Rikki Black

Rikki Black (full name Erica Rebecca Black, born July 12, 1986 in Cork, Ireland) is the current Grand Chief of the Order of the Rose. She ascended to the post on April 9, 2012, becoming the youngest Grand Chief in the Order's history at the age of 25 years, 271 days, beating the previous record by five years.
Black initially made a name for herself as a bandit on the island of Ireland before fleeing to Roman territory in Barcelona in 2003. On the run from the Virtue Guards, Black received immunity and protection from the Romans. Thus, the Virtue Federation considers her to be a terrorist, but the Romans have seen her as an asset, as she has helped numerous law enforcement agencies across the Empire solve crimes.
== Early life ==
Black was born in Cork, Ireland on July 12, 1986 to Frederick Black and Carrie Black (nee Smithson). Though academically gifted, Rikki Black was a troublemaker in her youth, often skipping school to cause havoc somewhere. Her parents abandoned her in 1991, causing her to bounce around foster homes for the rest of her youth. In 1992, she joined her first youth gang, bouncing around the various Cork gangs until she became the leader of the Cork Kleptos in 1994.
== Youth gangs ==
The Beer Wars made it a profitable time for gangs of bandits, as the lack of order made it easier to steal. Under Black's leadership, the Kleptos became the most prolific gang of thieves on the island, amassing an estimated wealth north of $180 million in its nine years of operation.
Despite the gang's success, it didn't receive worldwide attention until it successfully pirated a merchant ship that was on its way to Wexford owned by Irish Englisman John Welch on August 19, 1999. Welch's ship was filled with exotic foods and other goods, with an estimated total worth of $52 million. Black's attack was a total annihilation, as her gang killed the entire crew and raided all its goods. Black said the proceeds from the goods would have been enough to sustain the gang for several more years, but the haul only emboldened the gang to attack other high profile targets. They realized the rich in Ireland- what few that stayed- were using their contacts to secretly smuggle luxuries that the island's commoners all lacked, so Black decided that adopting a "Robin Hood" approach would be more beneficial, as she could serve not just herself but others who needed her help.
The renamed Cork Hoods embarked on a successful campaign stealing from the rich and giving to the poor, but it came at a price. The Virtue Federation- of which Ireland is a part- began to take notice of their activities, only because the Hoods damaged enterprises in other countries that power bases within Virtue actually cared about. The Virtue Guards began investigating the gang, even arresting a few members in 2002.
The end didn't come until September 9, 2003, when the Guards raided the Hoods' safehouse in Dublin. Accounts vary on how Black escaped- the Guards contend that she slipped out in the commotion of the raid and thus abandoned her group, while testimony from the Hoods themselves contend that Black fought her way out and was encouraged by her subordinates to do so. Black has said she intended to fight to the death alongside her mates and was about to do so until an escape route appeared, which she used and encouraged her fellow gang members to use, though she couldn't recall if anyone else used the escape.
What Black does recall is that after hours of running she found herself at a dock on the outskirts of Dublin. She stole a boat there and sailed back to Cork, hoping to re-establish herself in her birth city. Once she was in Cork, Maria Riccarda, a Roman businesswoman, found her boat and gave her refuge on her ship, not knowing who she was. Black, grateful for the rescue, sailed back to Riccarda's hometown of Barcelona, where Black began a new life.
== Order of the Rose ==
=== Beginnings ===
In part because of her age and because of her previous career as a criminal, Black found it difficult to find work, even with the help of Riccarda. She does recall learning of the Order in late 2003 and signed up to join the Barcelona Chapter, who invested her on February 4, 2004. From that point she became a considerable figure in the Barcelona crime fighting scene, solving many cases that had baffled authorities for years.
As she grew more comfortable in her role within the organization, Black began coordinating her efforts with the Barcelona Watchmen, one of the few members of the Order willing to work with the police. Black said she received the blessing of her Chapter Chief to do so right from the beginning, and it is known that when she assumed the Chief's chair in Barcelona, she made working with the Watchmen a priority within the Chapter. "We are just as interested in justice as they are," she said to the Roman Free Press in 2009, "so there should be no reason why we should work against each other. It baffles me why people think otherwise."
Among the more notable cases that Black worked on, her highlight was the arrest and ultimate conviction of Carlos Santos in 2010. Santos was a notorious pirate in the Mediterranean who had haunted Roman ships for decades, always finding ways to elude authorities. It became estimated that the Roman economy lost over $1 billion in goods because of Santos, and there were concerns that he had become an operative for Virtue which would have made it even more difficult to apprehend. Black- using her own knowledge gained from her own piracy career- took up the case in 2008 and studied Santos and his crew intensely. Using her plan, gleaned from the knowledge of Santos' behaviour as well as her own experiences evading authorities as a pirate, Barcelona authorities were able to make a successful arrest on March 19, 2010, which led to a conviction ten months later. Black became a hero in Barcelona and amongst members of the Order, a fame she used to eventually catapult herself to the Order's highest ranks.
=== Grand Chief ===
On March 2, 2012, after a successful election campaign, Black was voted in as Grand Chief with an overwhelming 72% of the vote of Order members. Black gained the opportunity when the previous Grand Chief, Larry Rotschild, retired on December 5, 2011, necessitating the need for a vote.
Still, despite her overwhelming popularity amongst the ranks, there were concerns that her age- she was only a couple of months shy of 26th birthday at her investiture ceremony- might make the job too challenging for her. Black quickly proved her doubters wrong, providing competent leadership alongside a knack for problem solving that assuaged the concerns of several members.
Her main policy plank since becoming Grand Chief was to foster a better relationship between the Order and law enforcement agencies, arguing that their goals are aligned. Many in the Order agreed with her on this move, but several others- mostly those who have criminal convictions- have pushed back, claiming that local police are nothing but "bullies" that can't be counted on to work with. Black has acknowledged that in many areas the police are not considered trustworthy and thus the Order fills an important void. She has also stressed that the Order is not built to maintain society's structure and balance on a wider scale, meaning that the government is necessary to provide that apparatus.
It is on this end that Black has welcomed the creation of the Mundiali Imperium as a result of the Treaty of Buffalo, since now even "lawless" areas can now have an authority figure. Still, she recognizes that building trust in the various law enforcement agencies is a difficult task, though she believes the civilian nature of the Order means it is best suited for this role.
== Current status ==
Black is still considered a terrorist by Virtue because of her attacks in Ireland, as well as her handling of Santos, whom Virtue has falsely claimed is a citizen of member state Carthage. The Romans, who have granted her asylum, countered that Black's actions in Ireland were justified because she provided for the poor items that Virtue's rich were neglecting. Tiberia said of her to the RFP in 1999, "Rikki may not do thing in a 'conventional' way, but her heart's in the right place and that's what matters."
Black currently lives in Latium (she would not specify where), though she does grant interviews from time to time and has an extensive presence on social media. She has mentioned she has mothered children, but she does not reveal who they are or who their father is, stating she "does not want to suck them into my life."
== See also ==
* Order of the Rose
* List of Grand Chiefs of the Order of the Rose
Category:Law enforcement agencies of Vicendum
Category:Extraterritorial organizations of Vicendum
Category:Mercenary law enforcement agencies of Vicendum
Category:People of Vicendum
Category:Grand Chiefs of the Order of the Rose