Name: Shawn Andrews
Age: 28
Faction: American
Rank: Colonel
Weapons: Dual Browning Hi-Powers, Thompson SMG, BAR
Physical description: Colonel Andrews is a towering yet gaunt individual, measuring 1.9 meters tall and weighing in at only 65 kilograms. He has a full head of spiky black hair, small brown eyes, and a fair complexion; he bears a rather vague resemblance to Roy Mustang from Fullmetal Alchemist. He is clad in standard-issue U.S. Army combat fatigues.
Personality: Though outwardly an arrogant glory hog who doggedly seeks praise and medals, Colonel Andrews is actually quite a clever man, constantly thinking one step ahead of his adversaries. He has an authoritative presence and can command respect from his subordinates with so much as a simple glance.
History: Shawn Andrews was born in 1916 in Los Angeles, California, to an English-German father and an Irish-Mexican mother; he graduated as valedictorian of his high school class in 1934 and received a scholarship from West Point. Andrews graduated from West Point in 1938 and was immediately assigned to the Philippines after receiving his commission, where he was assigned to help train Philippine Army officers. During the Japanese invasion of the Philippines, then-Major Andrews was among those who tried to hold back the Japanese advance at Bataan and Corregidor; shortly before the fall of Corregidor, he helped a small number of American and Filipino soldiers escape by PT boat to Mindanao, where they were eventually flown to Australia. Afterwards, Andrews participated in the
Battle of Guadalcanal and in
Operation Cartwheel; by the time of the
Battle of Bougainville, Andrews was a full colonel with a Purple Heart, two Bronze Stars, a Silver Star, and a Distinguished Service Cross.
Miscellaneous stuff: Colonel Andrews is fluent in English, Spanish, Mandarin Chinese, Tagalog, Japanese, German, and Italian. Though not a smoker, he is often seen with an unlit cigarette in his mouth. He is a crack shot with just about every gun in the American arsenal, as well as a skilled knife fighter.
Name: Edward Joseph Pritchard, Jr.
Age: 23
Faction: Australian
Rank: Sergeant
Weapons: Dual Webley Mk IV Revolvers, Owen Gun, Boys anti-tank rifle
Physical description: Sergeant Pritchard is more or less like Colonel Andrews in terms of height and weight, give or take a few centimeters or kilograms (1.7 meters, 70 kilograms). He has short-cropped blond hair, bright blue eyes, and a rather dark tan; because of this, he bears an odd resemblance to Dearka Elsman from Gundam SEED. He wears the standard combat uniform of the Australian Army.
Personality: Both in public and in private, Sergeant Pritchard is an all-around loudmouth given over to speaking whatever's on his mind regardless of the consequences. Possessing an acid tongue and a short temper, he can be quite rude and bellicose at times.
History: Ed Pritchard, Jr. is actually an American citizen who chose to settle in Australia. Born in San Francisco in 1921 to English and Scottish parents, Pritchard was a brilliant youth, though somewhat of a delinquent; despite his misbehaviour, he managed to graduate from high school with honors in 1939. Instead of attending university (he had been accepted into Stanford), Pritchard chose instead to run away to Australia after running afoul of the law one too many times; he enlisted in the Australian Army upon his arrival there. Pritchard was a participant in the New Guinea campaign, fighting at
Rabaul,
Milne Bay,
Buna-Gona, and the
Kokoda Track all throughout 1942-1943.
Miscellaneous stuff: Sergeant Pritchard does not have an accent, which is normal given the fact that he is only a relatively recent arrival to Australia. He prefers to write and speak in American English, and he intends to move back to the United States after the war ends. He is also an accomplished boxer and wrestler, as well as a crack shot with a revolver; he can be compared with Revolver Ocelot of Metal Gear Solid fame in this regard, albeit only to a certain degree. He appears to be immune to malaria and scrub typhus.
Name: Julia Evelina de la Cruz
Age: 18
Faction: Filipino
Rank: n/a
Weapons: Chinese-made
Mauser C96 (.45 ACP machine pistol) and Colt M1911, modified Lee-Enfield No. 4 Mk I (folding stock, pistol grip, scope, fixed bayonet, chambered in .30-06 Springfield)
Physical description: Evelina is a slight young woman (1.6 meters, 45 kilograms). She has shoulder-length black hair, dark brown eyes, a relatively light complexion (at least in relation to other Filipinos), and a large bust; her favored attire is a scarlet Chinese dress and a pair of patent leather high heels. She bears an uncanny resemblance to Ada Wong from Resident Evil IV.
Personality: Evelina is a quiet, withdrawn, and painfully shy young woman not given over to personal interaction(ironic, as her chosen profession warrants interaction with others). Her quiet exterior belies a hidden rage, however; her anger knows no bounds once unleashed.
History: Evelina de la Cruz (she doesn't like to be called Julia) was born in Cabanatuan, Nueva Ecija in 1926 to mestizo parents (her father is half-Spanish, while her mother is half-Chinese). She was an extremely intelligent girl, graduating from high school at the age of 10 and graduating from U.P. Manila at age 14, where she majored in medicine. During the Japanese invasion and subseqent occupation, Evelina gave medical care to American soldiers and Filipino guerillas, using what little medical knowledge she knew (she was still in med school); she has also killed several Japanese soldiers on a few occasions (namely, whenever she can get away with it).
Miscellaneous stuff: Evelina has had several run-ins with Sergeant Shinji Suzumura of the Kempeitai (or at least his split personality Shinn); needless to say, the two of them don't get along very well. She is fluent in many languages, including English, Spanish, Arabic, Mandarin Chinese, Cantonese, Min Nan (Hokkien), Tagalog, and at least several other Filipino dialects (including Cebuano, Ilokano, Waray-Waray, and Kapampangan). She is an accomplished martial artist and is extremely proficient in the use of most pistols and rifles. Her father is an accomplished gunsmith, as well as an arms supplier for the Philippine resistance; he was the one who provided her with her weapons, including her customized Lee-Enfield.
Name: Shinji Suzumura
Age: 23
Faction: Japanese
Rank: Sergeant
Weapons: Nambu Type 1, Arisaka Type 99 Rifle, Type 99 LMG
Physical description: Sergeant Suzumura is of average height and weight (1.7 meters, 55 kg). He has spiky black hair and a fair complexion; his most striking feature, however, is his dark red eyes. Except for his standard-issue IJA uniform, he is the spitting image of Shinn Asuka from Gundam SEED Destiny.
Personality: Sergeant Suzumura suffers from dissociative identity disorder. His "normal" half, Shinji, is quiet, withdrawn, obedient, and has no ill will towards anyone else; his "other" half, Shinn, is loud, outspoken, violent, sadistic, and given over to insubordination. Even though Shinji is the dominant personality, Shinn has a tendency to surface at the worst times.
History: Shinji Suzumura was born in Yokohama in 1921; coincidentally, he shares the same birthday as his Austro-American counterpart Eddie Pritchard. Not much is known of his life between his birth and his enlistment in the Imperial Japanese Army in 1939. Though he was too young to fight in Manchuria, he served a tour of duty in Malaya and Singapore before being sent to the Philippines. After the fall of Corregidor, then-Corporal Suzumura was transferred from his infantry division to a
Kempeitai (military police) division based in Pampanga. Shortly after his promotion to full sergeant in 1943, Suzumura's MP division was moved to Nueva Ecija.
Miscellaneous stuff: Since his move to Nueva Ecija, Sergeant Suzumura has had several encounters with Evelina de la Cruz; while Shinji has somewhat of a crush on her, one of Shinn's hobbies is figuring out new and more creative ways to mistreat her and generally piss her off. He is fluent in Japanese, English, Dutch, Mandarin Chinese, and Tagalog. His mental illness has obviously gone undiagnosed. He is a skilled martial artist, but not as good as Evelina is; he is proficient in the use of the
Type 98 sword and other such blades, however.
