I wrote this up when we started our current RT game. As a disclaimer, my overall knowledge of 40k isn't great, I had never even heard of RT before, and I was told "Crazy Space Privateers" and told to write. So I did. The following is the result of what I produced following the Warrant and Character creation paths. Not knowing what to do and as an avid Trekkie I did my best to recreate Captain Kathrine Janeway, Warship Voyager edition. My GM wanted to kill me but let me keep the character. Enjoy.

The Jian-wei Dynasty

Warrant's History

The Jian-wei family has had a long history of being proud Imperial citizens dating back to before the Horus Heresy. Hailing from the eastern most region of Terra, the family history stretches back countless millennium as mid level officials in state government. Loyalty to the state is the most cherished of traditions and so when the Horus Heresy struck, this family did their most to help. The terrible conflict proved fortuitous as it allowed the family to climb out of their station to a much loftier one thanks to the efforts. The tactical talents of Liwei Jian-wei was instrumental in reclaiming several rogue worlds in brutal ground campaigns. For his service Liwei Jian-wei was awarded a warrant of trade personally signed by the Emperor himself. According to legend, it is the last Warrant He ever personally signed.

For the next few millennia the dynasty took to their new calling rather well, seeking out old worlds and reminding them of their obligations to Terra and the God-Emperor. However, it takes great strength of will and character to effectively wield an organization capable of subduing worlds. Not all those born into the main branch of the Jian-wei family proved to be up to the task. Several weak heads of the family in a row saw the dynasty fall from grace as resources were squandered on poor deals and ill fated ventures. The height of the family's misfortune was marked by the reign of Peng Jian-wei, who spent huge sums on the largest collection of pet rocks the sector had ever seen.

However, even idiot's follies can be a saving grace. When Peng's son, You, saw what his inheritance was he flew into fit of rage. You personally saw to the smashing of his father's pet rock collection. A portion of the rocks turned out to be geodes and once You came down from his rage he saw a chance for profit. You used every last scrap of his families resources to trace where the geodes came from in a last ditch effort to revive the dynasty's fortunes. Having traced the source back to a seemingly underpopulated world, the Jian-wei family attempted to take the world in a hostile takeover. Negotiations turned sour quickly and words to las fire. After wiping out the resisting population, it was discovered that the Jian-wei family had accidently stumbled upon a world that had almost been taken over by Chaos. This stroke of good luck proved to be a turning point in the dynasty's fortunes.

Having proven its mettle once again, the Jian-wei family under the leadership of Yongrui expanded family fortunes by expanding the fleet. The expanse of space is large and on its fringes the matters of law and order must sometimes be taken into one's own hands. And if profit is made along the way all the better. A Yongrui was a noted privateer who was not above a little piracy of his own, so long as it turned a solid profit.

While Yongrui established the trend of being a privateer, it was his son that took that duty to the next level. By acting as a sort of vigilante Chonglin Jian-wei earned the respect of the Battlefleet Calaxis for his relentless pursuit of pirates. While not always physically profitable, the connections established and maintained have served the Jian-wei family well to this day.

The dynasty has produced many strong leaders and several of moderate fame. However none come close to the level of fame that Junjie Jian-wei obtained. Sadly for Junjie, he is most famous for his full length beard. Never having cut or trimmed it, by the end of his life Junjie's beard had gained more fame then his deeds as a rogue trader. While not something one plans, the fact that Junjie is remembered in the dynasty's annuls is impressive in its own right.

Lady-Captain Kataline Jian-wei

Kataline "Kat" Jian-wei is the eldest daughter of Hong Jian-wei, the current holder of the Warrant of Trade. Kat has a younger sister, Mei who is the artistic one of the family.

Kat grew up as one would expect a noble child would. She was given extensive training and education befitting her station in the universe and as such is at ease when dealing with others of her social class. Her upbringing also lead to quite a lot of wild parties in her youth and Kat is known to have indulge herself. While not fat, she has been always carried a few extra pounds on her frame ever since her late teens. She is sensitive about her figure, and hides it under elaborate flowing clothing or finely crafted suits of armor.*

Of her interests, none come close to her love of all things archeotech. From a young age she was fascinated by her grandfather's archeotech pistol and his tales of adventure on how he acquired it. Her interest in archeotech may or may not have been instrumental in the shift of power within the Jian-wei Dynasty.

Her close ties to her grandfather are allegedly the reason the warrant passed down to her father Hong, and not to his older brother Dong. While there is always tension in noble houses as various familial branches via for power, this sudden shift has caused considerable animosity between the members of Hong's and Dong's families. Some might even say they are rival noble houses. While rivals, both sides take great care to keep the rivalry out of the public eye for the overall image of House Jian-wei must be one of unification and strength.

It is theorized by some that Kat in particular was seen as a way to infuse the dynasty with new blood and ideas on where the dynasty would go. In either case, along with the rivalry Kat also inherited a sizable sum of money directly from her grandfather adding to the jealousy of her chief rival, Xiurong. Xiurong has sworn revenge on Kat with the chief objective of claiming back the warrant for her side of the family.

It is a sad example of how two cousins who were close in youth have become bitter enemies in adulthood due to the machinations of noble life. That said, the cousins have been known to begrudgingly work together if it serves the greater family interest. It does not stop them from each trying to get the better end of the deal however.

Along with her pistol, Kat inherited the Faith in Action, a light cruiser from her grandfather. As part of his will, Kat was given the ship and a portion of the family's wealth to serve as a practical training ground to prepare her for such a time when she would hold the warrant in her own right. It also gives her the ability to seek out more archeotech, something her grandfather felt would have more impact on the dynasty and the Imperium as a whole then moving material in exchange for wealth.

This mandate has instilled great pride in Kat as she sees it as her prime directive. To explore the frontier of the Void. To seek out strange old worlds and old civilizations. And plunder their technology. To boldly go to places where no one has been in a really long time.

People of Note:

Mei Jian-wei: Kat's sister and main point of contact with the current holder of the warrant and head of the dynasty. Most of her orders, if any from her father are relayed to Kat through her sister. Mei spends most of her time on the family flagship forcing the prettier members of the crew to pose for her paintings.

Xiurong Jian-wei: Cousin of Kat and chief rival, Xuirong has her own "training" ship and is out in the void plying her trade. She allegedly is involved in the cold trade and piracy, but both such activities are almost sacred traditions for members of the Jian-wei's who first start out.

Xileen, Archeotech dealer: This person dealt primarily with Kat's grandfather and as such Kat only knows him by proxy as he deals with archeotech that is very clearly out of her current price range.

*Since game play has begun the character has become an Augmentist and replaced and implanted everything in all the books possible except a Twitch-mask. Has also gained enough insanity that it is an obsession. Whenever making an acquisition test Kat has a 50% chance of buying a cybernetic instead of what she was going to buy.

Faith in Action Crew

* Denotes Player

*Captain: Kataline "Kat" Jianwie, Rogue Trader and Lady Captain of the Faith in Action. First command.

*First Officer: Jack Moon. Former cop who took to space, Moon worked his way up the ranks to Chief Gunnery Officer on his last vessel. Signed onto the Faith in Action just prior to Kat taking command of it. How he came to be First Officer isn't exactly clear.

Enginseer Prime: Concordia Paschall. If it is broken, she will fix it. If she is angry, she will find something to fix. If she is horny she will find something to fix that. Having witnessed all three at once at a dinner party Kat was hosting caused quite the scandal, as well as showed off Concordia's abilities. Poor Janthine was so embarrassed to be the recruited in helping Concordia fix things. Kat keeps inviting the two back to the captain's table regularly hoping for a repeat performance to no avail.

*High Factotum: Symonne Winter. Another veteran officer that came with the ship to help ensure Kat's success. Or at the very least keep her from going completely destitute.

Master at Arms: Jarrion Victris. A grizzled trooper who worked his way up the ranks and earned his position by being the most senior of the survivors of conflicts. Gruff, rough and lacking in refined manners, Jarrion is nonetheless very good at his job. His often wild tales earn him a place at the captain's table quite often, if only to shock the other guests.

Master Helmsman: Janthine Faydra. Somewhat young for such an important position, her skill at the helm has shown that Janthine has earned her position. Her relative lack of experience has meant there have been some close calls but no lasting damage or major loss of life has been attributed to her piloting.

Master of Ordinance: Godwinne Macharius, a seasoned officer who worked his way up the ranks. Does voices and is a ventriloquist.

Master of Etherics: Tall, blonde, well endowed and stoic, Anarette Noradine is one of the most sought after women of the ship. While every job on the ship is important and should be taken seriously, Anarette takes her job extremely seriously and is often accused of thinking of nothing but her job. Very much a downer at parties as she lacks any sense of social grace. Has a huge fascination with technology and hangs out with the Enginseer Prime the most.

Chief Chirurgeon: If Anarette lacks social graces, Darrius Holt has too many of them. He is constantly trying to remind people of forgotten manners used in the most specific of circumstances. Still he is a skilled physician who came with the ship and Kat doesn't want to offend him too often by not inviting him to the captain's table every now and again.

Master of Whispers: Jace Solar is a slimy character but a necessary one. Still, Kat spends only as much time as is necessary with Jace, preferring to have Macharius deal with him.

Choir Master Telepathica: Cornelius Fortunus. Not very talkative fellow.

*Navigator Primaris/Warp Guide: Victris Gillam. This is Gillam's first assignment as a navigator. Young but gifted, Kat isn't sure how he became the prime navigator over some of the older navigators that came with the ship.

Ship's Confessor: Inessa Falkirk. A lot more fun than you would think at a party, she can really dance. Also can't hold her liquor.

Drivemaster: Aphesius Regias. Doesn't like to party and doesn't like leaving the drive section. He did not attend the Captain's welcome party nor has he RSVPed for any party since.

Omnissianic Congregrator: Cynthia Zolla. While techpriests in general aren't exactly a lively bunch, she is fairly bouncy and energetic, by techpriest standards. Can really hold her liquor. Drank the captain under the table at her welcoming party.

(*)Chief Bosun: Captain Detrix. Seems like an okay guy. Saw him at the welcome party but didn't get to talk to him. Retired to be Knight Captain of Knight Titan House Thanstadt on Ganymede Majoris. (NPC) Replacement needed.

Infernus Master: Roland Jorn. Small guy, big voice, huge set of lungs. Did fire tricks at welcome party.

Master of the Vox: Diane Faye. Giant of a woman with a tiny voice, she is excellent at charades.

Purser: Kaltos " Gob" Ishmael. Retired Arbitor that somehow ended up as an accountant. Still his drive and attention to detail make him good at his job. Ate an entire pineapple at the welcome party. (Former DH character of mine)

Carto Artifex: Solar Gil. Grumpy old man. Drank lots of tea at the welcome party, went to the bathroom a lot. Left early.

Ship's Steward: Lejret Lixeel. Has a massive multicolored mohawk atop his head. Very annoying voice, always trying too hard to be funny and doesn't know when he is making situations awkward or worse. Very pushy.

Loadmaster: Athea Dobbs. Subordinate of High Factotum Winter. Not sure how she was invited to the welcoming party. Must have been a +1 on the High Factotum's invitation. Fun gal though. Might have to invite her to a few dinner parties for the shock value again.

*Brother Konrad: Assigned to accompany the crew of the Faith in Action as part of a deal with the Radical Inquisitor Tai'san Foo Quan of the Xenos Ordos. Is a Templar Deathwatch Space Marine.

Jianwei's Descent

A chronical of the Lady Captain's descent into Augmentistism as told by a House scribe.

The seeds were planted long ago at her grandfather's knee. Tales of high adventure in the void and epic loot stirred young the Lady Captaina's imagination and set her on the path of archeotechology. A perfectly respectable field of study and one that changed the direction of a Rogue Trader Dynasty. But this is not about the dynasty but rather a condition the heir to the has.

The second seed was planted in her training as a young girl. Decent shot but exquisite swordsman. Full of grace and guile with a blade in her hand. Something her opponents learned too late at tournaments and exhibitions. All underestimated the heavier set girl.

That was the third and final seed. Her familial culture's value of fatness in children as a way to show off wealth was as odds on the planet the Lady Captain grew up on. There thinness and bronzed skin were signs of wealth, not fatness and pale skin. So the Lady Captain attempted to strike a balance but never achieved it, always remaining over the "ideal" weight for her height. And for that she was shunned and jeered by her peers. This left the Lady Captain with few friends and much free time which she poured into her swordsmanship.

Not long after she came of age her grandfather passed away and gave the warrant to her father. There were stipulations of course that had to be met. One of them was granting The Lady Captain a ship and that the Lady Captain had to ply the trade of a Rogue Trader. This she did with gusto and steered herself wherever there might be profit and adventure. And more importantly archeotech.

One of her first finds an a truly marvelous cybernetic arm. Gold plated and intricately engraved as a work of art alone it would been worth a small fortune. However, the level of the craftsmanship of the machinery was something from a lost time and quite remarkable. The Lady Captain would keep the arm displayed in her private study, the first major discovery of archeotech she had made.

It was fortuitous that the Lady Captain had such a magnificent cybernetic onboard. An expedition on an abandon station went horribly wrong as the Lady Captain and her party were ambush by Rak'gol. Though ultimately victorious, the fight cost The Lady Captain her right arm. She was outfitted with the archeotech arm and she took to it very well. Maybe it is the prevalence of cybernetics in our society, maybe it is because she saw something greater in that arm, it is hard to say.

What is certain is that it was that day that started the Lady Captain down the path of the Machine God. At first the changes were reactionary. After a particularly bad fight with pirates subdermal and cranial armor were added. When her void suit was punctured on a space walk, bionic lungs were implanted. When she was nearly poisoned at a family dinner, gastral bionics were added to her list of mechanical replacements.

Then the Lady Captain started to proactively acquire implants and cybernetics. A mind impulse unit to better commune with machines. A new heart to work in concert with her lungs to be able to run faster. Cybernetic legs that could keep up with her heart and lungs. A cybernetic arm to attempt match her archeotech one. And many more implants.

While the proper steps have been taken to assure the genetic survival of the House through her, now the Lady Captain seems a bit unsettled. Her voyages through the void have been trying and perhaps this is her way of dealing with the horrors she has seen. Maybe her mostly mechanical body has finally given her the sort of body figure she has strived for her whole life. Whatever the case, despite being mostly mechanical it is hard to tell. The Lady Captain has gone through great pains to appear normal. And if one did not know the Lady Captain, one would assume the only mechanical portion on her was her right arm. As that is the gold inlaid archeotech arm she found all those years ago.

However there is concern amongst the senior staff that perhaps the Lady Captain's interest in cybernetics has gone on into obsession. For instead of battering for a better crew of her newest ship, the Lady Captain instead purchased a cortex implant. Having obtained the last known piece of implantable tech in the Imperium, it is feared that perhaps the Lady Captain may upgrade, as it were, her cybernetics.

It is hoped that she won't as it would cost a tremendous sum of money and more importantly may distract her from her duty to seek out fortune rather than spend it. Some though have pointed out there are worse obsessions to have and remind others of the tale of the Lady Captain's distant ancestor Peng. Peng is of course infamous as the Rogue Trader that almost brought the House to utter ruin, having amassed the sector's largest pet rock collection. Perhaps the Lady Captain's keen interest in cybernetics will force her to seek out even more archeotech and grow her fame and fortune.

Given that the Lady Captain has little talent for trade only having set up 1 trade route in 11 years the finding and selling of archeotech seems to be her strong suit. Thus far any encounters with Eldar have been handled by the senechel Ms. Symmone, and the two other xenos contacts have not gone overly well either. One ended with the Lady Captain insulting and then declaring war on the xenos, forcing the Lady Captain to bravely run away. The second xenos encounter ended with a full scale invasion of their planet with little profit to show for it.

The only other hope is that the Lady Captain may carry on the martial tradition of the House and hunt down pirates. While not overly lucrative, exploding ships is the one thing the Lady Captain has show to be reliable at. After all, that is how poor Haradak Fel met his fate.