About me:
Joshua Nolan is formerly a lieutenant who fought in the Earth Military Coalition as a member of The Ninth Mechanized Infantry Division, known also as “Iron Demons” or "The Defiant Few" after whom the town of Defiance is named. Approximately 15 years after leaving the military, Nolan arrives in Defiance with his adopted daughter where he becomes the Lawkeeper.
Nolan was approximately 10 years old when the Votanis Collective first arrived on Earth. As the arks arrived in the sky over St. Louis, Nolan was enjoying a picnic with his parents. Some time later, Nolan was in his house with his older sister, Rebecca Nolan. He received a bloody nose after losing a fight to a bigger kid. He decided it was easier to just fall down than to fight back, but Rebecca encouraged him to fight back next time. She said, "I didn't raise you to be a doormat." The house began to shake as more arks arrived. Watching the arks from the window, Nolan told his frightened sister, “It's okay. Jon Stewart says they're friendly.”
When Nolan was 11, he first saw the movie The Bravery Nine based on Gordon McClintock's life. That movie made him want to be an astronaut, and he and his brothers acted out scenes from the movie for weeks after they saw it.
Although Nolan was initially inspired by the arrival of aliens on Earth, his parents were killed by Votans, and instead of going to high school, Nolan joined the military. Nolan had a romantic notion that the military would make him a man, and his sister, Rebecca Nolan, followed to protect him. At first Nolan was reluctant to fight or hurt anyone, but he wanted to impress his sister. During the Battle of St. Louis, Rebecca was killed by an Irathient who Nolan let enter the ammo depot they were both guarding. She died because he hadn’t been able to kill. This left him profoundly scarred and turned him into a ruthless soldier.
In 2024, Nolan was a Private First Class in Delta Company during the Battle of Oklahoma City. During this battle, he was promoted to Corporal for his actions on the battlefield. His commander said of his promotion, "In all likelihood, Delta Company won’t last the night. If he lives, he’ll have earned it. If not? Well, at least he’ll have something nice to think about before the end comes.”[1] Nolan did survive, but half his unit died. He then joined the 9th Mechanized Division, or Iron Demons, where he was promoted to Lieutenant, and met Jon Cooper.
While in Oklahoma, an interviewer asked Nolan what happened to his family. He murmured, “Lots of things," and refused to elaborate. All he said was that he was never going back to St. Louis. Ever. Nolan rarely spoke of his family after their deaths. He would never even tell his daughter about his sister until many years after he adopted her.
Nolan quickly earned a ruthless reputation. His friend and fellow member of the Iron Demons, Eddie Braddock, described Nolan's reputation during the war as, "Corporal Joshua "no-man" Nolan, leave no man standing on the battlefield! Kill 'em all! Let God sort it out!"
In 2029, at the Yosemite massacre, a mixed commune of pacifist humans and aliens were caught in the crossfire of EMC and VC forces. Both sides assumed the town was giving aid to the enemy, and over 98 humans and 112 Votan civilians were killed. This would haunt Nolan for the rest of his life, and earned him the nickname, "The Butcher of Yosemite." General Rahm Tak fought on the opposite side of this battle, and would hold a grudge against Nolan for the rest of his life.
During the year after Yosemite, the world changed and so did Nolan. In December of 2030, Nolan participated in a vicious battle in San Francisco. Casualties were high. Human and Votan soldiers, including Nolan, disgusted by years of bloodshed, disobeyed orders and put down their weapons, banding together to pull civilians from the rubble.
The pivotal moment of this battle occurred when people on the EMC side spotted a Castithan woman and a baby in the midst. Nolan and Jon Cooper held up their weapons, entering the battlefield for the woman. Soon, members of the Votanis Collective entered the battlefield as well, putting down their own weapons. Nolan picked up the woman, Cooper picked up the baby, and they moved them to safety. The Iron Demons and a few members of the Votanis Collective later gathered around a campfire. Nolan sat quietly, his hands shaking as he tried to load his gun. Then he began to cry. The next morning, there was an attack. Much of San Francisco was destroyed, but the Palace of Fine Arts, where the group of human and Votan soldiers were bunkered down with civilians, survived. After the damage was done humans and Votans began pulling civilians from the rubble of the attack.
This came to be known as the Battle of Defiance and helped to end the war. A woman named Renee Kirby was at this battle and set out to let the world know of their courageous actions.
Nolan and his entire unit were set to be court-marshalled for disobeying orders, but civilians began calling them “The Defiant Few” and lauding them as heroes. So, to keep them out of the limelight, a demoted Nolan and his unit were sent to a location just outside Denver. [4] There, they raided a temple and interrupted a cultist ritual, killing several Votan members, including the parents of Irisa Nyira. The cult was torturing young girls in hopes of finding their savior who would lead a Votan rapture. Irisa was chained up and being subjugated to a process those other young girls had already died from.
After rescuing Irisa, he took her to a military hospital where he promised her she would be safe from the cult. He offered her a chocolate bar which she spit out, and when she threatened to bite Eddie Braddock, he laughed and quickly bonded with her. Nolan realized that she was headed for certain death in a refugee camp, so he deserted the military to save her and take her traveling with him. Eddie stole the roller that allowed them to escape, but he was captured and spent six years in prison. Nolan was on the run for taking Irisa, and the EMC nearly caught him, but Irisa picked up a knife and killed the soldier who was threatening to take Nolan in.
At first, Nolan did not consider Irisa to be his daughter. She was simply a kid in need of help which he provided. In turn, Irisa was frightened of Nolan, a human soldier who had shown little respect for Irathients. Even though Nolan was past his worst days, the first year he spent with Irisa had some rough moments. Nolan made an effort to bond with Irisa, doing things like singing her to sleep and trying to sooth her fears, but he hadn't fully shaken the violent worldview of a wartime soldier, and many of the life lessons he taught Irisa during their first year together were brutal.
Nolan's sister died because he couldn't pick up a weapon, so he made sure that Irisa would be able to defend herself. He taught her how to use knives, how to kill, and how and to never let anyone get the upper hand on her. He thought he was doing what was best, but Irisa struggled with the most violent of his lessons. Looking back, Nolan realized he could have handled things better, but did not regret teaching her how to survive in a lawless post-apocolyptic world where too many people who could not fight or fend for themselves died.
While their relationship started off rocky, over time, they came to see each other as father and daughter. They both learned how to open up to another person as their relationship developed. Irisa changed her last name to Nolan[5], and they lived by the Nolan family motto of “live or die together," a motto Nolan shared with his sister. After the war ended, Nolan became an Ark Hunter. With Irisa at his side, they spent years living in the badlands and searching for Arktech in hopes of funding a trip to Antarctica, rumored to be paradise after terraforming.
