Vale Waters

Vale "Valafar" Waters
Profile
Origin	Bretonia
Occupation	Freelancer
Affiliation	None
Born	793 A.S., Planet New London
Died	Still alive

Vale Waters (30th April 793 AS - Present), more commonly known by his pilot moniker "Valafar", is a Freelancer of no fixed cause currently working for independant parties across the Sirius Sector.

Information

• Name: Vale Waters
  • Common Aliases: 'Valafar'

• Age: 24

• Gender: Male

• Appearance:
  • Complexion: Caucasian
  • Hair: Blond
  • Eyes: Blue
  • Height: 6'2 (~1.87m)
  • Weight: 73kg (~161lbs)

• Occupation: Pilot, Freelancer.

• Previous Employment: Bretonian Armed Forces, Dishonorably discharged, 816 AS.

• Education:
  • City of New London, Planet New London - Anerley Primary School (ages 4-11)
  • City of New London, Planet New London - Friar's Green Secondary School (ages 11-12)
  • Bradford Bay City, Planet Leeds - Castle Cary Secondary School (ages 12-17)
  • City of New London, Planet New London - East Evelyn BAF Academy (ages 18-21)

• Known Relatives:
  • Mother: Catherine Scott Waters; Deceased (764 AS - 816 AS, Age 52).
    • Sr. Constable within the Bretonia Police Authority, Catherine had been in active service since she joined at age twenty-one in 785 AS. Following her promotion to Constable in 789 AS (age 25) she was reassigned and spent three years working with the Bretonian Embassy on Planet Manhattan, New York. She returned, with child, near the end of 792 AS. The details of the father of her unborn child were never made public, and Vale was born the following April. In 805 AS, following twenty years of active service with the BPA, she was promoted to a position of Senior Constable stationed on Planet Leeds, and relocated there with her now twelve-year-old son. Catherine died in combat in 816 AS when her wing was intercepted by Kusari Naval Forces vessels during assignment at the Leeds Jump Gate within Tau 31, prior to the Leeds offensive of the following year.

• • Father: Unknown. Suspected Libertonian.

Personality

Vale has the rather rare ability to view most any situation with calm indifference, possessing a natural equanimity which is often misinterpreted into him being uninteresting, unmotivated and whimsical. Despite this, he is a very caring and loyal person, and aims to live under a general rule of respectfulness; Show respect unto him and others, and you shall see it in return. The sight of him genuinely angry is something even most of his closest friends have yet to witness, although he is frequently mildly annoyed by the most insignificant of causes. He enjoys the arts greatly and, surprisingly, his favorite activities involve relaxing, flying and socializing. He is somewhat afraid of commitment, and due to conflicting opinions about nearly every faction in Sirius, has yet to decide upon any certain future to pursue. In his own words, he's just living life as and when it comes.

On a largely unrelated note, he has recently begun mild gambling and betting, relishing winning on utter whim. A few of his local haunts have already tagged him as a "sucker" for losing, and it's not uncommon for him to enter into random bets with passing pilots just for his own amusement. Unfortunately for him, he has very little monetary sense and gambles purely for entertainment value, leaving his pockets staggeringly empty of credits.

History

New London Childhood: 793-805 AS - Ages 0-12

As a part of the common single-parent single-child category of families on Planet New London, Vale's childhood was relentlessly normal and uneventful. His mother was hard-working and loving, and he holds fond memories of countless days spent with his best friend, Michael Feury. An able and popular student, he consistently held his position as one of the top few students in his school yeargroups. Outside of school his life was equally casual, much of his time spent pursuing creative hobbies such as reading, writing, and several musical endeavors. All in all, there's not so much to say here. While a child who doesn't even know the name of his father is unusual, growing up without one isn't, and, somehow, Vale remained largely oblivious to any implications it should have had.

In 805 AS, his mother, Catherine Scott Waters, was promoted to the rank of Senior Constable within the Bretonia Police Authority. While good financially, it meant a transfer to Planet Leeds and a sharp downturn in quality of life. With devotion to her job rivalling that to her family, the two made the move and waved farewell to New London for the forseeable future.

The Leeds Chapter: 805-811 AS - Ages 12-18

A notably worse environment within which to raise a child, Planet Leeds remained true to it's rough reputation. Unwelcome from day one simply because he'd come from the "high life" of New London, Vale's school situation took a sharp downward turn and remained so for the entirety of his stay. While not disliked in general, being the subject of much bullying just "for the sake of" deterred many and lead to quite the miserable experience. This, coupled with his mothers' increasingly long absences on assignment (frequently beyond the borders of the Leeds system entirely, for weeks at a time) would be enough to drive most children of twelve insane - but instead, vehemently refusing to become dull and depressed, Vale simply started becoming oblivious to it all. Although it didn't help matters, it certainly stopped them getting worse. It did, however, leave a dent in his motivation, leading to much of the personality that he has today. His grades dropped to a sub-average level and although he did graduate, any future ambitions - if he'd had any - would've been hindered by his low scores. He followed the social norm of Leeds and moved from college right into enlisting with one of the plethora of Bretonian factions available, specifically choosing the Bretonian Armed Forces in an attempt to fix a place in the "least dull" line of work that he could.

Much to his surprise, he found a new love in flying - even if it was only simulated. Following the discovery he opted to move back to Planet New London to attend a BAF-run University and training program. With tensions rising between Bretonia and Kusari in the Tau sector, he was accepted instantly and headed home. While his mother Catherine remained in Leeds with the BPA, she immediately objected to his intentions to join the Armed Forces. Her reasons were not clear enough to persuade him. After all - she'd led a successful life as a pilot, so why shouldn't he follow a similar path?

Armed Forces Enlistment: 811-814 AS - Ages 18-21

Once again inspired and doing something he loved, Vale performed exceptionally well in his studies and training in the Military Academy of East Evelyn on Planet New London. Reunited also with his childhood friend Feury, things had begun to look up. He earned his pilot's license within a year and began field training in 812 AS, and over the next two years of his stay received many recommendations and offers to join with various BAF units. All the while, his mother was desperately trying to convince him to avoid the same type of life she had endured and hated, warning him that there was no way out. She almost had him convinced on several occasions, but the alternative to becoming a pilot - that is, not becoming one - wasn't an option for him anymore. He was simply too in love with it. However, his already wavering resolve cracked again with the onset of the Bretonia-Kusari conflict, and he found himself having cleared the Academy and teetering on the edge of joining ranks at the front lines of a war zone. Delaying for time and becoming increasingly uneasy, he secured a back-line position as part of a counter-intelligence unit within the capital. Much to his dismay he found the work good, but every part of his being still defied the war effort. He genuinely didn't want to be a part of such a petty and pointless war, claiming the lives of so many for a cause he didn't support.

Escape, Encounter, Freelance: 815 AS - Present - Ages 22-24

The final blow to his military decisiveness fell with the death of his mother in 816 AS at the hands of the KNF. The worst part was that he didn't - and still doesn't - hate either the Kusari or his homeland of Bretonia for bringing about the situation which claimed her life. Sure, he'd find a little satisfaction in hurting the pilot who downed her ship, but at the same time he knows that the act would make him no better than his victim. The soldier was doing his job, just as Catherine had been. With no love for either party, he finally took his late mothers' advice and turned his back on the Armed Forces - just another one of the many who jumped ship in the intensity of the war. Officially, records declared him as M.I.A. on assignment, however the guise was flimsy and he was halted by a police patrol while trying to pass through the Cambridge system en-route to jumping the borders of Bretonia to the Omega sector. A quick record check had him placed under arrest and escorted to Planet Cambridge for sentencing.

But fate, it seemed, had other plans for him. As the patrol approached the Planet, a contingent of Corsair fighters ambushed the BPA unit and dispatched two of the four craft in moments. At first Vale maneuvered his ship through the onslaught and began charging his engines to escape, but seeing another of the Police vessels fall victim to the relentless volleys of the Corsair ships swayed his shattered allegiance. Unleashing the full power of his military-issue B-907A Crusader upon the unsuspecting Corsair pilots, the tide of the encounter was swiftly turned.

The Police pilot saved by Vale's combat prowess proved invaluable in preserving his freedom. His testament, along with those who knew Vale best within the Armed Forces, was just about enough. Although dishonorably discharged, sentenced to a years' incarceration on New London and having his pilot's license suspended, Vale was permitted to remain a citizen of Bretonia.

Emerging free the following year, he was unopposed when registering for a new license and papers listing him as a Freelancer. While his ex- BAF record doesn't earn any favor with official corporations, independent parties generally accept it as a sign of experience and prowess.

Ships

Not listed here are records of Vale's short lived military-issue craft, a B-907A "Crusader".

CTE-4000 "Griffin" Light Fighter.

A dream for many, Vale's first freelance ship was paid for entirely by a third-party contractor as part of a deal to enlist the new pilots' skills as an escort. The brand new CTE-4000 Griffin Light Fighter was registered to his name and waiting for him within hours of accepting the contract, and, along with a basic equipment loadout, saw him safely through the assignment - which, nicely enough, still paid a good million or more additional credits upon completion.

Utterly absorbed in the riches of such easy work, Vale put the ship through it's paces in a series of further small contracts, but eventually opted to sell the vessel on in favor of a stronger, more reliable upgrade.

CTE-6000 "Eagle" Very Heavy Fighter.

Opting for performance and popularity over speciality, Vale's next choice of vessel was the bland, common, yet tried-and-tested CTE-6000 "Eagle" Very Heavy Fighter. The agile craft has already seen him through encounters with several inquisitive Outcast vessels while taking assignments in the Tau sectors, and he's perfectly satisfied with it thus far. Which is good, because he's more or less out of money... Again.