Rupert Kai

Rupert Kai was a Queens Guard who'd served during the War of Century before retiring to reservist status at the conflict's end. He is most famous for his last stand made during the Dragoon Invasion of Roommenor.

## Early Life

Born in the coastal town of Havelock to a rather poor family, Rupert grew up as the War of a Century began to heavily escalate. However with his home so far away the conflict, the war initially had a positive affect on his family as the need for foodstuffs brought considerable business to the local fishing industry. This temporary bump in economic status would enable a young Rupert to travel Roommenor somewhat and especially visit the more major cities.

### Queens Guard Enlistment

On one particular trip to the capital city of Adelaide, Rupert was challenged by members of the Queens Guard convalescing there who demanded to know why someone as seemingly fit as him wasn't enlisted to fight. Rupert lied and explained he was only sixteen which hardly fazed the soldiers, who collectively marched him to a recruitment station and signed him up. Afraid, Rupert tried to leave the city but was halted due to an air raid. The following day he was rounded up and sent off for training.

Despite his trepidation, Rupert excelled in basic training, years of working on his father's fishing boat making him resilient and smart enough to follow orders. His capabilities were recognized upon graduation and he was transferred to the 41st Assault Pioneers, a unit especially tasked with dangerous breakthrough operations.

### Assault Pioneers

For over forty years, Rupert served in the 41st, fighting all over the continent. From the ruined streets of Melbourne to the mountain heights of the Del Anther range. In many cases Rupert was believed dead for days on end before he and other members of his unit would miraculously return. This uncanny ability gave the 41st a degree of prestige and afforded Rupert some notoriety.

Late in his tenure in the 41st the unit was transferred to serve in the Battle of Kian, responsible for multiple incursions across no man's land to raid enemy trenches. During one of these operations Rupert received shrapnel in his leg and was pulled off front line duty with the fear that the limb would need to be amputated. In an effort to save the leg, Rupert was to receive more delicate surgery which would also greatly extend his recovery period.

This injury would see Rupert relegated to light duty for the remainder of the war, many of his superiors striving to preserve him to hopefully see the conflict's end and enjoy peace time.

### Years of Jubilee

Discharged from the 41st at war's end, Rupert returned home to Havelock only to learn parents had both passed sometime ago, the message never delivered to him. For the better part of year he tried to resurrect his father's fishing business but the dynamic of the industry had changed greatly during his time fighting. Frustrated and depressed, Rupert left Havelock and attempted to reenlist in the Queens Guard but due to his age and the diminishing need for soldiers he was allocated to the 105th Support Battalion, a reservist unit working in logistics.

Striving to make the most of his current situation, Rupert worked exceptionally hard in the 105th. Even going as far as to volunteer for extra duties that most would see as beneath them. This spirit of gratitude quickly endeared him to majority of the unit.

## Dragoon Invasion

On April 4th 879 AF, Rupert had been charged with transporting and destroying a considerable amount of surplus from the War of a Century. His task brought him into the city of Melbourne just as the Alpha Clan landed on the beaches. At first assisting with evacuating civilians he quickly shifted his purpose as the Dragoons broke through the coastal defenses. Arming anyone and everyone willing from the consignment of surplus in his truck, Rupert took what was left and made his way into a apartment complex that had been struck by a misguided naval rocket.

Swiftly barricading himself inside of the lavatory of a ruined flat, he posted up at the window, overlooking an adjoining boulevard. Armed with an outdated automatic rifle, a tube rocket, and what's believed to be around three thousand rounds of ammunition, Rupert determined to defend his homeland to the last.

For the next forty eight hours he managed to hold his position, even as his section of the city fell firmly into Dragoon hands. Undaunted, Rupert continued to dog the Alpha Clan forces, using his tube rocket to disable a Dragoon IFV that had attempted to use the road he was protecting. For a time Alpha Clan command leaves the building alone, believing what must be a platoon of Queens Guard are dug in inside. Eventually scans of the structure prove it is simply the work of one lone soldier and the Dragoons dispatch a squad to neutralize Rupert.

Working to quickly terminate him, Alpha Clan sappers cut holes into the ceiling and walls of the lavatory and dump grenades inside. Ammunition expended, Rupert initially tried to throw the grenades back at his adversaries but soon there are too many, some historians estimating as many as a dozen pitched into the room. The ensuing explosions kill the Queens Guard veteran.

## Legacy

The story of Rupert's last stand would have remained unknown if not for the work of a human clerk serving with the Alpha Clan following the unification. Logging old Dragoon and Queens Guard transmissions the clerk uncovered the entire story of Rupert's action from outsiders' perspectives. Utilizing this information it was only a matter of identifying the person in question. Supposedly this led the clerk to attribute the deed to Rupert Kai, though some have argued against this decision.

Regardless if Rupert's final action was true or not, the story soon became a favorite amidst the rising anti-Dragoon insurgency, using him as a rallying symbol for other brave patriots to come forward and die for their homeland.