Name: Katherine Kane
Callsign/Nickname: KK for 'Killer Kitten', and a pun on her initials and 'Kat' the short version of her name.
Age: 35
Gender: Female
Appearance: Katherine is a towering 6'7" tall, and has a wiry, rugged, muscular body, built from hard wear and toil. She is covered in scars, including her left eye being missing and covered with a black leather patch. Her black hair is worn in a shaggy mess, often tied back when working. Her remaining eye is a very pale, icy blue.
Nationality: English
Personality: Kat has a personality that might come off as abrasive and stand-offish to those who meet her at first, especially coupled with her quiet voice and fierce-looking exterior. This prickly exterior is hardly surprising given her history.
But her like, fondness, and affection for others is often shown in small gestures and actions. Should she feel the need to express her opinions, her words will often be blunt and direct to get to the point with the minimum of misunderstanding.
She does have a sense of humour, and is thoroughly amused by silly humour and jokes that don't end up with anyone hurt or feeling bad.
She adores animals, due to their simple needs and feelings, and bonds with them easily and quickly. She likes children, but is often confused and somewhat wary of them, due to their energy, enthusiasm and unpredictability.
It takes her a while to open up and trust other people, but once she does, she is a die-hard loyal friend and comrade.
However, her past always haunts her, both in her physical scars and mental ones. Aside from her frequent nightmares and occasional dissociative moments, she is absolutely terrified of being taken prisoner and the possibility of torture and as such, will enter a blind, berserker rage state if she is in danger of being imprisoned.
Kat is fiercely loyal and dedicated to Scott, and the feeling is mutual. She will always back him up on the ground and in the air, and the pair work together as an incredibly intuitive - and extremely lethal - pair.
Their relationship is a complicated one. They love one another dearly, and have a strong bond, as well as a very close, personal and intimate one. It is not romantic and neither would call it that, but is more than a platonic, purely professional bond as well.
History: Kat grew up in a comfortable life, and comfortable surroundings. Raised in a family with Old Money in the English Aristocracy, she had a childhood with ponies, private schools, and all the luxuries one could imagine...
...Paid for by her father's life of organised crime. It of course, caught up to him and to his family, and in this, Kat was kidnapped and thrust into the horrible underworld of crime. Her captors had no interest in her worth, ransoming her wasn't of interest; breaking her father's spirit was. And as such, she was forced into degrading slavery, and when her father finally met his end, she was of no more use or interest.
Kat fought back viciously against the indignities forced on her. She was beaten into submission each time, but it never dulled her fury and anger, and eventually her captors tired of having to cope with her struggles and violence to present her to clients - who'd often end up mauled and injured themselves - they sold her on into underground fighting.
She fought viciously and relentlessly to stay alive, driven by the constant thought of getting revenge.
Eventually, she got her chance not long after the Heavenfall. As the Soviet Union disintegrated in violence, chaos, and anarchy; the criminal underworld fell apart along with it.
Kat was treated as a commodity and a bargaining chip. Sometimes she was a weapon, kept ragged and raw to be pointed at the enemy and unleashed. Sometimes she was a thing to be used or discarded, or bet on and pitted against others. But she was never treated with much in the way of kindness or respect, and often used to exercise frustrations.
That was until the loose band of conmen, military remnants and out-and-out criminals she was caught up with crossed paths with Scott and the people he'd banded together with.
Scott and his crew managed to drive off or kill most of the people enslaving Kat and others like her. He gave her a chance at freedom, and she took it up.
Over time, he gently coaxed out her trust, and slowly rehabilitated her personality, bringing her back from the edge of being a feral thing and into a more complete person again.
As part of this, he taught her how to fly. Kat picked up the rest of the understanding with her quick, smart mind, rediscovering her love for learning, knowledge, and information as she did. She soon became something of a 'gentle giant' and a protector among the group. Intimidating to many, but known for her ferociously protective nature and her incredible stamina, endurance and strength.
Even after Scott and his group managed to reach the Atlantic, and then England and later the USA, they had become an inseparable duo.
Somehow, and somewhere along the way, official documentation for Kat's experience and qualifications as a fast-jet pilot and crewman appeared and after that, enlisting together in Shattered Steel seemed like the perfect way for the two to continue their partnership.
She learned the rest of the formal skills and talent necessary to be a RIO for the F-14 while part of the company, and her reputation has continued to grow alongside Scott's own as part of the group.
Personal Gear: Personal Aircraft: RIO (Radar Intercept Officer, aka backseater) in ASF-14 Super Tomcat 2010 with Scott as pilot
Anything Else: Kat speaks in a very hushed, rough voice due to damage to her throat and vocal cords. Despite her missing eye, she has extremely acute and sharp vision in her remaining eye, and incredible situational awareness.
She also
really loves ice cream.