Name: Dr. Dante Maleev PhD (Engineering), Gunnery Sergeant / Scout Sniper US Marine Corps

Gender: Male, Hetero, widower

Age/DOB: 40/1975? (dates approximate)

Origin: Black Mesa / Rookery Earth, born Los Angeles CA

Family: unknown, deceased parents; Rashani Maleev, sister, alive? Alana Maleev-Mahoney, wife, deceased; Caleb Maleev, son, missing

Other: Has been looking for his son for years, now that the Rookery exists he might have a chance to find him as well as Rashani.

Height: 6'1

Weight: 200, muscular and long limbed, considerably stronger than he looks

Hair: Black, tightly in 'cornrows', has been known to shave his head completely, wear afro style in military cut, but during Black Mesa / College stay allowed it to grow, braids usually to shoulder

Eyes: Eerie clear yellow-green, often commented on by those who get near him; anyone with Vortal senses knows this is also the color of his aura, faintly visible since his Vortal powers are latent. (Almost the color of the pulp of a lime.)

Appearance: Dark red-brown skin, of Arabic-African features, has tattoos from different eras of his life (a gang glyph across his collarbones, Marine symbols over both shoulder joints, the Black Mesa corporate logo on left shoulderblade which is being modified to reflect the Rookery) all in black ink. Usually wears as shown, even while working at Black Mesa. Has an assortment of uniforms from his Marines days, plus lab coats and ties for formal occasions and work. Prefers stompin' boots, belts which can support his katana, and keeps his dog tags at all times.

Image Credits: DollWizard (closed site)

Genetic Abilities: Though it's not obvious, Dante has a very strong Vortal ability with angles, lines, distance, and math. In other words, it's no wonder he got into the Sniper school - he was too good to waste that talent as a mere grunt. He's able to turn those abilities into a functional job at Black Mesa, or anywhere that requires a steady hand and a good eye.
Icarus Processing: None, though by the time he's at the Rookery he very well might let Melissa do this on him. She claims he's got excellent 'genetic tags' for it, and would likely become truly savant at his skills.
Skills or Profession: Physical training, weight and strength skills; Running, Jumping, Climbing, Evasion, Breaking and Entering... um. Military order and structure, tactics and organization skills. Ranged Weaponry - sniper rifle, automatic rifle, shotgun, hand guns (does not have particular expertise nor the disposition for heavy weapons or those which require semi-permanent emplacements). Knives, martial arts, swordsmanship (practiced with a sensei at a local Black Mesa dojo and achieved a brown-belt level skill). Artistry (gang tags and tattoo designs count, don't they?). Math (from basic to extremely complex formulae), chemistry, engineering (mechanical, aeronautic, explosive). Office Politics (not so great at that). Could easily gain functional skill in Civil Engineering but isn't interested in plumbing... Assorted other skills which benefit from his Vortal background include Cartography, Billiards, Darts, Beer Pong... In other words, he wouldn't be owing Gordon a beer - it'd be the other way around.
Personality: Dante is a force of nature. At times he can be very passive and observant, which helps him to clear his mind and study or watch an area for particular features. At others, he is a focused path of damage in the form of a sweeping kick, a quick sword arc, or the path of a bullet. He is extremely hard to anger, preferring to think his way around trouble. That's not to say he doesn't get into trouble! Dante's enjoyment of all things competitive has certainly led to him taking on challenges or dares that he couldn't quite explain to the cops. At least during his time in the military, his common sense was better developed and he knows not to bite off more than he can chew these days. He's more apt to become educated on something or give himself preparation time in order to achieve a goal, instead of just jumping in head first. In that way, he's going to do a lot of planning and consultation, before he heads off looking for his son and sister.
Events or History: Dante has several radically different sets of skills, all of which equate to periods of his life. However they also coincide with his Vortal latency. Early life included gang activity, where he learned how to fight, was expected to tag with spray paint and has an extensive knowledge of gang hand signs and painted symbols. His family did not approve overall of his activities, his older sister Rashani had headed to college early and had little contact with him for years. He remained in a gang but also was quite good at his school work, however little he managed to make it to school.
Once he crossed the law too many times, however, he was offered the chance to join the Marines in an early-admission (he was 16 at the time) program, or face prison time for theft and property damage. This led to his physical training, body strength, tactical education, and more importantly his raw skill with ranged weaponry. It was clear he had what it took to become a sniper, but he also enjoyed allowing his intellect to flex more than his muscles. He is incredibly smart, and nowhere was this more obvious than when he passed all of his written and verbal testing to become an Officer. He declined to do so, however. He prefered the hands-on activity and daily life of a soldier, tasked with special forces duties on a regular basis. By the time he was in his early 20s, Dante was deployed to the Middle East where he was able to secure a number of outposts with well placed shots. The officers in his chain of command continually begged him to head to Officers school and he repeatedly declined. When he was in his mid-20s, he was stationed in New Mexico, where he met the woman who would become his wife, Alana. She was a Black Mesa scientist, and somehow they clicked. They had a long-distance relationship for several years.
During his stays on US soil, he worked up the courage to be given a college education, and took to it easily. He mastered Engineering quickly, and got a PhD in it by the time he was 28.
He retired from the Marine Corps when he was 30, the same year he and Alana married. Though she would never quite be accepted by his more traditional mother (as a 'white girl in a black man's house'), Rashani and Alana got along very well, and it was Rashani who asserted her brother should go to work at Black Mesa. With his skills, he was placed with Dr. Mars Walsh in her ballistics and testing lab, where he enjoyed continuing his sniping skills as much as his design and troubleshooting. His son Caleb was born within a year of their marriage.
When the Resonance Cascade happened, he was on a vacation with his family. They spent a few years trying to get back home (all the while knowing that Black Mesa itself would be completely off limits - in fact they were pursued by a variety of government sources in order to be questioned)(that is to say, killed), and no sooner did they do so, then the Combine came. Captured and separated, he does know that his wife was killed by the invasion forces, but he is sure that his son was alive. He's not sure what happened to his sister, but he knows she's smart and resourceful, and though not as physical as he is, he feels confident she's okay somewhere.
Now... Now he wants to go looking for them properly. With a dragon, that just might be possible. He had only tangentally come across that 'man in black' Lane due to working with Mars (he'd seen them having coffee or whatever during breaks) but it seemed that he'd made an impression on both of them. They came looking for him, to return him to Black Mesa. Much different in some ways, but he knows the place is where he belongs.

Dragon

Name:
Gender:
Size/Shoulder/Length:
Colors:
Features:
Powers:
Parentage:
Origin:
Other Info: