S (Down With The Director)
Air Marshal Steve Zodiac, (PROSE: World Mourns Dead Space Hero, COMIC: Revolution) born Steve Kalizki (PROSE: Biography — 21) and also known by the codename "S", was the head of the Universal Secret Service.
Biography
Early career
According to one account, in the early days of the USS, S approached Brent Cleever to ask him to join the organisation after observing the part he played in breaking up the Organisation For Liquidation, Extermination, Terrorism and Arson. (PROSE: This is 2065)
According to another account, Air General Kalizki first met Cleever, then called William Frazer, when Frazer transferred to the World Space Patrol headquarters in Washington as his aide. Kalizki was later promoted to the post of Director of the Universal Secret Service and Frazer moved to the organisation with him. To protect their families, the two men followed normal USS practice and changed their names. Kalizki became Zodiac (or S while on duty) and Frazer became Brent Cleever. (PROSE: Biography — 21)
As Director of the USS
After Cleever had successfully convinced the Century 21 toy company on the outskirts of Kahra to make deadly toys to his designs and specifications, which soon became standard issue to all agents, S decided that the USS should take over their factory and use it as a front cover for the Service. At the same time, he hired Tina Palamac as chief designer. (PROSE: Biography — 21)
In December 2046, S showed Cleever (now known as Agent Twenty One) footage of Senior Special Agent 24's failed attempt to kill the Director of Great Britain, as well as his subsequent arrest. Telling him that the Directorship would have to be overthrown if Great Britain was to join the World Government, S gave Twenty One the mission to do just that. (COMIC: Down With The Director [+]Loading...["Down With The Director (comic story)"])
After news of Twenty One's life-threatening injuries reached Kahra, S assigned Tina to Kiel Hospital as part of a protection detail in the event that Bereznik learnt of his location but she ultimately died in a gun battle with a Bereznik assassination squad. When Twenty One fininshed his recovery weeks later, S reflected that she was a good agent that would be missed before sending Twenty One to Astra to prevent a plot to kill the World President and the Astran Kaplan upon the completion of the Andromeda Project. Following the successful arrest of the Bereznik spy Debbie Latimer, S commended Twenty One for how he handled the case but vehemently forbade him from seeking revenge for Tina's murder, telling him that he was not employed to run personal vendettas. (COMIC: Andromeda Or Die)
After Twenty One resigned from the USS to hunt Colonel Paternik, S assigned Abbis Ling to follow him and ensure he did not leave Mars. He sent Ling renforcements when Twenty One entered Central Stores in an attempt to evade detection but this was ultimately in vain. S contacted Tatiana Bianca to inform her of Ling's failiure and she responded by telling him she would handle Twenty One's escape to Earth herself. She later called S to proclaim her suspicions that officials of the British government were responsible for helping him subvert her custody of him. S acknowledged that Britain owed him "much" and spoke to World President Nikita Bandranaik to convince him that Twenty One's success would embarrass the World Government. Bandranaik agreed and subsequently ordered that all submarines heading for Bereznik should face destruction. After Twenty One still managed to evade arrest after fleeing from a stopped British Navy ship, S made the USS Press Office put out a story in European newspapers that Twenty One had killed a security chief and was on the run, offering a reward of ten thousand dollars. (COMIC: The Bitter Cold Dish)
S chose Agent Bruce Silver to track down and kill Twenty One in Berlin, after he had been tracked there, because Silver's direct and obvious approach went against his training to expect the unexpected. When Twenty One returned to Kahra with Silver as his prisoner, S ordered the guards at USS HQ to let him enter without resistance. S explained that he thought Twenty One would get tired of working on his own and that he was not the type of man to betray his country. Twenty One acknowledged the crimes he had committed against the USS and expected a court martial but, with S' word on the matter being final, he simply welcomed Twenty One back to the Service with a handshake and conveyed that he had been missed. (COMIC: The Long Road Back)
He observed the testing of Twenty One's newly-invented deadly flies with Jack Reed and a general. The general liked them and approved their use for World Senate security patrol, resulting in S commissioning the production of a further five units. (COMIC: Deadly Fly)
In 2047, S was at the meeting of the World Security Council during which it was decided that Twenty One was to be handed over to SOFRAM to avoid them from destroying London with a stolen planatomic missile. He helped explain the World President's reasoning to Twenty One when he arrived although he also privately asked him if there was any way to avoid this turn of events as they watched Twenty One's departure to New York from a window. After the business was concluded and Twenty One was saved, he told him that USS HQ was being rebuilt following its fiery destruction as part of SOFRAM's demands. (COMIC: An Eye For An Eye)
In 2055, S left his position in the USS when he was promoted to the World Security Council with responsibility for counter espionage. Twenty One replaced him as Director. (PROSE: Biography — 21)
Later life
On 29 April 2067, World President T.J. Younger presented Air Marshal Zodiac with the Golden Accolade, the World Government's highest award for valour, which had been posthumously bestowed upon his son Colonel Steve Zodiac, (PROSE: World Mourns Dead Space Hero) who was erroneously thought to have been killed while patrolling the Astran border. (PROSE: Mars Ship Hi-Jacked)
