Thomas Shawcross

**Thomas Shawcross** was a UNA citizen who worked as a philosophy professor during and prior to the founding of the United Northern Alliance. He was the father of Alenna Shawcross. Thomas and his wife Leah Shawcross spoke out against the UNA's despotic government under Prime Minister Roland Harka, which led to their incarceration and separation from their daughter.

## Biography

### Early life (Pre-UNA)

Thomas Shawcross was born years before the UNA came to power and eventually became a philosophy professor. At some point, Thomas met a woman named Leah, and the two eventually married. At some point, Thomas and Leah met and befriended Octavio Bernal and his wife, who were members of the rebellion against the UNA. Eventually, Thomas and Leah had a daughter named Alenna. When Alenna was little, Thomas began teaching Alenna how to play the guitar at the age of six, and would tell her stories in Greek mythology. Thomas would often remind his daughter to "imagine Sisyphus happy", which would motivate his daughter to persevere in her future predicaments. Thomas and Leah at one point before the UNA restricted travel traveled to Florida to visit Octavio and his wife, where Alenna would sometimes play with Octavio's young son, Liam. Thomas and his wife were disgusted with the UNA's authoritarian rule over the populace, and they spoke out repeatedly against the oppressive government.

### Arrest

The Shawcross's repeated opposition of Prime Minister Roland Harka and the UNA government eventually caught the attention of the UNA secret police. One night, officers of the secret police stormed Thomas and Leah's apartment in New Boston, Massachusetts. Despite the couple's efforts to fight back, they were overpowered and arrested, while a ten year old Alenna was taken to Orphanage 41 in New Providence, Rhode Island.

### Incarceration and escape

Upon their arrest, Thomas and Leah were incarcerated in the UNA west coast, until they were transferred to The Wheel, a desolate island in the Pacific ocean, where the UNA deported captured rebels and political dissidents, as well as criminals. Eventually, Thomas, Leah, and the other prisoners established their own temporary residence with a primitive power station in response to the UNA bombing the island with chemical weapons, which killed many prisoners. At some point during their time on the Wheel, Thomas and Leah met Roland Harka himself, who had been usurped by his own corrupt staff and exiled to the Wheel. While many of their fellow prisoners were quick to torture and even emulate the former dictator, Thomas and Leah showed Harka pity and even helped tend to his wounds, but most of Harka's injuries were irreversible. Later, Thomas, Leah, and their fellow prisoners made a plan to infiltrate a UNA freighter that was ferrying prisoners from the UNA to the Wheel. When the ship arrived, Thomas, Leah and their fellow inmates raided the ship, killed the crew, and took over the ship, then they piloted the captured ship to Australia, an enemy of the UNA.

### Destiny Station and Death

Upon arriving on the coast of Australia, the escaped prisoners began building a base called Destiny Station inside a formation of sandstone to mask the fact that it was a rebel base. Upon Destiny Station's completion, the escaped prisoners established contact with every other rebel cell who opposed the UNA, and decided to unite together to bring down the UNA. Unfortunately, because Australia was at war with the UNA, Destiny Station was caught in the midst of the bombing conducted by UNA warplanes. During a raid, Thomas was present outside of the base trying to get some kids to safety when a bomb landed where Thomas was. The children survived, but Thomas was killed in the blast.