Stubby bin Harold al Hebrin'
Station Chief Stubby bin Harold al Hebrin
Chief Harold is the rarely-seen station chief of the Hale’n’Hearty caravanserie, located at hex 1927 of Hebrin subsector. Known as a shy recluse with a preternatural business sense, this thin and pale man is known to be rather wealthy for an independent caravanserie, unconnected with the Iper’mar tech tyrants, the Arabic interstellar trading clans, the Bwap crèches, or the web of Indian merchant dynasties. Again unusual for a caravanserie boss, he doesn’t tolerate the fencing of stolen goods on his station, choosing to run a rather clean fueling stop. (The overworked men of the Colonial subsector fleet - laboring to stamp out a host of pirate flare-ups every single month - appreciate this fact.) The Hale’n’Hearty is known to have a largely Solomani clientele: other races and species are tolerated and may trade and refuel in peace, but folks wondering why there are no Vargr workhands, [[Vilani] technicians or Bwap moneylenders kept on station are encouraged to keep their mouth shut, or they are going to fall down a few flights of stairs in the near future.
Chief Harold is not what he seems. He is a persona: a natural man, whose genetics, history, memories, and electronic trail are routinely tapped by an anima. The persona is genetically related to the anima, often a ‘pseudoclone’ or even a true clone, with heavy cosmetic surgery. The anima is usually a high-tech agent of a powerful interest who can afford the technological sophistication of both creating such a mask and hiding its’ existence from various interested parties
In general, an anima maintains a series of three to seven persona, each in a critical position - but usually not on the same world, and certainly not in the same social circles. (The physical, mental, and psychological resemblances between the personas might draw the wrong kind of attention). The anima circulates between the persona, borrowing their identity to execute certain missions, generally highly sophisticated intelligence gathering.
The central goal of Chief Harold is to find a catalyst that will spark a war between the Third Imperium and the Julian Protectorate. He is aware of various incidents that could have led to war, but were defused by both sides. Having spent several years studying the Empty Quarter, directly absorbing the findings of his highly skilled agents, the Chief has found some pressure points that are quite promising. Success in sparking a war here, regardless of the eventual winner, will turn the likely victory of the Solomani in the Rim into a certainty. Played right, it could even lead to the collapse of the Third Imperium, should Emperor Gavin insist on focusing on the Solomani while ignoring the collapse of his trailing-coreward frontiers.
The Chief is working with the Shadow Cartel (who stands to gain immense wealth in any such war, regardless of the eventual winner) and certain pro-Vargr groups within the Rukadukaz Republic, which control the key world of Ikon (Empty Quarter 1602). Financially and materially, he is backed by assorted pro-Solomani interests in the Imperial Core, with certain specialized assets provided by the central Solomani government on Terra (Solomani Rim 1827).
References and Contributors[edit]
- Alvin Plummer. "Biography: Selected Ship Masters and Vessels of the Empty Quarter III." Stellar Reaches 14 (2011): 56.
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