Sir Henry Martell

Captain Martell is an intelligent, well-educated soul with a foppish personality that few warm to. He is a man of many words, frequently rambling and pedantic and generally fails to create a positive first impression. Some think it is a carefully crafted persona, meant to obfuscate a long history of skillful employment of violence.

This man is a career privateer, skirting the boundaries of outright piracy via letters of marque and cleverly maintaining just enough legitimacy to skirt the law's retribution. He is what most would call low nobility, having titles but little money or political pull.

Notable Events:

Enrolled in the Imperial Guards. Never had enough money to buy a proper commission. Rose up through some ranks on his natural skills, but gained his first command through a duel. That particular captain was notorious and unpopular, gaining much favor from the crew. Lesson learned: Violence does solve some problems! Also that guy was an asshole and he deserved it.

On his first tour as captain, exceeded his orders, moved his ship to a new patrol and siezed a blockade runner skulking about waiting for a rendezvous. Used prize money to bribe his way out of court martial. Did not bribe all the right people and lost command. New captain was much more careful.

Trapped in a dead-end position and terribly bored with the Guards. Resigned, used remaining prize money to buy dilapidated freighter, hire a crew of dispossessed spacers and made good money doing honest trade. It was, however, immensely boring. Used profits to outfit freighter as Q-ship, hunted pirates for bounties using bait and ambush tactics. Exhilarating, and also a guilt-free public service! High-risk high-reward plan pays off, encouraging more of the same.

Three years later, ship boarded and siezed by a vessel of the Imperial Fleet in remote system. Charged with piracy on spurious evidence. Arrestor monologues too much and wealthy relatives of slain former captain found to be the major driving force. However, the main purpose of a Q ship is ambush using hidden armaments. Valiant Imperial captain is not particularly bright and his ship is crippled in inevitable surprise missile barrage. Martell escapes to find that political forces at home have destroyed his family's finances and forced them into exile or prison. Hate politics. This isn't fair at all.

Chased to far ends of space. Resumes bounty-hunting as a means to get by. Encounters locally famous privateer by accident in a failed ambush. Impressed by the ballsiness and competence displayed in the fight, the privateer offers a desperate Martell a job freeming ships for the Free Star League. It pays fantastically better. Mind-bogglingly better.

Virtues: Honorable
Vice: Vindictive
Skills:
Space Boarding: Expert
Astronavigation: Professional
Technology: Layman
Politics: Terrible

Goals:
Become a legend. Gain wealth and the accroutrements of power.
Exercise the freedom of answering to nobody and explore the darkest parts of the stars.
Revenge. The straightforward violent sort with none of that convoluted plot business.

Friends:
Few.

Enemies:
Captain Ahab Expy - Someone in the Imperial Fleet passionately hates you.
Some powerful rich family in the Phoenix Empire.

Stat number Things:
IQ 3
Wits 4
Charm 1
Cunning 6
Durability 4
Physical 7

Court
Black Mail 0
Horse Trading 1
Chummy 1
Bureaucracy 0
Legal 1
Speech Giving 2
Plotting 0

Military

Ship Command
Helmsmen 6
Gunnery 7
Leadership 6

Squadron Command
Maneuver 2
Formation 2
Command 2

Fleet Command
Maneuver 0
Formation 0
Command 0

Gained Trait:
A Dreamer Awakened: Mind altering space magic don't affect you, you have seen past greater illusions and survived stronger for it.