Name: Roland “Roy” Cossack
Ethnic Group/Race/Species: Aschen
Gender: Male
Age: 43
Date of Birth:
Height: 6”0ft/1.83m
Weight: 161lbs/73kg
Hair color: Hazy light brown. Bordering on ginger with facial hair.
Eye color: Green
Skin tone/color: Light, pale weathered skin. Prone to sunburns.
Appearance quirks/other: Slightly unkempt and short beard. Large, weathered coat with deep pockets. Carries a large journal binding together notes, ideas and maps.
Personality: An incredibly mellow, calculative guy. Pragmatic. Generally looks as if his soul has left him, his mind elsewhere. Keeps his calm and will only raise his voice when aggravated in relation to his past or to reprimand rash decisions from fellow Children of Ash members. He cares greatly for his comrades, though and while he may seem cold this anger is born out of a parental desire to protect these “Children” as a father figure. Skeptical of the rage seen in rebellious youth, he desires to give it direction. Prefers not to place themselves at the forefront of conflicts unless necessary to help his crew. Believes the only way to change Aschen ways is with a violent revolution, though its ferocity must be matched with methodical precision (a trait missing from previous iterations of the group). Harbours a deep seeded guilt as he holds himself responsible for the death/re-education of his family. Hates the person he used to be.
Quirks: Focuses by working on puzzle toys like jigsaws/rubix cubes. It helps his brain work faster while keeping him calm. Tends to keep something in his pocket for this purpose. Will resort to fidgeting if he has nothing else.
Likes/Hobbies: Prides himself on his work with the Children of Ash, although he treats it like a job. Does not devote time to other recreational pursuits.
Dislikes/Nopes: Despises the Aschen control structure, its domination over everyone’s life and the lack of freedom his people are afflicted with. Not a fan of AI. Uneasy with xenos and offworlders for the potential threat they bring.
Significant Other: Ex-wife, Emily.
Family: Ex-wife, Emily. Son, Raul. Daughter, Kalinka.
Place of Residence: Sky’s Edge. Formally Langara.
Education: Typical Aschen education. Pursued a career in medical science.
Profession/Skills: Ex-Doctor. Treats his role in the Children of Ash like a job, but only because he believes it to be the only thing he has left. He will devote almost all his time to it, and fight tooth and claw to defend it should it be necessary.
Co-Ordinator: Strategist and planner for the Children of Ash. Keeps tabs on members. Analyzes Aschen patterns and weaknesses.
Advisor: Having been a father, husband and spectator to many failed rebellions; he is able to give wisdom relating to these matters and understands well the shortcomings the Children of Ash face.
Medic: Advanced understanding of medical science, able to apply his knowledge as a healthcare professional.
Scientist: Basic understanding of most scientific principles. Able to apply this knowledge in figuring out how things work.
Abilities/Gadgets:
Life Goal: Seeks revenge over his family. Wants to rebuild the Aschen control structure with less surveillance and interference in the lives of its people.
Crippling weaknesses/Fears: Has no combat training. Terrified those he helps join the Children of the Ash will follow the fate of his own children.
Backstory:
Raised to be responsible, Roland was hardly one to go against the grain. While being brought up he was a good, obedient student who saw academic success. An aspiring medical officer, and one with a great future ahead of them.
Aschen life was always a bit tense, sure, but all the surveillance under the watchful eye of EVE had kept his people safe. There was peace. The police and military were well capable of ensuring it. The threat of xenos had been almost non-existent. Roland even had a xeno slave in his family who never once acted out of line. Why would anyone want to rebel? Everyone had seen a sick stick in action at least once, or had a friend tell them how horrible it looked. These so-called “freedom fighters” were nothing more than terrorists.
Through his studies Roland had met a woman his age named Emily. She shared his interest in science, and her wild spirit enticed his by-the-books nature. They were a perfect match, and their friendship blossomed into a loving relationship characterised by their differences in personality. When Roland would be studying, Emily would urge him to come out on dates. He was happy to be strung along, he loved her. When their studies ended, Roland decided against going into the military and instead took up work at a local hospital to live with Emily. He wasn’t disheartened at all, he simply hadn’t planned to meet someone this early in his life. They got married. They had two children, Raul and Kalinka.
Roland had thought as their relationship grew through each stage that Emily would settle down, but she was just as ever keen to carry on her free spirit in how she raised their children. It was a minor worry for the most part, but Emily’s occasional night away to an unnamed seminar would turn into more frequent departures sometimes multiple times a week. Roland was definitely suspicious. Upon returning home early from work Roland found Emily showing the kids some pamphlets. Catching her in a moment of panic, he examined the pamphlet to find it was propaganda from the Children of Ash, a fledgling terrorist movement set out on Sky's Edge with varying levels of failed devastation. Upon questioning he found her “seminar” trips were secret meetings with other radicals. The mere idea of spreading terrorist propaganda was terrifying. This woman Roland had loved all his life was not only consorting with radicals, she had taken steps to radicalise their own children putting them at risk. Roland had always been a good citizen. He respected the law, he loved his country.
He reported the incident and had his family re-educated. He had no idea what happened with the others she met with.
Mildly traumatised by the ordeal, Roland was willing to give their relationship another chance. To his mild reassurance, the re-education had worked. But it seemed to work too well. The dialectic arguments Roland and Emily shared were gone. Their nights out less frequent, and love less passionate. The children still laughed, but not as brightly. They still smiled, but never as wide. Any cheekiness or counter-culture behaviour had been nullified. Whatever they did in that building, this was not his family that returned. And Roland was applauded for his betrayal. Revered by his friends for ripping the soul out of the three people he loved most in the world, the people he had entirely devoted himself to.
Dread, guilt and self-hatred took Roland over. His kids never argued. He started to lash out at them in an unintentional desire to create some kind of conflict. The worst part was that Emily wouldn't understand him any longer. Their views had finally aligned and everything was wrong. What did they really do in that building? Roland quickly found himself with nowhere to turn for help, no one to even talk to lest he risk being heard by EVE or dobbed in for re-education. The system he trusted so much had turned against him. How could the government be okay with this? The xeno threat may have been real, but this was his family. They were citizens. She hadn’t even hurt anyone. What kind of system runs on the lobotomization and complete subjugation of the people? Of course, to Roland it sounded like a rhetorical question. He knew what he had to do.
Roland tried his best to recall the details of the pamphlet. The “Children of Ash”. Sky’s Edge. He had to leave his family. Even though they had become strangers to him, the divorce was yet another enormous challenge to overcome. But it had to be this way, it was the only way moving to another planet would seem natural. “I just need to get away from all this. My wife was a terrorist. How am I supposed to live with her?” The emotion was convincing. But it was a lie that she was a terrorist. She wasn’t even a freedom fighter, but she lacked the freedom to express her ideas.
Sky’s Edge was a new beginning. The jungles contrasted heavily with the megacities of Langara. He would have to be careful who he spoke to, more careful than ever. Roland began work on a dossier on people of interest, keeping an eye glued to the screen but never letting the intelligence behind it catch him out. It seemed that the Children of Ash were in shambles, their members scattered to the wind. But those ashes would soon rise once more, the Children of Ash reborn.