Freelance Traveller

Woba-ab Kabeb

profiled by Timothy Collinson

Many Imperial citizens will be familiar with bwaps from real life, perhaps in administrative roles, or in holodrama as the light relief either obstructing the leads with bureaucracy or helping them by their observation of minutiae. Much rarer, however, will be the Imperial who knows a female bwap to any degree. Making up only a third of the bwap population and usually cloistered in their crèches, females out and about in society are rare and often regarded as ‘unclean’.

Born to Eob Tofekab, although she would deny the connection and doesn’t even remember the name of her mate, Be-ab Pe, Woba-ab is somewhere in between the females held in high regard and those ejected from the crèche as insane. As a youngster she lost her right arm in a ground vehicle accident and was unfortunately unable to grow a new limb. It is probably fair to say that at the time this discovery was more traumatic than the accident itself which involved the death of a crèchemate. Too young to appreciate it at the time, in adulthood Woba-ab has some sense of guilt over feeling that way and not grieving more extensively for the loss of life.

Provided with several prostheses over time as she grew, she also received considerable opprobrium from almost all of her crèchemate cohort. This was due in part to a perception, however unfair, that Woba-ab was in some way responsible for the accident. Perhaps unsurprisingly, she developed a desire to leave her own attawapawab and at 14 underwent her testing period in a distant crèche where she wasn’t known. Seniors thought it might allow her a fresh start and better bond with bwap society. Try as she might she was unable to bond in the new crèche. Her time there actually reinforced her sense of isolation and alienation.

As an adult this was intensified when she found that she was unable to conceive. Another crisis point in her life which, retrospectively, she didn’t feel she dealt with particularly well. Those who know her particularly well, though perhaps not Woba-ab herself, can point to unresolved internal conflict and further feelings of guilt that she carries with her to this day. The immediate aftermath of the discovery led to her leaving the crèche with a sense that she has no place in the pawab (clan). On the other hand, once she’d made the decision, she felt an overwhelming sense of relief. Woba-ab now has something of a chip on her shoulder about disability and the treatment of the underbwap. She will almost invariably support the non-favourite team to root for in any sports event she happens to take an interest in. Despite her low endurance, Woba-ab is extremely determined to be better than those around her and uses her intelligence and sharp wit to ensure she is one step ahead of those around her - in arguments and in actions.

Leaving the crèche, Woba-ab landed an internship at an up and coming human law firm, Lund, Lund i Mellem and seemed to have found a niche where she fitted in and could genuinely contribute to proceedings even as she developed her skills. Though her attention to detail and the long-winded explanations and ritual descriptions she was fond of exasperated her colleagues as much as they were impressed by her productivity and results. Moreover, Woba-ab is very focussed on whatever job she is doing but often overanalyzes choices seeking the optimal path even when time is short. Still, in a legal setting that can often be beneficial.

Woba-ab finished her internship and remained with the firm. She was given a small managerial role which she fulfilled with diligence if rather rigidly. One new hire complained to seniors about the hoops he was made to jump through, but a review found that Woba-ab had acted entirely properly. She was involved in a case that the junior Lund took on representing Jäm Foreldsen, a broker on the Free Trader Skåne. Foreldsen was accused of an illicit deal whilst in port and despite Lund’s representation was found guilty and imprisonedroll 1d6: 1-3 he was guilty and Woba-ab has increased resentment against those who break the law; 4-6 he was innocent and Woba-ab carries some guilt that she was unable to do better in helping Lund defend the trader and will attack any work she is assigned with even more rigour and hours.

Having got to know the crew of the Skåne, Woba-ab was invited to join their crew as their broker/administrator/legal expert and decided to join them. Even she’s not clear in her own mind why she chose to give up her position and travel, certainly advice she received at the time from Mellem was that it was an unwise decision, but she has sometimes thought - and might express to close confidants - that it was because the law firm was becoming too like a surrogate crèche for her and that this was bringing up too many unwanted associations.

The crew of the Skåne have warmed to her ways over time, although arguably this has been assisted by the increase in profits they make from her long hours and dedication. The captain is a little laid back for Woba-ab’s liking but she appreciates a warm-hearted willingness to learn a little of bwap culture and language, difficult as it is. She gets on well with the engineer who has an attention to detail and rigour as well as a carefree attitude to states of undress. She drives the astrogator to distraction by insisting on double and triple-checking all calculations but since finding an error that might have caused serious problems, is given explicit encouragement by the captain to do just that.

Excluded from the communal mudbaths of her culture, Woba-ab lives for the time she can spend in a mudbath of her own and tries to let her busy mind rest. She has had the ‘fresher in her stateroom taken out and converted that space and some storage space into a small bath for her personal use. Very favoured is the friend or close colleague who she invites to join her at such times but it does occasionally happen, partly as a way of thumbing her nose at a bwap society that wouldn’t normally accept outsiders in such a bath, partly as a way of seeing if she can develop her own pawab. She keeps this very private, particularly in the presence of other bwaps, who she won’t normally seek out in downtime, as she is aware it would be frowned on and make her even more of an outsider. Once accused of kabkowekabkade-akasteb, or an unnatural mindset, Woba-ab is very sensitive to both mental health issues in those around her and any derogatory references to them. She is driven by a sense of wanting to belong. To a pawab, to a crew, to an unheard of mate for life.

Woba-ab is a slight figure with a skin marking under her chin she can be a little coy about. She has a quiet but firm voice. She wears brightly coloured atkasebs, often with geometric patterns finely woven into them rather than anything to do with her crèche.

Quote: “The law is not a crèche.  It’s a structure.  And structures can be rebuilt.”

Adventure hooks:

• A former crèchemate gets in touch with her and wants to talk. Is it for help, an apology or revenge?
• On one world, Woba-ab sees an advert for a hydrosuit which is for sale. It’s in good condition and at a price she can afford, but the seller is a continent away and the buyer collects.
• Woba-ab persuades the captain that converting a stateroom into a decent sized mudbath would be beneficial for her physical and mental health but also enable the ship to attract bwap passengers. It’s not easy to find a chandler who can take on the conversion and one of the first such passages they sell starts asking questions about Woba-ab’s Wapawab Guide and her interpretation of bwap wapawab philosophy. Another bwap passenger wants to transport his parawba (swamp-donkey) as part of his cargo.
• In her own uncultural way, Woba-ab decides she is going to seek out her father. This will not be an easy task as, if there are any records, she will find them difficult to access.
• Jäm Foreldsen contacts Woba-ab to say there is new evidence in his case which exonerates him. He’s desperate for help and thinks Woba-ab can provide diligence and skills that no human he’s seen can offer.
• Woba-ab is contacted by a bwap reformist group seeking excluded females who would like to be reintegrated into a crèche.

Woba-ab Kabeb

573A85, 2 Terms: Citizen: Corporate, Rank 2: Manager

Characteristics: STR 5 (-1), DEX 7 (+0), END 3 (-1), INT 10 (+1), EDU 8 (+0), SOC 5 (-1)

Traits: Social Norms, Structured Mind

[N.B.: Woba-ab does not have the typical bwap trait of Regeneration.  This does not affect her medical recovery for normal injury or disease.]   

[Social Norms is as detailed on page 253 of Aliens of Charted Space: Volume 3 except she does not suffer the penalty on Persuade as she has had to argue her side of ‘differences’ on many occasions.]

Skills: Advocate 2, Admin 1, Broker 1, Diplomat 1, Flyer 1, Drive 0, Electronics (computers) 0, Leadership 0, Streetwise 0

Equipment: Cr10,000; Ship Share; Prosthetic Limb z Improved (arm), TL9, Cr5000 [CSC, p.57]; Portable Computer/1, TL9, (waterproofed to TL9), 1.1kg, Cr125; Polymer Gloves, TL6, 1kg, Cr50; Atkaseb (Kaftan)×5, TL9, 1kg, Cr250 each = Cr1250 - she also has a couple of older ones for sculling around in her stateroom during Jump; Hydrosuit, TL11, 4kg, Cr12,500 - at least it would cost that new.  She picked up a secondhand one for Cr8000 which has some damage to the lower left leg/foot section and can only maintain a suitable environment for a week, or perhaps two at a push. She’s saving up for a new one.

Woba does not possess a Wapawab guide.

Relationships

Ally: Kulluran Mellem - Advocate-at-Large at Lund, Lund i Mellem