1,001 Characters #11: Max Hedge

 

11. Lady Maxine Hedge    9CB8AB    ex-Army Captain     Age 30      3 Terms

Skills: Rifle-2, Air/raft-1, SMG-1, Admin-1, Tactics-1, Electronics-1.

Benefits: Cr7,000, Rifle

   Lady Maxine Hedge, "Max" to her friends, had plans of getting away from her family by joining the Cepheian Navy when she turned 18. After her birthday she waited and waited for the next Cepheian Navy ship to arrive, making her way to the starport without anyone noticing, she joined the line of prospective recruits and when it was her turn to speak to the recruiter, lo and behold she was accepted, provisionally of course. She was ushered aboard ship where a young officer in a dirty uniform offered to see her to her new quarters. Wait a minute, dirty uniform? She'd seen Cepheian Navy personnel before, and they were always immaculately clean and their uniforms definitely fit better than this fellow's. She stopped and took a look around, the fellow in the dirty uniform made to take her arm but she shrugged him off, as she did she noticed the state of the ships interior. A navy vessel should be cleaner and much better maintained. Something didn't feel right, she started backing out, and "Mr. Dirty Uniform" made another grab at her, she ducked away, and bolted down the ramp, just as men with guns came charging across the tarmac. She careened into another girl coming up the ramp, both collapsing on the tarmac. The recruiters suddenly turned and bolted up the ramp, jumping over the two young women as they did so. Both recruiters suddenly fell as four shots rang out. Everyone scattered leaving two shouting men with pistols standing where the line used to be. One of them stepped onto the ramp and covered the hatch, while his partner tried to get the girls out of the way. The airlock doors began cycling shut, and the ships engines started up. Max was dragged to safety as the ship took off pursued by small arms fire. (She failed her attempt to join the Navy, turned out it was disguised pirates). 

The men with guns turned out to be a mercenary unit, in port for some R&R. They were contacted by the PDF who realised the visiting Navy vessel was a disguised pirate ship. Unable to cross the extrality zone, the PDF hired the mercs to deal with it with minimal civilian losses. Stunned at her close call, shaking with adrenaline and watching the men with guns calmly sort everything out, she decided then and there to become a mercenary herself. A short while later she had managed to convince their leader to accept her as a recruit (The Draft: Army).

     Her training began immediately, she was instructed in the use of rifles (Rifle-1) and taught the finer points of air/raft operation (Air/raft-1). She was not allowed to leave the starport extrality zone while the ship was in port. After lift off, she spent the next four years aboard ship, in the mud on various planets, fighting whoever they were paid to fight. Her second term saw her commissioned lieutenant (SMG-1 and Admin-1) and later promoted to captain (Tactics-1). She also earned a reputation as an excellent shot (Rifle-2).

    During her third term she undertook a course in electronics (Electronics-1). It was during this term that someone discovered who she actually was, and she became known as Lady Max by the men of the unit. To this day mercs who served with her still call her Lady Max in informal situations. The unit was disbanded at the end of her third term of service, the Colonel retiring due to injury and age. 

She managed to save a few thousand credits and smuggled her rifle out of the armoury before the unit was disbanded. During her service she learned to think fast and adapt (+1 INT). 

Max is stronger than she looks, athletic and very fit, she's intelligent and well educated. Despite being noble born she is well acquainted with privation from her time as a merc. 

She hasn't decided what she'll do next, she may be open to offers. 

She could be found at any A, B, C, or D class starport.

        Sarozand    0706    C486643-6    S    Ag Ni Ri Droy1                   G

Referee: The extrality zone is sacrosanct, breaking that rule will see ships forfeit the world for some time, and most worlds cannot afford the loss of trade. 

Pirates sometimes masquerade as Navy vessels to "recruit" locals, most end up as slaves, few are seen again. 

Mercs sometimes use retrofitted Subsidised Merchant ships as transports. There are a few operating within the Void subsector.

 

Notes: I started with the idea of Max joining the navy but she failed and in my mind I already had her at the starport, so I thought of the masquerading pirates, and while I was thinking that I rolled the draft and got the army,  The story sort of unfolded from there. While it did lead to a rather long beginning paragraph, I kind of like it.