Difference between revisions of "Tal Ravis"

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{{Quote| "[Forget] Karate, I got me a shotty!" - Denzel Rae Don Curry}}
 
 
 
{{Character Infobox
 
{{Character Infobox
 
| name = Tal Ravis
 
| name = Tal Ravis
| image = Talstare.png
+
| image = Ravis.png
 
| imagesize =
 
| imagesize =
| caption = "God forgives. I don't."
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| caption = Tal Ravis during the Battle of Las Palmas, April 24, 826 A.S.
 
| origin = {{House Link | Liberty}}
 
| origin = {{House Link | Liberty}}
 
| gender = Male
 
| gender = Male
| occupation = Interceptor Pilot
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| occupation = Freelancer
| affiliation = [[Gas Miners Guild ]]
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| affiliation = Himself
| service_what = Liberty Marine Corps (Former)
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| service_what = Republic of Liberty Marine Corps (Former)
 
| service_time = 4 years
 
| service_time = 4 years
 
| rank = Lance Corporal
 
| rank = Lance Corporal
 
| status = Active
 
| status = Active
| birth_date = August 6, 798 AS, [[Planet Manhattan]].
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| birth_date = May 4th, 798 AS, [[Planet Manhattan]].
 
| death_date = N/A
 
| death_date = N/A
 
}}
 
}}
  
<b>Tal "Underscore" Ravis</b>, also known as <b>the $%!& stain on the underwear of life</b>, is a Marine-turned-[[Freelancer]]-turned-Gas Miner who is the main protagonist of Discovery Freelancer.
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<b>Tal Yahalom Ravis</b>, also known as <b>Underscore</b> or <b>Snoopy</b>, is renowned throughout the Sirius Sector for being the main protagonist of Discovery Freelancer.  
  
 
==Biography==
 
==Biography==
 
===Early Life===
 
===Early Life===
  
Tal was born on August 6th, 798 A.S. in Bedford-Stuyvesant, [[Planet Manhattan]]. The first of three children born to a disadvantaged family of blue-collar workers, he was also the least successful in comparison to his brothers Hudson, who became a Primary Fleet [[Liberty Navy]] Officer, and Xavier, who dealt in the lucrative [[platinum]] trade before joining the [[ALG]]. Indeed, he showed little potential in academics and labor skills, and upon graduating from high school at the age of 18, he found himself enlisting in the Libertonian Marine Corps for lack of anywhere else to go.
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Tal was born on May 4th, 798, in the Bedford-Stuyvesant district on Planet Manhattan to two relatively poor blue-collar workers. His biological father, from which his name and faith are derived, left his mother in mid-803 AS, leaving him fatherless until seven years later when his mother remarried, this time to a native New Yorker with two children. Understandably, Tal believed that he had little in common with his stepdad and stepbrothers, and as such distanced himself from his new family through much of his adolescence, turning instead to the streets of Manhattan.  
 
 
===Service History===
 
[[Image:Talgun.png|left|thumb|Tal, posing after a training exercise on [[Planet Los Angeles]].]]
 
  
Tal turned out to be a rather unspectacular Marine despite his outstanding marksmanship abilities, and was only able to obtain the rank of Lance Corporal in four whole years of service. Trained to be a "Reconnaissance Man, Parachute Qualified, Combatant Diver and EVA Certified", he was subsequently assigned to the elite 1st Reconnaissance Battalion, based out of [[Planet Los Angeles]].  
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Despite attempts at gentrification throughout much of the late-700s, many parts of Brooklyn still remained as low-income, crime-ridden areas well into the early 800s. For an impressionable young man, with no true role models or guidance throughout his most important developmental years, the life of a hardened thug appealed to him. While he never quite stacked up to either of his stepbrothers, both of whom ended up being accepted into prestigious higher education institutions in the Republic of Liberty, his performance in school tanked, and he soon found himself in a quagmire of poor academic performance and waning potential. Instead, his focus became his gang, a small band of friends coming from a similar background who he found refuge with during and after classes, and the group went on to terrorize the neighborhood for several years through their high school educations, committing petty thefts and robberies here and there.
  
As there was not yet a large-scale ground offensive that required the deployment of such specialized deep reconnaissance units, his unit was relegated to their secondary mission of conducting boarding raids on transports stopped by Navy or Police vessels. Considered to be part of the "striking arm" of Liberty's latest method to crack down on the [[Cardamine]] trade, he took part in many raids on unmarked, Freelance, [[Junker]], and Pirate transports, taking enemy fire on at least three separate occasions. Despite this, however, he never once had the opportunity to fire a shot in anger during his entire four-year enlistment.
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A young Ravis soon found out that this new gang lifestyle, however glamorous in the eyes of another product of a culture of violence, was volatile and unsustainable, as after a botched robbery on a local pizza parlor left one dead and two injured, most of his friends were rounded up and arrested in a large-scale investigation by local authorities. Despite being an accomplice to murder, Tal was luckily able to slide under the radar, although the damage had been done. His group was broken up, the ones who were caught having been slapped with lengthy prison sentences, and now he had little to nowhere to go. He lacked any kind of artistic talent, and his academic records were too abysmal to even remotely consider any kind of higher education, and so, not wanting to be resigned to working a minimum wage job for the rest of his life, he enlisted in the Republic of Liberty's Marine Corps, hoping to find a future killing people and breaking things across the galaxy.
  
Later in his enlistment, mostly in order to comply with battalion regulations that required at least one scout sniper in each platoon, he was selected to attend the prestigious Scout Sniper School, where he was able to successfully graduate after a long period of intense training and testing. Once graduated, he returned to Los Angeles, where he conducted several more raids on contraband transports before his enlistment ended.
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===Service History===
  
Promised action by his recruiter, he was severely disenfranchised and demotivated at the end of his four-year enlistment, and as such he separated from the military at the age of 22.
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Tal proved to be the machine gunner's poster child: rowdy, careless, and seemingly oblivious to rules and regulations, catching a significant amount of flak during his military career as a result. He became a gunner in a machine gun section with 2nd Battalion, 5th Marines onboard the ''LNS Utah''. Promised action and opportunities to kill people by his recruiter, he was disappointed when his enlistment consisted of little more than carrying a forty-pound machine gun on training ops and maritime boarding actions. Early on in his enlistment, he showed minor interest in marrying a childhood friend for additional healthcare and housing benefits, though this plan never came into fruition, in part due to a lack of communication between the two and also due to an upcoming deployment. Upon returning from his time aboard the ''Utah'', after witnessing his assistant gunner’s then-wife leave him during their deployment whilst taking most of his money and belongings, he abandoned the idea altogether.
  
 
===Later Career===
 
===Later Career===
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Once out of the Corps, Tal quickly realized that he needed a means to provide for himself, eventually taking up a stable job flying freight for Ageira Technologies for two years until his adventurous spirit came back. With a sudden craving for more thrills in his life, he quit working for Ageira and applied to join the Liberty Police, the same organization that jailed all of his closest friends just five years ago. It was here that, over the course of a few months, he discovered that he had anger management issues, eventually deeming himself unfit for duty in the LPI. From here, he resigned and went his own way, using some of his pay to buy a basic model Sabre fighter in order to start his own mercenary company.
  
Once out of the Corps, he quickly realized that he'd need a method of providing for himself, but found out over the course of six months that he lacked the patience to fly freight, the temper and personality to be a cop, and the mechanical skills required to be a mechanic. After a slew of more disastrous jobs that left him no options, he finally realized that he could exploit the few achievements that he had under his belt, and began to flaunt his Rifle Expert qualification and Scout Sniper graduate status in an attempt to find contract work. [[The Core]] was one of the first organizations to offer him a job: a week-long search and destroy mission on backwater Nauru, in the desolate Omicrons.  
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Named "Haven Tactical Security", he and an associate mostly flew low-level escort missions, failing to make much of an impact or name for themselves. Eventually, his associate departed from the endeavor, taking with him most of the company's assets and leaving Tal to his own devices.  
  
As usual, everything rapidly went south, with no [[Corsair]] sightings on top of his deployment being extended to a six-month occupation in order to better secure the planet for future Core operations. It was also during this time that the Neural Net suffered a massive disruption that severed communications with Core Command, leaving him and his band of fellow mercenaries under the command of Paladin Nova Hawken, who's tenure as Company Commander severely demotivated the mercenaries. Communications were eventually restored, although the damage had been done: trillions of credits worth of damage across the entire Sirius Sector had been reported.
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Undeterred, he turned to the then-Colonial Republic for work, where he was hired as a fighter pilot. Preferring the Nyx multirole superiority fighter, he was pushed through an accelerated pilot training pipeline and was eventually assigned to the 49th Fighter Squadron, operating mainly in the Taus. He flew combat sorties against the Outcasts under the callsign "Snoopy", until he realized that the flashy lifestyle of a fighter pilot wasn't really for him. Stress, injuries, and trauma stemming from frequent combat encounters and sorties was rapidly getting to his head, and so he took his leave from the CR.
  
After Nauru, he wandered around Sirius looking for work, finding small contracts here and there until he was offered a job by the Gas Miners Guild. He accepted their offer to become a [[Stork]] captain, and flew freight for a brief period before being transferred to the GMG's esteemed paramilitary division as an interceptor pilot. Stationed on [[Gas Miner Ogashawa]], he flew combat sorties in a [[Karasu]] heavy fighter dubbed ''Silver Bullet'', after the ship's distinctive appearance and an incident that could be classified as an aerial ramming attack.
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Life after the CR was sketchy, as he seemed to be unable to find legitimate work anywhere. His veteran status in the Libertonian Military put off many an employer as the war with Rheinland was becoming increasingly unpopular, and so he simply roamed around Sirius, taking small jobs wherever he went. During this time, he became involved with the Junker Marauders, helping to erect and maintain Beaumont Spire briefly until he disappeared from the face of Sirius for a month. It wasn't until much later down the line that Tal reappeared, this time working for the resurgent Core, having apparently undergone a journey of self-reflection and discovery. It is suspected that he was working for the LSF at this time, as a private military contractor under the Special Activities Division/Special Operations Group, training resistance fighters on Leeds.
  
Unfortunately, the original ''Silver Bullet'' was disabled in a confrontation between Guild forces and Nomad-Infected Kusari Naval Forces pilots. While conducting a strafing run on an Isejin-affiliated gunship, his vessel was caught by a full primary battery salvo from a [[Hatchet]] destroyer which erased the entire rear half of the fighter. With no weapons or engine remaining, he coordinated an ejection to avoid capture by Wild forces and was rescued by Guildmaster Keiji Namura, suffering minor injuries related to the ejection.
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Following the Core's successful capture of Yaren and Planet Nauru, Tal was part of a contingent of mercenaries sent to reinforce Core assets on Nauru, starting off with just a week-long search-and-destroy mission aimed at stomping out any remaining Corsair presence on the planet. The length of the mission grew and grew, until it was a full-on six-month garrison mission at a Core forward operating base. It was here that he survived the Great Ion Storm  of 822, lucky enough to have received supplies from a transport just days before the storm hit Sirius. For the rest of the month, his garrison was on high alert, wary of any potential Corsair raids aiming to take advantage of the lack of communications between the base and Core command, although no attack ever came. It wasn't even known at the time if Nauru even had an appreciable Corsair presence planetside.
  
Once he recovered, he temporarily took a leave from the Guild to participate in a small-scale offensive on [[Planet Tomioka]], operating under the alias Daniel Recker with the [[Blood Dragons]] in their attempts to recover a downed [[Togo]] battleship. His injuries were relatively minor in comparison to the intensity of the fighting, and he returned to service with the GMG shortly afterwards.
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After Nauru, Tal found himself with a fair amount of money, and was willing to settle down somewhere a bit more stable for the long haul. After some milling about as a Freelance pilot, Tal found freight work with the GMG, after meeting Guildmaster Keiji Namura. Gradually, he became more and more part of the Guild, and was eventually absorbed into the GMG's esteemed Paramilitary division as an interceptor pilot. Stationed on Gas Miner Ogashawa, he flew sorties in a Karasu heavy fighter dubbed the Silver Bullet, after the ship's distinctive appearance and an aerial ramming attack incident in which he speared and disabled a pirate Waran bomber.
  
He returned to the Guild in time for the final stages of Operation Ashigakari, the GMG's preparation phase for the invasion of Samura's holdings on [[Planet Kurile]]. Assigned a new Karasu interceptor that was quickly named the "Silver Bullet II", he flew several preliminary combat sorties aimed at disabling Samura communication and air defense capability, later providing air support for the main landing force. After the successful invasion of the Samura-held platform, during which he participated in several operations against Samura forces hiding in the lower levels of the platform, he remained stationed on the platform as part of the interceptor division until he was transferred to [[Niigata Star City]]'s squadron following station renovations.  
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Unfortunately, the original Silver Bullet was disabled in a confrontation between Guild forces and Nomad-Infected Kusari Naval Forces pilots. While conducting a strafing run on an Isejin-affiliated gunship, his vessel was caught by a full primary battery salvo from a Hatchet destroyer, which erased the entire rear half of the fighter. With no weapons or engine remaining, he coordinated an ejection to avoid capture by Wilde forces and was rescued by Guildmaster Keiji Namura, suffering minor injuries related to the ejection.
  
In late-823 A.S., he and the rest of the 2nd Interceptor Division were temporarily reassigned to Iejima Station following a threat from an independent group of Corsair battleship captains, flying T-493-B Kaichous from Iejima. Once two weeks had passed without an attack, he and his squadron were relocated back to Niigata Star City.
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In late-823 A.S., he and the rest of the 2nd Interceptor Division were temporarily reassigned to Iejima Station following a threat from an independent group of Corsair battleship captains, flying T-493-B Kaichous from Iejima. Once two weeks had passed without an attack, he and his squadron were relocated back to Niigata Star City. Tal was later given command of the 2nd Interceptor Division, nicknamed "Dealers in Death", and was reassigned yet again to Gas Miner Ogashawa to fly in support of the VWA-BD-Order Anti-Corsair Joint Strike Force. Due to new Guild leadership and administrative policies, which emphasize cooperation and a military draw-down over Namura's "take all comers" policy, the 2nd Interceptor Division, and many other squadrons, were dissolved on April 24, their assets being scrapped or sold to make way for an expanded miner fleet.  
  
Tal was later given command of the 2nd Interceptor Division, nicknamed "Dealers in Death", and was reassigned to Gas Miner Ogashawa to fly combat sorties in support of the VWA-BD-Order Anti-Corsair Joint Strike Force.
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In early 824 A.S., Keiji Namura mysteriously disappeared without a trace, leaving most of the Guild puzzled as to his whereabouts. Tal Ravis and the 2nd Interceptor Division were tasked with the initial combat search-and-rescue operations as Ogashawa was closest to the Guildmaster's last-known location, although their preliminary search yielded nothing. Despite their efforts, the 2nd Interceptor Division was unable to locate Keiji Namura before their disestablishment.
  
==Ships==
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Several months after his discharge from the GMG, Tal Ravis, with the assistance of several inside men and investigators, was able to pinpoint the location of Keiji Namura, eventually intercepting a slave freighter in the Tau-23 system. Killing his captors, he successfully rescued Namura, taking him back to civilization. Though Keiji offered to reinstate his position as an interceptor pilot, Tal respectfully declined, choosing instead to seek a quieter life back on Manhattan.
{{Ship List/begin}}
 
{{Ship List | GMG<nowiki>|</nowiki>Tal,Ravis |''Silver Bullet I'', [[Karasu]] (Destroyed) | Hw_t_h_int.png}}
 
{{Ship List | GMG<nowiki>|</nowiki>Tal,Ravis |''Silver Bullet II'', [[Karasu]] | Hw_t_h_int.png}}
 
{{Ship List | GMG<nowiki>|</nowiki>Tal;Ravis |''Hercules'', [[Kaichou]] | Hw_t_bomber.png}}
 
{{Ship List | GMG<nowiki>|</nowiki>Valdez.Maru |''Exxon Valdez'', [[Stork]] | Dsy_trainx4.png}}
 
{{Ship List | GMG<nowiki>|</nowiki>Tal.Ravis |''Gas Grazer'', [[Kamome]] | Gmg.png}}
 
{{Ship List | GMG<nowiki>|</nowiki>Underscore |''Space Amoeba'', [[Garanchou]] | Hw_t_fr.png}}
 
{{Ship List | Tal | ''Money Longer'', [[Kestrel]] | Kestrel-s.png}}
 
{{Ship List | Tal.Ravis | ''Cruel Summer'', [[Scimitar]] | Bw_fighter.png}}
 
{{Ship List | Tal,Ravis | ''The Joy'', [[Scimitar]] (Spare) | Bw_fighter.png}}
 
{{Ship List | Tal.Ravis! | ''So Help Me God'', [[Sabre]] | Bw_vheavy_fighter.png}}
 
{{Ship List | Tal,Ravis! | ''Late Registration'', [[Jackdaw]] | Jackdaw-s.png}}
 
{{Ship List/end}}
 
  
===Silver Bullet I===
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===Frontier===
The first Karasu interceptor used by Tal Ravis during his tenure with Gas Miner Ogashawa's resident interceptor division, serial number 22-045 (the 45th Karasu produced in 822 A.S.). It had "OG" (OGashawa) painted on the outer sides of both top fins as the tail code, with the serial number stenciled in under it. The ship was easily distinguished by the color offset between the nose and fuselage, as his infamous ramming attack rendered the front of his craft squashed up and his scanner array inoperable without a full-on replacement. Karasu serial number 20-023, an older reserve ship stashed in the cargo bay of Ogashawa, was cannibalized for parts, providing Silver Bullet's new nose and Advanced Deep Scanner array.
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After a lonely month of living in an apartment complex on Planet Manhattan, Tal found himself seeking adventure again, choosing not to waste away slowly in silence. His lease was quickly cancelled and he was back among the stars, working with the contracting group Cold Harbor on Planet Sprague in support of Bretonian forces, tasked with culling pirate, Gallic, and insurgent activity on the growing planet. In mid-825 AS, he was placed on medical leave for roughly a month after suffering an injured back and right ankle from an IED blast. He returned to active service and supported Bretonian combat operations on Gran Canaria, participating notably in the initial invasion and subsequent Battle of Las Palmas in mid-April of 826, which saw roughly half of the planet’s largest Zoner settlement damaged or destroyed over the course of a month. Within a week of the battle’s beginning, Tal, originally part of a twelve-man quick reaction force sent to help delay the insurgent forces while Bretonians mobilized, was one of three remaining combat-effective members of the QRF, going on to see the battle through to its finish on May 21st.
  
Following an incident in which Tal used the ship to ram straight through the hull of a pirate [[Waran]] bomber after depleting his ship's powercore, successfully disabling the hostile craft in the process, the ship was repaired and the nickname Silver Bullet was bestowed upon it, written underneath the cockpit in black paint next to his three kill tallies. There were plans to get his aerial ramming "kill" immortalized in the form of a cartoon-y silver-colored bullet smashing a brick clean in half; however, the vessel was disabled in action by an Iseijin Kusari Destroyer before the drawing was finished and applied.
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At the end of his contract cycle, he opted not to renew with the Kingdom of Bretonia, lacking the points to qualify for a contract extension, and returned to Planet Manhattan where he stayed until contacted by operational planners from the Battlegroup Auxesia. Accepting the offer of 100 million credits to assist in an attack on a major Unioner station, Pacifica Base, and participate in a blockade of the Bering system, he was credited with delivering the two NEMP devices that disabled the installation, participating in numerous skirmishes as well as the destruction of smugglers attempting to deliver repair commodities to the base.  
  
Silver Bullet was outfitted with a standard loadout of 2 swivel-mounted CP-M Mark 1 Mod. 0 Improved Debilitators and 4 swivel-mounted Sunblast A photon cannons. Aftermarket struts for the cargo bay were later installed.
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Some time later, he was contacted again by his handler in Cold Harbor, being asked to provide advisory support to Bretonian forces on New London. Once Gallic forces reached the planet, he assisted in evacuation and later recovery efforts, ending the one-month contract still without enough points to qualify for contract extension. Figuring that he finally had enough, he returned once more to Planet Manhattan, where he currently resides.
  
===Silver Bullet II===
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==Weaponry==
The second Karasu interceptor assigned to Tal after his short departure from the Guild, serial number 23-011. Initially, his tail code was OG (for OGashawa), but following his reassignment to Planet Kurile, the code was changed to AS (short for AShigakari, the GMG codename for the Kurile Invasion). While awaiting orders on Kurile, he had mechanics paint "Silver Bullet II" onto the ship, as well as a large shark mouth on the nose and a black line around where the nose of the original Silver Bullet had been cut off.
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[[Image:Recce082020.png|right|343px|thumb|Tal’s Mark 15 Mod. 2 rifle. This is the same 16-inch-barreled carbine that he carried into combat during service with Cold Harbor.]]
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===Ageira Technologies Mark 15 Mod. 3===
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The '''Ageira Technologies Armament Subsystems Mark 15 Adaptive Rifle System''', in particular, it's '''Mod. 3''' iteration, is an electronically-fired, blowback-operated rifle employing a proprietary high-velocity 6x28mm telescoped-caseless round. Perhaps the embodiment of Ageira's trademark "Light Arm" design philosophy, the Mark 15 is a lightweight weapon system designed with "future-proofing" characteristics, featuring a simple, reliable design and extensive modularity and aftermarket support.
  
Silver Bullet II participated in several pre-invasion operations, mostly utilizing specially-modified Firestalker missiles to target ground radar and communication systems in preparation for the invasion. Ravis was personally credited with the destruction of 3 radar arrays, 2 surface-to-air Sidewinder missile sites, and 4 radar-directed Sunfrenzy AA guns, all of which were destroyed in the sorties leading up to the full invasion. Silver Bullet II was further utilized to suppress any possible enemy air defenses during the invasion, although Ravis did not have an opportunity to launch a single missile during his four hours of loitering near the platform and returned home to the GMG platform without any additional kills. Silver Bullet II was then employed in a Combat Air Patrol (CAP) role around Planet Kurile for the next two days, until Ravis was called to assist ground forces in pacifying the lower levels of the platform.
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Originally developed for the Libertonian Armed Forces' Lightweight Combat Rifle program in early 800 A.S., the Mark 15 was selected as the winner and was produced under limited contract as a ballistic alternative to the then-standard issue Ageira-manufactured "Backblast" tachyon rifles. Mark 15 rifles underwent multiple upgrades and modifications to prolong their service life, though as of 823 A.S., the Mark 15 inventory was being divested in favor of newer, more modern Enforcer IV tachyon weapons. Some examples remain in service with select special operations units, but the majority of users are now independent entities and as such, the Mark 15 and it's many derivatives are now primarily marketed towards Freelancers and Private Military Contractors.
  
After the Kurile invasion, Silver Bullet II was reassigned to Niigata Star City in Sigma-59, gaining the new tail code of "SC". It continues to serve with the GMG to this day.
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The Mark 15 is chambered in an Ageira-developed 6x28mm caseless armor-piercing round and operates on a radial-delayed blowback system that rotates the bolt as it accelerates the bolt carrier, thus increasing effective bolt carrier mass and reducing felt recoil as well as improving overall reliability. A stout lithium-ion battery located within the lower receiver provides power to the electronic firing pin, and lasts for roughly 30,000 rounds before requiring a recharge. While the short nature of the bolt carrier does not necessitate the use of an external buffer tube, rifles are shipped with (optional) buffer extensions to help reduce recoil and improve stability. All rifles feed from basic double-stack box magazines fitted with four-way anti-tilt followers to prevent the fragile ammunition from misfeeding.
  
During an action in which Tal was able to disable a [[Mako]]-class battleship in Sigma-19, Silver Bullet II sustained heavy damage that resulted in the loss of his number one and two engine. Regardless, he was able to make it home in one piece and has since had a Mako kill mark painted on his ship.
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The Mark 15 features an ambidextrous fire selector, magazine release, and bolt catch. A programmable ammunition counter is an optional addon on upper receivers ordered from Detroit Munitions. Rifles are shipped with a fully-adjustable buttstock and a slim free-floated handguard with modular rail units on four sides to accept a variety of sights, grips, and other accessories, as well as longer or shorter barrels. The latest generation of Mark 15 rifles feature fully-monolithic upper receivers, with the barrel nut held in place by four long pins at the base of the handguard. Removal of the pins is simple, allowing for easy barrel changes. The handguard, lower, and upper receivers are entirely made from special stamped temperature-resistant alloys, with most smaller parts made from high-grade polymers. The result of this is a rather lightweight platform, at roughly 3 kilograms fully loaded with a 40-round magazine, but also one that is intensely durable and can withstand all types of environments and pressures.
  
Silver Bullet II is equipped with 2 swivel-mounted CP-M Mark One Mod. 0 Improved Debilitators and 4 swivel-mounted synchronized Sunblast A photon cannons. Additional armor plating and iridium cargo bay struts were installed upon delivery of the vessel to Ogashawa.
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In order to achieve acceptable levels of lethality out of shorter barrel lengths, the standard 6x28mm anti-armor round is made from fast-burning compacted powder surrounded in a thin polymer film to keep the rectangular shape. This has two notable downsides, the first being that barrel life is relatively short and requires frequent replacement, and the second being that the weapon has significant dust and smoke signature. Muzzle blast is also intense, especially out of shorter barrel variants, and can throw off an untrained user.
  
===Hercules===
 
Kaichou serial number 21-006, normally reserved for reinforcement actions against heavily-armored enemies trespassing in Guild space. Not particularly visually modified, as the ship is not employed for most of Tal's duties due to a low cruise speed. Tail code has changed from OG to AS to SC, with one Pirate Transport kill mark.
 
  
Supposedly, this was the ship that disabled Guildmaster Keiji Namura's infamous Kaichou bomber during a routine training simulation.
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[[Image:FWG5ROLAND.png|right|315px|thumb|Tal's custom "Featherweight" FWG-5 laser pistol with a micro red dot sight and compact weaponlight. Note the backup iron sights that co-witness through the optic.]]
  
===Exxon Valdez===
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===Detroit Munitions FWG-5===
An old Stork transport, originally built by Deep Space Engineering at Baltimore Shipyard and eventually sold to the Gas Miners Guild by an independant GMG contractor, serial number 20-024. Tal captained the vessel briefly until he was reassigned full-time to the Guild's paramilitary division. Registered as safe to fly in all four Sirius Houses, with "Baltimore Shipyard, New York System" written along the side underneath "Exxon Valdez".  
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The '''Detroit Munitions FWG-5 "Featherweight"''' ('''F'''ree-electron '''W'''eapon, '''G'''eneral-purpose, Mark '''5''' Mod. 0) is a customized laser pistol produced in limited quantities by the Detroit Munitions arms company, based off of the successful FWG-series of directed energy weapons. Owing to its name, the 5-model is a traditional free-electron laser that focuses amplified light in order to damage targets via heating materials to melting temperatures, though as with all traditional laser weaponry, the effective range and firepower are affected wildly by environmental conditions. Nonetheless, it remains a popular duty and carry weapon, especially in the Edge Worlds amongst Freelancers looking for a lightweight, if not long, sidearm that is highly effective at close ranges.
  
The ship was forced to enter drydock for emergency repairs in the Pennsylvania system following an attack by fanatical Xenos, during which the ship's cargo pods were all blown off by Nova torpedoes. Despite severe damage to all parts of the transport, Tal was able to successfully escape pursuit and made an emergency docking at [[Harrisburg Station]].
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The FWG series is notable for their reinforced polymer frames, capable of withstanding heat from the prolonged discharge of a directed energy weapon without any deformations and allowing for a much lighter weapon overall. While normally plated entirely in a decorative nickel alloy, the Featherweight model has removed most of the coating aside from some essential accents to reduce weight, an overall theme mimicked in modifications such as the indentations along the upper around non-critical components. A modified removable "double-stacked" heatsink unit, accessible and vented to open air via a traditional release button on the grip, provides a 40% weight reduction over the stock heatsink while retaining 90% cooling efficiency. Power for the actual laser is provided via a small, highly-efficient power cell in the rear of the weapon, which can be accessed and replaced by pressing two recessed push-buttons on the sides. Overall, the Featherweight model is lighter, better balanced, and more pointable than the stock FWG-5, though slightly less durable and heat-efficient.  
  
Exxon Valdez was fitted with extra add-on armor panels around the main hull (Heavy, Level IVA) and 6 Charon turrets following the Xeno attack. Helium-3 was transported in large, white cylindrical removable containers.
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Fire control is manipulated via a recessed knob located forward of the trigger guard, which allows visible/non-visible, continuous beam or pulse, and rate of fire control from 200 to 1200 RPM. There is no manual safety, with Detroit Munitions opting for a trigger safety that only actuates off of a specific, firm finger movement. Depressing the safety lever "activates" the weapon, while depressing the trigger gives the command to fire.
  
===Gas Grazer===
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Tal's personal example is equipped with an additional beam-focusing diode, a compact weaponlight, and a slide-mounted closed-emitter LED reflex collimator sight, commonly referred to by both him and members of his team as a "Roland Special".
A Kamome light transport/miner, serial number 22-076. Tal captained the vessel briefly during mining operations in Sigma-19, however, following an incident in which Tal successfully used Gas Grazer's four Charon turrets to engage and ultimately disable a Storta destroyer, the ship has been stuck in drydock awaiting repairs. The ship still bears the tail code OG, and there are plans to display a Storta kill mark on the ship's left side once it leaves drydock.
 
  
Gas Grazer was armed with 2 mining arrays and 4 Charon turrets, with additional armor plating (Universal, Level VIIIB) attached around the cargo bay.
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==Ships==
 
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{{Ship List/begin}}
===Space Amoeba===
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{{Ship List | Tal.Ravis | ''Cruel Summer'', [[Scimitar]] | Bw_fighter.png}}
Tal's assigned replacement for the Gas Grazer, a Garanchou freighter serial numbered 23-003. Used once for a large-scale mining operation involving Interspace Commerce; the ship performed admirably in it's role and Tal's contributions to the operation were noted. Despite Tal's assignment to Niigata Star City, the ship is based on Iejima Station and has the tail code IE.
+
{{Ship List | Tal.Ravis! | ''So Help Me God'', [[Sabre]] | Bw_vheavy_fighter.png}}
 
+
{{Ship List | Tal,Ravis! | ''Late Registration'', [[Jackdaw]] | Jackdaw-s.png}}
Space Amoeba is armed with 4 light mining arrays and 2 swivel-mounted Sunblast A photon cannons, with armor plates (Universal, Level VIIIA) stacked around the most critical areas of the ship.
+
{{Ship List/end}}
 
 
===Money Longer===
 
A [[Kestrel]], produced at Baltimore Shipyard by Deep Space Engineering. Registered in Liberty as ship code NC1008, and serial numbered as 22-003, the ship is one of the first Kestrel freighters produced. Has been recalled multiple times by DSE for upgrades and other improvements, and now sees use mostly as a storage ship, parked on Planet Manhattan in an extended-stay ship storage facility.
 
 
 
Money Longer is an unarmed vessel, but retains armor plating (Universal, Level VIIIA, 820 A.S. Model) put on after Tal was dissatisfied with the stock amount of protection.
 
  
 
===Cruel Summer===
 
===Cruel Summer===
Line 126: Line 103:
  
 
Cruel Summer is armed with 4 Enforcer VIs and 1 CP-L Mark 1 Mod. 0 Advanced Debilitator, with iridium armor struts (Universal, Level VIII) in the cargo bay.
 
Cruel Summer is armed with 4 Enforcer VIs and 1 CP-L Mark 1 Mod. 0 Advanced Debilitator, with iridium armor struts (Universal, Level VIII) in the cargo bay.
 
===The Joy===
 
 
A spare, brand new Scimitar, registered in Liberty as POI999 with serial number 23-008. Sits in long-term storage until his main Scimitar inevitably gets disabled or damaged beyond repair.
 
 
The Joy is a near identical match with Cruel Summer in terms of loadout, modifications, and armor.
 
 
===So Help Me God===
 
 
A secondhand Sabre purchased from a dealer on [[Freeport 11]] in [[Omicron Delta]]. Unregistered in house space, and missing a serial number, the ship is used primarily for clandestine operations in deep, unclaimed space. Is modified in a similar fashion as Cruel Summer is, although without the lift fan and VTOL capability.
 
 
SHMG is armed with 4 Adv. Flashpoints, 2 CP-M Mark 1 Mod. 0 Improved Debilitators, and 1 Advanced Debilitator turret, with specialized extra armor (Universal, Level VIIIC) around the weakest points of the ship.
 
 
===Late Registration===
 
 
A secondhand Jackdaw purchased from a sketchy dealer on Freeport 11, unregistered in any house and without a serial number. Not particularly useful and more of an impulse buy, Tal has since greatly improved on the ship's original run-down condition, adding all sorts of aftermarket modifications to ensure that his investment would be worth it.
 
 
Late Registration is armed with 2 Purple Goddess Chainguns, 2 CP-M Mark 1 Mod. 0 Improved Debilitators, and a Sidewinder missile launcher.
 
  
 
=Skillset=
 
=Skillset=
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|-
 
|-
 
|[[Image:Health.png|30px]]
 
|[[Image:Health.png|30px]]
|Health
+
|Constitution
 
|<span style="color:#516363;">█ █ █ █ █ █ █ </span> ░ ░ ░
 
|<span style="color:#516363;">█ █ █ █ █ █ █ </span> ░ ░ ░
 
| - Missing a few pieces here and there.
 
| - Missing a few pieces here and there.
 
|-
 
|-
 
|[[Image:Fitness.png|30px]]
 
|[[Image:Fitness.png|30px]]
|Fitness
+
|Agility
 
|<span style="color:#516363;">█ █ █ █ █ █ </span> ░ ░ ░ ░
 
|<span style="color:#516363;">█ █ █ █ █ █ </span> ░ ░ ░ ░
| - Combat diver, parachute, and EVA certified.  
+
| - Perfect score on the PFT.  
 
|-
 
|-
 
|[[Image:Dexterity.png|30px]]
 
|[[Image:Dexterity.png|30px]]
 
|Dexterity
 
|Dexterity
 
|<span style="color:#516363;">█ █ █ █ █ █ █ █ </span> ░ ░
 
|<span style="color:#516363;">█ █ █ █ █ █ █ █ </span> ░ ░
| - Well-trained and versed in rapid operation of manually-cycled (bolt, pump, and lever-action) weapons.
+
| - Well-versed in the operation of automatic weapons.
 
|-
 
|-
 
|[[Image:Strength.png|30px]]
 
|[[Image:Strength.png|30px]]
 
|Strength
 
|Strength
 
|<span style="color:#516363;">█ █ █ █ █</span> ░ ░ ░ ░ ░
 
|<span style="color:#516363;">█ █ █ █ █</span> ░ ░ ░ ░ ░
| - Sufficient to haul significant quantities of equipment on long missions.
+
| - Carried a 40-pound machine gun for a living.
 
|-
 
|-
 
|[[Image:Martial Arts.png|30px]]
 
|[[Image:Martial Arts.png|30px]]
|Martial Arts
+
|Attack
 
|<span style="color:#516363;">█ █</span> ░ ░ ░ ░ ░ ░ ░ ░
 
|<span style="color:#516363;">█ █</span> ░ ░ ░ ░ ░ ░ ░ ░
 
| - "What's so hard about swish-swish-stab?"
 
| - "What's so hard about swish-swish-stab?"
 
|-
 
|-
 
|[[Image:Firearms.png|30px]]
 
|[[Image:Firearms.png|30px]]
|Firearms
+
|Ranged
|<span style="color:#516363;">█ █ █ █ █ █ █ █ █ █</span>  
+
|<span style="color:#516363;">█ █ █ █ █ █ █ █ █ █ █ █ █ █ █ █ █ █ █ █</span>  
| - Can blast the balls clean off of a fly at 250 yards with a scoped rifle, and at 125 with iron sights.
+
| - Calls the automatic setting "family mode".
 
|-
 
|-
 
|[[Image:Leadership.png|30px]]
 
|[[Image:Leadership.png|30px]]
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|Observation
 
|Observation
 
|<span style="color:#516363;">█ █ █ █ █ █ █ █ █ </span> ░
 
|<span style="color:#516363;">█ █ █ █ █ █ █ █ █ </span> ░
| - Trained extensively in information-gathering and deep reconnaissance.
+
| - Sees all.
 
|-
 
|-
 
|[[Image:Self-control.png|30px]]
 
|[[Image:Self-control.png|30px]]
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|Charisma
 
|Charisma
 
|<span style="color:#516363;">█ █ </span>░ ░ ░ ░ ░ ░ ░ ░
 
|<span style="color:#516363;">█ █ </span>░ ░ ░ ░ ░ ░ ░ ░
| - As charming as a 25-year-old brick wall.
+
| - As charming as a 25-year-old brick wall. If you've ever had that problem, hit that subscribe button.
 
|-
 
|-
 
|}
 
|}
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==Shotgun Diplomacy (Faction)==
 
==Shotgun Diplomacy (Faction)==
 
{{Faction Diplomacy/begin}}
 
{{Faction Diplomacy/begin}}
{{FD | [[Gas Miners Guild]] | +1.0}}
+
{{FD | Himself | +1.0}}
 
{{FD | Everybody Else | -0.5}}
 
{{FD | Everybody Else | -0.5}}
{{FD | [[Hogosha]] | -0.7}}
 
{{FD | [[Samura]] | -0.7}}
 
{{FD | [[Outcasts]] | -1.0}}
 
{{FD | [[Corsairs]] | -1.0}}
 
 
{{Faction Diplomacy/end}}
 
{{Faction Diplomacy/end}}
  
 
==Diplomacy (Personal)==
 
==Diplomacy (Personal)==
 
{{Faction Diplomacy/begin}}
 
{{Faction Diplomacy/begin}}
{{FD | Guildmaster Keiji Namura | +1.0}}
+
{{FD | Sokhatai Qestir | +1.0}}
 
{{FD | Everybody Else | -0.5}}
 
{{FD | Everybody Else | -0.5}}
 
{{Faction Diplomacy/end}}
 
{{Faction Diplomacy/end}}

Latest revision as of 05:14, 5 November 2021

Tal Ravis
Ravis.png
Tal Ravis during the Battle of Las Palmas, April 24, 826 A.S.
Profile
Origin Flag-liberty.png Liberty
Occupation Freelancer
Gender Male
Affiliation Himself
Republic of Liberty Marine Corps (Former) 4 years
Rank Lance Corporal
Status Active
Born May 4th, 798 AS, Planet Manhattan.
Died N/A

Tal Yahalom Ravis, also known as Underscore or Snoopy, is renowned throughout the Sirius Sector for being the main protagonist of Discovery Freelancer.

Biography

Early Life

Tal was born on May 4th, 798, in the Bedford-Stuyvesant district on Planet Manhattan to two relatively poor blue-collar workers. His biological father, from which his name and faith are derived, left his mother in mid-803 AS, leaving him fatherless until seven years later when his mother remarried, this time to a native New Yorker with two children. Understandably, Tal believed that he had little in common with his stepdad and stepbrothers, and as such distanced himself from his new family through much of his adolescence, turning instead to the streets of Manhattan.

Despite attempts at gentrification throughout much of the late-700s, many parts of Brooklyn still remained as low-income, crime-ridden areas well into the early 800s. For an impressionable young man, with no true role models or guidance throughout his most important developmental years, the life of a hardened thug appealed to him. While he never quite stacked up to either of his stepbrothers, both of whom ended up being accepted into prestigious higher education institutions in the Republic of Liberty, his performance in school tanked, and he soon found himself in a quagmire of poor academic performance and waning potential. Instead, his focus became his gang, a small band of friends coming from a similar background who he found refuge with during and after classes, and the group went on to terrorize the neighborhood for several years through their high school educations, committing petty thefts and robberies here and there.

A young Ravis soon found out that this new gang lifestyle, however glamorous in the eyes of another product of a culture of violence, was volatile and unsustainable, as after a botched robbery on a local pizza parlor left one dead and two injured, most of his friends were rounded up and arrested in a large-scale investigation by local authorities. Despite being an accomplice to murder, Tal was luckily able to slide under the radar, although the damage had been done. His group was broken up, the ones who were caught having been slapped with lengthy prison sentences, and now he had little to nowhere to go. He lacked any kind of artistic talent, and his academic records were too abysmal to even remotely consider any kind of higher education, and so, not wanting to be resigned to working a minimum wage job for the rest of his life, he enlisted in the Republic of Liberty's Marine Corps, hoping to find a future killing people and breaking things across the galaxy.

Service History

Tal proved to be the machine gunner's poster child: rowdy, careless, and seemingly oblivious to rules and regulations, catching a significant amount of flak during his military career as a result. He became a gunner in a machine gun section with 2nd Battalion, 5th Marines onboard the LNS Utah. Promised action and opportunities to kill people by his recruiter, he was disappointed when his enlistment consisted of little more than carrying a forty-pound machine gun on training ops and maritime boarding actions. Early on in his enlistment, he showed minor interest in marrying a childhood friend for additional healthcare and housing benefits, though this plan never came into fruition, in part due to a lack of communication between the two and also due to an upcoming deployment. Upon returning from his time aboard the Utah, after witnessing his assistant gunner’s then-wife leave him during their deployment whilst taking most of his money and belongings, he abandoned the idea altogether.

Later Career

Once out of the Corps, Tal quickly realized that he needed a means to provide for himself, eventually taking up a stable job flying freight for Ageira Technologies for two years until his adventurous spirit came back. With a sudden craving for more thrills in his life, he quit working for Ageira and applied to join the Liberty Police, the same organization that jailed all of his closest friends just five years ago. It was here that, over the course of a few months, he discovered that he had anger management issues, eventually deeming himself unfit for duty in the LPI. From here, he resigned and went his own way, using some of his pay to buy a basic model Sabre fighter in order to start his own mercenary company.

Named "Haven Tactical Security", he and an associate mostly flew low-level escort missions, failing to make much of an impact or name for themselves. Eventually, his associate departed from the endeavor, taking with him most of the company's assets and leaving Tal to his own devices.

Undeterred, he turned to the then-Colonial Republic for work, where he was hired as a fighter pilot. Preferring the Nyx multirole superiority fighter, he was pushed through an accelerated pilot training pipeline and was eventually assigned to the 49th Fighter Squadron, operating mainly in the Taus. He flew combat sorties against the Outcasts under the callsign "Snoopy", until he realized that the flashy lifestyle of a fighter pilot wasn't really for him. Stress, injuries, and trauma stemming from frequent combat encounters and sorties was rapidly getting to his head, and so he took his leave from the CR.

Life after the CR was sketchy, as he seemed to be unable to find legitimate work anywhere. His veteran status in the Libertonian Military put off many an employer as the war with Rheinland was becoming increasingly unpopular, and so he simply roamed around Sirius, taking small jobs wherever he went. During this time, he became involved with the Junker Marauders, helping to erect and maintain Beaumont Spire briefly until he disappeared from the face of Sirius for a month. It wasn't until much later down the line that Tal reappeared, this time working for the resurgent Core, having apparently undergone a journey of self-reflection and discovery. It is suspected that he was working for the LSF at this time, as a private military contractor under the Special Activities Division/Special Operations Group, training resistance fighters on Leeds.

Following the Core's successful capture of Yaren and Planet Nauru, Tal was part of a contingent of mercenaries sent to reinforce Core assets on Nauru, starting off with just a week-long search-and-destroy mission aimed at stomping out any remaining Corsair presence on the planet. The length of the mission grew and grew, until it was a full-on six-month garrison mission at a Core forward operating base. It was here that he survived the Great Ion Storm of 822, lucky enough to have received supplies from a transport just days before the storm hit Sirius. For the rest of the month, his garrison was on high alert, wary of any potential Corsair raids aiming to take advantage of the lack of communications between the base and Core command, although no attack ever came. It wasn't even known at the time if Nauru even had an appreciable Corsair presence planetside.

After Nauru, Tal found himself with a fair amount of money, and was willing to settle down somewhere a bit more stable for the long haul. After some milling about as a Freelance pilot, Tal found freight work with the GMG, after meeting Guildmaster Keiji Namura. Gradually, he became more and more part of the Guild, and was eventually absorbed into the GMG's esteemed Paramilitary division as an interceptor pilot. Stationed on Gas Miner Ogashawa, he flew sorties in a Karasu heavy fighter dubbed the Silver Bullet, after the ship's distinctive appearance and an aerial ramming attack incident in which he speared and disabled a pirate Waran bomber.

Unfortunately, the original Silver Bullet was disabled in a confrontation between Guild forces and Nomad-Infected Kusari Naval Forces pilots. While conducting a strafing run on an Isejin-affiliated gunship, his vessel was caught by a full primary battery salvo from a Hatchet destroyer, which erased the entire rear half of the fighter. With no weapons or engine remaining, he coordinated an ejection to avoid capture by Wilde forces and was rescued by Guildmaster Keiji Namura, suffering minor injuries related to the ejection.

In late-823 A.S., he and the rest of the 2nd Interceptor Division were temporarily reassigned to Iejima Station following a threat from an independent group of Corsair battleship captains, flying T-493-B Kaichous from Iejima. Once two weeks had passed without an attack, he and his squadron were relocated back to Niigata Star City. Tal was later given command of the 2nd Interceptor Division, nicknamed "Dealers in Death", and was reassigned yet again to Gas Miner Ogashawa to fly in support of the VWA-BD-Order Anti-Corsair Joint Strike Force. Due to new Guild leadership and administrative policies, which emphasize cooperation and a military draw-down over Namura's "take all comers" policy, the 2nd Interceptor Division, and many other squadrons, were dissolved on April 24, their assets being scrapped or sold to make way for an expanded miner fleet.

In early 824 A.S., Keiji Namura mysteriously disappeared without a trace, leaving most of the Guild puzzled as to his whereabouts. Tal Ravis and the 2nd Interceptor Division were tasked with the initial combat search-and-rescue operations as Ogashawa was closest to the Guildmaster's last-known location, although their preliminary search yielded nothing. Despite their efforts, the 2nd Interceptor Division was unable to locate Keiji Namura before their disestablishment.

Several months after his discharge from the GMG, Tal Ravis, with the assistance of several inside men and investigators, was able to pinpoint the location of Keiji Namura, eventually intercepting a slave freighter in the Tau-23 system. Killing his captors, he successfully rescued Namura, taking him back to civilization. Though Keiji offered to reinstate his position as an interceptor pilot, Tal respectfully declined, choosing instead to seek a quieter life back on Manhattan.

Frontier

After a lonely month of living in an apartment complex on Planet Manhattan, Tal found himself seeking adventure again, choosing not to waste away slowly in silence. His lease was quickly cancelled and he was back among the stars, working with the contracting group Cold Harbor on Planet Sprague in support of Bretonian forces, tasked with culling pirate, Gallic, and insurgent activity on the growing planet. In mid-825 AS, he was placed on medical leave for roughly a month after suffering an injured back and right ankle from an IED blast. He returned to active service and supported Bretonian combat operations on Gran Canaria, participating notably in the initial invasion and subsequent Battle of Las Palmas in mid-April of 826, which saw roughly half of the planet’s largest Zoner settlement damaged or destroyed over the course of a month. Within a week of the battle’s beginning, Tal, originally part of a twelve-man quick reaction force sent to help delay the insurgent forces while Bretonians mobilized, was one of three remaining combat-effective members of the QRF, going on to see the battle through to its finish on May 21st.

At the end of his contract cycle, he opted not to renew with the Kingdom of Bretonia, lacking the points to qualify for a contract extension, and returned to Planet Manhattan where he stayed until contacted by operational planners from the Battlegroup Auxesia. Accepting the offer of 100 million credits to assist in an attack on a major Unioner station, Pacifica Base, and participate in a blockade of the Bering system, he was credited with delivering the two NEMP devices that disabled the installation, participating in numerous skirmishes as well as the destruction of smugglers attempting to deliver repair commodities to the base.

Some time later, he was contacted again by his handler in Cold Harbor, being asked to provide advisory support to Bretonian forces on New London. Once Gallic forces reached the planet, he assisted in evacuation and later recovery efforts, ending the one-month contract still without enough points to qualify for contract extension. Figuring that he finally had enough, he returned once more to Planet Manhattan, where he currently resides.

Weaponry

Error creating thumbnail: Unable to save thumbnail to destination
Tal’s Mark 15 Mod. 2 rifle. This is the same 16-inch-barreled carbine that he carried into combat during service with Cold Harbor.

Ageira Technologies Mark 15 Mod. 3

The Ageira Technologies Armament Subsystems Mark 15 Adaptive Rifle System, in particular, it's Mod. 3 iteration, is an electronically-fired, blowback-operated rifle employing a proprietary high-velocity 6x28mm telescoped-caseless round. Perhaps the embodiment of Ageira's trademark "Light Arm" design philosophy, the Mark 15 is a lightweight weapon system designed with "future-proofing" characteristics, featuring a simple, reliable design and extensive modularity and aftermarket support.

Originally developed for the Libertonian Armed Forces' Lightweight Combat Rifle program in early 800 A.S., the Mark 15 was selected as the winner and was produced under limited contract as a ballistic alternative to the then-standard issue Ageira-manufactured "Backblast" tachyon rifles. Mark 15 rifles underwent multiple upgrades and modifications to prolong their service life, though as of 823 A.S., the Mark 15 inventory was being divested in favor of newer, more modern Enforcer IV tachyon weapons. Some examples remain in service with select special operations units, but the majority of users are now independent entities and as such, the Mark 15 and it's many derivatives are now primarily marketed towards Freelancers and Private Military Contractors.

The Mark 15 is chambered in an Ageira-developed 6x28mm caseless armor-piercing round and operates on a radial-delayed blowback system that rotates the bolt as it accelerates the bolt carrier, thus increasing effective bolt carrier mass and reducing felt recoil as well as improving overall reliability. A stout lithium-ion battery located within the lower receiver provides power to the electronic firing pin, and lasts for roughly 30,000 rounds before requiring a recharge. While the short nature of the bolt carrier does not necessitate the use of an external buffer tube, rifles are shipped with (optional) buffer extensions to help reduce recoil and improve stability. All rifles feed from basic double-stack box magazines fitted with four-way anti-tilt followers to prevent the fragile ammunition from misfeeding.

The Mark 15 features an ambidextrous fire selector, magazine release, and bolt catch. A programmable ammunition counter is an optional addon on upper receivers ordered from Detroit Munitions. Rifles are shipped with a fully-adjustable buttstock and a slim free-floated handguard with modular rail units on four sides to accept a variety of sights, grips, and other accessories, as well as longer or shorter barrels. The latest generation of Mark 15 rifles feature fully-monolithic upper receivers, with the barrel nut held in place by four long pins at the base of the handguard. Removal of the pins is simple, allowing for easy barrel changes. The handguard, lower, and upper receivers are entirely made from special stamped temperature-resistant alloys, with most smaller parts made from high-grade polymers. The result of this is a rather lightweight platform, at roughly 3 kilograms fully loaded with a 40-round magazine, but also one that is intensely durable and can withstand all types of environments and pressures.

In order to achieve acceptable levels of lethality out of shorter barrel lengths, the standard 6x28mm anti-armor round is made from fast-burning compacted powder surrounded in a thin polymer film to keep the rectangular shape. This has two notable downsides, the first being that barrel life is relatively short and requires frequent replacement, and the second being that the weapon has significant dust and smoke signature. Muzzle blast is also intense, especially out of shorter barrel variants, and can throw off an untrained user.


Error creating thumbnail: Unable to save thumbnail to destination
Tal's custom "Featherweight" FWG-5 laser pistol with a micro red dot sight and compact weaponlight. Note the backup iron sights that co-witness through the optic.

Detroit Munitions FWG-5

The Detroit Munitions FWG-5 "Featherweight" (Free-electron Weapon, General-purpose, Mark 5 Mod. 0) is a customized laser pistol produced in limited quantities by the Detroit Munitions arms company, based off of the successful FWG-series of directed energy weapons. Owing to its name, the 5-model is a traditional free-electron laser that focuses amplified light in order to damage targets via heating materials to melting temperatures, though as with all traditional laser weaponry, the effective range and firepower are affected wildly by environmental conditions. Nonetheless, it remains a popular duty and carry weapon, especially in the Edge Worlds amongst Freelancers looking for a lightweight, if not long, sidearm that is highly effective at close ranges.

The FWG series is notable for their reinforced polymer frames, capable of withstanding heat from the prolonged discharge of a directed energy weapon without any deformations and allowing for a much lighter weapon overall. While normally plated entirely in a decorative nickel alloy, the Featherweight model has removed most of the coating aside from some essential accents to reduce weight, an overall theme mimicked in modifications such as the indentations along the upper around non-critical components. A modified removable "double-stacked" heatsink unit, accessible and vented to open air via a traditional release button on the grip, provides a 40% weight reduction over the stock heatsink while retaining 90% cooling efficiency. Power for the actual laser is provided via a small, highly-efficient power cell in the rear of the weapon, which can be accessed and replaced by pressing two recessed push-buttons on the sides. Overall, the Featherweight model is lighter, better balanced, and more pointable than the stock FWG-5, though slightly less durable and heat-efficient.

Fire control is manipulated via a recessed knob located forward of the trigger guard, which allows visible/non-visible, continuous beam or pulse, and rate of fire control from 200 to 1200 RPM. There is no manual safety, with Detroit Munitions opting for a trigger safety that only actuates off of a specific, firm finger movement. Depressing the safety lever "activates" the weapon, while depressing the trigger gives the command to fire.

Tal's personal example is equipped with an additional beam-focusing diode, a compact weaponlight, and a slide-mounted closed-emitter LED reflex collimator sight, commonly referred to by both him and members of his team as a "Roland Special".

Ships

Bw fighter.png
Tal.Ravis
Cruel Summer, Scimitar
Bw vheavy fighter.png
Tal.Ravis!
So Help Me God, Sabre
Jackdaw-s.png
Tal,Ravis!
Late Registration, Jackdaw

Cruel Summer

A Scimitar, bought secondhand from a dealer on Planet Los Angeles by Tal shortly after he graduated from boot camp. Registered in Liberty as POI998 with the serial number 14-009, the ship has been with Tal for over 7 years now, facing extensive modification along the way.

The first of these modifications involved caging off a section of the cargo bay for re-purposing as a living area, featuring a small metal cot, a folding table attached to the wall, and storage drawers underneath the bed. A small bathroom with shower, toilet, and sink is placed across the small hall, which leads back up to the cockpit. These modifications were necessary considering that Tal was disowned by his vehemently anti-military parents following his decision to enlist, and as such he had nowhere to stay during the downtime between boot camp and further training.

The second of the modifications were two navigation lights, one red and one green, placed on the wingtips of his ship. These help to alert other ships of his presence and lower the risk of collision.

The third of his modifications involved getting a lift fan installed and hooked up to his ship's stock engine, allowing him to conduct vertical takeoffs and landings. While completely unnecessary with the inclusion of stock vertical thrusters, he purchased the modifications anyways to better distinguish himself. This VTOL system was used once on Planet Nauru, where the jet exhaust from his engine kicked up sand hard enough that it chipped paint off of a nearby parked Anki freighter.

The last of his modifications so far are mainly cosmetic, as he got his stock engine swapped out for an HN-series light fighter engine. The new engine's longer exhaust proves to be a hazard when used in conjunction with VTOL mode, as it has been shown to melt some older-model launchpads on Manhattan.

Cruel Summer is armed with 4 Enforcer VIs and 1 CP-L Mark 1 Mod. 0 Advanced Debilitator, with iridium armor struts (Universal, Level VIII) in the cargo bay.

Skillset

Attribute Value Additional Notes
Health.png Constitution █ █ █ █ █ █ █ ░ ░ ░ - Missing a few pieces here and there.
Fitness.png Agility █ █ █ █ █ █ ░ ░ ░ ░ - Perfect score on the PFT.
Dexterity.png Dexterity █ █ █ █ █ █ █ █ ░ ░ - Well-versed in the operation of automatic weapons.
Strength.png Strength █ █ █ █ █ ░ ░ ░ ░ ░ - Carried a 40-pound machine gun for a living.
Martial Arts.png Attack █ █ ░ ░ ░ ░ ░ ░ ░ ░ - "What's so hard about swish-swish-stab?"
Firearms.png Ranged █ █ █ █ █ █ █ █ █ █ █ █ █ █ █ █ █ █ █ █ - Calls the automatic setting "family mode".
Leadership.png Leadership █ █ █ ░ ░ ░ ░ ░ ░ ░ - Terminal Lance.
Observation.png Observation █ █ █ █ █ █ █ █ █ - Sees all.
Self-control.png Self-control █ █ █ █ █ █ █ █ ░ ░ - Keeps it 300, like the Romans.
Charisma.PNG Charisma █ █ ░ ░ ░ ░ ░ ░ ░ ░ - As charming as a 25-year-old brick wall. If you've ever had that problem, hit that subscribe button.


Shotgun Diplomacy (Faction)

Faction Relationship
Himself
Allied
Everybody Else
Unfriendly


Diplomacy (Personal)

Faction Relationship
Sokhatai Qestir
Allied
Everybody Else
Unfriendly