Name: Elaine Morgan
Age: 37
Gender: Female
Disposition: Sharp-witted and sharp-tongued, Elaine is almost a classical example of the fiery redhead. While she may be small in stature, she makes up for it with a larger-than-life sense of (occasionally dark) humour. Despite this, she is a professional when it comes to her skill for reconnaissance and observation.
Her humour also serves as a skin of armour around her more fragile heart, marred by past experiences she doesn't dwell on and only shares with those who have been around long enough to get to know her, and vice versa. Despite her barbed sense of humour, she is always careful to make sure those around her know her jibes and insults are only meant in good humour, and are not intended to be taken seriously, and to make sure that any positive thoughts and feelings she has toward other people are felt first.
Elaine is mostly compassionate and quite moral when dealing with others and conducting her duties to the Panthers and their clients. She hates to see others suffer, and will ruthlessly and efficiently deal with those who prey on the weakness of others, and use them to their own advantage. However, she has little sympathy for those who are unwilling to defend themselves or others when they have the ability.
Background: Born in the UKE, Elaine grew up in a family with a smattering of military service on her fathers' side. He served in the Royal Estovian Navy, as a Fleet Air Arm pilot at first, before moving into a more desk-based role after the birth of Elaine and her brother Thomas. Elaine's mother was - and still is - a journalist, who was reporting from the field during a peace-keeping and disaster relief operation where Elaine's dad was part of the multi-national force sent.
Elaine grew up fascinated and intrigued by stories from both her parents, and her joining the RKE military was a given. She signed on with the Land Forces, captivated by a parade and demonstration some short years ago by FRAMES, showing off their agility and capabilities in a variety of theatrical and daring stunts and manoeuvers.
Elaine quickly turned from an gangling, awkward teenager into a competent and attractive woman and one with a strong set of personal and professional dedications and skills. Earning respect among her comrades and peers, she served in a small-scale operation overseas, seeing short, but violent bursts of combat, as well as more complex moral and political conflicts up close. The experience kindled a turbulent mass of thoughts and emotions within her, before her rotation back to the RKE. She carried the things she had seen with her for a long time, and went through a very rough patch of hard-drinking and destructive behaviour for several months, before one of her older and more experienced colleagues bought her around with hsi own stories and experiences, as well as a few short, sharp lessons. Learning from his example, she cleaned herself up and turned into the soldier she had always wanted to be and admired. Her second and third tours of duty were, as a result, some of her finest work, and those that earned her the notice of her superiors outside of her unit, after using her reconnaissance expertise to pinpoint enemy movements and positions with great accuracy and refinement.
Around her 33rd year of age, news came to her that her father had been captured overseas, after the country he was working in as part of the embassy staff had been consumed by a violent uprising. Despite her urging and her moderate level of accomplishment and achievements, she could do nothing to spur any form of action. All too late the word came to launch an operation to recover those held hostage; late enough that she had to hold her mother and brother as her father was executed live, for all to see.
Disgusted, jaded, and hollow inside, she went AWOL for weeks, before finally being picked up after being found wandering some backwoods town, so drunk she didn't know where she was, or what was even happening. Embarassed by everything to do with the situation, the RKE land forces quietly paid her and her family off, and discharged Elaine.
Bitter and still burning inside with the need to do something, Elaine forced herself into a second round of clean-up and travelled for a while, trading on her skills as a pilot to do cash-in-hand construction or other mundane work. Over the months, she found herself missing the military life, and it was after one of these jobs she got talking with a pilot, who pointed her in the direction of Mercenary life. After a bit of quiet scouting, someone recognized her, and offered her a position with the Panthers.
She mused over it for a while, before - surprisingly - her brother and mother both pushed her gently toward the role, seeing that as much as she missed her father, there were other things missing in her life too.
That was three years ago, and she hasn't looked back since. She still carries memories of her father with her, and keeps in regular touch with her family, using them as a grounding point for herself to the 'real world' out there.
Appearance: Short, at barely scraping 5' 3", Elaine is petite and slender. Despite her age, she has a youthful complexion and appearance, looking like someone several years younger than her. Her bright red hair has only a few streaks of grey-white in it, and the mass of freckles masks the lines of her face. Her eyes are particularly bright and piercing, marking her skill as an excellent observer.
Inventory: Funds: 425,750c
Other: TBA