The Rickenbacker, Ryu Sato & Milena Kehler

[Mímir]

[color=#FFCC33]BACKGROUND STORY

Ryu Sato was born and raised on Gas Miner Ogashawa, both his parents working as miners. As a teenager he spent much of his time on Freeport 7, sneaking into the docking bay to study the magnificent ships coming in from all over Sirius. On one of those expeditions he got caught trying to get a better look of a particularly attractive Eagle. The Eagle belonged to 20 year old Freelancer Max Kehler, who knew that Ryu, aged 16 at the time, didn't mean any harm and of course shared this interest in space ship. Kehler took Ryu out for a spin and let him handle the controls of the blazing Eagle, and from that moment Ryu's destiny was sealed: He wanted to be a pilot. Kehler was working freelance in the Sigmas, and he started to frequent Ogashawa as the two became friends.

The following year Ryu joined the GMG defense forces as a fighter pilot and slowly moved through the ranks to become wing leader, often doing missions with Max Kehler. Ryu knew that Kehler was a far better fighter pilot than he would ever be, but at the same time he knew his own main strength was his flair for leadership. Ryu's GMG fighter wing often joined forces with the KNF, and Ryu was inspired by the KNF's display of tactical dominance and military efficiency. It was not long before he decided to leave his family and life in Sigma-19 and applied for the prestigious KNF military academy and got in. As a KNF officer Ryu served on various destroyers and a battleship, starting as a Communications Officer and later becoming the Executive Officer of the battleship Gifu. On several occasions he made sure that Max Kehler was hired to accompany the ships he was serving on, to much dismay of some of the more xenophobic KNF officers.

[attachmentid=541]
800 A.S. Ryu Sato at an official KNF parade on Planet New Tokyo, a month before the Nomad War broke out.

In 799 A.S. at age 40 and shortly before the Nomad War broke out, he was awarded captaincy of a destroyer. The Nomad War broke out, and Ryu had a first-hand experienced of comrades turning on each other under the influence of Governor Tekagi and the Aoi Iseijin. His destroyer was part of a battle group assigned to monitor and defend the Sigmas from Rheinland forces and his old friend Kehler had joined the group on a volunteer basis to get even with the Nomads for the previous destruction of Freeport 7. Out of the blue, another KNF destroyer broke out of formation and attacked the fighter / bomber escort and managed to wipe out half of it before getting blown into space. Kehler was among the casualties, leaving behind his wife and daughter.

Losing his faith in the integrity of House militaries, Ryu did his duty and saw the Nomad war through, but then turned his back on the KNF for good. He boarded a Zoner Dromedary and departed for the desolate Omicron systems, taking on administrative duties related to the defense of Corfu Base in Omicron Theta, determined to never again pilot or command a fighter unit having seen his share of death and violence. In Ryu's view, the Zoner neutrality meant taking the moral high ground but soon he learned the practical reality and cool business side of the neutrality and developed an acute sense for goal-oriented diplomacy when managing the fleets of Outcast, Corsairs and Bounty Hunters frequenting Omicron Theta and the Zoner installations.


[color=#FFCC33]SELECTED PERSONAL LOG ENTRIES

<Entry #36524, 811 A.S.: Corfu Base, Omicron Theta>
This is my tenth year doing this job of listening to requests from other Freeports and re-directing excess fighter units across the Omicrons. Ten years of sitting behind a desk, hooked up to the neural net and staring at a screen, but I knew this would be the consequence when I left the military. I just can't shake the feeling that I should have been doing more. I'm no young buck anymore, I'm turning fifty and I should have been forming a family of my own by now, like the one Max had, but the thought it just doesn't appeal to me somehow. I'm getting off track here... No notable events occurred, besides from Paul leaving Corfu Base this morning with some supplies to Freeport XV and decided to stay around Omicron-74 for another day. I cleared it. No immediate need for his Dromedary here.

<Entry #37211, 813 A.S.: Corfu Base, Omicron Theta>
A rather eventful day today. First we had two Outcasts coming in from Eta, hanging out in the bar enjoying themselves in their loud fashion telling tales of raids they had been on. When they undocked a number of Corsairs were waiting for them, and they started to duke it out right on top of Corfu. I had to tell them to go somewhere else and they did, but for the rest of the afternoon they were fighting and frequently coming back to Corfu to resupply their ships for more fighting. I understand why people describe these guys as brutal and somewhat insane, but I'm not fooled. Beneath their savage approach, the fact of that matter is that both the Outcasts and the Corsairs are fighting intense wars against several mighty foes, while keeping their fragile but vital trade routes intact. It is truly a remarkable tactical accomplishment that many fail to realize. Peter down at engineering told me that a pilot just out of liberty had said something to him about the Outcast forming alliances with the Rogues. If it's true, it's a damn good move.

<Entry #37684, 814 A.S.: Corfu Base, Omicron Theta>
More and more 'gung-ho' freelancers are coming to Theta wanting to try their luck going through Gamma and on to Kappa. We supply them, we refuel them, we repair them and more often than not their escape pods are picked up by passing Zoners and dropped off here at Corfu. We give them the bill, they pay, and everyone is happy. Good business. But today a group of Bounty Hunter capital ships came through and as they couldn't go through Gamma with all the Corsairs there, they attempted to sneak through Omicron-74. We sent the Guards an early warning, and a Zoner fleet managed to block the jumphole. The Bounty Hunters were throwing around all sorts of curses and threats, but in the end they had to turn around and leave. With the increased interest in the Nomad Worlds I think we are going to see a lot more episodes of that kind.

<Entry #39052, 816 A.S.: Corfu Base, Omicron Theta>
I got a neural net message from Robert Huntington today. He is a good guy, served in the Nomad War on the Liberty side. Hell, I haven't seen him in six or seven years when he was here on Corfu the last time. I remember getting drunk for the first time in years, sharing stories of the glorious battles we participated in when we were young. And foolish. The neural net message said he had an offer for me. Something exciting and challenging, and I was 'just the right man' . Bob is a good guy, but I know when someone wants something from me. I told him I wasn't interested in what he had to offer.

<Entry #39069, 816 A.S.: Corfu Base, Omicron Theta>
Bob just can't seem to let it go. It's been two weeks since I declined what ever he had to offer, and now he sends me some semi-confidential documents. Basicly they want me to captain a ship on a scientific mission. A ship with a decent cargo hold size to contain whatever it is they want to collect. A military grade ship on a civilian scientific mission. They patron of this mission is one Gustav Kamprad. Rumor has it he was dabbling in some private R&D, attempting to integrate Nomad technology with our own some 15 years back in Liberty. The Liberty Security Force would have nothing of that, and they booted him out of Liberty. Somehow the Zoner community took him in, and soon after he started throwing his money around, buying himself influence. That's why I know of him, because he recently acquired the Corvo Cruiser Von Braun to the discontent of many Zoners since the good Mr. Kamprad didn't really have the proper clearance or experience to handle a ship that powerful. But at least now it all makes sense. Now I know why they want me. I got the clearance to command a military ships, I have the credentials and without me as the Commanding Officer, Mr. Kamprads plans for a grand expedition would fall through. They invited me to a meeting on Planet Erie, I told them there was no reason for me to travel that far to deliver my no to Mr. Kamprad personally.

<Entry #39104, 817 A.S.: Corfu Base, Omicron Theta>
It's been six months since I sent my final reply to Bob, but today a neural net message with a more detailed description of the mission statement and a brief overview of the ship they want me to command. I attached the ship's information below in this log entry. The mission is simple, but dangerous: Kamprad wants to to move a scientific research team into Omicron Iota to confirm certain anomalies on specific coordinates. Apparently the Von Braun have located a number of significant jump hole locations before the aging ship was decommissioned. Besides from when the Von Braun left Corfu, the only time I saw it was on it's final voyage to be broken down and recycled at Livadia Shipyard. Also, there is some mention of possible Nomad structures on given coordinates. If nothing else, at least Kamprad is thinking big. The mission statement outlines different business associates and how they are planning to carry out different research otherwise restrained in House space, and the operation as a whole is carefully thought out. Logistically and financially it takes a big effort to sustain a fully operational carrier.


[color=#FF0000]**********FORWARDED NEURAL NET MESSAGE: CLASSIFIED**********

Dear Mr. Sato (or should I call you Commander Sato? You must admit the title would suit you well...)

I think a more thorough description of the task I am offering you would help you make up your mind. It was, after all, why I invited you to Planet Erie to begin with. Please study the attached information about the tiny 'flotilla' we are picturing you commanding:


[size=small]The Rickenbacker

Class:
'Aquilon' class Carrier.

Modifications:
- Salvaging capabilities
- Reduced snubcraft carrying capacity
- Advanced 'hazmat' storage compartments

Role:
Command ship, primary exploration vessel, salvage vessel.

Military crew:
- Officers
- A full crew of 300 servicemen to maintain operation of the Rickenbacker
- 40 all-purpose pilots (trained for fighters, bombers, shuttles and salvaging)
- 160 Space Marines to be deployed in ground operations and Zero Gravity environments*

(*) Not cleared to assist in complex salvaging operations on the outside of the carrier in the Nomad Worlds and in heavily radiated space. The marines' primary objective is to defend the crew should the Rickenbacker be boarded, the secondary to assist in complex salvaging situations.

Civilian crew:
80 scientists with expertise in different areas from xenoarcheology to xenobiology.

Vessels carried:
- 15 'Virage SV-17' Very Heavy Fighters
- 8 'Falcata '€“ Series ZX' Border Worlds Bombers
- 2 'Scimitar '€“ Series CX' Border Worlds Light Fighters
- 2 'CTE FR-2302-K' Civilian Shuttles, modified for salvaging
- 1 'CTE FR-2302-K' Civilian Shuttle designated as the Commander's personal shuttle
- Capacity to carry and sustain a maximum of 7 additional snubcraft


The Von Braun

Class:
'ZBT-100Z' Zoner Borderworld Transport

Role:
Support ship for the Rickenbacker, transportation of research-oriented items, transportation of Zoner supplies for Freeports etc.

Crew:
- 15 Spaceship Crew
- 4 Scientists monitoring the transported goods
- 4 Scientists working on implementing a prototype A.I. on the Von Braun.



If you have any improvements you would like to have carried out, please do inform us. No expenses spared.


Sincerely.

Gustav Kamprad

[color=#FF0000]*************END OF FORWARDED NEURAL NET MESSAGE*************


<Entry #39105, 817 A.S.: Corfu Base, Omicron Theta>
Flipping through my neural net messages this morning I kept coming back to Kamprad's message. I would be lying to myself if I was to say I'm not tempted to leave this desk of mine to command a fully kitted Battleship. I haven't replied him yet, but I have to turn him down, however flattered I might be. Mr. Kamprad clearly has his own set of objectives, his own agenda, and I fear those agendas would collide with my duties as a Commander if I was to take him up on his offer. I'm going to send him my final no this afternoon.

<Entry #39106, 817 A.S.: Corfu Base, Omicron Theta>
He beat me to it. When I accessed the neural net to write Kamprad to let him know not to bother with approaching me again a new message from him personally popped up. I included it below in this log entry. Seems he is adamant in his determination to have me command his ship, and he certainly did his homework. He sent me the current roster of the chief officers of the Rickenbacker, and I only made it to the second entry on the list below my own name. Milena Kehler, Max's daughter. I was there when she was baptized, for God's sake. She was there with her mother when Max and I departed for the Sigmas during the Nomad War. She was there at his funeral. She couldn't have been more than 10 years old at the time. I haven't heard from her since, and I haven't made any efforts to gain contact with Max's family. I left all that behind me some 20 years ago when I gave up my military career and joined the Zoners. It seems like things are coming together. Kamprad certainly got me hooked now, if nothing else but to meet Milena. When did she become a Zoner? How did that slip by my nose? And what kind of a person has she turned out to be? Is she truly competent to be an XO at such a young age or is she just put on the ship's roster to manipulate an old fool? I'm going to go to his little meeting, but I will not allow myself to be fooled by my own feelings.


[color=#FF0000]***************FORWARDED NEURAL NET MESSAGE***************

Dear Commander Sato.

I thought the following command officer roster would be of the utmost interest to you. Remember that these are the people you will be shaping your future with.

Commanding officer (CO): Commander Ryu Sato
Origin: Kusari/Sigmas
Age: 59
Secondary ship tag: Commander.Ryu.Sato

Executive Officer (XO): Milena Kehler
Origin: Rheinland/Sigmas
Age: 29
Secondary ship tag: Milena.Kehler

Commander, Air Group (CAG): Haruki Higa
Origin: Omicrons
Age: 27

Chief Engineering and Maintenance Officer: Jonah Smith
Origin: Omicrons
Age: 43

Weapons Officer (Weps): Maria 'Cow' Kowalczyk
Origin: Omicrons
Age: 21

Chief Infantry Officer/'Space Marine Commander': Major Connor McDougal
Origin: Bretonia
Age: 33

Chief Intelligence and Navigation Officer: Artificial Intelligence designated 'Chio'
Capabilities:
- Pro-active and rapid database search of useful archived intel
- Direct access to data output from several key systems of the Rickenbacker, enabling Chio to deliver more relevant intel
- Provides insights and recommendations to the Commander based on cross referencing large amounts of available data and the mission statement coded into the A.I.'s kernel
Origin: Prototype, most likely produced somewhere in Liberty
Vocal output: Female voice, mid 20's, Liberty accent

Chief Scientific Officer: Dr. Abel Voelker
Origin: Rheinland
Age: 52


I will be looking forward to your reply and to meeting you on Planet Erie in two months time for the final negotiations.


Sincerely,

Gustav Kamprad

[color=#FF0000]****************END OF FORWARDED NEURAL NET MESSAGE****************


<Entry #39211, 818 A.S.: Planet Erie, Liberty>
17 years. Its been 17 years since I was in House space the last time. It's a long time. Things look so different now compared to at the end of the Nomad War. The trade lanes busy with ships, from across Sirius. Some group called 'The Hellfire Legion' imposed their presence when we entered the New York system and we had to shut down our comms because of the amount of random system chatter. As much as the vibrant atmosphere amaze me, I can't deny that the Omicrons feel more like my home now. I had blissfully forgotten all about trade-lane piracy until some independent pirate shot us out of the trade lane in an area called The Badlands. He demanded a huge ransom, even though the pilot tried to inform him that we weren't carrying any cargo of value to him. The pirate didn't let us go until a passing by Liberty Rogue told him what our pilot had been trying to say all along. Planet-side Mr. Kamprad personally collected me at the Space Port and brought me to a shiny corporate office building. He was very enthusiastic about the whole ordeal. Wouldn't shut up for a second, not giving himself time to think before talking. He ought to realize that a man like me see right through his feeble attempts at coercion. The reality is that he plans to make a lot of profit on carrying out research in the Omicrons and he needs my command expertise and security clearance to make that happen. I, on the other hand, am here because I am an old sentimental fool that want to catch some happy memory belonging to my past. I told my points of view to Mr. Kamprad, and for the first time in two hours he fell quiet. No need to sugarcoat anything. Shortly after I parted ways with him and went to the hotel room that was booked for me. A 7 star hotel, nothing less would do for Mr. Kamprads personal visitors. He should know that such things won't impress a man with a military background. In fact if this project of his is ever going to work with me on board, we need to make a clear separation of the civilian scientific goal whilst maintaining a firm militaristic command line structure. Hell will freeze over before I'm going to be his lap dog, especially with a battleship under my command. I need him to understand that this is my condition if I decide to play along. We will have plenty of time to talk that through tomorrow after I meet with the Chief Officers of the bridge.

<Entry #39212, 818 A.S.: Planet Erie, Liberty>
Had breakfast with the Chief Officers. They seem like a well-balanced group, and some of them have worked together before I think I have come across one or two of their names before. My only concern is the scientist. He didn't participate socially and looked like he would be more comfortable back at his lab. If you ask me, it is a mistake to put a person with a civilian background like the good doctor on the bridge. The real question is how long he would last on bridge before Major McDougal will chew him up. An interesting character, that one. He has seen it all. Service in the Bretonian special infantry forces, dishonorable discharge border-lining war crimes, working as a merc before signing a contract with the Zoners. Hard as nails. Space-faring people like myself and many others tend to forget that while we are fighting out battles in space, there will be someone on the ground putting a torch to our homes. That someone would be McDougal, and no doubt he would enjoy lighting that fire for all the wrong reasons. Good to have him on our side though. His experience and perspectives can turn out to be valuable assets. No sight of miss Kehler though. The Deuterium transporting convoy she had been escorting from Omega-49 to Ames Research Station had been under heavy attack, and she was was delayed. For what it is worth, that gave me ample opportunity to discuss some of the reflections I have had regarding some of the command issues in private with Mr. Kamprad. I let him know that under no circumstances would I be commanding a civilian ship, that the Rickenbacker was to remain a military ship and operate as such with the main objectives being defense of Zoners and defense of Freeports in peril and this civilian scientific mission being a secondary objective. That really got him going, trying to spin the situation, trying to sweet talk me into believing that my demands weren't really an option. He went on for 45 minutes until it finally sank in that I wouldn't budge. It went without saying that this redefinition of the mission objectives would de facto leave me in full command of the Battleship, empowering me with the right to overrule Kamprad's orders if I deem other objectives more important to overall Zoner security. After that, he suggested that we all took the rest of the day off while he was consulting his legal team.

<Entry #39213, 818 A.S.: Harrisburg Station, Liberty>
It's been a long day, but I guess I can now call myself a Battleship Commander. Mr. Kamprad got back to me this morning after overhauling the mission statement with his legal team. He said he would approve of my terms, but that I should know that I will be signing a contract with him, binding me not only to the protection of Freeports and other Zoners, but also obligating me to pursue Kamprad's objectives. I looked it through, and it was in order, but I didn't want to sign anything before meeting the full crew. In the afternoon we went on a shuttle to Harrisburg Station to get a clear view of beautiful Planet Erie and to have dinner. Under the short flight we were attacked by a group of those Xenos, and out of nowhere a shrieking Raven's Talon came in, guns blazing blowing those poor Xenos out of space. The shuttle captain told us that it was Milena Kehler's ship. She was pulling off moves that would have made her father proud. And I know he would have loved that Talon. As soon as we had docked, she jumped out of her cockpit and walked directly over to me, saluted and reported herself ready for duty. I like that. A positive attitude. She had the same look in her eyes as her father, that proud and death-defying look. He would indeed have been very proud to see how she had turned out. After we introduced ourselves, I asked if she remembered me. She said she did, but perhaps she just knew who I was and said she remembered me to be polite to an old man. I don't know. After the introductions were over, I went to speak with Milena in private. I wanted to know her points of view on this mission and Mr. Kamprad, I wanted to know what kind of an XO I would have serving with me. When prompted, she herself raised the concern of Mr. Kamprad's involvement and that she refused to put any of her crew's lives in unnecessary danger. I told her I had been having the same concerns, showing her the new draft of the mission statement. She was very pleased with the changes. In the afternoon, I signed the papers.

<Entry #39287, 818 A.S.: Planet Erie, Liberty>
Busy couple of days. The very day I agreed to take on this position Milena was off to supervise progress on the Rickenbacker. For the past year she has been visiting the shipyard to keep a keen eye on the ship. I have been taking part in all the official 'hoo-hah', giving press conferences with Mr. Kamprad, and frankly I'm sick and tired of it. I would prefer to leave Liberty as soon as possible.

[attachmentid=542]
818 A.S. Press photo of Commander Sato and Gustav Kamprad hosting a conference on Planet Erie

<Entry #39290, 818 A.S.: Planet Erie, Liberty>
Just received an update from Milena. The Rickenbacker has undocked from Livadia Shipyard, and she has assumed control over the ship while running the final structural integrity tests. They are operating with a drastically reduce crew and are keeping it to basic testing in case there should be any major faults in the construction. With the ships current status she expects it will be ready to enter full service in less than 6 months. I informed her that I remain on Planet Erie to discuss the strategic approach to the mission with Mr. Kamprad. We are currently discussing the possibility of using Freeport 10 as a base for the Rickenbacker, but that would require certain permissions from the Outcast before being feasible with the overall mission objective in mind.

<Entry #39322, 818 A.S.: Sector 7E, Omicron-74>
I'm on board the Rickenbacker for the first time, and it is a truly magnificent ship. Jonah Smith, my Chief of Engineering, has been a key figure in applying the modifications. He is very ambitious and I made sure to let him know that he has done well. I am going to stay on board for the next weak while Mr. Smith gives me a complete walk-through. I want to know every little detail about this ship.

<Entry #39335, 818 A.S.: Sector 4C, Omicron Theta>
We are slowly coming up on Corfu Base at the our left as I write this entry. The base seems so small from the perspective of a battleship. I had completely forgotten this proud feeling of being a part of a capital ship crew. I don't have any other way to express what I am feeling, except that it just feels... right. Unfortunately I will be parting ways with the Rickenbacker today, leaving my XO in charge of operations. I'm taking three pilots and a seven marines with me on my personal shuttle. We need to be able to travel around the clock and to stay safe while negotiating agreements for the Rickenbacker and the Von Braun with relevant parties. I ordered Milena to assemble a full crew and bring the Rickenbacker up to full operational capacity, and set Freeport 10 as our rendezvous point.

<Entry #39336, 818 A.S.: Planet New Tokyo, Kusari>
Got an urgent message from Mr. Kamprad this morning. Things in Liberty has been getting a bit too heated for him, rumors of him cutting corners and conducting ethically questionable research outside the reach of House authorities. He wants me to meet with him on Ames Research Station immediately. Can't say I'm sorry to leave Kusari. It's been so long since I was here, and a lot has changed. New political groupings with new agendas, the KNF still maintaining supremacy through their tactics. I get this eerie feeling. There is no rational explanation to it, but every time our shuttle has been stopped for a cargo scan I have had a chilling gut feeling that something is indeed very wrong within the KNF. I felt a irrational sense of fear, and I think we are better off clearing Kusari as soon as possible.

<Entry #39337, 818 A.S.: Ames Research Station, Kepler>
When I met Mr. Kamprad last night he tried to give the impression that all this was in fact an intentional choice, seeing that Ames already harbor a lot of similar independent operations and all he really needed was a few desks and an office because most of the research is carried out elsewhere anyways. I didn't buy it, and I have now made up my mind to avoid ever giving him access to the Rickenbacker's bridge. He cannot be fully trusted. However its not all just bad news. Milena just informed me that the Rickenbacker is fully operational and docked in Omega-49 and that she is taking out her Talon to scout out a discrete route through Bretonia and to establish contact with the authorities to obtain permission to pass through Bretonian sovereign space. As soon as my shuttle is refueled we're off to the Taus.

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