Difference between revisions of "AJ Olsen"

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James, The Duke of Waverley

James Archer, 1st Duke of Waverley, TC* QC GCS KoE KCE KM DSC* DCM NGC DFC* ADC PC, Also known as AJ Olsen, James Olsen and Mr. White. A flag officer in the Tyrin Royal Navy during the 2nd Azuli war. He is best known as one of the captains during the Battle of Grafton, and for simultaneously commanding the Cruiser Astute during the in the skies above Alkirk and for assuming command of the entire fleet during the battle of Alkirk. He is also known for planning and participating in the Assault on The Helix, which resulted in unconditional surrender of the Azuli in the Second Azuli War. He was a favorite of both King Derrod and his daughter Queen Emilie, and was made both Lord High Admiral and Admiral of the Fleet. While he is no longer actively in command of the Royal Tyrin Navy, he retains the title of Admiral of the Fleet for life.

History

Born on the planet Grafton 3 (locally known as "Earth" or "Terra"), it is known that he spent some time in local Naval Service. He then left Grafton aboard the ship Sapphire Star with friend Michael Houghtaling, and it is rumored became the pirate and assassin known as "Mr. White" and they are credited with the assassination of Boran Jarrett, a crime boss from Sicelei. They were know to frequent the pirate planet Tal Haliim, and had regular work from a crime boss there known as Kotu. Around this time they were joined by a young engineer, Milani et Sura, and a medic, Niraya Petton.

During this period their ship Sapphire Star was attacked by a larger pirate ship, the Royal Fortune, and their ship was critically damaged. With little hope, AJ and Mike repelled the Fortune's boarding party and boarded the Fortune, killing all but the pilot and capturing the larger ship. They recruited the pilot, Kai, and Royal Fortune became their new base of operations.

They were then hired by the dead Boran Jarrett's son, Tercei Jarrett, to transport his sister Tarya Jarret and the kidnapped Princess Emilie of Tyrin, but instead returned her safely home to Tyrin, imprisoning Tarya Jarrett and recruiting her bodyguard Vada Laney to their crew. On this return trip to Tyrin the Royal Fortune was attacked by several Azuli ships. They fought off the ships, and used a ruse to chase them off by using one of Fortune's drones to simulate an incoming warship.

In gratitude for the safe return of his daughter and fighting of the Azuli, AJ and Mike were commissioned as officers in the Royal Navy and knighted into the Order of the Sword. Once in Naval Service, they were recruited for a secret stealth mission which resulted in the destruction of a secret Azuli research base in the Draal system, and capture of the Phairon assault ship prototype. After turning over the Phairon, the Royal Fortune was sent back to Tyrin, halfway through the journey they received a distress call from the Grafton system, and diverted to investigate as they were the nearest ship by at least a day. The distress call was from a Royal Navy scout, the TSS Mistral which had been docked while doing a routine inspection of an unmanned weapons depot, HM Naval Anchorage Rook in orbit of Grafton-5. Rook had been captured by Azuli, and while Mike took a team aboard to locate survivors from Mistral and combat the Azuli, AJ stayed aboard Fortune and took command to engage an Azuli corvette, which was destroyed. The commanding officer of Mistral had been killed and the XO injured, so AJ was given temporary command of Mistral for her return home.

With Azuli routed, Fortune and Mistral headed for home. As a result of their successes, they were promoted and Mike was given command of the Frigate TSS Paladin with AJ as his XO, and command over a small squadron of ships. They were also elevatede to the nobility, with AJ granted a life peerage as Baron Archer. They were assigned to return to the Grafton system to patrol it and determine what the Azuli interest in it was. At Grafton they discovered a secret base created by an unknown race that had been long abandoned hidden inside an asteroid. After defeating the base's defense system they discovered that the base contained an advanced sensor and mapping system, and the system alerted them to a large number of Azuli ships that were massing at Grafton-8.

Mike then gave AJ command of the corvette TSS Swift, as her commander had been killed by the alien defense system, and the small group, consisting of Frigate Paladin, Corvette Swift, and the gunboats Hope and Fury engage the 14 ships that were drifting under low power in orbit of Grafton-8. The surprise attack was a success, with all ships in the Azuli force destroyed or captured as prizes of war, with no ships lost from the Tyrin force and few casualties.

The impact to their careers after the battle of Grafton was significant; AJ was elevated to Viscount Archer and promoted to Captain, and given command of the cruiser TSS Astute, his longest command. Mike was given command of a full squadron with Astute as his flagship, and placed under the command of Vice Admiral Morland, a brilliant tactician who was leading the forward battle. Admiral Morland dispatched them deep into an area of Azuli space known as The Marches, where they conducted a highly successful campaign against Azuli shipping, and conducted raids against production facilities. During this time Astute took heavy fire, and AJ took shrapnel to his face that resulted in a scar he would carry for the remainder of his life.

So impressed was His Majesty with their success, that he promoted AJ to Lord High Admiral and Mike to Lord High Marshal, giving them civilian command of the entire armed forces, with the intent of cycling them out of military service so they could focus on coordinating the war effort. In addition, AJ was elevated to the title of Earl, while Mike was elevated to a Duke.

Before their military service could officially end, the Azuli attacked Tyrin. Aboard Astute they joined in the fight to repel the attack. In Astute's sick bay King Derrod succumbed to injuries from the first wave of the attack, and the new Queen Emilie, distraught over her father's death, appointed AJ full military command of the Navy and Mike full military command of the Infantry - with her first command to them being, "Repel this attack as best you see fit is your first order, and the complete destruction of the Azuli war machine is your second.". In his new position as Admiral of the Fleet, AJ immediately promoted Mike to the rank of Rear Admiral, enabling him to take command of the defense. Because of the Admiralty's failures at the Battle of Alkirk AJ stripped them of their command authority, for a short time being the only central command authority in the Royal Navy.

In recognition for his actions at the Battle of Alkirk, AJ was elevated to the title of Duke, and awarded his second Tyrin Cross.

In response to the Battle of Alkirk, AJ and Mike planned and executed an assault on The Helix, the Azuli command center, in conjunction with a Naval assault on a major Azuli port. The raid on the Helix was successful, resulting in it's destruction. It was initially believed that the entire raiding party had been killed in the blast, but they had escaped in a prototype Azuli vessel known as the Shining Star, whose experimental drive had thrown them a kiloparsec away from the Helix, into Garn space. After a brief encounter with the Garn, (in which several Garn ships were destroyed and Mike and AJ in Nephilim Battlesuits engaged in ground combat against a small troop of Garn), they freed a group of workers from a Garn work camp and made their way to Tal Haliim.

On Tal Haliim they then freed their 'friends' Chaeli and Jisia from slavery and escaped, then after a brief stop to repair their old ship Sapphire Star they returned home to Tyrin to a heroes welcome. In the following months, AJ married Jaia Harville, now Duchess Waverley. For his service at the Helix, he was granted the title Lord Warden of the Azul Ports, awarded his second Distinguished Service Cross, elevated to Knight Grand Cross of the Sword, elevated to Knight Commander of the Tyrin Empire, and invested as Knight of the March.

Titles and Honors

• Lord High Admiral of the Tyrin Empire
• 1st Duke of Waverley
• 8th Earl of Waverley
• 1st Viscount Archer
• Baron Archer
• Admiral of the Fleet, Royal Tyrin Navy
• Lord Warden of the Azul Ports
• Colonel of Marines

Styled as: His Grace James, Duke and Earl of Waverley, Viscount and Baron Archer, Tyrin Cross for Valour, Queen's Cross for Gallantry, Knight Grand Cross of the Most Honourable Order of the Sword, Knight of the Most Noble Order of Emilie, Knight Commander of the Most Excellent Order of the Tyrin Empire, Knight of the Most Venerable Order of the March, Lord of Her Majesty's Most Honourable Privy Council, First and Principal Naval Aide-de-Camp to Her Majesty, Lord High Admiral of the Tyrin Empire, Admiral of the Fleet of the Royal Tyrin Navy, Lord Warden of the Azul Ports, Colonel of Marines

Service History

• Admiral of the Fleet
• Flag Captain, TSS Astute C688
• Commanding Officer, TSS Swift K272
• Executive Officer, TSS Paladin F133
• Commanding Officer, TSS Mistral SS45
• Executive Officer, TSS Royal Fortune

Awards, Honors and Decorations

• Knight Grand Cross of the Most Honourable Order of the Sword
• Knight of the Most Noble Order of Emilie
• Knight Commander of the Most Excellent Order of the Tyrin Empire
• Knight of the Most Venerable Order of the March
• Tyrin Cross w/ bar
• Queen's Cross
• Distinguished Service Cross x2 w/ "V" device
• Distinguished Conduct Medal w/ "V" device
• Naval Gallantry Cross
• Distinguished Flying Cross w/ bar
• Wounded Lion w/ 2 bars
• Gold Lifesaving Medal
• Azuli War Medal
• Azuli Campaign Medal w/ "GRAFTON", "MARCHES", "ALKIRK" and "HELIX" bars
• Tyrin Valorous Unit Commendation
• King's Meritorious Unit Citation
• Royal Navy Meritorious Unit Citation
• Mentioned in Dispatches x3
• Naval Aviator Badge
• Marine Special Warfare Badge
• Command in Space Insignia

Campaigns and Actions of Note

• Assault on the Helix
• Battle of Alkirk
• Battle of Grafton
• Lower Marches Campaign
• Assault on Draal research facility
• Defense of Royal Palace against terrorist action
• Defense of Royal Residence against terrorist action
• Defense of HRH Princess Emilie from Azuli Warships
• Recovery of HRH Princess Emilie from kidnappers

Special Notes

• AJ has an implant designed for the Garn Special Forces that increases his strength and agility, and makes him extremely quick in combat. It also promotes rapid healing, and as a result he appears about ten years younger.
• AJ carries a pair of Garn Pulse Carbines, which looks like heavy pistols, but have the power of a combat rifle, fires rapidly, and are highly penetrating.
• Long-term exposure to the drug Dymora has given him an extremely extended lifespan, and limited telepathic ability