User:Kiwalesti

From The Skybrary

Alonso C. Ribeira
Flight Leader, 7 AC 201-205 Chief Logistics Officer, 2 AC 205-207 A.U. Head Librarian, Skybrary 207-present
Born	179 A.U. (28 years old) Ribeira Manor, Cidade
Species	Bear
Affiliation	Crimson Armada (retired) Free Skybrary
Flight certifications	BAS 00 TRS 01 TRS 02 from Echo Flight School COM 01 COM 11 from New Hovlund Flight Combat Academy
Awards	Commendation of Merit (Armada) Combat Excellence Award (Armada) Bronze Star x5 (Armada) Silver Star x2 (Armada) Order of the Upheaval x3 (Flight School)

Alonso Crístovão Ribeira (b. 179 AU) is the current Head Librarian and Master Historian of the Skybrary. A former Armada officer, he is a skilled pilot and also an entrepreneur and freelance writer.

[edit] Personal history

Alonso was born on Cidade to Nicolau and Maria Ribeira, both wealthy members of the Merchant Guild and figureheads of the Cidadean economic community. He grew up in comfort, but was often alone as he was an only child and his parents were busy with their duties; Nicolau's job as a guild Director took him to other skylands regularly, and Maria was a broker and was rarely at home. Alonso found occasional company in his uncle Mateus, a grizzled veteran of the Principality Wars, who related his stories of battle and glory to the young cub, much to Nicolau's chagrin. Alonso's father eventually banned his brother from ever visiting the manor again, and the resentment Alonso already harbored towards the Ribeira patriarch deepened, to the point that he did not tell his parents when he left the estate at age fifteen and moved to Echo. For four years he barely scraped by, supporting himself by writing semi-fictional stories and reporting on Skytopian news in a grandiose and greatly exaggerated style that garnered him much public attention. He applied at the Echo Flight School and worked several odd jobs to save up the money needed to pay his tuition. He spent two years at the school and graduated with commercial, transport, and combat pilot certifications, and high commendations from his professors, despite problems with attitude and attendence, and a compulsion for taking risks.

In 197, Alonso shocked his aging father by enlisting as a commissioned officer in the Crimson Armada, and his mother would later blame him for causing his father's death in 201, which was due to stress-related heart attack. Alonso and Maria fell out after this, and she was not in attendance in 203 when he was promoted to Captain and given a post as Chief Logistics Officer of the 2nd Air Corps, 1st Battle Group, a prestigious combat wing. He remained in the post until 205, but was increasingly active in the Skybrary, a non-profit educational institution dedicated to bringing denizens of Skytopia together through learning. He decided that his interests ran counter to those of the Armada after the Tortugan Upheaval incident in 205, and tendered his resignation citing a loss of faith in the faction's leadership.

Currently Ribeira serves as the Head Librarian of the Free Skybrary, and owns a large chunk of real estate on Cidade, including the manor where he grew up. He is reclusive and rarely seen at social events except those within the Skybrary community. As of late he has spent an increasing amount of time away from his books - trying to reconnect with his roots, he has been flying from skyland to skyland to gather knowledge and experience new things.