Phantom "Decoy" Protogen

- They/Them -

Phantom "Decoy" Protogen is a non-binary protogen, created by Deep Space BioTech (DSBT) and raised in Corneria.Upon establishing a facility within Corneria City, DSBT created Phantom, amongst many other protogens, to be introduced to the citizens of Corneria. Initially, society feared the species being introduced to the environment, but gradually over time, they were being accepted into everyday life as living citizens, but had to comply with a law indicating they are a separate, artificial species due to their cybernetic attributes.Phantom didn't believe this was fair. In fact, they associated their parts similarly to prosthetics and made it known that they're more of a living, conscious, sentient being than their bionic parts. They later proceeded to come to the conclusion that they felt like they don't exactly align with the idea of being male or female, but more rather down the middle as a non-binary individual.Eventually, they would cross paths with Hoshi Kaynyne. Unbeknownst to both of them, their friendship will soon show a light for each other and bring them close together as team in the Cornerian Defense Force (CDF).At the time of the first encounter, Hoshi was fresh from parting ways from her former hacking crew, Watch Dogs. Scared of society and utilizing her tech to her advantage, she attempts to profile Phantom. Unfortunately, she couldn't get a good read as Phantom deeply encrypted pathways to read them. Scared of the unknown, Hoshi flees from Phantom, asking for them to "let [her] suffer [her] regrets alone."Every passing day, both of them kept trying to pry for information out of each other, despite the many times Phantom offer to get to know each other better rather than resorting to brute force, but Hoshi was adamant on keeping her distance, as she believed that it was "better this way". Phantom seeing the nature of Hoshi's behavior, they tell her that they're "not through with [her] yet".Eventually, Hoshi found herself at a conflict with a few hostile people who didn't see nor respect her for who she was. Jinx Karma Felis was on their way, but off at a far distance.At Hoshi's distress, Phantom steps in to ward off the discriminatory citizens attacking Hoshi. Once the dust settled and Phantom checks in with Hoshi, she asked them why they saved her, especially after how she treated them, to which they responded, "Like I told ya from earlier, 'I'm not through with you yet.' We got unfinished business."Hoshi learns to accept Phantom and Phantom makes a promise to help reshape Hoshi's life into something better of her own creation and discovery, and to be the one to remind her that there's peace in the past, but to never go alone in the dark without a torch. They vowed to be that torch to light the way to and from the darkness in hopes of finding clarity and tranquility in her life.After learning more about Phantom's background and how they came to be who they are now, Hoshi calls Phantom "Decoy", as she was lured to them one way or another by their unique behavior that could be misleading to those who don't get to know them for who they truly are. "It makes sense seeing how you could easily blend in with your kind, but be so diverse in your own way. I want to respect, honor, and appreciate that side of you, as that's what makes you stand out as an amazing independent individual. You are who you are, and it should be valued beyond the surface of your being." Phantom accepts the nickname with utmost gratitude knowing they've accomplished what they've set out to do for themselves.Decoy and Hoshi, alongside Jinx, soon after went to enlist as Explorers at Cornerian Defense Force (CDF), and later becomes the Wild Cards today in the force, searching for answers and uncovering mysteries together as one tight-bonded team of stealth and surgical precision.