CHARACTER PROFILE: MAXWELL MA
Name: Maxwell Ma
Born: 8 October, 3120 Harloc V
Titles/Rank: Lien-zhang of House Po
Positions: MechWarrior, Aide to Master Po
Affiliations: Capellan Confederation/Mercenary
BattleMech: Hierofalcon (Custom)
Education/Training: Sian University (Officer Training Program)
EARLY LIFE
Maxwell Ma was born to a relatively poor family of commoners on Harloc V. His father abandoned the family and fled offworld when Max was a small child, leaving Max's mother to care for the entire family of Max and his three sisters. She worked doing menial labor for the Ding family and it was here that Max would meet Po Ding at a young age. In spite of the differences in their social status, Po and Max quickly became inseparable friends growing up. Even at a young age, Max helped to keep Po grounded, while Po pulled strings for his friends' family to better their existence.
He earned his citizenship through his work with other poor families, using his connections with Po and the Ding family to help right many a social and economic wrong among the community. When it was time for Po to leave to go to University on Sian, Max assumed he would never see his friend again. Po however would have none of it, and personally pulled strings and leveraged his family connections to earn Max a coveted slot at Sian University alongside Po.
Grateful to his friend, Max would remain loyal to Po and worked hard to earn his respect. While Po focused on philosophy, Maxwell excelled at sports, becoming an accomplished Tennis player at Sian University in addition to his studies. The two helped each other work on their weaknesses, making both of them stronger students and each pushing the other to excel at whatever task was put in front of them. When it was time for graduation, Po once again leveraged his family connections to get Max assigned to the same unit of the Dynasty Guard so they could continue their friendship.
MILITARY SERVICE
Po rose through the ranks more quickly than Max, due to his focus on leadership, while Max focused on scouting and reconnaissance. Still, Max fought at Po's side throughout their term during CELESTIAL REWARD, always having his friend's back, just as Po looked out for Max's career.
When tragedy struck the Ding family, it stung Maxwell nearly as hard as Po, and he would return with Po to Harloc to help his friend through his time of grief. It was during this period where Po began to write and teach on Philosophy and develop his tenets of balance and centeredness. Max learned at the foot of his new Master Po, and wholly committed himself to the ways of Po's teachings and philosophies. He helped Po develop what would become the final challenge of House Po Ding initiates, the trek through the Mirewood as he and Po were the first to complete it as their own rite of passage into a better future.
Max continued to serve loyally at Po's side, always keeping him grounded. He aided in the initial training of the first batch of aspirants to House Po and was instrumental in helping many of the initiates pass through into the new warrior order.
When it came time to dispatch someone to Galatea to begin the process of actually incorporating House Po Ding as a Mercenary force, there was no one that Po trusted more than Max, and thus he was sent to Galatea to help secure the foundations of the unit.
RASING GALATEA
Max handled the initial incorporation of the unit with the Mercenary Bonding Commission and sought out contracts. During this period, with the Inner Sphere in chaos with the collapse of the Republic of the Sphere and the fracturing of the so-called Hinterlands, Max smelled opportunity. His senses proved to be correct, and he earned himself and audience with Merena, the Syndic of the newly founded Alyina Mercantile League. Desperate for mercenary commands to help secure her borders, Marena offered Max a contract with the AML, sweetening the deal with a haul of military supplies to bolster the TO&E of the fledgling Mercenary unit, including a pair of Jade Falcon OmniMechs, a Jade Phoenix and a Hierofalcon.
Upon completion of this task, Max returned to Harloc and presented this new contract and haul of equipment to Po Ding. Po would reward Max's efforts by gifting him the Hierofalcon as his personal ride. The Mech fit with Max's aggressive style of recon and hit and run tactics. Final preparations were made, and House Po would mount up and make for the territory of the AML, finalizing many things en route and arriving just in time to see action against the advance of Clan Hell's Horses.
TAMING THE HORSES
Max would serve at Po's side, as he always had, now acting as executive officer and personal aide to Master Po. During their initial conflict against the Hell's Horses, Max led the recon detachment tasked with finding the Horses positions and reporting it to the main force. He ran headlong into a Horses recon Binary and thus would be the first to lead House Po forces into battle. His quick thinking and hard hitting tactics won him victory over the Horse binary, and it was during this engagement that he would take a bondswoman of one of the surviving Horses ProtoMech pilots. Point Commander Nyxie would prove to be an invaluable assistance to Po throughout the campaign, helping him to grasp the Horses combined arms tactics and allowing him to administer defeat after defeat to the Horses in the AML zone of influence.
During this period of time, House Po Ding would earn the ire of Horses Star Colonel Colleen Ravenwater of the 11th Mechanized Cluster. The two would continue to clash as Po Ding led a daring series of raids into Hell's Horses territory. Each time, Max was pivotal in providing recon and cavalry roles to the unit, allowing them to outmaneuver and outfight the Horses at nearly every turn.
REBUILDING
With their contract fulfilled, House Po would seek to return to Harloc to refit and rebuild, recovering from the losses of their campaign. Along the way, they would trial for several Sea Fox technicians, bolstering their technical capacity and allowing some integration of their new bondswoman Nyxie. Max helped her adjust to life in the House, giving her insight into Po's ways that made it easier for her to transition to her new role as a member of the warrior order. HE would also fight at Po's side during the honor contest with Lao Chen for the fate of the House and even Harloc itself, helping Po to earn the title of Refrector.
Soon the betrayal of the Andurien and Canopian allies to the Confederation would see attacks and raids pouring into the Sian Commonality. With this going on, Po felt an obligation to the Confederation to help, and so House Po would go into the field under the banner of the Capellans to help blunt Andurien raids. During this period, Max's ability to reconnoiter would prove invaluable in combatting the massed indirect fire tactics of the Anduriens.
Max would even lead the team, along with Nyxie, to help rescue Death Commando Sheena Li from the clutches of the nefarious Colonel Alfonso Humphreys, once again earning them a powerful enemy in the form of Humphreys patron, the Duchess Emerance Meyers of Conquista.
WAKING THE DRAGON
Their next missions will see House Po facing off against House Kurita, having taken a contract from the Rasalhague Dominion to raid an agrarian world on the border of those two realms. With new enemies to be fought, Max's talents will doubtless be needed to help Master Po fight the mighty forces of the Draconis Combine.
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