276: Stoneburner

ENTRY 276: Stoneburner

WANTED - CAPTIVE OR INTACT CORTICAL STACK
FOR CRIMES AGAINST TRANSHUMANITY
DESTRUCTION OF NEW AUSTRALIA HABITAT
DEALER IN WEAPONS OF MASS DESTRUCTION
CONSIDERED ARM AND DANGEROUS
BOUNTY: 100,000 CREDITS / 25,000 FOR ALPHA FORK
REDEEMABLE FROM ANY PLANETARY CONSORTIUM EMBASSY

Some transhumans just want the universe to burn; the ones to really watch are the scientists and engineers that figure out how to make it burn better. The transhuman known as Stoneburner earned infamy as a reseacher in exotic nuclear weapons that turned to custom design work for the highest bidder when the initial research funding ran out. Even then Stoneburner might have prospered, but a jury-rigged nuclear propulsion system had a little too much oomph, and cracked the dome of the Lunar colony of New Melbourne and filling it with radioactive sand. Since then, Stoneburner has been on the run, sheltered by criminals and terrorists, trading skills for security and the resources to continue their research.

Having been repeatedly exposed to the products of their own weaponry, Stoneburner carries the scars of multiple burns and long-term chromosome damage that renders them sterile and with frequent cancers that are only kept at bay with regular trips to a healing vat. More characteristic is visual blindness, a remnant of an early exposure to their namesake weapon which has since become ingrained in their ego, so that even with fully functioning eyes and ocular nerves the Stoneburner cannot see, but navigates the world by touch and hearing and taste.

COG	COO	INT	REF	SAV	SOM	WIL	MOX
18	16	25	10	10	11	15	-
INIT	SPD	LUC	TT	IR	DUR	WT	DR
7	1	30	6	60	30	6	45

Morph: Splicer
Skills: Academics: History (Nuclear Weapons) 50, Academics: Physics (Nuclear) 75, Demolition (Nuclear Weapons) 56, Free Fall (Microgravity) 30, Hardware: Nuclear Weapons 60, Interests: Exotic Weapon Design 75, Language: Native English 85, Language: French 80, Language: Braille 70, Language: American Sign Language 70, Language: French Sign Language 55, Networking: Criminals 40, Networking: Hypercorps 33, Networking: Scientists 55, Perception (Radar Sense) 70, Profession: Physicist 40, Research 45
Implants: Access Jacks, Basic Biomods, Basic Mesh Inserts, Cortical Stack, Emotional Dampers, Enhanced Hearing, Enhanced Smell, Radar Sense
Traits: Genetic Damage (Sterile, prone to cancer), On the Run, Neural Damage (Blind)

Using Stoneburner

A straight-up target for player characters with a mind for a bit of bounty-hunting, Stoneburner also makes a good solid science-type lieutenant for any established NPC antagonist, a mercenary scientist who has probably been responsible for more death and destruction than most. Alternately, as a contact Stoneburner is cagey but basically honest, willing to assist the PC on a quid pro quo basis; a canny gamemaster may have Stoneburner hire the PCs to assist clear their name or obtain certain materials, painting themselves as just a toolmaker with no control of how the things they built are used. Since Stoneburner has no rep to speak of with any network because of the bounty, they stick to parts of the system where safety and basic material concerns can be bought with credits.