Hotshot

In 3042, a package was delivered to Steven and Keri Allen of New Avalon. The package was unexpected, but upon opening it they were astounded to find a small child within. The child, a boy, was less than a year old. Keri Allen quickly became attached to the boy, and so instead of calling the proper authorities the couple decided to keep the child.

Though as wealthy as the Allens were, over the years they began to doubt their keeping of the express-delivered baby. Young Andrew became quite an expense. The boy grew up collecting old antiques of the past. Rather than trying to get his hands on lostech items, Andrew became fascinated with the 20th century lifestyle. He bought out old toy collections, as well as models and early gaming systems. His obsession with video and simulator games eventually led the Allens to purchase an arcade in their hometown. It was here than Andrew began his new obsession, that of piloting and fighting in BattleMechs.

Andrew grew wealthy on his own after selling many of his antique collectibles on the black market. Since his parents knew little of his friends, Andrew thought it would be safe to join a local religious cult into which he could blend in with his peers. The cult's strange religious beliefs held that each male member could keep a number of "slaves" through which he could bring himself either pleasure or income. It was through this belief that Andrew met each of his fifteen slaves, women of unparalleled beauty. Andrew became quite the lady's man, especially after purchasing a pulse laser pistol which he proclaimed would protect his women from any harm they might encounter.

When Andrew's 15th birthday had finally arrived, Keri and Steven were fed up. Kicking him out of the house for his odd behavior, they announced he would be forced to change his lifestyle or else support himself. Being a rebel at heart, Andrew decided the latter and went out searching for work on the mercenary world of Outreach. Using his tough guy attitude as well as his skills for piloting BattleMechs, Andrew failed many times over in his attempts to join a mercenary team. It was late in 3057 that Andrew traveled to the Oberon Confederation, testing his luck with the more unfamiliar mercenary units of the Periphery. It was here that Andrew ran into Strider in a bar on Blackstone. Strider admired the annoying teenager's independence and skill, after watching his performance in the bar's Mech simulator. Andrew's shooting skill proved amazing as he fought his way through three enemy Mechs larger than his own Hollander Mech. Mike Strider, who would soon be founding his own unit, felt he could mold the teenager into an ideal soldier for the mercenary unit. Asking Andrew to join the Strikers proved to be worth the effort.

Andrew Allen was a relatively experienced pilot. Because of his precise aim, stuck-up personality, and his ability to only shoot when he could guarantee himself a hit, Andrew earned himself the nickname "Hotshot" among the Strikers. In his first real battle, Andrew destroyed a Firestarter while his own battered Panther suffered severe but repairable damage by multiple enemy Mechs. More recently he'd found himself ranked second in his lance, the Strikers' premiere scouts. He rode a Raven, a 35-ton scout Mech modified to support heavier weapons. He was a favorite target of jokes by the Clanners, but he dished out punishment to any who dared challenge him. Time and again he proved he was a gunner of uncanny luck and skill.

Andrew was also well known for disabling the Bounty Hunter copycat. In the attack of 3061, all believed the copycat to be the actual Bounty Hunter. When Andrew made attacks in his Raven Mech, he knew he was up against it. The Bounty Hunter's 75-ton Marauder had already disabled five larger Mechs before he could even open fire on it. However his aim held true, and lucky hits disabled both of the Bounty Hunter's Clan-tech ER PPCs. The Bounty Hunter retreated, leaving Andrew to bask in newfound glory as a proud Mechwarrior. Even when the Hunter was proven to be a copycat, it did little to hurt Andrew's reputation. The copycat, an unknown young woman, had been an elite pilot regardless.

When Strider's Strikers were attacked in a surprise assault on their barracks, Andrew was one of the victims of the Blakist-wrought carnage. Andrew suffered gunshots to his chest and neck during a battle with a Purifier battle-armored foe. He was unable to receive medical help in time to save his life. Andrew was the youngest Mechwarrior on the team to be killed in the attack.