Founded: 2278, Mars Office of Incorporation.
CEO: Diane Mitchell
CIO: Devon Rutard
CFO: Niles Perthington VI
Known Subsidiaries:
Haddington Transshipping, LLC
Mitchell Fab Systems, Inc.
Berkshire Colony Corporation
Burlington Genomics, LLC
Recent news items:
Haddington Transshipping LLC wins contract to service Morris Industries L4 Station in Earth system.
Berkshire Colony Corporation, a fully licensed colony of the ICC and The Nippon Space and Exploration Agency records record profits as GenMod terraforming plankton colonies increase the O2 content of Berkshire to 2%, in 2 years – a new terraforming record!
Haddington Holdings LLC announces a 10% shareholder gain on better than expected profits due to their AI and Genetics subsidiaries.
Friday, October 17, 2008
Tuesday, October 14, 2008
Greetings From Aerick
Greetings strangers, and welcome to my journal of the tales of the fine starship Rubato. Allow me to introduce myself, Aerick MacKenzie is my name. I joined the Rubato awhile ago when the Capn made port in New Wellington, which had been my home up until then. After arranging for a number of supplies and due to his sudden lack of supply specialist, something to do with legal proceeding, beer and too many women I think on part of their last specialist, the Capn asked if I would fill in for awhile, or at least until their next port, promising a fair share of the profits and this enough money to get back should I wish it. That was many ports ago! It;s far more interesting here than New Wellington ever was so I think I will stick around for a bit.
A bit of background, me mum and da, Ula Marial and Chen MacKenzie were settlers on New Wellington from a mixed Anglo/Maori and Chinese family, they were both a bit elderly and had given up on having kids when the chance to adopt me came along. I am something of a orphan ya see, I was found abandoned apparently in a market in New Wellington and while rumors of a crashed space pod around that time seemed to indicate and off world origin nothing much came of the investigation, such as one was. The Dr's said I was healthy enough and was placed in an orphanage after quarantine. Ula, or mum, was the sister of a nurse there and she fell in love with me at first sight, so my stay in the state run facility was brief.
Mum and Da raised me right and I grew up in the relative isolation and comfort of a small coastal town of New Port just outside of the big city. It was nice enough and I enjoyed it and even stuck around to help run the family businesses, a small pub, seafood joint and sheep farm up in the hills. A few years ago the inevitable happened and I went over one Sunday to find them having died peacefully in their sleep, neither had been in great health for while so it was hardly unexpected, still it hurt and I grieved for a time, but as they would say, life goes on.
Before I knew it a couple years had passed and when the Spaceport opened a new hub near the New Port I started a business in delivering sandwiches and lunch to the workers and travelers. I was lucrative and I got my first look and heard my first tales from travelers to other worlds. Of course I knew about them but never thought I might go to see them. Still I was bored with the businesses in New Port and everywhere I looked I remembered Mum and Da. Moping around town was not what I wanted to do for the rest of my life and I found myself hanging around more and more at the Spaceport. It was there that Capn and I hooked up and given my abilities and contacts he offered me a place on the ship, I have not looked back. Don't get me wrong, I have a nice place to retire too and a good, if quiet, life waiting for me back there should I want it, but for now its to the stars that my road takes me.
A bit of background, me mum and da, Ula Marial and Chen MacKenzie were settlers on New Wellington from a mixed Anglo/Maori and Chinese family, they were both a bit elderly and had given up on having kids when the chance to adopt me came along. I am something of a orphan ya see, I was found abandoned apparently in a market in New Wellington and while rumors of a crashed space pod around that time seemed to indicate and off world origin nothing much came of the investigation, such as one was. The Dr's said I was healthy enough and was placed in an orphanage after quarantine. Ula, or mum, was the sister of a nurse there and she fell in love with me at first sight, so my stay in the state run facility was brief.
Mum and Da raised me right and I grew up in the relative isolation and comfort of a small coastal town of New Port just outside of the big city. It was nice enough and I enjoyed it and even stuck around to help run the family businesses, a small pub, seafood joint and sheep farm up in the hills. A few years ago the inevitable happened and I went over one Sunday to find them having died peacefully in their sleep, neither had been in great health for while so it was hardly unexpected, still it hurt and I grieved for a time, but as they would say, life goes on.
Before I knew it a couple years had passed and when the Spaceport opened a new hub near the New Port I started a business in delivering sandwiches and lunch to the workers and travelers. I was lucrative and I got my first look and heard my first tales from travelers to other worlds. Of course I knew about them but never thought I might go to see them. Still I was bored with the businesses in New Port and everywhere I looked I remembered Mum and Da. Moping around town was not what I wanted to do for the rest of my life and I found myself hanging around more and more at the Spaceport. It was there that Capn and I hooked up and given my abilities and contacts he offered me a place on the ship, I have not looked back. Don't get me wrong, I have a nice place to retire too and a good, if quiet, life waiting for me back there should I want it, but for now its to the stars that my road takes me.
Teddys' character
Anaraug Ortem was born on Zion to an immigrant family. Several generations before his birth, his great grandparents on his mothers' fathers' side and his grandparents on his fathers' side had made pilgrimages to the planet in order to live among their own people. They were all fanatics and they were all religeous, but at least they were not fanatic about their religeon.
In his youth Anaraug was both intellectual and athletic, although not particularly popular. This is largly due to the fact that although he he has no special talent for any of these things, he is an exeptionaly hard worker. Perhaps it was this which worked in concert with the stories he had heard of earth and other places that prompted him to flee his home world in search of adventures in space and on other planets.
His journey began at the age of 25 when he abruptly left his doctorate program in order to study abroad. Thereafter he spent his days hopping from planet to planet, never staying in the same place for more then a year or so, teaching and studying his craft as he went. By the time he had reached the age of 26 Anaraug had finished his doctorate in integrated medical hardwear. this field of medicine shows a lot of potential, but so far nothing ground breaking has been done. The cost of medical tech is already so high that it is usualy not cost efective to impliment such devics for anything less then military application.
After visiting several universities and realizing the absolutely stifling amount of knowledge which would be required for him to be counted amongst the leaders of any field, he almost resorted to cybernetics in order to further improve his mind. The procedure would have been simple enouph and affordable, but the avoidence of the downsides to having cybernetics required the implimentation of several other pieces in order to return the subject to a lifestyle identical to the one he had before.
After deciding against the procedure Anaraug had what can only be described as a mid life crisis. Anaraug fled the world of academics in order to pursue new and exiting fields.
In his youth Anaraug was both intellectual and athletic, although not particularly popular. This is largly due to the fact that although he he has no special talent for any of these things, he is an exeptionaly hard worker. Perhaps it was this which worked in concert with the stories he had heard of earth and other places that prompted him to flee his home world in search of adventures in space and on other planets.
His journey began at the age of 25 when he abruptly left his doctorate program in order to study abroad. Thereafter he spent his days hopping from planet to planet, never staying in the same place for more then a year or so, teaching and studying his craft as he went. By the time he had reached the age of 26 Anaraug had finished his doctorate in integrated medical hardwear. this field of medicine shows a lot of potential, but so far nothing ground breaking has been done. The cost of medical tech is already so high that it is usualy not cost efective to impliment such devics for anything less then military application.
After visiting several universities and realizing the absolutely stifling amount of knowledge which would be required for him to be counted amongst the leaders of any field, he almost resorted to cybernetics in order to further improve his mind. The procedure would have been simple enouph and affordable, but the avoidence of the downsides to having cybernetics required the implimentation of several other pieces in order to return the subject to a lifestyle identical to the one he had before.
After deciding against the procedure Anaraug had what can only be described as a mid life crisis. Anaraug fled the world of academics in order to pursue new and exiting fields.
Tuesday, October 7, 2008
Enter Jacques Berlioz
Born and raised on Europa, Jacques lived a fairly normal Jovian childhood. Days spent schooling and frolicking fill up the majority of his early years. The one thing always on his mind, however, was hunting. He had heard stories and watched film of big game hunting and African safari's in Earths history. At an early age he got a low power target rifle from his father as a gift and spent many an afternoon at the target ranges.
When he reached manhood he was finally able to put his skills to work by joining the Jovian militia. He received many marksmanship awards in boot camp and was accepted into sniper school, where he further honed his skills. He eventually became a candidate for a top-secret "super soldier" program.
A bizarre cocktail of chemicals and nanobots were injected into his body, the primary goal of which were to increase his perceptive capabilities. Over the course of several days the mixture accomplished what it was supposed to do. All of Jacques' senses skyrocketed; he was suddenly aware of things a normal human would be unable comprehend. He noticed minute details with remarkable speed, his sense of smell rivaled most canines, he could even sense the presence of others by sound, much like the echolocation employed by bats.
However there were serious side-effects. His immune system and several organs completely shut down. His body was no longer able to remove basic toxins, such as alcohol or even the compound he was injected with (which was known to be toxic by it's developers, however the military decided to ignore the issue). The chemicals had actually bonded with Jacques marrow, meaning there was no "cost-effective" way of removing it from his system. Worse yet was the fact that his body no longer healed it's own wounds. The only way to counteract these drawbacks was a daily dose of Antitox and the application of a Body Repair Weave.
This was not the end of the damage the procedure caused. The sudden influx of sensory data to his brain caused a minor overload. The shock caused a minor psychosis to settle in. There were two things going through his mind as his body was overhauled: his promised monetary compensation, and his desire to kill the ones responsible. These two emotions, greed and blood lust, were permanently embossed into his psyche.
Money and murder. Henceforth these would be the two driving forces that he based all of his decisions on.
After his medical discharge for "accidental contamination with a hazardous substance" he found money was scarce. To remedy this he got a job with one of the local crime syndicates in Atlantas. The jobs he was assigned provided him with copious amounts of both wealth and blood. Eventually he found that there was a profession that allowed him to get these things in a more legal fashion. Jacques would become a mercenary.
He ended up joining Mifune-Leonhard, LLC., a PMC (Private Military Company) opperating off of Callisto. As a soldier of fortune he made friends with many people, both upstanding and unsavory. Everyone was able to appreciate his efficiency. You give him enough money and he would do just about anything.
Jacques worked for the PCM for several years, but yearned to leave the system and, hopefully, get an opportunity to kill new, unique people from around the galaxy. He turned in his resignation to Heinrich Leonhard, but after a long discussion he instead took an “extended leave of absence." He got a job working on the Rubato in hopes of seeing some action out of the system.
This information is kept to himself unless it is required. All of his experiences with the military and the mob are kept to himself regardless of circumstances.
Contacts:
Napoleon DuVerger, a childhood friend of Jacques, shared in his friends fascination with hunting. However he was born with a rare condition that causes his bones to be exceptionally brittle. Due to this ailment he was unable to enlist with his friend. Even though he was unable to fight he developed a love for weapons. After a attaining a degree at the Atlantic Polytechnical Institute he started a business manufacturing and distributing military grade weapons and munitions.
Sgt. Lucas Brandel was Jacques' instructor while he was undergoing sniper training. Over the course of the program he and Jacques became good friends. He was also the one that recommended Jacques for the "super-soldier" program, thinking it would be an excellent oppertunity for him. Jacques was never made aware of who gave him the recommendation. After the incident Sgt. Brandel resigned to help Jacques recover. Eventually it became evident that recovery would never come. He blames himself for what happened and still seeks penance for what happened.
Before getting a job at Mifune-Leonhard, Jacques worked for Anthony “Tony” Smalls, a local crime lord in Atlantas. He worked as a contract killer and as a personal bodyguard to the Don. It was Tony that suggested Jacques get a job as a merc and provided him with a means to do so (as the mob boss had several connections in Mifune-Leonhard). The two are on very good terms.
Heinrich Leonhard, Co-CEO of Mifune-Leonhard, is on particularity good terms with Jacques. Whenever Heinrich needed a job done that he didn't want anyone to know about he came to Jacques. He has cleaned out his bosses closet more than a few times.
(Note: I've already modified this several times, mostly for ease of reading and continuity. Hopefully this is the final product, however things may change. Nothing major will change, however minor details may be altered, added, or omitted over the course of the next week.)
When he reached manhood he was finally able to put his skills to work by joining the Jovian militia. He received many marksmanship awards in boot camp and was accepted into sniper school, where he further honed his skills. He eventually became a candidate for a top-secret "super soldier" program.
A bizarre cocktail of chemicals and nanobots were injected into his body, the primary goal of which were to increase his perceptive capabilities. Over the course of several days the mixture accomplished what it was supposed to do. All of Jacques' senses skyrocketed; he was suddenly aware of things a normal human would be unable comprehend. He noticed minute details with remarkable speed, his sense of smell rivaled most canines, he could even sense the presence of others by sound, much like the echolocation employed by bats.
However there were serious side-effects. His immune system and several organs completely shut down. His body was no longer able to remove basic toxins, such as alcohol or even the compound he was injected with (which was known to be toxic by it's developers, however the military decided to ignore the issue). The chemicals had actually bonded with Jacques marrow, meaning there was no "cost-effective" way of removing it from his system. Worse yet was the fact that his body no longer healed it's own wounds. The only way to counteract these drawbacks was a daily dose of Antitox and the application of a Body Repair Weave.
This was not the end of the damage the procedure caused. The sudden influx of sensory data to his brain caused a minor overload. The shock caused a minor psychosis to settle in. There were two things going through his mind as his body was overhauled: his promised monetary compensation, and his desire to kill the ones responsible. These two emotions, greed and blood lust, were permanently embossed into his psyche.
Money and murder. Henceforth these would be the two driving forces that he based all of his decisions on.
After his medical discharge for "accidental contamination with a hazardous substance" he found money was scarce. To remedy this he got a job with one of the local crime syndicates in Atlantas. The jobs he was assigned provided him with copious amounts of both wealth and blood. Eventually he found that there was a profession that allowed him to get these things in a more legal fashion. Jacques would become a mercenary.
He ended up joining Mifune-Leonhard, LLC., a PMC (Private Military Company) opperating off of Callisto. As a soldier of fortune he made friends with many people, both upstanding and unsavory. Everyone was able to appreciate his efficiency. You give him enough money and he would do just about anything.
Jacques worked for the PCM for several years, but yearned to leave the system and, hopefully, get an opportunity to kill new, unique people from around the galaxy. He turned in his resignation to Heinrich Leonhard, but after a long discussion he instead took an “extended leave of absence." He got a job working on the Rubato in hopes of seeing some action out of the system.
This information is kept to himself unless it is required. All of his experiences with the military and the mob are kept to himself regardless of circumstances.
Contacts:
Napoleon DuVerger, a childhood friend of Jacques, shared in his friends fascination with hunting. However he was born with a rare condition that causes his bones to be exceptionally brittle. Due to this ailment he was unable to enlist with his friend. Even though he was unable to fight he developed a love for weapons. After a attaining a degree at the Atlantic Polytechnical Institute he started a business manufacturing and distributing military grade weapons and munitions.
Sgt. Lucas Brandel was Jacques' instructor while he was undergoing sniper training. Over the course of the program he and Jacques became good friends. He was also the one that recommended Jacques for the "super-soldier" program, thinking it would be an excellent oppertunity for him. Jacques was never made aware of who gave him the recommendation. After the incident Sgt. Brandel resigned to help Jacques recover. Eventually it became evident that recovery would never come. He blames himself for what happened and still seeks penance for what happened.
Before getting a job at Mifune-Leonhard, Jacques worked for Anthony “Tony” Smalls, a local crime lord in Atlantas. He worked as a contract killer and as a personal bodyguard to the Don. It was Tony that suggested Jacques get a job as a merc and provided him with a means to do so (as the mob boss had several connections in Mifune-Leonhard). The two are on very good terms.
Heinrich Leonhard, Co-CEO of Mifune-Leonhard, is on particularity good terms with Jacques. Whenever Heinrich needed a job done that he didn't want anyone to know about he came to Jacques. He has cleaned out his bosses closet more than a few times.
(Note: I've already modified this several times, mostly for ease of reading and continuity. Hopefully this is the final product, however things may change. Nothing major will change, however minor details may be altered, added, or omitted over the course of the next week.)
Sunday, October 5, 2008
Maria Latham, Gun Toting Martian
A former infantry member of the CPH Defense Force, Maria Latham's employment was terminated following a public SNAFU on her home-world of Mars several years ago. Finding employment afterward became difficult leading her to a series of mind-numbingly boring security details which she continued with despite offers to join a morally-flexible mercenary outfit made up of former DF members. Eventually, her hard work paid off and she was recruited for a six month stint body-guarding a minor celebrity. The job lasted four weeks, two weeks later Maria woke up unemployed with a couple of "new and improved" organs. For the last year, Maria's kept her head down and her mouth shut about past events. Though the Rubato is her first transport vessel protection detail, she's been there for two months and looks forward to ignoring new recruits. However, she makes it crystal clear upon meeting you that if you're into anything illegal, she doesn't want to know about it and you sure as heck don't want her knowing about it.
Friday, October 3, 2008
Introducing Zechs Marquise
Zechs Marquise (Zeks Mar-kee) has been a professional salvager since he was 16 years old. During his 5 year career, by taking on the most dangerous jobs in the farthest reaches of the galaxy, he has earned enough to buy his own mecha, the Tallgeese. Though Zechs has little formal education, he has managed to get by on his wits and willingness to take risks. This combination of abilities and equipment has earned him a lucrative contract on the Rubato. He looks forward to working with the crew of the Rubato, some of whom he's worked with on other ships and missions.
Wednesday, October 1, 2008
In the news...
Text of proposed legislation SR2290ZA12893 presented to the Martian Office of Colonial Affairs, for review of the Full Senate.
Submitted by Marcus Lehman, MP Concordia and Sin Jhou-Xiayn, MP Etrusca, Technoprogressive Party
Such that cloning technology has provided the means to incubate fully formed non-cloned bodies for individuals, and such that flash imprinting allows for the incorporation of an individual’s meta-intelligence onto these bodies, this legislation will allow for the creation of ‘adults’ utilizing randomizing algorithms and recombination techniques against current neural maps wile selecting against predatory and anti-social behavior. In this way, fully functioning members of society can be introduced to fulfill the needs of society without the painful, and wasted time of childhood distracting capital and labor of society.
This legislation is the next logical step in allowing for parents to avoid the pain and suffering of natural childbirth, and the loss in productivity inherent in raising children.
Opposition commentary by Francois Bertand, MP New Caladoina, Democratic Union Party
Developmental neurophysiologists have clearly demonstrated a link between the process of childhood and the development of an individuals unique neural – map that defines who and what they are. To imagine that this process can be any way replicated by some sort of randomizing algorithm coupled with requirements toward certain ‘desirable’ mental states is absolute madness. What the proponents of this legislation are proposing is nothing less than the development of socially acceptable zombies who will service the ruling caste in their pre-programmed manner. We cannot allow legislation like this to be passed.
Submitted by Marcus Lehman, MP Concordia and Sin Jhou-Xiayn, MP Etrusca, Technoprogressive Party
Such that cloning technology has provided the means to incubate fully formed non-cloned bodies for individuals, and such that flash imprinting allows for the incorporation of an individual’s meta-intelligence onto these bodies, this legislation will allow for the creation of ‘adults’ utilizing randomizing algorithms and recombination techniques against current neural maps wile selecting against predatory and anti-social behavior. In this way, fully functioning members of society can be introduced to fulfill the needs of society without the painful, and wasted time of childhood distracting capital and labor of society.
This legislation is the next logical step in allowing for parents to avoid the pain and suffering of natural childbirth, and the loss in productivity inherent in raising children.
Opposition commentary by Francois Bertand, MP New Caladoina, Democratic Union Party
Developmental neurophysiologists have clearly demonstrated a link between the process of childhood and the development of an individuals unique neural – map that defines who and what they are. To imagine that this process can be any way replicated by some sort of randomizing algorithm coupled with requirements toward certain ‘desirable’ mental states is absolute madness. What the proponents of this legislation are proposing is nothing less than the development of socially acceptable zombies who will service the ruling caste in their pre-programmed manner. We cannot allow legislation like this to be passed.
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