Traveller has been a game I've been putting a lot of attention into lately. After the first character I generated, I realized that I might need to make someone that was more useful to the party.
Earl Sheppard was born in a LSP mining community in the Bowman Belt, the son of Tom Sheppard, an asteroid mining administrator. Inspired by tales of Admiral Denisov's exploits against the Outworld Coalition's shipping lanes during the Second Frontier War, Earl had dreams of becoming a fighter pilot since childhood. While his father attempted to ground these dreams in favor of Early becoming a "company man," he persevered, and entered the Naval Academy at Depot/Epshu at its earliest enlistment date.
He completed pilot college in time for the Zhodani Consulate's 1082 invasion of the Jewell and Regina subsectors. Seeing an opportunity to serve the Empire, he petitioned the admiralty of the 193rd fleet to skip his cadet phase and join the fighter flights holding the line in the Regina system, citing the early Zhodani destruction of the Battle Rider squadrons stationed in that sector. With the Empire seeking to regain lost ground, the admiralty granted this opportunity, and he quickly departed for the front lines.
With the static gun lines forming the Empire's "crust" defense strategy crippled, he was initially deployed in an auxiliary flight with a Plankwell-class Battleship Squadron redeployed from elsewhere. There, he earned distinction as an aggressive and tireless fighter pilot. In the battle over the agri-world Menorb, he escorted a battle tender sent to reposition an aging Battle Rider while his flight engaged the enemy, allowing the Regina subsector admiralty to reposition and destroy an onslaught of Zhodani gunships. In this single engagement, he scored twenty-three kills on Zhodani, earning the Imperial Starburst for Extreme Heroism.
His performance during the conflict earned him a series of promotions leaving him a Commander and offering his choice of assignments in varying roles within the Empire. He attempted to decline them, citing his better use on the front lines as a fighter pilot, and underwent a series of operations to enhance his piloting capabilities using cyberware, insisting he was a more fit choice than younger, less experienced pilots, but the Navy insisted. He begrudgingly accepted a station with the Navy's Engineering Corps, where he oversaw the design the power system enhancements necessary to fuel new jump-capable heavy fighter craft to be carried by the prototype Tigress-class dreadnought.
For his contributions, the Imperium requested he craft their Manual of the Fighter's Role in Fleet Elasticity, and accept a position overseeing the training of new fighter pilots at the Naval Academy he once attended. He additionally was awarded an Imperial consort in recognition. He taught advanced fighter techniques to students about to graduate, and otherwise guided the coursework for young pilots for a total of eight years. With the tentative peace of the 1090s, and repeated terrorist insurrections under Emperor Strephon, as well as the promotion of Duke Norris to Sector Admiral, the Empire completed their new to the new Elasticity Doctrine, where lighter sector fleets held ground while more central Battle Fleets redeployed. Sheppard appealed first to the High Council, and then to the Emperor himself, to be assigned under the command of Duke Norris, but the request was denied.
Frustrated, Sheppard accepted retirement from the Navy to seek gainful employ piloting in the private sector. Acknowledging his dedication, Duke Norris suggested that a lucrative Navy contract would go to any organization Sheppard should decide to found, with additional award letters of marque should they be requested.
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