FROM: Unknown Sender
TO: USS Almayer, CO’s Quarters
Pulled the dossier you wanted. For what it’s worth, I’ve seen a lot worse on marines out in the rim, though you’re not wrong that his career trajectory is weird. Couldn’t restore the missing data, but other than the one (you’ll know it when you see it) it mostly seems pretty harmless. I doubt he’s gonna blow up your ship or anything, but he might line his pockets or go soft on colonists. Then again, with the news lately, maybe you need that to balance out all the war cr—nevermind. Forget I said anything, just let me know if you need any more info. Usual fee applies.
Name: Aleric Caldwell
Callsign: ‘Klepto’
Age: [DATA EXPUNGED] (Note: Late twenties? Track down relevant colony records)
Rank: Second Lieutenant
Posting: Intelligence Officer, Field Operative
PHYSICAL APPEARANCE:
Eyes: Blue
Hair: Black, medium length (Note: Skirting bounds of grooming regulations, looking at the pictures they got of him)
Height: 6’1
Weight: 175lbs
Ethnicity: Caucasian
(Note: Rarely wears helmets, favors a dark cloth mask. Just look for the guy slinking around with non-standard kit. Real fond of throwing knives and contraband pistols, too. Gods know why.)
Background: Born on some backwater colony named [DATA EXPUNGED] and apprenticed at the local customs office from age sixteen, involved in local political group protesting governmental policies of UA on colony worlds. Parents register as having passed early in their life, raised by distant family relation with connections with commercial shipping companies. (Note: Marshals busted the custom officer he apprenticed under for heading a smuggling ring less than a year after Caldwell enlisted).
ADDENDUM: Colony records indicate political group radicalized in the months leading up to Aleric’s enlistment, recruited local militia and acquired munitions (Note: customs office connection? CLF support?). Three separate logged incidents of violent protest against UA suggest group involvement. Group reported dissolved one week prior to enlistment date due to violent internal conflict, no mention of Aleric Caldwell in reports. (Note: Suspiciously big gaps in the reports, at least one ghost trial and no recorded arrests. Flagged for follow-up).
Skill Assessment:
Marksmanship Training: Failed to qualify sharpshooter/expert. Passable accuracy, noted tendency to ‘spray and pray’. Performed better in killhouses/CQC, quick reflexes
Demolition Training: Demonstrated proficiency employing explosives against structures and vehicles as well as crafting of contraband explosive devices (Note: Molotovs and pipe bombs. Definitely that ‘political group’ he was with)
Electronics Training: Noted talent at cracking doors and security devices; passable handling of power systems
Escape and Evasion Training: Noted talent at stealth and evasion, disappeared into nearby settlement for a weekend in one occasion of training; issued non-judicial punishment for ‘cheating’ another exercise and using a stolen thermal cloak (Note: This is why they started ID-locking stuff)
Covert Ops and Intelligence Training: [DATA EXPUNGED]
Service Record:
(Note: Went ahead and trimmed it down to the interesting bits for you. Plenty of seemingly uneventful patrols and some garrison work sprinkled in-between, the latter usually coinciding with accusations or charges of black-market dealing)
Operation Torchbearer:
Charged with minor theft and possession of contraband. Charges dropped post-operation
Produced improvised firebombs with whiskey unlawfully removed from Officers’ Mess
Survived ambush from insurgent machine gun position that rendered the rest of his fireteam KIA
Deployed improvised firebombs to destroy insurgent MG nest, allowing building clearing to continue unimpeded
Operation Swift Steel:
NJP’d pre-deployment for non-regulation equipment
Field-promoted to Corporal after loss of squad’s radio operator
Commended for coordination of support fire and evacuation of wounded personnel
Charged with minor theft and possession of contraband post-operation, busted to PFC (Note: Swiped gear from the MP who NJP’d him, argued his kit was technically regulation, just atypical. No further punishment logged)
Operation Raging Typhoon:
Promoted to Corporal and tasked with Radio Operation pre-deployment due to personnel shortages
Commended for coordination of fire support against entrenched enemy position
Logged two kills with throwing knives and one with signal flare from M82-F (Unconfirmed)
Suspected of involvement with 1st Lt. [DATA EXPUNGED] regarding black market incident, no charges pressed
Operation [DATA EXPUNGED]
Assigned pre-deployment to Intel Team Echo for colony recon
Commended for [DATA EXPUNGED]
Evacuated with surviving three members of Echo
Charged with [DATA EXPUNGED], possession of contraband, neglect of duty
Charged with attempted murder at insistence of [DATA EXPUNGED], charge dropped
(Note: This has bug hunt and corporate meddling written all over it. Best I can tell the recon mission went sideways and Caldwell was going to take the fall. Instead, he keeps his rank, gets shuffled around between backwater planets for a while, and then…)
INTERCEPTED COMMUNICATION: You remember that hell op earlier this year? You know the one, you had to pore over reports for two weeks straight. I’m tapping the radio op we got assigned on the mission for intel training. He kept his head, tagged some stuff I didn’t even see, and even got the suit out alive (the one who turned around and tried to get him hanged afterward). Corporal Caldwell has been languishing in the ranks for a while now, and his service record is a yo-yo of serving well and then getting busted over sticky fingers. He’s not going to stop cutting deals with req or swiping stuff off these colonies, we might as well be making use of those talents.
I know you don’t like rankers, but I’m calling in the favor you owe me from that thing with the Colonial Marshals. You know the one. If it makes you feel better we can keep him in the ass-end of the galaxy where he won’t embarrass us too much.
There you have it. He disappears for two months after Intel borrows him, starts running errands for them, has a couple of suspiciously bloodless visits to CLF hot-zones, and now they’ve got him on a patrol ship heading out into the boonies. Your patrol ship. Make of that all what you will.