Recruitment office of the Brotherhood ([TBH])

[MadShark581]

The Brotherhood Recruitment Application:

Name: Alfonso Horacio Cortez

Age: 25

Skills: Im an experienced shipwright and engineer (I built my own Titan for my passage into manhood and Im currently building a gunboat for Dr. Stone Fisher of Black Squadron). Ive been trained extensively in fencing and sword fighting. Im an aspiring xenoarcheologist and I have general (though expanding) knowledge of artifacts and the DomKavosh. Obviously I can fly a fighter very well. Im an adept navigator and explorer. Oh, I also have been cooking all of my life and have deep knowledge of the Cortez family culinary techniques. I try to be modest, but you cant be in things like this. That is all.

Reason for choosing TBH: The Cortez family is dying. The BHG threatened the longevity of another family (whose name shall be withheld) and learned the timing of our sons passages into adulthood. They sabotaged the passage into adulthood of many Cortez sons and killed them. The Cortez men are almost all gone. My father, who is the head of the family recently passed away due to radiation sickness from the attacks and I am now in charge (at such a young age). The women in my family are marrying into any other lesser families who will accept them. Even a Bretonian man has married my sister, Andrea (and now she is M.I.A). It is a disgrace. I need to represent the Cortez family in the eyes of Crete. I need to join the Brotherhood to show the Corsairs the strength of the Cortez family to save them. I will do whatever it takes so that a Cortez may benefit the Corsairs (Though it may seem this way, my pride for the Cortez family will stand submissive to my pride for the Brotherhood).

Biography: My life, thus far can be divided into two epochs: before and after the incident/my passage into adulthood. First allow me to educate you about my tame beginnings.
When I was born, almost 26 years ago, the Cortez family had wealth, power, and prestige among the Corsairs. A year later our family was either blessed or cursed with a little girl, Andrea (Forgive me for being bitter, for as I said my sister did marry a Bretonian and subsequently fled Omicron Gamma). As I matured, my father made sure that I would receive the best education available in literature, humanities, and fencing. In my studies in the sciences (I had to beg father to allow me to study the sciences) I became rather fond of crude engineering and xenoarchaeology. My father was delighted by my interests as they would play into my eventual passage into manhood. I was na?ve and oblivious at the time, so I continued my studies in the safe confines of my home.
Father approached me and said Son, it is time for you to become a Cortez man. In 9 months time, you and the other sons of the Cortez will venture through the gate to find the treasure.
Father had something in mind for me. He wanted his son, the eventual successor of the family to be a greater man (if ever there exists one) than the rest. He introduced me to the shipwrights of the Titans (at the time I thought it was merely a title- I had no idea what a Titan fighter was).
I recall him saying Son, your studies will reward you, now. You will lead these men and construct your own Titan to be used in your trial. Do not fail yourself, the family, or me.
Thus, the construction started. As the ships frame developed from a pile of metal into an acceptable outline Father began to take me aside to show me the artifacts of all of the men in the Cortez family, and gave me the privilege to study them.
The time came. My Titan stood as a titan should among the Titans of mere mortals. A fleet of men-to-be took off and headed for the cloud which will haunt me until the day I die. As we entered the cloud all communications were silenced. We were draining our nanobot caches steadily. We carried on and found the vile ring of energy, the gate to our hell and demise. We went through. On the other side sat the carcass of a freshly gutted transport, with its glistening crimson cargo pouring out. The ship was filled with artifacts. We took them without thought and left. On the other side of the hole we stared at the devils teeth, and the devil was a hammerhead. The Bounty Hunters Guild gave us a warm welcome (warm in this case being the searing heat from their guns). We tried to run, but they closed us in and began the slaughter. They let some escape, but then they would finish them off with cruise disruptors. I let out an SOS before crimson bolts tore through my Titan. My cockpit was ablaze and radiation had begun to leak in. The left side of my suit was severely damaged and I was still giving off life signs to the bounty hunters. I used my last bot to extinguish the fire in the cockpit and I turned off my oxygen. I waited. The adults came, unfortunately, to see their sons die and to be slaughtered themselves by the bounty hunter destroyer which strolled into battle at the last second. Poor fool missed all the fun of shooting children down like flies I fell unconscious.
I awoke in a hospital days later. My left calf was gone. The entire left side of my body, knee to head was bandaged up. I looked around at my treatment room. The walls were bleak and the doctors looked at me through a window. I was being treated for radiation poisoning.
My father, where is my father?! I began to rasp.
Over the intercom the doctor said He suffered the same fate as you, with the radiation I mean. Hell be fine.
That day we lost 15 sons and 13 men. Our family was crippled. I on the other hand have massive burn scars on the left side of my body. I wear a large eye patch to cover my lame left eye and a burnt portion of my face. My lower left leg was replaced with a crude metal peg. The doctor also told me I will suffer from radiation poisoning for the duration of my life. All of this when I was 13.
The next period of time Ive chosen to omit as it only brings me pain.
My father recently passed away from the radiation he received saving me. My sister is gone. My mother died in pregnancy. My entire nuclear family is gone, and now at the young age of 25, I have the burden of restoring my broken family. I make a living as an engineer and overseeing a poorly operated artifact smuggling operation. My only goals left in life are to join with the Brotherhood, to restore my family, to find my sister, and to kill the Bretonian man she is married to.

Thank you, great Elders.