1st LT Tina Byrne

1st Lieutenant Tina Byrne was a officer in the COREs army's 4th Zerichstaz Infantry. She was part of Howard Company in 17 B.E. Tina fought at the Battle of Muskiv and the Battle of Ruggord during the Invasion of Medikemente. And led troops to victory during the Battle of Kurdun Fields in 2 B.E., and was awarded the Embry Star for her actions during the battle. She would later lead Eagle squad on daring raids during the Extinction War, until her death defending the Horizon Periphery Defense Barricade.

Early Life and Career
Tina Byrne was born the daughter of a general of the CORE Army, and her father was re-stationed too often for Byrne to ever know what a home was. The lifestyle was too much for her mother to bear; she left when Byrne was six. Byrne became inseparable from her father. Despite her desire to join him in the military, he steered her toward a university education. Her eagerness to impress him led her all the way to the theoretical physics department at Oxenfrag. Before Byrne could graduate, her father offered her the job she always wanted with COREInt. Initially serving as an intelligence operator, Byrne and her father worked closely together at Central Command in Sulaco, until the DNA invaded Medikemente and attacked the base. Byrne's father died helping her escape.The DNA threat was ever growing and so she joined the CORE army and became a soldier.

Invasion of Medikemente
In 17 B.E., Tina was a Lieutenant in Howard Company of the 4th Zerichstaz infantry, and was stationed at Forward Operating Base Black Fredas in Mediekemte under the command of Captain Sean O'Malley. After Col.James Gordon briefed Sean on the company's mission and left the base, Tina asked him if she should gather the rest of the staff and NCO's so that they could be briefed on their mission. He told her that their orders had been changed, and that instead of joining the rest of the unit at Muzkiv to fight invading Democratic Nargorgik Archipelago  forces, they were going to shut down three CT pipelines leading into Medikemte and redirect the flow back into Paxitarus. Tina was happy for a change of pace, but still hoped for some decent fighting later. She gathered the companies’ officers and the officers of the attached squad of engineers from the 2nd Royal Fenixian Engineers in the canteen for the briefing. Sean then briefed the company on the mission, which caused some worry about the civilian population in Medikemente. Sean then told Tina and the others to be ready to deploy at sixteen-hundred, and that the first target was Borsburg.

Joining the Battle of Muzkiv
After they shut down all of the pipelines, Tina and the rest of the company joined the ongoing Battle of Muskiv. After arriving in the city, the company became pinned along the riverfront in Gorlian Square by DNA artillery and sniper fire. They took heavy casualties and many Soldiers were injured, and Tina began looking for enemy spotters in the ruins of the city. She spotted one in a nearby museum, and reported it to Sean. He informed her that no casevac helicopters were able to get to them because of the artillery fire. Tina was angry that they spent so much money on air support that could never help them, and began forming a plan with Sean to relieve some of the attacks on their position. She suggested using a ladder to enter the museum on the third floor to find and kill the observer, and Sean ordered her to continue working on that plan. She then began working with Sgt. Cartwright on building the ladder for her plan, and when Sean arrived, she explained to him that she wanted to use the ladder as a bridge between the building they were in and the museum. Sean was skeptical that it would work, but told her he would consider it if the artillery barrage from the tanks of the Cavalry did not work. They then took cover near a window to watch the artillery strike, and Sean voiced his regrets on having to attack a museum. Tina rebuked him for thinking more about history than the lives of Reds, and they watched as the shelling began.

Clearing the Museum
As the shelling continued, Sean ordered Tina to contact the incoming Moths for the medevac and prepare the wounded to be moved. Tina and the rest of the company kept watch on the museum as each Moth landed to take away the wounded, and Tina spotted an Demic in one of the windows fire a rocket at the Moths. She and the rest of the company opened fire, and luckily the rocket missed. The Demic escaped, and Tina told Sean that they needed to go in personally to find and kill him. Sean agreed. As they worked their way across the square, Tina wished that they had borrowed Sofia Botger from Whiskey Company, since her skills as a sniper would have come in handy. They entered the museum through a side entrance, and were shocked by the amount of damage the place had sustained. They moved as quietly as the could through the building, until they came to the staircase. Tina proceeded upstairs while the others guarded the stairs, and tracked the Demic observer through the building. She found the Demic, a female dressed in civilian clothing, and entered into a firefight with her, but Tina managed to corner her and shoot her in the head. Sean came up to assist her, but she told him it was all clear. She then inspected the equipment the Demic had been using, and found a semiautomatic sniper rifle. She took it in order to bribe Sofia into joining Howard Company, and she and the other Reds left the museum. As they walked out, she saw Sean looking at a silver horse statue, and listened as he wondered what was going to happen to all of the artifacts and history in the museum. She told him that they could be remade and recovered, and that they should mourn burned books. After returning to the rest of the company, they learned that the last remaining bridge had been lost to the Demics, and that they needed to pull back. As they rest of the company felt dejected for losing so many comrades for nothing, Tina reminded them that they had not lost the bridge themselves, but the other units had, and that they remained undefeated. This improved the others morale, and they company fell back to rejoin the rest of the 4 ZI.

New Orders
After returning to Merker, Tina was contacted by Gordon, who ordered her to find Sean and give him the company's new orders, which were to intercept Demic armor moving towards Roggard, and keep the highway open for the 2nd Covvsterich Infantry Division. She found him burying Pvt.Haggard, and asked him if he had told his wife about the job offer he got from the Defense Research Agency. He told her he had not, and asked for a few more minutes with Haggard. She informed him that Gordon was trying to contact him, but Sean told her he had switched off the radio to give Haggard his full attention. Tina informed him of their orders, which angered Sean, since Roggard was twenty klicks back in the direction they had just retreated from, and half of the company was dead. Tina told him Gordon had not seemed too happy with the situation either, and helped him bury Haggard. Sean wondered if his son would have to fight in the war as well..

Battle of Roggard
After arriving at Roggard, the company set up fortifications in an old building next to the highway leading into town, and Sean tasked Tina with evacuating the remaining civilians before the Demics arrived. When they spotted them, they discovered that there were only four APC's, instead of the eight heavier vehicles they were told to expect. Edwards thought that the Demics had changed their mind, but Tina suspected that Intel was wrong, as usual. However, she was worried about where the other vehicles might be if they did exist. Sean began wishing for an orbital defense platform that would be able to track and destroy things like that, and Tina suggested he make that his first research project. Sean gave the order to open fire on the Demic vehicles, but Edwards missed his first shot, and the APC opened fire on the Reds position, wounding several of them. The next two RPGs took out two of them, and the others retreated. Tina listened in on the comms as Sean contacted Gordon, and asked what was going on. Gordon informed him that those were just scout vehicles, and that at least twenty more Demic vehicles were coming, including tanks. Tina informed Sean that they had enough armor-piercing rounds to take out the APC's, but they did not have the weapons to take out tanks. She began working making Molotov Cocktails that could be dropped into them at close range. As she worked, she spoke with Sean, encouraging him to take the job and watch William grow up. The Demic armor then arrived, and Tina was worried to see a Shermah Tank leading them. Tina suggested somebody get in close and drop the Molotov's into the tanks vents, and Sean decided he would do it, along with Edwards. He ordered Tina to keep the rest of the Demics busy, and she asked if he was trying to prove something by taking the risk. As Sean and Edwards began making their way to the tank, Tina organized the defense, ordering several Soldiers to assist Pvt. Kuzko, the company medic, and took an RPG from another Red. She used it to take out some of the Shermah's tracks, immobilizing it, so that Sean could get close finish it off. He succeeded, but was wounded when a machine gunner hit his knee. Tina sent Kuzko out to provide aid to him, and then watched as the 2nd Covvsterich Infantry Division arrived and began taking out the rest of the Demic armor. She contacted Thornton to inform him, but he was too distraught about the casualties they had suffered to care. As she helped tend to the wounded, Tina remarked to some of the other Reds how Sean would never be able to handle losing men, and that he would probably take the job at the DRA.

Aftermath
Tina joined the rest of the surviving members of the company in returning to Merker, and asked Seanif he was going to take the job, and how no one could call him a coward after what he had done at Roggard. He told her that he had to take the job, in order to find a way to end the war once and for all. Tina was promoted to Lieutenant for her actions during the campaign, and was given command of Howard Company because Sean did retire and took the job at the DRA. Tina also lured Sofia into joining her company by giving her the DNA sniper rifle she had captured in Muzkiv.

Operation: Deliverance
Before the Operation began, Tina met with newly promoted Director Fredrick Ferguson, and talked with him about the mission. She told him that while he might think that her Soldiers were the government's troops, on the battlefield, they were her responsibility, comrades, and conscience. Two days before the Operation began, Tina boarded the CNV Charger at Korvatch Naval Base, along with several other CIC operators. She walked past X Company as she boarded, and returned the salute of her Soldiers.Two hours later, Tina, gave a briefing to the company on what their task was: providing support to a commando team that would infiltrate Kurdun Point and capture intel on a weapons project.X Company would be landing north of the facility at Kurdun Fields to cut off any Dremic reinforcements from reaching the facility. She also informed them that a diversionary raid would be taking place further up along the Ostri coast, and showed the company news footage of a large fleet massing north of their position. Sgt. Sofia Botger asked what was at the facility to be worth the risk of an assault, and Tina told her that it involved weapons research that went beyond her area of expertise. She showed them maps of the areas around Kurdun Point and Kurdun Fields, and if the Dremics wanted to get reinforcements to the facility, they would have to cross a bridge X Company would be guarding. She informed them that it should be a quick operation, since speed was of the essence, and the longer they were there, the more likely the Dremics would discover them and make extraction difficult. As they waited for a go order on the operation, which was in jeopardy because of the weather, William asked her if they would have helicopter support during the battle. Tina said that they would be available if necessary, but they would only need them if things went badly. Before they boarded their landing craft, she gave the company one last briefing, reassuring them that it would be a simple op, and they would be in and out. They then launched the craft towards the Vovtu shore.

Battle of Kurdun Fields
Once they landed, Tina sent her company to secure the area around the bridge leading south to Kurdun Point. Major Gary Thornton, leading the commando team, contacted her and informed her they were in position, and she informed him her troops were still heading toward the bridge. After everyone was in position, she conferred with her platoon leaders, Sofia and Sweetwater. Tina sent Sofia's platoon to see if they could get a line of sight on reported water movement, and told Thornton that her unit was available to provide him support. Soon after Sweetwater and his men reported enemy contacts approaching on land, and she ordered William to set up a Falchion to fire at the Dremics, and told her men that the commandos had engaged an Dremic squad. William told her that he was locked onto the lead APV, and Tina told him to hold his fire, and had Sofia secure their exit route while the rest of the company engaged the Dremic forces. She contacted control and told them they were preparing to engage the Dremics, and gave the order for X Company to open fire. As the battle went on, several Reds reported to Tina that they heard Asps approaching. After discovering their position, Tina realized that the enemy vehicles were getting in position to attack Kurdun Point, because they had a backup of the information at Xaria Military Base. When William and Thomas began talking about ways to take out the enemy armor, Tina shouted at them for clogging up the comm channel, and ordered everybody to maintain radio discipline. Thomas then reported that anti-air armor was being brought up, making Tina remark that the Dremic's must be psychic, since they were bringing Copters in to assist the unit. Tina had them diverted to take out Xaria first while she figured out a way to take out the anti-air units, and requested that Sabres stand by to evacuate wounded Gears as soon as possible. As a group of mortars hit the company’s position, Sweetwater was wounded, and Tina ordered a medic to his position. William reported that eight Dremic vehicles were heading to Kurdun Point, and told Tina that they needed Xaria taken out so the Dremics would not attack Kurdun Point. Sofia then reported that she had spotted a person on top of Kurdun Point signaling the DNA forces, and Tina passed this information onto Thornton. When she asked the medic for an update on Sweetwater, she was shocked to learn that he had died. She recovered quickly, and appointed Sofia to be the senior NCO and take over Sweetwater's platoon, and ordered her to take her two companies to flank the DNA armor. William told her he had a lock on the lead Asp, but Tina ordered him to wait until it was closer in range.

Near Death Experience
Tina told William that they needed to take out the Asps or the whole operation was doomed. She ordered him to take the Asp on the left, and asked Pvt. Jakobs how many missiles he had left. He told her he had two, and she told him to make them count by taking out the other Asp, and then the nearest AA vehicle. However, both attempts to take out the Asps ended in failure, taking out two APC's and a machine gun nest. Tina realized that somebody had to get close to the Asps and take them out with grenades. Tina asked for an update on the rest of the operation, and was informed that the rest of the War-Moths would not reach them for ten to fifteen minutes, and the commandos were preparing to extract. Tina asked about the medevac, since the anti-aircraft vehicles would take out any King-Sabre they sent in, and the company was down to only RPG's to suppress them with. She was told they were trying to figure out a solution to that. Tina stayed silent for a minute, Tina then ordered half the company to fall back to the extraction point, and the rest to fight a fighting retreat back towards it. She then told the unit that she would cross the battlefield and drop her grenades into an Asp. Sofia, William, and Thomas tried to talk her out of doing it and let them try, but failed to do so, and told them to suppress the other Asp and vehicles while she crossed the battlefield.Tina loaded as many grenades on to her armor as she could, and began working her way across the battlefield to one of the Asps. When she was ten meters from the Asp, she ran towards it and jumped on top of it, surprising the Dremic in the top hatch, who dropped back into the vehicle for cover. Tina managed to drop three grenades into its hatch, but as she attempted to leap clear, the webbing on her armor became stuck on the vehicle.She managed to cut herself free and leap clear just in the nick of time, before the grenades detonated. Leaving her with scars as a memory of the whole event.

Extinction War
Tina coordinated a retrieval mission for the stranded Reds in Stielkrav. She would continue to be an effective field commander and declined numerous promotions that would remove her from the field. She eventually lead an elite team of Reds known as Eagle Team, on "Hive" raids throughout the early Extinction War.

Defense of the HPDB
In 12 AE when the Scalers had finally pushed through and reached the Horizon Periphery Defense Barricade, the 4th ZI and the 476th Expeditionary were in charge of defense. As the battle progressed throughout the day and the Director realized that Ragnarok would have to be deployed so that the CORE would be able to continue to fight another day.

Sacrifice
Seeing the line breaking in certain areas Tina knew she had only thing left to do. She grabbed Eagle Team and a few volunteers from the Civilian militia and rode 2 trucks through the Scaler ranks to sow confusion and give the CORE the upper hand. They joy rode for 2 hours till the fuel gauge hit empty. It was there that they set the trucks up in a defensive position and made their last stand with the trucks. Despite numerous warnings from CIC Tina knew this would be her last stand. Ragnarok's laser poured down from the heavens like a twisted light show. Tina and Eagle Team were turned into ash where they stood. the only thing recovered were her tags.

Personality and Traits
Tina Byrne is an intelligent person and a very capable leader. She is loyal and cares a great deal about the Reds under her command. She can still be a firm and strict commander. She is a strong person and having being used to losing every thing she cares about, carries a fortifying attitude which she needs to lead the CORE in these dark times. had a "posh" voice that did not go with the colorful language that she was usually yelling at Reds. She was hyper-fit and had a wide smile. She inspired confidence into her unit, and made them want to fight for her. Even years after her death, the Gears who had served under Tina's command still had immense loyalty to her and remembered her fondly.

As a young officer, many higher ranking CORE officers marked Tina for having lots of ambition, and expected her to rise quickly through the ranks. However, Tina was somewhat critical of the CORE, believing the war was being fought for C.T., rather than the CORE's stated reasons of fighting for democracy. She also considered the soldiers under her command to be hers, not the government's, and thought of all of them as her responsibility and conscience, and believed it was her duty to keep as many of them alive as possible. Tina was not afraid to make this clear to her superior officers, even Director Fredrick Ferguson.