Richard Lavigne, son of Benoît Lavigne and Hélène Dussault, was born in 2232 on earth in Montréal in the North American Federation but has very few recollection of Earth. When he was six, his father entered a partnership in a small food distribution company. He and his parents then moved to New Québec on Mars.
At this time, Benîot and his brother Réal became estranged for reasons Richard never fully knew. He knew his uncle was still a business man on Earth and that he was quite rich but that was about it. He did remember that when he was young, he had a lot of fun with his uncle but he never saw him again after moving to Mars.
Richard's family wasn't very rich. His father was only a minor partner and didn't get much money for his long hours of work. They managed to live in the dome, avoiding the tunnels bellow but it was in a small apartment adjacent to his father's company. Richard didn't have the chance to benefit from higher education and eventually started to work as a simple labourer for his father's company. His mother also worked there as an accountant.
Everything changed in early 2251 with the food riots. His father's company was the site of a particularly violent riot. Fights erupted between the rioters and the security forces and, amid the fights, an apparently accidental explosion destroyed most of the building killing several dozen people. The irony was that the warehouse was actually empty at the time.
Richard was not working that day and was sparred since he had gone for a walk in town when the riot began but his father and mother were in the building. Most of the other associates were on Earth, managing the company from afar and simply cashed in on the insurance money, making sure Richard didn't get half a credit.
So Richard suddenly found himself without family, home, money or job and still without education. Life that had been so hard for him became much harder. He had to find a place to live in the tunnels and to dabble in less than reputable activities in order to make a little money and stay alive.
The most ambitious scam in which he was involved is actually still in the process of being organised. He is a minor player in plans to supply various contraband items to the workers on the Babylon station being constructed.
Very recently, he made a very peculiar encounter. A man in an apparently expensive suit, flanked by two private bodyguards came to him in the tunnels. Calling him by name, he said he had been sent by his aunt, Governor Francisca Lopez to find him. Apparently, his uncle had passed away and a clause in his will concerned him. A substantial amount of money had been placed in a frozen account and all interests were to be paid to him.
Richard initially laughed, certain it was some kind of scam. But the man simply gave him his aunt's contact information and credit chits worth 1000 credits and then left. Richard made a few calls to confirm the information. Though he didn't manage to talk to the aunt he didn't know he had a day before, everything was confirmed. He apparently had to come to Earth to claim his inheritance mostly to prove he was still alive since he had pretty much dropped out of the system in the last few years.
Having used some of the 1000 credits to pay his most dangerous debts and taking what little possessions he had. He left the tunnels, heading for the spaceport…
