Asteroid Blues Gaming / BLUES

PREACH3R

Born to a prestigious military family on Ganymede, Preach3r was raised on duty and pride. After graduating from the UEE Ganymede School of Military Command and Tactics, he was contracted as a Tactical Officer for the UEE’s Ganymede-Space Defense Agency. In his 6th year of command aboard the GSDA Lorenza, during routine patrols, his escort (GSDA Bartow) is destroyed by long range missile fire. Unable to engage at the enemy’s distance, he orders his crew to abandon ship. Before escaping himself, he sets the Lorenza to collide with a nearby asteroid. The resulting collision destroyed an unmanned mining platform, and the company sued the government of Ganymede for damages and “emotional compensation”. The owner of the mining robots was quoted to have said, “Mining drone 1435a was given to me by my uncle Jorge, as a gift. You can’t replace these sorts of thing!” Although following standard operating procedures, it was deemed reckless by GSDA officials, and Preach3r was discharged from service. Jaded by the government’s “knee-jerk” reaction, Preach3r decided that duty was no longer worth fighting for, and he set out to create a private firm, based on Ganymede, in which to put his command and combat experience to work for an early retirement..

SPINBOT

Born on mars, to humble means, Spinbot was told, every day, that hard work and dedication were key to success. To get his parents off his back about his laid back attitude, he got a job at Terra-Martian Logistics Shipping Company- moving supplies between the rocky planets. A win-win situation for young man in love with the opportunities of the void, and a family just barely scraping by. After 7 years of boring routes, uneventful work, and meager paychecks- piloting a small RSI Aurora outfitted for cargo hauling- he caught his first break. His ability to make quick and accurate drops got him a coveted position in the company- piloting a MISC Hull D. During his first haul as a self-proclaimed “Captain” his co-pilot, another long time employee, disgruntled about not getting the piloting job, purposely dumped a much needed supply of water headed for a space station orbiting Mercury. Due to company policies all employees on board the ship were punished with steep fines putting Spinbot into an unmanageable debt. Rather than ruin his family with his own cash flow burdens, he worked extra routes with numerous side jobs. Eventually Spinbot made enough to replace the lost cargo and pay the fines he owed to the Martian Government. Once his debts were settled he left the company and his family behind, to find a new fortune in the stars…

DARQUEMAV

Molded from the shadows of a distant asteroid belt, DarqueMav learned the craft of infiltration and deception at an early age. With no siblings, he developed a keen ability to utterly crumble someones morale and self worth without a hint of remorse. This skill led to the creation of several outlaw gangs around the Verse where he had his grunts follow every command given. “The scum of the Verse,” was a common phrase he heard from his opponents, or more accurately, his victims.

This kind of lifestyle, came to a screeching halt when he was captured by a prestigious military family on Ganymede while attempting to hijack a military vessel from Ganymede-Space Defense Agency. This is where DarqueMav’s life crosses with Preach3r.

Preach3r could have thrown DarqueMav into the brigs to slowly rot. Unlike DarqueMav, Preach3r showed mercy on his victim and saw something in him. Instead, he took DarqueMav in and trained to hone his skills in diplomacy and to build a foundation of integrity. It was no easy task, but well worth it. Years went by and DarqueMav struggled to rid himself of his dark past. Moments where he struggled to release himself of past treachery and dishonor haunted him… it seemed there was no hope to redeem himself.

Then, one day, as if it were fate, a mission was brought to the The Command – a mission that was destined specifically for DarqueMav. He was tasked with infiltrating a pirate organization, learning their tactics, and bringing them back to The Command to further train a resistance force. Within months, all the training fell in place and DarqueMav saw what was needed of him and how he could make up for all his wrongs.

Whats lays in his future is unknown, but one thing is for sure: DARQUEMAV lives by, and dies for, Asteroid Blues.

SOGETSUE

Born to a penniless harlot on Venus, Sogetsue was abandoned on the dock of an old MISC Freelancer. Raised hauling scrap to the asteroid fields, he was taught to fend for himself, by Doohan- the Freelancer’s captain. After 17 years of missions collecting scrap with his adoptive father, they received a tip about a near pristine Aurora left drifting without fuel. A once in a lifetime score for the two scrap collectors. They raced to the coordinates and were relieved to see the ship still adrift. After capturing it in the tractor beam and refueling its power plant, Doohan allowed Sogetsue to pilot by himself, for the first time. He brought the engines to life, and checked all the systems as Doohan had taught him. Then he noticed the radar giving readings that had to have been faulty. Ignoring them, he grabbed the controls and lunged the ship forward. BOOM Shocked, he scrambled for the comms, until Doohan’s voice rang in his ear to run, “Run my son! As fast as you can! Don’t look back boy.” Slamming the saunters forward, Sogetsue obeyed but still looked back as he engaged the boost. The radar wasn’t faulty, there was an entire Vanduul ghost swarm surrounding the old Freelancer. Vanduul inside the Terra system was uncommon, but not unheard of. And now everything he had ever known was being torn apart for trophies. The Aurora’s thrusters couldn’t roar loud enough to drown out the dread. He drifted for many weeks, on nothing but tears, before he was hauled into Ganymede junk station…

THE BELT

The Belt was the sort of establishment where scum comes to mold. Ironically, named after the ring of asteroids orbiting the sun in the Terran System, The Belt was located on a man-made space station orbiting Ganymede. The original owner commissioned the satellite as a way station, before major industry on the moon below, transporting ice mining supplies. The most recent owner, Marlus, bought it cheap- well after the need for a space-based stockpile had passed- and he used the place as a way station for booze, creeps, and vintage jazz. He refers to the station as a wasted rock, no more useful than a barren asteroid. “Barely enough gravity for whiskey to pour straight.” He drowned sorrows and guided souls for decades before The Belt began to lose its orbit. Word spread of its doom and his patrons began to find other places to spread their woes. The government of Ganymede offered Marlus 200,000 credits for rights to demolish the station, but decades of memories weighed hard on the man, and he couldn’t push himself to sell. Resigning himself to share The Belt’s fate…

FATE

Marlus welcomed three customers that night. A stranded orphan, with no family. A renegade slacker, without a path. And a clean-cut military captain, missing a crew. Feeling his years, the old man poured three drinks. The bill that night came to a total of 497.50 credits. Seeing as how one patron was an orphan, the second had dropped all his creds on a shiny new Aegis Avenger, and the third must have had a healthy pension, Marlus wasn’t surprised to see who settled the tab- putting two of the men in the sharp captains debt. As the men discussed business, Marlus laid on his thickest blues. When they came to terms, the three became partners. With the command and control of a decorated military veteran, the logistical expertise of an ambitious young hauler, and the mad pride of an angry fighter, the three had the makings of a great force. Marlus struck a deal. If the three men honored him and his floating rock, by naming their fledgling business venture and flagship after his lifelong devotions, he would fund their fleet and first year of operation. A steep price, that surely meant the forfeiture of The Belt. They did not accept, thinking the man was too drunk to know what he was saying, and by closing time they were gone…

ASTEROID BLUES

Several months passed and Preach3r, Spinbot, and Sogetsue had managed to scrape together the basics. They could fly. They could haul. They could fight. Still hardly a contender with the conglomerates of Terra, they had only made a few jobs between the outer planets and moons. With pockets even lighter than before he took on this venture, Preach3r found himself in route to Mars. The three had been summoned to the High Court and Preach3r was named their representative. It was there that they received their first news of The Belts destruction, and more grievously, of Marlus’ death. The old man had sold the station many weeks before, and passed away on Ganymede. Because he had no heir, it was routine for the government to absorb the assets of the late Marlus. However, Marlus had drafted a will, and because it was legally routed through the High Court of Mars, the government on Ganymede could not object. The assets entrusted to the three included a large sum of credits, a refurbished RSI Constellation, and a priceless collection of antique music records – with the stipulation that the men meet his original agreement. The three adopted the name Asteroid Blues: Interstellar Solutions, to honor Marlus’ love for The Belt and his blues. They adopted the RSI Constellation, Callisto- whom Marlus had named after a woman he was theorized to have “loved” in some form or another. And they adopted an exorbitant amount of vinyl- with which they had no idea what to do…

DAGON

Many more months later, enter Dagon. Who is Dagonsdead some have asked? Many conspire to say he is a ardent gambler, a purveyor of the stars, bestowed with the gift of gab, quick to gun and run, and an all-around terrible person. Rumor has it that an affluent lover met their demise at the hands Dagon. With no surprise being that full ownership of all of her belongings was lawfully established in Dagon’s name. Completely understanding the gifted horse he just received, and somewhat overwhelmed by the enormity of running his own business, Dagon searched for promising propositions and found our three Outlaws.. Not the cleanest of meetings. As it appeared that Dagon’s LATE-lover shared a remarkable resemblance to one of Spinbot’s EX-lovers. A case of mistaken identity that nearly caused both men to be ejected from the Space Station Toronto for disturbing the peace, discharging a firearm inside pressurized living facilities, and indecent exposure. After the men came to terms, it was decided that they couldn’t possibly have dated the same women, because their pride simply wouldn’t survive the fact. Both men proving to BLUES that nothing compromises the burning pride of the Outlaw. A lifestyle that suites Dagon quite well, so far..

BFUNK

bFunk was born , lived, and gave up on society during the earliest years of the Internet in the late 20th century. Until the turn of the century, he struggled to survive on an Earth populated by candy crushers, fruit ninjas, and criminal case enthusiasts. He suffered from an illness that would later be termed as Zuckerphobia, and had a crippling anxiety when electronically asked to participate in these barbaric activities. One day he was approached by a young scientist, claiming he had found the cure to bFunk’s affliction. Cryogenics. almost immediately bFunk said goodbye to his social media addicted wife and children and left the planet. 940 years later, he is recovered by Preach3r and the crew of the Callisto. His sleeper pod was found in a derelict ship that had slipped out of Saturn’s orbit and was making a mess of the planets last pristine ring. The President of the Great Ring Preservation Society had paid Asteroid Blues a larg-ish sum of credits to remove the unsightly wreck, and they retained all rights to the salvage. It was Sogetsue whom recognized the pod before Spinbot loaded it into the Reclaimer for scrapping. And only seconds before Dagon could crush it into base metals. The human popsicle was taken to the nearest medical facility and thawed. bFunk’s first question to the future was “Ever played Bubble Witch?” He new he had found his new home, when he read an expression of total confusion on Preach3r’s face. He’s been with Blues ever since..

JK_Caron

Wise Spacers have said that it isn’t the ship that makes the man, but the man that makes the ship. They mean to say that an outfitted vessel is useless without a brave, knowledgeable, and attractive captain. This is not one of those cases.

“In the early 2800s, humanity was struggling. Following centuries of war, poor governmental decisions, and civil unrest, it seemed the system was tearing at the seams. A faction known as the Galactic Federation was attempting to keep the peace and encourage growth, but it wasn’t enough. Soon, a rebellion sparked, sending the sector into chaos. The Federation tried their best to reach a common cause with the rebels, but it was no good, and the rebellion spread, severely weakening the Federation. Forced back to their capital and with the rebels closing in quickly, it looked all but over for the Federation.

“However, a slim chance appeared! A Federation cruiser known as The Kestral stumbled upon a piece of critical intelligence showing the strengths and, more importantly, the weaknesses of the mighty rebel flagship. Knowing this data could make the difference between the life and death for the Federation, the Kestral raced across the galaxy to deliver the information to fleet commanders. Never more than a few jumps ahead of the pursuing rebels, the Kestral encountered and helped many civilians against opportunistic pirates, slavers, and in some case dirty rebellion captains, inspiring doubts in the people’s minds about the rebels message that the Federation was worthless.

“Finally, the Kestral made it home to the Federation capital systems. The admiral took this good fortune as a sign, and commanded the Kestral to lead the attack against the rebel flagship. After a long, grueling battle across three systems, the Kestral finally struck down the flagship, crippling the rebellion and giving the Federation a chance to regroup; The Kestral’s crew were hailed as heroes!”

However, this Kestral is not that Kestral. The Kestral II merely took inspiration from The Kestral’s name. You see, the original owners of the Kestral II (Originally named SuperPirateDeathShip) thought they could become some opportunistic pirates, by terrorizing their system and dodging patrols. Their parent’s implored the original Kestral to scare their children away from piracy with a show of strength. The Kestral’s crew obliged, nearly destroying the ship, but letting the youths return after they begged for mercy. Then the parents took the ship away as punishment, but not before renaming it The Kestral II in remembrance of the event that saved their children. They eventually sold it to its current owner, Jk_Caron, who all in all does a remarkably average job at being its captain.

Aediros

Aediros spat in the face of racing giants. He was recognized early in his childhood as a prodigy for his adept inertial manipulations on the racetrack. This, paired with an uncanny resilience to G-forces and the best eyesight human genetics can supply, nearly all but guarantee his success on the racetrack. Off the track, he’s polite, diplomatic, and can often be mistaken for handsome in the cockpit of his MISC Razer LX. A superior human being in most regards. Too bad you can’t trust the guy further than you can throw him… and his ship… and the planet Neptune.

Despite his success as a pilot, he was loathed by the racing community. He had a reputation of being a hustler and cheat. Sponsors avoided him like the plague. In fact, there were more credits spent on keeping him out of Murray Cup media outlets than there were spent on his purses.

After accruing a substantial gambling debt (due to an illegally modified table, malfunctioning gravity drive, and terrible luck), he decided to up the ante in an effort to evade his own hustle. He challenged his opponent to a race, quadruple or nothing. The terms of the race were inconsequential, as Aediros took off in the opposite direction. Had the hustle not been Preach3r, Aediros may have gotten away.

Preach3r called in his entire crew. Aediros outmaneuvered Blues pilot after Blues pilot, through the asteroid field of a dying star, down into the crowded streets of New Corvo, until Preach3r finally caught up to him. The ensuing battle ended in 2.8 million credits worth of damage to a nearby research buoy array, extensive damage to both ships, and the death of a salesman. (Salesman is modest – he was a pet insurance telemarketer.)

Aediros’ disabled ship was picked up by the Blues’ Rescue Ship, Carbuncle, 36 hours later. While sitting in jail, Preach3r offered him a job with Blues to pay off his debt, along with the prestigious title of Blue Comet, paying his bail, and ship repairs. Aediros accepted and took off shortly thereafter with his newly repaired ship. He wasn’t seen again for six months, and only returned to beg Asteroid Blues to pay a very large gentleman, a very large sum of money. Preach3r shot him in the leg, paid the giant, and Aediros has been flying for Blues ever since.

Markham Polaris

Born to a trading family on Earth, Markham was raised mostly by relatives until he reached his eighth birthday. He then joined his trade faring parents on their trade routes which took him on long journeys through many of the known systems. In his late teens he arrived in Corel and there met a Banu trading family. The Banu family were so impressed with him that they offered to let him travel with them on their own journeys. His parents were excited for the opportunity and so he spent the next decade learning the Banu language and culture and the ways of a merchant as they plied the galaxies in their Merchantman. However, following a run in with pirates, the ship stopped on a planet for repairs. There the crew contracted a deadly disease which decimated the crew. As the disease had no effect on humans, Markham was soon the only member of the crew able to work. He sent out an emergency beacon asking for medical assistance then went to work on repairing the ship. But without needed components for the ship and limited medical supplies for the stricken crew there was only so much he could do. Markham had nearly given up hope when an Irish Aid ship led by Orlando de Bois hailed them. With help from the aid ship he was able to secure the needed components, and medical supplies. Soon, with the protection of the aid ships security escort, Dave Reynolds, they were able to leave the planet and head to the nearest populated area. However, when the UEE port authorities discovered the nature of the disease, they quarantined the ship while a treatment was developed, which resulted in even more casualties among the crew and led to the confiscation of all their goods to ensure the disease wouldn’t trigger an epidemic among the local populace. In the end, the great majority of Banu crew were lost. The Banu family, thankful for Markham’s efforts to save as many of the family as he could, gifted him the Merchantman as thanks, also motivated by the fact that the surviving family members would not set foot on the ship again after the ill-fated voyage, considering it bad luck, not to mention the bio-hazard fears. Markham began trying to assemble a crew for the ship when he ran across members of the Asteroid Blues team who shared his passion for scientific and technical hobbies. They quickly struck up a fast friendship and agreed to throw their efforts together. Markham finished securing a small crew and set off to make his own fortunes in the Merchantman, now renamed Xanadu’s Fable.

Orlando de Bois

He was born to a poetry loving, studious, archeologist mother from Earth and a racing driver, corporate head, playboy father from Terra Prime. His mother came from humble circumstances and hard won independence, whereas his father from old wealth, a family involved in trading and governing. His parents, though very different, were absolutely in love with each other. Though each would be gone for months at a time due to their various interests, their reunions were always passionate and heartfelt. Regardless of their strange bouts of wanderlust, his parents loved him and Orlando found a great joy in exploring new places and seeing new things. As he grew up he was instructed in a variety of disciplines, medical, engineering, scientific research, and computer science. But, upon reaching his teens, his mother went missing after a long stint of archeological work. His father grew more and more frantic as the months passed until he could bear it no more. He finally left himself to find her, leaving only a will, a trust, and a majority interest in the corporation to Orlando. Left to live with his uncle, as the years passed he discovered that life was not so easy nor as full of fun and joy as it had once been. In the midst of his own grief at possibly losing both his parents he began to be besieged by family members from all sides who began trying to find ways to either woo him to their side, or trick him into giving up some portion of his inheritance or shares in the company. Eventually some turned to darker methods of veiled threats, blackmail, framing, and even kidnapping. He was a pawn caught between dueling Machiavellian forces. Finally, he could take it no more and Orlando left, leaving his father’s financial broker, an old and trusted mentor, to manage his finances, and began a voyage of his own. He traveled from planet to planet using pseudonyms to keep his identity secret and spent his time searching for something to give his life meaning. It was during this time that he encountered the Irish Aid organization. He landed on a planet where a colony was suffering from severe famine and began distributing supplies and medication to the needy group. Touched by the tearful gratitude of those colonists he spoke to the head of the organization, a crotchety old man with a heart of gold, Tristan Daughrity and requested permission to join them in their ventures. Orlando quickly found new life in helping others and spent many days running rescue missions with Irish Aid. Until one day a rogue bounty hunter hired by his family found him and attempted to interdict him while in transit out of the system. It was there in the midst of this fight that he encountered Dave Reynolds. An ace pilot and head of a security outfit, Dave swooped in and made short work of the bounty hunter then escorted Orlando back to the planet for repairs. They quickly became friends and soon Dave was their go-to security provider for the more dangerous rescue missions. It was on one such mission that Orlando met Markham Polaris and was later introduced to the Asteroid Blues group. Orlando continues to stay on the move to avoid his scheming family, running aid missions, spending time with friends, and hoping that one day he might see his parents again.