Julian was a member of Ashe's gang in the period following the Omnic Crisis.
Story[]
Julian is slightly shorter and slighter than McCree. He has red hair and a thick spray of freckles across his face besides the left side, which has pink scarring that runs over his cheek and down his neck (courtesy of burns suffered in the Omnic Crisis). His laugh often sounds like a cackle.
Julian is skilled in demolitions and in obtaining contraband. He is a compulsive gambler, but good at haggling for a deal.[1]
Early Life[]
| “ | I didn't. Walk away, I mean. But I was luckier than my parents. I got pulled from the rubble, spent over a month in a med camp recovering. After that, I was angry. I wanted in on the war. And that's what happened. Gotta say, the education I got from the resistance group I hooked up with wasn't exactly conventional, but it's come in handy. | „ |
| ~ Julian, reflecting on his experience in the Omnic Crisis |
Julian lost his parents in the early days of the Omnic Crisis. They were apparently killed, but he survived, and was pulled from the rubble. He spent over a month in a med camp before joining a resistance group. He survived the war, and picked up some of his skills in the conflict. However, he was physically and emotionally scarred.
After the war, Julian spent a lot of time on his own. He came to Texas where he tried to work demolition on the transcontinental lines. This didn't pan out, and he ended up working on for at least two years on various farms. His last stint was on the Ace Valentine megafarm.[1]
Deadlock Rebels[]
| “ | You know the reason he came out here? To try and work demolition on the transcontinental lines. He's been on his own even longer than me, and a lot of that in some of the worst spots of the Crisis. He's picked up some...skills. | „ |
| ~ Jesse McCree |
Meetings[]
| “ | Well, sounds like fun. I'm in! | „ |
| ~ Julian joins Ashe's gang |
While still on the megafarm, Julian talked the farm's foreman into giving Jesse McCree a job. The two became friends, Julian often saving McCree a spot in the chow line, and made sure they didn't get the beds with bedbugs. Julian reguarly frequented Cutthroat Trout's; a seedy pub outside Bellerae.
One day, Julian bet the other farmhands that McCree could shoot a playing card from fifty yards. Julian won the bet, but the farmhands took umbrage at losing, and a fistfight broke out. McCree dove into the brawl to protect Julian before Sheriff Carson arrived, arresting McCree. Julian was fired as well, as the farm had no shortage of aspiring workers.
Sometime later, McCree contacted Julian about some "friends" he had made. They met at Cutthroat Trout's, where Julian met Elizabeth Ashe and her omnic servant, B.O.B.. They were joined by Frankie (a hacker) where Ashe declared her intention to carry out a series of heists over the next few months—weapons tech shipments, extremely profitable. While Frankie was cautious, Julian instantly signed up for the endeavor and left the table. He made a bet for the bar's next race—if one of them won against Dezba, she'd give them four hovercycles. If they lost, she'd get B.O.B. He also made a side bet of his own on Ashe.
Ashe was aghast, but there was no backing out, for if they did so, Dezba would win B.O.B. through forfeit. Regardless, Ashe won the race. Julian was happy, but Ashe made it clear that if he ever did something like that again, he'd wish he'd never come within a hundred miles of Bellerae. Julian got the message, and revealed his side bet. With their combined winnings, the gang had a start.[1]
The First Heist[]
| “ | One job. That's from one job. I didn't even half that in two years on the farms | „ |
| ~ Julian, after taking his share |
Ashe took her gang to her base of operations; a barn on the grounds of Lead Rose manor. Julian was disappointed with the accomodations, but it was important to keep a low profile. Ashe announced that their first heist would be carried out in three days time, and if anyone wanted to walk out, this was the time to do so. No-one took the offer. They visited Fort Starr, where Julian helped get a better deal for Ashe on ammo.
Days later, they carried out their first heist in what would be known as the Briscoe Incident. The plan was that once Frankie hacked the convoy's main transport, she and McCree would engage the drones from their hovercycles. Julian would then used his demolition skills to seal the Brisco Tunnel, covering their retreat once the plans were stolen. The heist was a success.
Plans for the H-29 scope were sold, and the gang had their first payday. Julian was in awe of the earnings, pointing out that from one heist, he'd earned more than what he'd received from two years of work on farms. The gang were in awe, as all of them bar Ashe had had it rough until now, and both Julian and Frankie had suffered in the Omnic Crisis. They reminisced on their experiences, before discussing what they'd do with their earnings. Julian declared his intention to buy a house.[1]
Showdown at The Hopper[]
| “ | So. The four of you are the mysterious gang who has been working so hard around Bellerae lately. And from the way you talk, it sounds to me like you're the one in charge, Calamity. Uh, she's the boss, sure, but when it comes to splitting the take, it's really more of a democrac— Shut up! |
„ |
| ~ Marco and Julian |
Over the next two months, Julian and her gang carried out nearly a dozen nearly flawless heists; mostly against Arbelest, but also a few other companies, in order to obscure the fact that Arbelest was their main target. However, the Arbelest targets were where the big bucks were coming from. While this worked for the gang, Julian had a string of bad luck at Cutthroat Trout's, as he gambled away his earnings. He fell into debt with folks that weren't going to take an IOU.
Things went further awry at The Hopper, where they met with Liu in what was meant to be a simple exchange. However, Liu had double-crossed them, and the gang found themselves surrounded by the Diamondbacks. Bez and Marco walked up, and laid out his terms. This was Diamondback territory, and Ashe's gang had gotten too greedy. So they were going to cease all their activity, or else...well, there were a lot of holes where people could be buried in the desert. Julian tried to strike a better deal for his gang, but was decked by Marco instead. The Diamondbacks rode off into the desert, leaving Julian enraged. Despite this, Ashe refused to give up. Their deadline was approaching, and they could fit in a few more well-paying jobs. Namely, a big score that she'd been planning for quite some time.[1]
Siren[]
The gang carried out a heist on an Arbelest train shipment, carrying a weapon known only as "Siren." The train had yet to depart when they infiltrated the train yard. McCree found the cargo crate holding the weapon, but Julian triggered a motion sensor, which alerted the yard's security drones to their location. They managed to escape, but upon opening the crate, found only standard-issue rifles. Ashe realized that she'd made a mistake.[1]
Lead Rose[]
| “ | Julian, you're with me, right? Of course, Ashe. I'm with you one hundred percent. Find the Diamondbacks, save Jesse, ride into the sunset-all that. |
„ |
| ~ Ashe and Julian |
At some point after The Hopper showdown, the Diamondbacks paid for Julian's debts in exchange for him informing them about his gang's leader. He revealed that the "Calamity" leading the gang was in fact, Elizabeth Ashe. They hatched a plan where they would have McCree join them, pretend to be kidnapped, and Ashe would use the gang's funds to free him.
Ashe's eighteenth birthday was celebrated inside Lead Rose. Julian helped decorate, but the party was crashed by the Diamondbacks, per the plan he'd made with them earlier. However, the plan went slightly awry, as McCree refused to work with the Diamondbacks, forcing them to take him by force. The Diamondbacks set the mansion ablaze, and the police arrived. Julian and Frankie went to the barn to hide, while Ashe was left to deal with the police and her parents.
Ashe was released from prison after using the gang's finances to pay for bail. She returned to the barn and revealed this to Frankie and Julian, both of whom were aghast (albeit for slightly different reasons, given Julian's true allegiance). Ashe declared her intention to rescue McCree from the Diamondbacks, but Frankie pointed out that they outnumbered them significantly. Julian chimed in on the prospect of paying them a ransom, but as Ashe pointed out, they were nearly broke. Frankie refused to follow Ashe, but after a moment's thought, Julian decided to go with her, playing the role of a loyal friend.[1]
Deadlock Gorge[]
| “ | Sorry, Ashe. It was never personal. It was great working with you and all, but we knew from the beginning it wasn't going to last forever. And you should have stopped when Marco told you to. But you didn't, and, well...You know all those nights at Trout's? Turns out my run of bad luck is more than a marathon. I got in deep with a few folks that weren't going to take an IOU. | „ |
| ~ Julian explains himself |
The pair rode to Deadlock Gorge, where Ashe explained the plan. Julian would use his dynamite to draw out the Diamondbacks to investigate the explosions, giving her the chance to infiltrate her hideout and free McCree. However, as Julian was in league with the Diamondbacks, he did no such thing, and Ashe was captured. After she came to, Julian revealed his true colors. Marco was still peaved that McCree hadn't joined them, and that Ashe had used the finances to pay for her release rather than McCree's, but maybe there was a way to salvage this. As the daughter of wealthy businessmen, her parents could pay a ransom.
At this point, the sound of sirens and a police loudspeaker was heard outside the gang's hideout. The Diamondbacks scattered. Julian tried to join them, but Ashe tripped him up, pinning him. It was revealed that the police sounds had been simulated by Frankie, who'd arrived with B.O.B. to rescue Ashe. They used Julian to guide them to where McCree was kept prisoner, but he didn't know the exact location. However, Bez guided them, as he was fed up with Marco's leadership. McCree was released, and promptly broke Julian's nose.
The group came under fire by Marco and his henchmen. All of them left bar Ashe and Julian, whom Ashe had no intention of letting escape. After all, as she bitterly reminded him, he was now part of the Diamondbacks. In the confrontation with Marco, Ashe took Julian's detonator, and threatened to bring the entire hideout down. Marco said she was bluffing, but a terrified Julian told him that she wasn't. In the end, most of the Diamondbacks defected to Ashe. Julian, Marco, and his remaining loyalists were placed inside a shipping container and delivered to the Bellerae police department.[1]
Trivia[]
Julian's proficiency in explosives (including dynamite) is potentially inspired by Ashe's Dynamite ability (or vice versa).