Editing Firefly: Leaf On The Wind - Marine (section)

=My Checkered Past=

==Background==
Henrik was born poor on the planet Anvil where he worked as seasonal laborer along with the rest of his family. When work became scarce, joining with the local gangs seemed like a logical step. Henrik earned he nickname Hammer and he rode with them for a few years, but eventually eventually had a falling out when he beat the gang leader's little brother senseless. Hammer had his gant tattoo covered over and jumped planet on the first freighter he could find. 

Being a shiphand wasn't glorious work, but at least it has honest. After bouncing around for a year he finally fell in with a solid crew and a Captain who seemed to really care. Captain Thomas Constantine was a former Soldier and Mason got the impression the he wasn't the first stray the man had taken in. 

This was where he met a teenage Mike Constantine, who he at first thought of as 'high faluten'. While Tom was busy trying to help Mason shed the dog eat dog mindset of his past, Mason got the impression that he was also trying to ensure Mike could survive in the 'Verse, not just in a bubble where his family owned everything he could see. Through the time Mike spend on-board Tom's ship, Mason came to see him as just another kid trying to find his place in the 'Verse... a place separate from the life his family wanted for him.

After a few years with Tom, rumors that war was coming were everywhere. Mason looked up to his Captain, and joined the Alliance Marines with the hope of trying to make the old man proud.

Mason excelled at training and combat... and completely drank the koolaid the Drill Sergeant was pouring about duty and responsibility. Mason was quickly shortened to Mace when he joined his unit, and saw combat on several occasions.  The early engagements were scary as hell, but also textbook engagements with the enemy. As the war drew on his unit, the Marines and the whole Alliance seemed less and less honorable and more about doing whatever it took to win. Poisoning water sources, burning fields, bombing cities... never carrying how many innocents were killed if it hurt the morale of the Independents.

Realizing that the Marines weren't what he thought they were... that they didn't uphold the code of honor that they taught Mace, he deserted. Mace... now simply going by Ham... spent the last couple years of the war on various asteroid belt mining stations. About as far away fro. Trouble as he thought he could get.

When the war came to a close with the inevitable outcome of an Alliance victory, things became a little easier. The Alliance had worse things to worry about than an "E-nothing" deserter, and Ham was able to get off those hellish mining stations and get planetside again. 

He still wandered… drifting from place to place, job to job. It was as much a habit for him as a necessity at this point... sometimes his temper would get him into trouble... other times he'd leave before he had a chance to ruin tings. Ham has made a few friends along the way... and a few more enemies.

==Episodes==
N/A

==Notes==

*Code of Honor: The Marines taught Mason that he was supposed to protect people. To this day his hackles raise when strong people pick on weaker people or when people group up to take advantage of others.
*Mason joined the Marines when Mike was on another ship or back home. Tom probably didn't mention it because he knew of Mike's Independent inclinations. 
*Mike probably saw the blacked out tattoo on Mason's upper back. (he covered up the name of his old gang) During his time on-board Tom's ship he slowly had it merged into a giant medieval shield that covers most of this back.
*Being a deserter, Mason didn't go back to work for Constantine Trans-Shipping or face Tom after the war ended, though he did hear that Mike absconded with a ship full of cargo and joined up with the Browncoats.
*Mason could have been trained in knives along side Mike and may have been a sparring partner.
*Mason's time on Tom's ship was roughly 2504-2506... the 2 years just prior to the Unification War, making him 21-23 years old. (Mike would have been in the 17-19 range)
*Ham has a scar on his right shoulder where he cut off his the Alliance Marine Recon tattoo.