Conkmeister

Conk Joe Meister, better know as Joe or Conkmeister. He enacted federal order #3008, authorizing the continuation of the Manifest Destiny, and appoints **Torch Man** as his Secretary of War.

**Arms design & military involvement**

Joe's election & reforms of the American government meant that he was in direct control of the Armed Forces, no bureaucracy involved. Only months after taking office, Joe staged the **Invasion of Canada**. The invasion was a swift & successful operation, with minimal casualties on the American side, coming in at an impressive 1,400 deaths suffered, and only 300 wounded (approximate). The reasoning for the invasion is disputed among historians, but two main arguments are considered seriously in the academic sphere: A), that Joe simply disliked how Canada was running things, and so he decided to invade, and B), that Joe recognized the strategic value of the oil located in the Canadian heartlands.

Due to the **American Empire**'s need for arms, Joe set out to acquire a cost-effective weapon for the American Army & Marine Corps. He would, at first, contact companies about designs (the likes of which included Sig-Sauer, Heckler & Koch, & Henry Repeating Arms). After the other companies failed to create a worthy design for any military design meeting Joe's standards, and the latter only created a sufficient sidearm design, Joe looked inwards for the development of arms for the American Army & Marine Corps. After rigorous testing & six years worth of design, the *"perfect American rifle"* was created, the MTR-2041 (Meister's Tactical Rifle, 2041), adopted as the M41. It would breeze through trials, having only 3 malfunctions in 10,000 rounds, and not demonstrating reliability issues under harsh weather conditions. The main downsides of the rifle was that the mechanism necessarily made it slow, and ammo was heavy & large. Despite this, the rifle still remains in service with the American Empire as the updated M41/60, which was upgraded in 2060 by Joe's son, **Jeremy Meister** & colleagues.

The MTR-2041 was not Joe's first design, however. In 2023, he would begin development of the MMPR (Meister's Multi-Purpose Rifle), which was designed for sporting & hunting, but was intended to be effective for home defense if needed. Development of the MMPR would complete in 2024, and the rifle would be put onto the civilian market soon following. However, the rifle, being hand-crafted, was very expensive. Although it offered great performance, there were nonetheless reliable rifles on the market for a far cheaper price; the MMPR's MSRP was $2600 (2024 USD). Naturally, the MMPR was not a commercial success, despite is quality. Joe would later attempt to simplify the MMPR's design in order to mass-produce it, but this project never went anywhere as he was pre-occupied with commanding the Army during the 3rd Mexican-Texan War. Only 38 original MMPR's still remain, of the 40 that were constructed total; the rifles were made on-demand.

**Personal life**

Not much is still known about Joe's personal life, as records were destroyed in the **Burning of '59** by Australian agents. However, some records from after the Burning survive, which are transcriptions of his speeches. In his speeches, he would sometimes mention a dog named **Striker**, but it is unknown whether the dog actually belonged to him. In his speech prior to signing the Freedom of & to Arms, Alcohol, and Other Responsibilities Act of 2038, he cites Striker as motivation for the abolition of the **ATF**. As well, we have testimonies from those who knew him.

### Relatives

Unknown parents (deceased as of the Demancipation Proclamation)

### Affiliation

The American Empire (leader), Gamers of America (political party), Meister Arms Co. (company)

### Occupation

Ruler of America (future), researcher of toads, arms designer

## Physical description

### Species

Unknown, but speculated to be chicken-related