Name: Barney 'Barn' Calhoun; Dan-Dara'chackt, the proud protector

Gender: Male, hetero (mostly... mostly)

Age/DOB: 35/1984* *variable, depending on universe

Origin: Midwestern USA, Repurposed Earth

Family: parents deceased, unknown other siblings, Daughter Raylene with Rayell, several genetically engineered offspring created by Melissa including Joshua with Gordon, several engineered offspring created for the Rookery by GLaDOS, including Sage, Slate, and Jade

Other: Is extremely close to Gordon, and honestly is the only guy that he'd ever 'go for', though don't let it be spoken of publicly. He's not particularly ashamed of this attraction, but he knows perfectly well other people probably won't think as highly of either of them. He doesn't like what the act of hiding their closeness has done to Gordon, however. (Thankfully over time, both of them fall into the 'pair of dads' role nicely)

Height: 6'1

Weight: 185, all muscle

Hair: Slightly grey speckled black, brown-tinted, kept short but not military, usually a bit tussled from being under a helmet

Eyes: Bright green, considered extremely pretty by almost anyone who's seen them up close

Appearance: Fair to medium tanned skin with an assortment of moles, scars (including one on his left cheek) and often a chin full of stubble; he's quite muscular from spending half his adult life running around posing as a Civil Protection officer and the rest as a security guard at Black Mesa. He's not a donut-scarfing rent-a-cop. Looks just as appropriate in a fully formal uniform as he does a Hawaiian shirt and shorts.

Genetic Abilities: None known, but he does seem to have an affinity toward felines, which may be why the specific dragon (and his pets) have come to him.

Icarus Processing: Melissa has often begged Barney to have the Icarus process done, just to prove that he's 'got something' worth enhancing. He is not particularly against it, but he's seen the process being done and that's basically put him off of it ever coming near him.

Image Credits: Paragon / Valve / tektek

Skills or Profession: Before the Events, Barney had spent two years in community college with an undeclared major, and presumably decided that the pursuit of a higher education wasn't for him. He took a job doing security for that college, and was then brought on to Black Mesa's staff for the same purpose. He's had several years worth of training in all kinds of firearms, driving, communication and basic office work, as well as having expertise in Combine systems later on.

Where Barney shines, however, is in his charming, utterly frank attitude - he is a charismatic leader in addition to a humble servant of the rebellion. He has acted as a spy within Civil Protection, until things ended on Repurposed Earth and he came to the Rookery to continue his duties. He can act, surprisingly for one with such physical skills, and in no small way this skill is his most important.

He also has begun trying to make beer and spirits. According to his friends at the Mesa it's 'good shit'. According to Lane, it is in no way shape or form, on any world or dimension, 'beer'. Aside from that, he is a cat lover and seems to make effort to keep the feral cats around any location he's at safer and healthy. He isn't a vet, but he knows enough to nurse injured animals (and humans) back to health.

Personality: He's a charmer, and though he's often got a following (of both male and female starry-eyed rebels or refugees) Barney is utterly humble as well. He knows people inside and out, their behaviors and worries as well as their nature to be officious or callous, and he carefully skirts every single one of them with a smile and shy glance. Barney is honest with his friends and cohorts, perhaps a side of him brought into focus because he's also had to be brutal and live up to the CP's expectations. He has a smooth wit and a pleasant laugh, and more often than not can be found with a beer in hand and a cat on his lap when he's not needed on patrols.

Events or History: Barney's life changed when Gordon was hired on at Black Mesa. For the couple of years before that point, he'd become known by Mars and Kleiner in the various labs that he helped keep safe, and then there was this guy that spoke little but said volumes. Without putting too fine a grain on it, Barney wants to impress Gordon a bit more than he cares to admit - even now. But that's not why he was able to get involved with the rebels, and he will do anything for their cause. Ridding the world of the Combine threat is his first priority. Thus when given the chance to do so directly, he took it. When Ulathoi on their world was struck that fatal blow, and things got even weirder, Barney picked up his still and his cats, and headed to the Rookery.

He wasn't too hot on having his gene pool expanded back at Repurposed Earth, but did so out of the sense of duty to Humanity that Melissa assured him he should have. (way to dig into his weak spot, Mel) But he's got several kids at the Rookery who most definitely take after him in all his ways. He adores them, though he didn't necessarily 'raise' them (as they were grown to teen age in their clone vats) they seem to be among the closer of the 'family' units brought on by GLaDOS's engineering.

And then there's the dragons. Barney loves these dragons, some more than others. Though he'd been tagged by some dragonry folk as 'a Blue rider' more because of his choice of uniform when they met him, blue is just a color, a color he likes. Besides, he's seen that blue guy riding his blue dragon, and that guy's a leader.

Dragon

Name: Hudaralak - drawing a protective circle, 'lasso' (hoo DAR ah lack)
Gender: Male
Size/Shoulder/Length: *variable, shapeshifts Medium-large / 9' / 35' long, 50' wingspan, Humanoid shape stands 7' tall and has tail, wings, and crest (just can't lose those)
Colors: Cadet blue, indigo, sky, true blue, black and white
Features: Daemon - cat-claw like paws, feathered tail, feather crest, belly scales, reptilian body/head with long ears, feathered wings; Humanoid - clawed fingers and toes, keeps the color scheme (as above)
Powers: Winged Flight
Teleportation (Nexus)
Verbal Speech (speaks English, some other language unknown to Barney, and has picked up a bit of Vort), Telepathy (grown over time into a more full ability)
Shapeshifting (one form only as above)
Eat Magic (not big on this, as it's kind of rare here)
Modify Offspring Genes (and if he has offspring maybe they'll find out if he's any good with that!)
Parentage: Unknown
Origin: Winter Gather 2005 by Jkat - Unknown Daemon type
Other Info: The Vorts named this one when they realized he was circling a group not to prey on them, but to keep them from wandering too close to an Antlion's trap. Barney and Hudaralak get along incredibly well, and though they aren't necessarily bonded or originally able to communicate telepathically, perhaps Barney's affinity for felines allows them to act as one. Sometimes they're not even in the same dimension and can effectively share their knowledge, it's that close of a connection. Perhaps Hudaralak is actually another dimension's Barney. That would surprise exactly no one. Of course, the only difference would be Hud's eyes aren't green...

In the last decade, Hudaralak has strengthened his Vortal abilities, and recalled his earliest existence - which wasn't on this dimension or planet, was it? He learned how to teleport, and his mind grew into a more fully telepathic one. Now, in RY10 with the advent of Barney's Barn Bar, he even has a new job - at least in two-footed form, that of bouncer at the bar...