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Evangeline McDowell
| Evangeline Anastasia McDowell | |
 | |
| Profile | |
| Origin | Planet New London, Bretonia |
| Affiliation | Junkers |
| Born | 02 / 12 / 797 AS |
Core Information
Evangeline Anastasia McDowell, or "Eva" is a Junker of Bretonian origin. She features buttocks-length blonde hair, blue eyes and a mediocre bust line atop a miniaturised frame, standing at 158cm tall and weighing in at 53.5kg.
Without any formal education, Evangeline can be lacking when it comes to technical knowledge, however, she has excellent mechanical aptitude and enough common sense to be able to grasp most situations she finds herself in.
Although Evangeline now exists as a nomadic Freelancer, her heart still lives with Bretonia. Evangeline despises Kusari Government and society - however she has never held any grudges against Kusari civilians. Known in the past to have mercilessly destroyed Kusari Naval ships, she has made a point of leaving transports, freighters - anyone not involved in the war - alone. She applies the same beliefs to Liberty and Rheinland - having issues with the Governance and centres of power for both; but holding nothing against the "Joe Averages" who make up the population of the houses.
Evangeline's personality can only really be defined as "unique". Whoever is lucky (or unlucky) enough to be engaged in conversation with her is often left with a "what just happened" feeling. She can change from the most innocent childish demeanour to that of the dirtiest of whores in an instant.
Preferring to stay chilled, Evangeline isn't easily angered. However, when something does succeed in enraging her, not hell nor high water will stop her eliminating it.
Although Evangeline does not condone the cardamine trade or slave-running, she tolerates those involved as a professional courtesy as part of being a Junker, although she treats such people with visible contempt she stops short of any actions which may endanger profits for herself or her Junker comrades.
Eva is fully capable of killing a person when the need is there, with several destroyer ships to her name, although she prefers not to bring harm to another without just cause.
Evangeline's sole experience with love prior to Misaka ended in bitter anger, after she made the mistake of initiating an affair with a young Corsair boy whilst on a trade mission. The boy was executed upon the discovery of the deed and Corsair hunters chased the little Bactrian Evangeline was flying at the time out of Corsair space. She has never returned. It was not until the advent of Misaka that Evangeline found love once more.
History
Evangeline McDowell was born at 11:03AM on the second of December 796AS (Standard Time). Her father, Ludwig Friedrich, was not present, nor had he been since he had learnt of his daughter's existence. Evangeline entered the universe as the daughter of single mother Sheena McDowell at Saint Mary's Hospital, Paddington W2 1NY Planet New London, Bretonia.
Almost before she left the hospital her life was a pilot had begun. Within weeks of giving birth, Sheena was back to work as the head of the Peterborough, an aged, but spaceworthy Clydesdale class civilian freighter; albeit in a reduced capacity. Evangeline was communally raised by her mother and the crew of the Peterborough, which consisted of four other people.
Sheena had close ties with the Junkers of Trafalgar Base, allowing her to work alongside the people who might otherwise have been plundering her ship. Although she did not act illegally herself she was often seen delivering supplies to those who did.
Evangeline never obtained any formal education; having been taught entirely by the crew of the Peterborough. however, as she reached puberty it became apparent she had a mechanical mind and the interest to apply it.
At the age of twelve she was first introduced to a spanner and socket in the form of a gang of cyberpunk-styled teenagers who partook in illegal lane-racing events and other petty delinquency held out of Trafalgar Base. Evangeline quickly became accepted as an "apprentice", of sorts, to the amateur mechanics and assorted gearheads the gang consisted of.
It was the same gang who gave Evangeline her first taste of flying, both riding shotgun and as a pilot herself. The gang also gave rise to her first real love interest, the same freckled young lad who got the both of them arrested after being caught flying illegally in the boy's Marauder.
Evangeline stayed with the Peterborough, working under her mother until her 16th Birthday when she applied for, and received, her pilots license from the New London Spaceship Registry. She was able to pass the tests mainly due to her extensive experience flying illegally with the gang from Trafalgar.
It was then that Evangeline begun her own career, with the gifting of a CSV from her mother.
Career
After receiving her first ship, Evangeline set out cutting her own path as a pilot. In the very early days she assisted a group of scrappers with their efforts to clean up the South Hampton Debris Field. This returned a small amount of pocket money, however Evangeline was not content to "just scrape by".
Her first foray into smuggling began when her and three similar craft took part in the deliverance of a load of H-Fuel canisters to a Mollys mobile base inside an ice field in New London.
Evangeline bonded to the thrill of smuggling and quickly begun working for the Mollys on a contract basis.
As her knowledge and wealth increased Evangeline begun to feel it was time to leave the nest. At the helm of her CSV she left Trafalgar and her mother's bosom for the heartland of Liberty - New York.
Initially working legitimately as a recycler for the Pittsburgh Project she quickly set up relations with the various criminal organisations of Liberty, with the exception of the Xenos. Her Bretonian accent and speech patterns enraged the Xenos at her first encounter with the terrorists, however the event concluded in the death of three of their own, when a motley crew of Junkers came out of the woodwork like a nest of angry hornets and minced the Xeno's ships.
At that point, Evangeline had absolutely no combat experience, however her skills as a laneracer evading police interceptors helped her avoid being "vaped" herself, whilst the experienced pilots handled the threat.
Without drains such as drugs, booze or boys on her account combined with her low-baller nature and feminine charm Evangeline was able to secure the purchase of a Z-6150 Bactrian Rogue Freighter from the ship merchant on board Buffalo Base.
Evangeline's career climbed steeply with the acquisition of the Bactrian. The expanded cargo bay and long-range fuel supply allowed her to trade across much greater distances - for much greater profits. Possible the greatest single advance she achieved was permission to trade directly to the Outcasts Homeworld of Planet Malta.
This new opportunity, alongside her increasing experience and knowledge, ensured that Evangeline was destined for high places. Trading with almost the entirety of the Outcast side of the Pirate alliances she secured her position as a reliable courier amongst the underbelly of Sirian society.
As with the CSV, the time for the Bactrian to be put out to stud would eventually arrive, the stubbornly reliable Bactrian would be exchanged for a second-hand Z-8500 "Bullmastiff" transport. The ship was stationed at Vieques Shipyards in the Junker-owned Puerto Rico, and had been placed on the market for sale.
Evangeline purchased the ship for a not inconsiderable sum of credits, and commissioned a refit to suit her tastes. Three months later the ship was ready for her first flight. The Alsatia was born.
Family
Evangeline, being the only child of a single mother has very little in the way of family members, however she has always been very close to the men and women of the crew of the Peterborough who raised her alongside her mother.
Sheena McDowell
Evangeline right from day one had been a spitting image of her mother. Both women feature blue eyes and blonde hair and appear almost identical in each others childhood photos. Where they differ, however is their personality. Whilst her daughter has a light, playful attitude towards life, Sheena is cold, aggressive and intimidating - largely caused by the hardships she has endured during her forty-five years.
She bears scarring across her right eye and portions of her torso as the result a fight between her and a Liberty Rogue, in which she suffered severe burns when the rogue produced an improvised petroleum-powered flame thrower. Despite her injuries at the time, Sheena ensured the offending party would receive their dues - the man being presented a bullet through the head for his effort.
Despite caring little when it comes to strangers, Sheena has always been a good mother and a skilled captain - her current crew of five men and women having stayed unchanged in nearly 10 years. An adept mechanic, the aging Clydesdale she owns is one of the finest remaining examples of a ship of such vintage.
Ludwig Freidrich
(No recent image available)
Evangeline never met her father - Ludwig abandoning the then twenty-four year old Sheena in Rheinland when he was told he would be a father. The last known record of the man is that he was a low-level officer in the Rheinland Military, however he has since disappeared from the ranks thereof. Officially he is presumed dead however no certain documentation exists - rumours from around the time of his exodus from his duties as a father indicate he may have decided to flee to avoid responsibility - with or without another woman in tow.
???
The result of a drunken encounter between Evangeline and Major General Gunther Rall of the Rheinland Military, this as yet un-named child will continue the McDowell family tradition of falling pregnant to Rheinland officers and producing offspring out-of-wedlock. Although the child is unexpected, it is by absolutely no means unwanted. Evangeline herself is eager to welcome this new life to the world; Misaka, over time, has become accepting of the fact she is going to join Evangeline in motherhood - having long written Eva's infidelity off to her free and liberated personality. The man responsible this time around has decided to stay on and fulfil his duties as a new father, if not engaging in an intimate relationship with Evangeline due to her lifelong commitment to Misaka.
Recent water-cooler talk around Mecklenburg has brought up possible names for the child. Potential candidates for a boy include Gerhard, Rainer and Deitrich. Girl's names mentioned so far consist of Freya, Elsa and Wilhelmina, among several others.. Most of these have been instantaneously disregarded by the mother-to-be who has yet decided whether the new-born will have a name of Rheinlandish or Bretonian origins.
Crew
Excluding Evangeline herself, there are three people in her employ plus a small child making up Evangeline's crew. The same consist frequently transfers between the other ships within what Evangeline narcissistically refers to as the "McDowell Company Fleet".
Misaka Mikoto
A young Kusarian girl, Misaka became a victim of the ultra-conservative views of her parents after being ousted as a homosexual. Having been disowned by her family, she joined up with the much-publicised Golden Chrysanthemum women's rights movement. She resided on board Ainu Base operating as a courier for the GC cause.
An encounter with Evangeline on board Ainu brought about her leaving the care of the Golden Chrysanthemums and joining Evangeline as not only her right-hand-woman but also her lover.
Misaka bears a personality fit for a pubescent girl. She can be as sweet as sugar one moment, yet turn into a raging noisefactory at the drop of a hat. Underneath her occasionally cold, hostile façade beats the heart of a soft, sweet girl with a strong moral code.
Kana Fujiwara
Kana, along with Fumika, are two more victims of the often horrendously conservative nature of Kusari society. The utter rejection of the notion of homosexuality, a common trait amongst the "old guard", who to this day hold their seats of power has caused unforgivable grief to thousands of men and women within Kusari.
Kana, along with Fumika, are both ex-Golden Chrysanthemums just like Misaka. However unlike Misaka, the two of them fled together rather than giving each other up. They both have families back in Kusari however they care little for their daughters' well being.
The two girls entered the care of Evangeline under exceptionally lucky circumstances. They were, in fact, bought from a Freelance Trader passing through the independent systems linking Kusari to Liberty. The two girls had staged an attack on the transport vessel, but were forced to surrender when the transport proved more durable than expected.
Evangeline happened on the trader on board Ames Research Station, conversing about his captives and what he was proposing to do with them. She promptly offered the pilot a considerable sum of money for the two girls, well above any bounty on offer and enough to override the freelancers' and his crews' sex drives.
Evangeline received the two girls bound with chains, bearing minor injuries but thankfully unsullied by the transports crew.
Kana herself is something of a air-head. She is known to drift off across both space and time, mentally, even when her body remains planted on solid ground. She has a very laid-back personality and when not on duty requires little more than cuddling with her lover, Fumika.
Despite her personality, when Kana applies herself she produces respectable results in most skill areas. She has negligible combat experience but is a capable navigator and deck-hand.
Fumika Minami
Fumika, nicknamed the "Firecracker", bears a personality very befitting of the alias given to her. She often comes across as intimidating and violent, however underneath she's a total softie. She is completely devoted to her lover, a trait that betrays her wherever Kana is involved.
Fumika originates from a wealthy family, her father being a director of a large Tokyo-based business. Being the only daughter in her family, she had always been overlooked in favour of her brothers, whom were preened to take on roles in Daddy's business. Fumika, left on her own, idled through her school years, achieving average grades.
Average, in her family, was as good as a failure. What little support she received from her family withered away and she had very little to keep her motivated. She steadily turned delinquent towards the end of her schooling, and by the end, was a complete dropout. Her only solace, and the thing that kept her away from drugs and crime, was Kana.
Being a supposed embarrassment, fleeing the suffocating grip of her family was an easy decision. She left with Kana in tow and joined the GC women's rights movement come terroristic militancy.
Sakura Kinomoto
Another _very_ lucky girl, Sakura was rescued from a Xeno Terrorist aboard Bethlehem Station in Pennsylvania. Sakura was, sadly, the sole survivor of a Xeno attack on her parent's family-based transporter. The ship was attacked by Xeno raiders, Sakura surviving by pure luck as she had been asleep at the rear of the ship when it was literally torn in two by a torpedo. Sakura used what little training she had to clamber to the escape pod. Her parents were not as fortunate, dying almost instantly when the ship disintegrated.
The Xeno captured Sakura and ended up at Bethlehem. According to Sakura the man who held her captive brought her no harm, and that despite what he had done to the girls parent's he was sympathetic. The trait of compassion is one not often seen amongst the cold-blooded killers that comprise the Xenos faction.
Evangeline by chance stumbled upon the Xeno attempting to ransom the young girl to passing ships for the measly sum of two million credits. Libertonians being Libertonians, no-one cared. Evangeline, hearing the girl's screaming behind the Xenos own ranting, moved in and paid the man what he wanted. She received in return, a dirty, smelly, barely-clothed and ravenously hungry - but almost completely unharmed - little girl.
Sakura was absorbed into the McDowell Company and has become Evangeline's honorary daughter and source of cuteness for the entire crew. It is not uncommon during down-time for the girls to viciously abuse Sakura with things such as pink dresses, hair ornaments and cat's ears headbands.
"McDowell Company Fleet" Property, Past and Present.
Alsatia
Status: Operational; In service.
The Alsatia, a Z-8500 "Bullmastiff", is the head of the McDowell Company Fleet housing the crew's long-term living quarters and all of Evangeline's property and information.
Alsatia was a region of Old London on Planet Earth, which, between the fifteenth and seventeenth centuries was a sanctuary from the written law and those tasked to enforce it; a "place where law cannot reach". Evangeline thought the name very appropriate and vaguely cheeky. The ship was christened shortly before her maiden voyage from the Shipyards that had housed her, to her new home of Rochester.
The ship has undergone multiple modifications under Evangeline's control. These include an enlarged cargo bay door to accept fighter craft, along with a unique storage and launch system designed and built entirely by the ship's crew; as well as a custom-built towing system allowing for the movement of dead or disabled ships in space.
The ship's weapons systems change almost as often as the colour of Evangeline's underwear - currently consisting of a set of Rheinland Tachyon cannons, but has in the past born weapons ranging from Corsair EMP blasters to Bretonian Particle cannons to Outcast Tachyon guns.
Eva McDowell Salvage
Status: Operational; In service.
A Junker Salvage Frigate purchased from a deceased estate, this ship is used in between long-haul journeys to collect and process valuable materials from the remains of the Dallas Incident. Bearing heavy radiation shielding and an assortment of external equipment the ship is well suited for operating inside the dark matter clouds of Texas.
The ship bears only the most basic amenities and as such is not used for long periods of time. It seldom leaves the vicinity of Puerto Rico except for occasional deliveries of steel.
Antaeus' Rising
Status: Operational; In service.
A testament to the inefficiency of Bretonian bureaucracy, Antaeus' Rising is a Shetland Bretonian Train, owned by the McDowell Company Fleet, yet flying under false Gateway Shipping registration. The ship had originally been hastily decommissioned by Gateway for a relatively minor fault with the ship's computer matrix and had been taken to Baltimore Shipyards for salvage. Evangeline, being in the right place at the right time, and under the influence of alcohol (a rare occurrence - Evangeline is not much of a drinker), purchased the ship under the guise of handling its demolition, but in actual fact hauled it away for a refit.
Antaeus' Rising is now flown by Kendrick Perque and his crew; a wide variety of men chosen from the "work wanted" section of the Rochester noticeboard. The ship's registration is paid for automatically by Gateway's integrated computer system, effectively giving Perque and his men free range throughout Bretonia, Liberty and Rheinland.
Maelstrom
Status: Operational; In service.
The Maelstrom is a Liberty Rogue Scylla class Destroyer. The ship was one of the very first constructed at Terre Haute Shipyard. It suffered an awful fate at the hands of a Liberty Navy bomber patrol well outside of Liberty sovereign space. All hands were lost upon de-pressurisation of the then experimental ship's hull. Suffering terminal damage, it drifted for years in a deep freeze before Evangeline recovered it using the Alsatia. The Rogues never recovered the ship themselves due to the infeasibility of doing so coupled with the fact it no longer contained anything which could be used against the Rogues, such as core designs or weapons matrices which had long since deteriorated beyond usability.
The Maelstrom was towed, with great subtlety, to Vieques Shipyard in Puerto Rico where it became Evangeline's pet project, spending almost a year being repaired and refitted under her supervision.
Only very recently deemed spaceworthy, the Maelstrom has already become a highly disreputable ship within both Liberty and Rheinland. The whims of a young girl at the hands of a weapon of mass destruction certain to create shock waves wherever the ship went.
The Maelstrom is crewed by the four girls, built with a minimum of technology to reduce staff requirements using readily available plug-and-play components purchased from a number of sources. An exception of note is the sophisticated weapons array and control systems, of which Evangeline is very proud.
The Maelstrom resides at Vieques Shipyards for most of her days, only occasionally being called up to do Evangeline's bidding. The ship has been seen across a wide swathe of Sirius, playing on both sides of the Liberty-Rheinland war, working along-side the Rogues and Outcasts against the Liberty Navy - and just as frequently vice-versa.
Evangeline records every destroyed ship as a mark on the tally board etched into the Maelstrom's nose cone, standing as a cold testament to the brutal efficiency of the Liberty Rogue-designed destroyer - and serving as a warning to anyone who wishes to pick a fight with the head of the McDowell Company Fleet.
Majutsu no Biribiri
Status: Sold; Condition and whereabouts are unknown.
The name when translated from ancient Japanese can be interpreted as "Magical Lightning". This Sabre class fighter served as the first escort of the Alsatia. The ship has since been sold to another pilot.
Kagaku no Railgun
Status: Destroyed.
Continuing Evangeline's penchant for Kusari naming conventions, the "Scientific Railgun" was a Junker Recycler Super Heavy Fighter/Bomber craft. Originally purchased to ward off the increasing threats the Alsatia faced, the ship proved itself time and time again as being able to handle foes many levels above its own, being credited with assisting in the the destruction of a Liberty Assault Battlecruiser among other things.
The Railgun was destroyed during a scuffle with angry Junkers Congress ships which ended with Evangeline falling through the atmosphere of Planet Manhattan.
Koneko
Status: Destroyed.
Translating into "kitten", this Combat Service Vehicle, aside from being Evangeline's "pet", was a remote-controlled drone used to recover valuable materials from highly irradiated or otherwise dangerous debris fields. Equipped with a hand-made electronics system, Evangeline gained full control of the ship across massive expanses of space.
Koneko was lost in service in the Grande Negra debris field and was never recovered. All things remaining the same, it is most likely still adrift, in a deep chill, somewhere in the Texas system.
Eva's Vengeance
Status: Parted out and scrapped.
An ROC class Civilian Bomber, this ship had a very chequered history. Originally belonging a sub-sect of the Xenos known known as the '"Widowmakers"', the ship fell into Evangeline's hands during an incident with the Junkers Congress in which Evangeline's own ship, the 'Kagaku no Railgun', was destroyed. Evangeline was rescued by, and flew alongside, the Widowmakers raiding Congress ships and propagating the Xeno cause for several months. It was during this time Evangeline gained most of her combat experience, engaging Navy capital ships alongside her fighter escorts. She also gained extensive knowledge of, and gained sympathy for, the Xenos' way of life and their suffering at the hands of Liberty's lust for profit and extravagance.
Evangeline repaired the bridges burnt with the Junkers and eventually returned to her then home of Rochester, however by the time she had done so nearly all of the Widowmakers were either dead, missing or out of active service, leaving no-one to monitor Evangeline's retreat from Ouray Base. Evangeline kept and maintained the ship for some time after the incident however it was recently retired from service and subsequently scrapped. The ship lives on within the McDowell Company fleet as the power core and battery bank now form part of the Maelstrom's emergency life support system.
White Devil
Status: Sold; parted out and scrapped.
A BYC Marauder clas heavy fighter, this ship is one of Evangeline's favourites, evoking nostalgic feelings from her time as a juvenile delinquent on board Trafalgar. The ship is rarely used for any specific purpose and only leaves the safety of the Alsatia's docking bays for leisure flights.
The White Devil was retired from service and sold off for spare parts due to its age and poor overall condition.
Graf Eisen
Status: Operational; In service.
Translating to '"Count Eisen"', this Wraith was originally owned by Major General Gunther Rall of the Rheinland Military. The ship was given to Evangeline as a matter of urgency during an invasion by an elite wing of Liberty Fighters known as the "Gold Wing" into the Bremen System. The Rheinland Military was caught with their pants down and unable to secure enough immediately available fighters to counter the enemy incursion. Evangeline was drafted by Rall himself and given control of the 'Graf Eisen' which had been laying idle on board Mecklenburg Station in Braunschweig.
Gold wing at the time consisted of approximately a dozen fighters and at least two bombers, ensuring the slow but sure demise of the Rheinland force they had targeted: the RNC Altenburg and its bomber escort. The Rheinland Cruiser had at the time been patrolling the Bremen system when it came under attack.
Gold Wing fighters reportedly appeared as if out of nowhere, one moment not anywhere in sight, the next they were bearing down on the Altenburg and her escorts. The Liberty fighters engaged and quickly destroyed the bulky, cumbersome bombers and quickly begun taking bites out of the cruiser, which despite managing to down at least one enemy ship and damage several others, was soon overwhelmed by the sheer number of opponents and soon begun to break apart.
The Libertonian invaders were eventually pushed back into Liberty space after an extended battle, however the hastily assembled Rheinland force was not able to prevent the destruction of their original targets. An investigation into how the ships avoided detection is currently under way. Rumours have been heard of an alien cloaking technology being used, however these are entirely unconfirmed.
Since that time Evangeline has undergone basic combat training under the Major General and is now a somewhat capable, if still inexperienced fighter combat pilot.
