Roman Family

Introduction

The Romans are a small but very influential family on Aurora Colony. The least “old country” of the eight families, the Romans claim to descend from a large tribe of European gypsies. They are primarily hunters, though there are several fishers and at least one butcher among them. Several Roman family members have served with Star Fleet in recent years. As a result, the family has a good deal of technical skill and knowledge in its ranks. Roman Construction is the leading building engineering firm on Aurora Colony. They are responsible for over 80% of the construction in the colony.

Romans in Star Fleet. A number of Romans serve as enlisted personnel in Star Fleet, though none has yet made a career of it. Instead they serve and return to add their training and knowledge to the family ranks. Eric Roman, an ensign aboard USS Merlin, is the first of his clan to become an officer.

Roman Family Compound

A private residential and work area, the Roman compound is almost a village unto itself. It is however located well within Aurora legal jurisdiction. The Roman’s are not as established in business as many of the families. They claim to be descended from gypsies, and the variety of trades (skilled and unskilled) represented in their family ranks supports this idea. Several trades and crafts are represented by the Roman clan, with the majority of the colony’s leatherwork and woodwork being done by a Roman. The Roman family also includes a few architects and engineers; as a result, some of the best construction is found in their compound.

Members of the Roman Family

Augustus Roman. Tall, robust, personable leader of the Roman clan. Professional construction engineer. Served four years in Star Fleet (2205-2209) as engineering crewman. Traits: Gregarious; Engineering (Civil)-14.

Edna Roman. Wife of Augustus. Mother of Eric and Paul Roman. Schoolteacher and author of a popular series of children’s adventure novels (all of which are set on colony planets). Daughter of a doctor and nurse (also colonists) who dedicated their lives to helping others, Edna instilled a spirit of service in her children. Traits: IQ 12; Teaching-14

Ambrosius Roman. Brother to Augustus. A former smuggler, galactic traveler and raconteur. He is good friends with Abraham Bogg.

Eric Roman. Oldest son of Augustus and Edna. Not resident on Aurora-3. Star Fleet ensign, assigned to USS Merlin.

Paul Roman. Eric Roman’s little brother. Fourteen years old. Wants to be a starship pilot. Has been drawing maps of the surrounding area since arriving here over a year ago. He has explored 2 sq mi of the forest area behind the Roman compound and is very familiar with the area. Traits: Ambidextrous; Curious; IQ 14; Navigation (Land)-14

Julia Roman. Eric’s cousin and childhood playmate. Botanist. Graduate of Federation Science Academy. Traits: Appearance 2; Biology (Earthlike)-12; Botany (Earthlike)-12

Julius Roman. Eric’s cousin and Julia’s twin. Eric ran off with Heidi Zeklos last year, re-igniting the Roman-Zeklos feud.

Rivalry with the Zeklos Family

Four generations ago, Marcus Roman insulted Gus Zeklos during a card game on Mars Colony, where the two men were business rivals. There has since been smoldering resentment between the families. More a cold war than outright feud, the conflict has carried on at Aurora Colony.

Though last year Augustus Roman and Sami Zeklos gained mutual respect while serving together on the governing council, this friendly interlude was disrupted when Julius Roman (son of Augustus’ brother Solon) eloped with Heidi Zeklos, the youngest daughter of Sami Zeklos. Accusing the Roman boy of kidnapping, Sami Zeklos requested the governing council issue an order for his arrest. Roman responded that it was not the council’s jurisdiction to dictate matters of love – the two individuals were adults, and by Auroran law were entitled to marry if they so chose. Zeklos then accused Roman of harboring a fugitive and participating in the kidnapping as an attempt to embarrass the Zeklos clan.

When the council agreed to open discussion on the matter of a warrant, Augustus resigned from the governing body and assured them that if they decided to arrest his cousin, they would have to pass through the entire Roman clan to get him. The council was unable to reach a decision, but voted to table the matter for future discussion. In response Augustus ordered all Roman family construction projects to a halt. The council convened an emergency session and dismissed the Zeklos complaint. Construction began two days later – one day after the wedding of Julius and Heidi.

Members of the two families do not speak to each other. While there has been no serious violence, there have been a few brawls and heated encounters. The families keep to themselves, never straying onto one another’s territory. If they by chance meet on the streets, the do not acknowledge each other.

Eric Roman and Sami Zeklos Jr were in the Star Fleet Marine Corps together. Though they entered the corps at the same time, Zeklos never rose above the rank of private. He was under Eric’s command for the final two years of his service. Zeklos left the service after serving four years. Sami works for his father now, supervising the family’s farming operations.