Aldrich Reno

Aldrich Reno is the main protagonist in Mobile Suit Gundam Y. At first filling the role of a sniper in the ranged armaments-based QS-023 Julius mobile suit, he is forced to grow in his skills once he becomes the main pilot to the XZF-04 Youngswallow, a zero-gravity fighter, and the GMVT-02 Gundam Yesterday, the combined form of the Youngswallow and the mobile suit, XS-YUNINN-02 YUnWEI II.

After Aldrich recovers from his injuries four months after the Battle of Clavius, he is assigned to the newly-developed Geospace assault fighter, the ACSS-01 Geopelia, and its combined form with the XS-ZEKE-12 Shin YUnWEI; the GMVT-04X Gundam Towards.

Personality & Character
Despite his lethargic outward appearance, Aldrich is kindly and helpful, and not above saving even those who're supposed to be his enemies from dangerous situations. This hopeful and enthusiastic personality, even when faced with the silence of outer space circa the Gestalt Century (when whole clusters of mankind have been separated by the stars for close to a millennium), is a result of a desire to find his 'love', and the trust he puts in this vague ideal. Though likely to remain to the orders given to him, a slight rebellious nature began to show itself after he detached himself from Canaveral and joined the Golden Child on its exodus to Earth.

He constantly questions the nature of 'love' throughout the series, and it is left ambiguous upon whether he'd finally found it after he falls into a semi-vegetative state at the end of the series.

His greatest fear is dying completely alone, slowly, in space. This drove him to join the mobile suit corps instead of the workers' union.

Due to never having even heard of Earth before, he loses himself quite easily when faced with a phenomena of Earth, such as panicking in a rain and cowering at the sound of thunder. Fortunately, he has Ceres May to guide him through these experiences.

Skills & Abilities
Aldrich is a capable mobile suit pilot; not at all exceptional at the beginning of the story, but his gradual transformation into a Shell only serves to further propagate the growth of his abilities as he is thrust into greater conflicts throughout the series. Before the end of the series, he had become one, if not the most skilled and powerful pilots in the Earth sphere, rivaling even Musashi's abilities during the latter's lifetime.

History
Born in Block 17 of the colony Canaveral Oscillatory, residing in the Jovian sphere, he grew up in a setting dominated by the need for discipline, whereupon he grew as an intelligent child, like the rest in the colony, thanks to the educational infrastructure present. This same authoritarian-driven childhood later cultivated a need to leave society in his mind, however, and he began to develop a rebellious streak as he got older.

On the 13th of August, 1111 RC, he is drafted into the 87th Orbital Interception Squad, under Kellam Sheng. During this time the colonies of the Jovian sphere were involved in a civil war, and hostilities only grew the more time passed. Realizing this was in itself an act towards destruction for themselves (due to limited resources), the colonies avoided large-scale confrontations and began to disperse their forces for attrition and guerrilla warfare. Despite not built for such a purpose, the 87th is revealed to be secretly a guerrilla squad, much to Aldrich's dismay. He partakes in an operation involving the entirety of the squad four days later, to raid a convoy headed for the 12th colony, Hindenburg.

They were, however, ambushed by an enemy squadron from Hindenburg, though not the one assigned to escort the convoy. One mobile suit, an X-77-X Agareph painted in faded red the numbers "3" on one shoulder and "9" on the other, proceeds to destroy the members of the 87th single-handedly. Aldrich, assigned to a support-fire post as soon as the battle began, was confronted and subsequently disabled by another mobile suit from the enemy squadron, sparing his life. He is taken aboard their commanding ship as prisoner, and lone survivor.

During the journey back towards Hindenburg, the ship traveling alongside the convoy, he is met with and interrogated by Noah Arneback, a veteran officer from the Hindenburg corps., when the Hindenburg fleet is attacked by another, unknown fleet. During the battle, stray artillery pierces the ship's side, and an explosion breaks out in the block adjacent to the holding cells, where Aldrich was being brought to at the time. The explosion damages the surrounding blocks, and knocks Noah unconscious. Aldrich frees himself from his handcuffs and goes to find an exit, or at least a method to communicate with the attacking fleet, hopeful that they belong to Canaveral's mobile forces. Turning around, he sees the damage around him and the motionless Noah spread, and not willing to leave him to die just like that, decides to bring the old man along for now.

Chaos and confusion has spread aboard the ship. Their and the convoy's mobile suits are being overwhelmed by the attacking fleet's superior number and power. As he runs, he overhears one of the operators on the bridge notify her captain that the fleet does not belong to any of the other colonies. He is then horrified to hear that the other command ship heading the supply fleet had been destroyed, and that it was clear the unknown fleet intended to destroy the ship he's on as well. Without wasting another second, he hurries to the hangar, deciding on one way to escape the ship; mobile unit. He wasn't going to die there and then. Faced with death seemingly imminent, panic began to spread amongst the ship's crews. Attacks against the ship grew, and one explosion sent Aldrich and Noah tumbling into one of ship's the living quarters.

Aldrich finds that damage has caused debris to collapse on the doorway. Setting Noah down on one of the beds, he contemplates his fate, when he discovers another person cowering in one of the corners, shaking and in tears. The person turns out to be Ceres May, one of the ship's crew members. Pitying the girl, Aldrich expends time - possibly their final bits - to console her. Wishing things could go differently, Aldrich and Ceres are surprised by Noah (whom Ceres knows, coincidentally) waking up. Noah is surprised that Aldrich was willing to bring him out of the lion's mouth, and begins to stand up. Using some mysterious ability, Noah directs Aldrich on where to pull to dislodge the debris enough that the doorway becomes accessible again. Filled with new resolve, the three of them head towards the closest hangar, as the ship faces destruction in mere minutes. Aldrich overhears that only the efforts of the lone Agareph are keeping the attacking mobile squadron at bay for the time being. The captain has already ordered the crew and bridge members to begin evacuation. Arriving at the hangar, the trio found that no units were available for them to acquire for escape.

Ceres then urges him and Noah to head for the closest escape pods, but like before, Noah tells her that it would not lead to her and his survival. Instead, he guides them to one of the sections of the hangar, and unlocking a bulwark, he reveals the mobile craft XZF-04 Youngswallow.

Noah orders Aldrich and Ceres to board the mobile craft, as he enters the sub-control room and manually operates the catapult. Despite Ceres' pleas, Noah begins preparations for launch, and tells Aldrich to make sure she and the machine arrive to safety. Aldrich thanks the senior officer, and launches in the Youngswallow with Ceres. Immediately, Aldrich breaks away to escape from the combat zone, heading for Canaveral's coordinates. Aldrich and Ceres are filled with horror to see the unknown fleet's mobile suits destroy the escape pods one-by-one. Moments later, the command ship is destroyed by long-range beam fire, and the exceptionally fast mobile suits turn to the Youngswallow. But before they could pursue it further, the Agareph comes between them and the Youngswallow, allowing Aldrich and Ceres to escape.