The Starmen
David "Zip" Foster
David was born on March 12, 2134. "Mutiny on Mars" occurred in 2151, when he was 17. He lived most of his life on the Moon, where his father, Allen Foster, was working for the Exploration division of Starlight Enterprise. Allen had retired from his Starman commission for health reasons following a radiation overdose. David developed a hunger for becoming a Starman when he was young, and throughout his young life he strove to become one. When he was 14, he entered the Starlight Academy, and he graduated three years later—the youngest graduate in the history of the Academy.
David is very active; he has trouble sitting still and waiting. David is very loyal; if his friends are in danger, he will go and help them - regardless of the personal cost. David is straightforward with his friends, but can be cautious and crafty around his enemies.
Morally, he is very decent; he is honest, respectable, takes his word and his personal honor very seriously. David does not have much patience with shifty people or criminals. He has a great respect for authority, but if he thinks an authority figure is in the wrong he will debate them and try to get them to see his point of view. He will not break the law, even those he does not understand or finds ridiculous.
David will take a lot of abuse without getting angry, but once he is provoked it is very difficult to calm him down. David takes threats to his friends and family very seriously, and may react impetuously to them. He is somewhat less cautious than he should be; at times his impetuousness and failure to think before he acts get him into real trouble.
Mark Seaton
Mark was born on June 23, 2133. He lived most of his early life on Earth, and at a young age he got a job at a local spaceport, repairing engines. His natural knack at machines landed him a scholarship at the Academy, where he studied for a number of years until he graduated.
Mark loves to study and read, and as such is the most “educated” of the three. If there is an odd fact to know, he will know it. When he is excited or engrossed, he tends to revert to techno-speak. He also has a great sense of humor. At times, when faced with people who pretend to be “experts” at things they don’t know anything about, he has been known to speak complete mumbo-jumbo in a knowing air. He has much of the same good character traits that David does, with the exception that he tends to be somewhat overly slow and cautious — and thus he helps to balance David out.
Mark specializes in engines and large, complex machinery. He has always had a talent for working and understanding machines, and he knows the workings of the average rocket from stem to stern. His specialty is rocket engines and power plants: if something is broken, he can find a way to fix it. He excels at jury-rigging devices, and finding a way to do the impossible with practically nothing. He speaks almost reverently about his machines, and hates to see a device that isn’t taken care of. Keeps his starship in tiptop shape. He is also the brains of the three explorers; while he isn’t good with hunches, once given an idea he can consider it logically and eventually come up with a good answer — although it may take some time.
Joseph Taylor
Joseph was born on September 17, 2134. His father was a navigator on the flight that made both his and David’s father famous, but the same accident that put David’s father out of commission ended Joseph’s father’s career as well. His father taught him much about navigation. He specializes in flight and navigation: if Mark can get it to fly, Joseph can fly it. He has flown everything from ancient biplanes to interplanetary rockets, and if he hasn’t flown it before, he can study it and figure out how to get it off the ground. His father was one of the best navigators in the Solar System, and he passed a lot of his knowledge and skills to his son.
Even though Joseph is two inches shorter than Mark, he seems much taller because he is very thin and lanky. His elbows and knees seem to be going all places at once. Can be very quick and lithe if the need arises — he’s the fastest runner of the three, and broke an Academy record for the 100-yard dash.
Joseph is an outdoors man, and is at home in jungles, swamps, forests, or any kind of terrain. He has a lot of survival knowledge; if it is possible to survive in a given environment, he can find a way. Joseph is a very good hunter, and a crack shot with a weapon. He likes to talk and joke about the wonders of the great outdoors. Has a love for green things, for living things, and is most at home on Earth.
Joseph shares much of the good qualities of David and Mark. What Joseph lacks is a head for direction; he is a great worker, but to work most efficiently he needs someone to get him started moving — someone like David. The Trio is effective: David has the hunches, which Mark works out, and Joseph executes. David tends to over-react, while Joseph tends to under-react — and so a balance is reached.
Richard Starlight
Richard is the latest of the famous Starlight clan. He has guided the company for the past 32 years, ever since his parents were killed in an accident on Mercury. Richard has guided the corporation from being mainly lunar-based into an interplanetary empire, and along the way he has expanded Earth’s presence to Mercury, Mars, and beyond. The most distant colony is on Saturn, but Richard hopes to establish colonies even farther out once a better and more economical drive system can be worked out. Since he has had so much hands-on experience and knowledge, his employees view him as someone who actually knows them and sympathizes with them, as opposed to just being another bureaucrat.
Richard is a legendary figure, and has done more to explore space than any man in history. He is highly regarded, and is a powerful, influential person. His wife, Jan, is an adventuresome lady; she’s active, smart, and at her husband’s side.
Richard does a lot of traveling, and is a hands-on person; he has mined ore in the asteroids, put up buildings on Titan, designed and flown starships, and more. Jan has been there with him every step of the way, moderating his energy and keeping him grounded.