All done! Manic writing.

[hider=Gazali Coetzee]

[center][h3]Gazali Coetzee[/h3][/center]

[indent][B]Race:[/B] Human
[B]Sex:[/B] Male
[B]Age:[/B] 35
[B]Profile:[/B] Engineer
[B]DOB:[/B] 2150 CE
[B]Homeworld:[/B] Earth
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[B]Appearance:[/B]

[img]https://i.pinimg.com/736x/7c/28/ec/7c28ec4ae304ccf5eb2f9b563ab1074f.jpg[/img]

[B]Background:[/B]

The Coetzee family were a traditional white Afrikaans family, hailing from Zimbabwe, at least prior to the 'Wind of Change' and following land reforms under the nascent Zimbabwean government. Like many white families at the time, both Afrikaans and the English speaking 'Rhodesians' they fled to South Africa in the 1980s, fearing violent persecution following the loss of their exaggerated political platform under the colonial regimes.

Gazali's recent ancestors lived through the infamous height of the Apartheid regime. While the Coetzee family had not been particularly wealthy in Zimbabwe, the loss of their homestead and the fear they had experienced in the collapse of White rule in the North left them initially indifferent to the suffering of Black South Africans, for fear that any destabilization of the current system would lead to another Wind of Change situation. While this mentality was never truly lost in regards to the older generation, those of the Coetzee family who remembered little of the Rhodesian land reforms soon turned against the principles of the state and they, along with many South Africans, celebrated the fall of Apartheid in the early 90s, expecting the vibrant rebirth of the Rainbow nation.

While South Africa enjoyed a brief span of genuinely positive, if turbulent leadership, the new mission and zeal of the state was eventually subverted by the rise of the Zuma political dynasty. Jacob Zuma's time in officer was characterized by the introduction of State Capture, where the powers of the state were used to convert political capital into very real land and funds, both for South African politicians, and companies doing business in the region. Throughout the next century, right up to the birth of Gazali, the political power in South Africa would swing back and forth between those who attempted to lead through genuine care for the nation, and those willing to increase the power of a growing political class and their beneficiaries. While the political pendulum would swing, systematic corruption would never be fully rooted out from Southern Africa's most prominent nation.

Despite this drain on the nation's growth and international power and prestige never being fully dealt with, South Africa was still one of the 18 nations to sign the Systems' Alliance charter a year before Gazali's birth, and so he grew up in a nation very much looking towards the stars. As with many middling families in South Africa, the Coetzees had defined themselves through generations of succesful public service and this was no different for Gazali. He was educated in the public school system, but in a district where this was no great hindrance. Despite major headway on racial tensions within the nation, other divides still gripped the population of the Rainbow nation and civil unrest was common enough to factor into the young man's adolescence. Arson attacks became increasingly common, a reprisal of previous violent sprees and on several occasions his family were forced to move due to fire damage to their neighborhood. While never hard off in the economic sense, this certainly helped to develop Gazali's survival instincts, and his desire to triumph over the challenges thrown at him.

Rather than continue to university, Gazali joined the SANDF (South African National Defence Force) at the age of 18, at the time the most direct way to work ones way into the Systems Alliances' variety of program for undisguised South Africans. An affinity for science and technology pushed him towards the Engineering cor, where he flourished for several years, enough so that, along with several classes of foreign officers, he was sent to the Royal Academy of Sandhurst to receive officer training, to receive yet further specific training in the field of humanity's ever developing technology. When he returned to South Africa following the completion of his training, he was expected to immediately take an Officer role in the SANDF. Instead he was contacted by the South African Revenue Service. SARS was one of the few authorities within the South African government which had generally remained free from corruptive elements. While it had often had its powers hobbled by aggressive individuals outside of the Authority, it had always looked to bring down those who had benefited too egregiously from State Capture. The Commissioner of SARS at the time had devised a drastic approach to finally bring about the fall of the corrupt political class in South Africa, bringing an end to both the Zuma 'dynasty' and the process of State Capture.

SARS wished to use the new-tech capabilities of individuals like Gazali to effectively cripple the assets of those under investigation for State Capture, a long list of individuals who could relatively easily expect to ignore such accusations. Those working for SARS would act beyond the remit of the law, working to trace the specific transactions linked to political bribes and payments, while also discover the locations of those acting on the ground to ensure that the State's powers were effectively used to bolster those who had paid the right pockets. Both could be achieved simultaneously with access to the Alliance's technological boom, and the right minds to use it. Thus Gazali became a part of a multi-year shadow war within the South African government, a shadow war that quite often turned hot between the intermediaries of the Zuma regime and SARS. Throughout this hidden conflict, Gazali proved exponentially capable in his role, going above and beyond his peers both on the cyber and real front of the 'war' acts that he felt would never earn him much in the way of real recognition.

While publicly this may have been the case, when the last of the old order was turned out of the South African government on charges of corruption and blackmail, no longer having access to the vast illegal sums of funding that had protected them in the past, South Africa volunteered several individuals for the Interplanetary Combatives Training program. While several were well established members of SANDF and more were members of the Systems Alliance with South African backgrounds, one was a man named Gazali Coetzee, who had only ever held non-commissioned ranks, and seemed to hold no formal references of any great skill. Any doubters as to his experience were quickly proven wrong, as he established himself as one of the forerunners in his class of recruits.

Through all seven stages of the training, Gazali proved himself capable. With little prior experience of off-world combat, he found the earlier courses harder, despite the escalating nature of the ICT. As with all candidates, he found himself sent throughout Alliance space and beyond, even doing several stints in covert operations well into the Terminus Systems. In the alien species and governments he encountered, Gazali found much that reminded him of the corrupt government back home he had fought long to topple, and so was somewhat hesitant in his interactions. Despite this, he found the aliens themselves as easy to work with as his human peers, even if he, initially, would never fail to put human interests first.

The final stage of his training comprised of a long deployment on the edges of Alliance Space, principally for recon purposes, but in reality a counter to reports of Batarian Slavers attacking colonies in the region. As with all N7 level assessments, the deployment tested their ability to function as an elite unit, cut off from support and with limited supplies and equipment. Despite this, Gazali's tech expertise enabled them to make the most of what they had, able to boost the detection capabilities of the alliance colonies and set up a far more effective response network pooling their resources. The only major hitch for Gazali, who had grown used to the fierce fighting which they experienced when required to drive off the slavers, was the order to deny support to those nearby colonies who had left the fold of the Systems Alliance. One particularly aggressive outburst on the matter almost earned the man his first course failure, but was instead written up as a minor disciplinary. Once the tour was complete, Gazali was inducted as a full graduate, colloquially known as N7.

His storied career as a special operative of the Systems Alliance continued into his early thirties, to the point that when the secret collective project that would spawn the Normandy began between the Council races, Gazali's name was considered for a post within the project, and later, aboard the ship. Naturally curious, Gazali turned his comprehensive computing ability towards uncovering the reasons behind this suggestion. What he discovered eventually lead to him leaving the Systems Alliance Military. Well accustom to tracing secretive bribes and favours, Gazali followed an increasingly difficult web of transactions and communication back to the source. A trace linked to his disciplinary on the N7 course had brought him to the attention of the secretive organisation, Cerberus. With its talons deep into the hierarchy and structure of the Alliance, Cerberus was attempting to pull strings to have what they felt was a strongly pro-human voice on the combined projects team, yet one who would still be passable for the rest of the crew.

Gazali 'burned' his files and destroyed his personal equipment upon this discovery, doing his best to prevent the possibility that his actions had been detected, although knowing that this could likely be impossible. He resigned from his position within the Alliance, and for all intents and purposes, disappeared from observable society. During this time he attempted as best he could to keep track of Cerberus' activities, although the secretive monolith had turns its eyes on him, and the web was descending by the time the Andromeda Initiative extended an invitation to him. While he may have been difficult to find for a civilian, Gazali's file, as with all N7 operatives, past and present, were prominently on the desk of Alec Ryder when considering recruits for the Initiative. It was an easy decision for Gazali, despite feats that the program itself would have been infiltrated by Cerberus, he much preferred his chances against the relatively few operatives that could be hidden among the crew of the Arks and Nexus, then a galaxy wide network.

[B]Personality:[/B]

Gazali is something of a complex character, openly care-free, if serious when the moment arises, the exterior of a bold and brash South African is as much a ruse to hide a man that has become increasingly paranoid in recent years, having deliberately avoided creating meaningful relationships over 'recent' (centuries ago) years due to his fears of reprisal from Cerberus. Having long dealt in the backstabbing realm of politics and crime, this is a streak that has been building for some time. No amount of wit and bluster can prevent the mind from naturally drifting in that direction.

For the longest time, Gazali has lived and breathed in a world of technology, and the code which underpins it. He can tinker and tap away for hours, whether directly on machinery, or tracing through complex net and computer coding. While he has been on the frontline of combat for almost as many years, his true joy, and where he really excels, is in this theoretical world of technological thinking.

[B]Reason for being awoken from Cryo (Specific jobs, skills, and Initiative Application):[/b]

As a previous member of the N7 program, Gazali is in the elite of his field, both in terms of martial ability, and his engineering (both soft and hardware) expertise. While there may have been greater minds to unlock first, in the macro sense, with the first colonies springing up, he is a natural early choice for boots-on-the-ground. He craves setting his mind to challenges, and its is only secretly that his eyes are forever checking back over his shoulder for the oncoming knife.

[B]Equipment:[/B]

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M-5 Phalanx Heavy Pistol

HMWSG Advance Line Shotgun

Onyx Pattern Medium Armour

HMOT Advance Line Omni-Tool


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[B]Powers:[/B]
[list=*]
Assault Turret
Energy Drain
Flamethrower
Invasion
Incinerate
Overload
[/list]

[B]Font Colour:[/B]

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