Behind the scenes

I'm going to pause here to inject some of the stuff I try to add in to my games.  In this case, an original supers team mentioned last post, a team the players haven't met as yet, and the background from one of my players.

The top pic is Canadian Shield.  From left to right, we have: Mosaic, Rebound, Kodiak, Big Nickel, Magus, Hellfighter, and The Arrow.

Next are the New Knights. From left to right: Spitfire, Stalwart, The Clansman, Union Jack, Gurkha, and Silver Shadow.


And lastly, the origin of Jonathan Light, aka, Spectrum.

Jonathan Light: A Beacon of Technology

By: Gina Giseppi      Originally published in the Peake Harbor Weekender Magazine; Sunday, October 30, 2011

Peake Harbor has seen a recent technology boom, with none more prominent than the move of the global headquarters of Light Technologies Unlimited here from Silicon Valley. I had the opportunity to sit down with Jonathan Light at Harborview Bistro here in Marina West to get to know the young CEO of LTU.
He arrived on time wearing a handsome grey suit with a black polo shirt. His brown hair is close cropped and his face is clean shaven. He looks young for his 35 years, with alert blue eyes that seem to take in every facet of his surroundings.

Gina: Thank you for meeting me Dr. Light.

JL: It’s my pleasure Gina, and please, call me Jonathan…Doctor Light was my father. (he said smiling)

Gina: Okay, Jonathan. I guess we should start at the beginning. We know very little about you here on the east coast outside of the major facts of the last few years. Can you tell me about your childhood?

JL: Sure. I was born in Las Vegas NV, in 1976. My father as I am sure you know, worked for the government as a scientist and engineer. Mom still is a High School math teacher to this very day. She does not need to work and hasn’t needed to for a few years but darned if she doesn’t love teaching. I had a pretty abnormal childhood. Dad worked long hours and I was always around math and science. Apparently I inherited all that from my folks. I went to private school in Nevada and then Cal Tech for my undergrad and masters in Engineering. Got my Theoretical Physics Masters at MIT followed by Doctorates in Mechanical Engineering, Aerospace Engineering and Theoretical Physics. I was actually working on my next Masters in Electrical Engineering when pop passed and I had to drop it to take over the company.

Gina: Lets talk about that if you are willing. Your father was known as one of the most brilliant inventive minds to ever work for the government. He played a big role in the creation of the SR-71 and basically revolutionized the concept of Stealth jets according to recently declassified documents. Were you close?

JL: Sort of. As you can guess by where we lived he drove to the airport on Monday morning, and there were times when we did not see him all week, or days where he would get home after 9 pm and be out the door at 6 am. When he was around we were pretty normal. He took me to my martial arts classes and baseball games when he could. We would, and I know how geeky this sounds, sit up some weekends solving math and physics problems and equations. Mom would sometimes help, and she was always doing little things to “cultivate her genius men” as she used to always say. Looking back, outside of the math problems, we were relatively normal.

Gina: Then while you were at Cal Tech your parents moved to northern California so your father could start his own business?

JL: Yeah. He tried really hard, but while he was a brilliant scientist he knew next to nothing about running a company. I helped out when I could, but my studies kept me pretty busy. He finally got to a point where LTU was surviving. Not really turning too much profit, but not losing money either. As I finished my Masters Degrees and Doctorates was when we realized he was sick. He had done a great job hiding it from mom and I, blaming stress and long hours. He held on for a few more years, but I was basically running the company. When he passed, I took over as CEO and began looking to grow and expand.

Gina: So why the move here?

JL: Peake Harbor is rapidly becoming the Silicone Valley of the East Coast. I mean can you blame me for moving here? The area is lovely, great people, and a fantastic proximity to DC and a few major military installations. It will save me hundreds of thousands of dollars on travel alone…plus…no earthquakes. I hate earthquakes…Of course what happens? I move here and one occurs. (he chuckles). I guess that’s how it goes. Anyway, I really enjoyed my time on the east coast at MIT and decided that if LTU was going to hit it big, a change of scenery was in order.

Gina: And the IPO? All set for that?

JL: Absolutely. We have been prepping for this a long time. It is time to take LTU public and get the funding we truly need to create the life saving tech we do now on a much larger scale. We do not have the exact date set, but it should be announced soon.

Gina: If I can change topics for a moment: One of your warehouses was recently the scene of a break-in by some powered crooks and a subsequent fight between them and what seems to be a new super hero team. Any thoughts?

JL: I am just happy that nothing major was stolen and none of those brave heroes were hurt on my account. I know some are wary of costumed protectors, but as long as they work within the confines of law, I see no issue with their actions. As I said at the press conference, I thank them for their effort and hope that they will continue to light the sometimes dark streets of Peake Harbor, the way LTU carries the torch of invention and the latest in medical, engineering and non-lethal combat technology. (he grins sheepishly) Sorry Gina. Bill in PR would kill me if I didn’t say something like that in this interview.

Gina: Fair enough. So on to the social side. Is there a special lady in your life?

JL: Invention is my girlfriend right now. In reality though, I am so busy with the IPO and the move that I don’t have time to go out. So I guess the answer is no. No special lady.

Gina: One final question. What comes next for Dr. Jonathan Light?

JL: The IPO my main focus right now. After that, who knows? We are close to a demonstration of some new shielding tech that might change how we protect our troops, but I cannot say much more than that. I would like to end by saying thank you. Not just to you Gina for this enchanting Q and A, but to all of Peake Harbor. This city has made me and my whole company feel welcome from day one. I look forward to building a future together.