kingkonrad's characters:
Taken in Kabul, Afghanistan, 2013
Lewis is roughly 6"2 tall, and has a fairly athletic build, able to still keep up with the requirements that any US Marine would need to go through despite being over thirty. He has brown shaven hair, and brown eyes, also being clean shaven with minimal stubble, as would be expected of any Marine, even in Embassy duties. A tattoo sits on his shoulder, of 1/1's symbol, "First of the First" which has not ruled him out from Embassy work. He has a light scar running down the right side of his chest, coming from a relatively minor wound sustained in a training exercise four years ago.
In Valverde, he can be seen wearing a standard Marine woodland green MARPAT uniform and BDU (Battle Dress Uniform), with a Marine-standard Lightweight Helmet in the matching camouflage- with other elements of the BDU, such as the IMTV plate carrier and vest, as well as attached load-bearing pouches for magazines, tools and other equipment. Due to the sound of shit going boom outside, the Marines have appropriately scaled up their specialized armory in Valverde, and Lewis is armed with a MARSOC-issued Mk18 MOD 0 rifle, with an attached CompM4 optic and Magpul VFG foregrip, this being a specialized protection rifle suitable for close-quarters battle. The shortened M4A1 is useful in closer-range encounters, but Lewis will still be reliant on his team's marksmen and automatic riflemen if any longer-range fire is required outside. An M45 MEU (M1911) has been also issued to Lewis.
--------------------------------
Age: 31
Gender: Male
Nationality: United States
Occupation: Commander of Marine Security Guard at the US Embassy in Esmarcion, Valverde
Psyche:
Lewis is a battle-hardened veteran, being a Marine since the age of 19- and as such, his mentality has been forged by that. He's seen multiple deployments for the last decade, but adopting MSG work is different, being something that requires a different change in attitudes. He seems to have a calming presence, even in the worst of situations, somewhat able to not panic and make the wrong decisions. He has served for more than long enough, however, to see that the only thing that matters is the brotherhood between the men, and while his job is to protect and serve the US Ambassador to Valverde, the arrival of the Presidente is something that is going to sit as a deep conflict for him. He views the Presidente as the better of two evils, though Lewis still personally questions the decisions the Presidente and Ambassador made, even though on the outside, he appears to be amongst the most loyal of the men in the Embassy to it's defensive. He is deeply suspicious of the foreign mercenaries and even the Presidente's own security detail, sensing their loyalty to Ochoa is temperamental, and that at any time, they could switch sides if they realize Cortes' forces will kill them as well. In that sense, he wants to keep the Ambassador and any civilians alive, but he can't take sympathy with anyone outside of that circle, as they seem similar to the insurgents that they are fighting.
Lewis seems to have a precarious balance between his patience and his wroth, sometimes demanding the crap be cut from others when he is fully aware of the situation. His experience has given him a breadth and wealth of knowledge, but this is the first time that he is in the comparatively smaller force, and he has to adapt to this- with the additional pressure from his men, and the Ambassador making him run double to make sure that no harm comes to those inside. Despite his quick nature under pressure, he knows it will only be a matter of time before he folds and says precisely what he thinks inside to one of Ochoa's men in regards to the whole situation they threw the US Embassy into.
History:
Lewis was born in 1985 in Bangor, Maine, to a schoolteacher for a mother (with roots from Puerto Rico) and a truck mechanic for a father (a Maine local) who had served in the US Navy as a weapons engineer, born into a upper working class background. He had a good upbringing, one that was fairly stable, his parents bringing him and his older sister, Alison, up in a place to do well in life. In this regard, Lewis was lucky, as he did well in school, getting grades that would have usually merited him a place at University. He was even fluent in spoken Spanish, though But this was not for him- he was far more of a sportsman, and his father's tales heeded well with him, as he looked to do something better than simply studying all day, to serve his country instead. He wanted to become a Marine, and was physically and mentally fit enough to undergo their tough training. It was in this way that he left home, with limited support from his parents, and headed to Camp Pendelton.
He joined the United States Marine Corps aged 19 as a bog-standard Infantryman, joining A Company, 1st Battalion, 1st Marine Regiment (1/1) in California- a big shift from rainy and snowy Maine, on the opposite side of the country. This being around the period of the Invasion of Iraq, this was something that Lewis participated in, with three tours in the country, following a redeployment to Afghanistan a few years later around Kabul. He rose through the ranks, and by 28, was promoted to First Sergeant, with the photo being taken on one of his last patrols through a suburb of the city, leading a platoon-sized element of Marines on patrols. He saw several occasions where squadmates were killed, twice to IEDs; yet this doesn't haunt him, as he has always vented the horror to such a situation in a different manner, becoming a little desensitized to it all. He didn't suffer from any PTSD, so to speak, but death was not something that made him feel ill any longer, such was his mind's way of dealing with it all.
He asked his CO to transfer into the Marine Security Guards following the Battalion's withdrawal from Afghanistan in late 2013, leaving for training and qualification back in the States. He felt like it was the best option for him, a quieter one that would put his language skills to use, and one that would allow him to continue to serve the Marines and see the world, albeit in a different fashion. Due to the length of many of his tours, any relationships that he had quickly melted away when he left for Afghanistan, and he saw the same happen with his family when he left for his duties as a Marine Security Guard, his sister Alison almost pleading with him to give it up and settle down into something more comfortable closer to home. It was perhaps Lewis's knowledge that it would leave him bored and lackluster that made him defy that request, and continue on regardless.
Initially, Lewis was posted as a second-in-command to the Commander of the MSG in Panama, working as an ad-hoc interpreter at the Embassy due to his knowledge of Spanish, and following 18 months of service in Panama City, he was given the offer to work in Valverde, a South American "Democracy" of sorts, as the Commander of the US Marine detail there. Willingly accepting this, Lewis found himself working with the Ambassador on many an occasion, and prior to the civil war, saw the intensifying disdain for Ochoa fill up in the air, thick like soup.
Halfway through his deployment 18 month deployment, the civil war arose, and six months after that, the forces of Cortes were at the gates of Esmarcion, and shells were going off outside. Lewis gathered quickly from the Ambassador that an evacuation would be difficult for their own embassy staff, let alone Ochoa at this point- the full evacuation of the embassy was not complete, and the Marines would be the last men out, with the Embassy running throughout the facilitate the evacuation of foreign nationals in Valverde. With Ochoa arriving at the Embassy, tensions are running high- Lewis sees it as a needless risk to the Ambassador's safety, that of which his personal and his men are there to personally provide. First Sergeant Lewis Bastion is aware that there is no way out for anyone, but the way he sees it, Ochoa is not helping that situation one bit.
Elizabeth is roughly 5"7, and despite pushing almost forty years of age, still looks remarkably young on the whole, though the aging process has clearly begun with parts of her. Her blonde hair and white smile go perfectly well with her role, representing the highest level of diplomatic authority in Valverde that the United States has, her gravitas matching her appearance.
Due to the conflict, Elizabeth has been issued a Dragonskin vest and been told to stay away from windows and entry points in the embassy, her usual dress exchanged for something a little more practical; that of a woolen black jumper and a skirt, as well as having her handbag with US diplomatic chits and authority. She has been issued a concealed-carry Glock 17, to be used as an absolute last resort, though she has very little intention of putting her life on the line and using it if the embassy becomes breached.
-------
(To be referred to as Ambassador MacAlpin/Madam Ambassador or simply Ambassador by all those who DO NOT know her personally/closely within the Embassy. Diplomatic protocol and shit, apparently.)
Age: 37
Gender: Female
Nationality: United States
Occupation: US Ambassador to Valverde
Psyche:
Elizabeth is a tough woman for an ambassador, this young in the diplomatic trade to be an ambassador is a remarkable feat, considering some of her peers are a whole decade older when posted to countries as turbulent as this. She seems to have a strong resolve, one that has clearly shaped her thinking in regards to the situation in Valverde, and she is a strong supporter of Ochoa, perhaps slanted in her view of his efforts in the country. Though she takes problem that he has put more of the Embassy at risk, she understands that him and his men must seek refuge in the US Embassy building, and that it will be defended, so to keep the status quo of Ochoa's government alive. She seems kind and exceptionally gregarious on the outside, putting others first before her own evacuation in order to serve the American expat community in Valverde, from geologists working for oil firms to ecotourists, yet still seems steely and cold about the reality of Ochoa's regime, supporting him in his actions and seeing no wrong with such a great Presidente- with the rebels clearly narco-terrorists seeking to cause anarchy in the country, from her view. She is worried for her own safety, but understands she is in safe hands, and that at the end of the day, she is an American diplomat- and that her status will keep her safe even if the night ends with Ochoa dead, one way or another. Hopeful thinking, but to Elizabeth, it is a probable reality from her point of view.
History:
Elizabeth Emily MacAlpin was born to a diplomatic family, and perhaps, that was precisely where she took her roots from. Her father Roy worked in the US Embassy in Mexico as the US's Ambassador, while her mother was an ex-divorcee from a CEO of a steel manufacturing company, both being very rich indeed and giving Elizabeth a comfortable upbringing indeed, to go ahead and achieve whatever she wanted in life. And Elizabeth did precisely that, when she went abroad to the United Kingdom, studying Political Sciences at Cambridge University.
She was set for a career in politics, and her multi-lingual nature, being able to speak French, Spanish and Portuguese due to her father's personal tutors also teaching Elizabeth, meant that she was to follow in her father's footsteps. Despite having broadly Democrat views, she didn't see herself as a Representive or a Senator of sorts, not wanting to go through the chase of politics in the US, but rather, to serve the United States abroad, and do what he father had done.
Graduating from Cambridge, she worked in a Consulate in Rio de Janiero, before being made the Head of Consular Services at the age of 30 for Chile, working out of Valparaiso and Santiago for four years. Diplomacy came naturally to her- she found herself able to adapt to the cultures of the different countries she worked as a Consular Representative in, being able to help expats and those in trouble from the United States to the best of her ability, as well as being able to represent the USA and it's mutual interests with other nations' leaders. In this period, she was entrusted to work with several NGOs in the broader South American region, from US-backed think-tanks to Poverty-Reduction schemes, one such scheme being FutbolAid- a scheme helping to kickstart grass-roots football leagues for teens in Spanish-speaking South American countries, in order to reduce pressure on drug users. It was a moderate success, and Elizabeth's talent for things such as this would only be picked up by someone higher than herself.
She was promoted once more, selected by Obama himself, to be the American Ambassador to Valverde, and this is a role she accepted gleefully, working alongside Presidente Ochoa, a man that she met on several occasions. The two made a strong friendship, and despite some disagreements, she gave the US a line on which to occasionally peer in on Ochoa, and that his fight against the rich Cartels was actually working. On the surface, Elizabeth believed it, and still does; with the Valdeveran Civil War being an event that she sees as being triggered by Cartel leaders wanting to depose Ochoa with a moderate, Anti-US figurehead.
This could not happen, and while the Embassy became higher and higher guarded, with the number of guards doubling from 10 to 20 and having various protection elements installed, it proved to be that Ochoa would rather hold his last stand inside her embassy. Following a limited evacuation of staff throughout the last three months, airspace and other issues, relating to the fact that Cortes' forces are believed to be threatening and even killing US expats, Elizabeth has given the order for the Embassy to be locked down, and held against any further attacks from Cortes's forces. Only problem is, Ochoa is making the Embassy look like a bigger target, and she has little idea of the reality of the systematic high-level corruption in the country (knowing only of low-level events), despite her diplomatic nouse. Putting faith into her Marine Security Guard and the UN's peacekeepers, she wants to keep the peace and hold the line, until there can be a wider American support to quell the situation before Ochoa is finally deposed.
First Sergeant Lewis Bastion
Taken in Kabul, Afghanistan, 2013
Lewis is roughly 6"2 tall, and has a fairly athletic build, able to still keep up with the requirements that any US Marine would need to go through despite being over thirty. He has brown shaven hair, and brown eyes, also being clean shaven with minimal stubble, as would be expected of any Marine, even in Embassy duties. A tattoo sits on his shoulder, of 1/1's symbol, "First of the First" which has not ruled him out from Embassy work. He has a light scar running down the right side of his chest, coming from a relatively minor wound sustained in a training exercise four years ago.
In Valverde, he can be seen wearing a standard Marine woodland green MARPAT uniform and BDU (Battle Dress Uniform), with a Marine-standard Lightweight Helmet in the matching camouflage- with other elements of the BDU, such as the IMTV plate carrier and vest, as well as attached load-bearing pouches for magazines, tools and other equipment. Due to the sound of shit going boom outside, the Marines have appropriately scaled up their specialized armory in Valverde, and Lewis is armed with a MARSOC-issued Mk18 MOD 0 rifle, with an attached CompM4 optic and Magpul VFG foregrip, this being a specialized protection rifle suitable for close-quarters battle. The shortened M4A1 is useful in closer-range encounters, but Lewis will still be reliant on his team's marksmen and automatic riflemen if any longer-range fire is required outside. An M45 MEU (M1911) has been also issued to Lewis.
--------------------------------
Age: 31
Gender: Male
Nationality: United States
Occupation: Commander of Marine Security Guard at the US Embassy in Esmarcion, Valverde
Psyche:
Lewis is a battle-hardened veteran, being a Marine since the age of 19- and as such, his mentality has been forged by that. He's seen multiple deployments for the last decade, but adopting MSG work is different, being something that requires a different change in attitudes. He seems to have a calming presence, even in the worst of situations, somewhat able to not panic and make the wrong decisions. He has served for more than long enough, however, to see that the only thing that matters is the brotherhood between the men, and while his job is to protect and serve the US Ambassador to Valverde, the arrival of the Presidente is something that is going to sit as a deep conflict for him. He views the Presidente as the better of two evils, though Lewis still personally questions the decisions the Presidente and Ambassador made, even though on the outside, he appears to be amongst the most loyal of the men in the Embassy to it's defensive. He is deeply suspicious of the foreign mercenaries and even the Presidente's own security detail, sensing their loyalty to Ochoa is temperamental, and that at any time, they could switch sides if they realize Cortes' forces will kill them as well. In that sense, he wants to keep the Ambassador and any civilians alive, but he can't take sympathy with anyone outside of that circle, as they seem similar to the insurgents that they are fighting.
Lewis seems to have a precarious balance between his patience and his wroth, sometimes demanding the crap be cut from others when he is fully aware of the situation. His experience has given him a breadth and wealth of knowledge, but this is the first time that he is in the comparatively smaller force, and he has to adapt to this- with the additional pressure from his men, and the Ambassador making him run double to make sure that no harm comes to those inside. Despite his quick nature under pressure, he knows it will only be a matter of time before he folds and says precisely what he thinks inside to one of Ochoa's men in regards to the whole situation they threw the US Embassy into.
History:
Lewis was born in 1985 in Bangor, Maine, to a schoolteacher for a mother (with roots from Puerto Rico) and a truck mechanic for a father (a Maine local) who had served in the US Navy as a weapons engineer, born into a upper working class background. He had a good upbringing, one that was fairly stable, his parents bringing him and his older sister, Alison, up in a place to do well in life. In this regard, Lewis was lucky, as he did well in school, getting grades that would have usually merited him a place at University. He was even fluent in spoken Spanish, though But this was not for him- he was far more of a sportsman, and his father's tales heeded well with him, as he looked to do something better than simply studying all day, to serve his country instead. He wanted to become a Marine, and was physically and mentally fit enough to undergo their tough training. It was in this way that he left home, with limited support from his parents, and headed to Camp Pendelton.
He joined the United States Marine Corps aged 19 as a bog-standard Infantryman, joining A Company, 1st Battalion, 1st Marine Regiment (1/1) in California- a big shift from rainy and snowy Maine, on the opposite side of the country. This being around the period of the Invasion of Iraq, this was something that Lewis participated in, with three tours in the country, following a redeployment to Afghanistan a few years later around Kabul. He rose through the ranks, and by 28, was promoted to First Sergeant, with the photo being taken on one of his last patrols through a suburb of the city, leading a platoon-sized element of Marines on patrols. He saw several occasions where squadmates were killed, twice to IEDs; yet this doesn't haunt him, as he has always vented the horror to such a situation in a different manner, becoming a little desensitized to it all. He didn't suffer from any PTSD, so to speak, but death was not something that made him feel ill any longer, such was his mind's way of dealing with it all.
He asked his CO to transfer into the Marine Security Guards following the Battalion's withdrawal from Afghanistan in late 2013, leaving for training and qualification back in the States. He felt like it was the best option for him, a quieter one that would put his language skills to use, and one that would allow him to continue to serve the Marines and see the world, albeit in a different fashion. Due to the length of many of his tours, any relationships that he had quickly melted away when he left for Afghanistan, and he saw the same happen with his family when he left for his duties as a Marine Security Guard, his sister Alison almost pleading with him to give it up and settle down into something more comfortable closer to home. It was perhaps Lewis's knowledge that it would leave him bored and lackluster that made him defy that request, and continue on regardless.
Initially, Lewis was posted as a second-in-command to the Commander of the MSG in Panama, working as an ad-hoc interpreter at the Embassy due to his knowledge of Spanish, and following 18 months of service in Panama City, he was given the offer to work in Valverde, a South American "Democracy" of sorts, as the Commander of the US Marine detail there. Willingly accepting this, Lewis found himself working with the Ambassador on many an occasion, and prior to the civil war, saw the intensifying disdain for Ochoa fill up in the air, thick like soup.
Halfway through his deployment 18 month deployment, the civil war arose, and six months after that, the forces of Cortes were at the gates of Esmarcion, and shells were going off outside. Lewis gathered quickly from the Ambassador that an evacuation would be difficult for their own embassy staff, let alone Ochoa at this point- the full evacuation of the embassy was not complete, and the Marines would be the last men out, with the Embassy running throughout the facilitate the evacuation of foreign nationals in Valverde. With Ochoa arriving at the Embassy, tensions are running high- Lewis sees it as a needless risk to the Ambassador's safety, that of which his personal and his men are there to personally provide. First Sergeant Lewis Bastion is aware that there is no way out for anyone, but the way he sees it, Ochoa is not helping that situation one bit.
Elizabeth Emily MacAlpin
Elizabeth is roughly 5"7, and despite pushing almost forty years of age, still looks remarkably young on the whole, though the aging process has clearly begun with parts of her. Her blonde hair and white smile go perfectly well with her role, representing the highest level of diplomatic authority in Valverde that the United States has, her gravitas matching her appearance.
Due to the conflict, Elizabeth has been issued a Dragonskin vest and been told to stay away from windows and entry points in the embassy, her usual dress exchanged for something a little more practical; that of a woolen black jumper and a skirt, as well as having her handbag with US diplomatic chits and authority. She has been issued a concealed-carry Glock 17, to be used as an absolute last resort, though she has very little intention of putting her life on the line and using it if the embassy becomes breached.
-------
(To be referred to as Ambassador MacAlpin/Madam Ambassador or simply Ambassador by all those who DO NOT know her personally/closely within the Embassy. Diplomatic protocol and shit, apparently.)
Age: 37
Gender: Female
Nationality: United States
Occupation: US Ambassador to Valverde
Psyche:
Elizabeth is a tough woman for an ambassador, this young in the diplomatic trade to be an ambassador is a remarkable feat, considering some of her peers are a whole decade older when posted to countries as turbulent as this. She seems to have a strong resolve, one that has clearly shaped her thinking in regards to the situation in Valverde, and she is a strong supporter of Ochoa, perhaps slanted in her view of his efforts in the country. Though she takes problem that he has put more of the Embassy at risk, she understands that him and his men must seek refuge in the US Embassy building, and that it will be defended, so to keep the status quo of Ochoa's government alive. She seems kind and exceptionally gregarious on the outside, putting others first before her own evacuation in order to serve the American expat community in Valverde, from geologists working for oil firms to ecotourists, yet still seems steely and cold about the reality of Ochoa's regime, supporting him in his actions and seeing no wrong with such a great Presidente- with the rebels clearly narco-terrorists seeking to cause anarchy in the country, from her view. She is worried for her own safety, but understands she is in safe hands, and that at the end of the day, she is an American diplomat- and that her status will keep her safe even if the night ends with Ochoa dead, one way or another. Hopeful thinking, but to Elizabeth, it is a probable reality from her point of view.
History:
Elizabeth Emily MacAlpin was born to a diplomatic family, and perhaps, that was precisely where she took her roots from. Her father Roy worked in the US Embassy in Mexico as the US's Ambassador, while her mother was an ex-divorcee from a CEO of a steel manufacturing company, both being very rich indeed and giving Elizabeth a comfortable upbringing indeed, to go ahead and achieve whatever she wanted in life. And Elizabeth did precisely that, when she went abroad to the United Kingdom, studying Political Sciences at Cambridge University.
She was set for a career in politics, and her multi-lingual nature, being able to speak French, Spanish and Portuguese due to her father's personal tutors also teaching Elizabeth, meant that she was to follow in her father's footsteps. Despite having broadly Democrat views, she didn't see herself as a Representive or a Senator of sorts, not wanting to go through the chase of politics in the US, but rather, to serve the United States abroad, and do what he father had done.
Graduating from Cambridge, she worked in a Consulate in Rio de Janiero, before being made the Head of Consular Services at the age of 30 for Chile, working out of Valparaiso and Santiago for four years. Diplomacy came naturally to her- she found herself able to adapt to the cultures of the different countries she worked as a Consular Representative in, being able to help expats and those in trouble from the United States to the best of her ability, as well as being able to represent the USA and it's mutual interests with other nations' leaders. In this period, she was entrusted to work with several NGOs in the broader South American region, from US-backed think-tanks to Poverty-Reduction schemes, one such scheme being FutbolAid- a scheme helping to kickstart grass-roots football leagues for teens in Spanish-speaking South American countries, in order to reduce pressure on drug users. It was a moderate success, and Elizabeth's talent for things such as this would only be picked up by someone higher than herself.
She was promoted once more, selected by Obama himself, to be the American Ambassador to Valverde, and this is a role she accepted gleefully, working alongside Presidente Ochoa, a man that she met on several occasions. The two made a strong friendship, and despite some disagreements, she gave the US a line on which to occasionally peer in on Ochoa, and that his fight against the rich Cartels was actually working. On the surface, Elizabeth believed it, and still does; with the Valdeveran Civil War being an event that she sees as being triggered by Cartel leaders wanting to depose Ochoa with a moderate, Anti-US figurehead.
This could not happen, and while the Embassy became higher and higher guarded, with the number of guards doubling from 10 to 20 and having various protection elements installed, it proved to be that Ochoa would rather hold his last stand inside her embassy. Following a limited evacuation of staff throughout the last three months, airspace and other issues, relating to the fact that Cortes' forces are believed to be threatening and even killing US expats, Elizabeth has given the order for the Embassy to be locked down, and held against any further attacks from Cortes's forces. Only problem is, Ochoa is making the Embassy look like a bigger target, and she has little idea of the reality of the systematic high-level corruption in the country (knowing only of low-level events), despite her diplomatic nouse. Putting faith into her Marine Security Guard and the UN's peacekeepers, she wants to keep the peace and hold the line, until there can be a wider American support to quell the situation before Ochoa is finally deposed.
