Casual Encounter - Dane Buckminster

Here's a Traveller character who never went into the Services. Will this work? Let's find out.

Dane Buckminster
4B78C2     Age 22     College     Homeworld: Dimitrov/Holtzmann's Corridor
Streetwise-2 Brawling-0, Auto Pistol-0, Air/Raft-0, Administration-0

The man with the plan.

Chris over at Tales to Astound! suggested this concept. Yes, he's 22. I rolled up characteristics then went straight to the 4-year Sabbatical for Education. The rules do not say you must enter a Service, only that you may enter a service.

He's got Cr 500, and Cr 70,000 worth of debt. He has a reason to go adventuring!

Normally, the stuff that happens during prior service builds the story of who a character is. In this case ?I have less to work with, so I have to get creative with my interpretations.
 
How did this guy who's neither a genius or wealthy get such a high education stat? I say that Dane's possessed of unusual determination and curiosity. His streetwise skill is a BA in Sociology, which is "the study of social relationships*".
The combination of his intelligence and education, plus his background on an Imperial planet of TL12+ allows him the skill-0's in Air/raft and Admin.

Dane's family is poor, but strove to get scholarships for him. Unfortunately his schooling had the side effect of making Dane embarrassed at his family's social status. Being a scholarship student made him the butt of jokes from the rich kids at school, and he took it to heart. After an exceptionally embarrassing incident where a girl publicly dumped him for being 'low class', Dane decided he was going to leave the planet and never return.

He left Dimitrov to get away from them and make his mark on the galaxy. He will send money back home when he makes good on a job, but does not otherwise want to be involved. At least, not until he's rich and influential. Then he can go back and claim a place in Dimitrov society. Shades of The Great Gatsby?

As an adventurer, he's not going to be a gun-fighter, and if forced into HTH, he will go for kicks and throws rather than a hard right to the jaw.

He's going to look for patrons and rumors that allow him to use his wits & education more than physical prowess. Speculative trade, probably, and working with the shadier elements of any world he's on. With a SOC-2, he's familiar with the poor and criminal classes, even if he's trying to rise above. He might find himself a champion of the little guy, as he knows how it feels to be on the bottom of the pile.

Dane hunts for cultural and historical sites, and in particular legends about lost fortunes. He also looks for ways to get into the high class joints, and rub elbows with the wealthy and connected. As such he will dress as fashionably as he can afford. At these parties he looks for opportunities to get ahead, from dropped stock tips to patrons needing a 'job' done.  

If the PC's encounter Dane, he may ask to work with them, or hire them to be his support on an exploration or other job. He will try to impress the PCs with his local knowledge and competence. How much is bluff and how much is real is up to the Referee. He is not devious but will tell small lies to save himself from embarrassment. He claims an upper-middle class background with anyone he's sure is not from the Empire. Around Imperials (he is an Imperial subject) he will avoid the issue or use a false name that is connected to a 'good' family.


* the Encyclopedia of Social and Cultural Anthropology