The Shipjackers

In theory, religious faith should be a force for good in the galaxy. Ostensibly, it provides a being with a moral compass, a sense of hope, and the like. On the other hand, it can also be a tool with which some beings manipulate unsuspecting victims. Such is the case with one group of cutthroats, who pose as B'omarr faithful in order to gain access to and steal a spaceship. Their plan is to hire passage aboard a vessel crewed by unsuspecting dupes, and then to take control of it during the ensuing hyperspace voyage. To that end, each of the false priests has a role to play in the process.

Myrs Travik is the heavy hitter. Because he can fight without weapons, he is the first option for neutralizing enemies. At the same time, Zhom Maril is the group's technician. It is his job to handle any slicing or other such problems, and he handles the piloting once the vessel is secured. Eadi Dow is the face of the team; she acts as spokesperson and fields any questions from the targeted ship's crew. When they do strike, the team members try to incapacitate as many members of the crew as possible. Favorite tactics include locking characters in their cabins and disabling the locks, stunning and binding the unsuspecting, and the like. In this way they try to sway the odds in their favor as much as possible before starting an actual fight.

As a group, the shipjackers keep their equipment in a locked strongbox. They claim, of course, that it contains the money they've collected in order to open a temple on the world to which they're headed. If pressed, however, Eadi explains that she doesn't have the code; that will be provided at the destination by another member of the faith.

Myrs Travik

Brawn 3 Cunning 2 Presence 2

Agility 2 Intellect 1 Willpower 2

Soak: 4

Wound Threshold: 16

Strain Threshold: 14

M/R Defense: 0 / 0

Skills: Athletics 1, Brawl 2, Cool 1, Melee 2, Ranged--Light 1, Resilience 1, Vigilance 1

Talents: Heroid Fortitude, Knockdown, Lethal Blows, Toughened

Abilities: Free ranks in each of two different skills

Equipment: Heavy clothing (worn); blaster pistol, brass knuckles, handheld comlink (in strongbox)*

Myrs Travik is not very bright and not very friendly; in this way he probably seems an unlikely candidate for a religious devotee. That's why he leaves the talking up to Eadi. To that end, he keeps interactions with crew members to a minimum--until the time comes to strike. Savvy characters might be able to take advantage of this weakness by exposing his lack of familiarity with the teachings of the B'omarr faith.

Zhom Maril

Brawn 1 Cunning 2 Presence 2

Agility 2 Intellect 3 Willpower 2

Soak: 2

Wound Threshold: 11

Strain Threshold: 12

M/R Defense: 0 / 0

Skills: Astrogation 1, Computers 2, Education 1, Mechanics 1, Perception 1, Piloting--Planetary 1, Piloting--Space 2, Ranged--Light 1, Skulduggery 1, Xenology 1

Talents: Bypass Security, Technical Aptitude

Abilities: Free ranks in each of two different skills

Equipment: Heavy clothing (worn); blaster pistol, slicer gear, tool kit, handheld comlink (in strongbox)*

Zhom Maril is very bright, being the youngest member of the team. He is rather in awe of Eadi Dow, and intimidated by the brutish Travik. He is eager to prove his worth, however. What is more, he is inexperienced when it comes to dealing with attractive females. Because of that, he tries to impress them with his knowledge and technical aptitude, whether or not the other being is interested.

Eadi Dow

Brawn 1 Cunning 2 Presence 3

Agility 2 Intellect 2 Willpower 2

Soak: 2

Wound Threshold: 11

Strain Threshold: 12

M/R Defense: 0 / 0

Skills: Charm 2, Deception 2, Leadership 1, Negotiation 1, Ranged--Light 1, Skulduggery 1, Stealth 1, Streetwise 1, Underworld 1

Talents: Dodge, Inspiring Rhetoric, Kill with Kindness

Abilities: Free ranks in each of two different skills

Equipment: Heavy clothing (worn); blaster pistol, handheld comlink (in strongbox)*

Eadi Dow is the heart of this operation, the being who put together the team and devised the plan for stealing ships by posing as B'omarr pilgrims. For that reason, she is the one who gives the orders. She also knows that males of many species find her attractive, and she enjoys using that appeal to manipulate others. Dow recognizes that Maril is rather smitten with her, and almost feels bad for him. On the other hand, she tolerates Travik but has no interest in him. Should she ever meet a male with the charisma and panache to impress her, she might take pity on that being and favor him with a token of her interest--but she would not hesitate to rob him blind, of course.

*Additionally, the team keeps a medpac, three stimpacks and six sets of binders in the strongbox.

Using the Shipjackers in an Edge of the Empire Campaign

Detailed here are some of the ways in which this group of cutthroats can be used in adventures on the galactic fringe.

• First and foremost, these shipjackers can be used as a threat to the PCs; they book passage to a remote world, and then try to steal their vessel.
• On the other side of the coin, a GM looking to run a one-shot senario for a small group could use them as pregenerated characters, perhaps even for a shipjacking scenario like the one they have planned.
• The GM could always use the characters individually in circumstances that require a thug, a slicer or a con artist.