Anton Vires

### Education

* Honing of biotic capabilities as a child in a Cerbarus base (no longer uses this training)
* Attended university and law school on Earth

## OOC Info

### Status

Inactive

**Anton Vires** is a lawyer working for the Council Recovery Corps on the recommendation of the Roussel family. Although born on Thessia, he was kidnapped at a young age and raised in a Cerberus base to train his biotic abilities. This past is known to few and his biotics are carefully concealed.

## Biography

Anton was among the first, and remains among the few, humans born on Thessia, the asari homeworld.  His parents, Anthony and Diane Vires, were trailblazers in their own right, being among the first human diplomatic envoys to the asari people.  As such, the Vires family was given a part-time residence on Thessia, at which Anton’s parents elected to stay most of the time, as Thessia was much more hospitable than other planets.  It was here, on Eezo-rich Thessia, that Anton was conceived.  During a tour of an asari facility--a formality for ambassadors and dignitaries, a reactor overloaded, exposing Diane to an extremely high concentration of eezo.  Although she was unhurt, this moment, which occurred before Anton’s birth, would come to be one of the defining moments of Anton’s life.

Anton was born on July 8, 2158, on Thessia.  Anton spent his early years, thanks to his parents’ status, being educated by asari tutors on Thessia, instilling in Anton a thirst for knowledge and a love of learning.  Truth be told, Anton likely had one of the greatest early educations ever enjoyed by a human being at this point, being privately tutored on Thessia in the early 2160s.

All of this changed, however, in 2167.  Due to humanity’s new place in the galaxy, human biotics were something of an unknown quantity for the species, and certain pro-human groups desired to learn more about them--there was no better candidate for study than one of the first human beings born on the asari homeworld.  While en route to Earth, Anton and his parents were intercepted by one such pro-human group: Cerberus.  Knowing the status of Anton’s parents would prevent any deal from being made (and that Anton’s parents could immediately go to the press or worse, the Council for help), the strike team destroyed the family’s shuttle after abducting the young boy.  Anton’s parents were dead, and his life would never be the same.  Although Anton had memory of a violent altercation involving the deaths of his parents, his youth left the memory clouded and, in time, only an abstraction.  He remembered certain details--an uninvited docking, gunfire, an explosion--but, the visceral memory faded in time.  Because the Cerberus docking occurred while Anton was asleep, he did not even see the deaths of his parents.  He awoke to gunfire and was then taken by a Cerberus officer.

Thus, at the age of eight, Anton was taken from the lush, peaceful asari homeworld and placed into a Cerberus lab, along with a handful of other biotically-gifted children.  Due to the high eezo concentration on Thessia, combined with his mother’s exposure to a large amount at one time, Anton’s abilities stood out immediately as the best at the lab.  This afforded Anton certain privileges that the other children did not enjoy--his own room, his own bed, his own desk, and even “free time.”  As he got older and was able to make more specific requests, Anton even requested tutoring sessions in history, philosophy, and political theory.  These were simply inherent interests of his.  For all he knew, this was his life now.  Still, it was not a pleasant life.   As time passed and Anton conversed with the other children (when allowed to do so), he began to realize that all of the other children had been abducted, usually violently, by Cerberus.  Some had been voluntarily sold by needy parents, and a few had been orphaned and picked up from the streets.  Still, the majority were kidnapped against the wills of their parents.  Although Anton could not well remember his parents' faces or the sounds of their voices, he did remember their love for him.  He knew at this time that his parents did not give him up voluntarily--he concluded that Cerberus had taken him and had killed his parents in the resultant conflict.  Despite his new knowledge, the preteen Anton never mentioned anything to his Cerberus captors, even though he was given special attention.  The rule by Cerberus was by fear, not by love, and Anton feared his captors beyond all else, while also growing to hate them for what they had done.

Although the first few years of his “training” at the base consisted of merely honing general biotic abilities, the nature of Anton’s training changed when he turned 13.  Rather than general biotics, Anton was increasingly prompted to act on aggression and to employ offensive biotic techniques--usually, those capable of ripping a victim’s body apart, slamming them to the ground, or crushing them.  It was clear that Anton, and the others, were being trained as weapons.  Thus, after two years of this offensive training, and by the time he was 15, Anton realized what he was being bred for: this organization, Cerberus, was attempting to use biotic humans as some kind of weapon against other species as well as humans who would oppose them.  Having a special affinity for the asari, Anton resented his captors for this even more than he thought possible after they deprived him of a normal life and normal family.

It was not long after this time, however, that the Alliance finally caught wind of Cerberus activity, as well as the fact that one of the first Thessia-born humans was currently being held at such a lab.  The Alliance dispatched a rescue team to free the children from the base--the team made short work of the Cerberus forces.  The children were freed. Although Anton was, indeed, freed from his torturers and captors, he was also freed from his only structure and purpose.  With Alliance aid, as well as family money, Anton was able to enroll in an earth-based university, studying the classics: philosophy, history, theology, political theory.  Anton did his very best to hide the fact that he was a biotic--after all, most humans on Earth, although they knew humanity was not alone in the universe, had not actually left Earth and had no real idea what a biotic was.  Anton was already seen as something of an outsider having been born on a far-away planet, and he wanted nothing more than to fit in.  So, Anton resolved to hide his biotic abilities for the rest of his life.

Realizing that one could not simply study the humanities and then become a statesman, Anton stayed at the same university, enrolling in law school.  Although he was contacted by the Asari Republics, who asked if he would prefer to study law on Thessia, Anton felt too great of a pull to instead remain on Earth and acquire the traditional human law school education.  Such a decision, Anton knew, may have limited his abilities with asari (or other alien) sectors, but he would still be able to land a job on the Citadel or on Earth.  Further, Anton began to fear that, in its rush to quickly assimilate into the galaxy community, humanity was racing towards forgetting its own history.  Having been tortured by Cerberus for years, Anton felt no love for overtly pro-human groups, but he did believe it was important to maintain species identity.  Anton felt it important to learn human law, grounded in human conceptions of morality.  Throughout his education, Anton remained in contact with his asari tutor, Viscenna, who discovered he had survived what was thought to be the freak accident that killed his parents.  The two remained in contact throughout Anton’s time in law school, and Anton would even meet her on the Citadel during breaks from school.  She would always invite him to return to Thessia, either as a student or simply to see his childhood home, but Anton always refused, fearing emotional pain that could accompany such a visit.

Between his second and third year of law school, as is custom, Anton worked for the large, Earth-based law firm Pearson Russell LLP.  Although young attorneys with the firm were typically required to work at one of the Earth-based offices before requesting transfer to the firm’s Citadel office, Anton was granted a starting position at the Citadel office due to his old asari connections--they were indeed old, but his mere existence was something of a known fact among asari leadership, as well as the fact that his parents had been executed under mysterious circumstances, with Anton somehow surviving.  To this day, Anton does not know how much the asari, or the Alliance, know of Anton’s abilities (the victim’s names and statuses were kept private, so it is difficult for Anton to know how much knowledge is out there).

On the Citadel, Anton’s career took off, as he became connected not only in the legal world but also the lobbying and political arenas.  Some recognized his last name, but most simply saw him for his raw talent and striking ability to turn on charisma whenever needed.  Anton would go onto serving as a partner in the firm’s massive litigation group, as well as one of the firm’s government relations leaders--both for Earth and human-centric matters, as well as with respect to alien affairs.

Anton remains plagued by nightmares of his time in the Cerberus labs, and often awakes in a cold sweat to find the contents of his room turned over or destroyed--he is unable to control his biotic powers in his sleep.  Anton has looked into the status of some of the other children who were in the lab with him, and the results discourage him each time.  Many are dead due to the experiments themselves, others ended their own lives years later.  Others were in high-security prison ships.  Anton began to see himself as possibly the only product of these experiments that was living a normal life, and he could only imagine this was due to his refusal to use his biotics or even let the world know he had such an ability.  Anton’s experiences have led him to allocate pro bono hours to helping abducted children and pursuing Cerberus in court whenever and wherever possible.

During the Reaper threat, Anton’s life was temporarily upended, along with the lives of most organics in the galaxy.  Because he had no combat experience, and did not want to inform the world of his biotic capabilities, Anton returned to Earth in order to stay with a college friend and his family, located in the midwestern region of the North American continent.  Although Earth was targeted by the Reapers, Anton’s friend’s family lived in a small town largely in the middle of nowhere, the kind of settlement that would be taken once the Reapers had annihilated larger population centers.  Anton would express his regret at not doing more to combat such an existential threat to the galaxy, but would then console himself by suggesting he had no combat experience and would be useless in any given fight.  Of course, in truth, this was not the case and was merely a lie he told himself.  Upon the termination of the Reaper threat, Anton returned to the Citadel.  For some time, his job was slow, as his work dealt with commercial matters which were largely put on hold due to the Reaper threat and its aftermath.  But, in time, things began to thaw and life returned to relative normalcy.

Anton thought he had a good thing going on the Citadel--living his life, burying the past. Still, at the same time, Anton questioned whether he was living much of a life at all.  The day in, day out law firm life, government functions, meeting with politicians all led Anton to believe that maybe he was missing out on a greater purpose, or some larger plan.  But, as far as he could tell, there were no plans for people like him.

All of this changed when Anton received a message from a man he’d met once or twice at functions--Silas was his name--a partner with a competing Earth-based firm, located in Demeter.  Anton’s abilities, on Earth and the Citadel, had caught the attention of one of Demeter’s oldest, most well-connected families: the Roussel’s.  Anton had heard the name, and although his family wasn’t as connected as the Roussel’s, he knew what it meant to be from a family where many knew who you were.  Having diplomat parents assassinated in a Cerberus attack would tend to do that.  Anton’s capabilities, especially when combined with his young age, had apparently so  impressed this family, who in turn reached out to Anton by way of intermediary.  Anton had no reason to know how or why the Roussel’s would use this specific firm other than the fact that the firm must have done extensive work for the family in the past.

As requested, Anton called Silas, who informed him that the Roussel family had, as Anton suspected, taken notice of the man’s abilities in litigation and government lobbying and reasoned that Anton could be useful for what Silas then referred to as “one of the sisters’ pet-projects.”  Anton groaned at the thought, as he knew what this likely meant, and he also knew that one does not typically turn down such an offer from the Roussel family.  In fact, his firm wouldn’t allow him to turn it down, Anton knew, if this opportunity was what he believed it to be.

And, it was.  In an otherwise unceremonious phone conversation through a third party, Anton was more or less told he was about to work for the Council Recovery Corps.

The pay cut would be massive.  The hours would be even more brutal.  The lifestyle would be horrific.  Anton would be taken to new places, out of his comfort zone--and, most of all, he worried if the stressors would aggravate his latent biotics.  Anton disclosed the offer to the firm, which immediately told him he’d be going to work for the CRC--having an alumnus who went onto work for the CRC would boost the firm’s reputation, Anton was told.  Besides, the firm assured Anton, his place would be saved for when “all that nastiness was dealt with.”  Anton put up no resistance--it was futile.  Personal desires never mattered in these situations.  The Thessia-born, Cerberus-raised, Earth-educated attorney was about to bite off far, far more than he could chew.

And, unlike the heroes of all the tales, human and alien, old and new, who were always eager for the next challenge, Anton wanted nothing to do with it.

## Personality

A shrewd, private man, Anton is not known for his boisterousness.  Although he is certainly capable of being social and friendly, Anton rarely inserts himself into situations to be so.  This is due, in part, to an anxiety he has held since his liberation from the Cerbarus base that performed countless experiments on him and other biotic children.  He is slow to trust others, and slower still to befriend them. He has found this habit to be advantageous in his profession as an attorney and lobbyist on the Citadel.  That said, Anton is capable of turning on the charm as he has had to on numerous occasions when lobbying the politicians of the Citadel.  Anton is the perfect image of shy, but not socially awkward.  That said, Anton has also never yearned for the limelight.  He is seen as good at what he does, and is respected by most of the professional community, but he feels no need to expand beyond that.  He is open to this happening, for he is ambitious, but his own anxieties relating to his past hold him back.

To that point, Anton goes out of his way to suppress his anger and nearly all other negative emotions.  Because Anton has not honed his biotics since being freed from the Cerbarus base in his youth, he does not have great command of them if his emotions get the better of him.  So, Anton instead seeks to simply keep himself even, avoiding situations causing extreme distress or anger.  None of his work associates seem to be aware that Anton is a biotic at all.  Still, the fact brings him great shame and embarrassment.

### Exceptional Skills

* *Oratory Skills and Writing Capabilities -* Although this somewhat comes with the territory of his profession, Anton possesses considerable oratory ability, as well as the ability to write clearly and concisely.  Outside of his profession, these talents manifest themselves in his love of learning and reading.  He has a particular affinity for the wisdom of humans and Earth-based knowledge (particularly the Ancient Greeks and Early Church).  He worries that humanity’s rush into galactic affairs has caused the species to lose what makes it fundamentally human (he is not xenophobic--rather, simply believes humans are forgetting their culture).
* *Immense, But Hidden, Biotic Capabilities -* As referenced above, Anton is a biotic of considerable ability, but he refuses to use these talents after being rescued from a Cerberus base in which he was experimented upon during his youth.  Instead, these capabilities only show themselves in moments of extreme anger, panic, or frustration.  Anton does his very best to not only not use his powers, but to convince the world (and himself) that he is not biotic at all.
* *Bare Minimum Weapon Proficiency -* Although Anton can use a weapon, he does not often need to in his daily life.  He has a rudimentary, basic understanding of handguns, but has no knowledge of larger firearms.

## Physical Description

Anton stands just above average height for a human male, at 5’11.  His current weight is about 200 lbs.  His appearance is best described as bulky, rather than muscular on one extreme or overweight on the other.  Anton sports a full, thick beard--this is where most of his hair is, as he balded at a young age (as did his father before him).  Anton’s eyes are a deep blue--sapphires sunken in a prematurely worn face.  The stress of Anton’s childhood, as well as that of his profession, has aged him more rapidly than most.  Despite being in his early 30s, Anton looks about ten years older than that.

Anton is usually seen wearing business professional clothing, as is required for his profession.  Because his life is largely spent buried in his work, the only times he is outside of his apartment for non-work purposes are to grab food or a drink, which he does after work.  Thus, whenever seen publicly, Anton appears to be wearing his professional attire.

### Abilities

* Slam (refuses to use in daily life)
* Warp (refuses to use in daily life)
* Pull (refuses to use in daily life)