Name: Richard Cook
Rank: Private
Call Sign: Dragon
Date of Birth: 2007
Place of Birth: Sydney, Australia
Status: Killed in Action

Personality

Initially open and pleasant, and always trying to be the life of the party, Richard has recently become more withdrawn as tragedies and setbacks in his life have begun to weigh more heavily on him. He is generally quite serious these days and only cheers up when he is performing some of his old street performance acts.

Biography

Richard was born in Sydney. He and his family survived the destruction of the city during the Rain of Death and they became a part of one of the nomadic groups of refugees that began wandering southern and central Australia during the Reconstruction. When the Gypsy-like troupe would come to a settlement or large town (or occasionally the big city of Perth), some of the nomads, including Richard's family earned cash as street performers, busking to entertain the locals in exchange for money or supplies. Richard learned how to perform several different acts and was one of the better buskers in the "tribe" by the time he reached his teens.

When Richard was fifteen his nomad tribe were attacked by a group of raiders, one of several that stalked the wastelands around southeastern Australia. Southern Cross Civil Defense troops eventually arrived to drive off the raiders, but not before most of the nomads had been killed or badly wounded, including much of Richard's family. The authorities relocated the nomads to a refugee camp outside of Perth, where they were slowly assimilated into the populace. Not liking the camp, Richard opted to enlist in the military instead. His aptitude tests qualified him for Veritech training and he eventually became a hovertank pilot. Not wanting to be far from what remained of his family, Richard was willing to do anything to get stationed in Australia, even if that meant being transferred to a cursed squadron like the 21st.

Update: The violent combat Richard saw, and participated in, during the Fourth World War took its toll on Richard's young psyche and be became more solemn as the fighting dragged on. Richard "Dragon" Cook was killed in action in July 2029, during the opening of the final offensive against the NWO in Africa.

Call Sign: One of the street acts Richard likes to perform is fire-eating and -breathing, a stunt that has earned him the nickname Dragon.