Dan Vs. Drake Starlift · 4:10am Jun 13th, 2022
In Season 1, we saw Drake for a brief moment while Dan was trying to restore the Equestrian treasury. He didn't appear for long, but he was petitioning the castle to open up a diner in Canterlot. In Season 2, the 'diner' is going to play a pretty significant role for a portion of the story. He's just another stranger at this point, a chef and restauranteur with a new business in Equestria. Honestly, Canterlot needed a diner closer to the castle. Fucking Donut/Pony Joe's is on the other side of the damn city, and there's usually a long-assed line early in the morning, so coffee runs for the castle take wayyyy too fucking long.
But there's a reason the Starlift Diner opened up so close to the castle. What's a space story without a space pirate, anyway?
Of course, Drake would much rather prefer the title of "space privateer" or just chef. But he's come to Equestria to serve up more than just all-day breakfast and coffee.
The man known as Drake Starlift was born as Douglas Quinn Sanders, the son of a poorer family that owned a coffee shop from Tralus, a planet near Corellia. He took a job with a shipping company and later trained as a transport pilot because the money was better. He used that money to support his family, living a tough but manageable life in the suburbs near the starport. When the Exchange or the gangs needed to use his transport to move Spice or other drugs, he didn't say a word. It was a victimless crime, after all. They gave him a nice cut for overlooking some customs regulations, and he used that money to help his family.
Then, the war with the Sith Empire came.
Drake attempted to join the war effort, but his past was looked into, and more than a few were leery of his background. He'd never fired a shot, but he had been involved in illegal weapons sales and drug smuggling, and for that he was turned away from the military. This simple rejection ultimately led to a career in crime.
His father was a patriot, and so was Drake. So if he couldn't join the fight as a soldier, he could do it as a mercenary. This was when he changed his name officially to Drake and began life as a privateer. He started running supplies, using his modified K-52 Strongarm gunship to deliver ordinance, food, water and everything else important to Republic forces on the frontlines. He got good at it, and as the war dragged on, the need for supplies and people who got things done increased dramatically.
Drake joined the Republic Navy's Coruscant Aegis Squadron, a rapid response group that took down threats to Republic space when major fleets were needed elsewhere. He participated in battles at the Lost Shipyards, Makeb, Denon, Kuat and Iokath, destroying Sith fighter squadrons and capturing facilities for the Republic. It was difficult and dangerous work, but Drake came through and was paid well for his services.
Later on, Drake even joined Kent the Jedi Sentinel, Vic the Republic Trooper and Gage the Sage to take on even more threats to the Republic. His crew even included his first mate and droid sidekick G-33B5, aka Geebs. Giant monsters, rogue Mandalorian clans, conflicts on neutral worlds, captured space stations, criminals, Sith Lords and more, Drake and the team defeated them all. But as the Jedi and the soldiers got most of the fame and fortune, Drake was treated at arms-length, thought of more as a mercenary than a patriot. When the truth was exactly the opposite.
One of the giant monsters.
Perhaps it was because of this treatment and those wary of his reputation that Drake did things to prove himself. When the Republic's spies in the Strategic Information Service(SIS) needed someone to infiltrate an Imperial facility, Drake was usually one of those chosen. When an Imperial general was making things hard for the resistance forces on Balmorra or Corellia, Drake was sent in. And when the Hutt Cartel had to be investigated and persuaded to abandon cooperation with the Empire, Drake was at the top of the list for "diplomatic discretion."
And still, Drake was given plenty of other assignments apart from main ones, things he even volunteered for. He regularly hunted down Sith Lords and took them out, preyed on Imperial defense squadrons and supply convoys in his ship. The Empire never learned his true identity... but they did eventually find out where his money was going.
When Drake returned home to find his family's diner reduced to a crater, he learned the real cost of mercenary work.
Distraught, Drake took what little money he had and left the galaxy behind. With what was left, he opened a diner on Equestria.
Now, another war has arrived on his doorstep. Once again, the man known as Drake Starlift is faced with a decision. It's not just how you fight, who you fight for or what you fight against that matters, but why you fight in the first place. Will he pick up his blaster and take to the skies once again? And will he do it for money, his reputation or a good cup of coffee? Find out in Season 2 of Dan Vs. The Magic of Friendship!
You just dont mess with Family Joe.
Time to give his ride a General Products upgrade.
I wonder if I should start digging out the access codes and crypto keys for the access to the VASER designs?
5664337
Indeed. Good cup of joe goes a long way.