Maverick Cooper

**Maverick Cooper** was a freelance investigative journalist who tackled controversial subject matters for many cycles. After leaving the **Scythian Broadcasting Network**, Maverick became infamous for his self-funded novels and documentaries. Many citizens throughout the planet trusted his word over mainstream news sources.

## Early Life

Maverick Cooper lived in Khalafon City into early adulthood. Even from an early age, Maverick displayed anti-establishment thoughts, constantly questioning the order (or in his estimation, organized chaos) of the world around him. It was no surprise when Maverick entered the **Sabit University of Political Sciences** seeking his Masters in Journalism.

### Early Career In Journalism

Maverick's career in journalism began as a reporter on the Scythian Broadcasting Network. For 3 cycles Maverick climbed through the ranks, covering trite localized stories. The more ambitious Maverick got with his reports, the more the network clashed with him.

### A Blind Eye to the Butcher Among Us

Maverick landed himself in hot water with the network after his exposé on the string of murders in Northbury Grove and along the edge of Specter Forest. Entitled "A Blind Eye to the Butcher Among Us," the report surmised the 28 killings throughout Northbury Grove weren't the work of the **Waste Riders** gang. Maverick surmised it was the work of a particularly sadistic serial killer.

Maverick's SBN superiors were not happy with his report, despite it crushing all existing record ratings. SBN argued that the report interfered with ongoing police investigations and caused panic among the general public. Maverick strongly disagreed.

### Dr Zaine Grimm's Ecliptic Prophecy

Maverick went rogue during his last report for SBN, when he provided an unbiased breakdown of **Dr Zaine Grimm's Ecliptic Prophecy**. Widely regarded as the conspiracy theory of a lunatic, Maverick treated the material with respect. Several minutes into his report, the network cut the live feed. Before the network could fire Maverick, he had already quit.

## Freelance Journalism

After leaving the Scythian Broadcasting Network, Maverick began to release documentaries and novels. These self-funded exposes were both maligned and renowned. Many members of **Enacting Diplomacy United** cited his works as irrefutable fact. His works inspired many to take up activism themselves, and look beneath the surface of what the mainstream media was feeding them.

### The Death of Integrity In Journalism

Maverick's first self-funded documentary was called "The Death of Integrity In Journalism." Maverick went into great detail about his 3 cycle run as a reporter of the Scythian Broadcasting Network. He pointed out many flaws in mainstream media's approach to journalism, and the unwarranted censorship he frequently faced. Overall, Maverick ascertained journalist had become nothing more than outrage merchants peddling propaganda to keep the working class divided.

> "The Scythian Broadcasting Network is but one branch of a cohesive propaganda network. Their main goal seems to be dividing the people, causing them to distrust each other over petty trivialities. This monetized divisive rhetoric is used as a smoke to keep the general public at odds with each other, lest they figure out the true issues at the root of society are wage stagnation and financial pedigree. And it works all too well in these trying times."
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### Zaine Grimm Expose

Maverick Cooper revealed to the public that senator Dominic Jann was actually, in fact, Dr Zaine Grimm. Grimm had always fascinated Maverick - Zaine was an alumni of the Sabit University of Political Sciences, although his records of attending the school were scrubbed after his controversial Ecliptic Prophecy. Maverick's final report at SBN was a breakdown of the Ecliptic Prophecy, in which he ascertained it was not as far-fetched as one would think. Grimm revealing Dominac Jann's true identity was not an act of hostility towards Grimm. But he still maintained truth to be one of the most important aspects of a functioning society. The fact a senator of Donovan County had

Maverick remained unbiased in his reveal. Not only did he think Dr Zaine Grimm was a fascinating and wrongfully ostracized scientist, he also maintained his foray into politics as Dominic Jann was beneficial to the people within Donovan County. As a result, Dominic Jann publicly acknowledged his deceit. He also stepped down from politics, announced his new company, and displayed technology he had been developing in secret during his stint as mayor of Donovan City and short stint as Senator of Donovan County. Zaine cited Maverick was a "voice of truth and rationality," and commended him for his journalistic pursuits.

### Paragon: Friend or Foe?

After exposing Dominic Jann as Dr Zaine Grimm, Maverick was invited to Paragon's main facilities and corporate headquarters in Donovan City. He was given permission to document every moment, and over the course of a cycle he produced the documentary **Paragon: Friend or Foe?** Cooper didn't hold back any punches, but offered his patented brand of rational thinking and the weighing of positives and negatives. Maverick concluded that it was impossible to predict the impact this company would have on the world, and whether it would be a positive or negative influence. He deemed the bulk of their research as positive, and maintained his stance that Dr Grimm was a man of supreme intellect and moral fortitude. He warned that the power could very well go to his head and turn his misdeeds malicious. It wasn't long before he changed his tune.

### The Wall of Rot and it's Underlying Racism

Maverick was in strong opposition to the **Wall of Rot**. The cannibal tribes of the Zu-Rakeen desert were dangerous, there was no doubts there. But Cooper argued these people are still Scythian citizens, and should undergo deprogramming to assimilate them into modern society.

> "The wall only serves to heighten tensions among the tribes themselves, and between the Zu-Rakeen people collectively against citizens of Sabit."
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Maverick proposed institutionalizing the younger cannibals, to rehabilitate their learned behaviors so that they could have a chance to live normal lives in Sabit. This novel was highly controversial.

### From Rabliag to Dariaz: The Scythian Trafficking Ring

Maverick's next novel was titled **From Rabliag to Dariaz: The Scythian Trafficking Ring**. This novel showed strong evidence that the newly formed **World Scythian Government** was behind a Scythian trafficking ring. This novel featured interviews with anonymous survivors of trafficking rings. Throughout the novel Maverick points out the strange synchronicity and coincidences the bulk of the survivors shared.

Now firmly against Paragon, Maverick suggested not only was the company trafficking Scythians to conduct twisted experiments on, but also kidnapping members of Enacting Diplomacy United and banishing them outside of the Wall of Rot. EDO were firmly anti-Paragon. Maverick also pointed out the body count of notorious serial killer **The Specter City Slasher** was highly exaggerated. One of his interviews with a former **Specter City Police Department** officer seemed to echo this sentiment.

> "There is no way one man could have killed over a thousand people in the time span it was allocated. There was just no way. I noticed a lot of the "disappearances" associated with the Specter City Slasher did not fit the MO he was known for. And they occurred in Donovan County, Khalafon County....Slasher operated in Specter City, and he left behind his victims to be found. The missing persons attributed to Slasher fell victim to someone, or something, else entirely. When I brought this up to my superiors they took me off the case. I'm in the midst of conducting my own investigation into what is really going on."
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To date, this was Maverick's most controversial piece of journalism. Many suggested he had gone from journalism into conspiracy theory. Others thought it was his most compelling work so far. Maverick remained indifferent to critics, and began to muse on what his next novel or documentary would focus on. The story ended up finding him.

## A Journalist in a Post-Apocalyptic World

The **Apocalyptic Dawn** changed everything. But Maverick Cooper remained determined to question the world around him. He felt as civilization collapsed, it was more important than ever to document

### Apocalyptic Dawn: A Retrospective

Maverick happened to be in Specter City when the virus initially hit the continent of Sabit. He took the opportunity to start his new work - documenting the downfall of humanity. How would the people across Scythe deal with this unprecedented carnage? What caused the outbreak? Was it a Paragon experiment gone wrong? Or perhaps a long dormant plague that had been unearthed to wreak havoc once again?

The series of interviews in this book featured a very diverse cast. From generals in the Scythian Army to DJ Enigma, who was playing a set when the outbreak hit **the Warehouse** venue. Maverick traveled across the world to capture this series of 7 interviews, and in the 8th and final chapter of the book, he provided his predictions for the future, his theory on what caused the outbreak, and an epilogue that was a direct transcript of the President of Sabit's final words to the people before the television networks went down forever. Maverick Cooper had outlasted mainstream journalism.

Each copy of Apocalytpic Dawn: A Retrospective was a copy of Maverick's original handwritten notes. There was no time for editing, no time for finesse - this was down and dirty journalism. Less than 100 copies of the book were published, but many who find themselves in possession of one would copy it, in turn, and trade it for large rations of food and bullets. Entertainment was scarce in the wastelands of a crumbled society.

## Disappearance

Maverick Cooper's "disappearance" is like any other survivor in the post-apocalyptic dawn landscape...was he devoured by Impaled? Or did he sustain a bite, only to join their ranks? Was he captured by the Order of the Impaled before "The Cleansing" wiped the bulk of them out? His whereabouts remain unknown.