Post by Frenzy on Oct 17, 2009 18:00:45 GMT -5
(Richard in civilian dress)
Name: Richard Banks
Age: 26
Gender: Male
Height: 6'0"
Weight: 167 lbs.
Eye Color: Green
Hair Color: Brown
Current Rank and Pay Grade: Lieutenant Commander (O-4)
Division: Space Assault Force
Mobile Suit: MS-14Fs Gelgoog Marine Commander
NT Status: Negative - Confirmed Non-Newtype.
Appearance:
Fairly tall, and of relatively average weight, he's not the most outstanding person, appearance wise. He's fairly wiry in terms of musculature. There are no scars to speak of on his body, though he does need to wear glasses all the time. The ones he wears are made to handle the stresses that combat operations put on them, though he's more prone to wearing contact lenses before he knows he needs to sortie.
Recently, his appearance has changed after months of stress and fighting. Long periods of little sleep and/or sleeplessness have left him with a almost constant tired appearance with bags under his eyes and a weary expression. He also has been seen more often with stubble on his chin, though he still tries to shave when time permits. Some also say he appears much older than he really is at times.
Personality:
Even tempered most of the time and usually fairly easy-going, both personally as well as in his command style. However, mistaking this for being lax in his duties is a mistake. Richard takes his job seriously and is more than willing to put his foot down if he feels that a subordinate is not following orders properly or is disrespecting him. He can be blunt in his opinion and expressing it, but is willing to hold his tongue in certain situations, if only for the sake of his career.
One particular quirk of his is that he's particularly demanding about getting detailed after-action reports from people. When asked why, he explains that its to better understand both friend and foe alike. He's even been known to ask MSF officers for their insights on how to better understand an opponent.
In combat, he takes a more aggressive, hands-on approach, preferring to lead from the front lines in a mobile suit instead of from a ship, though like all officers, he has been trained to do so. He often uses the MMP-80 and heat saber on softer targets like fighters and mobile suits in order to save the Giant Bazooka's ammo for more heavily armored targets like ships and some of the Federation's prototype MS. While able to fight at any range, he prefers to stay at a medium distance from any given opponent in case he needs to fall back or move closer.
However, months of fighting on the front lines has brought about a significant change in Banks. He's become far less demanding in requesting reports, only asking for the details and any information the soldier feels relevant, as the paperwork on his plate seems to never end. He's also become, as some would say, attached to the surviving members of the original ZEF, even over-protective of them at times. In particular, he views Florian Cuyler as someone in need of a friend after treatment from some of his handlers. Whether he would risk his career for Florian's sake remains to be seen, but those who know Banks well believe that he would. He's also changed his view of the war from one of independence to one of survival, though these views are kept to himself. He holds the Wu family in high respect after serving with them for months, though feelings of guilt for out living two of them surface occasionally.
As of the war's end, the death of Emil at Solomon and Florian's demise at the battle of A Baoa Qu has all but ripped Bank's will to continue fighting in any shape or form from him. Though he never made any public mention of it, he had planned to attempt to adopt the young newtype in an effort to spare the young pilot any further grief as a result of being a newtype. He views the future as an uncertain thing, with the only certainty being more strife down the line now that the Federation has been shown as being vulnerable. He has lost many friends during the conflict, and is quite possibly the only original member of the Zeon Expeditionary Force left alive.
After getting the new-model Gelgoog Marine Commander, his tactics have changed as well. He often keeps the beam rifle in reserve for the later stages of a battle in case he needs the punch the weapon provides after using the MMP-80 and arm machinecannons to deal with lesser threats. Though he's trained in how to use the puncher shield, he almost never uses it, preferring the superior protection of the full shield. He's more confident to engage in melee combat now, but in practice will only do so if given no other option, still preferring to keep a medium distance from his foe.
History:
Born on March 24, UC 53 to an upper-middle class family on Side 3's Tiger Balm colony, Richard grew up to a normal childhood, though the politics of the era interested him immensely as he grew older and more aware of the world around him. One of his reports before he graduated high school was arguing against the Bardot Policy's sanctions against Side 3 and that spacenoids should be allowed to rule themselves, pointing out the failures in the history of humanity for a ruling nation to adequately maintain control over long distance colonies in the past.
As time marched on, he grew interested in joining the Zeon Elite Force, figuring it would be a good way to expand his horizons as a person. He enlisted in the ZEFA when he was 18, and scored high enough on the entrance exam to qualify for the officer's acadamy, which he gladly accepted. After graduation, he was assigned a MS-05B Zaku I, though he was too late to be sent to help blockade the Federation during the Riah Revolution, though he applauded their actions. When the military was split into its various divisions, he was sent to the Space Assault Force, though several of his friends went into the Mobile Assault Force. Prior to the OYW starting, he was issued one of the then-new MS-06C models.
However, during Lourm and Operation British, his unit was kept towards the rear lines of the battle to keep Dozle Zabi's flagship safe. Though he was happy to be assigned to protect a VIP, it kept him from gaining valuable front line experience that he might need later on should the war continue. Despite this, he managed to shoot down a few Saberfish during the later stages of the drop operation. During the following months, he was assigned to the Solomon Defense Force, where he gladly took part in Dozle's "Battlefield Inspections", which usually wound up being impromptu raids on the nearest EFSF unit. After Lourm and British, his C-Type was converted into an F-type. As September rolled around, he was given the chance to go to the front lines and command from there, a chance that like so many others, he gladly accepted. Originally, he was supposed to have been issued a R1A High Mobility Zaku prior to deployment, but due to the rarity of the models and a request from Zimmad, he was instead issued with a new model, the MS-09R Rick Dom. He has since traded up in suits, first to the Rick Dom II, then to the Gelgoog Marine Commander once Zeon began mass production of beam-capable units.
Assigned to the then-new ZEF in early September, he quickly settled into the role, though not without bumps, mostly coming from the EFSF's attacks. He was adamant in not paying the Federation to release Wu Jinyuan in order to keep the Federation from profiting even further from the attack. Though not always agreeing with the tactics used by Wu's successors, he's nonetheless gone along with them and has a deep respect for the family and after Sun Wu's death was able to lead the ZEF in an operation that led to the almost total destruction of the Federation's Blex Fleet. He's served as the ZEF's mobile suit operations officer, or MSOO in an admirable fashon and has outlived several of the Jinyuan family, a fact that he's not proud of.
His current status is unknown, having vanished with the rest of the Zeon Expeditionary Force.