Southern Cross Who's Who - Mark Andrews

Background

Mark Andrews is an orphan. Rescuers found him as a young child near the wreckage of Saint Andrews Hall in Detroit after the Zentraedi planetary assault of April 18, 2011. Efforts to identify his parent were fruitless so the child became a ward of the state and was given the name Mark Andrews and a birth date based on estimates doctors made of the child's age. Mark was sent to a government-run orphanage in New Detroit, a new city built near the ruins of Sault-Ste-Marie, Michigan, with many other children orphaned during the Zentraedi assault and the chaotic aftermath.

Mark's childhood was essentially that of a street kid. Growing up during the early years of the Reconstruction was a daily struggle and Mark learned to be a survivor, to do what was necessary to make it to the next day. Initially Mark hoped he would get adopted and taken to a better life, but as he grew older Mark came to the conclusion that if he wanted a new life he would have to make it himself.

Life growing up in New Detroit was not all bad for Mark. A mechanic named Calvin Gardner working at a garage near the orphanage took Mark under his wing, becoming something of a foster father to the young orphan. Mark worked part time at Calvin's garage, which kept him away from some of the more dangerous criminal gangs that some of the other orphans were involved with. This is not to say that Mark didn't participate in his share of criminal activities, but he was usually smart or lucky enough to not get caught.

Eventually Mark's luck ran out. While participating in a robbery on a warehouse with one of the criminal gangs he and another orphan in the gang, Alexa Wright, were caught. The two were sent to a juvenile detention center, but found the situation little different than what it had been like at the orphanage. Mark and Alexa were only in the center for a few months but formed a bond of friendship, often watching each other's back. After their release Mark decided it was time to start improving his lot in life. The first step was getting out of the orphanage and New Detroit so Mark marched into the nearest United Earth Defense Force recruiting station with Alexa right behind him.

Preliminary testing indicated Mark had what the recruiting officer called "a certain moral flexibility" and the young man was accepted and sent for military intelligence training. Alexa was also accepted, but was sent off to a different military branch for training after she showed an aptitude for piloting. The two still try to stay in touch, though it became a little difficult after Mark began his specialized training. At the Academy, Mark showed a talent for intelligence work and was recruited into the Global Military Police where he was given extensive weapons training and groomed as an infiltration specialist.

For Mark's first assignment he was sent undercover into Veritech Hovertank training, posing as an A.T.A.C. recruit. When he finished the training he was assigned to the 474th ATAC squadron to continue his mission. Mark knows this first mission is a test to see how well he can infiltrate an organization. He dutifully reports his activities and those of his squad mates to his control officer on a regular basis.

Mark is a survivor, concerned about himself and little else. For Mark the Army of the Southern Cross is a path to greater power and a better life. If that path involves being part of the GMP and spying on others, so be it. Since starting his assignment Mark has been plagued by nightmares with recurring themes of lack of identity, doubt and failure. He has learned to cope by sleeping with his prized possession, a wristwatch with a stylized panther design on it, near his ear so he can hear the ticking. When he does this he frequently dreams of panthers, which calms him and keeps the harsher nightmares at bay.

Call Sign: Part of Mark's cover involved contacting his GMP operator via a message drop system run through the on-base fast food restaurant. The rest of the squadron, not knowing the real reason he spent so much time at the burger joint, started to refer to Mark as Lunch Box, a name the spy never appreciated and refused to acknowledge whenever possible.

Recent History

What should have been a routine first undercover assignment for Mark turned dangerous when the 474th began uncovering evidence of a conspiracy. Mark initially reported the others' findings to his superiors, but when his contact turned up dead (from an apparent traffic accident), Mark panicked. Not knowing who to trust, Mark stayed under cover, even after the 474th were sent on a suicide mission to Indochina. Mark was one of the few members of the squadron to survive and accompanied the others to Australia with their rescuers, the 21st ATAC.

When the rest of the 474th squadron was absorbed into the 21st the GMP opted to keep Mark among them. They reasoned that since the members of the 474th had been among the first to stumble across the conspiracy, there was the possibility they would learn more and Mark could ensure that the GMP learned what they learned. This effort paid off as the 21st were able to reveal the existence of the New World Order. Mark stayed under cover with the 21st as the global conflict erupted. He did not get along with most of his squad mates but did take a liking to one, Pvt. Victor Chen. Victor had borderline psychopathic tendencies and Mark took great pleasure in molding the violent soldier into a useful ally, though tool would probably be a better word for how Mark viewed his protege.

When it became apparent that the NWO had infiltrated all levels of the Southern Cross, Mark found himself recruited a second time. This time it was from Colonel Alan Fredericks and his aide, Lt. Nova Satori. Worried about the NWO penetration into the Southern Cross, Col. Fredericks was creating a new military intelligence group tasked with uncovering traitors in the military and the government. he was deliberately seeking out younger, lower ranking operatives to ensure that those he recruited had not been compromised. Mark agreed to sign up and at that point was serving three masters: Col. Fredericks, the GMP intelligence chief at Dundee Base (who had no clue about Colonel Fredericks' operation), and (as part of his cover) Captain Mace of the 21st. Mark was secretly promoted to Corporal (though his cover in the 21st still had him at the rank of Private). He served Col. Fredericks well, and Mark took advantage of the assignment to enjoy a short affair with Lt. Satori.

After the war ended, hostilities between the UEG and EBSIS threatened to erupt into a new war. When allegations of treason were levelled against a member of the 21st the whole squadron found itself under scrutiny. Rather than risk Mark being exposed, Col. Fredericks pulled him out by pushing through an order to transfer "Private" Andrews to Perth. Once there Mark was taken to Monument City where he joined Col. Fredericks' staff.

Mark's activities during the Second Robotech War are not known, nor is it known whether or not he survived the conflict.

United Earth Forces Service Record

Assignment History

>Honors and Awards

Mission/Conflict Summary

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