Post by KC (Genhuman) on Dec 12, 2017 19:41:13 GMT -5
Kendrick "KC" Casey - Character Summary
Year 4147 thru 4162 (Zero Term)
Kendrick “KC” Casey came from a less affluent section of the ship. It wasn't quite in the deep dark depths of the underdecks, closer to the edge, but it was still part of that area. His parents did the best they could, however, to keep him away from a 'low' lifestyle and raise him right, sacrificing much to try and give him the best chance he could.
His father, Robert Casey (Nicknamed Drone because of his initials, and the fact that he usually, but not exclusively, piloted drones) served many tours in the Navy, but ended up being medically discharged after an accident that took both of his legs. Due to reasons his father never talked about, he never received a pension. He provided the best that he could by working as a menial, in what jobs he could get as not many would hire someone in a wheelchair. He instilled a strong work ethic in KC, and never badmouthed the services, instead praising them and extemporizing that a life of service was among the highest callings.
His mother, Amanda Casey (Nicknamed Chill, explanation to come) works as a waitress to help make ends meet. The story from his parents goes that they met while Amanda was waiting on Robert. That might be true, from a certain point of view. While she mentioned that she used to be a dancer, KC never tumbled to the fact that the dancing she used to do was of an exotic nature. That is how she met his father. She had given the cold shoulder to every customer who had tried for 'further services.' Part of her 'costume' ensemble was that she also had white hair. It is for these reasons she earned the nickname “Chill.” The only person she softened for was Robert. After their marriage, the irony of her new initials gave her a chuckle.
KC loved spending what time he could with his parents. He applied himself to his studies, because his parents expected it of him. True, they could not afford the best, but he did what he could, with what was available. They wanted him to be an engineer. KC, however, just liked spending time with his parents, and one room where a lot of congregating and laughing went on was the kitchen. KC thought cooking a great art form, and wanted to learn, and set it as one of his life goals.
Shortly after his 16th Birthday, rather than wait for the draft to take him, or struggle against all of his peers for prime jobs that were already in short supply, KC decided that he would join the military and fulfill his commitment. He bid farewell to his parents, who understood his decision, and headed down towards the recruitment center in his section.
Upon arrival, he found that all of the notifications and signage seemed to be missing from the hallway. He asked the only person there, someone who appeared to be doing some sort of cleaning or maintenance, directions to the Naval recruitment office, hoping to join the Navy like his father. Things didn't go quite as planned. The person performing maintenance was a Nobles son. He had been assigned to sign duty, repairing and replacing the signs in this particular hallway as punishment for some misdeeds during a recent carouse. Seeing this 'bumpkin' in a threadbare jumpsuit and a patched bag over his shoulder containing his belongings, the noble son decided to have a bit of fun. He directed him into the wrong door. Rather than the Naval office, he was ushered into the Army recruitment office.
The recruiter was a pretty smooth talker, and managed to get KC to sign on the dotted line, rather than leave and head in the right door. The main enticement, he offered KC the job of being an Army cook.
Year 4163 thru 4166 (First Term)
Fresh from Basic training, KC was all set to learn how to cook. He figured it would be rough fair, considering the lifestyle, but it should provide the basics of what to do, and he could work from there. Such was not really the case. It seems the Army thinks their cooks need to know how to do things like handle heavy artillery and rifles, more than they need to know how to cook.
He doesn't count learning how to heat up an Army meal ration kit as cooking. But, his combat training paid off. It seems while the ship was near a planet and retrieving supplies from the surface, they somehow got embroiled in a war that was happening on the surface. He made it through without a scratch.
Some of his fellow soldiers in his unit noticed how well he handled himself and thought it a good idea to keep him around. They would often ask him to go out with them, or ask him to help them with favors, and doing odd jobs when they were not on duty. He was naive at the time. By the end of his first tour, he wasn't so naive, learning to handle himself on the streets, and also learning that his 'friends' were not someone he really wanted to hang out with. He still figures, to this day, his association with them, and the time spent away from learning the army way, was the reason he wasn't even considered for promotion. It was time to leave, now that his enlistment term was up, and find something more to his liking.
Year 4167 thru 4170 (Second Term)
Looking at his choices, KC set out to join the Tradesmen (Merchant Marines). One of the things that appealed to him was that he still would be able to make periodic trips off the ship, and most importantly, they would teach him how to cook for real. That was the best part, and he reveled in it.
Of course, the trade commission knew about his prior military service, and so often called on him to accompany them to planet-side meetings, both because he could cook for them, but also more importantly, to be a discreet guard.
Things were going good, up until that one, last trip. Seems the pilot got things wrong, or the tradesman was given false information. Or just plain rotten luck. The landing sight and meeting place for the latest deal, one that was supposed to just be a handshake formality type trip, took a disastrous turn. He survived the firefight, but the pilot succumbed to his injuries shortly after takeoff. It was sink or swim time, and KC managed to swim through a combination of being able to read and understand user manuals, another crewman who had often 'watched' pilots do their thing, and probably a good dose of luck. KC survived, but his career didn't, and he was forced to find employment elsewhere.
Year 4171 thru 4174 (Third Term)
All KC wanted to do was serve the ship. Alas, the services no longer seemed to want him around. Now 26, with a somewhat heavy heart, KC goes and tries to find a job in the civilian sector. He sent in countless applications, and attended many interviews. Nothing seemed to want to go his way.
In the meantime, the civil service department computers started to whir when they noticed a citizen without a job for 3 months. They sent him an message. The gist of it stated, you are not ordered to join, as you already have met your requirements for civil service, but if you would care to enter Selective Service, they were always looking for a few good persons. It was with a bemused, ironic smile that KC hit the 'accept/yes' button. The following day he received orders to report for his new duty station, with the marine corp.
He was made fun of at first. He was older than most of the recruits. He had been in that 'sissy' army. But his instructors secretly liked him, because they didn't have to spend hardly any time at all teaching him the military way.
Unlike when he was young, he didn't stress about always being perfect and doing a good job. He even learned how to enjoy socializing. Gambling, especially with cards, became a bit of a past time, and got him in good with a number of the NCOs. He also didn't stress about advancement, but on a lark applied for OCS. He wasn't accepted, but he didn't let it concern him.
During one of the games, however, some higher officer had come upon them, and decided to join in the fun. One of them was the Colonel. KC made the 'smart move' and let the Officer win, folding his hand of 3 kings, even when he knew that at best, the Colonel had a pair of jacks. Well, the Colonel recognized what he did.
A couple months later, KC received a promotion, and a transfer to a cushy job at the Embassy. These were happy times.
Year 4175 thru 4178 (Fourth Term)
The powers that be have KC on their radar, even if he is a very, very small blip. After his stint at the Embassy, he is put back in a line company of the marines. With his rank, he is the lead of a fire team. Because of this, he gets sent for some schooling, and begins to understand military tactics.
This turned out to be fortunate, because a month after he finished the courses, his platoon was called upon to assist in an assault on a fortress. His was one of two fire teams that didn't lose any men in that assault.
Thinking that maybe his recognition during the battle may mean something, he once more applies to OCS. Well, thankfully he could save face having a reputation as a joker and played it off as one when the Officer Board laughed at his application. Deep down inside, however, it did hurt. For a moment, he wasn't sure he was going to continue with the marines. It was only when he remembers the sight of his father, sitting in his wheel chair in the audience, cheering clapping and laughing when he got his commendation for the assault fiasco that kept him going. Besides, what else did he know. He signed the papers to re-up.
Year 4179 thru 4182 (Fifth Term)
This tour with the Marines wasn't all that eventful, battle and maneuver wise. He continued his hobby of playing cards and gambling. He gained a reputation as a competent gambler, but not a spectacular one. It is for that reason that The marines in Omega company had promised to teach him a lesson in cards.
The lesson they ended up teaching was on how to read people better, especially when two or more people are working against him. He took them to the cleaners. Afterwards, to show there were no hard feelings, he bought them a round of drinks and got them all a “lap dance” from LuLu.
He was feeling lucky, and that very same night, he decided, once more, to toss the dice and apply to OCS. He was quite surprised when he made it. The promotion ceremony was a blast. He was so glad his parents had been able to make it. He also made a mental note to cherish, but never mention the fact that his dad has tears in his eyes. Gotta keep up the manly image, after all.
He spend the second half of this tour behind a desk. Due to his inactivity, he lost some muscle tone. He also started to feel stiffness in his joints. The young man's game was catching up to him, he figured, and the inactivity of a desk job didn't help much. But, at least he wasn't having to face battle as a supply officer.....
Year 4183 thru 4186 (Sixth Term)
Thankfully, the doctors didn't discover that the physical deterioration in his joints could be attributed more to an agent he was exposed to during the fortress assault, than due to inactivity, or they may not have let him keep going this tour.
However, he did make a pretty good supply clerk, especially after they taught him how to do so. He looked forward to a career of ease, the only danger being a paper cut. Alas, the military doesn't work like that, and somehow, once more, he found himself in battle.
He tried to play things as smart as he could, however, and once more managed to keep all of his platoon alive, mainly because he knew how to properly call in drone air strikes against targets.
While the marines were glad they didn't lose men, they also stated that they preferred 'bold' officers, rather than 'timid' ones. That, plus the fact that he had this 'agent' in his system that could once more strike and deteriorate him physically at any time, caused them to refuse his request to re-up.
Once more, KC had to figure out what to do when not in the service.
Year 4187 thru 4191 (Seventh Term)
“42 isn't old damn it! I can still keep up with all of these kids.” At least, that is what he keeps saying to himself. That, and he still thinks the life of a civil servant is the highest calling. During his years of service, KC had developed a taste for piloting and being out and away from the main colony ship. The occasions when it had happened were some of his happier, or more interesting memories. It is for these reasons that he thought to apply to the scouting corp. He already had knowledge of how to pilot spacecraft, after all, and he could see himself living out the rest of his days as a courier/mailman delivering private correspondence, or perhaps as the pilot on an exploration vessel, using his knowledge to be able to handle rough space and skies.
The application was submitted, and he waited. He checked back every week, and the recruitment office said that he wasn't denied, but that his application was still under review and pending. This went on for a number of months.
During that time, he found the good name he had made for himself in the service among a select few officers whom he had mostly let win while gambling, had been passed up to the right ears on the civilian side. "If only it had made it to higher up in the military instead. I could have retired at a much higher rank," he mused as he found himself invited and attending parties and events. Every succeeding event happened in higher and higher society circles. He don't know how it happened, but he found that he was accepted into Noble society....as one of them!!!
The more time he found himself mixing with high society, the more he also found he had to learn some skills along they way, just to survive. He feared more for his throat being cut here in noble society than he ever did as a marine. He also found that knowing the law, and knowing how to properly shade the truth went a long way in these circles.
One thing he notices was that most of the nobles have hobbies, things would be considered rather mundane to most people, but that were cherished higher up the social food chain. One of the things that KC found his new 'peers' appreciated was his ability to cook. Good thing he loved to cook, as it opened up so many new avenues.
Year 4192 – Current Year.
Now a distinguished 46 year old, all of KC's noble acquaintances like to joke and call him the Baron of Brunch. They wouldn't be laughing at him quite so hard if they only knew how successful his little Bistro/Cafe' endeavor was doing.
Year 4147 thru 4162 (Zero Term)
Kendrick “KC” Casey came from a less affluent section of the ship. It wasn't quite in the deep dark depths of the underdecks, closer to the edge, but it was still part of that area. His parents did the best they could, however, to keep him away from a 'low' lifestyle and raise him right, sacrificing much to try and give him the best chance he could.
His father, Robert Casey (Nicknamed Drone because of his initials, and the fact that he usually, but not exclusively, piloted drones) served many tours in the Navy, but ended up being medically discharged after an accident that took both of his legs. Due to reasons his father never talked about, he never received a pension. He provided the best that he could by working as a menial, in what jobs he could get as not many would hire someone in a wheelchair. He instilled a strong work ethic in KC, and never badmouthed the services, instead praising them and extemporizing that a life of service was among the highest callings.
His mother, Amanda Casey (Nicknamed Chill, explanation to come) works as a waitress to help make ends meet. The story from his parents goes that they met while Amanda was waiting on Robert. That might be true, from a certain point of view. While she mentioned that she used to be a dancer, KC never tumbled to the fact that the dancing she used to do was of an exotic nature. That is how she met his father. She had given the cold shoulder to every customer who had tried for 'further services.' Part of her 'costume' ensemble was that she also had white hair. It is for these reasons she earned the nickname “Chill.” The only person she softened for was Robert. After their marriage, the irony of her new initials gave her a chuckle.
KC loved spending what time he could with his parents. He applied himself to his studies, because his parents expected it of him. True, they could not afford the best, but he did what he could, with what was available. They wanted him to be an engineer. KC, however, just liked spending time with his parents, and one room where a lot of congregating and laughing went on was the kitchen. KC thought cooking a great art form, and wanted to learn, and set it as one of his life goals.
Shortly after his 16th Birthday, rather than wait for the draft to take him, or struggle against all of his peers for prime jobs that were already in short supply, KC decided that he would join the military and fulfill his commitment. He bid farewell to his parents, who understood his decision, and headed down towards the recruitment center in his section.
Upon arrival, he found that all of the notifications and signage seemed to be missing from the hallway. He asked the only person there, someone who appeared to be doing some sort of cleaning or maintenance, directions to the Naval recruitment office, hoping to join the Navy like his father. Things didn't go quite as planned. The person performing maintenance was a Nobles son. He had been assigned to sign duty, repairing and replacing the signs in this particular hallway as punishment for some misdeeds during a recent carouse. Seeing this 'bumpkin' in a threadbare jumpsuit and a patched bag over his shoulder containing his belongings, the noble son decided to have a bit of fun. He directed him into the wrong door. Rather than the Naval office, he was ushered into the Army recruitment office.
The recruiter was a pretty smooth talker, and managed to get KC to sign on the dotted line, rather than leave and head in the right door. The main enticement, he offered KC the job of being an Army cook.
Year 4163 thru 4166 (First Term)
Fresh from Basic training, KC was all set to learn how to cook. He figured it would be rough fair, considering the lifestyle, but it should provide the basics of what to do, and he could work from there. Such was not really the case. It seems the Army thinks their cooks need to know how to do things like handle heavy artillery and rifles, more than they need to know how to cook.
He doesn't count learning how to heat up an Army meal ration kit as cooking. But, his combat training paid off. It seems while the ship was near a planet and retrieving supplies from the surface, they somehow got embroiled in a war that was happening on the surface. He made it through without a scratch.
Some of his fellow soldiers in his unit noticed how well he handled himself and thought it a good idea to keep him around. They would often ask him to go out with them, or ask him to help them with favors, and doing odd jobs when they were not on duty. He was naive at the time. By the end of his first tour, he wasn't so naive, learning to handle himself on the streets, and also learning that his 'friends' were not someone he really wanted to hang out with. He still figures, to this day, his association with them, and the time spent away from learning the army way, was the reason he wasn't even considered for promotion. It was time to leave, now that his enlistment term was up, and find something more to his liking.
Year 4167 thru 4170 (Second Term)
Looking at his choices, KC set out to join the Tradesmen (Merchant Marines). One of the things that appealed to him was that he still would be able to make periodic trips off the ship, and most importantly, they would teach him how to cook for real. That was the best part, and he reveled in it.
Of course, the trade commission knew about his prior military service, and so often called on him to accompany them to planet-side meetings, both because he could cook for them, but also more importantly, to be a discreet guard.
Things were going good, up until that one, last trip. Seems the pilot got things wrong, or the tradesman was given false information. Or just plain rotten luck. The landing sight and meeting place for the latest deal, one that was supposed to just be a handshake formality type trip, took a disastrous turn. He survived the firefight, but the pilot succumbed to his injuries shortly after takeoff. It was sink or swim time, and KC managed to swim through a combination of being able to read and understand user manuals, another crewman who had often 'watched' pilots do their thing, and probably a good dose of luck. KC survived, but his career didn't, and he was forced to find employment elsewhere.
Year 4171 thru 4174 (Third Term)
All KC wanted to do was serve the ship. Alas, the services no longer seemed to want him around. Now 26, with a somewhat heavy heart, KC goes and tries to find a job in the civilian sector. He sent in countless applications, and attended many interviews. Nothing seemed to want to go his way.
In the meantime, the civil service department computers started to whir when they noticed a citizen without a job for 3 months. They sent him an message. The gist of it stated, you are not ordered to join, as you already have met your requirements for civil service, but if you would care to enter Selective Service, they were always looking for a few good persons. It was with a bemused, ironic smile that KC hit the 'accept/yes' button. The following day he received orders to report for his new duty station, with the marine corp.
He was made fun of at first. He was older than most of the recruits. He had been in that 'sissy' army. But his instructors secretly liked him, because they didn't have to spend hardly any time at all teaching him the military way.
Unlike when he was young, he didn't stress about always being perfect and doing a good job. He even learned how to enjoy socializing. Gambling, especially with cards, became a bit of a past time, and got him in good with a number of the NCOs. He also didn't stress about advancement, but on a lark applied for OCS. He wasn't accepted, but he didn't let it concern him.
During one of the games, however, some higher officer had come upon them, and decided to join in the fun. One of them was the Colonel. KC made the 'smart move' and let the Officer win, folding his hand of 3 kings, even when he knew that at best, the Colonel had a pair of jacks. Well, the Colonel recognized what he did.
A couple months later, KC received a promotion, and a transfer to a cushy job at the Embassy. These were happy times.
Year 4175 thru 4178 (Fourth Term)
The powers that be have KC on their radar, even if he is a very, very small blip. After his stint at the Embassy, he is put back in a line company of the marines. With his rank, he is the lead of a fire team. Because of this, he gets sent for some schooling, and begins to understand military tactics.
This turned out to be fortunate, because a month after he finished the courses, his platoon was called upon to assist in an assault on a fortress. His was one of two fire teams that didn't lose any men in that assault.
Thinking that maybe his recognition during the battle may mean something, he once more applies to OCS. Well, thankfully he could save face having a reputation as a joker and played it off as one when the Officer Board laughed at his application. Deep down inside, however, it did hurt. For a moment, he wasn't sure he was going to continue with the marines. It was only when he remembers the sight of his father, sitting in his wheel chair in the audience, cheering clapping and laughing when he got his commendation for the assault fiasco that kept him going. Besides, what else did he know. He signed the papers to re-up.
Year 4179 thru 4182 (Fifth Term)
This tour with the Marines wasn't all that eventful, battle and maneuver wise. He continued his hobby of playing cards and gambling. He gained a reputation as a competent gambler, but not a spectacular one. It is for that reason that The marines in Omega company had promised to teach him a lesson in cards.
The lesson they ended up teaching was on how to read people better, especially when two or more people are working against him. He took them to the cleaners. Afterwards, to show there were no hard feelings, he bought them a round of drinks and got them all a “lap dance” from LuLu.
He was feeling lucky, and that very same night, he decided, once more, to toss the dice and apply to OCS. He was quite surprised when he made it. The promotion ceremony was a blast. He was so glad his parents had been able to make it. He also made a mental note to cherish, but never mention the fact that his dad has tears in his eyes. Gotta keep up the manly image, after all.
He spend the second half of this tour behind a desk. Due to his inactivity, he lost some muscle tone. He also started to feel stiffness in his joints. The young man's game was catching up to him, he figured, and the inactivity of a desk job didn't help much. But, at least he wasn't having to face battle as a supply officer.....
Year 4183 thru 4186 (Sixth Term)
Thankfully, the doctors didn't discover that the physical deterioration in his joints could be attributed more to an agent he was exposed to during the fortress assault, than due to inactivity, or they may not have let him keep going this tour.
However, he did make a pretty good supply clerk, especially after they taught him how to do so. He looked forward to a career of ease, the only danger being a paper cut. Alas, the military doesn't work like that, and somehow, once more, he found himself in battle.
He tried to play things as smart as he could, however, and once more managed to keep all of his platoon alive, mainly because he knew how to properly call in drone air strikes against targets.
While the marines were glad they didn't lose men, they also stated that they preferred 'bold' officers, rather than 'timid' ones. That, plus the fact that he had this 'agent' in his system that could once more strike and deteriorate him physically at any time, caused them to refuse his request to re-up.
Once more, KC had to figure out what to do when not in the service.
Year 4187 thru 4191 (Seventh Term)
“42 isn't old damn it! I can still keep up with all of these kids.” At least, that is what he keeps saying to himself. That, and he still thinks the life of a civil servant is the highest calling. During his years of service, KC had developed a taste for piloting and being out and away from the main colony ship. The occasions when it had happened were some of his happier, or more interesting memories. It is for these reasons that he thought to apply to the scouting corp. He already had knowledge of how to pilot spacecraft, after all, and he could see himself living out the rest of his days as a courier/mailman delivering private correspondence, or perhaps as the pilot on an exploration vessel, using his knowledge to be able to handle rough space and skies.
The application was submitted, and he waited. He checked back every week, and the recruitment office said that he wasn't denied, but that his application was still under review and pending. This went on for a number of months.
During that time, he found the good name he had made for himself in the service among a select few officers whom he had mostly let win while gambling, had been passed up to the right ears on the civilian side. "If only it had made it to higher up in the military instead. I could have retired at a much higher rank," he mused as he found himself invited and attending parties and events. Every succeeding event happened in higher and higher society circles. He don't know how it happened, but he found that he was accepted into Noble society....as one of them!!!
The more time he found himself mixing with high society, the more he also found he had to learn some skills along they way, just to survive. He feared more for his throat being cut here in noble society than he ever did as a marine. He also found that knowing the law, and knowing how to properly shade the truth went a long way in these circles.
One thing he notices was that most of the nobles have hobbies, things would be considered rather mundane to most people, but that were cherished higher up the social food chain. One of the things that KC found his new 'peers' appreciated was his ability to cook. Good thing he loved to cook, as it opened up so many new avenues.
Year 4192 – Current Year.
Now a distinguished 46 year old, all of KC's noble acquaintances like to joke and call him the Baron of Brunch. They wouldn't be laughing at him quite so hard if they only knew how successful his little Bistro/Cafe' endeavor was doing.