Kahtenny (John Eagle)

Character Name: Kahtenny

Gender: Male
Age: Undetermined
Race: Human – Amerindian - Apache

Background: Born in New Mexico, in the area once known as the Mescalero Apache Reservation, Kahtenny grew up with a foot in two worlds. In fall and winter, as the boy called John Eagle, he attended the White Man’s schools, learning the powers of science and technology, but in spring and summer he returned to the Tribe, spending his days roaming the Guadalupe mountains and exploring Carlsbad Caverns, once a national park but now long abandoned by the lazy White Eyes, who could not be bothered to make the effort required for even the shortest tour of the caves. Now, as in the centuries past, the area was left to the Apache - the Dineh – the People.

In addition to the White Eyes’ learning, Kahtenny studied long and hard with the medicine man to learn the ancient Powers that could be called upon to aid in healing, in hunting, in battle. He spent many hours with the war chief, acquiring knowledge of the tactics of desert and mountain fighting, the old ways of the People in the days when fewer than 100 braves held off an army of hundreds, sometimes thousands of White Eye soldiers. He learned… and he grew strong. Larger, taller than the average Apache, he added to his strength and agility with exercises learned in the school, and by pitting himself against the mountains. Then, after two years of college in Roswell, he was called to war. He became a Marine.

Because of his size, his strength and his abilities, he was encouraged to apply for Navy Seal training. He jumped at the chance. It was the hardest task he had ever taken on, but he survived, and he succeeded. For the next eight years he spent much of his time in the stinking belly of the world, cleaning out rats’ nests in the only way possible, from the inside. When not on a mission, he was learning… learning more efficient ways to dispose of the enemy – quickly and quietly, or by making things go “boom.” He enjoyed “boom.”

Then, a mission went wrong. Bad intel, a traitor, or just a SNAFU at HQ, he didn’t know and it didn’t matter. What mattered was that they had been dropped in the pot with no backup, and by the time they got free six of his eight-man squad were dead, including his swim buddy. He and the other survivor managed to get away and made it to the pickup point, but by the time he was back in the States Lt. John Eagle was no longer an unquestioning warrior. Remaining just long enough to submit his resignation, he disappeared into the jungle that is New York. Hearing through the grapevine that some outfit called Dragon Industries (check this) was in need of security forces, he applied and got a job, rising quickly in the company and in the Prince family’s favor until he soon was head of security and a trusted friend. Shortly before their move to California, he was moved by signs of impending disaster to return to his people and see them through the bad times that were sure to come. Kahtenny the Apache quietly gathered up such of the White Eyes’ instruments and weapons that would be useful in the mountains, loaded them into a van, and departed for New Mexico.

Through a solar-powered communicator tuned to government frequencies, he kept track of the progress of the war, and when the bombs came he was able to get his people into the caverns and far enough underground to be safe. As luck would have it, there were no strikes near enough to collapse the caves, and a strong draft from deep below kept any fallout or plague germs from entering. All survived, but they emerged from the caverns to a drastically altered world – not in their mountains, which were virtually unchanged, but in what the White Eyes called Civilization. There was none. Kahtenny’s communicators brought in nothing but static. The People went on with life much as they had always done, gathering their food in the mountains and the desert, always alert to the approach of enemies. And the enemies came. First, in the early years, in small groups, easy to avoid or destroy, but later in growing numbers as refugees and fugitives from the cities searched for food or shelter…. or loot and women. They brought death, but they brought information. Kahtenny heard tales of the destruction of the world’s nations, of strange creatures emerging from the bombed-out areas, of small enclaves struggling for survival in Los Angeles, Chicago, Boston and many smaller cities, and of the evil hell that had been New York. One story, whose frequent repetition gave it the ring of truth, mentioned a group in Los Angeles which gave aid to any who needed it, and offered a place to those who could accept their terms.

Intrigued by the tales, Kahtenny led his people far back into the mountains, to a valley only he knew, filled with game and edible plants, and a cave large enough for comfortable living. Seeing that they were settled in, and with the blessing of the medicine man and the chiefs, he packed what gear he thought he would need, communications and surveillance gear, weapons and ammo and lots of explosives, and set off for California.

Personality: Taciturn, even surly at times. Does not easily make friends, and even then is wary of becoming close to them for a long time. Since losing his Seal partner, he is almost superstitiously afraid of bringing bad luck to his friends. Prefers to operate alone as Kahtenny, a guerrilla fighter in the way of the People, but can when necessary revert back to John Eagle and his high-tech training.

Strengths: Expert in most weapons, modern and primitive, especially in demolitions. Master of camouflaged sneaky-peeky – can virtually disappear on bare ground. Has rudimentary psi abilities, which allow him to communicate on a very basic level with animals.

Weaknesses: Naturally suspicious of everyone, especially white men, and particularly so-called “government officials,” whom he blames for the deaths of his Seal team members.

Description: Well over six feet tall, muscled like a body builder yet quick and graceful as a ballet dancer, he is a formidable weapon as he stands. Heavy black hair is usually tied back in a pony tail or bound by a strip of brown cloth. John Eagle usually wears black combat coveralls, while Kahtenny always prefers loincloth and leggings with desert moccasins tied high around his calves. His weapon of choice for long-range fighting is a modified Barrett 50GL, the ancient sniper rifle recently re-designed to be recoilless, with an attached grenade launcher. He also carries, concealed, a pair of Colt Model 1911 pistols in .44 Magnum. In more intimate situations, he prefers a razor-edged Bowie knife or a true antique – a five-shot Colt revolving shotgun – 12 gauge, fitted with a pistol grip and the barrel cut down to 14 inches – a Buntline Special on steroids. He wears it on his hip in a swivel holster. When asked about it, he says, “You remember the little .410 pistol they called the Judge? I call this one the Supreme Court. When it talks, there’s no appeal.”