Alexander McCarthy
General
Nothing is known about the biography or service to the GTA prior to his appearance in FreeSpace: The Great War.
Betrayal of the GTA
- Main Article: Heist of the Avenger Prototype
Lieutenant Alexander McCarthy stole the prototype of the GTW Avenger Laser cannon on the 15th January of 2335 while GTA forces were raiding the Vasudan cargo depot the prototypes were stored. He used a hijacked transport, designated as the GTT Omega to carry out his plans. After the mission, Galactic Terran Intelligence found proof that the GTT Omega did not follow its orders. Capturing McCarthy and retrieving the stolen plans became a primary objective for the GTA to complete.
The adamant traitor was tracked down and captured while he was transfering the GTW Avenger technology to his Vasudan contact, the PVFr Rasputin. During the fight, Terran pilots disabled his transport's engines, disallowing McCarthy from escaping. All of McCarthy's loyalist pilots were killed by the GTA and McCarthy himself was captured.
No canon information is known about the future of McCarthy, other than the fact that his trials were highly publicized. See Heist of the Avenger Prototype for details.
Associates
McCarthy tried to carry out his betrayal with the following force:
Based on what is displayed in the game
- GTT Omega, crew wholly loyal to McCarthy. Elysium-class transport
- 8 Apollo-class fighters
- PVFr Rasputin, Isis-class transport
Justification
At the time of his theft, the existence of the Shivans was not common knowledge amongst the Terran population, but McCarthy alluded to them when he claimed "the Vasudans are the least of our worries." It is probable that he hoped to strengthen the Vasudans so that they would be better able to face the Shivans.
Knowledge
Given his knowledge of the truth behind the Ross 128 attack, his knowledge of the existence of the Avenger prototype, and his ability to carry out his theft of the plans from the depot at just the right time, it is quite likely (though not explicitly canon) that McCarthy had connections with high-ranking military authorities, perhaps even in Terran Intelligence.
Misc notes
In FreeSpace 2, McCarthy was implied in the Command briefing of the Sixth Wonder mission. It was clarified that the 242nd Suicide Kings were responsible for his capture and the fact that it was their first combat assignment.
