Freelance
Traveller
- Sir Cesar Peskett Wemyss, ex-Diplomat 3779CB Age 42 40K Cr
- Administration-2, Liaison-2, Auto Pistol-1, Computer-1, Foil-1, Grav Vehicle-1, Interrogation-1, Recruiting-1, Streetwise-1
- Possessions: Low passage, 6000 Cr pension
Cesar was born to a rural landowning family on a planet holding the local subsector's capital. The Wemyss family, as with many of their station on that world, are 'land rich' and 'cash poor'. While the family could assist each child in selecting a career, it would be up to Cesar and his siblings to succeed afterwards as financial support was out of the question. While funds were only available to send the family heir to university, the family's influence placed the other children in subsector navy, planetary bureaucracy, and various corporations. With the advice and assistance of a family patron, Cesar gained a position in the subsector duke's diplomatic service.
Cesar quickly made his mark. After succeeding in a variety of increasingly difficult assignments, he was appointed 2nd Secretary of a ducal mission to a troublesome and mildly xenophobic balkanized world. There he held the 'Tendencies and Assessments' desk and kept up contacts with a bewildering variety of individuals and groups active on the planet. Using the information he received, gleaned, or inferred from these contacts, Cesar was able to keep the mission's chief appraised of the world's public moods and private thoughts. Over the course of several years, the diplomatic mission proved partially successful and the inhabitants' distrust towards off-worlders lessened.
The chief of mission on another world wracked by communal violence requested Cesar be posted to his delegation. The duchy's forces on-planet were barely keeping the situation under control and most observers felt that civil war would soon break out. Performing much the same role as he had done before, Cesar doggedly built up relationships with the various local factions. His own background as the son of a rural squire helped him gain the ear of many rural factions and his hard work and empathy did much the same for most of their urban counterparts.
After a mild bout with a local influenza strain, Cesar first developed Enoc-Pynchan Syndrome, a form of continued muscular degeneration. While higher tech treatment off-world would have been more effective, he felt that the mission's work was at a critical stage and chose not to leave. Local treatments minimized the effect of the syndrome and Cesar continued to slowly persevere through a thicket of contentious issues. His decision to stay and help the locals work out their difficulties, despite his own poor health, earned Cesar a great deal of respect from the parties involved.
After years of patient negotiation, breakthroughs on a number of issues began to occur. Cesar's work schedule during this period was so heavy as to cause another health crisis. Again, he chose to stay and work rather than leave for treatment. When the local factions began signing the series of accords meant to ease their strife, Cesar was at the ceremonies. At the insistence of many of the factions involved, Cesar was promoted and charged with the implementation of the accords that he had done so much to create. As the mission's 1st Secretary, Cesar oversaw the first few years of the accords' implementation.
Sadly, his health had been ruined by his efforts. On the urging of the mission medical staff, Cesar reluctantly filed for retirement. His request was granted with an additional bonus - he was recalled to the duchy's capital and knighted by the hand of the duke himself.
Sir Cesar currently acts as a free-lance arbiter. Supported by a sword cane, his services are very much in demand. Parties as diverse as local governments, mercantile interests, corporations, labor guilds, and individuals. Sir Cesar is called in to find common ground in any number of issues. He has negotiated the end of labor actions, local taxation complaints, tariff levels, and even marriage contracts. His poor physical condition places several limits how he can conduct his work. After setting up an office; usually in a hotel or quarters provided him, Sir Cesar will act like the spider at the center of a web only travelling to conduct interviews or negotiations when absolutely necessary. He will hire as many people as necessary to act as his eyes and ears, carefully instructing them in their tasks, and just as carefully debriefing them afterwards. People who perform exceptionally well in this role will find themselves hired by Sir Cesar quite frequently. Although he maintains no 'official' staff between jobs, Sir Cesar does keep a few individuals on retainer.