To answer a couple of questions:
The OGJ issues end up stemming first from the semi-leak of the intelligence withholding. That pretty firmly throws the group into Noah's camp and convinces them to back the Space Patrol when it is set up. It's not until later (2015-2016) that they get ahold of a full transcript to include Haruhi's "Fenspace should stop resisting me and do everything as I say" that throws them further into the 'dismantle the whole damn organization!' group. When I get a chance, I'll edit the Op (which is the Public Knowledge, not the full story) to reflect that.
They'll end up taking a bit of all three options; Leaving OGJ operations to independantly support belters, partnering to help form the Space patrol (whom they work closely with since they are properly checked and balanced), and pissing off everybody in Fenspace by trying to massively increase the US's presence in space via trying to get an aerospace contract along with a partial contract for helping to build a space carrier for the navy (with an aerospace manufacturing group they pick up late in the war)
As for why they pick late 2012 to break the law and blast off? They'll make no excuses for it, other than to say that they went up to rescue someone close to them. Which is entirely correct, as the 'independant' mining operation they 'pick up' is in fact an AI that they created in late 2008/early 2009 and sent ahead of them to prepare the way. She was attacked by an early Boskonian raid on a small mining outpost on Mercury that ended up with her captured and barely able to call for help. They will try to return the aircraft after the war, but BAE turns them down. They do accept a $25 million payment in compensation and agree to drop the charges in exchange for being the senior partner in the starfighter contract.
As for the group:
You've got the CEO/Captain of the group, Jonathan Rich. Ex-military, discharged medically due to an inoperable piece of shrapnel in his chest from Iraq. Pretty solidly fendane, sees space as a new work frontier, not the goal in and of itself (other than colonization.). Cold and calculating, save for a few that worm into his heart. He fights with the AI (Currently calling her Twilight) over social issues, and sees her as his daughter by early 2012. Tends to get the everliving crap trolled out of him by her. Believes that overall the average human is good, but that humanity's potential has been spoiled by special interests and mass media intentionally pulling the everyday joe into a frenzy. Doesn't trust easily, but will die for anyone who has earned it gladly. Lawful Good (and not the Lawful Stupid kind of LG), and really really sorry about the whole 'stole the plane' incident. Can't fly for shit. He WOULD be a trekkie, and designs like he is. But he doesn't sign on with them because of their 'Prime Directives' (the show one and the fen one), as well as the heavily state-pushed atheism. He falls more towards the TOS end of the scale than the TNG era. The 'Spock' of the group.
Then you've got: Leroy Davis. Outright mundane who went up because his friend asked him to. Loyal to the Captain, and to their accidental AI spawn. He's the public face of the company, better able to inspire random joe off the street than the Captain is. (Jon's public speaking skills... leave much to be desired, though he's got the sheer force of personality to work as a leader) Sort of MLK meets Morgan Freeman in terms of public speaking when he puts his mind to it. He does find handwavium fascinating, and slowly migrates towards Ninjafen (he can sort-of follow along with the fandoms, but doesn't 'get' why they would so closely follow their source material). He's the 'Kirk' of the group. And a damn good pilot.
Then there is Twilight. Aka: Genki. Loves people in every form they come in. And lists and checklists and organizing things into terrifying perfection, like the namesake she picked out. She's the logistical brains of the outfit, and the one who is working a long-term social engineering project on the Captain to lighten him up. Progressed from seeing him as a master in 2009 to seeing him as a father in 2012, and knows that he has a hard time resisting her putting on a cute face and pouting when she wants something. She's the one who leads them to the fourth member of the team in late 2013/early 2014. Agrees with the Captain that the average human is good, but disagrees with him on the matter of whether or not current civilization can be fixed without a lot of work. She goes out of her way to pick up hard luck cases and bring them back to help instill better habits in them (to include non-violent felony offenders to the Captain's irritation).
The OGJ issues end up stemming first from the semi-leak of the intelligence withholding. That pretty firmly throws the group into Noah's camp and convinces them to back the Space Patrol when it is set up. It's not until later (2015-2016) that they get ahold of a full transcript to include Haruhi's "Fenspace should stop resisting me and do everything as I say" that throws them further into the 'dismantle the whole damn organization!' group. When I get a chance, I'll edit the Op (which is the Public Knowledge, not the full story) to reflect that.
They'll end up taking a bit of all three options; Leaving OGJ operations to independantly support belters, partnering to help form the Space patrol (whom they work closely with since they are properly checked and balanced), and pissing off everybody in Fenspace by trying to massively increase the US's presence in space via trying to get an aerospace contract along with a partial contract for helping to build a space carrier for the navy (with an aerospace manufacturing group they pick up late in the war)
As for why they pick late 2012 to break the law and blast off? They'll make no excuses for it, other than to say that they went up to rescue someone close to them. Which is entirely correct, as the 'independant' mining operation they 'pick up' is in fact an AI that they created in late 2008/early 2009 and sent ahead of them to prepare the way. She was attacked by an early Boskonian raid on a small mining outpost on Mercury that ended up with her captured and barely able to call for help. They will try to return the aircraft after the war, but BAE turns them down. They do accept a $25 million payment in compensation and agree to drop the charges in exchange for being the senior partner in the starfighter contract.
As for the group:
You've got the CEO/Captain of the group, Jonathan Rich. Ex-military, discharged medically due to an inoperable piece of shrapnel in his chest from Iraq. Pretty solidly fendane, sees space as a new work frontier, not the goal in and of itself (other than colonization.). Cold and calculating, save for a few that worm into his heart. He fights with the AI (Currently calling her Twilight) over social issues, and sees her as his daughter by early 2012. Tends to get the everliving crap trolled out of him by her. Believes that overall the average human is good, but that humanity's potential has been spoiled by special interests and mass media intentionally pulling the everyday joe into a frenzy. Doesn't trust easily, but will die for anyone who has earned it gladly. Lawful Good (and not the Lawful Stupid kind of LG), and really really sorry about the whole 'stole the plane' incident. Can't fly for shit. He WOULD be a trekkie, and designs like he is. But he doesn't sign on with them because of their 'Prime Directives' (the show one and the fen one), as well as the heavily state-pushed atheism. He falls more towards the TOS end of the scale than the TNG era. The 'Spock' of the group.
Then you've got: Leroy Davis. Outright mundane who went up because his friend asked him to. Loyal to the Captain, and to their accidental AI spawn. He's the public face of the company, better able to inspire random joe off the street than the Captain is. (Jon's public speaking skills... leave much to be desired, though he's got the sheer force of personality to work as a leader) Sort of MLK meets Morgan Freeman in terms of public speaking when he puts his mind to it. He does find handwavium fascinating, and slowly migrates towards Ninjafen (he can sort-of follow along with the fandoms, but doesn't 'get' why they would so closely follow their source material). He's the 'Kirk' of the group. And a damn good pilot.
Then there is Twilight. Aka: Genki. Loves people in every form they come in. And lists and checklists and organizing things into terrifying perfection, like the namesake she picked out. She's the logistical brains of the outfit, and the one who is working a long-term social engineering project on the Captain to lighten him up. Progressed from seeing him as a master in 2009 to seeing him as a father in 2012, and knows that he has a hard time resisting her putting on a cute face and pouting when she wants something. She's the one who leads them to the fourth member of the team in late 2013/early 2014. Agrees with the Captain that the average human is good, but disagrees with him on the matter of whether or not current civilization can be fixed without a lot of work. She goes out of her way to pick up hard luck cases and bring them back to help instill better habits in them (to include non-violent felony offenders to the Captain's irritation).