Tal Ravis

Tal Ravis
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"God forgives. I don't."
Profile
Origin	Liberty
Occupation	Interceptor Pilot
Gender	Male
Affiliation	Gas Miners Guild
Liberty Marine Corps (Former)	4 years
Rank	Lance Corporal
Status	Active
Born	August 6, 798 AS, Planet Manhattan.
Died	N/A

Tal "Underscore" Ravis is a Marine-turned-Freelancer-turned-Interceptor Pilot who is the main protagonist of Discovery Freelancer.

Biography

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.

Service History

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.

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.

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.

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.

Later Career

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

He returned to the Guild in time for the final stages 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. Sources state that he is still there to this day.

Ships

GMG|Tal,Ravis Silver Bullet I, Karasu (Destroyed) GMG|Tal,Ravis Silver Bullet II, Karasu GMG|Tal;Ravis Hercules, Kaichou GMG|Valdez.Maru Exxon Valdez, Stork GMG|Tal.Ravis Gas Grazer, Kamome GMG|Underscore Space Amoeba, Garanchou Tal Otis, Kestrel Tal.Ravis Murder to Excellence, Scimitar Tal,Ravis The Joy, Scimitar (Spare) Tal.Ravis! Primetime, Sabre Tal,Ravis! Gotta Have it, Jackdaw

Silver Bullet I

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.

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.

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.

Silver Bullet II

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.

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-aimed twin-linked 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.

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.

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.

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.

Exxon Valdez

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".

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.

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.

Gas Grazer

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.

Space Amoeba

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.

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.

Otis

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.

Otis 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.

Murder to Excellence

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 repurposing 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.

Murder to Excellence 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 Murder to Excellence in terms of loadout, modifications, and armor.

Primetime

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 Murder to Excellence is, although without the lift fan and VTOL capability.

Primetime 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.

Gotta Have It

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.

Gotta Have It is armed with 2 Purple Goddess Chainguns, 2 CP-M Mark 1 Mod. 0 Improved Debilitators, and a Sidewinder missile launcher.

Skillset

	Attribute	Value	Additional Notes
	Health	█ █ █ █ █ █ █ ░ ░ ░	- Missing a few pieces here and there.
	Fitness	█ █ █ █ █ █ ░ ░ ░ ░	- Combat diver, parachute, and EVA certified.
	Dexterity	█ █ █ █ █ █ █ █ ░ ░	- Well-trained and versed in rapid operation of manually-cycled (bolt, pump, and lever-action) weapons.
	Strength	█ █ █ █ █ ░ ░ ░ ░ ░	- Sufficient to haul significant quantities of equipment on long missions.
	Martial Arts	█ █ ░ ░ ░ ░ ░ ░ ░ ░	- Rudimentary pointy-end-towards-enemy bayonet training, with some knowledge of basic trench knife applications.
	Firearms	█ █ █ █ █ █ █ █ █ █	- Can blast the balls clean off of a fly at 250 yards with a scoped rifle, and at 125 with iron sights.
	Leadership	█ █ █ ░ ░ ░ ░ ░ ░ ░	- Terminal Lance.
	Observation	█ █ █ █ █ █ █ █ █ ░	- Trained extensively in information-gathering and deep reconnaissance.
	Self-control	█ █ █ █ █ █ █ █ ░ ░	- Keeps it 300, but occasionally fires on surrendered forces.
	Charisma	█ █ ░ ░ ░ ░ ░ ░ ░ ░	- As charming as a 25-year-old brick wall.

Shotgun Diplomacy (Faction)

Faction	Relationship
Gas Miners Guild	Allied
Everybody Else	Unfriendly
Hogosha	Hostile
Samura	Hostile
Outcasts	At War
Corsairs	At War

Diplomacy (Personal)

Faction	Relationship
Keiji Namura	Allied
Komachi Kurosawa	Unfriendly
Koftik	Unfriendly
"Empress Jess"	Unfriendly
Sapphire Raven	Unfriendly
Everybody Else	Unfriendly
Hudson Ravis	Hostile
Xavier Ravis	Hostile
Helena Devine	Hostile
Nova Hawken	Hostile
Destroyer Kakushi	At War