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Background
Like all of the so-called Mountain Men, Truman Cooper was born and raised in Mount Weather. He was groomed from a young age to follow in his mother's footsteps and join internal security. She took him to the range and taught him how to shoot. His parents divorced when he was seven and they both married other partners. As a result, he has two half-siblings.
When he was sixteen, he began to train formally with the security forces. He showed a knack not only for the martial skills required of him, but leadership skills as well. He was respected by the other security officers, and by the others in the base. People listened to him and he had a talent for articulating complex issues.
Life inside a secure compound leaves a lot of time to pursue other interests. As Mount Weather was so bent on preserving culture, it stood to reason that individuals would be encouraged to take up the study of something not immediately practical or connected to their day-to-day duties. For Truman, that was languages. He practiced them, studied their syntax, listened to old recordings to keep pronunciation alive and worked on translations. He had a knack for it, which was what got him assigned to the cages that held the Mountain's dirty secret.
All the residents of Mount Weather knew they used Grounder blood to cure radiation sickness. Many also knew they were using Grounders as weapons by turning them into Reapers. It's one thing to know these things, but another thing entirely to witness it for yourself. Truman was horrified when he saw the conditions the Grounders were in. They assigned him to that duty so he would overhear bits of Trigedasleng and perhaps work on decoding it. He was never more regretful of choosing languages as his specialty.
Truman tried to be blase' about the whole situation like the veteran guards, but try as he might, he couldn't just see their captives as animals, or as a means to an end. He started helping where he could, though he had to be incredibly careful. He was able to offer a bit of water here, some antibiotics there. He even helped a handful of Grounders to end their own lives when they were past saving and were truly suffering. The Grounders still did not trust or like him. He still had to help lock new Grounders up and drag them back to their cages if they escaped - but many of them came to realize his help was genuine and came with no strings.
The more time Truman spent around the Grounders, the more disconcerted he started to get. He tried to argue for more humane treatment of their prisoners at the very least. He even got an audience with President Wallace. He argued his cause passionately and articulately. Dante remarked that he had a future in front of him as an adviser or a department head, but ultimately (most likely due to Cage) nothing changed.
Truman failed to convince anyone else of the need to treat their prisoners better - to take fewer captives, or to try and negotiate some kind of peace. He began to feel alone and isolated. The people he talked to either didn't share his views or had never met a Grounder and was therefore able to think of them as something other than human beings. He felt alone in his convictions and unable to do more than offer small kindnesses.
Characteristics
He's earned the nickname Trooper (Truman + Cooper). He doesn't like it much, but when you're a tiny security officer, you develop a thick skin.
He's named for author Truman Capote.
His mother is a member of one of the more elite and intellectual families in the Mountain and is an active member of the security force. His father is a maintenance worker who crawls through access tunnels and keeps the air scrubbers working. Gloria's marriage to Christopher was an act of rebellion.
The only reason he's an internal rather than external security officer is because they don't have any combat environmental suits that fit him. Most people are nice enough to not bring that up - but not everyone.
Description
Quirks
Musical Inspiration
On the Grid
Known Associates
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Dr. Salvador Montgomery : Uncle, brother of his mother. From the posh side of the family. Nice guy. Intellectual. Kinder than most of that side of the family regarding his father. |
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Carlos Ortega Vega : Childhood friend and fellow security officer - though Carlos gets to go outside. They may not agree on the big issues, but their disagreement is respectful. That's a rare thing these days. |
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Titles are optional : Relationship details |
Recent Logs
Recent Memoirs
Gallery
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