Brian Burnett

### Partners

Emily Burnett † (Girlfriend)Harper Brooks † (Fling) Kaylee Schaffer (Girlfriend) Savanna Voland (Girlfriend)

### Relatives

Unnamed Mother †Jack Burnett (Father) Maria Burnett (Sister) Juniper Burnett (Daughter) Karuna Burnett (Niece)

## Military Service

### Rank

Corporal (Book 3-4)Sergeant (Book 4-5) First Lieutenant (Book 6-7)

### Battles/Wars

Seaboard-American Civil WarBattle of Niagara Falls, Battle of Batavia, Battle of Chibonhold

## Brian Burnett

### First Appearance

Book 1, Part I

*"We fight for what we believe. Maybe it isn’t perfect... but it’s damn better than doing nothing.”*

Brian Burnett is an American Marine commando and special operations leader who played an instrumental role in the Seaboard-American civil war. Having connections and personal relationships with high-ranking officers, politicians, and scientists, Burnett also serves as a major protagonist throughout *The Seaboard Element.*

Burnett was born, but not raised in Boise, Idaho in 1999. He was raised in Pennsylvania, however, in State College and later Selinsgrove, where he met his best friend, Kyle Wald. Since fourteen, Burnett had lived away from his immediate family, often living with Kyle and his mother, Brigitta Wald. Despite his father having a reputation for being both physically and verbally abusive, he taught Brian various fighting techniques as he was a professional mixed-martial artist.

During the Great Collapse, Wald was mortally wounded and airlifted by Michael Sisk's medical team. Burnett, his younger sister, and his girlfriend all left until being found by Nathan Krauss, whose property they settled on. From there, Burnett began learning from Krauss, who became his mentor. Burnett became a feared elite commando, and later Marine Commando in the Special Appalachian Arms Commando Corps, or SAACC. Following the death of General Krauss, Burnett began to branch out as a leader of his own platoon of commandos, training others in a similar regard.

While often susceptible to his own emotion, Burnett is well-known for being level-headed and calm in tense situations, as well as putting his own safety on the line before that of his squad mates. Combined with his good marksmen skills and excellent hand-to-hand combat ability, Burnett maintains strong leadership and morale. With his own distinctive battle suit, many elements shared by his fellow commandos, Seaboard trailblazers learned to fear Burnett, as well as all of the SAACC and their gear.

Burnett was awarded the Purple Heart following the Second Battle of Harrisburg. He was awarded another Purple Heart and the Silver Star after the destruction of the rail clan and his attempted defense.

## Early Life

Burnett was born in Boise, Idaho, on 4 February 1999. However, he did not live there long. Following his father's retirement from professional MMA, the Burnett family moved to State College, Pennsylvania. There, Brian's younger sister, Maria, was born. The family moved again to Selinsgrove, where Jack Burnett, Brian's father, operated his welding business.

Brian Burnett met Kyle Wald in grade school, and the two quickly became best friends. However, the two were prone to getting into trouble due to Kyle's disdain for authority and Brian's tendency to get into fights.

Being independent even at a young age, Burnett moved away from his abusive household at fourteen, where he lived with Kyle Wald and Wald's mother. Brian was told since birth that Jack Burnett was not his father, and his biological father was in fact a drifter or someone else in Spain, where his mother was from.

At sixteen, Burnett met Emily Allen through Kyle Wald. The two were attracted to Allen, and Burnett was able to secure an intimate relationship with her quickly due to his more alluring social skills. This caused a rift between the two friends. After a couple months, due to tension between the friends, Burnett moved out of the household and into one in Middleburg, where he rented with a couple of older adults. In the apartment, he began selling cannabis products in high quantities, gaining money while in school, meeting Philip, a customer.

During a confrontation in school, Burnett got into a fight with Kyle Wald. Each fighting for their honor, the long fight was unable to be interrupted. Brian unintentionally injured a couple staff members, and Kyle Wald did the same while trying to be broken up. It took police on site to stop the injured friends from battling, and both were arrested and expelled from the High school. Burnett had to go to a nearby school in Sunbury, away from his sister. Wald graduated less than a month later, completing his high school online.

Burnett and his girlfriend both began renting their own apartment when he was seventeen. Still selling cannabis, he brought in income, dropping out of school and attaining his GED. Despite the years they had been together, it wasn't until after the start of the Jinanvirus that Burnett actually spent any real time with her parents.

The next years, Burnett was involved in illegal work with a small circle of friends, namely Phillip Cunningham, a small-time drug draler. However, as time went on, he began to cut them off as he grew out of it. He and Kyle Wald forgave one another, starting to be friends again. After the Jinanvirus began to spread, faced with desperation, Burnett came back to the sidelines of illegal work- such as giving bank robbery advice to Cunningham in exchange for a percentage of returns. At nineteen, the Great Collapse occurred, which coincided with the news of Emily Allen being pregnant.

## Life During the Great Collapse

After being arrested and charged with posession of cannabis, as well as driving under the influence. He spent a night in jail before being released temporarily as a non-violent offender, as labor shorteges impacted ability to run jails. After doing so, Burnett sought out retribution for his partner in crime, Cunningham, who had betrayed him, as well as stolen his damaged car. He chased Cunningham down and temporarily captured him, but his adversary escaped. In return Cunningham sought out support from his friends who Burnett used to associate with. Rich Ward and Damascus Scott both attempted to intimidate Burnett, however, he quickly subdued the two.

After the three failed to dissuade Burnett from seeking retribution, they sought out their drug distributor who lived nearby, Jason Payne. He attempted to intimidate Burnett once again at the Wald residence, however, he didn't personally know Burnett and thus believed Kyle Wald to be him. Following a confrontation between the two, Payne retreated, only to return later with the three others. Eventually, without either party conceeding, a fatal fight broke out, leading to the death of the group leader, Jason Payne, as well as Wald being mortally wounded in the exchange of gunfire.

Previously attaining a mysterious contact number from Michael Sisk, Burnett dialed it once he realized his best friend's injuries were beyond his control. Shortly after, Wald was airlifted out. In the events, Burnett was sedated and woke up after a quick rain, which caused the three to become cold, wet, and hungry. Hiking for some time, his girlfriend was unable to continue, so he left his sister with her and went forward looking for help. At twilight, he stumbled upon the ranch of Nathan Krauss. He and his son met the beaten Burnett with initial hostility, believing he may have been a mugger or a looter in the world of the Jinanvirus. However, due to his politness and respect, Krauss quickly opened up to him. He agreed to help him recover his partner and his sister.

Following the death of Jason Payne, a closely linked drug distributor, Ethan Delansky, came to Juniata with David Cook with the intention of harming, or killing Brian Burnett and whoever else stood in the way. The two knew one another, and Burnett was aware that Delansky had experience in the Army as well as being no stranger to violent encounters.

The three turned the ranch into their base, meeting Jayden and Lily. Knowing the threat of Delansky. Cunningham, and the rest of the men, Krauss volunteered to help rid the problem. After a shootout at the Wald residence, a memory-stripped Kyle Wald found the group again. With him on their side, they were able to defeat the hostile group- however. Wald's mother, Brigitta, was killed. Wald promptly stole Burnett's 1969 Mustang and left.

In the following months, the Krauss ranch was far more peaceful. Burnett was mentored under Nathan Krauss, who taught him marksmen skills which paired with the unarmed fighting skills he already posessed. The ranch group stayed away from town unless absolutely necessary for supplies and trade. Meanwhile, Emily was growing in stages of pregnancy.

## Community Reformation

Through the Spring and Summer of 2018, Burnett practiced his discipline of many fields, training as a Marine would under Nathan Krauss. Due to the growing force od Seaboard spreading from Connecticut, Krauss wished to reach out. He chose Burnett to accompany him in organizing with the mayor of Juniata, Donovan Young. However, after meeting him, the two immediately believed him to be incompetent. They were differed to the state capital in Harrisburg, where largely unsuccessful efforts at organization had been made.

Burnett and Krauss left to Harrisburg, leaving the others at the ranch. There, they met Governor Edwin Parrish, who, with his defense secretary Andrew Jones, assigned him as a military leader and a head of reorganization missions. Burnett accompanied him, going to Philadelphia, New York, and southern Vermont on various relief missions. While under his wing, Burnett also learned much about leadership qualities, raising morale, and general tactics. He faced his first battle in the King of Prussia Skirmish, which turned out to be a disastrous misunderstanding. In following battles, he was a little shocked after seeing bloodshed and being wounded.

In Vermont, he engaged first with Seaboard enemies, his firsthand experience with the vastly undertrained predecessors to the Trailblazer. Burnett had become homesick, longing for his pregnant fiancé, even before the mission to Vermont. After, Krauss and him demanded a fleet of vehicles to oust Donovan Young, who was not the rightful mayor of Juniata.

The designated Marines did so, however, those at the ranch had been captured. Unknown to Burnett, his sister and Krauss’ son Anthony, who was dating Maria Burnett were previously apprehended. After Kyle Wald returned unexpectedly and freed them, the ranch group was captured as hostages. Burnett urged the Marine platoon not to move in due to the hostage threat. While the occupying police force still believed Seaboard officials to be coming to the town, they brought Kyle Wald as a hostage exhange- who for reasons Burnett didn't know, was wanted by them. However, Wald instead broke free and met up with Burnett downtown.

   The two sought out the location of the captured friends and family, engaging in a fight with a few defenders in a nearby chapel. The two killed the defenders, freeing everybody except Emily. Briefly before, she had given birth to his daughter- later named Juniper. Emily haven been forced out in an escape with Sheriff Peter Boone. He left his child in the hands of Jorge Ramos (who he just met) and others, rushing out with Kyle to retrieve his lover. The Sheriff had her at gunpoint, using her as leverage to escape. Burnett was urged to make a quick draw with his .44 magnum revolver, choosing to do so- ending in a botched misfire. This led to the subsequent killing of Emily Allen and the Sheriff.

Due to the death, Burnett entered a period of depression, having to find Harper and Zoe Brooks to stay with them and help care for his daughter. Because of his trauma, he only buried himself deeper in his work as a military specialist.

## Service to the Harrisburg Committee

    After recuperating from the death of his fiancé, Burnett grew as a soldier and continued training in Harrisburg. He was occasionally sent on missions in the field to bolster his training. On top of this, Burnett was enrolled in various military classes as he planned on becoming a special operations rifleman. In the Summer of 2019, Burnett completed the first phase of his training, and was invited to join Nathan Krauss in going north to reclaim lost territory in Vermont.

Burnett expressed disapproval for these plans, and Krauss concurred. However, command from the top dictated that it was their mission. Burnett agreed to travel with Krauss. In one of their first battles in Southern Vermont, Burnett joined a battalion of troops. After initial negotiations failed, combat broke out, resulting in what Krauss considered a "Disaster". Burnett was split from the troops, but the team managed to regroup afterwards. On the border of New Hampshire and Vermont, Burnett continued to fight valiantly, but the results of the Appalachian Marine Corps seemed to be what Burnett and Krauss considered pyrrhic. After short order, Krauss tried to forcibly withdraw his forces, however, he was not allowed to. Instead, he kept a third of his Corps in the Vermont region.

Burnett spent a brief amount of time back in Harrisburg, catching up with his family and clan. However, a series of hard and rapid attacks were orchestrated by Seaboard's General Sherman in Eastern New York. Burnett correctly assumed that the engagements in Vermont and New Hampshire were a decoy for Sherman's more elaborate, more forceful operation. Nathan Krauss and Army General Allen quickly dispatched defensive divisions into New York from Pennsylvania to combat the Seaboard advancement. This became known as the Catskill Offensive.

In the Catskills, Burnett's sister regrouped with the division, having joined the Marine Corps as a fresh enlistee herself. This was against Burnett's wishes. Despite this, they spent time together between battles, and he trained her further in defensive combat. As the Catskill Offensive continued, it became clear that Krauss' Alpha Division was outplayed. Seaboard forces outmaneuvered them and took over the counties to the south, cutting them off from allied resupplies. Fearing the defense of Harrisburg, Krauss hatched a plan to break through the Seaboard line of defense by going through the Big Indian Wilderness. The Battle of the Big Indian turned into an abysmal failure for the Appalachian forces, however. Alpha division was routed, Krauss' son and Maria Burnett's boyfriend was killed, and Brian was wounded while retreating. The forces regrouped at a small town to the Northwest.

After further withdrawals, it became clear that, with their current forces, a return to Harrisburg would be impossible. Burnett grew distrustful of the authority that put them into the position in the first place, and after nearly losing his sister, he became hyper fixated on keeping her safe. Without another option, General Krauss reached out to the Canadian government in hopes that they could help provide military aid. Burnett, being close to Krauss, had access to most of his intel. He grew worried about the imminent danger Harrisburg faced, as his daughter and clan were still in the city. With the weighing stress of command, failure, and the death of the General's son, Nathan Krauss broke down after his authority was challenged. He ultimately went AWOL, leaving Major Bolt in charge of the routed Marines.

In the following battle, Bolt was killed by crossfire, being fragged by Captain Emilio Gonzales, unknown to Burnett at the time. However, Maria Burnett and Sergeant Angela Ellis witnessed it, and Gonzales was unable to retaliate against the witnesses before they were split. After the team returned along Lake Ontario, Maria Burnett confronted Gonzales. Before Gonzales tried to kill Maria, Brian Burnett shot Captain Gonzales. The Captain died immediately, and Lieutenant Moore assumed command, clearing Burnett of wrongdoing in the face of the evidence.

The routed Army and Marine Corps forces were evacuated to Toronto, as the Canadian government was only offering aid and no direct military support as to remain neutral. Burnett, Krauss, and Maria were given a suburban house to occupy for the time being. In time, Kyle Wald rejoined them, helping the rest of their clan, including Burnett's daughter, go north to Harrisburg.

## Commander of SAACC

In 2023, Burnett was promoted to Second Lieutenant on behalf of General Glasson and Defense Secretary Andrew Jones. As an 0302 Infantry Officer, Burnett was responsible for organizing, leading, and training the SAACC platoon. He presided over a team of Sergeants, and was responsible for training and promoting Corporals in order to grow the platoon. Burnett was initially displeased with the promotion, as he saw his value as a Sergeant in the battlefield. However, he was reassured he would still fulfill many of his old responsibilities. Knowing Krauss would've wanted him to take the role, Burnett began to appreciate the position more.

## Attempted Coup and Seaboard Capture

In May, 2025, Burnett had trained extensively with trusted members of his company as they planned to orchestrate a coup d'état to oust Appalachian President Elaine Cocklin, who, due to the findings of the late Senator Daniel Pierce, had been found to be collaborating with Seaboard in secret. Burnett initiated the attack with the main leaders of the SAACC company, with the exception of Sergeant Leonardo Evans, who he requested to stay in Allentown in training with Paul Coleman as he believed it would alleviate any prior suspicions. Though Burnett believed his plan to be a well orchestrated surprise, it had been discovered previously, unknown to him, by Matthew Castillo. Burnett successfully infiltrated the capitol, nearly converging on President Cocklin, but faced unexpected resistance led partially by Seaboard-aligned guards and forces under Burnett's former trainee, Abel Clark. Burnett was put at a disadvantage by the younger elite, who knew Burnett's battle strategy. The two fought for the first time since Clark's betrayal, and Burnett was forcibly separated from the rest of his team as he engaged with him. After making an attempt to retreat, Clark let him fall into the hands of Castillo, who along with his gang, Los Salvajes, faced Burnett. In order to settle his vendetta, Castillo challenged Burnett to a draw. Due to his exhaustion, Burnett was defeated by Castillo, who allowed his adversary to be taken away by Clark and the Seaboard-allied capitol guards.

While being transported to be extradited to Seaboard, the convoy Burnett was cuffed in was ambushed my members of his own squad, led by naval Lieutenant Michael Jeon. Burnett, who was bound, was unable to offer help, and after a fight that Clark nearly lost, Seaboard reinforcements repelled Burnett's allies. He was promptly transferred to a cell in Seaboard's Capitol Command Center in Hartford, Connecticut. While there, Clark confronted him alone, and vowed that he'd kill Burnett. However, General Russel made it clear that Burnett was needed alive for the time being. He and Burnett met face-to-face for the first time since he was nineteen, and Russel beat down Burnett, antagonizing his killing of Burnett's former mentor, Nathan Krauss.

Burnett was first held prisoner the night of 20 May 2025. During his time in custody, he had various tests ran by curious scientists and defense leaders who wanted to see if they could isolate genetic reasons for Burnett's outstanding performance and ability as a combatant. However, they only found rather significant genetic risk factors for emotional instability, ADHD, and BPD, along with other recessive traits contributing to minor factors such as asthma. This revelation came at no surprise to Burnett. Later, Kyle Wald requested to visit Burnett, and was allowed to. Though Wald believed his reveal to be a shock to Burnett, the captured Marine had already deduced the truth about Wald and SP-S011's identity for quite some time before. They had a brief discussion where Wald hoped to get through to Burnett in terms of his ideology, but Burnett denounced Wald and made it clear that he believed Wald's relative intelligence to be overplayed.

On 7 June, Burnett was hastily brought out from his cell by Abel Clark and two vanguards with the intention of transferring him to a position in New Haven amid an attack on the center. Burnett had few details about the matter, but was forced to go to the parking areas at the base of the tower. He, Clark, and his troops joined Darius Johnson, who drove the group south. Halfway between Hartford and New Haven, their vehicle was ambushed by two civilian cars that carried militant rebels. As their vehicle was disabled, amid the gunfire, Burnett was able to escape and run away even in his bindings. While running, Burnett was quickly subdued, bagged, and captured by a separate party. When his captors allowed him to see again, he'd been moved to a run-down warehouse not all that far from Hartford. The rescuers revealed themselves as a sect of the Liberators, led by Thomas Brant and Haley Porter. The two explained their roles and mission, but Burnett had no intention of staying. He wished to leave and return home as soon as possible, emphasizing that he would only bring danger to them. Brant countered this by making it clear that he could help them with only one mission before departing- bringing attention to the three Liberators who were killed while extracting him. Burnett, though leery at first, finally agreed as he began to doubt the terms of his return to Appalachia given that it was now under Confederate leadership.

Over some time, Burnett used his experience to put together a multi-faced mission to ambush a hidden munitions transport. He vouched to be the prime instigator for the mission, trusting himself over the others. Using the help of Haley Porter and others nearby, he located a box truck before chasing it. The vehicles exchanged gunfire, though Burnett knew that he needed the vehicle operational. As he tried to kill the driver, mercenary Matthew Castillo unexpectedly joined the chase. The mercenary killed the driver, causing the truck to flip and crash. When Burnett parked, he had a brief standoff with the mercenary, who he despised. However, the two realized they'd have to set their differences aside for the time being in order to deal with the inevitable influx of Seaboard troops. The two fled and ended up in a shopping mall, where squads of trailblazers attempted to pin them down and eliminate them. Burnett and Castillo were able to begrudgingly work as a team, breaking away from their position and fleeing. At the same time, various liberators, and Castillo's partner Leona Peshlakai, ransacked the unguarded, crashed truck. Burnett and Castillo stopped in the countryside, and for a moment, Burnett considered executing his adversary then and there. Castillo made it clear that his sights were no longer on Burnett, and promised not to bring him or his family any more trouble- instead, he had a score to settle with Abel Clark. Burnett accepted this and allowed Castillo to live.

One Burnett returned to the Liberators, he was infuriated with their decision to withhold information from him involving Castillo. He made it clear that if he were to continue doing any work for them, he'd need full transparency. While still hesitant to return to Harrisburg, Burnett was informed by Thomas Brant and former Air Force officer Valeria Osorio of a plan they had been contemplating that involved infiltrating the Seaboard capitol. At first, Burnett believed this to be far-fetched, but began to suspect that it would be possible if they had only a few more qualified hands. He reached out, in secret, to Michael Jeon, informing him of the plans as well as his request for certain troops from his unit. Jeon destroyed any proof of these transmissions, but did inform Sergeants Bryanna Sandoval and Savanna Voland.

After over a month of planning the attack, Burnett, along with the Liberator leaders, believed it to still have been under wraps. Burnett led a first team through a service entrance in a parking garage by the capitol, descending to an maintenance tunnel that would join them with the cargo loading bays under the facility. While there, they grouped up with his SAACC team members, and to his surprise, his sister and Kyle Wald. Burnett at first tried to convince them to leave, believing that his sister's involvement was inappropriate and dangerous. When she refused, Burnett realized that he'd have to be more involved in her safety during the mission. As Wald split for his own purposes, and Sergeants Sandoval and Voland left to carry out their part of the mission, Burnett stayed with his team as they ascended the facility floors. He fiercely fought against the lesser experienced peacekeeper guards, making his way with his team towards the prototype laboratory until more advanced trailblazer and vanguard units appeared. His team was quickly pinned down, but at the last second, Valeria Osorio and her liberators were able to flank the enemy troops. Burnett moved to the prototype laboratory, but a further influx of troops came, arriving with such speed that Burnett knew someone must've caught wind of the mission. He and his team were pinned at the entry of the laboratory when Chairman Michael Sisk revealed himself, requesting a ceasefire.

Burnett came into the open, holding a primed hand grenade as he was forced to hear Sisk's spiel. The Chairman was unable to get through to Burnett, who intended only to finish his mission and kill the Chairman since he put himself in such a dangerous position. Instead, the arrival of the true Kyle Wald complicated things, as Burnett was forced to reconcile this hidden truth with his other ally and friend, SP-S011. Sisk was able to engage a codeword in SP-S011, and when Burnett tried to draw his pistol and kill the Chairman, the former sentinel stopped him in his entranced state. The two began to fight as his team was forced out of the room, and just like his coup earlier that year, Burnett was separated from his clan. However, he unexpectedly defeated SP-S011, despite the strength imbalance between the two. Burnett was very familiar with 011's fighting style and mentality, using his rigid and surefire way of fighting to his disadvantage by countering him with sporadic, well-coordinated, and improvised techniques. Burnett kicked 011 off the side of the Capitol Command Center, and before having time to recuperate, was attacked by Abel Clark, who intended to finish his former Sergeant off.

Burnett fled from Clark, knowing he stood little chance against him due to his depleting stamina. He retreated to an elevator, which took him to the mainframe sub-levels of the complex. Clark dropped to the top of the lift, shooting through it and nearly expending his ammunition, but was unable to kill Burnett. When he dropped through the service hatch, Burnett had already ran. The two ended up having a final duel over a reactor cooling pond, and after Clark dropped his revolver that previously belonged to Burnett, the two went for it at once. Burnett was able to best Abel, twisting the gun around and shooting two of his fingers, severing them. He proceeded to easily stab and slash his former trainee, but was unable to kill him, pleading to his old friend for him to run away from it all and leave it behind. After a squad of Seaboard troops arrived, Burnett escaped to the loading docks above. He returned to his allies, who were about to leave, quickly incapacitating a light sentinel. After, he went with his team and left the city.

The group met up once again in the countryside, and Burnett wished to return to his family and his former squad, which was now missing one more leader- Bryanna Sandoval, a death that Burnett took hard. He and his sister went with Voland and Coleman back to Harrisburg, and the first thing he made sure to do was see his daughter again, who was unsure of Brian's status or whereabouts, but was glad to see her father home and safe.

## Integration into the Confederacy and Discharge

Following the events of Operation Parable, Burnett was immediately put under investigation for his actions during the unauthorized mission. This inquiry was brought up by Confederate Chief of Staff for the Army, Arnold McGrath. Burnett refused to cooperate with the commander, and instead, requested a lawyer. Soon after, he was put on civil release following Lieutenant Michael Jeon vouching for him not being a risk in regards to safety or departure. Burnett, Jeon, and others who were being investigated were quickly reached out to by renowned military JAG lawyer Laura Mercer, who informed them that they were being pitted against a team of savvy prosecutors led by Jonathan Hawthorne. Rather quickly, Burnett's sister, as well as Voland, Coleman and Jeon, were dropped from the case, leaving Burnett to take the brunt of it. He believed that the Confederacy intended to make an example out of him in the same way that Appalachia hoped to do with Abel Clark. He faced charges from the bottom up, including insubordination, weapons charges, and treason among others. Over the course of a month and a half long case, Burnett came to end it after a cross examination by Colonel Hawthorne. During this, Burnett had his thought process taken advantage of, and finally made it clear that he disobeyed orders because he never swore fealty to the CSA in the first place and felt he had no obligation to report to them.

After the case, the judge settled on giving Burnett a conditional honorable discharge in which he'd receive no pensions or benefits for his service, though he'd keep his medals and honors. This infuriated Burnett, who felt he was made into a scapegoat, and related to Clark, though had no intentions of, unlike his former apprentice, betraying his people. After an argument with Burnett's sister, the two fought, and he punched her in the abdomen, blaming her for what had happened. The two split, and did not regularly speak for over two years after this.

On 16 November 2027, Burnett reunited with the Liberators to help locate a hidden laboratory where GSX-4 serum was being kept.

## Combat Style

Burnett is highly specialized in nearly all forms of modern marksmanship, with the possible exception of machine-guns. An expert marksman in long and short range rifles, shotguns, and pistols, Burnett is highly versed in nearly all common firearms. He is fully adaptable to almost any weapon he has at his disposal. Because of this, Burnett is able to improvise without consequence when in battle by himself or commanding others. He often relies on brute-force methods, however, utilizing his raw talent and training to repel enemies. When possible, Burnett tends to plan for all possible ways a battle can go, and tries to keep a fully-armed squadron with all weapons and tools they would require in nearly any event. Because of this, when in command, Burnett is ready for long, mid, or short range assaults. Usually, he goes in quietly and then inflitrates from the inside with ranged support on the outside.

Commonly seen using semi-automatic rifles, snipers, handguns, and revolvers, Burnett tends to stray away from fully-automatic firearms as well as shotguns. He is more concerned with precision than damage, and because of that, rarely uses shotguns or high-caliber rifles. His weapon of choice is a modified AR15 assault rifle, with the Sig Sauer M17 being his secondary. Often, he falls back on his Magnum Research BFR .44 Magnum revolver.

When he is disarmed, in too close of range, or seeks to minimize damage to the target or surroundings, Burnett won't hesitate to engage in either unarmed or melee combat. Trained by his father, an ex-MMA fighter, Burnett utilizes a highly-effective form of mixed martial arts, combining boxing, grappling, wrestling, holds, and allegedly elements of taekwondo. While Burnett learned advanced sport-fighting techniques from his father, he also learned more visceral techniques as a teen in street fights. In the Marine Corps, he adopted many forms of unarmed combat from the retired Marine Corps L.I.N.E. fighting form. This led to him creating his own personalized fighting style. His advanced fighting style is also developed so it can be usable while wearing his full combat armor.

## Personality and Traits

Brian Burnett, since his introduction, has a very confrontational personality. Lacking much of a filter or verbal discipline, his tendency to be blunt, to the point, or even assertive has often times got him into trouble. This trait never left, however, after learning under Nathan Krauss, Burnett did learn to be somewhat more professional and respectful when dealing with other people.

In contrast to his best friend Wald, Burnett thinks on his feet with little to no planning. This quality is useful at times for him, but might otherwise be counterproductive when quick-thinking is not required. Despite not considering himself an academic person by any means, Burnett still manages to think in complex ways. On top of that, Burnett is much more socially intelligent than Wald, being able to understand other people and navigate through social situations extremely well. Despite his relative lack of education, as well as not coming across as being very complex, Burnett is very intelligent. While Wald is often considered to be a genius, Burnett is still able to catch things that he may have otherwise missed in day-to-day life.

While he is smart, Burnett is a fairly emotional person. His trauma and abuse as a child and young teenager contributed to him often having a hard time processing and controlling his emotions. These generally filter down into anger, which has been shown to be taken out on his friends, sister, or even girlfriend. As he became older, Burnett recognized these qualities however, and tries to manage them. After it was revealed Jack Burnett is in fact his father, he was able to understand where he got much of his anger from.

Like Nathan Krauss, who mentored Burnett, he generally displays great leadership qualities. Within his family and close friends, Burnett was consistently the leading member after the death of Krauss, even more so than Wald at times. Due to his clear communication skills and ability to work well with others, Burnett became the leader of the SAACC elites as a Lieutenant.

## Equipment

    Burnett utilizes a custom setup, characterized by his Kevlar-infused overcoat and tactical helmet. His suit and arms were developed over the course of a few years, outside of standard military operation and protocols. Many of the elements were implemented by other SAACC troops. Some of the challenges included developing a suit that could withstand both heat in summer and also extreme cold during winter. Since the US military had few military engagements in freezing weather since WWII, such equipment was seldom invested in.
Ballistic Overcoat: A long, thick olive-drab trench coat that is designed to slow or shatter bullets before impact, potentially reducing their damage. It is also used for warmth in winter, camouflage, and holding certain equipment in pouches on the inside and outside. Name tags and insignias go on the pauldrons.

    Modular ballistic vest: A set of bullet-resistant armor. Parts consist of Kevlar, while others in more vital areas are made from ceramic plates. The armor covers the front and back of the body, with lighter portions going around the upper arms and thighs. The armor comes equipped with pouches, utility hangers, and clips.

Combat helmet: After briefly using a modified Seaboard trailblazer helmet, Burnett quickly went back to using a modified black Enhanced Combat Helmet, one of the standard issue of the USMC. A short-range radio receiver can be mounted on the side, connected to the earpiece and microphone for communication with other units within a mile or so. Above the forehead are mounts for NVGs or other eyepieces.

Gas mask: On certain missions, a modified M17 Gas mask was brought in case it was needed. The modifications allowed it to snap into the helmets, as well as having metal plating around the front to resist melee collision. Later, Burnett began using a M50 gas mask.

Blades: Burnett first (and later other members of SAACC) designed and used custom mounted blades on his forearms. Originally built using M16 bayonet blades, they can spring out and be deployed under the little finger as well as being pushed back into place, or "sheathed". One of Burnett's blade mounts are spring loaded, with the ability to be tightened with a tap-wrench and then "released", shooting it forward as a projectile. SAACC members also carry a KA-BAR fighting knife.

Firearms: Like most SAACC elites and American soldiers as a whole, Burnett's primary firearm is a rifle based on the AR15 design. He carries a Sig Sauer M17, a standard issue 9mm handgun. Burnett also commonly carries a Magnum Research .44 Magnum as a tertiary gun, given to him by Krauss. However, he lost the pistol in a duel with Abel Clark.