-Name: Zelda Whitehead
-Appearance:
-Crew Position/Rank: Engineering Officer
-Age: 31
-Relevant History/Background:
Zelda Kate Whitehead was born on January 23, 2076 in Island Park, Idaho. Her parents were wealthy doctors who lived in the beautiful forests of Idaho, away from the general public. Zelda's childhood was a lonely one. Living in the mountains she had no friends except for her nanny. She spent most of her time outside, exploring the rivers and hills, finding new things the past had left behind. It was on one of these explorations she found broken controls to a space shuttle. She hauled it to her garage and started to take it apart. She spent the next couple of weeks studying that thing inside and out. When she put it back together, she noticed the lights were on. She pushed some buttons and flipped some switches but nothing happened. Her parents found the control panel and noticed how she had got it working. They were ecstatic, but Zelda was disappointed, the buttons and switches didn't do anything.
When Zelda was 10, her parents enrolled her in an expensive school in Utah. She excelled at Math and Science, especially physics and geometry. When she got into the higher grades, she attended classes that focused on space vessels and mechanical and electronic classes. She passed them with flying colors. By the time Zelda was 16, she knew what she wanted to do with her life. She wanted to become a Engineer and travel through space. When Zelda was 17 years old she was accepted into a university dedicated to all fields of Aerospace. After 6 years of intense study, Zelda earned her masters degree in Aerospace Engineering. Her parents were extremely proud of her and threw a party in her honor. Her mother died that night. She choked to death on her own vomit. Racked with grief, her father retired to their old home in Idaho, where he shut himself in, refusing anyone, even Zelda. Zelda's perfect life had crumbled down around her. In 2100, she got a letter from Weyland-Yutani offering her a job in a technology research team in London. The pay was great. She took the job, the last couple of months were hellish and she needed something to keep her busy. She worked with the team for two years, introducing new ideas to the company and responsible for innovations such as fuel efficient thrusters that are used currently. The company seemed satisfied to keep her with the team, but she wanted to see space. She applied for a colonization mission and was accepted. She was out in space for a year, keeping the ship in shape and helping the colonists set up shop on the new planet. She returned to earth with a new look on life, her eyes shining with the rekindled hope. She called her father, hoping to tell him about her journey. He picked up. It was the first time he had talked to her in 3 years.
Zelda kept on applying for space contracts. And while the company felt it was wasted talent, they allowed it, knowing any ship she was on was in safe hands. She relished the adventures of space. She went on dozens of missions, some long, some short. But by 2105, she was a veteran of space travel. She had finally found purpose in life, she was lost after the death of her mother and seclusion of her father. But she knew what she wanted to do until she died and her father called her on a regular basis. In the September of 2106, The Company sent her a notice that she had been nominated for a special mission, and should she accept, will be tested among hundreds of other candidates. The recruitment process was...grueling. So many questions and tests and reviews and assessments. But in the end, she was accepted. She was told this was very classified, so when her dad called she could tell him so much. But he was proud of her nonetheless and told her that he loved her. He hadn't said that since she graduated from college. A song in her heart and a twinkle in her eye, Zelda couldn't wait for this new assignment.
