Careers: 6 Terms as a Free Trader, promoted to First Officer
Skills:
Pilot Interface/Grav:8/17
Energy Weapon Pistol:5/14
Stealth:2/11
Intrusion:1/10
Small Water Craft: 2/7
Environ Suit: 1/6
Zero G:2/7
Swimming:2/7
Streetwise:2/10
Communications:2/7
Ship Engineering:2/7
Electronics:1/6
Marketing:3/8
Astrogation:1/6
Computer:0/5
History:
Tom is your average guy in a lot of respects, except for his lack of
social skills, due mainly to the large amount of time spent on
spaceships. He got tired of the merchant navy work, there simply wasn't
enough money for him in the end to make it worth while. He's not that
greedy really, he just wants to be able to stop working all the time and
settle down on a nice little island, preferably on his home world but he
has an open mind about that. That way he can induldge his true passion
of sailing and running water craft.
He never thought marriage was a good idea but does like women, much in
the same way that he likes chocolate. Too much can make him sick. He
enjoys flying ships of most kinds. He doesn't seem to like people of
most kinds though. Tom doesn't enjoy fights, but he doesn't shy away
from them. He learnt early in his flying career that you end up having
to fight in the end anyway, and he doesn't like to be thought of as a
coward either (even if he is a bit of one...)
He's starting to wonder what the hell he is doing on this ship of fools
but he's comitted to it. He doesn't go back on an agreement lightly, to
his detriment sometimes. This is why he stayed a little to long on
merchant ships in the first place. He has the feeling that it may be a
path to his dream life on his own piece of land. He'll wait and see.
Tom served aboard the Grey Ghost a Highlander class Merchant ship, it traded all
across Aubaine Subsector. The Capt was Millisa Tonnie. In 1196,
Kent the Hiver came aboard as the navigator. It was somewhat of
an outcast among hivers, but it never told you why. You and
it had many long talks while piloting the ship across the stars.
During these talks Tom learned a great deal about Hiver society.
In 1201 Captain Tonnie decided to accept an offer by Transstar,
a corporation out of Fija. Transstar bought the ship from Captain
Tonnie and offered crew posistions to her crew. Everyone
accepted except for Tom and Kent. Tom doesn't know what happened
to Kent, he last saw it in the bar at the Aubaine starport.
Contacts:
Capt Millisa Tonie: She was captain and owner of the Grey Ghost, a Highlander
class ship. The Highlander was the merchant version of the Lewis&Clark Exploration
Scout. Both classes were built in the Solomani Rim, before the Final War.
She is in her early sixties and has no family to pass the ship onto. Life
as a Free Trader is very hard, life has improved since the Dawn League was
formed, but still she has started wanting to stop and settle down. When
she heard Transstar was offering to buy old ships, she decided to sell hers.
She was paid several million credits, and as part of the agreement she agreed
to captain the ship for one year. She is waiting out the time left on her
contract, and when she is done, she will retire to... Well she hasn't quite
figured out where, but she has 9 months to make up her mind. The Grey Ghost
currently serves the Aubaine-Kruyter-Fija run.
Iago Torres is a starport official on Lancer. Like the typical Lancer offical
he underpaid and not appreciated, or so he says. In other words he isn't
adverse to accepting "tips". Lancer only got a starport about a year ago,
and they are still deciding on procedures and regulations, Torres can
help his friends though this morass of red tape. You met Torres when he
was a supply sargent for the local militia. He sold you some surplus rifles,
at least he told you they were surplus, and you didn't ask questions.
After getting out of the army, Torres joined the civil service and when
the new starport was created he became a customs inspector.
Pierre LaBossiere: Pierre was the competition in several arms deals you made.
You were able to win two of the three deals. He keeps promising that he will
get even, but you know he is only pulling your leg. You and he have always
been friendly and occasionally when you met up in startown bars, were able
to give each other tips to new business. While Pierre is smuggler and a
rogue, he hates pirates an corsairs with a passion. You were never able
to find out why, he keeps quiet about his past. Pierre and his ship the
Burning Rose, still trade between the Coalition and the surrounding Wilds.
Since you have quit the merchant business, it looks like you always will be
one deal up on LaBossiere.
Information:
In your travels across Aubaine subsector you learned a bit about
several of the worlds. Atrase: A very primitive world (TL-3) with only 500 people or so.
They all live on one small island. Society is divided into two
"countries" which constantly war against each other. They also
hate outsiders, and you only were allowed to set down once.
Lancer: Lancer is a close ally of the RC. Many missions into
the wilds are launched from there. This way the missions don't
need to follow RCES rules of engagement. The RC has helped
to rebuild the starport. There is alot of corruption on
Lancer, and bribery of officials is just a part of the the price
of doing business.
During your travels you also learned about the Free Traders.
Free Traders are small merchant ships which have been plying
the starlanes for last 70 years. There ships are often
owned and run by one family. There is a loose Free Trader
Network, if you want information about a planet, you can ask
the question of one Free Trader, and the question will get
passed along, until someone knows the answer, and the answer
will be passed back to you. The answer can take months or longer
depending on hard it is to get. Payment is made to the first
Trader, and to the one who delivers the information.
