Plug And Play: Character Highlight - 'Lucky' Jak Noghri (AoR)

With the release of Fantasy Flight Games' Age of Rebellion Beta, I was surprised and thrilled to see a whole career dedicated to military commanders. As a fan of Patrick O'Brien, I simply couldn't resist statting one out.

Lucky Jak Noghri

Awesome image from  +Roland Chambers 

Gregarious Fighting Naval Officer
Captain of the CR90 Corvette Surprise

Played By: Russell Crowe
Personality Traits: Energetic, cheerful, deep respect for naval tradition, tactically brilliant
Race: Noghri
Homeworld: Honoghr

Career / Specialization: Commander / Commodore
Obligation (10):  Debt - bad land investments
Duty (40): Combat Victory
Motivation:  Fame (Ambition)
Stats: Br 2, Ag 3, In 2, Cu 3, Wi 2, Pr 4
Defense: Soak 4, Wounds 13, Strain 13

Species Abilities:

• Stalker 1: Add ■ per rank to Coordination and Stealth checks
• Scent: Remove all ■ imposed due to concealment against a target within short range
• Size: Jak has a silhouette of 0
• Skill: 1 free rank in Brawl

Skills: Astrogation 1, Athletics 1, Brawl 1, Charm 1, Cool 1, Gunnery 1, Knowledge (Military) 2, Leadership 3, Melee 1, Outer Rim 1, Ranged (Light) 1

Talents: 

• Command 1: Add ■ per rank of Command to Leadership checks. Affected targets add ■ to Discipline checks for next 24 hours.
• Rapid Reaction 1: Suffer a number of strain up to ranks in Rapid Reaction to add an equal number of success to an initiative check.

Equipment: Padded armor (Soak +2), Comlink (handheld), Extra Reloads, Macrobinoculars, Military Field Manuals, Stimpack, Thermal Cloak, Blaster Pistol [Damage 6, Crit 3, Range: medium, Stun], Vibrosword [[Damage Br+2, Crit 2, Ranged (light), Range: engaged, Defensive 1, Pierce 2, Vicious 1]

Biography:

Master and Commander

After beginning his career in the navy as a young man, Jak is appointed as Master and Commander of the Incom X-4 Gunship Sophie. He then starts on his first task as a convoy escort. Jak proves to be a lucky commander and soon amasses a large number of prizes making him and his crew relatively wealthy.

Jak's predation in CIS space cause Nemodian traders to assign the Munificent-class star frigate Cacafuego to hunt down the Sophie. On their first encounter, Sophie avoids action by a subterfuge; on a later meeting Jak attacks the much larger ship and captures her against all the odds. Despite this triumph, his Captain's justifiable enmity plays down Jak's victory so he does not earn the usual promotion.

Jak is returned to convoy escort but on a voyage to Sluis Van he encounters a formidable Duros squadron under Captain Linois who eventually capture the Sophie. Jak and his officers are taken as prisoners to Pellezara station in orbit around Duro After a short period as prisoners of war, they are exchanged, missing the fighting. Back on Coruscant, Jak must undergo a court-martial over the loss of his ship, but he is cleared of the charges.

Jak is soon given command of the Carrack-class light cruiser Polycrest, an odd ship that was designed to launch a secret weapon. The ship is a structurally unsound and handles poorly. Jak's luck does not prevail, only managing to disable the CIS privateer Bellone, but with no other prizes. Disappointing his Commodore, Jan Dodonna, Jak is assigned to escort convoys.

Financial Troubles

Eventually Jak is ordered to raid the Trade Federation station Chaulieu near Koru Neimoidia. During an engagement, the Polychrest is disabled. Jak leads three of the ship's boats to board the enemy frigate Fanciulla. After a short battle, the boarding party capture the ship and manages to rescue the Polychrest. Jak is offered a ship that is currently being built but will not be ready to sail for six months. Afraid of being seized by his creditors, he declines and asks for a temporary command. He is assigned to the Republic light cruiser Lively. The Lively is then included in an intercept squadron and a quick battle breaks out in the Arkanis Sector. One CIS frigate explodes and the other three surrender.

After the capture of the CIS resource shipment, the Admiralty is debating on how to reward the captains responsible, including Jak. Due to a technicality, the captured ships are declared not to be prizes, and as a result the captains end up with much smaller bounties than they hoped. Upon returning to Coruscant, Jak discovers the Admiralty's decision and is imprisoned as a debtor. 

Post Captain

Calling on favors he manages to get an advance on his grant of money and is released. He receives his first true command, being made Post-Captain and given the CR90 Corvette Surprise. While escorting a group of largely unarmed trade vessels, he spots his old enemy Linois's squadron cruising the Rimma Trade Route. Surprise engages the smallest ship of the squadron, damaging it heavily, then turns and makes speed back to the trade fleet to warn them and organize a defense.

Choosing the largest ships of the trade fleet, Jak disguises them as men-of-war and sends some of his officers to help them fight. The Duro squadron closes on the Surprise and the outgunned fleet. The Surprise turns and engages the largest warship, the Lucrehulk-class battleship Marengo. Jak exchanges broadsides with the heavier ship, but is outgunned and in peril when one of the trade freighters engages the capitol ship from the other side, forcing her to disengage. The damage from the action forces the entire CIS squadron to flee to refit.

Rebel Alliance

Shortly thereafter, the CIS is defeated and the new Empire born. Eventually Jak declares to the crew of the Surprise that he will join the fledgeling Alliance to Restore the Republic, offering them the opportunity to leave, but they all remain loyal to their commander. Now joined with his old nemesis Linois, he incessantly harries the Imperial fleet under Admiral Ackbar's orders.