Name: De Luca Affiliation: Legión Maltesa Date of Birth: CLASSIFIED
Biography: "A shadow in the night. With the sounding of an accordion, his enemies fall before him, for he is a man who dedicates himself for the well-being of the Maltese." - These words perfectly sum up the nature of this mysterious man known as De Luca.
Little is known about his early life, as it is his personal secret. The only obvious thing every Maltese knows of him is his fondess of the accordion. With such proficiency in the bellows-driven instrument, he soon discovered his talents went far beyond music. Enrolling in a prestigious school in Malta gave him the necessary skills to repurpose his family's Tridente-class gunboat in 822 AS, which he fondly named the Accordion, an obvious reference to his childhood. It was only the start of a more successful career after going to a military school five years prior.
Despite this, there were many setbacks to his life. Having a sense of pride nearly led to his downfall. There were many times where he nearly faced death, some as a result of his egoistic actions. He soon got into contact with the fabled Legión Maltesa, most notably Eliza Valdez and Ezio Aquila in 827 AS. At the time, the Outcasts had many battles with the GMG, Cryer, and the Corsairs in Sigma-17. Successfully managing to score eighteen hits on enemy forces, the hums of the accordion drew close to Atka as Outcast forces struck a heavy blow on the base. Slowly but surely, his fame and wealth grew, and he was set to command two more ships: the Providence and the Platea. Later that year, the Outcasts made a push towards Tau-44. Scoring another ten hits against the Crayterian and IMG forces got him closer to the Legión. He had previously considered joining the Imperial Coalition's armada, but he turned down the offer every time it was asked.
After that, he went to Kusari to train some Gen'an pilots and help them in combat. He met Hinohara Yuuko, a talented captain of the gunboat known as Hoshihokori. Together with her and many others of the sisterhood, he was listed as a target of opportunity by the Kusari Naval Forces after he had managed to take down a Kusari Destroyer that was sent to deal with the Gen'an bombers. This soon earned him respect from the Gen'an, and as such, the Accordion was fitted with "Harai" gunboat weapons and "Nagareboshi" engines. His journey into Kusari would end when he returned to the Taus to address more domestic problems.
In early 828 AS, he was finally admitted into the Legión Maltesa. As promising as it is, he was not the same man as he was before. He was now a sicario, the feared dagger of the Maltese. With more than 47 hits on the Hispania Imperial's Sicario leaderboard, he is considered by most Maltese as a hero. Yet there were still things to be settled. Under the adivce of Eliza Valdez, he chose a new name for his Tridente, the Asuncion. Before that, he had shown her the ear-catching tune of his beloved accordion. Currently, he lives in an apartment close to the planet's capital city, where he regularly meets with other notable Maltese. He has also recently commanded a Sarissa-class battleship, the Santa Teresa, which was once the Guardia Svizzera's Venezia, when the ship's command passed down to him from a retiring captain named Giovanni Lombardi.
A musician, a sicario, and a shadow in the night, he is Malta's staunch defender, ready to address any threat that may harm the image of his people and most importantly, his instrument.
Quotes:
"The sound of the accordion is pleasant and melodious. Yet it is also a dagger that stabs Malta's enemies." (827 AS)
"In the hands of Malta's finest pilots, the Tridente can match the ferocity and lethality of a Sabre in combat." (828 AS)
"Music is diverse, but a single fact unites all of these; it carries the beauty of Cardamine in soundwaves." (822 AS)
Name: De Luca Entry Date: April 10, 829 AS Subject: Swindler's fools
Single-mindedness: The Legion doesn't die as others wished to be. Strapped up my essentials, packed up the accordion, put on my visor, everything's on the go aboard the Asuncion. As I depart the orange-filled atmosphere of Malta, wearing my mask, I made my way through the jumphole to Tau-37. Heard about the things happening in nearby Tau-53, might as well make some determination.
You know, everything is going to be messy. But it's no problem when we exert our skill and strength as defenders of Malta. I've tasted the likes of Kusarian shrimp and Gallic frog legs. They all get cooked up by the sounds of weapons fire from the Asuncion.
I made my way to Tau-53, expecting something to happen. And there it was, there was a meal ready to be served for Malta's defenders. Even as our battleships fell, as the view of weapons fire made it certain there was a party going on. Yet I didn't expect meeting some enigmatic Freelancer who was some kind of mercenary.
The operation was simple: capture the Swinder and make use of its cargo for the benefit of Malta.
The Lipstick: At first glance, kind of deceptive, but a skilled mercenary. Whoever he or she is, the Lipstick offered me and the rest of the Maltesians a helping hand. Struck some kind of deal in case the Swindler falls to our hands.
Truth eventually came to rear its head. As the once "proud" fleets of Gallic and Kusarian vessels fell apart like wet paper, the treasure was in our hands. But the Swinder was too cheesy and tried to give us a sense of misdirection. That freighter captain refused to share its cargo and tried to run away, but we made it pay for its talkative habits.
Lipstick wanted half the share, then a third, then a quarter. Seemed like someone who'd take most of the Swindler's cargo, but I was not that single-minded, agreeing to give most of the credit cards and the nuclear devices for me and the Hyperspace Starfleet.
As I came resting in the ever familiar orange sky of Malta, I contemplated about Lipstick. Someday I hope I could strike some deal with that mercenary, just as my instincts came to be. I still don't know who the Lipstick is. But the thought of consideration may prove to be a worthy investment for whatever is coming in the near future.
Name: De Luca Entry Date: May 8, 829 AS Subject: Diplomacy in action
Contemplations: Liberty's losing hold of Pennsylvania. The Zoners have established their presence amidst the outflow of H-fuel. Sometimes you really have to think about the events happening right here, especially with the Insurgency knocking at their front door. Hell, even some of Ageira's men defied the Liberty blockade and was promptly shot at by a nearby battlecruiser. He managed to escape however, but it was worth all the money I got from the taxes I levied to the passing traders.
Days pass, and I had some business to mop up. You see, cardamine is in us. All of us who dwell in the orange-filled landscape of Malta. It was taught to us since childhood, even before we were born, for it was already present in the womb. I distinctly remember a year ago when señora Eliza Valdez talked about supply issues in Liberty. They had contemplated the Xenos, si, but from experiences with their leader, "Cobra", no progress was evidently made. That thought still crosses to me, and I had to find it out. Or someone who is willing to do it and publish a comprehensive report.
Research in disguise: I haven't forgotten my role as a researcher. What was most eventful is the constant presence of aliens in Orkney, and also the presence of both Bretonia and Kusari war ships. To my surprise, it seems they were still at war with the Gallics of some sort, like the old days when it was all to familiar to everyone living back then.
So I donned up my research vessel and headed straight to Orkney. As I went to the system I found a joint Bretonia-Kusari fleet sieging a Gallic base. They were also hostile to the Order cruiser that had visited the system, probably because they had differing viewpoints: that both the Bretonians and Kusarians wanted to lessen Gallic presence for fears of yet another invasion, and that Gallia and the Order wanted to eradicate them, since the frogs don't generally like intruders coming into their space. What was most intriguing was the comment made by the Order vessel, who stated that the invading fleet was "infected" and it was up to him to eradicate the perceived threat, which did not end well as his ship was promptyl destroyed.
After that, I came upon Fiorella de Marco, ready to discuss a new plan that may benefit both the Legión and Malta as a whole.
Reliable partners: I woke up to find a new message waiting at the neural net. She apparently was on leave and wanted to know what was happening across Sirius. After some conversations, both personally and over the neural net, I realized Valdez's words really had meaning to other Maltese. Finding out trustworthy allies across Sirius has been her priority and only recently it was seriously considered.
While it's mostly good news, some are really worth considering seriously. I've heard from her that a new Hacker group, known as "Signet", had proven themselves as untrustworthy, when they initiated hostilities against the inner circle of the Lane Hackers, probably due to their alleged cordial relationship with the Xeno Alliance. That led me to contact a trustworthy group, namely Hemlocke's Rogue pack, according to de Marco's statements.
It was now or never to meet up with Hemlocke and to relay my findings to Eliza Valdez.
Name: De Luca Entry Date: May 11, 829 AS Subject: Foreshadowing
Hemlocke: He may have given to his hate. A big mistake, really. To think of discrediting the Legion with some bare-bones diplomacy? I'll make sure he pays for every word he says to me.
Eliza Valdez: She has answered my call, at least. The Legión is something I have dedicated my life all over. Now that the sparks have been ignited, let us show the resolve of what it means to be Maltese.
Fiorella de Marco: A nice señorita. I think I have formed some kind of friendship between me and her. She is what inspires us to be a true Maltese.
Remarks: May you fly well, Asuncion. Tomorrow we shall fight to live another day.
Name: De Luca Entry Date: November 30, 833 AS Subject: Fortunes and Flare-ups
Cardamine resurgence: Ever since the revolt that impacted the lives of all Outcasts, including us, we've survived and adapted, even when things looked dire enough to warrant direct action. I was assigned to quell the numerous uprisings that occurred across Malta's plantation fields. Now, thanks to our perseverance, the Outcasts are looking stronger than ever. Despite the numerous threats ranging from the noxious Corsicans and Liberty's forces, I am proud to report the arrival of one of our Cardamine-filled barges to its destination in Pennsylvania, despite encountering a sizable Liberty Navy force, which was repelled by our brave warriors. Nothing will stop our trade, even the slaves that revolted against our rule.
Situations unfolding: Right now, things are heating up in the Omicron Theta system. As of this writing, I've heard it to be some kind of an arms race between us and the Corsairs, our ancient rival. The Legión Maltesa right now is not quite that active, as me and other fellow Legionnaires have been preoccupied on peacekeeping of various plantations of Planet Malta, to ensure that the revolt that happened two years ago won't repeat and ruin our homeworld, though on a few occasions I have been sent to space whenever a large Corsair fleet threatens our interests. I wonder if I could convince the other Legionnaires to act should the situation escalate into a conflict, but right now I have little interest in doing so.
