The Pariahs

"That? That's the History of Ambition. Weirdest ship I ever did see, and its crew? Call themselves the Pariahs, supposedly because they're all outcasts or something. They run a mean courier service though, and acquisitions, and piracy. Come to think of it, there's not much they don't do. Rumours are one of 'em is a Xahian, and another from a ship that was lost in FourSpace for a hundreds of years. I'm not sure about all that though. Best you leave them be, but enjoy the sight of that ship, you won't see another like it."

One of the most infamous independent ship crews operating out of the freeport known as The Pit Edge, the Pariahs are well known to both Federation of Xah and Northup Alliance intelligence agencies, and wanted by both. Their vessel, the History of Ambition (also known as the HOA), is unique in Known Space; an artefact of the time prior to the Amnesiac Virus, a highly advanced, very small FourDrive enabled ship.
The Pariahs take on almost any contracted work, but are reknowned for their courier and transport skills, with the HOA being able to jump closer into systems than any other known FourDrive vessel. They have the official protection from the Pit Doge, Nassim Chavoshi, but many organisaions, both official and unoffical, would love to get their hands on both the ship, and its crew.

Structure

The Pariahs are led by their captain, Anna Esfahani, who styles herself as the 'Pirate Queen' and makes no pretence that the ship is operated on entirely autocratic grounds, and not any democratic processes. Her second is Titus Leok, who claims the title 'Executive Officer', but to his disgust is often just referred to as 'First Mate'. Anna is also assisted by Foresight, the ship's AI, a unique marvel of humanity's golden age. Technically Foresight could operate all of the ship's systems, but is confined within its Faraday Cage, and so can merely offer guidance and support, along with the complicated calculations required for jumps through FourSpace.
The rest of the twelve-strong crew is largely on the same level, but a rough heirarchy based on useful skills and time of service has evolved. Some, such as the Xahian dissenter, Tanja, are accorded a level of authority beyond what might be expected, but for the most part, if you're last in, you're lowest in the chain of command.

Culture

The most important factor, to all members of the crew of the HOA, is anonymity. Every member of the crew has a past, and has their reasons for being there, and its considered extremely bad manners to ask about it. The only thing everyone has in common is a desire to break from one's past, and live a life free from external authority. The reasons behind that are unimportant.
Of course some, such as the disgraced ex-trader, Oakley Wheeler, consider their past to be a matter of public record and, in his case at least, something to be proud of and brag about. After all it's not everyone who gets a law affecting quadrillions of people named after them. However, the majority keep quiet, and the social convention on board respects that.

Public Agenda

The Pariahs are a commercial operation, registered as such on The Pit Edge, and their public agenda is a matter of record. They accept all paying jobs, subject to negotiation, with no offer rejected without consideration. Their flexibility and willingness to entertain even the most suspicious of causes, no questioned asked, has given them a huge amount of credibility on the station, and amongst the wider criminal underworld. They are one of the few operations to have successfully undertaken work within the Federation of Xah, although payment for such activities is very high.

History

The origins of the Pariahs, and how they managed to obtain the vessel known as the History of Ambition are unknown. The present crew are simply the latest in a line of members who have replaced previous occupants over time as they grew old and retired, or died. The current Captain, Anna, has been in command for fifteen years, but the crew as a whole have been in operation for over a century. The only individual with full knowledge is probably the AI, Foresight, and it refuses to comment on anything other than operational matters.
All that is known is that about a hundred years ago, the History of Ambition arrived on The Pit Edge and registered as a commerical operation. There was, at the time, a bit of fuss about the arrival of such a unique vessel, but in the years since the novelty has worn off, and the ship is now just another mysterious occurance in a wider universe.

A to B, without C

The Crew

The Buccaneer: Anna Esfahani
The Soldier: Titus Leok
The Brute: Tanja
The Spy: Gideon Nichol
The Urchin: Siza
The Dancer: Isidora Peduzzi
The Factor: Musukuta Baldeh
The Scion: Alexeyev Radoslav
The Anachronist: Cameron Pate
The Merchant: Oakley Wheeler
The Stranger: Molly

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Type

Civilian, Crew

Training Level

Semi-professional

Leader

Anna Esfahani

Location

The Pit Edge

Notable Members

• Anna Esfahani

Related Species

• Human