Freelance Traveller

Tulagai Slandon and Gamma Banner

by Richard Morey

This article originally appeared in the March 2013 issue of Freelance Traveller.

Tulagai Slandon is Chief of Operations on Lush, a SuSAG owned world. Like many of the SuSAG employees on Lush, Tulagai views his current assignment as punishment. In Tulagai’s case, it is simply one more in a long string of such assignments since he inadvertently facilitated a corporate espionage attempt against SuSAG some fifteen years ago: Tulagai was trying to impress a certain young lady who it turns out, was working for a competitor. “One drunken night and it’s all over,” Tulagai complains to anyone who will listen. Still, calling in every marker he had accrued to that point, Tulagai managed to retain his job, finally ending up on Lush. His hope is to somehow make a difference here that will redeem him in Corporate’s eyes. The two best prospects, from Tulagai’s perspective, are to ‘solve’ either the renegade (disaffected indentured workers who have established independent enclaves in the wilds of Lush) problem or, eliminate the Little Men (an emerging sophont race native to Lush) before the IISS learns of their existence.

Though appearing smooth and cultured, Tulagai is amorally ruthless in pursuing what he views as being in the best interests of Tulagai. Player characters may encounter Tulagai if they visit Lush. He may employ them to help ‘solve’ one of his problems, in which case he will grant them freedom of travel (though not free of tracking) on Lush. Using outsiders also provides Tualgai and SuSAG with plausible deniability should anything go awry.

Gamma Banner is a leggy beauty with short blond hair and a propensity for wearing even shorter skirts. She is Tualgai Slandon’s current ‘spouse,’ having quickly determined that attaching herself to the local SuSAG Chief was the best gig she could arrange on Lush.

Gamma grew up in a rough part of town on her home world and quickly learned to trade on her looks, and to rely on the fact that most people would not see past those looks to notice her intelligence. The girl of a local crime lord, Gamma saw something she shouldn’t have. While her patron was confident of Gamma’s loyalty and discretion, his lieutenants didn’t share that sentiment and Gamma realized that if she didn’t disappear of her own volition, she’d disappear in a much more permanent fashion. Thus it is that Gamma accepted SuSAG’s no questions asked offer for transport to Lush, where she quickly figured out the system and attached herself to Tulagai. Knowing that Tulagai is tiring of her, and recalling how easily she replaced her predecessor, Gamma is looking for her next patron, preferably with a ride off Lush.

Gamma’s life thus far has taught her to trust no one but herself. Not surprisingly, Gamma’s welfare is her only interest.