"Lost Treasure Ships of the Abyss Rift'
Casual Encounter: Enli Iddukagan
Enli lddukagan
Journalist
66A985 Age 38 5 Terms Cr125,000
Streetwise-2, Bribery-2, JoT-1, SMG-1, Member of the Travellers Aid Society
Formerly a stringer for the Traveller News Service (and still possessing many contacts within that organization), Enli lddukagan spun off as a free-lance investigative journalist just one year ago. He has travelled throughout the Spinward Marches in search of stories, preferably those potentially embarrassing to the Imperial government or any of several major megacorporations.
lddukagan is currently on the trail of a story which, he hopes, will make his name known from one end of the lmperium to another. He believes he has uncovered evidence that certain admirals were diverting supplies from the war effort to line their pockets through black market sales. If true, this would point to corruption of the highest magnitude throughout the Spinward Marches front, and perhaps explain early difficulties faced by Imperial forces in the recent war.
lddukagan has made charges of this nature to admiralty officials, hoping for a reaction that could be used effectively. A public-relations official for the Navy issued a firm denial, which the reporter was able to turn (through clever editing) into a prevaricating, suspicious attempt to cover up the issue.
In order for lddukagan to make any further headway with the story, he needs proof of his allegations-and proof has not been easy to come by. His continuing efforts to find the proof he seeks are a large part of what makes him useful in a Traveller adventure or campaign.
Adventurers are most likely to come into contact with lddukagan as he tries to ferret out Navy secrets for his story. Navy, Scout, or Marine characters might be approached by lddukagan with an offer of large reward if they will tell him all about the scandalous behavior of the high command. Merchants might be asked if they have been involved in Navy convoys, or handled any of the diverted goods, again with the offer of large sums of money for a good story.
Since lddukagan is lacking in objectivity, he can become a good source of income for anyone with a gift for spinning a plausible yarn. Average the character's intelligence with the journalist's; this is the roll or less required for lddukagan to believe the character. Bargaining-via the reaction table-can establish a price, usually somewhere between Cr200 and Cr1200.
lddukagan's potential for mischief doesn't stop with that, however. He may also hire adventurers, particularly adventurers with a merchant ship, to help him set up a scam to catch some high naval officer in an illicit deal.
In addition to being a possible patron, Iddukagan can turn up as the object of an adventuring band’s activities. The reporter has accumulated a number of enemies over the years. Many Naval officers, the principles of several megacorporation regional offices have reason to hate the man, and could all seek more than mere embarrassment. In any event, the adventurers could find themselves hired to do something about Iddukagan – set him up, kill him, whatever.
Of course, it is possible to be caught in the middle when Iddukagan is set upon by some other group. Helping him could gain the reporter’s deep gratitude (and a ready handout), but one is often judged by the company he keeps, and Enli is not the best choice for a drinking companion.
A furtive, shifty man, lddukagan has his uses; he might also serve as a contact, an old friend or acquaintance of one of the adventurers who could be a useful source of information. He has sources in the startown districts of just about every major port of the Spinward Main, and his skill at paying out gratuities for services rendered give him a lot of use in prying information out of strangers. Unfortunately, even in this role, lddukagan exhibits drawbacks. He is entirely uncritical of his information and sources, with a marked tendency to accept as gospel the most tenuous of rumors (provided they feed his prejudices). He has a nose like a bloodhound when he thinks there is a big story in the offing and will horn into the adventurers' affairs if he thinks it will lead him to a big story.
While on Jewell shortly after the outbreak of the war, lddukagan was assigned as a war correspondent to a brigade of Imperial ground troops. Caught behind Zho lines with a detached company, he was the only one to make it to Imperial lines. It has been whispered ever since that he sold out the unit for his own safety, and many army characters who run across him should be encouraged to believe this is true (and to nurse a large dislike for him).
- J. Andrew Keith
JTAS #22 Pg46
