Courier

Of the 8 Career Skills, choose 4 to get a free rank. Of the 4 Specialization Skills, choose 2 to get a free rank.

Spy Career Skills: Computers, Cool, Coordination, Deception, Knowledge (Warfare), Perception, Skulduggery and Stealth

Courier Specialization Skills: Athletics, Deception, Streetwise and Vigilance

There is more to military intelligence than stealing the enemy’s secrets. That data must be secured and delivered to the specialists who can best exploit it. The Courier specializes in transporting critical information, often while working incognito far behind enemy lines. These experts take the necessary risks of repeatedly crossing through security checkpoints or even active battlefronts. They must be capable of operating under foes’ scrutiny without drawing undue attention. To a certain extent, these Spies are a very specialized type of smuggler, dealing primarily in information rather than physical goods. Not surprisingly, many Couriers developed underworld contacts working as smugglers prior to joining the Rebellion.

In order to avoid Imperial entanglements, Couriers must be capable of operating without drawing attention to themselves. As they cannot expect to always succeed, these characters must also recognize the signs of trouble and have the ability to act quickly to escape entrapment. Because they often face overwhelming odds, personal speed is typically a higher priority than a trusted weapon.

Some Couriers prefer to work consistent routes as they shuttle information away from prying Imperial eyes. These specialists need a reliable cover story that they can use repeatedly. They might pose as merchants or transport drivers plying consistent trade routes. In a few instances, a Rebel might even take on the cover profession as a means of obtaining additional income, carrying innocuous cargo to market while smuggling critical information. Such Spies go to great lengths to ensure that their business interests are completely legitimate, so that they do not attract any undue attention. They also make sure that those interests are at least marginally profitable. A merchant who loses money consistently for years, after all, is just as likely to draw government attention as one who manages exorbitant profits. These individuals may even establish friendly relationships with the guards along their routes, and their frequent passage through Imperial territory becomes just a part of a station’s routine traffic. In these cases, typically only a subset of their transits include military intelligence.

Other Couriers deliver critical data to Rebel specialists in a variety of locations instead of adopting a mundane occupation that involves travel on regular routes. Some are enthusiastic adrenaline junkies who call on wild speed and quick thinking to overcome Imperial security. More risk-averse Couriers simply excel at developing good cover stories and staying true to their roles during a mission. Adrenaline junkies or not, these Couriers are unlikely to have any established relationship with the local Imperial guards. Consequently, they must quickly determine how to bypass security or rely on other intelligence sources to prepare for it.

Potential Backgrounds

  • Freerunner: Couriers risk their lives to transport vital data between various Rebel operations, allies, and bases. Freerunners who are naturally speedy, stealthy, and resourceful make good Couriers, as do talented vehicular drivers and ship pilots.
  • Law Enforcement Agent: Couriers who served as law enforcement agents know protocols and techniques for stopping and questioning individuals, as well as how to avoid being caught by such approaches. They likely know smuggling techniques and other ways to conceal identities and objects.
  • Makeup Artist: Courier makeup artists can disguise themselves and their allies when making repeated trips to the same location. In this way, they can provide training or expertise to Rebel cells carrying out specific missions.
  • Performer: Acrobats and stunt people make excellent Couriers. They can use their physical skills to climb, jump, and tumble out of danger. Actors can also use their abilities to deceive others to talk their way out of tight situations and keep moving. Performers might use acrobatic skills or deceptive arts to elude followers or hide until their pursuers have given up.
  • Psychologist: Courier psychologists use their talents to talk their way out of tricky situations. They can also smooth over rough relations or intense disagreements between factions and groups. A Courier psychologist might play the role of traveling specialist, helping maintain the morale of far-flung Rebel fighters.
  • Repo Specialist: Courier missions are great for agile repo specialists. A repo specialist’s job isn’t necessarily finished once the ship is in motion, as angry or well-prepared owners may have the means for immediate pursuit. Good piloting skills (particularly when escaping pursuit) make the repo specialist an excellent Courier.