Former Private Juan Abel Marquez, 989A92, Army, one term, Electronics 1, Rifle 2, Pistol 0, Foil 0, Vacc Suit 0. Languages: Spanish, Swahili, English, Portuguese and one other.

A native of Nueva Idajo, a planet totally devoted to potato farming, and the illegitimate son of an indentured servant (indentured for crimes unspecified), Juan grew up as an agricultural serf until throwing himself at the feet of an army recruiting sergeant who happened to be passing through a local town.  Marquez went on to serve a single term before being laid off in a budget-squeeze.

Though intelligent and in great physical condition, Marquez' backwoods upbringing, awful social status and warm-hearted approach to other people led to him being pegged as an easy mark by some of the other men in his unit.  As a result, despite serving the army bravely, his name was the first on the list of contract buy-outs.  Abandonned on another backwoods world, Marquez signed up with the crew of the Dandelion in the hope of advancement but instead he found himself trapped with a group of religious fanatics and then trapped on yet another backwoods agricultural planet, where he jumped ship and hooked up with the crew of the Old Speckled Hen who, within a day of meeting him, made him a millionaire and an honorary citizen of Triffid, a status he much prefers to that of serf.