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The Starbound Gypsy Craft: CEC X-2300 Light Escort Carrier
Carried Craft: Four Z-95 Stunthunters (salon pod bay)
The "less than military" crew of the Gypsy provides an endless source of ammusement and entertainment. When not running blockades, or shooting down Imperials, the Crew earns a living as a traveling sideshow, flying from starport to starport, siphoning off of the entertainment industry, before being asked to move along. All manner of performers comprise the command crew of this vessel; from the beautiful Blue Ginger Bane the Viel dancer, to Babbahda, The Strongest Wookie Alive, theres Buddy the Four Armed Juggler (and bartender), and the creepy Doctor Butkis's Lab, filled with all manner of strange and exotic life forms... Even the ships Captain, The Mysterious Mordran the Magnificent, Magician and MC, is in on the act. While not on duty, (and even sometimes when on) the crew can be found honing thier various strange talents, and don't seem to mind the audience passengers provide. They are not above teaching a trick or two, in exchange for a bit of knowledge in return, nor trying to recruit performers into the fold. The Gypsy's Crew: Mordran the Magnificent, Captain
DEXTERITY 3D
Capsule: Mordran is a graduate of the Alderaan School of Performing and Cultural Arts (ASPCA), though not with any luarels to speak of. He entered a prestidigitator, and left a better one. His career is all that really matters to him, and is always performing. Though he has had high points in his career, most of it has been performing in out of the way space stations and with a variety of performing guilds on backwater planets. Being very egotistical, he flaunts the highs and dismisses the lows. As Lady Luck would have it, a deceased mentor bequeathed upon him the Starbound Gypsy, with which he assembled the best crew he could from the wide variety of performers he knew. Since then , he has been in charge of what amounts to a traveling roadshow: moving from port to port, performing for the natives, until politely (or not so politely) asked to leave. Mordran is a greedy man, and is convinced that he does possess some mystical powers, and therefore feels superior to those around him. He does however, posess the height of social graces, and will use them to the utmost. His involvement with the Rebellion/New Republic is sketchy at best. He does runs for them from time to time, but usually only if it is "on his way" (most times it is, since he always needs the money).
T'humz Uhhp, Ship's Pilot
DEXTERITY 2D
Capsule: This poor critter has gotten himself kicked out of most of the Galaxy's wretched hives, and is banned from a good number of starports as well. From early on, he knew he wes different, more perceptive than other Sullustans, often (annoyingly) finishing another's sentences. He found that his 'gift' allowed him to 'see' things that normal folk couldn't, and that many people liked to hear what he knew, as long as it was favorable. He found that by embellishing his 'visions' he actually could earn a living. Most times, however, his interpretation of the visions is askew, and the client usually ends up agitated. T'humz means well, and is not malicious, he merely tells the client what he thinks they want to hear. He does supplement his 'readings' with careful observations and logical conclusions, thereby lending credence to the power of his 'visions'. His connection to Mordran is one of loyalty; Mordran recognized the Sullustan's ability and bailed him out of a sticky situation. T'humz has been with him ever since. Note: (reverse) intimidation reflects T'humz's ability to appear utterly wretched, and comprises of lots of begging, pleading, and boot licking in order to avoid pain. Story Factor: T'humz is unlucky. Select a second wild die in addition to normal. If that die should roll a "1", it too is considered a 'botch'.
Ginger Bane, Sensors and Comms
DEXTERITY 3D+2
Capsule: Ginger Bane is the stage name for G'hingharrea B'laynnna, a B'luumen dancer. (B'luumen are a short Near-Human race who are mostly hairless and have exotic pigmented spirals and swirls on their blue skin. The society is matriarchal and tribal. Ritual dances are an important part of their culture.) She is stunningly beautiful, especially to Human and Near-Human males, and both knows and flaunts this. She exudes exotic appeal wherever she goes, and most males find themselves tripping over appendages for her attention. She revels in seducing the strongest of any given group, then the second, and igniting a jealousy triangle (or worse) with her in the middle. Her dances are designed to seduce, and she uses fans and veils to spread her scent out further than most females would (making her somewhat "trashy" by B'luumen standards). She was recruited by Mordran when he happened upon her world, and fell in love with her. Their relationship is volatile at best, and she delights in seducing others in his presence, claiming that it's "just part of the act".
Jude Astern, Shields
DEXTERITY 3D
Capsule: Jude recently joined the crew after being liberated by them from incarceration on Kwenn Station. He insists that the charges were as trumped up as the ones against the Gypsy crew. He is a trained contortionist and a remarkable escape artist. Some members of the crew feel that he has some sort of dark past that he has not yet told them. He is quiet, does as he's told, and is always fiddling with some type of restraint device or meditating in uncomfortable-looking positions.
K'odva Rusk, Weapons
DEXTERITY 2D+2
Capsule: Rusk is the second-newest crewer. He was hired away from a minor Hutt gangster after displaying his marksmanship in a sector-wide competition. Initially, Mordran gave him a huge signing bonus, but times have been rough of late, and the Anomid doen't see a wealthy future with the Gypsy. He is quiet, almost never speaking unless spoken to, and is bound by contract, not by loyalty. As far as Rusk is concerned, money does all the talking. When not at his station, running combat sims, he can be found honing his marksmanship almost anywhere on the ship. He seldom bothers to warn people before setting up targets at one end of a passageway and shooting down it; however, he doesn't use anything that might damage the ship (just "careless" bystanders).
Babbahdah, Security
DEXTERITY 2D+2
Capsule: Babbahdah is a Kashyyyk native, and a very large one at that. He has spent little time as a spacer and is still considered a bit 'green'. He joined the crew after seeing them perform on his homeworld a few years ago and has been a loyal and enthusiastic crewer. Due to an accident with a plasma torch, Babb is permanently bald and scarred on the top of his head; he has since had those scars tattooed with Wookiee religious symbols. Being somewhat gullible, Babb fell for an old spacer's joke and shaved his upper arms for a year. Eventually let in on the joke, Babb showed his good nature and humor and carried it one step further by continuing to shave his powerful biceps, tatooing them as well. Finishing off his unique look, Babb also gels the mustache fur on his face in a near comical, handlebar fashion. He is good natured, very slow to anger, and has a deep infectious laugh. His Shryiwook still has a strong clan accent. Having been practically suckled on Wookiee lum, Babbahdah is never far from a mug and can out-drink a Calamari.
Buddy Gardner, Quartermaster
DEXTERITY 5D
Capsule: Buddy was hired because he could drive a ground vehicle, and kept on because of his skill as a bartender. He then put his arms to a more performance-oriented use by studying juggling from Mordran. He has long since surpassed his teacher's skill. The longer Buddy served, the more uses were found for his cybernetic talents. He has finally worked his way up to the ship's quartermaster position. During a show, he can be found behind the lounge's bar. Otherwise he is off somewhere, categorizing, inventorying, and rearranging everything on board. He is always in touch with the ship's computer via his internal comlink and considers it to be the best conversational partner aboard. Buddy will decline to comment on the nature of his unusual set of four arms, quickly changing the subject. He is the consummate know-it-all, with hundreds of datanodes with files on thousands of topics. He also has the annoying habit of recording every conversation he has.
Doctor Kik Butkus, Medical Officer
DEXTERITY 2D
Capsule: Dr. Butkis served in the Clone Wars and for several years afterward as a field medic. He went to medical school after his term was up but found that his greatest love - genetics and cloning - was now an outlawed subject. Unable to find any work in his chosen field, he spent the first decade of the Emperor's reign as an unhappy surgeon in the Colonies. Then a local crimelord who'd heard of his interests tracked him down and whisked him away with the promise of finally being able to work on his "hobby" without Imperial restrictions. The harsh reality was that Butkis spent years laboring under the screws of one criminal or another, patching up wounded thugs and splicing together various genetic horrors. Eventually he found himself in the service of the Empire; however it was for corrupt and powerful figures, and he never saw any reward for his labors. During an Alliance raid on the facility where he was then working, Dr Butkis was freed from bondage along with most of his lab equipment. Grateful for his release, he agreed to serve as a med officer on any ship which would allow him space to work. Mordran happened to see the interesting life forms Dr. Butkis had collected, and immediately made them part of his show. Kik is utterly immersed in genetics, and it always comes up in his conversations somehow. He is a very large man, a former Academy zoneballer, though his intellectual demeanor belies his physical prowess.
Fizzin Ittnau, Tech Officer
DEXTERITY 4D
Capsule: Fizz actually tried to steal from the Gypsy's crew during their first encounter, back on Tatooine. While trying to sell some droids, Fizz managed to pick Mordran's pocket. When discovered, Fizz proceeded to withdraw in an impressive display of flips, leaps, and bounds that avoided even the Marksman's shots. Mordran shouted after him, "I'll let you keep what you got, and give you double, if you come and work for me!" It was a call to adventure, an answer to the little Jawa's dreams. Since then, he has been gleefully tinkering with every component of the Gypsy, to Buddy's utter dismay
Larry, Moe, Curly, and Lil Joe, Gunners
All Stats 2D except: Dodge 5D, thrown weapons 4D, missile weapons 4D, vehicle blasters 4D, acrobatics 3D, SS gunnery 5D, CS gunnery 5D, CS repair 4D, CS weapon repair 4D, disguise 4D, performing 3D
Capsule: Four cousins from a long line of Corellian entertainers. These guys have served aboard the Gypsy since the previous owner, and though they rarely listen to commands, are constantly getting into trouble, causing scuffles, and wreaking mayhem, they are utterly loyal - though to the ship first, and her captain and crew second. They have an extremely slapstick sense of humor, and will involve innocent bystanders in their havoc. Recently, one of the cousins, Shemp, died, and was replaced by Lil Joe.
The Stunthunters: Twister, Hurricane, Cyclone, Typhoon
DEXTERITY 3D+1
The Stunthunters are clone-brothers, the result of an experiment by the Empire trying to produce TIE pilots more quickly and efficiently with force-growth and flash-imprinting of pilot skills. However, somewhere in the process a strongly independent nature manifested, and the clones went AWOL (with a perfectly coordinated and executed escape plan) soon thereafter. The four have a degree of empathy with each other that is positively eerie; they often finish each other's sentences, or let one speak for all of them. Although they fly like one pilot in four fighters, each has adopted a different accent to make them more unique (and none of them use the clipped tones of Core Worlders and Navy officers). Their attempts to find out more about their "father" have so far been unsuccessful. Twister's Tractor Tricks: "Howdy! Ahm Twister, an' Ah fly stunt for th' Starbound Gypsy. Ah was asked to enlighten y'all with a few tips for the talented tractor rider. Now Ah don' mean a farmin tractor, Ah mean a tractor beam. Bein a stuntflyer myself, ah kin relate ta the use of these little beams to make tight formation flying a little bit easier. Slap a coupla light handler tracs on yer wings, and ya can practically tap tips all day without too much trouble." [Freight Handler Repulsor / Tractor Projector. Type: Ubrikkian Model 34 freight hauling platform. Scale: Character. Strength: 4D Range: 3 meters Length: 2 meters Cost: 500cr Avail: 2. This device is used for lifting and lowering cargo. It can be placed above or below the freight, and has repulsor coils on one side, and tractor coils on the other. When used to maintain formation, as described, the tracs add a +1D bonus to Maneuverability only for tight formation stunts.] "Now, when your trick flyin' nose to tail, ya need somethin a little stronger ta get past all that engine interference. In that case, ya slap on a pair of freighter tracs in front and back, an ya can thread thirty ships through one ten meter opening, as long as the lead pilot don't botch it." [ Starfighter scale Tractor Beam Projector: Crew: 1 Range: 1/5/7 Fire Control: 2D Damage: 2D Cost: 8,000 cr Weight: 15 tons. When used in above manner, add +1D to following pilot's roll to follow maneuver, up to the skill of the lead pilot.] "Of course there's a buncha uses fer these puppies, an ahm sure y'all already know most of em. Pushin ships away, pullin em in, holdin em steady so's ya kin pound on em are all common uses fer the light trac. But, Ah had me a QM once, a techie goin by th name o Tech Sgt Tironeous, an he used ta say '...another tactic is a tractor "hook" onto a larger more powerful hyperdrive equipped vessel for a "tow". If you're really good, and the target vessel is large enough, your ship's added mass is negligible enough that they may miss it. This is fairly common in high traffic areas like Coruscant and Nar Shadda. Works either as a cheap escape method, or as an outboard stowaway...' An let me tell ya, Ahve used that little ditty a number o times myself!" "This brings me to some o the other innovative uses for this scale o beam. One strange but interestin use is the tracs mounted around the rim of the Slave Arena on Argolet. Seems they use em to move unruly slaves safely about, especially those larger, more violent critters Hutts tend to purchase." "The 'swoop an scoop' method of attainin cargo is quite popular among the Fringe criminal elements and spicejackers. The trick is ta fly in low and slow, hopefully avoidin detection until the last instant. Then swoopin low over the storage compound, ya scan the lot fer what ya need. Then lock the tracs onta the biggest, juiciest piece o cargo the trac can pull, an zip away b'fore any ground defenders know what happened! This works best on places without all those fancy new-fangled detection grids, Omni-probes, relay satelites, and whatnot... not that Ah would have any personal experience in such matters. But Ah've seen recovery freighters scoopin wounded folk up off a battlefield with these tracs. It puts em in midair for an instant, but it gets em outta there real quick." "Ah have witnessed, (and even attempted a time or two) a loop maneuver usin a fixed object, usually an asteroid, but a big enough capital ship could suffice. This one's a toughie, but if it works, it'll put ya right behind the bugger on yer tail. First ya fly it at the object, lockin yer tracs on it as soon as their in range, pullin for all their worth. This should get ya some extra speed to pull away from the persuit. Now, here's where it gets tricky. As yer divin in at the rock, yer usin the beam ta pull ya in faster, and ta yank the turn around the rock tighter. At the last instant, ya gotta reverse the beam direction fer all it's worth. If ya time it right, the momentum and the push will swing ya the rest o the way around the rock, but ya will be slidin sideways fer a bit. Unless the bugger knows the trick an follows ya through, ya should be right behind em when ya kick off the trac. The timing on this one is critical. Too soon, an yer loosin momentum, and the bugger loops on ya. Too late, an ... well, ya end up meetin that fixed object real quick." [Maneuver note: this requires both pilot and tractor beam rolls which beat a difficulty of 25 over the course of two consecutive rounds] "There is, o course, the 'ballistic sling' use for tracs. Ahve seen this trick used by desperate pirates, slick pilots, an even the occasional Rebel raid. The trick is ta pull allong somethin highly explosive ta be used as a ballistic missle. Ah've seen evrythin from a busted out Z-95 trainer loaded with grenades, ta a metric ton o blaster gas wit a thermal detonator on it, even an escape pod fulla garbage once, slung on unsuspecting targets. Here, ya use yer crafts trajectory and speed ta let the package fly, cut the trac, and swing outta the way. This tactic seems ta work best when the target has some type of gravity pull, like a planet, or an asteroid base." "There is sorta the reverse of throwin a missle, and that's catchin one. This one takes duranium kohones, a touch of lunacy, or bein outta better ideas. If ya cant dodge, an yer all outta flares, ya can set yer trac focus tight enough to lock on to a smaller target [ Starship weapon repair vs difficulty 20 in combat , 10 not in combat], and try to catch it [ weapon skill -2D(+map) vs Shooters to-hit roll]. An Ah do mean try, cause it's likely yer gonna have ta do both after the inbound is fired at ya." "Which brings me up to the big ol cap tracs. Everybody knows y'don't wann git snagged up by one o those, right? No way out, can't beat the beam strength, right? Wrong! First off, there's the ol Academy trick where ya fly in at the projector as fast as ya can, hopin ta build up enough speed to attain 'breakaway velocity', and veer hard at the last instant. That might work. Another increasingly popular method is to fire a missle at the projector. The package gets sucked in faster than the ship, and even if the explosion don't trash the trac, it should at least break the lock." "Rogue Squadron, in their infinite talent, has used these tricks, and a handful more. It seems they've figgered that cuttin another ship across the beam can break the lock. Solitaire McNiel reported that Skywalker reverse triggered his acceleration compensator. Apparently the AC creates a gravity neutral zone that allows the pilot (and, to a lesser extent, the fighter) to resist the effects of high-g maneuvering, and that, if one were to put a full power burst through the AC, it could create a gravity "splash" that temporarily disrupts the effects of the tractor beam projector. This pretty much doubles the hull's stress capacity for a moment, but has the unfortunate side effect of burning out your hyperdrives most of the time." "If ya happen ta be in a freight hauler, an carryin a lot a little things in yer cargo space [75 mt minimum] , explosive ejection of cargo has proven to break locks. Han Solo did it wit a transport fulla grain, Sebastian Sylk did it wit a freighter fulla water, even poor ol Silas Crutian tried ta flood th beam with plasma from his fuel cells and ignite it... but that one didn't exactly work too well. This here's is a definate excuse ta purchase and use strap-on cargo pods, they could one day save your life (and the rest of your cargo)." "Now, what with all the lock-breakin goin on, Navy gunners are bein trained in counter-tactics these days. Locks wit multiple tracs, quick polarity switches which shake up the trapped ship, projectors set to push so the inevitable missle never makes it away from the firing ship, are all some of the newest tactics. There's even reports of an experimental 'fourth ' setting called 'pulse' (adding to 'attract', 'repel', and 'hold') which is designed to physically rattle a ship to pieces, being added to some of the newest projectors." "This leads me up to at least one additional interesting use of cap tracs. It seems that rRupp'Torr the Wookie, gambler and entrepreneur, has a Damken Bulk freighter called the Berzerker, with four projectors mounted on her. In more than one fight, the Berzerker towed laser space mines into battle with her, not only increasing the amount of weaponry in the battle, but they also serve as mobile guns that can be dropped if a better use for the trac comes up." "To sum it all up, the Tractor Beam Projector is not the limited 'snatch-and-reel' device it first appears to be, and in the hands of a talented and innovative operator, they can be surprisingly useful, and have a variety of applications. If y'all hear of any other innovative uses of tracs, be sure and pop me th datatapes." |
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