[b]Name:[/b] Avery August Ulysses Rutherford [b]Race:[/b] Human [b]Augmentics:[/b] Neuro-uplink [b]Rank:[/b] Admiral, Duke/Commander of Plentiful Dawn [b]Alias:[/b] Some names have been given to him, but he doesn't like them or use them. Among those is 'The Ghost of Dawn'. [b]Physical Description:[/b] Admiral Rutheford has a fair complexion. He stands tall, with a frame leaning more towards thin. His shoulders are sharp but not broad. His facial features are sharp and angular, but not overly wide or big-boned. His cheekbones are high and his nose is of average size, but bent slightly at the center of the bridge. Shallow crow's feet draw outward from the corners of his eyes. His hair is black and cut low, with white hairs at the sides. His eyes are an empty gray. He has some heavy scarring along the right side of his jaw, but nothing monstrous. He stands with all the grace of an officer and noble; never seen out of uniform and always with an upright, stiff posture. [b]Personality:[/b] Admiral Rutherford is a man shaped by duty. A no-nonsense, stern man of high esteem, but modest. Though he is a high noble and officer, he is not arrogant, nor has he led himself to believe he is superior based on his nobility. He does, however, demand respect, that his authority be recognized, and his orders followed. Rutherford understands men and women have limits, both physically and mentally. He does not expect men and women to do the impossible, or what is beyond their ability or responsibility, but he does expect them to do their duty. Rutherford values duty above all and holds great disdain for those who forsake theirs. He judges people by their merit more than their social status, and is well aware some of the best men come from humble birth, while some of the worst hide behind impressive-sounding titles meant to be cloaks that shield them from responsibility, and are often lent to useful criminals to escape justice and live to do work as free men at the service of corrupt nobles. It goes without saying he has fought strongly for reform. Rutherford disapproves of the Crown's decision to allow former raiders and the like to serve the Kingdom as auxiliaries, or worse - full-fledged members of His Unapproachable Grace's Navy -, believing them to not only be a stain on the noble image of the Royal Navy, but murderers who have escaped justice. He has attempted, numerous times, to bring them to justice himself, and has barred many from ever entering his native world of Plentiful Dawn, on the threat of execution for their crimes. With his professional attitude and stern, sometimes harsh way of command, it is easy to consider Rutherford a bitter, self-righteous man. It is true he commands strictly and holds little tolerance for misconduct, but Rutherford is not without mercy or compassion. He is a caring man to those who do their duty and serve their fellow men, but absolutely ruthless to those who forsake their duty and serve only themselves. Loved by his crew, Rutherford is the kind of man to care for them on an individual basis when time allows, offering them help personally and often using his influence as a noble to ease the pains and concerns of those who serve under him. He holds in high regard the principles of humanity and chivalry, believing even war must have its limits, or else it becomes barbaric and indistinguishable from the chaos that tore the empire apart all those years ago. [b]Personal History:[/b] Admiral Rutherford was born on the frontier moon of Plentiful Dawn in the Horizon system. A once prosperous agricultural world on the Acturian Empire's frontier, it was cut off from the rest of the Empire during the war against the Rival Claimants and was, overtime, transformed into an impregnable fortress-world on the brink of former imperial territory. It was reclaimed about 40 years ago (in the Valyrian Calender) by the Kingdom of Far Valyrius. As such, Rutherford was born and raised in gargantuan underground, military installations linked together by breathtaking tunnel-highways, under what was effectively martial law headed by an Admiralty. Having been the target of Rival Claimant forces, and later barbarians and petty kingdoms, Plentiful Dawn's once fertile surface was, overtime, transformed into a crater-scarred land of ash and ruin. Constant bombardment forced its citizens to live underground, and only the moon's innumerable anti-orbital-ship railguns - operated out of huge bunkers where only the gun's barrel peered out from underground - kept the numerous invasion-attempts at bay. Son of the High Admiral, Rutherford was groomed for leadership from an early age. He was expected to one day command an entire moon on what was expected to be an eternal struggle against an onslaught of barbarians and expansionist states looking to plunder the ruins of the Arcturian Empire. Several pushes were made to reclaim the surface, as well as other surrounding moons and planets, with some success. Over the centuries, worlds came under control of the Admiralty, only to be lost later, and sometimes reclaimed again not long after. In the later years, however, the Admiralty made the defense of Plentiful Dawn its top priority, leaving other worlds to be picked clean barbarians. He was nineteen when a fleet of warships from the Kingdom of Far Valyrius entered Plentiful Dawn's orbit in the midst of what had been, at the time, a two-year-long, devastating siege by a unified coalition-fleet of scavenging aliens. Far Valyrius' ships devastated the invading force and broke the siege, later incorporating Plentiful Dawn into what was to become the new Arcturian Empire at the signing of the Concord of Dawn - an agreement that peacefully integrated the moon into the Kingdom of Far Valyrius, and guaranteed certain rights and freedoms -- thus becoming the Protectorate of Plentiful Dawn. Believing his people owed a debt to the Kingdom of Far Valyrius, Rutherford pledged his full support and service to the Crown, enlisting in the Royal Navy and proving himself a capable commander. He remained on Plentiful Dawn for a time to help coordinate with the capital in assimilating the moon. Later, he helped incorporate its military forces, proving he was a capable leader on and off the battlefield. When the Kingdom called for Plentiful Dawn to pledge its forces on the frontline, it was he who led his countrymen. Rutherford distinguished himself in numerous skirmishes and full-scale battles that saw him climbing up the ranks of the Royal Navy, whilst also becoming more involved in the Kingdom's politics - though he was never great at political intrigue, having publicly embarrassed himself several times, and openly despised it. Having been raised under strict military law, he quickly became known for being a no-nonsense, sometimes harsh commander. He openly criticized some of the Kingdom's more lax policies, particularly those with regards to former raiders and barbarians. He viewed the Kingdom's tendency to pardon raiders and barbarians - many of them murderers and slavers - and even place them into positions of power within the Royal Navy as being absolutely unacceptable. He also exposed corruption where he saw it. This of course earned him a lot opposition, particularly from the corrupt nobility. Later, rumors broke out that he worked for the Office Unspoken, further alienating him from other nobles who worried he could be an agent working to stomp out corruption and dissent on behalf of the Crown. Though he wasn't an agent of the Office Unspoken initially, he did become one after being officially invited into the ranks (though left not long after). He joined the ranks of Admirals later in his career and became the head Admiral at the Naval Tribunal. By the time the war against Arius began, he commanded forces as an Admiral, and four years later commanded the [i]Adamant[/i] - a gargantuan warship at least a millennia old. He served admirably for the first four years of the war, taking part in numerous battles and proving himself as capable as even the oldest commanders. His luck ran out at the Battle of Terminus. Caught by surprise and quickly enveloped by forces loyal to Arius, his battle-group was quickly decimated and the [i]Adamant[/i] sustained heavy damage, forcing parts of the ship to be sealed off - sometimes with crew still inside - or detached altogether. Rutherford watched as each and everyone of the ships accompanying the [i]Adamant[/i] were destroyed and Arius' ships began to close in. What followed was a devastating last stand that killed 60% of the crew and nearly immobilized the [i]Adamant[/i]. Realizing he could not fight back, and unwilling to let Arius capture one of Valyrius' most important vessels - one under his command, no less -, the Admiral ordered a retreat as the enemy ships began to trap the wounded [i]Adamant[/i]. Unable to maneuver around ships encircling it, the Adamant rammed through one of the enemy vessels, sustaining near-critical damage and tearing the enemy ship apart, killing men on both sides. Without time to spare, Rutherford ordered a slipspace jump to "anywhere" mid-ramming. It warped the Adamant - and the ship it had rammed - into the middle of nowhere, where men on both sides - the [i]Adamant[/i] and the burning-husk of a ship it had dragged with it - continued to fight for another hour before the enemy ship fell apart with what was left of its crew. The [i]Adamant[/i] drifted through uncharted space a wounded beast, lost, for what would be six, long years. During this time Rutherford struggled to maintain order and numerous ship-wide riots occurred, driving him to take desperate and harsh measures to save the majority - including the execution of those that threatened the survival of the crew with insubordination, starving out those detained to save rations, and other things he wished he could forget. He was, by necessity, a tyrant. It tested him and he nearly broke, having come close to suicide early on. Duty saved his life that time, and he pushed on. The ship's crew grew more and more independent over the course of these six years, developing its own identity. The AI did the same, becoming [i]Wanderer[/i]. And at the end of the six years, the [i]Adamant[/i] reappeared, true to its name, at the Battle of the Burning Stars, where it assisted royal forces. The ship fought silently that day though, without orders. Unbeknownst to almost all, Rutherford lied on a pool of blood in his quarters. A crewman discovered him, startled him, and watched as he fired through his jaw. He had decided he would never be able to lead his men back home, and it had effectively broken him. His last order had been a slipspace jump to "anywhere", before deciding he would take his life. He was treated for his wounds immediately and his life was saved - barely. When he awoke demanding to know where he was, a doctor answered simply: "Home." [b]IC Sample:[/b] Pending ---- [b]Ship Name:[/b] [i]Adamant[/i] [b]Ship Type:[/b] WIP [b]Semi-Sentience Profile:[/b] WIP [b]Escort Ships:[/b] Many. [b]Ship Details/History:[/b] WIP