[center][h1]Codex Entries[/h1][/center] [hr][hr] [h3]Persons of Interest[/h3] [hider=Dr. Isaac Evenway][center][img]http://static1.squarespace.com/static/533c4379e4b027abe5643ba1/t/5525ed60e4b04bc773da25dd/1428548961196/?format=300w[/img][/center][h3]HISTORY AND CAREER[/h3] Medical science has always been a trademark of the Evenway family. It came as no surprise when Isaac decided he wanted to attend medical school, well before he set foot in high school for the first time. Another token of the Evenway genealogy is their fascination with making the impossible quite possible. This can be traced back to Isaac's great-great grandfather, Dr. Thomas D. Evenway, a nationally renowned psychologist that made incredible strides in the field of psychoanalytical theory in the late 1930s. In essence, Isaac had quite a legacy to live up to. And he did. Two years after he and his wife, Juniper, had their first and only child, Noah, Juniper had been diagnosed with an acute lymphatic cancer. Frantic to hang onto her, Evenway used his fortune to pay for any and every treatment that could possibly save Juniper's life; even going so far as to fly in the best cancer experts from around the world on his own dime. However, even though money wasn't an issue, time was, and Juniper had run out of it. On a cold February morning in 2008, Juniper Evenway passed away in her sleep. Enraged, Isaac demanded answers from every one of the experts he had assigned to his wife. The responses were all the same: cancer research just hadn't progressed enough for them to fully comprehend the disease. After personally researching the why behind it all, Evenway's conclusion was straight-forward: politics and bureaucracy. The field of medicine had been riddled with landmines of regulations, policies, restrictions, and special interests. Adopting a cynical attitude toward government interference in scientific disciplines, Isaac started up his own biomedical research firm: Apex. Five years later, after the gates to Safe Haven opened, Apex officially transferred their headquarters to the new city-state and was immediately freed of all government interference. Dr. Evenway, having firmly secured one of the three seats of the triumvirate, molded his own district in the city to be a sanctuary for the world's best and brightest; a small metropolis of tech companies, medical firms, science institutes, and engineering corporations. Today, the companies of the Evenway district have managed to achieve in half a decade what the best of their rivals in the United States have been unable to do in more than two; and Apex Corp is at the helm of innovation. [h3]PSYCHOLOGICAL PROFILE[/h3] Ask anyone what he's like and everyone will say the same word at least once in their answer, "ambitious". Like the Evenways that came before him, Isaac rolls high and plays for keeps. Every possibility becomes opportunity, which then becomes an entire research division with practically limitless funding and support. Constantly seeing the best possible outcomes with every endeavor, Isaac is blessed with an incredible talent for optimism; which, in turn, creates several ethical blind spots. Often, Dr. Evenway rarely takes a second look into the morality of most of his corporation's more questionable programs. One case was the development of a serum that targeted human sexuality at the epigenetic level, seeking to actually change a person's orientation. The project was shut down in its infancy, but only after Isaac found out that the serum had been tested on his own son, Noah.[/hider] [h3]Organizations[/h3] [hider=Apex Corporation][center][img]http://static1.squarespace.com/static/533c4379e4b027abe5643ba1/t/550a2125e4b0fdf87e42c5e7/1426727205692/Apex+Logo.png?format=300w[/img][/center]Apex Biomedical was founded in 2008 when a younger Dr. Isaac Evenway noticed the rampant pollution of politics in the world of science (most notably in areas of medical advancement). After the death of his wife later that same year due to cancer, Isaac made it Apex’s sole mission to develop an ultimate cure for the disease. While his efforts inevitably proved futile, his firm did make incredible strides in the field and unleashed a renaissance in the biomedical discipline. Half a decade later, when the gates to Safe Haven – the corporate-run city-state on the border of Maine and Quebec – opened up, Apex dropped “Biomedical” from its name and became a full corporation with ties to all different fields of scientific research. Today, in 2026, Apex lives up to its very name, pushing humanity to a new era of technological advancement and comfort. In order to protect its many endeavors and highly classified research secrets, it has had to employ its own armed militia, the Apex Security Forces (ASF). This highly trained private army consists mostly of former military veterans from both U.S. and Canadian armed forces. Apex has always been at the center of attention for media reports concerning the tech world. In 2018, the company was investigated by the Corporate Tasks Initiative, a U.S.-run intelligence program aimed at preventing white collar crime, industrial espionage, and other illicit business practices. The suspicion: development of a self-aware artificial intelligence; which had been banned on an international level following a binding U.N. resolution. CTI investigators could uncover no evidence of such a project; however, even after their withdrawal from the company's headquarters, the agency is keeping a close eye on Evenway's projects. Later that same year, in partnership with another tech company that had recently opened up a new Safe Haven firm, Apex made an extraordinary breakthrough in nanotechnology. Together, both companies are looking into possible bio-medical applications ranging from reparative therapy to human augmentation.[/hider] [hider=Apex Security Forces][h3]BACKGROUND[/h3] By 2012, Apex's resources and assets had become valuable enough for rival companies to resort to industrial espionage. More than a hundred system network hacking attempts were made later that year by an unknown organization seeking out any kind of company secret that the hackers could get their hands on. Luckily, Apex's network was safe-guarded enough to thwart every attempt, but Evenway became increasingly concerned about the company's physical security as well, seeing the hacking attempts as merely the first rain drops of a coming storm. As a start, Apex sought out experienced contract security specialists with civil police or military history. To further ensure security within these ranks, the corporation only accepted applicants with clean and outstanding service records, opting for persons that had been awarded accommodations for prior performance over average nobodies. Finally, Isaac's fears of the inevitable came true when an Apex warehouse outside of Detroit was attacked by an extremist "pro-life" organization. Improvised explosive devices crafted to resemble pipe bombs resulted in twenty innocent lives lost and hundreds of thousands of dollars in damage to assets. The security posted at the warehouse was too thin to defend against the attackers and was overwhelmed. In response, Evenway sought to bolster his security's ranks by recruiting hundreds more, all with different backgrounds and, again, exemplary service records. Six months after the warehouse attack, Apex's security was large enough to be considered a privately funded militia. Thus, Evenway finally referred to them as the "Apex Security Forces" at an official press conference. With headlines about the corporation's new "PMC" attracting the attention of seasoned veterans all over North America, the ASF saw yet another surge in troop numbers. In 2014, the ASF were able to prove their worth when the same domestic terrorist organization attacked another isolated company-owned facility. Knowing what they were up against, the attackers came armed with more than just pipe bombs; bringing along semi-automatic firearms. However, while their explosives did initially cause havoc on the property, their ammunition was no match for the ASF's high-grade, Apex-developed body armor. They were also out-gunned by new state-of-the-art weapon systems that had also been designed by their employers. Prior training, greater numbers than before, and advanced technology gave the ASF a much-needed edge. Their success shocked both the media (which had been highly critical of Evenway's armed "militia") and the U.S. government. Instead of pressure from the Department of Homeland Security to scale back Apex's newly founded power, though, Evenway was lauded by offers from the DoD and DHS for contracts in the military industrial complex. Everything ended up being a win-win. Today, the ASF continues to safe-guard Apex's properties and resources, which includes the company's most vital asset: their manpower. Apex employees are considered more valuable than the technology and results they produce. Threatening someone that works for the corporation usually results in the aggressor looking down the barrel of a gun or being face-planted into the pavement and detained with handcuffs (and that's when the ASF are having a good day). [h3]ODYSSEUS 1ST EXPEDITIONARY DIVISION[/h3] [center][img]http://static1.squarespace.com/static/533c4379e4b027abe5643ba1/t/55382a39e4b0c20c1f083f88/1429744191487/?format=500w[/img][/center] With the launch of the Odysseus Program, a new model and purpose for the ASF was needed in order to maintain security beyond the Polyphemus gate and protect the adventuring explorers. Their role as security specialists on Earth isn't enough to take on Zamin; therefore, Commissioner Stone (the current highest ranking commanding officer of the ASF) suggested to Evenway that he allow her to organize an "expeditionary division" equipped with the technology, provisions, and training necessary to last in a potentially hostile, alien environment. To prepare, the selected candidates were put through rigorous training exercises that mirrored the pre-deployment training of modern militaries around the globe; modeling most of their organization off of the U.S. Army and Air Force expeditionary structure. Outfitting the division with rugged, durable equipment became the Military R&D Department's (Section 10) highest priority for more than a year. Upgraded and retrofitted humvees, MRAPs, and MACVs rolled off the line with darkened color schemes and the Apex/ASF logos. Weapons were redesigned with multi-climate protection in mind, and hundreds of deployable power, living, and storage units were produced. Commander Johnathan Titus was designated as the lead commanding officer of the officially dubbed Odysseus 1st Expeditionary Division. [h3]COMMON TERMS AND ABBREVIATIONS[/h3] A-Sec - Spoken or written shorthand for Apex Security Forces (it rolls off the tongue easier) ASF - Apex Security Forces Specialist - Members are called "specialists" because the ASF specialize in one very important concept: security. They are not contractors, soldiers, or mercenaries. Officer - Not to be confused with the classification of ranks, when patrolling the streets of Safe Haven's Evenway District and acting as a police force, the ASF are considered "officers" (in a law enforcement capacity). MRAP - Mine-Resistant Ambush Protected (specially armored troop transport vehicle, mounted with Apex-designed remote turret gun) MACV - Medium Armored Combat Vehicle (mounted with Apex-designed remote turret gun) [h3]RANKS[/h3] Unlike most known military ranking systems, ASF specialists are not split into officer and enlisted branches. Rather, specialists may advance to hold an officer rank once they have proven their ability to lead and maintain a collected mind under pressure. Further, many confuse members that are not officers as "enlisted", attempting to equate them to established military rank and file. However, this is not the case. The ASF operates with their own rank structure; so, those that might otherwise be considered "enlisted" are, quite simply, whatever rank they hold. An ASF sergeant is not "enlisted", he/she is a sergeant. With that said, the rank structure is as follows, from lowest to highest (also numbered by matching pay-grade)... Private Corporal Corporal First-Class --------------Non-Commissioned Officer Tier-------------- Sergeant Staff Sergeant Master Sergeant --------------Commissioned Officer Tier-------------- Ensign 2nd Lieutenant 1st Lieutenant Captain Commander Commissioner ... (reserved for the highest commanding officer of the ASF; answers directly to Dr. Evenway)[/hider]