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Yosef Kaganavich
He let loose on them his burning anger, wrath, indignation, and distress, a company of destroying angels.
Age:
21
Gender:
Male
Birth-date / Location:
June 4th, 1927 - Moscow, USSR
Appearance:
Yosef always stood out because of his height. He was a head taller than his father by the time he was sixteen, and he'd continue to grow until he was a good four inches over the average at five feet and nine inches.
Much to the chagrin of his brothers, their mother chose to feed Yosef an extra portion at every meal; "My boy's already the biggest, so he'll be the strongest, too!" she'd cry when his siblings inevitably protested. Being so well fed, in combination with his back-breaking work in Moscow's automotive factory, Kaganavich developed a strong frame to compliment his height.
Yosef possesses many of his people's identifying physical traits. His complexion is darker, though not quite matching the brown of his eyes and messy, impossible-to-manage hair. The aquiline nose that sits upon his face has oft been the target of jabs from both friend and foe alike. Once, such teasing had bothered him. Recent events have turned his worries toward other, more grim matters.
As a matter of faith, Kaganavich sports a sparse set of whiskers on his face. He'd never been quite as hairy as the rest of his family for reasons he couldn't explain. His sorely lacking facial hair was often mocked by his younger brothers, and even his father expressed his disappointment on more than one occasion.
Personality:
Kaganavich's upbringing was a traditional one. His father instilled in him values of integrity, honor and courage; his mother tempered him with gentleness, kindness and selflessness. Being the eldest son, Yosef was favored to become the next head of the family when his father passed on. This came with a great deal of responsibility, and he took to it excellently. From a young age, Yosef loved helping people. He helped deliver milk with his father. He helped his mother with the cooking and cleaning- often doing the tasks meant for his younger sister. Yosef expected little in return, save for a ruffle of his hair and a 'That's my boy' from the father and mother he idolized.
As he grew and came into his own, Yosef found his virtues tested. More than one delinquent neighbor or schoolhouse bully took advantage of Kaganavich's unwillingness to fight them. That was one thing Yosef had always detested: violence. In any form. Even when Yosef should've protected himself or even another, he wouldn't raise a hand to the attacker. More than once he'd come home with a black eye and a quiet smile on his face because he'd used his face to occupy someone long enough for the original intended victim to skitter away.
War doesn't care for values or idealism, however; when it came for the Kaganavich family, Yosef was forced to confront his feelings. He was forced to make a choice. Either he could hold fast to his beliefs and sit idly by as the Wermacht consumed his homeland and his people, or Yosef could turn aside from them and take up arms. It wasn't an easy thing, and he still wrestles with the brutality of it all constantly, but in the end Yosef made his decision. Yosef chose to fight.
Relationships:
TBD
Classification:
Combat Engineer, Standard Equipment
Experimental Gear:
With the advent of the technological revolution, the influx of increasingly intricate vehicles and equipment has increased the number of mechanical failings and problems dramatically. More experimental tech has a habit of breaking down, and in a unit full of such tech, the ability to bring it back online quickly is vital. Compounded on the fact that a good engineer is hard to come by, the invention of the Utility Assistance Unit (UAU) was inevitable.
The Utility Assistance Unit is a powered exoskeleton that increases the carrying strength of the wearer exponentially, with the suit alone possessing near one hundred pounds of lifting capability. This is necessary not only to compensate for the added weight of it's many attachments and tools, but also to allow the engineer to move construction material without aid.
Heavy power tools are attached to each arm, with a set of rotators in place to allow seamless switching between them. On the right limb it has: a welding torch, chainsaw and a jackhammer. Upon the left, it has: a nail/screw gun, automated entrenching tool, and a mine detector.
While construction and repair are both vital functions of any combat engineer, they aren't simply technicians; any engineer worth his salt is just as well-versed in demolitions. The UAU was designed as well with this other role in mind. TNT, anti-infantry and anti-armor mines, as well as- depending on the deployment- a Rocket Propelled Grenade launcher.
Background:
Born in the bustling capital of Russia to two bright-eyed Hebrew parents- Abram and Miriam- Yosef always felt he was meant for great things. Even when he was small, when he was still learning how to read and write, he would picture himself standing in the old times alongside the mythical heroes of the Torah. He wanted so desperately to be like them- like King David and Judah Maccabee. His father always insisted that Yosef could be, too; if he was a good man who feared God and did what was right, then greatness would find him. Kaganavich thrust himself into his studies of scripture the moment he was able, taking to heart the tales of the Judges and kings.
He wasn't the only boy running around the Kaganavich household for very long. His first brother, Jonah, came into the world when Yosef was only five, and another, Elisha, followed the year after that. Another two years passed when his sister, Dinah, joined them.
He loved his siblings, even if they were terribly loud and interrupted his reading much too often for his liking. His parents taught him that treating his family well was an important step in becoming a great man. So, as always, he did.
Yosef learned from his brothers something that would stick with him until he became an adult: he hated fighting. He'd watch those two wrestle and wail on each other constantly, and it left a sour taste in his mouth. Despite being bigger and stronger than both by a noticeable margin, Yosef would always lose when they inevitably roped him into their games- his reluctance to hurt them was easily taken advantage of.
Surprisingly, Yosef found himself getting along better with Dinah than either of his brothers. Though eight years his junior, Dinah held a similar fascination for books and stories. He couldn't count the number of nights he spent reading aloud to Dinah while she was curled up in his lap, trying desperately to stay awake until the end.
In 1942, when Yosef was just fifteen, the war a world away arrived at his doorstep in a military uniform and with a letter of conscription for Abram. A tearful Miriam held tight to Dinah as her child sobbed in her chest, crying that her father couldn't go. Yosef had to drag both Elisha and Jonah to the back room to keep them from tearing into the Russian officer. Abram embraced his family, promising to write to them as much as he could before he was whisked away.
They never saw him again.
Another letter came in the mail for Yosef only a few weeks later, informing him that he was to report to the nearby factory for work. It was an Armored Repair Facility, he'd come to learn. Where once they built cars, they now put tanks and armored cars back together. Kaganavich thrived there. Something about the way the machines worked just clicked in his head. His earlier hunger for learning came back with a vengeance. Yosef attached himself to the oldest and most skillful workers and engineers, pestering them with a constant barrage of questions and inquiries about the work they were doing.
That willingness to learn earned him the attention of the officers in charge of production. Yosef was taken aside at the age of seventeen and given additional training. He was soon leading teams of workers, directing them through the repair process. Yosef's technical skill was the only reason he wasn't drafted like many men his age. He served the Union better here- not that he would ever complain. Though he desperately missed Abram, Yosef never wanted to fight on the frontline, for he still desperately hated violence.
Some cosmic force decided that if Yosef refused to go to the frontline then the only option left was to bring the frontline to him. The Wermacht descended on Moscow like a steel legion from the pits of hell. Armored monstrosities and inhuman Nazi soldiers besieged that city Yosef held so dearly. He could hear the shells exploding even as he worked to salvage the many burned out husks of armor the Red Army was dropping in his factory line. He received a letter from Dinah telling him that both Jonah and Elisha had been conscripted to defend Moscow, despite their age.
When Moscow fell, Yosef and the other technical experts were evacuated. He made sure Dinah and his mother were safely out of the city, though he had no word on what happened to Elisha and Jonah...Miriam feared the worst, but Yosef never gave up hope; those two were the toughest boys he'd ever known. If anyone could survive that hell, it'd be them. Abram's letters stopped coming in, though Yosef was sure that was just due to the broken line between where his father was stationed and the refugee camps.
Before he could be transferred to another factory, Yosef received another letter from the Red Army. He was being drafted into a specialized unit he'd never heard of before. Reluctantly he left behind his mother and sister, taking what little belongings he had left and leaving with the conscription officer. Yosef was fearful, and apprehensive, but he still held strong to hope. He would not let this war break him as it did so many others.
Experience:
Standard Basic Training
Specialized Technical Training
Six years of vehicular and equipment repair
Family:
Abram Kaganavich - Unknown
Miriam Kaganavich - Alive
Jonah Kaganavich - Unknown
Elisha Kaganavich - Unknown
Dinah Kaganavich - Alive
Theme Song:
Through The Valley