Shortly after the revelation that it was a House Serpens agent that assassinated the Cygnus Emperox, the nobility of House Serpens was in a mad scramble. Public opinion was very fragile at this time, and rumors circulated amongst both the workers and nobles of the sector that the Church or House Crux would be forced to dissolve the House for such a treasonous crime.
While some of the nobility began working the diplomatic lanes, and others worked the humanitarian angle, one industrious nobleman sought to try and win over the public opinion. Scryer Serpens Karlek Robin was a retired veteran of the War Against the Artificials, and while he never fought on the front lines like the honorable House Aquilian soldiers or his own House's Fangs, his writing efforts of reports during the wartime effort provided comfort to both Serpens at home and the people of the sector, of the good that humanity was doing to right this grave injustice that House Cygnus had wronged. He gathered up his notes and after a particularly long meditation (by his own accounts, over 90 standard hours of quiet contemplation and psionic focus) began writing the first holo-novel of Scryer Serpens Noir Blackbird.
His first novel, "Casino Royale with Cheese," about a charming, passionate Scryer working in the shadows of the War Against the Artificials for the good of the Empire, was a decent sales success. But it wasn't until the second novel, "From Hong Lu, With Love," that the sector began to fawn over the mysterious Serpens agent. Since then he's written over 17 novels, all to varying degrees of sales success. The missions that Noir has embarked upon have criss-crossed the sector a dozen times over, and in some fashion or another, end up saving the Empire from total destruction. Whether it's teaming up with a Fornax test pilot to prevent a rogue VI mech from blowing up Imperial Prime in 'Another Day to Die,' or reclaiming a cache of pre-Scream psitech biotics from Synth ninja assassins in 'Psi-Mods are Forever,' there's three things you can count on in a Noir Blackbird novel: things are going to get blown the flark up, Noir will (invariably) flark someone, and their appearance will change, usually in a dramatic fashion.
The last one, Karlek claims, is the most important one. "Because of Noir's MES talents in Biopsionics, not only can they change their physical appearance to suit the needs of the mission - and explain how someone can survive so many normally lethal injuries - but it also represents a way for the reader to envision themselves in Noir's feet. With such a transmutable form, the line between book and reader blurs, until eventually all you can see is the scenes playing out for you in the theater of your mind.”
Currently, only one holo-film adaptation has been released ('Trill Finger'), but there are rumors that Karlek and PRISM moguls are in talks about adapting his book, 'PRISM Eye' to the platinum screens. For now, the only thing known about his upcoming work (titled, 'Spikefall') is that it will delve back into the childhood of Noir, possibly even towards their first emergence of MES, or even Noir's parents.
The Timeline and Synopsis of Noir Blackbird's Missions[]
The following timeline is Scryer Serpens Karlek Robin’s own timeline for when these missions take place, when compared to the official Acheron Rho sector chronometer.
3180: "Casino Royale with Cheese" - Noir is assigned to investigate a backroom deal on a Trilliant Ring pleasure space yacht and casino, and stumbles upon a plot by House Cygnus and its Synth creations that threaten the safety of the Empire.
3180: "From Hong Lu, with Love" - Following after a lead uncovered from the Casino mission, Noir ventures out to Hong Lu, and becomes an unwitting pawn in a war between factions vying for control of Hong Lu, all the while the growing Synth threat lurking in the shadows. The first best-seller of the book series.
3180: "Takumi Kno" - As the bombing of Gats nears it's start, Noir is sent to the surface of the planet to locate and extract a VIP Serpens Takumi who had been helping treat a House Cygnus scientist before they get caught in the crossfire. Instead, Noir sees how entwined the Synth threat is to the Empire, and the lengths House Cygnus will go to continue existing.
3181: "Trill Finger" - Hearing rumors of a heist crew being recruited for a job in the sector, Noir goes undercover in a criminal organization. The target? The Trilliant Ring's immortality formula. Was eventually made into a holo-film by PRISM with Karlek Robin and House Serpens' permission.
3181: "Lightning Sphere" - A prototype Triangulum weapon is stolen by Pro-Synth activists, and Noir teams up with a Triangulum engineer and a Vela pilot to chase them across the sector before they can use the weapon against the bombing fleet around Gats.
3182: "You Only Die Twice" - Following the success of Noir's latest mission, House Cygnus sends a cadre of Synth assassins to take out the Scryer, forcing Noir to go aground on a alien planet. There, Noir must fend off both Synth hunters and alien scum and find a way to get them off their tail. This novel is the second best-seller in the growing franchise.
3182: "On The Emperox's Secret Service" - The Cygnus Emperox requests a Serpens Scryer to try and shore up Imperial Prime's defenses against invasion, as the House engages in humanitarian efforts to relocate its citizens off Gats and to Imperial Prime, and Noir is caught between their duty to the throne versus their duty to the Empire.
3183: "Psi-mods Are Forever" - A cache of Pre-Scream psitech bio-implants are discovered on a remote research station, and Scryer Serpens Noir Blackbird is dispatched to recover them so that the Takumis and Bio-Engineers of House Serpens can try and reverse-engineer the tech for the benefit of the sector. Unfortunately, the Synths are also aware of the bio-implants and send a league of ninja assassins to kill any other force vying for the tech.
3184: "Die and Let Live" - A VIP Serpens Takumi, previously thought dead after the rebellion of the Synths, is found on a facial recognition program located on Echo. Noir is sent to verify the validity of the footage, and if possible, find and rescue the Takumi.
3184: "The Synth with the Reticulum Gun" - Noir is sent to track down and kill a Reticulum duelist who has been found out to be a Synth. There, the Synth engages in a tit-for-tat against the Scryer, claiming that Noir is the, "deadliest person in the Sector," and wants to prove to itself - and its masters - that it is the Synth that is the deadliest individual.
3198: "PRISM Eye" - Noir is called out of retirement after a lifetime of service to the Empire and fighting in the War Against the Artificials, sent to track down a Triangulum repair ship that has gone dark after being sent to investigate why long-range probes went dark around a remote planet. There Noir uncovers a long-lost relic of the Blood Eagle, and the very safety of all the Empire's citizens are now at risk. This is the third best-seller of the series, and there are talks between House Serpens and PRISM to make this into the second holo-film.
3198: "For Your Thoughts Only" - The Emperox is dead, and House Serpens did the deed. Noir is dispatched to figure out who ordered the hit, and to track down the assassin who is now the most wanted human in the sector.
3198: "View to The Guild" - Following rumors of a Triangulum Programmer having gone silent, Noir stumbles upon - and is dragged into - an experiment being run by an enigmatic member of The Guild, the boogeymen of the Sector.
3198: "Tomorrow Everyone Dies" - The Oracular Council of House Serpens emerges from its chambers of meditation with an ill omen upon the Sector: within a month a calamity as bad as the Scream will engulf the Sector in war. Agents from all the Houses are sent to figure out what the impending doom is, but Noir stumbles upon a conspiracy within the Oracular, and begins to question the validity of the vision.
3199: "The Sector Is Not Enough" - An ambitious ACRE executive embarks upon a philanthropist venture to better the lives of the populous of Acheron Rho, and Noir is sent to act as a bodyguard for a Serpens Takumi on this humanitarian mission. They soon start to question the Executive's motives, and uncovers a threat to the sector.
3199: "Another Day to Die" - While visiting the shipyards of House Fornax for repairs and upgrades of their own personal ship, a prototype mech VI goes rogue and begins to rampage throughout Imperial Prime. Noir teams up with a Fornax test pilot to chase down the rogue mech and delete the VI before it spreads off-world and propagates amongst the sector like a plague upon mankind.
3199: "Spike of Silence" - The former Jump Gate of Acheron Rho, left silent since the Scream, whirs to life as a ship emerges from FTL. The inhabitants claim to be from the lost jewel that is Earth, and is willing to lead the Empire back towards its long-lost home. Noir is sent to determine the validity of their claims alongside a handful of other nobility of the Houses.
The next book is rumored to be called, "Spikefall," and is scheduled to come out in 3200.