C. J. Orkney 
Year of birth: 4342

You are C. J. Orkney, the founder and CEO of Blue Phoenix - the company that will take humanity back to the stars. Blue Phoenix will bring back hope to the world, and put Emera into the center of the world, where it belongs. 

You’ve always been a leader. In high school, you won a grant for your school, Blighton Preparatory Academy. The other private schools in Emera have Dribian names and try to turn out kids who are just the way the elites of Dribia were fifty years ago; Blighton, instead wanted (and still wants) to create real leaders and entrepreneurs; what Emera needs in the future, not an echo of the past. It was ahead of its time, and you were ahead of the curve at school. At some of the technology classes, students assembled flashlights, and you sold them to a local merchant and then established a connection between the merchant and the school for future deals. 

You met your partner, Dana, in Blighton Prep. Dana admired your initiative, and supported you every step of the way, giving up a job offer to be with you when you went to university for your M.B.A. Dana went to work later, as you worked at many industrial firms, moving to wherever you needed to be, as you applied yourself to get promotions.

In 4380, you left the corporate world to found your own business, the combined hardware-software startup Eastshore Software and Technology Solutions (ESTS). Using Emera’s now-highly-skilled urban workforce and paying them low wages but retaining them with at-the-time-worthless stock options, you undercut many established core companies, offering not just low prices but innovative computer maintenance practices. You became a billionaire within five years, and even Dribian media noticed you. 

Tech is nice, but the future is much grander. Four years ago, you used the profits from ESTS to found a new company, Blue Phoenix. You see, Dribia never went into space beyond Low Earth Orbit, and Tursa only went three times, to the moon Bery, plus regular jaunts to stations in geosynchronous orbit (Emera hadn’t gone into space at all). The established powers stupidly neglected space exploration, despite the potential profits to be made from many possible applications: asteroid mining, better satellites, solar power; not to mention uplifting the human condition. That’s what happens when you let government bureaucrats run everything. 

You won’t make that mistake. You are making Blue Phoenix the most important business in Emera. In the world, really. You will go to and beyond Bery. The technology’s all there, you just need to assemble the perfect team for it. 

You’re proud of the team you built. Each of them is incredibly talented in their own fields, and many of them can also be leaders. You hope to help each of them reach greater heights. 

Dr. Riley Eckhart is an excellent scientist. Dr. Eckhart thinks too much like an intellectual and not enough like a businessperson; someone like that could never create something new, but could work out the details, the little picture stuff, while you focus on the big picture. It’s on Dr. Eckhart to choose who will be the test pilot for the first flight. You recruited three top-notch pilots for this, but unfortunately, the first choice, Jamie Whitlow, dropped out to spend more time with family (both partner and kids). Whereas your partner is supportive of you and your ambitions, Whitlow’s unfortunately required Whitlow to be supportive. 


You’re left with two other pilots; either could be the first astronaut. Avery Bissel is incredibly bright. Bissel will never be a leader (Bissel has worked for you ever since finishing high school, repairing and then building devices for ESTS), but is a definite asset: meticulous, detail-oriented, a fast learner, and creative to boot. Bissel just can’t make big decisions.

Harper Aiken, on the other hand, in addition to being really bright, shows real leadership skills, and acts like it. That kid knows how to use each individual person to their greatest potential. With hard work and your guidance, Aiken can be as successful as you are someday. Aiken seems to know this, and is like a younger, flying version of you, whereas Bissel is a younger, flying version of Dr. Eckhart. 

Then there’s your oldest child, Taylor Orkney. You see a lot of yourself in Taylor. Dana saw the potential in Taylor first, and convinced you that Taylor’s best place is at the forefront of the space industry. You’re not ashamed to admit you’ve pulled a few strings for your kids - at Blighton, and in their work career. You might as well use what power you have to help those who are deserving get ahead.  But frankly, Taylor never needed it.  The kid’s a genius -- with top marks in reflexes, science, and judgement. 

Taylor wants to go into space. You know this - and you indulged Taylor’s ambitions as Taylor trained as a pilot and potential astronaut. After all, all knowledge is valuable. Taylor might even have been able to qualify as a top astronaut, but it would be a great waste of future talent - being an astronaut is dangerous, and Taylor’s got broad potential, including leadership potential.  That’s why you promoted Taylor out of the test pilot pool, and into mission control where all that training and brilliance can be used to make decisions on the ground, without the risk of mischance or equipment failure costing you, and the world, one of its future stars. You’ll use all the influence you have to save Taylor’s excellent potential. 


Short bio: 
Born 4342 in South Eastshore 
Educated in private schools, finished Blighton Academy 4360 
B.A. University of Eastshore, 4363 
M.B.A. Sillbury Institute of Management, 4365
Intern, Harrison Ironworks 4365-4366
Sales Associate, Harrison Ironworks, 4366-4367
Sales Branch Manager, Harrison Ironworks, 4367-4370
Marketing Eastern Region Manager, Preston Plastics, 4370-4374
Marketing Vice President, Thurston Holdings, 4374-4375
Marketing Vice President, Graysheet LLC, 4375-4380
Founder and CEO, Eastshore Software and Technology Solutions, 4380-
Board of Directors, Hawley-Linton Manufacturing, 4386-4390
Founder and CEO, Blue Phoenix, 4388-