Alexis Kouris was a main character in ArmA 3's Remnants of War campaign.
Background[]
« | Katherine: If I understand it... you know about what happened through the brother - Alexis, was it? Did you meet him? MacDade: Not directly. But, y'know, it's a small town, right? People knew Alexis. After what happened here, I talked to the locals. Found out what I could. MacDade recalling Alexis' background to AAN journalist Katherine Bishop
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Alexis was the brother of Markos Kouris. Together, the brothers lived in the mountain village of Oreokastro.
Following the death of their father, the two ran a car repair workshop which also served as their family home.
In his later years, Alexis voluntarily signed up for service with the Altis Armed Forces (AAF). Not long after starting his new career, Alexis chose to defect to an anti-government insurgency that called itself the "Freedom and Independence Army" (FIA).
Remnants of War (2034)[]
Having learnt that their father had died in anti-Akhanteros protests during the civil war, Alexis' mindset began to change from that day onward.
His disenfranchisement grew into hatred for the government and soon enough, he made it clear to Markos that he would be joining the FIA.
« | Katherine: Nathan, you said that Alexis had been a recruit in the Altis Armed Forces. MacDade: Yeah. That's right. Katherine: So, his decision to leave the army - to join the guerrillas - do you know how that came about? MacDade: It's funny, I asked Markos the same thing once. He just... looked at me and shrugged. Later on, I heard their father had been killed in the civil war. But, I dunno. Alexis defects to the FIA
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His brother badgered him over the decision and tried to convince Alexis to reconsider, but he remained adamant about his choice. When the last of the American peacekeepers pulled out of Altis, Alexis defected from the AAF to join the guerilla organisation.
Though he occasionally left from time-to-time, Alexis mostly remained in Oreokastro and was secretly helping FIA sympathisers in the village prepare an uprising. Four months later, the FIA succeed in overthrowing the local AAF garrison and begin fortifying the village.
On September 30th, the guerillas received word that the government were planning to retake the village by force. As part of their first line of defence, Alexis quickly rushed down the valley to the main road intersection. There, he began planting "hybrid" minefields which consisted of anti-tank mines surrounded by anti-personnel mines.
For their second line of defence, Alexis created an improvised barricade using various cars and vans sourced from the residents of Oreokastro. Once they were lined up to form a solid wall at the mouth of the village, he set fire to the vehicles.
« | Katherine: Do you think Alexis - I don't know - thought twice about taking these vehicles? MacDade: Look, sure, these were his neighbors, but - this was their home. And it was under attack. What would you do..? Alexis forms a barricade with cars sourced from residents
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True to their word, government forces began laying siege onto the village not long after. Alexis and the other fighters fought hard to repel the AAF and amazingly enough, they fare better than expected. Two weeks later the guerillas continued to hold firm; largely due to Alexis' minefields and barricade.
However on October 13th, one event would drastically change the outcome of the entire siege. Desperate to end the fighting once and for all, government forces called in an airstrike using cluster bombs to raze Oreokastro into the ground. That evening, the entire village disappeared in the blink of an eye; almost every guerilla and civilian inside were pulverised by the airstrike.
Alexis was fortunate to escape intact alongside a handful of other fighters. But his resolve was hardened by the government's act of utter inhumanity. Thinking that his brother had been killed in the airstrike, Alexis was more determined than ever to avenge the death of his sole remaining family member.
Remnants of War (2035)[]
« | Katherine: You say 'bloodshed'? You mean... with the guerrillas? MacDade: Our resident non-state actors. His brother had become dead-set on joining the cause. Katherine: I see. And that brings us to the church? The fire-fight? MacDade: Yeah. US forces were invading, the guerrillas were finally on the front foot... you can imagine the mess. The NATO invasion of Altis begins
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Almost one year later, the FIA were constantly gaining ground over government forces. Furthermore, news had come in that NATO were planning to stage an invasion in support of the guerillas.
On August 8th, at the height of the U.S.-led invasion, Alexis' cell of guerillas rushed to join the ongoing battle between NATO forces and the AAF. Their first target was his former home town - Oreokastro, which had been turned into an AAF outpost. An important government official was based there, and Alexis' cell would be able to deal a severe blow onto the AAF if they could eliminate him.
With NATO air support, the outpost was easily overrun and most of the garrison's troopers were killed off by Alexis' cell. Only the officer himself and his bodyguard remained.
Death[]
« | Alexis - alongside a bunch of guerrillas - they were approaching from the north. At the same time, a NATO squad was moving in on their position. They'd been outnumbered ten-to-one. MacDade
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Alexis' guerilla cell continued to pursue the fugitive troopers. A nearby fireteam of NATO soldiers were also closing in simultaneously and combined, they easily outnumbered the remaining duo. Alexis' guerillas eventually cornered them at the abandoned church.
However, Alexis had not realised that the church's entrances had been booby trapped with anti-personnel landmines. Half of his comrades and the NATO soldiers either died instantly or were incapacitated by the mines.
Disregarding losses, he continued to push up towards the church. But the duo had entrenched themselves deeply inside the church and Alexis was left to fight them by himself. He was subsequently killed while attempting to breach the entrance.
Post-Remnants of War[]
« | Katherine: Okay. You've mentioned Alexis was with the guerrillas. Do you know what became of him? MacDade: He was killed... shot, I think. It's sad, honestly. Both of their lives? They ended here. Just a few feet apart. Next to the church which they were probably baptized in. MacDade details what information he knew on the cause of Alexis' death
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Less than a week later, his brother returned to the village to search for Alexis' remains.
Still left unburied at the church's entrance, Markos found what appeared to be his brother's corpse and moved closer to examine it. Unfortunately, Markos also ended up triggering one of the unexploded mines and tragically died at the exact same spot as Alexis.
Personality and Appearance[]
Alexis was a tan-skinned Altian male with a short, black head of hair. During his time in the armed forces, Alexis had a mostly clean shaven face and wore the standard-issue combat fatigues adorned in the AAF's signature Digital camouflaged pattern, along with a lightweight plate carrier and combat helmet.
Following his defection Alexis grew a beard and adopted a more casual attire which consisted of a sleeveless khaki shirt and Digital-camouflaged pants, a kufiyah, along with a hunter's vest and hat.
Compared to Markos, Alexis was hotheaded and often made critical life choices without thinking things through. According to both MacDade and his brother, Alexis had quite a stubborn temperment - once he makes a decision he doesn't walk back on it.
« | His driving... by all accounts, it took a while before he got the hang of it. Alexis could get from A to B on a quadbike sure enough, but... apparently working a clutch and stick-shift... MacDade remaking on Alexis' lack of driving skills
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MacDade noted that Alexis was a particularly poor driver and was responsible for several vehicular accidents that his brother had to take care of. Though he could handle driving simple vehicles like ATVs with ease, the same could not be said for larger trucks and vans with manual transmissions.
Trivia[]
- Alexis can die in a number of ways depending on the player's decision in The Major. MacDade's dialogue will subsequently change to reflect the manner of his fate.
- This can range from being coldly executed after being incapacitated by a mine (which constitutes as a war crime) or is shot to death in combat as per standard. Alternatively, the player can opt to not shoot Alexis at all during the final firefight, in which case he will die at the hands of Major Gavras instead.
- Like many of the characters' stories that MacDade recalls, the tragedy of Alexis and his brother Markos tie heavily into the primary motif of the campaign; that "actions have consequences".
- The chain of events leading to Alexis joining the AAF and his subsequent defection to the FIA, were sparked by the brothers learning of their father's death at the hands of Akhanteros' troops.
- This spanned across several years - almost a decade ago beginning with the civil war. Alexis' pivotal role in the siege of Oreokastro followed by his death a year later, could have all been easily averted had their father never been slaughtered by the AAF.
- Chronologically, Alexis is the first FIA character to become playable in ArmA 3.