Solomon Pierce's Biography

[LoneTophat]

Solomon was only twelve years old when his homeworld, the small colony planet of Aludra II, was abandoned by the Sol Union. The colony was built primarily to extract mineral resources from the extensive surface level deposits, and his family had lived their for as long as they could remember. No reason beyond the usual was given for their abandonment, "unsustainable", "difficult to defend", etc. It didn't really matter the reason the government gave, as the colonists knew the darkness was fast approaching without the Sol Union's patrols to keep it at bay. In a year's short time, the main settlements had collapsed in disarray, civil unrest creating an unmanageable situation for the local governors, all while reports of surface banditry increased. But then they came.

Opportunistic space pirates, anti-Sol rebels, or malignant interstellar corporations, the colonists did not know. Their high powered weaponry and orbital bombardment capabilities quickly eliminated any organized resistance efforts, and Aludra II was conquered when young Solomon was but fifteen. His parents died in the ensuing firestorm, leaving him alone, with nothing but his minor possessions. Fate would not damn Solomon Pierce, however, as it had Luck smile upon him in his moment of need. A small survey vessel received the distress signals sent years previous by the aggrieved governors of the planet, and sent down a small exploratory party to an abandoned mining town where the signal was located.

What they found was horrific, of course, burnt bodies huddled in their meager shelters, dying families trying for some small comfort before the end. But they also found a rag-tag bunch of survivors, children who had been hiding in the mineshaft before the impending firestorm. This is when the Sol Union rediscovered Solomon Pierce, not knowing of what service he would provide in his later years. The survivors were evacuated offworld, to a minor research station orbiting a gas giant. It was here where Solomon would become a man, growing into a hard and severe youth with a penchant for violence. Mister Pierce may have had an entirely different ending, if not for the fateful day the Sol Union Navy came recruiting. He was bored of bar fights and lonely nights in the drunk tank, he sought more than a meaningless existence on a research station without need of him. And so he enlisted, and became a Navy man.

Solomon served as a Sol Union Marine for his first two tours of duty, frequently getting into small firefights with planetary rebels or interstellar pirates. He distinguished himself as a courageous man with an iron will, but continued to show a penchant for violence outside of combat. Despite Pierce's quarrelsome nature, he rose through the ranks during his service as a marine aboard multiple patrol vessels, until he found himself in command of a small squad of his own. This is where he shined, commanding small away teams of men he knew intimately, while also getting his own hands dirty in the action. It was also where he experienced the bullet wound to high right thigh, luckily he recovered after being evac'd by his dedicated comrades-in-arms, professing they'd never leave him behind even after he ordered it so. It was not to last, however.

Solomon's commanding officer chose to submit him for a battery of tests to see if he was eligible for commissioned officer training at East March Academy, the finest military establishment in the Sol Union. Few soldiers proved themselves worthy enough to go from grunt to commander, creating a highly competitive atmosphere for the battery of tests. Solomon survived, somehow, battered and bloodied, but no less victorious from the final bouts. He began his training immediately, shipping off to Mars. He was by no means a perfect officer, often quarreling with those he had a moral or personal disagreement with. These conflicts didn't stop his peers from viewing him as a highly competent man when put under pressure, not one to break under fire by any means. Four grueling years later, he graduated with high enough marks to warrant a commission. He was given the position of XO aboard SUS Judgement, a Sentinel-class destroyer. It was one of his proudest moments...

--To Be Continued--