The Squad

Childhood friends JD and Del have always been there for one another, it’s just what soldiers do. Times are different now—the chain of command begins and ends with First Minister Jinn—and JD and Del have chosen to live beyond her reach. Together with their companion Kait, the trio works to find their place in a world threatened by an unforeseen threat of monstrous proportions. They’re not alone, however; they’ve got help. The trio are seldom without a fourth, older, companion.

JD Fenix

The son of Marcus Fenix and Anya Stroud, JD grew up on his family’s villa, far beyond the walled confines of sanctioned COG territory. From a young age, he was surrounded by stories of his war-hero mother and father. Upon graduating from an elite boarding school in New Epyhra, JD entered a COG officer training program, much to the displeasure of his father. There, JD caught the eye of the ambitious First Minister Jinn, who selected him to lead a unit of security Deebees. Following a classified incident that left JD deeply disillusioned with the COG, he and his best friend, Del, went AWOL. They eventually wound up as fledgling members of an isolated Outsider village. First Minister Jinn, meanwhile, views JD and Del as enemies of the state.

Delmont “Del” Walker

Del lost both his parents in the difficult aftermath of the Locust War, before the COG had completely reasserted its control. He became a ward of the state, but due to his intelligence and good nature, he was siphoned into a boarding school for gifted (or, failing that, rich) children where he met JD Fenix. Much like JD, though for very different reasons, Del was a loner, but they had an essential woundedness in common, and quickly became best friends. Before long, Del was joining JD on visits back to the family villa and becoming a de facto member of the Fenix family. Alongside JD, Del commanded a security Deebee unit, until a disastrous mission shattered his faith in the new COG. After convincing JD to go AWOL with him, Del wound up in an Outsider village, eager, as always, to build bridges between people.

Kait Diaz

Kait was born and raised in “the Wilds,” which is the official COG designation for all territory outside its formal jurisdiction. Despite her proud Outsider status, Kait has deep family ties to the COG: her late father was a decorated Raven pilot during the Locust War. Today, Kait’s mother, Reyna, is the leader of her isolated Outsider village, though many view Kait as her heir apparent. Raised to be self-sufficient and fearless, like all Outsiders, Kait has an essential curiosity about COG life that her mother regards as worrying. Even more worrying to Reyna is Kait’s growing friendship with the most recently arrived members of their Outsider community: JD and Del. Reyna has thus tasked Oscar, Kait’s uncle, with making sure Kait doesn’t draw too close to her new friends.