that you're trying so hard to understand me breaks your entire act! No matter how hard you may want to be, you're not a machine. You're a murderer. But you hide behind the idea in your head, because you're too afraid to take responsibility for what you've done."
— AGENT WASHINGTON RED VS. BLUE: SEASON 12, EPISODE 18
THE BASICSTHE DETAILSNAME: Samuel Ortez
ALIAS: Locus
CANON: Rooster Teeth's Red vs. Blue
TIMELINE: Varies for memes and psls. Mostly drawn from either Mercs-era or post Chorus Trilogy.
APPEARANCE: Locus is never seen outside of his armor in the series, or so much as without his helmet for that matter, save in a recent flashback episode. He's seen as being an intimidating physical presence, about 6'6 out of armor, and 7'0 inside his amor. He's got broadly built shoulders tapering down to a relatively narrow waist, and he's pretty muscular from running around playing soldier for coin for years. He's got a number of scars from when that didn't go so well. Most notable is the large x-shaped scar across the bridge of his nose. The showrunners cite Javier Bardem as inspiration for Locus's appearance.
PERSONALITY
Locus is a man who values order, a clear structure of power, and competence. He's also delusional, violent, and broken, after a long career in dealing death to the innocent and guilty alike. His is the question of whether someone can come back from a brink that bleak. But he is nothing if not determined to see through any goal he sets himself to.
It started with the war against the Covenant, a war that spanned the galaxy and threatened humanity's very existence. Locus was in the war, and he and his then partner were the last surviving members of their squad. He started his soldiering career as a more compassionate and merciful man, preferring to spare a prisoner rather than shoot on sight. That pretty much got drummed out of him by his superior officer, who insisted that he was nothing but a suit of armor and a gun, and that following orders should be his only concern. It was a lesson Locus took to heart as the war wore on, and was eventually won.
Civilian life didn't agree with Locus, he would later find. He fell back into violent work, first as a bounty hunter and then later on as a mercenary. Coping with the horrors of war resulted in Locus defining himself by the name of his armor. Continuing to fight battles and following orders seemed to be all he knew how to do, and it didn't matter how horrific the order was. That part of Locus that knew how to empathize, the parts that humanized him, got packed up in a box labeled 'shit I will deal with never' and shoved into the back of the closet of his mind. Surviving the war that broke him meant assembling the pieces together into something that made sense. Something practical, harsh, but necessary. If people died, they were weak. If they were worthy of surviving, they would have. If they deserved to stop him, they'd have been strong enough to do so.
There was possibility that he might have gotten the help he so obviously needed in dealing with any of this trauma like a reasonable human being instead. He might have been able to work out these unhealthy coping methods, and found his connection to humanity again. He might have. But Locus didn't come out of that war alone. He came out with his aforementioned partner, the other survivor of their squad. Locus's relationship with Felix defined the years to come. The jobs the two took together grew more and more reprehensible, but Locus was spurred on by his partner's ambition. Whenever Locus expressed doubt, Felix would nudge. Reaffirm. Carefully manipulate him into agreeing once more. Locus might have seen Felix as loud, petty, and over-eager, but that bond of partnership forged by war meant he would follow him just about anywhere.
In fact, throughout his life Locus proved very prone to being molded by the mentality of those around him, and the expectations set upon him. First his commanding officer, then his morally bankrupt partner. Through their condoning, he could find ways to excuse his actions. He didn't enjoy violence, or find pleasure in tormenting innocents, the way Felix did. No, Locus is a professional. He was just following orders, getting the job done. Watching his partner's back. That's all he had to do. And this default of responsibility and reinforcement of mentality defined him for years. He refused to acknowledge his horrific actions as anything other than him just doing his job. It came to the point that he regarded himself more as a weapon than a man, maintaining that viewpoint in the hopes of fleeing the emotional and mental repercussions of his actions.
His mission on Chorus changed this. Distance from his partner and encountering conflicting views on what it meant to be a soldier started to form cracks in that armor-plated facade. His ability to be swayed by someone he saw as a peer was working against that firmly-held mentality that a soldier only obeys. The final straw came with the confirmation by an outside source that Felix was reinforcing those unhealthy beliefs to keep him broken, and thereby useful. Once Locus realized that he'd been used, and that there was an option other than 'continue finding people to kill until life makes sense', he dropped his weapons and stopped fighting. Felix was killed without his partner there to assist him in completing their genocidal plans, and Locus vanished before he could be apprehended in the aftermath. His parting words indicated that he meant to start making things right.
When seen again, it was clear he was making good on that promise. He continued to escape responsibility for his actions by refusing to turn himself in. And yet his actions since Chorus speak of a changed man. He has sworn never to kill anyone ever again, though he's not opposed to violence when necessary. As he states, "you don't need your kneecaps to live." He offered help to men who were once his enemies, and pursues those responsible for the murder of innocents. He shows patience and a grudging sense of compassion for those he works alongside. "Doing the right thing" has become his priority, even knowing it will be difficult and unpleasant at times. Locus is beginning to reconcile who he was before the war with who he became because of it. A machine only follows orders. A soldier with his skill-set and experience might be capable of a good deal of good, though the weight of those choices now must be recognized. Even the flaws that entrenched him in unhealthy coping mechanisms and compliance with horrendous acts may be turned to a better cause, so long as he chooses to stay the path.
It started with the war against the Covenant, a war that spanned the galaxy and threatened humanity's very existence. Locus was in the war, and he and his then partner were the last surviving members of their squad. He started his soldiering career as a more compassionate and merciful man, preferring to spare a prisoner rather than shoot on sight. That pretty much got drummed out of him by his superior officer, who insisted that he was nothing but a suit of armor and a gun, and that following orders should be his only concern. It was a lesson Locus took to heart as the war wore on, and was eventually won.
Civilian life didn't agree with Locus, he would later find. He fell back into violent work, first as a bounty hunter and then later on as a mercenary. Coping with the horrors of war resulted in Locus defining himself by the name of his armor. Continuing to fight battles and following orders seemed to be all he knew how to do, and it didn't matter how horrific the order was. That part of Locus that knew how to empathize, the parts that humanized him, got packed up in a box labeled 'shit I will deal with never' and shoved into the back of the closet of his mind. Surviving the war that broke him meant assembling the pieces together into something that made sense. Something practical, harsh, but necessary. If people died, they were weak. If they were worthy of surviving, they would have. If they deserved to stop him, they'd have been strong enough to do so.
There was possibility that he might have gotten the help he so obviously needed in dealing with any of this trauma like a reasonable human being instead. He might have been able to work out these unhealthy coping methods, and found his connection to humanity again. He might have. But Locus didn't come out of that war alone. He came out with his aforementioned partner, the other survivor of their squad. Locus's relationship with Felix defined the years to come. The jobs the two took together grew more and more reprehensible, but Locus was spurred on by his partner's ambition. Whenever Locus expressed doubt, Felix would nudge. Reaffirm. Carefully manipulate him into agreeing once more. Locus might have seen Felix as loud, petty, and over-eager, but that bond of partnership forged by war meant he would follow him just about anywhere.
In fact, throughout his life Locus proved very prone to being molded by the mentality of those around him, and the expectations set upon him. First his commanding officer, then his morally bankrupt partner. Through their condoning, he could find ways to excuse his actions. He didn't enjoy violence, or find pleasure in tormenting innocents, the way Felix did. No, Locus is a professional. He was just following orders, getting the job done. Watching his partner's back. That's all he had to do. And this default of responsibility and reinforcement of mentality defined him for years. He refused to acknowledge his horrific actions as anything other than him just doing his job. It came to the point that he regarded himself more as a weapon than a man, maintaining that viewpoint in the hopes of fleeing the emotional and mental repercussions of his actions.
His mission on Chorus changed this. Distance from his partner and encountering conflicting views on what it meant to be a soldier started to form cracks in that armor-plated facade. His ability to be swayed by someone he saw as a peer was working against that firmly-held mentality that a soldier only obeys. The final straw came with the confirmation by an outside source that Felix was reinforcing those unhealthy beliefs to keep him broken, and thereby useful. Once Locus realized that he'd been used, and that there was an option other than 'continue finding people to kill until life makes sense', he dropped his weapons and stopped fighting. Felix was killed without his partner there to assist him in completing their genocidal plans, and Locus vanished before he could be apprehended in the aftermath. His parting words indicated that he meant to start making things right.
When seen again, it was clear he was making good on that promise. He continued to escape responsibility for his actions by refusing to turn himself in. And yet his actions since Chorus speak of a changed man. He has sworn never to kill anyone ever again, though he's not opposed to violence when necessary. As he states, "you don't need your kneecaps to live." He offered help to men who were once his enemies, and pursues those responsible for the murder of innocents. He shows patience and a grudging sense of compassion for those he works alongside. "Doing the right thing" has become his priority, even knowing it will be difficult and unpleasant at times. Locus is beginning to reconcile who he was before the war with who he became because of it. A machine only follows orders. A soldier with his skill-set and experience might be capable of a good deal of good, though the weight of those choices now must be recognized. Even the flaws that entrenched him in unhealthy coping mechanisms and compliance with horrendous acts may be turned to a better cause, so long as he chooses to stay the path.
SKILLS & ABILITIES
COMBAT. While his sheer physical strength is impressive, able to handle even the enhanced super-soldiers of Project Freelancer in hand-to-hand combat, what makes Locus so deadly in battle is his precision and calculation. Rather than take an enemy head-on in a show of force, he remains hidden until the opportune moment to strike presents itself, a moment he seizes with ruthless efficiency. There is no joy taken in violence, only the cold satisfaction of doing a job well. There is a reason so many combatants on Chorus feared the very mention of his name on the battlefield.
WEAPONS. His weapon proficiency in the guidebook is listed as literally 'everything'. Locus has ample knowledge of how to use every weapon to utmost advantage, and favors above most things his sniper rifle, shotgun, and SAW. Three very different weapons, used whenever each is called for in a given situation.
INTELLIGENCE. More than anything else, Locus is logical and tactical. He always makes the most use of the information he has, and displays caution and restraint where necessary. He correctly anticipates threats even coming from unlikely sources, never underestimating a potential enemy. He also makes good use of the men under his command, and while willing to sacrifice them if necessary he will still only do so if it means accomplishing the mission objective. Resources are monitored, weapons are carefully seen to, and no risks are taken without full calculation and assessment.
WEAPONS. His weapon proficiency in the guidebook is listed as literally 'everything'. Locus has ample knowledge of how to use every weapon to utmost advantage, and favors above most things his sniper rifle, shotgun, and SAW. Three very different weapons, used whenever each is called for in a given situation.
INTELLIGENCE. More than anything else, Locus is logical and tactical. He always makes the most use of the information he has, and displays caution and restraint where necessary. He correctly anticipates threats even coming from unlikely sources, never underestimating a potential enemy. He also makes good use of the men under his command, and while willing to sacrifice them if necessary he will still only do so if it means accomplishing the mission objective. Resources are monitored, weapons are carefully seen to, and no risks are taken without full calculation and assessment.