Patrick Ironsides

Paddy

Regimental Sergeant Major Patrick James Ironsides, MM** VC (a.k.a. The Badge)

Patrick Ironsides, a soldier's soldier, the 1^st Warrant Officer I of the 1^st Solent Riles, is the epitome of no-nonsense, he is the by-word in not wasting energy by talking little but saying much and his career is one of tough victories and costly defeats, as shown by those two little letters at the end of his name. VC.

Physical Description

General Physical Condition

Extremely tall and muscular, but not overly bear like, though still obviously fit. Despite being a serving enlisted man for nearly 22 years, and unlike his boss, he isn't overly scarred on his hands and face. A+, NSAID allergy.

Facial Features

Often found sporting a 1970s SAS 'tache, to match his VC.

Identifying Characteristics

Close cropped hair, dark brown, nearly black.

Physical quirks

Very tall, sometimes misplaces his feet.

Apparel & Accessories

Real Brass and Teak Pace stick, QOARC Galaxy etched into the pace bar.

Specialized Equipment

MK-1 PDW which is almost two centuries old. It was an heirloom and present from his grandfather, the esteemed Colonel Lysander Ironsides, given to Patrick for his promotion to Warrant Officer I. It barely rattles, shoots straight and it is only on its third set of lenses and capacitors.

Mental characteristics

Personal history

Despite being an American by birth, the young Patrick Ironsides enlisted in the Royal Gloucestershire Light Infantry Regiment, after running away from home aged just 16. Patrick completed his training at the light infantry school on the planet of Gloucester. It wasn't long after that he was dropped into the continuing fighting retreat against the Tarquin in the Oceania Supersector. The RGLIR had been fighting there for 10 years at this point, with little success, and the regiment had suffered severe casualties collapsing it from 50 companies down to a measly 15 companies, despite constant reinforcements. As such, this new batch of recruits were looked down upon as baby-faced target practice, not likely to survive their first firefight. This, of course, was not helped by the fact that Ironsides was still only 17. Not one to be intimidated, standing at 6'7", Ironsides took this in his stride, being promoted to Lance Corporal within 2 years. Sergeant stripes came 3 years later at the age of 22. It was in 2967, when he was awarded the Victoria Cross for single-handedly holding the vital crossroads of M-88 and Jaques, during the 8^th corps retreat and prevented the Tarquin from flanking the column after his platoon was steamrollered. This action allowed the retreat to the Golgotha fortress line to come off without a hitch, and break the Tarquin advance. This prevented the last of the planets in the Victoria sector from falling. Not only did the planet not fall, but because of its stratgic location two solar systems were cleared of Tarquin in three years subsequent to this action, releving the strain on the Army. It was upon promotion to Staff Sergeant that he was appointed, under the command of the then Captain Alastair Macgregor, the 3^rd company's Quartermaster Sergeant. Their experiences during this time caused their near eternal friendship to be forged. A friendship that on paper should have never worked: the talkative, over-qualified and intellectual older officer and the stoic, ill-educated but street smart, young NCO.
So much so, that when Major Macgregor was promoted to the command of the RGLIR, he made sure that Ironsides, now a WOII, was 'promoted' straight from Company Sergeant Major to Regimental Quartermaster Sergeant Major. It was as RQSM that he and Macgregor found themselves in the India sector, fighting for their lives against the rebellion that had started as the regiment was on route to a good R&R within that sector after 16 years of constant fighting.
Within in six months, the regiment's work as SFSG allowed them and elements of the 22^nd Hereford Regiment to remove the officers in charge of the revolt with Ironsides and Macgregor successfully tracking down and executing the head of the rebellion leading to a general collapse. Ironsides reward for this action was a Military Medal and a promotion to WOI, aged just 29, and an new appointment. That of Regimental Sergeant Major of the Queen's Own Anti-Revolutionary Company. Throughout this period, wherever you found Macgregor, you found Ironsides. Be it on Earth at meetings of the Joint Chiefs, or stuck in a jail in Nairobi, he never left his COs side, being his sword and his shield. His Infamy isn't quite what Macgregor's is, 'But is that not,' as Ironsides wrote in his personal log of the Scottish Incident, 'exactly what the RSMs job is? To be the right hand of the boss but never the boss.'

Gender Identity

Male

Sexuality

Straight

Education

No non-military education above basic secondary. Infantry Battle School, Fort Aotearoa, Oceania Sector: Warrant Officer Training.

Employment

Appointment and Unit. (Rank and approx time held)

Regimental Sergeant Major The Queen's Own Anti-Revolutionary Company (Warrant Officer I, 9 years)
RQMSM The Royal Gloucestershire Light Infantry Regiment. (WOII, 2 years)
Company Sergeant Major 4th Coy; 1st Battalion; RGLIR (WOII, 1 year 6 months) (2968)
Quartermaster Sergeant 3rd Coy; 1st Batt; RGLIR (Staff Sergeant, 1 Year 3 months) (2967)
Platoon Sergeant 7th Plt; 5th Coy; 1st Batt; RGLIR (Sergeant, 9 months)
Section commander 3rd section, 2nd Plt; 5th Coy; 1st Batt; RGLIR (Corporal, 2 years)
Delta team leader 2nd section, 5th Plt; 5th Coy; 1st Batt; RGLIR (Lance Corporal, 9 months)
Delta team 2nd section, 5th Plt; 5th Coy; 1st Batt; RGLIR (Private 1 Year 9 months)

Enlisted: 6/3/2961