Commander Wake and his XO touch down on Shanxi alongside 1st and 2nd platoon as they survey the damages and send out advance parties.
"Have you ever been told about the Battle of Cannae? It's a favorite of mine. I think you would take a lot away from it in this situation."
Remas L. Wake is a human and previous Commander in the Systems Alliance from the 103rd Marine Division, Second Fleet. He served during the First Contact War as reinforcements sent to Shanxi and was subseqeuntly discharged following the aftermath for improper conduct as an officer. He has two children, neither of which he is allowed to see due to court orders. He now commands an elite Private Military Company known as X-Ray Company. He was born on July 4th, 2135 on Earth in the city of Memphis, TN of the UNAS.
Prior First Contact War[]
When he turned eighteen upon graduating High School he was offered a scholarship through his family's wealthy connections to the Systems Alliance West Point Academy in the UNAS, one of the still most prestigious military academies on Earth. Remas exceeded as a military cadet in areas of field combat and Infantry warfare, he wasn't as strong at mass unit conducting when it came to moving logistics or control of multiple troops at once, math was always a failing point for him; Still, he did grasp through history the do's and do not's of full scale war.
First Contact War[]
Upon graduating the West Point Academy in 2154 he assumed command of Marines stationed on Earth with 1st Marine Division on the Pacific Coast, serving as a Rifle Platoon Leader and later an acting Company XO. He met his wife on the Pacific Coast and was soon married with two children on the way, happy with the turn events and having a successful military career thus far. He was later invited into the Interplanetary Combatives Training School or ICT after being signed off for approval by his Company Commander, there he endured the grueling hours, training, and suck that the school presented not just in South America but even in space, getting his wish of being among the stars. In 2157 the First Contact War broke out on the Colony of Shanxi, currently at the school grade of N6, his class was was sent forth in command to the 2nd Battalion of the 103rd Marine Division in the Alliance's Second Fleet, many of the men being all Marine Special Forces he soon took command of his new company and met his XO, a man he'd work with for the rest of his life.
The deal given to the N6's sent out was that the success of their missions in rescuing the forces from Shanxi would determine as to whether or not they actually graduated to N7, for Remas he knew that his commission, career, and future rested solely on the success of making N7, he wouldn't take going back to his unit as a sham of having failed the school (Even if was such a high honor to even make ICT). The young officer allowed himself to be blinded in attempt to show off to his superiors and graders evaluating their missions in secret on the planet. Under the command of Colonel Ethica Nacon, Remas took his company through what would be known as the Dan Feng river, where the remains of citizens killed by the Turian bombardments floated down stream and coated the river red. Eventually receiving the order from the Battalion TOC to capture and give relief to the troops and civilians trying to hold out at an old mining relay.
Remas rejected the order, holding his company's position across the field as he allowed the mobilizing Turian force trying to escape to blaze and rip through what remained of those forces without issues at all.. To him, the personal glory and gain from allowing his company to take the final charge and remove part of the Turian remains on the planet was a glory that only he wanted, it was sure to give him the edge he needed for success. Remas attacked the Turians as they crossed his company's kill-zone at their most vulnerable time, already tired from their previous fight and worn from the long walk, their vast numbers posed no match for the large scale ambushes Remas had organized his platoons into, using the sacrifice of the citizens as his advantage to fight a weaker enemy. It was a cold move, calculated, ruthless, and one that stained him sense.
Another unit having moved through the area in pursuit of the retreating Turian forces saw that Remas' men were not present, not even among the dead, and still they were nowhere to be found. It was soon reported what the young and ambitious officer had persuaded his men into doing and he was quickly reprimanded for it after the war. Losing his commission and chance at N7 for tactical negligence, failure to meet the standards of a military officer, refusal to follow orders, and rejection of the Systems Alliance codes and creed; His Court-Martial was swift and punishment severe. Soon after his own Court Martial his XO and many others as well were sent off for steroid abuse and following his orders. Remas was sent back to Earth, bitter and cold.
After First Contact War[]
With the frustration of not only having lost the chance of becoming an N7 but as well having lost his entire career in the military he turned to drinking, working for docks on minimum wage as the only places that would take him, his marriage began to fail. The marriage came to an entire halt after he beat his wife in the short time of having came back from the war, losing his children in the process. He found himself alone and with nobody but himself to think on everything he'd done, trying to come to reality or reason with himself. There was still hope in the darkness however.
A guiding hand from Cerberus, contacted by the Illusive Man with a simple promise: "You can set humanity's place right, do what I tell you and you'll make history, I'll even help you get your children back." all of this was too good to be true to Remas, a chance to regain his place and name by doing something more than what he had been, by being part of human history and advancing his species in Galactic civilization as well as getting his children back? That was an offer he couldn't turn down. Remas was easily taken in by the Illusive Man's charismatic appeal to all he'd lost, going as far as to giving the man his military life back and even reuniting him with old Marines he'd served with from Shanxi. Now he works for Cerberus and the Illusive Man under the idea planted into him that he is doing good for humanity and it's measurement at the head of the Galaxy, as well as a chance to be with his children again. He can finally rewrite his mistakes.