Ruin

Ruin is a Lunite engineer, well known for being softspoken and more than a little bit of a workaholic. Brilliant with anything mechanical, his social skills often leave him stammering in personal situations. Perceptions of Ruin range from "cynical paranoiac" to "naieve idealist" to, in some cases, "shiny sex toy" and "doormat". All, none, or any of the above may be accurate at any given time.

History
Ruin Pia was born in 2980 on Rima Sirsalis, Luna, to Rurik Dobrolubov of Ungstir and Sadhbh Pia of Luna. Sabhbh was an accountant for a Lunite corporation; Rurik was an Ungstiri trader. Ruin grew up in a household that was only just barely more Lunite than Ungstiri in atmosphere. From his mother, Ruin learned silence and self-effacement; keep your head down and do your job. From his father, Ruin developed a fierce internal pride and determination; he knows what he can do, and he knows he can do it well. From both of them he learned to value independence and the right to be himself, for anyone to be any way they choose as long as it's not hurting anyone else, and a kind of oaken religious faith in a God who doesn't want to hear the words so much as see the actions.

He showed a particular genius for mechanical contrivances at an early age, which was encouraged by his family through the relatively inexpensive option of simply giving Ruin any broken appliance in the house to play with. His social isolation - due to this genius not extending to people - had the net effect of pushing him toward an interest in artificial intelligence programming. Knowing himself the sort of person who can't make his hobby his career, however, he studied engineering - planning to serve aboard his father's ship when he'd learned what he needed to.

Ruin was accepted with honors to the University of Plato on Luna in 2998, studying engineering. His father died in an attack by the Nall in 3001, his ship destroyed. Ruin hid behind his studies, completing his bachelor's degree (Engineering, with a focus in energy conversion) with honors (summa cum laude in cursu honorum) in 3002. As politics on Luna were getting increasingly heated, Ruin and Sadhbh started looking for a way out and somewhere to go, on what funds the family had after paying for Ruin's education. His mother's death in a Republic attack left Ruin traumatized, and he often finds himself unable to move when guns are pointed at him. Grief for his mother combined with the pent-up grief for his father and for the state Luna was rapidly falling into, and he fled with what was left of his family's funds to New Luna at the end of 3003.

New Luna
Settling in Freedom City, taking on the odd repair job or programming job to pay bills when necessary, Ruin was cut adrift from everything that had previously driven him to excel. He kept up with news of Luna, "listening to it fall", but for a few years he let himself fall apart and grieve. From 3003 to 3004, he took on odd jobs to pay bills and devoted a lot of his time to working on his AI, or reading texts on robotics or engineering in a theoretical way. Looking at the prospect of putting his AI into a robotic body, he knew he didn't want it to look human owing to the potential misunderstandings in mindset. He came across a sociological study of Demarians, liked the basic appearance of them, and started toying with the idea of a felinoid form in his theoretical blueprints.

It was the study of Demarians that rekindled Ruin's drive, and for a few years he threw himself back into his studies - refreshing what he learned in college, picking up what new texts he could afford. Mental focus was more difficult to recapture, however, and Ruin picked up the study of yoga to augment the oak-solid religious faith his father had left him. All there is left, as far as Ruin can tell, is New Luna; he's lost everything once, and he's not going to do it again.

New Luna Militia
Ruin was taken into the New Luna Militia in the summer of 3006, Ruin served as an engineer on Hancock Station and as Engineer's Mate for the Riposte under Captain Taeren M'nammrann. Often voluntarily pulling double shifts to work on multiple projects, Ruin was given a minor promotion not long after his induction. However, his service ended abruptly with the murder of a comrade during a training exercise - an act to which Ruin responded by summarily executing the killer. For this Ruin was given a dishonorable discharge from the Militia in August 3006.

Despite this, Ruin remains on good terms with several current and many former members of the Militia, most notably his former captain Taeren and his best friend Jantine. Ruin has been known to volunteer his services as engineer to the Militia whenever asked, although theories about his motives for doing so differ.

The Watchers
"Don't judge me by what you've heard of the Watchers. Judge the Watchers by what you learn of me."

Spared a lengthy prison term - and probable execution - by the intervention of Jeff Ryan, Ruin was brought into the Watchers. Serving first as crew aboard the IND Saviour's Haste, under captain Brandon McDowell, he didn't so much receive training as pick it up while other things were going on. When Brandon stepped down, he named Ruin as the captain to succeed him. Ruin's primary task most of the time is keeping the Saviour's Haste in spaceworthy condition - no easy task - but he's been known to stretch his legs and meddle in (or otherwise be involved in) the events of whichever planet he's stranded on this month, as well as pick up such Watcher's training as he can get his hands on.

Ruin's more of a philosopher than a mystic, more a courier than a combatant, but he's devoted himself in his own way to the Watchers and to the Saviour's Haste. His tendency is, most often, to question and analyze and doubt whatever he's handed, and to look at the small picture rather than the big one. His most central belief about the group is that Watchers should be individuals first; he is almost never seen wearing any form of Watcher regalia.

His first chosen mission was to finish what was begun on Vollista, helping the locals arrange for a bloodless shift in governmental power after Voltrema's takeover. He assisted for a while in tracking down the operatives of Orion Arm Retrievals and Security, as well.

Ruin has maintained a somewhat uneasy relationship with his identity as a Watcher, vacillating between attempting to hide it and publicly declaring it. This has gradually evolved into a rather 'don't ask, don't tell' sort of approach, neither delaring it nor taking pains to hide it.

Osirian Enterprises
In early 3007 one of his first actions was to transfer the bulk of his crew to a new ship, the UKT Teamhair, and to enter an affiliate sort of partnership with Amethyst Operations. During this time he and his ship crew worked to assist AOP with a sentient seaweed on G'ahnlo, while raising funds to begin their own venture - Osirian Enterprises.

Osirian Enterprises, or OSI, is the achievement in which Ruin takes the most pride - an umbrella humanitarian organization that works primarily with medics and doctors to provide aid wherever in the Orion Arm it might be needed. Boasting as it does scientists as well as doctors, OSI has also taken contracts for engineering problems where they are available.

Resumé

 * Programmed the AI known as 'the Sidhe'. (independent)


 * Assisted/managed repair and installation of Hancock Station's three ion cannons for the New Luna Militia. (as a Watcher)


 * Rebuilt the then-IND Saviour's Haste for Brigadier General Jeff Ryan from extensive damage. (as a Watcher)


 * Created the New Luna Teleportal with the help of Gennadiy Andreovitch (for Osirian Enterprises)

The Roll and the Row of Candles
The Roll is just that - a rolled up piece of paper, on which Ruin keeps the names of those he remembers in prayers. They are both living and dead, but all have hit some final state of one sort or another. The list at present contains the following names: Rurik Dobrolubov, Sadhbh Pia, Tasya Gorbachova, Larin, Solace.

The Row of Candles is Ruin's private shrine to dead family and friends. Candles for the dead are lit at specific times of the year. There are currently four candles - one for each of the following: Rurik Dobrolubov, Sadhbh Pia, Tasya Gorbachova, Solace.

Badges
--Stamp 14:41, 30 July 2007 (UTC) --Stamp 14:41, 30 July 2007 (UTC) --Stamp 14:41, 30 July 2007 (UTC)