Quake 4 Story

 

THE STORY THUS FAR

In the mid-twenty-first century, a vile, warlike alien race called the Strogg launched a massive invasion of Earth. After years of struggle and suffering unbearable casualties, mankind finally realized that their only chance at survival was to mount a desperate counterassault on the Strogg homeworld, planet Stroggos.

The first assault force was launched from the GDF fleet and encountered massive resistance—most of the dropships were destroyed by the Strogg homeworld's massive defense weapon, known as the "Big Gun." One sole surviving marine broke through and managed to destroy the Big Gun and ultimately defeat the Strogg leader, the Makron. However, the war did not end there.

You are Matthew Kane, a member of the elite GDF Rhino Squad and part of the final colossal invasion that spans across the entire planet of Stroggos. Equipped with high-tech weaponry and vehicles and teamed with a top GDF marine squadron, you soon realize this war is far from over. In fact, your worst nightmares have yet to become realized...

Background

In the mid-21st century, a barbaric alien race called the Strogg launched a massive invasion on Earth. While the invasion was originally believed to be an attempt to strip the planet of its natural resources, humans soon discovered the Strogg are only after one thing: the human remains of those they kill. Through a horrific process, the limbs and flesh of the fallen are fused with metal and machinery to create the monstrosities that are the alien Strogg.

The Strogg battled the human race for years on Earth, but as resources became depleted, Earth mounted a counter-assault on the Strogg homeworld. The first assault force was launched from the fleet and encountered massive resistance - most of the drop-ships were destroyed by the Strogg homeworld's massive defense weapon known as "The Big Gun". However, one surviving Marine broke through and was able to destroy The Big Gun and ultimately defeat the Strogg leader, the Makron. However, the war did not end there.

The Strogg proved to be extremely resilient and as the war continued to rage, the Strogg regrouped and constructed a new and more powerful Makron. You are Matthew Kane, a member of the elite Rhino Squad and part of the next massive invasion that spans across the entire Stroggos planet. Equipped with hi-tech weapons and mobile vehicles, and teamed with a top Marine squadron, you soon realize this war is far from over. In fact, your worst nightmare is soon realized when you discover to defeat the Strogg, you must become one of them.

Rhino Squad

Rhino Squad is one of the most highly trained Marine Units in the Earth Armed Forces. They are sent into the worst situations that are of the highest priority—situations where failure is not an option. Each member is an expert in his respective field and is trained to the peak of his abilities.

Several months ago the squad lost its former commander, Lieutenant Daily. But he was replaced by the extremely capable Lieutenant Voss. Now Rhino Squad is part of the invasion force that's about to be dropped onto the bleak and forbidding planet Stroggos, home of mankind's greatest enemy, the Strogg. The result of this battle could very well determine whether mankind will flourish or become just another extinct race in the history of the cosmos.

Corporal Matthew Kane

Age: 23
Place of Birth: Lunar Colony, New Hope
Height: 5'11"
Weight: 180 lb.
Squad Role: Scout
File:Corporal Matthew Kane (Prima).jpg

Above all else, Corporal Matthew Kane is a survivor. he was involved with the disaster on Space Station Armstrong and was the only one to emerge alive. but exactly what happened there may never be known—he is under the strictest orders to remain silent.

After several months of recuperation, Kane was assigned to Rhino Squad. This was due to Lt. Voss who saw in Kane the potential to be a truly valuable asset to the team. But the squad only knows him from his mysterious reputation. They don't trust him and believe he might be too much of a loose cannon. But with their mission on Stroggos, they will quickly find out just what Matthew Kane is capable of.

Corporal Alejandro "Alex" Cortez

Age: 22
Place of Birth: Mexico City, Mexico
Height: 5'7"
Weight: 145 lb.
Squad Role: Sniper
File:Corporal Alejandro "Alex" Cortez (Prima).jpg

Growing up on his family's ranch, Cortez took to guns while very young. His father still brags about how, at the age of eight, young Alejandro could kill a jackrabbit from 150 yards out. After his sister was killed during the first Strogg attack on Earth, Cortez joined the Marine Corps determined to have his revenge.

Extremely cool in a firefight, he has a way of getting to vantage points no one else could find. Silent as darkness and swift as the hand of death, Cortez was assigned to Rhino Squad after he single-handedly defended a communications outpost armed with only a depleted pistol—14 charges against 14 Strogg. Oddly enough, at the end of the fight he still had one charge left.

Corporal William "Billy" Rhodes

Age: 25
Place of Birth: Fort Worth, Texas
Height: 6'1"
Weight: 180 lb.
Squad Role: Demolitions
File:Corporal William "Billy" Rhodes (Prima).jpg

William Rhodes knew from a very early age he wanted to be a Marine. He entered the corps as soon as he was old enough, and he quickly showed a gift for demoltions. Where anyone else would require a detailed blueprint of a structure to know where best to place a bomb, Rhodes knows instinctively where the weak points are. Be it a heavily fortified dam or a reinforced bunker, Rhodes can reduce it to rubble with a minimal amount of explosives.

Hailing from Fort Worth, Texas, Rhodes plays as hard as he works. He's been demoted twice due to altercations with MPs while out on R&R.

Corporal Nikolai "Sledge" Slidjonovitch

Age: 25
Place of Birth: St. Petersburg, Russia
Height: 6'3"
Weight: 250 lb.
Squad Role: Heavy Weapons
File:Corporal Nikolai "Sledge" Slidjonovitch (Prima).jpg

The son of a former Olympic weightlifter for Russia, Nikolai was raised on a farm where he spent most of his childhood doing intense physical labor. He eventually grew to dwarf even his father's huge physique. While his family had expected him to go to college to study chemical engineering, Nikolai surprised everyone by choosing to join the Marine Corps. After his first two days in boot camp, he was given the nickname "Sledge"—a moniker that has stuck with him ever since.

Soft-spoken and a man of few words, Sledge is a welcome addition to Rhino Squad. He can easily handle equipment that would take two normal men to lift. His strength has become the stuff of legend—Sledge is the only human who fought a Strogg in hand-to-hand combat and won. Admittedly, he required three weeks in a hospital afterward.

Lieutenant Scott Voss

Age: 30
Place of Birth: Mars Colony, Kingsland
Height: 5'10"
Weight: 170 lb.
Squad Role: Leader
File:Lieutenant Scott Voss (Prima).jpg

After the death of their former commander, Lieutenant Daily, Rhino Squad wasn't sure they'd ever find someone capable of leading them. Then they met Lt. Scott Voss.

He epitomizes the old saying, "It's not so much the size of the dog in the fight as it is the size of the fight in the dog." He's not physically large or overtly demanding, but there is something about his demeanor that demands respect from even the most reckless Marine.

Rhino Squad knows very little about Voss because he never speaks of his past. But were he to talk, they would hear tales of the horrors he endured after being captured during the Mars riots— he was tortured for six months before being freed. He still suffers nightmares and is highly claustrophobic after having been placed in a coffin and buried for days at a time.

Voss knows Rhino Squad questions his reasoning for bringing this newcomer, Matthew Kane, into their group. But Voss has a sneaking suspicion this new kid just might prove to be the most valuable asset Rhino Squad has to offer in their battle against the Strogg.

Master Sergeant Marian Bidwell

Age: 28
Place of Birth: La Grange Point, Space Station McKinley
Height: 6'3"
Weight: 190 lb.
Squad Role: Second in Command
File:Master Sergeant Marian Bidwell (Prima).jpg

Master Sergeant Marian Bidwell was born in space and plans on dying in space. Both his parents were Marines for life, and he intends on doing the same. He supplied falsified documents in order to join the corps while still 2 years under the legal age limit. He's seen more war and death than most men twice his age, but Bidwell still loves the Marine Corps and all its traditions.

The master sergeant can be extremely brutal during training—he knows the only way a Marine is going to survive under enemy fire is to train under extreme duress. More than one Marine has been severely injured during exercises, but Bidwell will never lessen the training—Rhino Squad is too important to allow anyone but the absolute best out onto the field.

Private Jeremiah Anderson

Age: 19
Place of Birth: Chicago, Illinois
Height: 6'
Weight: 160 lb.
Squad Role: Medic
File:Private Jeremiah Anderson (Prima).jpg

Anderson is the youngest member of Rhino Squad even though he's been with them for over a year. Coming from an affluent family in Chicago, Jeremiah could have easily used his grandfather, General Anderson, to avert serving on the front lines. But instead he requested to be a part of Rhino Squad, hoping to always be in the thick of the action. When Master Sergeant Bidwell heard a general got Anderson assigned to the squad, he made it just that much harder on Jeremiah. Much to Bidwell's surprise, Anderson thrived under the stressful conditions.

Although Jeremiah considers himself a healer, he isn't afraid of using a gun. And with his knowledge of Strogg physiology, he is an expert at stopping the enemy with a minimum of shots.

Private Johann Strauss

Age: 21
Place of Birth: Düsseldorf, Germany
Height: 5'8"
Weight: 130 lb.
Squad Role: Technician
File:Private Johann Strauss (Prima).jpg

Johann Strauss possesses one of the most gifted minds of our age. By the time he was 4 years old, Strauss could perform complex trigonometry equations in his head. At the age of 8 he was fluent in 6 languages and could recite all of Shakespeare's works from memory. He was part of the research team who discovered how the Strogg used black holes to travel across the vast distances of space. He currently holds PhDs in Advanced Computer Science and Biotechnology and is one of eight people fluent in the Strogg language.

In keeping with his genius status, Strauss also has a tremendous ego and can be extremely brash. He would have remained in research were it not for a run-in with General Nathaniel Hastings. Strauss so insulted the general, he found himself on the front lines a week after the argument. While in the field, Strauss found he excelled in working with Strogg technology. Because of his talents, he was assigned to Rhino Squad. Now they receive missions deep in enemy territory that require interaction with Strogg security and computer systems.

Sergeant Dell Morris

Age: 24
Place of Birth: Toronto, Canada
Height: 6'1"
Weight: 175 lb.
Squad Role: Communications
File:Sergeant Dell Morris (Prima).jpg

Sergeant Dell Morris has been with Rhino Squad for over three years, which makes him second in seniority only to Sergeant Bidwell. He is highly skilled at hand-to-hand combat, having achieved black belts in Tae Kwon Do, Jeet Kune Do, and Aikido.

Gifted with a quick wit and boundless energy, Morris likes nothing better than to give a running commentary as he mows down Strogg. While his chatter can be a bit trying on his squadmates, Morris is a complete professional in a firefight. The team has come to look to him for guidance when the lieutenant or master sergeant aren't around.

See also

• Quake Story
• Quake II Story