HISTORY

The third son of a Chinese contract laborer, Li Chow broke away from corporate labor as a young man, joining the Free Luna movement in 2115. Chow fought for two years as a crater guerilla, surviving to see the birth of the Luna Free State. Suddenly without work, Chow moved to Mars in hope of gaining land, but found domesteading to be both dull and too expensive: With his guerrilla moonsuit experience he found work aboard a Belt prospector as an EVA specialist, which mainly involved jetting out to small asteroids, taking samples, and returning safely. Two years of crater fighting had instilled a great deal of EVA discipline into Chow, and he quickly became a valuable team member for his steady work speed and safety record. His teammates particularly appreciated Chow when claim jumpers tried to move in on their finds.

In time, Chow picked up some piloting and navigation skills, bought a small survey ship of his own, and gathered a team of prospectors to work for him. He had worked up enough money from his own prospecting to consider buying a newer ship when word that Mars was issuing Aleph permits circulated. He paid for a permit and was among the first Belters to strike out for the stars, hoping to stake a claim to a whole moon or megaton asteroid. His claim, however, has yet to pan out.

Currently, Chow captains a mining vessel called the Da Niao and sells claims to other Belter miners or independent corporations after extracting as much fuel as possible. This usually means leaving a small occupying force behind to defend the claim, so Chow hires mercenaries on almost every mission. Expenses are high, but profits are astronomical, and Chow can afford the occasional no-claim tour. Fortunately, most pirates are more interested in GigaShips than Belter ships, and the Da Niao rarely has to deal with ship-to-ship combat.

PHYSICAL APPEARANCE

Li Chow is a medium-sized, broad-faced Chinese man in his mid-50s, although his short hair is still black and long periods in zero-g have prevented wrinkling, so he still looks like a man in his early 30s. Chow wears dark-colored undersuit coveralls most of the time, allowing him to get into his EVA suit with a minimum of fuss.