And here he is, folks, the latest product of my brain and such!

And here's an absurdly long document that I'd been working on to define his character. Subject to change.

Name: Fred Savage
Phys. Description:
Dingo, with white belly, arms, and legs, creamy orange back,
shoulders, ears, and cheeks. Typically wears open-faced
short-sleeved shirts and a white undershirt, blue jeans, and
frequently a brown slouch hat. He prefers sneakers but also wears
combat boots as a matter of habit. He has some slashing scars along
the tops of his forearms and fingers.
Place of birth: Gingin, West Australia
Date of Birth: 12/15/1949

Service History: Six years in Australian 1st Brigade, one tour at
home, one tour with the U.N. in Israel, and one tour in Vietnam
Work history: 1969-1972- Accounts administrator with Beers & Yount
International Peacekeeping Services. Fall 1972- Independent work in
Angola. 1973-1974- Independent work in Ethiopia. 1975- Incarcerated
as capitalist rebel, freed after 8 months of processing. Spring
1976- recuperation in Perth & private family affairs. Fall 1976-Fall
1977 Independent work in Argentina. 1978-1979 International job hunting

Bio: The middle pup in a 5-child household, Fred struggled to make
enough room for himself in the house and the family for years,
eventually taking refuge in exploring the countryside and desert. He
was an average performer in grammar and secondary school, but was
renowned for his ability to make quick friends and for his savvy
attitude.

He went into college for a year, but a lack of personal
direction combined with a lack of funds persuaded him to enlist in
the Army, where he found himself to be a stellar soldier. Seeking
some adventure abroad he signed up for a two-year tour with the
Australian UN peacekeeping forces, his first exposure to other
countries being the middle east. He was selected as a good candidate
for a tour in Vietnam, where he gained a great deal of wisdom about
combat's realities from veteran American forces. It is rumored that
he befriended special forces operatives of the notorious MACV SOG,
but no proof exists that he ever went into the field with them.

He found himself a rarity among fellow soldiers, not only capable of
dealing with the spontaneity and danger of battle but uniquely at
home with it. He tended to approach all affairs of a military nature
in a somewhat scientific fashion, relentlessly curious but at the
same time deeply rooted in common sense. Innovative, attentive, and
surprisingly sane given the absurdities of the war around him, he
followed a friend's recommendation and sought work with a small
Australian-based mercenary company, Beers and Yount, where he
learned a considerable amount about the trade while sitting for the
most part on the sidelines, managing accounts and gathering
information in what amounted to gumshoe espionage.

His independent career has been a controversial roller coaster ride
through the developing world, often putting him at odds with
extremists of all sorts. Those who have known him in that time
either deride him as a lunatic and a bastard or applaud him for his
ability to get the job done and his devotion. One former employer
described his curious nature as "having a fantastic ability to make
friends in the worst possible way, and to simultaneously make
enemies with the best of intentions."

Savage picks his jobs based on two factors: Risk and pay. He seldom
allows ethics to sway his judgments, though he admits that some of
his core principles have denied him profits. He does not accept jobs
asking him to kill civilians, he does not like trafficking drugs
(though guns are another story entirely), and he does not engage in
extremely risky endeavors, since the risks he endures on average are
already higher than the norm.

Personality Profile:
Compared to other mercenaries in the profession, Savage is something
of an enigma. He lacks some of the hard-core disciplinary thinking
that some have, and consequently indulges in creature comforts a bit
too often, most notably female companionship, late night parties,
and sleeping in. These problems aside, various employers have found
him to be assertive and bold when asking questions, and once his
payment is secure he pursues his work with legendary doggedness and
loyalty, doing whatever it takes to complete a prescribed mission,
no matter how taboo.

He is a skilled marksman, though not qualified as a sniper, and
combined with his talents in close combat is a formidable assault
trooper. He is somewhat talented in logistics and recognizes its
importance to a fighting force. He has some basic medical knowledge,
but generally makes it a point to be friendly to local doctors and
clinics since the health care available to mercenaries is dicey at
best. He takes excellent care of his body, sporting a fit, muscular
build, and is well versed in close combat techniques, which he
admits he has seldom been forced to use.

He is admittedly not very good at applied demolitions and heavy weapons, and though he has
good textbook skills in this regard, he typically delegates such
work to an expert, which leads to one of his best skills. Though
'delegation' is a dubious skill in some professions, it is key in
mercenary work to find a fighter's strengths and allow them to excel
in them, and Fred is good at determining these strengths and using
them to his and his client's advantage. Like any mercenary he swims
in a sea of small unit tactics, and proper delegation is crucial in
allowing a small force to exert substantial power.

Savage doesn't smoke, but often exchanges cigarette cartons as a
substitute for unstable currency. He likes lollipops and is
frequently seen contemplating his surroundings while waving one's
stick back and forth in his mouth. He has some scars on his forearms
and fingers from knife fights, but has no spectacular birth marks or
visible tattoos. He has been shot on two separate occasions- once by
a nine-millimeter handgun and once by a shotgun- surviving both with
relatively minor injuries, but evidence of those scars is covered by
his fur.

A good way to describe Savage's looks is an alternation between
cunning and alertness. He is uniquely aware of his surroundings in a
martial sort of way, and while some mistake his alertness and alarm
as paranoia, he is seldom wrong when detecting that something is
amiss. In safe surroundings, he is much more relaxed in nature- but
still sly. Though many upsetting things happen in his line of work,
Fred generally doesn't let himself get angry unless it suits his
needs, though he doesn't hold back his discontent. He is generally
friendly and sociable and doesn't refrain from having a conversation
with someone just because of their job, ideology, race, or social
standing.

Through this, he has a way of making quick friends, but because of
his appetite for danger and his economy of words he also makes quick
enemies. All the same, he is more of a peoples' person than a
sophisticated player, and has friends that are journalists, rebels,
doctors, soldiers, entertainers, bartenders, and teachers. His
enemies tend to be of a higher standing, and he has an unpopular
reputation among certain colonels, generals, clergymen, statesmen,
tycoons, and crime lords. On the other hand, some of his most
lucrative and loyal employers also fit into that category.

Preferred Weaponry:
Savage, due to the constraints of the profession, is pretty flexible
when it comes to what armaments he will use. However, he is fond of
proven and effective close range weaponry.
AKM- ubiquitous, simple, and deadly, this icon of villains and
freedom fighters is a typical choice in Savage's kit

Colt 1911 & variants- The slow moving, but hard-hitting bullet
combined with the extremely reliable platform makes this handgun one
of Savage's favorite firearms

GIAT FAMAS, "Le Clarion"- A relatively new assault rifle now in the
employ of French forces, this is one of the more sophisticated
preferences in Savage's arsenal if he can lay hands on it. With high
accuracy, manageable recoil, a high rate of fire and the ability to
burst fire make this peculiar looking assault rifle a versatile
choice. Combined with its portable, compact 'bullpup' configuration
it is popular among Savage and other assault specialists who often
work in tight quarters. Since the weapon has only recently entered
mass production, the weapon is a rare commodity.

Ingram Mac 10-11- A small, highly portable, and very rapid-firing
open bolt submachine gun, this rectangular weapon, often confused
with the Uzi, easily accommodates a suppressor and fires either .45
or 9mm ammunition at a blistering rate. Its popularity among
clandestine outfits makes it more available to Savage, who finds it
handy when he needs maximum firepower in a small package. Its
horrendous accuracy and tendency to overheat limits it to wet work
at close range.

US M-14- A hard-hitting magazine fed variant of the legendary M1
Garand, this weapon is widely available, easy to maintain, accurate,
and reliable, its main disadvantages being weight and recoil. In the
event that Savage or his associates need a long-range weapon capable
of hitting far off targets with solid accuracy, the M14 is a solid
choice. Additionally, it has some solid capabilities as an assault
rifle and can pull double duty unlike many other long rifles.

"Lemon" Grenade (M61, M26, M312, M26A2, L2A2, RGD5)- The standard
fragmentation grenade of modern militaries of the era, this
composition B filled 'lemon' of sheet and coiled steel can maim and
mangle targets in a 15-meter radius, handy for creating enormous
havoc and clearing out secure areas. Though unpredictable, grenades
are an essential tool for any assaulting force, and have a variety
of capabilities in guerrilla warfare regarding sabotage and booby
traps.

M79 Grenade Launcher- Though obsolete, it is no less effective than
it was in Vietnam at launching a wide array of ordnance, from
explosives to tear gas to incendiaries, a reasonable distance into a
prepared enemy position to create similar chaos to a hand grenade,
but with much better aim and range. Savage is not very skilled with
this weapon, and finds the breech-loaded and heavy device to be
'cranky', but useful in inflicting terror and chaos. Along with the
US M-14, it is the heaviest weapon he is willing to carry along.