Edward Malcolm Pepper

Edward Malcolm Pepper (9 March 2634 – early November 2667) was a Terran Imperial soldier and a veteran of the Great War. He served for over ten years in the Imperial Army as a commissioned officer of the dismounted infantry, or dragoons, of the armored cavalry branch. He died in the Battle of Khoz, and was posthumously awarded the Knight's Cross for valor.
Despite being a junior officer in an army of over ten trillion soldiers during a war of enormous scale, Pepper is of significant interest to military historians for his leadership of the Lonely Hearts company, a small unit that is among the most-decorated of its type and which produced numerous persons of fame and influence in the current Republic. His leadership capability is examined as a classical example of duty and competence, and is believed to have been a major contributing factor in not only the military service, but the later lives and careers of William McGrady, Zenzi Rothschild, and planetary governor Artem Meshcheryakov.
== Early life and education ==
Edward Malcolm Pepper was born the child of Matthew Brian Pepper and Jonathan Pepper (nee Harrison) at the Central Hospital of the city of Quarry Bank on Calderstone in the Alderton System on March 9th, 2634. As his parents were both male, Pepper was born through the male egg in-vitro fertilization process using the combined genetic material of his fathers, a cloned egg implanted with one of the fathers' genes, and an artificial womb. The fathers have never disclosed whose genetic material was implanted in the egg.
Pepper was raised by his fathers in the Roman Catholic faith, and was well-disposed towards the humanities, history, and music. He learned the piano and the viola from an early age, and excelled with the flute in his adolescence.
Pepper was sent to the Starkly School for Boys, an elite private Catholic academy in Quarry Bank from age 6 to age 16. While at the Starkly School, he participated in numerous extracurricular activities and performed in the school orchestra as a flautist. He was reported by his teachers to have had homosexual liaisons with his fellow students, a relatively common occurrence at the school. He periodically had girlfriends, too, often girls that attended the neighboring St. Helen Girl's School, a private academy affiliated with the Orthodox Church. He matriculated the Starkly School with intent to pursue education to become a priest of the Church. At age 17, he chose to attend the Calderstone Seminary School in the planet's capital, Saint Georgetown. He attended from August 2651 to March 2654, joining the local chapter of Opus Dei as a lay brother during his education, and graduated with a Divinity degree. He seemed set to enter the priesthood, but enlisted in the Army in 2654 and never took Holy Orders.
== Army service ==
Edward Pepper enlisted in the Imperial Army Cavalry Corps in April 2654. He shipped out on May 1st for Basic Training at Bittrich, the Inner Colonies training depot. He graduated boot camp and followed it with Infantry School and Harsh Environment Training. In basic training and infantry school, he showed "conspicuous initiative and leadership qualities" among the enlisted and was recommended for NCO leadership courses, which he completed and was consequently given an accelerated promotion to Sergeant in January 2655. He was assigned to the 505th Dragoons Battalion of the 12th Guards Cavalry Division, stationed on the planet Nausicaa in the Banat region, commanding a heavy weapons team. In early July 2657, Pepper was promoted to Staff Sergeant, commanding a rifle squad. He was promoted to Sergeant First Class in August 2659, and took up responsibilities as 1st Platoon's senior NCO. The unit was rebased in to the Perseid Frontier for field combat duties in June 2660. Pepper found himself frequently assigned to lead the platoon's reconnaissance squad on search-and-destroy missions.
After receiving replenishments in early 2664, including Lance Corporal William McGrady and Lance Corporal Zenzi Rothschild, they were assigned to police duties on Nausicaa again, where Pepper was instrumental in foiling a terrorist siege of the Windy Heights Academy. The results were considered mixed, as many civilians died, but the terrorists were all killed or apprehended. Pepper was promoted to First Sergeant after the incident, effectively the senior NCO of C Company, though he kept a close eye on his prized recon squad.
In September 2665, the 12th Guards Cavalry was mobilized for combat duty in the Great War. The division first saw action against the Soviet Republic in December as reinforcing ground forces at the battle for Kalabaska, a large, hot terrestrial planet with vital industrial infrastructure and orbital installations. The orbital drop was a disaster, with thousands shot down on landing; among them included both company and platoon staffs, and almost all of 3rd Platoon. Pepper was the highest-ranking survivors, and he led 1st Platoon and the shattered remains of 2nd Platoon through dense jungle, which earned the unit its moniker. Their hard-fought journey to the battalion rendezvous point was only the start; over the next several months, the 505th Dragoons bitterly engaged Soviet forces across the planet's single large continent. Pepper recommended his subordinates for decorations, and he was given a field commission as a 2nd Lieutenant, which was rapidly upgraded to 1st Lieutenant during the battle. He was assigned command over Company C, given the death of many ranking officers.
The 12th Guards Cavalry were garrisoned at Kalabaska from March to May 2666. For a year afterwards, they were redeployed for policing duties on various other worlds in the end-stages of capture, frequently encountering combat situations. In May 2667, they were deployed as part of a large task force to capture the Khoz System. Along with two Marine divisions, and another fourteen reinforcing Army divisions, the 12th Guards Cavalry were landed on the surface of Khoz Prime. The Battle of Khoz turned out to be one of the largest battles of the Great War, with Khoz Prime being the locus of the battle. The fighting lasted six months, during which the 12th Guards Cavalry at first encircled Soviet forces but then themselves became encircled. Pepper served over 120 consecutive days on the front lines, commanding his unit and some attached support teams during constant trench fighting, losing half of his men in the process. He and the Lonely Hearts were dispatched on November 4 to re-establish communications with the 503rd Artillery Battalion. Pepper led a handpicked section through dense forests and riverine terrain, fending off dangerous wildlife and enemy attack. Pepper was injured during a wildlife attack on their camp, and moved the squad towards City Zone 231 to resupply and obtain medical assistance. He led the section in assisting a breakthrough by pinned-down battalions deep in the city.
Sometime between 6 and 8 November, Pepper and the section holed up in a makeshift bunker constructed from a bombed-out apartment building. The surviving soldiers have commented little on the subject, and the official reports are sparse. Pepper and another soldier, PFC Lucy van Marten, were struck by enemy fire and both died from massive gunshot wounds to the head. Private Van Marten died instantly, but Pepper lasted a few minutes before succumbing to his wounds. Attempts at emergency medical attention were to no avail, and he was determined to have died.
Command of the section was given to Sergeant Artem Meshcheryakov, and the Lonely Hearts continued afterwards to aid the breakthrough assault before departing the city to link up with the 503rd Artillery. They assisted the 503rd in a ground assault on a Soviet redoubt north of the city which proved vital to the conclusion of the encirclement, and thus the battle.
== Posthumous treatment and legacy ==
Lt. Pepper's body was buried at the site of his death the next morning. It was recovered a few weeks later after the battle had been decisively won by the Imperial forces. The corpse, which had seen surprisingly little decay, was cryogenically preserved for its comportment offworld, where it was delivered to his fathers. Pepper was posthumously awarded the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross for his meritorious and gallant service, and posthumously promoted to the rank of Captain. The body received a Catholic burial at his homeworld with full military honors, and he was buried with all of his medals and decorations, pinned to his finest parade uniform.
Pepper was not of particular concern to military historians until the mid-2680s, when it came to light that both Lord McGrady and his wife Zenzi Rothschild, as well as now-Governor Mescheryakov had all been members of the Lonely Hearts unit. Military historians, political scientists, and sociologists studied the common connections between these political figures and Pepper's leadership. Historians soon tried to uncover as much biographical information about Pepper as they could, intensively studying this one junior officer from the Great War for clues as to the effect of his guidance during their formative experience in wartime on their current personalities and behavior. Reports of Pepper's leadership and moral character abounded in military records. Historical analysis has, however, cast some criticism on the glowing official reports, depicting a man with possible psychological issues including depression and a certain recklessness. However, overall, he is respected as a model officer who put his soldiers and the mission above his personal safety, and whose bravery was unparalleled by his peers in the Army. After petitions by Lonely Hearts veterans, a bust of Edward Pepper was sculpted and placed in the Hall of Heroes in the capital city of Constance in a public ceremony held on 8 November 2687, on the estimated twentieth anniversary of his passing.
Pepper had an illegitimate son, Eugene Cartney Hawkins (born 8 November 3260) by schoolteacher Cynthia Hawkins. Eugene was officially recognized by his grandfathers at the municipal court of Quarry Stone in December 2686. Peppers intentions in regards to the mother of the child are not known, and she has declined to comment publicly on the matter, as have Eugene Hawkins and Pepper's fathers.
== Summary of Army career ==
Enlisted in the Terran Imperial Army on 10 April 2654. Went to Basic Training from 1 May to 2 July 2654, Infantry School 4 July to 1 August 2654, and Harsh Environment Training 16 to 31 August 2654. Attended NCO leadership courses 10 September to 10 December 2654. Assigned to 1st Platoon, C/505-2 ARM, 12th Guards Cavalry Division from 12 January 2655 to February 2667. Commissioned an Officer 12 February 2666. Assigned to command Company C, 12 February 2666 to November 3267.
Killed in action, circa early November 2667.
=== Dates of rank ===
* Private (E-1) 10 April 2654
* Private First Class (E-2) 31 August 2654
* Corporal (E-4) 11 December 2654
* Sergeant (E-5) 28 January 2655
*Staff Sergeant (E-6) 8 July 2657
*Sergeant First Class 14 August 2659
* First Sergeant (E-8) 11 September 2664
*Second Lieutenant (O-1) 12 February 2666
*First Lieutenant (O-2) 23 March 2666
* Captain (O-3) posthumously, 9 March 2668
=== Notable decorations ===
* Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross (posthumously)
* Iron Cross
* Distinguished Service Cross
* War Merit Cross
* Silver Star
* Bronze Star
* Panzer Badge
* Infantry Assault Badge (in Gold)
* Close Combat Badge (in Gold)
* Army Service Medal (2 times)
* Wound Badge (6 times)
* Banat Province Police Action Medal
* Perseid Frontier Police Action Medal
* Kalabaska Campaign Combat Service Medal
* Sigarit Campaign Police Action Medal
* Urahaz Campaign Police Action Medal
* Baharat Campaign Police Action Medal
* Annos Campaign Police Action Medal
* Khoz Campaign Combat Service Medal (posthumous)
== Behind the scenes ==
The character of "Sergeant Pepper" was developed by Leeland Hallett as part of the tabletop roleplaying game conducted by the Unionverse creative team. He appeared, like William McGrady, Zenzi Rothschild, and Artem Meshcheryakov, in the second episodic campaign in that game, as a soldier in the Lonely Hearts squad. The name of the Sergeant, the squad, and other details of Pepper's backstory were crafted as an homage to the Beatles, of which Hallett is a big fan. Overall it references the Beatles' psychedelic album "Sergeant Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band", which was released in 1967. The setting of the episode in 3267 completed the reference.
Pepper was conceived as a homosexual or bisexual soldier with homosexual parents, as a way of subtly exploring the degree to which homosexuality and same-sex relationships had become normalized in the far future. Regardless of current-day preconceptions about homosexuality, Pepper is a masculine fighter and leader, defying what would be typical expectations and affirming the normalcy of sexual freedom among humans in future civilization. Pepper's sexuality was never confirmed in-game until the game's third season when it was gradually revealed that a major non-player character, mercenary captain Eugene Cartney Hawkins, was his illegitimate son from one of his few heterosexual liaisons. Hawkins later met his grandparents and was recognised as such.
Pepper is one of the few characters broadly considered by the audience and fanbase as unambiguously "good". In game terms, his roleplaying alignment was solidly "Lawful Good". His visual appearance is based partly on Leeland himself and on his hero, actor Nathan Fillion.
Category:Army personnel
Category:Lonely Hearts squad
Category:Military personnel
Category:Military personnel killed in action
Category:Military personnel killed in the Great War
Category:Military personnel of the Colonial Wars
Category:Military personnel of the Great War
Category:Terran Catholics
Category:Terran colonials