Name: Illya Sokolov
Callsign/Nickname: Rook - A twofold nickname, taken from both the Corvidae bird and the chess piece.
Age: 27
Gender: Male
Appearance:
Standing at a decent 5'10 (1.78m), Illya is no bodybuilder but he has a decently built physique typical of a military officer. He has a few scars, including an inch-long cut along his hairline that is usually hidden by his hair, but no tattoos.

Nationality: Russo-Ukrainian
Personality: Reserved and quiet but still largely affable when approached, Illya typically keeps to himself and occupies himself with activities he can enjoy alone or with only a few people, such as reading or playing Chess. Extended conversation often reveals his more awkward and shy side, which often leads to him excusing himself to 'recharge' alone for a while.
History: Born into Pre-Heavensfall Soviet Ukraine with a Ukrainian mother and Russian father, Illya's family were comparatively well-off owing to his father's career in the military, specifically in the field of aircraft research and development. This afforded Illya a high quality of education that shaped his future prosects toward following his father's footsteps, but he had few friends because of it. The one true friend he had growing up was a girl at his school named Nadiya, whom taught him Chess and compared his straight-forward approach to problem-solving to the movement of the Rook piece in said game.

As his studies progressed however, he found himself growing bored and longed for more excitement; Instead of sitting at a desk designing aircraft, he would rather in the cockpit himself, flying them. As a result, his career path pivoted away from academics and he instead aimed to join the military as a test pilot; He got his wish, enrolling in the flight training program at 17... Only for Heavensfall to devastate the entire Soviet Union, claiming his hometown in the devastation and along with it the lives of Nadiya and his family.

In the aftermath, what was left of the Ukrainian government scrambled to reform any semblance of military strength and called on anyone with any experience; Illya was among those that answered the call, and was folded into a makeshift unit after being rushed through training. It was here that his callsign of 'Rook' was solidified as he was taken under the wing of two more experienced aces, siblings with the callsigns of 'Raven' and 'Crow', and the newly formed trio remained together in the years that followed. With many larger airfields rendered unsuitable, the remnant forces needed a solution to the lack of runway space and began to revisit older designs to mitigate the problem, including the experimental VTOL fighter Yak-141.

The unit continued to run sorties for the same faction of the remnant government, until bad intel lead to the squadron being cut off from the rest of their forces and subsequently. Illya's plane was shot down but he was fortunate enough to survive the crash; Raven and Crow were not so lucky. He managed to drag himself back to base but with his found family dead and his withering national pride running out, he gave up and turned to mercenary work. Unbeholden to a cause anymore, he simply continued to fly missions as a means to an end until crossing paths with some Shattered Steel pilots stationed on the same airbase at the time. They extended an invitation and, for lack of better options, Illya accepted. He was recently folded into Cobalt Haze Squadron, and has yet to form any strong bonds with his wingmates.

Personal Gear:

• Standard Issue Flight Gear
• Vepr 5.45x39mm Assault Rifle, updated with modernized furniture
• MP-443 Grach 9x19mm Sidearm
• Combat Knife
• Silver Pendant in the shape of a Knight chess piece

Personal Aircraft: Yak-141, nicknamed 'Vyzhyv' or 'Survivor'


Aircraft modifications:

• Updated Avionics, Control Systems etc.
• Updated Engine, Powerplant, Thrust Nozzles etc.
• Updated Weapon Systems, removing outdated cannon and external hardpoints in favour of mounting more modern munitions
• Cosmetic Update (Removal of Soviet Identifiers in favour of Shattered Steel company markings, application of grey camouflage paint)

Anything Else: Completely optional, but if there's any other information you deem relevant to your character or wish to include, such as a particular song, quotes, additional art, or so on; please feel free to add it under the relevant headings.