It's all just to get intel for phase 3 and 4. That's it.

Alessio Carver - The Captain - Petty criminal, turned reluctant soldier, turned vengeance-driven merc. A smooth operator, through and through. Outwardly, he projects the image of a very friendly guy, always cracking jokes and having a good time, but don't mistake him for a fool, he always has his eyes on the prize, no matter the cost.

Bio: His Earth-born parents met on a Terraforming Materials Freighter, the same vessel that Alessio would later be born on. Orphaned after the TMF was destroyed in a freak accident and accidentally abandoned on Orion Station in the Deadzone. He was taken in and raised by a crew of thieves and smugglers, got pretty good at it over the years too. Skip ahead a little bit to right around the time the Corvais War was heating up 5 years ago. Alessio was arrested for being in the wrong place at the wrong time and took a deal to avoid prison- by joining the Alliance. The rest is history. Currently 37 years old.

Appearance: Tanned complexion betrays his Italian/Mediterrian roots. Aside from that, visually I see him as similar to Jesse Custer as played by Dominic Cooper in the tv series Preacher.
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Kira Dano-Carver - The XO - Carver's wife and former squadmate, AKA, the one who's really in charge. Her stern face and calculated, to-the-point mind leaves the impression that she is a cold bitch who's not to be fucked with. And you'd be partially right, people who try to fuck with her don't generally get out alive, but her cold exterior hides a big heart, she has nothing but love for her family and the crew they've built.

Bio: Not much to really say, the Dano siblings had a poor upbringing. They were Earth-bound from the day they were born to the day they finally escaped the cycle of hate and abuse and joined the Alliance. Her and Alessio first hooked up during a particularly stressful night behind enemy lines. It was only physical until suddenly, it wasn't. They married a couple of months after the war, mere days before the Maelstrom''s maiden voyage. Currently 34 years old.

Appearance: Her short stature and youthful face hides her aggressive and abrasive personality. Approximately 5'3, long black hair. Looks similar to UFC fighter Michelle Waterson.
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Marcus Dano - The Unhinged One - Kira's brother and another of Carver's former squadmates. The ship's resident combat expert. For him, the war never ended. It left a lasting impression on him, a kind of twisted version of PTSD, where occasionally, he just flies off the handle and goes completely insane. Most of the time though, he's very calm and collected. He's here for 2 things- his family, and the cold-hard cash.

Bio: See Kira's bio for the background. Marcus was born to be a soldier, fully committed to the service from the moment he fired his first gun. He was the sole survivor of an ambush that would later be known as the Massacre on Noble's Hill. His feelings of survivors gult mixed with the insane satisfaction of carrying out a massacre of his own in the name of vengeance for the fallen created this perpetually-broken soul. Currently 36 years old.

Appearance: seeing as he sort of fills the 'Jayne' role of this crew, I see no reason why he shouldn't resemble the man himself (from Firefly).
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Robert Vulcaan - The Quartermaster - An old-school weaponsmith and black market dealer from the Deadzone. Somewhat of a mentor, or father-figure to Carver. No-nonsense, brusque, and ruthless. Definitely not a guy you'd want to have a heart-to-heart with, given that he'd probably try to jam a bullet down your throat just to get you to shut up.

Bio: Served aboard a transport freighter for almost 10 years. Got involved with a cabal of smugglers who had conned their way onto the crew, and shortly after, set up shop on Orion Station, using his new connections on the black market to establish a very successful business. 58 years old.

Appearance: http://nerdist.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/06/American-Gods-Vulcan-2-06042017-615x410.jpg
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Juliette & Jennifer Thane - The Engineers - Attractive young geniuses who threw away successful lives within the confines of 'civilization' to avenge their father. The youngest on the crew by quite a bit, the twins are very competitive and goal-driven. They're also particularly intelligent, with near-genius level intellect.

Bio: Major Theo Thane was a well-respected and accomplished field commander for the Alliance. One of the best. He was part of the assault force during the Corvais War. He survived the 2nd Battle of Corvais before finding himself in charge of an assault force headed for Maelstrom, the final battleground of the conflict. He died a hero and was given the memorial service he deserved. It was at this service where his twin daughters met some of the men and women Major Thane died fighting for, in particular Carver, Kira and Marcus. Shortly after, the Thane sisters left their lives behind to chase the stars.

Appearance: Physically identical at a glance. 5'6, lean build, shoulder-length Blonde hair, and green eyes. Some subtleties set the two apart such as: Juliette has a generally more tanned complexion from her up-close and personal style mechanical work in the nitty-gritty of the engine while Jennifer does more work on the electrical and digital levels of the ship, and thus doesn't sport as many battle scars.
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Seth Firren - The Cartographer - A drifter who came aboard about a year ago. Though initially saying he was only catching a ride to another system, he's found himself quite at home among the crew. His years of wandering aimlessly has led to an overdeveloped sense of direction, which makes him an excellent navigator. Very withdrawn and mysterious. Despite a quiet voice, he has a particularly talented way of telling stories that make the audience hang on every word. Rarely opens up about specific details of his past.

Bio: Born to a well-off military family in the Republic. His father was a diplomat from Tarrovan, his mother, an aide to Earth's ambassador. From a young age, he took an interest in the stars and what lied beyond the world he knew. He was sheltered all through his life, 'destined for greatness' as his parents said. He couldn't possibly have survived living the life his parents had arranged, and so, at 19, he hopped aboard the first ship that would take him to get lost among the stars.

Appearance: Looks almost perfectly human, despite his alien heritage. Tarrovanians are exceeding similar to humans in terms of physical appearance and genetic makeup, the only distinct characteristics being pale-skin, Irises that shift color regularly, and small horns that are easily concealed by long shaggy hair. Tarrovanians are naturally psionic as well. Seth is 27 (in Earth years), about 5'10. Has long shaggy brown hair and the makings of a full beard that hasn't been given time to properly grow yet
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Ian Gudbranssen - The Surgeon - A jovial sort and consummate professional. Knows his way around a pistol just as well as a scalpel. A jolly, upbeat guy. Late 30s/Early 40s, though his mannerisms would make one think of a Santa Claus-like grandfather. He has a fondness for the bottle, but never to the point of it being a problem/affecting his work.

Bio: Ian hails from a frontier colony called Hallarson. He took an interest in the medical sciences at a young age, and worked his way into a Republic-sponsored Med school. After some time spent on the circuit of big interplanetary hospitals and a failed bid to take over the clinic home on Hallarson, Ian decided to move into the Deadzone to set up his own clinic. He was hired by Carver on recommendation from Vulcaan, who had availed of his services in the past.

Appearance: 39 years old. Brown hair and beard with streaks of gray. Slightly overweight
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Q-23 - Ship's AI. Since he was programmed to be a very standard AI, he doesn't have much in the way of personality. A monotone, logic-driven voice with just a hint of friendliness and admiration for the crew, almost like it's trying to be human while knowing it never will be.

Bio: Programmed by the Alliance and installed aboard the vessel that would eventually become known as the Maelstrom.

Appearance: A hologram sphere with rings rotating around it. Pale blue with a white spot that acts as a visual representation of an eye.
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Some additional notes: 1. The Maelstrom look and has an identical layout to Mass Effect Andromeda's main ship, the Tempest (I was lacking inspiration for a blueprint, figured I'd grab the first small-ish ship design I could think of)
2. The crew has been together a little more than 4 years. Carver first linked up with Kira and Marcus during the Corvais War on a planet called Maelstrom, most of their respective platoons had been wiped out and the survivors were pretty much left for dead. They teamed up for survival and grew close enough to want to stick together. Over the remainder of the war, they lost more friends and comrades than they could count, and their bitterness over the armistice agreement is what led to the creation of their merc crew.
3. The Maelstrom is a stealth speeder that was "acquired" from an Alliance military complex by a pair of now-deceased crew members. It was refitted with a basic combat kit by Vulcaan's contacts in the Deadzone.
4. Though mainly viewed as a good-natured and upstanding (though technically criminal) organization, the Maelstrom's crew have been branded as terrorists for certain actions carried out in the past, generally within Federation space, and that branding is upheld by the Republic Council, and merely tolerated by the Alliance.