| HistoryText | - Hammerstein is a Mark III War Robot, created by Quartz Industries to fight the invading Volgans forces who had originally conquered Britain in 1999. The Mark I War Robots were first deployed circa 2009 but had difficulty distinguishing friend from foe and had to be destroyed, while the Mark II models were by nature pacifists who refused to fight.
Hammerstein was the prototype Mark III, a compromise solution, given programmed emotional responses but a deep seated sense of patriotism and belief that his commander is always right and the enemy is always beyond redemption. When he was three months old his programmer, Jodi Jones, took him to a robot psychiatrist because the contradictions inherent in human warfare had caused him to enter a catatonic state. The psychiatrist exposed him to a variety of novels, paintings, films and musical pieces in an attempt to induce an emotional reaction, but this only happened when Hammerstein saw him kissing Jodi. He took a swipe at the psychiatrist with his hammer, accidentally killed Jodi instead and removed the psychiatrist's head. This was the first emotion he ever experienced: jealousy.
Hammerstein was the first of what came to be known as the ABC Warriors, created to deal with atomic, bacteriological and chemical warfare, which humans had no defence against. As the war progressed, he became a Sergeant, in charge of a commando unit whose name became synonymous with the ABC Warriors, alongside the sniper Joe Pineapples, the absurd Happy Shrapnel, and later several other recruits including Deadlock, Mongrol, Steelhorn and the reprogrammed Volgan robot General Blackblood.
It is noteworthy though, that Hammerstein from fairly early on showed signs of having been programmed a little too well, his moral code sometimes causing him to question his superiors, and to adopt a protective attitude to the robots under his command. With the Volgan war over, Hammerstein and his Warriors were sent to Mars to make the world safe for human colonists. That mission accomplished, they were decommissioned, and Hammerstein was sold by the military into private hands.
Hammerstein in Ro-Busters
thumb|left|Hammerstein as he was in Ro-BustersHammerstein needed to hide his true identity at one point, necessitating the replacement of his original head with a cheaper model which left him with a slightly altered personality, a somewhat buffoonish 'Colonel Blimp' persona. . He was sold, ironically, to Ro-Busters, the organization created by Howard Quartz of Quartz Industries as a disaster rescue squad.
Partnered somewhat unwillingly with the former sewer maintenance robot Ro-Jaws, Hammerstein became one of the core team of Ro-Busters, until Quartz decided to shut the operation down for tax reasons and scrap the robots. Rebelling, Ro-Jaws and Hammerstein led the remainder of Ro-Busters off-planet to the free robot world of Mekka and a new life.
Return of the ABC Warriors
Much of Hammerstein's life over the next few centuries is unclear, but he at some stage returned to Earth and had his old head repaired, restoring his original personality. He eventually ended up back in the Army, fighting for the forces of the oppressive regime of Earth against aliens who were mostly harmless.
Deployed against alien civilians in the 'Gothic Empire', an alien Empire based on Earth's Victorian era, he eventually realized he was on the wrong side and joined the alien revolutionary Nemesis the Warlock in reforming the ABC Warriors to battle against Termight's evil regime. After several missions, Nemesis dispatched the Warriors into the Time Wastes to repair the damage done to the Black Hole Bypass by his son, Thoth, and save the galaxy. On this mission, Hammerstein met Terri, a deluded human girl who believed she was a robot and that he was her boyfriend, Craig. Hammerstein formed an attachment to Terri, but she later died, leaving him alone and depressed. He temporarily ceded leadership of the Warriors to Deadlock but eventually rebelled against his anarchic ways, leading to the Warriors breaking up once more.
Subsequently, Hammerstein was tricked into placing himself in the hands of his old foe Blackblood for a 'service', and ended up disassembled and welded to a workbench for five years being systematically tortured. Eventually released when the Warriors were needed again, he was somewhat put out to find that his comrades had apparently known where he was all the time! Facing the demonic Hellbringer, his neural net was overloaded with guilt over his past actions and he had to overcome it in order to free himself, having finally realized that, in the words of fellow Warrior Morrigun, 'Nobody likes a nice guy'.
Hammerstein later led the Warriors back to Mars in order to deal with unrest there which eventually became a full scale war. Currently, he is still on Mars with the Warriors, trying to restore peace.
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| abstract | - Obecny Władca: Cesarz Zygfryd III Ustrój Polityczny: Monarchia Absolutna Dominująca Religia Ammanityzm, państwo w dużej mierze laickie Cesarstwo utworzone jest z licznych księstw i prowincji, zjednoczonych jednak i rządzonych silną ręką Cesarza i doradzającej mu rady książąt. Do niedawno największe mocarstwo Znanego Świata, zostało wyczerpane przegraną wojną z Antalią. W chwili obecnej targane jest niepokojami społecznymi, sankcjami gospodarczymi (zoobowiązane jest do zapłacenia Antalii wielkich reparacji). Północne prowincje najeżdżane są regularnie przez piratów z Ragovar. Mimo to dysponuje potężnym przemysłem, w tym zbrojeniowym i wydobywczym. Cesarstwo należy do państw w których wiara w Azuna jest religią narodową. Tu jednak kapłani częściej zajmują się polityką niż krzewieniem wiary a ich stosunek do aktualnych wydarzeń jest zazwyczaj dyktowany pragmatyzmem. Innowiercy ścigani są rzadziej niż w Antalii, a magia jest mniej skrępowana przez nadzór inkwizytorów (choć nekromancja i demonologia są zakazane). Niemniej we wszystkich sporach politycznych i sukcesyjnych, zawsze wyciąga się "kwestie religijne". Arcykapłani są zaś niemal tak wpływowi jak książęta - elektorzy. Hammerstein prowadzi ożywioną wymianę handlową z miastami - państwami zachodu, Księstwem Wzgórza, a nawet Cesarstwem Miam na wschodzie. Szybko odbudowuje również stosunki handlowe z Antalią. Stolica Cesarstwa jest największym ośrodkiem nauk magicznych w północnym świecie.
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