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Personafile: Non-player Characters

"In the course of Traveller adventures, players and referees alike find a need for additional characters, for use as patron encounters, as potential hirelings, to fill special needs or simply as ordinary encounters."
Supplement 1: 1001 Characters


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Personafiles

Commonwealth veteran | Aztlán admiral | Nyanzan sailor | Ouroran flyer | Meren scout | Nyanzan merchant | Aeroi rogue | Kiangsi pirate | Rajasthani belter | Commonwealth diplomat | Theridian medico | Dolphin barbarian | Quebecer bureaucrat | Hejaz noble | Shinnihon scientist | Aztlán hunter | Nyanzan law enforcer | Ouroran bounty hunter | Aeroi journalist | Meren secret agent | Abrahamic psionicist | Emancipated robot


Karolina Faizan (Commonwealth army veteran)
(B01, pp. 5-23; MT1, pp. 12, 20-21, 26)

Image - Commonwealth mercenary

Karolina Faizan
(illustration, detail, by blogeventro (AI)[*])

Karolina Faizan is a former grav tank commander in the Commonwealth Army.  Other than a couple of short tours in Sirius District, Faizan served her entire military career in Pollux District. Her grandfather was an officer in the Commonwealth Army who was killed in the Jardin Incident and Faizan has resented the Aztlán presence in Pollux her entire life.  Faizan has six adult children on Prometheus but is estanged from her former spouse.

Faizan currently serves as troop commander aboard the mercenary cruiser Abdülaziz.  The Abdülaziz tends to take Commonwealth tickets in Pollux, Procyon and Jagannath Districts.  On the other hand, Abdülaziz tends to take independent tickets in Sirius, Siddhārtha, Fomalhaut and Vega Districts.  Abdülaziz has been prohibited from operating in Gaea District by the Abrahamic Synod after alleged war crimes on Nandi (Gaea 2011.16) while Abdülaziz was engaged in a failed ticket there.


Almirante Duque Don Ignacio Rueda, Gobernador Imperial de Pólux
(Adapted from Melbourne Times #5)

Image - Ignacio Rueda

Don Ignacio Rueda
(illustration served by Nagy Norbert[*])

Ignacio Rueda is a Human male of above-average height.  He is powerfully built for a man well beyond middle age.  His sharp features, dark complexion and close-cropped black hair make him distinctly Aztlán.  Rueda carriers himself with an air of calm authority.

Rueda always appears in public in his naval uniform including tunic reflecting his membership in the Adamant Order.  In private, he avoids the ostentatious attire favored by many Aztlán nobles in favor of more comfortable, and functional, slacks, tunic and cloak.

While still in excellent shape Rueda is beyond the age of strenuous physical activity.  His keen intelligence has been alloyed in recent years with wisdom and consideration.  He enjoys much status in Aztlán society as a senior military commander, Imperial noble, and knight of the realm.

Rueda lives and breathes military strategy and military history.  He enjoys interactive strategy games and is an avid solar sailor.  He has all the social graces required of an Imperial noble but prefers to spend his time with his family and closest friends when possible.  He has become especially fond of his seven grandchildren in recent years.

Rueda is deeply loyal to the Empire and the people it represents.  He has the stability of personality of a hardened military commander and enjoys enormous respect as a leader both within the military and within the nobility.  He holds the Empress and the Imperial War Staff in deep regard as representatives of the Aztlán people.  His confidence in his own culture allows him to tolerate widely disparate views, although he is little swayed by these opposing viewpoints.

Rueda was born January 21st, 2925, in the ducal household at Rio Diego on Aztlán.  The ducal estate remains his official residence but he has not actually lived there on an extended basis in nearly six years.

Rueda's parents, the former Duchess and her consort, are deceased.  He has two younger sisters.  His eldest sister, Yolanda, is chamberlain of the ducal household and has spent her entire life managing the estate.  His youngest sister, Gloria, is a professor at the University of Aztlán.

Rueda met his wife, Marianna, while he was a cadet at the Aztlán Naval Academy.  They have three children.  His daughter and heir, Delia, is a Colonel in the Imperial Army.  She has three children.  His elder son, Tomas, is a musician at the Imperial Court, and his younger son, Carlos, is an officer in the diplomatic corps.  They each have two children.

The Duke has many friends among the nobility and the admiralty.  His closest friend though is Captain Michaela Esteban, his long-time chief of staff.  She has been his closest aide and advisor for nearly twenty years.  Rueda is also very close to his sister Gloria and has several close friends among the faculty at the University of Aztlán.

Rueda has made few enemies during his career although of late he has often opposed many of the more belligerent members of the nobility and the war staff.  His recent position as a visiting lecturer at the Commonwealth Naval Command College angered many of his detractors.

Service History: The Duke is a graduate of the Naval Academy and has had a long and distinguished career in the Imperial Navy.  His first assignment out of the academy was to the Admiralty staff where he was intimately involved in the direction of the Santa Fe War.  After the war he was given command of a patrol picket in Draconis District.

Rueda attended Imperial Naval Command College in his second term and was subsequently assigned once again to the Admiralty staff, where he was involved in negotiations with the Commonwealth on confidence-building measures in Pollux and Sirius districts.

His third term began with an assignment as military attaché to the Aztlán Embassy at Earth.  During this assignment he developed many important contacts with members of the Commonwealth military.

Rueda was promoted to captain in his fourth term and given command of the battleship Coronado.  During the 3rd Crucis War, Rueda was knighted by the Empress for his actions in command of the Coronado at the Battle of Nuevo Placentia.

Rueda attended the Imperial Naval Staff College in his fifth term and was again assigned to the Admiralty staff upon graduation.

Promoted to Commodore in his sixth term, Rueda was placed in command of the 37th Patrol Flotilla in Muntu District.  Rueda commanded the 37th flotilla throughout the Muntu War and was subsequently promoted to the Admiralty.

Early in his seventh term, Rueda's mother died and he returned to Aztlán to be installed as Duke.  He received an appointment as a visiting lecturer at the University of Aztlán.

The new duke was again promoted and assigned for his ninth term as chief of staff for the elite 1st Imperial Armada in Procyon District.

Rueda was promoted to full Admiral in his tenth term and placed in command of the 9th Imperial Armada in Pollux District.

Recent Activities: Upon completion of his tenth term, Rueda received a temporary leave of absence to accept a position as a visiting lecturer at the Commonwealth Naval Command College on Earth.  He was the highest ranking Aztlán officer to participate in the military exchange program that had been negotiated by the Empress herself.

Rueda spent a year on Earth lecturing and renewing old contacts from his days as attaché in the Aztlán Embassy.  The program though was not well received by the Commonwealth which believed its officers at the University of Aztlán were denied access to any activities of substance.  The program was cancelled after the first year.

Rueda was highly praised for his role by the Empress.  She demonstrated her regard for the duke by assigning him as military governor of Pollux District with overall command of the 7th and 9th Imperial Armadas and the 8th, 14th and 15th Imperial Legions

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Tavan Ganix (Meren explorer — and political monitor)

Image - Tavan Ganix by Mitchell Mohrhauser

Meren explorer Tavan Ganix
(Illustration, detail, by Mitchell Mohrhauser[*])

Tavan is a Human female, somewhat shorter than the typical woman in the Colonies Sphere, with a muscular frame.  Her features are atypical of the Humans of the Colonies Sphere, suggesting no original Terran ethnic origins (a result typical of descendants of the original breeding program for Human Meren).  Her straight, black hair is cut at the regulation shoulder-length of the Meren exploration service.  Tavan appears to be not quite middle-aged but is actually a bit older than she looks.

Tavan is often dressed in the standard, close-fitting, lightly-armored environmental suit of the Meren Exploration Service.  She offsets the colorlessness of the suit with a cape — and a matching visored-cap, when not wearing the standard soft-helment — chosen to match the natural environment in which she's working.  On those rare occasions when she's not working, Tavan will dress in similarly-close-fitting fabrics in soft brown and green hues.

Of average speed and agility, Tavan is surprisingly strong for someone her size, reflecting her strict strength-building exercise regimen.  Tavan is especially intelligent — partly why she was selected for her monitor role — and particularly committed to the Meren cause.  She is wary of Humans from beyond the Meren sphere.

Tavan is a workaholic, and especially so given that she's often playing dual roles: both her "cover" as an explorer and her secret role as a political monitor.  While she projects an air of gregariousness, she's actuallly an introvert and values her time to herself — though she rarely grants herself that luxury.  She's learned to play games-of-chance and welcomes the opportunity to be taught new ones by others.  She's found this to be a particularly effective way of developing intimacy with her colleagues.

Tavan is especially devoted to the Meren cause and particularly the Human breeding program.  She considers herself fortunate to have been selected for her political monitor role and believes she is serving an important purpose which helps the Human Meren to stay committed to Meren society.  She shares the condenscension most Meren hold for the Humans of the Colonies Sphere.  She has few friends but is respected by her colleagues, both her fellow explorers and those who know she is a political monitor, for her competence and hard work.&bnsp; She's respects authority both of the operational hirearchy and of the primacy of political apparatus in which she serves.  She has little tolerance for those who question the order of Meren society, though she's learned to lend a sympathetic ear as a means of gaining the confidence of those who would benefit from some better political direction.

Tavan was born March 23rd, 2956, at Seahaven on the Meren Human "homeworld," Creche.  She is formally credentialed in the Meren Exploration Service but can also produce documents identifying her as a Meren political monitor.  She has no established residence, instead travelling as the demands of the Exploration Service dictate.

Tavan's father is a history professor on Creche and her mother served as a municipal administrator.  As is typical for Human Meren, she has only perfunctory relationships with her two half-brothers and her half-sister.  Tavan has sought and been granted a breeding waiver and therefore has no children.  She has had several brief romantic relationships with both men and women, largely colleagues in the Exploration Service, but these have mostly been intended to contribute to her cover as an explorer.

Her closest friend is a Meren, Axelmane Flirean, her former mentor during her training to be a political monitor.  When on leave away from her Exploration Service colleagues, she will often visit, Monthrid Laremt, another Human political monitor whom she met during her training.  Oftentimes, she will travel with her current Exploration Service colleagues during leave.

Tavan has few enemies, as being gregarious and socialable is a key professional talent for her.  (Her efforts have resulted in many people being sent for resocialization over the years but her undercover position has meant they she has seldom been understood to be involved in these outcomes.)  She's made no enemies in the Exploration Service because she tends to avoid conflicts when they arise (relying upon her connections to the political apparatus to address genuine grievances).

Service History:

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Adlaine Olowua
(Adapted from Melbourne Times #2)

Image - Adlaine Olowua and Archimedia

Adlaine Olowua and her ship's engineer, the emancipated robot Archimedia
(Illustration by Duncan Long)

Adlaine Olowua is a Nyanzan merchant trader.

She is a Human female of medium height.  Her features reflect a strong African-branch influence and are considered attractive by most Humans.  She keeps her black hair close-cropped.  Her athletic build is somewhat unusual for one approaching late middle-age but not surprisingly so.

Adlaine usually dresses in close-fitting clothes — she claims they are merely functional but is acutely aware of their ability to highlight  her figure.

Of average strength and endurance, Adlaine is surprisingly agile.  She is bright and has a great deal of experience from which to draw.  Her position as a retired merchant captain has offset the negative social affect of being a free trader.

Adlaine's interests tend to be simple: good food, good drink, good company.  She enjoys a good story and appreciates good piloting.  She has little tolerance for authority.  She enjoys playing grav-ball and the rhythm lute.  She is quiet, but sociable.

Adlaine's allegiance lies with a small group of people: her ship mates, her family and a few close friends.  She is generally devoted to these people and will make major efforts to support them.  She withstands trauma well and is very cool under fire.  She is a respected leader and can lead large groups with success although she has not yet taken advantage of this ability.  Her own respect for authority is minimal — a reaction to the restrictive conditions on her native Nyanza.  Likewise, Adlaine is very tolerant of other viewpoints and lifestyles.

Born June 21st, 2948, at New Lagos on Nyanza, Adlaine's travel documents still show Nyanza as her home.  She has not had a permanent home for many years but uses her mother's address.

Adlaine's father died shortly after she was born.  Her mother, Lilly Olowua, remarried when Adlaine was in her teens.  She has a younger half-brother.  She herself has been involved with several men but has never been married and has no children.

Adlaine's friends tend to be ship mates.  Her ship's navigator, the Dolphin Bolivar Sprayswallower, is a veteran of the Nyanzan Navy, and has served with her for five years.  Duncan Ishige, her ship's steward, is the son of a friend from her days at the Academy.  The robot Archimedia, the ship's engineer, was purchased by Adlaine over four years ago but has since been emancipated.  Adlaine first met her closest friend, Refuin iks-Louan, over twenty years ago.  She has always had the utmost respect for the Aeroi's mercantile skills and asked him to join her crew when she became a free trader.

Adlaine has made more than a few enemies, especially among customs officials in the Ouroran Community.  She has always somehow managed to stay above the letter of the law, if not the spirit, and thus has avoided any serious trouble so far.

Image - Bolivar Sprayswallower, Adlaine Olowua and Refuin iks-Louan

Ship's navigator Bolivar Sprayswallower, Adlaine Olowua and supercargo Refuin iks-Louan on the bridge of the Rampart Parabola
(illustration by Matt Matteo)

Service History: Adlaine attended the Victoria Lines Merchant Academy on Nyanza, receiving her Merchant's Certificate with Honors in 2970.  In addition to extensive flight training she studied Victoria Lines' administrative procedures.  Upon graduation she chose service in the Deck Department and was commissioned as a Fourth Officer.

During her first term Adlaine spent much time dirtside, including a stint at Victoria Lines Deck Department School.  In addition to the computer and gunnery skills she learned at the School she did a lot of brawling and carousing in startown establishments.

Adlaine successfully completed the promotion exam to Third Officer in her second term.  Many of her assignments were route service in frontier regions where she spent much of her time performing EVA during orbital operations.

Adlaine's third term was spent at a variety of dirtside posts.  She spent some time as a vehicle driver and was involved in more than a few fire fights with smugglers.  She also managed to complete the promotion exam to Second Officer.

Adlaine completed the promotion exam to First Officer early in her fourth term and was subsequently assigned to Command School.  She was taught standard merchant legal practices and had an opportunity to learn Victoria Lines ship tactics.  In her off-hours, she continued to spend her time in the less reputable areas of startown.  After Command School she was assigned as a pilot.

Command School had been a good move — Adlaine made Captain in her fifth term.  Now the one responsible for the trade mission, she proved to be a capable leader.  She also learned some of the more "underhanded" aspects of merchant operations.

Adlaine continued to prosper in her sixth term and grew comfortable with the unpredictable nature of merchant operations.  She also became familiar with the economic aspects of the business.

Ultimately, Adlaine began to chafe under the strictures of the Lines and decided to muster out in 2994.  In addition to financial and material benefits she received possession of her Far Trader Rampart Parabola.  She began the life of a free trader.

Recent Activities: Adlaine has been plying the space lanes as a free trader for over six years.  She has managed to maintain a fair profit margin but not without resorting to more than a few illegal activities.  While she does not consider herself to be smuggler — she calls it profiteering — many customs officials would disagree.

As Nyanzan free traders go, Adlaine is something of a shining star.  She has never resorted to outright piracy and would not do so given the opportunity.  She considers avoiding duties and regulations to be a matter of course.  Taking from others is another matter entirely.

The Rampart Parabola has encountered more than a few pirates itself over the last few years.  Adlaine has been ruthless in these encounters and has so far avoided any major losses.  In fact, she and her crew have developed something of a reputation among the pirates of Nyanzan space.

Adlaine is well known for her honest dealings (with brokers and traders) and is often highly sought after by those who have a cargo that they want shipped while avoiding any "official" entanglements.

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Scheherezade Wavecatcher
(Adapted from Melbourne Times #1)

Image - Scheherezade Wavecatcher

Scheherezade Wavecatcher in personal environment suit with integral waldos and grav belt
(illustration by Matt Matteo)

Scheherezade Wavecatcher is a freelance diplomat from Earth.

She is an attractive, early middle-aged Dolphin female.  She is somewhat small for a female Dolphin and her soft build reveals her non-athletic nature.

In atmosphere, Scheherezade is always dressed in a stylish e-suit with integral waldos, voder and contragravity.  In hydrosphere, she is typically unclothed.  Scheherezade usually scorns the use of translation devices, relying instead upon here own linguistics skills.  Just in case though, her voder is equipped with a full translator for use in emergencies.  She often carries a computer-recorder and comm-link.

Scheherezade speaks native Delphinese and understands most major Human languages as well as Meren and several Aeroi dialects.  She can speak all these languages with the use of her voder.  Her words tend to come quickly when she is excited or angry, but she has learned to control this in professional situations.  A natural diplomat, Scheherezade is gregarious and a facilitator of conversations.

Scheherezade has mastered the social skills required of a diplomat, but several of her assignments in less sophisticated areas of society have led to her comfort among them as well.  She is also quite able to persuade others of her point of view.  She is an innovator and highly adept at adjusting to new situations.  She is often looked to as a leader.  Her own respect for authority is generally tolerant.  

Scheherezade has few interests outside her work.  Fortunately, the work of a freelance diplomat requires a broad range of interests.  Scheherezade has extensive contact throughout the diplomatic community, especially in economic and criminal law fields.

Scheherezade's birth-mother, Antigone Huntleader, is deceased.  Her care-mother, Salome Strifefighter, was killed in combat during the Vegan War.  Scheherezade has two co-mothers, Hippolyta Laughbringer and JanisJoplin Coralbreaker, with whom she is very close.  She is similarly close to her younger brother, SunYatSen Caregiver.  She has a single birth-daughter, KuanYin Colorseeker, who has not spoken to her in years.  She is closer to her two care-sons, Biko Loresinger and Mohandas Kelpsteeler.  Recently, she has become involved romantically with Ulfilas Yellowknell, a writer of some renown.

She has made professional enemies of Pelham O'Boyle, a Commonwealth army officer who was court-martialed as a result of her investigations early in her career, and of Akbar Aubademaker, an instructor at the Universidad de Lima who attempted unsuccessfully to take credit for her research.  She counts Jacqueline deVlaminck, a pirate encountered while negotiating the Nyanza Anti-piracy Protocol, and Dean Quadros, a belter she met during her work on the VanMaanen Mining Accords, among her professional friends.

Service History: Scheherezade is a graduate of the Southeast Atlantic Path of Singing where she became an Acolyte Singer in diplomacy in 2978.  During her time on the path she met her second co-mother, JanisJoplin Coralbreaker, and her two care-sons were born.

Scheherezade began her career in the Commonwealth Diplomatic Corps as a staff member on a special commission set-up to investigate military atrocities during the Siddhartha War.

As a result of her exemplary service on the commission staff, Scheherezade was granted a leave of absence to attend the Universidad de Lima.  She received her Master of Arts degree in diplomatic affairs in 2984 and returned to her position as Third Secretary in the Diplomatic Corps.

Scheherezade's second term was uneventful, except for a year spent on research fellowship at the Ambassadors' College.

During her third term, Scheherezade served on the staff of the Nyanzan-Commonwealth commission set up to explore joint anti-piracy measures.

Scheherezade was appointed to Second Secretary in her fourth term shortly after she returned from a special assignment as a visiting lecturer at her alma mater, the South Atlantic Path of Singing.

After participating in the Jagannath District Customs Accords negotiations, Scheherezade was promoted to First Secretary.  At the end of the term, Scheherezade retired from the Corps — a move that surprised few of her friends.

Recent Activities: Somewhat typically of Dolphins, Scheherezade is an idealist.  She has gone freelance to pursue her belief in greater harmony among all peoples, a position that was not always fostered in the Commonwealth diplomatic corps.  Her continued association with Hsun Li, her former superior in the Corps, has lead to several challenging assignments for a wide variety of clients.  She served as a trade negotiator for Aeroi interests in Ourora district in the aftermath of the Markets War.  Most recently, she participated in the diplomatic mission of the Joint Observer Contingent sent to Sparta/Lorelei following the toppling of the local government by allied Colonial State forces.

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Lavrador Dreamhunter (Ouroran barbarian)
(S04, pp. 5-15; MT1, pp. 12, 24-25, 26)

Image - dolphin in environment suit

Lavrador Dreamhunter
(original illustration, detail, by Aldo Spadoni[*])

Lavrador Dreamhunter is from Trêsmares (Tunghai 2423.31) and has long been fascinated by everything about Earth Colonies society and culture.  Her clan-members called her "Dream Hunter" as a child because she was always looking forward to the return of the first Ouroran explorers to encounter her primitive people.  She jumped at the chance to travel off-world when a scientific expedition invited her to return with them to Amazonas.  But Lavrador soon tired of being little more than a sociological subject and exhibition at the Universidade de Nova São Paulo.

Lavrador has been serving as a crewmember aboard the trade prospector Matilde Cinza ever since leaving Amazonas over four years ago.  The ship's captain, Tancredo Cervoes, invited Lavrador to join the crew after encountering her on Amazonas.  She has learned a great deal, making a good steward and a passable ship's gunner.  She is currently apprenticing as an engineer's mate.  She was a competent warrior and hunter on Trêsmares but often finds herself out of her element in Earth Colonies society.  She is bright and quick to learn but inexperienced and naïve.  She is loyal to her handful of friends and generally excited to learn new things, especially about the use of technology.

Lavrador's closest friend, Encraçado Lucas, the Matilde Cinza's supercargo, has been her friend and advisor since he first taught her how to use an enviro-suit and waldoes.  Lavrador seldom ventures about outside the company of Lucas and she has come to rely upon his guidance as she encounters the many new and confusing aspects of Ouroran society.  Of late she has become increasingly homesick and has started considering ways to bring the many technological marvels she has encountered back to Trêsmares.  (Lucas has cautioned her that Ouroran authorities are unlikely to allow this in any substantial manner.)  Recently she has been hoping to encounter someone from the Theridian League whom she believes might be more amenable to her imagined project.

(See Talespin: The Uplift Project.)

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Benazir Chatterji
(Adapted from Melbourne Times #3)

Image - Benazir Chatterji

Benazir Chatterji at her offices at the New Lhasa Skystupa on New Canaan (file image)
(illustration by Matt Matteo)

Benazir Chatterji is a Human female of above average height.  Her features reflect Eurasian-branch heritage and are beginning to show the signs of age.  Her once-dark hair has grayed completely.  She is thin but not exceptionally so.

Benazir dresses in the colorful robes of the Abrahamic hajji which conceal her figure well except for her head which remains uncovered.  She has few possessions but is seldom without her well-worn hard copy of the Tome of Knowing.

Like many Abrahamites, Benazir is usually cheerful and friendly.  She has a calmness about her that is uncommon even for most Humans her age.  She rarely angers when faced with adversity and is generally fearless.  She has developed a peaceful attitude that is seldom challenged.

A native of Havilah, Benazir was born on June 13th, 2924.  Although she is currently constantly on the move her travel documents show her home as the New Lhasa Skystupa on New Canaan.

Benazir has three children, two sons and a daughter, from her first group-marriage.  She married a second group, consisting of two other women and four men, more than a decade ago.  They have four children, all adolescents.  All of her spouses are members of the Synodic administration.  She has numerous close friends but her closest is undoubtedly Muktar Hanupi, a fellow hajji and longtime friend.  She has few, if any, enemies.

Service History: Although raised in the Abrahamic faith Benazir was not initially active in the religion.  She married young and was soon helping to care for her three children.  Her marriage ended due to undetected genetic incompatibilities while the children were still quite young.

Benazir had already begun seminary study at the time her marriage ended.  She continued her studies even though she found herself with sole-care of one of her children.  After completing her studies despite severe hardships, she obtained a position as a teacher and counselor. Shortly after her care-child reached adulthood she received an opportunity to serve on New Canaan.  She left her native Havilah for the capital world at the age of 40.

At the center of the Abrahamic faith Benazir flourished.  She studied under several spiritual leaders and eventually became sought after as a spiritual teacher herself.  For many years she led annual group pilgrimages to the spiritual wells on Ellasar.  Later she became active in the Synodic administration, even serving for a short period as an advisor to the Supreme Aspirant.

Benazir was then selected to head the New Lhasa Academy and oversaw the move of the Academy to its new campus aboard the Skystupa.  She is widely credited with bringing the first Skystupa to New Lhasa.

Recent Activities: Shortly after the Skystupa was raised Benazir resigned her Academy position and announced she would become a hajji, a lone spiritual wanderer.  Many were surprised by this decision as most Abrahamites undertake the hajj at a much younger age.

Benazir has been on the hajj now for nearly two years.  Unlike most hajji she quickly left Synodic Space and has travelled extensively among independent worlds in Pollux, Sirius and Procyon Districts.  In recent months she has visited both Aztlán and Commonwealth worlds in those districts as well.

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Ptolemy Rainshower
(Adapted from Melbourne Times #4)

Image - Ptolemy Rainshower

Ptolemy Rainshower
(illustration by Duncan Long)

Ptolemy is an anthropomorphic robot of medium build.  He has been designed with the resemblance to Humans that is typical of humanoid robots which frequently interact with sophonts.  His blended, plast-alloy surface is a dull grey with few apparent joints or seams.  His head includes two visual sensors ("eyes"), an olfactory sensor ("nose"), a voice synthesizer ("mouth") and two auditory sensors ("ears").  His upper appendages end in manipulative members which are modelled on the Human hand.

Ptolemy has no need of clothing but is usually found in a cover-all garment that covers his torso and limbs and serves primarily as a mounting for pockets.

Ptolemy has strength and dexterity that is comparable to Humans which is appropriate to his intended function.  His endurance is subject only to the limitations of his power plant.  While not generally considered sapient the robot's synaptic processor combined with its emotion simulation software creates the impression of sophont intelligence.

Ptolemy is an "expert" robot with fully reprogrammable capabilities through the use of TaSK modules.  He has been utilized almost entirely as an expert starship crew member.  The robot's extensive emotion simulation suite permits him to be generally well-liked and trusted by others.  Of course, he is not looked to for leadership but is considered to be a competent team member.  He is extremely respectful of proper authority and very loyal to his associates.  Per his programming he is tolerant of a wide-range of viewpoints and lifestyles.

Ptolemy was activated on 15 Aug 2997 at the Rainshower Robotics facility at Jakarta on Earth.  He was delivered to his purchaser, the Ensanche Archaeological Institute (EAI), on 11 Oct 2997.  The Institute remains his owner.

Ptolemy has worked almost exclusively over the past three years with EAI archaeologists Alabama Wang and HowardCarter Sandsifter.  He has had little close contact with other sophonts or robots.

Service History: Ptolemy has served just over four years with the Ensanche Archaeological Institute.  Upon his arrival at EAI he was equipped with a specialized archaeology TaSK module that provides him with the basic knowledge to assist his colleagues in their activities.  As his primary role though is an "expert" ship crew member, such rudimentary knowledge is sufficient for most situations.

Ptolemy was assigned to the team of Dr. Alabama Wang and Dr. HowardCarter Sandsifter late in 2997.  Their first posting was to the Eriksson investigation site at Svalbard/Vega where they relieved the EAI team that had made the initial discovery of the generation ship.  The Eriksson mission was particularly challenging for Ptolemy as the original Svalbard settlers had abandoned the ship in the system's cometary halo.  The team relied a great deal upon Ptolemy's piloting and extra-vehicular activity skills during the mission.

Early in 3000, Ptolemy's team was reposted to Livingstone/Nyanza under a joint excavation agreement with the University of Nyanza.  The Livingstone site had the potential for great success for the team because although definite evidence of pre-jump settlement had been detected there was absolutely no sign of the generation ship.

The team met with success in mid-year when Dr. Sandsifter discovered the intact generation ship Saladin in a massive underwater cavern in the southwestern continental shelf wall of Mirabella's Land.  Ptolemy was again crucial to the team's efforts to conduct the initial underwater survey of the ship.

Recent Activities: The efforts of the Wang-Sandsifter team to enter the Saladin were thwarted by the absence of the appropriate deep-sea equipment on Livingstone.  Convinced that the team could make no further progress without off-world help, Wang and Sandsifter had decided to return to Ensanche to seek funding for additional help.

The team left Livingstone on 26 Nov 3001 aboard their research vessel Tutankhamen.  The flight plan filed with the Livingstone port authority indicates that Ptolemy was at the helm but the ship failed to make its scheduled arrival at neighboring Brazzaville.  A search by the Nyanzan scout service has failed to find any trace of the ship or Ptolemy and his companions.

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[*] No endorsement of the the Earth Colonies Campaign by the artist has been made or is implied.



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