Renegade Rodian
OOC INFORMATION
- Intent: To flesh out the Jabiimi representative on the Mara-Perlemian Provisional Trade Council.
- Image Credit: Sergeant by Luk999
- Role: The Councilor representing Jabiim on the Mara-Perlemian Provisional Trade Council.
- Links: N/A
- Age: 49
- Force Sensitivity: Non-Force User
- Species: Human (Jabiim)
- Appearance: Pergamon was never much of a head-turner. He keeps his dark hair cut short, facial hair trimmed meticulously into a style of mustache that was popular two decades ago on Jabiim and is now regarded as painfully unstylish. He wears glasses, a primitive decision which is regarded about as stylish as his mustache. He typically can be found in suit of some form. He is, after all, a politician and expected to dress the part. Physically speaking, Pergamon is not very impressive. He is of average height and average build and has made no meaningful attempt to maintain his health.
- Name: Pergamon Stratus
- Loyalties: Mara-Perlemian Provisional Trade Council, Jabiim, Helix Syndicate
- Wealth: Very wealthy
- Skills: Having spent years as a Congressman, Pergamon is well acquainted with Jabiim’s system of governments and how to navigate them effectively. He has a large web of contacts as a result of his long and successful career in government. Prior to that he served in a variety of administrative positions in several Jabiimi corporations, giving him working knowledge of the planet’s mining industries and management. Pergamon used to shockbox while in college and can probably throw a decent punch if absolutely forced to.
- Personality: The stress of Pergamon’s job (among other things) is all encompassing, and the symptoms of this severe stress has subsumed any semblance of his once amicable personality. Pergamon is almost always tense and ill at-ease. He is quite irritable and easily agitated, even by the smallest of things. He sweats profusely even in seemingly benign situations. Still, he can occasionally pull himself together long enough to put on the airs of a decisive and effective politician.
- Combat Function: A simple government official and respectable Councilor, Pergamon Stratus does not serve any function in combat aside from yelling and running away. Everything else, he leaves to his guards.
- Weapons of Choice: N/A
Pergamon Stratus claims descent from the legendary Jabiimi nationalist, Alto Stratus. That said, nothing about his life, demeanor, or physical appearance suggests any meaningful connection to Alto beyond that. In all likelihood, Pergamon descends from an innocuous and miserable third cousin of Alto’s. Still, it makes for a great claim to accelerate a political career. Which is exactly what he did later in life.
Nothing about Pergamon’s life is inherently interesting. Except, maybe for the parts with the blackmail and drug fueled sex benders, but that won't come until later. His family was wealthy, but not exorbitantly so. His mother worked for a law firm and his father served as a high-level bureaucrat for a regional department of health. He attended a mundane school filled with other mundane children, having what amounts to, all in all, a mundane experience. He studied business administration in college and took up shock boxing for some time as well.
Pergamon was able to get a middling administrative job after college and worked his way up, across several companies, from there. At one point it seemed to dawn on him that he was not making very much of himself. He took up painting, which failed. He attempted to write a book, which also failed. He tried a number of different hobbies to distinguish himself, none of which stuck. Then he decided to become active in local politics, which was more fulfilling than he thought it would be. It was during his time working for local campaigns that he met his future wife.
Having established a name for himself in the political sphere among certain parties, Pergamon was seen as an attractive candidate for some positions in the city government. Pergamon won his first election and then several more after that, slowly climbing his way up the ladder until he eventually found himself representing his region in the Jabiim Congress. From there, it was only a matter of maintaining his exemplary track record for public service.
So of course it went wrong.
At some point during his third term in Congress, Pergamon became estranged from his wife. They did not publicly separate for the sake of their careers and children, but Pergamon nevertheless took to drink to cope. And then a nasty deathstick habit formed. Which, of course, lent itself to prostitutes. Between the hallucinogens and the drugs, Pergamon made plenty of bad decisions and strange requests with these prostitutes. It’s best left to the imagination. Suffice to say it did not exactly mesh well with the family friendly, professional image Pergamon Stratus was expected to exude.
He thought he was being careful with these things, but rumors from drug peddlers and pimps travel far in the right circles. Eventually the Helix Syndicate picked up on these proclivities while scouting out acquiring potential interests on Jabiim. It wasn’t long before clandestine recording devices were set up in the hotel rooms Pergamon preferred. The surveillance tapes stacked up exponentially and the Syndicate interviewed the underworld figures who had personal dealings with Pergamon in fueling his habits. Everything was documented. Then these figures were bribed or coerced into silence. That settled, the Syndicate made contact with Pergamon.
Pergamon was not terribly pleased with this development. Anger quickly turned to fear, however, and fear turned to desperate bartering. The Syndicate made no immediate requests, but they did force him to sober up. They locked him in a hotel room and kept him there until he was “cured.” When he was done with that, they told him to make amends with his wife. During that time, Syndicate acquainted itself with his personal business dealings and correspondence. More blackmail. They raided his personal caches of drugs and, as usual, coerced his former contacts into refusing to do business with him. He couldn’t do any drugs if he couldn’t get them, or so the thought process was.
A newly sobered and utterly terrified Pergamon returned to his dealings, laboring meekly in Congress as he waited for the Syndicate to issue demands. For a while there was nothing, and he almost let himself think they had forgotten about him. Then the Mara-Perlemian Provisional Trade Council was formed, and Pergamon was surprised that his name was being tossed around to represent Jabiim.
Desperate to keep a low profile, Pergamon was ready to decline the nomination. He was quietly informed by a representative of the Helix Syndicate that he could either accept the nomination (his election was a foregone conclusion) or the Syndicate would go public with everything they had on him.
Several days later, Pergamon Stratus was sworn in to his position of Councilor, representing the interests of Jabiim and her citizens on the Mara-Perlemian Provisional Trade Council. He serves happily, or more accurately, with excruciating nervousness.
