Jonathon Rollins

> *"Did I ever say I'm getting too old for this shit!?"*
>
>

> -Rollins, *Struggle*
>
>

Operation Fobos (mentioned)

Flight of the Polunochnaya

Cybernetic Hand (MC only)

Rollins Private Investigation Firm (MC only)

Intelligence Agent

Private Investigator (MC only)

Rachel Enns

Harper Brooks (MC only)

Yegor Bykov (MC only)

Arkady Grishenko (MC only)

Caliphate Conflict (MC only)

Martian Insurrection (MC only)

Flight of the Polunochnaya (AC only)

## Introduction

**Jonathon Rollins** is a seasoned field agent for the Imperial Intelligence Agency, possessing a long and colorful career by the events of *Red Planet,* including service in the Canal War, involvement in the assassination of Chairman Yoo Il-Sang during the Ten Years' War, and perhaps helping save the world and ending the Caliphate Conflict.

Snarky, pragmatic, and highly skilled, Jon is one of the primary characters in the main canon, often providing a balanced, down-to-Earth view of the situation.

## Background

Being "born" in the Hub at the turn of the century, Jon was one of the first Frenkish humans to be produced via nursery. A troublemaker growing up, Jon was always the bane of his YDOs, and often found himself in and out of detention hall. After one of his overseers demeaned him for snooping around, he decided to make a career out of it, and became a police detective after graduation. However, his career in the Enforcers was relatively short, as he enlisted in the Imperial military during the outbreak of the Canal War, his skills as an investigator earning him an entry level position in the IIA.

While it seemed that he would make a fine candidate for the Investigation Bureau, he didn't much care for the work, calling it "shady and dishonest." Instead, he opted for Ranger combat training to join the SOG, which he considered to be the more adventurous path. Not much is known about his extremely brief stint with the Rangers, though by 2125, it is known that he was among a deployment of operators sent in to train a force of nationalist guerillas to provide local support to the Imperial Military behind enemy lines. Fighting alongside the Mostradors for most of the war, Rollins developed a charismatic streak that has become part of his personality and profile as an agent.

Though generally regarded as successful during the Canal War, Jon had witnessed his Mostradors commit many atrocities against Unified Army/Cazadore POWs and remote civilian populations suspected of continued loyalty to the USSA. These events had apparently taken a toll on Jon, leading him to mask his newfound hard and cynical inside with a snarky and friendly exterior. Though he followed his orders to continue handling the Mostradors, it is implied that Jon had something to do with the mysterious death of Mastrador leader José Almagro near the end of the war.

In the years after the war, Jon's success with the Mostradors prompted his sendoff on many "good will" missions across the world, taking him to many unrecognized backwaters (often in or around hostile territory) with the intent of spreading Frenkish relations with underground opposition groups and other "sovereign peoples". One such mission in 2130 took him to northern stretches of the Caliphate; home to the ethnic minority known as the Kurds, who had a long history of rebellion and dispute with the Islamic rulers. While most of the Kurds lived in impoverished ghettos and were subject to Caliphate oppression, Jon was led to an underground militia known as the Peshmerga, which borrowed it's name from the Kurdish military forces that valiantly fought against the ISIS horde in the early 21st century (although this Peshmerga considered themselves a direct continuation of such). It was there that he met their young "Captain", Azad; a "giant" feared by local Islamic troops.

Although initially distrustful of Jon and the Frenks (who Azad viewed as uncaring isolationists), the two soon became fast friends, and Jon secured Frenkish funding to help the Peshmerga-protected Kurds fight off the Caliphate occupiers and secure the former Kurdish capital of Erbil.

WIP

## Physical Characteristics

Jon is often described as a short, stocky man, though well-built and powerful-looking, as his occupation requires excellent physical conditioning. He sports a cybernetic eye augmentation in place of his right eye, which helps in analyzing environments and reading hidden data.

Prior to his interrogation by Trotskaya and ghoulification (main canon only), Rollins was black, and had short, dark hair that had begun to gray around the edges due to his age. He was normally clean-shaven, but sported a mustache. Although rugged and middle-aged, he has been described as being handsome in a "fatherly" way.

After his butchering at the hands of Trotskaya, he had lost his organic eye, right hand, and use of his penis (whether it was removed completely or simply crippled is unknown), along with several deep scars along his body and face. After his escape, his missing hand was replaced with a cybernetic, and he opted for an older model eye augmentation as an excuse to wear an eyepatch.

After his ghoulfication in Tora Bora, his appearance drastically changed. His dusky skin became pale and wrinkled to the point of disfigurement (the signature "rotting" look of ghouls). He lost all of his hair, his nose had fallen off, and his voice became raspy and harsh.

After his ghoulfication, he noted his difficulty in performing great physical tasks, blaming it on his weaker ghoul body, old age, and decades of chain-smoking. Though he certainly gets winded, he's still physically fit, and stronger than most.

## Personality

Jon is a very charismatic person, able to win people over and make people see things his way with his signature blend of raunchy, sarcastic humor, dry wit, and friendly persona. At first glance, one may see Jon as an easygoing, friendly man with a good sense of humor and a maturity level far below his age. However, Jon's experiences throughout the years have made him hard and cynical, and only those close to him (Hadrian Kelly, Darcy Lawrence, etc) would ever figure out his darker side.

Though cynical about human life, he becomes very attached to many people near him, who are often younger and lacking the experience he possesses (examples include Hadrian Kelly, Darcy Lawrence, Arkady Grishenko, Narin Rollins-Kelly, and Roosevelt Debs). He will go to great lengths to protect those he considers friends, and will do all in his power to ensure the well-being of his comrades, greatly risking himself in the process. One example includes his direct confrontation in Tora Bora, where he threw himself at Atlas in a vain attempt to save Hadrian Kelly (an encounter that would have led to Jon's inevitable death without Atlas' interference). Another is his continued protection of Roosevelt Debs during the latter half of *Red Planet* after Darcy becomes romantically involved with him and he sees the good in the young man, skirting around his duty to eliminate him for Smyth and instead opting for a much more dangerous route of direct pursuit of Blackhand.

Though often criticized for his recklessness and "direct" way of dealing with things, Jon is shown to be extremely intelligent and competent in his field. In the first half of *Struggle,* he utilizes his skill to successfully evade and eventually escape the overbearing Mecharussian force. This is shown much more clearly in *Red Planet,* where he manages to track down the antimatter core and Drago, evade Drago's assassination attempts, and go on to track him down once again on the surface of Mars. He successfully infiltrates the Laborer's Front with a solid cover story, and manages to get in good enough with Roosevelt Debs to guarantee a clean assassination and a mission success were it not for his eventual epiphany on the young revolutionary.

He's also been called a man "not to take anything too seriously", and is shown to keep a cool head in any given situation. The only time when his psyche seems to snap is immediately after his torture at the hand of Elena Trotskaya, and when Gyles uses Jon's newfound claustrophobia (as a result of Trotskaya's "questioning") to interrogate him later on. Otherwise, no matter the situation, he stays calm, cool and collected, both for his benefit and for the well-being of those around him.

Though not considering himself a morally-straight person, Jon seems to wish for the best outcome overall. Though questionable in his methods (such as his suggestion to shoot a pregnant Elena Trotskaya in the back during *Blood Debt* or his admittance in *Red Planet* to taking part in horrific acts of violence and brutality when needed), he is capable of seeing right from wrong, and almost always goes with what he sees, claiming everything else is "bullshit." This is seen prominently throughout *Red Planet,* such as diverting course from his mission to rescue the Mecharussian Yegor Bykov, or eventually deciding to spare and work with Roosevelt Debs after witnessing the damage dealt to the underprivileged mining class on account of RallCorp and Lanewood's administration.