Talon Sector NPC - Trader Ka Zee & Her Type R Subsidized Merchant starship ("Fat Trader")

 Cepheus Engine rpg has allowed us to take quite a bit of liberty with some of our adventure  plotting when it comes to this Eighties inspired campaign that I'm currently running. And its been interesting running across one of our favorite original Traveller rpg ships-  Traveller RPG Type R Subsidized Merchant starship ("Fat Trader"). 

Traveller RPG Type R Subsidized Merchant starship ("Fat Trader").
Artwork by Tom Peters (2012). If you haven't checked out Tom's work on Deviant artwork then you don't know what old school Traveller artwork  your missing.. 
But we've backed off this week for gaming for a bit because of work schedules but  Type R Subsidized Merchant starship ("Fat Trader") has me thinking about a particular NPC of mine. I'm speaking of Ka Zee of  the Lazuli she was based in part on the artwork of Nightwing 1975's Battle Beyond the Stars fan art.. 

And the idea of a trader operating her own crew of alien merchants & adventurers  out of Type R Subsidized Merchant starship ("Fat Trader"). The  Lazuli are a displaced peoples without a planet to call home. They've been wandering the stars making their way as best they can. And they have a tendency to gather a nest clutch of others to themselves to create their own small trading companies.. 

Ka Zee as I picture her is a competent trader & merchant chasing down the latest 'big score'. 

In my campaign she's strayed into the Talon sector & she sees opportunity. The problem is that Reticulan pirates & slavers  have her ship in their sights.. Star law is stretched to the limit & so this leaves only the marines of the United Planets. 
The United Planets wants this ship for three reasons: 

1. The Traveller RPG Type R Subsidized Merchant starship ("Fat Trader") has the secret of a new drive system aboard. 
2. First contact with an alien species or two 
3. Possible information on more of the Malmori pirates 

The Reticulan pirates vessels comes straight out of UFO's by  Stellagama Publishing & these are part of the Grey's fleet out near the greater Ort cloud. 

The United Planet marines are just starting to secure the old Earth Empire's borders & there's lots of unknowns out there. They may have help from TSAO Liberty style marine ships but these ships have been retrofitted for my hostile rpg universe. 

For the  Traveller RPG Type R Subsidized Merchant starship ("Fat Trader") resources we've been looking into the following: 

Traveller The Game blog here. 

Imperial Encyclopedia Traveller  Wiki entry here 

And this amazing Journal here.. 

Details yet to be worked out are Ka Zee's crew roster, her ship's name, the TSAO sector's relations with the Earth Empire, details about the Reticulan pirates & slavers, how does all of this fit in with the Malmori empire, etc. all coming up soon on the blog.