Drew Flannigan, Human Smuggler

Drew was born on New Pale to a wealthy family. They owned large estates, had many servants, plush furnishings and large holdings of commercial property. At an early age, Drew lost his father during a HUSP terrorist attack. His father’s company was seen as a multicultural sympathizer and he as a traitor to the Humans of New Pale. In truth, he just wanted to do business with Pale.

His mother was left with the property business and it thrived under her leadership. After his death, his mother rarely spoke of her husband, eventually leading to Drew to believe she knew more about his death than she let on. She too was wounded in the attack and still bares the scars – missing one ear.

Raised by his mother and her friend Drew called “Uncle Jamus” in the mountain estates of his family, he lived with little want. Born the last of 3, his brother and sister all shared in the good life. Research Scientist into Cybernetics for Streel His sister Shaya is a financier and wealth manager in one of the major banks on New Pale. Both were deeply emotionally scarred by the death of their father.

When Drew turned 10, the family threw an extravagant birthday party for the him. Everyone who is anyone attends. When all the gifts are recorded, one unusual gift stands alone without a card to say where it came from. Fears were that it was another terrorist attack. Security was called and eventually it was found that it was simply a anti-gravity-belt – something he remember his father always wanted.

At 12 years old, Drew had a misadventure on barren rocky and barely habitable world called Yasik 4, in a system on the edge of the Vast Expanse. His mother – a very religious and spiritual person – felt lead to this world and took a pilgrimage every year. This year, she chose to take the children. At an ancient alien shrine, while alone, Drew stumbles onto the ruins of an ancient, lost alien civilization. The ruins themselves are a blank in the his mind. He doesn’t remember what happened there, only that afterwards, he was somehow changed. Although initially unchanged, Drew later felt somehow alien.

As a teenager, as is his family tradition, he took on an apprenticeship to learn a trade. What he thought was going to learn was interplanetary trade and freight hauling. What he was surprised to find out was his patron was secretly a notorious smuggler – Brendis Meggett. As soon as the family learned the true identity of this person, they immediately disapproved and attempted to remove the young apprentice from his tutelage. This only drive Drew to want to learn more.

Unfortunately, Magget met with a tragic end during one smuggling run and Drew inherited his business including some property on another planet. However, the authorities capture Drew and charge him with the crimes committed by Magget. Imprisonment was torture and this only turned Drew further into a dark place. He vowed revenge against the authorities.

During the War of the Pales, Drew was conscripted into the military to fight against the Truane government invasion. Not a HUSP supporter himself, he sought to escape his conscription as soon as possible. With some mysterious help from an all too familiar figure, a gravity belt he thought he lost and Magget’s old ship, he was able to escape into the Xagyg Nebula. For a few years, Drew ran a small smuggling operation along the edge of the Nebula until the Star Devils took control of his ship. He assumes his crew are dead but is not sure.

Ship: Twilight’s Aurora

Crew:

First Mate – Tem Qjadamen – Dralasite

Crewman – Poltina Sevedus – Female Yazirian

Crewman – Donatien Bess – male human