conviction-of-steel:

Basque Grand

1867 – Born Basque Jacob Grand to Elizabeth Marie Grand, 17, and Major Sergeant Demario A. Salmeri, 24, in Central. His parents were not together at the time of his birth – they had split up prior to Elizabeth discovering that she was in fact, pregnant, which is why on his birth certificate and all records, he is listed as ‘Grand’ and not Salmeri. While Elizabeth and Demario eventually got back together, and intended to legally change their son’s surname to Salmeri, they were not able to do this before their death.

1868 -1- stays with his grandparents while his mother finishes school, and, unbeknownst to her parents, begins seeing Demario again and makes plans to bring Basque to live with them in Central. When they do find out, this causes a rift, and when his mother comes to get him, that is the last time he sees his grandparents until 1870.

1870 –3- His parents are killed in an alchemical explosion, and Basque is brought to live with his maternal grandparents, Alice Elizabeth Grand and Walter Jacob Grand, in a small village in the South of Amestris, mainly inhabited by an older generation of folks. Walter had a large farm, with horses and cows, and Alice owned and ran the village’s ‘clinic’, out of their home. It is here that Basque begins to develop an interest in horses, learning how to ride shortly after he learns to walk.

1880 – 13-Begins to learn the basics of alchemy from his grandfather, who intended to pass on his style of alchemy to his grandson. Walter was a retired state alchemist ( though never a true soldier), and it was with the considerable salary paid to state alchemists that he’d been able to save up and purchase his ranch, cows and horses. He always wished for something similar for his grand son, but also never wanted him to join the military as a soldier, as that was how his son in law and daughter had died, and when his grandson began to show an interest in military academy, Walter decided not to teach him the secrets of his specialized alchemy.

1882 -15- The year he was meant to begin learning his grandfather’s style of alchemy, he is instead sent to train in the Eastern desert, partially to curb a tendency for angry outbursts of violence – Basque had quite the temper in his youth, and managed to get into more than his fair share of fights- as well as prepare him for when he went to enroll in the Academy. It was his grandmother’s idea. He was sent to train with an exiled Ishvalan warrior priest, one who Alice had met and saved the life of many years before.

1884 – 17- Finishes training in the Eastern desert, and returns home for only a few months while he waits for his acceptance letter from Southern Amestris’s military academy.

1887- 20- at the age of twenty, is sent to the Southern front to complete his final year as a cadet in the war against Aerugo (which began in the 1830’s). He makes a name for himself as a fearless, effective soldier, and graduates the following year with the rank of Second Lieutenant. He remains stationed in the South for quite some time.

1890- 23- Promoted to Captain after assisting in a strategic win against the Aerugian nationals.

1891 -24- Walter J. Grand dies, and Basque returns to his village for the funeral, at which point he finds out that the old man had left him his research notes, undeciphered, of course, along with a note that said ‘if you can’t decrypt these notes, then I was right about not teaching you this after all.’

1892 – 25- Decodes and masters specialized form of ‘Earth’ Alchemy, after quite a few mishaps and injuries, and then travels to Central to attempt the State Alchemist Certification. He passes, and is given the title ‘Iron Blood’ Alchemist. As he is already a soldier, he is bound by more regulations than State Alchemists who have not attended Academy. He is sent back to his duty station in the South, with the rank of Major. He continues to make quite a name for himself amongst his own peers as well as the Aerugian nationals. ( He loses his virginity the night after he receives his certification.)

1900 -33- Transferred to Central following his promotion to Lieutenant Colonel. He purchases a small cabin about an hour outside of Central city, along with quite a few acres and a barn. He doesn’t intend to purchase a horse right away, but he wins one a few months into his new post, in a poker game against Giolio Comanche, the ‘elderly’ Silver Alchemist. (( He and Giolio become friends, and remain so for approximately 14 years. He is stationed under Brigadier General Fessler, who is in charge of the General Branch , at the Corp level ( He later is promoted to this same position, after the Ishvalan Civil War).

1904 – 37- Promoted to Colonel. At some point between now and 1908, he is set up on a blind date with Olivier Mira Armstrong, which ends badly, but results in him being able to purchase a champion breed stallion from the Armstrong family. (Olivier never forgives him).

1908 -41- Order 3066 is issued, and thousands of new troops as well as the State Alchemists are deployed to Ishval, to implement the Final Solution. Because he is a higher-ranking officer, he was not meant to be deployed straight to the front lines, but as he believed his duty as a soldier and an alchemist came first to the benefits of being an officer, he often would be found on the front lines, especially once he was stationed in the more at-risk districts. He was with Major Giolio Comanche when the man had his leg blown off (his own injury was a simply burn on his arm) and was the one who brought him back to base camp after dealing with the Ishvalan’s that had bombed their squad. Shortly after, Major Alex Louis Armstrong is sent back to Central in disgrace, and Grand is transferred back under Brigadier General Fessler’s command, and quickly gains the respect of his comrades as he, a Colonel, puts himself in harms way to protect them. When the high priest of Ishval comes in to surrender himself, he brings him to Fessler, in the hopes of ending the war with the man’s proposition, but when Fessler proves far too interested in his own power and heightening the death count, Basque shoots and kills him, and then takes his place as commander in that district. After the war ends, he is promoted to Brigadier General and assigned to what had been Fessler’s duty, head of the Corp level General Branch, something which he is surprised by, as he expected to be court martialed and executed for his killing of the Brigadier General.

• He meets Major Arline Fuller on the train ride to Ishval, and they become friendly. When she is injured during one of her inferno’s, he is the one who carries her to the medical tent. Shortly after the war, they begin to see one another on a regular base, after Arline confesses an attraction to him.
• While in Ishval, after taking command of Fessler’s post, there is an attempt on his life, where is he stabbed by an Ishvalan. Instead of having the medical team care for it, he stitched the wound himself.

1910 -43- An assassination attempt in his office leaves him with a scar over his heart.

1914 – 47 -Dies, canonically; murdered by Scar. By my headcanon, this occurs after a heavy bout of drinking, thus weakening him in his fight against Scar. Basque doesn’t drink, usually, and only does so in extreme moments of stress. That night, in the Spring of 1914, he had been arguing with Major Arline Fuller over, ironically enough, the State Alchemist Killer, Scar, and how Basque wanted her to stay off the streets for awhile, for protection.

• In the AU I have created, where he lives on past this and was not killed by Scar, he goes out drinking that night, but instead of attempting to walk home alone, he calls Arline, who insists on coming to get him. At this point, Scar does not want to take on more than one Alchemist at a time, especially not a pair where one of them is at their full strength, so instead of attacking, he falls back.

—-Entirely AU from this point on, at least where Basque is concerned, though it otherwise holds to the plot and canon of the show, except where noted——

1915 – 48- Shortly after Colonel Mustang’s team is dissembled and sent off to opposing regions of Amestris, Basque is approached by General Raven, who asks him what he thinks of an immortal army. He responds, politely, that he believes the idea ludicrous. Perhaps a week or so later, Basque is called to meet with the Fuhrer, who tells him simply that if he does not comply with their demands, Arline would be killed, because unfortunately, killing him would raise far too many questions. The Fuhrer gave him an hour to choose, though it took Basque only about ten minutes to figure out what he had to do, a third option to take.

• “You’ve yet to choose who shall be sent out to command the troops in the South, sir, correct? Send me. It will… remove me from your concerns, and you will be able to place another in my stead for your plans.”

Before leaving for the Southern border, however, he ends his six year relationship with Arline to protect her, and does not tell her why or give her any sort of reason. It hurts him to do so, but… He had no choice.

A few months later, he is contacted indirectly by Arline (and Roy Mustang), through Kain Fuery, and learns about the Promised Day and begins planning for it.

1916 -49- Plans and executes his own ‘kidnapping’, by setting up a bomb outside of his tent late at night, and escapes from the border encampment along with a few trusted men and Kain Fuery, to go and assist in the Promised Day. He joins up with the Brigg’s soldiers, and then takes command over from General Clemin in Central command, where he is able to keep the casualties down to a minimum by taking command of the central soldiers, even when things began to look dicey when the Fuhrer returned. He is present when Father comes up to the surface, and assists in the fight against him.

After, he brings and visits Arline in the hospital, and after a tense confrontation, he finally admits to why exactly he had left all those months ago.

Grumman takes command, and Basque is promoted to Lieutenant General, for his role in the promised day as well as the fact that most of the high-ranking generals in Central had been killed or imprisoned.

1917-50- He turns fifty. He and Arline begin to discuss adoption, and he proposes to her, now that they are finally living in a time of peace, and they marry in that same year.

1919-52- They adopt Jacob Azriel Grand.