RE: [Rage at the Eclipse] - The First Phase
12-17-2018, 01:11 AM
(This post was last modified: 12-17-2018, 01:12 AM by Cidellus.)
Name: Francesco Indra Sunset Titan Orion "Shotgun" Jones
Species: Human
Description: A short (5'4") scraggly old bearded man of around 55 years. Wiry in build, as well as faster and stronger than he looks. His hairline has receded to the top of his head, with the rest of his bushy gray hair having been grown out into a sort of Einstein haircut. He also has a long, ragged beard. He typically wears a bright orange flightsuit adorned in armored plates and pouches, and carries an old combat shotgun he lovingly calls Esther. Beyond that, he carries at least eight knives at all times, as well as a heavy laser revolver (don't ask) he has named Twirly.
Bio: The story of Shotgun Jones is long, strange, and generally mad. Buckle up.
He began his life as a small child on the Junkworld of Trashman. A world of indescribable filth and pollution, Trashman hadn't always been that way. Once upon a time, the planet had been a thriving ecumenopolis, the center of an multiracial interstellar empire that had spread across an entire sector. Eventually, as all things do, that empire began to rot from within, leaving behind entire worlds as corpses of its ancient grandeur.
On Trashman, Shotgun Jones spent his childhood helping his scavenger parents find and salvage scrap and electronics from the world-sized city the old empire had left behind. They sold to various offworld scavengers and made a pretty good living at it. Shortly after Shotgun's twelfth birthday, though, things went sideways. His family ran afoul of the infamous Junk Mobsterbot: Scrappus Rex. A towering mountain of sapient machine, Scrappus Rex had carved an empire out of the world, running it as his own mafia state as he extorted legions of scavengers to maintain his constantly growing form. When Shotgun's parents failed to pay their dues, the minions of Scrappus Rex came for them and locked them away in the Great Scrap Mines. Shotgun himself only barely managed to escape by hiding in an old oil barrel.
Left alone on the world, and with no hope of ever getting his parents back, Shotgun Jones did the one thing he could: he scavenged and hid. Surviving off of forage, he eventually stowed away aboard a scavenger ship to get offworld. They weren't too fond of that, so they sold him to slave traders at the grand bazaar on Wel-tann V. In turn, the slave traders sold him to the Great Rockspice Mines of Chaingang VII. The mines were part of a slave economy spanning across numerous systems, all supporting the interstellar slaver empire of Supreme Slavemonger Skorch.
In the Rockspice Mines, Shotgun's small frame was used to fix the cramped, dangerous machinery and clear the thin, vertical shafts of debris for the drills. He quickly earned the nickname "Rockrat" there, but he was never particularly fond of it.
One day, a piece of mining equipment came back on early with Jones inside. He was nearly torn to shreds when a middle-aged space gorilla named Kharlin pulled him out, saving his life. From that moment on, Kharlin served as the boy's surrogate father, teaching him important lessons like "Best gruel is given out by Suzie. Big mantis lady. She's super nice." and "See that guard there? He spends most of the day napping, so you can goof off when he's on watch" or "Unrefined rockspice will give you violent shits. Like, really violent shits. You ever shit your intestines out, kid? You will if you help yourself to unrefined rockspice".
Good guy, that Kharlin. On that note, the mines always did smell like shit. It was a problem.
When Shotgun was 17, after four and a half years in the mines, a slave revolt broke out assisted by a resistance group called the Free Space Coalition. They were led by a mysterious female alien named Slave Ghost. Not much was known about her except that she was probably Sangarian (tall purple-skinned humanoid with four arms) and was a peerless pilot and warrior.
As the revolt broke out, Shotgun happily joined in, utilizing an improvised mining laser to blast his way out alongside the other prisoners. The FSC then offered them a choice: fight for the Coalition or be transported out of slaver space. Shotgun, being an adventurous one, chose to stay and fight while Kharlin (always being a relaxed, more peaceful sort) chose to leave. That was the last time they saw one another, and it was a tearful goodbye.
From that moment on, though, Shotgun was a dedicated FSC fighter. Trained as a pilot due to his small, light frame, he ended up piloting one of the Coalition's many scrap starfighters. Held together by nothing but jury rigging and prayers, the Slagbugs were nevertheless quite effective against the Slaver Squadrons due to their pep, ingenuity, and zeal. He aided in the liberation of countless slave camps, fought in numerous battles, and saved the lives of many during his time in the Coalition, but his most impressive story was the one that earned him the nickname Shotgun.
Once, when aboard the Junk Carrier Osiris, they were ambushed by a large armada of Slaver ships. Not having a chance to launch his fighter, Shotgun utilized his small frame to hide inside the ship's ventilation ducts. They were promptly boarded by the slave-hungry slavers, and the carrier was occupied by the enemy. Worse yet, it was reported that Slave Ghost herself had been aboard the carrier and had been defeated and captured by the enemy!
Armed with nothing but his revolver, and being the last free man aboard the ship, Shotgun crawled out of the vents and began creeping around. He managed to get the drop on one slaver with his knife, seizing his heavy combat shotgun in the process. Utilizing it, and feeling great synergy with the weapon, he began to fight a guerrilla war aboard the ship. Freeing many of the crew, arming them, and continuing the fight, they soon managed to overwhelm the attackers with their zeal! And in a final, heroic offensive, they took the bridge and freed Slave Ghost herself from the hands of the evil Slaver Admiral!
With the ship under their control, the FSC managed to escape their ruthless enemies yet again. Shotgun Jones was given a medal, kept the shotgun he'd acquired, and was known as "Shotgun" Jones from then on. He viewed it as a solid improvement on "Rockrat" Jones.
His adventures in the war continued for another decade and victory was eventually achieved. In a heroic offensive on the Slaver Superstation DomiNation, Shotgun Jones himself piloted the corvette that carried Slave Ghost and heroic retinue aboard the enemy station. Fighting alongside them to the bridge, he was there as Slave Ghost herself personally slew Supreme Slavemonger Skorch in a dramatic fiery swordfight.
Another medal was earned, a free republic was established, and slavery was abolished.
And then...there was nothing. No excitement, no adventure, no heroics.
Just an economic collapse arising from the destruction of the slave economy, horrible reconstruction, and depressing turmoil.
SOOOOO he traveled from system to system, fighting battles amongst the stars, and becoming less and less stable as the battles wore on his mind.
These days, Shotgun Jones is regarded as a madman, and rightly so. But he's also an excellent pilot, and can still hold his own pretty well in a firefight.
So he still gets work. Sometimes.
Skills: Shotgun Jones is a pilot, and a damn good one at that. Beyond that, he also has some maintenance and mechanical skills, and has a great deal of experience fighting with his weapon of choice: a shotgun.
Sadly, Shotgun Jones lacks a ship of his own. Ships are absurdly expensive, and Shotgun is not a rich man.
Equipment:
-Old FSC flightsuit, patched and haphazardly armored, with a matching white helmet bearing a worn FSC insignia on each side (broken blue shackles beneath three blue stars). He sometimes wears his medals on the flightsuit when out and about.
-Esther: Shotgun's old heavy combat shotgun, seized from a dead slaver during the Liberation War. Esther may be old, but she still hits like a truck.
-Twirly: Shotgun's old laser revolver. He's not as attached to this weapon, but it's a pretty good sidearm.
Species: Human
Description: A short (5'4") scraggly old bearded man of around 55 years. Wiry in build, as well as faster and stronger than he looks. His hairline has receded to the top of his head, with the rest of his bushy gray hair having been grown out into a sort of Einstein haircut. He also has a long, ragged beard. He typically wears a bright orange flightsuit adorned in armored plates and pouches, and carries an old combat shotgun he lovingly calls Esther. Beyond that, he carries at least eight knives at all times, as well as a heavy laser revolver (don't ask) he has named Twirly.
Bio: The story of Shotgun Jones is long, strange, and generally mad. Buckle up.
He began his life as a small child on the Junkworld of Trashman. A world of indescribable filth and pollution, Trashman hadn't always been that way. Once upon a time, the planet had been a thriving ecumenopolis, the center of an multiracial interstellar empire that had spread across an entire sector. Eventually, as all things do, that empire began to rot from within, leaving behind entire worlds as corpses of its ancient grandeur.
On Trashman, Shotgun Jones spent his childhood helping his scavenger parents find and salvage scrap and electronics from the world-sized city the old empire had left behind. They sold to various offworld scavengers and made a pretty good living at it. Shortly after Shotgun's twelfth birthday, though, things went sideways. His family ran afoul of the infamous Junk Mobsterbot: Scrappus Rex. A towering mountain of sapient machine, Scrappus Rex had carved an empire out of the world, running it as his own mafia state as he extorted legions of scavengers to maintain his constantly growing form. When Shotgun's parents failed to pay their dues, the minions of Scrappus Rex came for them and locked them away in the Great Scrap Mines. Shotgun himself only barely managed to escape by hiding in an old oil barrel.
Left alone on the world, and with no hope of ever getting his parents back, Shotgun Jones did the one thing he could: he scavenged and hid. Surviving off of forage, he eventually stowed away aboard a scavenger ship to get offworld. They weren't too fond of that, so they sold him to slave traders at the grand bazaar on Wel-tann V. In turn, the slave traders sold him to the Great Rockspice Mines of Chaingang VII. The mines were part of a slave economy spanning across numerous systems, all supporting the interstellar slaver empire of Supreme Slavemonger Skorch.
In the Rockspice Mines, Shotgun's small frame was used to fix the cramped, dangerous machinery and clear the thin, vertical shafts of debris for the drills. He quickly earned the nickname "Rockrat" there, but he was never particularly fond of it.
One day, a piece of mining equipment came back on early with Jones inside. He was nearly torn to shreds when a middle-aged space gorilla named Kharlin pulled him out, saving his life. From that moment on, Kharlin served as the boy's surrogate father, teaching him important lessons like "Best gruel is given out by Suzie. Big mantis lady. She's super nice." and "See that guard there? He spends most of the day napping, so you can goof off when he's on watch" or "Unrefined rockspice will give you violent shits. Like, really violent shits. You ever shit your intestines out, kid? You will if you help yourself to unrefined rockspice".
Good guy, that Kharlin. On that note, the mines always did smell like shit. It was a problem.
When Shotgun was 17, after four and a half years in the mines, a slave revolt broke out assisted by a resistance group called the Free Space Coalition. They were led by a mysterious female alien named Slave Ghost. Not much was known about her except that she was probably Sangarian (tall purple-skinned humanoid with four arms) and was a peerless pilot and warrior.
As the revolt broke out, Shotgun happily joined in, utilizing an improvised mining laser to blast his way out alongside the other prisoners. The FSC then offered them a choice: fight for the Coalition or be transported out of slaver space. Shotgun, being an adventurous one, chose to stay and fight while Kharlin (always being a relaxed, more peaceful sort) chose to leave. That was the last time they saw one another, and it was a tearful goodbye.
From that moment on, though, Shotgun was a dedicated FSC fighter. Trained as a pilot due to his small, light frame, he ended up piloting one of the Coalition's many scrap starfighters. Held together by nothing but jury rigging and prayers, the Slagbugs were nevertheless quite effective against the Slaver Squadrons due to their pep, ingenuity, and zeal. He aided in the liberation of countless slave camps, fought in numerous battles, and saved the lives of many during his time in the Coalition, but his most impressive story was the one that earned him the nickname Shotgun.
Once, when aboard the Junk Carrier Osiris, they were ambushed by a large armada of Slaver ships. Not having a chance to launch his fighter, Shotgun utilized his small frame to hide inside the ship's ventilation ducts. They were promptly boarded by the slave-hungry slavers, and the carrier was occupied by the enemy. Worse yet, it was reported that Slave Ghost herself had been aboard the carrier and had been defeated and captured by the enemy!
Armed with nothing but his revolver, and being the last free man aboard the ship, Shotgun crawled out of the vents and began creeping around. He managed to get the drop on one slaver with his knife, seizing his heavy combat shotgun in the process. Utilizing it, and feeling great synergy with the weapon, he began to fight a guerrilla war aboard the ship. Freeing many of the crew, arming them, and continuing the fight, they soon managed to overwhelm the attackers with their zeal! And in a final, heroic offensive, they took the bridge and freed Slave Ghost herself from the hands of the evil Slaver Admiral!
With the ship under their control, the FSC managed to escape their ruthless enemies yet again. Shotgun Jones was given a medal, kept the shotgun he'd acquired, and was known as "Shotgun" Jones from then on. He viewed it as a solid improvement on "Rockrat" Jones.
His adventures in the war continued for another decade and victory was eventually achieved. In a heroic offensive on the Slaver Superstation DomiNation, Shotgun Jones himself piloted the corvette that carried Slave Ghost and heroic retinue aboard the enemy station. Fighting alongside them to the bridge, he was there as Slave Ghost herself personally slew Supreme Slavemonger Skorch in a dramatic fiery swordfight.
Another medal was earned, a free republic was established, and slavery was abolished.
And then...there was nothing. No excitement, no adventure, no heroics.
Just an economic collapse arising from the destruction of the slave economy, horrible reconstruction, and depressing turmoil.
SOOOOO he traveled from system to system, fighting battles amongst the stars, and becoming less and less stable as the battles wore on his mind.
These days, Shotgun Jones is regarded as a madman, and rightly so. But he's also an excellent pilot, and can still hold his own pretty well in a firefight.
So he still gets work. Sometimes.
Skills: Shotgun Jones is a pilot, and a damn good one at that. Beyond that, he also has some maintenance and mechanical skills, and has a great deal of experience fighting with his weapon of choice: a shotgun.
Sadly, Shotgun Jones lacks a ship of his own. Ships are absurdly expensive, and Shotgun is not a rich man.
Equipment:
-Old FSC flightsuit, patched and haphazardly armored, with a matching white helmet bearing a worn FSC insignia on each side (broken blue shackles beneath three blue stars). He sometimes wears his medals on the flightsuit when out and about.
-Esther: Shotgun's old heavy combat shotgun, seized from a dead slaver during the Liberation War. Esther may be old, but she still hits like a truck.
-Twirly: Shotgun's old laser revolver. He's not as attached to this weapon, but it's a pretty good sidearm.