Brock Davenport

Brock Davenport is the primary antagonist in Tales of New Millennia: The Hidden Nation. He is the elected Chancellor of New Millennia, and presumptive Mayor of Kingston. He is also in command of the New Millennia National Guard. He is easily the most powerful man on the island and is generally feared for the infamous atrocities enacted in his name.

Youth
Brock Davenport was the only child born into the 7th generation of the Davenport Family. He was raised with a traditional tidewater upbringing on the Davenport Plantation. Brock was spared the torment of New Millennia Civil War by his family dodging the draft and paying their farmhands to fight for them. His youth was contested between generations, with his father Earl and grandfather, Bartholomew III, imposing their own understanding of the world onto Brock. Bartholomew was keen that his grandson be respectful to his family's slave-holding heritage, telling him stories of the Old South in Arkansas and making Margret Mitchell's Gone with the Wind the first thing Brock could read. His father, on the other hand, taught Brock to be respectful to the black labourers and servants that featured so prominently on the plantation. He was given an African American nanny and wet nurse, Claudette, and was encouraged to play with her children. His mother was largely absent from his early life, committed to her job as C.E.O of the Par La Racine clothing company.

As Brock grew, he began becoming corrupted by his grandfather, picking up his slurs and prejudices. One incident saw him address Claudette's child as "n***** tar baby" in her presence. To reprimand Brock, Claudette repetitively lessened his food and kept him locked in his room for most of the day. When he was allowed to play with other children he was too weak and pallid for their games, and began getting bullied for his punitive body. One day, a young Brock snapped, finding his grandfather's old revolver and shooting the bully, who happened to be Claudette's son, in the chest. In adulthood, Brock claimed to have kept the boy's skull and fashioned cuff-links out of his milk teeth, although the legitimacy of his story is questionable.

After the incident, Earl Davenport paid Claudette a hefty non-disclosure sum and dismissed her out of guilt. He also ordered that Bartholomew be banished from the plantation to keep his influence away from Brock, forcing him to live on the cabin at the edge of the property. Brock underwent a rigorous series of classes and therapies, aimed at eliminating the racist streak from his personality. Whilst it seemed to do the job on the surface, the experience of being starved and bullied fuelled a powder-keg of resentment in Brock's subconscious, threatening to erupt into a genocidal personality.

College and Early Employment.
Brock entered Athena College in 1980, the second in his family to do so. He majored in Ecology, receiving an honours in 1984. Brock's college years had been the first time he had really escaped from the dynamics of the highly regulated Davenport family, and so he spent his 4 years in dormitories living out another life. He took drugs, notably cocaine, and engaged in a series of debaucheries with both men and women. He grew his hair long, started listening to contraband, foreign pop music, and paraded around campus in white kaftans. More worryingly, he became obsessed with the writings of Martin Heidegger which caused his racism to reemerge. He believed that New Millennia, as an extension of the North Carolinian coast, existed only for the Anglo-Saxon race, and so African Americans and Jews were foreign parasites. He made his opinions known in his journals and thinly-veiled slam poems.

After receiving his diploma, he returned home to the shocked response of his parents. Brock was ordered to get his hair cut, start wearing suits, and to stop with the narcotics if he was to be given accommodation in the family home. He was also taken before a psychotherapist where he was diagnosed with a previously repressed form of psychological regression. This need for formality was partly caused by his father's election to the position of Chancellor in 1981 meaning the Davenport family was now very much in the public eye.

As he grappled with normality, Brock married his college girlfriend, Vivian Shaw, vowed to protect her and their child, Evelyn, and begun to revert back to his tidewater lifestyle. By the time he started work, operating alongside his mother at Par La Racine, the Davenport Plantation had been sold to Harvey Cohan, and developed into Davenport Manor. Brock initially hated the construction, seeing it as the destruction of the nostalgic Old Southern way for a "Jewish corporate development", but eventually came around to the idea. Whilst at the clothing company, Brock's racism was given an outlet of expression, seeing zero employment of black staff or black models under his administration.

Minister of the Environment.
As his Par La Racine days drew to a close, Brock expressed a longing to pursuit the agricultural lifestyle of the Old South. With the farmland of the plantation severely reduced, Earl Davenport offered his son a chance to join the 1986 Iron Cabinet, giving him the experience of the planter aristocracy and jurisdiction over agricultural output of the island as Minister of the Environment. Under Brock's reforms, the undeveloped areas of Farming Ring were reclaimed by the state and agricultural corporatism established between private enterprises — including the land of Davenport Manor. The outcome of this 1986 Agricultural Commission led to a record crop yield, and plaudits for Brock.

Brock hoped to emulate his successes in a secondary commission in 1988, which he personally oversaw. He visited the W.U.F to survey the amount of agricultural land and test soil pHs in the wasteland. He was appalled at the squalor and destitution of the city's industrial heartland, suggesting that its inhabitants were not deserving of it, and were responsible for letting it fall into disarray —this, for Brock, was due to their inferior racial stock. As part of the 1988 commission, he also confiscated most of the livestock of the W.U.F, resettling them in Kingston. Despite success of the commission, corporate retention was a failure; W.U.F. farmers did not use the advised legume crop to nitrify their soils. Despite the detente, there was class tensions between the workers and the Davenport administration, with the former resisting Metropolitan intervention. This just made Brock more loathing of them.

Response to The 1994 Insurrections
Across the summer of 1994, a series of bombings across the W.U.F. led to the enflaming of Civil War tensions. W.U.F. officials blamed the Metropolitans for the attacks and retaliated by burning down the agricultural innovations instigated in the 1988 Commission. Brock took the issue personally, fuelling tensions further by convincing his father that the attacks were on his administration, by extension, the Davenport family. Earl Davenport acquiesced, suspending the Iron Cabinet and launching a mass liquid-fire campaign to target the civilian areas of the W.U.F. Earl headed the mobilised the National Army, claiming it was to restore order by martial law, but causing a two month restart of the Civil War.

Unlike his father and grandfather before him, Brock was willing to fight for the National Army. He enrolled in a week-long training course before being deployed to search the industrial areas for potential insurrectionists. He had been a skilled swordsmen since childhood, and now armed with a rifle, he was deadly from short and long range. As the fighting drew to a close, Brock witnessed the death of his father, shot through the stomach by insurrectionist, Troy Ferron. Fuelled by hatred and adrenaline, Brock fought with Ferron, slicing him across the face and blinding him in one eye. Ferron escaped when as Brock organised for the recovery of his father's body.

1995 Chancellor Campaign.
After the death of the former chancellor in the Insurrections, New Millennia citizens were given the opportunity to vote for their new chancellor. The vote was historic, as it was the first since the breakdown of democracy in the late 1940s. Brock entered the race on a Populist Party ticket of social devolution and increased expenditure, alongside the corporatist centralising of industry. Kingston citizens supported Brock as a continuation of his father — who had revived the Metropolitan economy after Civil War — and due to his own successes as Minister of the Environment.

As the caucuses were fought, the election looked to be a sectional and class contest, with Brock's only substantial rival being Troy Ferron of the W.U.P. Whilst Brock had the funds necessary for an influential campaign, Ferron had the support of the populous W.U.F, and looked to edge a victory in the election. What's more, he had a talent smear artist in the form of Wilson Samson, who managed to obtain information relating to Brock's childhood murder incident. Brock was determined not to lose to the man who killed his father, and so, rigged the election; he achieved this through the bribing of the independent transport company who replaced the ballot boxes they took from the W.U.F.

It was a landslide victory, leading many among the workers to doubt its legitimacy. Ferron told his followers to accept the result for fear of another restart of the Civil War. Brock's first action since taking office was to persecute Ferron for his father's death, but Ferron, sensing this, went into hiding.

Chancellorship
The second Davenport Administration in a generation was punctuated with an uneasy mix of centralisation and resistance. Brock set about to centralise New Millennia's industry to increase output, but the W.U.F, who's industry was already collectivised, refused to participate. Somewhat impressed by is rival's ability to smear, Brock employed Wilson Samson to his cabinet, operating as the Minister of Public Information. Samson's unorthodox methods of commanding adherence was to manufacture myths about Davenport, that he was a violent man who fought his opponents head on. As word spread about his proficiency with sword and gun, the W.U.F. began to acquiesce, seeing the greatest increase in industrial output since the 1970s.

Reconquest Scheme
In 1997, the W.U.F. unions appointed African-American Roy Spence as their new Head of Industry. Unlike the previous men who held his position, Spence was doubtful of Davenport's propaganda and so, refused to cooperate. An enraged Brock saw his stonewalling of national output as a sign of his inherent black nature, and so his racism became a political weapon. He organised for the dissemination of information regarding his Reconquest Scheme — a policy which called for the rounding up and concentrating of African-Americans for discipline and reeducation. Samson, and the moderates on his cabinet, appeased his demands, believing it to be just another propaganda issue. As it became clear that Brock wasn't joking, his cabinet joined in protest. Samson confided to Brock that the cabinet they were planning on using their executive veto to stonewall the scheme and depose him, but with this information, the chancellor dismissed his cabinet early, retaining loyal Wilson Samson as his Personal Assistant.

The scheme was rolled out in late 1997, with Spence among the first targets. Targets were evaluated on their immediate lineage, and their skin colour, being sent to Brimstone Brig if they failed any state criteria. The W.U.F. prison was given a substantial boost in infrastructure to house its new inmates, seeing an extension in its residential capacity and the development of new punitive measures. Whilst the official policy was about reeducation and cultural assimilation, the facility bleached skin, frayed and mutilated its inmate, and doused with high-power hoses to try and make them more white.

To increase outreach, Davenport established 'sweep squads' to scour the W.U.F. and locate subversives. Quotas and bonuses were enforced to maintain productivity, and indiscriminate punishments were given to any citizen found harbouring a fugitive. In 1998, Davenport expanded the scheme to include other ethnic races, causing the racial demographic of public life to whiten. Those fortunate enough to survive the punishments remained in the Brig, being refused release despite how much they assimilated. Inmates were given insufficient food and locked in their cells most of the day, mirroring Brock's own childhood experience. Towards the end of 1998, several unsuccessful raids were taken on the Brig, with National Army security gunning down all who attempted to free the prisoners. Prisoners attempted rioting, but swiftly discovered that guards stepped aside to let them bludgeon each other to death. By autumn 1999, most prisoners were begging for death just to escape the daily confinement and beatings, but when they attempted to starve themselves, the guards force fed them.

Millennia Day Massacre
The Reconquest Scheme reached its climax on 31st December 1999. At 7pm, surviving inmates were congregated in the mess hall and told that everyone, regardless of race, was to join in the celebrations of the new millennium. At 9pm they were given a large feast, mostly comprised of the leftovers of the nation's Christmas dinners, and provided with wine and beer. At 10pm, intoxicated inmates were encouraged in joining in with patriotic songs and hymns. As midnight loomed, the inmates were placed in handcuffs, strung together on a chain gang, and paraded out to the Brig to watch the fireworks at the edge of Port Brunell. As the seconds of the second millennium ticked away, inmates were told to look at the end of the pier to where the fireworks would be launched. At the stroke of midnight, all the remaining inmates were executed, shot in the head by a firing squad hidden in the shadowy night. Fireworks filled the sky.

Whilst there is no evidence suggesting Davenport made the order for the massacre to be enacted, there are documents which show Davenport wanting the "eradication of the subversive race at all costs".

Coup
Whilst his new 1997 cabinet were more willing to accept the Reconquest Scheme, its finale had catch them off guard. They successfully launched a vote of no-confidence in his leadership, but Brock refused to leave office. Reaching an impasse, Brock and his cabinet staged a 12 hour sit-in, with each side refusing to budge. Eventually, Brock called for his National Army security to remove his cabinet members by force. He proclaimed a state of emergency in governance and took executive authority to disband it, giving himself complete power as chancellor. He expanded the "sweep squads" into a private militia, deploying them throughout New Millennia to quell resistance to his seizure.

To get back at the men who refused to cooperate with his 1989 Commission, he placed restrictions on the transport of goods to the W.U.F. Having ceded most of its agricultural output as Minister of the Environment, Davenport enforced a limited ration system in the industrial heartland, with a single daily shipment of resources being supposed to service the entire population. When food riots became a regular occurrence, with citizens desperately trying to get at the limited rations, Brock transported the food in reinforced tanks; these tanks gradually became weaponised, releasing mustard gas when attacked.

Propoganda
For the ten years after 1996, information about Brock Davenport was highly regulated by the office of his Minister of Public Information, Wilson Samson. Samson's strengths were in his ability to make Brock out as a tyrant, therefore creating a myth to keep citizens in line. However, the information available about Brock's personal affairs are highly dubious. It was claimed that he killed his wife and daughter, and among other things, had an extensive espionage network. Whilst there is nothing to suggest that he was responsible, Evelyn and Vivian had disappeared from the public eye, and Davenport's air-pollution indicators did give the altitude necessary to spy on the population. Brock had also established an entourage of men who were claimed to be affiliated with organised crime.

Samson intensely cultivated his boss's image to strike fear into the heart of his people, however, it gave Davenport an identity crisis. Already struggling with the disappearance of his wife and daughter, the man became increasingly merged with his own myth. He started carrying around firearms, dressing in all-white, and getting into fights. His drug-use reemerged, with him seeing it as the gateway to becoming the fictive Davenport. His psychosis made it hard to determine what he had done, and what he had been reported to have done.

Partnership with Cornelius Bruce.
Throughout his life, Brock benefited from the Miller-Johnson Pact, receiving the latest technologies and information from the outside world. Whilst this was presumed to be one-way, with Brock using it mostly for modern music, the autumn of 2005 proved a watershed. He was contacted out of the blue by Cornelius Bruce, using the direct line reserved for contact with the U.S. government. Bruce requested to set up his own enterprise on the island, quoting the disused power station at Beeding as his place of operation. Bruce promised to provide New Millennia with renewable energy from his unique nuclear fission reactor, stating an inability to get the permissions to construct in the U.S. Davenport agreed to this proposal, seeing it as an attempt to finally discard his reliance on the W.U.F. for the majority of The Metropolis's energy.

At the start of 2006, Bruce's proposals changed slightly. He expressed an intention to smuggle in a soon-to-be-fugitive into New Millennia, requesting that Davenport gave them The High Rise facility as a hideout. In exchange, Bruce gave Davenport the opportunity of an arranged marriage, with an American girl who was under strict orders to comply. Brock debated his need for a second wife, but eventually agreed, keen to keep on Bruce's good side.

On 20th June, Bruce arrived on the island, having got there by private helicopter. With him, was Brock's betrothed fiancée, Jessica Slokavich, and a disguised man who refused to reveal his identity. Brock implored Bruce for more information about the new resident, with Bruce reluctantly giving him two folders with confidential information in them. Brock married Jessica on the 21st June in secret as to keep up his reputation.

The Hidden Nation
In the afternoon of the 30th June 2006, Brock's intelligence provider brought him the news of an undocumented civilian on the island, the newly-arrived Nathan Bilson. He contacted Bruce shortly after, asking how such event could have happened without his permission. Bruce denied involvement, but said he anticipated Nathan's arrival, giving Brock his confidential folder alongside the fugitive's. Brock soon came to learn of Nathan's particular abilities and knew he needed to have him on his side. By nightfall, Brock drew up an agreement with Moses St. Drake, under the presumptive title of Brock's 'bodyguard', to locate Nathan and bring him to Davenport Manor.

On the 1st July, Brock awoke to find that Nathan had killed the Olsons and burnt their house. He also discovered that Nathan had met up with Victoria Gambino, and so, told Moses to put his orders on hold — when he eventually got Nathan, he would be able to extract information about The Brethren. Brock first physically accounted Nathan when he attempted to plunder Olson's registers at his accounting office, with Nathan believing he evaded detection.

Davenport reactivated Moses on the 4th, believing Nathan had gathered enough information for questioning. He was caught attempting to flee Moses at the New Millennia Fare and brought to Davenport Manor. Brock interrogates Nathan, offering him employment as his personal solider with hopes of using him to eradicate the W.U.F. In the in interrogation, Nathan unconsciously let slip Victoria's identity. With his attempts at persuasion failing, Brock decides to rid the island of Nathan by chucking him into the ocean —if he couldn't have him, nobody could.

Brock is disgusted to discover Nathan survived being cast away. He orders Moses to bring him back to him, dead or alive, to keep him out of Brethren's hands. Whilst Moses works overtime to sniff him out in the W.U.F, Nathan infiltrated Piekoff Point and holds Harvey Cohan hostage. When Davenport caught wind of the Peikoff debacle he chewed out Cohan — not fully believing his commitment to secrecy. Then, things got worse for Brock as he discovered that Bruce had not only come into contact with Nathan, but that he had been harbouring the fugitive Jonathan Reeve. Davenport

Trivia

 * Brock Davenport is bisexual.
 * His favourite band is Wham!

Behind the Scenes

 * Brock's appearance is based on Charles II, whilst his demise is more similar to Charles I.
 * Brock Davenport was not originally intended to be a primary antagonist, rather he would have functioned as an elusive minor character, akin to Harvey Cohan.