NPC 4

Another NPC for another Episode I GM'd; I got a Better Idea (TM )  a few days before I was due to run, hence this was all the art I had time to make.

In this episode, on the way to what was going to be the Original Episode I was going to run, the UAP Kahina's crew responded to a distress beacon originating from the independent Salvage Vessel Nerite.

It was clearly damaged and upon further investigation, the entire crew had expired; either from injuries sustained during the impact that caused initial damage or due to the toxic air that the damaged (but actually sabotaged) Life Support System.

With nothing else to do, a report was filed and the crew continued to their original destination. Over the next few days the Kahina experienced several strange malfunctions, driving Science Officer Buzz to quite a distraction. Meanwhile, Medical officer Dr. Reginadl Thompson was getting increasingly frustrated that Captain tactical Officer Pavel was continuing to dismiss and ignore his recommendation to submit to a Medical Scan (she's been stubborn in the past but this was going beyond).

Things came to a head when Pavel's best childhood friend contacted the Kahina directly concerned that Pavel hadn't been returning her calls; and the crew also discovered that the ship was NOT heading to their intended destination but directly through Enemy Territory.

Finally confronting their Captain, the ensuing fight revealed her to be a doppleganger - with the use of (quite illegal) genetic-manipulation and some projection technology, Corporal Anuri Katak was able to replace Pavel after "throwing that witch out of an airlock".

Having been in imperfect cryogenic suspension for the last 300 years, she was very much a soldier out of time. Her cells were damaged and breaking down rapidly; and even though she had learned the war was long over, she had little love for mammals and simply wanted to get home before she died.

After doubling back and retrieving their Actual Captain (who had managed to survive an attempted drowning and stabbing BEFORE being thrown out the aforementioned Airlock thanks to her personal shield and the Salvage Vessel's Bio-Repair Bed, but was unable to contact anyone due to the communication array being damaged)...

Pavel was surprisingly sympathetic; and with the deadline for their original mission completely missed, she opted to return Anuri to her home planet of Rawa - which is not part of the United Alliance of Planets, having chosen Isolationism after the war ended.

They were able to find a next-of-kin.... who seem excited at the opportunity to become Reality TV celebrities from taking in and caring for a dying great-great grand Aunt.

I'm sure we'll never see her again, seeing as she's totally dying. Not like Medical Science has come a long way in 300 years, and it's not like anyone would want to hire an illegally enhanced infiltration expert for any reason...

No, I'm sure this is the first and last we'll ever see of Ms. Anuri Katak.

Yup.

(Okay okay I have several plans that may bring her back in the future)

I may yet run the Original Idea that was replaced by THIS Episode, but at a much later date after some further tweaking.