Name:Scott Valentine Callsign: Heartbreak Age: 35 Sex: Male Height: 5' 10" Weight: 105kg Nationality: American Aircraft: ASF-14 Super Tomcat (Pilot) Appearance: Fit, medium-muscular build with a rugged, angular face and short dirty-blond hair. Fairly lanky arms and legs. Seems to have an almost-constant quiet smile on his face, and a twinkle in his eyes when he's happy and mischevious. Very expressive face, and uses a lot of gestures and body-language in communication. Tends to wear rugged clothing off-duty, such as work-shirts over a T-shirt with pop culture or band names, and cargo trousers or jeans and high-top sneakers or boots. Black tribal design tattoo on right shoulder and neck, stretching to just above the elbow. US Navy tattoo on left forearm. Permanent 5'o'clock shadow. Flight helmet has a red-white checkerboard pattern. Eye colour: Grey Hair colour: Dirty Blond Likes:

• Rock music (especially classic rock)
• Muscle cars
• Hamburgers
• Reading
• Classic movies (especially action or sci-fi)

Dislikes:

• Pretentiousness
• Bad weather
• Meat-free foods
• Bad movies
• Most modern music

Personality: Scott is almost terminally relaxed at most times. He has a slow-burning temper, which is exacerbated by certain triggers: namely cruel, abuse and aggression against others who can't defend themselves. He is a man of strong morals and ideals, and wears his heart on his sleeve. Always trying to do the 'right thing', he often clashes with others and their principles, but always seeks to mediate conflicts, and to provide an optimistic and hopeful outlook. Despite this, he is not one to back down when force is called for, and has no compunction about executing orders when required, especially against those who have abused positions of power and influence, or have preyed upon the weak and helpless. He loves to fly, and is especially fond of his Tomcat, despite its' roots being in a 1960's-era design. This probably comes from his general love for 'classic' things, such as older cars, movies, and music. He is equally excited by new developments, but believes strongly in learning from the past. He is somewhat unsure about his posting as commander of the Black Knights, but is dedicated to doing his best. He approaches his command with a laid-back and informal style, but expects everyone to do their part for the group. His RIO, St. Helen, supports him strongly in his role, and often offers her services to talk over problems. Personal History: Scott was born in the late 70's, the younger of two brothers by five years. His father had served in the Vietnam war, and while he did not talk extensively about his experiences, he did occasionally tell stories as Scott and his brother Michael grew up, as did many of his friends who visited often. Both brothers were set on the idea of military service. The Third World War came along, and upset many of their plans. Their father, now promoted to a desk-job for the Navy, was constantly away from home. Michael enlisted in the US Marines, and was assigned to a tank company, rather than tactical air. When Scott's turn came around, his dedication had wavered somewhat. Seeing the chaos of the war, and at home, he was uncertain on joining, until his brother was returned home after injury. Spending time with him in hospital convinced him to enlist. However, his brother was surprised when Scott enlisted in the US Navy, with aims of becoming a Naval Aviator. Through hard work, and despite many setbacks and wavers here and there, he eventually made it to the Naval Academy, and into the fighter wing. Fast jets had caught his eye, and after some persuasion by a older aviator, he found himself flying the F-14 Tomcat, and soon fell in love with the big fighter. Scotts' skills as a pilot were strong, and while he was more than capable in air-to-air combat, air-to-ground combat was his true area of expertise. He performed many missions during the war in support of US and Allied operations, including covering amphibious landings in South-East Asia and on the Eastern shores of Siberian Russia. He flew missions overland as well, including SAM Suppression missions, and numerous interdiction and search-and-destroy missions, even taking out SRBM's in concert with Special Forces ground teams. Following the war, he received commendations, but took the choice to muster out early during the draw-down of forces, finding himself tired and emotionally worn-out after the many years of fighting and gruelling routine. He moved around in careers and location for a while, travelling across the rebuilding USA and Canada, and worked odd-jobs helping on construction projects, and in other areas, as well as working as an artist for a while. He soon found that he missed flying, and when news began to filter through of the situation in Eastern Europe and the other Dead Zones and Badlands, and the PMC operations there, he looked into enlistment. Finding Thunderbolt Black to be offering the best package, as well as a set of principles he agreed with, he offered to join up. Seeing his service history, the group were glad to accept him, and he soon found himself flying a Super Tomcat again, along with a former US Navy navigator who quickly became a good friend. Promoted to squadron leader after two sucessful contracts with the 105th Squadron to fill a vacant position, he is eager to prove himself. Personal Weapons and misc. Gear:

• Sig-Sauer P226 9mmhandgun with surefire light
• FN-F2000 Bullpup 5.56MM Assault Rifle with ACOG Scope
• Gerber ASEK Survival knife
• Zippo lighter with engraved US Navy logo
• Cigarettes
• Normal Aircraft survival gear and equipment

Name: Saint Helen Carter Callsign: Razorblade Age: 30 Sex: Female Height: 5' 6" Weight: 64kg Nationality: USA Aircraft: ASF-14 Tomcat II (RIO, Radar Intercept Officer) Appearance: Compact, voluptuous figure with large hips/shoulders/bust. Physically fit and subtle muscle definition in limbs, despite curvy shape. Soft, gentle features rather than elegant and defined. Freckled face and permanent tan, 'farm girl' appearance. Dual piercings in both ears, tatto 'sleeve' on left arm, ending at wrist, intricate Japanese-design and motif tattoo. Wears simple yet stylish clothing when not on duty, though often not 'fashionable' or especially girly. Evident tomboy. Eye colour: Green Hair colour: Chestnut red Likes:

• Dancing
• Singing
• Fast food
• Cartoons
• Animals

Dislikes:

• Exercise
• Hip-Hop music
• Cold weather
• Arrogance
• Reality TV

Personality: St. Helen is bold, brash and un-reserved. Growing up in a house with several brothers, she had to develop an especially strong personality to make herself heard 'above the noise'. As such, she still retains something of a 'loud' personality, and a strong attitude towards having a good time and living live to the fullest degree. She has a love for alcohol and bad food, along with loud music, but this exists side-by-side with her love for refined, elegant music and dance, and her love to sing - which she can do well. Her approach to her work mirrors her social personality - she loves what she does, and is daring and bold when acting as a RIO, and especially as a pilot. However, she knows well what is and is not possible, and is exacting in her knowledge and instruction, true to the nickname she has earned. Much like Scott, she is strongly moral and has a good sense of justice and ideals, but is less accepting and optimistic about people and their motives as a whole. She is extremely loyal and defensive to her friends and colleagues, and is always eager to help them, but expects the same consideration in return. If betrayed, it is hard to earn her forgiveness, and the loss of her trust. Personal History: St Helen was born in Louisiana, as part of a large family. With four brothers, she was rarely alone and became something of a tomboy with so many men around her. She shared a strong relationship with her mother, as well as her cousin Charlotte who lived nearby when she was growing up. These connections while allowed her to express her feminine side by learning to sing and dance very well, though she spent almost as much time in the woods and fields with her brothers and their friends, coming back covered in mud and with scraped knees after climbing - and falling out of - trees, streams and other places she shouldn't have been. As she moved into her teenage years, the cold war grew hotter. Most of her brothers decided to enlist, going off to serve in the Army or other forces. She suddenly found home very lonely, especially as her brothers had been like her best friends. Her cousin Charlotte and her family also moved away, as her Aunt and Uncle worked for a large defence contractor, and were required to move. Lost and left much to her own devices, she committed herself to studied, while watching the news of war and violence roll in. When her graduation came around, the US Navy were looking for bright, intelligent people to enlist. Aimless at the time, and wanting to contribute something to fighting in the war, she enlisted and trained in Naval Aviation. St. Helen was soon in her element, having a strong grasp and understanding of the dynamics of flight, especially relating to attack missions. She was put into the role of a Radar Intercept Office in a Tomcat squadron, flying Super Tomcats. She soon developed a reputation for being extremely precise in her instructions and positioning of targets, earning her the nickname 'Razorblade'. She participated in many missions during the war, qualifying as a full pilot in the process as well, but maintaining her primary role as RIO in F-14's. Following the war, she elected to accept an early muster out of the Navy as the draw-down of forces began, instead deciding to focus on different opportunities. She briefly had a part-share in a company organizing refurbishing aircraft and sending them around the continental US and North America to areas where they were particularly needed for reconstruction, though this soon grew boring to her. She travelled for a while, and participated in relief work, earning a qualification in nursing and basic medicine. Soon after this, she got wind of the situation around the world regarding PMCs and the Dead Zones and Badlands, and decided to enlist with Thunderbolt Black and take on her flight role once again. Eager to accept her into the service, they paired her with Scott, where the pair completed several successful missions on contracts, before becoming part of the Black Knights squadron. Personal Weapons and misc. Gear:

• Sig-Sauer P226 9mmhandgun with surefire light
• FN-F2000 Bullpup 5.56MM Assault Rifle with ACOG Scope
• Gerber ASEK Survival knife
• Personal MP3 player and customised headphones, loaded with numerous musical tracks
• Helmet painted with a large blue butterfly on the top
• Normal pilots' survival gear

Name: ASF-14 Super Tomcat Profile Link: F-14 Tomcat Additional ASF-14 and Super Tomcat variants information Appearance: General Super Tomcat appearance Specific Paint Scheme: Paint Job: As above, grey 'Ferris' Scheme, with dark, scarlet red rudders. Black anti-glare panel in front of cockpit. No 'false canopy' on underside. Oil staining and general 'wear and tear' from use is in evidence across the whole aircraft, as are some areas where retouching paint has left a mis-match in panels. Owned or loaned: Loaned

Name: Dmitry Aleksey Novikoff Callsign: Stalin Age: 30 Sex: M Height: 189 cm Weight: 84 Kg Nationality: USSR, Ukrainian Aircraft: Sukhoi Su-35 “Flanker E” Appearance Eye colour: Blue Hair colour: Light brown Likes:

• Making paper planes
• Target shooting
• Hunting
• Storytelling
• Videogames

Dislikes:

• Getting interrupted
• Be mistaken for a Russian
• Anything related to “Chinese” culture
• Beer

Personality: Dmitry may come off as distant, but he is pleasant company, staying quiet most of the times; when he does open his mouth, his different understanding of the English language may come off as sometimes confusing, if not downright hilarious. A steadfast fellow, never too late to respond to an order or help a friend out, whether if it’s thousands of meters up in the air or in the local bar, throwing punches at whoever insulted his or his chum’s mother. May tend to swear, but it is a bad habit he learned by learning English from other people, so even if he does throw a cuss here and there, he didn’t necessarily mean it; not unless he’s drunk, pissed or in a low mood. Luckily enough, Dmitry is rarely in a low mood, having the patience of a saint and an iron will; he rarely takes any insult seriously, but he isn’t afraid to respond on the same tone. All in all, Dmitry can be a good friend, or at least a reliable comrade, with his own set of healthy morals taught by the cruelties he witnessed during his service. Personal History: Dmitry has known war and bloodshed for the most of his life, being a collateral victim to the great skirmishes and potshots carelessly thrown around by the higher powers. Having four more brothers in the family, he quickly learned to value camaraderie, no matter who was one’s colleague. Facing the possibility of becoming a farmer like his own father and the biggest of his siblings, Dmitry quickly chose to enlist and become an officer in the USSR army, going together with his younger brother; his passion for planes and flight drove him to apply for the Voyenno-Vozdushnye Sily (literally Military Air Forces), only to find himself immediately recruited and tested. His brother, Misha, ended up a soldier, another meat shield to be thrown in the buffer zone. Soon enough, Dmitry found himself already flying over the Eastern European fronts, escorting bombers and troop transports in his precious “Natashka”, a Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-29 he learned to love and abuse. He was mostly an aggressive fighter, dogging interceptors with a vicious ambition to shoot the enemy plane down; he was careful enough not to slip into reckless maneuvers, but he still preferred to choke and put pressure on opponents as an attempt to drive the opposition tired and far away from the main target. He racked up six air-to-air kills during his three year service for the USSR, until he was shot down in the middle of a dogfight by a tertiary assailant during the effort of suppressing the North Atlantic Treaty Organization forces push through Eastern Siberia; the pilot was forced to hide and survive for a week as the zone became too hot for him to try and find friendly units without risking running into the enemy. As the USSR started to make grievous mistakes, the pilot became more and more reluctant to serve as a fighter for “world terrorists” and decided to defect along with the entire squadron he was part of, offering valuable information about Soviet military outposts, general attitude and weak spots in their defenses. When he was questioned for his reason to leave his country, he famously replied “ _‘Cause no true, strong man kill innocent people. I closed my eyes when ze general kill the president, think that USSR would grow strong. I couldn’t close my eyes to dis. I am soldier, not terrorist._” The war finally subsided, but he couldn’t return to his home in Mayaky village, he couldn’t even begin to explain his reason for betraying his mother country, none of his close-minded family members would understand; to make matters worse, two of his brothers died in the war, his little brother shot and killed in Romania, the bigger one died trying to help civilians flee in a bunker. The combined events forced Dmitry to live in Donetsk and try to start a normal life while warding off the depressing thoughts of his family renegating him for a traitor, a shame for them, for the village and the country. He worked mostly as a construction worker rebuilding the city, but at the lowest moment of his life, he became a garbage man. Years later since the war, Dmitry couldn’t stand being a civilian, feeling that he didn’t really fit in with people that didn’t understand what true dedication and camaraderie meant, so he took the risky step to offer his services for multiple private military contractors; in the end, he sticked with Thunderbolt Black, simply because he trusted a company that takes their recruits through rigorous tests before enlisting them. He was more than pleased to learn that he was offered a place as a fighter pilot, accepting the proposition with no second thoughts. He served for a couple of years, given several occasions to prove he was still an able interceptor, “a royal pain in the ass” in other words; for his accomplishments, Dmitry bought a beauty he fell in love with at the first sight: his new Su-35. Personal Weapons and misc. Gear:

• Bizon SMG [+]

  
• MP-443 Grach [+]

  
• Gerber ASEK survival knife
• Standard aircraft survival gear and equipment
• Gaming laptop

Name: Sukhoi Su-35, NATO reporting name: Flanker E Profile link Appearance: Paint Job: Matte grey Owned or loaned: Owned.

Name: Kathryn Montgomery, AKA Kat with Eight Lives. Callsign: Kat Age: 29 Sex: Female Height: Five foot two inches. Weight: 53 kilos Eye colour: Amber Hair colour: Brown Nationality: American Aircraft: A-10 Thunderbolt II Likes: She practices Bojitsu as a hobby, collects Bo staffs, enjoys reading old fact books, and has fun messing with her comrades and friends in amusing ways. She also LOVES shrimp... Dislikes: She has a huge pet peeve who cuss when its not called for, she hates onions, and she despises people hwo think they're better than others and boast around.

Name: A-10 Thunderbolt II Paint Job: white belly and a calico paintjob on the top, Kat wanted her plane, Twilight, to match her old feline companion whom she lost to cancer. As an added touch of cat-ness, Kat had a pair of ears painted onto the outside of each engine, as well as a trio of whiskers streaking out from the nose of the aircraft to either side. It may have looked a bit comical, but Kat liked how it turned out. Owned or loaned: Owned.

"If you're not ready to die for it, put the word 'freedom' out of your vocabulary." - Malcolm X Name Annika Schmidt Callsign Blitz Age 33 Sex Female Height 5'7" Weight ~66 KG Nationality German Aircraft Dessault Rafale C Eye colour Blue Hair colour Black Likes Art [Drawing, sketching, etc], Reading, Writing, music [Especially Metal], stargazing Dislikes Violence, war, blood, sickness, curfews, Personality To describe Annika Schmidt is...a daunting task at best. She is a woman who grew up in a world divided by the iron curtain, a world dark with oppression and rich in propoganda. To try and escape meant death. To try and speak out meant punishment. Emotions and freedoms were crushed, and the only rebellion offered was a whisper in the shadows. It is impossible to escape the effects of this world, even into her adult years. However, to focus on the woman herself, she is usually a calm figure. She takes what good she receives with a grain of salt, so to speak, as a pessimistic outlook on the world is one she bears. She's not overly negative, outwardly, but its clear she doesn't see the good in many situations, and will often linger on bad events that transpire. However, she is harboring intense anger; her pessimism and depression warping into an anger and passion that is, quite usually, a flurry to those on the receiving end. Not necessarily violent, but certainly a very striking woman when anger is upon her. Personal Weapons and misc. Gear -H&K UMP -Korth Combat Revolver -- -Personal Journal(s)

Aircraft Sheet Name Dessault Rafale - Rafale C-XIII Profile Link Profile Link Appearance Paint Job The aircraft, due to being a rental rather than a personally owned fighter, is of standard Thunderbol Black design and appearance. Owned or loaned Rent

Name: Rodriguez Hefferman Callsign: Spirit Age: 32 Sex: Male Height: 6’ 2” Weight: 95.2kg Nationality: American Aircraft: F-16V Appearance: Someone somewhere is missing their assault rifle… Likes:

• Alcohol
• Reading
• Italian Food
• Chit-chatting

Dislikes:

• Politics
• Stubbornness
• Untidiness

Personality: Rodriguez is social kind of guy, usually very eager to make friendly conversations with colleges and other people. Of course his motivation is sometimes fueled by that of the ounces of alcohol running through his system; his closest friends are very weary of this fact when inviting him to bars or parties. Usually during down times, Rodriguez can be found usually shifting through an entire newspaper or reading a book of any kind he picked at a local shop. Ever since serving all the way through the Third World War, Rodriguez has seen many horrors on both sides of the conflict which has made a big impact on him, especially when he originally was viewed a patriot of sorts. Rodriguez is now very opened minded and sympathetic when it matters, usually accepting other opinions unless proven immoral or illogical. Personal History: Growing up was not an easy thing for Rodriguez. Though he was born to a happy family, there was not a whole lot of money to go around; repeated debts and failed loans only retained enough of a budget to keep him and his folks going with food and a roof over their heads. As the years went by, their finances further declined hopelessly eventually forcing Rodriguez out of guilt of not being able to help his parents with their teetering living expenses to find a job, especially at an early age just as he started attending junior high. Despite his parent’s best wishes, Rodriguez joined the military personally out of financial necessity right when the world was at the brink of war. After getting his placement tests, he later found himself in the United States Air Force, rather unexpectedly on that note too and even further so when he realized that he had a knack for flying even though he never gave the concept much thought. Unfortunately as his parents feared, a Third World War had erupted and Rodriguez was deployed overseas where he would later see active combat in the Asian continent. Rodriguez’s skills as a fighter pilot of an F-16C continued to excel as he went up with more combat sorties involving strike operations against hardened targets and escorting of bombers and logistical aircraft. He eventually earned the status of Ace after successfully downing five DPRK aircraft while participating in several strategic bombings runs that penetrated into North Korean airspace. After bringing his record to eight kills, Rodriguez was then offered a position as a flight instructor to train new squadrons entering into the war. Though the feeling of not being shot at and being closer to home was idyllic for quite some time, the moment when ICBMs began raining down on American soil plunged Rodriguez back into the war where he would see two more theaters of combat. Some years would past until the war had concluded where Rodriguez was still flying for the USAF away from home, participating in a variety of non-combat missions over Korea and Russia where he would constantly observe the aftermath of the carnage the conflict had wrought, leaving a rather sour taste that was growing intolerable by each passing day. Finally, after so long Rodriguez returned back to the US with open arms awaiting him. Though returning to the civilian life was very pleasant, the years of service had changed him and thus Rodriguez grew unsatisfied and yearned to fly once more, even if was not combat oriented. As fate would have it, a PMC called Thunderbolt Black would approach him with the position as a fighter pilot in mind. At first (for several months in fact) Rodriguez questioned the job offering, especially when most PMCs he encountered operated without the best of intentions, usually looking for one more skilled gun to further their successes. However after learning more about Thunderbolt Black’s goals and objectives, he soon found that he could not decline and eventually joined up. Personal Weapons and misc. Gear:

• Beretta U22 Neos
• Model 15 Airman Knife
• E-Reader filled with textbooks and novels

Name: F-16V Profile Link Appearance: Paint Job: Standard Thunderbolt Black configuration - Personal decal of a ghost underneath the canopy. Owned or loaned: Loaned

Name: Mitsubishi F-2A 'Viper Zero' Profile Link: Profile Appearance: Paint Job: Standard Viper Zero paint. Owned or loaned: Own

Born sometime around 1988 in China's Gansu Provinence, Kie just happened to be at the forefront of the conventional Russo-Sino border-conflicts of 1992 and continued to live in the war-weary region even as the event went nuclear in 1998, when she and her family fled to Pakistan following the Haifa incident.

However, during the retreat, a mushroom-cloud was seen in the distance just as they were about to cross the Pakistani-border. She was only eleven years old.

They re-settled in the Nanjing Military Region, where she volunteered to help the war-effort by working the fields by day and repairing planes whenever they returned. After awhile she learned how to fly the JJ-7M, and made it into the newly raised 14th Fighter-Division of the PLAAF flying and testing an extensively modified version thereof.

In 2006, she had the opportunity to actually fly into combat against the North Koreans, trying to turn the tide to their favor by steadily moving away from the attrition of a People's War and more towards a better equipped professional all volunteer fighting force.

After fighting the Americans and their allies for over a year, the Chinese government switched sides and redeployed what remained of her shattered division on the northern-front just a few kilometers north of her hometown as they unleashed newer and newer weapons of mass destruction upon the Soviet-Union.

After the war, the government thanked Kie for her service, and simply let her go. The economy was so shattered they could not offer her a job, and to help fund the war she and her family had literally purchased her own plane. So with so much money invested in fighting, and that being the only worthwhile job she ever had, Kei answered an advertisement for a unit in the Bahamas.

It even had a name similar to what the Pakistani refugees called her plane when it went on night-time raids: "Black Thunder".