Lord Joe

Steely and Cunning Leader of the Joegame Empire.

Early Life
With his home world Eden distraught with war and cultic in-fighting, Joseph De Burg saw the horrors of war from an early age. Showing allegiance to several local militia forces to survive the harsh environment, his fiery personality and cold wit earned respect among his peers. With no clear connections or identity papers during the continuous conflict, Joseph often looked to his faction leader as a father figure (whose identity has been lost to the galactic timeline).

However Joseph's operations on Eden are short lived, as the world is conquered by The Knowing Ones. Removing all hostile forces from the world and killing the Faction Leader, Joseph feels a resentment towards the Knowing ones. Quick to think of his own survival, Joseph signs allegiance to one of the off-worlders named Odin and enters the Galactic scene.

Ascension of Knowledge
Taken under the Knowing ones' wing, Joseph's powerful words and spirited personality saw him rise to join the senior ranks of the Knowing establishment within two weeks. Thor shares with Joseph the secrets of the gods and transmutated him with demi-god powers. These increased Joseph's intelligence and strength "beyond flesh". As a junior officer of the establishment, Joseph was given the lofty position of diplomatic relations with unknown worlds. These put his natural political abilities to the most use- conquering new worlds in the name of the Knowings. Joseph's political activity increased dramatically during this time and is seen by smaller factions as an "emissary of the gods".

Spending a lot of time on the fringes of the Knowing borders and outside the watchful eye of the Knowing establishment, Joseph began to have flashbacks of his time on Eden. While conquering similar worlds, he had sorrow and sympathy for these under-developed planets. He began to share advanced technologies, re-direct supply lines and write false neutrality agreements to fool Knowing raider teams - earning the title Lord Joseph "Joe" De Burg from the worlds outside of Knowing influence. Assigning himself many vassals, loyalties and arms dealers directly to Lord Joe's word more then to Knowing law, Joseph learns of cultic folk lore legend regarding a vast sleeping army 'frozen in time'. Lord Joe sent his most trusted vassals to investigate immediately under the guise of diplomatic missions, seeing the discovery as a possible tool for absolute peace between Knowing and outer-worlds under his own management.

Once word reaches the Knowing establishment of several diplomatic restrictions appearing on the outer-fringes of their activities, Joseph's loyalties are questioned. With his public activity and diplomatic powers lowered to little more then a public figure head, huge debates and questions are opened over Knowing's current foreign policies. This forced much of Joseph's activities underground. His resentment over the Knowing's lack of motivation in removing heavy handed traditional laws (both on its own people and those outside the establishment) grew heavily. A Vote was made to have Joseph removed from the establishment and it is during this time Joseph receives a note on his life simply stating "Step Down Quietly".

JoeGame Rising
Joseph had already gained much friendships within the establishment and massive public popularity for his cocky persona and humanitarian activities. Before any votes can be made, Joseph willing agrees to step down on the public scene. During his retirement speech however, he speaks of justice, freedom of expression, independence and other "archaic ideals". Roughly 30% of the Knowing populous outwardly sign their loyalty to Lord Joe over the next 3 days following his speech. He gained several worlds under his name, and many more people wanted to move out of Knowing controlled planets to join his cause. Lord Joe was entrusted to move much of this populous to the out-ridge worlds. With his detailed galactic mappings and connections, he set about changing this uncharted area of the universe into a new defacto Empire. The choice of the name JoeGame was not challenged, but Joseph's sudden rise to power and God-like references to his past deeds and vassals sparked fears in the populous over having a megalomaniac warmonger in charge.

With much of the populous forming from militia, civilians and explorers, Lord Joe invested research into cloning technology in order to bulk followers. He also developed close relationships with interested local arm dealers in order to counter the now even more military oriented Knowing Ones' Establishment. Lord Joe, bar a few unofficial encounters, was able to hold off war with the Knowing Ones for several years. This was partly due to standing political debts in his favour he had gathered, and also due to his hacked access of the main Knowing database. This allowed him to modify galactic maps related to the outer-fringe (now the JoeGame Empire), erase detailed activities and information on his territory. With their intel compromised, the Knowing Ones were unable to take clear decisive action against Lord Joe. This allowed him virtually unrestricted movement.

JoeGame Empire Development
Following the events of JoeGame: Rising, Battle-class Starships are constructed in trademark JoeGame red and black colours using schematics similar to those of the Knowing vessels. They were built to commemorate the founding of a new Empire, and to provide a defence against the growing Knowing threat. Research was conducted by Lord Joe on an auto repeating rail drive system capable of cutting through Knowing shielding energy. Bar this major tactical difference, no other differences have been demonstrated between Knowing and JoeGame ships. Lord Joe also spread propaganda of a great discovery in the outer-fringe named GOON to further Empire development and nuclear reactor development. At the Knowing One's military peak since JoeGame: Rising, a war breaks out between the Knowing and Hell Dog pirates which pulls political pressures away from a war with JoeGame within Knowning. It is unknown if this war was initiated by JoeGame forces or Lord Joe himself as JoeGame Empire Development is able to reach its final stages during this timely reprieve - or if the war was started by Knowning as a training exercise and a show of strength to the outer-fringe worlds.

Personality and Traits
Often seen in war-like clothing and unusual or casual officer uniforms - possibly re-created from different early periods in human history, the actual official public ranking held by Lord Joe is left unclear. Strong feelings of suppression and maverick behaviour seem to put Lord Joe at odds with his position in the establishment and with Thor himself. However, although it is accepted that resentment towards Knowing was a catalyst towards creating the JoeGame Empire, it is often suspected that his becoming an increasingly controversial character within the timeline could have brought about a slow digression from good deeds into megalomania thoughts, further spurred on by faithful followers saved from oppressed worlds.

thumb|right|300px|Lord Joe and Darko