Harold Schmidt

Harold Schmidt
Nickname	The Repairman
Special	Frenzied Repair: Push adjacent tiles when repairing.
Corporation	Archive, Inc.

Harold Schmidt is a pilot in Into the Breach.

Location

Harold Schmidt can be acquired by perfectly completing the objectives for Archive, Inc. or by recovering a Time Pod.

Background

Harold Schmidt [Archive]

Harold is as close as they come to an engineering "sociopath" (this is not the clinical term - co-workers in previous timelines used to call him a "technopath," but even that's not an accurate term for his lack of empathy and social skills). He finds humans uncomfortable and confusing, and takes solace in tinkering with robotics and machines who have clear rulesets and reasons for what they do. In his original timeline, he served a brief term at Detritus (where he seemed bored and uncommunicative), then was rejected from Pinnacle due to his psychological exam, then found a home in Archive, studying and doing restoration work on Old Earth robotics.

He initially applied to Archive's open-call for pilot training so it could get him closer to the Mech technology, then it was discovered he did well on the pilot exam (better than most Archive volunteers), and he agreed to serve as a soldier as a way of giving him access to the cutting edge of Mech technology. (Note that Harold doesn't bear any ill-will toward Detritus and Pinnacle, nor do they bear him any ill-will... however, both Singh's predecessor and Zenith saw Harold's lack of empathy, and were worried it could lead to accidents or disregard for human life while he was carrying out his duties.)

Personality

Inquisitive; Focused on learning more than just fighting. Easily distracted. Somewhat disinterested and uncaring. Not very empathic.

Strategy

Harold's ability grants an entirely free extra form of attack or defense all on its own, being that Repairs can be activated even when not damaged. He pairs well with highly maneuverable Mechs that lack pushing with their default loadouts for superior battlefield control — notable examples include the Jet Mech and Thruster Mech — as well as those that can safely intercept incoming damage and block spawns often, being that he's encouraged to Repair more frequently.

This versatility allows a skilled player to focus on outfitting other Mechs with greater power and equipment much more quickly.

Dialogue

Category	Event	Description	Content
Game States	Gamestart	This happens at the start of a new game	"Our strategy remains the same: defend these islands. However, I wonder... is anything different in this timeline?", "I wonder... were any significant technological divergences in this timeline? I suppose we'll see in the battles ahead!", "I'm back - almost as if nothing happened. How long can this cycle continue?", "I wonder... are these breaches causing any damage to the timeline? The tachyon emissions alone...", "I wonder... who first invented the breach technology? And why was it used here, on these islands?"
	FTL_Found	Happens on the island screen after finding the FTL pilot in a pod.	"Why... I believe it's an extraterrestrial! Having trouble with its language, however."
	FTL_Start	Happens after you start a new game with an FTL pilot. Only needed for Recruits
*	Gamestart_PostVictory	Start of new game after winning	"Do... sorry, getting ahead of myself, but... can we beat the Vek without going to the volcano this time? I don't like that part.", "Well, looks like we have another Vek situation here... time to roll up the sleeves and get my hands dirty.", "I do hope I get to meet Dr. Renfield in this timeline and say what a success his bomb was in the last timeline!", "I hope this timeline found a way to mount a Renfield bomb on a missile and save us from having to do volcano island duty."
	Death_Revived	If this unit is dead, but gets repaired	"How... how long was I out?", "System diagnostic: clear. Self-diagnostic: ...a little woozy."
	Death_Main	If this unit dies.	"If you find me in a parallel universe... give him... my research notes...", "I hoped to fix this timeline...",
	Death_Response	If another unit dies. Use #main to say the dying unit's name.	"Another timeline, another death...",
	Death_Response_AI	If another Mech dies but it doesn't have a pilot to die.	"Waste of perfectly good machinery...", "Repairing that #main_mech won't be easy..."
*	TimeTravel_Win	Last thing pilot says before time traveling after a victory.	"It looks like I'm off again... new timelines, new discoveries!"
	Gameover_Start	Right when you lose	"The Grid is down. It's over.", "We have failed to protect the Grid... and this world."
	Gameover_Response	Response to above	"This world is finished. Time to depart.", "At least we are armed with more knowledge for the next timeline. Activate the temporal breach."
UI Barks	Upgrade_PowerWeapon	Turn on a new weapon.	"Interesting. Its power capacitors can interface with nearly any hardware without any modifications...", "Readouts are green. Could use some tweaking, of course, but I'll leave that for my lab.", "Well, would you look at that. Clicks right into place!", "Just as predicted! Works like a charm."
	Upgrade_NoWeapon	If you have no weapon powered. This plays every time you remove all weapons from the Pilot.	"It would be... unproductive... to enter battle without any devices to test.", "I'd like to be more than just a decoy. Some armaments, perhaps?", "Are you taking that away to upgrade it? Can I watch?", "Am I being reassigned to field observer? Do I get a new Mech?"
	Upgrade_PowerGeneric	Diverting reactor power to either Health or Move (basic Mech stats, not a weapon).	"These Mechs' ability to upgrade power without overheating is remarkable...", "I wonder... what timeline did this reactor core technology come from?", "The cores seem essential to our munitions.", "Passed the initial safety checks. There's slight irregularities... but really, only I could tell that."
Mid- Battle	MissionStart	Generic mission start	"Another chance to test this machine's capabilities!", "Let's see how our Mechs perform in this field test!", "Remember, #squad - transmit your Mech's diagnostics to me at the end of this test."
*	Mission_ResetTurn	Triggers after a turn reset	"Fascinating! All right back where it was!", "Oh, I'm right where I was when... or where I was now... which... never mind.", "I'm relatively certain short breaches were not the intention of the technology...", "These localized breaches merit further study."
	MissionEnd_Dead	Generic mission end where enemies are all killed	"I didn't collect nearly enough data on the Vek to perform a full analysis."
	MissionEnd_Retreat	Generic mission end when enemies retreat	"Where do the Vek retreat to? And how can they burrow so quickly...?"
	MissionFinal_Start	Plays at the start of the final mission	"Amazing... the Vek activity must have somehow sparked this eruption.", "Thermal levels are off the charts - this volcano is active.", "Smoke and ash is interfering with my sensors... there we are, good as new."
	MissionFinal_StartResponse	Incoming power pylons	"Remote power pylons? I could use a few of those myself."
	MissionFinal_FallStart	Plays at the start of the ground falling in the final mission
	MissionFinal_FallResponse	Plays once the ground shakes	"Tremors on sensors... hold on!"
	MissionFinal_Pylons
	MissionFinal_Bomb	What's the plan?	"Not trying to be negative, but our Mechs cannot take out this hive. It's immense.", "Forgive my pessimism, but my Mech isn't suited to dismantle this hive... there's just too much of it."
	MissionFinal_BombResponse	Before dropping the bomb
	MissionFinal_CaveStart	Plays at the start of the final cave section (after MissionFinal_BombResponse)	"We must keep Dr. Renfield's bomb intact... even if it doesn't go off, at least I can still study it."
*	MissionFinal_BombDestroyed	When the bomb is destroyed, another one is dropped and the battle length is extended.
	MissionFinal_BombArmed		"Renfield's temporal bomb has primed itself... tachyon charge building!"
	PodIncoming	Pod is about to fall	"Calculating trajectory of incoming Time Pod...", "I'm detecting a temporal distortion... a Time Pod!", "Picking up tachyon emissions... a Time Pod!", "Time Pod incoming! Track its trajectory!"
	PodResponse	Response to above	"I MUST get my hands on this new arrival. Think of it, more future technology!", "We can't let that technology get damaged!", "We have to retrieve that technology!"
	PodCollected_Self	Pod collected (by the pilot talking)	"Technology retrieved!", "I have secured the Pod!", "Can't wait to study this!"
	PodDestroyed_Obs	Pod destroyed (by anyone, including Vek, except the speaker)	"No! The Pod!", "The Pod... it's destroyed.", "Think of what could have been inside that Pod..."
	Secret_DeviceSeen_Mountain	Secret object was inside a mountain Only needs 1 line per Pilot	"Well now, what have we here? The mountain was hiding something."
	Secret_DeviceSeen_Ice	Secret object was under water after destroying ice Only needs 1 line per Pilot	"Well now, what have we here? The ice was hiding something."
	Secret_DeviceUsed	Only needs 1 line per Pilot	"I... I can't say for sure, but I believe it's a... transmitter of some sort."
	Secret_Arriving	Only needs 1 line per Pilot	"I... I think the transmitter called it here."
	Emerge_Detected	Emerges are queued.	"If only we could find the Vek nest. We could learn so much!", "Vek are converging on our coordinates from below."
	Emerge_Success	Vek Emerges	"The Vek are certainly wasting no time swarming our position...", "The Vek are responding quickly to our presence...", "I wonder... is it a pheromone that drives the Vek to swarm to the surface?"
	Emerge_FailedMech	Mech blocks Emerging Vek	"This Vek doesn't have the strength to move me, but it's not giving up!", "With a little help from my good friend gravity, this Vek's not going anywhere!", "Between my mass and my good friend gravity, this Vek's staying put!"
	Emerge_FailedVek	Vek Block Emerging Vek	"Apparently, the lives of their own are no consequence to the Vek.", "I don't think the Vek can sense their own kind above them on the surface - or care."
Mech State
	Mech_LowHealth	Mech has 1 hp.	"Life support systems failing!", "This Mech will enter critical repair mode if it takes any more damage!"
	Mech_Webbed	Mech is webbed	"Caught in its web! Servos unresponsive!", "This adhesive's tensile strength is incredible - I can't pull away!", "I really must find a way to shield the engines from this gunk...", "If I could study these webs, maybe we could use them against the Vek..."
	Mech_Shielded	Mech is shielded	"These shields require millions of calculations a second to maintain cohesion.", "This shield is an effective kinetic dampener - for offense or defense.",
	Mech_Repaired	Mech uses repair.	"Everyone, back away! I need space to work!", "Hate doing repairs when I'm rushed...!", "Could I get a little space to do my work please?", "A little space for repairs, please? THANK you."
	Pilot_Level_Self	Pilot levels up (not necessarily max rank)	"A promotion? Is that like a doctorate?", "This adrenaline is really giving me great ideas for new tech.",
	Pilot_Level_Obs	Pilot is observed to level up	"Well done, Pilot #main_second! There's the benefit of hard work and staying focused!"
	Mech_ShieldDown	Mech's shield is removed	"I need to find a way to make these shields more resilient...", "If only there was a way to maintain shield cohesion...",
Damage Done		Damage commentary comes in three flavors: "SELF" : The Mech did themselves "OBS" : The Mech (or CEO) observed another Mech do it "VEK" : A Vek did it, and a CEO or Mech is commenting on that
	Vek_Drown	Vek drowns (from anyone / any cause)	"The Vek seem ill-adapted for water.", "That Vek won't survive its new aquatic environment.", "Despite their many adaptations, the Vek cannot breathe underwater."
	Vek_Fall	Vek falls down a hole (from anyone / any cause)	"I doubt that Vek's carapace will shield it from the fall.", "A fall of that height should be lethal to the Vek."
	Vek_Smoke	Vek is put in smoke (from anyone / any cause)	"The Vek is exhibiting symptoms of disorientation.", "The Vek can't seem to focus in the smoke - interesting.",
	Vek_Frozen	Vek is frozen (from any cause except Snow Storm and Freeze Mine)	"The Vek has succumbed to the extreme temperature.", "The Vek is frozen... but I'm still reading life signs.", "Maybe we could transport the Vek to the dissection chambers in ice..."
	VekKilled_Self		"Unfortunate. Its remains are too badly damaged to analyze.", "I meant to stun it for research, not kill it.", "This mission of ours is really like a big game of violent chess, when you think about it.",
	VekKilled_Obs		"Careful! You'll ruin any attempt at an autopsy.", "Can someone save at least one of these for study, please?", "If someone would save just one of these subjects for study, I'd appreciate it."
	VekKilled_Vek		"Interesting. It's as if once they decide to attack, they can't stop themselves.", "It's as if they lack the motor skills to rein in their own attacks...", "Interesting. They react to shifting battlefield conditions much slower than our human and A.I. pilots.",
	DoubleVekKill_Self		"Two down. Minimal effort, optimal result.", "It's all about positioning. Positioning is key.", "I take back what I said about this being akin to chess... maybe bowling would be a better analogy?"
	DoubleVekKill_Obs		"Could have at least wounded one for study...", "Tactically sound.", "Excellent example of conserving fire.",
	DoubleVekKill_Vek		"Fascinating creatures. A little slow to adapt, however.", "It's as if they lack the motor skills to rein in their own attacks...", "Interesting. They react to shifting battlefield conditions much slower than our human and A.I. pilots."
	MntDestroyed_Self	Note that because a destroyed mountain (and building) can then be moved through, some lines reflect the fact the player can now move into these tiles.	"Did I do that?", "The firepower of these Mechs is considerable.", "I thought R.S.T. had a monopoly on terrain deformation..."
	MntDestroyed_Obs		"The firepower of these Mechs is nothing short of incredible.", "Excellent - we've removed a terrain obstacle."
	MntDestroyed_Vek
	PowerCritical		"We're losing the Grid! Another hit...", "Our Mechs are powered by the Grid! It needs to remain intact!", "Grid's about to fail! We're already at emergency power!"
	Bldg_Destroyed_Self		"I hope this doesn't damage the Grid too much.", "Detecting a drop in Grid power...", "Combining the power distribution network in civilian structures was once economical... but not during war."
	Bldg_Destroyed_Obs		"Next time, think of the Grid!", "Do not risk Grid damage, or we will have nothing to fight with!", "Regrettable, but it was bound to happen."
	Bldg_Destroyed_Vek		"Must we allow the Grid to sustain such damage?", "While the loss of life is regrettable... why do the Vek target the island structures?", "Interesting - the Vek don't seem to be attacking the structures to feed on the citizens.", "The casualties are unfortunate... but I wonder... why do the Vek attack the buildings at all?", "I... I had thought the buildings were durable, but the Vek...",
	Bldg_Resisted	Building resists damage, currently anyone can comment but I can change this to _Obs/_Self/_Vek if we think it's worth it.	"Solid construction.", "Give my thanks to the building's engineer.", "Perfect! We didn't lose any Grid power!", "No drop in power! The Grid held!", "Well, how about that? I thought the residents were done for."
Mission Specific	Mission_Train_TrainStopped		"Once the battle is over, I can get that train running again.", "Give me an engineering team, and I can get that train up and running after the fight.",
	Mission_Train_TrainDestroyed		"...Even I couldn't repair that.", "It's more parts and scrap than train now.",
*	Mission_Block_Reminder	Remind player to block emerging Vek	"What were we supposed to be doing here again? Oh, yes, prevent the Vek from emerging."
Archive Inc
	Mission_Airstrike_Incoming		"Picking up an Old Earth bomber on sensors. It's... wobbling a bit.", "Air strike incoming. Hope the pilot knows what they're doing..."
	Mission_Tanks_Activated	Both tanks survived to activation	"Tanks' batteries are at full. They are awaiting orders.", "It looks like Archive was right, the tanks still work!",
	Mission_Tanks_PartialActivated	Only one tank survived to activation	"Tank's battery is at full. It is awaiting orders.", "Why, look at that - the last tank still works! It's online!",
*	Mission_Dam_Reminder	Remind player to destroy the Dam	"It seems a waste to destroy the dam...", "Shame we have to destroy the dam - it's really a fascinating piece of Old Earth engineering.", "I'm sure there's some easy release valve for the dam that wouldn't require us shelling it...",
	Mission_Dam_Destroyed	After the completed animation of the dam drowning things	"The flooding has made a natural barrier!", "We seem to have made a mess of the dam.",
	Mission_Satellite_Destroyed	Triggers only when the first satellite is destroyed	"And I hoped to see it fly...", "There goes my chance of seeing it launch..."
	Mission_Satellite_Imminent	Triggers when the Satellite queues its launch (the turn before it actually launches) -- It can trigger for either satellite, or both, it's randomized.	"Almost clear for launch!", "Rocket systems are green.",
	Mission_Satellite_Launch	Triggers when the satellite actually takes off, can trigger for either or both	"We have liftoff!", "I wish I could have gone along for the ride..."
	Mission_Mines_Vek	Vek Killed by Mine	"Why, those Old Earth mines still work! Excellent!", "Thought that mine's proximity sensor might be a bit dodgy, but it did the job!",
RST
	Mission_Terraform_Destroyed	If the terraformer is destroyed	"A waste of perfectly good tech...", "There goes our chance of environmental recovery after the war..."
	Mission_Terraform_Attacks	After the player uses the terraformer (not necessarily the first, random chance) This will obey the same rules as other barks, where something like a pilot death will take priority.	"Fascinating! A marvelous piece of technology!", "It's much like a Detritus teleporter, but for sculpting terrain...",
	Mission_Cataclysm_Falling	Triggers when ground is falling during either RST mission with falling ground	"Tremors on sensors... hold on!", "All these quakes... I hope R.S.T. knows what it's doing to its own island..."
	Mission_Lightning_Strike_Vek	If lightning hits a Vek	"Confirmed. The Vek are not shielded against electrical discharges.", "The discharge vaporized the Vek!", "Looks like CEO Kern is putting the sky's natural weapons to good use...",
	Mission_Solar_Destroyed	Solar panel destroyed	"Such a waste! All those solar panels... wrecked.", "A waste. Not even the farm's panels look salvageable."
*	Mission_Force_Reminder	Remind player to destroy the mountains	"We still need to destroy those mountains... prevent the Vek from nesting in them.", "That mountain range still needs to be leveled...", "We still need to bring down those mountains, don't we?",
Pinnacle
	Mission_Freeze_Mines_Vek	Vek Frozen by Mine. This takes priority over all other Freeze conditions.	"The Vek hit the cryo-mine!", "The cryo-mine has stopped the Vek!"
	Mission_Factory_Destroyed	Bot Factory destroyed	"A shame. I'm sure we could have fixed that factory.", "Now we may never know what went wrong at the factory...",
	Mission_Factory_Spawning	Bot Factory spawning	"The factory's still producing robots! At an incredible pace!", "Another robot! Even malfunctioning, the factory is operating at peak efficiency!"
	Mission_Reactivation_Thawed	A selection of enemies on the map are freed from ice (might be bots)	"Interesting. The cold didn't stop it for long.", "They've freed themselves from the ice!",
	Mission_SnowStorm_FrozenVek	Snowstorm freezes Vek	"The cold has paralyzed the Vek!", "The Vek are at the mercy of the elements just as we are.", "It seems the Vek are unprepared for such temperature extremes."
	Mission_SnowStorm_FrozenMech	Snowstorm freezes speaking Mech -- This takes priority if Vek are frozen as well	"My Mech isn't shielded against the cold! My controls are frozen!", "Mech's frozen, but I bet I can break this ice with some simple repairs..."
	BotKilled_Self	Player kills a hostile Bot	"I... I tried to avoid the memory core. Maybe its black box can be salvaged?", "If I could have reprogrammed it, I assure you, I would, but...", "The robot's destroyed. I couldn't allow its rogue code to corrupt my Mech's systems."
	BotKilled_Obs	Player is observed to kill a hostile Bot	"That robot was at the mercy of its programming...", "I know this is war, but we should protect the robots if we can...", "I may still be able to examine that robot's remains.",
Detritus
	Mission_Disposal_Destroyed	Player was supposed to defend the Disposal unit and it was destroyed -- Shooter could be anyone	"I... I could repair the disposal unit, but the crew...", "We've lost the Detritus disposal unit! We'll have to make do without it..."
	Mission_Disposal_Activated	Player uses Disposal Unit -- mass damage	"My word, I see Detritus wasn't exaggerating about those chemicals.", "No wonder Detritus takes such precautions with the A.C.I.D..."
	Mission_Barrels_Destroyed	A.C.I.D. barrel destroyed (as per mission objectives) -- shooter unclear	"My, that Detritus A.C.I.D. burns through the ground fast!", "Would hate to be caught in that A.C.I.D. stew... the Vek won't like it much, either."
	Mission_Power_Destroyed	Power plant is destroyed	"...I think the power plant is closed for good.", "With that plant gone, we'll have to conserve power in the future."
	Mission_Teleporter_Mech	Mech teleports (self)	"That... certainly was d-d-disorienting.", "Teleporters aren't normally cleared for biomatter..."
	Mission_Belt_Mech	Mech moves on conveyor (self) (does not hit anything, no damage, etc.)	"I certainly hope the Mech's weight doesn't exceed the belt's safety parameters...", "Hope this doesn't plow me into a building... or an A.C.I.D. pool."