D'ron Smith

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D'ron Christopher Smith
DronThumb.JPG
Position
Imperial President
Age
31
Years in Position
6

Early Years

Birth

D'ron Christopher Smith was born on October 18th, to Margaret and Dale Smith, in the town of Gaithersburg, in the northern areas of the then Federation, now Federated Commonwealth, of Sentient Peoples. He was their first and only child for the next thirteen years of his life.

Education

He begin attending school in at age four, moving through the Candlewood and Indra Primary Schools, then in the Redland Middle School, and finally attended Montgomery High School. When his paternal grandfather died at age six, D'ron convinced his parents to let him take up swordsmanship training in his honor, for Daniel Smith had been a Grand Master at Competition Swordwork. Interest in martial skills expanded with his interest in history, and at age 9, he took up target shooting and horseback riding. He graduated with honors from the Accelerated Education Program in his High School.

Childhood Interests

D'ron was especially interested in history, reveling in the stories of his father, who was a history professor at Gaithersburg University. As a young boy in a culture enshrining Federal Service, he naturally grew up fascinated with military history, and as he matured, added the study of international relations to that to further understand the causes of military conflict.

Further, he was nearly as obsessive over the study of space, though this tapered off as he got older, though science fiction continued to be a major interest for him. He also enjoyed virtual reality simulations and hologames, along with of all things, Lego toys. If asked about that interest, he would tell you about how it taught him all things work together to make the whole stronger, and that if one connection is weak, all the parts can fail.

When he entered middle school, he joined the Federal Boy Scouts program, which taught him an appreciation of nature and outdoor skills, as well as continuing to encourage his interest in weapons and horseback riding, as well as other outdoor activities.

Religion

D'ron, following his parent's lead, became a fairly devout follower of Eru-Christianity, attending church regularly throughout his entire childhood and participating actively in it.

Federal Service

Upon graduating from high school, D'ron enrolled in the Federal Service to earn his citizenship and his right to vote, as much of the Federation population does. At that point in time, no choice was given in Federal Service option, and it was assigned by monitoring committee as a result of qualifications tests.

QualTests

Average: 93

Known Scores:

Ranged Combat: 100

International Diplomacy: 81

Tactics: 92

Strategy: 98

Assignment: Battle Center

Battle Center

An experiment that has since been disbanded, the Battle Center was a place where young men and women would be placed in charge of combat teams and through the use of secure radio links and other communications devices, control them in combat from the secure environment of the Battle Center. D'ron was placed in charge of the First Combat Team.

War with the Dominion of Barry Manilow

The night after D'ron completed his qualification tests for Federal Service, the Federation was attacked by the Dominion of Barry Manilow, which initiated hostilities with a bomber offensive against northern Federation cities, including Gaithersburg. The initial attacks killed both D'ron's parents in the same night, leaving him the oldest surviving member of his family, with his five year old sister. He brought her to the Battle Center and kept her in his room, while hiring a military approved tutor to educate her, which cost nearly all of his base pay. Fortunately, everything else he needed was provided by the military.

D'ron was highly successful, leading his team to success, rarely failing to meet his primary objectives, despite the occasional complete destruction of his team. First Combat Team became known among the rank and file as a good way to end up dead, though it was recognized that the commander knew what he was doing. But even with the Battle Center, the Federation Forces were being slowly pushed back under the onslaught of the Manilowian forces, for the nation had for years been geared towards an aggressive war.

At the beginning of the conflict, despite his comments that he was not seeking revenge, D'ron would serve for many days in a row in the Battle Center, controlling his unit and expending them as ruthlessly as necessary to complete his mission. He was good, possibly even the best Combat Team commander, but Battle Center suffered a glaring flaw. However good the commanders were, they could only concentrate on so many things at a time.

It was in Battle Center that D'ron met Catherine Powell, his first serious relationship. She was commander of the Third Combat Team. Whether they were forced together by their environment or simply truly attracted to each other, their relationship continued for the next four years of combat as the nation was slowly ravaged by continuous warfare. This continued until Central Command elected to redeploy the Battle Center commanders to add better tactical command.

D'ron was retained in Battle Center as commander of the entire military while the other eleven commanders were deployed near the front in mobile command centers. By this point, the army was nearly half a million combat soldiers, fighting along an ever decreasing perimeter, slowly being pushed back towards the capital of Griffin. At this point, new weapons placed in crash development earlier in the war were finally available in large enough numbers to be useful. D'ron and the other commanders used these advantages ruthlessly, forcing a final battle for Griffin.

During the battle, D'ron was forced to send Catherine and the Third Combat Team, by that point numbering nearly four divisions, into a small opening in the Manilowian lines. The Third Combat Team was completely destroyed, and Catherine died, in visual communication with D'ron until her command vehicle was hit by tank fire. But the attack broke the Manilowian lines, and D'ron committed his reserve. Effectively, he managed to destroy the Manilowian main field army, which was unable to withdraw as their communications broke down.

Within six months, D'ron guided a reconstructed Third Combat Team as it rolled into the streets of the Manilowian capital. During the last seven months of the war, he took exactly fourteen days out of the Battle Center control room, seven of those before Catherine's death. Everyone he had ever known was shut out of his life as he fought the war.

Aftermath

Following the war, D'ron received the Sentient Star (Black), the Federation's Highest Honor, given for his extraordinary service during the war. He was promoted the rank of Field Marshal and made governor of the conquered Dominion of Barry Manilow. He served in this position only a month before retiring from Federal Service. Four million Federation Citizens and civilians had died during the conflict, along with nearly eight million Manilowians.

Post Military Life

Warrior for Peace

Following the carnage of the Federation-Manilowian War, D'ron traveled about Dor Lomin, meeting with many national leaders, of his own accord, not associated with the Federation government in any way. He argued for peace and cooperation between the nations of Dor Lomin, reasoning that they could become more successful should they work together and not compete. Sometimes, his pleas fell of deaf ears, but other times, his entreaties found a receptive audience. His desire to end the fighting that had plagued Dor Lomin for centuries would guide his for the next few years of his life.

It was on these journeys that D'ron met Lesley Ann Collins, then elected Empress of Peitha. They became close friends.

Age 25

When D'ron turned 25, his name was submitted into the national election for Vice President of the Federation, which were occurring that year. Vice President is a position held for life, or at least, until the Imperial President dies or retires, and the Vice President serves as an understudy to the Imperial President, learning how to be the next President of the Federation. He allowed his name to be entered, not expecting to win anything, still feeling horrible about the devastation he had been unable to prevent. To no one else's surprise, he won handily, carrying 63% of the vote, three times that of the next highest candidate.

D'ron had been Vice President for just over six months, when, on a visit to the former Manilowian capital with the Imperial President William Jackson, he was turned into the Imperial President by a railgun sniper rifle, which required a closed casket funeral for the late President. D'ron ascended to the post of Imperial President after six months as Vice President, a position Jackson has held for fifteen years before becoming President.

Dor Lomin Regional Alliance

One of D'ron's first acts as Imperial President was to throw his full weight behind the idea of a regional alliance, a brain child all his own. When the Imperium of Melkor Unchained invaded the Kingdom of All Elves, he managed to ram the DLRA Treaty through all the nations in the region, allowing the dispatch of a combined force late in the conflict, too late to make any difference, but not late enough to avoid being ravaged by the combined forces of Arda.

The First Years of the Imperial Presidency

Domestic Policy

Ascending into the Presidency on a wave of blood, D'ron was horrified by the results of the aftermath of William Jackson's death. Immediately following the shooting, the crowd had be fired upon by overzealous soldiers attempting to contain the riot caused by the shot. More than three hundred people were killed and nearly a thousand were injured. The images of the blood soaked ground haunted D'ron during the first year of his Presidency.

Further, the assassin was never caught, which led to D'ron cutting back drastically on personal and economic freedoms originally, the memory of trying futilely to stem the flow of blood from Jackson's shattered chest haunting him. He disbanded the civilian protection of the President, and made it a function of the military even before the creation of the Dor Lomin Regional Alliance. Once the alliance was formed, he was constantly accompanied by SPARTAN supersoldiers from The Halo as bodyguards during public appearances.

He increased funding of the security forces and the military, trying to build up a respectable force again, for the military had declined since the defeat of the Dominion of Barry Manilow at his hands two years before. Like Jackson, he neglected most of the other areas of government, while he continued to push money into social equality, a process that had become habit for so many presidents that it was a natural course of action.

Foreign Policy

The Federation's international policy in the first few years was a continuation of its domestic feeling. As the leading nation of the Dor Lomin Regional Alliance, the Federation took center stage in what the international community saw of Dor Lomin. D'ron guided the internation policy with a firm hand, part of why domestic policy suffered in the first few years, as he tried to find a way to create some sort of understanding between the Anti-Elven block led by the then Imperium of Melkor Unchained and the Elven block led by Menelmacar.

Following the disasterous Elf Party and its aftermath, D'ron drew the Federation and the Alliance back from the world stage, entering a period of semi-isolationism characterized by the formation of the strongest external alliances in the history of the Federation, maintained to this day, one with Menelmacar and one with the EOTED.

Personal Life

Now relocated abruptly into the Imperial House, seat of the Federation government, a nearly four hundred year old mansion left from the days of Empire, D'ron and Jessica attempted to fill a giant house with no family. D'ron enrolled his sister in the Vanderbilt Prepatory Academy in Griffin. He continued to meet with Empress Collins socially as well as professionally and they developed a close working relationship. He became close friends with Johnathan Currey, Prime Minister of Vanderhill, and his wife Fae, and with Master Chief John 117 and Cortana, leaders of The Halo.

The Fall and Formation

The Fall of the Dor Lomin Regional Alliance

During the Fall of the DLRA, D'ron remained strong, perhaps only because the Federation was not directly attacked. His sister was kidnapped by the criminals and the traitors during the chaos, though. Also, D'ron, along with his closest friends among the international leaders in Dor Lomin, was directly attacked by an assassin who nearly succeeded in killing them all, except for D'ron's quick reaction time. D'ron managed to stop the assassin, as he was armed with the Sword of State, as he normally is in public.

Following interrogation of the assassin, who was later executed, D'ron confronted the mastermind behind the plot infront of the DLRA Council. Meeting under the ancient code in Dor Lomin for duels between high ranking officials who cannot be tried because of the protection of their office, D'ron personally slew the man who had ordered the attacks on his family and friends, as well as ordered civilian gigadeaths, as well over a billion people died in the Fall and the resulting combat.

Formation of the New Federation

With Dor Lomin in smoking ruins, it was suggested by Prime Minister Currey that something should be put in place to replace the fallen alliance. After nearly a week of discussions, it was hammered out that a new nation was wanted that would incorporate some of the surviving nations in Dor Lomin, nearly reforming the Empire that had controlled most of Dor Lomin more than six hundred years before.

After numerous votes, the New Federation was formed, taking the name of Sentient Peoples, and D'ron was elected President for Life, still as Imperial President. That night, he asked Lesley Collins to marry him. She agreed.

Triumvirate Period

D'ron led the Federation into the Triumvirate of Yut soon after the formation of the new political entity of the current Federation. While there, the Federation drastically increased its space presence, eventually proceeding to dismantle its surface fleet. The stay in the Triumvirate was short lived, when D'ron realized that the insulated and protected position of the primary Triumvirate members in Saturn orbit left them detached from the concerns of Earth. He could not comprehend the nearly complete doctrine of non-interference practiced, and left to allow the Federation to pursue a course more appropriate to its nature.

While in the Triumvirate, though, he established good links with a number of the Triumvirate nations, which he would later use to expand Federation influence throughout the system.

Post Triumvirate Period

Domestic Policy

Following the withdrawal from the Triumvirate, D'ron allowed Lesley to help influence his decision making with regards to his domestic policy, and also his friends, former leaders of the states which now made up the Federation, and now members of his Executive Council. He relaxed his regulations on civil and economic rights, leading to an economic boom and a general increase in happiness of his populous. Also, he cut back on funding for social equality and tried to move money into education and commerce, while still funnelling more than half the Federal budget into the military.

Foreign Policy

D'ron made sure to keep his remaining allies close, with the loss of the major allied block of the Triumvirate, and then began carefully expanding relations with trade treaties, and then a new alliance with the Exalted Star Supremacy of Revenia, following discovery of the warp point and the Apache-Nexus warp chain.

Further, D'ron guided the Federation into establishing a small number of Extra-Terran colonies, moving some of the population off of Earth. It was with these colonies he was able to cement ties with other nations, as well as with a large number of trade treaties. He has continued to work against the Ardan block, and against what he refers to as "blatant stupidity on a national level, such as the minor type exhibited by the nation of Abu-Dhabi Khristatata and the major type exhibited by the United States of Allanea."

Personal Life

Currently, D'ron and Lesley are expecting their first child.