Kace Merrik

= Kace Merrik [ASSUMED K.I.A.] =
==[ASSUMED K.I.A.]==
On May 28th, 2722 The Advocate suffered a devastating loss of all personnel on Gridiron, after a large IMC fleet conducted an ambush. It is presumed Chief Petty Officer Merrik is K.I.A. at this time after the orbital bombardments. Our hearts go out to the friends and family of Kace Merrik.
- An Advocate
==Who is Kace Merrik?==
Kace Merrik is a captain currently serving with Osiris Division. He is often referred to as MaaanUp or “Maaan” for short (stemming from the username MaaanUpGaming). Starting VRChat in late December 2020, found his way into social groups and RP servers. In early 2023, around January, joined The Advocate discord server through the Advocate world, which advertised the community. Later founding the Osiris Division group after the fall of The Advocate. Currently active on the server as of December, 2024.
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= Lore=
== Early Life ==
Kace Merrik was born on Harmony in 2698, making him 26 in the current year of service (2724). His parents went missing at the age of 12, presumably dead. Merrik has no relatives, nor family friends. He went into foster care but never found a proper home, was kicked out at 16, homeless, with nowhere to go. He was picked up by a local gang. Living under adverse conditions, he took odd jobs at any point he could to earn a basic living. These years were grueling, unforgiving, and often unrewarding. This would go on for 4 years. During a raid on a freighter stationed at a local spaceport, Merrik came across a young, stow-away, boy named "V". Seeing himself in that boy, Merrik took action and hid him away from the rest of the gang members, fearing for his safety. For the next 3 years he would try his best to help V in any way he could, taking pity on the boy and his hard circumstances. He went many sleepless nights and hungry days sharing his food and money with V, keeping them both alive.
Merrik was forced to partake in a heist on a supposed "empty" freighter. Upon boarding the ship and looking for valuable containers to steal, his group came across a heavily armed crew which was expecting them. A gruesome firefight ensued and ended with several captured gang members. Merrik and 2 others managed to escape with their lives. Merrik was confused about the information that he had been given. Supposedly the ship was empty and nobody should have been around. As he thought about it, he believed that he and his crew had been set up by someone higher in the hierarchy. Upon returning and confronting his superiors about the possible set up, he received punishment for his supposed insubordination. He was beaten and kicked out onto the streets. Lucky enough to still be alive, he lived on his own for 6 months before a fateful encounter with an off-duty Advocate mechanic which offered him an opportunity he simply could not refuse.
== The Advocate ==
He was given the opportunity to serve under The Advocate for something bigger than himself. Assigned to sector 13-A, after graduating rifleman class 23, Merrik took part in several trainings and proved himself a proper rifleman in the operations he was deployed to. He adopted the name “Riflefellas” as a way to build a family relationship with his fellow riflemen and soon became well-known around the theater. He became a pseudo-leader to the rest of the riflemen, leading by compassion rather than rank. Climbing the ladder to become an NCO, Merrik joined Sector 102nd Godsend headed by his previous NCO and fellow rifleman; Astro (Who has since become a Pilot). Merrik trained in engineering and became a ship mechanic and aircraft pilot as part of the maintenance crew. Merrik learned everything he could about the vehicles he was assigned, writing documents, and staying late nights to ensure proper care of the equipment. 
"A pilot is worth at least three riflemen. Although the Staff Sergeant over here is already worth 3 on his own, so I suggest you respect him just as much." -Major JÄGER-403 RUST (During the Advocate)
Merrik began leading his squads into upcoming operations. Merrik showed exemplary performance in combat and outside of combat, soon becoming the head flight instructor for the sector's Goblin and Phantom flight school. Following several months later, Merrik was recognized for his efforts and promptly promoted to Chief Petty Officer, serving as the second in command of the riflemen corps directly under MCPO Prime.
On May 7, 2721 Staff Sergeant Merrik was awarded the Skinta Award for his valiant efforts and commitment. Placing him among the few to be awarded that honor.
== The Collapse of The Advocate (Sector 13-A) ==
In late May of 2722, The Advocate's Sector 13-A fleet, which was campaigning on the planet of Gridiron at the time, was ambushed by an overwhelming IMC force. Merrik was stationed on the flagship "The Ancillary" at the time. He was working in the armory when an IMC frigate rammed the port side of The Ancillary, collapsing the ship and scattering escape pods all across the planet. The Sector 13 Fleet was promptly defeated, leaving the ground forces defenseless against orbital strikes. Soon after, several Sector 13-A installations took heavy casualties and eventually suffered a complete loss of control over the planet of Gridiron. Merrik was assumed KIA amidst the chaos. Several days later, he arrived along with several rescued riflemen to the source of a transmission put out by an Advocate pilot (Pilot Accel). It was found that he had been roaming the sands of Gridiron searching for any survivors before taking them to be evacuated alongside the rest of the survivors and Militia remnants, he managed to rescue a downed Pilot, Collins, helping her recover from her amputated arm. Arriving back on his home planet of Harmony, he helped establish a secure camp and began organizing the soon to be Osiris Division.
== Osiris Division ==
2 years after the collapse of the Advocate, Merrik co-founded the new private military contractor "Osiris Division". He worked alongside ex-advocate members to rebuild, finally becoming fully operational in 2724. At age 26, Merrik was promoted to Captain and placed under Colonel Prime once again. He took up the role of leadership to build the PMC and continue the fight on his own terms. Since then, Merrik has been promoted to Major, still second in command to the now Colonel Prime. Merrik is in charge of the armory on homebase Firewatch, ensuring all equipment, munitions, and firearms are accounted for. Merrik is also the lead flight instructor for the Goblin dropships and has taken the role of lead mechanic.
==Psyche Report==
Merrik is led by his will to work for something greater than himself. He holds his fellow riflemen closely and considers them family, as they are the nearest semblance to one. Merrik chooses to endanger himself to save the lives of his compatriots, deploying in search and rescue missions during ongoing operations. When not in operations, he is usually found at the cafeteria, or barracks room, enjoying quality time with his riflemen. Merrik often leads training exercises for his teams, ensuring everyone understands what is happening through a methodology of simplicity and thoroughness over aggression and discipline. A phycological report states he's often found making jokes, messing with his fellow riflemen or conversing with his superiors in an endearing attitude due to the lack of affection from his early life which caused him great distress. His own reasoning for his mindset is as follows; "I want to be the person I needed the most when I was a kid" (Merrik, Psyche Report 23-C/12/2720). 
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Category:Osiris Division Characters 
Category:Advocate Characters 
Category:Characters
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