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Not eager to continue along the lines of his abused and broken past, Rusty keeps to himself, unwilling to trust anyone. The few that he does trust gain said trust only when dealing closely with him over long periods of time. He speaks only when necessary, and smiles rarely. Happiness is a sign of vulnerability and weakness, and also a precious luxury that he can no longer afford.
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Little is known of Rusty's early years, and no records exist to fill in the details, save for a hand-written certificate of birth and a memory of loneliness and abuse. At the age of 8, Rusty stowed away on a vessel belonging to a group of smugglers to escape his last surviving relative, his grandfather. During the first three days of the smugglers' journey, he remained undetected. He was discovered by a short and chubby fellow on the fourth day while Rusty tried to sneak an apple from the kitchen. Had it not been for the captain's intervention, Rusty's last memory would have been a 9mm pistol fired in his face.
Rather than release the kid on Persephone when they landed, the captain, a man named Harvey Geisler, decided to keep the kid close until he could find a suitable guardian for him. The search lasted a couple months until Harvey left him with his sister Alison at the family farm on Whitefall. Seven years passed, but they were not completely good. Alison did her best to care for Rusty, yet the company she chose to keep around the boy provided enough mental and physical damage to last twelve lifetimes. Just after his fifteenth birthday, a group of criminals plundered Alison's small farm, and kidnapped her as a trophy.
Rusty sent word to Harvey, but not before starting to track down the criminals himself. He searched for nearly two weeks, each day more grueling than the last. Finally, he found their camp in the middle of the night. Armed with a stolen sniper rifle and a small automatic pistol, he unleashed a one-man rescue attempt. After his second kill, his location was discovered. Had it not been for Harvey's timely arrival, Rusty would have joined the already deceased Alison.
Ready to leave more bad memories behind, Rusty signed on as a hired hand aboard Harvey's boat, a Firefly called Hermes. Under the tutelage and thievery of Captain Geisler, Rusty learned marksmanship, tactics, and enough diplomacy to keep him alive. As the years went by, Rusty worked his way up to First Mate and became the Hermes' most valuable asset.
In 2514, during what was supposed to be a routine deal, the crew of the Hermes was ambushed on Whitefall. A firefight ensued that killed most of the crew, including the captain. The victors gladly claimed the Firefly and escaped to the black. Harvey, having lost the only family he ever had, vowed to find the Hermes even if it took his dying breath.
He started to track the Firefly, only to find how quickly it had changed hands from time to time. After three years, he had tracked it to Santho where it was in possession of a gambler. During several carefully plaid hands of poker, Rusty managed to win the Hermes back, but soon found himself with a ship without a crew. Eager to get back to the life he once had, Rusty recruited his own band of ragtags and set out for the black once more...
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