Terrence Hopper

(May 23, 2808 – December 7, 2934)

Early Life

Terrence Hopper was born to Edmund Hopper and Angela “Ann” Jean-Claire on May 23, 2,808 and was an only child. Due to his father’s service in the UEE Navy, Terrence was raised primarily by his mother. The two lived in a relatively rural town outside New York for the entirety of Terrence’s childhood. Growing up in such an area led to Terrence becoming quite attached to nature, though he was still a child, he learned to appreciate many aspects of the Earth’s untouched environments. The development of Terrence’s social skills suffered heavily with this excessive amount of isolation. He quite often struggled in school as well and found it hard to keep up with the other children. Terrence would frequently compare himself to others which cause a negative impact on his self-esteem. Instead of facing his shortcomings, he retreated and further closed himself off from the world. Terrence’s mother became concerned for her son’s well-being and repeatedly tried to coax him out of his shell. Many of her attempts were proven futile as Terrence showed he would much rather invest his time in books and nature. After some time and tireless effort from his mother, Terrence finally began opening up. While the damage of his reclusive behavior had already been done, Terrence’s mother took the long road to recovery in stride and looked towards a better future for her son. At the age of twelve, Terrence and his mother received word that his father had been killed in his line of duty. The news obviously came as a devastating blow to Terrence, but his mother was arguably the most affected by the event. She quickly fell into a depression and became increasingly distant towards Terrence and the world around her. Terrence knew that it was his responsibility to care for his mother in her state of distress, but the news of his father’s death and the subsequent neglect from his mother caused a lapse in his behavior. He began to isolate himself and soon turned to books and nature once again for comfort, but fell into a depression of his own shortly after. His relationship with his mother plummeted as the two hardly ever spoke or saw each other, but when they did, the conversation almost always ended in an argument. Terrence would frequently run away from home and skip school to escape the overbearing anxiety of his everyday life. A few years passed before Terrence’s mother’s battle with depression took a turn for the worse, she fell gravely ill and became bedridden. Though extremely difficult, a now fifteen-year-old Terrence dropped out of school and overcame his mental barriers enough to take care of his mother. After burying the hatchet, Terrence would go on to nurse his mother back to health over the next two and a half years. She eventually recovered to the point where she could take care of herself, but the illness had taken its toll. Not only did it take multiple years off her life, it also left her very weak and frail. Terrence remained by his mother’s side as he began exploring options for his own future, finding work with his lack of education and skill set proved difficult in his hometown however. His mother pressed him to leave her and seek work in New York, but Terrence quickly shot down the idea; he was determined to stay with and aid his mother in whatever way he possibly could. The years went by and the pressure grew for Terrance to do something with his life. Again, his mother assured him that she could take care of herself and urged him to pursue a career elsewhere. As told by Terrence’s journal, the decision weighed heavily on him for quite some time. After deliberating on the subject, he eventually came to the conclusion to leave his hometown and head for New York. Now twenty-one years old, Terrence packed his belongings and prepared for the next chapter of this life. He and his mother said their somber goodbyes and parted ways. Unbeknownst to either of them, this would be the last time the two ever saw each other. Terrence’s mother resigned herself to the responsibility of a caregiver while Terrence himself boarded a flight to New York, his imagination danced wildly with a childlike curiosity and wonder. What awaited him in the big city?

Time in New York

After saying goodbye to his mother, which neither of them knew would be the last time they would see each other, Terrence packed his bags and headed to New York. Upon arriving in New York Terrence found himself in a tough situation, with little education and no experience piloting a ship or any other field, he had trouble finding a job where he fit the criteria. He was able to land a small string of part time jobs after a few months of searching. These jobs didn’t offer much money, but Terrence managed to survive on what little he made. This went on for a few months before he became very fatigued and thought about returning home. Eventually Terrence managed to find a steady job unloading imported goods delivered to Earth. Now with stable employment and plenty of free time Terrence’s life felt like it was going in a positive direction. In his spare time Terrence started to learn how to pilot a ship and also began taking nature walks as he did when he was younger. After a few years of his job, Terrence became displeased with what he was doing with his life, he wanted something more. He writes in his journal “I am but a prisoner in my own mind, trapped within the confines of this society that promises so much, yet gives so little. When will I allow myself to be free to seek more than what the commoner seeks?” Terrence began seeking out new employment opportunities, however he soon became frustrated with his search and gave up. He describes this period as one of the hardest times in his life. Day after day of the same boring job with no progress on finding a new one. He felt trapped and would often be overwhelmed by the looming presence of dread. This did not stop Terrence however, now able to pilot a ship, he wondered if his fortune laid somewhere off planet and amongst the stars. He began looking for more employment options off Earth.

Relationships

Terrence’s search for more didn’t last long. At the age of twenty-eight, upon returning home from one of his nature walks, Terrence meets a young woman named Eileen who he quickly falls for. He accounts in his journal “…while returning home from my nature walk I was suddenly struck dumbfounded by the immaculate and heavenly beauty of a mistress who appeared before me, but it was kind of dark so I may be mistaken.” After introducing themselves the two quickly became friends over their many shared interests, most of them relating to nature or literature. During the proceeding months, the two’s friendship blossomed into a relationship. The young lovers soon move in together and started planning their futures. After roughly two years and much deliberation Terrence and Eileen decided to get engaged. This excitement didn’t last long however. Terrence went out for celebratory drinks with a few close friends later that night. When they were finished, Terrence attempted to make his way home intoxicated. On his way home Terrence collided with another vehicle containing two people. All three were rushed to the hospital, but Terrence was the only one to survive. After learning about what happened Eileen was heartbroken, she canceled their wedding and soon after disappeared from his life. Not much is known about what happened to Eileen, but sources point to her moving away from New York and starting somewhere new. As for Terrence, he claims in his journal that he would only have one true love and the accident was a sign that love was not meant him.

Trial and Imprisonment

After an almost full recovery Terrence had to face the consequences of his actions. On June 4, 2,840 Terrence Hopper was tried and convicted of two accounts of vehicular manslaughter and sentenced to ten years in prison without parole. On top of that Terrence would lose his piloting license forever. Prison was a rough time for Terrence, he was a gentle person who found himself in the wrong place at the wrong time. He soon fell into a deep depression riddled with the guilt of what he had done. Terrence promised himself that he’d become a better man upon his release and began planning his life after prison. He soon came out of his depression after a few months of therapy. Despite not being eligible for parole, Terrence enjoyed doing community service and helping others. Nearing the end of his time in prison, tragedy struck Terrence when he received word that his mother had passed away. Terrence was heartbroken, his life spiraled out of control since his accident. He was now even more determined to do something with his life to make up for all the people he had let down. Terrence was released from prison on June 13, 2850.

Post-Imprisonment

The now forty-two year old Terrence had to begin reintegrating with society. A sudden roadblock appeared before him as Eileen had taken everything they had owned before moving, leaving him with nothing. On top of having nothing, finding a job proved quite difficult for a felon. Terrence began to work at the homeless shelter he was currently staying at. They couldn’t offer him much, but he was able to just barely squeeze by day after day. After a few months and no job offers Terrence decided to travel to someplace new in search of work. He soon found himself in Moscow, another of Earth’s major cities. This however backfired as he could not find a job and his funds were completely depleted. He soon broke down and began panhandling for money while he lived anywhere he could find shelter. He writes in his journal “The world has turned a cold shoulder on me, for who am I to it? I am merely a ghost of my former self, a wandering spirit whose lack of experience makes me undesirable to those I reach out to! I shall no longer dwell in self pity, I promised myself I would become more and this obstacle is no more to me, than I am the world.” He would soon become very sick due to his harsh lifestyle and the strain his body had taken would take a permanent toll on him. Terrence though his was the end of the road for him and had given up looking for a job, until one day a man who claimed to work local transportation business offered him a job. He hopped on the offer thinking this was his big break.

Involvements in Smuggling

Terrence was too innocent to see how shady his new place of employment was, he was just happy to be working again. His job was to load and unload rare and precious cargo on to ships in a derelict hangar tucked away in the inner city. The pay was irregular and the other employees bullied him quite often, but he made a living. Terrence soon became worried as employees would sometimes turn up missing and were never heard from again. One of these times the pilot of the cargo ship never came to work, so the task fell upon Terrence to deliver the cargo. Even though he tried to explain that he’d lost his license and had never been off planet they insisted that he had to do it. His mission was simple, deliver his cargo to the next star system over and don’t let anyone interfere. Though he was a bit rusty, Terrence managed to make it off planet before trouble arose. He was soon met by law enforcement wanting to inspect his cargo. Fear possible jail time again Terrence attempted to run, he took heavy damage before trying to jump out of the situation. Unfortunately the ship had taken too much damage to quantum travel properly and Terrence found himself floating through space, with no way to get back or call for help. He was alone, with only himself as company.

Stranded in Space

Terrence began logging his days in space with the idea that it would help him during his struggles like it had before. He attempted to stay in good spirits, hoping someone would find his ship floating through space. Still the fear set in worse each day he logged. Eventually he gave up hope of an immediate rescue and began devising a plan for his long term survival. Terrence finds enough rations to survive for sometime, but he is not sure about how long. Desperate for any more supplies he opened up his cargo units to discover he had been smuggling a large amounts of turtles off planet. Terrence became very angry over the fact that he might die for turtles, but after he cooled off a bit he realized that they were his companions until he either is rescued or dies. He begins to log less in his journal over time, but what entries he makes show that he is slowly descending into insanity. His last few entries account Terrence’s encounters with imaginary people aboard his ship and the turtles whispering to him. Roughly two years later his ship was finally discovered by a passing cargo ship and it was towed to the nearest salvage station. When they opened the ship they were horrified by Terrence, huddled in the cargo bay covered in his own excrement and turtles. He was rushed to the nearest medical facility where he was put into intensive care. After his stay at the hospital he was moved to an institution where he received years of therapy. He began to return to his former self, but nothing could erase the scars that had been left. He still felt a strong connection to turtles, almost like an obsession and he also picked up the habit of talking to himself. The therapists only failed trying to relieve him of this turtle related pain. When they released him from the institution he made his way back to Earth now forty-seven years old.

Founding Terrence’s United Refuel and Trade League of Earth

Terrence returned to Earth a changed man, his journey in space had lasted almost five years and all he really wanted was some time to relax. He soon discovered that he had become a star, people were intrigued by his near death experience. Being a humble person Terrence didn’t get caught up in his newfound fame, but people offered what they had to help him start a new life. He took this opportunity as a second lease on life. Terrence decided to apologize to his employers for losing their cargo, but upon returning to the hangar where he previously worked, he found it completely abandoned. Terrence saw this as a golden opportunity, he wanted to start his own business. He purchased the old hangar and had it refurbished to fit his needs, and only a couple weeks after his forty-eighth birthday he was ready to found his company. On May 31, 2856 Terrence’s United Refuel and Trade League of Earth was founded. He wanted his company to reflect everything he stood for and to be a beacon of good in universe. Terrence traded some commodities, bargained off odds and ends, offered discounted fuel prices, and even tried his hand at ship repairs. It was a rough start, but he soon became popular among the working class people of his area. As the company grew, Terrence hired on more employees and purchased cargo ships to take his company off planet.

Business Owner

Terrence watched his company slowly expand over the years, new employees were usually put off by his constant whispering to himself, but respected him as a businessman and a leader. TURTLE had expanded from the Sol system at this point and now serviced the neighboring systems of Davien and Croshaw. Two long time employees, Bruce Gashát and Darnell K. Evans were assigned as branch managers of these systems, respectively. Terrence himself stayed in Sol to run his branch of the company. TURTLE did fairly well in Davien whereas the Croshaw branch had a rough start. The Sol system remained the major source of income. The company took a hard hit when one of their ships carrying a large amount of cargo was suddenly lost mid jump. The ship was found years later presumably stolen and gutted by pirates. Profit losses were high enough that Terrence decided to shut down operations in Croshaw to save money. Evans returned to the Sol system to aid Terrence in his branch. TURTLE operated in the two neighboring systems for a few years before finally recovering from the loss one of their main trading ships. Terrence’s mental health had declined to a point where he had to take a backseat to his company’s operation and Evans and Gashát took co-ownership of the company. Terrence still actively worked at TURTLE for another fifteen years until he fell seriously ill.

Retirement

Terrence’s health took a turn for the worse around the age of seventy-six. He was put into intensive care as his health rapidly declined. He was put on life support in hopes his body would be able to pull through. After around a month Terrence began to recover, he remarks about how often he has come face to face with death in his journal. After Terrence returns to a stable state he officially announces his retirement from TURTLE. He grants Evans and Gashát full control over his company as his last act of power before disappearing from the business world. Terrence returned to his hometown to live out the rest of his life. He lived alone and kept to himself. Most people were put off by his conversations he held with himself, so they just left him to his business. Terrence lived another twenty years before falling ill again.

Death

Terrence finally succumbed to his illness after a long battle, the stress his body had faced throughout his life was too much for him. Though Terrence had no living relatives, his most trusted employees came to his death bed to pay their respects. His last few journal entries are nothing more than a few insane ramblings and crudely drawn pictures of turtles. On December 7, 2934 Terrence Hopper died at the age of 127. TURTLE continued to operate for another few years under Constillina Courettez, the new chief executive officer after Gashát and Evans decided to pursue their own business ventures. The company had already began crumbling shortly after Terrence’s departure and his death was the final nail in the coffin. Courettez tried her best, but the company soon faced bankruptcy and finally went out of business on April 26, 2937. The company’s name and property were auctioned off a few years later by Courettez who hoped to make a quick profit to fund her new business.

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Terrence’s United Refuel and Trade League of Earth

Founded: 2856 (92 years ago)

Founding

On May 31, 2856 Terrence Hopper founded Terrence’s Untied Refuel and Trade League of Earth. Hopper founded his company with the small fortune he had obtained by doing interviews and receiving generous donations after his horrifying near-death experience was featured on the news. In one of his final interviews, Hopper expressed how thankful he was for everyone’s hospitality and promised to return it in kind. His first business operation was housed in a rundown hangar outside of Moscow that he fixed up and repurposed for his own needs. In the company’s early years, Hopper survived by trading odds and ends, offering fuel at low prices, and even tried his hand at being a mechanic. It wasn’t easy work, but Hopper persisted and soon his company became popular among the working-class people of the area. Relying on good morals, honest business practices, and low prices the company managed to keep customers coming back and soon the company started to profit. Though its first couple of years were rough, the business slowly was able to support itself and Hopper looked into expanding it further.

First Expansions

Hopper contemplated how to best expand the company in the right direction. He first began to hire on new employees to help run the business as he looked into opening a second shop somewhere else to further expand TURTLE’s presence. Hopper purchased two more hangars to set up shop in, one outside New York and the other outside Shanghai. With this TURTLE had a business near three of Earth’s largest cities. Some of his employees soon proposed Hopper expand TURTLE off Earth as it would make the company even more profitable, but idea unnerved Hopper as he himself was not allowed to pilot spacecrafts on top of him developing a small fear of being in them. A few years went by and the demand to expand further only grew amongst the employees, it wasn’t until long time employee and close friend of Hopper’s, Darnell K. Evans suggested he oversee operations off planet. Liking the idea Hopper promoted Evens to his right-hand man and supervisor to off planet operations. TURTLE began operating around the Sol system a full seven years after its official opening. Along with this TURTLE also started to haul and sell commodities to bring in more profits.

Under Evans

Evans could easily be described as a workhorse; his determination and passion were unmatched among his peers. He took TURTLE into and beyond the Sol system and lead the company into its most successful year yet. Evans oversaw the expansions into neighboring systems such as: Davien, Croshaw, Killian, and Ferron which only heightened TURTLE’s net profits. The company expanded so fast however, that it soon encountered problems. Hopper and Evans struggled to run the company efficiently with their workforce being so large and spread out. Evans again had the solution though, he suggested to Hopper that they restructure the company and form a board of directors who could oversee its operations. Hopper, with a little bit of help from Evans, overcame his fear of spacecrafts and joined Evans on the company’s flagship, a Starfarer they called “Ol’ Fuel Jug Jim”

Pirates Attacks and Security Branch

With TURTLE rapidly expanding and gaining more notoriety, trouble soon rose again for the company. Pirate attacks were inevitable in the ‘verse, but TURTLE saw a large influx in attacks shortly after their major expansion. This led Hopper and Evans to believe they were being targeted, as the company didn’t have much in terms of security. The line was drawn when TURTLE lost contact with one of their larger ships transporting a very valuable haul, this would become the first and one of the biggest blows that TURTLE would suffer throughout its life. The ship and crew were recovered later that month, the cause of the damage was undoubtedly pirates and Evans had this to say about the incident: “…it was a terrible loss; no amount of material goods could ever replace those we lost that day. We apologize to the family members of those who lost their lives in their line of work and we as a company will strive to do whatever it takes to prevent this from happening in the future.” Shortly after the conference Evans confirmed that TURTLE had officially partnered with a security agency to ensure the safety of their employees. Hopper showed displeasure outsourcing work from another company however for reasons he stated as “conflicting interests and morals.” Hopper began discussing a work around for the situation with Evans. This deliberation led to the creation of TURTLE’s own security branch. Now with an internal security force, the company could begin to operate smoothly again in Hopper’s eyes.

Board of Directors

On June 6, 2870 TURTLE established its first official board of directors. The board was headed by Hopper himself with Evans as his second in command along with three. The third member they chose for the board of directors was a young native to the Davien system named Bruce Gashát. Gashát was a charming man with a childlike glimmer in his eye. Though many people didn’t particularly like him, he was very creative and a great speaker, Hopper saw this potential in him and promoted him to head of public relations and corporate development. The fourth member to join the board of directors was the head of security Aris Marshall. She was known for being a stubborn, unorthodox, and highly aggressive tactician and pilot. Marshall joined TURTLE’s security team at the time of its creation when she was twenty-six years old and rose through the ranks until she was elected head of security three years later. Rounding out the board of directors is Ulysses Quinn Jr. who acts as the head of human resources for the company. Quinn embraced his fatherly side as he showed care and compassion for his coworkers’ wellbeing and safety. He was recognized time and time again for the work and dedication he put in for the company, so it was only natural for Hopper to assign him to a role where his job was to watch after others. He was then asked to be the fifth and final member of the board of directors. With the board complete, Hopper set out to take his company even further than before.

Peak and Decline

The company continued on strong for another fifteen years, becoming a moderately well-known name in the ‘verse. TURTLE faced its some of its best and most profitable years in this timespan. Per Gashát’s suggestion, the company began preforming charitable acts and donations to increase TURTLE’s good reputation with huge success. Tragedy struck when Hopper fell incredibly ill at the age of seventy-six and was forced to retire. The hardships of his life suddenly took their toll and he was put into intensive care. After this incident the whole company became disheartened. The man who brought everyone together for the sake of good was suddenly ripped from their lives and was suffering. Once things had settled down, the company symbolically retired Ol’ Fuel Jug Jim to respect and honor Hopper’s career. Evans became the new head of TURTLE and the company resumed business shortly after, but the entire atmosphere seemed to have changed. Constillina Courettez, an assistant director at the time, was brought in to fill the fifth spot on the board of directors. Courettez was a close friend of Gashát and a very trusted employee, but she could hardly fill in the void Hopper had left. TURTLE saw five years of mediocre net profits and a huge drop off of employees, the company just wasn’t the same without Hopper leading the operations. Evans soon became demoralized as he watched his longtime friend Hopper and his company deteriorate through the years and thought it best to move on. Evans retired from the company and decided to aid Hopper in his failing health. Around the same time, Quinn announced his retirement as he was quite old and wanted to spend time with his family. This left only Gashát, Marshall, and Courettez with their company on a downward spiral. They also found it difficult to find replacements for the board of directors, so they ended up trying to run the company with just the three of them.

Black Market

Desperate to save the company, the three of the remaining board members deliberated on how to reinvent and rejuvenate the business. Out of ideas, Courettez suggested they look into the black market as a way to save the company. The proposition was quickly shot down by Marshall who still stood by the morals that Hopper founded the company on. Though Courettez had a great amount of respect for Marshall, she went through with her plan behind Marshall’s back and TURTLE began its first operations in the black market. Courettez only let the company take small jobs as to keep under the radar of Marshall and the public. Eventually Courettez was able to convince her now husband Gashát to join her in her schemes. The two strung together small jobs with very little problems, this continued on for a few years and the money they made was just barely enough to keep the company from going under. On April 29, 2897, Gashát and Courettez were contacted about a supposed smuggling job with a payout neither of them could refuse. They were both wary of the offer, but the money was enough to possible save the company. Airing on the side of caution, Gashát and Courettez took every precaution they could before they were set to meet at the drop off point. Marshall finally caught wind of the situation and confronted Gashát and Courettez in person. Not much is known about the meeting between the three, but the aftermath included Courettez being shot non-fatally and Marshall storming out to take matters into her own hands. With the remainder of TURTLE’s security team, Marshall rushed to interfere with the operation. When Marshall arrived with her team however, the smugglers believed they had been deceived and attacked both the employees and security team.

Aftermath

To her horror, Marshall inadvertently caused what she was trying to stop. The ensuing firefight claimed the lives of many TURTLE employees before Marshall herself was mortally wounded. Bleeding out and knowing that she’d probably not survive the encounter, Marshall crashed her ship into the enemies’, killing herself and a large portion of the smuggler’s crew. The surviving TURTLE crew took the opportunity and fled, Marshall’s sacrifice saved many lives that she may have accidentally put a risk. This event put Gashát and Courettez at the center of suspicion as the employees and public looked to them for answers. Courettez refused to make any statements regarding the incident or Marshall’s death, outside claiming it was a pirate attack. This was the final blow the company could financially take. The whole atmosphere of the company became sullen as employees dwindled and the “pirate attack” was investigated along with Marshall’s and the other employee’s deaths. The investigation eventually led to Courettez who was arrested for illegal trade and smuggling on top of being responsible for all the deaths that occurred in the smuggling incident. Gashát stood alone with the rights to the company and a mountain of debt left by legal fees.

Bankruptcy and Close

Gashát decided it best to move on from TURTLE and set out to found his own company. While preoccupied by that, TURTLE was all but abandoned and left to wither away. The company officially closed its doors on April 26, 2937, only a few short years after the death of Hopper. Gashát held the rights of the company’s name and property for another twenty-five years as he tended to his own business endeavors. Suspicion soon rose surrounding Gashát and his knowledge and possible involvement in TURTLE’s illegal activity and the deaths of the company’s employees all those years prior. Gashát had trouble dealing with the press and speculation only grew as he tried to distance himself from the situation. The stress from running a company and the pressure from the press eventually wore him out however. Gashát reluctantly stepped down as president of the company he nurtured for so many years and retired from the business world completely. While he never made and official statement regarding his possible involvement in crimes, his sudden departure from his company had people assuming the worst. He later auctioned off the rights to the TURTLE name and any property the company still owned to the highest bidder. His would serve as his last public act as shortly after this event Gashát would disappear entirely. Speculation of Gashát’s true motives began to circulate, some believed he just wanted to escape from the public and went to go live a secluded life while others claimed that he went off the grid to avoid the police reopening the case that led to his wife’s arrest in light of new evidence. The third and most widely accepted theory is that Gashát took his own life to put an end to all the pressure and speculation. The only information that is actually know is that Gashát vanished sometime in 2963 and hasn’t been seen or heard from since.

Rebuilding

Ownership of the TURTLE brand was passed around for a few years before it finally fell into the hands of two entrepreneurs who go by the names of Apollo_42 and D_Max in late 2946. The two stated that their goal was to rebuild the company to its former glory by serving as a refuge for the downtrodden and a home for honest workers. Following the purchase of the company, they redesigned its infrastructure and on January 2, 2947 the company began to hire new applicants in preparation for TURTLE’s grand reopening. Along with new employees, Apollo_42 and D_Max also began building a larger fleet of ships to better service the company and its customers. They made use of the ships that were still owned by the company and even recommissioned the signature TURTLE Starfarer, Ol’ Fuel Jug Jim.