Ro Koji

Description

A member of a typically large Nikitak family on Nikiticha, Koji grew up in the arctic forests like most of his species. His size and colouration is considered unremarkable for his species.

Koji's only truly distinctive features as a Nikitak are the goggles which he wears during space flight to prevent star blindness and the seemingly whimsical jester's cap he wears on his head. He rarely removes the cap, as it was a gift from his wife.

He is an active member of the Rulerist Resistance, working as a spacecraft pilot. His piloting skills are average, but his ability to respond to ever-changing situations puts him in the top percentile. He is also a professional mechanic capable of fixing most things on board his own ship. Although jovial and paternal, Koji is a capable fighter and can be quite serious and single-minded.

Personality

Being the eldest of the resistance members on board his ship, Koji displays a calm maturity expected of his age. His views related to death and battle are quite realistic, even shockingly fatalistic at times. Koji dispels any rumors that he is a pessimist, however, saying only that there are some things in life which we cannot change and must only endure. He never regards anyone as a threat until they prove themselves to be.

Few ever get a chance to meet the realist in Koji. His outward behavior is cheerful and friendly, joking about anything that is not serious enough to require his attention. It is this kind of joking which earned him his nickname of "Darkfool."

Koji seems to regard his crew as an extension of family, and tends to grow protective of them the longer they travel with him. While he respects his superior officers and will not question their orders, he very rarely has verbal outbursts. These are almost always related to one of two things: Family or life laws. Koji's wrath is frightening to behold, and his ample warning is quickly heeded by those around him.

Over all, Koji is trustworthy and regularly smiling. When bad situations strike, he can be depended upon to act accordingly and with maturity. His playful facade often fools the inexperienced into thinking him vapid, but this is far from the truth.

He rarely if ever cleans up after himself when working on his ship, causing the interior to often resemble a technological explosion.

History

Koji's childhood was unremarkable, and he spent much of his time playing in the snow and forests outside his family's traditional dome-shaped house. Koji studied mechanics and ship building under the guidance of his father, showing promise to take over the family business some day.

This all changed when Koji met a young Human anthropologist by the name of Jennifer. Intrigued by her line of work, Koji's offers to act as a guide while she studied Nikitak culture were graciously accepted. The two travelled Nikiticha for some time together, gradually growing closer. At the end of several months, Koji proposed, and the two were married in accordance with Nikitak traditions.

Shortly after their marriage, Jennifer began to show symptoms of serious illness. She was diagnosed late with brain cancer and given only a short period of time to live. Although there were experimental techniques which might have cured her, they had been deemed illegal under Rulerist life laws. Faced with such a grave time frame, Koji and Jennifer decided to travel around Nikiticha as they had done once before- one final tour of the world which had brought them together. These travels take place during the bonus comic Cemetery.

At the end of their travels, Jennifer passed away.

Due to their life laws, Rulerists were very indirectly responsible for the death of Koji's wife. Although he did not disagree with the religion as a whole, Koji joined the resistance after Jennifer's death as a form of political protest to their bans on medical advancement. His family did not agree with this course of action, and so there is some tension between Koji and the rest of his family.

Using his savings to purchase his ship, the Jester X, Koji promptly left his home planet and sought employment with the Rulerist Resistance. He transported supplies and officers from various locations for a time until he was assigned to work beside Solla Flint in retrieving a bio-weapon from Ando.

First Appearances

• Cemetery, Page 1
• Main Comic, Page 3

Trivia

• Koji's cap has three patterns. On the left, a red and purple diamond pattern. The middle has white, green, blue and yellow stripes. The right side has green spots ringed in blue.
• As a Nikitak, Koji will go star blind much faster than other aliens and so must use protective eyewear.
• While Koji prefers to walk on his hind-most set of legs, his work on board his plane the Jester X forces him to walk quadrupedal most of the time.
• Koji's accent is a result of his inability to correctly hear the pronunciations of those around him due to his antenna.
• Unlike the rest of the crew, Koji regards Grey with a heavy amount of sympathy.
• Soshika Lypha treats Koji like surrogate father, and he sometimes reciprocates. More often, though, he jokes about it.

Behind the Scenes