| Term | History |
|---|
| 1 | Became a Scientist at age 18 |
| 1 | Win a prestigious prize for your work. |
| 1 | Promoted to rank 1 |
| 2 | Continued as Scientist at age 22 |
| 2 | Make a breakthrough in your field. |
| 2 | Promoted to rank 2 |
| 3 | Continued as Scientist at age 26 |
| 3 | Entangled in a bureaucratic or legal morass that distracts you from your work. |
| 3 | Promoted to rank 3 |
| 4 | Continued as Scientist at age 30 |
| 4 | Refuse to join a cheat in some fashion. |
| 5 | Continued as Scientist at age 34 |
| 5 | Entangled in a bureaucratic or legal morass that distracts you from your work. |
| 5 | Promoted to rank 4 |
| 6 | Continued as Scientist at age 38 |
| 6 | Entangled in a bureaucratic or legal morass that distracts you from your work. |
| 6 | Promoted to rank 5 |
| 7 | Continued as Scientist at age 42 |
| 7 | Assigned to work on a secret project for a patron or organisation. |
| 7 | Forced to muster out. |
| 8 | Became a Merchant Marine at age 46 |
| 8 | Is now a Crewman |
| 8 | Promoted to rank 1 |
| 8 | Is now a Senior Crewman |
| 9 | Continued as Merchant Marine at age 50 |
| 9 | Make an unexpected connection outside your normal circles. Gain a Contact. |
| 9 | Promoted to rank 2 |
| 9 | Is now a 4th Officer |
| 10 | Voluntarily left Merchant Marine |
| 10 | Became a Surveyor at age 54 |
| 10 | When dealing with an alien race, you botch an opportunity to gather extra intelligence about them. |
| 10 | Psychologically damaged by your time in the scouts. |
| 11 | Aging Crisis. Owe 20,000 for medical bills. |
| 11 | Continued as Surveyor at age 58 |
| 11 | Spend several years jumping from world to world in your scout ship. |
| 12 | Aging Crisis. Owe 40,000 for medical bills. |