PROTAGANISTS
Our
Story
Rocket Girl aka Duffy Delancey or “Dee Dee” or “Double D”
“Rocket Girl” is the flight call sign for Duffy Delancey, known amongst her family and close friends as “Dee Dee” and/or “Double D.”
A former astrogator on a long-haul interplanetary cargo hauler, for a blink of an eye, Duffy Delancey, aka Rocket Girl, is now the newest pilot of the under-staffed Department 86, which is the Debris Retrieval Unit of the ISPA (Interplanetary Space Port Authority). Department 86 keeps space safe from orbital debris by removing it from the orbital paths of satellites and space stations and Rocket Girl and her alien best friend and EVA Specialist, GoGo are among the very best at it.
Delancey is still quite naïve due to a sheltered upbringing precipitated by the parade of pandemics that occurred throughout her childhood. She and her younger sister, Skyler, lived carefully monitored lives at the hands of overprotective parents in a military household. By the time the Delancey sisters became adults and entered the workforce their backgrounds became obvious in their work.
Delancey is all about truth, justice, honesty and fair play and is a “glass is half full” kind of gal. Rocket Girl, as she is known amongst her co-workers, is a reluctant hero, taking praise in stride and never seeking the spotlight. She can often be found standing heroically with her fists on her hips, looking off to the horizon. She does not do this for effect, she just stands that way sometimes. Delancey, known as Dee Dee to her relatives and Double D to her close friends and smart-Alec pervs, is repulsed by
injustice of any kind and will often assert herself in other people’s business without invitation. She does not like the name Duffy. It’s her mother’s maiden name and she avoids using it whenever practical.
Rocket Girl does not tolerate bullying and trains on a daily basis to better equip herself to deal with bullies, hooligans, and for some reason, men who wear rompers. Her training facility of choice is not the gym or the weight room, it’s actually an amusement center on the Space Station called, Fred’s Awesome Simulations. It’s a well-equipped, high-end, holo-theater or game grid, where people can
come and fight imaginary aliens while working-up a sweat. Anyone who knows Rocket Girl knows that she favors battle simulations. Between her preferred form of entertainment and her reputation as a defender of the defenseless, some say she is starting a war for peace.
An avid collector, if not curator, of pop culture collectibles and ephemera from the distant past, Delancey is all about her career and hobbies and not currently invested in any romantic entanglements. Due to budget cutbacks, there are only four ships used for Debris Retrieval. Rocket Girl helms the SPSS COLLECTOR, a re-fitted, compact, short-haul cargo ship, once used for ferrying passengers
and medical supplies between space stations. It’s still a pretty cool little ship and Rocket Girl, with the help of work bud, Remi Martin, have modded their ships to perform better as debris retrieval vessels.
One last thing, Duffy Delancey may seem like all that and then some, but she is not perfect. In terms of the “human condition” she has the full subscription. In Rocket Girl’s case, she does occasionally have anger management issues and her fuse is often short. She does not enjoy being gawked at or ogled by strangers. So, if you ever meet her, you had better look her in the eyes and you had better be able to tell her what color they are, if she asks (and she might). Delancey also has the bad habit of not answering her comms device, often using it to play video games rather than its intended purpose of communication, but she’s always there when you need her.
Overall, she is beautiful inside and out. She is a loyal and reliable friend; a dedicated and thoroughly talented employee, who actually likes her job; and a rare individual in a vast, dystopian galaxy of sarcasm, cynicism, and disappointment. Try finding that at the supermarket.
The design is still being finalized.
GoGo aka Geauxgah Grohghan
“GoGo” is the ‘anglicized’ version of her first name Geauxgah (pronounced Go-Gah), Rocket Girl’s cheeky work buddy and dedicated EVA Specialist. GoGo is of off-world origins and may seem a little to very off until you get to know her. She is crazy about two things: (1) the environment, particularly recycling; and (2) sexual intercourse, which she calls “coital combat.”
Sarcastic at times, mostly as a defense mechanism, but sincere, genuine, and dedicated at all times, GoGo comes complete with a never-ending and often entertaining supply of everyday drama
(relationship troubles; employment benefits fiascos; “does this make me look fat” traps set for whomever she is dating; and unfortunate digestive issues – human food does not agree with her, but she consumes it anyway (except cheese). GoGo is also quite fond of saying, “your mom,” anytime someone says something even remotely resembling a set-up, where that response would be provocative as well as make grammatical sense. She learned it from Rocket Girl, who no longer uses it because GoGo ruined it through her overuse. For example, when Steve Carrell’s character “Michael Scott” says, “that’s what she said,” over and over again on the hit show The Office.
Make no mistake, GoGo is highly intelligent and learns quickly, but her lack of familiarity with Earth customs, morays, and general history often leaves her in awkward social situations or, at the very least, the unwitting victim of a misunderstanding that often gets way out of hand. It sometimes even leaves her naked in a corridor.
GoGo is one of many recipients of a special visa made possible by (name the visa program), an interplanetary cultural exchange program, just like her work colleagues Blorch (hailing from the planet
Punus IV) and Fablogorgulax (hailing from the planet Neruda), which involves issuing visas to citizens from other worlds. Eligible worlds are limited to those recognized by the Interplanetary Culture & Labor Exchange Act. In turn, Earthers are issued visas to go and work on these alien worlds under the same agreement.
GoGo’s homeworld is called Merth, a blue rock orbiting a yellow sun, called X about 8,000 light years from Earth. She is part of a plant race called, Epiphytians. Merth has several other races currently living harmoniously, none of which is space faring. Her species have soft antennae protruding from their foreheads which are flexible and durable but still making hats difficult.
Besides Rocket Girl, GoGo’s next best friend is Gravey Jones, who performs the same EVA Specialist duties but under senior pilot, Remi Martín. GoGo and Gravey went through their EVA training in the same class in which they were the only aliens.
Absolute Magnitude aka Dirk Tungsten
Gifted with a ‘radio voice’ and an ego the size of a planet, Dirk Tungsten is the longest serving member of the ISPA’s Department 86, as well as the loudest. On one hand, he is handsome for his age and a capable pilot, on the other, he is pompous, self-righteous, slightly condescending, and comprehensively delusional. He is decent enough at his job but not as good as he should be.
Furthermore, he is about as wise, insightful, and intuitive as a really dumb bag of hammers. It is amazing to his fellow team members that he has not been killed on the job. He is obsessed with his weight and hair and is often caught checking either or both out in mirrors or other reflective surfaces, of which there are several on the space station.
Dirk is never late for work, nor does he ever miss a day, however he often tries to get out of doing actual work and often works to “rule.” He’s not trying to prove a point or ‘stick it to the man,’ he is just old-school lazy.
Dirk pilots the SPSS Penetrator, accompanied by rookie EVA Specialist Johnny Longtorso.
Neutrino
aka Remi Martín
Born on Earth in the area formerly known as Buenos Aires, Argentina, Remi Martín (pronounced Mar-teen) is named for her parent’s favorite libation, in which she also indulges, some say a little too much.
Remi is an only child and her family moved to the United States when she was very young so she was able to lose her accent as she was learning English. Remi’s father was an engineer and hails from an
aristocratic French family, and her mother was a test pilot of German descent and was thought to be a spy at one time. Remi’s parents died when she was twenty in one of the many California earthquakes during the so-called year of the quakes in which there were a record number of seismic advents, all of which were 7.0 and over on the Richter scale. It is suspected that her ancestors on her mother’s side were German aristocrats, way, way back before Hitler’s time in Germany.
Remi enjoys flying and tinkering/building things from models to working prototypes. She loves movies, an activity that she once enjoyed with her parents, especially action films like, basically anything with action and drinking in it.
Remi is the pilot of the SPSS Compactor, the fastest ship in the Space Patrol fleet (but only because she modified it). She dislikes her flight call sign, Neutrino, which was given to her by Dirk Tungsten when she was a rookie.
Remi’s work colleagues suspect she may be a high-functioning alcoholic but so far have yet to intervene. Remi is flirty and is likely to sneak-up behind you and rest her breasts on your shoulder for a photo-op. She is not complicated and can be summed up in 11 words: Drinks too much, likes sex, does not care what you think.
Meteor Shower
aka Gravey Jones
Gravey Jones is the angry, young EVA Specialist, newly assigned to the SPSS Compactor, piloted by Remi Martín. Gravey is also a confidant of GoGo. Being an Earther of off world origins, she shares some of the same discrimination and prejudices that aliens such as GoGo, Blorch and Fablogorgulax endure along with all the alien tourists who visit the space station.
A serial dater, Gravey can see the good in almost everyone except Dirk Tungsten, who brings out her usually harnessed temper. Her call sign, “Meteor Shower,” was given to her by her bud, GoGo, instead of by her pilot/supervisor, Remi Martín, because she blew-up at Dirk when he tries to use a pick-up line on her the first time they met.
An animal lover and lover of tattoo art, she can be summed-up in 7 words: tough, hard-working, mommy issues, short fuse.
Maverick aka Blorch
Blorch is a native of Punus and a member of the Punile race, a shy and apprehensive collection of intelligent organisms that do not respond well to pressure, or situations that escalate in intensity too quickly, or for that matter, sporting events. Blorch’s presence within the ISPA Debris Retrieval unit is part of a program where earth and Punus exchange their citizens in a misguided effort to foster peace and build solid diplomatic relations. (name the program). This special visa made possible by an interplanetary cultural exchange program, and born of good intentions, has spiraled out of control. Blorch (hailing from the planet Punus IV) and Fablogorgulax (hailing from the planet Neruda), which
involves issuing visas to citizens from other worlds and has since devolved into predictable exchanges of methodology for circumventing the law and perfecting the art of interplanetary drug smuggling.
Blorch is terrified of needles and does not like doctor visits, especially ones involving Dr. Yin because she torments him. Like GoGo, he is not as immersed in human culture as he should be, but is still fascinated by it.
Blorch really likes the Top Gun movies of the late 20th and early 21st century earth, hence his flying handle, ‘Maverick,’ which he chose himself. Blorch pilots the SPSS Hauler, accompanied by his alien EVA Specialist Fablogorgulax. Blorch also loves cooking, making him an ideal work paring with Fablogorgulax, who loves to eat.
Ice Man
aka Fablogorgulax
Fablogorgulax hails from the world of Neruda, which orbits a G-type yellow dwarf called Baniri, which in turn is the 4th most proximate object orbiting the yellow dwarf, so technically, Neruda is Baniri 4.
Oh yeah, back to Fablogorgulax. Nerudians do not identify genders the way Earthers do. Like geckos on Earth, Fablogorgulax’s race has the ability to self clone and are genderless. A biological trait that Fablogorgulax exploits whenever possible.
Nerudians range in color from beige (northerners), to taupe (southerners), to the reddish brick of the “gingers” of their race, which inhabit their equatorial region. Their skin is a smooth, plate type of armor and their eyes are both colorful and enormous by comparison with humans. Other than that, they are intelligent, articulate, multilingual ‘foodies,’ who would much rather eat and drink than fight or work.
The Chief
aka Shhhh... (It's a secret)
The Chief (whose official position is Station Chief) is a former intelligence officer who didn’t much care for retirement. Resourceful, beleaguered, elitist, and assertive, the Chief also happens to be Rocket Girl’s paternal aunt (the rigid older sibling of her very military father). She seems to always have too much paperwork (in the digital age, no less), and not enough “me time” and it shows.
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She is late-sixties, with a seemingly endless supply of elegant women’s pants-suits. Once a great reconnaissance pilot, she earned several promotions early in her career and is now in charge of the day-to-day operations of a multi-trillion-dollar space station (albeit regrettably). Her authority is absolute, her peace of mind absolutely gone, but she is the final word... at least until The Director shows up.
Johnny Longtorso
aka Wanderstar
Johnny is a sweetheart. Everybody likes him. He is not the brightest bulb on the tree, nor is he the sharpest knife in the drawer, but he is likeable and knows how to start a party or keep it going. Whatever the situation calls for, Johnny is there to liven it up. He is surprisingly good at his job for an individual with no experience, and also pretty damn good at surfing, both in space and on the water, but not much else, unless you count the whole partying thing as a skill.
Johnny is hit or miss with the ladies and often winds up with the least likely candidate available. There is nothing pretentious about Johnny, he is genuine and sincere, what you see is what you get, a trait he shares broadly with Dirk Tungsten. In many ways, a big, dumb, sweet kid, but brave as fuck. He is prone to calling people “sir” or “ma’am” and has a certain mid-west/southwest charm about him.
Johnny is the EVA Specialist assigned to Dirk Tungsten and may be one of only two members of the Department 86 crew, including GoGo, who tolerate him beyond a tinker’s cuss.
Medical Director Yin, MD
Dr, Yin, MD is the Medical Director and a very serious, no-nonsense type of person. She runs the entire Space Patrol medical operation. Dr. Yin is obsessed with harassing Blorch and others of his race for science. If Dr. Yin could, she would happily dissect Blorch, but even she will not move willingly from the medical gray area into the dark.
She is a genius, she has white hair (possibly a wig), she is petite and she is a teetotaler. She is the identical twin sister of Dr. Yang, except more conservative. Dr. Yin is easily bored.
Mission Director Yang, PhD
Dr. Yang, PhD is the Mission Director and the Head of Mission Control. She is a life-long IT nerd and a little more on the wild side than her identical twin sister, Dr. Yin. She runs all the satellites and all the missions within the purview of the International Space Port Authority, including Department 86: Debris Retrieval. Like her sister, Dr. Yang is a genius, unlike her sister, she has black hair in an “Edna Mode” kind of cut, and does not like wigs. She is petite and has developed kleptomania as a hobby, often rifling the desk drawers of co-workers. As a recurring prank, she will dress like her sister and pretend to be preparing to give some unsuspecting soul an exam. Dr. Yang is more outgoing and much sneakier than Dr. Yin.
The Director
aka "File Missing"
File Missing is an avatar for The Director of the ISPA, which oversees the ISPA as well as several other government departments. His identity is secret, for security reasons, so he appears as a floating hologram of a generic human silhouette, labeled “file missing.”
File missing is the label of the default setting, represented by a generic silhouette, and serving as the
avatar for the Director whenever he appears holographically. A man whose identity is truly a secret, he is a member (possibly the Chairman) of the Administration, the Director pops up every now and again to keep all the Station Chiefs on their toes.
"The Suit"
aka "The Suit"
The Suit is the Chief’s personal assistant. He is a junior executive, just out of training and frequently
wears one of three suits that appear to be hand-me-downs from his father because they seem to be
way too big on him.