Roland Miles Thompson

created by Joshua Moretto

Permission Character

Defining Traits

• Peerless pilot and driver
• Preposterously skilled and accurate with firearms
• Lacks any sense of personal danger
• Relentlessly optimistic
• Overly garrulous and never knows when to stop talking.

Signature Equipment

• Carries a pair of signature, custom-designed .50 pistols, built by Doc Furious. See Furious Fifty.
• Due to his reckless nature, Thompson rarely has any given vehicle for very long. He has had a had in a number of radical new designs, however. See Retractable-Wing Aeroplane and Folding-Wing Fighter.

History

Roland Miles Thompson was born to William Thompson, an mechanic living in a town outside of Brisbane, Queensland, and named after his paternal grandfather. His mother, Louise, died before his first birthday. He was subsequently raised by his father, his two older brothers (James and George), and his uncle Samuel.

Samuel, who by the time Thompson (hating his first name, he never used it, going by either his middle name or surname at all times) was 12 had become a bush pilot, introduced Thompson to aeroplanes, and this combined with his father's automotive garage had a profound influence on the young boy, who showed a wholly remarkable facility and instinctive understanding of both fields. This understanding was not, however, truly technical; rather, young Thompson demonstrated an intuitive knack for the care and use of these vehicles.

Thompson left Australia in 1928, fleeing the wrath of his extremely tempermental girlfriend, Rebecca Dane, who had become convinced that he was planning to leave her (ironically, this became self-fulfilling, though it was not true originally). He spent time as a barnstormer in a travelling air circus before coming into contact with the Odysseus Group, whose resources helped him on the process of naturalizing as an American citizen. Thompson frequently finds excuses not to return to Australia; although he would never admit it, he is certain that Rebecca Dane would learn of his return and he still fears her anger. Usually too garrulous for his own good, years later he cannot find a way to apologize for his hasty departure.

Unbeknownst to Thompson, Rebecca Dane now styles herself The Red Queen, and plots revenge still.

Notable Exploits

With The Odysseus Group -- New York Chapter

• Foiled the plans of The Kommandant at his secret African mining camp. During this incident, Thompson unintentionally inspires a new German fighter plane design. See the Albertine Rift Mining Incident.
• Had terrible battle with fishmen on the high seas, and fended off a cephalopodic monster that attempted to eat their boat by feeding it a drum of fuel and detonating it with gunfire.
• Thompson shoots a Chinese sorceror in the eye, yet fails to harm him. For the first time, Thompson feels doubt. See The Empire State Building Vanishment.
• Thompson conceives of a radical new aircraft design, which Doc Furious implements (against his better judgment). Thompson remains convinced that his retractable-wing scheme will prove sound and useful.
• Thompson uses his new aircraft's capabilities to skip the aeroplane off the surf and touch down on a dune on the shores of Spain, despite critical sabotage to the craft.
• Escaped the German Army in Berlin, but falls into The Kommandant's clutches. Eventually escaped the madman's intricate deathtrap castle, and shot him on the deck of his airship, sending him crashing through the window. Sadly, his body was never recovered.

Single-Handedly

• Was the first man to jump a Rolls-Royce from the roof of the Flatiron Building onto a moving passenger bus.
• Has repeatedly survived assassination attempts by The Red Queen, while remaining utterly oblivious to the fact that he's been targeted for such.

Known Associates

Hank Barton

Doc Furious

Roderick Von Drake

Albert

Major Enemies

The Kommandant

Rebecca Dane