From the personal journal of Gillian B. Blackrock

Eckhart Stein has been something more than a blip on my radar for some time now. It's only recently, however, that I've begun to realize just how big a blip he actually is.

He's done a good job of playing the part of a mercenary broker and business manager; the sort of pencil-pushing administrator that no sensible merc command can live without lest they quickly find themselves drowning in a sea of red tape and unpaid debts. I'm not entirely sure how long he'd been using the Royals as a front for his business but it's clear that he had integrated himself well into the unit and gotten to a point where he was calling the shots.

From the personal journal of Carrie Bull

On Solaris, it was all too often the case that the outcome of a match would be decided before the fight. I’m not talking ludicrously one-sided matches where it’s obvious that one side doesn’t have a chance (see the infamous Carl “Bossmonster” Kaled versus Herbert Wilks match, for example) but those where someone had a vested interest in seeing one side or the other lose and was going to do everything he could in order to make it happen. Usually that somebody is a criminal, and usually they’re very unsubtle when they decide to lean on their target to make it happen.

Eckhart Stein may not have been a criminal (may) but he certainly was on the slimy side of things. His offer to me seemed innocuous enough, but his second one definitely was the sort of “gentle persuasion” one associates with Solaris Mobsters, even if the threat wasn’t immediate. So when we found out that the Royals were hiding out in some resort town, I was actually hoping that he’d be there with them, if only so I could give him a little bit of a ‘talking to’ about things.

From the personal journal of Carrie Bull

I haven't updated this in a long time. I've had a lot of things on my mind, and that's left me with not much time to think. Though, in truth, I noticed that I wasn't that succinct in keeping it up to date before now.

I admit now that I didn't know Uncle Charlie that well. We hadn't seen each other in years, and we weren't that close. I didn't realise that I was his closest living relative either, so it did come as a shock to me to learn that he'd died and left me his BattleMech. His only wishes were that I use it as I saw fit, but there was a certain logic to joining the Irregulars, and taking his spot in the command lance. It was a chance at a regular paycheck, something that has been in short supply since I left Solaris. Besides, I think he'd be happy that I did. His Scourge may not be Mean Machine, but it’s a pretty sweet ride no less.

Quitting while you're ahead, or just plain quitting?

From Solaris City Sunrise, 27 October 3144

Chet Robwell: Now in Games news, the big story of the morning is the sudden resignation of Carrie Bull, not only from Team Red Truck but the games as a whole.

Joe Esposito: That’s right. Red Truck manager Pete Vogel announced her resignation at a press conference this morning. What’s interesting is not just that Bull didn’t give a reason for her resignation, but that she wasn’t even at the conference at all. Now while we can’t say for sure, rumour has it that she has already moved out of the TRT compound, so it looks like she’s really gone.

Robwell: If you ask me, it looked like Vogel himself was caught by surprise there. There are many words that I could use to describe his performance out there this morning, but ‘polished’ and ‘practiced’ are not among them.

Esposito: You and me both, Chet. In fact, I’d say he was about as surprised as everyone else was with this development.

Robwell: And he can’t be happy. He just saw Red Truck’s strongest prospect  since the, uh, change in management here on Solaris waltz off with nary a word to be said. Let’s be fair here, the last few years have not been kind to that team.

Personnel Files - Misc. NPCs

(EDITOR'S NOTE: These NPCs are other members of the unit that the PCs may encounter)