Agent

SolarNet News

April 14th, 459

TRAGEDY STRIKES: The Mintzer Pleasure Starship Lost in Catastrophic Accident

A devastating explosion has claimed the lives of all passengers and crew aboard The Mintzer, a luxury pleasure starship owned by prominent businessman and philanthropist Jemel Tusker. The vessel was en route to the Mars Colonies when the incident occurred.
Tusker, who has faced recent allegations of involvement in a human trafficking ring, was among those on board. Investigators from the Solar Transportation Safety Board (STSB) have swiftly concluded that poor maintenance was the cause of the disaster, citing inadequate safety protocols and neglected repairs.
In a surprise move, the STSB announced that the case will be closed with no further inquiry, sparking concerns among some observers about the thoroughness of the investigation. The Mintzer's loss sends shockwaves through the solar community, and tributes are pouring in for the victims.
Related Stories:
Jemel Tusker's Business Empire Under Scrutiny Amidst Human Trafficking Allegations
Solar Transportation Safety Board Faces Criticism for Swift Closure of The Mintzer Case

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Honest Pay for Dishonest Work

An agent is, essentially, a person who acquires information that others would rather they not have, a person who solves problems by means nobody thinks is fair or correct, and generally make a secretive nuisance of themselves. Being an Agent is hazardous, often distasteful, and for a certain personality type; incredibly addictive.

Warfare by Other Means

Espionage, assassinations, theft, and other skuduggery may not be nice, but it's often better than a full blown war. It might also be the smart beginning of a war; stealing an enemy's plans for their own opening moves is a fantastic way to win before the first shots are even fired. A good agent could be worth a dozen commandos or a hundred line infantry.

Information is King

In the Age of Convergence, competing factions must do everything to get ahead. Nobody can afford to have their hands fully clean. If they can't get the information that they need, then denying opponents from having it is second best. Blowing up warehouses containing servers, assassinating HVTs, hacking AIs, and ripping GMEs from targets for digital interrogation aren't nice and rarely are they legal, but they are sometimes necessary.

Template 92 points

The template depicts the skillset of a typical agent, while for the lenses 'Erelim' represent one of the elite wetwork agents of the Terran Homestar Intelligence and the Covert Military Advisor depicts one of dozens of varieties of possible agents-saboteur, possibly working for the Solar Defense Fleet, the Solar Clone Corps, or one of the Gigacorporations. Finally, the third lens is the Psionic Agent, typically in service to TAR but possibly any agent that simply happens to have the Curse of Venus or other incidental psionic abilities. Such abilities can obviously be helpful in information warfare.

Primary Skills 36 pts

Area Knowledge (any) (E) IQ+2 4 pts, Current Affairs (any) (E) IQ+2 4 pts, Law (international) (H) IQ 4 pts, and one of: Acting (A) IQ+2 8 pts, Observation (A) Per+2 8 pts, or Research (A) IQ+2 8 pts

Secondary Skills 50 pts

Choose 12 points from among the following: Beam Weapons (Pistol) (E) DX+1 2 pts, Computer Programming (H) IQ 4 pts, Computer Hacking (VH) IQ-1 4 pts, Cryptography (H) IQ 4 pts, Detect Lies (H) Per-1 2 pts, Diplomacy (H) IQ 4 pts, Driving (any) (A) DX 2 pts, Electronics Operation (Communications, Security or Surveillance) (A) IQ 2 pts, Expert Skill (Political Science or Xenology) (H) IQ 4 pts, Fast Talk (A) IQ 2 pts, Forgery (H) IQ 4 pts, Guns (Gyroc, Pistol or Shotgun) (E) DX+1 2 pts, Holdout (A) IQ 2 pts, Intelligence Analysis (H) IQ 4 pts, Interrogation (A) IQ 2 pts, Lockpicking (A) IQ 2 pts, Propaganda (A) IQ 2 pts, or Shadowing (A) IQ 2 pts.

Background Skills 6 pts

Computer Operation (E) IQ 1 pts, First Aid (E) IQ 1 pts, Savoir-Faire (E) IQ 1 pts or Streetwise (A) IQ-1 1 pts, and either Brawling (E) DX 1 pts or Fast-Draw (weapon) (E) DX 1 pts.

Lenses

Erelim (40 points): DX 12 20 pts; add 20 points from among: Gizmos 1-3 5-15 pts, Hard to Kill 1-5 pts, High TL 5 pts, Luck 15 pts, Rapid Healing 5 pts, Security Clearance +1 5 pts, Smooth Operator 1 15 pts; add Overconfidence -5* pts and Trademark -5 pts pts to disadvantage options; add Disguise (A) IQ 2 pts, Judo (H) DX 4 pts, Stealth (A) DX 2 pts, and either Connoisseur (any) (A) IQ-1 1 pts or Fast-Draw (any) (E) DX 1 pts.
Covert Military Advisor (48 points): DX 12 20 pts, ST or HT 11 10 pts, and 20 points from among Fit 5 pts, High Pain Threshold 10 pts, and Military Rank 1-4 5-20; add Code of Honor (Soldier’s) -10 pts, Duty (Extremely Hazardous) -15 pts to disadvantage options; add Soldier (A) IQ+2 8 pts, either Beam Weapons (Rifle) (E) DX 1 pts or Guns (Rifle) (E) DX 1 pts; and 6 points from among: Camouflage (E) IQ 1 pts, Explosives (Demolition) (A) IQ 2 pts, Forward Observer (A) IQ 2 pts, Gunner (any) (E) DX 1 pts, Knife (E) DX 1 pts, Stealth (A) DX 2 pts, Tactics (H) IQ 4 pts.
Psionic Agent (35 points): Increase Will by 1 5 pts; add Electronics Operation (Psychotronics) (A) IQ 2 pts, Expert Skill (Psionics) (H) IQ 4 pts, and Mind Block (A) Will+1 4 pts. Up to 20 pts in psionic abilities.

Type

Intelligence Gathering