![[mackay.png]] *Added to the Codex on* ***August 29th, 2023*** --- ### Quotes “The grapple’s custom. Everyone in my old unit thought I’d lost my mind when I started swinging around on it, but hey, genius is never recognized in its time.”[^1] - Mackay “I’d almost given up hope we’d ever pull ourselves outta this fucking mess. Then I found the Exodus. I saw we still had a chance.”[^1] - Mackay <br> ### Description Mackay was born on a Canadian army base where his father served as an officer. His mother was an absent figure through most of his childhood and spent long stretches in hospital to treat severe depression. Military life meant the family never stayed in on location for more than a couple years. As such, Mackay came to rely heavily on the one constant in his life: his father. Together, they formed an unbreakable unit. At 18, Mackay followed his father’s wishes and joined the military where he excelled in survival and marksmanship training. He rose through the ranks and joined Joint Task Force 2. Deployed in multiple NATO-led missions in Eastern Europe, their primary task was the elimination of terrorist cells that were exploiting the region’s worsening crisis. It was during one such tour that Mackay’s father died unexpectedly of a stroke. The bereavement shook the son to his core. Suddenly everything he did, everything he was, reminded him of his loss. It was too much to bear. He retired from the military, sold what little he owned and retreated to a quiet corner of the globe, eventually settling in Peru where he worked as a mountain guide. For seven years Mackay kept the world and all its problems away. But eventually they found him. A corrupt paramilitary unit began operating in the area and was targeting a group of [[No-Pats|Non-Patriated]] migrants. Conflict was inevitable - as was the opening of old wounds. Mackay’s judgment was swift and severe. With the paramilitary threat erased, he decided to help the migrants cross the border and find their destination: an infamous No-Pat vessel and safehaven named the [[Codex/Profiles/Exodus|Exodus]]. Mackay saw the promise of a new world aboard that ship - one that gave him hope. And one that needs protecting. <br> **Key Dates** 2006 - Born in Cold Lake, AB, Canada. 2024 - at 18, joins the Canadian military following in his father’s footsteps. 2028 - at 22, advances into Joint Task Force 2 as a part of their counter-terrorism division. 2034 - at 28, loses his father who abruptly dies of a stroke. 2035 - at 29, retires from the military and resettles in Peru. 2042 - at 36, escorts a No-Pat group to safety aboard the Exodus. [^1]: This is one of Mackay's loading screen quotes.