"Orestes" is a supporting character in ArmA 3's The East Wind campaign.
Background
Orestes was once an officer who served in the Altis Armed Forces (AAF). He went by the radio callsign of Spartan-Actual.
For the most part however, Orestes has always been sympathetic towards the so-called "Freedom and Independence Army" (FIA) guerilla organisation, a growing band of anti-Akhanteros fighters who opposed the government's hardline policies.
The East Wind (2035)
By mid 2035, Orestes had been assigned to overseeing patrols along the western coast of Altis, enforcing the checkpoints along the main roads between the old capital of Kavala and the abandoned mountain village of Oreokastro.
However, the government's declaration of martial law in light of the insurgency and its continued violations of human rights only reinforced Orestes' pro-FIA sentiments.
On July 9th, joint AAF/CSAT forces carried out a large-scale counterinsurgency operation in Kavala to root out the FIA caches and cells hidden in the city. The bloody nature of the operation led to the deaths of many fighters and civilians caught up in the fighting.
Repulsed by the government's inhumanity, the operation itself proved to be the breaking point. This finally motivated his decision to defect to the FIA once and for all. Some of his subordinates felt the same way, and equally began to consider defection as a viable alternative to military service.
In defiance of the AAF's orders, Orestes turned a blind eye to guerilla fighters and illegal weapons being smuggled through his checkpoints.
| « | Kerry: So the AAF really are as corrupt as they say. Stavrou: Corrupt? Sure. But, with Orestes, the situation is different. Kerry: Different... how? American soldier Corporal Ben Kerry remarking on his first encounter with "Orestes"
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Secretly, Orestes had been in contact with the FIA's leader, Kostas Stavrou, over the course of two weeks after the Kavala operation. He discussed his options with the guerilla leader and in exchange for amnesty, would help the FIA deal a blow against CSAT directly.
| « | A sympathetic AAF officer has approached us looking for a way out. He's been uncomfortable for many months, but the recent CSAT offensive - the bloody attack on Kavala, the ongoing crackdown - has proven to be the last straw. Now he and a few trusted comrades are ready to defect. As part of the deal - and before our enemy learns what's going on - we'll use his position of authority to strike a blow against the very CSAT forces that decimated Kavala. We've arranged to link up with this officer - codename Orestes - along with some of his men at an abandoned farm to the north. We'll then use his security clearance to set the trap. Stavrou briefing the guerillas on Orestes' wish to defect to the FIA
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However, Orestes knew that CSAT officials were already suspicious of his possible ties to the guerillas. It would only be a matter of time before his cover was blown and he'd "disappear" - just like all the others before him. On July 22nd, he and two of his close subordinates boarded a vehicle and made their way towards an abandoned farm on the outskirts of Oreokastro.
As he had expected, CSAT were not as oblivious to his ties as the other AAF commanders were. While driving to meet with the FIA contact, a CSAT patrol tailed his vehicle all the way to the meeting point.
| « | Kerry: Orestes? Corporal Kerry, I'm with the FIA. Orestes: Yes - Stavrou told me to expect an American - but listen carefully, Corporal, I think we've been followed. As we turned onto this road, we spotted a CSAT vehicle a little way behind us. They must not discover us! Kerry: It's okay, we can fall back to the forest - we'll be gone before they get here. Orestes: Listen to me, we only have one shot at this. You must intercept them. They cannot find out we work together - not yet! Orestes arrives at the meeting point
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On arrival, Orestes hastily greeted the contact - an American soldier named Ben Kerry (whom Stavrou had already told him about), but warned the Corporal about the tailing patrol. Kerry advised that they could simply fall back into the forest to lose them, but Orestes remained adamant that his cover could not be blown; not yet, in any case. They had to be silenced first before they could discover his betrayal.
Kerry's guerillas set up into position and when the patrol arrived, quietly eliminated the soldiers in one swift stroke. When they returned to talk with him, Orestes explained that he wanted to inflict some retribution against CSAT for their role in the Kavala operation.
| « | CSAT are well trained - they get suspicious very, very quickly. We can only pull off one strike. Orestes
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But Orestes made it clear to the American that they only had one opportunity to fool the CSAT officials. He offered Kerry two options; either he could call in a squad of CSAT soldiers to be brought in (and destroy one of their helicopters for good measure), or they could ambush the engineers at the Oreokastro vehicle depot being used to repair damaged tanks.
Either way, Kerry quickly made his decision and dispatched the rest of Omega to get into position for their strike. Orestes proceeded to relay his support request to the CSAT garrison's commander. When the guerillas had finished their mission, they returned to meet with Orestes himself.
| « | Stavrou: I am "glad" the Lieutenant came to see the true evil in our homeland. Orestes: We have a common enemy, Commander Stavrou. Let us not make it personal. Orestes responds flatly to criticism from Stavrou
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However, Orestes and his men were not alone. British special forces Lieutenant James and his team of operatives had arrived and were there to "escort" Orestes to safety. Orestes was less than pleased to see the British operative, and brushed away James' suggestions that he would "disappear" at the first chance if he was unwatched.
He also remained adamant that he nothing to do with James or his team, and that he had already explained his situation to Miller. Orestes was thereafter brought back to the FIA's main camp and was immediately debriefed by Stavrou. He revealed that Nikos Panagopoulos, one of the FIA's key associates, was being held by CSAT at Camp Tempest on Stratis. They didn't have much time to rescue him as he would be relocated soon, so they would need to act quickly if they wished to save Nikos before it was too late.
Personality and Appearance
Orestes is an Altian male with a light chin beard/moustache with a dark brown-coloured head of hair. He wears the standard attire of all AAF military officials, consisting of Digital-camouflaged officer fatigues, a field cap with a headset attached as well as an olive green bandoleer.
| « | James: Just wanted to ensure our new friend makes it safely to the camp, that's all. We wouldn't want him to get lost on the way. Isn't that right, "Orestes"? Orestes: Just shut up and let's go. I told Miller, I have no business with you Brits. James: Nah, course not, el capitano. Orestes rebukes criticism against his perceived lack of reliability
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A shrewd-eyed individual, Orestes could see that the tide of the insurgency was beginning to turn against the government. He always remained careful to keep his sympathies towards the FIA hidden to his superiors however, so that he wouldn't be exposed until the time was right for him to defect.
Trivia
- "Orestes" is merely his codename, as his real name is never revealed in the entire episode.
- In Greek mythology, Orestes was the son of Clytemnestra and Agamemnon, who famously avenges the murder of his father by slaying his own mother and her lover.
- Like many other characters from the pre-2012 iterations of ArmA 3's storyline, Orestes originally had a different backstory.
- His "clothes" from the pre-Alpha still remain accessible in the final game and can actually be worn by players.
- His original civilian unit can also be placed in the editor but it is not actually used at any point in The East Wind.
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