Preston Riveras

Sergeant Preston Riveras was an experienced Gear soldier in the COG army, fighting in and surviving the seventeen year-long Locust War. He would serve for most of the conflict as the leader of Bravo-Two, becoming a capable leader in spite of the many hardships he and his soldiers faced.

Early Life
Preston Riveras was born in the South Islands, nineteen years before Emergence Day. He was the youngest of three brothers in a large family and would often look up to his older siblings as a child. His father, William, had been a Gear along with many others that he knew, it being a family tradition to join the military. This was ingrained into Preston and his brothers at an early age by their father, a staunch supporter of the COG and its beliefs.

At school, Preston did reasonably well in most subjects, enjoying literature and writing, though he was often reprimanded for daydreaming in addition to having a rather nonchalant attitude in class. Nonetheless, he attempted to follow the example set by his brothers, who were two and three years older than him respectively, and do as well as he possibly could.

He left school at the age of eighteen with a handful of decent grades. While he was offered a place in a University, Preston made the decision to enlist and become a Gear. By this point, his brothers were both in the military; Harold was a commando who had been on several operations, while Charlie had joined the prestigious Onyx Guard. As the youngest brother, Preston felt that his time had come to join up.

Enlisting with the COG
Shortly after his nineteenth birthday, Preston visited a local recruiter, and signed on as his brothers and father had before him. Along with a group of local boys, most of whom he had known from school. From there, they were taken to Embry Station, a training facility in far-off Tyrus, where they would undergo the harsh physical and mental training required to become a Gear.

Though the training was tough, Preston managed to endure, helping along his fellow trainees as they fought in mock battlefields and underwent rudimentary survival training. Several weeks in, however, they received some surprising news: the Pendulum Wars had ended. While he was happy that victory had been attained, Preston was slightly disappointed, believing that with peace his military life would be one of endless patrols and drills. Nonetheless, he persevered through his training, occasionally checking in with his far off family.

Five weeks after the Pendulum Wars had officially ended, Preston and his comrades finally finished their training at Embry Station, though they were to remain there until a Gear NCO arrived to move them into their own units. It was on the morning of this person's arrival that the Locust attacked.

Emergence Day
"You're a Gear now, kid. Act like one."

- Sergeant Tony Blackburn upon encountering Preston.

Preston and his fellows awoke one day to find their city under attack by an unknown foe. Thinking that UIR forces were launching an attack in spite of the recent surrender, they made their way towards the armoury at the behest of their instructors, well aware of a battle raging outside. The weapons in Embry Station were largely for training purposes, with barely a dozen working Lancer assault rifles and Snub pistols available, with little ammo to spare. In addition, the trainees only possessed lightweight training armour compared to the full suits that provided regular Gears with protection, further worsening their predicament.

It was not until the rookie Gears exited into the facility's courtyard that they realised they were not under attack by the UIR. In fact, their attackers were not even human. A number of Locust Drones emerged from the ground near the gate, opening fire on the defenders. This was Preston's first firefight, in which he remained in cover and fired in the vague direction of his foe. Though three Gears were killed, their superior numbers and defensive location brought them victory against the first few Locust. It was then that the attack began in earnest, with dozens of foes pouring in through the city streets towards Embry Station, massacring every human being in their path.

This time, the Gears were pushed back inside, losing another to enemy gunfire. Preston led several others back into the station, where they used tables and lockers as rudimentary barriers while they gunned down any Locust who came near. Even so, they were quickly running out of ammo. In spite of the strict orders given by their trainers, Preston's group attempted to retreat, using a side door to get outside and run for the vehicles in the courtyard. It was this that ended up saving their lives, as a number of enemy missiles impacted Embry Station, collapsing some of the roof and dooming the surviving Gears inside.

Preston and the seven others who had fled with him soon became pinned down in the courtyard, using stolen enemy rifles to hold them off. Just as the situation had become hopeless for the survivors, a Centaur Tank arrived alongside several APC's carrying battle-hardened Gears. They were able to quickly eliminate the Locust soldiers attacking Embry Station and the surrounding area, searching for survivors amongst the ruins. One Gear, Sergeant Tony Blackburn, discovered Preston by the vehicle bay, surrounded by the corpses of his comrades, and Locust drones. It soon became apparent that he was the last survivor of the training facility.

The Gears, who were attempting to evacuate the doomed city, transported Preston away from the area, heading towards a COG outpost in the nearby mountains. It was here that they found out that the Locust had attacked human cities around the world, slaughtering everyone they came across. Millions had already died on the first day. Preston and a number of other Gears found themselves panicking for their families, most of whom were likely to have already been killed. Sergeant Blackburn, the NCO who was sent to pick up the rookie Gears from Embry Station, calmed him and the others down, ensuring that they remained focused for the time being in spite of their losses.

For Preston, the next few months were spent travelling with a platoon of Gears. He was provided with new armour to replace his training suit, and provided with weapons to fight the Locust. He soon learned that both of his brothers had been killed; Harold had died on Emergence Day when their barracks was attacked, while Charlie had been killed along with many Onyx Guard soldiers during the Battle of Halvo Bay. There was some news that the South Islands had not seen the same amount of destruction seen on the mainland, giving him some hope that his parents were still alive. The platoon fought the Locust on several offensives over the next few months, though it soon became clear that the COG were fighting a losing battle in its cities against the Locust Horde.

Personality
"What a splendid world we've ruined..."

- Preson looking over the ruins of Ephyra .