<div class="floatleft">(http://elliquiy.com/elluiki/images/0/02/Commander.jpg)</div><br/><strong>Name:</strong>Andrew Conner<br/><br/><strong>Rank/Occupation:</strong>Captain, Commander of the Roht Marine Detachment<br/><br/><strong>Age:</strong>34<br/><br/><strong>Physical Description:</strong>See Attached Image<br/><br/><strong>Personality:</strong>Andrew is the tough-as-nails type. He doesn't take shit from anyone and expects everyone to perform at their highest levels. He likes when his orders are followed to the T and he enforces strict discipline on all those that serve under him. He's a risk-assessor and occasional risk-taker but he is fiercely loyal to his crew and wants to ensure everyone makes it home alive from every undertaking and mission they go on.<br/><br/><strong>Background Information and History:</strong>Andrew was born and raised in the Federation of the United Countries in an area formerly known as the United States. The Federation is the most powerful Human Power in the universe and controls just about everything. Mars, of course, has its independence and that whole deal is often compared to the American Revolutionary War. But that was long before his time. Andrew's Father served in the Federations Armed Forces as a Grunt, with deployments all over the place and very little action. The action he did see changed the man and he always told Andrew not to follow in his footsteps. But Andrew, even from a young age, wanted to see the Universe and the best way to do that was to enlist.<br/><br/>But Andrew wouldn't be happy just being an Infantry Grunt. It wasn't exotic or thrilling. So he enlisted in the Elite, joining the Space Marines. They were the ones sent into the worst situations, the ones sent in first and the last ones to be pulled out. They saw more combat then anyone else. He made it through boot-camp and was promoted to Squad Leader as his natural leadership qualities began to shine through and men (and women) gravitated towards his command aura.<br/><br/>It wasn't long before he saw his first combat and lost his first soldier, but it only seemed to propel him forward. Always leading from the front and giving sound tactical commands, his unit was soon decorated for bravery and winning campaign medals. A promotion to Platoon Leader soon followed and Andrew was loving life. He had traveled to places far and wide, been to a variety of planets and fought a variety of enemies. But his contract was soon up and the Corporations came knocking.<br/><br/>Andrew was unable to turn down the contract that Roht Industries offered him. The base pay alone was more then he ever could have imagined and they sold him on the idea that they were very interested in acquiring the leadership qualities of a man like him. He would have more freedom to move and act as he saw fit too, Federation laws not quite the same as the rules of engagement Roht Industries took. Before long, Andrew found himself working for the Roht Mercenary Marines - all former Federation Marines seeking higher pay and less risk of life (for the most part) - with the Rank of Captain, his own personal squad and a platoon to command as well.<br/><br/>Andrew has the ability to pick and choose the missions he wants to undertake. Traveling to Sepik Colony will give him a chance to stretch his legs and visit a System he has never been to. He wants to get away from Company politics for a while to, so while many see him as overqualified for the mission, he is more then happy to be partaking in it.<br/><br/><br class="clear"/><br/><hr/><br/><strong>Name:</strong>Blair El Castor<br/><br/><strong>Rank/Occupation:</strong>Lance Corporal, Medic, Roht<br/><br/><strong>Age:</strong>23<br/><br/><strong>Physical Description:</strong>Standing at a whopping 5’6, Blair is athletic in build, with dark brown hair and two-toned eyes; the left is blue, the other green. She never seems to smile with her eyes, despite the crooked grin that often drifts onto her lips, but those who know her well understand that Castor is Castor; she’s aloof at times, but reliable. The medic doesn’t have any distinguishing marks of any kind (despite her heterochromias),<br/>(http://i307.photobucket.com/albums/nn313/NovemberWerewolf/Female%20Characters/thief_by_lian_blackdream-1.jpg)<br/><br/><strong>Personality:</strong>Blair remains calm under stressful conditions; in fact it isn’t until things are peaceful that she grows agitated with the need to often move around, pace or find some activity to busy her person. She’s friendly and far from shy, but enjoys the company of men over women simply because ‘she can’t relate’ to most estrogen. Crude stories and practical jokes are her favorite way to get a rise out of others, but when the fighting starts Blair’s war face turns into a crooked grin, eager to spill some guts or stuff them back into where they belong.<br/><br/><strong>Background Information and History:</strong>Blair Castor wasn’t the name she was given at birth; it was one she adopted after being rescued as a child on a drifting transport ship. They say Blair’s mother went crazy and started killing the crew and families on their way to Mars, but not before altering the course and throwing the ship in the opposite direction. Nearly a week drifting while Blair hid inside a ventilation shaft, the vessel was hailed by a passing Roht ship that boarded after radio silence. Blair’s mother was eliminated after she had tried to attack a soldier and left the child an orphan.<br/><br/>Roht located and secured the child to Mars, where she was adopted by a Colonel Luke Castor who had commanded the rescue ship. Refusing to talk and suffering from psychological trauma such as PTSD, Blair became a mute for three years until the age of seven. The structured life gave her something to focus on and allowed the child to mentally heal and block out the memories that had scarred her, but still left their mark.<br/><br/>Blair received a full education and excelled with sports, but didn’t particularly take any one subject to heart. When she reached the higher levels of education, Blair chose instead to decline the scholarships she earned through her athletics (much to Castor’s displeasure) and instead enlisted as a medic within the same corps. Blair’s psychological endurance came into question in regards to how she would respond to violence due to past experience, but it didn’t take long until she proved herself to respond cool, collected and in control. Now she’s an asset and with high survival records with her patience and can be depended on; despite night terrors and restless insomnia that increases with age.<br/><br/><br class="clear"/><br/><hr/><br/><strong>Name:</strong>Gerald Forlin<br/><br/><strong>Rank/Occupation:</strong>Sgt./ Roht Marine scout<br/><br/><strong>Age:</strong>29<br/><br/><strong>Physical Description:</strong><br/>(bad at image posts) A man of average height and build he doesn't stand out as a silohette but every muscle is toned and sharp. Hair is brownish red kept short to the scalp like any good soldier. No identifing scars are to be found on his skin. His eyes are his most prominent feature, emerald sea blue with flecks of gold about the pupil making a ring, and a gaze that seems to always look past you. His armor is older than many, as he refused to upgrade at every new model. Much of the paint job is worn away leaving a dull grey metal that in times of need he would smear with black grease from some mechanic's field garage, giving the armor a smoky look.<br/><br/><strong>Personality:</strong><br/>Strong willed and slow to speak when he does return a comment it leaves most other 'grunts' dazed and confused. It has also led to him not being promoted very quickly not that he cares, he likes his job. He is highly loyal to those he respects and goes the extra mile for them when it seems wise.<br/><br/><strong>Background Information and History:</strong><br/>On paper Gerald is a product of the public school system. But any conversation with him consisting of more than standard military orders tell otherwise. He went to work after graduating at any job that would hire. Which only lasted about two years. He enlisted then and excelled at everything they threw at him. Seeing that he was beyond the basic soldier he was offered to join the space marines, always looking for something to challenge him Gerald accepted. Now the real work began, it was harder to be sure, but he was happy.<br/>It became noticable that a grunt he was not. Always volunteering for point and spotting oddities before most of his squad he was sent to training for marine scout. He couldn't have dreamed it better, always out front, always the first to see anything. To find paths where there were none, to follow hidden troop movements and mark enemy hide aways. He was offered eye augements as a scout but he refused, saying that he'd made it this far with his own eyes he wasn't about to trade them in. But he did take his customized rifle with him when his service ended, much to the displeasure of the corp. Roht picked him up shortly there after seems there wasn't much work for a scout in a well established colony. Now he could explore again and jumped at any exploration missions that came available.<br/><br/><br class="clear"/><br/><hr/><br/><strong>Name:</strong>Dr. Natasha Yaris<br/><strong>Rank/Occupation</strong>:Engineer (Biology, Geophysiology, Horticulture)<br/><strong>Age:</strong>24<br/><strong>Physical Description:</strong>See below<br/><strong>Personality:</strong>Since being assigned to the crew just prior to the mission, Natasha has remained slightly apart from the crew.  Those who actually pay attention would tend to describe her attitude as focused, rather than aloof or intentionally unfriendly.  Indeed, she has proven to be friendly enough with individuals, but seldom partaking in group activities outside of the mission.  Confident and self assured, she tends to either speak her mind, regardless of what others will think, or keep her thoughts entirely to herself.  She is often found at her station, studying the minimal amount of information that has been gleaned about Sepik and running models on it with an unusual sense of purpose.<br/><strong>Background Information and History:</strong>Born in the Roht Industries colony beneath the surface of Enceladus, Natasha grew up beneath the water and ice of the cold moon.  Her father was an engineer, in charge of the companies Deuterium mining project, while her mother was a part of the medical staff.  Natasha spent much of her time wandering the colony, watching the various research projects that were going on.  Eventually, her attention was dawn to the biological studies being performed within the moon's ocean.  Though only small life forms had been discovered, the research into a habitat that evolved without energy from the sun was in full swing.  Soon her education swung towards the project, and she gained the attention of the researchers.  They recommended her to the company for higher training, and at just 14 she left the icy moon to be educated back on Earth.<br/><br/>Records of her time in school are sparse, but it is clear she shared classes with some of Roht's young talent.  The only other record beyond her exceptional grades was an arrest record in a case that went no where and was quietly buried.  After graduating at 20, she was immediately hired on by Roht and flown off world to one of the new colony projects.  Records are better for her time there, where she made something of a name for herself by identifying ways to cultivate local plants and animals for human consumption when a solar storm disrupted supply shipments for roughly three months.  Her work in Geophysiology is also well regarded, with several published papers and innumerable reports within Roht.<br/><br/>Her next few years were spent moving between colonies, performing research on the local biology as well as the planetary biospheres.  Her last mission was cut short when the Sepik colony ship was announced, and her participation as one of the engineers was assigned directly by the company.<br/><br/><div class="spoiler_container"><div class="spoiler_header" onclick="hideSecond (this);" role="button">Spoiler: Click to Show/Hide</div><div class="spoiler_body">(http://sci-fi-art.org/wp-content/uploads/2012/04/Black_Lady_by_asuka111-992x620.jpg)</div></div><br/><br class="clear"/><br/><hr/><br/><strong>Name: </strong>Marcus Harrison<br/><br/><strong>Occupation: </strong>Engineer (Mechanical. Machines both large and small)<br/><br/><strong>Age: </strong>32<br/><br/><strong>Physical Description: </strong>Still has muscle from his time in the army, however a layer of fat has built over it from his civilian life. Numerous nicks and scars from his work on machines. Thick beard and a long mess of hair that often has oil and grease in it.<br/><br/><strong>Personality: </strong>A man more content with machines than humans, Marcus is often found head first in the nearest machine whether it need to be fixed or not. To him, they were puzzles to be solved. He often speak to them like they were alive as he works on them. Moving like a surgen sometimes more than a mechanic with delicate movements and only force when it is needed. When having to deal with humans, however, he tends to shut down. Where machines have dedicated functions and you can trust in them, humans to him are enigmas. They don't behave like machines, they change and behave in ways that doesn't make sense, this leads him to avoid them.<br/><br/><strong>Background Information and History: </strong>Marcus was born into a large family in the hot and humid swamp world of Liquidae Metallum. It was often a joke that the colonists had to have been the most unoriginal people sent out from the mother planet Earth. Though the name was fitting to a T. The swamp water, too acidic for drinking, was full of metals that would normally require deep mining to recover, all washing up on the soils of the planet and deep in the mud itself. Even the plant and animal life was able to convert the minerals into their bio-structure. Leading to trees with hard metal bark and reptiles with scales like armor. This planet was the future hub of all mechanical innovation in the Federation. All fed by the mineral rich asteroids that landed on the planet's soft surface to be absorbed into it.<br/><br/>Marcus' family was one of Engineers. The extended family all had members that worked the machines that dredged the mud for minerals, pulled it from the wet soil, melted it down and then made it into the parts for the countless machine cities that dot the landscape. The Head Family that Marcus was a part of, however, was the one that handled putting these parts together into a functioning machine. From small cleaner bots to large dredge-walkers, they brought industry to a planet that might not have ever amounted to anything. Marcus would have taken up a high position in one of the countless mechanical centers the family owned, however his quiet nature and his distaste for humans that seemed to come from out of the blue drove him into an outcast to the family.<br/><br/>Eager to get away from them, he joined the Federation Army for a short run. However, this only increased the effects of his personality. In the mostly team based environment, he was a thorn in the sides of most of his supposed teammates. Though he was skilled, completing all of his tasks on time or ahead of time and even going beyond the tasks, his failure to work together earned him the ire of many in command including those who worked along side him. It came to a head when he took a large wrench to the back of a fellow mechanic who made the mistake of touching one of Marcus' projects. Dishonorably discharged, he looked for the occupation that offers him the least amount of contact with people. Going with the Roht Industries mission to man a planet colony seemed like it would be the best thing for him.<br/><br/><div class="spoiler_container"><div class="spoiler_header" onclick="hideSecond (this);" role="button">Spoiler: Click to Show/Hide</div><div class="spoiler_body">(http://original-war.net/br_upload/gallery/Russian-mechanic.jpg)</div></div><br/><br class="clear"/><br/><hr/><br/><strong>Name</strong>: Dr. August "Gus" Carrino<br/><br/><strong>Rank/Occupation</strong>: Scientific Researcher, Alien Animal Histology and Physiology, with emphasis on Myology<br/><br/><strong>Age</strong>: 42<br/><br/><strong>Physical Description</strong>: Tall and of moderate build, with a short-cut nest of black curls and a rapidly greying beard (something he's somewhat self-conscious of).  Usually wears cargo jeans, t-shirts, and a vest covered in numerous pouches.<br/><br/><strong>Personality</strong>: Curious, eager to explore and try new things, but otherwise quiet, pensive, and introverted.  He's be friendly and willing to chat, but he's never happier then when he's alone in a laboratory, doing sweet, sweet science.<br/><br/><strong>Background Information and History</strong>:  Gus was born and raised in Boston back on Earth, growing up in the northern region of the great East American megalopolis, a sprawling patchwork of cities that stretched from Miami in the south to Augusta in the north.  He attended several colleges in New England, bouncing between disciplines until settling on biology and -- eventually -- earning his PhD in animal histophysiology, with an emphasis on xenobiology.  When he was 29, Gus was hired by Roht Industries as a full time scientific researcher in xenobiophysiology.  With gratuitous funding, he's spent years on alien planets, studying and experimenting on all varieties of alien animals.  After hearing that Sepik Colony possessed an uncategorized species with a five-chambered heart -- remarkably similar to the specimens he was currently studying -- Gus requested an immediate transfer to collect and study this evolutionarily analogous animal.<br/><br/>Gus was never a family man, a fact he's never been ashamed to admit.  His work requires moving between planets every few years, living in every manner of hostile environment, hardly an appropriate manner to raise children.  Besides, all of the time and money he'd have to spend on a family is better used, in his opinion, on his research.  That's not to say he hasn't been in serious relationships before, but they've always inevitably taken a second-seat to his work.<br/><br/>He has a variety of hobbies and interests that he rigorously pursues in his free time, including reading and writing (he'll publish a novel one day, just you wait), marksmanship, hiking, swimming, "thrash" music (performing and listening), and pencil drawing (<em>with</em>pencils, not drawings<em>of</em>pencils).<br/><br/><div class="spoiler_container"><div class="spoiler_header" onclick="hideSecond (this);" role="button">Image</div><div class="spoiler_body"><div align="center">(http://nsidc.org/news/images/expeditions_tedonice.jpg)<br/>Photograph of Dr. August Carrino (foreground) and Dr. Al Vierra on moon Apostles (ID: RX01-APOS-01) during a routine specimen collection expedition.  Credit: Dr. Elizabeth McMarren.  Photograph taken six months prior to date.</div></div></div><br/><br class="clear"/><br/><hr/>