Editing Mass Effect Transcendence/The Principals/Russell Misc (section)

===Bravo Platoon===

'''Operations Chief Harald Mads'''

Leader of Bravo Platoon. Harald "Hardass" Mads wasn't always a hardass. He said he grew up in the most boring colony in Alliance space and ran away to Illium when he was a teenager, dropping out of school and emptying his parents' accounts in the process. Took his folks a whole galactic year to find him, and by the time they did, Harald was knee-deep in designer drugs, high-class prostitution, booze and company espionage. His parents immediately shipped him off to military school and forced him to sign up to the Alliance military. Said that was the best decision they ever made, and was deeply grateful to them and the Alliance for shaping him up.

Mads survived Torfan and remained in active service for a time afterwards. He was injured in a later operation and received a Medical Discharge in 2182.


====5th Squad====

"The 5-by-5's"


'''Service Chief Levi Grandison'''

Leader of 3rd Section (5th and 6th Squads). Levi "Stonewall" Grandison was always a humourless, utterly serious person without even the slightest grasp of sarcasm, irony or wit. The fact that he took his time to do things properly and never rushed ahead helped him balance (and rein in) the rest of his squad. He was a strong man, which, combined with his naturally even temperament, led his squad to nickname him "Stonewall" practically as soon as they met him. A man who prioritised defence and "getting everyone out safe and sound first, mission objectives second," other squad leaders joked that he was much like a school teacher looking after a bunch of unruly kids. He had a wife and two sons back in his home colony, with which he spoke as often as he was allowed.

Grandison was promoted to Gunnery Chief for his actions on Torfan and remained with the unit. He received an Honourable Discharge in 2182 having completed his third tour of duty.


'''Corporal Lillith McCullough'''

Lillith was the redheaded girl with the thousand stories. Her home colony had been practically as dangerous as Paul Roby's, and she always had a tale to tell about how she had narrowly averted death by being quick and decisive. Some called her "daredevil," which she found quite rich, given her name and its mythological implications. She was never one to be idle for long, always tinkering with her weapons and armour or gathering intel for the upcoming mission. Her shore leave was spent picking fights and pulling dangerous stunts, sometimes interrupted just in time by a more sensible-minded company member. She was a pretty girl, but wore her scars proudly. How she made it to corporal was the subject of speculation in the company.

McCullough was killed in action on Torfan.


'''Private Jorge Bergeron'''

Jorge was the talker of the group. Always engaging in chitchat to the point of causing headaches, he nevertheless meant well. Some said that was the way he dealt with the nervousness and anxiety of being so new, and that he'd calm down once he gained some experience, while others said he was just an unstoppable chatterbox. He tried very hard to fit in and "be a good soldier," which led some of the older members of the company to said he had "puppy eagerness." He was a short, lanky fellow, and could outrun almost everyone in the company, though he lacked stamina. He, Rafael and Sebastián were fond of speaking to each other in Spanish, though over half the company could understand them anyway.

Bergeron was disciplined for his actions on Torfan, receiving a Dishonourable Discharge shortly afterwards in 2178.


'''Private Vishti Pashara'''

Vishti was a clever soldier with lots of ideas. A creative, out-the-box thinker with a dangerous lack of self-restraint, Vishti was a tech specialist in all but name. She was fond of jury-rigging things in battle (and outside of it, too) to explode, electrocute, burst on fire, release steam or liquid nitrogen, fire shrapnel and sport other delightful effects. She was fond of booby-trapping areas to save bullets while the environment killed her enemies for her. Her best friend was an obscure bit of military protocol dating back to the First Contact War that allowed soldiers with sufficient knowledge to engage in such jury-rigging. The piece had been all but forgotten, but not officially revoked, so Vishti's only consequence for her slightly questionable behaviour was being constantly passed for promotion. And Levi's stern glares, of course.

Pashara was killed in action on Torfan.


'''Tech Specialist Erik Karolf'''

Erik, much like many other soldiers, joined the military to pay himself through college. He was a jittery, twitchy guy whose mind raced miles faster than everyone else's and who spoke faster than a salarian on speed. He lacked Jill's intelligence, Sati's intuitive grasp of technology and Renard's experience, but nobody worked faster than him. When something needed to get done on the double, Erik was their man. He was fond of Earth sports and could often be found simultaneously watching three or four matches of completely different sports on his free time.

Karolf survived Torfan, but was changed by his experiences. Falling into bad habits and receiving repeated disciplinaries, he was finally given a Dishonourable Discharge in 2180.


====6th Squad====

"The Sweet 6th"

'''Corporal Enzo Gognitti'''

Enzo was a good man. That was his main characteristic, what everyone remembered about him. He was good. He always pulled through, never spoke ill of anyone, always took orders without question, and he was never seen in a bad mood or behaved in untoward ways. His only fault was being perhaps too docile for his own good, lacking the decisiveness and strength of personality needed to ascend higher up the military ranks. It was debated whether he possessed the necessary qualities to lead his squad properly. It was a prevalent rumour that his squad followed him out of respect, not because the man irradiated a sense of authority or could command obedience through brute force. Still, most said that his squad followed, and at the end of the day that was all that mattered.

Gognitti was killed in action on Torfan.


'''Private Eli Camden'''

Eli was a strange man. A lot of company members wondered how he had passed the psych eval, given his highly unusual quirks. Some were sure he had some form of OCD, given the way he performed certain actions always in the same way, taking great care not to do anything differently. A few theorised that he had joined the military precisely because of the highly regimented, highly predictable lifestyle, as a way to control or abate his inner demons. Still, Eli was a reasonably decent soldier, very reserved but trustworthy, and his quirks were easy to grow used to. Just because everything had to be a very specific way didn't mean that his perfectionism and obsessive attention to detail weren't a good thing every once in a while.

Camden was promoted to Corporal for his actions on Torfan, and is still in active service.


'''Private Kari Deshini'''

Kari was born in a colony on a treacherous planet. Initial scans had shown no remarkable problems and so settlements had sprung around the planet's most advantageous points. Some years later, the local flora's airborne spores had caused a bioaccumulation of toxins in the settlers, causing premature tissue ageing, cancer and other illnesses. Their children were born with signs of organ damage and cellular degradation. It was estimated that their lifespan would not exceed forty or fifty years, even with extensive medical aid and several cloned organs transplants. After her parents died, Kari became a deathseeker, throwing herself into dangerous situations. When a recruiter approached her, Kari figured she had nothing to lose, and that the military was a chance to do some good before she kicked the bucket. Probably the most fearless soldier in the company, Kari had dozens of scars and a daring deed for each of them.

Deshini was promoted to Corporal for her actions on Torfan, and is still in active service.


'''Private Arn Kjellen'''

Arn was a man of few words who constantly struggled to catch up with the fast-paced world around him. Some said he was slow, but others said he was just too used to the peaceful farming life of his home colony and that he needed time to pick up the pace. He was considered dumb and naive by some, but kind and honest by others. He was reliable, even if some things were too high-minded for his understanding, and he was loyal to a fault. Somewhat prone to getting shot, he was nevertheless extremely laid-back about everything and was quick to pick up the slack in his squad.

Kjellen is still in active service.


'''Tech Specialist Gabriel Formanek'''

Gabriel earned the moniker of "Archangel" very much against his will, as he found it ''unbearably'' corny and trite. However, his squad (and most of the company) had taken to jokingly refer to his blinding strokes of luck as "miracles", much to Gabriel's chagrin. No matter how much he insisted that whatever beneficial action he had performed for a squad had been merely good fortune, a lot of soldiers soon took to asking for "a miracle" whenever they were on a mission. Whether it was hacking into the security cameras to spot an ambush, closing a blast door right on time or spotting an explosive before it was triggered, Gabriel thought of himself as the luckiest man alive, while others thought of him as the company's guardian angel.

Formanek was killed in action on Torfan.


====7th Squad====

"The Devil's 7th"


'''Service Chief Pavel "Lucifer" Ivanov'''

Leader of 4th Section (7th and 8th Squads). Chief Ivanov is the main reason that the 7th squad have their nickname. A tall, wiry man, he wears a goatee whenever he can get away with it and seems almost sinister to those that don't know him well. For those that do, such as his squad, they know he is a hard taskmaster that pushes them to train harder, practice longer and score higher than any of the rest of the company. Private Cross once said that he was "Lucifer, if he wore NCO stripes" and the name stuck. 7th squad knows that Ivanov simply wants them to be as skilled as possible, but it doesn't stop them from hating him, just a little. They all live in fear of the day that he might possibly be put in charge of a platoon. Outside of overseeing his squad, Chief Ivanov maintains strict personal discipline with himself as well, never asking his people to do something that he won't. He doesn't smoke, he doesn't over-eat and strangely of all for a man from his colony, doesn't drink. Rumor has it he even practices some sort of Tai Chi on his personal time, and he his personal reading is often spiritual or meditative. Some consider him a shoo-in for Bravo Platoon Ops Chief when the position became open. 

Ivanov was killed in action on Torfan.


'''Tech Corporal Rupert Irving'''

A good-natured, solid man from a farming colony, Irving grew up tinkering with everything. His family's tractors, their house electrical systems, the irrigation timers. Most of the time, it went really well, but Rupert joined the military to take advantage of the ancestor of the GI bill, hoping to train as an engineer after his service was up. The marines are a little bit stricter about what you can mess with, but 7th squad lets Irving at their equipment, and because of this it often performs at peak capacity due to his tweaks and modifications. Irving likes nothing more then to just sit back and shoot the breeze with his service buddies, and he is always swapping stories with other members of the company, about their families back home, about their plans for the future and whatever else they want to tell. He's on the verge of getting a reputation as a bit of a gossip if he wasn't so gosh-darned nice about it all the time. His personable nature meshes well with Ivanov's taskmaster spirit, and between them they keep the squad balanced out.

Irving was killed in action on Torfan.


'''Private Benjamin Cross'''

A swarthy man with dark good looks, Private Cross is a joker and a charmer, more than once toeing the line while flirting with his fellow soldiers. He considers Vasquez, over in 4th squad, his arch-nemesis, since while Cross is mainly just a flirt, Vasquez sometimes puts things into action. Cross would be a middling soldier if he wasn't under Ivanov, but because he is his skills are pushed to higher than they would be otherwise. Not that Cross likes this. He's the one that nicknamed the fearsome Ivanov "Lucifer" and because of this there are few soldiers in the company who are better at dropping down and giving twenty, or one hundred. Cross takes this in stride, bragging that he'll be "a chiseled Adonis" because of all the push-ups. He can often be found with Corporal Irving, since Irving's easy-going attitude meshes well with Cross's larger-than-life persona.

Cross was killed in action on Torfan.


'''Private Sally Robbin'''

Private Robin is a compact death machine. It's the only way to describe her. Some incident or quirk early in life left her with a burning passion to be as skilled and dangerous as possible. She is Ivanov's greatest supporter and is almost always first over the wall and last out of the sparring ring or shooting range. Which is for the best, considering her small size (for the military) which leaves her at a disadvantage. Her intensity doesn't just stop after training however, and she brings an overwhelming passion to any challenge she faces. It was truly terrifying to watch her and Corporal Hong get into a drinking contest last shore leave, considering he out-weighed her by sixty or seventy pounds. And neither soldier is sure who won. If Robin brought as much drive to the more intellectual side of soldiering as she did to the physical and combative one, she'd probably already be a corporal. As it is, she is considered hands-down one of the best shots in Bravo Platoon.

Robbin survived Torfan, but her actions attracted censure for which she was court-martialled. Singled out for blame for the failure of the assault, she was imprisoned and remains incarcerated at Fort Marshall maximum security military prison.


'''Private Albin Gaum'''

Everyone is waiting for Gaum to do something. Anything. He's the newest man in the squad, quiet, keeps to himself and seems to be wound like a Swiss watch. Cross wants him to lighten up, Irving wants to hear his story and Ivanov just wants him to train. Gaum is a chiseled fellow who seems to be good, but not great, at most of his duties. But he gives off the air of hiding something. Some story or incident or personal quirk. Or at least that's what Cross thinks. He has started a small betting pool to see when the silent fellow will finally come out of his shell and "stop being a wind-up man". Hasn't happened yet.

Guam was killed in action on Torfan.


====8th Squad====

"The Bloody 8th"


It is curious how squads can develop traditions. When a newcomer enters this tightly-knit brotherhood (to use the term in a gender-neutral way) they are immediately, or slowly, introduced to the quirks, eccentricities and unique styles of the squad they have ended up in. 8th Squad, Bravo Platoon, 3rd Company has developed a particularly interesting reputation for their traditions. The men and women of 8th squad are known as the "Sections", "Headcases" and "Gallowmen (or Gallow-women), for their black humor and claim that the 8th gets the dirtiest jobs in the company when it comes to storming buildings, disarming bombs and flushing out enemy combatants. Whether or not this is true is up for debate, but Corporal Hong, longest standing member of the squad, claims it has been this way even before he was a member of 8, and each new member is "inducted" in a short ceremony involving fisticuffs, drink (when they can get it) and a great deal of testosterone. While not every member of the squad plays along all the time, it is still enough to gain the 8th squad a rather interesting reputation.


'''Corporal Hui Hong'''

A giant of a soldier from a mining colony somewhere out on the bleeding edge of human colonization at the time, Corporal Hong spent much of his youth breaking rocks, or so he said, deep in the mines. The colony he's from mines using machines, but the rock-breaking part isn't wrong, as he spent a fair time as a younger man in and out of jail, the colony applying "public service" charges to any conviction. Never anything serious, but he had fallen in with a bad crowd when his brother came and bet him his inheritance that he couldn't beat Hong in a fight. If Hong lost, he had to enter the service. Hui has come to love his job though, and fully expects to die someday to a grenade or a bullet, but sees it as far preferable to the alternative of living on some backwater his whole life. This attitude lends itself well to his gallows sense of humor and his leadership style, which can be a combination of fierce and understanding. He won't hold your hand, but he'll kick your ass up that hill if he has to.

Hong survived Torfan and remained in active service. He received a Medical Discharge in 2182 after suffering from PTSD.


'''Private Aaron Prentice'''

A wiry man with an edge, Aaron likes to radiate an aura of danger and his copious service tattoos and fondness for short sleeves make sure that no one will ever not know that he's a marine. This was all originally an act. From a civilized early colony specializing in serving as a way point and transportation hub, Prentice joined the Alliance Marines because a girl told him too. She said she'd marry him if he was "much bolder" and "in the uniform of a soldier". So he joined the Alliance Marines, the most hardcore unit he could think of. Once there he realized what a terrible idea this was, and that he was afraid he wasn't going to cut it. He was quiet and didn't distinguish himself much throughout training, but once he ended up in the 8th their custom of initiation drew him out of his shell. He's adopted the attitude he has now as protective coloring, for fear that his new unit won't take him seriously as a soldier, and he is afraid that someone will see him as a "fraud" despite his cover and skill. So he stays quiet and puts on his swagger. He still sends letters to Mary Anne Maguire. Sometimes he gets one back.

Prentice is still in active service.


'''Private Rosemary Makutsi'''

The squad's marksman, Makutsi carries a sniper rifle as often as her standard assault weapon. A fit, average-sized woman, she is known for her precision in all things. Why throw a dozen punches when you can throw just one? Tell a dozen dirty jokes when you can set the whole room to laughing with a single sarcastic remark? Rosemary fits in with the 8th more than many because of the major crack in her cool shell, her cutting sense of humor. While she means well with it, she is, perhaps overly fond of jokes at the expense of others, though she becomes quite popular when the unit is on base competing with another, as she can be a steady source of sharp remarks about the rivals' flaws and weaknesses. Her coolness under fire and her precise fighting are what keep her from getting into more trouble than sometimes she should, and she's learned well enough to leave officers and senior NCOs out of her jokes.

Matsuki is still in active service.


'''Private Rafael Ozuna'''

If Corporal Hong is the keeper of the 8th's traditions, Private Ozuna is their proselytizer. Rafael will be the first to complain that the 8th gets the worst jobs, and the last person out of a hot zone. Because he is always telling the stories of the 8th and pointing out the "traditions" being fulfilled, he fights with incredible drive and skill so as to not be labeled a "complainer" or a weak link. Ozuna is from a family of musicians and professional entertainment communicators, and so the role he has taken upon himself is an apt one. He has a wonderful singing voice and is a cobra in the sparring ring, and more than a few people think that if Hui gets promoted, shifted out or bites the bullet Ozuna will take over 8th squad. 

Ozuna was killed in action on Torfan.


'''Tech Specialist Arja Vanjita'''

There are other tech specialists with the platoon. Highly skilled professionals with a wide range of skills. Specialist "Teardown" Vanjita is among this exalted number, and she really, really likes tearing things up. The unit joke is that she joined up because she thought she'd have a better chance at destroying things. The truth is she was in a dead end architectural design job that looked like it would be the same drudgery for 30 years, and decided the Marines would pay better and she'd get to see that galaxy. Still, she does like tearing things down. She's got a particular gift for sussing out just what needs to be blasted, blown or smashed to bring an enemy fortification or strongpoint to heel. She can handle the other aspects of the job just fine, but the whole company knows that when they need something taken down, they go to her. It proves an unusual contrast then, when outside of her demolition duties Arja is one of the kinder and more understanding soldiers in her squad. Few would think that the helpful woman who told you what Gunnery Chief Ortiz hates before you did it would also be the one with a grim smile on her face as she did the math to bring down an abandoned office block.

Vanjita is still in active service.