The Hightowers are a trio of siblings who run a cartel that operates under the guise of a technical consulting firm. Using various underhanded methods, the Hightower's cartel steals plans, formulas, and anything else of interest to their clientele. Sometimes they are commissioned to eliminate a competitor's new product before it reaches the production stage; sometimes they steal a design for a client who makes minor changes and then patents, produces, and markets it before the original designer has a chance to do so. They are a shadowy background menace for Tracy Industries, one of the few companies that has been able to hold them at bay.
Head of Hightower clan and cartel
Current Age: 42
He is publically the president of the consulting firm, Stellar Innovations, LTD, based in London. Privately, he is the head of a family-run cartel dealing in stolen or pirated technology. Jacques is ruthless, but carries a veneer of social standing and respectibility. He can be suave, and comes across as a charming and gracious ladies' man, though it is whispered that he batters his partners.
He was married at one time, but his wife died under mysterious circumstances. He has no legitimate children. As head of the cartel, he keeps a tight rein on its members, consolidating his power through fear and often blackmail. Those who bow to his position feel his largesse; those who oppose him tend to disappear without a trace... or are found later, as a warning to the others.
Computer expert
Current Age: 36
This beautiful, deadly woman is younger sister to Jacques Hightower. She is an expert in computers and computer programming and has built many a worm, Trojan Horse, or virus to disable a network or steal secrets from a computer system for a client. Few are the computer systems that have firewalls or anti-virus software strong enough to counter her programs.
Personally, she is a sexual predator, usually preferring women to men, but if a man catches her fancy, she will pursue him as well. She is a fashionista, always dressed in the very best and most recent offerings from the top designers. She can be personable and charming when necessary, but has a sharp temper and a short fuse, especially with her younger brother, Giles.
Security expert
Current Age: 33
The youngest member of the Hightower clan is an expert in surveillance and physical security. He is up-to-date on all of the latest security gadgets and has a network of industrial moles and spies who report to him regularly. Unfortunately, he is not always au courant with the latest in industrial secrets, and sometimes things slip through his fingers that his siblings would like to get their hands on.
Personally, he is a man who likes the high life that money can buy: fine wines, beautiful women, and luxury all around him. He is very suave and debonair when noticed, but he tends to seem self-effacing and lets his older siblings be the charmers, acting all the time as if he is in their shadow and unworthy of notice. He often acts the part of a flighty, airheaded dolt while he notices and catalogs everything in his sharp mind.
