Patrick Reca

12/25/15 -- This character is official inactive.

"C'mon, I'm just as scared as you are, but you've got a job to do. Set your boots on the line," - Corporal Reca to Corporal Cross.

Corporal Patrick W. Reca (Service Number 31576-04722-PR) is a twenty-four year old Marine stationed onboard the Paris-class Heavy Frigate UNSC Warspite in 2555, three years after the Human-Covenant War. Assigned to the 1st Platoon /Charlie Company /3rd Battalion /4th Marines /5th Marine Expeditionary Unit/6th Marine Infantry Division (1P/C/3B/4R/5MEU/6ID), under the command of Captain Johnathon C. Scott (Company Commander) and Second Lieutenant Vlad Eisenberg (Platoon Commander).

Early Life
Patrick William Reca was born in Pirth City, Arcadia, in the Procyon star system on February 8th, 2531. The only child of Connor Reca and Morgan (Stacy) Reca, the Reca's lived in a modest home on the outskirts of the city. When the Covenant invaded, Patrick had been born only the day before in a Hospital within the residential district of Pirth City. One of the first medical centers to have been evacuated by Metro Police forces defending the city, Patrick and his Mother were boarded onto a city transport bus; prioritizing the critically disabled, his Father was left behind to be taken by an alternate route to the Starport. Upon arriving, they were hastily loaded on board a civilian evacuation transport, bound for a random off-world destination as per the Cole Protocol. Reaching full capacity, the UNSC repelling several attempts at attacking, the transport was forced to take off, leaving behind the carnage below. The transport, the "Fairmount," quickly escaped atmosphere and jumped to slipspace along with hundreds of other evacuation ships. Due to the lack of proper medical care and stress of the situation, his Mother perished on board, rendering Patrick as an orphan; another of the thousands created from the as yet six-year-long war. He was placed in the care of the surviving medical staff.

Due to the time it takes to travel through slipspace, and given the rules as per the Cole Protocol, the Fairmount did not arrive at its destination until a month later at the closest Human colony, the stronghold world of Reach. Brushed and grazed by close calls from the plasma fire, the Fairmount landed at terminal 7-F of the Manassas starport.

Reca would spend the next seventeen years in the refugees camps outside the city, taken care of as an infant by volunteers. The volunteers, becoming increasingly more used to the import of refugees from distant worlds, eventually became unsympathetic as well, leaving the millions of displaced colonists to their own devices. In 2536, the local governing body in Manassas passed a legislation to provide free primary education to the ever-growing refugee population. While this sparked an uproar with the permanant civilian populous who had to deal with increased taxes to supplement the education system, it soon became a lucrative charity; keeping orphaned children off the street, the Metro Police's hands relatively free of them as a result, and giving the minority basic schooling so-as illiteracy would become less common. Reca began attending the Agnes Bartok Primary School at the age of five, his shyness making him indistinguishable in the crowd of dirtied-faced students.

Military Service
Patrick was stationed aboard the UNSC Derigard as a member of C Company, First "Oscar" Platoon; a unit within the 5th Marine Expeditionary Unit. Shortly after, the MEU was reassigned to the UNSC Warspite for further deployment. While not the most noticeable Marine, Reca was promoted to Private First Class a week after his initial assignment.

A Simple Patrol...
Day eight, the Warspite made a slipspace jump to an unknown ice world in presumably neutral territory. Lead by Sergeant Trisha Lumbarson, Reca and his squad were taken down to an abandoned Forward Operating Base to set up a roaming patrol of the area. Upon their arrival on the ground, they attempted contact with a parked civilian-marked ship a kilometer away. No response was returned, but it was evident that the ship was having some sort of engine trouble. Corporal Partney was dispatched with a fireteam to investigate, only coming under heavy sniper fire after crossing an open field, causing several of his men to become wounded.

Reca, as well as Private Dennis, Corpsman Tucker Sheppard, and Corpsman Recruit Wyatt were then tasked with linking up with Partney and his fireteam. Bypassing a rockfield near their position, Reca assisted in securing Partney's wounded and carrying them back to the F.O.B. It was discovered later during the patrol that HOTH had laid a trap to draw the UNSC out, using the civilian ship as bait, and had deployed a Tri-Walker to their eliminate Reca's squad. Upon Sergeant Lumbarson's request, an Archer Pod Missile was launched to destroy the walker, effectively halting HOTH's assault on the F.O.B. Reca assisted once more in carrying wounded Marines to the medical triage before the Warspite dispatched a pelican for extraction. Post-Op, Reca was promoted to Lance Corporal, recommended personally by Corpsman Sheppard, saying to Corpsman O'Reilly after the mission debrief "...Should of seen this kid. He puts out good work."

Malong
Three weeks into deployment, HOTH staged a major offensive on the city of Malong in a nearby star system. The Fifth, as well as several other Marine Regiments, were deployed to the outskirts to sweet and clear all hostiles. Under the command of then-Gunnery Sergeant Axel Hunter, the Fifth slipped into HOTH territory unnoticed, finding an empty FOB at which to establish forward operations. Moving forward through the trenches and sewage drains, Reca, apart of Sergeant Holliday's Alpha Squad, assisted in moving up the Fifth's right flank. Then the mission began to fall apart. HOTH moved in with heavily armored Tri-Walkers and bombarding the squads with corrosive gas mortar shells. Unable to hold the flank, Alpha fell back to the trenches.

The Tri-Walker continued to prove impeding to the mission, escalating matters when one of its rounds blew off Gunnery Sergeant Hunter's foot. Pinned down and unable to move, Alpha scaled an overpass, level with the HOTH armor, and provided suppressing fire for Bravo so they could evacuate. Gas continued to fall, increasing in tempto and intensity; a full retreat was called. Upon being forced to fall back, snipers began to open fire, causing several fleeing marines to drop on open ground. Reca, running back, picked up the wounded Private Adam Lancaster and laid him against the trench wall for the corpsmen. Lance Corporal Jefferies was also hit, and laying in the open; Reca dragged him to cover as well. At this point, besides the wounded, Reca was the only one in the FOB, separated from Alpha who had moved off and left him behind.

After a few minutes of attempted first aid, Bravo finally arrived, dropping off their numerous wounded, followed by the Corpsmen. Pelicans began to arrive, landing amongst the heavy anti-air fire, taking the wounded back to the Warspite, and finally returning for the able-bodied Marines. Loss reports were posted; the seventh MEU had been decimated, the Fifth had had significant blood-shed of its own, and the abandoning of the city would only spell disaster for its surviving citizens (whom would fall under HOTH's control).

Nightmare Fuel
[WIP]

Down the Rabbit Hole: Part 1
Several days post the Battle of Malong, the Office of Naval Intelligence alerted the Fifth MEU to a Remnant attack on one of their R & D facilities, one holding a high priority in the eyes of ONI brass. The Warspite immediately responded to the call, slipspace jumping to the installation. Hopping off the Pelican, Reca synced to Sergeant Lumbarson's Alpha Squad, who was tasked with defending the main entrance to the facility, whilst Bravo swept and cleared the interior. Supported by "Blitzkrieg," one of the 41st Engineer MSE's notorious Scorpion tanks, Oscar Platoon moved upon the facility, taking minor sniper fire for rooftop Jackal snipers.

Entering the facility was a simple feat, with only a few Remnant intruders holding the front doors. With the front lobby secured, Bravo moved on to its second task of clearing the lower levels; all was quiet for Alpha, until a Wraith burst open a metal vehicle entrance with plasma fire, and plowed its way into the main lobby. The Wraith driver began to fire the alien tank's heavy plasma mortar, but due to the low ceiling, the plasma simply detonated above it--a crucial error. Dismounting from Blitzkrieg, then-Sergeant Mark Howlett fired a pair of well-aimed rockets into the Wraith, effectively destroying it, and creating a suitable blockade of the door it had entered through. The lobby became quite, but the COMs did not. As Reca patrolled the entrances in a wide arc from the lobby's large glass windows, confusing ripped its way through Bravo Squad; men not where they were supposed to be, accompanying the wrong units, a much unneeded nightmare. Captain Johnathon Scott, the Commanding Officer of Charlie Company, fed up with the disarray, took control of the operation. Eventually, the attackers repelled, all squads were ordered to rendevouz in the facility's sub-basement where, to the amazement and fear of the enlisted, a teleporter the size of a four story building was stored. ONI had opened a temperal rift, leading to an unknown tropical world, and the Remnants had found other end of the portal. With all of Oscar Platoon and availible MSE rallied, Captain Scott ordered them through the portal. Reca was one of the last, hesitantly taking a large bound through the rift.

Down the Rabbit Hole: Part 2
Reca set his boots down on the warm sandy beach, struggling to keep his balance has the blood rushed back to his head, leaving his stomach furious form traversing the temperal rift. Charlie slowly regained their composure, assembling at the base of small plateua. Captain Scott ordered a move along the right flank, keeping close to the base while Blitzkrieg and the MSE moved to further down the coast. Without warning, Jackal sniper fire erupted, narrowly missing the Marines and merely striking at their feet. Quickly dispatched, Charlie angled left up the cliff, crawling to the edge, and spotting a Remnant scouting post across a hundred meter plain and up another smaller plateau. [WIP]

Codename: "Cloud-Breather"
[WIP]

One For Effect, Two For Good Measure
Three days thereafter, Oscar Platoon was deployed to defend a small civilian colony signalling with a distress call. Planetary scans showed HOTH had made a significant push into the area, an immediate cause for alarm to the UNSC. Under Sergeant Desmond Smith, Reca and Alpha Squad formed a small patrol that took them deep into a boxed canyon. Upon fully entering, HOTH made its first appearance of the mission; blowing the exit with strategically place IEDs and effectively cornering Alpha Squad. Taking refuge in an abandoned home within the heart of the ravine, Alpha held of several waves of HOTH forces making a daring rush to overwhelm them. They were unsuccessful, being mowed down by concentrated amounts of firepower by Alpha as a whole. An alternative exit was quickly found. Afterwards, Alpha relinked with Bravo and fell back to the F.O.B. set up within the town. Immediately upon arrival, HOTH artillery and air support ceased. Several pelicans with red markings were spotted across the bay, offloading large creates of ordinance. Warspite command announced to the entrenched Marines that radiation had spiked, and that ordinance was presumed to be a dirty bomb. Oscar platoon crossed the river, all hands on deck, to find and investigate the report. After clearing the opposite beach, it was discovered that, in fact, two nuclear dirty bombs had been armed. Following Sergeant Smith, Reca assisted protecting then-Corporal Allen while he began disarming the nukes. The bombs were disarmed quickly, and only a minor counter attack was faced when a HOTH-requisitioned attack helicopter made an appearance. Oscar Platoon, now victorious, was evaced to the Warspite soon after. To his surprise, Reca was promoted to a full Corporal. This promotion, whilst unexpected, would prove to shine a light on his greatest weakness: leadership.

Happy Springs
A week passed. Time on the Warspite seemed to crawl by, until a distress call was received by the Warspite of a CDF platoon that had gone missing in a nearby mine. Tasked by Commander ******* ***** to investigate, Lieutenant Vlad Eisenberg formed Oscar Platoon up in the hanger, naming Reca his Second-In-Command of Alpha squad. Deploying within the mine, several bodies of the CDF troopers were found, all dead from neither plasma or small-arms fire. All mutilated to some extent. Alpha took charge of forming a base of operations, while Bravo and Charlie explored deeper into the Mines. Twenty minutes went by, until a Private accidently discharged his rifle, causing waves-upon-waves of unknown creatures to pour out of the shafts. Immediately, paranormal activity spiked. An eerie music box, unlocatable, began to play as many Marines reported seeing ghosts, or fellow soldiers disappearing into thin air. Low on ammo and severely outnumbered, a full retreat was called. Post-Op, it was discovered that a few of the wounded Marines had become infected with an unknown virus carried by the "Mutants." Resident Office of Naval Intelligence swiftly ordered the executions of these Marines, fearing a potential outbreak, and ordered that all Marines be monitored for symptoms. The quarantine, after finding that the virus acted quick in its genetic mutations, was promptly lifted. Consequently, three executions had been ordered and carried out as a result.

"Sheppard"
The day after the Happy Springs incident, ONI picked up something interesting: the probable location of Tucker Sheppard. Corpsman Sheppard, who several weeks ago had been accused of conspiring against the UNSC with HOTH, arrested by the shipboard Military Provosts, and had escaped custody, had been identified living amongst a civilian population on an offworld location. The 5th MEU pursued the lead, jumping to the system and deployed to the surface. Under the operational command of Master Sergeant Trementias, Corporal Reca headed up Bravo Squad in patrolling the city, with the secondary objective of locating Sheppard. The mission quickly went awry, when HOTH ambushed them from balconies and rooftops. Several friendly fire mishaps ensued, causing disarray within the ranks. Orders were unclear and ever-changing, causing only more confusion, and frustration from Trementias. A clearing for MEDEVAC was made, and the 5th was redeployed to the outskirts of the city; Sheppard was making his escape. Bravo Squad, now redesignated as Charlie, was deployed along the 5th's left flank. Again, confusion ensued, with the ranking NCO in command of this leg of the Op giving vague orders. At the time of redeployment, Charlie squad numbered at only four members, merely fireteam strength, as did Delta (formerly Alpha) Squad. Moving back up and down the Flank, Charlie and Delta eventually were relinked with Bravo Lead, Gunnery Sergeant Hannah Klossner, when the underground network they had been traversing led them underneath a building the two fireteams had agreed to occupy. Simultaneously, Hotel Squad, had succeeded in locating and capturing the HVT (Sheppard). Objective complete, the 5th made a full retreat back to their hastely established F.O.B, only to be swarmed with numerous waves of infected Mutants, the very same that attacked them in the Happy Springs Mine. In the midst of their retreat, an IED exploded beside Reca, toppling him to the ground with second degree burns and multiple shrapnel wounds. The onslaught continued, and just when the 5th believed they were going to be left for dead, a flight of AV-14 Hornets and several Pelican dropships swooped in for the rescue. Reca was loaded onto one of the pelicans and offloaded in the medical bay on the Warspite.

Firecracker
[WIP]

Notable Leaders
*** Attention! The following are listed in order by rank. These are subject to change.***

Quotes

 * "Oh, this is all KINDS of fucked!"
 * "Suck on that, you split-jaw piece of shits!"
 * "Weirder things have happened..."
 * "I've got the blood of the Irish, but I can't hold my liquor..."
 * "I'm not drunk! You're drunk!"
 * "The Fifth MEU is where the UNSC sends their rejects. Including me."
 * "Well, i'm the third wheel again--You kids have fun!"
 * "Every R & R we go on ends badly! Remember what happened to Oak?"

Trivia

 * Reca is socially awkward, and while he attempts to make conversation, has trouble mingling in crowds.
 * Such awkwardness contributes to his inexperience as a squad leader.
 * Any time he smells fresh baked bread, Patrick leaves the room. When asked about this, he claims to have vivid flashbacks and the compulsory urge to steal the bread, and must excuse himself to avoid this.
 * Despite coming from two ancestrial backgrounds known for their drinking habbits, Reca is unable to handle his liquor, and is prone to getting drunk faster than most other Marines.
 * Was actually the one who found and raided a stash of Michael Trementias's Spacebits, and then framing Private Allison Fern (Deceased, KIA).
 * Reca, while holding high respect for authority, silently fears the Military Provosts stationed with the 5th.
 * For two minutes, he was the favorite of 2nd Lt. Eisenberg.
 * He then offered Eisenberg popcorn and was outcasted.

Addendum
*** I will be using the addendum to comment on specific points in OOC on the current mission***