Nashu Nirkra, low-visibility smuggler
ST: 10 [0] -- Swing 1d, Thrust 1d-2
DX: 11 [10] -- Basic Speed 5.5, Move 5
IQ: 13 [30]
HT: 11 [10]
Point Total: 110
Advantages: Contacts (various) [10]; Danger Sense [15]; Intuition [10]; Serendipity [15]
Disadvantages: Edgy [-5]; Greed [-15]; Secret (smuggler) [-20]
Quirks: Always curses in Gvegh (Vargr); Always wears a dark blouse; Refuses to admit she misses Lydos Hsiang
Skills: Acting-14 [4]; Administration-13 [2]; Area Knowledge (Collace)-14 [2]; Area Knowledge (Trexalon)-14 [2]; Area Knowledge (Tarsus)-14 [2]; Area Knowledge (District 268)-15 [4]; Computer Operation-13 [1]; Detect Lies-13 [4]; Disguise-13 [2]; Fast Talk-14 [4]; Freight Handling-13 [2]; Guns (Pistol)/TL8-13 [1]; Holdout-13 [2]; Law(Trade)-17/11 [2]; Merchant-16 [8]; Piloting (Contragravity)-10 [1]; Streetwise-15 [6]
** All /TL skills are TL10, except as noted
Languages: Common-13 [0]; Vargr (Gvegh)-12 [1]; Aslan-12 [1]; two more human at skill-12 [1 each]
Appearance
Nashu is 5'3" tall, 135 lbs, in her late twenties with pale skin, brown eyes and long black hair in a single braid worn over her left shoulder.
Equipment
TL8 body pistol (2 magazines), light jacket and pants, dark blouse and shoes
Biography
Nashu Nirkra was born in the Deneb Sector into a long line of tramp merchants. When she became an adult, Nashu signed on as a trade specialist on a Beowulf-class trader named Renny's Revenge, which was owned by a young, rich and brash merchant named Lydos Hsiang. Over the next year and a half, the ship made it's way through into the Spinward Marches and into District 268, a region of worlds mostly independent of the Imperium.
By this time, it was apparent that Lydos was a much better pilot than merchant; despite Nashu's best efforts, he had lost virtually all his money. In desperation, the crew turned to smuggling, which it was reasonably successful at. However, Lydos, not happy with the profits being made, decided to turn pirate. Although Nashu has a great love for money (even greater than Lydos'), a nagging feeling kept her from going on the first pirate cruise and she instead remained behind on Collace. As fate would have it, it was perhaps the best choice she ever made.
While she was waiting for the ship's return, she used her time to familiarize herself better with the subsector and some of it's worlds. She also, through frequenting the starport, made contacts with several merchants on other planets in the sector and to support herself made several minor 'arrangements' for the transportation of small bundles of goods. After several weeks passed, Renny's Revenge still had not returned. Eventually, she discovered it had been destroyed by an Imperial Q-ship in the Dallia system, with all crew listed as killed.
Stranded some 40 parsecs from home, Nashu decided to use her newly-acquired contacts to start her own 'small package' business. While she does not, herself, have a starship to carry packages, she finds those who will (for a price). She has now been in District 268 for nearly eight years and has no plans to leave (at least not until the Imperium annexes it).
Encountered
Nashu can be found in virtually any of the starports in District 268, especially independent worlds with CR 3 or less and a Class V, VI or III starport (specifically, she frequents Avastan, Binges, Collace, Dallia, Pagaton, Talchek, Tarkine, Tarsus and Trexalon).
Canonically
Nashu is designed using normal GURPS® rules. Her contacts have been left open, for easier GM customization (for simplicity, the GM can assume (a) five 2-point Contacts or (b) two 4-point Contacts and two 1-point Contacts).
What if?
While Nashu is designed for a GURPS Traveller® campaign, she could fit in almost any setting where there is a demand for smugglers.
In the Campaign
The most obvious use of Nashu is as means of providing shady PCs with jobs -- given the tone of the original Traveller adventures or the inclinations of most PCs, this is would not be unusual. Note that to keep up appearances, she will also broker legitimate deals, so PCs may meet her that way as well. The PCs may be hired by someone who was double-crossed (not intentionally by Nashu, at any rate) and wants revenge. She could also, if desired, be used as a PC (and not strictly as a smuggler -- she has fairly good 'legitimate' merchant skills).