Mass Effect: Nations OOC

[GrievousKhan]

Name: Donald Armstrong
Age: 61
Affilitation: Aurora Corporation/Blades Of Auroa
Rank/Position: CEO
Appearance:

"Whoever wins, our battle does not end. The loser is free from the battlefield, but the winner must remain there and the survivor must live his life as a warrior until he dies."
Biography:
Born on earth, Donald Armstrong was brought up and raised in a very well off family, his father was head of the Aurora Corporation, a successful company who produced the leading edge in ship building and space programs as well as other advanced sciences and engineering. Donald's father, Randolph Armstrong was a ruthless and skilled business man having inherited the company from his own grand father. Due to his rich upbringing, Donald was able to receive the best schooling money could buy. However he also had to exceed his own fathers high expectations, as Randolph wished for Donald to succeed him and take over the company after his death, and Donald was constantly pushed to do and be better. His relationship with his father broke down over the years, until at last at the age of 18, Donald defied his father by enlisting in the Alliance Army. It was here he learned true discipline, and his natural charm, competitive sprite, and almost uncanny skills quickly made him a natural leader, one men would follow to their deaths. Armstrong first saw major action in the first contact war where he lead his own squad to many key victories. Armstrong's fame among Alliance soldiers grew, and his infamy among Turains did as well, though many Turain commanders had a begrudging respect for the man.

After the contact war Donald did not see major action again until the Skyllian Blitz, where Donald helped play a pivotal role in. However during the intense fighting Donald was faced with a difficult choice, save members of his squad trapped by an ambush , or complete the objective and save hundreds of lives. Armstrong's decision that day had costed him the lives of some his men, many who he had known since the first contact war and some even when he had first joined the Alliance. It had hardened him and from that day on, Armstrong made efforts to place the lives of his men before all else, above especially his own life. He had become tougher, always pushing his men to the breaking point, all to prepare them for anything they may face, but also going out of his way to see them through a mission, this granted him the the loyalty of many under his command for they knew his concern for the safety of those serving under him was genuine. Donald also participated in the Battle of the Citadel witnessing first hand the power of Sovereign. However the Council moved to write off the threat of the reapers pinning the blame on the Geth and Rogue specter.

This move angered some within the alliance, primarily those who had taken part in the Battle of the Citadel many voicing their concern and need for preparation should these rumors be true. One such voice was Donald Armstrong, a legendary veteran of both the The First Contact War and Skyllian Blitz as well as a high ranking naval officer. However his warnings and protest for further protection for human colonies fell on deaf ears and just two months after Shepard's death, Donald Armstrong left the alliance going into 'retirement' receiving an honorable discharge. However despite having left the alliance, Donald still felt the threat of the Reapers to be ever present, and if the council and Alliance would do nothing he decided he would take actions to prepare for them himself. Donald Armstrong acquired the help of his younger brother, Michel Armstrong, who was currently head of the Aurora corporation having inherited it from their wealthy father Randolph Armstrong after their fathers passing. With the help of his brother and varies contacts he had gained over the years of service, Donald Armstrong began the to build the foundations of a private security firm. At first many of Armstrong's recruits were ex-Alliance vets and soldiers, many having served under Donald before and agreed with him others disgruntled by the complacency of the Alliance in regards to the many targeted colony worlds, and not wishing to join the radical Cerberus group. The Blades Of Aurora had been born and many of it's first clients lived and worked within the lawless Terminus system.

After leaving the Alliance and creating the Blades Of Aurora, Armstrong quickly fell off the gird entirely. After a fall out within the Alliance just three months after the Citadel fiasco, There were, however, rumors that Donald had started up his own Private military company, now serving as head of the Blades of Aurora a joint-company splintered from the Aurora Corporation. During the Reaper invasion, Armstrong joined the retaking of earth personally with a large company of his own mercenaries. He was heavily wounded but managed to survive the battle and witnessed the destruction of the reapers first hand. What was left of the Aurora corporation supported in the rebuilding efforts. Also known as the One-Eyed Man, the codename of the legendary soldier who was rumored to have been among the first to complete the N7 Marine program. He is also the founder and commander of Blades Of Aurora, or BOA which led to the creation of Inner Haven, a remote base on the planet Noveria. The One-Eyed Man later gaining a sizable influence on Noveria, especially during the Reaper crisis, and began using their many research labs in the hopes of finding effective counter measures to the reaper threat. The One-Eyed Man was considered by many to be "The Second Greatest Warrior of the 22th Century" and a brilliant military leader and was hailed as a war hero by admirers and feared as a tyrant by his enemies. Had it not been for the legendary Shepard, and his leaving of the Alliance, Donald might have stayed as a more renowned military figure.

Origins

The Blades Of Aurora, abbreviated as the BOA, is a private military company founded and led by The One-Eyed Man. Because of their mercenary status, their tactics on the battlefield, and their usage of a space station early on in it's creation as a forwarding base in the middle of the Skyllian Verge, they were frequently referred to by their enemies as pirates. Though nothing could be further from the truth.

After leaving the Alliance in 2183 CE, Donald Armstrong, a.k.a. The One-Eyed Man, formed the "Blades Of Aurora," so as to provide military force for anyone who needed them, as well as a cover to discover the nature of colony attacks in the Terminus system, later expanding it's services to any sapient being regardless of nations or ideologies. As such, the BOA also specialized in providing the full range of military services, including combat, logistics, training, weapons, outfitting, and R&D. In addition, the BOA was also designed to merge the small footprint and exceptional performance of Special Forces groups such as the N7 Marine program and the full military might of a full regular army, as a means to fully break free of nation-states, as many in the early BOA were former Alliance soldiers tired of the politics of the Alliance and afraid of joining Cerberus. Employed by the Colony government of Noveria sometime after 2183 CE, Donald and the BOA fought an opposing mercenary unit led by a man named Kazuhira Miller. After BOA defeated the enemy force, Armstrong offered Miller a place in the group, which he accepted, later becoming its second-in-command. During this time, Miller also viewed BOA as being a "new kind of business" regarding guns-for-hire, that is neither tied to mercenaries nor to a foreign legion, and far more honorable then pas groups like the Eclipse, and operated vastly different than previous groups like the Blue Suns or Blood Pack, and also intended to help Armstrong succeed in his goals for BOA. In addition, between its founding and its employment under the Noveria government, it often relocated there in order to avoid the STG.

Their contracts often lead them into conflict with the Terminus system's many gangs and pirate bands, which earned Donald Armstrong many enemies however despite his best efforts he could find few leads to the disappearances of the many colonist. Resigning to the fact it was a problem currently beyond his resources, Armstrong turned his attention to building the Blades Of Aurora's wealth and influence. Under Donald Armstrong's leadership the Blades of Aurora's fame quickly spread through the Skyllian verge and Terminus system as a disciplined, elite, and well equipped, albeit small, mercenary group. However, unlike larger such groups like the Blue Suns or Eclipse, Aurora never took part in drug running, smuggling, racketeering and piracy. Because of this they become known as trust worthy and loyal until the contract was fulfilled, in the same league as the ERCS, even refusing jobs of illegal or questionable nature. This earned the less then friendly attention of larger established groups, and the Aurora's shift to protecting the interest of every innocent sapient being, in a bid to expand their clientele, only caused them to further step on the toes of other mercenary gangs.

Ironically after the Reaper invasion, many mercenary groups had fallen apart, the BOA being the few to survive intact. Taking advantage, BOA hired former Blue Suns and some Eclipse employees to rebuild their ranks. With the devastation of many earth companies the Aurora Corporation itself managed to stay afloat assimilating other business into it's own.

Logo and Slogan

The BOA's emblem design was based on the Aurora Corporations, only with two blades crossing behind the Logo, the companies name derives from the fact that in it's early days it specialized in spacecraft building and star-charting. During their operations in Noveria, the Blades of Aurora's slogan was "Libertad o Muerte", which is Spanish for "Freedom or Death." The slogan was made famous during the independence struggles of several other Colonies, notably Boro, Gei Hinnom, Ramlat, the battles on Hito's moons, Intai'sei, and Vana.

OOC Notes:

I hope it's ok I reuse an Old character from a past ME RP.

[Ruby]

The game's Shepard was male. For those wanting to include mention of Shepard in your Bio's.

[cider]

I was thinking about making a "good-hearted" batarian trying to pick up the remnants of the batarian race and steer them towards more peaceful ways, but when I read up a little on them I realized that the (according to our own views) injustice in batarian culture is so deeply rooted that I don't know if it's even viable.

[Ruby]

I was thinking about making a "good-hearted" batarian trying to pick up the remnants of the batarian race and steer them towards more peaceful ways, but when I read up a little on them I realized that the (according to our own views) injustice in batarian culture is so deeply rooted that I don't know if it's even viable.

I think it is viable. I have planned a Vorcha NPC that has the same goal as what you describe.

[Palamon]

By refugee faction I mean like those who's homes were destroyed during the invasion. Sort of a mixed race displaced citizens that now seek refuge elsewhere, ie through colonization or livin on the citadel?

[Ruby]

By refugee faction I mean like those who's homes were destroyed during the invasion. Sort of a mixed race displaced citizens that now seek refuge elsewhere, ie through colonization or livin on the citadel?

Not only is that allowed, it's mentioned in my write up for the game.

[GrievousKhan]

Btw, what ending is it?

Destroyed ending?

And I assume the Genophage was cured and what of other tidbits like the Rachni?

I feel paragon choices were close to what the Real Shep would have chosen.

(Though I consider the destroy ending the real paragon choice.)

[Ruby]

Btw, what ending is it?

Destroyed ending?

And I assume the Genophage was cured and what of other tidbits like the Rachni?

I feel paragon choices were close to what the Real Shep would have chosen.

(Though I consider the destroy ending the real paragon choice.)

I will be as vague as I can be for as long as I can be. (We have people playing the games right now in order to take part in this game.)

Destroyed, mostly Paragon.

Rachni are one of the factions open to players, so...obvs. ^_^

[Raptorman]

With the Quarians was the geth situation resolved to the best it could be or the lesser choice where the Quarians still survived?

I am being vague too

[cider]

I think it is viable. I have planned a Vorcha NPC that has the same goal as what you describe.

Further reading provided me with a 'window'. The Mass Effect wiki has this written on it; "Almost no information has escaped Khar'shan since the Reapers destroyed the comm buoys, but batarian refugees say that resistance has created a bond among commoners. If a new government can rise from the ashes, that bond may sustain a new batarian society."

So I'll probably use that as base, with my character being some sort of popular resistance leader.