Logan Gerber - 30
Logan is a member of a large family tracing their lineage back to Earth that Was. Not
that he gets much out of it, besides an appreciation for fine cutlery. He was born and
raised on the Boros moon of Ares, also known as the alliance shipyards. Both his parents
worked for Iskellian, perfect little wage-slaves. Despite being a border planet, Boros is
probably more secure than some Core worlds, and the shipyards on Ares are under
extremely tight control. Growing up, Logan was raised with the most restrictive red-tape
and bureaucratic nonsense that Iskellian and the Alliance could come up with.
Rather than buckle under the administration, or turn away from it and fleeing for the
freedom of the rim, Logan embraced the documentation nightmare. He became an expert
at weaving his way through the system, and soon enough he too was working for
Iskellian. When he couldn’t squeak his paperwork through the system, he found his other
specialty – trading. While buying with credits is nice, there are still some things for
which the barter system has no substitute. Favors, equipment, or even expediting
paperwork were all valid currency on the tightly controlled moon. And so often, people
don’t read the fine print and realize just how much they give to him. So far, he owns 4
souls and 2 firstborn sons.
Then came the war. More restrictions came crashing down on Ares, with more draconian
legislation than ever before. When the draft came, Logan’s administrative skills made
him a prime target, and he was soon in the logistics branch of the Alliance forces. For the
first year of the war, he performed his duty well. Stationed on one of the many ships, he
would do whatever trades or paperwork needed to keep his vessel in supplies. For all his
skill at manipulating red tape though, he was still only one piece of the system, and
eventually that system failed. Paperwork, like people, has a chain of command, and only
moves as fast as the workers above it. Eventually, Logan’s luck ran out.
The ship had landed on an unfamiliar planet to set up a strategic camp. A week later, the
ground troops started to fall ill from a strange blood disease. Logan sent the medical
requisitions to his superiors, but the response was that none were available. He tried
trading with his network of other supply officers, but none had the needed supplies.
Another week later, most of the ship was infected, and despite the medical crews best
efforts, some where starting to die. The captain had ordered the evacuation of the planet,
when unexpected helped arrived. The Browncoats had also come to the planet to set up
an outpost. Unlike the Alliance, they were prepared. Logan’s ship surrendered without a
shot.
After a month in a tiny Independent infirmary, Logan and the rest of the ship were
healthier POW’s, though the damage to their blood left it permanently thin and prone to
bleeding. Logan had always disliked the hoops people had to jump through for the
Alliance, and their refusal to send the medial supplies was the final straw. When a
prisoner exchange went through, releasing most of the crew, Logan decided to stay, and
instead enlisted with the Independents. Though they were understandably suspicious, he
brought with him a vast knowledge of the inner workings of the Alliance logistics
system. He also had advice on how the Browncoats could improve their own system
without becoming a labyrinth of red tape. Most important however, was his commitment
that no person, no matter which side, should suffer for the necessities of life due to
administrative bungling. Eventually, he was accepted under the false identity of Robert
Thompson given to him by the Browncoats. The notice received by the Alliance was
‘Attempted escape from POW camp. MIA, presumed dead.’
As he proved his administrative skills, he advanced through the ranks, eventually
becoming a supply sergeant for a small task force by the end of the war. He also
instigated a number of raids on Alliance supply depots to bolster those of the
Browncoats, urging them to take supplies that he knew the Alliance had in excess. Much
to the anger of those who did not quite trust him, he would sometimes refuse to reveal
key Alliance stashes of food and medicine. He held fast to his belief that supplies such as
these should never be used as weapons of war. Faith in him was greatly increased
though, when he risked his cover for his unit. Though the chains of command where
much more clear, supplies were also much more scarce for the Browncoats. When
starvation threatened his unit, and there were no contacts nearby to help, he did the only
thing he could. One of his Alliance friends, Sparky, was in a nearby fleet, and he
contacted him through a secretly arranged channel with a disguised voice. Through some
key phrases they each knew Logan covertly identified himself to Sparky, and the reached
a deal. Sparky had enough food dropped at a secure site to see the unit through, though
Logan had to leave a good chunk of hardware in its place.
During the final days of the war, Logan was stationed on a ship named the Gosroth,
heading up a logistic’s operation at Serenity valley, trying to coordinate an evacuation of
the infantry there. They grabbed whatever other ships they could find and set them as
drop-ships into the firezone, and headed in themselves. There’s a drawback to being on
the bigger ship in a fleet of little ships – all the shots come your way. The Gosroth hit the
valley hard, and the remains of the crew scrambled to find their way off with their own
evac ships. Logan stumbled onto the Calamity, bleeding badly, but with the authorization
codes to get them off-world and through the Alliance blockade without stopping.
Once they reached safety, Logan thanked Tyr, and hopped onto the first browncoat
transport he could. He was quickly shuffled away, and after the war, Logan was
‘released’ from a small POW camp where he had been ‘interrogated’ on Alliance
logistics. A few other turncoats were also found here at the end of the war, along with all
the proper documentation for their capture and detainment.
On returning to Ares, he left the military, and tried taking an administrative post at
Iskellian, but the war had changed his philosophy on the bureaucratic system. He was no
longer content to remain at a desk and push paperwork around the system. Luckily, he
was in the best place in the verse for leaving town. Catching up with some of his
childhood friends, he signed on to a newly-built trader, and went out into the black. He
stayed as a quartermaster on many ships over the next few years, keeping up with old
contacts and making new ones everywhere he went. While aboard these ships, he learned
to take a more personal touch in supply acquisition. Since these items typically needed to
be gained without the owner’s knowledge or consent, it was a bit more risky than just
filling out paperwork. While he isn’t the best thief around, he’s willing to give it a shot
for the right goods.
Logan is one of very few people who are skilled at bureaucracy but know that others are
not, and knows that if he doesn’t have the authority to back it up; all his paperwork is
good for is toiletwipes. Simply put, he knows when to push it, and when to leave it
alone. He’s not perfect about that, but he’s stayed alive longer than most paperpushers
out on their own. He also knows that sometimes, all the talk in the world won’t save you
from a fight, and has been practicing with his family heirlooms to make sure he can stay
his own in any trouble.