Ryk Kydd

"Once my eye is locked tight on my quarry, the whole world just goes quiet. Almost peaceful. It's just me, my target, and my heartbeat softly measuring out the last seconds of that poor sucker's life."

- Private Ryk Kydd in an interview

Ryk Kydd, born Ark Bennet, was a Confederate Marine Corps sniper during the Guild Wars. He had average intelligence and, according to a psychologist, might have been psychic. His sniping instructor said he had the "X-factor", causing time to seem to slow down when he made a shot.

Biography
Ark Bennet was born the son of Errol and Lisa Bennet, members of the Old Families. The Bennet family was low-key, and so few people had any idea who Ark was or what he looked like.

As a young man, Ark was dissatisfied with his life. His father wanted him to be a "spare" heir to Bennet Industries like his older sister Tara, but Ark didn't have those inclinations. His mother Lisa wanted him to be a scholar, but he had no interest in that lifestyle either.

In 2488 the Old Families held their annual Reunion in Tarsonis City, and Ark's father ordered him to attend, hoping he'd learn at least a little about the family business. A bored Ark wandered outside and entered Hacker's Flat, a low-income area where he stood out. Worse, he got lost and had to consult a map, marking him as prey for "Laura Posey", a grifter who used sex appeal to lure and rob her victims.

"Posey" lured him to a bar and gave him a beer laced with drugs. Ark Bennet fell for the trick and passed out. Before he came to, "Posey" discovered his true identity and "lost" it. Bennet was "sold" to a recruiting sergeant, Harley Ross. He awoke aboard a military-operated system runner. Confronted with Staff Sergeant Wright, he found out his new name was "Ryk Kydd". His attempts to convince Wright of who he really was fell on deaf ears, although he was told that if he passed basic training, the Bureau of Personnel could help him. (Wright then ordered him to do thirty push-ups for "wasting time".)

A Satisfying Life
Initially bitter at being forced into the Marine Corps, "Kydd" found he was actually good at something – sniping with a BOSUN FN92 rifle. He was trained by Sergeant Peters.

Kydd told one of his trainers, Major Lionel Macaby, about his identity predicament. Macaby didn't want to lose a valuable trainee, especially one who might earn a sniper qualification before even passing basic training, so he passed the case up to his divisional commander, hoping Kydd would graduate before his identity was confirmed.

He was forced into a punishment detail along with a couple of lower-class rowdies, Jim Raynor and Hank Harnack. They became friends when Kydd reprogrammed a maintenance robot to do their assigned work for them. The two recruits taught him how to live a life away from the Old Families.

The night before graduation, the three celebrated, which included getting drunk and brawling with fleet personnel. They "escaped" by stealing a vulture, only to crash into a police station and get arrested. The next morning, Kydd was the only one of the trio who was barely presentable.

At the graduation ceremony, he had the opportunity to meet Cornelius Brubaker, a friend of his father, who could have recognized him. However, Kydd had come to like his new life and avoided him, remaining in the Marine Corps.

The recruits were sent by truck toward Fort Howe for seasoning. However, on the way their trucks were attacked by Kel-Morian Hellhounds. Private Jim Raynor immediately took on a leadership role, especially after becoming aware of Kel-Morian troops and vehicles attacking Confederate Firebase Zulu to their south. He ordered Kydd and another marine, Private Max Zander, to find a safe path to the firebase. As the rest of the soldiers used the path, Kydd and Zander were sent into a farmhouse in an orchard, where Kydd could set up a sniper's post. As they entered, Zander killed a Kel-Morian scout, while Kydd told him to listen in on the dead soldier's radio. From his position, Kydd killed many enemy soldiers. Meanwhile, Raynor led the new troops to victory.

Cold Blood
Raynor was promoted to lance corporal for his deed, but he and his squad were assigned boring duties at Fort Howe. They were eventually put into the "care" of Sergeant Tychus Findlay, who threatened them (due to a grudge he held against Raynor), only to be interrupted by a Kel-Morian Combine invasion of their base. The squad discovered corrupt Confederate troopers loading a pair trucks at the armory and, after dealing with a band of Kel-Morians, took possession of the trucks. Findlay immediately decided they would steal the trucks and split the loot for themselves. The trucks were stored in the war-shattered town of Whitford for the time being.

Findlay and the rest of his squad were folded into Colonel Javier Vanderspool's Special Tactics and Missions Platoon, whose soldiers would use Thunderstrike armor, enabling them to be air-dropped into combat. Suspicious of the loss of the loot he would have split with the Kel-Morians, Vanderspool assigned Petty Officer Lisa Cassidy, a crab-addicted medic, into the platoon as part of a test of front-line medics... and also to spy on them.

Meanwhile, Findlay wanted to further his Operation Early Retirement scheme. He sold the loot to a customer in Whitford, but another band of attackers arrived and attempted to steal their proceeds. During the battle, Kydd slew many of them, even as they retreated. He felt no remorse for doing so.

Zander used the proceeds of his share to buy food and give it away to war refugees. Unfortunately, this generosity got him captured by Silas Trask, a bandit. Kydd took part in the private mission launched to rescue Zander.

A Legend Is Born
Colonel Vanderspool had some news for the Special Tactics and Missions Platoon – they would be used in an assault on Kel-Morian Internment Camp-36, which held hundreds of Confederate POWs.

The platoon took over the base, but the extra dropships which were supposed to pick up the POWs were delayed. As a result, the platoon stole a number of vehicles to transport the POWs. Along the way, they were intercepted, first by Kel-Morian Hellhounds, then by the Kel-Morian Combine's Snakehead Kommando, which was equipped with a number of light attack vehicles. During the battle, Kydd killed several enemy soldiers, many still in vehicles.

Kydd's triumphant return to Fort Howe was dampened by the presence of Sergeants Orin and Corly of the Military Security Service. Corly called him by his real name, but Kydd was so used to being called "Kydd" that he was slow to react. Sergeant Findlay immediately took a disliking to them, but Kydd decided to go along.

Corly went over his previous statements to Major Macaby about really being Ark Bennet. Kydd claimed that he had lied; however, the two sergeants said his retinal scans were a match for Ark Bennet. Kydd refused to leave his brothers and sisters in arms, and so the two sergeants allowed him to remain in his new life.

Love and Loss
A new commanding officer had been selected for the Special Tactics and Missions Platoon – Lieutenant Samantha Sanchez. Kydd almost immediately fell in love with her.

He even bought her a box of chocolates. However, he never got around to giving them to her. Instead, he allowed Tychus Findlay to swipe them. Findlay gave them to Petty Officer Lisa Cassidy as a "romantic" present on her birthday.

Colonel Vanderspool had a new mission for the platoon; assisting in the upcoming assault on northern Polk's Pride. The city was divided in half, with the Kel-Morian Combine holding the half north of the Paddick River. The STM platoon would accompany a large number of strangely-behaving marines into combat.

Petty Officer Cassidy continued to spy on the platoon. She had learned of Kydd's interrogation at the hands of the Military Security Service sergeants and revealed to Vanderspool that Kydd was really Ark Bennet, and had collected a sample of Kydd's DNA. Vanderspool was already familiar with Bennet Industries.

Due to Vanderspool's tactics, the STM platoon, goliaths and a large number of resocialized marines made it to the north of Polk's Pride, heading toward a heavily defended strategic resources repository. The Kel-Morian forces made attempts to stop them. As the resocialized marines threw their lives away, Lt. Sanchez competently led her platoon past numerous barricades. Against one particularly dangerous one, she led her platoon in a flanking movement. During the maneuver, a Kel-Morian sniper shot her in the head, killing her. An enraged Kydd requested Raynor draw fire to prompt the enemy sniper to reveal himself, then shot the other sniper dead. Kydd cried over Sanchez's death.

As the battle continued, Kydd saved the lives of his comrades numerous times by shooting enemies dead. He would often kill enemy soldiers who crewed deadly gauss cannon emplacements.

The Confederacy achieved victory, and UNN reporter Max Speer took their picture. In it, Kydd wore a boonie hat and mirrorshades to disguise himself.

Family Problems
Ryk Kydd took his friend Max Zander to a fancy restaurant in Darby while they were on leave. However, Kydd saw a shocking surprise there – Errol Bennet, his father, was there, along with Colonel Vanderspool and a man he didn't recognize. The two soldiers followed the suspicious men to a meeting. They overheard their plotting: the unidentified man, Aaron Pax, a Kel-Morian overseer. The three men proposed a robbery of a Kel-Morian train, which was carrying an incredible amount of ardeon crystals through Korsy. Vanderspool's men would rob the Kel-Morians while the Confederacy's air power would keep the Kel-Morian fleet away for some time. Then, Bennet Industries would transport the cargo away. The Special Tactics and Missions Platoon would take place in the attack, but Vanderspool had a method for eliminating them. The three proposed to evenly split the loot. However, Vanderspool made Bennet another offer – he would tell him the location of his son for half his share. Bennet refused, disowning his son. Kydd was shocked and tried to cry out, forcing Zander to shut him up. Kydd suffered an injury as a result.

Kydd and Zander took the story to Tychus Findlay, who had been enjoying private time with his girlfriend, Petty Officer Lisa Cassidy. Findlay suggested interfering with the plan and making off with the loot themselves. However, Cassidy quickly took the information to Colonel Vanderspool in exchange for more drugs.

Meanwhile, Jim Raynor had learned that Vanderspool had attempted to sabotage their suits, enabling him to shut them down with a remote control. However, the sabotage had been reversed.

End Game
Vanderspool took the Special Tactics and Missions Platoon troops along with a platoon of neurally resocialized marines (dressed as Kel-Morian troops) under the command of Lieutenant Fitz to Korsy's starport in a number of dropships. As his forces headed directly to the train station, the STM platoon was ordered to sweep the town. After Vanderspool's departure, one of Findlay's men took control of one of the dropships so they would have an escape route.

The STM platoon made it to the train station, where Vanderspool and Fitz were acting suspiciously. They were ordered to stand at the very front of the platform (in front of the resocialized marines' guns). The train arrived, but Pax had double-crossed Vanderspool, and it carried a number of rippers. During the battle, the STM platoon escaped (without Cassidy), temporarily sealing their enemies within the station before fleeing to the starport in stolen Kel-Morian vehicles.

Once there, the Kel-Morians' attempts to destroy the dropships resulted in damage to a fuel tank, causing fuel to spill onto the ground. Private Hank Harnack used his flamethrower against the enemy, causing the fuel to catch fire and for him to horribly burn. Private Kydd mercy-killed him.

Vanderspool and Cassidy had been captured by Pax and his men, and were brought to the starport in a truck. Pax took Vanderspool hostage and threatened to kill him unless the STM platoon surrendered. However, Vanderspool had tried to kill them, so they didn't care about his fate. Kydd, standing five hundred yards away, fired a shot through Vanderspool's shoulder, hitting Pax in the head, killing him. During the brief firefight, the remnants of the STM platoon were victorious, with Kydd's shooting carrying the day, but Cassidy was killed.

Raynor executed Vanderspool, then he, Findlay and Kydd left the scene by dropship. They were going AWOL.