Walter Raffles

Walter Raffles
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Profile
Origin	Bretonia
Affiliation	Volksfront,Bundschuh
Born	February 7th, 790 A.S., Planet Leeds
Died	Still Alive

History

Early Life

Like many who grew up on Leeds, his childhood is something that Walter would rather not remember. His mother dead from an accident at the factory she worked, his father always far away as a mechanic on the BAF's battleships, Walter spent his early years being passed around between uncaring relatives. These people scraped by like everyone else on leeds, and Walter learned early on that his impoverished life had little to do with a lack of love or caring from his family. Passing the age of 10, he began to pitch in - like many children on leeds - taking any jobs that he could get in factories or other industrial operations.

With a quick mind and a respectful tongue, he was eventually picked up at the age of 15 as a mechanic's apprentice. He worked hard, mind filled with the adventures of that other Leeds apprentice: Edison Trent. Finishing his apprenticeship at the age of 19, he found himself unemployed - his master unable to afford the wages of a journeyman tradesperson. And so, hat in hand, Walter went to the local Bowex office.

The recruitment office on Leeds was a quiet place - the government restricting who was allowed to leave the planet. Normally, a mechanic like Walter would've been highly valued for all sorts of industry and denied an off-planet work visa, but for the first time in his life, Walter Raffles stumbled upon some good luck.

The day before he went to the office, Walter met his father in what was a rare rendezvous. Although he respected his father, Walter never truly loved him. Raised more by himself than anyone else, Walter knew that his father was not to blame but couldn't truly welcome someone he'd never really known. Walter's father - Edward, knew this and respected his son all the more for what he had done. Assigned once again to another tour, he gave his son one last gift before his departure - a letter of recommendation from one Edward Raffles, Chief Petty Officer - 1st class Master Mechanic and veteran of 20 years.

Now for all the visas and regulations that form modern government, patronage still dominated Bretonian society. With letters of reference from two Master Mechanics - one a veteran and loyal subject of the crown, Bowex had no choice but to offer young Walter Raffles a spaceborne opportunity.

Bowex

Initially assigned to one of Bowex's massive yet aging craft - a Stork class advanced train, Walter served as an engineering crewmen, working on the craft for 3 years. His performance ratings painted a picture of a diligent and intelligent young mate, earning a letter of commendation by saving two other crewmen when a reactor almost overheated, his quick thinking defusing the situation. With these reports highlighting both his independent thinking and competence, Walter was assigned as the Chief Engineer of a Percheron transport. For someone of Walter's experience, it was almost a demotion - the title of chief engineer was a farce, he was the only one! - but he recognized it as a test of his abilities to operate independently. He served for three more years on the Percheron.

By this point, the Tau War was well underway and Bowex was under a severe strain for men and equipment, due to the Armed Forces gargantuan need for supplies. Walter saw an opportunity to distinguish himself and applied to a convoy pilot training program. Normally, the convoy pilots were ex-BAF men with years of patrol experience, but the war had caused the BAF to stop releasing pilots, causing a severe strain for Bowex. As a mechanic and a well though of employee, Walter's application was fast-tracked and he was accepted into the program. After 4 months of rushed training, he was cleared for convoy escorts.

A quick learner, and a pilot who understood the limits of his craft better than most, Walter defied the low survival rates for Bretonian fighter pilots, continuing to impress with his solid undramatic performance in the field. By 816A.S. he was a squad leader with a reputation for cool under fire, often chosen for higher risk cargos. Despite his blue-collar background, Raffles was well though of by his superiors, and considered a shoo in for further advancement after the war.

Continuing to fly as the war worsened into 817A.S., Walter was as committed to his job as any man. And then one day, it all went sideways.