Kasan

Kasan is the owner, general manager and chief procurer of Kasan's Curiosities, an antique shop on the promenade of Starbase 72. He is an academically trained archaeologist and anthropologist who spent several decades as a treasure hunter working for, and later taking over the operation of, the Klingon pirate known as Torak the Fat.

History

Born stardate 15737.09 (April 6, 2328 Terran calendar), Kasan did not follow the traditional Klingon path into military service. Early in his life he demonstrated an aptitude for science and research. He also demonstrated a talent for thievery, which brought him to the attention of Torak.

The pirate was making a rare visit to Kronos and the First City, perusing one of the many bazaars. Kasan, not knowing who Torak was, attempted to steal a strip of latinum from Torak's cloak. He almost made it out of the bazaar, but was intercepted by the pirate's bodyguards.

Instead of being angry at the young Klingon, Torak expressed admiration for his gumption. He offered the strip to Kasan in return for joining his crew. Although still a child, Kasan was intrigued at the idea of traveling off Kronos. Torak painted a vivid picture of a pirate's life - conquests, riches, respect. Kasan snuck into his own home, packed a bag and, without even saying goodbye to his family, ran off to join Torak and his pirate crew.

Kasan was relegated to menial tasks, like cleaning up after meals, feeding Torak's pet targ, and general maintenance that did not require the engineer's supervision. Torak, however, noticed Kasan's head for science and began grooming him in archaeology and anthropology. Eventually, he had the young Klingon researching star charts and ancient texts that led to lost civilizations and the treasure that they hid.

Gradually, he rose in the ranks of Torak's organization, eventually leading expeditions on his own. When Torak had decided to retire (he had finally paid off his copious gambling debts and cobbled together a decent nest egg), he sold his interest in the operation, including his ship, the Half a Chance, to Kasan.

In the three decades under Kasan, the organization moved away from piracy and other illegal activity and more toward pure treasure hunting, and occasional charter of passengers and shipping on the side. He established relationships with traders and freighter captains, and each would share information with each other regularly.

When Kasan's time to retire came, rather than take up residence on Nimbus III like Torak, he sold the ship, paid the crew and put the remaining credits into Kasan's Curiosities on Starbase 72. He is currently saving for a small craft for himself so he doesn't have to rely on civilian transport to leave the station to check out possible merchandise.

Kasan In-Play

Esterra Vandorin is a fleet NPC, available for anyone's story on Starbase 2. Feel free to portray him as best works for your writing, keeping in mind the character traits outlined here. You may injure him (his lifestyle will put him in the path of danger from time to time), but please do not kill him.
If you remember those scenes in the Naked Gun movies where Drebin goes to the shoe shine guy to get information, that's how Kasan operates. If he has information worth having, it's information worth selling. He is a chance to add a rough element to a Starfleet story, or to a civilian story.
If your science department has stumbled upon an artifact or other ancient item that defies analysis, Kasan has a good eye for that. Again, it will generally cost. He may trade his expertise for a ride on a Starfleet ship that happens to be going the direction he needs to go.