The Frontline
"The world's first line of defense"
The Frontline is an initiative proposed by Colonel James R. Stryker, Executive Director of S.I.G.H.T., The Strategic Intervention and Global Hazards Taskforce during the 00s after the defeat and loss of several thousands of superheroes and metahumans during the Rikti War. It seeks to recruit, train and assist this team of metahumans to act as the world’s first line of defense, hence, The Frontline.
OOC Notes:The Frontline is a heavy RPSG inspired by Marvel's The Ultimates, Avengers (MCU) and Blizzard's Overwatch teams. If you're a "soldier, scientist, adventurer or oddity", you should fit right in with our group. Our flavor of RP combines elements of spy thrillers, modern comic book storylines, and good ol' fashioned capes and tights with just the right amount of goofiness to have a good time.
SOLDIER-ONE | FIRST ATLAS | CITIZEN THIRTEEN | GODSLAYER | HUGS | ROCKET ROBYN | PSYKEY | RIMSTAR | LIBERTY BLESSING| HELLFIRE GIRL
NAME: Jonathan Morrow
STATUS: ACTIVE | PLAYER: @Regiworld
Street Justice / Shield Defense
• ENHANCED PHYSIOLOGY:
The Steadfast Soldier Initiative has given Jon enhanced strength, speed and agility, as well as a faster metabolism and recovery rate. It has also slowed his aging tenfold.
• HAND-TO-HAND COMBAT:
Having studied warfare and fought in most of the major wars since the late 50s, Jon has mastered several fighting disciplines which he has combined to form his own fighting style.
• TACTICIAN:
His combat experience has given him unique insights to battlefield situations, allowing him to conjure up unorthodox solutions ensuring maximum effectiveness with minimal casualties and effort. Fight smarter, not harder, is his motto.
• LEADERSHIP:
Jon's bravery, situational awareness and "team-first" mentality makes him an effective leader. Always "knowing the score" and what to do in the situation to best lead his team has earned him a reputation for being one of the finest field-leaders in the meta-human community.
• REPERVIUM SHIELD:
A combination of special Rikti Metals and Impervium, this near indestructible shield allows Jon to absorb impact, and disperse it twice as hard.
• HEADS-UP-DISPLAY:
Standard HUD provided by S.I.G.H.T. increases his effectiveness in battle. By analyzing combat data and making recommendations, Jon is able to put together sound battle-plans on the fly.
• MODIFIED VANGUARD BATTLESUIT:
Standard Vanguard battlesuit modified for Jon's personal use. Can withstand small explosions, small arms projectiles and most stabbing apparatus.
• CONCUSSION GRENADES:
High Impact Concussion Grenades meant to be able to knock-down even the toughest villains in the world. Jon carries 30 at a time.
• RUSTY REVOLVER:
Given to Jon by Jeffery Elwood, a comrade-in-arms during theCold War. Jon believes it gives him luck in battle, and never leaves HQ without it.
Jon Morrow was dubbed the "soldier of tomorrow", after volunteering for The Steadfast Soldier Initiative in his younger brother's stead. .........retconretcon Jon crashed on Prime Earth through a dimensional rift. The crash altered his physiology forever when the serum he was injected with reacted with the dimensional timestream. Jon used his newfound abilities to help people while preparing himself to complete his mission, which was approximately 140 years into the future. Jon, dubbed "Morrow" by the people he helped participated in every major war in Prime Earth history up until WWII.
Towards the end of 1945, Jon was gravely injured and put in cryostasis by allied scientists. While in cryostasis, Jon was studied and examined, becoming the foundation for what would become the "Steadfast Soldier Initiative". Designated Soldier-One, Jon's blood served as the catalyst for numerous Steadfast Soldier spinoffs; including Steadfast Soldier Gamma: Metacide.
Fast-forward to 2020, Jon has served his mission and now works tirelessly to protect PRIME EARTH.
NAME: Nicholas Gaines
STATUS: ACTIVE | PLAYER: @ibarra
Beam Rifle / Time
• CHRONOKINETIC:
First Atlas is able to utilize time manipulation with their physical combat, making his attacks appear extremely fast while causing the victim to be slowed down.
• MINOR TELEPATH:
Very limited telepathy, but enough to give First Atlas a slight edge against an opponent in combat.
• ENHANCED METAHUMAN:
First Atlas has various superhuman attributes, such as enhanced strength, endurance, and dexterity, that come natural to him as part of his metahuman gifts, but is also enhanced with cybernetics.
• CLOSE QUARTERS COMBATIVES:
First Atlas is well trained in hand to hand combat and firearms in CQB type situations, and is enhanced further while utilizing his metahuman abilities.
• RIFLEMAN:
His preferred weapon in combat is his high tech rifle that he brought with him from his dimension. Nicknamed the BFG by Citizen Thirteen, First Atlas's skills with his rifle are on another level.
• THE BFG:
This weapon is mostly an unknown, as it came with First Atlas to this dimension and he refuses to let anyone touch it. It's big, and it fires high intensity laser beams.
• CYBERNETIC ENHANCEMENTS:
First Atlas has numerous cybernetic enhancements, most obvious of which are his right arm. What's under that eyepatch, you say? Wouldn't you like to know.
• HEAVY ADVANCED REACTIVE DEFENCE ARMOR:
First Atlas's HARD armor sports a energy field installed capable of protecting him further from small arms fire and concussive blasts for short periods of time. If that fails, the torso is still protected by segmented hardened plates and a inner kevlar lining.
Nicholas Gaines, known by his alias, First Atlas, or simply Atlas, is a man that's literally out of this world. He's from a dimension where Earth was dominated by an extraterrestrial race of warriors who had subjugated humanity to serve under their army, with the goal to pluck the world dry of resources.
Atlas is a temporal war machine who hops through time battling the very definition of evil, however his journey stops within Primal Earth, willing to learn what the dimension has to offer, while putting his skill to greater use taking down otherwordly threats as the proclaimed harbinger of justice.
NAME: James G. Rodgers
STATUS: ACTIVE | PLAYER: @Citizen Thirteen
Dual Pistols / Martial Combat
• SUPER SOLDIER:
Project Citizen turned James Rodgers into a cybernetically enhanced super soldier. Gifted with superior strength, enhanced speed and endurance, heightened reflexes, and enhanced biology making him much more resilient and decreasing recovery time from sustained injuries.
• FORMER SF/BLACK OPS:
Thirteen's time in the Special Forces and running Black Ops missions in Project Citizen has left him with a wealth of knowledge on weapons available throughout the world(and even some off world), and the skills necessary to adapt to the harshest of environments. From the unforgiving elements of Mother Nature, to blending in with foreign societies, Thirteen is a survivor.
• CLOSE QUARTERS COMBATIVES:
Decades of military service have honed Thirteen’s hand to hand prowess above and beyond that of the average combatant. He's an expert in various forms of martial arts, and utilizes what feels natural and practical for him in the moment. His style of mixed martial arts tends to be extremely brutal and effective, with zero flair or elaborate movement. Gut punches, groins, throats, knees, choke holds, it’s all on the table.
• GUNSLINGER:
Probably the most notable feature of Citizen Thirteen's skillset is his ability to handle firearms. Give this man a gun and he can accomplish anything with it, even breakfast. He is efficient and precise with a rifle, brutally devastating with a shotgun, and mildly psychotic and terrifying with a M60 machine gun. But none of it is as glorious and artful as when he is with his Colt 1911 .45 ACP handguns.
• COLT 1911 .45 ACP:
America’s handgun since World War II. Keeping his chambered in the traditional .45 ACP(as anything else would be blasphemy), Thirteen’s custom 1911 handguns are tailored to his needs, with Trijicon night sights, custom magwell, tactical rail with surefire light attachment, threaded barrels, and higher capacity magazines.
• BIONIC ARM:
Thirteen’s right arm is not only stronger and more durable than his already super-soldier enhanced left arm, but it’s chock full of gadget goodies. An energy shield, tazer, lock picker, basic electronics hacking program, short ranged single use EMP device, and a biofoam injector for filling deep penetration wounds. It is made of a combination of alloy steel and impervium, making the arm extremely durable. Through extended surgery and further cybernetic modifications, the arm is reinforced through Thirteen’s shoulder and spinal column.
• PATRIOTIC BODY ARMOR:
Thirteen’s torso is protected from a combination of Dyneema and Kevlar, with his chest and back having thicker layers of Kevlar, and his sides and underarms being covered with Dyneema to allow for more flexibility.
Born and raised in Beaumont, Texas, James Graham Rodgers enlisted into the US Army at the age of eighteen as an 11B Infantryman. James fast tracked his way to Green Beret in just under five years, having completed numerous military schoolings such as Airborne, Air Assault, and Ranger School along the way. From there he conducted combat op after combat op, until he was severely wounded in 2005. Having lost his arm, it looked like a early medical retirement was in order. But thanks to his exemplary military records, he was flagged as a potential recruit for Project Citizen, a black operations super soldier program. James was determined to continue his service, and accepted this opportunity given to him. Project Citizen turned this already exemplary Soldier into a Super Soldier, utilizing bioengineering and a fusion of top of the line cybernetics to replace his lost arm. James was assigned the code name of CITIZEN THIRTEEN denoting him as the thirteenth of many other service members in the program. It was the name he went by for the next decade before retiring from military service in 2015.
After trying out civilian life for a few years back home in Texas, James moved to Paragon City to follow up on an invitation he'd received from Agent Michael Wilson of GUIDE. GUIDE being a federally funded program that recruits and sponsors meta humans to become super heroes and icons of hope in the public eye. While not exactly keen on the Public Relations aspects of GUIDE, James Rodgers felt it could be his best chance to satisfy a yearning in his heart to protect people who may not be able to protect themselves. Garbed in patriotic themed tactical gear and registering to the FBSA with his old Project Citizen moniker, CITIZEN THIRTEEN returned to duty once more.
NAME: Wyatt Riley
STATUS: ACTIVE | PLAYER: @Specs
Psionic Melee / Energy Aura
• DIVINE ENERGY MANIPULATION:
The Armor of God pieces in Wyatt's possession grant him with the ability to expel energy externally in the form of a sword or fist offensively, or a shield defensively.
• ENHANCED STRENGTH:
The armor grants Wyatt with increased strength.
• ENHANCED DURABILITY:
The armor also grants Wyatt with superhuman durability.
• FORMLESS FIGHTING STYLE:
While Godslayer has very rudimentary fighting prowess, he compensates with an unpredictable style. Telepaths have trouble reading his moves because he doesn't even know what he's going to do next. Wyatt claims this is skill, while other think its due to his stupidity.
• RIGHT GAUNTLET OF GOD:
A powerful gauntlet that endows Wyatt with the ability to channel DIVINE ENERGY.
• LEFT GREAVE OF GOD:
A powerful greave that endows Wyatt with the ability to channel DIVINE ENERGY.
Wyatt Riley has always put himself in harm's way to help others. Unfortunately, rarely did he have the strength or the smarts to help. Not until he put on the GAUNTLET OF GOD. which bestowed upon him great power. He'd used the gauntlet to do good things in his life, but was quickly swept away with stardom. Eventually, that all came crashing down, and now he's more known as a washed-up, drunk, has been.
NAME: Hu'Szsersvn (AKA Hugs)
STATUS: ACTIVE | PLAYER: @HuSzsersvn
Assault Rifle / Gadgets
• ALIEN ORIGINS:
Hugs is a alien space bee from outer space! She can fly with her wings! She can molt her outer carapace and replace it when damaged! She's extremely cute and scary all at once!
• FIREARMS AND SABATOGE:
Hugs was trained by the CIA to be extremely destructive! She is capable of destroying all kinds kinds of things in all kinds of ways! Disassembling things! Blowing things up! Shooting things with other things! You know, things like that!
• PACK RAT:
Hugs likes stuff, ok?!
• XM177E2 CARBINE:
Chambered in the 5.56×45mm NATO round, this is Hugs's primary of choice! It comes with all the stuff! Flamethrower attachment! Grenade launcher attachment! Shotgun masterkey attachment! Romantic attachment!
• LIGHTWEIGHT BODY ARMOR:
Hugs wears a combination of Dyneema and Kevlar around her torso, and her skirt is made of fire resistant Nomex!
Hu'Szsersvn was a first-wave explorer from her home planet, intended to assess Earth for a later colonization effort. Recovered initially outside Groom Lake, she was detained and retrained by the CIA for deniable operations in the early '00s. When she reported back to her Hive of humanity - a volatile, dominant apex species with the capacity of wielding incredible superpowers - no further resources were expended to recover her cadre of pioneers.
NAME: Robyn Sparks
STATUS: ACTIVE | PLAYER: @Rocket Robin
Archery / Tactical Arrow
• BAD ASS NORMAL:
That's right, Rocket Robyn has no powers whatsoever. Physically, Robyn is on par with Olympic athletes through intense training. Otherwise she is a typical unenhanced human.
• CLOSE QUARTERS COMBATIVES:
Rocket Robyn has a few years of combatives training under her belt, being trained by various instructors over these years including Citizen Thirteen himself. Her style varies depending on the situation she finds herself in, making her extremely adaptive against any opponent she faces.
• WORLD CLASS ARCHER:
Robyn is beyond the skill levels of olympic class archers. She can perform shots that make people believe she IS a metahuman, and can make any gun lover question whether or not their firearm is actually superior to the bow.
• THE SIGNATURE BOW:
It's a bow that shoot arrows, what did you expect?! Nothing special at all. She just combined high performance outboard limbs with a precision cam and lever system and custom machined-aluminum riser, with a silky smooth, constant draw and feel of a recurve with compound-like power and impact energy. Yup, just a normal bow for a normal girl!
• THE SIGNATURE ARMOR:
So the armor is clearly advanced, no BSing this one. Highly protective titanium plating combined with layers of Dyneema for the inner lining, with exoframe support for the legs to keep the user safe while utilizing and landing from the signature Rocket Robyn rocket boots.
• CUSTOM ARROWS:
Obviously custom situational arrows would be a thing. OBVIOUSLY.
Robyn Sparks grew up in a fairly wealthy family. However her mother died when she was only five. Her father raised her on his own. He was routinely away on business however, so Robyn spent much of her childhood being raised by her fathers live in help. Lacking for parental attention caused Robyn to act out or cause trouble growing up. Always in a hope to get her fathers attention. On top of that, her father, feeling bad for being away on business so often would bring home expensive presents for Robyn when he returned. When home he was a wonderful dad, but spoiled Robyn so much to make up for his guilt.
In college Robyn spent more time partying then learning, and quickly found herself popular but failing. Finally dropping out, she took a few summers and back packed her way around Europe, couch surfing where she could. One summer in Greece she fell in love, spending several years with a member of the Greek Olympic Archery team. It's here that she learned to shoot over the years. Her life in Europe was mostly going from party to party having what ever fun she could find.
Robyn was called back to Paragon when her father was put in jail. What Robyn didn't know till the trial was her father wasn't a business man, but a super powered thief and a rather good one. Her father, not wanting the money to be seized had been putting the stolen money in a trust fund in Robyn's name that he was the executor of till she turned 21. What he neglected to do before getting caught was to take the money out of the account. With her villain father in jail and the newly found information that she had millions in a trust fund in her name, Robyn took the money and used it to give back to the city in the form of becoming a hero. The money going to her various gadgets.
| Retired/Retconned Frontline | |||
JUMP TO:
SOLDIER-ONE | OVERPOWER | NAVY | GODSLAYER | SOULSURGE | MAVERICK ARROW | VARATHA | IDENTICAL | NIGHT OWL
NAME: Jonathan Morrow STATUS: ACTIVE | PLAYER: @Regiworld Street Justice / Shield Defense • ENHANCED PHYSIOLOGY: • HAND-TO-HAND COMBAT: • TACTICIAN: • LEADERSHIP: • REPERVIUM SHIELD: • HEADS-UP-DISPLAY: • MODIFIED VANGUARD BATTLESUIT: • CONCUSSION GRENADES: • RUSTY REVOLVER: Jon Morrow was dubbed the "soldier of tomorrow", after finding himself stranded on PRIME EARTH, 1863. Originally from a future, alternate version of Earth, Jon crashed on Prime Earth through a dimensional rift. The crash altered his physiology forever when the serum he was injected with reacted with the dimensional timestream. Jon used his newfound abilities to help people while preparing himself to complete his mission, which was approximately 140 years into the future. Jon, dubbed "Morrow" by the people he helped participated in every major war in Prime Earth history up until WWII. Towards the end of 1945, Jon was gravely injured and put in cryostasis by allied scientists. While in cryostasis, Jon was studied and examined, becoming the foundation for what would become the "Steadfast Soldier Initiative". Designated Soldier-One, Jon's blood served as the catalyst for numerous Steadfast Soldier spinoffs; including Steadfast Soldier Gamma: Metacide. Fast-forward to 2020, Jon has served his mission and now works tirelessly to protect PRIME EARTH.
NAME: Classified STATUS: ACTIVE | PLAYER: @XIII Super Strength / Invulnerability • SUPER STRENGTH: • ENHANCED DURABILITY: • FLIGHT: • ENERGY PROJECTION: • BURST TRIGGER MODE:
• COMBAT: • LEADERSHIP: • PILOT + VEHICLE SPECIALIST: • HERCULES TYPE-S BATTLEFRAME: Man or machine? The true identity of the hero Overpower remains unknown to all but a select few. What is known, is the awesome might and superior force to which all his foes tremble.
NAME: Calvin Johnson STATUS: ACTIVE | PLAYER: @Navy Water Blast / Martial Combat • WATER CONTROL: • 1ST CLASS SWIMMER: • AQUATECH: Lt. Calvin Johnson stomached 4 years of strenuous qualifying exams and training, including an additional 3 years of brutal advanced preparation to finally don the Aquatech he currently operates. Lt. Johnson is the ultimate warrior and he now uses his abilities, along with the suit, to combat naval fires and perform at-sea rescue. Recently, the branch has granted him permission to use the technology for outside rescue activity. The Frontline’s fight against the ever present Ark could prove complicated for his relationship with the US Military.
NAME: Wyatt Riley STATUS: ACTIVE | PLAYER: @Specs Psionic Melee / Energy Aura• DIVINE ENERGY MANIPULATION: • ENHANCED STRENGTH: • ENHANCED DURABILITY: • FORMLESS FIGHTING STYLE:
• RIGHT GAUNTLET OF GOD: • LEFT GREAVE OF GOD: Wyatt Riley has always put himself in harm's way to help others. Unfortunately, rarely did he have the strength or the smarts to help. Not until he put on the GAUNTLET OF GOD. which bestowed upon him great power. He'd used the gauntlet to do good things in his life, but was quickly swept away with stardom. Eventually, that all came crashing down, and now he's more known as a washed-up, drunk, has been.
NAME: Elena Espinar STATUS: ACTIVE | PLAYER: @Calleda   Luminous Blast / Luminous Aura • KHELDIAN ENERGY: • SHAPE-SHIFTING: • CROSS-LIFE EXPERIENCES: • HERO UNIFORM: Elena Espinar always wanted to be a hero, just like her parents. Her wish came true when she merged with Photovoltaic, a Kheldian. But it came with the price of Photovoltaic separating from its prior host. Now Soulsurge struggles with its own, incongruent merged personality while continuing to fight for justice.
NAME: Flint Ivachev STATUS: ACTIVE | PLAYER: @Fared Lighting Archery / Tactical Arrow • PEAK PHYSICAL CONDITIONING: • OLYMPIC LEVEL ARCHERY: • CLOSE-QUARTERS-COMBAT: • HERMES' HAND: • NON-LETHAL ARROWS: Flint Ivachev was abandoned during Post-Soviet Russia. After his Father went missing, Flint was adopted by Scott Abrams, the leader of a traveling circus. Scott taught Flint everything he knew, and soon Flint was one of the best: enjoying his new life as a circus performer. But soon, Scott Abrams was gunned down due to his debts to the mafia. Flint's anguish drove him to seek out the mafiosos responsible for the murder of his father figure, and took them down. He vowed that he would never let gangs torment another life again.
NAME: Sara Petrou STATUS: ACTIVE | PLAYER: @Varatha  Dark Melee / Dark Armor • SUPERHUMAN STRENGTH: • DARKNESS MANIPULATION + PROJECTION: • SOUL-BASED HEALING FACTOR: • LIMITED INVISIBILITY: • INFILTRATION AND RECON: • ARCANE EXPERTISE: • NATURAL NIGHTVISION: • HERO UNIFORM: Codename: Varatha, Sara Petrou was an aspiring archeologist specializing in Ancient Greece, with a specific interest in Mythological artifacts and the deities tied to them. A perilous encounter with 5th Column treasure hunters in a temple of Hades left her at death’s door. Hades saw great potential in Sara, and offered her a deal - in exchange for her survival, she would become one of his champions on Earth. She accepted, and armed with the souls of those unjustly slain, she became Hades’s spear, Varatha, an avatar of justice and vengeance working from the shadows to smite those who oppress the weak, do harm to others or seek to take power for themselves. Her power has come at a price, as Hades’s gift is a double edged sword - she lives a haunted and ageless existence, drowning in the whispers of those long gone. She is doomed to watch those she loves grow old, and to constantly fight to maintain her personality and self, as to not be consumed by the the souls that give her power.
NAME: Jared Lennins STATUS: ACTIVE | PLAYER: @Saharan  Illusion Control / Traps • NONE: • EXPERT SFX SUPERVISOR: • OFFICE 365-COMPETENT: • MODIFIED GAUNTLETS:
Jared Lennins was an SFX supervisor on various projects that took him from Hollywood to government projects and back again. He never intended to get into the hero life but a chance encounter with a rough group of hooligans on a remote set showed him he could use his effects for more than just entertainment. Making it all compact enough to carry around without a truck and trailer was a massive pain in the ass, but he has managed to build enough of the essentials to engage in some relatively low-key hero work.
NAME: Redacted STATUS: ACTIVE | PLAYER: @Alleycat Martial Arts / Ninjitsu • PEAK PHYSICAL CONDITIONING: • MARTIAL ARTS MASTERY: • THROWING PROJECTILE ACCURACY: • TINKERER: • KEEN MIND AND SENSES: • NIGHT SUIT: • NIGHT GOGGLES: • TALONS: • MODIFIED THROWING KNIVES: • E.R.E.: • UTILITY BELT: Those in the know will recognize the distinct gear worn by this woman as that belonging to a Night Owl , agents of the mysterious covert paramilitary agency, The Parliament . Heroes and villains alike may have found themselves at odds with a Night Owl or seven when their interests interfere with that of the Parliament. Having one on your side when your objectives align is the preferred option. This particular Night Owl is known to be among a select few agents who have “earned their talons” , indicating that she is permitted to operate independently of The Parliament, though is not truly free of their grasp. She has made several appearances on the heroing scene, often seen shaking things up in the Seven Gates area of Brickstown as a vigilante. Though the exact nature of her connection to The Frontline has not yet been revealed, she has proven herself to be a loyal ally to their cause.
HISTORY
Strategic Protocol for Executive Command of Tactical Oversight and Reconnaissance
Enter the MANTIS
Constant conflict ensued between the terrorist group and S.P.E.C.T.O.R., with S.P.E.C.T.O.R.’s ranks being eventually compromised, a number of agents and operatives becoming disillusioned with the organization's mission, and falling under the influence of the charismatic Mother Mantis. With the rise of MANTIS’ influence, and the corruption of S.P.E.C.T.O.R., Stryker had no choice but to “abandon ship” and purge S.P.E.C.T.O.R., only taking a handful of agents with him. With the disbandment of S.P.E.C.T.O.R., Stryker activated the “minuteman protocol” and sent his best undercover agent, a shapeshifter codenamed Wallflower into the MANTIS organization. Armed with intel and a pro-active superhero strike team, the Minutemen were able to execute precision strikes on MANTIS operations, hindering them in the long-run.
The Finale: Or so they thought....
"They're EVERYWHERE."
"How do you fight something you can't see?"
FRONTLINE HQ: BUNKER-X
BUNKER-X
 Bunker-X (or ten) is the temporary headquarters and base of operations of The Frontline. It is part of a network of secret bunkers and safehouses that Stryker established back in his day as Executive Director of S.P.E.C.T.O.R. Bunker-X is situated deep in an underwater cavern that forms the foundation of a remote island in the middle of the Atlantic. Access to Bunker-X requires modified S.P.E.C.T.O.R. communicators, tweaked with Rikti teleportation technology. This allows team members to quickly access the base from any part of the world. The communicator helps base personnel to pin-point the individual's whereabouts, opening up a "gateway" which allows access to the base. Currently, Bunker-X is kept functional by a small team of former S.P.E.C.T.O.R. agents and personnel.
 The Crisis Command Center is the heart of the bases' operations. Multiple screens which project the situation
        
BRUTE MK II The BRUTE MK II is a repurposed S.P.E.C.T.O.R. VTOL combat troop carrier used by The Frontline to get from mission to mission. It's been upgraded to feature...
THREAT MATRIX |