Menelik Berhane is a player character played by Firebrand.

Menelik Berhane
Species:	Nepleslian
Gender:	Male
Age:	22 (As of YE 41)
Height:	6'8“(203cm)
Weight:	355 lbs(161kg)
Organization:	Nepleslian Marines
Occupation:	Space Marine
Rank:	Second Lieutenant
Current Placement:	NSS Highlander

• Height: 6'8” (203cm)
• Mass: 355lbs (160 kg)

Build and Skin Color: Menelik is a tall and fairly well built man for someone of his imposing size. While not hugely muscled like an ID-SOL, his figure and build is in proportion with his height without being grotesque. To match his imposing size, Menelik has dark, almost tanned-leather colored ebony skin.

Eyes and Facial Features: Menelik is a fairly handsome man with a face that is neither boyishly handsome or rugged with age. He has a certain amount of rustic charm to his looks though, with a rounded chin and slightly chubby cheeks, as well as a slightly larger than average forehead. The man's eyes are pleasantly shaped to match his facial structure to give him a handsome appearance, leaning towards the striking and constantly alert kind. Both eyes are the same color, a light and bright hazel.

Hair Color and Style: Menelik has long, naturally thick hair grown into dreadlocks that reach down to his shoulder blades. The locks are normally tied up to keep them from getting in the way, or otherwise covered by a hat.

Distinguishing Features: Menelik is, to put it simply, HUGE. He stands at a staggering 6'8“ in height, probably because of what is likely descent from the Hanyan Giants. Then there's his dreadlocks, which can in the right situations resemble the mane of a Lion.

Personality: In contrast to his fearsome, almost lion-like appearance, Menelik Berhane is a gentle and peace loving young man with loyalty and responsibility in spades. Always able to find the silver lining in almost any situation and the good in any person despite their surface appearance, Menelik might as well be named a Pollyanna though a simpler word would be earnest. This gentle and friendly nature shouldn't make one think that Menelik is a pushover: avoiding conflicts is something he always prefers to do, but when fighting is unavoidable he puts all of himself into it like he does everything else. He never gives half measures and always tries to give 100% to the task at hand, regardless of the situation.

The funny thing is that in some situations, Menelik is completely lost due to a combination of his earnest honesty and religious upbringing. Devoutly believing in the Creator and in the goodness of all people, he is actually fairly gullible and trusting. Even more so he has absolutely no idea on the proper way to court and talk to a woman, being a good kid who was always focused on working and studying and didn't have time for a girlfriend.

• Likes: Doing his job, getting along with people, staying busy, Papaya, Peace and quiet when its called for, Loudness and action when needed, Intelligent and Proper women, Cooking. He likes Coffee, and drinks it like Yamataians drink tea.
• Dislikes: Not being able to do his job, not getting along with people, doing nothing, Aethersperm(He finds them to be “Too Much” in his own words), people who insult his friends, fighting for the sake of fighting.
• Goals: Menelik's goals have morphed as he served in the NSMC: Nepleslia is his home, but more than that, there are innocent people who need people like him to keep them from the chaos raging around them.

• Mihret Legesse - Mother
• Berhane Ezana Aseri - Father. COO of a major corporation, and Mesafint of the Aseri Zemith.
• Tsigereda Berhane - Younger Sister. Woyzerit
• Kikios Leka (YSS Artemis) - Significant Other

Menelik Berhane was born in YE 19 on Planet Nepleslia, in the mining town of La Hanya on the mountainous Hanyan Continent. The town was relatively isolated and small for Nepleslia, protected by tall mountains and nestled in a valley, and so most of the fighting that raged avoided the town. This combined with relatively steady employment from the mines to make La Hanya relatively peaceful. Menelik's childhood was quiet as a result, and he grew up without knowing tragedy. His parents were respected members of the community: His father a foreman at a mine, and his mother a former woman of the cloth who ministered to the town's people; both of them from families that had lived on Hanya for possibly millennia. Always a gentle soul, Menelik was popular growing up and was beloved by his family and neighbors.

It was thus that when he came of age he had many options open to him: He could go to a university and settle into a well paying career; or he could start working in the mines like his father; or perhaps he could've become a holy person like his mother and ministered to the spiritual needs of his hometown. He chose neither, and instead enlisted in the SMDION. The man loved his home town, and all the people in it, but he wanted to get out and see the world! Before he decided to enlist, he'd barely seen any of Nepleslia outside of La Hanya.

It was with his enlistment that Menelik became a marine, but not before going through basic training. He was mentally unprepared for the… liveliness of Funky City, the energy of a large metropolis and the throngs of people living there. He was even more unprepared when, for his first assignment as a Marine, he was assigned to a strange ship full of people who's species he had barely even seen before: The Lorath.

Menelik made some friends, made some enemies, needed an adult a whole bunch of times, but he survived his stint on the Val'ta without dying and only having to date and sleep with a few Lorath men and women. It was a learning experience for him.

After the Val'ta he was transferred around to different marine units, serving with quiet professionalism and a gentle nature that made his fellows enjoy his presence. He served to the best of his abilities at various postings, waiting for the time where he'd really be able to get back into the action.

Made some friends, served his time as a fireteam leader and NCO in an infantry squadron, was transferred out to Officer Candidate School. More important than any of his actions as part of the Artemis' infantry platoon, he met and fell in love with Kikios Leka (YSS Artemis), which caused its fair share of problems when he was abruptly ordered to OCS.

Graduating from OCS, Menelik was recruited to the NSS Highlander to serve as the commanding officer of its marine contingent.

Menelik is familiar with basic radio operation and procedures and can make transmissions to and receive transmissions from other characters through headsets, ships, ground vehicles, power armor, and shuttles in both combat and non-combat conditions. He is fluent in Trade (language). He can speak and write it correctly and efficiently and can write reports, fill forms, issue orders under fire, etc. Menelik is skilled in field communications and is proficient in all rudimentary forms of communication (hand signals, flashing lights, etc).

Thanks to his time on the Val'ta, Menelik has working knowledge of various foreign languages. While not fluent, he's capable of speaking the following languages conversationally as well as being able to read them at a rough 'high school' level: Lorath Ly'thir, Yamataigo (邪馬台語), Seraphim, and Freespacer Freefolk.

Menelik received intensive hand-to-hand combat training (primarily focused on disabling and/or killing opponents) and has followed up that knowledge with a rigorous training program. Weapons he is trained in include pistols of all types, knives, grenades (and other forms of explosive weaponry) and rifles of all kinds. Menelik is in excellent physical shape and has considerable endurance. He is also able to pilot land-based power armors, but must rely on the suit’s A.I. to do anything advanced.

Despite his training, or possibly because of the increased lethality afforded to him by it, Menelik is not a ruthless or particularly aggressive fighter. He has a particular habit to subconsciously hold back whenever in a fistfight to avoid hurting others.

Menelik knows how to survive in hostile environments. He can build shelters, hunt and forage for food, build a fire, etc. Menelik can camouflage himself and is familiar with guerrilla warfare tactics.

Menelik can understand and give out tactical commands and work with his troop to follow those commands efficiently. He knows the importance of teamwork on the battlefield, has been intensively trained in discipline and morale, and is able to recognize the command structure even while under extreme pressure (combat, etc). He is able to recognize ambush points. He knows basic math in order to calculate distances, etc, and can use a tactical map.

Menelik is a fairly competent cook, able to cook most meals without causing a fire or poisoning the consumers. He is especially talented in cooking his family's traditional cuisine, and in improvising meals using available ingredients if need be.

Menelik has dabbled from time to time in mechanical engineering, especially with Power Armors and Frames. He finds them fascinating, and wouldn't mind being able to study various Frames and non-nepleslian armors. However he has no formal training in the field, and has mostly been limited to reading various textbooks and articles on the subject.

His time on the Val'ta, exposed to advanced Lorath engineering and power frame designs, has only helped further Menelik's engineering training.

Menelik is familiar with and able to fix most problems with vehicle and power armor components and to an extent, systems. While not necessarily well-versed on how a part functions and the theory behind each, he will be able to keep things operating within normal parameters.

While on the LSDF Val'ta, Menelik was taken under the wing of certain Lorath pilots and received crash training on how to pilot mecha in case of an emergency. This means that he stands a good chance of being able to pilot other Mecha as well.

As it turns out, Menelik is a decently good leader. Charismatic and humble enough to not be full of himself, he was refined into a burgeoning officer by Nepleslian Officer Candidate School.

Menelik Berhane has the following items:

• 2 Sweaters, Marine Green
• 2 Officer's Jackets, with tank markings on shoulders and arms
• 4 T-Shirts, white
• 4 underwear, white
• 2 Khaki cargo pants
• 1 Nepleslian Officer's Cap, Marine Green, with Commissioned Officer markings.
• 1 pair gloves, leather, brown
• 1 pair boots, brown
• 6 pair boot Socks, white
• 1 Belt, dark brown
• 1 Nepleslian Dress Uniform (YE 33) (full outfit with white pistol belt, gloves, pants, and boots)

• 2 Tank tops, green, with fleet number on the right chest
• 2 Pairs of ankle length pajama pants, khaki
• 1 Pair of slip-on flexi-shoes, black

• 2 Short-sleeved mocks with fleet number on the right chest, Green
• 2 Work-out shorts, black
• 4 pairs green ankle Socks
• 1 pair green low-top sneaker shoes
• 1 Pair of trunks, green, fleet number on right leg

• 1 M3 Assault Rifle (Recommended)
• 1 Utility Combat Knife M01A
• 1 Marine Combat Axe Model 01c
• 1 Revolver, HHG ‘High Hybrid Gun’, with 2 extra HJP magazines and brown Pistol Belt

• 1 Advancer TIN System Implant
• 1 Advancer Homeostatic Nanomachine Hive Implant
• Advancer Iron Bone Enhancement
• 1 Synthetic Boost Gland

• 1 pair identification tags, metal, with name and hometown
• 1 Canteen, 1 quart
• 1 AwesomeCorp DataJockey
• 1 Wallet with the Marine Corps Insignia plated on it.

NAM Terratech High Mobility Assault Armorsuit – “Slayer”

Sirocco Pack

Mistral Pack

Ostro Pack

Because he likes to tinker with things in his spare time, Menelik will sometimes create a new thing. They'll be listed here.

Menelik Berhane is currently a in the .

Menelik's current theme music is 3030 , while his battle music is Battlesong