Little Tow
Summary
Little Tow is a small starship towing agency headquartered on Gemini Station. The company's actions have earned the attention of anti-war groups on both Livonia and Janus.
The company has an eclectic mix of personalities, adding to their reputation of accepting societal outcasts.
Balanced Opportunity
Due to the ongoing Livonia/Janus War, most starship towing agencies consider the star system too risky to operate within. Traffic is already limited, and the pirates that prey on chaos are more than willing to issue fake distress calls to lure in easy targets. What towing agencies do operate in the system are native to either Janus or Livonia, and won't leave their local orbit. This made it the perfect opportunity for Little Tow - a young agency operated by industry vets. They made their headquarters on Gemini Station, which due to its own dire straits, offered the real estate at a hefty discount. Since Little Tow's arrival on the station in 3228, the company has had to balance a tangled web of allegiances to stay afloat and bring Gemini Station back from the brink.War
No matter their personal thoughts on the conflict, Little Tow's founders opened business with the intent to remain neutral to both planets in the ongoing war. However, after getting unintentionally involved with smuggling psionic teenagers off Livonia, they ended up assaulting a border patrol agent and disseminating propaganda on behalf of Janus' Liberation Coalition. While not all allegations are provable, they shifted the company's client base to be more Janian. Just as not all Janians agree with LibCo, not all Livonians support their local authorities enough to avoid Little Tow entirely. In either case, many principles stop mattering when the alternative is waiting a week for Big Tow to arrive from Mithorous and paying premiums for the privilege.Politics
A year after Little Tow's arrival on Gemini, the station became a point of interest to both the Syndicate and the Protectorate. Neither agency would elaborate on why, aside from "for purposes related to mapping metadimensional space". With Gemini's life support engine failing, they needed monetary sponsorship to afford repairs. Once Little Tow came into possession of unique sensor drones - ones that could measure time fluctuations within the metadimension - they had a bargaining chip to negotiate with. While the Syndicate could provide more funds, faster, Little Tow opted for the more stable and above-board nature of the Protectorate. This put Gemini back under the Protectorate banner and back on the map, but it remains to be seen what the black market group's response will be.Timeline
Information
Author Commentary
OriginsBalanced Mess
From their flighty PR specialist to their anti-establishment chief engineer, Little Tow's employees run the gamut. Despite their oddities, they're surprisingly effective as a team, and their shared desire to make their part of the galaxy a better place endears them to most they encounter. They're willing to entertain strange ideas and bold plans, and aren't afraid to ask as few questions as possible to maintain plausible deniability.
H3nr1 Ennu13
Bon.
Summary
Henri is a man of simple needs: a cigarette, a coffee, and something to tinker. That's how he ended up with his own prototype mini tractor beam in his throat - if it kept his cigarette smoke in place, his coworkers wouldn't notice him smoking at work.
He worked for Big Tow at the time, and they wanted this prototype. Unfortunately for them, Henri has a bit of an anarchist streak. He quit, and Lawrence soon followed. Together, they founded a competitor towing agency: Little Tow.
Lawrence Thomlin
I'll handle the paperwork.
Summary
A veteran pilot and a reasonable wrench, Lawrence has worked for years around spaceports. His last stint was Chief of Flight Operations at Big Tow, which was the stable job he needed while raising a family planetside.
His kids are now adults and his spouse tragically passed in 3225. When his favorite coworker, Henri, was let go, he saw an opportunity to make a new start and try something else while he still had some energy about him. Together, they founded Little Tow.
Kenta
We must follow the will of the cosmic wind...
Summary
Kenta isn’t sure where or when they come from. They remember a deep, echoing voice in an oily black void; next they woke up in a broken cockpit, exposed to the vacuum of space.
They believe the spirit essence of the cosmos placed them where they were needed to champion the universe towards peace and justice. A process that would start with joining the towing agency that saved them.
Scorba Swabluu
I picked a direction and walked and ended up here.
Summary
Scorba looks like they could be blown away in a strong breeze, and they flow from place to place about as freely. One day, their precognition showed them joining the Little Tow towing agency, so that's what they did.
Though their appearance can be described as ghastly, Scorba's kind and well-meaning personality eventually shines through. Especially while doing the mostly-digital work of public relations. If only they were slightly more predictable, themself...
Hana
I can fix that! Probably.
Summary
Hana doesn't talk much about her time in a Livonian Quarantine Zone, nor the family she had prior to her psionic abilities becoming apparent. After her rescue by the Budyong National Hoverboard Relay team, she impressed the Little Tow team with her mechanical know-how, earning her a position with the company. Hana has been learning more commonly-spoken languages beyond her native Livonian, primarily using the knowledge to read ghost stories from across the sector.
You've found a clue! I love scary stories and spooky creatures. The first letter of the password is also the first letter of my favorite type of spooky creature. For a hint, there's a cool story from Janus about one. Come to Gemini Station if you forgot what to do!
Amazing CSS, amazing characters, and that this is for TTRPG makes the world even more amazing for me and got you a new follow :)
Welcome to the Talos Sector! Happy to have you here :D
Speculative-Fiction Writing