Lance Corporal Ash Mercer

Name Ash Quinn Mercer

Position Specialist

Rank Lance Corporal


Last Post

Character Information

Gender Male
Species Human
Age 20
Date of Birth March 8, 2136

Physical Appearance

Height 200 cm
Weight 86 kg
Hair Dark brown, thick and curly, usually kept in regulation length but tends to look slightly disheveled
Eye Color Dark Brown
Physical Description Ash Mercer is immediately noticeable for his height—a full two meters tall, with a lean, angular frame that speaks to his Mars colonial upbringing. Born and raised in lower gravity, his build is broad-shouldered but not heavily muscled; instead, he's all long lines and visible definition, with abs and hip bones that show through his uniform when he moves. His dark curly hair and sharp features give him an almost artistic quality that seems at odds with the tactical gear he wears. There's a certain elegance to the way he moves—economical, precise, like every motion is calculated. His hands are steady, his posture relaxed but ready. The overall effect is striking: he looks like he belongs on a stage rather than behind a rifle scope, which makes it all the more unsettling when you realize just how good he is at his job.

Personality Profile

General Overview Ash Mercer is pragmatic to the point of cynicism, with a dry, sardonic sense of humor that masks a sharp tactical mind. Born on Mars to second-generation colonists, he holds no particular allegiance to Earth's ideals or United Earth's lofty goals—he's glad humanity finally "figured their shit out," but the whole utopian project feels distant and abstract to him. He joined MACO at eighteen not out of patriotism but because he was an exceptional shot and the military offered more interesting work than the limited options available in Mars's fledgling colonial economy. He's professional, competent, and utterly unsentimental about his role. Ash knows MACO probably won't exist within his lifetime; he figures he'll end up folded into Starfleet Security eventually, which he preemptively resents as "going corporate." There's a restless creative energy underneath his tactical exterior—he's the kind of person who would've been an artist in another life, but instead channels that precision and focus into marksmanship.
Strengths Ash is an exceptional marksman, patient and methodical behind a scope. His tactical instincts are sharp, and he excels at reading situations and adapting on the fly. He's trained in martial arts that emphasize leverage over strength—particularly Japanese jujutsu and aikido, which he studied during his time at the Etajima training facility. He's intelligent, observant, and has a knack for dark humor that can lighten tense situations. His Mars upbringing gives him a certain detachment that allows him to stay calm under pressure; he doesn't get rattled easily because he's never been particularly invested emotionally in Earth's conflicts.
Weaknesses Ash isn't a brawler—his lean build and lower bone density from growing up in Mars gravity make him vulnerable in prolonged hand-to-hand combat against stronger opponents. He lacks the raw physical strength for grappling, and extended fights put him at risk of fractures or breaks. His cynicism can come across as detachment or even disrespect, which doesn't always sit well with more idealistic officers. He's also restless; the military structure chafes at his creative instincts, and he struggles with the idea that he's locked into a career path that feels inevitable rather than chosen. There's a part of him that wonders what he could've been if he'd stayed on Mars, pursued something artistic, lived a different life—and that "what if" eats at him sometimes.
Hobbies & Interests Ash has an unexpected interest in music—specifically, he follows Earth's pop music scene and has a soft spot for artists who blur genre lines and push boundaries. It's one of the few things that reminds him there's more to human culture than military discipline and colonial expansion. He's also interested in visual composition—photography, design, the way things are framed—which translates surprisingly well to his work as a marksman. In his downtime, he sketches occasionally, though he'd never show anyone. He also enjoys zero-gravity maneuvering; it reminds him of home.
Goals Ash doesn't have grand ambitions. He's good at what he does, and he knows it, but he's not chasing promotions or glory. His goal is to get through his service without getting killed, hopefully pick up some skills and experiences that'll be useful when MACO inevitably folds, and maybe—if he's lucky—figure out what he actually wants to do with his life before he ends up as "some lame security officer" in Starfleet. There's a part of him that wants to prove something, though he'd never admit it: that being from Mars doesn't make you less capable, that being tall and pretty doesn't mean you're not dangerous, that you can be good at violence without loving it.

Languages

Native Language English
Fluencies UESPA Linguacode
Familiarity Japanese (basic conversational, learned during Etajima training)

Certifications

Starfleet Certifications MACO Basic Training (2154)
Completed at Etajima Facility, Hiroshima, Japan. Covers combat fundamentals, EVA operations, zero-gravity tactics, survival training, and small unit operations.

Designated Marksman Qualification (2154)
Certified as a Designated Marksman within a MACO fire team. Qualified expert with phase rifles, conventional rifles, and long-range precision systems.

Close Quarters Combat Certification (2154)
Specialized training in jujutsu and aikido, emphasizing leverage-based techniques and defensive tactics suited to his build and limitations.

Shipboard Security Operations (2155)
Certified in boarding defense, shipboard patrol, intruder response, and integration with Starfleet security protocols.

Coalition Tactical Interoperability (2155)
Trained in joint operations with Vulcan, Andorian, and Tellarite security forces as part of Coalition of Planets cooperation efforts.

Family

Parent(s) Father: Marcus Mercer (b. 2108) – Mid-level administrator at Utopia Planitia Shipyards. Practical, work-focused, quietly disappointed Ash left Mars. Believes in the colonial project but isn't sentimental about it.

Mother: Elaine Kwan-Mercer (b. 2112) – Hydroponics engineer, second-generation Mars colonist. More emotionally expressive than Marcus, worried about Ash going to Earth for training and never really coming back. Sends him messages he doesn't always answer.
Sibling(s) Sister: Mira Mercer (b. 2139) – Still on Mars, studying xenobotany. Bright, idealistic, everything Ash isn't. They're close despite the distance, though Ash deflects whenever she asks him about MACO work.

Unrelated Ties

Friendships Staff Sergeant Kowalski: Ash's hand-to-hand combat instructor at Etajima. Recognized Ash's limitations and taught him to fight smart instead of strong. They still exchange messages occasionally.
Mentors Gunnery Sergeant Tanaka: Ash's primary marksmanship instructor at Etajima. A third-generation Japanese soldier who saw potential in Ash's patience and precision. Taught him that being a sniper isn't about aggression—it's about discipline, observation, and knowing when to take the shot. Ash respects him more than almost anyone.

Personal History

Homeworld Mars (Utopia Planitia Region, Bradbury Township)
Pre-Academy Life Ash Quinn Mercer was born on March 8, 2136, in Bradbury Township, a mid-sized settlement in the Utopia Planitia region of Mars. His parents were second-generation colonists—his father worked in shipyard administration, his mother in hydroponics engineering. Life on Mars was practical, focused on survival and infrastructure rather than culture or art. Ash grew up tall and lean in the lower gravity, surrounded by red dust and prefab domes, watching Earth ships come and go from the orbital yards.

He was a quiet kid, observant, with a knack for precision tasks. He liked music, liked drawing, liked the way light looked through the dome glass at sunset. But Mars didn't have much room for artists—there were jobs in engineering, administration, terraforming, shipbuilding. Practical work. When he turned sixteen, his parents started pushing him toward hydroponics or yard work. Ash couldn't imagine spending his life in a dome, doing the same thing his parents did.

When MACO recruiters came through in 2153, looking for candidates from the colonies, Ash saw a way out. He was eighteen, aimless, and happened to be an excellent shot—he'd grown up hunting dust hares in the settlement perimeter for extra rations, learned to be patient, learned to calculate wind and distance. The recruiter told him MACO needed people like him. Ash figured it beat staying on Mars.
Academy Life Ash enlisted in early 2154 and shipped out to Earth for the first time in his life. The transition from 0.38g to 1g was brutal—his first weeks at the Etajima facility in Japan were spent adjusting to the crushing weight of full gravity, building bone density and muscle he'd never needed on Mars. He was taller than almost everyone, gangly and awkward at first, but his marksmanship scores caught attention immediately.

Training at Etajima was rigorous. Ash qualified as a Designated Marksman rather than a full sniper—he was good, but MACO had higher-level specialists for long-range precision work. Still, within his fire team role, he was the best shot by a wide margin. When it came to hand-to-hand combat, though, his instructors recognized his limitations. Staff Sergeant Kowalski pulled him aside and taught him jujutsu and aikido—martial arts that used an opponent's weight and momentum against them. "You're not going to win a fistfight against someone who outweighs you by twenty kilos," Kowalski told him. "So don't fight fair. Fight smart."

Ash absorbed the culture shock of Earth—the crowds, the humidity, the weight of history pressing down on everything. He studied, trained, passed his certifications, and kept his head down. Gunnery Sergeant Tanaka, his marksmanship instructor, became something close to a mentor. Tanaka taught him that sniping wasn't about aggression—it was about observation, patience, discipline. "You don't take the shot because you can," Tanaka said. "You take it because it's the right shot."

In late 2155, Ash was assigned to the MACO detachment aboard the NX-03 Challenger. It was his first deep-space posting, his first time off Earth since arriving for training. He reported aboard with the rest of the MACO team and settled into the strange reality of living on a Starfleet vessel—surrounded by explorers who saw weapons as a necessary evil, working with a Chief Armory Officer who openly believed MACO shouldn't exist.

Ash finds the whole situation darkly funny. He knows MACO probably won't survive long-term; Starfleet will absorb them, rebrand them, turn them into "security officers" who do the same job under a different name. He figures he'll end up in a blue uniform eventually, filing reports and doing boardings and pretending the job is fundamentally different. Until then, he does his work, keeps his rifle clean, and tries not to think too hard about what comes next.

Service Record

Service Record Ash Mercer enlisted in MACO in early 2154 at age eighteen, completing basic training and Designated Marksman qualification at the Etajima facility in Japan. His marksmanship scores were among the highest in his training class, and he adapted quickly to Earth's gravity despite the physical challenges of transitioning from Mars.

Assigned to the MACO detachment aboard NX-03 Challenger in late 2155, Ash serves as a fire team member and designated marksman. He's professional, competent, and quietly cynical about MACO's long-term survival. His relationship with Starfleet personnel is cordial but detached—he respects their skills but doesn't share their idealism. He knows he's exactly the kind of soldier some Starfleet officers philosophically object to, and he finds the whole situation grimly amusing.