Benjamin Merchant

Ships: [Convoy].Bristol_City, |Convoy|.Escort_Ben

Born in the year 798, in a ladies restroom aboard Freeport 9. His mother, a kitchenmaid working full time serving hot meals to the zoners who stopped by for fuel and supplies. Ben had never really left the confines of the station until the age of 16, when he started helping out onboard zoner trade ships as an apprentice Cruise-drive engineer. This was valuable experience for young Ben and his mother was glad she could give him a chance to be somebody.
Things had always been hard for the small family of two, ever since Bens father, a trade escort pilot from Bristol who had been shot down whilst escorting the lost Bristol City ship. When Ben reached the age of 18, he was fully skilled in the profession of ship maintenance, and could squeeze every drop of performance out of any engine, weapons system or shield. But this was never enough...
One day when back home on FP9 with his mother, Ben bumped into a veteran of the Bretonian Merchant Navy who had been captured in the omegas but managed to escape onboard a zoner vessel during a trade and ended up out in Omicron Theta very far from home. The old pilot made Ben a deal, after hearing Bens wish to return to the land of his father and serve as he did, The old pilot told Ben that if he could fix up an old Paladin that he had won in a game of cards, then Ben could go with him back to Bretonia!
The journey was dangerous! every jumphole there was a blood thirsty pirate waiting to either kill them or rob them pennyless! After paying all they owned in credits to a pirate in Omega 11, they had to stop at Solarius station for repairs from radiation damage, But with no credits, Ben and the old pilot had to accept that their journey was on hold until they could work enough hours to pay for the parts they needed.
It was 6months before they were finally ready to move on, Luckily not meeting anymore outlaws on the way. Arriving in Cambridge not more than 2 days after their departure. The sun was shining and the feeling of destiny, of purpose! gripped Ben and he knew, his life was just beginning...