Johnathan Mercer

Lewis Mercer (Grandfather)

Elizabeth Barnes (Grandmother) +

Leland Mercer (Son)

Eddie Mercer (Son) +

Johnathan Leland Mercer was a human-augment that served within the **United Earth Governing Alliance Military Command** (UEG AMC), he served under five different Commanders, and was the commander of the *Excalibur II, Columbia,* and the *Spirit of Endurance.*

## Biography

### Early Life

Mercer was born on Artemis Station to Mathew Mercer and Casandra Mercer in 2517, his father was the Commander of the INC vessel ***Excalibur**,* while his mother was an intelligence officer serving at the time at Artemis Station.

At age 9 his father was killed along with all hands on the ill-fated science experiment conducted on the *Excalibur,* soon after his mother would die from acute radiation poisoning during a engineering malfunction on Artemis Station.

After the engineering disaster he was sent to live with his grandparents Lewis Mercer and Elizabeth Barnes on New Ticonderoga, but at 12 he would attend the Military Preparatory School, where he would be singled out as a potential military candidate.

## Military Carrier

### JCAMS (2531-2535)

At age 14 he would be accepted to **Julius Caesar Academy of Military Science** (CAMS), as a alternative to the Military Academy on Earth, often sending it's cadets to Officers Candidate School. His first year would mainly be physical and disciplinary training, but included advanced mathematics, political science, and military history classes. It would be during his first year that he would be injured severely in a training accident, which would cause a flare up of a previously unknown condition known as *Genetic-Fragmentation Disease* a rare, but not unheard of disease commonly seen in children of parents living with **Fletchers Disease.** Given a choice he could either resign his position, and leave the academy or remain there, and routinely undergo gene therapy for the remainder of his military carrier.

During the months of rehabilitation, he would decide to stay, being swayed by his grandfathers decision. It would be during his third year at JCAMS that he would meet one of his closest friends Andrea Kellen who like him was signed out as one of the brightest students. Together they worked in the science lab and later in tactical training.

In his final year during a routine training operation between his fireteam and another, a cadet under his command had a rifle malfunction causing the stun ammunition to explode killing him and two cadets directly next to him and nearly killing Andrea Kellen. It would lead to a general examination of his military carrier, during a Junior Court Martial it would be determined that the Cadets rifle ammunition was miss-manufactured and was only a matter of time before a similar accident would have occurred.

The death of the Cadet would lay heavily on him and lead him to often protect the lives of his subordinates at lengths often not seen.

### Military Academy Years (2535-2539)

In 2535 Johnathan would attend **West Point Naval Academy** just outside of New York City. A prestigious four year college for those wanting to graduate as officers of the navy instead of being non-commissioned or opting to go into a full combat military carrier.

During his years at the academy he would accel greatly at military tactics and command training.

In 2539 he would officially end his junior carrier and be instated into the Navy with a full rank of Lieutenant 2nd class, after serving on the *Plato* he would go on to attend **Officers Command School.** During his time at OCS he would meet his later executive officer William McBatten. During his final phase of OCS he would attend flight school on the *Nebuchadnezzar* where he got the title "Jack Hammer" for putting dents into the flight deck during routine hands-on launch and landing. He would only receive an "Acceptable" after nearly failing out.

### Early Military Carrier

After graduating from OCS he would be assigned to the *Crazy Horse* where he would distinguish himself in battle with the Expanse Sovereign Union, he would be awarded a bronze battle star, and was promoted to Lieutenant-Commander and was transferred to the *Washington.*

### Promotion to Major

During his short stint on the *Black Horse* he would be asked to take on a special assignment into an investigation into Commander Lockheart of the *Buran* who had several major complaints. The Special Assignment was only created after the suicide of the *Burans* second officer. During the short investigation it had been determined that Commander Lockheart had been abusing several junior officers in exchange for promotion recommendations and to prevent sanctions against several crewmen. When Commander Lockheart was confronted he committed suicide rather than being taken into custody.

As the senior most officer Johnathan would take temporary command of the *Buran* where he would lead the ship through a battle. His duty on the assignment would grant him a promotion to Major. It would be on the *Buran* that he would meet Sarah Drenden a science officer, two years later they would marry.

After accepting his promotion he would continue to serve on the *Black Horse* until 2546 when he would be offered a second officer position on the *Columbia* a newly built flagship.

During his second year onboard the *Columbia* he would become first officer after Colonel Saito was killed when a console exploded during battle. He would remain as the first officer until early 2550.

### Loss of the Columbia and Court Martial

On June 22, 2549 the First Fleet was flushing out insurrectionist terrorists in the Halcyon belt when the fleet would encounter subspace mines crippling several and causing damage to subspace itself preventing a ship from jumping properly. The **Massacre at Halcyon** would lead to the immediate destruction of two ships a smaller "Bucker-Jumper" and the *Challenger.* During a complete retreat Commander Ajax of the *Columbia* would refuse the retreat, and lead to severe damage to the *Columbia* crippling her engines. In effort to save the ship Johnathan took command of the ship, however the damage to her super structure left her unable to jump safely.

In a last ditch effort he would order the ship to be piloted out of firing range and her top side angled to protect the hangar decks, and escape pods. At 23:23 he would sound **General Order 13** and order the evacuation of the *Columbia.* Commander Ajax would sacrifice himself and the ship by engaging the emergency chemical thrusters to give the escape pods and shuttles enough distance to escape the firing range.

Out of the crew of 3400 only a thousand would survive. They would be rescued by the *Frankford* and immediately Johnathan Mercer would be placed under arrest pending a general court martial.

On September 23, 2549 he would attend his court martial hearing at Fleet Command Headquarters at Pegasi. Ultimately his carrier would be saved by the reports of several crewmen detailing his "mutiny" against the Commander and attempt to save the ship. In the end he wouldn't be court martialed or sanctioned. In his effort he would have an official log into his military file noting his attempt to save *Columbia.* However they immediately took him off of the roster and forced him to attend psychological counseling.

### Command of the Spirit of Endurance

In 2551 he would resign his commission but would be refused and instead was offered command of the *Spirit of Endurance* a derelict old vessel from the early days of the Frontier Wars. He would accept after considering that it would pay the bills, and offer him a chance at redemption.

In 2552 he would assume full command of the *Spirit of Endurance* formally relieving former commander of the vessel during her overhaul. During the **Battle of Drexicon IX** he would order the emergency jump of the *Spirit of Endurance* saving the vessel.

During the next two years of the war, his vessel would engage in guerilla warfare and eventually he ordered an effective suicide mission in order to destroy the *Intrepid* their sister ship which had been canabalized and converted into a prototype **Weapon Ship.** They would use the *Endurance's* own Mark IV jump drive as an improvised bomb, however they used her smaller emergency Mark II to escape the system.

The suicide mission would lead to the death of seven crewmen who volunteered including Lieutenant Shelby and Colonel McBatten. However, the greatest toll came during the battle in which his best friend **Andrea Kellen** was killed when her console exploded.

### Adrift

Following the battle, the ship would be left with no chance to jump, and attempting to go home would take hundreds of years, the crew would fire the chemical thrusters to begin their very long "drift" home, and they would go into stasis for the foreseeable future.

In 2568 they would be rescued.