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Cherno Alpha is a Mark-1 Russian Jaeger. Piloted by husband and wife duo Sasha and Aleksis Kaidonovsky, Cherno Alpha was the last of the Mark-1 Jaeger series and the oldest Jaeger still active in combat before its destruction in 2025.
History
Early Combat History
Launched on December 25, 2015, Cherno Alpha is tasked to defend the coastline of Russia and the Siberian perimeter of the Anti-Kaiju Wall. Under the Jaeger’s watch, the Siberian Wall goes unbreached for six years.[3] During that time, Cherno Alpha responds to over six Kaiju attacks in six different locations on the Pacific Rim.[9]
The Blackout Knockout
Cherno Alpha was first deployed in 2016 in Hong Kong to prevent the Kaiju Reckoner from reaching the city.[10]
With a magnificent effort from its pilots, Cherno Alpha was able to face the Kaiju alone and keep it at sea for almost six hours, first by slugging it out, until some of the Mark-1's systems began to fail, causing the pilots to decide to activate the spikes on its feet to anchor the Jaeger to the sea floor, withstanding constant punishment for over an hour before Reckoner finally managed to damage the Jaeger's energy refinery, causing steam to begin leaking from the crack and incapacitating one of its arms.[10]
Even with only one arm functioning, Cherno Alpha continued to fight and attempted to get a lock around the Kaiju's neck, but was unsuccessful and the creature broke free. It was at this moment that Horizon Brave arrived to confront Reckoner, who quickly began to advance towards Shek O Beach, leaving Cherno Alpha incapacitated in the sea.[10][11]
Chase in the Sea of Okhotsk
On November 6, 2018[9], the Category II Kaiju Raythe emerges from the Breach and swims in deep waters around the western end of the Japanese islands in a straight line towards Kamchatka. Cherno is taken by eight V-50 Jumphawks while Raythe is nothing more than a sonar signature and is taken to the shallow, icy waters about ten miles from the Kamchatka Peninsula, where LOCCENT calculations indicated the creature would make landfall. However, shortly after Cherno's landing, the Kaiju mysteriously decides to change course to the west, heading towards Hokkaido. The Jaeger pilots request that helicopters take them to the Kaiju's location, but are informed that the long flight to the Kamchatka Peninsula consumed too much fuel, requiring them to stop at Okha for fuel before picking up Cherno, and unfortunately, calculations showed that the Kaiju would make landfall even before the Jaeger had a chance to stop it.[12]
Over the next few hours, Raythe changes course several times and ends up completely destroying the small town of Tomari before passing through the Strait of Tartary and heading towards some oil platforms in the Sea of Okhotsk. LOCCENT establishes that the Miracle Mile is the western part of the sea and Cherno Alpha is released by the helicopters in the western part of the Miracle Mile.[13]
It starts to sleet in the middle of the night and the pilots' visibility drops to nothing, making them completely dependent on sonar to sense the Kaiju's approach, which emerges abruptly and begins to strike the Jaeger's cylindrical head, which retaliates with a punch causing Raythe to let out a roar that makes everything around it shake. The creature wraps its claws around the Jaeger's cylindrical head and jumps out of the water, placing its feet on his chest and beginning to exert force to rip out the Mark-1's power source. Cherno grabs Raythe's head, but it quickly sinks between the creature's armored shoulders, preventing it from taking any damage. Without wasting time, the Jaeger grabs the Kaiju's arms and opens them, making them come loose from its head, then grabs the monster by one of its arms and one of its legs, twists them and throws it away, making it disappear from sight.[13]
Instinctively, the Jaeger turns back just as the Kaiju jumps out of the water to strike its head, landing a counter-punch on the monster, which falls backwards roaring into the sea. The pair of Russian pilots ignore their bones shaking from the roar and step on Raythe with one of their feet, activating the spikes and anchoring themselves to the ocean floor with one foot and momentarily pinning the Kaiju to the ground, where Cherno began to beat the exposed parts of the monster, which tried in vain to swing its arms to free itself from the Jaeger, when suddenly, the Kaiju's neck stretches at high speed towards the Mark-1, with its sharp beak hitting it between the chest and the head, breaking the Jaeger's hull.[13]
The Jaeger tries to grab the Kaiju's neck, but it returns to its shoulders as quickly as it appeared, and just as the Jaeger reaches forward to try to grab it, Raythe manages to get up and kicks Cherno, who, with only one of its feet anchored, begins to sway and falls to its knees. Before the pilots can even react, Raythe attacks the Jaeger from behind and grabs it with all its limbs, literally trying to tear it in half. With the systems starting to go critical, the Jaeger grabs one of the Kaiju's arms and throws it away, but this time, the creature does not return to attack and begins to swim towards the oil platforms.[13]
Cherno starts running at top speed, pushing its energy refinery and engines to the limit. The Jaeger is forced to take a shortcut and manages to reach the Kaiju before it reaches the oil platform, grabbing the monster from behind and anchoring it to the ground. Raythe starts struggling and Cherno ends up having to spend what little energy it has left to seal the breach in its hull. The two engage in brief hand-to-hand combat and as the sun rises, the Kaiju's vision ends up being impaired, forcing it to grab the Jaeger again to try to rip off its head.[14]
The Jaeger fires its Incinerator Turbines at Raythe, hitting it in the face and making it retreat, giving Cherno an opening to grab it by one arm and one leg and try to rip its body in half. However, the Kaiju starts to twist and hits Cherno's head, setting the Jaeger on fire and forcing it to throw it away.[14]
Cherno and Raythe charge at each other and collide, resulting in half of the Jaeger's sensors shutting down, its lights going into emergency mode, and the connection between the pilots weakening, as they had been drifting for 15 hours. In a last-ditch attempt to win the fight, the pilots agree to redirect all remaining power to the Tesla Fists, even though LOCCENT says it would take about 15 minutes for them to have enough power to even walk again.[14]
The Jaeger manages to grab the head of the Kaiju, which was trying to destroy the reactor, and slams a fist into each side of its head, discharging 415kW of electricity and completely frying all three of Raythe's brains, finally killing it. The Jaeger shuts down but remains standing, frozen, with its legs rigidly locked as the power goes out. Emergency lights come on inside the Conn-Pod, as its pilots open the manual hatch and wait for help.[14]
Osaka Incident
On April 12, 2019[15][16], Cherno Alpha is deployed to Osaka alongside Crimson Typhoon after Coyote Tango fails to contain the Category I Kaiju Tengu.[17][18]
The pair of Jaegers intercept Tengu on the northern coast, where during the fight, Cherno Alpha uses its Incinerator Turbines, injuring the Kaiju and allowing Crimson Typhoon to finish it off.[17][18]
The Fall of Eden Assassin
On April 7, 2024[19][20], Cherno Alpha and Eden Assassin are deployed to the Sea of Okhotsk to prevent the Kaiju Vodyanoi from reaching land.[21]
During the fight, the Kaiju spits some kind of acid at Eden Assassin, corroding the Jaeger's metal and killing its pilots. Cherno is forced to fight alone, where it grabs a large iceberg that was nearby and beats the monster to death with it.[21]
Hong Kong Incident
By 2025, Cherno Alpha is one of the four surviving Jaegers left in the war. Upon the closure of the program by the United Nations, the Jaeger and its pilots are relocated to the last active Shatterdome in Hong Kong, China.[3]
Cherno Alpha was to defend Striker Eureka alongside Gipsy Danger and Crimson Typhoon on the assault against the breach during Operation Pitfall, but is deployed with Crimson Typhoon in Victoria Harbour when the Double Event occurs. Marshal Stacker Pentecost orders Striker not to engage as he wanted the Jaeger to remain undamaged so it could carry the bomb. Cherno Alpha and Crimson Typhoon are left to engage Otachi and the other Category IV Kaiju, Leatherback, in combat.[3]
As Striker Eureka remains a fair distance away from the battle, the Jaegers hold their own in a two against one advantage against Otachi. The Kaiju begins its assault against Crimson Typhoon, who, after a brief brawl, hurls it toward Cherno who catches her in a headlock and proceeds to pummel her face using its Telsa Fists. Otachi manages to break free by using her tail to knock Cherno Alpha off its feet.[3]
As Crimson Typhoon moves to assist Cherno Alpha, the Wei Tang Brothers are caught off guard by Otachi's tail pincer. The Kaiju crushes Crimson Typhoon's Conn-Pod and tears it from its neck, causing the leaderless Jaeger to collapse into the harbor. Striker Eureka's pilots, unable to sit back any longer and watch their comrades die, disobey orders and rush to Cherno Alpha's aid.[3]
Otachi changes tactics as Cherno taunts her by slamming its fists together. As Cherno Alpha moves to re-engage the Kaiju, Otachi spits a stream of corrosive acid at its reactor. The acid melts through the Jaeger's armor, compromising the Conn-Pod and damaging the reactor and fuel reserves.[3]
Cherno Alpha is ambushed from behind.
Before Striker Eureka can reach Cherno Alpha, the Russian Jaeger is ambushed from behind by Leatherback. Leatherback leaps onto Cherno's back as Otachi tears at its right hand, leaving Cherno all but defenseless.
When Otachi moves to intercept Striker Eureka, Leatherback smashes Cherno's reactor and uses its weight to drag the Jaeger down into the harbor. The Jaeger's Conn-Pod is flooded with water, however, Leatherback crushes it in an underwater explosion before the Kaidonovskys even have time to drown.[3]
Features
Cherno is one of the heaviest, oldest, and best-armored Jaegers, as well as one of the slowest. It ties with Coyote Tango for the tallest height on a Mark-1 Jaeger. Visually, Cherno Alpha was designed and patterned to resemble "Russian military painting schemes", and in particular, Russian tanks.[6] Cherno Alpha is built to endure long tours of duty and sustain as much damage from Kaiju attacks as it is able to return in kind.[6] Oppositely, its heavy armor makes it one of the slowest Jaegers of any Mark series and vulnerable to attack from quicker enemies. Cherno Alpha's heavily armored arms are equipped with a weapon codenamed "Roll of Nickels"; cylinders that Cherno Alpha can grip and increase the power of its punches. When using "Roll of Nickels", the environment is said to shake from each blow it lands against a Kaiju.[6]
Cherno's Tesla fists.
Its arms also appear to be spring loaded, although can be supplemented by hydraulics for increased impact potential. Similarly, Cherno Alpha's Z14 Fists are powered by Tesla cells, allowing for a formation of simultaneous electric arc impulse, with force up to 415kv into a Kaiju, usually to the effect of smashing both fists to induce maximum current at the sides of a Kaiju's head, usually stunning or incapacitating most targets.
Before battle, Cherno Alpha taunts its enemies by smashing its fists together multiple times. Whenever this happens, interconnected panels on the Jaeger's torso fluctuate. Cherno Alpha's Conn-Pod, also known as the Atmoscan, is located at the heart of the Jaeger; making it one of the most secure cockpit environments built for a Jaeger. However, it lacks an escape mechanism; Russian Rangers fight to win against the Kaiju or die trying.[6] Cherno's foot spikes provide additional support and balance for the Jaeger. Cherno Alpha's MGS112 Recharging Energy Cell, a nuclear reactor, holds unprecedented energy reserves and incendiary fuel, while acting as a strong decoy for a Kaiju seeking the Jaeger's head.[22]
Kaiju Killed
- The following is a roster of named Kaiju defeated by Cherno Alpha, assisted or on its own.
| Kaiju | Date | Location | Jaeger Team |
|---|---|---|---|
| Raythe | 11/6/2018 | Okhotsk Sea | Solo |
| Tengu | 4/12/2019 | Osaka, Japan | Crimson Typhoon |
| Denjin | 5/25/2020 | Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam | Crimson Typhoon |
| Atticon | 11/10/2020 | Seoul, South Korea | Unknown |
| Vodyanoi | 4/7/2024 | Kamchatka Peninsula, Russia | Eden Assassin |
| Taranais | 9/14/2024 | Queen Charlotte Sound | Unknown |
Trivia
- Cherno Alpha's nuclear reactor is modeled after the Mr. Fusion Energy Reactor attached to Doc Brown's DeLorean in Back to the Future.[6]
- Stacker Pentecost describes Cherno Alpha as "the last of the T-90's"[3], a term which has yet to be defined in the Pacific Rim universe. According to Guillermo del Toro, T-90 Jaegers don't exist but wanted to give Cherno Alpha the sense that it evolved from the Russians "wanting a tank" and needing to power it with a nuclear plant.[6] Out of universe, the T-90 is a third generation Russian main battle tank.
- NECA's Pacific Rim Series Three includes a Cherno Alpha Action Figure, released around February 2014.[23]
- Cherno Alpha is one of the three named Jaegers that defended the Anti-Kaiju Wall.
- In Russian dub, its name is "Cherniy Alfa" (Black Alpha). "Cherno" is the short form of the adjective and doesn't agree with a noun in that case. "Черно" is pronounced as "chyerno". For "cherniy" to be accurate as a transliteration, it would have to be spelled "Черный", which is Russian for "black."[24]
- "Cherno Alpha" is a reference to the Slavic demon Chernobog. Concept art of the Jaeger's leg joints reveal Cherno Alpha was originally named "Chernabog Alpha".[25]
- Cherno Alpha beats fellow Mark-1 Jaeger, Romeo Blue, in every category according to its stat card. Having a speed of 3 to Romeo Blue's 2, and a Strength and Armor of 10 to Romeo's Strength of 7 and Armor of 6.
- Guillermo del Toro states that Cherno Alpha was inspired by the MS-06 Zaku II from the classic anime series Mobile Suit Gundam.[26]
- According to the novelization, the Kaidonovsky's listen to Ukrainian Hard House inside Cherno's Conn-Pod.[18]
- The novelization mentions that Cherno Alpha was considered as an alternative to Striker Eureka to carry the bomb in Operation Pitfall, due to having slightly superior armor.[citation needed]
- NECA's tagline for Cherno Alpha is "Hammer Slammer"[27] and may be a reference to Hammer's Slammers.
Gallery
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An image gallery is available for Cherno Alpha (Jaeger)
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References
- ↑ https://web.archive.org/web/20130804011053/http://www.panpacificdefense.com/#/map
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 @travisbeacham
- ↑ 3.00 3.01 3.02 3.03 3.04 3.05 3.06 3.07 3.08 3.09 3.10 Pacific Rim
- ↑ Pacific Rim Files: Leatherback (DVD Promo)
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 5.3 5.4 5.5 Cherno Alpha Poster
- ↑ 6.00 6.01 6.02 6.03 6.04 6.05 6.06 6.07 6.08 6.09 6.10 6.11 6.12 6.13 6.14 6.15 6.16 6.17 Info taken from: Pacific Rim: Man, Machines & Monsters, pages 74-73
- ↑ 7.0 7.1 7.2 7.3 Cherno Alpha Blueprints
- ↑ Pan Pacific Defense Corps: LOCCENT Control
- ↑ 9.0 9.1 Combat Dossier: Cherno Alpha
- ↑ 10.0 10.1 10.2 Pacific Rim Uprising: Ascension: Chapter 21, page 161-167
- ↑ Pacific Rim Uprising: Ascension: Chapter 22, page 169-170
- ↑ Pacific Rim Uprising: Ascension: Chapter 6, page 49-53
- ↑ 13.0 13.1 13.2 13.3 Pacific Rim Uprising: Ascension: Chapter 13, page 96-101
- ↑ 14.0 14.1 14.2 14.3 Pacific Rim Uprising: Ascension: Chapter 36, page 273-278
- ↑ Combat Dossier: Crimson Typhoon
- ↑ Combat Dossier: Cherno Alpha
- ↑ 17.0 17.1 The Pacific Rim Mechapedia
- ↑ 18.0 18.1 18.2 Pacific Rim: The Official Movie Novelization, page 213
- ↑ Combat Dossier: Cherno Alpha
- ↑ Pacific Rim Uprising: Ascension: Chapter 12, page 88
- ↑ 21.0 21.1 Pacific Rim Uprising: Ascension: Chapter 5, page 46
- ↑ Pan Pacific Defense Corps: Shatterdome
- ↑ NECA confirms Cherno Alpha
- ↑ Error Talk:Cherno Apha - Translation Error
- ↑ Cherno Alpha Joint concept art
- ↑ Guillermo, Rinko, Mana on Odaiba Tour (Pacific Rim)
- ↑ NECA: Cherno Alpha tagline
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