James Rukais is a Lunite pilot who has recently joined the Pyracan military in the 544th Fighter Division on board the MCV Alopex. He is known to be an exhibitionist, pseudo-philosophical ladies man with a drug habit cultivated by an obsession with extremely liberal cultures.
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Who He Is
Quintessential Description
James Rukais is tall, by human standards, and moderately built. He looks to be in his late twenties/early thirties and has opal black hair that hangs loosely in a low fringe. He has light pale skin, that of a Lunite, and dark hazel eyes. His features are quite lean and this accents his trimmed beard. On the lower back of his head there is what looks like a small datajack that tends to remain covered by hair.
Rukais is in a dark, form fitting flightsuit that appears to be made of a composite of many different materials; Nylon, Spandex, Dacron, Gortex and even Kevlar elements wrap around the pilot's lean figure and provide protection from hazards both in space and in atmosphere. Elements of purple highlight and outline the flightsuit such as the lining, stitching and patterned patches.
Across his chest, embedded in the suit itself, are three zipped pockets, analogue pressure and temperature readouts as well as an obvious commlink. Less clear in purpose, however, are other holographic readouts that occasionally appear in front of the pilot's neckline, projected by a curved metal bar that looks similar to a thin neck brace. There are two small oxygen tanks that fit snugly to each side of his spine on his lower back and on his right wrist there is a mirror.
What People Think Of Him
Feel free to add your own characters thoughts of Rukais to this section...
"Pipes are stupid and he is stupid, like Rill." -Reode
Biography
James Bradley Rukais was born on Luna, birthed in and brought up in the hectic environment of a popular laborers tavern where his mother lived and worked. His father, Bradley Rukais, was a moody, vain and arrogant man who had become a desperate alcoholic after being made redundant. His mother, Ellie Farrel, was a sickly woman who had lost an over-protective family early on and been left unprepared for some of the harder aspects of life. Ironically, James' parents met in the bar he was born in long before his father fell to drink. This was the bar James rarely left, the 'Workers Stop' was home and his mother was too poor to afford much more than their two room apartment in the back of the bar, rather cramped when James' father would force himself in.
Rukais was not unhappy with his life, though, he used to tend the bar, take out drinks and clean backstage and he studied for himself, learning at least to read and write. This lifestyle did not change much, until his father started a terrible drunken fight and was severely beaten. Bradley Rukais died that night, and though James Rukais had known him all his life, he already felt he had lost him to drinking and corruption years before the bar fight. When his father was killed he found himself relieved above all, his relationship with his father had not been a pleasant one.
Antimone
It would be a time before James had recovered from the mental wound that scarred him into avoiding violence and drink as and where he could. Feeling that they had nothing tying them down to Luna, James and his mother left and moved to Antimone instead. This was one of the most positive moments of James' life, for his mother revealed that she had been saving money since he was born, in the determination to give him a better life than she had led. With his unexpected trust fund, he was able to attend a cheap flight school and he learned how to fly various cargo shipping crafts.
After graduation (which was not long after) James managed to easily score a low-paying job which he held for a number of years. He worked as an inter-atmosphere freight pilot, managing to keep him and his mother above the red line of bankruptcy. His mother had become unable to work after she developed leukemia and lost the use of her legs, which left James' job as the only income in. Though leukemia was not fatal to his mother, she was getting old and her hard life at the tavern had aged her, she was not a young woman when she had given birth to James. Peacefully, his mother passed away in hospital after a high risk operation that she had no choice but to have. Rukais was there, at least, when she died, and her last words would return to him many times later, "James, you have to understand this is the final relief. I have seen you grow and I am proud and sure you will be happy in your life. Don't be sorry for me, death is euphoria."
Stricken with the loss of his motivation and drive Rukais sold their small residence and left his boring job to explore the rest of the galaxy, a chance to gain a deeper understanding of his past.
The La Terre Defense Force
Rukais first joined a ships crew, it was one that had touched down on Antimone a few times a month, hauling cargo. He had known the crew for some time through his work, and even if he found their company rather obnoxious, he became their new pilot. He didn't like the job, the cargoing lifestyle didn't leave much room for exploring any planet or having long spiritual journeys so, abandoning the ship when it had touched down on Ungstir he searched for a better job that suited him. He tried a number of ships and crews but nothing ever seemed right, Rukais felt that he wouldn't find what he was looking for. He was running out of money too and was forced to work behind the bar in the Rockhopper's for a while. It didn't exactly bring back pleasant memories, and as was no uncommon for him, he left the job after only a couple of months. After abandoning the tedious work he used the money that he had saved to travel to La Terre (a holiday that he needed badly). He rented out a box with a bed and joined the La Terre Defense Force as a trainee pilot. He didn't have much time to do this, however, because this is about the time when he died.
Death, in many ways, was one of the best things that ever happened to Rukais. Feelings of loss and inadequacy, his complacency with life, all the problems of having a body with hormones and instincts faded away. His past, his memories and those dark feelings became a blur. His mother's words found a true meaning, if he could remember them clearly. Perhaps he found what he was looking for, what he had longed to understand. With this came a relief and a consolation.
Rukais had the time to dream about his past, putting things in order in his mind, moving things, his past into his future or his future into his past. Strange parallels and connections, he had never felt so close to understanding what it had meant to be alive and yet he was not. He relived his life a million times, or just once, a strange sense of detachment flooded through death. It was not death, and he would not remember this. Life was calling him back, leaving him frozen in the moment his mother died. He awoke again, taking in cold breath.
The Kamir had brought him back, along with the planet. After a confused week that went past in the time of a normal day, Rukais knew what had happened and found himself happy to be alive. Perhaps for the first time past his father's death. Rukais had died only a day after completing his primary training, but he left the LTDF and also La Terre completely. He went back to Luna, to make his peace with his father and his mother. To make peace with his life. After that, going back to cargo hauling didn't seem that bad after all. So that's what he did, for a short while anyway...
New Journeys
His reputation had developed past his control, ships under his wing had a tendency to explode dramatically, not entirely due to his piloting. It was hard to get a job, any captain who did their research would turn him down on the spot. He was given a break, however, when a friendly captain - Neith took him on board the SVD Hyperion and he was accepted into the crew, only weeks before the ship was kidnapped.
Although not clearly stated in the press, Rukais was the only member of the crew that was not directly involved in stealing the ship after Neith had left the company. Although the Lunite had been on board when Brian DelMarenno was shot and escaped, he was working on board a smaller dropship and avoided the conflict. He evidently flew DelMarenno down to Ungstir and aided in his direct return to Sivad. Rukais was left without a ship and when the Interstellar Vroomhopper Racing League was created, he was left without a job.
Before he had a chance to sign onto the ships renewed roster again, Ikepedo went bankrupt and he was left job hunting again.
A trail led him back to Ungstir where he fell into bad drinking habits, blaming DelMarenno personally for his inability to get a job. His travels eventually took him to Tomin Kora, where he stayed in the Warren for a while, thinking it could provide better job oportunities. What was left was a blank period of time, where he neither worked or rested until the apparent death of Volari and the return of the 'King'.
Rukais made his way off of Tomin Kora, fearing the idea that he could get caught in something dangerous. Ironic that his next choice of travels would lead him into joining the New Luna Militia during a recruiting boost in April 3006. His first actions there set a precedent for high quality piloting and he was soon promoted to Sergeant.
The New Luna Militia
When the New Luna Militia made a marketing pushed to hire more pilots, they also purchased a new fighter squadron to allocate them all in. 'The Claymores' attracted Rukais' back to the military lifestyle (along with New Luna's relatively lax drug laws). Rukais served under Flight Leader Breaker Smith for six months before being promoted to fill the same position. Rukais was given command over pilots like Jantine and the others in the Claymore Squadron as their Flight Leader. He took them on training runs for the most while but did command them in battle a number of times.
After the uprising however, Rukais began to feel detached to the rest of the Milita. Where many were losing faith, he was firmly unbothered by either side of the argument, because his choices for joining the New Luna Militia were not for any noble sense, or any sense at all. He stayed true, however, even though his job satisfaction wained. Most of the few friends began to drop out of the Milita after this, not just because of the uprising but a collective of different problems.
In September of 3007, Rukais met a woman called Andrea Stewart who was part of the Royal Naval Service. He subsequently fell for her and opted to leave the militia.
In a mix between vengeful and wanting to get kicked out, Rukais got his way into the Brig that was holding Hess accompanied by one of the few people he could convince to join him. A fight broke out and Rukais tried to stun Hess with his gun before a squad of marines came in and broke it up. Nobody was injured, though
Rukais joined with the captain Mika Tachyon on board the Raider for a very short time before being booted off.
Hiverspace Rift
Rukais was rifted through into Hiverspace and almost died of asphyxiation as he had come through in a glass chemical tank on a border colony Hekayti space station. He travelled between those planets who were initially accepting of Outversers and sampling the local 'funny fauna' wherever legally possible.
Meta
Quotes
In the corner of the plasteel smoking room there is the pale, lithe and entirely naked figure of Reub James Rukais relaxing on one of the oval chairs. He has a pipe; It is long and curved and is a very /elegant/ pipe. Rukais holds it gently with one hand, occasionally giving it an idle tap, testing it's existence between his fingers. Most men pine for a pipe such as this, some are even intimidated by it, either reaction is met by relative indifference from the pilot. A haze of smoke drifts lazily around him as he stares, half way away from the universe, and breathes out the occasional smoke ring.
"Oh, Doctor. I'm sure we're due to meet up at some point. Perhaps we can set a time so we can share a warm glass of urine and you can prod parts of me I'd usually be expected to keep covered?"
Logs
These are the logs with Rukais in them...
- Excitebike
- Bring a Little Piece of Home
- Alopex Launch Ceremony
- Naked Monday
- Alopex Shake Down Cruise
- The Birds and the Bees
- Plasma, Treason, Gunfire and Plot: Part 1
Badges
