E J Rodriguez

Edmund Joseph Rodriguez, or E J Rodriguez, was born on January 4, 2135, in Oakland, California. At the time, the quickly emerging power of the National Republic of California was actively warring with the government occupying Oakland, the San Jose Autonomous Republic, and as a result, E J Rodriguez and his family faced harsh conditions in the war zone.

West coast America at the time of Rodriguez' birth. The National Republic of California is marked in Orange-Red.

Though by the time E J Rodriguez was six moths old, Nationalist California had destroyed the last resistance in Oakland, he spent most of his childhood in the aftershock. Many families had turned to the intellectualist government, who promised a prosperous Oakland to follow the years of suffering that after the fall of the California Republic in 2028, but Rodriguez' parents were pro democratic and doubted the model of "Success by Intelligence" that the Nationalists believed in. Thus, E J Rodriguez lived through his early life with a relative resentment for the intellectuals.

His view on the government notably changed when he was a teenager, partially due to his rebelliousness against his "medievalist parents" and his newfound interest for conventional political philosophy. By the time he was sixteen, he had graduated high school in the top of his class. Shortly after graduating, he moved to the military academy in San Francisco, gaining special attention from the government and being placed as Lieutenant General of the VII Corps upon his graduation. At the time, California, with the help of their northern neighbor Cascadia, planned a conquest of the warring lands in Montana, Wyoming, Iowa, and southern British Columbia. The invasion was expected to take ten years.

Map of West Coast USA at the time of Rodriguez' graduation from the Military Academy in 2155. California is again marked in orange-red, and Cascadia is marked in dark blue.

A year later, on the advice of his superior, General Marcus Brummel, Rodriguez took the Ultimate Military Test of California, testing out on top, gaining him a seat in the College of the Republic and in the war room for the conquest of the Northwest. Due to his constant pestering of his superiors, and his ability to think through the minds of his enemies, he managed to cut the time of the conquest to a quarter, ending it at two years and seven months. Brummel resigned his command of the Third Army shortly after to be a full time Senator, giving the army to Rodriguez. It should be noted that Brummel was a casualty of the Coalition Wars, being executed by firing squad in 2063 while attempting to flee from hiding in North Dakota to Canada.

During the first days of the Nationalist Imperium of America, Rodriguez was in relative support of the Imperium, though being concerned by the racism in the more radical states. However, his stance changed very quickly when he found out his parents were killed in a protest in San Francisco. He realized that there was a need for democracy in California, however, decided to keep his beliefs to himself, silently vowing eventual revenge against the NIA and the pro NIA senators that swiftly gained control of the college.

Rodriguez, through use of anonymously written books, stirred up a revolutionary attitude in many Californian citizens. When the College found out it was he who published them, they sent for his arrest. Upon hearing the news, on March 29, 2161, the Third Army, of whom was personally loyal to him, blockaded the Rocky Mountains in Montana to prevent military intervention from the First and Second Armies. On April 2, he hijacked the National Broadcasting Network and told California's citizens that the time of revolution was ripe, and that the need for a new government was evident. With no capable military able to enter into the coastal area of California, the government loyal to the NIA fell in five hours, hence the name the Five Hour Revolution.

Rodriguez went on to deal a decisive blow to the Second Army at the Battle of Great Falls. After that, a large portion of the First Army mutinied, and what was left went to the State of Adolf to seek reinforcements.

During the Coalition Wars, Rodriguez served as emergency president of California, as well as Commander and Chief of the armies of California. Rodriguez saw great success against Iowa, the State of Adolf, and the Canadian Union.