Cross-Country

Powers:

(none)

Equipment:

the H.A.V.O.C. (i): this heavy duty, tracked vehicle is Cross-Country's baby. The Heavy Articulated Vehicle Ordnance Carrier is loaded to the gills with missiles and guns, and even has a secondary vehicle secreted inside. The H.A.V.O.C. is described in its own vehicular entry.

Knife (s): since you never know when you're going to need to cut something (or someone), Robert usually has a knife on his person at all times. Made from m.s. 12 materials, this blade can cut through items of like m.s., or be used to inflict his Strength +2 damage in melee.

Semi-automatic Pistol (a): sure he prefers to shoot people, places and things with his H.A.V.O.C., but Robert always has a spare 'piece' on him, just in case. He can fire this gun to inflict his Agility +4 damage in a single shot, raised to +5 in a semi-auto burst.

Hindrances:

(none)

Skills:

Artillery (a): in order to properly handle more heavy weaponry, Robert has been trained in the use of this skill. As such, whenever Robert is operating line of sight weaponry (from rocket launchers to mortars to tank cannons), he does so at a reduced difficulty.

Boxing (s): as does every other new Army recruit, Robert has been trained in the fine art of weaponless self defense. Should he find himself unarmed, Robert may divide his pre-cardplay action score between two such attacks, the last of which will occur as a contingent action.

Marksmanship (a): a precursor to his more heavy weapons training, this skill showcases Robert's ability to fire most firearms with ease. Whether wielding a standard, semi-automatic or fully automatic rifle or pistol, Robert may do so at a reduced difficulty.

Military / United States (w): it goes without saying but Robert has been trained in the fine arts of the martial lifestyle by the United States military. As such, he knows the S.O.P. like the back of his hand, and can easily contribute to most military efforts.

Calling:

Thrill-Seeker, with a secondary calling of Soldier: Robert loves to wreck stuff, usually when behind the wheel of something with a weight rated in 'tons'. His time in the military has only augmented this tendency, but has laced it with a sense of duty!

Costume:

Robert's first Gi Joe uniform consists of a pair of gray trousers, a white T-shirt beneath a green vest, white, brown and red leather boots, brown leather gloves, gray wrist bands, a brown leather belt with a 'stars and bars' belt buckle, and a gray cap with black goggles.

Personality:

Robert is the kind of Joe that the team loves to have around. Sure he has a tendency to blare his country music way too loud, but the man is practically fearless under fire and a demon at the wheel of just about anything still partially functional - hey, he's fun at parties, too!

Real Name: Robert M. Blais, Grade E-5
Occupation: armor, heavy equipment operator
Legal Status: citizen of the United States with no known criminal record
Marital Status: single
Alias(es), if any: none
Group Affiliation: Gi Joe

Height: 5' 10"
Hair: red
Eyes: blue
Weight: 185 lbs
Other Distinguishing Characteristics: none

Story:

Robert grew up the child of construction workers; his father operated a bulldozer and his mother a grader. Spending so much of his early youth around extremely heavy machinery, it's easy to see how the man could grow fond of the things, both for fun and for work.

Years spent recklessly driving all manner of huge vehicles on terrain that others wouldn't dare, it was only natural that Robert get a job where he can do that with disregard to the local property values: the military. Sure enough, he enlisted to be an Armor expert.

His experience and keen eye for the surrounding terrain, coupled with an uncanny knack for the best handling of almost any heavy vehicle, got Robert noticed by the powers that be. Before too long, they had recommended him for membership on the Gi Joe team.

Since that group is always working out the kinks on experimental hardware with which to fight Cobra, it was only natural that they put him in charge of the team's latest heavy weaponry: the H.A.V.O.C. - a Heavy Articulated Vehicle Ordnance Carrier. And he took to it like crazy.

On his very first day with the Gi Joe team, Robert was drafted by Sgt. Slaughter to help him pursue a gaggle of Dreadnoks that had managed to extricate Zartan from the Pit. Ecstatic that he had the opportunity to put his new toy through its paces, Robert happily went along with this.

In a subsequent running firefight from Staten Island to the swamps of New Jersey, Robert engaged in a battle of wits against the Dreadnok known as Thrasher, pitting his skills against the man and his H.A.V.O.C. against Thrasher's cobbled together monstrosity, the Thunder Machine.

In the end, Thrasher managed to escape thanks to Zartan's holographic technology and a clever dodge by Zandar. However, Robert went on to participate in several real, sanctioned missions alongside his newfound teammates in Gi Joe, where he managed to distinguish himself with ease.

This ended when the Joe team was disbanded for a time in the mid-1990s, after which time Robert returned to conventional military service. When Cobra activity worldwide caused the eventual reactivation of the Joes, Robert wasn't one of the first of the Joes to return.

Though he did indeed do so, assisting the team on some of its most ambitious actions against Cobra and its many surrogate groups. With the group defeated - apparently - in the wake of World War III, Robert is presumably with the group to this day, since he's needed.

It'll take every Joe on the roster to round up all the Cobras that escaped in the wake of the global disaster they caused...

Extra Goodies:

Gi Joe directories featuring a version of Cross-Country: