Difference between revisions of "Arek Lindemann"

Revision as of 17:22, 26 October 2010

Arek Lindemann
Biographical Information
Race	Human
Homeworld	Corellia
Mother	Caitrìona (nee Almiston)
Father	Griogair
Spouse	None
Siblings	Eònasdan (Half-Brother) Marsailí (Half-Sister)
Children	None
Born	Year -13, Day 191 (23)
Imperial Service
Branch	Imperial Army
Positions	Sniper Training Officer, 3IL
Prior Service	Coronet Constabulary
Awards	[IABG]

Personnel file

• Serial number: JD 296-710
• Active rank: Private
• Position: Sniper
• Most recent assignment: Classified
• Previous assignments:
  • Imperial Academy
  • Classified

Biography

Early Life

Arek just after his birth

Arek was born at the Sorento Medical Centre, an outlying suburb hospital of Coronet City, Corellia on Year -13, Day 191, the youngest son of Griogair, a serving army officer and Caitrìona Lindemann. Whilst being nearly seven weeks premature, his weight of 6 lb., 9 oz gave the attending medical staff confidence enough not to use an incubator. Both his half brother and sister, away at boarding school elsewhere in the system were later informed by their stepfather and were ecstatic at the arrival of a younger sibling. Arek suffered from a life threatening condition as a young infant. A post-viral infection caused his tonsils to become overly enlarged and block his airway when not lying on his side. This culminated in a near miss when the family protocol droid discovered the young Arek lying on his back whilst sleeping his cot and unable to breathe. The decision was taken following this incident to have the tonsils removed entirely shortly before his first birthday.

Shortly after his second birthday, Arek's parent’s marriage ended in bitter divorce and all three children moved with their mother to the small town of Bella Vistel. Whilst being too young to remember any of the events leading up to and subsequent life separated from his father, Arek continued as though life was entirely normal. His brother and sister, both being ten and fifteen years older respectively and actively aware of the divorce, aided their mother in keeping the young Arek happy and helping him in his early education. During these early years, Arek still maintained close contact with his father, visiting him regularly and often being regaled by tales of glory, by both his ancestors and his father.

Continuing on his father's precedent and like his younger brother, Arek was educated at independent schools, starting at Jane Mynors' nursery school and the pre-preparatory Wetherby School, both on Coruscant. Following this, he attended Ludgrove School, and, after passing the entrance exams, was admitted to Tonnant College. The decision to place Arek in Tonnant went against the family tradition of sending children to Gordonstoun (Lindemann's grandfather, father, two uncles, and two cousins all attended), it did, however, make the young Arek follow in the Almiston family footsteps, as both Caitrìona's father and brother had attended Tonnant.

As Arek became older, contact with his father became more irregular and at times months at a time would pass without a word. During the formulative part of his teenage years, Arek, lacking a strong father figure at hand, became increasingly frustrated and rebellious. Arek could not understand why his father, the man held in such high regard for years and looked up to, was no longer there and routinely became the cause of many an argument with his mother who constantly shot down his belief with particular venom. Eventually things came to a head just shy of Arek’s sixteenth birthday when he was expelled from Tonnant College for repeated curfew violations and 'trouble' with several of the female students. In a fury of rage, pent up emotion and untrue words, his mother unintentionally let slip a slither of information that silenced both sides. For the following years of his education, Arek remained distant from his family as a whole and remained only in basic contact. During his self imposed sabbatical from his family, Arek focused himself in his education until until Year -1 wherein he completed his Education, he excelled in sports, however, developing his love for sports, he won numerous athletic competitions, twice boxed for the school as a light weight and formed the first intermural judo league for the public school circuit.

Upon his return home, Arek still remained reclusive, preferring the silent company of contemplation as he mulled over the words yelled on the night of his expulsion. On Year 8 Day 190, the day before his eighteenth birthday, Arek quietly confronted his mother, offering his explanation in return for her own. Caitrìona eventually relented, realising how much the words had affected her youngest son. To Arek, the truth felt like the universe had been shot out from underneath him and that everything he had known and believed in was nothing more than a lie. As Caitrìona continued to tell Arek, he could feel the pedestal he held his father so aloof upon crumbling away. The loving father and glorified soldier was all a ruse created by him to conceal the truth from his own son. Griogair was nothing more than a tyrant, constantly holding the rest of the family in an iron grip of fear and violence. A man who during Arek’s childhood years had been the perfect father, had constantly melted out abuse in the form of kicks, punches and beatings in an attempt to cause his wife to miscarry. The same man who had drunkenly shot and wounded Arek’s sister as she stood up to him and had been discharged from the army under serious but uncertain circumstances.

Despite being overcome with shock, not only at the revelations but his own behaviour, Arek was changed for the better. He considered his father dead and finally understood why he could not understand his mother’s reactions, but knew he would forever carry the guilt of his teenage years and tainted blood of his father. Later that year, Arek enrolled himself in the Corulag Imperial Military Academy, with the intention of gaining a commission to prove to himself that he was not his father.

Imperial Service

At the age of twenty three Lindemann graduated into the Imperial Army, after studying at the Imperial Academy. Arek excelled in all areas of training and he seemed to come into his own upon his entrance into the service. Lindemann matriculated from his coursework at the Academy with passable marks; though excelling at athletic competitions, strategic operations, and counter-intelligence courses, his unconventional approach to his education, his defiant attitude to certain superiors, and a lack of respect for curfew drew him many demerits. On more than one occasion, a fellow candidate was strongly suspected of lying to protect Lindemann from punishment. Upon graduation, Lindemann was passed out into the Imperial Army as a combat infantryman and qualified marksman before being selected for Reconnaissance & Sniper training.

Sniper School

"There will always be the need for effective rifle marksmanship, and the sniper is the apex of all infantry skills, and used properly he should be an asset in war, and an enormous training asset in peace."

— Senior Sniping Instructor to Lindemann's Course Group

Lindemann at the beginning of his training at JSTE

The basic and advanced Sniper courses, run centrally by the Joint Sniper Training Establishment (JSTE) or 'Sniper School' based alongside the School of Infantry's Tactics Wing on Carida was to be Lindemann's home for the next ten weeks. The majority of his training was undertaken on local training areas around the planet, covering temperate, desert, artic and urban sniping. Lindemann's first week was largely taken up with testing to eliminate personnel who do not have the aptitude to be a sniper. Naturally the course involved a great deal of range work and a large proportion of the shoots wear undertaken using the highly visceral Mark 8 targets, eventually introducing basic sniper skills such as hide construction, and the ghillie suit. During this time, Lindemann learnt how to add camouflage to the outside of his suit and that observational posts and hides must be capable of defeating modern sensors.

During the latter half of his training, Lindemann continued to study in depth his basic Accademy training of target recognition, observation and recording, communications procedures, mortar and artillery forward observer training, and basic forward air controller techniques. Whilst during the same period, Lindemann was expected to maintain high standards on intermediate training stalks with his approach, observation and the shoot tested. Like most of the students on the course, Lindemann was already up to speed on many of these skills, however the JSTE Directing Staff pushed the candidates as hard as possible whilst holding them up to excellent standards. Pressure was applied increasingly throughout the course with both day and night stalks being tested. The complete saturation of the training area with sensors meant that no short cuts could be taken and each student was constantly under scrutiny.

Lindemann's final part of the course was a week long testing phase, testing the whole range of a sniper's skills with stress being placed on his observation and forward observation skills. In his final test, Lindemann was expected to start a 2000 metre approach until within 200 metres of the observers (to simulate a stalk up to an outpost followed by a shoot to a target 2000-3000 metres ‘deep’). The sniper instructors were equipped with visual and multi-spectral sensors observing the designated stalking zone. They also had access to a number of designated remote sensors covering the approach route, most of these are marked on the Lindemann's map however some were unmarked but placed according to typical doctrine. Lindemann then had to observe the instructors for a 20 minute period whilst neutral sniper instructors, known as walkers, were coached onto suspected sniper positions via one way communications. The instructors had two attempts to detect Lindemann on his approach whilst not being assisted by the walker in any way.

Lindemann takes up position for his final shot

After the 20 minute period, the observer instructed the walker to move to within 10 metres of Lindemann's position, again attempting to walk the neutral observer onto his sniping position. After the set time period had once again expired, the observer instructed the walker to point directly at the Lindemann's position, knowing that if the observer could detect him, it would be an instant failure of the course ranked as one of the most tense moments of his life as he lay deathly still. Fortunately, as luck would have it, the observer failed to discover his location and held up a white board, to prove that Lindemann had line of sight to the observer. It was finally the moment that culminated months of training, the single shot that would make his life complete. As he very slowly raised the rifle to his shoulder, Lindemann was accutely aware that even now at this stage he was at risk of detection.

As he stared down the telescopic sight at the white board being held above the instructor's head, Lindemann paused, feeling for the shot as he closed his finger around the trigger. As the targeting recticule steadied itself Lindemann took a final sharp intake of breath and with a final glance squeezed the trigger. As the shot of the blank round rang out, Lindemann was instructed to stand from his firing position as the walker approached to check the range and wind setting recorded on the rifle. With a courteous nod from the walker and a shout to the observer, Lindemann knew that he had passed the course and the countless hours of training had meant something after all. The next day, he was awarded the coveted sniper qualification badge, crossed rifles with the letter ‘S’ on the left arm of the dress uniform.

Subject Notes

Appearance

Lindemann is a tall man of about perhaps just over 6 feet. He does not appear to be outwardly strong but there is a less noticeable strength in the wiriness of his frame. His face is perhaps more intriguing than the clothes he wears. His dark brown, almost black hair seems overly long, as if overdue for a haircut. The grey flecks pick up the colour in his blue-grey eyes, never unmoving, hold a sense of sharp awareness, curiousness and yet, betray the deepest of memories held within. Beneath a layer of thick stubble, his weathered features are as if they were chiselled from fleshy stone, fit flawlessly together, though marred only by a singular deep scar running up the left side of his face. The scar gives his face a mocking, sardonic cast which all but disappears when he smiles. His body is toned and well built, though still shows much wiriness in his frame for a humanoid of his size. A pair of powerful arms fall away from his broad shoulders to his sides. His legs, not unlike the rest of his body, could almost be two Wroshyr-trunks balancing his body above, moving with ease and sure felt confidence, though his stance and walk give the impression he carries a great weight with his every movement.

Personality & Traits

Lindemann enjoys pushing himself to the limit, both mentally and physically. Lindemann's stress levels actually drop when the stakes are higher. He is prone to boredom and mild depression when not challenged. Lindemann enjoys drinking and gambling, although the former seems to be a way for him to test his personal limits at times rather than a vice. Lindemann has been known to gamble more than he can afford to lose, although he always gambles with a plan and a clear understanding of the odds.

Lindemann is goal-oriented, but he often seeks these goals in an indirect and secretive way. He has kept many areas of his life meticulously compartmentalized, never allowing the emotional issues from the loss of his family or from relationships to intrude on his professional life. Lindemann seems to have an emotional and mental need for multiple layers of reality. He thrives when not revealing all of himself, carefully organizing the aspects of his personality he reveals to others. Thus Lindemann is excellent as burying information he does not wish to reveal, making him a very low security risk if questioned under almost any circumstance.

Lindemann seeks structure in his life. He is a man of pattern and habit. He has acquired strong tastes. This is a potential security risk. Lindemann both thrives under structure yet finds subtle ways of rebelling against it. He is not self-destructive, but he can be a challenge to his superiors. Lindemann uses humor as a shield and a weapon. He is skilled at making cutting remarks that reveal insecurities of others or mock death, danger and risk.

Most importantly, Lindemann is deeply loyal to institutions. After the revelation of his father's true past, Lindemann embraced his Corellian roots and his concept of his nationality is a large part of his identity. This is reflected in some of his social attitudes, which seem to embrace an identity of the not too distant past. When pressed, Lindemann seems to identify with the notion of helping to 'protect the realm', of 'serving the monarch' and the ideals embodied in the mythic notion of chivalry.

Personal Relationships

Family

Romances

Friendships

Edward Canfield

Nathanial Durane

Relena Vercet

Amne Zailyn

Adar Machkhit

Titles, Military Ranks & Awards

Titles and styles

• Mr Arek Lindemann, Year -13, Day 191
• Officer Arek Lindemann, Year 8, Day 19
• JD 296-710 Lindemann A.B., Year 11 Day 300

Military Ranks

• Recruit [E-1] - Imperial Academy (Year 11 Day 300)
• Private [E-2] - Imperial Army (Year 11 Day 302)

Gallantry Awards

Campaign & Active Service Medals

Faction Awards

COMPNOR Awards

• Imperial Academy Basic Graduation [IABG] (Year 11 Day 302)

Quotes & Notable Dialogue

Trivia