Anakin Douglas Rowley

Anakin Douglas Rowley a.k.a. Phoenix

4 April 1940 -

Anakin Douglas Rowley was born in the rural Penginan village of Westhaven on 4 April 1940. Anakin had a pleasant childhood and grew up to be a crafted writer. At the age of 21, he would find himself in the region of Alcatraz with a new bride and a good life ahead of him as the youngest newspaper editor the region had ever seen.

With a new family on the way, Anakin enlisted in the Alcatraz militia. By the end of his first term of service, the ruling class in the region had collapsed into a full-blown revolution. An insurgent leader would claim power and enact Marshall Law. The loyal militiamen were systematically rounded up and executed. Some fled the region while others stood their ground in a series of guerrilla campaigns and Command controlled the evacuation and relocation of Alcatraz refugees.

When the battles for Alcatraz appeared hopeless, the last of the militia was evacuated to a refugee staging area far to the northwest. Anakin and others opened up lines of communication between the armies who were now scattered across the globe. Within five years, a coalition army would reclaim the region for its peoples.

Vazquez, the United Nations delegate representing Alcatraz, was reinstated immediately. Marshall Law remained in effect until the region had stabilized. Vazquez would later appoint Captain Rowley and other commanders to senior positions in a new alliance organization he was drafting. The delegate was interested in creating a grand political and military alliance of regions to combat terrorism.

Anakin would successfully head up the Alcatraz Intelligence Agency, where he began establishing contacts throughout the covert world, while building a team of qualified agents who would become the foundation for the new alliance. By this time, a power was rising in the east. The once mighty Atlantic Central Command was stirring with life, something of interest to both Vazquez and Rowley. A mission was hatched to see if the ACC would become a potential adversary in the future.

The Alliance Defense Network (ADN) was unveiled in the summer Vazquez would name Anakin Rowley (a.k.a. Damon Caesar) to be it’s first Director. Soon after, the AIA picked up activity in the region of Atlantic. It appeared the Atlantic Central Command, a once mighty Romanesque empire, stirred to life under the vision of Accelsior. Having full confidence in the ability of the ADN staff to shape the alliance and help it blossom, Rowley volunteered to insert into the ACC for a six-month tour. The mission: Reconnaissance.

Damon Caesar would land in Atlantic by way of the refugee region of Norcal in the fall. As a underprivileged immigrant, he was instantly awed by the grandeur and glory of the Atlantic capital. Caesar applied for a work visa and would spend the next four months in the vast vineyards of the Atlantic countryside. After learning about the culture, Damon would enlist in the ACC with hopes of becoming a citizen.

Sending transmissions to Vazquez grew increasingly difficult while serving in Atlantic. Over time, Anakin Rowley would cease to exist. During his last 10-day leave, he flew “home” and announced his retirement as Director of the ADN Before doing so, he would appoint his successor, Pope Hope. In a fireside conversation with she and Vazquez, Anakin revealed little about the ACC. He spoke of the countryside, of the people, and of the government. Atlantic’s upper echelon, its military and intelligence functions classified, were mere shadowy figures of legend. When the 10 days were up, Anakin left, and he to would become almost mythical.

Unbeknownst to either side, Anakin had launched his own independent black operations team called the Network Syndicate and was preparing for an eventual clash between the A.D.N. and Atlantic Alliance, now under the leadership of Pilmour. It was during this time that Damon Caesar would be commissioned as an officer in the AA where he would later achieve the rank of Major before falling from grace.

Anakin packed up and left Atlantic late one night, bound for Mendanau where he would enlist in the navy. It seemed the Oceanic Security Administration had been interested in Rowley’s Network Syndicate and wanted to fund the team for crucial missions as part of the OSA’s new regional rebuilding program. Mendanau figured it would only be a matter of time before the stakes were raised between the two superpowers, and having only recently recovered from the Great War, opted to remain neutral and focus on helping other regions recover from the costs of war.

The first true mobilization, Operation: Phoenix Rising, was established in the barren wasteland of Oceania. Upon agreement by the last remnant of rule, the OSA moved in and set up a defensive perimeter, while government liaisons advised Oceana on how to shape its future as a stable, economic power.

Once Oceania was stable, it was used as a springboard into the former ADN region of Monte Carlo, which had now fallen from grace after years of strife. Operation: Gamble, lacked the necessary funds for a full-fledged rebuilding effort like what had taken place in Oceania. The OSMilitary took control and used the region as its main forward outpost as the envisioned collision course between the Alliance Defense Network and Atlantic was coming closer to real.

What Anakin didn’t realize was that Atlantic’s director of intelligence had been following leads on a possible spy within the AA. In retaliation for treason, Atlantic was rumored to be working with a Moonlit Island separatist group on a coordinated strike against the OSA. Revolution grew quickly in the Moonlit Islands and it’s democratic government collapsed. Once that happened, Atlantic used blitzkrieg tactics to invade and occupy Oceania.

As Mendanau condemned the actions, Anakin was deployed to Atlantic as Damon Caesar to plead his innocence. War was brewing between the two superpowers and so Damon’s case was dropped, but he was forced to resign his commission.

Knowing his life was in danger, Rowley left Atlantic quietly and disappeared to Mendanau. Many in foreign affairs who once knew him believed Anakin was dead. Instead, he had become a citizen and Senator of the Meritocracy. A few days after his appointment, the Moonlit Islands was liberated without a shot being fired.

Rowley’s knowledge of covert military operations and strategic planning led to what could have been a series of quick promotions, had secret missions for the OSA not hampered his involvement with the Senate. Within a few years, Anakin would reach command status as Deputy Director of Intelligence for the Meritocracy.

He had made a good life for himself; a successful military tactician and a respected politican. Gone were the days of adventure and risk, replaced by an office and staff. This gave Rowley more time to spend with his beloved wife. As their romance blossomed again, the Admiral began to look ahead into the twilight of his life. He wanted to spend all of his time with Claire.

A decision was made.