Darius Black

Started by Cubanwriter, May 25, 2020, 03:53:18 PM

Cortex Mainframe

May 25, 2020, 03:53:18 PM Last Edit: August 13, 2020, 02:29:15 PM by Lomari
Darius Black
Cubanwriter


Darius owns an old 'Rust Ranger' model space suit with armored undersuit, and a Bison Bastard double-barreled Revolver that holds six 11mm bullets and one 13mm rifle round.  A couple of speedloaders are always on his belt.  The revolver has an optional scope for long-distance shooting that can be clipped onto a quick-mount. He always carries a patch kit in case his suit gets perforated.  His suit belt has high-power magnetic attachment points where he can attach his helmet either at the belt buckle, on either side of his body, or behind his back.



Age:  45

Gender:  Male

Primary Occupation:  Retired Sheriff

Secondary Occupation (optional):  Retired Marine Pilot

Appearance:  Grizzled, Battle-Scarred, and bald middle-aged man with broad, muscular build.  Brown skin and eyes.

Faceclaim:  Digitally Altered Depictions/digital paintings of Lou Gosset, Jr.

Initial Personality:  World-worn, tired old leatherback trying to prove he's still of some use as he enters his declining years.  Has a somewhat wry, often dry sense of humor, and a certain cynical outlook about the way the 'verse treats people.  Is gradually reconciling that what he thought of as 'good' and 'right' in his youth may be a bit more complicated than he'd imagined.  Having been discarded so casually by people he worked for, he's vowed never to do that to others.

Underlying Personality:  Darius was a fresh-faced young kid, once, yearning for adventure and full of optimism about life.  That person still lives within him, buried under years of pain and trauma.  The right cause or the right person can still bring it out in him, breaking him free from newfound cynicism to once again inspire him to dream about making a difference and doing good in the 'verse.

Known History:  Join the Alliance, they said.  See the Worlds.  It was a young Darius Black from Persephone who heard those words and followed the clarion call to duty and adventure.  His parents, Maggie and Roscoe, had both served in the Stranton City constabulary on Persephone, and had raised their boy to be a good Union man with good values.  He'd learned to pilot a police shuttle before he'd graduated from High School, and his folks thought he might follow them into police service.  But Darius wanted bigger things, and his folks were still plenty proud when that was the tack he took.

Cortex Verifiable Info: Born on Persephone,
                                    High School Graduate
                                    Father: Roscoe Black, Policeperson
                                    Mother: Maggie Black, Policeperson
                                    Piloting Certification: Shuttles

He joined the alliance and became a marine, taking a specialty in Hopper piloting.  Dropping Hoppers from orbit was the only kind of piloting an enlisted man could hope to do, and so he did that some before the war of Independence got cooking.  Then, soon enough he was flying Hoppers into combat zones and dropping troops to fight the browncoats.  Earned some recognition and a promotion to Chief Warrant Officer, before things took a dark turn.

Cortex Verifiable Info: Joined Alliance Marine Corps.
                                    Entered Warrant Officer Piloting Program
                                    Certified in Orbital and Atmospheric Piloting
                                    Achieved Rank of Chief Warrant Officer
                                    Received War of Unification Service Ribbon

One time, dropping a Hopper down from orbit, the gunship got hit by a Browncoat missile.  Blew out the cockpit window, and turned the whole place into a chunky salsa bloodstorm.  The co-pilot, gunner, and signals crewman all got iced.  Marius almost did, too.  Never mind the explosive decompression that ought to have knocked him out.  The emergency shutters came down in time, though.  He landed that bird with a face that looked like it'd been carved up to be someone's turkey dinner.  After getting the hopper down- more of a controlled crash than a landing- he helped to defend the bird till rescue could come.

Earned him a citation for bravery, a purple heart, and an honorable discharge.  But at about this time Darius figured out the benefits package he'd been promised wasn't all it was advertised to be.  The surgery he got was rudimentary, with no facial reconstruction.  He'd carry the shattered features of a man who'd lived through a SAM strike for the rest of his years.

Cortex Verifiable Information: Wounded during combat operation
                                                Received Citation for Bravery
                                                Received Purple Heart

When he'd fully recovered, the war was over.  A rush of retiring Alliance military members meant that the jobs there used to be in the Core were all full up.  He had to go further out to find employ.  That came on the border planet of Deadwood, in a rough town named Copper Creek that needed some local law.  They didn't like Darius' Union past much, but with an average of a murder a day in town, they needed someone who knew how to impose order.  Darius did a fair job there for many years, tough but fair.  Then the Dewey brothers got in a firefight with him.  The brothers got away, and Darius lay bleeding on the street with seven bullets in his leg.  Took most of his savings to get a replacement knee.  Then the town cut him loose, opting for a younger, healthier Sheriff.

Cortex Verifiable Information: Served as Sheriff of Copper Creek, on the planet Deadwood
                                                Wounded in shootout with the Dewey brothers, who escaped capture
                                                Copper Creek shortly thereafter announced the hiring of a new Sheriff

Other History:  Darius has had to take some odd jobs since then.  Not all of them on the up-and-up.  He's learned that there's a lot more shades of gray in the black than he'd previously allowed, and that sometimes criminals are more loyal to their crews than the government is to their employees.  At long last, he's got a taste for why the Independents might have wanted to turn against the Alliance. 

With a mangled face and a busted leg, now Darius is looking for some work on a ship working on the other side of Law and Order.  It might be he's got some good years left in him, if he can spend his nights in a bunk on a ship.  He's winding down, but he's not quite done yet, and needs a job where he can still be useful without wearing himself into his grave. There's not much to know about Darius that isn't in his public record.  The last year of his life is an information hole, because he hasn't been caught since stepping away from the straight and narrow.  He's done security for some smuggling jobs.  Piloted a shuttle for clandestine pickups of illicit goods.  Enough work to pick up a couple of references from people who don't deal in traditional resumes.  Now he's looking for a more permanent gig.

Skills and Strengths:  Darius is a good hand with a gun and an aerospace stick.  He's been in a fair share of dust-ups, and is consequently a good pugilist.  He's physically strong in the places where he isn't physically wrecked, has a high tolerance for pain, and is generally a tough bastard.  He understands law enforcement practices and has received Marine training from the Alliance.

Weaknesses:  The days when Darius was someone good to look at are long behind him.  He walks with a limp, and his running speed is greatly impeded by the inexpensive and cheaply installed replacement knee he bought for his left leg.  Having reached middle age, Darius is beginning the path to physical decline.  He's still got adventure left in his bones, but his bones will complain about it more than they used to.  Ever since his Hopper got hit when he was in the marines, Darius is paranoid about decompression and wears a vac suit 90% of the time when he is on a station or ship operating in the black.  He does this even in social situations where it is out of place.  He is only ever without a vac suit when he is planetside.

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