Fortuna Mercier

From Egs Mayhem

by nokvok

Name: Fortuna Mercier
Known Alias(es): (The) Palterer, (Various throw away names whenever anonymity is needed)
Age: 36
Height/Weight: 5'7/120lbs

General Description:
Always dressed in business suits, Fortuna Mercier gives the impression of high determination paired with extraordinary Integrity. At the first sight she does not really fit into the dusty wilds. With the right hand she wields a cane meant to aid her with a limping leg. Her hair is tidily bound back and her steel gray eyes always focus with a piercing precision...

Reputation:
Actually Fortuna Mercier is reputated for her business senses and gambling skills. Many rumors about her were put into existence by herself, though. If you need stuff... like... special stuff, Fortuna Mercier is your best bet to find it, or someone who can make it, or some place where it could be scavenged.
She also has a reputation for being bullet proof.

Personality:
She is radiating a good bit of arrogance without articulating it. Aside that, her most remarkable personality trait is her flexibility. She can be nice and understanding or stubborn and mean, just what she figures is best for business. Which makes another trait obvious, her dedication to her business, to trading, gambling, information gathering... of course this culminates into a healthy sense of self preservation, a dead trader is a bad trader, but also leaves an honor and reputation to be hold up and defend. She does not seem to allow herself much free time, though from time to time she does visit a Saloon on calm nights.
She's got a hatred for Slave trading and would never trade with slavers.
A dream of hers is to seize economic control of Earth and make it prosper enough to be acknowledge as valuable asset again.. under her control.

Background:
Fortuna Mercier, born Laurine Yaunt, was actually heir and vice president of a small corporation out in the colonies. She learned accounting, management, economy etc. But Also fencing and judo and went on hunting safaris with her Uncle. Discipline, Honor, Dedication were the main principles her Family's business was based on, and thus was one of the less devastating companies (and thus a smaller one).
However, due to an intrigue her Family lost their assets to a more ruthless corporation and were charged with various crimes. The criminal cases brought up against Fortuna were forged or course, but still resulted in a her being found guilty of assault with a deadly weapon, harassment and protection racketeering. Deemed unfit for rehabilitation, she was sentenced to banishment to Earth. This was about ten years ago, and when she first arrived on Earth, she was in a fairly bad mood, resulting in two bodies and the loot being Fortuna's first trade goods. She took on the name Fortuna Mercier, which translates (from different languages) as 'Lucky Merchant' and used her education and knowledge of technology to build up a special Items and Information trading network. Her Gambling skills are self taught and part of her business strategy to acquire goods and valuables by betting and gambling, she is fairly good at reading people's faces.
Gerlach is not too far off Fortuna's usual trading route, and thus the Bandits do worry her, aside from that does she not plan to indulge too excessively into battle, instead bringing along some goods from lately failed transactions. Fortuna does not demand payment, but in case of victory, primary looting rights.

Equipment:
Sub dermal armor - Living as a corporate heir is dangerous, so it is not rare to get implanted a sub dermal armor. In Fortuna's case, her Skull, neck and thorax are enhanced with a very resilient plastic armor which reliably stops bullets from hold out weapons... or less reliable from more powerful pistols and knifes and such. It will still bleed and hurt, just not get through to the important organs. Injuries in other areas should be non-critical enough for corporate medics to fix easily.
Cane - when pressing a hidden button, the cane reveals itself as scabbard for a mighty sharp, durable fencing tool. Most flexible armor (like bullet proof vests) are fairly vulnerable to stabbings with pointy edges, which makes this useful.
Pistol - Under her suit coat she wears a light automatic pistol with small caliber but good accuracy and surprisingly high magazine capacity.
Rifle - It's a simple, dual chambered, breach loading rifle of high caliber. She shots slugs, not bug-shots, the punch suffices to effectively hit targets behind unarmored (and some lightly armored) vehicle-chassis, but does well against metallic body parts, too.
Camel plus survival stuff - Yes, she managed to acquire a Camel, which is an ideal way to cheaply transport herself and goods. Sustained speed of 25mph, sprints of 40mph. Compass, water, maps.
Traveling Needleworker 2000 - This useful tool can repair clothing with no visible traces left. For that it needs only minimal amounts of plastics (to fabric yarn). It features a build in solar charger.
Accounting books - All her secrets, well sealed and encoded.
Radio receiver with frequency scanner - Back in the days criminals used to intercept corporate and police signals with this. Today it is useful to find old emergency signals or listen in on other people's radio-talk. It runs on Solar power or Battery.
Valuables - Small, light valuables for trading purpose. (She's got more hidden away in secret stashes all around her usual trading route)
Her investment into the fight: 5 Light Land mines and a jumbo pack antiseptics, bandages and morphines.