Sunday, August 4, 2013

Captain Zate's Interstellar Traveling Chop-Shop


Although it's a dark time for the galaxy, it's also a time of great opportunity for those beings who are willing and able to seize it. Such is the case with Captain Zate, a Squib scavenger who has managed to acquire a ship along with a salvage team that can help him harvest what the galaxy has to offer. Given that there's a war happening right now, and that space travel can be dangerous in its own right, there are plenty of opportunities to be had.

The regular business of Captain Zate and his crew has multiple facets. For one thing, they make the rounds of popular starports such as Mos Eisley and Kala'uun, selling their salvaged goods to whoever wants them. In this way they are a frequent and familiar sight. At the same time, they establish contacts with other spacers for when unique offers arise. Sometimes a scoundrel with parts to sell notifies the Squib and his crew, and they make a deep-space "house call" to deal with the vessel and/or parts in question. This lets both parties conduct their business away from prying eyes.

Captain Zate'ferazel'skuranit
Brawn 1 Cunning 2 Presence 2
Agility 3 Intellect 2 Willpower 2

Soak: 1
Wound Threshold: 10
Strain Threshold: 13
M/R Defense: 0 / 0

Skills: Astrogation 1, Charm 1, Computers 2, Gunnery 1, Leadership 1, Mechanics 3, Medicine 1, Melee 1, Negotiation 3, Outer Rim 2, Perception 1, Piloting--Planetary 1, Piloting--Space 2, Ranged--Light 2, Skulduggery 1, Stealth 1, Streetwise 1, Survival 1

Talents: Smooth Talker, Wheel and Deal

Abilities: One free rank in Negotiations; Tech Savvy: Squibs always treat Mechanics as being a career skill, regardless of their starting career.

Equipment: Clothing, blaster pistol, tool kit, comlink, datapad

Captain Zate loves nothing in this galaxy more than bargaining. Arguing over the value of goods is for him like debating philosopy for a scholar, or arguing the law for a politician. Although he always tries to turn a profit, the negotiation is in fact more important that the outcome. In his spare time he enjoys tinkering with his ship, the Redoubtable, along with the impressive quantity of junk that is contained in its holds.


Mujnah
Brawn 1 Cunning 2 Presence 2
Agility 2 Intellect 3 Willpower 2

Soak: 2
Wound Threshold: 11
Strain Threshold: 13
M/R Defense: 0 / 0

Skills: Astrogation 2, Computers 1, Core Worlds 1, Gunnery 2, Mechanics 1, Outer Rim 2, Perception 1, Piloting--Planetary 2, Piloting--Space 3, Ranged--Light 1, Vigilance 1

Talents: Full Throttle, Skilled Jockey

Abilities: One free rank in Perception; Amphibious

Equipment: Heavy clothing, blaster pistol, comlink

Mujnah is a highly skilled pilot, and she enjoys the challenges that are presented by her work for Captain Zate. Even so, she longs to do something more important. Having heard stories about the oppression of her homeworld by the Empire, and how such brave individuals as Captain Ackbar are fighting for freedom, she dreams of having a chance one day to make that kind of difference. She questions her own skills, however, and wonders if she would be able to do what must be done if such circumstances befell her.


Vas'sneg
Brawn 2 Cunning 2 Presence 1
Agility 2 Intellect 3 Willpower 2

Soak: 2
Wound Threshold: 12
Strain Threshold: 12
M/R Defense: 0 / 0

Skills: Computers 2, Education 1, Mechanics 3, Medicine 1, Melee 1, Outer Rim 1, Perception 1, Piloting--Planetary 1, Piloting--Space 1, Ranged--Light 1, Skulduggery 1

Talents: Gearhead x2, Redundant Systems, Solid Repairs x2

Abilities: One free rank in Mechanics; One free rank in Gearhead or Solid Repairs; Practiced Mechanic: Can spend a maneuver just prior to making a Mechanics check to upgrade it

Equipment: Comlink, restraining bolt, backpack, datapad, toolkit

Vashneg is, for lack of a better term, a geek. His love in life is finding derelict ships, scrapped droids and other bits of machinery that have been discarded by other beings, and then coaxing more life out of them. Indeed, this makes him feel how he imagines a supernatural being would feel (if he believed in such nonsense). This is why working as part of Captain Zate's Interstellar Traveling Chop-Shop is a dream come true, since he is left to his work in the cargo hold while the other crew members go about their business. After selling items, however, he is always curious to know how well they have functioned, and relishes the chance to hear stories from purchasers who've used said devices in difficult or dangerous situations.


R2-D6
The last member of the ship's crew, and the one who serves as backup to all of the other characters, is an astromech droid. Since the other crew members do not insist that it wear a restraining bolt, this little droid has a well-developed independent streak. Nevertheless, it is ultimately quite loyal to its organic crew mates, and does what it can to protect them and to foster their pursuits. (Refer to page 410 of the core rulebook to find stats for R2-D6.)


The Redoubtable
Captain Zate and his associates work out of a standard Wayfarer-class medium freighter; refer to pages 263-4 of the core rulebook to find stats for it, and Wookieepedia for deck plans.

Wayfarer Transport Deck Plans

Although they do not have starfighters or speeder bikes aboard their ship, they do have an impressive pile of junk in the main cargo compartment.


Using Captain Zate in an Edge of the Empire Campaign
Detailed here are some of the ways in which this Squib and his band of scavengers could be involved in adventures on the galactic fringe.
  • The Squib and his crew are old associates of many purveyors of goods around the Outer Rim, including Vek Ral'lya and Dibs Nkik; as such, if the PCs should wish to purchase a rare or unusual item, they might be referred to this bunch of scavengers in order to find it.
  • Should the PCs ever acquire a ship illicitly and have need to dispose of it, they would do well to arrange a rendezvous with the Interstellar Traveling Chop-Shop. (This could be the case for PCs who participated in the scenario Hunter and Hunted if they managed to abscond with the luxury yacht belonging to Talem Goll.)
  • Of course, the PCs could buy an item from Zate and his crew, only to have it malfunction at a critical moment, leaving them to seek recompense as they will.
  • If Captain Zate discovered a derelict vessel or other source of lucre that was especially hard to scavenge--such as a ship that was riddled with mynocks or an abandoned outpost surrounded by other wild beasts--he might hire the PCs to help complete the salvage operation.
  • There's always the chance that the crew of the Redoubtable finds something they weren't meant to see, such as a droid brain containing sensitive information or the remains of a spacewreck that was an accident. In such a case, the scavengers would find themselves in big trouble, and would turn to familar faces for help.
  • If Mujnah learned that one of the PCs had a reputation for fighting the good fight, she would take an immediate interest in that character.
  • A droid PC could begin its operative life having been restored to function by Vas'sneg.


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