Ace London

"You got THAT right!"

Boasting himself to be "the bravest, fastest, handsomest airman that ever streaked across Mother Nature's blue roof," Ace London is a test pilot and bragger extraordinaire, world-renowned for his accomplishments as a daredevil aviator. Responsible for test-flying some of the most dangerous prototype aircraft in existence, Ace London made a name for himself as a hotshot flyer and a bigshot government pilot, albeit through extraordinary charisma and a great deal of smooth-talking. People once went out of their way to get his autograph. Now, however, Ace London is hard-pressed to even give his autograph away, forced into a premature and humiliating retirement by his own reckless behavior.

Ace London was born in the thriving harbor city of Cape Suzette. As those closest to him recall, London was a slick, ostentatious youth who had a definite knack for conning or fast-talking his way out of a tough spot. He was also a prankster at heart, and often made his peers and close friends the victims of cruel practical jokes — much to his delight and their chagrin. Extremely smooth, Ace turned what could have been a liability into an advantage by embarrassing those who would disagree with him. By "proving" that he was always right, Ace gained a sense of admiration among his peers, giving him an air of superiority that swelled an already inflated ego.

One of Ace's acquaintances was a young bear named Baloo. In childhood, Baloo and Ace were more competitors than companions, always striving to outdo or one-up each other. Unfortunately, using his streetsmarts and various other talents, Ace never failed at getting two things: the glory and Baloo's goat. While Ace London seemed to many the perfect hero, Baloo was by constrast a slipshod second fiddle forever playing "catch-up" to Ace's achievements.

This competition between London and Baloo continued into adulthood, when both of them became pilots in their early twenties. Although Baloo prefers to think that Ace became a pilot only to spite him, the fact remained that Ace showed natural skills behind the controls of an aircraft. A daredevil pilot, Ace often took needless risks and performed reckless or even dangerous stunts in the air. The competitiveness between him and Baloo was taken to new heights as the show-off Ace London seemed to outdo the cargo-hauling Baloo at every turn. Baloo was understandably upset, and the unflappable Ace seemed to enjoy being a constant annoyance.

Ace's brash and cocky personality made him perfectly suited for one of the most glamorous — and also dangerous — lines of work in the aviation industry: test piloting. The face of aviation was rapidly changing. As new and innovative aircraft were produced, they had to be tested by pilots with a special blend of courage and flying skills. It was here that Ace London came into his own. Ace's defiant attitude toward danger made him the perfect candidate to test new, potentially deadly government prototypes.

Soon Ace London became a public figure, thrilling audiences with his tales of close calls and brushes with death while piloting the fastest planes on earth. Far-fetched to the point of absurdity, these stories typically involved Ace in a life-or-death predicament with only his quick wits to save him. Among his favorite stories was an incident where his test plane ran out of fuel, prompting Ace to pour root beer into the gas tank to keep the plane "flying like a songbird"! Such fanciful yarns made Ace London no less than a hero to a world enthralled by the exploits of famous test pilots.

Within a few years the Usland military made Ace London one of its top flyers, entrusting him with only the most dangerous and top-secret projects for testing. Instead of testing new aircraft, Ace was now employed to test new experimental engines, the fastest in the world. General Patton, commanding officer of the Usland Air Force Base, had great esteem for London and the heroic feats he performed in the service of his country. Likewise, thousands of people admired London for his casual, wisecracking demeanor and his near-phenomenal exploits. Fans clamored to get his autograph whenever he stopped in their town. Others flew to see him at "Sally's Alley," a diner at Cardi's Port and Ace London's favorite hangout.

General Patton and Ace London.		Ace, piloting his customized fighter plane.

However, none of this had any appreciable effect on Ace's personality or actions. He was still the same smug, self-centered braggart he had always been — only now he had a captive audience. Ace London's reputation gave him a great deal of leeway with his superior officers, particularly General Patton. Ace's fame also gave him considerable authority over subordinates and air force staff pilots, who often became scapegoats for his infrequent blunders. Ace roamed the skies between Cardi's and the air force base in a bright red, personalized government fighter sporting twin machine guns. London showed complete disregard for ordinary flight regulations, stunting around the skies as if he owned them. He didn't fear any consequences, for no one so far had challenged Ace's heroic persona.

One fateful week, Ace received orders to pick up a special motor from a secret military facility and transport it to General Patton's base for testing. London was to tell no one about his mission nor breathe a word of it over the radio for security reasons. The project in question was highly top-secret and concealed from even Ace's prying eyes — all the orders would reveal was that this particular engine would make Ace London the fastest man on earth!

Unfortunately, even government orders couldn't restrain Ace London from boasting of his good fortune. Before long, everyone at Sally's Alley heard that Ace was carrying a top-secret engine — including Ace's old chum Baloo, who was refueling at Cardi's while making a delivery run with Wildcat. Engaging in a lively discussion with Baloo, London (who was doing most of the talking) dismissed the sentries so he could guard the cargo himself. But when the cargo manager asked him which crate to load, Ace carelessly selected the wrong one — leaving the world's first jet engine in Baloo's hands!

To save face before General Patton, London claimed that Baloo switched freight on him, and volunteered to find and return the engine himself. Baloo and Wildcat had also discovered the mix-up and ran across London and his two wingmen while trying to return the cargo. Too impatient to deal with Baloo, London attacked the Sea Duck on sight — joined by Don Karnage and his Air Pirates, who were attempting to steal the engine for themselves.

Through a turn of events, Baloo and Wildcat attached the jet engine to the Sea Duck and later ended up riding the engine itself to the air force base. A malfunction with the controls set the engine into full thrust mode, sending a deep rumble across the airfield — the world's first sonic boom. Baloo was personally honored by General Patton for his historic accomplishment and was promised a place in the history books.

Ace London, on the other hand, did not fare as well. Convicted of shooting at civilians and mishandling government property, as well as accusing Baloo of a criminal act just to cover up his own mistakes, London barely escaped a federal court-martial for his actions. Instead he was permanently banned from military duty and test flying. The humiliating debacle made headline news, shattering Ace's image and his enormous ego.

Today Ace London is no longer the heroic figure he cut out for himself. Reduced to the life of a lowly cargo pilot, Ace spends his days hauling shipments of pickles to Bart's Deli for a modest profit. Too embarrassed to face the public, Ace has made Sally's Alley his perpetual haunt, bemoaning his failure over several glasses of root beer and telling his stories to anyone who cares to listen. Ace London may have been a practical joker all his life, but — as fate would have it — the final joke was on him.

ACE LONDON
Height: 6'1" Sex: Male Age: 30+ DEXTERITY 3D Brawling parry 5D, dodge 5D+1, firearms 6D, grenade 4D+1 KNOWLEDGE 3D Aircraft 5D+2, bureaucracy: Usland military 5D, locations 5D+2, streetwise 4D, survival 4D MECHANICAL 3D+1 Aircraft gunnery 6D+1, aircraft piloting 6D, communications 3D+2, navigation 5D+1 PERCEPTION 3D+1 Bargain 6D, command: military pilots 6D+1, con: fast-talk 9D, gambling 6D, persuasion: storytelling 7D+2, search 5D+1, sneak 5D STRENGTH 3D+1 Brawling 5D+1, lifting 4D, swimming 4D TECHNICAL 2D Aircraft repair 4D, first aid 3D, security 5D+1