Sophie was born to the Cadieux family on Planet New Paris in the year 812AS. Though her parents were of formality and mundaneity, her and her siblings would develop far more imaginative minds, and prefer to be in their own bubbles. Daydreaming of a life more exotic and fantastical than that of their elders was not uncommon, herself and her sister taking up various forms of art. Her sister would take a big interest in digital design and science simultaneously, her eyes glued to monitors and equipment she'd earned as the older sibling through her work.
Sophie? She would gravitate more toward conventional and antiquated art, choosing to paint with a brush and other tools used to create snippets of worlds that were not her own. Still images she could imagine moving when she closed her eyes. Idealistic, at least for the time and place.
Growing up she'd regularly back-and-forth with her parents ideals as they believed in a simple path. Militaristic, formal and regimented. Regularly dismissive of both their children for not following in their footsteps. Arguments, shouting and cheap verbal jabs throughout her educational years wore her down over time, yet she remained determined to live her own life. Maturity seemed a strong suit. Some obligations could not be avoided however, which would result in earlier flight training than usual. Even there she'd be mocked, a victim due to the nepotism which while counter to the blows she'd come to with her parents, would at least grant this benefit as their occupations both involved Compiegne Naval Academy in some way. It would serve as the vessel for her practice and tutoring as it were not far from her abode.
Her father was a veteran Naval pilot, and her mother an engineer who specialised in the very ships he'd fly. Sophie on the other hand, wished to be anywhere else, even if the nebulous surrounding hues were of great inspiration to her hobby and fuelled her creations. It kept her going through those years into early adulthood. It would be this love for the unknown and make-believe that'd drive her. Yet nothing could have prepared her for what would come in the year 832AS.
It'd begin with a training exercise, led by her familial elders and fellow recruits.
One fateful patrol: 832AS
What started as a regular exercise took them deeper this time, past the gates of Gallia and the guarded Languedoc - Tau-23 connection, into the asteroid-infested fields where the miners went about their business, though they seemed more skittish than usual. It'd just so happen that criminal activity was over-extending that day, scouting possible disturbances just beyond their own front door. The training patrol would catch sight of this, and Sophie's parents, unwilling despite their differences to put their own blood in too much hot water, ordered a sharp turn away from their scanners. Overstretching? Perhaps, though it'd not been the first time that they were willing to be so reckless and step outside Gallic borders. Their numbers this time however, far smaller, and criminal abundance far greater.
They'd be chased, not quick enough and the gates back to Gallia still some distance away. This had been Sophie's first real encounter with danger, up until now it'd been through enactments and theatrics from fellow Naval personnel, their experience doing much to accurately play out scenario's that the Navy may face. No meetings, drills or speeches could prepare them for this.
In seconds they'd been caught and overwhelmed. Why it was thought that the dangers of borderworld space would be appropriate for inexperienced Navy recruits was anyone's guess yet usually such aggression was kept at bay. A cacophany of bad timing and a shortage of personnel whether Gallic or otherwise. In a flash, what few friends Sophie had made in her time were wiped out. Screams and prayer cluttering the comms from those in their last moments before obliteration. These would echo in Sophie's ears for years to come.
Alas, she was also hit repeatedly. Her parents could be heard ordering retreat as they finally reached the restricted Languedoc gate, filing through. Sophie however was not in good shape. Stunned by the sheer forces hitting her hull so unprepared, she finally made it back through though everything was on fire, the jump itself doing little to aid the state of it. The heat licked every wall, corner and electrical system. Adrenaline kicked in, allowing her shaking hands to fly in some sort of miraculous dive for Nimes Station. As if fate were smiling on her specifically, emergency clearance was given and she'd crash into the docking bay. Alive, but unconscious.
Aftermath: 832-834AS
Sophie woke up in the hospital quarter. Was it all a dream? Reality would set in fast as she tried to speak, her eyes half-open to see her family by her side. Try would be the keyword, as it became clear that her voice would not escape its box, her body still recovering. She'd been burned across one side of her body, permanently scarring her. She'd been out nearly a week via induced coma while surgeons attempted to operate on the worst-hit parts of her upper self.
It'd take months, even years of physio and practice to relearn basic actions though her tone remained hindered due to weakness and would to the present day. A constant reminder of the trauma she'd endured.
Her ship would be rebuilt not so long after recovery, no longer needing the use of the almost prison-like academy quarters, mirroring that of Sophie's mind. However, justice would seemingly never be served in the expanse of space where people can disappear so easily. In that time Sophie would immerse herself in her art even further, mourning the loss of her friends and sleepless nights would accompany the sadness. It was clear she was not made for an occupation such as this, though she did enjoy flying. Time would go some way to curing the worst, yet her scars would forever embellish her skin despite the best efforts of those that operated on her.
An unlikely encounter: 835AS
Alas, life would go on. In search of answers that the Navy would still not give. Abusing her familial connections in some crazed hope of finding those that were responsible, she'd obtain permission to patrol further out despite her family's protest. Delusional yet determined, it'd allow her to see the sights again to inspire herself at the same time. It'd come at the price of distancing herself from her remaining family, always being away from home and unable to look them in the eyes with her physical ailments and the anger of there never being closure. Choosing to live in her ship and a room she'd rented in Freeport 10.
She'd spend much of it aboard her ship, her small place becoming more like that of a storage unit, though she'd hide where she was truly living. Via the passage of time and her art she developed compassion, wishing to learn why people are who they are, and not what they could be capable of. It was her way to cope, by vowing to never be like those that caused her so much suffering. Her mannerisms and speech patterns would develop from this very cause. Of course, none of it befitting of a Gallic Naval pilot.
One day on a lonesome patrol through Tau-29, she'd stumble across two Bundschuh who were clearly far from home, and a Maquis pilot. Instinctively she sat forward, scanners glowing red from his presence. After exchanging scolding words with the Bundschuh pilots, they vacated leaving her alone with who she initially saw as a suspect. However, no bloodshed would occur that day. The two began to converse and it became obvious that their goals were more aligned than could ever have been imagined. A mundane objective perhaps to simply want to prosper, but one most important to them both. They exchanged names, and vowed to meet again someday.
This alone had given much for Sophie to consider on top of all that she'd been through. Was she on the right path? Was this the life she wanted? Would the Navy really help her find the answers she wanted now that vengeance felt pointless? Would closure even lead to solace? Sophie spent days in deep thought. She needed a way out. The Navy would never forgive such transgressions either.
A new dawn
Days would pass with little more happening besides a conversation with a member of the GNI, and assistance with escorting GMS miners in Tau-23. It was honest work, netting her some extra credits to one day enact her plan. To leave, and go her own way. Logistics be damned, she wanted out entirely.
Finally as if by chance, she came across the very same Maquis pilot in the same system that she'd gazed upon much. The very same one she'd developed some strange stockholm syndrome toward. Independent miners were present and the stand-off was tense. A Golden Chrysanthemum would appear and distract the miners, yet a Brigand who was also present and would verbally spar with Sophie, again coming close to bloodshed until...she told the truth of her wishes in a desperate attempt to see out her days and stave off the threat.
It worked.
An Outcast would also make themselves known, somehow sympathising with her cause, them too valuing the prosperity of their family over selfish goals. However, it was obvious by now that being a Gallic Navy pilot was inadmissible given these circumstances where enemies could not be enemies. Sophie did not wish to fight, only to free herself. That day everything changed. Possibilities far more numerous than the ideals of those that any pilot would be in employment of. She'd act sooner than intended purely out of necessity. She'd be a deserter. A freelancer going it alone instead.
She promised those that were assisting with transfer of her remaining belongings after her escape, some of which still left behind, that she'd contact them once she was settled. She'd told them of her home on Gallia but this was a lie, just for security. She'd been preparing for a while in small steps.
Her black box would be forever switched off and jettisoned as she made her way to Barrier Gate, Coronado, a place she was told that people would often use to disappear. Leaving her Lynx behind and loading everything into a temporary vessel, she headed back through Gallia discreetly via jump-holes toward Monte Carlo Freeport. She bought a Sunbeam, something more familiar to her and exited for the last time via Zurich. She'd not look back even for a second.
Upon reaching Cologne, she breathed a sigh of relief. For now. Danger was far from over and she continued onward toward Liberty's independent borderworlds, but any chance of being identified by Gallic forces, or its enemies were at least far slimmer. She'd also need to find a new place to live which would not be easy, but at least survival was on the table.
Upon landing at Bristol Bay Station, Bering, her next step would be to contact her new unlikely acquaintances and inform them that she was safe for the moment, and to arrange a meeting to retrieve her remaining items of value. Sophie placed a lot of trust in them, after all.
