Freelance Traveller

Bem Guramiir

profiled by Brian G. Vaughan

Antareans, and Scouts, are known for being brash and flamboyant. Bem Guramiir is neither brash, nor flamboyant. But he is an ex-Scout, and Antares is his adopted home.

Guramiir was born on Gaakish, a world known in Antares sector as "the old capital," or "Trailing Vland." Gaakish had been the sector capital under the Ziru Sirka, and remains a local center for Vilani culture. His parents were not the most tradition-minded of Vilani; nevertheless, they were disappointed that he chose to leave Gaakish, and with it, his Vilani upbringing.

Quiet, level-headed, and self-reliant, Guramiir was assigned to the IISS Communications Branch, where he spent years as an Xboat pilot, and later, as a scout/courier pilot. Guramiir's constant travel was his greatest joy -- he loved to seeing the wide range of cultures that the Imperium brought together, even if his reserved nature meant he seldom saw much beyond a world's startown.

In his twelfth year of service, Guramiir was considered for transfer to a subdivision of the Communications Branch that handled "secure" communications. In testing, it was noted that Guramiir, while no fanatic patriot, felt a firm loyalty to the Imperium -- and particularly, to Archduke Brzk, whom he saw as the incarnation of the Imperium at its best.

Somehow, the results of his testing got in the hands of the intelligence agency Trasilon. There is no official acknowledgement that Trasilon actually exists, and while its agents and officers speak to each other of their service "to the Archduke," only its highest ranking officers know that Trasilon answers to the Archduke personally, and is independent of any official Imperial agency. While INI, and other Imperial agencies, know of Trasilon's existence, they do not oppose it -- Brzk is an Imperial Archduke, and is within his rights in creating such a tool.

Guramiir was offered the opportunity to serve the Archduke in a special capacity, and he accepted. To all appearances, Guramiir retired to the "Detached Duty" branch of the IISS. In fact, he is now a Trasilon agent. His meeting with Ngedh, and his employment by Ngedh, was planned by Trasilon.

As explained to Guramiir, his duty is a sort of "purloined letter" strategy, in which his employment by Ngedh is to cover for clandestine courier missions. A secondary duty is to observe anything "interesting" that Ngedh digs up, as he is sure to do. "And while you're at it," Guramiir's case officer said, "you may as well try to keep that crazy Vargr from getting himself killed."

In truth, unknown to Guramiir, Ngedh is his primary assignment. The clandestine courier missions are, in themselves, trivial, where not completely unnecessary.

Ngedh may as yet be obscure, but Brzk himself recognized him as a rising star, with enormous potential. He is a classic "rouknathaeghz" -- literally, a pack-leader without a pack. It's analogous to "loose cannon," but with a positive connotation.

At the very least, Trasilon will use Guramiir to steer Ngedh towards stories that it wants exposed, that more conservative forces than Brzk would rather were left alone. Guramiir's "courier missions" are a device toward that end. Trasilon counts on Guramiir's personality, and Ngedh's curiosity, to do the rest.

Bem Guramiir
Detatched Scout (Covert Agent), 100 points

5'10", 103 lbs, 30 years old, white freckled complexion, blond hair, brown eyes.

STATS

ST 11

DX 11

IQ 13

HT 11

ADVANTAGES

3D Spatial Sense

Alertness (+1)

Collected

Longevity

Ship Patron (Amingi IV, a Sulieman-class scout/courier)

DISADVANTAGES

Shyness

Xenophilia (mild)

Workaholic

Code of Honor (Scout's)

Skinny

Secret (Trasilon agent) (-10)

Duty (9 or less) (Trasilon)

SKILLS

Astrogation/TL10 - 15

Piloting (Starship)/TL10 - 14

Cartography/TL10 -13

Electronics Operation (Sensors)/TL10 - 13

Area Knowledge (Galaxy)/TL10 - 12

Computer Operation/TL10 - 12

Electronics Operation/TL10 - 12

Free Fall/TL10 - 14

Mechanic (J-Drive)/TL10 - 12

Mechanic (M-Drive)/TL10 - 12

Photography - 12

Vacc Suit/TL10 - 12

Engineer (Spacecraft)/TL10 - 12

Astronomy/TL10 - 11

First Aid/TL10 - 12

Intelligence Analysis - 11

Navigation/TL10 - 11

Planetology (Earth-like) - 11

Survival (Vacuum world) - 11

Area Knowledge (Antares sector) - 13

Beam Weapons (Laser)/TL10 - 14

Sports (Sailball) - 9

Cryptography/TL10 - 10

QUIRKS

Gets up early

Never uses contractions

Humble

Quiet

Admires Archduke Brzk