Dai ODell

There is a new captain in the shadow realm of independent cargo runners, Dai O’Dell. Not that she is a completely new player, she has been seen in the shadows for a while now but never with the same ship for long. Not always with the same name. Even her hair and eye color changed. What did not change -- her long frame, almost too skinny but with tight muscle under fair skin that shows she does not spend much time out-of-doors; her cat-like movements that slide her from shadow to shadow whenever she is unsure of people or territory; her sharp eyes that hold too much life, hard life, for one in her mid-twenties.

Ask her origins, she will just grin and say “Around, all around.”  That is true. She could glide though the latest high-end dance squares at a Bellerophon Estates party; take tea in any little town in Deadwood and not alarm the town biddies; or hold her own at any midnight poker game down under the docks. She adjusts vocabulary and dress accordingly but does not brag she was born of a better station.

Ask her skills set, she will only claim “Jack of all trades, master of none.”  Yes, while it is true she could turn a hand at flying a small cargo vessel or creating a basic navigation course, she could bake a decent meatloaf even when protein rations were scarce or cook up low-grade explosives. She could mend a cut in a pair of dungarees, and if she cared enough, stitch up the cut underneath. Then she could turn around and just as easily discuss military strategies with the old officers who sip moonshine while playing chess and swapping stories in the dusty corners of dusty moons.

While competent with a wrench, she prefers guidance for working on anything critical to a ship, but let her into the electronics guts or the computer systems and she leaves everyone in the dust making equipment repairs and tweaks others think  impossible. Rumor has it she works this magic with the help of a specialized set of tools from the Central Worlds that are not exactly “authorized”. In fact in the past, this skill earned her credits when money was tight, but also it made her a “catch” for those that needed these repairs. On the outer worlds, she could often write her own ticket for the repair. The problem, getting out again to go on her way. That contributed to another skill. She does carries a gun, but watch out for her knives. Put her though a weapon detector, and one might find half. So, for the side jobs she took, the employer had to ask, was it worth their life to try and keep her as a private asset?

Asked what she is doing now, her reply is just “Learning a new trade. How to captain.”  Perhaps earlier problems are why she turned her mind to owning a ship of her own and adding another skill or two.

Education:
More than most. A good education is hard to come-by without being at least middle-upper class. High-end education, needs the support of the central worlds, specialization needed top grades, a sponsor, or a high birth. She has a specialized electronic skill that needed more than just a “nack” to pick up. Some of her tools were not seen outside of the security services. O’Dell is too young to have proceeded at a standard pace though the core’s education system. Yet, she gives no clue to who has hurried her along the path. The fact that she could discuss literary works from earth-that-was said a rounded, classical education, not just the path of a savant. The fact that the old war dogs would talk and play chess with her vs. just ogle the young eye candy speaks to more serious studies in serious subjects.

Allegiance?
No one knows, and she blends across both sides. During the war she would have been mid-teens and should have been hip deep in a prime education now, but again, the too-old eyes said there is more.

There were wild rumors of a high family in the Central Worlds, of a grandfather who was a planetary governor, or was he military? No wait, her father might have been a top officer in the Independents during the war, assigned to general staff. Had one of the temporary truces during the Battle of Du-Khang, the one that allowed the Independents to move out their dependents to safety, been his doing? Or were her parents just star-crossed lovers from “opposite sides of the system” who just kept failing in their quest to settle somewhere and seek a simple life to raise a large family?

No one really knows. The rumors were so grand and the masses will believe anything. Example, they even believe there were half-human monsters called Reavers that pillage and rape out on the Rim. So, do not fall for the rumors created by the bored everyman.

She keeps her distance from the politics of either.

Personality:
Dai O’Dell is quiet and withdrawn when meeting strangers. When feeling safe she will relax, and unwind a story or two from you, and really listen. In business situations, she is all work and few words. No boasting which is so common among those that run questionable cargo. She is slow to fight, normally, and will try to intercede and smooth out rough patches… unless it is Saturday night and time to vent. Says it is from being the “middle kid in a large family”.

However, there is one fairly big exception. Do not discuss the “advantage” of arranged marriages. You will find yourself out the nearest window faster than a cocky browncoat in an Alliance bar on Unification Day. Does not matter which floor, and once you wake up you will be minus all valuables and find a donation in your name to the local woman’s shelter.

Security note:
The name of Dai O’Dell, or any variation, does not show up in any records. So, the ID she carries is false. Yet, this does not appear to slow her down when crossing checkpoints out on the rim or within the central planets. It is unknown if she is buying IDs or has the skill to generate these documents herself. There does not appear to be any warrants out for her but she always wears anti-scan contact lenses. Nor, does running the name or description create any security flags.

Whether she is truly apolitical remains to be seen. Does she have political connections or a mission inside Alliance Prime? Unknown. At this point it is just recommended to add her to the list of one more wildcat trader and let actions dictate any follow-up. Too much curiosity may not be beneficial at this time.