Astra Ventura

[stardust47]

Astra Ventura

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Class: Retrofit Transport
Builder: Vanderbilt Shipyard, New York (closed 700 AS)
Laid down: 357 AS
Original operator: Universal Shipping
Decommissioned: 518 AS
Recommissioned: 835 AS
Current operator: Independent (see details below)
Pulled from the North Dallas debris field and painstakingly restored to working order, she can be seen plying the trade routes throughout the Sirius sector, though she normally keeps to the Border and Edge Worlds, free from House influence.

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Crew Manifest

Captain Athena McCall
Date of birth: 28/07/791 AS
Place of birth: Beaumont Base, Texas
Born into poverty in one of the darkest places in Liberty, Athena learned to survive by quick thinking and fast talking. As soon as she could take the weight of a spacesuit, she was put to work in the debris field, sifting for anything of value. She survived long enough and brought in enough money to work up the ranks, eventually getting a ship of her own. Without jump codes, however, she was stuck in Texas, paying most of what she earned up the chain as ‘insurance’. On one salvage run, she happened upon the mostly intact hull of an old transport, the Astra Ventura, and worked in secret to restore her to working order. When she was ready, she took the helm of the Ventura, set course for distant stars, and never looked back.
Athena is intelligent and charismatic. She dreamt of freedom but has been worn down by the harsh realities of life. As Captain of the Astra Ventura, she’s happy for what seems like the first time in her life, and she’s still not sure how to process that.

Chief Engineer Lola McCall
Date of birth: 19/12/816 AS
Place of birth: Beaumont Base, Texas
Athena’s daughter. Her mother did her best to protect her from the worst aspects of Junker life, but Lola still had to work as soon as she was able. She has a knack for engineering and voraciously studied any discarded manuals, textbooks, and the like she could get her hands on, making her the perfect candidate to be Astra Ventura’s engineer even without much formal training.
Lola is earnest, kind-hearted, and has a passionate interest in spacecraft and machines of all kinds.

Navigator Stanislaw 'Stan' Markiewicz
Place of birth: 20/03/795 AS
Place of birth: Adenauerplatz, Planet New Berlin
Stan had a mostly unremarkable upbringing on New Berlin, before signing up for the Military on the outbreak of the Hudson War. He proved a capable pilot and was assigned to a wing of fighters on the Bering Front. He spent most of the war there, earning his status as an ace. He resigned his commission after the war, returning to New Berlin with his wingmate-turned-wife Freja and taking a job in the Rheinland civil service. When the two found themselves on opposite sides of the Civil War, they divorced, and Stan returned to space, being hired as Astra Ventura’s navigation officer shortly after.
Stan is reserved and professional, preferring to keep to himself. He has a good working relationship with the crew, but doesn’t consider any of them to be friends, with the possible exception of Carlos.

Security Officer Carlos McCall
Date of birth: 30/03/795 AS
Place of birth: Salinas Block, Planet Los Angeles
An ex-Liberty Navy Marine and veteran of the Hudson War and the Insurgency. Medically discharged for PTSD, Carlos wandered aimlessly for a few years before winding up on Beaumont. Desperate for money, he worked on various salvage ops between bouts of drinking. After working for Athena for a few times, she took him on as a full-time employee and helped him get clean, and he followed her onto the Astra Ventura.
Carlos is bitter and cynical but holds some residual loyalty to Liberty. In the time they’ve known each other, he’s forged a strong friendship with Athena. Despite being on opposite sides of the war, he gets along well with Stan; both consider the war to have been 'just business'.

Dr. Azelia D'Arcy
Date of birth: 02/03/804 AS
Place of birth: Belsize Heights, Planet New London
A doctor, until recently employed at Cambridge Medical Centre. She joined the Astra Ventura after rescuing her younger brother from a mysterious government facility, initially just wanting a way out of Bretonia but later joining the crew after he was discovered.
Azelia is cultured and well-read, but somewhat naïve about the world outside the bubbles of polite Bretonian society and the medical establishment.

Cameron D'Arcy
Date of birth: 10/04/817 AS
Place of birth: Belsize Heights, Planet New London
The younger brother of Azelia. He was always a bit of a ‘weird kid’, more interested in old fantasy novels and video games than anything else. A few months ago, he was ‘recruited’ for a research project by the Bretonian government, the details of which he is unwilling or unable to share beyond vague, cryptic statements.

Additional Crew
Engineering department:

• Rodriguez
  
• Mackenzie
  

Security department:

• Hamilton
  
• Aiyer
  

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