Callsign: Wildfire
Rank: Captain
Unit: 41st Commando Squadron - The Wild Furies
Age: unknown, presumably early- to mid-twenties
Education/Training: Special Ops, Tactics, Infiltration
Serial Number: 1810 41 47 5874
Physical description:
Wildfire has the black hair and dark brown eyes of her ethnic race.
Her slight build belies her atheletic prowess. Apart from an old scar
across her throat, she has no other distinctive features.
Personality:
A quiet person with simple tastes and an appetite for knowledge,
Wildfire possesses a fierce sense of loyalty to those who earned her
trust. This, coupled with a streak of stubbornness, has gotten her
into trouble more than once: she has been known to disobey direct
orders on at least two occasions -- once during the Seige of '56 --
going after fallen comrades despite orders to retreat. In battle,
Wildfire displays a coolness and clear-headedness that is envied by
her teammates. She can, however, be unpredictable at times, heading
into danger for what she deems a good cause without thought for
personal safety.
Background:
Born just a few years before the outbreak of the AI wars, Wildfire
grew up in the ruins of what was once downtown Singapore. Separated
from her family during a sudden air raid, she learnt to fend for
herself at a very early age, surviving by begging, stealing, and later
on smuggling weapons, ammunition and supplies past AI lines for the
Resistance. Her effectiveness at this last soon won her the nickname
of "Shadow" as well as a place among the guerillas as their youngest
spy and assassin.
After the AI wars ended in '57, there was an attempt by Wildfire to
locate her family, but communications were still down while rebuilding
took place and she had to give up for the time being. Somewhat at a
loss for what to do during peacetime, Wildfire, together with some of
her Resistance comrades, signed up with the Marines, where her earlier
wartime experiences stood her in good stead. After two years of
arduous training, Wildfire was posted to the 4th Rangers with her good
friend Mage, an Invitro who had been her mentor during the AI wars.
They were sent on a classified mission soon after, the successful
conclusion of which earned them promotions -- Wildfire to 2nd
Lieutenant, Mage to 1st Lieutenant and honcho of the 4th. They were
still there three years later, when the Chig wars broke out.
The 4th was deployed to the USS Clarion immediately after news of the
Tellus and Vesta attacks reached Earth. Wildfire was a 1st Lieutenant
by then. In late '63, right before Christmas, the 4th was sent on a
routine Intelligence-gathering mission on the Chig planet nicknamed
"Purgatorio". No one knew quite how it happened, but their presence on
the planet was discovered and the Rangers found themselves fighting
for their lives, surrounded by Chigs and AIs. It was on the morning of
the 25th that three badly damaged hammerheads made their way back to
the Clarion. Of the four who had fallen, Mage had been the first to
go. Devastated by the death of her best friend, Wildfire had
nevertheless managed to hold the rest together after XO Angel was
temporarily knocked out by an AI. She had then led the way out of the
ambush, carrying Angel over her shoulder and flanked by her teammates.
Despite a deadliness born of desperation, the squadron had sustained
further losses when a Chig mine claimed the life of Archer, the 4th's
youngest member, and finally, on their flight back to the Clarion, the
twins Holly and Silver had gone down in their hammerheads while
covering their friends' retreat. Their deaths had been immediately
avenged, however, as the three surviving Rangers turned around and
struck back in a rage, taking out the entire Chig squadron that was
chasing them in what was a near miraculous feat.
On their return to the Clarion, the three survivors of the 4th were
awarded medals for their courage under great odds, and Wildfire
especially was promoted to Captain for her actions on Purgatorio.
However, the 4th was now broken up -- Angel had been sent back to
Earth to recuperate, and Wildfire and Lance, grieving for their lost
comrades, requested for a transfer to the battle front. Their request
was granted, and early '64 saw them joining the 8th Heralds on the
USS Landon. It was just a month later that the order came through for
Wildfire to take over command of the 41st WildFuries, and by mid '64,
Wildfire had found a new home, aboard the USS Jericho...
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