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"A man is what he chooses to be."

- Trace Raynor's oft-spoken wisdom(src)

Trace Raynor was the father of Jim Raynor. By 2488 he had a shock of gray hair, a beard and a weathered face, but still hadn't put on any fat.

He taught his son to be honest, and had a strong sense of honor. He also taught him how to fist-fight and to resist bullies.[1]

Biography[]

Early Life[]

"Don't ever back down from a bully. Fight to win and end it as quickly as possible."

- Trace Raynor(src)

Trace was a bit of a brawler in his younger days. The process taught him techniques that would be used by his son.[1]

The Guild Wars[]

"My dad raised me right...Tried to, anyway."

- Jim Raynor regarding his father(src)

The Raynors worked on a farm on Shiloh, and while the land wasn't the best, they were still able to make a living. However, the Guild Wars put a strain on their livelihood due to high taxes and lack of fuel, said fuel shortage preventing using their machines to the extent required to make a profitable harvest. Trace possessed some antagonism to the Confederacy as a result and felt that the Guild Wars were none of his business, although he agreed the Kel-Morian Combine was stealing their resources and trying to take over the Confederate government.

In 2488, Trace Raynor and his son Jim met a recruiting sergeant named Farley. The latter convinced Jim to join the Confederate Marine Corps, over Trace's silent objections. Farley made sure to cut Trace out of the conversation. The recruitment drive worked and at dinner, Jim raised the issue of enlistment. Neither Trace nor his wife Karol were exactly enthralled by the idea, but agreed to think about it. Eventually, after three days of arguments, Trace told his son that if he wanted to enlist, he wouldn't try to stop him.

Not long after Jim's decision, Trace drove him to Centerville for his enlistment. Sometime afterwards, he and Karol were affected by a new regulation on Shiloh, in that every farmer had to buy a business license to operate. Thanks to the enlistment bonus they received due to their son's enlistment, they were able to pay for it, but at the cost of two thirds of the bonus, which would mean they wouldn't be able to pay their taxes as planned. Regardless, Trace heard from his son again weeks later when Jim called from Turaxis II, informing him of his imminent graduation. He was glad to hear from him and claimed that everything was fine, but his act wasn't entirely convincing.[1]

Blood Money[]

"I love you, Jim. You're my son, and I always will love you. I used to think I could also say, 'I'll always be proud of you.' But I can't honestly say that anymore. You're walking down a dark path, Jim. A path I never could have forseen for you, and one I simply cannot respect. We love you, but we can't take your money. That's blood money, Son, and that's not how you were raised. Do you remember what I used to tell you, Son? A man is what he chooses to be. It's not how he's born, or how he's raised, that makes the man. It's his choices. Right now, you're choosing to walk down a dark path I can't condone. But a man can turn his life around with a single thought, a single decision. You can always choose to be something new. Never forget that."

- Trace Raynor's final message to his son.(src)

A year after his enlistment, Jim was forced to abandon the Corps due to the machinations of his superior officer. He and his war buddy Tychus Findlay became bandits and robbers. Jim Raynor made sure to send his family much of his ill-earned gains through family friend Myles Hammond, but did not contact them. His parents refused to accept the money, so Hammond secretly paid off part of the lien on their farm and saved the rest.

Years later, Trace suffered an accident when his robo-harvester stalled. When he went to fix it, it roared to life, running him over and causing him serious injuries. He refused painkillers, and died over the course of a day and a half. He made a holovid from his hospital bed and left a final message for his son, explaining why he couldn't take his money, along with the shame on the path he had chosen, but closed that Jim still had the opportunity to choose a different path. Sometime later, Jim Raynor stealthily visited his dying mother and watched the video.[2]

References[]

  1. 1.0 1.1 1.2 Dietz, William C. (April 6, 2010). StarCraft II: Heaven's Devils. Simon & Schuster (Gallery Books). ISBN 978-1416-55084-6.
  2. Golden, Christie (April 12, 2011). StarCraft II: Devils' Due. Simon & Schuster (Gallery Books). ISBN 978-1416-55085-3.
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