Post by Mr. Slender on Oct 21, 2015 19:36:50 GMT -5
Name: Ryland Pike
Species: Human
Faction: Imperial Navy
Rank: Group Commander, ISS Irresistible
Age: 33
Height: 1.82m
Weight: 72.5kg
Image:
*Credit to pileofsith* ("Also, his Major rank pips haven't arrived yet...")
Appearance:
Pike likes to think he possesses the perfect body for any Imperial pilot: tall, lean but toned, and strictly stern posture. However, he'll just as soon admit he's definitely a skinny bastard, but completely owns what genetics dealt him. Besides being on the thin side, the major is more or less a poster child for what many humanocentric supporters would like the average Imperial citizen to look like. Most of his features, especially his chin and nose, are extremely sharp to the point of his head looking like a down pointing arrow from a distance, yet when taken in with his big, expressive blue eyes and frequent playful smirk, he tends to come off much less rigid. Thankfully Pike has been able to maintain his hair line, and his stark black mane. Typically it's slicked back, when not under his cap, with some majestic Imperial Navy standard length sideburns.
Pike's daily outfit consists of either his immaculately maintained gray naval uniform, his TIE fighter gear and fatigues, or simple shorts and a Imperial T-shirt to lounge in. Although, he does have a set of custom work out sweats that he wears while hanging around his men, who are having their own sets tailored. They started out as a tradition for his last squadron, but is quickly being taken on by his newest ones.They're just as comfortable as they look, and have "VAC-HEAD" across the shoulders in Aurebesh.
As for accessories, the Major can almost always be seen with a datapad in his hands, both to immediately access information and to play a few hands of virtual Sabacc when in between orders.
Personality:
Strictly speaking, Major Pike is a straight-laced officer with a low tolerance for surprises or shifting orders. "Conditioning" is his favorite word among those under his command, and he strongly believes that 'By the book' is the way a ship, and in turn a squadron, should be run. His men will know regulations, tactics, statistics and intel forwards and backwards, even if he has to literally drill it into their heads. You'd be right to believe that Pike can be a harsh person to work under, he'll even admit it, yet the struggle is for the pilot's own good in his mind. The Empire really doesn't give a damn about them, but he sure does. They're people, not assets.
For all his love of rules, Pike is not above bending them when the alternative seems either more sensible or the lower risk option. The most common instance of this are the subtle hints he drops to his pilots to adjust their assigned TIE's targeting computer, for tighter shots and faster target acquisition. The major is actually one of the few supporters of the TIE series, but disagrees with the standard skills and tactics taught at the academy.They're great for your regular, run of the mill fighters, yet don't play to the few strengths the TIE has over its competitors. As a result, Pike's dream is to eventually become an instructor himself, if only to save the lives of simply unpolished rookies. Until then, he enjoys just teaching when he can.
Almost all the major's stern demeanor goes away during off duty hours. The change is very striking, and someone unfamiliar with the squadrons wouldn't be able to pick him out from among the other pilots as the CO. Pike's favorite activity by far is playing Sabacc, especially against his men. Mostly because he has literally zero qualms about fleecing them for spare credits or personal items. A more personal, and much less liked by those within earshot, hobby is playing the Quacipel accordion. It's somewhat grating notes are not for everyone, but he likes it nonetheless. Both for the music and the look on people's faces when they hear it for the first time.
The major purposely stays aloof of The Empire's politics and personal policies, just for the sake of his sanity more or less. The blatantly use of slavery and the discrimination towards aliens just seem to go against everything that he would call "right". Still, Pike chooses to do his job for the sake of the galaxy's well-being on a whole. Some call it oppression, he calls it stability. Some would call him blind, he prefers aloof.
That being said, The Empire's hypocrisy regarding its ideal citizens, the loyal human majority, irks him to no end. Even before the fall of the republic things were coming to a head about the rise of humanocentric ideas, but now that they have come to fruition in many ways, Pike believes that Imperial policy has fallen in on itself. The Empire has killed hundreds of thousands, if not millions, of humans alone every year since its inception. The most troubling part is that the figures are mostly civilians, people who if their lives weren't snuffed out could be of some service to the regime. The pointlessness of their deaths are horrifying to the major.
History:
The Pike family hails for the fortress core world of Anaxes. Despite the planet's long naval history, no family member within memory had opted for the military life. Ryland's parents, Charr and Lena Pike, were an architect and botanist respectively. They proved excellent parents by all accounts, and their son loved them dearly. Ryland was barely in his teens when the Clone Wars started. Seeing as they were on one of the most heavily defended planets in the galaxy, he didn't pay the conflict any real attention, at least at first. He was an exceptional student in almost all respects, yet didn't know what career to devote himself to. It was no more than a week after deciding to enlist with the republic navy when he turned eighteen, that Battle of Anaxes robbed him of his parents.
Towards the end of the battle debris from either the Republic or Separatist fleet crashed into the Pike home, killing Charr and Lena near instantly. Ryland was lucky to have been detained at school when the fighting started. After suddenly finding himself both homeless and an orphan, the teen bounced around a few relatives on Anaxes until he could sign up with the freshly established Empire. Ironically, he ended up being sent to the Imperial Naval Academy on Prefsbelt IV, instead of the War College literally on the planet he was at.
Leaving his home planet for the first time was a bit off-putting for Ryland at first, but he quickly adapted to the new planet and the harsh, Imperial academic life. After hearing the credo 'Service. Fealty. Fidelity.' the young cadet pushed himself to live up to the myriads that had come before him. From the beginning classes and lectures seemed less like work and more like a privilege, and Ryland's instructors took notice of his dedication very early. Interestingly, just as during his regular education, he couldn't decide exactly what branch within the navy to pursue. The cadet settle on going into the flight branch after his tests showed he was well above the acceptable margins. Not many people made the cut to be a TIE pilot, so it seemed like it'd be a waste to not take advantage of his gift. Unbeknownst to him, he would be reassigned to the Anaxes War College to sharpen his skills.
Despite being back home, Ryland rarely left the campus during the years that followed. Almost all free time was spent dominating the simulators, maintaining his honors level grades or practicing the accordion a friend bought him as a joke birthday gift. The cadet only lost his virginity because a drunken female fellow cadet thought he was someone else, while he was equally smashed, at another Anaxesian's house party. Ryland and her were equally shocked in the morning, but ended up decent friends afterward. They even still talk now, when time and holo transmissions allow it.
By the end of this extended training, Ryland was given his own squadron and the rank of Junior Lieutenant. From Anaxes he as assigned to an Imperial II-class frigate, named The Valiant, patrolling shipping lanes in the outer rim. Officially they were part of a larger battle group, but only really came together for biannual face-to-faces with the captains to discuss new threats and such. Other than that, The Valiant was basically alone. The squadron the young lieutenant was assigned to lead was made up of mostly older soldiers, so there was immediate friction from them taking his orders. Even after four years, Ryland still caught shit from the old bastards. This problem would resolve itself in a rather morbid method a short time later.
Word reached The Valiant of a fledgling insurrection along their normal route, on a desolate little planet know only as Fueling Station #217-K. As the name would suggest, the place's only claim to fame was being a convenient site for ships in the area to top off their fuel for a nominal fee. In the grand scheme of things, it was insignificant. Its damning sin came from harboring some terrorists that attacked an Imperial garrison in a nearby system. The Valiant came out of hyperspace right in FS#217K's orbit, and scrambled all its fighters. Ryland's boy were regulated to flying antiquated TIE/gt starfighters for a strike against a surprised enemy. However, the terrorists had secured more help than originally anticipated, so all the TIE squadrons found themselves outgunned nearly three to one, by a motley collection of "Ugly" fighters, Y-wings and Z95 Headhunters.
While the terrorists descended on their supposed backup, Ryland's squadron managed to make it planet side with only two casualties. Their target was the planet's largest, and only, settlement. Originally they were tasked with strafing the spaceport to rubble, by the squad leader almost doubted they could make it to the city. Especially after an enemy squadron suddenly descended on them. Three more pilots would near instantly be brought down, and another four would fall before the target was even in range. The intel on the station didn't mention that the city had turbo laser batteries along the walls, so that was another surprise that cost lives. Within seconds Ryland was left the sole survivor, but the headhunters gunning for him from behind didn't make it seem like he'd live more than a few moments.
Defiantly he decided to at least let loose one concussion missile in passing. Whether by good luck or bad luck, it turned out that one shot was all that Ryland needed. Instead of the spaceport, the missile hit the tallest building in the area, which happened to be the Tibanna gas depository for the city. FS#217K is a cold rock, so burning Tibanna was used to heat literally all the structures larger than an outhouse. The tower exploded into a huge fireball, that quickly grew to encompass the city, as the fuel in the crisscrossing grid of pipes went up as well. The complete pillar of fire was the most beautiful thing Ryland had ever seen, yet the pilot knew he gained the blood of several thousand people on his hands in mere moments. The half squadron of headhunters that had been poised to kill him were thankfully obliterated by the surprise blaze. The leader without a squadron was even able to score a few more kills once he reached orbit again to go home.
With their impromptu base destroyed the remained terrorists bolted, leaving The Valiant victorious, but missing nearly all of its fighters. Ryland had a short debriefing with the captain, grabbed a cold shower and promptly went to bed in the now empty squadron quarters. He found out later that the death toll was somewhere in the neighborhood of 4,500. Killing that many in what was essentially an accident left a bad taste in his mouth, made worse after he got notified of being given the Imperial Medal of Honor, for "dealing a decisive blow to the enemies of The Empire". The headhunters destroyed in the blast were actually counted as aerial kills, so Ryland officially got bumped up to ace status.
-So can't be bothered to write anymore. Nothing more really needs to be said-
Sometime later, Ryland ended up assigned to the ISS Irresistible.
Miscellaneous Crap:
Species: Human
Faction: Imperial Navy
Rank: Group Commander, ISS Irresistible
Age: 33
Height: 1.82m
Weight: 72.5kg
Image:
*Credit to pileofsith* ("Also, his Major rank pips haven't arrived yet...")
Appearance:
Pike likes to think he possesses the perfect body for any Imperial pilot: tall, lean but toned, and strictly stern posture. However, he'll just as soon admit he's definitely a skinny bastard, but completely owns what genetics dealt him. Besides being on the thin side, the major is more or less a poster child for what many humanocentric supporters would like the average Imperial citizen to look like. Most of his features, especially his chin and nose, are extremely sharp to the point of his head looking like a down pointing arrow from a distance, yet when taken in with his big, expressive blue eyes and frequent playful smirk, he tends to come off much less rigid. Thankfully Pike has been able to maintain his hair line, and his stark black mane. Typically it's slicked back, when not under his cap, with some majestic Imperial Navy standard length sideburns.
Pike's daily outfit consists of either his immaculately maintained gray naval uniform, his TIE fighter gear and fatigues, or simple shorts and a Imperial T-shirt to lounge in. Although, he does have a set of custom work out sweats that he wears while hanging around his men, who are having their own sets tailored. They started out as a tradition for his last squadron, but is quickly being taken on by his newest ones.They're just as comfortable as they look, and have "VAC-HEAD" across the shoulders in Aurebesh.
As for accessories, the Major can almost always be seen with a datapad in his hands, both to immediately access information and to play a few hands of virtual Sabacc when in between orders.
Personality:
Strictly speaking, Major Pike is a straight-laced officer with a low tolerance for surprises or shifting orders. "Conditioning" is his favorite word among those under his command, and he strongly believes that 'By the book' is the way a ship, and in turn a squadron, should be run. His men will know regulations, tactics, statistics and intel forwards and backwards, even if he has to literally drill it into their heads. You'd be right to believe that Pike can be a harsh person to work under, he'll even admit it, yet the struggle is for the pilot's own good in his mind. The Empire really doesn't give a damn about them, but he sure does. They're people, not assets.
For all his love of rules, Pike is not above bending them when the alternative seems either more sensible or the lower risk option. The most common instance of this are the subtle hints he drops to his pilots to adjust their assigned TIE's targeting computer, for tighter shots and faster target acquisition. The major is actually one of the few supporters of the TIE series, but disagrees with the standard skills and tactics taught at the academy.They're great for your regular, run of the mill fighters, yet don't play to the few strengths the TIE has over its competitors. As a result, Pike's dream is to eventually become an instructor himself, if only to save the lives of simply unpolished rookies. Until then, he enjoys just teaching when he can.
Almost all the major's stern demeanor goes away during off duty hours. The change is very striking, and someone unfamiliar with the squadrons wouldn't be able to pick him out from among the other pilots as the CO. Pike's favorite activity by far is playing Sabacc, especially against his men. Mostly because he has literally zero qualms about fleecing them for spare credits or personal items. A more personal, and much less liked by those within earshot, hobby is playing the Quacipel accordion. It's somewhat grating notes are not for everyone, but he likes it nonetheless. Both for the music and the look on people's faces when they hear it for the first time.
The major purposely stays aloof of The Empire's politics and personal policies, just for the sake of his sanity more or less. The blatantly use of slavery and the discrimination towards aliens just seem to go against everything that he would call "right". Still, Pike chooses to do his job for the sake of the galaxy's well-being on a whole. Some call it oppression, he calls it stability. Some would call him blind, he prefers aloof.
That being said, The Empire's hypocrisy regarding its ideal citizens, the loyal human majority, irks him to no end. Even before the fall of the republic things were coming to a head about the rise of humanocentric ideas, but now that they have come to fruition in many ways, Pike believes that Imperial policy has fallen in on itself. The Empire has killed hundreds of thousands, if not millions, of humans alone every year since its inception. The most troubling part is that the figures are mostly civilians, people who if their lives weren't snuffed out could be of some service to the regime. The pointlessness of their deaths are horrifying to the major.
History:
The Pike family hails for the fortress core world of Anaxes. Despite the planet's long naval history, no family member within memory had opted for the military life. Ryland's parents, Charr and Lena Pike, were an architect and botanist respectively. They proved excellent parents by all accounts, and their son loved them dearly. Ryland was barely in his teens when the Clone Wars started. Seeing as they were on one of the most heavily defended planets in the galaxy, he didn't pay the conflict any real attention, at least at first. He was an exceptional student in almost all respects, yet didn't know what career to devote himself to. It was no more than a week after deciding to enlist with the republic navy when he turned eighteen, that Battle of Anaxes robbed him of his parents.
Towards the end of the battle debris from either the Republic or Separatist fleet crashed into the Pike home, killing Charr and Lena near instantly. Ryland was lucky to have been detained at school when the fighting started. After suddenly finding himself both homeless and an orphan, the teen bounced around a few relatives on Anaxes until he could sign up with the freshly established Empire. Ironically, he ended up being sent to the Imperial Naval Academy on Prefsbelt IV, instead of the War College literally on the planet he was at.
Leaving his home planet for the first time was a bit off-putting for Ryland at first, but he quickly adapted to the new planet and the harsh, Imperial academic life. After hearing the credo 'Service. Fealty. Fidelity.' the young cadet pushed himself to live up to the myriads that had come before him. From the beginning classes and lectures seemed less like work and more like a privilege, and Ryland's instructors took notice of his dedication very early. Interestingly, just as during his regular education, he couldn't decide exactly what branch within the navy to pursue. The cadet settle on going into the flight branch after his tests showed he was well above the acceptable margins. Not many people made the cut to be a TIE pilot, so it seemed like it'd be a waste to not take advantage of his gift. Unbeknownst to him, he would be reassigned to the Anaxes War College to sharpen his skills.
Despite being back home, Ryland rarely left the campus during the years that followed. Almost all free time was spent dominating the simulators, maintaining his honors level grades or practicing the accordion a friend bought him as a joke birthday gift. The cadet only lost his virginity because a drunken female fellow cadet thought he was someone else, while he was equally smashed, at another Anaxesian's house party. Ryland and her were equally shocked in the morning, but ended up decent friends afterward. They even still talk now, when time and holo transmissions allow it.
By the end of this extended training, Ryland was given his own squadron and the rank of Junior Lieutenant. From Anaxes he as assigned to an Imperial II-class frigate, named The Valiant, patrolling shipping lanes in the outer rim. Officially they were part of a larger battle group, but only really came together for biannual face-to-faces with the captains to discuss new threats and such. Other than that, The Valiant was basically alone. The squadron the young lieutenant was assigned to lead was made up of mostly older soldiers, so there was immediate friction from them taking his orders. Even after four years, Ryland still caught shit from the old bastards. This problem would resolve itself in a rather morbid method a short time later.
Word reached The Valiant of a fledgling insurrection along their normal route, on a desolate little planet know only as Fueling Station #217-K. As the name would suggest, the place's only claim to fame was being a convenient site for ships in the area to top off their fuel for a nominal fee. In the grand scheme of things, it was insignificant. Its damning sin came from harboring some terrorists that attacked an Imperial garrison in a nearby system. The Valiant came out of hyperspace right in FS#217K's orbit, and scrambled all its fighters. Ryland's boy were regulated to flying antiquated TIE/gt starfighters for a strike against a surprised enemy. However, the terrorists had secured more help than originally anticipated, so all the TIE squadrons found themselves outgunned nearly three to one, by a motley collection of "Ugly" fighters, Y-wings and Z95 Headhunters.
While the terrorists descended on their supposed backup, Ryland's squadron managed to make it planet side with only two casualties. Their target was the planet's largest, and only, settlement. Originally they were tasked with strafing the spaceport to rubble, by the squad leader almost doubted they could make it to the city. Especially after an enemy squadron suddenly descended on them. Three more pilots would near instantly be brought down, and another four would fall before the target was even in range. The intel on the station didn't mention that the city had turbo laser batteries along the walls, so that was another surprise that cost lives. Within seconds Ryland was left the sole survivor, but the headhunters gunning for him from behind didn't make it seem like he'd live more than a few moments.
Defiantly he decided to at least let loose one concussion missile in passing. Whether by good luck or bad luck, it turned out that one shot was all that Ryland needed. Instead of the spaceport, the missile hit the tallest building in the area, which happened to be the Tibanna gas depository for the city. FS#217K is a cold rock, so burning Tibanna was used to heat literally all the structures larger than an outhouse. The tower exploded into a huge fireball, that quickly grew to encompass the city, as the fuel in the crisscrossing grid of pipes went up as well. The complete pillar of fire was the most beautiful thing Ryland had ever seen, yet the pilot knew he gained the blood of several thousand people on his hands in mere moments. The half squadron of headhunters that had been poised to kill him were thankfully obliterated by the surprise blaze. The leader without a squadron was even able to score a few more kills once he reached orbit again to go home.
With their impromptu base destroyed the remained terrorists bolted, leaving The Valiant victorious, but missing nearly all of its fighters. Ryland had a short debriefing with the captain, grabbed a cold shower and promptly went to bed in the now empty squadron quarters. He found out later that the death toll was somewhere in the neighborhood of 4,500. Killing that many in what was essentially an accident left a bad taste in his mouth, made worse after he got notified of being given the Imperial Medal of Honor, for "dealing a decisive blow to the enemies of The Empire". The headhunters destroyed in the blast were actually counted as aerial kills, so Ryland officially got bumped up to ace status.
-So can't be bothered to write anymore. Nothing more really needs to be said-
Sometime later, Ryland ended up assigned to the ISS Irresistible.
Miscellaneous Crap:
