Mechanic Specialization

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

Engineer Career Skills: Athletics, Computers, Knowledge (Education), Mechanics, Perception, Piloting (Space), Ranged (Light) and Vigilance

Mechanic Specialization Skills: Brawl, Mechanics, Piloting (Space) and Skulduggery

Virtually no Alliance military unit can function without a competent Mechanic, due to the constant wear-andtear on the mechanical and technical assets the unit relies upon to do battle. Mechanics do everything from minor tune-ups and adjustments to massive overhauls and repairs. They are both the gears of the Alliance machine and the grease that makes it run smoothly.

Tough and pragmatic, Mechanics tend to be able to take care of themselves in a fight, and they know the best places to get what they need when normal supply chains fail. They're also usually capable of flying or driving whatever they fix.

Most Mechanics are definitely "in the field" types. While they prefer to have a good place to work where they can keep their tools, they don't want to be too far away from the unit they support to do any good. A military- minded Mechanic always has a solid, portable kit for his tools and is ready to go into the line of fire to get a desperately needed tank or heavy cannon back up and running before the enemy overruns the position.

Many Alliance commanders are loath to promote their Mechanics, but this isn't due to a lack of confidence in a Mechanic's abilities or a failure to follow orders (though Mechanics in the Rebellion do have a reputation for being a surly, independent lot). Instead, such commanders fear that promotion will lead to their unit's loss of the service of a highly valued member of the team. Fortunately, most Mechanics have little use for rank, and even less use for the paperwork and bureaucracy that upper-echelon types have to deal with. They'd much rather take wrench in hand and get to work.

Potential Backgrounds

Academic: Academic Mechanics usually hail from technical and vocational schools. These hardy individuals paid their dues in the shops, garages, and grease pits, and decided to use their expertise to teach new generations of gearheads how to properly care for the array of machines that keep the galaxy running. Instead of turning wrenches for a living, they toiled away in dingy teaching garages or high-tech academies, guiding the educations of eager young Mechanics.

The Alliance is always in desperate need for Mechanics. The old, secondhand, and usually poorly cared-for ships, vehicles, and gear the Rebels use need an immense amount of work to keep running. To ensure that the Y-wings keep flying and the blaster rifles and com-links keep working, Rebel cells heavily recruit among academic Mechanics. Their knowledge and experience is in high demand, and the Alliance pays a pretty credit to lure them into the fold.

Eccentric: Eccentric Mechanics are equal parts Engineer, artist, and hot-rodder. They are constantly tinkering with established vehicle designs and developing new, often unstable and dangerous technologies in an attempt to squeeze all available power and performance from a platform. They are the type of rash daredevil who mounts starfighter-grade ion drives on speeder bikes or adds enough armor and weapons to a walker to make it a one-vehicle armored division. For these individuals, there is never enough power, enough speed, or enough firepower in a vehicle. They are masters of pushing vehicles to, and often beyond, the very limit of their tolerances.

Journeyman: Journeyman Mechanics are welcome everywhere. They offer their services in exchange for whatever the locals can pay, repairing everything from vaporators to landspeeders to sophisticated industrial machinery. Whether out of a sense of altruism or solely for the credits, journeyman Mechanics rarely turn down a chance to learn something new or hone their existing skills. Mechanics are always in demand in the Alliance, and many journeymen have found a permanent home in motor pools and maintenance battalions.

Talented Amateur: Amateur Mechanics neither are professionally trained nor do they make their living fixing machines. Instead, they are inveterate tinkerers and amateur wrench turners who work on vehicles for fun and occasionally fix machines for friends and acquaintances. Without formal training, though, they often have gaps in their technical knowledge. While they may rely too heavily on shop manuals and their work may appear slapdash, amateur Mechanics can be just as useful as any formally accredited engineer.