Mack was born about 35 years ago and raised in a backwater planet (Azoth) whose sole natural resource is mercury. It doesn't do a bad tourist trade, as it has a respectable reputation for magnificent sunsets and some of the prettiest skies in the Empire due to some funky atmospheric compositions. 'The Quick Silver Resort' is the most expensive perched right on the edge of one of the canyons and only people who really are somebody get to stay there. Environmental laws were put in place very early on in the world's development so this is the only resort allowed get so close. There's several resort towns dotted along the fault lines. Tourists from the population centres of the Empire will usually return home and describe the people and culture as 'quaint'. They prefer to think of themselves as more moralistic and less materialistic than your average Imperial citizen. It's not true of course but that's the perception.
They're a little behind on matters of tolerance. They don't quite stone the perverts, druggies, and single mothers (anymore) but life can sure be made difficult for them - particularly in the towns with an older population.
Mack's mother (Ella Gautamov) was a tour guide attached to one of the middle range resorts. From a good family and with a bright future ahead of her. Of course she destroyed it all by getting knocked up at 20 by a tourist who was long gone from the planet and with no forwarding address by the time she realised. Not that she would have pursued him anyway - she got hold of some very liberal ideas in college and actually thinks it's okay to have casual sex and maybe even raise a child by herself! Her mother disowned her instantly when she a) refused to have an abortion and b) refused to sucker some poor sod into marrying her. Her mother was a very domineering woman and had some difficulty with her youngest daughter having a mind of her own. Her father used to occasionally sneak out so he could see her and Mack and help them out when they needed.
Mack was named after his grandfather but he hates the name. Even his mother calls him Mack since his surname is MacDevvin after his father. He and his mother lived in one of the more tolerant towns. It was still tough but she's a damn strong lady and never let anyone deter her. She has quite a good job now at the Quick Silver, despite all the hassles she's had to put up with. Her boyfriend for the last twenty years is a lawyer on an equal rights crusade which has helped a lot.
She made sure there was money enough for Mack to go to college. They were the best years of his life, taking all the classes he could think of, working on the college news team, racing all sorts of vehicles, hanging out, getting engaged... Wow, she was really something. Rielin blew his mind, she was the most perfect woman in the world in the history of ever. They couldn't keep their hands off one another and the days were counting down to their wedding day. He walked into the editing room one night after forgetting something he needed and found her in a very compromising position with their lead anchorman.
He dropped out of college and became a very very angry young man until one day his mother suggested he do something positive with that anger. He agreed and joined the troopers. Spent a good ten years squashing bugs, flying big transports to small skimmers, seeing the world, and experiencing all sorts of weird and wonderful things. Then one day a particularly foolhardy set of orders from a general for whom 'incompetent' is going easy on him, caused two of his best buds to be blown into itty bitty pieces. He got into a punch up with him and broke his jaw. The disciplinary board reviewed the circumstances, secretly agreed with him but had to be seen to side with the general, but swung him an honourable discharge (because his superb flying skills saved a lot more lives) and minuscule token pension. The general was 'invited' to resign with a handshake so golden it was blinding.
His Mom's boyfriend knew a guy who knew a guy who worked in Infocorp. He got the job surprisingly quickly and easily. It felt good to have a camera in his hand again, plus he got to do lots more flying. All in all, life is bearable. He's still got a lot of bottled up anger, of course. He has no faith in the military command system and women are not to be trusted on a long term relationship basis (long being more than a night). He has had working relationships, sometimes even friendships, with women but no more 'relationships' apart from the occasional one nighter to satisfy his libido. The only person he cares about other than himself, is his mother. He hasn't actually seen her since he joined Infocorp two years ago, but they keep in contact if he's assigned somewhere close enough to Azoth for it to be worthwhile making the call.
He's a cynic but his mother reckons there's still the smallest little glimmer of hope buried deep inside him that not everything has to end in pain death and horror. His prime objective is to show people the truth. Let them see what's really happening and make their own minds up.
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