Valtorix
Self-Identified S.T.A.L.K.E.R
- Joined
- Sep 13, 2016
- Messages
- 274
- Nebulae
- 474
- W i l h e l m - B r e n n e r -
Basic Information
Gender: Male
Age: 40
Nationality: German
Height: 5'10"
Weight: 175lbs Approx.
Hair/Eye Colour: Light Brown/Blue Eyes
Family History
Father/Mother: Lars Brenner/Elena Brenner
Siblings: Lilianna Brenner
Status of Family:
Lars Brenner - DECEASED (Killed during initial Combine Occupation)
Elena Brenner - ALIVE
Lilianna Brenner - MISSING (Last seen in City 17)
- B A C K G R O U N D -
Wilhelm grew up in Munich, Bavaria with his sister Lilianna, or Lily for short. At the time of this account, the world was still recovering from the economic and morale horrors of WW2 and western relations with Russia had begun to grow exponentially in concern. Wilhelm cared not for the worries of the world, and like many in their youth, he was filled with life and dreams. His parents, happily married, lived in a nice home amidst the middle class in the northern part of the city; his father worked as an engineer and his mother a nurse at the local hospital. Wilhelm spent a lot of his time with his sister getting into all sorts of mischief, whether it be playing pranks on the neighbors or causing a ruckus by the river with the other kids.
When he wasn't spending time with his sister, he was reading books or watching his father work at home; which he had to do sometimes on occasion. Wilhelm became fascinated at an early age with technology and its function in society; his fathers area of study was Computer Engineering, a relatively new science given the span of human technological growth. Often his father would be seen working on drafting schematics of various electrical components, or lines of code all of which was alien to Wilhelm; but he hassled his father about it all the same who would often chuckle to himself before explaining what he was doing, hours at a time.
His mother always was fond of this interaction, and never intruded on what she often called "Father-Son time". His father never minded, and with him working such irregular hours sometimes, and not being able to see his son at all for a day or two at times, he welcomed the interaction; to see that he had such an interest in his work - an even better bonus. This would go on for years well into Wilhelm's teenage years, almost a ritual habit if you will as Wilhelm would have coffee and a plate of strudels that his mother had baked ready for them to begin their work.
When he wasn't spending time with his sister, he was reading books or watching his father work at home; which he had to do sometimes on occasion. Wilhelm became fascinated at an early age with technology and its function in society; his fathers area of study was Computer Engineering, a relatively new science given the span of human technological growth. Often his father would be seen working on drafting schematics of various electrical components, or lines of code all of which was alien to Wilhelm; but he hassled his father about it all the same who would often chuckle to himself before explaining what he was doing, hours at a time.
His mother always was fond of this interaction, and never intruded on what she often called "Father-Son time". His father never minded, and with him working such irregular hours sometimes, and not being able to see his son at all for a day or two at times, he welcomed the interaction; to see that he had such an interest in his work - an even better bonus. This would go on for years well into Wilhelm's teenage years, almost a ritual habit if you will as Wilhelm would have coffee and a plate of strudels that his mother had baked ready for them to begin their work.
The school Wilhelm went to offered some new, unique programs that others in his city wouldn't permit; his father had to speak with the district head of education to convince them to allow Wilhelm to attend school in their district instead of the one assigned to them; though this wasn't unheard of, it was sometimes challenging to transfer students between districts and the student usually had to have exciting potential and above average grades. None the less, Wilhelm was able to be admitted with little resistance from the district. Outside of his normal classes, this particular school offered a new pilot program in computing technologies, something that Wilhelm was desperate to attend; and he had to prove to the professor in charge that he was up for the challenge; having exceeded the grade mark of most in his class just to get a shot - one that he discovered, was rather easy to meet.
He never really fit in with the other trade kids at his school, some studying in hopes to someday become an apprentice in carpentry, or welding, or as a mechanic; the list goes on - but his group of intellects wasn't treated very well. Concerned, his father suggested to his son that he pick up a sport; plenty of kids his age did and it would be good for his health, for something his father said to him on occasion: "Ones body is just as important as ones mind, left untended to, it will wither and the brain will cease to function." - this is something Wilhelm would never forget to this day.
Wilhelm took his fathers advice and joined a football team ((Soccer for us North Americans, if he's going to be German he's going to refer to it properly lol)). At first, he wasn't incredibly fond of it but he grew to love it, and as time went by he found that he was more popular with some of the others in his grade. While he found importance in human interaction, this thought process often trailed into what a machine would do, say or think; were it alive like he was and sentient. This would spark Wilhelm's path to the future.
He never really fit in with the other trade kids at his school, some studying in hopes to someday become an apprentice in carpentry, or welding, or as a mechanic; the list goes on - but his group of intellects wasn't treated very well. Concerned, his father suggested to his son that he pick up a sport; plenty of kids his age did and it would be good for his health, for something his father said to him on occasion: "Ones body is just as important as ones mind, left untended to, it will wither and the brain will cease to function." - this is something Wilhelm would never forget to this day.
Wilhelm took his fathers advice and joined a football team ((Soccer for us North Americans, if he's going to be German he's going to refer to it properly lol)). At first, he wasn't incredibly fond of it but he grew to love it, and as time went by he found that he was more popular with some of the others in his grade. While he found importance in human interaction, this thought process often trailed into what a machine would do, say or think; were it alive like he was and sentient. This would spark Wilhelm's path to the future.
Wilhelm had graduated from university with a Ph.D in Computer Engineering and a bachelors in Artificial Intelligence; an experimental and theoretical program that his father had taught after his tenure at the company he worked for. Wilhelm had begun looking for any company that could meet his demands for a project he had been conceptualizing during his studies; a man-made artificial intelligence that could think, feel and speak for itself. Great strides had been made in this field, but very little tangible progress one could say; the limited access to technology required to create such a thing put a massive standstill in research; simply put, the technology needed to realize this dream just did not exist yet. This would often frustrate Wilhelm to no end, and forced him to focus on engineering research to help develop the technology required to carry out his dream.
Little did he know, that his dreams would soon become realizable - but at a terrible cost. The year now is 2002, and the Combine ((@Cindy Sorry, I meant The Universal Union.)) have begun their invasion. Wilhelm was both terrified and bewildered by this, "Aliens!" he thought, for the first time in human history, only theorized by some professionals around the world, they would have the technology he sought for so long! Of course, this was short lived in terms of thought process as he was staring at the sky with disbelief, explosions and gunfire erupted around him; civilians and law enforcement being mercilessly slaughtered, Wilhelm could only stand there in the street completely stunned. "What horror, what majesty..."
Wilhelm was snapped out of it as his father came running and grabbed him, pulling him out of the street and into a nearby alley. "What the hell is wrong with you Wilhelm? We have to get your mother and your sister to the shelter!" Wilhelm shook himself free of his trance and nodded, they ran together in the alley ways, sticking to less traveled areas, though explosions of significant magnitudes and gunfire continued to fly around them; they eventually made their way home. They packed a bag each, and left their home in full sprint for one of the city's bomb shelters. As they turned down main street, one of the few paths that lead directly to the bunker, a massive combine war machine echoed out an ungodly sound as it fired a beam of energy, collapsing one of the nearby buildings. Diving out of the way, Wilhelm grabbed his sister and avoided the debris, his father pushes his mother out of the way towards Wilhelm, and they watched in horror as he was crushed beneath the rubble. Tears flooded the faces of his sister and mother, and soon he found himself following in kind; before wiping his face he shouted that they must keep moving. He took control, and brought them to the civilian shelter; just narrowly making the window before the doors closed.
Oddly enough, the machines themselves seem to be avoiding any significant destruction on top of or directly aimed at the bunker itself. Several hours passed, before finally all went quiet aside from the whirring and strange sounds of Combine Technology. Humans had opened the bunker from the other side, accompanied by grotesque synthetics; of which only fascinated Wilhelm, but struck fear into others. Humanity had surrendered, and so begun the "beautiful Union of the benefactors and humanity" ((fight me)).
Little did he know, that his dreams would soon become realizable - but at a terrible cost. The year now is 2002, and the Combine ((@Cindy Sorry, I meant The Universal Union.)) have begun their invasion. Wilhelm was both terrified and bewildered by this, "Aliens!" he thought, for the first time in human history, only theorized by some professionals around the world, they would have the technology he sought for so long! Of course, this was short lived in terms of thought process as he was staring at the sky with disbelief, explosions and gunfire erupted around him; civilians and law enforcement being mercilessly slaughtered, Wilhelm could only stand there in the street completely stunned. "What horror, what majesty..."
Wilhelm was snapped out of it as his father came running and grabbed him, pulling him out of the street and into a nearby alley. "What the hell is wrong with you Wilhelm? We have to get your mother and your sister to the shelter!" Wilhelm shook himself free of his trance and nodded, they ran together in the alley ways, sticking to less traveled areas, though explosions of significant magnitudes and gunfire continued to fly around them; they eventually made their way home. They packed a bag each, and left their home in full sprint for one of the city's bomb shelters. As they turned down main street, one of the few paths that lead directly to the bunker, a massive combine war machine echoed out an ungodly sound as it fired a beam of energy, collapsing one of the nearby buildings. Diving out of the way, Wilhelm grabbed his sister and avoided the debris, his father pushes his mother out of the way towards Wilhelm, and they watched in horror as he was crushed beneath the rubble. Tears flooded the faces of his sister and mother, and soon he found himself following in kind; before wiping his face he shouted that they must keep moving. He took control, and brought them to the civilian shelter; just narrowly making the window before the doors closed.
Oddly enough, the machines themselves seem to be avoiding any significant destruction on top of or directly aimed at the bunker itself. Several hours passed, before finally all went quiet aside from the whirring and strange sounds of Combine Technology. Humans had opened the bunker from the other side, accompanied by grotesque synthetics; of which only fascinated Wilhelm, but struck fear into others. Humanity had surrendered, and so begun the "beautiful Union of the benefactors and humanity" ((fight me)).
Several years after the invasion, Wilhelm lost track of his sister; having been separated from her upon arrival to the city centre. After he was registered into this new world system, he was offered a unique position given his skill set to work alongside other scientists in an effort to further human advancement; as it was advertised to him. All of his needs would be provided for, his abilities put to the test, but would be given limited access to Combine Technology; in exchange for his service, his mother would be well-taken care of; given higher status like himself than the common folk who had little to contribute other than labour.
For Wilhelm, this was a no brainer. He eagerly accepted, his dreams may now finally be pursued; and as he laughed at the thought, it only took an alien invasion to happen. Others shunned Wilhelm to a great degree, because of his eagerness to work with the Combine, he did not make many friends; especially not among his colleagues, some of whom actually conspired against the Combine in secret. Wilhelm would come to learn of this eventually, and seeing it as a threat to his research, he would swiftly but discreetly report it to his superiors; come the next day, his colleagues would be gone, and a new team would be designated - with Wilhelm at its head.
Over the years spent researching various technologies with the Combine, he was treated fairly and well, as was his Mother, but they never found out what happened to his sister. A price to pay, but he was sure that she was alive and well. Often Wilhelm would see himself as the smartest in the room, but little did he know all these years in occupation serving the Combine and their interests, he was being manipulated - brainwashed almost. While he maintained himself still, and some of his memories remained as well, he found himself drifting at times - almost unaware of what had happened the day before. It mattered not, his dream would be realized. Despite the access and advancement he had made, he had not been able to pursue his dream in Artificial Intelligence; the Combine was very restrictive in this sense, practically barring it as it would pose a potential, and significant, threat to them and their occupation; of course though, Wilhelm wouldn't know this was the reason.
Then came the day when he would be transferred - relocated to another city for his own protection, as a rapid surge in insurgent activity and xenothreats had potentially put him and the other scientists at risk. He was put on a transport to City 24, Geneva. Shortly after getting situated in the city, before being placed into loyalist housing and the protective services of the Combine, the city fell to the very thing he was moved to avoid - Insurgency. The city collapsed and fell under new ownership; the Lambda. Wilhelm was not fond of this, he saw it as a severe disruption to his work. While he had nothing personal against the people of the world, these insurgents - these criminals - would interfere with the work, the great work. He would strike out with a group of civilians headed into the Alps; there were rumors of some stirrings going on there and he wanted to be a part of it. Plus, if there were any remnants of the Combine, they could help him continue his work; so off he went.
For Wilhelm, this was a no brainer. He eagerly accepted, his dreams may now finally be pursued; and as he laughed at the thought, it only took an alien invasion to happen. Others shunned Wilhelm to a great degree, because of his eagerness to work with the Combine, he did not make many friends; especially not among his colleagues, some of whom actually conspired against the Combine in secret. Wilhelm would come to learn of this eventually, and seeing it as a threat to his research, he would swiftly but discreetly report it to his superiors; come the next day, his colleagues would be gone, and a new team would be designated - with Wilhelm at its head.
Over the years spent researching various technologies with the Combine, he was treated fairly and well, as was his Mother, but they never found out what happened to his sister. A price to pay, but he was sure that she was alive and well. Often Wilhelm would see himself as the smartest in the room, but little did he know all these years in occupation serving the Combine and their interests, he was being manipulated - brainwashed almost. While he maintained himself still, and some of his memories remained as well, he found himself drifting at times - almost unaware of what had happened the day before. It mattered not, his dream would be realized. Despite the access and advancement he had made, he had not been able to pursue his dream in Artificial Intelligence; the Combine was very restrictive in this sense, practically barring it as it would pose a potential, and significant, threat to them and their occupation; of course though, Wilhelm wouldn't know this was the reason.
Then came the day when he would be transferred - relocated to another city for his own protection, as a rapid surge in insurgent activity and xenothreats had potentially put him and the other scientists at risk. He was put on a transport to City 24, Geneva. Shortly after getting situated in the city, before being placed into loyalist housing and the protective services of the Combine, the city fell to the very thing he was moved to avoid - Insurgency. The city collapsed and fell under new ownership; the Lambda. Wilhelm was not fond of this, he saw it as a severe disruption to his work. While he had nothing personal against the people of the world, these insurgents - these criminals - would interfere with the work, the great work. He would strike out with a group of civilians headed into the Alps; there were rumors of some stirrings going on there and he wanted to be a part of it. Plus, if there were any remnants of the Combine, they could help him continue his work; so off he went.
- A f f i l i a t i o n s -
Hostile - Hated - Disliked - Neutral - Liked - Friendly - Allied
- F A C T I O N S -
The Combine - "They have what I need to further my research, to advance human technology beyond what any of us could imagine! These politics, they get in the way; who cares if a few criminals die in the process."
The Lambda - "These insurgents, I don't disagree with their concern for their fellow man, in fact in some ways I support it. To overthrow our society on the cusp of major advancements though, what lost opportunities! These upstarts are no more organized than common thugs and some even act the part! Degenerates, pushing humanity back rather than propelling them further."
- R E L A T I O N S -
TBD
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