Game Date: Pre-Campaign Start Date

Frank Flaherty, a.k.a. Silver Star

No one except maybe a few Grand Empire researchers or a couple of Grand Empire Lords knows when Frank Flaherty was born, not even Frank himself.

Frank started life as an experiment in a Grand Empire laboratory. The Grand Empire wanted better agents and Frank was the latest stage of the program. The donors of the sperm and egg had been chosen very carefully after much testing. The surrogate mother was subjected to many of the same tests for she not only needed to carry the child but would be subjected to many serums designed to improve the fetus as it developed within her womb. The Grand Empire spent an untold sum of money on the program. If successful a new order of man would be created. Then the Grand Empire and its new army would take its rightful place at the head of a new world order.

Fortunately for Frank, the experiment succeeded beyond the researchers' wildest expectations. Unfortunately for the Grand Empire, John Battle found the lab several weeks after Frank was born.

After defeating the agents guarding the facility trashing the laboratory in the process, John found a child crying underneath the wreckage of a computer console. Miraculously the child had been lying in the exact spot where a hollow spot in the console had fell, leaving him unscathed.

Unable to recover more information as to the experiments being conducted at the facility, John Battle called the FSS. He then took the child and left the lab before the authorities arrived.

John Battle gave the child to a friend, Albert Flaherty, and his wife Mary Elizabeth. The couple had been trying unsuccessfully to have children and doctors had pronounced Mary Elizabeth infertile. Albert and Mary Elizabeth named their new son Frank William Flaherty.

Albert had met John Battle while serving in Vietnam. After his time in the Army, Albert had returned to his hometown of San Jose, California and married his high school sweetheart. Albert worked as a broker for his father before winning a council seat on the San Jose city council.

A year after Albert and Mary Elizabeth adopted Frank, Albert was elected to the California State House. The next year, Mary Elizabeth gave birth to a beautiful baby girl, Mary Frances Flaherty.

Albert Flaherty served eight years in the State House before being elected to the United States House of Representatives. Albert served three terms in the US House before being elected to the United States Senate. Albert had a distinguished career in politics. Both his career and his life were cut short when he and Mary Elizabeth were killed in an automobile accident in 1996.

Frank had a relatively easy childhood. He did well in school, excelled in athletics and was a social marvel. There was even some talk in some circles about him living in the White House one day. All in all, he made his parents very proud.

The only dark spot on his childhood, at least from Frank's point of view, is the time at camp when another camper jealous of Frank's natural ability, found a nest of spiders and put it into Frank's sleeping bag. The spiders were mildly poisonous and he was bitten several times. Although Frank was not sick for very long, the sight of a spider still makes him somewhat queasy.

Frank and his sister were very close growing up. Frank is very proud of his sister's success in politics. He even thinks that she may have a chance at being the first woman President.

After his parents death, Frank took it upon himself to personally investigate the tragedy. His investigation did not turn up any evidence other that what the official police investigation found. Although he can't prove it, Frank believes that there was foul play involved.