1,001 Characters #37: Venus Hum

37. Venus Hum        88BA97     ex-Other     Age 34      4 Terms

Skills: Medic-1, Electronics-1, Brawling-1, Computer-1, Autopistol-1.

Benefits: Cr11,000, Autopistol.

    Venus Hum loved singing and set her sights on a career in the music industry. During the early years, when she was struggling to make it as a singer, she supported herself by working as a paramedic (Medic-1). 

    She continued to work as a paramedic by day and sing at night in various clubs around town. One day a couple of her friends showed up with a van full of old electronic instruments and synthesisers, and said lets form a band. The three of them, after a lot of trial and error, figured out how best to use them, and since the equipment was old they had to learn how to repair them as well (Electronics-1).

    What they didn't tell her was that they had bought the equipment cheap from a friend of a friend. It turned out that the gear used to belong to a band called "Squash Monkey", although let's be honest, Squash Monkey weren't actually going anywhere. They'd been forced to hock their equipment to pay off some debts, and afterwards spiralled down into petty crime. One night after a performance, the band, now called "Jolt" was accosted by the former Squash Monkeys, a loud argument ensued, which quickly degenerated into a brawl. She has only vague memories of the brawl. She remembers one of the Squash Monkeys pulling a knife, and stabbing her in the throat. After that it's all a blur. She woke in hospital with her family and friends around her. Apparently after she was stabbed, her assailants ran off. Lucky for her a few of her paramedic friends were at the performance and they kept her alive until an ambulance could get her to hospital. Unfortunately her singing career was over. The knife had done considerable damage to her vocal cords, so much so that she still finds it difficult to speak, and usually avoids doing so, whenever she can. After she got out of hospital she tried to get on with her life, but it was a long time before she could even muster up the courage to leave the house. Her mother brought a friend to see her one day, he was apparently an old soldier, missing both legs below the knees and his left hand. Her mother introduced him as "Laszlo". At first she didn't want anything to do with him, but he just sat and told stories, some were funny, some were sad, and most were forgotten, but one stuck with her. It was about a fight he'd had when he still had his hand and legs. In the story he matter-of-factly described the techniques he used when he had fought two guys and beaten both of them. Venus tentatively asked him if he could teach her how to do the same. Thereafter she spent a great deal of time learning martial arts from Lazlo (Brawling-1). Finally she gained the confidence to venture outside the house and regained some of her former life. 

    She could have continued in the music industry as a musician, but singing was her passion and without it the music industry didn't hold any attraction for her. She couldn't work as a paramedic if she couldn't speak tot he patients. But she could work with electrical equipment, so she got a job as a technician at the starport. Then one day she chanced to hear her own voice singing one of her songs. She assumed that it was a recording, but suddenly the voice stopped and then started singing again but this time a song that she had never sung. So it couldn't be a recording. Intrigued, she turned around to see who it was, and saw that it was a robot. A flurry of rapidly written notes and rough, painful questions followed. The answers that followed, in her voice, explained the concept of the vocoder to her. She went home that night and spent the entire night researching courses on robotics, computers, prosthetics, bionics, and cybernetics. An idea was swirling around in her head and it would not go away, she would find out how to replace her vocal cords with a vocoder and then she would sing again. She took every course even remotely connected with her goal (Computer-1). Eventually she realised that Sarozand did not have the technology she needed to achieve her goals and after a bit of research discovered that there were only a few worlds nearby with that sort of technology. She resolved to go to all of them, if she must, to find someone who could give her voice back to her. She sold almost everything she owned to raise funds to get her search started (Mustering out: Cr11,000). But before she went she dropped in on Laszlo and had him teach her to shoot, just in case (Mustering out: Autopistol-1). Before she left Laszlo gave her a pistol from his surprisingly large collection (Mustering out: Autopistol).

    Currently Venus is at the starport, with her gear, looking to book passage on a ship to any high tech world which might have the needed tech to achieve her aims.

    Sarozand    0706    C486643-6    S    Ag Ni Ri Droy1                    G

Referee:  Venus Hum has a scar on her throat, where she was stabbed. She speaks haltingly, and painfully with a very scratchy, rough voice. She usually carries a datapad or notebook with her to write quick messages, to avoid speaking whenever she can.  Her goal is to sing again. She is searching for a cybernetic/bionic replacement for her vocal cords. Basically a vocoder, but one with her original voice, (she has recordings). She may consider enhancements, such as a greater vocal range if available. To achieve this goal she will risk much. 

    Before her injury she was a very good singer and is still considered to play two instruments with considerable skill. The referee may choose which instruments (electronic of course). 

    There is no singing skill in CT, nor is there any musical instrument skill. To represent Venus' singing ability (if she ever gets her voice back) I would allow her a +1 on the Non-Player Character Reaction table in appropriate situations. In any performance she may use her Electronics expertise as a positive DM on the NPC Reaction table to gauge audience appreciation. If she does get her singing voice back she may add DMs for singing and playing musical instruments together for a total DM of +2. Remember this is only for the specific situation of her playing music and/or singing.