Freelance Traveller

Artul Gurstelle

profiled by Bill Cameron

Atul Gurstelle, Team Leader, IISS Detached Duty Office 797964 Age 35
Carousing-2, Engineering-2, Navigation-2, Pilot-2, Administration-1, Auto Pistol-1, Communications-1, Grav Vehicle-1, Forgery-1, Jack-of-all-Trades-1, Streetwise-1

Artul Gurstelle is an unhappy man. After thirteen years in the IISS Communications Office, he was 'promoted' to the Detached Duty Office four years ago. Artul has not enjoyed his work in the Scout's bureaucracy and now believes his most recent re-enlistment was a mistake.

Born on Karin/Five Sisters, Gurstelle was raised at an agricultural co-operative in one of that world's nations. His parents were mid-level maintenance managers who impressed the young Artul with their distaste for office work and a belief in lost opportunities. As soon as he was of legal age and with his parents' blessing, Artul presented himself at the local IISS base's enlistment office. He was accepted after the usual period of testing and assessment.

Assigned to the Communications Office, Gurstelle initially served in the Express Boat Service. He crewed both x-boats and tenders along the Five Sisters - Lunion route for most of his first term. After re-enlisting he was reassigned to the Imperial Courier service. Gurstelle's duties there often took him beyond the Imperium's borders into the Urnian, Menorial, and Egryn subsectors. He became intimately familiar with the service's ubiquitous Suleiman scout/courier during this period.

During his third enlistment, Gurstelle remained in the Imperial Courier service. He worked primarily in District 268 and the Glisten, Pax Rulin, and Egryn subsectors flying scout/couriers on a number of various missions. The beginning of his fourth term saw him at the IISS base on Mertactor/District 268. There while working as part of the staff supporting courier operations, Gurstelle came to the attention of the base administrators. They were impressed by his handling of the crews whose couriers were in-port for repairs or maintenance.

Detached duty scouts are a source of information that the IISS and Imperium have come to value highly. The proper handling of those scouts is directly linked to the quality of the information they provide so the IISS takes as much care as it can with that handling. Gurstelle's work on Mertactor marked him in the eyes of the administrators there as a man who would be well suited to such work. Accordingly, he was transferred to the IISS Bureaucracy and assigned to the Detached Duty Office.

In the four years since, Gurstelle has worked at several IISS bases in the Glisten and Trin's Veil subsectors. He was enthusiastic about his new position initially, but that feeling waned within a year. Gurstelle quickly grew to dislike the routine of administrative work. He especially hated the fact that he no longer crewed couriers. While his handling of detached duty scouts was as deft as the IISS had hoped, his reports and other administrative work was perfunctory at best. Gurstelle was transferred between bases in the hopes he would find a place where he could 'settle'.

After a transfer to the base on Horosho, Gurstelle's work did improve but this was more due to his personal situation than any renewed enthusiasm for his work. He had begun a relationship with a SPA functionary also stationed on Horosho. Gurstelle's work remained steady now that other aspects of his life kept him from fretting about his work. He and the functionary soon contracted with each other and, when the SPA transferred the functionary to Conway/Trin's Veil, Gurstelle wrangled a transfer too. That transfer came with a price however; the IISS required that he re-enlist. Sadly, Gurstelle's relationship soured soon after that transfer and the contract was not renewed.

He is currently stationed at the base on Conway/Trin's Veil and his work has slowly deteriorated. Gurstelle interactions with detached duty scouts are still excellent; it is his administrative work that bothers his superiors. He plainly states that he will not remain in the IISS once his latest enlistment expires and keeps a calendar on his desk showing the number of days left in his enlistment. Gurstelle manages to spend more time wandering around the Conway downport and startown than he does behind his desk. Lately he has begun cadging flights to neighboring systems aboard detached duty starships under the guise of 'checking' repairs. Gurstelle has also begun making contacts among shipping firms and free traders. He doesn't know exactly what he'll be doing once his enlistment expires, but he does know he will be back aboard starships.