Pravin Lal

Commissioner Pravin Lal is the leader of Peacekeeping Forces.

Background
Pravin Lal was born to an upper-caste family in Rajkot, India in 2006. His education culminated in degrees in philosophy and medicine from Oxford University, after which he returned to India to work as a surgeon for several years, training in thoracic surgery. In the aftermath of the Twelve Minute War and the India Border Conflict of 2036, Lal earned international acclaim for his selfless devotion to victims of radiation burns and fallout poisoning. His experience with the horrors of nuclear war took him into U.N. service. He served in the World Health Organization for many years, finally reaching the post of Assistant Director of the WHO.

Served as member of research team investigating genes that encode proteins aiding with DNA repair, University of Basel, Switzerland. Later appointed Assistant Director, World Health Organization.

When the Unity project began, Lal volunteered. He eventually earned the double role of Chief Surgeon on board the starship and U.N. High Commissioner for Alpha Centauri. In the latter capacity, he was intended to be the first governor of the Alpha Centauri colony after Planetfall, as assessed by the United Nations Space Authority.

The division of the colonists into factions thwarted the U.N.'s original plans, but many U.N. loyalists chose to follow Lal in the starship's final crisis. Unfortunately, Lal's wife, Pria, was mortally injured in a firefight moments before the final exodus to the escape pods. On Planet, Lal continued to claim legitimate authority over the colony, although he refrained from claiming the title of Governor. He worked tirelessly to make the Alpha Centauri colony a humane venture, and to unify the quarreling factions.

Pravin Lal is a strong idealist, the epitome of the best nature of Earth's world community. Seeks to de-escalate conflict and create harmonious environments. Able to perform well under extreme pressure; score .87 on Atherholt Trauma Function Test (recovery score moderate). He is a democrat and pacifist by nature, and will follow those ideals as far as he possibly can. If he has a tragic flaw, it is his devotion to his own loved ones, which is one of the few things that could cause him to violate his ideals. For example, he used political "pull" to have his wife admitted to the Unity crew, despite her mediocre talents as a physician.

GURPS stats

 * Human male; age 54; 5'8", 150 lbs.; brown skin, black hair and beard dusted with white, dark brown eyes.
 * ST 10 [0]; DX 13 [30]; IQ 13 [30]; HT 10 [0].
 * Speed 5.75; Move 5.
 * Dodge 5.
 * Advantages: Administrative Rank 6 (High Commissioner) [30]; Imperturbable [10].
 * Disadvantages: Honesty [-10]; Pacifism (Self-defense only) [-15]; Sense of Duty (All humanity) [-15].
 * Quirks: Considers himself the legitimate Governor of Planet;  Idealistic;  Impatient with aggression; Pines for dead wife; Tries to mediate disputes. [-5]
 * Skills: Administration-16 [8]; Biochemistry-12 [4]; Chemistry-13 [4]; Computer Operation-13    [1];   Diagnosis-17   [8]*;   Diplomacy-15    [8];   Driving  (Automobile)-12 [1]; Electronics Operation (Medical)-14 [4]; Free Fall-12 [1];  Genetics-13 [8]; History-11 [1]; Leadership-15 [6]; Mathematics-11 [1]; NBC  Warfare-12   [1];  Philosophy  (Humanism)-17   [12];  Physician-17   [12];  Physiology-13 [4]*; Politics-14 [4]; Psychology-12 [2]; Research-14 [4];  Savoir-Faire-14 [2]; Surgery-17 [20]*; Vacc Suit-12 [1]; Writing-14 [4].
 * Languages: English-13 [2]; Gujarati-13 [2]; Hindi (native)-13 [0].

Gallery

 * Profile