Lord Beckett
Radio Bob Approved
- Joined
- Dec 24, 2020
- Messages
- 181
- Thread Author
- #1
Murphy Frost: Finance Deputy. Censor General. Devoted Collaborator.
Natchez, Mississippi was not exactly a hospitable locale for a newborn African American. Historically a hub for the American slave trade, this agrarian city very much resembled the way it was over a hundred years ago, even in the early 1960s. Born to impoverished parents who did not even own the land they worked, young Murphy grew to learn every sentence out of his mouth better end with a "sir" or "ma'am," else he would quickly be reminded of his station in life. Life was harsh, unfair, and brutal. Unable to attend school due to a distinct lack of means and access, Murphy was relegated to the cotton plantation; emancipation had done little to alter the demographic makeup of the laborers who toiled in these vast fields.
Even outside of work, well-adjusted life was a mystery to most of the black folk of Natchez. A deep adherence to the black codes of the segregation era held strong despite federal efforts to promote equity. Being arrested for carrying an unauthorized weapon was common, even if the weapon was simply a razor blade. Playing dice on the sidewalk was a quick way to earn a charge of illicit gambling. Staying in town after sunset was a sure-fire method to finding oneself behind a set of cast iron bars—that being, of course, if the person in the town at that time was black.
Murphy, however ambitious he may have been, was inherently aware of what little prospects his life possessed. While he delighted himself in reading whatever novel he could get his calloused hands on, a self-made education was all the adolescent Murphy could aspire to. Even in his adult years, he was confined to menial day-laborer occupations, unable to scrape together the means to escape this hellhole called the Natchez, Mississippi, part of the great United States of America.
Even outside of work, well-adjusted life was a mystery to most of the black folk of Natchez. A deep adherence to the black codes of the segregation era held strong despite federal efforts to promote equity. Being arrested for carrying an unauthorized weapon was common, even if the weapon was simply a razor blade. Playing dice on the sidewalk was a quick way to earn a charge of illicit gambling. Staying in town after sunset was a sure-fire method to finding oneself behind a set of cast iron bars—that being, of course, if the person in the town at that time was black.
Murphy, however ambitious he may have been, was inherently aware of what little prospects his life possessed. While he delighted himself in reading whatever novel he could get his calloused hands on, a self-made education was all the adolescent Murphy could aspire to. Even in his adult years, he was confined to menial day-laborer occupations, unable to scrape together the means to escape this hellhole called the Natchez, Mississippi, part of the great United States of America.
That was, of course, until the Combine arrived.
Murphy Frost, posing for an ISD photo at a Collaborator function.
Murphy Frost, posing for an ISD photo at a Collaborator function.
Ironically enough, conditions seemed to improve more than they worsened in regards to Murphy Frost's life. Suddenly, the onset of the Portal Storms flooded the countryside with hostile Xenian fauna, rendering any and all farm work completely untenable. Fleeing to Jackson, Mississippi with thousands of other desperate refugees, Murphy found most predilections toward race and ethnicity had all but dried up in the hysteria surrounding the invasion of the alien creatures. Working hand in hand with men and women who would before had sooner shot themselves than live alongside a black man, Murphy found a sense of equality he had only envisioned within his many forays into the fantastic realms of his novels.
Of course, this newfound sense of egalitarianism was cut short by the onset of a separate, yet even more devastating invasion. The Combine fanned out all across the United States and South America within the first hour, and by the second hour they had reached the Eastern hemisphere. Murphy and a host of millions of other refugees fled for the east coast, hoping to escape the horrific conditions unfurling within the central United States. Within no time at all, it seemed, Earth had been totally conquered, and a new government had risen to prominence. The Combine was in control, and they were here to stay.
Rather than reject his newfound alien overlords, Murphy rejoiced internally at the new status quo. Suddenly, all humans were subjected to the same level of servitude; all humans were equally disposable to this new regime. To Murphy, of course, this sort of environment was all he had ever known. And, to see that everyone was subjected to it, regardless of skin color or ethnic background, was revolutionary. Through hard work and Collaboration, any human could advance themselves in the eyes of Our Benefactors, and through unyielding perseverance could a human gain access to everlasting life. Immortality is just a stone's throw away. Soon, humanity will be able to leave this rotten rock of a planet behind and travel the cosmos, partaking in nearly incomprehensible and reality-defying experiences. Through sheer hard-work and dedication, Murphy has attained power and influence that would have been inconceivable just a decade ago. And all it took was simply an overwhelming alien invasion force.
Murphy Frost is therefore an enigma. A true believer in the Combine, to be sure, but to know where his loyalties truly lie? To his species? Perhaps. To his friends and colleagues? Maybe so.
To himself?
Definitely.
Of course, this newfound sense of egalitarianism was cut short by the onset of a separate, yet even more devastating invasion. The Combine fanned out all across the United States and South America within the first hour, and by the second hour they had reached the Eastern hemisphere. Murphy and a host of millions of other refugees fled for the east coast, hoping to escape the horrific conditions unfurling within the central United States. Within no time at all, it seemed, Earth had been totally conquered, and a new government had risen to prominence. The Combine was in control, and they were here to stay.
Rather than reject his newfound alien overlords, Murphy rejoiced internally at the new status quo. Suddenly, all humans were subjected to the same level of servitude; all humans were equally disposable to this new regime. To Murphy, of course, this sort of environment was all he had ever known. And, to see that everyone was subjected to it, regardless of skin color or ethnic background, was revolutionary. Through hard work and Collaboration, any human could advance themselves in the eyes of Our Benefactors, and through unyielding perseverance could a human gain access to everlasting life. Immortality is just a stone's throw away. Soon, humanity will be able to leave this rotten rock of a planet behind and travel the cosmos, partaking in nearly incomprehensible and reality-defying experiences. Through sheer hard-work and dedication, Murphy has attained power and influence that would have been inconceivable just a decade ago. And all it took was simply an overwhelming alien invasion force.
Murphy Frost is therefore an enigma. A true believer in the Combine, to be sure, but to know where his loyalties truly lie? To his species? Perhaps. To his friends and colleagues? Maybe so.
To himself?
Definitely.
