Susan Dahner
Susan Dahner, also known as Sundance, is a character in the Cyberpunk universe.
Biography
Early life - 2030s
Susan joined the military at a very young age, participating in the Second Central American War at some point in 2006. She was assigned to the LRT-601 Unit, commanded by John Freeman. While in the military, Susan worked as the unit's field medic and cybertechnician, and the time spent there created a close bond between its members. She rarely admitted it, but performing upkeep on the experimental cyberware installed in the members of her unit weighed on Susan's conscience. Although she was just following orders, Sundance blamed herself for the pain the chrome caused on them. After the war, she returned to her home in the United States of America, planing on not continuing her profession.
At some point after the opening of the Forlorn Hope bar in Night City, Sundance was employed there as a waitress, being the last former LTR-601 member to join the establishment. She worked as a server alongside Brenda "Banger" Cannariato and Zeke "ZZ" Daniels, both of whom were also members of the Slaughtered Lambs, the in-house band of the Hope and Sundance's side gig. The fourth member went under the handle Ras Angabo, though unlike the others, he didn't work at the bar, and sometimes took off on extended periods of time while leaving the rest of members to cope as a band of three. Sundance played the bass and split singing duties with both ZZ and Ras, playing with the Lambs whenever she was not working. Susan was hoping to bleed out her feelings through her guitar. More often than she liked, Sundance also spent her time helping Andy "Needles" Chen — the Hope's in-house ripperdoc — whenever he didn't have enough hands for the job. Ever since the war, Susan always carried a revolver under her vest, never hesitating to take it out if it was absolutely necessary. She was very friendly, carrying a smile wherever she went, and despite being very difficult to piss her off, whenever her smile went away, the gun was liable to come out in a hurry.[1][2]
During the Fourth Corporate War in Night City, while a few staff members and patrons went to fight, Sundance stayed behind. In May 12 of 2023, a firefight between Arasaka and Militech occurred at the Forlorn Hope, causing the death of various employees, including Needles. With him gone, Susan took over his work by becoming the Hope's new in-house ripperdoc. In her mind, there was no other choice, as there wasn't anyone around that could do the job as well as she did.[3][2]
At some point, a group of Hope regulars brought in a half-dead paramedic known as Michael Lewis, who Sundance patched up. While recovering at the clinic, Mike and Susan talked about life, the universe, and why he went into medicine. Something in those conversations swayed him, and after being discharged from the clinic, Mike instead signed on as Sundance's apprentice.[2]
2040s
After twenty exhausting years working as a medtech at the Forlorn Hope, Sundance retired in 2043, leaving her work to Lewis, aka Doc Stoic. She, however, continued to hang out around the bar as a regular. Although Sundance had put down her scalpel for good, she still kept her signature revolver under her vest, ready to go whenever a gun would do the job better than a smile.
After the destruction of the original Forlorn Hope in 2045, Susan was around when the new bar was rebuilt, and was invited to its inauguration day. Ever since, she could be found there most nights. If drunk enough, Sundance could be convinced to climb up on the bar's stage to rock out with Grace Steel and the Distortions, pulling out her old bass to play with the band.[3][2]
Stats & Equipment
Cyberpunk 2020
| Stats | Source(s): Tales from the Forlorn Hope (p.13) | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| INT | 7 | REF | 8 | DEX | — | TECH | 10 | COOL | 10 |
| ATTR | 9 | LUCK | 2 | MA | 7 | BODY | 6 | EMP | 9(7) |
| Skills | Medical Tech 7, Awareness/Notice 5, Basic Tech 5, Diagnose 4, Library Search 3, Education and General Knowledge 5, Pharmaceuticals 5, Cybertech 7, Wilderness Survival 3, Athletics 4, Aikido 4, Stealth 4, Hide/Evade 4, Handgun 5, Rifle 5, Submachinegun 3, Streetwise 2, Driving 2, Play Instrument: Bass 5, Perform 2, Singing 2 | ||||||||
| Cyberware | Basic Processor, Smartgun Link, Chipware Socket, Interface Plugs, Basic Cyberoptic, Targeting Scope, Low-Lite™, Times Square Marquee | ||||||||
| Weapons | Ruger Super Redhawk (.44 magnum) smart-chipped revolver | ||||||||
Notes
- In 2020, Susan was described as a very pretty and serene woman, whom always appeared to have a smile. However, her time in the military also hardened her personality, and ever since always carried a gun on her.[1] In 2045, she was described as a loyal person who always smiled until she pulled out her gun.[2]
Gallery
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The Slaughtered Lambs in Tales from the Forlorn Hope
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 MOSS, W. Tales from the Forlorn Hope. Berkeley, CA, R. Talsorian Games, 1992. (pp.7,9–11,13,23–24)
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 2.4 Hope Reborn+. Kenmore, WA, R. Talsorian Games, 2023. (pp.10,15)
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 SPIVEY C. et al., Tales of the RED: Hope Reborn. Kenmore, WA, R. Talsorian Games, 2024. (pp.17–18,116–117,133)