Mass Effect Transcendence/Contacts/Nguye Bio
Born in a slum on the outskirts of Abuja, Nigeria, on Earth, Peter overcame the poverty of his beginnings with his prodigious technical talent. By the age of 7 he was able to support his family by repairing and refurbishing salvaged junk. By 10 he'd upgraded the rickety infrastructure in his local neighbourhood and at 13 he came to international fame when one of his inventions, an inexpensive means to [something], caught the eye of an Alliance News Network reporter visiting his neighbourhood. He earned a scholarship to the Grissom Academy, where his technological genius flourished in that hothouse environment. There he met Samantha Lyn and sparks flew between these two gifted outsiders, a first for Sam. For a short while they became inseparable, fighting as often as flirting, always inspiring and instigating each other. (It is rumoured that some of the more staid tutors wished for the relative peace and quiet before these two students became partners in crime...)
When Peter graduated in late 2177, it was something of a surprise to everyone when he turned down the numerous offers from high-tech firms who'd been tracking his progress and instead enlisted in the Alliance Marine Corps. Kessler pulled some strings to ensure the famous tech-kid ended up in his unit and put him with Ortiz to see how he handled the young talent. While only an average soldier (he did passably well in the paramilitary training at the Academy), Nguye rapidly gained a reputation as the possibly best technician in the 3rd company, in spite of his youth. He had an instinctive knack with tech at any level, from mechanical and electronic right through to VIs and the mass effect. His ferocious talent was tempered by his irrepressible sense of humour - Pete could find mirth in almost any situation and was happy to share that joy with anyone. He didn't take himself or anything else too seriously, making him one of the easier tech specialists to get along with.
Nguye earned a commendation for his actions at Torfan and a job offer from an intelligence agency he didn't have the option of refusing. He all but disappeared for two years on assignment before reappearing as an apparent freelance mercenary. According to his service record, he was Honourably Discharged in 2180.
The three's path crossed once more on Omega in 2181. Following his experiences with the agency, Nguye came to Sam with details of her file, showing how the same agency had been subtly influencing her curriculum in the hopes of recruiting her one day. They'd done the same with him, though he'd unwittingly broken with their roadmap by joining the marines. Feeling angry and betrayed, Sam left for Omega and Pete followed in her wake, hoping to prevent her doing anything self-destructively stupid.
Russell had gone to Omega not long after his discharge, hoping that the annual "mercenaries fair" would provide an opportunity to run into his asari assignation (he didn't find her). Instead he found Blue Suns trouble, Louis Drase was there with his henchmen. Sam heard about his beef with Russell on the grapevine and was able to warn him only minutes before the net closed on him. Fortunately for both of them, Nguye was on hand to back them up and the three of them escaped after a frantic firefight. That collaboration birthed the first spark of the idea that became Penumbra, but Pete refused to take part in the venture. His experiences on Torfan and with the agency had soured him on the notion of working with people he cared about.
He left them both, claiming to work on a freelance basis for Eclipse. He's refused every offer to join Penumbra since. What's left between Pete and Sam is anyone's guess at this point.
Of note is that his official records are doctored (he altered them himself before going to the Academy), he was actually born in 2161, not 2159.
