The Life and Times of Thomas B.

Plisken

Bjorn and Sofia Plisken gave birth to Thomas B. Plisken on 7th of June 2041 in a small home in the outskirts of the city of Stockholm. His father worked as an insurance salesman and his mother was a receptionist in a law firm. Thomas did relatively well in school- not the best but certainly high. He had a good relationship with his grandfather, Ingvar Iroquois Plisken. Iroquois served in the Swedish Army as a private and helped defend Stockholm when Norway Invaded. After the successful defence of the city and the Norwegians expelled from the country, Iroquois went to America with the idea of seeing the world. He travelled America and recorded his adventures in several books that he read to his children. During his travels, Iroquois stayed the night in a farm, some where in North Dakota. After helping the old farmer, he was rewarded with a valuable Colt Single Action. Iroquois died on the 22nd of April 2057 and the gun was passed onto Thomas. Unfortunately the thin peace between Norway and Sweden didnt last and soon war broke out again. The Plisken family fled the country to the safety of the United Kingdom. They settled into the city of Dundee in a home similar to that in Sweden. Thomas made sure to never forget his heritage and his country and honoured the traditions. His father developed heart problems and died on the 26th of July 2058 when his pacemaker malfunctioned. His mother worked hard and earned a living from by working in a hotel as a night/day porter. Thomas took his grandfathers gun to a gun range everyday to practice. He also fell in love with a young girl called Martha Tyler. They met while Plisken was at university studying law. However, after going out for a year, she was killed when a student at the university drew a knife. The student killed several other students and a teacher. Thomas received a deep cut down his arm and hand when he tried to save Martha. Before Thomas could finish university the first act of the First Planetary War broke out. He joined up with the Royal Marines, leaving his mother with some of her friends. During his time in the Royal Marines he served on the HMS Ark Royal- the flagship of the British fleet. He participated in the failed defence of the Hudson Bay and was part of a strike force that recaptured Halifax. Canada eventually fell to America and Mexico soon followed, only being stopped by the Unified South American Forces. The Ark Royal led the fleet that broke the blockade around Iceland and Plisken was part of the operation to recapture Reykjavik. On September 12th 2063 the Irish Battleship Independence came under attack from the USS Wasp and USS Lincoln. The Ark Royal was the only ship in range to help the Independence. By the time the Ark Royal reached sector W359, the Independence had destroyed the submarine Wasp but the Battleship had been crippled by the carrier Lincoln. The Independence limped away when the Lincoln turned its attention to the Ark Royal. Both carriers launched their aircraft. Plisken was amazed at the almost majestic sight of the 106th Air Command Squadron dancing with the enemy high above the sea. Soon the two ships where forced to initiate a boarding and Plisken was at the very front when they opened the doors into the Lincoln and it was by chance that he hasnt killed. Many officers were killed, however, and Plisken has given a field promotion to Captain and it has

been said that he commanded every marine boarding the Lincoln. Plisken rallied the remaining troops to him and split them up, giving each an objective. He personally led the squad to the bridge and managed to capture the Lincoln. Plisken served on board the Ark Royal for several more months and earned various honorary nicknames but the US troops feared him as the Razgriz- the Demon of Death. Plisken adopted the name and even commanding officers began to refer to him as it. Plisken was promoted to Captain and given charge of a platoon which got the name The Razgriz Kids. The SBS invited him to serve with them and Plisken accepted. All his training was crammed into a 3 day space and he was given no chance to rest before he was sent to Dover. He was given the codename Demon in honour of his title Razgriz. There he sabotaged American landing craft, destroyed a gunship with his partner Wizard, saved the Razgriz Kids from being led straight into machine gun fire and reportedly killed over 10,000 US troops by himself. Unfortunately the Americans broke through and tore through the English country side. The English army fled up north, seeking refuge. The armies of Scotland and Whales united and managed to defend most of their borders. Plisken and Wizard where forced to retreat but they fought all the way. Plisken manage to rally the army around the Arcadium, the biggest education institute in the world. He made this the base of operations and fortified from enemy attack. After 2 months of siege Plisken and Wizard went out to destroy the American Artillery that had been tearing away at the last line of defence. However, by some freak of luck, before Plisken and Wizard could set the charges the sky light up in a bright blue glow. A beam shot down from the cloudy sky and pierced the Arcadiums dome and the whole building exploded. Plisken and Wizard ran, even though they could still hear some gunfire from what was left of the defenders. It is said that the defenders of the Arcadium fought to the last man- never giving up. The Arcadium had been destroyed by the United States latest weapon- the Starship Invincible. Plisken and Wizard ran to London, where England made its last stand. Most of the soldiers there werent even English. Most were Scottish, Welsh, Irish and some were Icelandic. The English soldiers had been scared by the Dover Landings and scattered to hide. The city was defended on all sides, with the refugees to the east and the military set up in the west. Plisken and Wizard joined the defence and told the soldiers of the weapon that had destroyed the Arcadium. At first Plisken and Wizard had been scared that the defenders would turn and flee but they didnt- not one. When the siege started the defence held up admirably. However, it lasted for 1 and a half years. People were starving, dying from disease and ammunition was down to one clip per man. The defenders generals couldnt get them to surrender so Plisken took command. He saw, after a while, that there was no point in prolonging the war. He and Wizard organised a plan to end the war. Plisken and Wizard gave the Americans a path through the AA field with the plan of them destroying the Army Depot. Plisken made sure that every man would be out on patrol or defending a post before the shells fell. Plisken watched from his HQ in the middle of the 2 districts as the bombers flew through the AA field. Not even the Invincible had been able to brave the fearsome fire that erupted from the ground. The plan was going smoothly until General Franklin McArthur gave the order to change course. Plisken and Wizard watched in horror as the bombers moved from the Army Depot to the refugee district. The bombing started and all Plisken could do was watch. He never

forgave himself for causing it and vowed to redeem himself anyway possible. The London Defenders surrendered or fled back to their countries and the Invincible hovered above the city. Plisken rejected his call sign of Preacher and adopted Razgriz. He and Wizard joined the resistance that fought the US army during their occupation. The US troops feared the Razgriz for his amazing abilities at warfare and his kill record reached new heights. Plisken hated the resistance for count every kill he made and never looked at the board that hung in the underground HQ. Plisken did, however, make himself easily recognisable, so that the occupation troops would hopefully flee in fear rather than try and fight him. He wore a dark blue, wool greatcoat and he had sown various badges into the upper sleeves. One was the SBS badge, a Saltire, one of the Royal Marines knife, one of the Demon of Razgriz and a red sash tied around his arm to show he was part of the resistance. The other members wore a black trench coat. He never forgave himself and nor did he believe he should. The secret was kept between himself and Wizard. On the 14th of April 2073, the resistance attacked a convoy of trucks carrying ammunition to the US depot near Canary Wharf. The resistance, led by Wizard and Plisken, ambushed the convoy just as they entered the Warf. The plan went disastrously when the intelligence they had was false and instead of ammo in the trucks it was fresh troops to be rotated in. Plisken and Wizard were captured and taken away to a holding cell. Wizard and Plisken had already planned an escape by the time the guards came to get them but the guards knocked them unconscious before they could do anything. Plisken woke on the Prison Ship Botany Bay and that is where the story begins.