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Feature: Description

After sometime in a Diktat holding cell the party are brought together and introduced to Marco Bao, the head of one of Idarete's numerous criminal organisations. Bao recruits the party to investigate two of his lieutenants, who he suspects have betrayed him, in exchange for their freedom.

They make their way to one of the lieutenants' home and, after avoiding a shakedown attempt by a couple of locals, unlock the door. They decide to get shawarma at a restaurant called Falafella's while waiting for their mark to leave for a meeting with Bao.

After lunch they visited the other lieutenant's home and manage to talk their way in past his girlfriend by pretending to be scouting for a music video starring Hikaru. Upstairs Cass cracks a terminal and discovers traces of previous hacks potentially by League Intelligence. Cass and Creed then discover a panicked maid who attacks them with a monoblade knife. Cass shoots and kills her in the ensuing scuffle. Looking at her compad they discover she was potentially a league asset and had requested backup.

Going to leave, the party spot the backup arriving and escape via the garage stealing a gravcar in the process. They ditch the gravcar a short ways away for another and make their way back to the other lieutenant's apartment where they discover league listening devices.

The league agents arrive soon after and gain access to the building. Creed, keeping watch alerts the others who escape down the stairway. They find one of the agents in the lobby who steps into the elevator as they arrive, however it was a ruse and he opens fire from the elevator as the party make for the door.

Cass is wounded in the exchange of laser fire but Tess wings the attacker who withdraws allowing the party to escape. They then meet Bao at a warehouse who determines the League are attempting to influence the Idarete unground to try and destabilise the local Diktat government and that by interfering with their plans the party are now likely targets. He lets the party use the warehouse as a safehouse for a while to lie low along with the number of a local arms dealer, which the party meet later than evening, buying more weapons and ammo.

The party then resolve to steal a ship, giving them a means to avoid the League Agents looking for them, before turning in for the night.

After breakfast the next day, the party stock up on clothes, meds and hair dye. Cass visits his apartment and finds it has been turned over by his supplier after they caught wind of his arrest.

On the hunt for a ship, the party decide to follow up on rumours that the Idaretian Navy surrendered without a fight and head to an old Navy hangout called the War Room. There they meet and recruit Marko, Pia & Martine, three ex-members of the now defunct Idaretian Navy. They learn that the Dikat have impounded a lot of the ships and are refitting them for their own use at the smaller space ports around the city.

Calling in a favour from Bao, they get the plans of one of the ports - Medus Landing. They travel to one of the other ports, called Dystra Falls, and Creed helps enlist the help of another smuggler, Rica Daaray, who owns a shuttle called the Red Caelestis.

Daaray flys the party over the surface, dropping them a kilometre or so away from Medus Landing and the party make the remaining trek in vacc suits. The find the surface port lighting guarded and manage to sneak aboard a patrol boat called the Furious Midnight undetected. Gaining access to the ship's systems and powering it up, they fire on the port's defence cannon destroying it before taking off and leaving Idarete behind.

In orbit they are intercepted by two Diktat fighters, which are shot down by the Furious Midnight and her new crew after a dogfight, although the patrol boat sustains some minor damage. The Midnight begins burning away from the icy planet as a heavy frigate, the EDS Ascalon, slips its moorings. However the frigate is unable to get a detection lock on the Midnight and the patrol boat gets away.

After some discussion a course is set for Asteria Station and the crew retires for the night.

The next morning the crew settle into their new home, and also manage to avoid the continued scans of the Ascalon. Later in the day the crew change the ship's name to the Makkuro in an effort to attract less attention, although a more permanent solution will be required to mask the ship's identity.

The newly christened Makkuro and her crew arrive at Asteria Station around noon. The crew are met at the docks, where workers are currently striking, by the station security chief and are escorted to a meeting with Nereida Holland, the CEO of the Asteria Corporation. Through the promises of payment, a new transponder, and some light blackmail, she enlists the crew's help in dealing with a mining outpost captured by the crews of two pirate free merchants. Before leaving for the outpost she sends them to a bar on the lower levels to pick up Maximillian who currently owes her a favour.

After picking up Max, the crew set course for the mining outpost about six hours away. On arrival they discover the two free merchants, Blackstar and Kyo Maru in orbit which both move to engage the Makkuro. After talking with Captain Malik of the Blackstar, they discover that the Captain and XO of the Kyo Maru are still on the outpost. Hikaru convinces Malik to turn on her ally and the Blackstar opens fire on the Kyo Maru. The Makkuro joins in and the two ships make quick work of the Kyo Maru, quickly disabling her.

Captain Malik is quick to claim the Kyo Maru as salvage leaving the crew to board the mining outpost. They explore inside and find the place deserted save for the bodies of the slain miners. Realising Hartjen and his men are down in the mines themselves, the crew set an ambush and take control of the outpost's door system. Hartjen, another human pirate and two VIs eventually emerge, although wounded but some unknown events in the mine. One of the pirates mentions The Augury as they complain about their exploits in the mines. The crew lock them in the main hanger and attempt to talk them into surrendering over the intercom. The subordinate pirate is rattled but Hartjen threatens him and orders one of the VIs to cut the door open. This prompts the crew to open the doors attacking the pirates from 3 different angles.

In the ensuing firefight the pirates and VIs are gunned down with no casualties in return. Hartjen drops a strange pyramid device which the crew discover to be a star map which marks several spots in known space while also revealing several new star systems. The crew upload the data to the Makkuro's navigation computer before departing the outpost bound for Asteria Station.

The Makkuro returns to Asteria Station and the crew make their way to speak with Nereida Holland. Speaking to Holland, the crew secure another job, clearing out the asteroid mines of whatever attacked the pirates, leaving on a shuttle in a few days with the station's new crew. They show her the star map which she offers to buy after calling in an Aaescein scientist for analysis - the crew refuse to sell it however and leave, soon receiving their payment for dealing with the pirates. They say goodbye to Max and make their way back to the ship.

The repairs begin on the Makkuro and the crew seek out a gunshop and firing range where they restock and spend the next hour getting in some target practice. Afterwards, Creed and Cass head to the Closest Moon, a gentleman's club where they speak to Virdia Barrick, the club's owner. They talk her into buying most of the Alldisian whiskey in the Makkuro's hold in order to kickstart a fund for the ship's expenses and maintenance.

Meanwhile Hikaru and Tess find a work clothing store where they commission new Makkuro clothing to replace the Furious Midnight apparel currently stocked on the ship. They learn of the shop keeper's personal projects and commission some extra alterations to the new clothing. All of the crew eventually meet back up at the ship around 6pm to find Marko and Pia cooking dinner for everyone. Over dinner, Martine agrees to design a logo for the new uniforms, and the others plan to head back to the Closest Moon for a relaxing evening.

While back at the club, Tess is introduced to the club owner by Cass and is able to secure a job there for the time being while the Makkuro undergoes repairs.

The crew work various odd jobs while the Makkuro is in drydock. The repairs are overseen by Cass who is able to speed up the process, although it is still hampered somewhat by the labour disputes ongoing on the station.

Cass takes Kate, one of the engineers working on the repairs, for a beer at the Engine Room and talks her into joining on with the crew. Later that evening, the crew's new uniforms arrive and they gather in the mess hall to unbox them, Cass is annoyed that Hikaru and Tess disregarded his wishes for a hoodie without a tail and cat ears. Tess goes to apologise and the two end up having sex. Shortly after that Kate arrives at the ship to meet the crew, officially signing on to the Makkuro.

The next morning the crew head to the docks and board the ACS Pioneer along with the new Asteria crew, headed by a woman named Subira.

After making the 6 hour journey back to the asteroid mine, Subira introduces them to Anderson, a miner familiar with the facility. After checking the outpost's logs and camera feeds, they make their way down into the mines. There they discover the remains of one of the pirates. They encounter 3 unknown xenoforms in the dark tunnels which attack them on sight. They kill the three xenoforms, with the loss of Anderson, and retreat back upstairs to regroup.

Taking extra light sources and the Void Hawk drone, they had back into the mines and encounter another xenoform which they kill. Exploring deeper into the mine, they find that the pirates had uncovered an ancient alien facility. Heading inside, using the drone as a scout, they discover a chamber with another xenoform in it. However this one is deformed and unable to move. After Tess puts it out of its misery, Cass finds and recovers some pretech salvage.

Exploring the ruin further the crew find a large monstrous blob atop a platform in a large chamber. Deciding to destroy it before it can do anything to them, Cass and Kate set Demo Charges found in the mine and the crew run for the exit. They as caught in falling debris as the explosions rock the mine, however they all manage to make it back to the elevator.

With the mines now cleared out, the crew journey back to Asteria Station aboard the corporation shuttle, where they are greeted by a representative of Nereida Holland's requesting their presence in her office. They return to the Makkuro and freshen up, discussing hiring more crew in future, before heading over to the Asteria offices. There meet with Holland and are able to negotiate a bonus for the added risk they endured as well as the value the alien ruins represent for Asteria. As they go to leave, Holland asks Tess to stay behind, asking her to meet her at her private residence later tonight and gifting her a dress.

The crew head to the Orion Lounge, a high end bar recommended by Holland, where they grab some drinks and party with the rest of the crew. Eventually Tess heads to Holland's penthouse where the CEO reveals she wishes to engage Tess for both of her traditional services. She asks the hitwoman to kill her ex-wife, a district representative in the Alldisian Planetary Parliament named Vanessa Klaasen, before the two spend the night together.

The crew awaken from their night of partying, with Tess returning from her meeting with Holland to tell them about the CEO's job offer and to make plans to head to Alldis.

Meanwhile Warner heads to the Engine Room to follow up a lead on an elusive pilot known as Mover, who Creed had encountered a couple of days earlier, hoping that he can help lead him to Moro in order to get back to Antheus and re-join the fight against the Ecrosians on the desert planet. After asking around he finds out that Mover seems to owe quite a few people on the station quite a few credits and no one has seen him for a few days.

While asking around the docks, Warner spots someone acting suspicious and tails them back to a meat packing facility a level up from the docks and refineries. He listens in on a conversation between the man he tailed and another, discovering they have Mover captive and are torturing him on behalf of their boss, later named as Ducote by Mover. The medic breaks into the building and changes into his armour before busting into the meat freezer where the two men are busy torturing the pilot. A brief scuffle ensues in which Warner dispatches the two thugs. He tends to Mover and, once the pilot has regained consciousness, the two resolve to follow up on a lead of Mover's to get work on the Makkuro to get off the station.

They first head to Mover's apartment which has been ransacked by Ducote's men looking for Mover's stash of credits. Warner distracts a member of station security, posted outside the crime scene, by knocking on the door of one of Mover's elderly neighbours and causing the woman great distress. He convinces the security officer it is a symptom of her ailing mind, while Mover sneaks inside his apartment and retrieves his secret cache. The two then head for the Makkuro's berth back down in the docks.

Warner and Mover meet the crew of the Makkuro and after a short interview they join on, becoming the ship's doctor and Creed's co-pilot. Kate and Cass continue working on the ship's repairs, while the others stock the ship's life support with food and supplies. The crew also put the word out that they are looking for some muscle and a comms expert. A mercenary named Kaze responds and a meeting is set up for the next day.

The crew meet with Kaze on the Makkuro and hire him after an interview. The rest of the day passes with Kate and Cass selling the ship's sandthrower and scheduling its removal and the installation of a workshop aboard the Makkuro for after the completion of the repairs. Leena, a comms officer on the Alhamdulillah, is also hired to serve under Cass in the Comms Department.

While Cass and Kate continue managing the work on the ship, the others set about decorating the communal areas and bedrooms. Making the ship more homely.

The repairs and additional work on the ship are completed around midday on Day 14. The crew are making last preparations to leave Asteria Station when they receive a message from Marco Bao. The Idaretian gangster, presents the crew with a job, wanting to cash in the favour he requested in exchange for providing plans for the Medus Landing Spaceport on Idarete which the crew used to help steal the Makkuro from Diktat impound. Bao needs an associate of his, called Dr. Rousseau, extracted from Antheus, in exchange for 50,000 credits. After a discussion the crew decide to head for Antheus and send Bao a reply before departing.

A couple of hours later, Martine discovers a message left by the striking workers on Asteria station, offering 20,000 credits if a ship, the Bounty of Arcuturus, carrying mercenaries to break the strike, is prevented from arriving at the station. Hesitant, the crew change course to intercept and size up the ship.

The Makkuro intercepts the Bounty of Arcuturus on the edge of the system, however it turns out to be a large passenger ship, allegedly carrying workers rather than mercenaries. With reservations about potentially killing a large number of innocent civilians, instead of destroying the Bounty, Hikaru attempts to convince them that Asteria has already fallen to a worker's revolt. The ship seems to buy the ruse and let's the Makkuro know they will divert to Idarete.

The crew of the Mak leave the other ship to go on its way and begin the spike drill to the Mardis system, with Creed attempting to trim the course.

The Makkuro spends six days in metaspace before it becomes clear the ship is off course. Creed is able to work out where things went wrong and adjust the course. However the blunder means the time takes four times longer than originally planned, and the ability to assassinate Holland's ex-wife within the given timeframe is lost.

Arriving in the Mardis system, the Makkuro is picked up on sensors by a waiting League frigate, the Joshua Pryde. The Pryde informs them that orbit around Antheus is currently restricted space with the ongoing hostilities and attempts to direct the Makkuro to Sarina's Keep for refuelling and then exiting the war zone. Instead Hikaru is able to convince them House Kylen is expecting them on Antheus, which results in the Makkuro being directed to the military space station Calhun's Redoubt to clear things up.

Arriving at Calhun's Redoubt to see a battle damaged League cruiser under going repairs, the crew dock and set about exploring the station in search of any leads on gaining access to the restricted space around Antheus. This eventually leads to a meeting with the representative of the Cartage Guild, a mercantile group with a monopoly on interstellar trade in the system, named Vutir Dramir.

As captain, Hikaru is inducted into the guild in exchange for agreeing to fulfil a particularly tricky contract for the Guildmaster - delivery of 50 tons of mysterious cargo for the League's Advanced Recon Section to hostile territory in the Northern hemisphere of Antheus. With the contract in hand, the crew move the ship to the military docks of the station and pick up a grav container containing the cargo, code named Speartip, before departing the Redoubt and making for Antheus itself.

The day passes uneventfully as the Makkuro transits towards Antheus.

Arriving in orbit over Antheus the crew try to approach the planet stealthily, but the plethora of active military grade sensors result in their approach being spotted. Diktat and Diktat-aligned orbital defences open up, targeting the Makkuro with a barrage of missiles and railgun slugs, however, thanks to his piloting skills, Creed is able to dodge his way down to surface over the course of several tense minutes and many high-g manoeuvres, putting the Mak down in a canyon a couple of kilometres from the delivery coordinates for Speartip.

Wary that many people would have had eyes or sensors on their descent, the crew quickly assemble and disembark the grav container, setting out into the sandy scrubland with the grav container floating along behind them. Getting up out of the canyon to avoid ambush, the crew trek through some large basalt rock formations before skirting around four burned out gravtanks that lay out in the open.

Past the wrecks, they find an offshoot of the canyon blocks the way forward and reluctantly head back towards the tanks at Kate's request who begins inspecting the vehicles and stripping them of any usable parts, intending to use their gravictic stabilisers to boost the grav container over the chasm. While finding the parts she needs, she also finds a survivor trapped inside one of the vehicles. Warner attends and with Cass' help is able to get the solider free, amputating her crushed legs in the process. The solider is stabilised and passes out from the pain and sedatives, but not before revealing she and the grav tanks belonged to House Eedlon, the Diktat aligned Great House that controls much of the planet's North Pole, including this region.

With the parts, wounded soldier and intel from the tank's surviving databanks in hand, the crew head back towards the canyon where Kate attempts to jury rig the tank stabilisers to the container.

Early Life: Tess was born on the planet of Berez, the child of two scientists stationed on the planet to aid in researching methods of nullifying the dangerous conditions of the planet. When she was still very young both parents died in an unfortunate accident that claimed the lives of numerous other such scientists as well. This resulted in her - along with a host of other children of all ages - being left parent-less. She was placed in the local orphanage to be placed with a foster family, but the local agencies became overwhelmed by the sheer number of children all being added to the system at the same time. She would spend a few years growing up in the care of the state while they desperately tried to place all the children in willing homes.

Adoption: When around 8 or 9 she was finally assigned her first foster family, with whom she lived for a little over year. The family turned out to be both emotionally and physically abusive, however, and she was removed when the abuse was discovered by the state. She was then placed at the top of the list for the next adoption, which was easy by that time given the relative lack of children who still needed placement, and within a few months she found a new home.

Home: Her second foster family was much kinder than her first, and had a couple children of their own already, two older than Tess and one younger. Marden Cernei, her adoptive father, was a freighter pilot who transported raw materials harvested on Berez to other League planets for processing and manufacturing. Kilai Cernei, her adoptive mother, was a minor government official for the section of Berez they lived in.

While grateful to have a new home, Tess had a difficult time adjusting to her new home and the relative stability it provided. Since her parents died she'd grown accustomed to needing to do stuff on her own, and had led a relatively lonely life. She had trust issues due to some of her interactions with the other children in the orphanage, the loss of her parents, and the abuse of her first host family, issues that would not just go away overnight. She acted out a lot in the first few years with her family, but they were very patient and understanding of her situation, and with time she got past most of those issue and truly felt like she'd found a family.

A Big Change: When still a young teenager, Tess' family moved from Berez to the League capital of Strocho. Her mother had moved her way up the ladder in her career and had been offered a new position on the planet which she happily took. Her father got a new job as a transport pilot, which paid better and was much safer than his previous job, so the family was all together in high spirits. Their joy would be short-lived, however.

Years of transporting dangerous chemicals on Berez finally caught up to Marden a few months into their new life on Strocho. He fell ill and was hospitalized, and after a few months of care he finally succumbed and died. The entire family was grief-stricken and left in a somber state for months to come. Tess and her siblings' school work suffered and she was made to repeat classes she'd already taken. One of her older siblings, by now a young adult, took to drinking heavily during the mourning process, something that would stay with her for the rest of her life.

A Delinquent: It is during this period of hardship that Tess began to run with the wrong crowd in her area. Having now lost three parents in her life she began to feel that close personal connections were not worth having, since they would all be taken away. She left her boyfriend at the time and started hanging around the outcasts at her school that liked to vandalize the area and occasionally got their hands on drugs from local dealers.

Her mother eventually picked up on the changes in her life, and tried to change things, but it was not successful. She was no longer as cheerful as she'd been when her husband was alive, and instead came across as too harsh, only serving to push Tess away more. Tess grew more and more distant from first her adoptive mother and then her step-siblings as time went on, and slowly became more and more ingrained in the delinquent behavior of her new friends.

As the years passed her grades and school performance continued to drop. Her friend group held little esteem for the school system and she began to adopt a similar stance to fit in. She would spend most of her time doing drugs and sleeping around with various classmates and local adolescents from other areas, gaining a reputation as the class slut. Eventually she would drop out of school entirely and move in with one of her friends, where they would regularly party and laze the day away in drug-fueled hazes.

A Turning Point: As a young adult living on her own with other ne'er-do-wells, Tess was once more struck with tragedy. Through the grapevine she learned that her eldest sister had succumbed to her alcoholism - developed in response to their father's death. Tess was absolutely heartbroken. While her parent's deaths had all been unavoidable, attributable to the harsh nature of their home planet, her sister's was not.

Tess began to rethink her life. She realized that in her current state she could very well meet a similar fate to her sister. Her perspective on life changed and she began to dispose the 'friends' she'd let take her love of life and family away from her. She reconnected with her remaining siblings to mourn their sister, eventually reconciling with her mother as well. She moved back in to their family home for a time to get her life sorted out. There she reflected more on her life and had many long conversations with her mother about many things, but she eventually decided what she wanted to do with her life.

A Courtesan: After much thought, Tess decided on the very unconventional career choice of becoming a courtesan. Though it had been the result of apathy and rebellion initially, she'd grown to really enjoy her life of open sex with numerous partners. She felt most alive when in the act and figured that if she was good at it she should make a living off of it. While her mother was not initially very supportive, she saw the benefit in becoming an official courtesan over how her daughter had been living previously and eventually gave her support.

Tess was able to move into her new career with relative ease once she found an agency that was hiring. Her good looks and openness to try new things made an impression and she was quickly one of their more popular workers for the same reasons. Her clients started out as mostly more everyday folk, but as her popularity grew she began to receive more high profile government officials and businessmen and women who simply had to try the up-and-comer they'd heard about.

A Little Thievery: As Tess settled into her new career and life as a courtesan she began to get a taste for the Strocho high society that she'd never seen before. Some of her clients brought her on dates to restaurants or the theater, some simply desired her company for days at a time as an emotional connection. Sometimes she'd be invited to client's homes, and there she'd encounter the vast wealth that some of them possessed. Often times the wealth of these people far exceeded their ability to really care about their possessions on a personal level, and Tess realized that she could often snag a trinket or two from them without them ever noticing.

What began as a fun, exhilarating hobby for the girl eventually became a habit over time, and soon a goal almost more important to her than actually performing her job's duties. She'd constantly try to one-up herself, looking for larger objects or more valuable ones to take without being noticed, or aiming for specific objects that seemed difficult to get to. The thrill of the crimes started to encroach on the thrill of the sex itself, especially with some of her wealthy but unattractive clientele.

Blackmail: Eventually Tess' nasty habit would come back to bite her in the ass. One of her clients, it turned out, was much more perceptive than she'd initially thought, and caught her in the act trying to snag a set of pearls she kept on display in her bedroom. The woman, it turned out, was no ordinary client, but a mid-ranking member of a Strocho crime syndicate known as the Harelquins.

The woman - Makara - gave Tess a choice: perform a task for the Harelquins, or have her thievery revealed to all. Not wanting to lose her job and reputation, Tess chose the former. Makara then revealed to her the nature of the task. She was to be hired as a client for a man who had wronged the Harlequins in some way (she was never told the full details), and she was to plant an item in his house that would incriminate him in an ongoing criminal investigation. Tess reluctantly agreed, and with her skills at thievery was easily able to complete the task.

Tess soon learned, however, that this would not be all the Harlequins would request of her. Makara had one of her associates trail Tess and take pictures of her activity, both to make sure she kept her end of the bargain, as well as to further blackmail the young woman. She used this new information to leverage ever greater crimes out of Tess, and eventually she was given regular assignments by the syndicate to complete. Some were thievery, some were more instances of planting evidence, but eventually the bulk of her assignments became murderous in nature. Rival gang members, snitches, nosy politicians - numerous people would meet their end at Tess' hand.

The Harlequin's Executioner: Over time the sting of being forced into this new path in life faded and Tess began to revert to some of her habits from when she was an adolescent delinquent. She once more began to partake of underworld drugs, though no where near the extent she had as a youth. She became more and more disconnected from her actions, seeing the hits as 'just a job' and falling back on the blackmail as her own internal justification for her actions. She couldn't truly be at fault, after all, if she was being forced to do such things at the risk of her own well-being.

Just as she was growing more accustomed to the criminal life in Strocho she learned from Makara that she was to be made to head to Idarete, the frozen wasteland of a planet, to perform a high profile hit of wealthy executive who tried to skimp the Harlequins. While too difficult to get to on Strocho, he was meant to be an easy target on Idarete. Tess would get detained by the local authorities before she could ever complete the job, however...

1) Tess would like to complete the job she was assigned so she can leave this shit hole planet as soon as possible

2) I would like for Tess to get out from under the thumb of the Harlequins, potentially taking the syndicate down later on if it fits well with the story

1) Tess hates the Harlequins and the effect they are having on her life. While she outwardly projects a level of indifference towards her handlers and the work she is made to do, she dreads the though of her life continuing this way for too much longer.

2) On occasion she has contemplated simply committing suicide to get away from them, but does not want to cause that pain on her family after all of the tragedy they have been through so far.

3) Unbeknownst to Tess, Makara specifically sought her out with the intention of blackmailing her and forcing her to aid the Harlequins. Makara was not the first Harlequin victim of her thievery, nor the first to notice her. However, they saw more benefit in trying to force her into their employ rather than simply killing her off, something that has worked out well for them so far.

Marden Cernei - Tess' adoptive father, now deceased. He was a gentle but firm man, whom Tess respected greatly. His death greatly affected her, and she still regularly thinks about him and advice he'd given her over the years.

Kilai Cernei - Tess' adoptive mother, and a relatively successful politician in the Valetal League. She and Tess have had their ups and downs over the years, but both love one another even if they don't always see eye to eye. Tess still visits her often and the two catch up over tea, a visit she always looks forward to.

Emina Cernei - Tess' oldest adoptive sister, now deceased. The two got along well before Emina became an alcoholic and Tess devolved into delinquency. To her great regret, their relationship was never fixed before Emina died of alcohol poisoning at the age of 22.

Felys Cernei - Tess' other older adoptive sister. Felys is only 2 years older than Tess, and the two have been pretty close for most of their lives. As teenagers they would gossip together about crushes, and now as adults Tess will regale her sister - often to her great disgust - of her more notable clients. The two chat regularly via their compads and Tess considers Felys one of her closest friends. She currently works as a junior executive at a major communications company.

Dandrik Cernei - Tess' younger adoptive brother, 3 years her junior. As children Tess and her sisters often teased Dandrik and dressed him up in their clothing, something he always hated. As he got older, however, he grew past that and Tess' relationship with him improved. While not especially close, the two do still talk on occasion, and get along overall. He currently works as a bartender at a drag club, where he also sometimes performs.

Hikaru Tsukiakari - a famous pop star and member of the group NTER5TELLAR. Tess met him after being hired to be his companion for the evening, something she quickly learned was a joke made in poor taste by one of his fellow bandmates. She initially was keen to leave the situation, not wanting to be part of a cruel joke, but eventually decided that if she was being paid anyway she could stick around to talk. The two became fast friends, and she considers the man her other closest friend alongside Felys.

Makara - a mid-ranking member of the crime syndicate the Harlequins, and Tess' handler among the group. She is an attractive middle-aged woman who is very cold and calculated, and each time Tess has to meet with her she dies a little bit more inside. While she does not hate the woman on a personal level, she hates everything that she stands for and the position she has played in upturning Tess' life.

Col. Blaven - a member of the Valetal League military who is also part of the Harlequins. He and Makara work together often, so Tess has interacted with him briefly on occasion. He is very serious on most occasions, but is known to tell very bad jokes from time to time when in a good mood. He is one of the few people from the Harlequins that Tess can stand to be around, even if she finds his military status disheartening.

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Family:

Class:

Profession:

Institutions:

Primary:

Secondary:

Tertiary:

Short-Term:

Medium-Term:

Long-Term:

100 (Starting cash)
-15 (Falafellas meal, beer, tip)
+1000 (Bao payment)
-640 (Amber purchase, guns + ammo)
-8 (Eazy Street noodle stall meal + tip)
-40 (cold weather attire, clothes shop in Idarete)
-20 (Laelia chat)
-3 (War Room tab)
-2 (Vending Machine food)
+500 (chip from Hartjen)
+10000 (Holland payment)
-20 (gun range use)
-50 (bullets for gun range)
-20 (Closest Moon expenses)
-2560 (payment for new ship gear)
+2560 (receive funds for ship gear from whiskey sales)
+177
+3600 (Holland payment 2)
-0 (free cocktail dress from Holland)
+500 (credit chips, for Holland hookup)
-500 (mag pistol customized)
-1000 (mag pistol boosted)
-1000 (sent to ship fund for crew wages)
_______________________
12559 (Current)(500 in chip form)

Roll for new HP Total: 10

Adjust Base Attack Bonus: +1 -> +2

Decrease Saving throws: Physical: 15 Evasion: 14 Mental: 14 -> Physical: 14 Evasion: 13 Mental: 13

Gain Skill Points: +3 to use on any skill or attribute purchase, +1 to use on non-combat, non-psychic skills

Spend Skill Points: Spend 2 to take Shoot-0 to Shoot-1. Spend 1 point to boost Dex to 14, and the remaining special point to gain Heal-0

Gain New Focus: Unarmed Combatant. Gain Punch-1. My unarmed attacks now deal a base damage of 1d8 (rises to 1d10 at level 2, 1d12 at level 3, and 1d12+1 at level 4). My unarmed attacks also have the Shock quality equal to my Punch level against AC 15 or less.

Roll for new HP Total: [3d6]=13+6 = 19

Increase AC: 17 -> 18 (from half level rounded up)

Decrease Saving throws: Physical: 14 Evasion: 13 Mental: 13 -> Physical: 13 Evasion: 12 Mental: 12

Gain Skill Points: +3 to use on any skill or attribute purchase, +1 to use on non-combat, non-psychic skills

Spend Skill Points: Spend 3 to take Shoot-1 to Shoot-2. Save last point for the future (to use on non-combat, non-psychic skills)

Partial Expert Feature: +1 skill point per level, only to be spent on non-psychic/non-combat skills.

Partial Warrior Feature: +1 to attack at levels 1 and 5. +2 hp per level.

Alert Level 1 Feature: Cannot be surprised or the target of Execution Attacks. Roll twice and take best result for initiative.

Sniper Level 1 Feature: When rolling for Execution Attack or shooting targets, roll 3d6 and drop lowest die.

Ironhide Level 1 Feature: Base AC (pre dex mod and shields) is 15 plus half my level (rounded up).

Unarmed Combatant Level 1 Feature: My unarmed attacks now deal a base damage of 1d8 (rises to 1d10 at level 2, 1d12 at level 3, and 1d12+1 at level 4). My unarmed attacks also have the Shock quality equal to my Punch level against AC 15 or less.

1) Growing up in a comfortable environment on Alldis, young Cass was groomed by his parents to be a star child. His mother, a low-ranking officer in the navy corps, and his father, a therapist, pushed him toward his potential, ensuring that Cass was in challenging courses. His younger sister looked up to him, and together they had a happy childhood.

2) Once of age, Cass went to the University of Alldis, studying many fields of science including chemistry, cybersecurity, engineering, and astrophysics. Finishing a masters' degree in only a few years, he finished near the top of his class and received copious honors from the faculty.

3) Thrusted into the navy's ranks by both of his parents, Cass wanted to do his family, his friends, and his faction proud. Starting out as a low-ranking systems engineer, Cass chafed some of the officers in his daily grind, but impressed others. Before the age of 30, he was already working under some of the top brass on Alldis.

4) While working a cyber-security project for Brigadier-Envoy Vidal Menendros, Cass came across an encrypted network (half by accident, but half on account of his own curiosity). He discovered a pedophilia ring that had dug roots through much of Alldis, and even to other parts of the League. A group of naval high-rankers were trafficking minors, funding private events, and engaging in other nefarious affairs.

5) Rattled, Cass considered his options. In a previously-thought-encrypted call with a close childhood friend, he decided to whistleblow. The next morning, Cass' friend Mika was found shot in the head in an alley twenty klicks from his home. Menendros and the rest of the ring began to use blackmail, extortion, and even threaten Cass' life, trying to get him to back down.

6) Without agreeing to a gag order, monetary gain, or other rewards, Cass stayed quiet but dedicated for two weeks. At the end, however, the rogue officers began to build a falsified case that he was selling cy-sec secrets to the Diktat. Forced to abandon his home and his life on Alldis, Cass deserted his post and fled to the nearby system XK-539, where he assumed a new identity.

7) Poor, broken, angry, Casimir had lost everything that he was working for. He had used most of his remaining funds finding shelter and sustenance on the independent system, and shut himself inside for most days.

8) Cass' anger soon turned to depression, paranoia, and a loss of all motivation to better his situation. His hygiene fell by the wayside, he found himself hardly eating, and he would sleep -- or try to, for most of the days.

9) Falling deep in the rabbit hole, Casimir lost himself for a while. Becoming addicted to VR porn, hard opiate use, and other vices, he forgot his needs, his motivations, and even why he was on the system in the first place.

10) After suffering from two overdoses and enduring chemical damage to his spleen, Casimir decided he needed to do something to make up for his complete lack of finances and his sorry state of affairs. He quickly found employment, slinging drugs for a local dealer. It didn't take long before he realized he had an opportunity — making them himself.

11) With a need for money and sustenance, and from that an actual purpose, Cass began to build a small drug empire in the res-decks of Idarete. He began to find stable suppliers, slowly building a sales network to distribute his products. He cooked everything in his own apartment, relying on his knowledge of chemistry from his prior education. To fund himself between big batches, he also made petty cash by hacking dataports for money, information, or both.

12) As the Escrios Diktat landed in the sector and began to crack down on crime, Cass' money began to dry up. His suppliers left for safer, better paying lanes, his users were getting clean, and his sellers were getting scooped up. Resorting to slinging his own drugs once again on the res-decks, he got careless. A group from the local Diktat security forces had been spying on him after noticing suspicious activity on his home network, and set up a sting operation. Desperate for money, Cass fell right into it.

1) More than anything, Cass wants to find meaning in his life. Whatever that is, he isn't sure yet.

2) I want Cass to regain his standing with the League and clear his name, eventually becoming a private contractor with them.

1) Casimir found out about an Alldis-based pedophile ring throughout the Navy. However, the digital evidence was lost, and the servers repaved after his desertion and escape. He keeps this knowledge to himself now, out of fear for being found by the League.

2) Some of the League's higher-ranks control rogue groups of the navy, and if they were the ones to pick up Cass on a warrant, have been ordered to kill him rather than bring him in.

1) Simea — escort that Cass has pined after for a while. He has no chance with her but believes he's in love with her. She appreciates his free drugs and his company, but has not shown any true interest in him, leaving Cass defeated.

2) Juno Ivare — An enduring supplier, and Eridas' boss. Cass doesn't particularly enjoy Juno's personality (rash, greedy, and rough) but appreciates his ability to always have what Cass needs, whenever he needs it.

3) Brigadier-Envoy Vidal Menendros — A prominent member of the League's navy, and also a member of the pedo ring on Alldis. Menendros has many rogue elements under his control, enforcing a shadow league within the otherwise egalitarian navy.

1) Cass has a fond memory of his younger sister Mona, and how they'd play together on the residence-decks of the station they lived on.

2) Cass feels confident when behind his screen, but more unsure of himself when faced physically. He has been known to cow to physical pressure or intimidation without help.

3) Cass is addicted to VR porn, and is still taking methadone to stave off his ongoing opiate addiction. In addition, he has to take a weekly steroid treatment because his spleen has suffered chemical damage. if he misses a treatment, he will die.

Family: Mother, father and sister, alive on Alldis

Class: Was middle class, then military class, then scum class

Profession: Hacker, chemist, ex-navyman

Institutions: Previously Valetel League navy

Primary: Survival — Cass is grounded by his fight-or-flight mechanisms. He and his own, first.

Secondary: Existential — Cass needs a greater purpose, or his spirit falters.

Tertiary: Happiness — Cass wants to find complacency, stability, and feel content for once.

Short-Term: Get out of the grips of the Diktat.

Medium-Term: Safeguard himself from their efforts, moving if possible to another area of the system.

Long-Term: Get back home?

Tess:

Eridas:

CLASS FEATURES

Educated: Whenever advancing level, you gain an additional skill point to spend on improving attributes or non-combat skills.

Masterful Expertise: Once per scene, reroll a failed skill check and take the new result if it's better.

FOCI

Tinker: You have a natural knack for modifying and improving equipment, as given in the rules on page 90.

• Level 1: Gain Fix as a bonus skill. Your Maintenance score is doubled, allowing you to maintain twice as many mods. Both ship and gear mods cost only half their usual price in credits, though pretech salvage requirements remain the same.
  

Hacker: You have a considerable fluency with digital security measures and standard encryption methods. You know how to make computerized systems obey you until their automatic failsafes come down on your control.

• Level 1: Gain Program as a bonus skill. When attempting to hack a database or computerized system, roll 3d6 on the skill check and drop the lowest die.
  

Gunslinger: You have a gift with a gun. While this talent most commonly applies to slugthrowers or energy weapons, is also applicable to thrown weapons, bows, or other ranged weapons that can be used with the Shoot skill. For thrown weapons, you can’t use the benefits of the Armsman focus at the same time as Gunslinger.

• Level 1: Gain Shoot as a bonus skill. You can draw or holster a Stowed ranged weapon as an On Turn action. You may add your Shoot skill level to a ranged weapon’s damage roll.
  

READIED (Capacity: 4/4)
0 | Backpack (TL4)
2 | Collapsible Laser Rifle, Customized [20/20]
1 | Combat Field Uniform, Customized
1 | Metatool

STOWED (Capacity: 8/8)
6 | Void Hawk, Black Owl
1 | 3x Type A cells
1 | Dataslab
0 | 2x line shunts
0 | 8 days, life-saving drugs

STORED
0 | Armored Undersuit
1 | 2x Type A cells
1 | 3x units of spare parts
1 | Secured Clothing
1 | Laser Pistol [10/10]

Collapsible Laser Rifle

Collapsible Laser Rifle



Dmg. 1d10 / 1d6+1
Range 300/500 / 100/300
Magazine 20 / 10
Enc 1

As an on turn action the weapon can change between rifle and pistol, collapsing down the barrel and scope. Which allows it to be less encumbering as it can be holstered or stored in pistol mode. On transformation, remaining charges in its type A cell are halved or doubled (rounding down where necessary) as applicable. Due to its ability to fire as a rifle, the pistol outputs a higher damage beam than a regular laser pistol.

Transactions

9,378 cr
-$expenses

9,378 cr

MAINTENANCE (Capacity: 5/14)

Cass, Customized mod for Gun
Cass, Customized mod for Gun
Tess, Customized mod for Gun
Warner, Customized mod for Armor
Kaze, Customized mod for Gun

STARTING ABILITY SCORES
Str 7, Dex 9, Con 10, Int 14, Wis 12, Cha 11 (Took Array)
Program-1
Fix-1
Know-0
Trade-0
HP: 3

Level 2
4 Skill Points
1x - Notice-0
2x - Notice-1
1x - STR from to 8
HP: 6

Level 3
4 Skill Points
3x - Fix-2
1x - Conect-0
HP: 8

Appearance: As an idol, looks are everything. Thankfully, Hikaru has looks to spare. With a youthful and boyish appearance, he's what many would call cute despite his age. He's roughly 5'9", his build thin yet toned from the physical exertion that goes into being a pop sensation. Though his hair is naturally brown, he has dyed it a pinkish-orange hue for years and has grown accustomed to it. Regardless of his outfit, of which he has many, Hikaru always dons a pair of thick-frame glasses. Such glasses are entirely for aesthetic, as his coral-toned eyes possess near-perfect vision. During public appearances, he typically wears more preppy and "cute" outfits, while his casual attire revolves around simple t-shirts and jackets.

Personality: Being a pop star, Hikaru has to pay mind to his public image with every action. As a result, he can come across as somewhat two-faced. For the public, he embodies his "preppy" persona, acting sweet and cheerful and all-around peppy. When in the comforts of private, his true face shows. Though friendly and excitable normally, he's cold and somewhat rude towards those he doesn't know: a tsundere, according to Benji's extensive knowledge of Terran anime. Hikaru denies this, of course. Beyond this, he is deeply confident in his skills and it can come across as mildly arrogant. Beneath the surface however, he's plagued with subtle doubt and anxiety surrounding his future.

Early Life: Unlike most children, most of Hikaru’s early life is shrouded in mystery. His parents, names unknown to him, had him at an early age, and it was clear he was an unwanted child. The pair had come from extensively wealthy upbringings and knew little of responsibility due to their privilege. Though they struggled through the first few years of his life, they had had enough by the time he was merely five. Though not completely neglected, his desire for attention and affection was found utterly lacking.

As fate would have it, his parents would soon be free from the grasps of their child. At Hikaru’s fifth birthday, they were approached by a talent scout, impressed by the child’s aptitude for singing, even if simply karaoke. He represented one of the many so-called idol training agencies, where the next generation of idol singers would be carefully molded. In doing so, the would-be idols would live away from home and instead with their fellow trainees. Seeing this as the perfect, and shameless, opportunity to rid themselves of their undesired child, his parents graciously accepted. Within days of him leaving, they had fled the planet, clear of conscious and responsibility.

Song & Dance Factory: With a future as a pop idol predestined, a normal childhood was now out of the picture for Hikaru. While many his age played with toys or watched cartoons, he would be busy singing and learning the basics of music theory. Despite this, he was still able to enjoy more normal aspects of a childhood when not in training. He was joined by four other children similar in age who would eventually become his bandmates. Spending every waking moment together, they became his closest and only friends, although his initial shyness made for a struggle at early on. During this time, he also grew close with a woman they knew as Miss Aelani, who acted as their parental figure of sorts. Though not an ordinary childhood by any means, it was a step above what he would have had. And for that, he was grateful.

As he got older, his lessons continued. Music theory grew more advanced, songs more complex, and choreography instruction was gradually introduced. Though hard work, he thoroughly enjoyed it, particularly the musical side of things. He discovered an immense passion for all kinds of music and began devoting much of his free time to researching and listening to various tracks from throughout human history. It's this expertise that developed him into the group's strongest singing voice. Though he struggled with the dancing side initially, eventually he caught on. And after years of intense training, they were ready for their first premiere.

The World's Stage: With their core training completed, it was time for the group to make their debut. They would be called the Wonder Boys, a rather daft game given by top-level executives. Fortunately, focus groups wholly rejected this initial name and they were given a new one before their first show: Picture Perfect. They would appear to be five preppy and cute teenagers, perfect for capturing the 10-15 female demographic, if the market analyses are to be believed. Nearly 70% of their first album featured 'baby' in the title, and 90% were about love to some degree. With everything in place, it was time for their first show. Though initially terrified, especially as he stared at the empty seats where his parents were meant to be, he worked through it and their performance was met with moderate success.

Encouraged by the prospects, their agency ordered a mini-album, followed by a tour through Strocho's largest cities. This mini-album, titled Snapshot after the leading single, was once again a moderate success. Though performing well within the target demographic, it was hardly what some may call "groundbreaking." Nevertheless, Picture Perfect enjoyed enough success to maintain funding, and their touring allowed for much more practice than rehearsal room allowed for. After a few years, what success they had came to a screeching halt and Picture Perfect was no more. Though no longer out touring, the work didn't stop. With a new concept in mind, Hikaru and the band would become the next big thing.

Stars in the Eyes: After nearly a year with no word to the public, the silence was broken: a new band was on the horizon, to be known as NTER5TELLAR, with Picture Perfect's original members all grown up, with their own unique styles and personalities. Styles and personalities that were manufactured, of course. As a result, Hikaru and his friends were forced to put on a face for the public. He would be considered "the preppy one," not particularly different from their earlier group but more grown and refined. Though hardly like the true self he'd grown up to, he kept up appearances as his success depended on it. With the new group's launch, they released their first single: Atmos. Meant to be a preview of their upcoming album, it was generally well-received but quickly forgotten and NTER5TELLAR were still all but unknown.

This all changed with the release of their second single, a song Hikaru had helped write. He called it Zero-G, a love song turned party anthem. It was an instant success, topping the charts within a week of release. Suddenly, the whole world was talking about NTER5TELLAR, and even its individual members. With one new song, Hikaru had turned his group into a global sensation. The next two singles dropped in quick succession, occupying the top two spots on the chart, and their fame grew. Suddenly, they had grown into celebrities, invited on various game shows and talk shows as "the next big thing." Fame hit them hard and fast, but Hikaru easily adjusted. In fact, he enjoyed the spotlight and spent as much time as he could in them. As time passed, tours and albums with it, they grew to be one of the most famous acts on Strocho. Despite this, his whole career would soon be put on hold.

Truly NTER5TELLAR: Though he’d dreamed of embarking on a tour across the sector, such dreams would be put on hold for a time. His fellow bandmate Kaze had begun a downward spiral, tainting his own reputation as he fell further and further into drugs. Eventually, he was forced into rehabilitation. With it ongoing, NTER5TELLAR is effectively on hiatus until the dust settles following his recovery. And so, for the time being, the five members went their separate ways. With no family to return to, Hikaru took to adjusting his dream.

Since the hiatus, he has been traveling between the stars of the Valetel League, seeking out new inspiration for their comeback album. After a time, the League’s planets lost their creative luster and he turned his attention towards Idarete. He was struck hard with culture shock, having never experienced such a gritty and blackened world. Though steering clear of the unsavory portions as best as he could, Hikaru soon felt the planet taking its toll on his wellbeing. He had intended to return to Strocho when he was picked up by Escrios(?) patrols. Recognizing him and seeing an opportunity, the patrolmen accused him of breaking a nonexistent policy relating to the number of stripes allowed on a shirt. Powerless against a militarized police force, he willingly submitted and now awaits his fate within his holding cell.

1) Hikaru wants to go on tour, exploring the different worlds of the M-Cluster and spreading NTER5TELLAR's name. Given his band's hiatus and the tension to the west, he's mostly put this on the back-burner.

2) I'd like for Hikaru to be able to use his talents to earn the group money, while balancing between other adventures.

1) Though he'd never open up about it, Hikaru has a deep fear that he'll be replaced by the "next big thing," or that his fame will diminish as he gets older and thus less desirable. Though he's in the stoplight now, he fears it'll fade away and leave him with nothing.

2) Though not strictly a secret as those close to him know the truth, Hikaru conceals his true personality from the general public as to maintain his carefully cultivated public image.

3) Raye Diànt seeks to buy out Hikaru's agency in an attempt to destroy the one group threatening his domination on the music industry.

3) His parents are still alive and living on Antheus, having not wanted a child in the first place.

1) NTER5TELLAR

NTER5TELLAR

Kaze

Kaze, known as the "Intense One" of the group, is the defacto leader of the band and its oldest member at 24. His stage persona is bold and daring, both in actions and wardrobe. Though the persona turns it up to ten, his actual personality is remarkably similar and thus he rarely put on a face for the audience. Recently, Kaze has fallen hard into drugs, prompting the group's hiatus as he undergoes treatment.

Being the oldest among them, he's highly protective of his friends and thus Hikaru has always viewed him as an older brother of sorts. He has the occasional temper, but mostly manages to control his anger. Though he and Hikaru rarely talk on an emotional level, they still have an unbreakable bond. Despite this, the relationship has been rocky recently due to the drug problems.

Jae

Jae, known as the "Wild One" of the group, is the energetic and eccentric member of the band, both on stage and off. He is a notorious prankster, inciting numerous prank wars throughout the years they grew up. He's loud and impulsive and always willing to take a risk if it might mean a good time.

Hikaru has always viewed him as a lovable nuisance. His habits can be grating but endearing in a peculiar way. It was Jae's own personality that forced Hikaru to open up a bit and relax, blooming into a powerful stage presence. Though often the victim of the pranks, Hikaru lets him have his fun as a quiet thanks.

Kenzo

Kenzo, known as the "Sporty One" of the group, initially wanted to be an athlete when he got older. This changed when his parents took the then-young Kenzo to a benefit concert and he discovered his love of performance. Even so, he's still kept up sports as hobbies. Owing to this, he is fiercely competitive and ever eager to one-up someone. Nevertheless, he's incredibly energetic and pushes the band to new limits.

He and Hikaru have gotten along remarkably well, despite being fairly different on and off-stage. Kenzo has always looked out for Hikaru, from scaring away the "monsters" under his bed to helping him practice choreography the night before a big performance. Much like Kaze, Hikaru has viewed him as an older brother.

Benji

Benji, known as the "Quiet One" of the group, is considered to be one of few words if his stage persona is to be believed. Shy, cool, and collected may define him on stage, but offstage he could not be more different. In contrast, he's the type who may talk someone's ear off, finding joy and excitement even in the smallest things.

Despite this, Hikaru has always enjoyed his presence and his ability to find a bright side in nearly everything. In fact, it's given him practice with his own stage character. Being the closest in age, the two were the closest pair early on, being nearly inseparable. Since getting older, they're still exceptionally close and Benji is often who Hiraku goes to for advice.

2) Tess

Tess

Tess is a hired escort and a close friend of Hikaru's. She's one of the few friends he has outside of his musical career, though their meeting was wholly unexpected. Jae, hoping to prank the very gay Hikaru, decided to hire a female escort to visit his hotel room while on tour. When she arrived, he was shocked, upset, and downright bratty. However, feeling the familiar pang of loneliness, he suggested she stay in his typical fashion. The two then began talking, with Tess cutting through his steely exterior like a hot knife through butter. By the end of the night, he'd unexpectedly opened up to her and the two exchanged contact details.

Excluding his bandmates, Tess is without a doubt Hikaru's best friend. Few have seen the more vulnerable side of him, and she is one of them. Despite their close friendship, he still gives her an affectionately hard time, slinging snark and sass that he knows she'll return. He relishes in these interactions when they occur, knowing it's a sign of how strong their bond is. Though she's not talked much of her career, Hikaru quickly learned of her connections to the criminal underworld. He doesn't entirely approve of this, though he knows it's her life to live and her decisions to make. Though he'd never admit it, he disapproves not because of the criminal nature, but because he worries greatly for her safety and doesn't want to lose his friend.

3) Aelani Iona

Aelani Iona

Aelani is the longtime manager and stage mom of NTER5TELLAR, all the way back to when they were initially recruited. When recruited, they spent extended periods of time away from home and family, and Aelani helped to provide the support and parenting woefully lacking in the children. Since they've gotten older, she has continued to be there for them and works tirelessly on their behalf. She's a skilled negotiator and uncharacteristically assertive for one her stature.

Though all the bandmates are close to Aelani, Hikaru is without a doubt the closest. With his parents abandoning him, she was quite literally the only mother figure he had. Knowing his struggles, she always paid special attention to him and likens him to a son. When the other bandmates visited home for holidays or scheduled visits, she went out of her way to keep him occupied with plans for just the two of them.

Appearance

4) Raye Diànt

Raye Diànt

Carter Dallas, known professionally as Raye Diànt, is a famed singer and model on Strocho, considered one of the hottest acts of the age. Between plastic surgeries and genetic engineering, Dallas bought and paid for his talent and looks. Surrounding himself with yesmen at the top, he has developed a god complex and routinely looks down upon those he deems below him. To call him a diva would be an understatement, yet his fans adore him for it.

As an attempt at more publicity, Hikaru's agency arranged a date between the two men. The business relationship hardly lasted an evening, as Raye Diànt spent much of the evening berating waitstaff and criticizing idols as talentless dross meant to appease the masses. Hoping to save face and not cause a scene, Hikaru got up to leave. Dallas proceeded to cause a scene anyhow, culminating in a bowl of noodles ending up on Hikaru's head. Such an evening began the bitter rivalry between the two superstars, and between their respective fans.

Appearance

1) Being a popular idol with a carefully cultivated image, Hikaru often puts on a face for the public while reverting to his true self around more trusted friends. He's slow to truly open up, though, and appears cold and rude early on.

2) Hikaru has a deep passion for music, both for enjoyment and to improve his own craft. When not otherwise occupied, he's often listening to various music or researching new songs.

3) He vividly remembers his very first show, a bittersweet experience. A special section had been set up for the family members of the band. When he looked into the crowd, he noticed the seats reserved for his own parents empty. Though initially devastated, he soon came to realize he had a new family of his own.

Family: Hikaru knows little of his biological parents. At an early age, he was recruited to an idol-training agency and left his family behind. Since his absence, they've seemingly vanished from the planet. Though not biological, his band is like a family to him, providing him with the love and support a mother and father would provide.

Class: Being a popular idol singer, Hikaru is generally among the elite, even within the highly egalitarian society of Strocho. Though much of his money is tied up with the band, he commands fame that earns him special treatment among the population.

Profession: Since his teenage years, Hikaru has been a idol, a popular pop singer in the hit group NTER5TELLAR. His job has led to extensive training in singing, advanced choreography, and personal public relations.

Institutions: Hikaru is part of Rizumi Entertainment, a talent agency and record label on Strocho. He was recruited at a young age, and many in the agency have been like a family to him. Rizumi specializes in manufacturing idols and putting out music influenced by 21st century Earth.

Primary: Connections: Despite his immense fame, Hikaru has few true friends. He'd like to change that by meeting new people and forging new friendships and connections, whether shallow or deep. Wherever he goes, he strives to make a lasting connection.

Secondary: Fame: Though his band is worlds-renowned, he finds his individual fame lacking for all but die-hard fans. He hopes to change that so he might use his fame for both good and selfish reasons. As a result, he does whatever it takes to increase public perception of him.

Tertiary: Wealth: The universe is run on money, and Hikaru knows this all too well. His success has afforded him a lifestyle he would struggle to leave behind, and so he always follows the money.

Short-Term: Hikaru hopes to enjoy his time on Idarete and take in the planet so alien compared to his own.

Medium-Term: Though he loves being a part of NTER5TELLAR, Hikaru would eventually like to pursue a solo singing career, making a name for himself distinct from the rest of the group.

Long-Term: It's often lonely at the top, and Hikaru would eventually like to find someone who loves him not for his fame, fortune, or manufactured personality, but for his true self.

CLASS FEATURES

Expert Feature: Once per scene, I can reroll a failed skill check and take the new result if it's better. When I level up, I gain a bonus skill point that can be spent any any non-combat non-psychic skill

FOCI

Connected-1: If I've spent a week in a non-entirely-hostile location, I'll have a web of contacts willing to do favors for me that are no more than mildly illegal. I get one favor per day.

Specialist (Talk): I roll 3d6 and drop the lowest die for all Talk skill checks.

Henchkeeper-1: I can acquire a henchman after spending 24 hours in a community. They will not fight except to save their own lives, but will escort me and risk great danger to help me. I can have one at a time for every three levels, can dismiss at any time with no hard feelings, and can pick them back up later if I'm without a henchman.

READIED (Capacity: 4/4)
ENC 2| Woven Body Armor
ENC 2| Laser Rifle (20/20)
ENC *| Compad
ENC *| Thermal Flare (2)

STOWED (Capacity: 2/9)
ENC 1| Laser Pistol
ENC 1| Type A Cells (2)

STORED
ENC 1| Secure Clothing

CURRENCY
15534 credits

TRANSACTIONS

700 credits (Base)
-20 (Cab fare)
-20 (Falafellas meal & tip)
+1000 (Bao payment)
-9 (Crepe)
-55 (Creed & Cass clothes & hair dye)
+50 (Creed & Cass repayment)
-700 (Daaray payment)
-2 (Vending Machine Food)
+10000 (Holland Payment)
-420 (Armor & Shooting Range)
-20 (Shooting Range Rental)
+3600 (Holland Payment 2)
+200 (Club Work)
-1000 (Ship Fund)
-170 (Misc.)
+2400 (Javier Bounty)

15534 credits

RIP Brainclouds

Background: Entertainer

FINAL ABILITY SCORES
Str 9 (+0), Dex 8 (+0), Con 15 (+1), Int 8 (+0), Wis 10 (+0), Cha 16 (+1)

STARTING ABILITY SCORES
Str 9 (+0), Dex 8 (+0), Con 15 (+1), Int 8 (+0), Wis 10 (+0), Cha 9 (+0)

READIED (Capacity 1/2 strength rounded down) (Encumbrance: 5/6)
TL4 Backpack (Enc.*), Monoblade Knife (Enc. 1), Type A Cell (Enc. 1) Metatool (Enc. 1), Dataslab (Enc. 1), Magslug Cartridge (Enc. 1)
STOWED (Capacity equal to strength) (Encumbrance: 8/13)
Laser Rifle (Enc. 2) (Loaded), Spike Thrower (Enc. 2) (Loaded), Spare Parts (x6) (Enc. 1#), Type A cell (Enc. 1#) (x6), MagSlug (x60) (Enc. 1#), MagSlug (x25) (Enc. 1#), 10,983Cr.
At Base Laser Pistol (Enc. 1) (Loaded)

Health Roll: 9(2d6) -2 = 7
Focus: Gunslinger
Stat Change: +1 Constitution (Remove the -2 to health roll)
Skill Change: Fix - 0 (Expert), Fix - 1 (Skill Points)
Saves Change: Drop each save by 1.

Health Roll: [3d6]=15
Skill Change: Shoot-2 from Shoot-1 (Skill points). Expert point banked for later.
Saves Change: Lower each Save by 1.

Expert Feature ("Pure Pazaak."): Once per scene, you can reroll a failed skill check, taking the new roll if it’s better.

1100 Credits Starting (1065 Spent)
Secure Clothing - 300
Vacc Suit - 100
Shotgun - 50
Mag Rifle - Free
Backpack (TL0) - 5
Dataslab - 300
Metatool - 200
Lazarus patch 2x - 60
Ammo 1x (20 Shotgun Shell) - 10
Ammo 1x (20 Shotgun Slug) - 10
Ammo 3x (60 Mag Rifle Rounds) - 30

Expert Reroll: Reroll one failed skill check, 1/Scene

1) Personality - Kate is, at her core, an excitable nerd, in awe and amazement at the technological wonders of the worlds she's been to and the ones she's personally worked on. But, that core is under many layers, having been in the Diktat Engineering Corps for more than a decade, and enthusiasm alone doesn't win you points there.
From her years in the Engineering Corps, she has developed a very focused and driven personality, committed to efficiency and excellence in her work, honing her ability to ignore distractions. However, this has come at a cost to her curiosity and passion, something she is trying to relearn to mixed success so far.

2) Appearance - Kate is of average height, built with lean muscle from hauling heavy metal parts for the mechs and ships she has worked on. She keeps most of her long, pale hair tied up in a braid to keep it contained, but keeps her bangs long so if she feels the need she can cover the large burn scar across the left side of her face. She has a prosthetic left eye, but her biological right eye is brown, almost bordering on gold in some lights. She has a partial sleeve tattoo on her right shoulder and upper arm, detailing different mechanisms that would be present in the arm of a combat mech.

3) Homeworld - Born on Soxeardi to Graham and Megara Meecham, Kate was the oldest of 3 siblings, her siblings being her brother Finn in the middle, and Allison the youngest. Even from a young age, she was fascinated by machines, and was always sneaking into her dad's shop to watch him work on his projects. Many of them were for other people in their area, fixing personal vehicles of all kinds mainly, but he had a few of his own that he would work on. He was obsessed with robotics, seeing his creations stand up and take their first shaking steps always lit his eyes up, and that enthusiasm quickly passed to Kate too. From the time she was big enough to hold the tools, she was in that garage with her dad, helping to fix things and build his little robots. Her siblings didn't have the same passion, but they supported each other in their interests. Life was pretty uneventful, until Kate turned 16.

4) Conscription - The soldiers turned up at the Meechams' door the day after her 16th birthday. They told her parents that she had shown sufficient aptitude for a prestigious Diktat Academy for Engineering, and that she was to be transferred immediately. Her parents were conflicted, proud that their daughter was getting recognition, but skeptical that transferring immediately would help. Wouldn't it just put undue stress on her, and create more complications than just waiting for next year? The soldiers assured them that there would be nothing of the like, that the transition would be smooth, and her parents reluctantly acquiesced. Over the next week, her belongings were taken to the dorms at the Academy, and she spent the week spending time with her family. This would be the last time she saw them, not because of any tragedy, but simply because she wouldn't get another opportunity to visit them later.

5) Mechanical Force - As it turned out, the so called "Diktat Academy for Engineering" was in fact a branch of the Diktat Army's Engineering Corps, a program designed to hone early talent into frighteningly effective combat engineers. Her training began immediately, and after finishing basic she was put to work learning how to maintain the war mechs of the Diktat. Her post-basic training was intensive, but she took to it like a fish to water, learning everything about them from textbooks as she could, and acing the tests they provided at the end. Now all that was left was for her to get her hands on one in realspace. She was send out on a shuttle, leaving her home planet of Soxeardi for the first time in her life, the force of the ship fighting gravity like nothing she had ever felt before, and she marveled at the technological wonder of it. They built machines that could fight the very ground beneath their feet and win, they built machines that could protect their soldiers from the Enemy, and she swelled with some measure of pride at the accomplishments. The spike drive hummed to life, and the ship seemed to fold as it shot through metadimentional space, and Kate was all wide eyes and wanting to get into the guts of the thing, wanting desperately to know how it all works. She doesn't remember much of the voyage itself, everyone else being concerned with socializing while she was trying to work out how the spike drive worked. She knew the basics, theoretically, but actually putting it into practice is a whole different problem. When they drilled back down into realspace, they were in the Muiran system, at Demeter Orbital Station, where they were to have their first field exercises with practice mechs and parts, to demonstrate their knowledge, before they were each sent to their deployments to work on the real things. They worked on these training mechs for months, translating the by-the-book knowledge into real skill, and for Kate it was relatively simple; she already had experience with other machines, it wouldn't be too hard to figure out now that she knew what she was doing.
Afterwards, Kate and a couple other engineers got their orders: they were to be stationed on the moon of Sarma, a hostile jungle world from the looks of the dossier. They were to provide support for the active forces engaged with the resistance fighters, and they were to get started immediately upon landing. The shuttle doors opened, and she was hit by the heavy, humid air, and she struggled to breathe. She shuffled through the paperwork, and was escorted to the mech hangar. And there, she was finally, finally in front of the machines she had been studying for the past four years. She dove into the work headfirst, her eyes alight at the mechanical marvels before her. She saw similarities in her fathers robots, how the servos and joints all worked together to move, as well as similarities in her own projects, how the power core was connected and fed the whole, everything working together in concert. What worried her, however, was some of the systems. It wasn't hard to tell that these were to be weapons of war, the mounts and bracings were clearly made to withstand the heat and recoil of heavy weapons, the frames themselves to withstand explosive and kinetic energy. But, Kate was far removed enough from the battlefield that she could largely ignore those thoughts. She focused on the machines themselves, fine tuning everything to work as well as possible. She would take no pride in their purpose, but in their construction, in the sheer feat of mechanical engineering that they were.

6) Chafing Collar - Eventually, the work becomes too much to ignore. Kate was being worn down by the constant repairs and modifications she had to do. Being as skilled as she was, she had been put in the position to maintain an entire squad of mechs, and some of the wounds that they came back with were so bad that it would take a few days to get the mech back in fighting shape. She was running herself ragged, the soldiers trying their best to be supportive, but her superiors always made comments about how this other engineer could get the same job done in half the time. Sure, you could do the job in half time, she would think, But then, not only are you disrespecting the machine itself, and your own profession, but you're also almost guaranteeing these soldiers deaths. I am the only thing standing between these men and women and the one critical system failure that results in them not coming back. Those comments always got her livid, but the years she'd spent in the Engineering Corps had taught her when to bite her tongue, so she never rose to the bait. The breaking point, however, came one night when she was settling down in her bunk for the night. A private message from an encrypted user was waiting for her on her compad. All the message read was "u should see this", and there was a video attached. It showed a mech, one of her mechs, No. 878627, piloted by a man everyone called Charlie, opening fire into what looked like a residential building. She felt nausea rising in her, Charlie was a decent guy, he wouldn't use his mech, her mech like that, right? And yet, the video loops, and shows her again just that. Her disgust turned to rage, which then crystalized into determination. Years of putting up with all the bullshit, all the bureaucracy, thinking she was protecting people when in reality she was handing the damn gun to the very kind of people she thought they were fighting against, all condensed down into a single, resolute point: I am going to leave.
She immediately started planning. She had heard of some deserters, but they were all actively deployed, just never returning from the field and being presumed dead. She, being trapped in the base, would have to make her own way out. The next few days, all her free time was spent mapping out the base, planning the best route out.
On the 7th day of planning, she figured she had as good of an out as any. She went to the armory to requisition a rail rifle, she needed it for a small arms field test she had said. The armorer looked at her skeptically, but she had just enough pull that he let her have it, "Us fixers, we gotta have each others' backs, yeah?" she said. She then went to the mech hangar and got in one, No. 897291, one that she knew the previous pilot had died in the last engagement but hadn't been reassigned yet, and took it out into the field. She received a few questions on her way out, but using her extensive technical jargon, the guards just gave up and gave her the greenlight to do, whatever test it was she needed to do on it.
she took it out to a remote area, a bombed out ruin in the middle of the jungle, and got out. She was really doing this. She entered a building that looked like it had once been an apartment building, and started looking through the rubble for any clothes that might have survived. If she was going to get out of here, she couldn't very well do that dressed in full Escriosian Military uniform. She found some pretty quickly, and changed, before getting back in the mech and walking towards the nearest civilian town. She left the mech tucked away in the jungle a ways out from the town, not wanting to draw undue attention to herself, and walked the rest of the way. There, she clumsily asked about a discrete way to get off the planet, was recommended to a shady pilot who was just passing through, and she was overcharged for a seat on his ship, with no questions asked.

7) Finity's End - The unnamed ship took off, Kate going back into space for the first time in about 8 years, the echoes of her first spaceflight coming back to her, and they took off, blinking out of realspace into the unknown. They drilled back down a system away, in XK 539, and docked at Asteria Station. Kate thanked the pilot, and he just nodded at her as she disembarked. Alone in the station, away from all support she had known, she wandered for a time, taking in the new sights, listening to the mechanical systems that created an artificial place to live amongst the asteroids and stars. She then, however, realized that she needed to find some credits, and fast. She picked a bar at random and went in, the dense, lawless atmosphere a stark contrast to the strict military rigidity she had been immersed in for the past decade. She took a seat at the bar, and ordered a drink. The woman sitting next to her, slightly older than Kate, struck up a conversation, introduced herself as Sydney, and they talked for a while. Kate was nervous, but the woman tactfully kept the conversation away from their pasts, and eventually asked what she was doing here. When Kate responded "Oh, y'know, just drifting." the woman gave her a look over, and offered her a proposal. "If you aren't doing anything in particular, my ship could use an engineer. Our last one met with some complications, and we don't think he'll be coming back. Interested?"
Kate was jumping at the chance, having never expected an opportunity to seemingly just land in her lap like this. She accepted on the spot, and when they had finished their drinks, Sydney led Kate back to her ship, a modestly sized ship with the words "Finity's End" painted on the hull. Kate settled into the berth next to the engine room, the tight quarters almost reminding her of the Diktat barracks she had lived in, but knowing it was in a different place, a different context, she was more at ease than she had been in years. The tech-specialist, Nolan, in charge of managing the crews equipment, instantly clocked that her compad and all her data was Escriosian, and there was almost a fight about it, but after explaining herself (and with some intervention from Sydney as mediator), the crew settled down a bit, and Nolan set about cracking her 'pad, so that the Diktat wouldn't have a direct line to track her with.
She ran jobs with the crew of Finity's End for about a year, mostly trekking freight around the system, fending off pirates, and just barely keeping their noses out of trouble. She grew to rely on her crew just as she relied on them, their informal trust a welcome respite from the duty bound obligation of the Engineering Corps, and she saw her new crew as family.

8) Station Bound - However, nothing lasts forever, and it just so happened that this latest job had a somewhat unusual caveat: the client had stipulated that only 8 crew members would get paid. Certainly odd, and it was almost a deal breaker, but the sum of money was absurdly high, many more zeroes than their usual runs. The crew had an impromptu meeting on the bridge of the Finity's End, and a consensus was reached: one of them would stay behind on Asteria Station, and upon return, the sum total of the payout would be split nine ways. Lots were drawn, and it was decided that Kate would stay behind. The job was relatively simple, seemingly just like any other freight run, a quick week-or-maybe-two gig. The rest of the crew left to meet with the client, and Kate stayed with the ship, checking and double checking the systems to make sure the ship would keep them safe in her absence. When they got back, they threw a small party on the ship, for good luck and good memories. The next morning, with preparations all finalized, the Finity's End kicked on her engines, and Kate disembarked, laden with bittersweet feelings, and watched as the Finity's End took off out of the station and into the night.
One week passed, then two, then a month, with no word of Finity's End or Sydney or any of the rest of the crew to be found. Kate was hitting every bar she knew they frequented, asked patrons and bartenders alike, and yet still none had heard anything. She was starting to get restless, and with the recent developments of a worker's strike, the chances of her getting off the station to find her crew drawing slimmer and slimmer.

1) Kate wants to find Finity's end, and find out why they abandoned her.

2) I would like to see Kate resolve her many feelings regarding her families, both blood and the crew of the Finity's End.

1) Kate is a deserter from the Diktat Engineer Corps. She keeps it close to her chest, and actively tries to avoid talking about her past.

2) Kate's sister, Allison, was the one that sent her the video of the mech, from an encrypted terminal.

3) Finity's End was shot down on their last job, Sydney and her old crew have died. They had fully intended on coming back for Kate, but never made it back.

1) Sam Jones - A young man, in his early 20s, that Kate found on Asteria Station, and has almost talked into coming with her when she finds her way off. He has worked on Asteria for his whole life for the union, but has been getting restless due to the strike, but feels conflicted about crossing the picket line.

2) Captain Sydney - Captain of the Finity's End. A kind, if hard willed, woman that values her crew. Kate still doesn't know why they haven't come back to get her, and while she still holds out hope that they will find her again, the doubt is starting to creep in that they just left her behind.

3) Graham and Megara Meecham - Kate's parents, her dad being handy with a wrench and obsessed with robotics and her mom being more computer savvy. They would be getting older now, and she worries about them from time to time, but she doesn't have a reliable way to get into contact with them.

4) Finn Meecham - Kate's younger brother. A bit of a meathead from what she remembers of him, Finn was always a bit of a straight man to his family's antics, keeping them grounded, keeping them from getting too wrapped up in their projects. Kate hopes her brother has kept himself out of trouble, and out of the army.

5) Allison Meecham - Kate's younger sister. She took after their mom, being more interested in computers than mechanical engineering. She was always getting herself into trouble cracking things she wasn't supposed to, and Kate hopes that that hasn't caught up to her yet.

6) Damian Alken - Kate's direct superior when she was enlisted. A real scumbag of a man, the type to climb the ladder for the sole purpose of being able to get away with anything he wants. He never made any direct moves on Kate, but she could have sworn she caught him checking her out on more than one occasion.

1) Memories - The first time Kate had seen a mech in person, she was all over it. But, the gap between information learning and hands on is always wider than it looks, and when she forgot a step in disconnecting the heat vent system, the gout of superheated air flashed across the left side of her face, severely burning her. The Diktat doctors weren't able to recover her eye, but she was given a prosthetic eye in place of it, and the scar still remains to this day.

2) Mannerisms - Kate often has her hair brushed over the burn on her left eye when she's out and about. She isn't terribly self conscious of it, but she isn't a fan of the stares she gets from it.
3) Mannerisms - Kate chain-smokes, fairly often lighting a new cigarette off the cherry of the last one. She has to consciously, sometimes even out loud, remind herself to not smoke around sensitive, explosive materiel.

4) Quirks - Kate knows, almost off hand, Escriosian Mechanical Safety Commission regulation, and can recognize pretty quickly when there are policies being broken. She has since realized, that knowing code off-hand like that is often a dead giveaway for where she comes from, so she's learned to not immediately point things out.

Family: Kate loves her family back on Escrios, but the distance created by being conscripted and not having seen them for roundabout a decade makes it hard for her to conceptualize them as her family.
Finity's End filled that gap, and she came to see them as her family too. They weren't a replacement, but found family is just as family as blood.

Class: Low. Going AWOL from the Diktat didn't leave her with much money, and Finity's End didn't have regular huge hauls that would provide her with an abundance of credits.

Profession: Mechanic - Specialized in maintaining combat mechs, but has since translated her skills into maintaining starships, spike drives and the like.

Institutions: Former - Escriosian Diktat - One of the main forces at war in this local area of space. She was conscripted at a young age into the Engineer Corps, but later deserted.
Former - Finity's End: The ship she worked on after she fled the Diktat. A smaller vessel, mostly ran salvage jobs.
Current - Independant: No crew to call her own at the moment, she has been stuck on Asteria for a while now. Almost considered joining on with the union, but the thought of rigid structure has kept her from following through with it.

Primary: Technology - Kate loves mechanical projects, but hates seeing them used to oppress and stifle people.

Secondary: Freedom - Nobody should be forced into service or work, for any reason.

Tertiary: Family - The bonds between people are one of the most important things in life, and there's nothing that says family has to be just your relatives.

Short-Term: Get off this station shes been stuck on for too long.

Medium-Term: Put as much distance between herself and the Diktat as possible, and hopefully shake them off for good.
Medium-Term: Reconnect with her family on Soxeardi (or wherever they've ended up), make sure they're doing alright.

Long-Term: Find the means to make her own mech, not to use specifically, but as a way to reclaim her mechanical creativity and passion, to make something for herself and herself alone.

Appearance - Warner is tall and muscled. He sports a goatee. His once amazing hair is now thinning.
Birth - Born on Strocho into am upper-class military family, Warner had an easy life materially speaking. His home life on the other hand was hard. His parents installed a strong sense of discipline in him, and made sure never to spoil him.
Early Life - As a young boy Warner was send of to an elite military prep school.
Military career - His parents had always planned for him to enter the officers academy as a secondary education. Warner however decided he wanted to study medicine. After a huge fight he settled with his parents for a combined officers academy and medicine track. Combining these intensive studies was hard, but Warner struggled through.
Stationed on Antheus - Like many young officers, Warner believed that only quick and decisive military intervention could safe the Valetel League from the Escrosian Diktat before it would be to late. In order to gain experience, Warner was send as an exchange officer to the world of Antheus, a planet were nobles ruled and war was common. It was also the ideal training ground for young officers of the Valetel league.
Fighting the Diktat - On Antheus Warner proved himself a capable soldier and officer.
Dismissal and the Anthean Hornets- Warner was officially recalled after the wars on Antheus ended. Many of the soldiers on Antheus believed they should strike the Escrosians in their retreat. Warner ignored the recall and joined the Anthean Hornets, a rogue force of Anthean and Valetel soldiers set on pursuing the Escrosians. While the organisation had little official support, there was some from noble houses of Antheus. Valetel League military supplies did however had a way of showing up in the hands of the Hornets. The Hornets did not last long. After a few years of brutal guerrilla war, most of the Valetel and Anthean soldiers had returned to their home planets, hoping for amnesty in return for their continued service and experience, which was needed now more than ever. Some others had broken off, in hopes of growing rich by selling their old military hardware on the black market. Warner, not wanting to go home and beg for forgiveness for doing what is right, is now on a personal mission on Idarete to find smugglers who helped supply the Hornets and assist them in their common struggle against the Diktat.

1) Find Moro on Asteria
2) Get off this planet to re-join the fight against the Diktat.

1) Warner doesn't know his mother has been actively keeping tabs on him and supporting him after the Bronze Rebellion.
2) Warner is broke. He doesn't want others to know, as he hates the idea of not being seen as an exemplar officer.

Colonel 'Titanium' Kato Prime-Snider

Warner's mother. Stern and strict. Kato enjoyed a rapid rise though the ranks after finishing the military academy. While some have claimed nepotism was at hand, Kato has proven herself more than capable in any role she has held. She has also demoted many of her former peers who claimed her name was what earned her her rank. Always commander first and mother second, she has no warm bond with her only child. She is proud of what he has achieved, and keeps a holo-picture of Warner's graduation from the military academy on her desk. Kato is behind a secret effort of some Valetel military officers to funnel old equipment used in the Bronze Rebellion to the Hornets and other anti Escrosian Diktat groups.

Major 'Headmost' Johan Prime

Stern and strict like, just like his wife. Major Johan is famous as a vanguard commander, choosing to lead his troops by example and accepting no weakness. In the bronze rebellion he served as one of the highest Valetel officers on the ground. Warner served under his command throughout the war. Johan has a reputation for ruthless advances and achieving results at all cost. He is one of the most famous Valetel soldiers on Antheus for that reason. Johan is a bear of a man, and his body has long been augmented by cybernetic replacement parts. Rumour has it that these 'upgrades' have given him the ability to rip his foes apart with his bare hands. Johan is proud of his son although it rarely shows. He keeps a picture of a preteen Warner and himself shooting targets in his combat helmet. Johan was unaware of his wife's plot to support his son's ragtag group of freedom fighters.

Moro Quant

Moro was a close companion of Warner on Antheus. Born into a Anthean noble house, though far removed from the main line, Moro was raised to become an officer to support his family in war. During the Bronze Rebellion, Moro grew close with Warner as he was assigned to learn from Warner and his Valetel education. After the war, Moro fought with the Hornets. When the Hornets fell apart, Moro chose to seek wealth and fortune for himself rather than return home. Moro is rumoured to work for a smuggler operating from the Asteria station.

1) Growing up in relatively peaceful times, Warner spend a lot of time on vacation with his parents. He has fond memories of the hunting trips his parents took him on.

2) Warner prefers his living spaces to be immaculately clean. Combining sterility of hospitals with military precision and discipline. As an officer he used to spend a good chunk of his stipend on extra cleaning agents.

3) Warner places great value in having a bottle of hard liquor on his person at all times. Disinfectant, melee weapon, fire bomb or liquid courage, alcohol does it all.

4) Warner carries a small collection of knifes around, most of them war trophies from Antheus. Warner can tell where and how he acquired each of them.

Family: The Prime family and Snider family are both military families. Most of Warner's family is currently enlisted or has served.

Class: As a child of two high ranking officers from a family with rich military history, Warner was not without means. While the Prime family was not super wealthy they did enjoy many privileges associated with the upper echelons of society.

Profession: Army Medic: Warner is an army medic with an officer rank. He has held command of a platoon. His platoon was specialised in search and rescue behind enemy lines.

Institutions: Army: Warner was an officer in the Valetel army. He served as an exchange officer in the Anthean Bronze Rebellion. If he had returned when recalled, he'd be up for promotion and a whole bunch of medals.

Primary: Warner wants to put his skills to use in the fight against the Escriocian Diktat.

Secondary: Warner wants vengeance for the good soldiers he lost on Antheus and for the Hornets he lost after.

Tertiary: Warner has a need to prove himself to his parents through both his service and medical skills.

Short-Term: Get off the space station and rejoin the fight against the Escrosian Diktat

Medium-Term: Halt the Escriocian Diktat Invasion and drive them away from the conquered systems.

Long-Term: Return home, reconcile with the army and family. Warner hopes to make such an impact that his eventual return to his rightful station is undeniable.

+1000 credits from Mover

Feature: Description
Healer Foci: Healer
Healing comes naturally to you, and you’re particularly gifted at preventing the quick bleed-out of wounded
allies and comrades.
Level 1: Gain Heal as a bonus skill. You may attempt to stabilize one mortally-wounded adjacent person per round as an On Turn action. When rolling Heal skill checks, roll 3d6 and drop the lowest die.
Level 2: Stims or other technological healing devices applied by you heal twice as many hit points as normal. Using only basic medical supplies, you can heal 1d6+Heal skill hit points of damage to every injured or wounded person in your group with ten minutes of first aid spread among them. Such healing can be applied to a given target only once per day
Close Combatant Foci: You’ve had all too much practice at close-in fighting and desperate struggles with pistol or blade. You’re extremely skilled at avoiding injury in melee combat, and at level 2 you can dodge through a melee scrum without
fear of being knifed in passing.
Level 1: Gain any combat skill as a bonus skill.
You can use pistol-sized ranged weapons in melee without suffering penalties for the proximity of melee attackers.
You ignore Shock damage from melee assailants, even if you’re unarmored at the time.
Level 2: The Shock damage from your melee attacks treats all targets as if they were AC 10.
The Fighting Withdrawal combat action is treated as an On Turn action for you and can be performed freely.

Kaze's childhood unfolded amidst the vast deserts of Antheus, a harsh and unforgiving world where life was a constant struggle against the elements. Born into a family of skilled craftsmen in one of the few temperate cities near the planet's poles, Kaze's early years were marked by the relentless heat of the sun and the endless expanse of sand stretching to the horizon.

However, the tranquility of their upbringing was shattered when Antheus became embroiled in the tumultuous events of the Bronze Rebellion. In 3188, several noble houses of Antheus rose up against the more powerful factions, sparking a conflict that would engulf the planet in chaos. The Valetel League, seeking to maintain order in the sector, provided aid to the opposing factions in an effort to counter the Escriosian Diktat's influence.

Caught in the crossfire of the conflict, Kaze's family found themselves torn between loyalties, their livelihood threatened by the ever-encroaching specter of war. Forced to take up arms to defend their home, Kaze joined the ranks of the resistance, determined to protect their loved ones and fight for a better future.

As the conflict raged on, Kaze distinguished themselves on the battlefield, their skill with heavy weaponry earning them a reputation as a formidable warrior. But as the war dragged on and the casualties mounted, Kaze began to question the true cost of their allegiance. Witnessing the devastation wrought by the conflict, Kaze's sense of duty collided with a growing sense of disillusionment, leaving them torn between loyalty to their comrades and a desire for peace.

During the chaos of the Bronze Rebellion, Kaze's path crossed with the mercenary company known as the Iron Wolves, who had been contracted by House Veridian, a once-prominent noble house seeking to reclaim its former glory. Recognizing Kaze's skills as a heavy gunner, the Iron Wolves welcomed them into their ranks, and together, they fought alongside House Veridian's forces to challenge the dominance of the ruling factions.

When the dust finally settled and Antheus emerged from the crucible of war, Kaze found themselves adrift in a world irrevocably changed by the conflict. With their homeworld still reeling from the aftermath of the rebellion and the resurgence of the Escriosian Diktat, Kaze faced a choice: remain on Antheus and rebuild their shattered home or seek a new path among the stars as a mercenary.

Faced with the prospect of uncertainty and turmoil on Antheus, Kaze chose the latter, setting out into the cosmos once more in search of adventure and purpose. Rejoining the Iron Wolves, Kaze embarked on a journey that would take them to the farthest reaches of the realm and beyond, forging their legend as the "Gunpowder Titan" along the way. Yet, even as they embraced their new identity, Kaze could never escape the ghosts of their past, haunted by the memories of the war that had shaped them into the warrior they had become.

Now, as the Escriosian Diktat regains its strength and the Valetel League prepares for another conflict, Kaze finds themselves once again drawn into the swirling currents of interstellar politics. With their skills as a heavy gunner and their unwavering resolve, Kaze stands ready to face whatever challenges lie ahead in the ever-shifting sands of the galaxy.

Personal Goal- Seek Redemption: Kaze carries a burden of guilt for their actions during the war, and their goal is to seek redemption for their past mistakes. They strive to make amends for the lives lost and the suffering caused by their actions, working to bring about positive change in the galaxy and atone for their sins.

Redemption: Haunted by the memories of the war and the devastation it wrought on their homeworld, Kaze seeks redemption for their role in the conflict. They strive to use their skills as a heavy gunner to protect the innocent and make amends for the destruction they helped unleash.

Honor: Kaze values honor and integrity above all else. They aspire to uphold a strict code of conduct on and off the battlefield, earning the respect of their comrades and adversaries alike through their actions.

Mastery: Kaze is driven by a desire for mastery over their craft. They constantly seek to improve their skills as a heavy gunner, pushing themselves to new limits and mastering new techniques and weaponry.

Freedom: As a mercenary, Kaze cherishes their freedom above all else. They seek to carve out their own path in the cosmos, free from the constraints of allegiance and obligation, and to live life on their own terms.

Justice: Kaze has a strong sense of justice and seeks to right the wrongs of the galaxy. They are willing to stand up to tyranny and oppression wherever they find it, using their skills to protect the weak and bring about a more just and equitable society.

Legacy: Kaze desires to leave behind a lasting legacy, one that will be remembered long after they are gone. Whether through heroic deeds on the battlefield or acts of compassion and kindness off it, they strive to leave the galaxy a better place than they found it.
Exploration: Kaze is fascinated by the unknown and yearns to explore the farthest reaches of the cosmos. They seek out new worlds, cultures, and experiences, eager to satisfy their wanderlust and uncover the secrets of the universe.

1) Kaze has vivid recurring nightmares of the events of the Bronze Rebellion, reliving the horrors of war and the choices they were forced to make on the battlefield. He suffer's in silence, unable to confide in anyone about the haunting visions that plague his sleep, fearing that His comrades would see them as weak or unstable.

2) During his time as a mercenary, Kaze developed a forbidden romance with a fellow soldier from a rival faction. Their relationship was kept secret for fear of reprisal from their respective comrades, but the memory of their forbidden love still lingers in Kaze's heart, a bittersweet reminder of the fleeting moments of happiness amidst the chaos of war.

3)Sacrifice: In a final act of selflessness, Kaze's lost lover made the ultimate sacrifice to ensure Kaze's survival, willingly sacrificing their own life to save them from a deadly threat. Their noble sacrifice remains unknown to Kaze, who continues to mourn their loss without realizing the true extent of their lover's sacrifice.

Memories

The image of Kaze's family's workshop, filled with the scent of metal and the rhythmic clang of hammers on anvils, a symbol of the bonds of kinship and the value of hard work.

The haunting faces of those lost in the war, their names etched into Kaze's memory as a solemn reminder of the cost of conflict.

The feeling of sand beneath their feet as they wandered the streets of their hometown, a sense of longing for the simplicity of life before the conflict.


Mannerisms

When lost in thought, Kaze can often be found staring into the distance, their eyes scanning the horizon as if searching for answers among the stars.

Despite their stoic exterior, Kaze occasionally reveals flashes of humor or warmth, offering a rare smile or a wry quip to those they trust.

In moments of stress or tension, Kaze tends to clench their jaw or flex their fingers, a subtle indication of their inner turmoil and the weight of their past experiences.


Quirks 

Kaze has a fondness for collecting mementos from their travels, whether it be souvenirs from distant worlds or keepsakes salvaged from the battlefield.

Despite their proficiency with heavy weaponry, Kaze has a soft spot for small, delicate objects, often spending hours tinkering with intricate gadgets or studying the delicate craftsmanship of ancient artifacts.

Kaze is known for their insatiable curiosity, always eager to learn new skills or uncover hidden knowledge, no matter how obscure or esoteric.

In combat, Kaze has a tendency to hum a tune or recite a mantra under their breath, a calming ritual that helps them focus their mind and channel their concentration.

Despite their disciplined demeanor, Kaze harbors a secret love of spicy food, often seeking out the hottest dishes they can find to test their tolerance for heat.

Family: Kaze was born into a family of skilled craftsmen on the desert world of Antheus. Their parents, Hiro and Aria, were renowned for their expertise in metalworking and engineering, running a small but successful workshop in one of the temperate cities near the planet's poles. Despite the harsh conditions of their homeworld Antheus, Kaze's family instilled in them a strong sense of resilience and determination, teaching them the value of hard work and perseverance.

Class/Profession: From a young age, Kaze showed a natural aptitude for mechanical engineering and weaponry, eagerly assisting their parents in the family workshop and soaking up knowledge like a sponge. As they grew older, Kaze honed their skills as a heavy gunner, mastering the art of wielding cannons, machine guns, and other devastating weaponry with unparalleled precision. Their expertise in heavy weaponry soon caught the attention of mercenary companies operating in the sector, leading to lucrative contracts and opportunities for adventure among the stars.

Institutions:During the Bronze Rebellion, Kaze's family found themselves caught in the crossfire of the conflict, their livelihood threatened by the chaos and upheaval sweeping across Antheus. In a bid to protect their home and loved ones, Kaze joined the ranks of the resistance, fighting alongside House Veridian's forces against the dominant factions. It was during this time that Kaze's path crossed with the Iron Wolves, a renowned mercenary company contracted by House Veridian to bolster their forces on the battlefield. Impressed by Kaze's skill and determination, the Iron Wolves welcomed them into their ranks, offering Kaze a new sense of purpose and belonging amidst the turmoil of war.

As the conflict raged on and Antheus emerged from the crucible of war, Kaze faced a choice: remain on their homeworld and rebuild what was lost or seek a new path among the stars as a mercenary. Faced with the uncertainty of the future and the allure of adventure beyond the confines of their homeworld, Kaze chose the latter, setting out into the cosmos once more in search of redemption, honor, and freedom.

Primary: Redemption Kaze is driven by a deep-seated desire for redemption, haunted by the memories of their actions during the Bronze Rebellion. They seek to atone for their role in the conflict and the devastation it wrought on their homeworld, determined to make amends for the lives lost and the suffering endured. Through their deeds as a mercenary, Kaze strives to protect the innocent, right the wrongs of the past, and pave the way for a brighter future.

Secondary Drive: Mastery Kaze is driven by a relentless pursuit of mastery over their craft as a heavy gunner. They constantly seek to improve their skills, pushing themselves to new limits and mastering new techniques and weaponry. Whether on the battlefield or in the workshop, Kaze dedicates themselves to honing their abilities, driven by a burning desire to be the best at what they do and to surpass all challenges that stand in their way.

Tertiary Drive: Freedom Kaze cherishes their freedom above all else. They value the autonomy and independence that comes with life among the stars, free from the constraints of allegiance and obligation. Kaze's thirst for freedom drives them to seek out new adventures, explore distant worlds, and chart their own course through the cosmos, unfettered by the chains of the past or the expectations of others.

Short-Term: Improve combat proficiency: Kaze seeks to further hone their skills as a heavy gunner, focusing on refining their accuracy, speed, and tactical prowess on the battlefield.

Earn the respect of their peers: Kaze strives to earn the respect and admiration of their fellow mercenaries within the Iron Wolves, proving themselves as a reliable and capable ally in combat.

Explore new worlds: Kaze harbors a thirst for adventure and discovery, eager to explore new worlds and uncover hidden treasures among the stars.

Medium-Term: Build a reputation: Kaze aims to build a reputation as a skilled and trustworthy mercenary, earning recognition and respect from clients and employers across the sector.

Form alliances: Kaze seeks to forge alliances and partnerships with other mercenary companies and factions, expanding their network and enhancing their influence in the sector.

Acquire advanced weaponry: Kaze plans to acquire advanced weaponry and equipment to further augment their combat capabilities, investing in cutting-edge technology to gain an edge on the battlefield.

Long-Term: Seek redemption: Kaze's ultimate goal is to find redemption for their past sins, using their skills and resources to make a positive impact on the galaxy and atone for the mistakes of their youth.

Explore the unknown: Kaze's thirst for adventure knows no bounds, and they aspire to explore the farthest reaches of the cosmos, charting uncharted territories and uncovering the mysteries of the universe.

1) Hiro and Aria: Kaze's parents, skilled craftsmen who ran a small workshop on Antheus. They instilled in Kaze a strong work ethic and a passion for mechanical engineering and weaponry.

2) Captain Ryn: The leader of the Iron Wolves, the mercenary company that Kaze is a part of. Captain Ryn took Kaze under their wing and trained them in the ways of combat, recognizing their potential as a skilled heavy gunner.

3) Riza: A fellow mercenary within the Iron Wolves and Kaze's closest friend and confidant. Riza shares Kaze's thirst for adventure and serves as their loyal companion on their journey through the stars.

4) Elian: A former comrade from the Bronze Rebellion, now a member of a rival mercenary company. Elian and Kaze have a complicated history, marked by shared experiences on the battlefield and conflicting loyalties.

Feature: Gunslinger
Armsman focuses at the same time as Gunslinger.

Level 1: Gain Shoot as a bonus skill. You can draw or
holster a Stowed ranged weapon as an On Turn
action. You may add your Shoot skill level to a
ranged weapon’s damage roll.

Level 2: Once per round, you can reload a ranged weapon-
on as an On Turn action if it takes no more than

one round to reload. Even on a miss with a Shoot
attack, you do an unmodified 1d4 damage.

Alert

You are keenly aware of your surroundings and virtual-
ly impossible to take unaware. You have an automaticalacrity of response that helps you act before less wary
persons can think to move.

Level 1: Gain Notice as a bonus skill. You cannot be
surprised, nor can others use the Execution Attack
option on you. When you roll initiative, roll twice
and get the best result.