| |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| [Source] | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Alex Arthur is the main character in Joint Ops, as most of the story is told from his point of view. He is an operative in the 54th ICI.
Australian Army Service
Alex first joined the AU army when he was 21. He was bored, having to sit around all day just standing guard. Things were mixed up when he was invited to join the Australian Specffer, and participated in a few battles at Kuwait and Iraq. By this time, he had become a Lance Corporal. Things went awry for him when he took part in a mission in Afghanistan. He ended up getting separated from his squad and was captured. He was held captive for almost two months before he, along with two US Marines, managed to escape and walk ten miles to friendly territory.
Russo-American War
AT first appears in Chapter 1 of Joint Ops. He is seen briefly staring off at nothing particular, until Peter Lee snaps at him. He then realizes he has to go on a mission with Timmy Smitts to destroy a building supplying power to an air defense network for a critical Ultranationalist airbase. He learns that Timmy is not so bad after he saves Alex from an execution when caught by Russian forces. They escaped from the area.
Alex is again seen recovering old Soviet Russia plans to invade the U.S. from a ghost town in the Ukraine. He is on his first mission with his commanding officer, Peter, and newcomer Corey Walden. He helps assault the building containing the intel, and is responsible for destroying a BMD-3 IFV.
He is again seen near Jacksonville, Florida, after the U.S. was invaded, sent to destroy an artillery base preventing US Forces from entering the city. He is with a new sniper, Elliot "Fudge", Jake Redford, a new submachine gunner, and Marcus Xavier, a grenadier. Together, they find a marine, known as Cooper Baker, being held captive at the base. They rescue him and destroy the base, and watch as the extraction helicopter is shot down. They find that Jon Rose, a new recruit, and Knotdead, as he is known by, are in the chopper. They make their way to the secondary LZ, and get extracted by Cpt. Robert Riley, flying a Pave Low. They go and evacuate a marine team whose chopper was also shot down. The marine team turns out to be Cooper's squad.
Alex is seen again sabotaging the Russian aircraft carrier Admiral Kuznetov. Marcus, who has the detonator, is forced into hand-to-hand combat, and the detonator drops out the window and hits the deck. The shock detonates the C4, crippling the ship with the operatives stilll onboard. The team makes it onto the Pave Low, but Alex nearly falls ot his death, before being grabbed by John Jackson.
The team's final mission takes them into Brazil, where they assassinate Vikharevski, an ex-Soviet who is believed to have conceived the plan eventually used to invade the U.S., and is responsible for the death of Cooper's father. Alex is wounded when Vikharevski recognizes Cooper. Alex is shot, and is helped by Marston and KD, as AT called Knotdead. Together, they fought Vikharevski. Alex then kills Vikharevski with Cooper's pistol after Cooper is shot.
Alex is seen again, in the room with Cooper, as Cooper gives Alex his Nambu pistol, his grandfather's trophy, and passes away.