An Introduction to Rand McCormick the Best Pilot in the Commorium Fleet

The name Rand McCormick is on everyone’s lips nowadays. With the war against the Xothic threatening our world, we all pay attention to the beings that keep the enemy at bay. Rand McCormick is seen by some as the person who holds the key to end the war. Others, perceive him as a hotshot, full of himself, who has been until now aided only by luck, and who will get himself blown sky high one day. What no one can deny is that he is by far the best pilot in the Commorium Fleet. His missions have all been highly successful. What’s more, his list of casualties and collateral damage is definitely the lowest in the history of the Commorium Fleet.

But, who really is Rand McCormick?

A quick search will give you various results. Because of his amazing flying skills some were quick to assume McCormick was an army brat, raised by military parents at a base and placed in the seat as a pilot from an early age. Others prefer to portray him as a tortured soul, an orphan and former smuggler turned good when a Commorium Fleet apprehended his stolen ship. There are hundreds of stories flying around out there, some more fanciful than the others. Unfortunately for the romantics, Rand McCormick’s life was not the fiction novel it has been made out to be.

Born on one of the smaller planets from the outskirts of the Federated Republic Empire of Planets, McCormick had a normal and unassuming childhood. The second of four siblings and the only boy, the pilot grew up looking after his sisters and studying at the local schools, preparing one day to follow in his father’s footsteps as a mechanic.

Things took an unexpected turn for the young man when a Commorium Starship had to make an urgent landing on the planet shortly after his 17^th birthday. Inquisitive from nature, McCormick followed the members of the crew, pestering them with questions until they gave him the answers he sought. While some grew annoyed with the boy, one of the older pilots saw something special in McCormick and took him under his wing.

The rest, as they say, is history…

A natural in the seat of pilot, McCormick soon showed his mentor that he had not been mistaken in choosing him. Leaving behind his parents – distraught, but proud of their son - he joined the Commorium Fleet and enrolled in the Academy where he finished top of his class just as the trouble with the Xothic had started brewing. With war looming on the horizon, the preparatory months were skipped altogether and McCormick found himself a full-fledged member of the Commorium Fleet. It did not take long for him to win the title of “best pilot” and rack up five kills, enough to make him the first ace of the war.

It remains to be seen whether he will be able to live up to his name as events unfold and the war becomes more vicious with each passing day.