Jumping into a small, insignificant system along the Hydian way, your ship is hailed by an authoritative voice. “This is Captain Rufus Goeren, of the Imperial Star Destroyer Disputant you will state your designation and purpose, or be apprehended.” You look to your party, exchanging confused looks, mouthing to each other, “Who is this guy?” It’s at this point that someone reaches for the dice and rolls a Lore Check.
Goeren’s career began in the Imperial Academy where he was indoctrinated in the methods and ideologies of the Emperor and his grand Galactic Empire. His greatest distinction was his adherence to, and relish of, the more brutal, iron-fisted doctrines that had become more and more common throughout the galaxy. He was a man made for this new, colder, more heartless climate. Official records note an underperformance in the academic and physical spheres, something that seemingly went either unnoticed, or outright ignored with no official explanation given. This was in great contrast to his political studies, where he excelled. A curious and cryptic note on his record mentions the sudden illnesses and injuries that apparently plagued his fellow students, but passed mysteriously over him.
After graduating from the Imperial Academy, Goeren moved into the Imperial Navy, and was given command of a small vessel titled Caluminator and attached to the local Systems Admiral. It was after this that Goeren’s career began to advance rapidly, with a decided prejudice against pirates, non-humans, and the emerging Rebel Alliance, Goeren had found a use for his new found power and authority. In a bold move, the Rebels struck at the Systems Fleet while Goeren and his smaller task force were absent. When the call for aid was received by Goeren, an unfortunate ship malfunction struck which delayed his return. This has been speculated to be the cause of death for the late Systems Admiral. Inexplicably, no evidence of any malfunction was recorded in official records.
With the sudden vacuum left by the demise of the Systems Admiral Goeren was promoted to the now-vacant position, and was given command of his own Imperial Star Destroyer which he named Dispuntant. Following this rise in rank, Captain Rufus Goeren publicly announced his desire to bring justice to the Rebels who were responsible for the death of his predecessor and, according to him, sabotaged his ship to prevent him from providing aid that might have otherwise saved many Imperial lives. In truth, he has grown accustomed to power, and has acquired a taste for advancement and seeks only to continue his climb up the Imperial chain of command using any methods he deems acceptable, regardless of legality.
Captain Rufus Goeren [Rival]:
Attributes:
- Brawn-2
- Agility-2
- Intellect- 3
- Cunning-4
- Willpower-4
- Presence-4
Soak:2
Wound Threshold:12
Strain Threshold:15
Melee/Ranged defense: 0/0
Skills: Charm 3, Coercion 4, Cool 2, Deception 4, Discipline 3, Knowledge (Core Worlds) 2, Knowledge (Warfare) 3, Leadership 4, Ranged (Light) 2, Streetwise 4, Vigilance 2.
Talents: Adversary 1 (Upgrade all combat checks made against this target once), Plausible Deniability 3 (remove three setback from all Coercion or Deception checks), Supreme Inspiring Rhetoric (As a maneuver, may make an average Leadership check. Each Success removes one wound or strain from an ally in short range. Each Advantage removes one additional strain or wound from an affected ally. All affected allies add one Boost die for four rounds).
Abilities: Imperial Valour (may perform a maneuver to cause all ranged attacks targeting Rufus Goeren to instead hit one ally or helpless enemy he is engaged with until the beginning of the next turn).
Gear: Blaster pistol (Ranged [Light]; Damage 6; Critical 3; Range [Medium]; Stun setting), Code cylinder.
Goeren’s reputation as an enemy of those opposed to the Emperors’s rule has made him a fearsome opponent. This belief however is not derived from his personal attributes or prowess, but due to the resources the Empire has seen fit to lay at his feet, including the Systems Fleet he commands. The following are the attributes of his fleet as an organisation. (The rules regarding organisations can be found in GM Hooly’s articles here, here and here.)
Systems Fleet
Type:
System wide fleet.
Area of Operation:
Rufus Goeren and his Systems Fleet operate inside a small area of space along the Hydian way. However, this can be easily changed to suit your game, placing this ambitious Imperial captain wherever the players can encounter him.
Base of Operation:
Rufus Goeren commands his fleet from his Imperial I class Star Destroyer which is assigned assigned to his home system along the Hydian way. Again, if you wish to include this character in your game, his posting can be changed to wherever your game is taking place, because although his location may change, his ambitions remain constant.
Leader:
Captain Rufus Goeren.
Motivation:
The goal of Rufus’ fleet, on paper at least, is to quell the rising sedition in the Imperial populace. However, the true ambition that lies at the heart of this group is to increase their influence on to the sector scale, and see their leader rise in power and reach. To that end, making back alley deals with fringers and smugglers is not beyond the realm of possibility.
Attributes:
- Hostility-3
- Intelligence-4
- Size-3
- Notoriety-4
- Influence-3
- Resources-4
Skills:
Knowledge (Warfare) 2, Ranged (Heavy) 1, deception 2
Description:
The Systems Fleet is a well established notion across the galaxy, as the Empire has deployed at least onCe to most major systems in order to maintain control, often with a flotilla of smaller ships and one flagship, the symbol of Imperial might, the Star Destroyer. Rufus Goeren has seen fit to use his position as Systems Admiral to continue his climb up the ladder with his trademark mix of underhanded tactics and brutal oppression.
Nice use of the Organization mechanic developed by…well me 🙂