Jet Rat

A distinguished and highly overqualified officer of the once proud Ratlantic City Police, Lieutenant Ratzinger is one of the very few—if not the one—last true lawrats remaining in the City. Riddled with a childhood tragedy of his own, Ratzinger’s focus on solving petty malfeasances of greed slowly but steadily shifted toward unraveling the pieces of the greatest crime plot ever: that of the rise and reign of Hector LeBlanc III.

To understand the driving force behind such an unbreakable and dangerous dedication like this, one must imagine a family scene with a 4-year-old Reno and his Irish-born “top cop” father, wading wide in fantasies about the age of Artus and the “Companionship of Jet Rats” (a mere tale for imbecile children, according to Council-funded historians). In these unforgettable étapes of wonderment, father and son would relive the chivalrous past, when the City was governed rather than ruled, and all inhabitants were treated justly and equally under the protection of the brave Companions. “Justice.” A fragile, yet so powerful concept! It carved itself so deep in young Reno’s heart that not even the corruption of Hector LeBlanc could ever touch it.

Unfortunately, the same was not true about his father. Not much is really known to Reno, but his maturing detective senses were always tingling, even in the darkest periods of his life, when his father—from one day to another, I might add—started to drink, gamble, and neglect not only his job, but also his family. Reno’s true childhood hero shattered before his very eyes, but as the years passed, and Reno’s despise against the old cop grew, so did his suspicion and the will to uphold the childhood fantasies, no matter what. Though it took its toll on some of Reno’s more subtle, more fragile beliefs, his determination only got stronger when his father disappeared one night into thin air, him or his body never to be found again.

When Reno turned 18, he immediately changed his family name to his mother’s, Ratzinger. A few years later he graduated class first in Academy (in the last class that got to finish ever since), and was immediately appointed as Chief Investigator in Downtown District. Baffled and disgusted by the level of corruption that was already devouring the remnants of a distant memory that was once called “Law”, Ratzinger decided to pursue and fight crime with his very own methods, loyal only to his very own moral compass, but smart enough not to get burnt. He collected data and information from all possible sources, and only made arrests when he knew he wouldn’t step on anyone important’s toes, or it would give him leverage among other groups of interest. He became grey, but never black, constantly and fearlessly working towards the Light.

Year by year the giant puzzle he decided to solve had more and more pieces, and his intent to uncover the real truth about his father grew into the singular will to shatter LeBlanc’s dark reign and end corruption in Ratlantic City for once and for all. Lenient toward minor offenders, but unforgiving toward felons and corruption, Lt. Reno Ratzinger is one of today’s most known and influential rats in the crime world of Ratlantic City, often just referred to as: The Incorruptible.

Art

Promotional

Early concepts

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