William Knight

**William Knight** is an Operative in the Council Recovery Corps and ex-pararescueman, as well as a soldier during the Reaper War.

## Biography

The only child of Arthur and Mary Knight, William had a good upbringing. His father owned the land they lived on and his mother cared for him. As soon as he could walk he was out with his father. Tagging along on the adventures of farming. As a young toddler, he loved being out. The fresh air mixed with the exciting machines kept his days busy and fun. He enjoyed this time with his father, his mother mostly keeping to the home.

At 5, a young William found solace climbing anything he could, always eager to get to the stars, one oak tree at a time, thankfully his home was surrounded by them. Giving the eager boy a chance to explore. His formative years at elementary were good. He was well-liked albeit a little shy. He enjoyed his classes but like many young children, hated mathematics. At PE he was often being the one covered in bumps and scrapes after being the first to try anything remotely risky, be that climbing equipment too high or jumping off things he really shouldn't have been doing. By the time he was 7, he'd been to the doctor with more sprains and bumps than he could count. After seeing all the work the doctors did to help him, at 10 he'd want to be just like the men and women who helped him, his father having desires for him to inherit the farm as his only child. This often being a tense point of contention between him and his father, who was a farmer all his life. His father before him.

Through his school years, he found himself the victim of a vicious bully, from the outset of his first year of school to the midway point of the third. It started small, stones thrown at him, pushing past in a hallway, eventually, it turned into an all-out attack. Every day however he'd come home with cuts and bruises in one way or another until one day something snapped in a young William. He had decided to stand up, to not take the cruelty that this boy felt he deserved.

On the day of the 2nd of December 2173 he saw Chuck, the bully, approach with his posse, As the first punch came, William ducked, throwing an open palmed strike of his own to Chuck's chin, The bully slipped on a patch of ice and hit the ground, he wouldn't get back up. It was evident he was dead on impact. William felt a mix of emotions. On one hand, he was distraught, desperately trying to wake him up as his group scattered, leaving him alone. On the other hand, he felt good. He knew he'd won. He didn't quite know how to comprehend either emotion, he was found when the police arrived, sitting quietly, his aggressors' blood coating his hands. He, young as he was, knew what he'd done but made excuses. He was attacked, he was defending himself. Deep down however he knew it was all his fault.

The case was open and shut. Within a month or two it was done, all worries of any charges being dropped. It was clear it was in self-defence, an accident. The wrong place at the wrong TIME. Still, a young William found himself feeling guilty. All these emotions came to a head when he suddenly simply snapped.

Due to this, William grew reclusive, keeping to himself, remaining in his room. During this period of isolation, his father passed suddenly, a haemorrhage ending his life prematurely. It was his mother's turn to isolate, for weeks on end he'd find himself practically home alone, this making an impact on him. He understood a bit of what it must have felt like to his parents, a sense of guilt forming in the young teenagers mind. He saw a bit of himself in his mother, his young mind still not quite understanding why she wasn't around. Trying his hardest not to fall into a similar slump a young William struggled on alone. Of course, his mother was still there. She cooked and cleaned, yet meals were an empty affair, devoid of any conversation. Eventually, she came out of this deep isolation a changed woman, she was never quite the same but things improved, at the very least the two spoke again. After a long while, the two bonded over their shared loss and continue to keep this bond even now.

His high school years were where he began to feel like he should again, the years prior being the hardest of his life so far. His first year was a wakeup call, his grades were far from good and he was disheartened by this. It was at this point he started attending church at the behest of his guidance counsellor who had suggested he might find a solace there. He found that a morning every Sunday did indeed help, he spoke with his father, albeit one-sidedly and found a lot of helpful advice from his fellow parishioners.

In his second and third years of high school things greatly improved. With his mind clear, he set to work, making some friends he'd keep even now and working on bringing his grades up, attending after school classes, he'd see a slow but steady improvement. In his third year, he took up athletics, running track for his school helped him focus. He found that these small breaks were important to him, hobbies and experiences kept his mind clear.

During his third year he decided that he needed to work out what to do, he was good at track and contemplated college, however, his grades still weren't quite what they needed to be, so he crammed for another few months and hoped it would be enough. Sadly that was not the case as a calf injury put an end to his running days. Set back but not undeterred he'd have to reevaluate his options.

In his final year of school, he'd feel a calling towards military service in one capacity or another. On the day of his 18th birthday, a few months after he'd finished his final year of high school he'd enlist. Joining as a Pararescueman, a specialised form of a medic with extra training and qualifications. His mother objected at first but relented when hearing how enthused he was, much like his venture into religion, she supported him.

His first month's of basic flew by, his class being filled by several different faces from all around the world. His specialist training took more of a toll, eight months of relentless fitness, medical, combat and survival tested him. Struggling especially with the water stages of training. Spending hours on end treading water, learning advanced diving techniques and simulated EVA. His determination being the only thing that pushed him onwards, even when all his energy had been sapped from him. Failing out of training, to him was as good as not signing up in the first place.

At the end of this gruelling stage, William emerged a soldier, a medic, a Pararescueman. Earning his beret was a great sense of pride to him. He was relieved he hadn't given up. At 19 years old he was eager to see the galaxy, the outbreak of war morbidly intriguing him, he wanted to get an interesting deployment, see distant stars take the fight to anyone who threatened his Alliance, his friends. He was then deployed to Luna. He was specialised, vital, and he was rewarded with what many saw as a posting to end off their career, an easy posting. Not one he'd pictured. He was to miss out the war it seemed.

While bitter, he did his part, seeing out his first deployment of 6 months. Making friends and earning some further qualifications, honing his marksmanship with many days on the range, even learning to play the guitar while there to a high degree, often spending his free time engrossed in his music.

His second training deployment to Mali was cut short at the outbreak of war, The Reapers had launched an all-out attack. He was being moved to the fringes. A real combat deployment. He was attached to a squad of Marines from the 2nd Expeditionary unit. They were tasked with helping the civilian evacuation of Asteria.

The first day was quiet, his squad moved quickly through cities still standing. The deeper inward they went, the more desolate the world became until they were marching through charred ruins. It was here the fighting began. The enemy attacked from all sides, silent in their movement and deadly in their ambush. In the space of ten minutes, his unit had taken 50% casualties. Battered and bruised, they held the line until nightfall, William being struck with a stray round, breaking his shields and burning into his armour. Burning his back as the armour melted and singed.

As night fell the enemy attacked with husks, hoping to overwhelm their lines, this attack failed but not without casualties. The makeshift aid station he'd created to the west side slowly beginning to fill with the wounded. He helped those who could be saved, being instrumental in saving a badly burned young boy, giving the lifesaving care he needed under great duress. However, there were always those he couldn't save. A triple amputee came in, while trying his best, the shortage of medigel lead to the soldier passing in his arms, this would be a regular occasion, the supply shuttles simply weren't enough, too many being shot down. It would take its toll on the young soldier, every day was a struggle to go on. But his men, his soldiers depended on him. He kept going for them.

His makeshift hospital was the first to be attacked and evacuated. As husks poured in, William manned his post, using every weapon available to fight them off, giving him the two-deep scars as razor-sharp claws tore into his armour. As he saw more husks pour in, he knew all was lost. Clambering aboard the waiting shuttle once the last living casualty was out, he'd watch from orbit as the planet burned. It would turn out that this colony was one of the last hit. His war was over.

In the months that followed, William returned to Earth. Visiting his mother, his father too. He struggled at first to cope with all he'd seen but after some much needed R&R, he adapted. He was a changed man in many ways, but he didn't break. Nor would he, He'd promised himself that and kept it. While home he was awarded the Silver Star and Purple Heart for his actions on Asteria. It was a bittersweet ceremony. He knew men and women who'd died in his care who deserved the award far more than he had.

After his time at home, he decided his time in the alliance was up, he was given an honourable discharge from the military and took up residence on the Citadel, working in the memorial hospital as a medical assistant. Here he learned about not only human physiology but all races, from Batarian to Quarian to Hanar. There was a nagging itch, however, ever since he'd left the alliance that he belonged in the field. As much as he resented his time in combat, there was a calling to it. Like a drug. After doing a bit of digging he'd learn of the CRC. A group of crisis responders. A group which a man of his skill set would fit well too. Here he could do his job and get a taste of action if he desired. It was what seemed like the perfect balance. He'd take his leave from the hospital, gather his things and apply.

## Personality

A young and kind-hearted young man, William is often the fire of the room, warming everyone up with light-hearted jokes, friendly pointers and cheeky quips. He strives to keep those around him in good spirits as he knows what it's like to feel utterly hopeless.

Underneath this jovial exterior is a man who has seen conflict and comes out the other end. He is always one to keep his friends close, understanding the bond that soldiers share, making it his best effort to befriend the greenest of soldiers, even though their prospects may be dim.

William is highly motivated, never backing away from a challenge or an opportunity to prove himself, not to others but himself. He has a deep-seated belief that he can do much of what he sets his mind to and will carry on until his breaking point. A blessing and a curse in many senses. This is proven by his tenacity during Pararescue selection, pushing himself beyond what he thought possible.

An after-effect of the trauma witnessed, William sometimes has low moments, where he risks isolating himself. Having seen what he has on combat deployment, he has to manage this by forcing himself up and out on runs or sometimes playing his guitar. It's not a side of him that he lets anyone see, lest they think less of him. He will put on a brave face until he's alone.

Will is quick to make friends and keeps them close. He hates conflict and is often the first to try and disarm things. If there is a peaceful way out of something, it'll be him that finds it. But should the proverbial hit the fan, Putting the lives of others before his own.

He suffers from survivor’s guilt in some ways, living with the burden of seeing friends die troubles him. His experience in war led him to often think of those he couldn't save, those who deserved to be in his place.

### Exceptional Skills

*Shredding Machine:* Over a lengthy deployment on the moon, William spent a long time learning to play an old guitar left in the req room by a previous occupant. With very little to do on such a desolate station, the strums of an acoustic guitar were a welcome reprieve from the silence. At the end of this deployment, he kept the guitar, it now goes wherever he goes.

*ShockJock:* Many months of long training has honed the young medics life-saving skills. From the smallest cuts to massive internal bleeding. No matter the injury, William can assist in treating it. He is also proficient in xenobiology due to his time on the Citadel, encountering all sorts of different races.

*Advanced EVA:* Through a mix of underwater training, be that deep-sea diving to aqua conditioning along with a long stint of training taking place in zero-G, he is as proficient walking on the ground as he is using assisted movement in space.

## Physical Description

Will's style depends on what is first to hand, he has an unhealthy collection of t-shirts and cargo pants. His favourite is one that speaks volumes of the type of person he is, on it sits the Citadel the shirt itself is coloured to look like a nebula. His choice of combat gear being an up-armoured variant of the standard-issue alliance armour system with additional plating on the front chest, thighs and collar to shield any fragments towards his exposed joints and throat.

He keeps himself well-groomed, having high standards for himself when on duty, never unkempt or scraggy. His uniform is always immaculate. If the occasion is formal he'll wear a smart button-up shirt and formal black trousers with shoes to match.

His posture is that of a soldier, always upright, not one to slouch, however when he's sitting, his right leg is always twitching. This being a habit he developed after his time under fire, a part of him always on edge.

William is a well-built man, keeping himself very fit, often spending his mornings running when he can. Due to his athletic nature, this has kept him fairly muscular which accents a defined jawline and broad shoulders.

### Weapons

* Carnifex Hand Cannon
* M-12 Locust

### Abilities

* Overload
* Adrenaline Rush
* Concussive Blast
* Flashbang