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The Cast of Characters, Part 1: Meet Tex and Brutus
By Alex McLain
Brute Force isn't just the name of the game. It's also the name of the special operations team you will come to know well. This team holds in their hands your survival. Their strengths, their weaknesses, their innate abilities must become ingrained within you, if you are to pass through the intense and hectic challenges that await. Brute Forcecomprises four main characters with whom you'll need to acquaint yourself. Their personalities and opinions (especially of one another) can be diametrically opposed, and their relations can be strained sometimes, at best. However, when the time of action draws nigh, they act as if knitted together into a tightly woven net of brutal devastation. Let's meet our first two companions in arms, and learn their outlooks and abilities.
Tex
Tex is the embodiment of all that typifies a soldier. He is big, gruff, and surly and lacks the finer points of subtlety. He is a veteran who has perished and conquered in countless battles. The cries of fallen comrades and the screaming chaos of battle is the norm for Tex.
 Big, gruff, surly, and definitely well armed. As a veteran, Tex is highly decorated and respected by his peers. And, as a veteran, Tex has seen the darker side of the Protectorate; his faith in their autonomy is slowly crumbling. Years of watching his comrades die alone on the battlefield has chafed at his already callous nature. Consistently being ordered into suicide missions has also jaded his outlook. Make no mistake, though—despite his problems with some of the finer points of the process, Tex's fierce devotion to the cause makes him a patriot through and through. His track record speaks for itself. Despite having occasional reservations when it comes to orders, Tex strides forth again and again, to almost certain death, with little regard to his safety. Such is his commitment to the Confederate cause.
When it comes to tactical operations, Tex is pretty straightforward. He prefers an in-your-face, guns-a'blazin approach, and it works for him. He can hold a heavy weapon in one hand with ease, and when the need arises, a heavy weapon in each hand for that much more destructive power. Tex is the damage soaker of the party. He carries the heaviest armor and weapons. He's also the slowest of the group. His strategy might not be pretty, but it's preternaturally effective.
Brutus
Brutus comes to the group with the most unknowns. He is born of the reptilian race, Feral, of which little is known. What is known is that he bears striking physical gifts that add greatly to his skill as a warrior. His ancestry has also burdened him with phobic superstitions regarding technology.
 Brutus adds a deadly mix of speed and power.
Brutus brings to the group a deadly mix of speed and power, and he is the quickest member of Brute Force when moving through terrain on all-fours. Using this speed to his advantage, Brutus can unleash a ferocious charge attack that will flatten and stun his opponents.
Tactically, Brutus is a touch more careful than Tex. He's more deliberate when choosing when and with whom to fight. Brutus also knows when he is over matched and is not above retreating to regroup. However, should a teammate come under fire, Brutus will not leave his or her side. His loyalty to his friends is as fierce as it is deadly to his comrade's enemy. Weapons-wise, Brutus, like Tex, disdains small arms, preferring instead to use heavier weapons. His weapon of choice is the Feral Cutter.
As for the mystery that surrounds Brutus, he appears to be content in keeping his secrets to himself.
Tex and Brutus comprise Brute Force's more aggressive head-on operatives. They are the power end of the group. It's up to them to take on the brunt of the enemy's offensive, and they know it—even relish it. Look soon the next part of our series, where we'll take a look at the remaining characters: Hawk and Flint.
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