2003 Archive 
Troy Tempest
Captain Troy Tempest is the commander of the WASP submarine Stingray.
Troy Tempest, an American citizen, was born in New York on January 4th 2038. A good student in school as a child, he was often reprimanded by teachers for inattention. Strong interests in oceanography, tropical fish, and swimming prepared him for entry into the World Naval Academy at San Diego California in 2056 at the age of 18. Upon graduation from the World Naval Academy, Tempest volunteered for the submarine service.
In 2060 Troy Tempest was captured by enemy forces while on a dangerous mission for the World Navy. He was rescued just prior to execution by a group of mercenaries led by George Lee Sheridan, the man who would later become his co-pilot on Stingray.
In 2064 Tempest was promoted to Captain and transferred from the World Navy to the World Aquanaut Security Patrol. Captain Bradley Holden, commander of the Stingray submarine, was seriously injured in the line of duty. Tempest replaced Holden as commander of Stingray. After recovering from his injuries, Bradley Holden later joined Spectrum as Captain Grey.
Captain Tempest became the immediate subject of ridicule as a member of the WASPs because of his belief in intelligent undersea life. Tempest's odd views were vindicated when he and Stingray made the first official contact with undersea people in 2064.
Troy Tempest's off duty hobbies include sailing and underwater plant horticulture. He maintains romantic interests in Lt Atlanta Shore, daughter of WASP Commander Sam Shore, and in Marina, aquaphibian daughter of Aphony leader of the underwater city of Pacifica.
George Lee Sheridan
Lieutenant George Lee Sheridan, nicknamed "Phones", is Stingray's copilot and hydrophone operator.
Sheridan is also an American. He was born on September 15th 2034 in the state of South Carolina. George Sheridan had a very difficult childhood. Orphaned in his early teens, he dropped out of school and drifted around the USA doing odd jobs.
Eventually Sheridan tired of the drifter's life and became a mercenary. A man of good principals, George Sheridan always made sure that he fought on the right side of any given conflict! Having technical aptitudes, he specialized in military communications and though he had little formal education, soon became a self-taught expert.
The pivotal event of George Sheridan's life came when he took a job which resulted in the rescue of Troy Tempest from hostile forces after an unsuccessful World Navy mission. The chance meeting led to a lifelong friendship and an appointment to the World Naval Academy. Nicknamed "Phones" by his fellow cadets, George Lee Sheridan was awarded a degree in communications engineering with honors in only one year.
Sheridan also volunteered for the submarine service after graduating from the World Naval Academy. He soon found that the naval life suited him very well since he had become accustomed to hard work and discipline. Sheridan was quickly promoted to the rank of Lieutenant.
Captain Troy Tempest approached Sheridan about joining him in the WASPs as his hydrophone operator soon after taking command of Stingray. Sheridan was very pleased at the thought of working under his good friend Troy Tempest and agreed to transfer out of the World Navy into the WASPs without any hesitation.
"Phones" Sheridan is fairly one dimensional. Fiercely loyal to Captain Tempest and the World Aquanaut Security Patrol, his main interest is still communications technology. He spends much of his off duty time attempting to improve Stingray's electronic systems. Even so, he still occasionally goes out on social occasions with Troy Tempest, Atlanta Shore, and Marina.
Marina
Marina is the third member of the Stingray crew.
She is actually an amphibian inhabitant of the sea rescued from slavery during the WASP's first face-to-face encounter with the underwater world. Like many other undersea races, Marina is able to breathe air as well as water. Essentially human in appearance, her only unusual physical characteristics are webbed feet and green hair.
Marina was born on the 28th of May 2046 in the underwater city of Pacifica. Marina is a princess, being the daughter of Aphony, the ruler of Pacifica. Marina is extremely intelligent and artistic with special musical talents. Her mother died when she was only 8 marine years old.
Marina was captured by Titan of the underwater city of Titanica during a raid on Pacifica and enslaved for a year. She was rescued by Troy Tempest and George Sheridan after helping them escape from captivity and impending execution. Marina remains with the WASPs after here rescue and is valued for her expert knowledge of the underwater world. Unable to speak (as are all of her people), she communicates with her own kind by means of mental telepathy and with others by sign language.
Marina's hobbies include piano study and learning about the surface world. She has a pet seal named Oink which once saved Stingray from destruction by sticker bomb. Marina is romantically involved with Troy Tempest and despite competing in this arena with Atlanta Shore, she remains Atlanta's best friend.
Atlanta Shore
Lieutenant Atlanta Shore is the Marineville Controller.
Atlanta Shore is another American citizen. She was born on May 21st 2042 in the state of California. Atlanta is the daughter of WASP Commander Sam Shore and his wife Elaine. Having been a resident of the World Navy's Marineville Base since the age of 6 and constantly exposed to naval life, she naturally picked up an interest in the sea. She attended school at Marineville and picked up numerous qualifications there. She then went on to the World Naval Academy to train for the submarine service.
Unfortunately, Atlanta Shore was forced to leave the academy early after the untimely death of her mother in 2058. She returned to Marineville to tend to her father who at this time was a top World Navy aquanaut. Atlanta continued her studies at night and by correspondence course. Eventually she was able to achieve WN administrative qualifications in this manner. Disaster struck the Shore household a second time in 2060 when her father lost the use of both legs during an undersea battle with unknown forces. Though both members of the family continued to remain in the World Navy, Atlanta then assumed the additional burden of becoming her father's nurse.
Both Atlanta Shore and her father transferred over to the World Aquanaut Security Patrol when it formed in 2062. Indeed, her father was promoted to Aquanaut Commander and put in charge of the now WASP Marineville Base. In 2063 Atlanta Shore was promoted to Lieutenant and appointed Marineville Base Controller.
Atlanta Shore likes to play the piano and cook. She also enjoys taking scientific courses, particularly on underwater subjects. She is romantically involved with Troy Tempest and hopes to eventually marry him. She also enjoys spending time with George Sheridan and Marina.
Samuel Arthur Shore
Aquanaut Commander Sam Shore is in charge of the WASP's Marineville Base.
Sam Shore was born on September 27th 2015 in the state of Kansas, USA. Perhaps because Kansas is completely land-locked, the young Sam Shore always had a fascination with the sea. He ran away from home at the age of 14, lied about his age, and joined the World Navy. A natural leader, Sam Shore worked his way though the ranks to become the captain of a small WN patrol/guard submarine.
In 2040 Sam Shore met Elaine McDonald and in 2041 they were married. The couple had their only child, Atlanta, a year later.
In 2048 the Shore family transferred to the newly completed Marineville Base complex. By 2058 he was considered the base's chief aquanaut when Elaine died of a heart attack while Sam was out on patrol. Sam Shore withdrew into himself and his work after this tragic event but continued to remain extremely devoted to his daughter Atlanta.
Sam Shore's aquanaut career came to a tragic halt in April of 2060 when he lost the use of his legs after ramming an unknown hostile underwater craft. Subsequently, he was confined to a hover chair and assigned administrative duties. Due to his distinguished service career, Shore was promoted to Commander and placed in charge of Marineville Base, later becoming controller of the World Aquanaut Security Patrol when it became a separate service.
Commander Sam Shore has a gruff persona which often masks his caring nature. He considers the Stingray crew to be his extended family. Devoted to his job, Shore has few outside interests. He does enjoy playing poker and likes to argue with his old friend Admiral Jack Denver.
John Horatio Fisher
Sub-Lieutenant Fisher is the Relief Controller at Marineville Base Control Tower.
Fisher was born in the state of Oregon, USA, on January 25th 2043. His earliest memories are of his father taking him on a tour of a museum in which he saw his first submarine. Ever since that day, the young Fisher wanted to become a submariner. John came from a farming family and though his father had spent time in the World Navy, he was still greatly disappointed that his son showed absolutely no interest in farming.
John Fisher became a cadet in the World Navy and after a period of time joined the administrative staff at Marineville Base as Relief Controller. He trained on the side to become an aquanaut and passed a course in submarine command in 2065 despite sabotage efforts by the forces of Titan of Titanica.
Fisher works hard at whatever he does but tends to be over-eager and impulsive. These traits constantly annoy Commander Shore. He has a love of high speed which he takes out in fast cars and water sports. Eventually he would like to be the captain of his own submarine.
Titan
Titan is the ruler of the underwater city of Titanica and chief enemy of the surface people.
Born in the underwater city of Hydroma in the Pacific Ocean on December 14th 1835, the young Titan became a scientist. Observations of nuclear weapons testing during the latter half of the 20th century convinced Titan that the existence of the underwater world should be revealed to the surface dwellers before something terrible happened. The rulers of Hydroma were afraid of the surface people and refused to disclose their existence. Hydroma was completely destroyed by a surface nuclear bomb test while Titan was out of the city in a personal submarine. He was the only survivor of this disaster and swore revenge upon the surface world.
Titan roamed the undersea world in his small sub for five years after the destruction of Hydroma charting the various underwater cities and civilizations. At one point, he killed a giant squid which attacked him and found himself surrounded by Aquaphibians. These Aquaphibians made Titan their leader in gratitude for slaying the monster who had preyed upon them with impunity. Titan led the Aquaphibians back to the ruins of Hydroma and there they built the new city of Titanica. Years of conquest followed for the next 100 years until much of the underwater world was under Titanican control. During this time, Titan nearly destroyed the underwater city of Pacifica and took the Pacifican leader Aphony's daughter Marina as his personal slave.
In 2064 Titan felt ready to take on the surface world directly and declared war by destroying the World Security Patrol submarine Seaprobe. This led to the first official encounter between the underwater and surface worlds with the capture of WASP vessel Stingray. The Stingray crew, Troy Tempest and George Sheridan were condemned to die at the underwater prison of Aquatraz but escaped with the help of Marina at the last minute. A constant state of hostilities exist between the forces of Titanica and the surface world.
For all his evil ways, Titan is still a scientist. He experiments with undersea plant life and new weapons.
Artura
Artura is better known as Titan's surface agent, code named X20.
Artura was born in the underwater city of Khazu on April 1st 1958. Small in stature and cowardly, he was bullied unmercifully as a child. Scholastically inclined, Artura became a scientist and specialized in electronics.
The underwater city of Khazu was conquered by Titan and Artura immediately offered his services to his new leader to spare his life. Titan appointed him a surface agent to spy on the land people and he took on the code name X20.
X20 is based in a seemingly abandoned house located near Marineville Base on the island of Lemoy. X20 is an expert of disguise and a talented actor. He often masks his true amphibian nature to walk among the surface people.
Despite many failures, X20 is intelligent and shrewd. He often suffers from bad luck. Extremely fearful of Titan, he will do anything his master commands him to do. Because of his duties, X20 has little time for leisure or hobbies. However, he does like to play the piano and organ.
No for-profit use of the above text can be made in any form without the express permission of Marc J. Frattasio. The above text was compiled using Century 21 magazine issue 13 and the various Stingray Annuals for reference.