The Charter were a mercenary company that used new technology to bring a novel solution to dwindling numbers applying for military service amongst the Inner Planets. Young men and women could sign up to be fitted with a 'Frame' - essentially a complex brain implant and an extra-enteral nutrition system in a single package that could be easily fitted and removed. Once active, the Frame 'took over' an individual's consciousness and free will for a set duration, with their mental state returning to normal when deactivated.

Charter troops would rent out their bodies for the duration of their contract, seen as a win-win for both the individuals and the hiring company.

Activated Charter troops were more automatons than humans. They would retain some useful intelligence to act independently towards completing a single goal, but would also fulfil orders without question. A provably loyal non-Charter 'handler' could manage tens to hundreds of Chartered troops. A Chartered troop could communicate - a vital skill for a soldier - but they were also emotionless and task-focussed, with no worries about corruption, bribery or sympathy interfering with their instructions. When their service was complete, Chartered troops would be 'deactivated', the Frame removed, and would retain no memory of their work. Ideal for keeping company secrets.

Most Charters were for five years of service, during which troops would fulfil a role peace-keeping, policing shipping lanes or scouting the outer rims. Very occasional wars drew in Chartered troops, but these were few and far between. The system was fair and very popular - young people would instantaneously gain five years of wages with no expenditure in return for the low risk of 'deactivating' with unexpected injuries or cybernetics. There was no risk of legal consequences for their actions given their lack of autonomy, and no worries of PTSD with no memory of what they'd done. A few, of course, would not survive to deactivation at all, but this was the gamble of service.

By the time of the Fall, the Charter had spread across hundreds of Solar Systems, and been operating for the better part of a century.

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The start of the Last War came with what would eventually be known as the Tether.

With the breakdown of ordered communication between solar systems, the exact details of the fall are unclear. It's thought that the Tether affected about half of individuals that had ever been fitted with a Frame. Some died outright, but most were 'reactivated,' their consciousness 'switched off' and their bodies and minds used for a new goal.

The intent and actions of those newly Tethered varied widely. There was widespread destruction but also theft and seized control, with certain areas seemingly protected or valued. Most larger settlements were glassed, with defence systems turned on those they defended by simultaneous action from individuals who had activation codes. Tethered in these areas had little value for their own lives, happy to destroy themselves in the cataclysm as long as their goals were completed. Other population centres were overtaken, with their surviving citizens enslaved or forced to work in factories. Many spacecraft, both military and civilian, were taken over by newly Tethered individuals in their crew.

It's hard to overestimate the damage done by the activation of the Tether - trusted friends, loyal soldiers and loved ones all turned simultaneously, and there was no defence against such an unexpected mass betrayal. Many Tethered showed no signs of their loss of control until they were in a position to commit huge damage. Whilst some of the smaller outposts and population centres managed to fight off the Tethered among them, there were few human settlements in Erskine-Gamma, if any, that did not experience some form of loss that day.

In the years that have passed since 'Activation Day,' the survivors have begun new lives. Systematic intergalactic trade and order have fallen, with only small ships travelling safely between different systems. Surviving settlements fend for themselves, or trade in small quantities for the things they cannot produce locally. A few of the larger surviving populations have established themselves as local trade centres of set out to control others. Many outposts died out, having lost the lifelines they relied on for atmo control or growing crops in hostile regions. Piracy and violence is a constant threat.

The Tethered still operate, though their controllers, and their overarching goal, is unclear. Almost all space elevators and off-world shipyards were destroyed in the early days of the war, and some settlements are still attacked. Tether-controlled supply routes and manufactorums continue to work, and they seem to capture some individuals alive. There is a pattern to their activities, but the isolated survivors cannot step far back enough to see it.

Captain Liyana (codenamed 'Gazelle') was working for the Jackson-Song Corporation at the time of the Last War. A trans-gov with interests in mining, manufacture and cybernetics, Jackson-Song had been having significant problems with armed uprising amongst their workforce on what they considered 'higher risk' planets. Their safety record and apparent disregard for worker life had been a regular news topic despite their media division attempting to bury the story, and rival corporations were happily arming rebels on the sly. Liyana led 'Cell 7' - part of a new task force ostensibly protecting J-S workers from terrorists attempting to subvert them. In effect, they were corporate bagmen.

When the Tether was activated and the Last War began, Liyana and her crew were on the rocky moon of Josuelo, a recently independent mining colony formerly under Jackson-Song control. In the solar year since the workers there overthrew their foremen, the mines had been reopened, and the lithium and noson below the crust were now entering the common market, wrecking the J-S monopoly. Obviously, this wouldn't stand.

Cell 7 had been inserted via a lander, had captured their target - a hulking Huqari woman leading some of the local rebels in Pico Azul - and were awaiting extraction. Only, it never came.

In the chaos that followed the activation of the Tether, Jackson-Song as an entity simply ceased to exist. Along with it went a huge number of population centres throughout the galaxy, including Josuelo Prime. The Cemetery Girl, waiting in orbit for Cell 7's signal, had fallen to the Tethered in its own crew within minutes of their activation. For Cell 7, hours turned to days with no contact from their handlers, and news began to filter in from other sectors. The team had to consider their options.

The eventual agreement with the Pico Azul commune was brokered between Liyana and Pascha. The exchange was surprisingly cordial, with both putting forward offers almost simultaneously.
The augmented soldiers among Cell 7 would not last long without maintenance and repair, and had no way off-planet. They were on a barren outpost world, surrounded by their enemies. Pico Azul had both a ripperdoc and a ship - the Fisher King, a beaten-down trading vessel previously used for shuttle runs, but technically jump-capable.
Essential operating equipment for the hydroponic farms and atmosphere regulators of Pico Azul could not be produced locally - if they were now cut off from the other communes in the Halcyon network, the group would need to risk the new pirate fleets to fulfil these needs elsewhere.

With Jackson-Song gone, the two groups need no longer be enemies. The commune would keep Liyana and her colleagues running indefinitely in exchange for their help in making runs for essential supplies. It made the most sense to pool their resources.

The first few runs of the Fisher King, with a mixed crew of Pico Azul and J-S staff, were tense affairs. The Cell 7 soldiers had nowhere else to turn, though, and held true to their deal. As weeks turned to months and experience strengthened their bonds, the separation began to fade away. Liyana and her crew returned time and again with essential equipment and spoils, and eventually the people of Pico Azul came to value their unexpected protectors.

Liyana is the Fisher King's captain, and a cyborg in-game.

Originally a member of the Jackson-Song 'Green and Greys' mercenary core, Liyana was badly wounded in the line of duty. The corp saved her life, fitting her in a military hospital with extensive cybernetic augmentations that allowed her to truly excel in her role. The debt for the parts also ensured that she'd be working for J-S for the rest of her newly extended lifespan.

In her new role within Pico Azul, Liyana has developed a reputation for being approachable, making a point to really get to know her crew, and having a wicked sense of humour. She is popular, and widely viewed as a great captain to work for.
She is also a cold-blooded killer, and will do whatever it takes to keep her friends alive.

Pascha is Liyana's XO, and a mystic in-game.

She is a Huqari - a member of a species with natural psionic empathy. As such, Pascha is aware constantly of the emotions and surface thoughts of other living things around her. With practice, Huqari can influence these thoughts, though this is more difficult the more extreme the emotion.

Pascha is a 'true believer' in the cause. She has worked with Halcyon for many years, throwing off the yoke of corporate oppressors on six different planets. Big, tough, and technically-minded, she has found grunt work in corporate outposts with ease. Rebellion tends to follow her as she travels. Through Pascha's gentle guidance and subtle intervention, unions, foremen and low-level bosses have found the confidence and drive to grasp for independence. She's sure they'd have come to the same conclusions by themselves eventually.

Pascha stayed longer than planned on Josuelo after being injured in the mine collapse that finally led to the uprising. Her augments are ill-fitting, having been cobbled together to fit her frame.

In person, she is predictably kind and empathetic, though slow and methodical in her communication. Pascha is the steady hand on the tiller - a sensible, calm presence in the direst of circumstances. In her off-time, she focusses on simple comforts, as well as caring for a menagerie of small animals that only grows in number as she travels.

Morag acts as the Fisher King's shuttle pilot and does some simple computer work on the ground. In-game, she is a hacker.

Morag was part of Jackson-Song's Cell 7, with Liyana. Her job was to insert and extract the team without drawing attention, usually using discrete local vehicles. She also falsified transponder codes and transport documentation, and is familiar with some simple aspects of cybersecurity. Morag viewed her role largely as a source of income, and felt comfortably separated from their questionable work by her 'passive' role in the jobs.

Since being absorbed into the residents of Pico Azul, Morag has integrated most effectively. She's open and self-deprecating, and rapidly built friendship with a few of the new crew. She has particularly enjoyed access to Josuelo cuisine, and has been trying to stomach the spiciest foods available.

Winter is the navigator aboard the Fisher King, and serves as a pathfinder in-game.

Winter served with Liyana as an operative in Cell 7, and shares her background in the 'Green and Grays.' Her role was primarily fire support.

Whilst she chose to stay in Pico Azul, Winter has been cold and stand-offish with her new allies. She rarely interacts with the others, keeping to herself outside of operations. She keeps a variety of plants, both aesthetic and medicinal, in her quarters; Morag swears up and down that she can hear Winter singing to them at night through her bunk walls.

Hope is the security officer for the Fisher King, and maintains the ship armoury. In-game, she's a trooper.

Hope served with the Charter, and stayed on after her service to continue in a leadership role, serving a total of six years. During the second part of her service, she picked up a few tics and relics - trinkets she carries, or repetitions and rituals that she repeats unthinkingly, particularly when she is nervous.

Hope was unaffected by the Tether, and puts her good fortune down to her rituals and actions.

Hope and Morag are the ship's impromptu chef team, searching for new ingredients in each location they visit. Her enthusiasm does not often make up for her lack of skill.

Jacobi is the Fisher King's chief engineer, and acts as a casecracker in-game.

Jacobi is an aging, alcoholic, myopic offworlder who never stops grumbling about Josuelo's extended cold seasons. Despite this, he is well-loved among the crew, who see him as a reluctant grandfatherly figure. Jacobi is relatively cagey about his past - he has previously been involved in a fist-fight with Obi after he leaned a little too hard on suggesting his Tryptan accent marked him as an organised criminal.

Jacobi is the most advanced vehicle mechanic in Pico Azul, and a dab hand at disassembling security containers.

Elijah acts as a communications officer aboard the Fisher King, and a sharpshooter during operations. In-game, he's a sniper.

Elijah is arrogant and abrasive, masking deep insecurity with false confidence. He's a reasonable shot, but exaggerates and inflates, leaving him open to ridicule when he does fail. He has a problem with gambling, and has lost a great deal of credits to Otu and Jacobi at dice games. He is very close to Hope, and loses some of the bravado when they are alone together.

Elijah was born in climate-controlled dome on the frozen moon of Whitereef, where spending longer than a few minutes on the surface would cause rapid death from exposure. He insists that this grants him a genetic resistance to cold.

Obi is a chiseler in-game, and serves as an engineer, 2nd class aboard the Fisher King.

Obi and his brother were born on Patnagar, an engineered ocean world, where they spent their childhood on floating settlements harvesting krill. They took on work with Jackson-Song to escape, and were caught up in the revolution on Josuelo almost by mistake. Obi was badly injured in the mine collapse that marked the final straw to rebellion, and he has cybernetic replacements to both arms and a significant part of his chest wall.

Joining the Fisher King crew was an obvious choice - Obi has an almost fanatical interest in the workings of spacecraft. Even when the mines were operating, he took every available opportunity to work in the hangars, even during his own downtime. He would badger Jacobi endlessly as he went about his work, and the older man was furious when he found that Obi had been accepted to join the flight crew.

Otu is a systems technician, and is run as a chiseler in-game.

Otu is Obi's older brother, and came aboard the Fisher King with great reluctance. He is a homebird, and would much rather be working on his beloved hydroponics systems back in Pico Azul. He has been protective of his younger sibling ever since Obi was badly injured in a mine collapse, and insisted on accompanying him.

Otu considers himself sensibly risk-averse, and usually urges caution amongst the team. He has developed a reputation as a bit of a spoilsport, but also has a knack for spotting ambushes and dangerous situations well ahead of time.

Gyoza serves as a guard dog in game.

Gyoza is a stonebeak - a hardy foraging species native to the jungle moon of Amarok, trained by settlers there to protect herds of acidjacks from skitters and larger predators. Their chitinous shell and rough, calloused skin makes them largely immune to the acidjack's defensive corrosive spray.
Stonebeaks were imported to Josuelo by the Halcyon Co-operative to protect settlements and herds from Magmites released by historic J-S mining operations.

Gyoza is one of Pascha's favourite animals, and a near constant companion. She has a tendency to chew on anything that shares the particular hue of orange of her chew ball, once almost causing a catastrophic spike drive failure by inadvertently disconnecting the engine's retro encabulator. Jacobi has since banned her from the engine compartments.

Akna is a soldier, willing to fulfil many roles to support his allies on the Fisher King. Currently, he serves as a rearguard, protecting Pellam, the Fisher King's lander, while the rest of the ground crew operate. Akna doesn't have a specific role in game right now, but he'll likely end up as a commando or a soldier if there's a casualty among the A-listers.

Akna is a drone-caste Andelvaxen, assigned from birth to serve a protective role within their complicated hive systems. Unfortunately, humans have a long history of killing Andelvaxen matriarchs to steal the developing workers - their hormone-driven loyalty is relatively pliable at a young age. Jackson-Song are no different, and Akna is now one of many Andelvaxen guards found within Jackson-Song facilities.

Akna was undergoing a procedure in the infirmary when the rebellion started - with the death of his Jackson-Song overseer, he was suddenly purposeless on coming to. Pascha insists that she encouraged him to join the 'cause' with Pico Azul through discourse using her psionic empathy. Akna doesn't speak Lac standard, and is unwilling or unable to write. As far as the others are concerned, he obeys her commands with unbreakable loyalty - the reasons why perhaps don't bear thinking about.

Every hard surface of Akna's dorm in the Fisher King is covered by intricately carved patterns depicting star systems, swirling shapes and insectoid limbs. He adds to it every night.