Sgt. Judeh "Hetzer" Stein

GNN File Photo November 23rd 3116, 
An unnamed sergeant of Charlie Co. 
1/356th Armor prepares for deployment 
to the surface of Cochinay

Name: Sgt. Judeh Stein. Nicknamed “Hetzer” for his antagonistic behavior.

Sex: Male

Race: Human

Birthplace: Zeta Trianguli Australis VIIIg (Tisiphone, orbiting the gas giant Nix)

Hobbies: Hitting people on the head with beer bottles or other handy objects, setting fires, sampling prison and hospital food.

History: Running away from home , Judeh joined the Orion Cluster Union army at age 16. Eventually becoming a Sergeant and section leader assigned to Charlie co. 1/356^th Armored Regiment.  He trained and fought as a walker jock, favoring the Aston Cerberus MkIV Medium Walker.

During his tour of duty Sgt Stein served under Lt. Colonel Mason Strong on several occasions, and became best friends with Cpl. Anthony Dombrowski, whom he dubbed “Dragon” for his ability to rain accurate fire down on his targets.

Sgt Stein's unit was part of the task force deployed to secure the border world Cochinay.  He was in the front lines during the disastrous Operation Triphammer, his platoon was separated from the main body during the early Hecatan flanking maneuver and were captured while the main engagement was unfolding.  Sgt Stein watched from a ridge as the entire Orion 3rd Corps was surprised and annihilated by enemy forces they hadn't even known were on planet.

After being held as a prisoner of war for almost half a year, Sgt Stein and most of his men were finally released and allowed to return home.  What they found was a complete change.  After the staggeringly swift defeat, the Union government had collapsed and an interim government took over in what was essentially a coup d'etat.  The returning veterans were hated and reviled, few were able to adjust and find meaningful work.

Initially, Judeh tried to make a new life for himself as a security consultant and a computer programmer, but the bitterness he felt at his new situation, and his general combative attitude prevented his re-assimilation.  

Finally, he decided he couldn't stand they way his home was anymore and elected to leave.  Judeh decided to use his extensive combat expertise as a means toward gainful employment and became a mercenary.  Hetzer spent a good deal of time as a freelancer but the job that was to change his life was a simple frontier protection contract for the Ryles Mining Corporation, on the backwater planet Shanxi.

The Aston Cerberus MkIV Assault Walker is no longer 
considered state-of-the-art, but it holds a special 
place in Hetzer's tiny little black heart.

The ex-sergeant and several dozen other independent's were hired as a military protection detail provided to Shanxi, whose domed colony and outlying operations were vulnerable to attacks from fringe bandits and raider gangs. Hetzer and the other ex-military personnel were part of an initial deal that Ryles Mining Corporation (RMC) made with the Shanxi colony government after the discovery of extremely rich deposits of heavy metals and transuranics. RMC would provide armed protection fr the colony and the initial capital required to set up the extraction operation, the colony would provide the labor and an exclusive trade agreement with RMC. The head of the corporate delegation on Shanxi, a man named Orlan Wethirs, brought in the mercenaries before the negotiations were even complete as a sign of good faith.

As the scope of the mineral deposits became clearer, the negotiations bogged down as Wethirs insistant on more and more one-sided arrangements in favor of RMC.  Finally, after a particularly egregious demand, the Shanxi delegates broke off negotiations and indicated that they were contacting a rival firm that was willing to deal more honestly with them. 

Wethirs was outraged, but he accepted the news with a civility that had been lacking up till then.  He informed the colonists that he and his colleagues would repair to their orbiting starship to confer with the home office.  Little did the colonists know, but Wethirs had ordered the RMC employees planetside to sabotage the environmental domes before they left.  

Within an hour of their departure, the first seals began to fail and the thick, toxic atmosphere swept in. Hetzer managed to make it to an operational shuttlecraft during the chaos caused by the breach along with seven other mercenaries. He ordered the small ship loaded with as many colonists as it could carry, then blasted off as the last of the seals broke and the main colony dome imploded.

Having never piloted a spacecraft before, Hetzer still managed to sneak past the RMC ship in orbit and wormhole out. After the overloaded shuttlecraft made planetfall, the Ryles Mining Company issued a press conference about the terrible massacre that had taken place on Shanxi. They claimed that the mercenaries they had hired to protect the colony had instead betrayed them and slaughtered the entire population in an active of pure wanton destruction.

Of course, few people are aware of Hetzer's involvement in the Shanxi Massacre and he is less than willing to discuss it.