Post by Gamov on Dec 30, 2013 22:10:52 GMT -5
Name: Rain
Class: Soldier
Title: Rogue
Age: 42
Sex: Female
Height/Weight: 5'8”/118 lbs
Species: Human
Appearance:
Standing at close to 6 feet tall, Rain has a rather statuesque frame accentuated by a graceful, lithe physique. Her ginger hued hair cascades onto her shoulders in flowing locks, framing a stately face defined by deep emerald colored eyes, high cheekbones, full lips and a gently sloping jawline. Her expressions and posture often appear stoic, belying an air of profoundity that reflects her years of discipline and experience as a seasoned war veteran.
In more casual settings, Rain can easily cast aside her straitlaced persona in favor of a more relaxed, tomboyish attitude – making her a multifaceted individual capable of adapting to most any situation.
Her apparel also plays to her military background and is designed with comfort and mobility in mind. Lacking in any real protective armor, Rain's clothing of choice generally consists of a gray tank top or tee worn beneath a blue/gray BDU shirt, matching BDU pants worn over black combat boots, and an armored chest plate which provides limited protection from small arms fire. Beyond this, minor accouterments, including a pistol holster strapped to her right thigh and a scabbard for her combat knife opposite on her left, compliment her attire.
As a rarely seen sight, Rain has also been known to accent her ensemble with her Naval Officer's jacket. Slate gray in color with a double breasted design, Nehru collar, and elegant silk trim on the interior, the coat was hand crafted and tailored specifically for Rain after she received her commission to full Admiral during her tenure in the Imperial Navy. Her former rank is displayed prominently by a set of Admiral bars on the upper right breast of the coat, representing the power and status she once held.
Rain typically treats the uniform as a relic though, keeping it stored away as a precious keepsake to remind herself of how far she has come.
History:
Early life and adolescence:
Rain at age 17
Early life and adolescence:
Rain at age 17
Born on Onderon in 3,942 BBY to an eccentric Corellian prospector, and self proclaimed “treasure hunter”, Rain's childhood would prove to be the farthest thing from ordinary. Her father, ever the adventurous spirit, refused to be tied down by the weight and responsibilities of a family and abandoned Rain and her mother to pursue his own dreams of fame and fortune.
Left alone to raise their daughter on her own, Rain's mother, Livia, did the best she could to balance the demands of her job with the obligations of her child. But their situation was never promising. The meager wages Livia earned working as a port authority official for the Czerka Corporation at the Iziz spaceport were barely enough to provide them with even basic amenities. And to make matters worse, rumors had begun to circulate that Czerka was aiming to downsize its workforce at the spaceport to make room for off-world labor that could do the same work for half the cost.
Struggle though she did to keep her position, often times sacrificing precious time with her daughter to put in grueling hours of thankless overtime, Livia was inevitably powerless to stop the cogs of corporate greed from turning. It was not long before Czerka made good on its promise and Livia found herself on the unemployment line.
Alone, homeless, financially ruined and struggling to support her newborn daughter, Livia finally capitulated to that most dreaded of options – adoption. After nearly a year spent wandering the streets of Iziz like a vagabond, scraping by with whatever hand outs she could manage to get, Livia ventured to a nearby adoption agency and reluctantly put young Rain up for adoption. Thankfully, the adoption agency was gracious enough in granting her their promise to make sure that Rain was given a good home and a proper family, and Livia parted ways with her daughter for the first, and last time.
In the ensuing years, Rain had no contact with either of her biological parents and was eventually adopted at age two by a family from Alderaan. Having been so young at the time of her adoption though, Rain could not fully recollect the nature of events surrounding her eventual departure from Onderon. Her earliest memories beyond this point were those of being found in a spaceport on Corulag by a Kel Dor smuggler named Haran Feng.
Feng took Rain in, training her and using her in his corrupt enterprises. Where most children her age may have been living carefree lives, playing in the streets with friends or learning the alphabet in school, Rain was being educated in decidedly more unsavory subjects.
Feng was an unscrupulous man, willing to use whatever and whoever to get what he wanted, and Rain was just another tool to him. Raised to be little more than a street thug, Rain was brought up learning how to bend the truth and tell lies to get into people's pockets. Among some of her first lessons were being sent out to act as a beggar, where she was taught how to use her young appearance to her advantage to get handouts.
However, as Rain grew older and her childish charms left her, Feng was forced to teach her how to out right steal what she wanted. When she was about 12, Rain received her first lessons in being a pickpocket by practicing on a droid that Feng had provided for her, and then being sent out into the streets to put her newly acquired skills to use.
Amid the cruelty and abuse Rain suffered beneath the thumb of the sadistic Kel Dor though, there did exist a bright spot in her life. Declan Bligh, a mild mannered man who served as the cook aboard Feng's personal ship, was an ex-Republic soldier and war veteran who had found himself on the wrong side of the law after he was honorably discharged following an injury he sustained in the line of duty that left him clinically blind.
Once a bitter and surly man, Declan's demeanor had softened considerably over the past few years since his departure from the military. Now he found himself in the most unlikely of positions acting as a sort of father figure to Rain, caring for her as Feng would not. He would tend to her when she became ill or upset, usually being forced to pick up the mess left by Feng – who continued to exploit Rain as a means to gain extra credits.
In his spare time, Declan even managed to teach Rain a thing or two about the mechanics of weapons and starships. Though his eyesight had left him long ago, Declan's mind was as sharp as ever and he had taught himself how to visualize things in his mind based on his sense of touch alone. He was able to pass these skills on to Rain, at least in part, training her how to field strip and reassemble a blaster while blindfolded. He was even able to teach her how to navigate through Feng's ship with her eyes closed.
Thanks to Declan's mentoring, Rain became intimately familiar with weapons and ship systems of various makes and models – skills that would prove invaluable to her later in life.
Freedom... at a price
By the time Rain turned 14, she had begun to develop a rebellious streak. On more than one occasion she had tried to engineer an escape from Feng's custody, only to be captured and brought right back. Usually the punishment for such insolence was being locked away in Feng's quarters without food or water for a few days. But on more than one occasion, Rain was also subjected to ruthless beatings that left her with a fair number of bruises and scrapes.
Now more than ever, Rain yearned for her freedom. She realized that the more time she spent with Feng, and the older she became, the more severely he would tend to treat her. It was a future Rain was not looking forward to. As luck would have it though, she had found a sympathetic soul in Declan who would eventually help Rain to finally escape Feng's cruelty.
While helping Feng to work an elaborate racketeering scheme at the local swoop tracks on Commenor, Declan gave Rain the name of an old friend, Morgan Flint. An old army buddy from his time in the RAF, Declan assured her that if she could find her way to him, then he would keep her safe and see her off-world where Feng could never find her again. Overjoyed, Rain tried to convince Declan to come with her, but he insisted that he remain behind to keep Feng off balance.
Taking Declan's advice, Rain would patiently bide her time, waiting until the dead of night to slip away. Packing a small knapsack of provisions, mostly just a change of clothes and a handful of credits that Declan had given her, Rain made her way to Kliffen. The directions she had been given were spot on, as she had come to expect from Declan, and Morgan had everything set for her arrival. Rain would spend the rest of the night with Flint, though she couldn't seem to get much sleep, the prospect of her freedom keeping her awake with both anticipation and anxiety.
Dawn the next day would come with a rude awakening. Rain woke to the sound of a heated argument between two men, and her heart sank when she quickly identified one of the voices... Feng.
Unknown to Rain, the Kel Dor had found out about her escape after using his ship's on board surveillance to record her conversations with Declan. Also unknown to Rain (at the time) was the fact that Feng, in a ft of rage, had killed Declan for his interference before tracking her down at Morgan's apartment.
When he arrived, Feng confronted Morgan and angrily demanded that Rain be handed over to him. Defiant, Morgan refused, even after Feng had pulled a blaster on him and threatened to kill him if he didn't cooperate. One way or another he had sworn to protect Rain from the Kel Dor, and Morgan reasoned that he was dead either way. He just wasn't going to hand her back over to this monster.
As Feng tried to force his way further into the apartment, Morgan resisted and a scuffle ensued. Unarmed, Morgan threw a punch at Feng on impulse, landing a solid shot on his face and sending him reeling. In the next instant Rain came charging into the room, throwing all of her weight against Feng before Morgan had a chance to stop her.
Caught off guard by the impact, Feng stumbled and toppled to the floor where he landed with a throaty grunt. A second later, a sharp pain shot through his side as Rain jabbed a makeshift shiv into his side,not once or twice, but three times.
Blinded by her rage, Rain would have kept stabbing if a firm swat to the side of her face hadn't dislodged her. Tossed aside by the angry Kel Dor, Rain was sent sprawling to the floor, the shiv flying from her grip as Feng's shadow towered over her. The next thing she saw was the muzzle of a blaster being pointed at her face at point blank range, but as quickly as it had appeared, it vanished as Morgan sucker punched the belligerent alien and set him off balance for a second time.
As Feng was tackled, his blaster slipped free of his grasp and spun across the floor. Morgan rained blow after blow down on Feng's head, thrashing him with everything he had until a lone blaster shot rung out in the room. Flint jerked to an abrupt stop mid-swing on another punch, something punching into his stomach with enough force to give him pause.
The realization was slow to set in, but it was soon driven home with three more shots that cam in rapid succession. Doubling over, Morgan rolled off of Feng's chest, four tightly grouped blaster wounds burned into his abdomen. As the reality struck him, panic set into Morgan's mind and he feebly pleaded for mercy as the Kel Dor stood up, looming over him before the fifth shot from Feng's holdout blaster put him out of his misery.
As Feng turned his attention back to Rain, the dull ache of his wounds finally seeping through the adrenaline, he paused when he was confronted with the business end of his own blaster.
Rain thought that she should have been trembling pointing a gun at Feng. But the years of abuse and mistreatment had finally become too much and she had allowed her anger to turn her fear into pure focus. Looking at Feng down the sights of a blaster, he was far less intimidating than he had been.
Feng let out an arrogant chuckle. She didn't have it in her to kill him, and he mocked her childish attempts at intimidation. But for once, the Kel Dor had vastly underestimated Rain's capabilities. One solid step forward was all the closer he was able to come before Rain squeezed the trigger.
A single red bolt of energy zipped across the room in the blink of an eye, striking Feng squarely in the forehead.
As the alien slumped to the floor in front of her, a flood of emotions surged through Rain. Relief, satisfaction, joy... then shock, uncertainty and fear. What had she done? She had never killed another living thing. A pang of nausea boiled up in her stomach as the blaster dropped from Rain's trembling hands.
Tears welled up in the corners of her eyes as she stared at Feng's lifeless body. He had been a sadistic bastard, but she had never thought of killing him. She just wanted to get away and forget about it all. The sick feeling in her stomach churned even higher and Rain felt as if she was going to vomit. Dashing for the nearby bathroom, she did just that. Afterwards, her emotions finally overwhelming her, Rain huddled in the corner of the bathroom, knees held tightly to her chest as she sobbed uncontrollably.
Finally, after nearly an hour alone in the apartment, Rain couldn't seem to cry any more. She couldn't tell if it hurt too much, or if she had finally become numb to it, but she was able to compose herself long enough to contact the local authorities and inform them of what had happened. Rain had no plans to stick around though, gathering her things and leaving shortly after placing the call.
Unsure of where to go, she made a brief trip back to Feng's ship, hoping to find Declan there. On her arrival though, she found only his dead body. Grief crept into her thoughts again, but Rain was too exhausted to mourn him. Instead, she left the ship behind and began her somber journey back into the city... and uncertainty.
Abandoned with little more than the clothes on her back and a handful of credits to her name, Rain felt completely and utterly alone for the first time in her life.
New horizons:
By the time she was 17, Rain had been living alone on Commenor for three years, scraping together a living with whatever work she could manage to find. But it never seemed to be enough. Even after taking on numerous jobs simultaneously, she was still no closer to improving her situation.
Stuck living in an apartment complex in the slums of Kliffen, Rain was not considered overly sociable and tended to keep to herself for the most part. Prior experience with Feng had left her somewhat bitter and more than a little jaded. She did not trust others easily and didn't go out of her way to make friends. Though she did come to learn a few of the other tenants at the building by name, nothing ever became of these relationships beyond remaining casual acquaintances. Rain didn't care to pry into the lives of her neighbors, and in turn they assumed very little of her.
Opportunities for change came slowly, if at all. For the most part, Rain found herself repeating a vicious cycle of employment and unemployment underscored by the ever constant threat of teetering on the verge of complete destitution. Her conditions were far from ideal, but she tolerated them. If only just. At least she had won her freedom and didn't have to worry about Feng anymore. And to Rain, that alone counted for more than something.
Fate, it seemed, had other plans for her though.
In spite of her best efforts to keep her head above water, Rain soon found herself facing down the ugly prospects of homelessness when the landlord for her apartment served her with an eviction notice. Her delinquent payments on the rent as of late had finally gone too far and she was given the ultimatum to pay up or get out. Financially strapped, Rain had no choice but to leave. Gathering what few belongings she had, mostly clothes, she packed up her things and moved out of the apartment.
Back on the streets, Rain agonized over how she was going to start over. She couldn't afford another place to live with the pittance she was earning in her wages. And no one in the city was going to take her in out of the kindness of their hearts.
And then her fortunes changed...
Rain almost had to slap herself for missing it. It was so obvious. It was posted on nearly every street corner in the city. The military. The Republic always kept its doors open to wiling recruits. It wasn't at the top of her list of choices obviously, but desperate times called for desperate measures. It certainly beat starving to death in some alley.
She had some basic training with firearms and mechanical skills thanks to Declan. The military was sure to find a use for someone like her. There was only one problem though... her age. Rain was just shy of the legal recruitment age. But then again, charisma was one of her greatest tools. She had learned how to lie to people's faces and sell any story with a few well placed words. It was probably the only redeeming lesson that she had taken from Feng.
Without hesitation, Rain made her way to the local recruitment center and filled out an application. She lied where necessary and bent the truth more than once when she spoke to the recruitment officers, but in the end she was accepted into the Republic Starfighter Corps. and placed on the roster with a few dozen other applicants. The next day, she joined her fellow recruits at the local spaceport where they were shipped off to the training academy on Anaxes.
Rain had finally cast off the shackles of her former life. For the first time in a long time, she felt like things actually could get better. And in this, she allowed herself a moment of gratification and happiness.
Republic service:
Rain as a Cadet in the Republic Starfighter Corps.
Rain as a Cadet in the Republic Starfighter Corps.
As a fresh faced recruit arriving at the Naval Training Academy on Anaxes, Rain underwent something of a culture shock at first. Unlike the decrepit slums and dank alleys that she had called home on Commenor, Anaxes was a glistening metropolis defined by neatly manicured streets and thoroughfares, towering alabaster skyscrapers, bustling spaceports, sprawling market districts and lush greenery.
Settling into her new surroundings came with exceptional ease, and Rain greatly appreciated the numerous amenities that were provided by life at the academy. Warms beds, warm meals, clean clothes and sanitary living conditions were all welcomed departures from what she had been accustomed to.
Along with the drastic change in lifestyle also came a gradual shift in Rain's demeanor. If her instructors had taught her anything, it was that there were few things in the military more important than cooperation and loyalty – especially among wingmates in a fighter squadron.
Influenced by her training, Rain began to allow herself a certain measure of trust in her fellow squadmates, eventually building friendships with more than a few of them. However, none of these relationships would be more important to her than the one she forged with an ambitious young pilot named Cassio Stark.
Imperial Service:
Post-Imperial Years
Base Stats
Strength: 5
Speed: 5
Stamina: 5 (+5 veteran)
Charisma: 15
Combat Stats
Unarmed: 3
Melee: 5
Range: 7
Skills
Veteran
Marksmen
Fortitude
Personal Items:
CZ-41 Blaster Rifle
Length: 757 mm
Weight: 3.8 kg
Rate of fire: Automatic
Magazine: 100 rounds
CZ-41 Blaster Rifle
Length: 757 mm
Weight: 3.8 kg
Rate of fire: Automatic
Magazine: 100 rounds
E-3 Blaster Pistol
Length: 125 mm
Weight: 0.45 kg
Rate of fire: Semi-automatic
Magazine: 30 rounds
Length: 125 mm
Weight: 0.45 kg
Rate of fire: Semi-automatic
Magazine: 30 rounds
A standard blaster pistol that Rain keeps on her person at all times. The pistol is lightweight, compact and reliable. It can be easily field stripped and maintained by almost any individual regardless of their skills or expertise, making it an ideal choice for any soldier. It has a plasma charger pack that allows it to fire up to 30 consecutive rounds before the pack needs to be recharged or changed. The fiber optic sights mounted on the front and rear of the pistol make for easier aiming in low light conditions and the option exists for additional optical upgrades such as laser sights and low powered scopes.
Combat Knife
Weight: 0.56 kg
Length: 30 cm
Blade Length: 18 cm
Weight: 0.56 kg
Length: 30 cm
Blade Length: 18 cm
A short combat knife that was standard issue for recruits in the Republic Armed Forces. The blade is constructed of a light weight carbon fiber alloy infused with titanium for added strength, while the rubber coated handle allows for a more comfortable and secure grip. While the knife definitely won't allow Rain to go up against an opponent with a lightsaber, in the right conditions, it pays to have an otherwise inconspicuous weapon on hand.