Government Name: Suroka Yoshida Country of Origin: Japan, Hokkaido City of Origin: Sapporo Age: 34 Height: 5'10 Weight: 156 Assigned Job: Captain, Ship 3 Years of Service: 12 Resume:
University of Sapporo (Previously Hokkaido) - 2184 - 2188 (4 years) Integrated Engineering Major (Summa c** Laude)
Pilots Program - 2189 - 2189 (1 year) Rank Achieved: Pilot-In-Waiting
International Space Alliance 2190 - 2197 (7 years)
From a young age, Suroka most wanted to travel into the outer reaches of the galaxy. Earth had began to decay, and the pollution had reached even out to the fields of Sapporo, where she was born and raised. Her mother passed away giving birth, handing the responsibility of caring for her elderly father and the domestic tasks around the Yoshida farm to Suroka from the day she was born.
From what was known, her mother was a warm and kind soul, who was fit to be a mother by most of those who knew her. Yoshida Osamu, her father, was a stern, but loving man, who had no knowledge of how to be a father to a young lady, but he did the best he could in a dying world. Though crops were failing, he used every bit of money that he could to provide formula and clothing for his little girl. It wasn't much, but the experience toughened up both father and daughter, and by only a few months they were inseparable. Growing up as almost a complete tomboy, Suroka worked tirelessly on the farm, even as a child, whether it was outside, or inside the small family dwelling.
She was taller than most girls her age in the small village, and even though she was ridiculed for her height, she was always able to respond in kind with joke, sometimes harsh, sometimes witty. Though it bothered her, her strength was a resource. She could help with physical tasks easily, though there were times where she wished she was more lithe, feminine and petite. Her favorite time was when the work day had completed, and her and the elder Yoshida would go to the top of the hill overlooking their farm and watch the stars. The young girl always wished she could reach out and grab them -- the galaxy seemed so alive, so vibrant, so full of color. And yet on Earth crops died, and with so much technology there was hardly a reason for farmers like them anymore. It was clear that in a few years, labor would be entirely replaced by machines, and even in the most rural of areas, there would be nothing left. But those moments of solace were the ones that would drive her to be successful.
On her 17th birthday, her father Osamu passed. Saddened, but resolute, Suroka attended the traditional Shinto funeral for her father, and the promptly sold the farm. She knew that in his dying days, the elder Yoshida was aware of the decline of their family business. He begged her to go into the stars and fulfill her dream to be an astronaut. Utilizing the money gained from the sale of the farm, she took up her favored skill -- engineering, attending the University of Sapporo, Haiketsu School of Engineering. She was coarse, rough, and somewhat cold at first, but soon she'd won the favor of both classmates and professors, and at the age of 24, she graduated with honors, with dreams of becoming one of the female astronauts who would build and fly ships, find new materials to create buildings and habitats for other people.
This dream was crushed by two devastating events, both which would lead her to a life of crime to fulfill her dreams. After school, Suroka joined the Pilots Program, a flight program that simulated gravitational pulls and conditions of other atmospheres for Space Travel. It was a controversial program, but the young girl was determined to boost her resume and make it into the elite programs. The people who participated were essentially test pilots, experimenting with and engineering new crafts for travel. Though she was near the end of her funds from selling the farm, she spent countless hours studying and logging flight hours, exhausting herself on the construction and improvement of spacecraft.
The day came for the Final Exam, where Pilots were required to pilot a low-atmosphere, high gravity vehicle in air, through obstacles and simulated combat. This was the first run of this version of the test, but all signs pointed to success -- in trials there was an over 98% success rate with no injury. When it was Suroka's turn to pilot, no one doubted that she'd easily clear the course and pass the program, but it was not to be. Due to a still unknown error, her craft failed to initiate flight, and before leaving the landing strip she tumbled back to earth, the explosion from the crash grievously wounding her and leaving her ineligible to pass the test.
Those who had highly acclaimed her at the UOS were not present for her escort to the hospital, nor at her side when she woke up. The fellow pilots she had worked with at the Program also did not come to her side...it had been rumored that they were jealous of her drive -- but she never wished to believe such things were possible. The possibility of tampering with her craft also game up in the days following the crash.
Nevertheless, the beautiful blonde was rushed to Sapporo Medical, where the diagnoses was crushing as it was bleak. Both of her slender legs had been broken in the crash, and she would be unable to walk for at least a year. Medicine had advance to have recovery times be much faster, but in this case, her entire legs were shattered to little more than an array of pieces. Filled with bruises, bone spurs and strained ligaments, it would be a long and harsh recovery.
With no one by her side, she became bitter. Not a card, not a letter. Those who had claimed to be her friends had completely forgotten about her, likely viewing her as only competition. Worse yet...how would she ever fly again?
The strong, independent woman spent her hours huddled up in her hospital bed, her beautiful legs shattered and in pain, crying into her silken pillow night after night, her only company being the nurses and her old pictures of home she often took with her.
Rehab went on for months, and she spent what time she did have tinkering with various hospital apparatus, reading technical manuals and keeping her knowledge sharp. After a painstaking eight months of virtual isolation, she emerged from rehabilitation permanently scarred but forever resolute. The once sober and intellectual woman now turned to liquor whenever she could find a person to smuggle it for her. She promised herself the next friends she would make, if any, would be true. But she'd lost a piece of humanity inside of that hospital, and anger and bitterness still controlled her impulse.
Out of money, and unable to do what she loved -- going to space, she began to enter the illegal trade of parts and weapons in the local Sapporo area. She created guns, grenades, launchers and lasers, modified and enhanced engines, along with gears and tanks that could help athletes and pilots gain the edge on other competitors.
She began to gain the trust of the underworld, but she never truly made friends again. Her easygoing country demeanor simply hid the intentions of a hustler. The word was out, get close to Suroka, whether lover or customer (unclear which was both sometimes) you were going to get used, hurt, or wrapped up in something horrific. Her honeyed voice held weight in the streets, and for some time, she put away her need to flying and lived a relax antebellum lifestyle, fishing and inventing with her illegally gained funds.
From time to time she'd have to pick up and move to another area, or fight against those who thought she owed them something. But the tall drink of water was not to be trifled with, she was a skilled engineer, capable of wielding multiple weapon types. Approaching her mid thirties, she wanting to escape the barren, crime ridden landscape Japan had become. became to tire of the fast life however, and all the money in the world couldn't stop Suroka from wishing to achieve her dream of reaching the stars.
As pollution and crisis became worse, she again thought of escape, her father, and how to best look out for herself.
Utilizing her significant pull in her home city, she was able to extort the legal system into expunging her felony convictions from her record, as well as forging her medical history, erasing the gruesome record of her injury. The only problem -- she could never again return to Hokkaido if she was accepted to the program.
Reluctantly, she agreed to the terms, though she'd certainly thought of bending them. She was middle aged, had a criminal past, multiple enemies and hard-to-kick drinking problem. There was nothing left for her there but broken memories and faded promise. She visited both the land her family once owned and her parents graves a final time, leaving a white lily on each piece of the shrine.
Little did she know she'd never see Hokkaido, or Japan, ever again.
With that, she made her way to America to participate in the inception of the International Space Alliance and assist on project "New Venus." Joining the team as a lowly engineer,, she completed a challenging array of physical and mental tests to work her way past the internship level. To her colleagues she could be jovial, charming, motherly and funny, but once her eyes got the "Suroka Stare" as they called it, she was ready to work.
Her nights considered of a bottle of cheap liquor (strictly forbade at the ISA HQ, but never caught), and book upon book on the interspacial engineering. As assistant to the Head Engineer she worked on Organic Displacement devices and the outer structure of ships. Her performance was so stellar that she ascended to the rank of Head Engineer in only seven years, an accomplishment only done once at ISA.
Despite her drive and advancements she struggled with physical pain, depression and drinking. She knew that space was her dream,and her last hope....but to what end? The things that were taken from her could not be gained by mere accomplishment. But she would keep pushing.
After completely seven successful years she was given a shot of vitality when the Commander in Chief of the ISA requests forty-eight of the finest women from across the world to journey to Terra IV. To her surprise she was selected as the head of a band of supply traders as their leader. She quickly took to the puggish rogues, and for weeks leading up to the launch, she was often jokingly called the Mother to the crew of young girls.
Though she still had to live with the lies of her crimes and past, as well as the addiction to both painkiller and alcohol, her performance had never been affected by those endeavors. But she most certainly was not prepared to find herself trapped, stranded or in danger for her life.
Unfortunately, the nightmares would return.
〖 FILE 3: PERSONAL 〗
Her main personality is very greedy and after monetary goals, but she has a honeyed, sweet side. It's hidden underneath her bitterness and cold nature about her past. Deep down, she wants someone to reach out and care about her, but her seemingly high confidence masks the fragile girl beneath.
〖 FILE 4: COMBAT 〗
AIKIDO - Skilled in the Art of Japanese wrestling. She's much larger than most other women and can easily throw them around if given the opportunity. Her physical strength allows for tackles, pins, take downs and a variety of throws that manipulate the body weight of her opponent easily. She doesn't hesitate to use physical force when she feel threatened, though she'd rather smooth talk her way out of a conflict.
GRENADES/ BOMBWORK - She is highly skilled with creating explosives out of nothing. Can make a grenade out of something as simple as an apple or household device.
TECH SKILL - A highly sought after engineer, Suroka is capable of manipulating technology to her will, able to rewire and reconfigure base programs. She is also able to disable and shutdown certain types of machinery. The Terra IV mission utilized technology that she wasn't fully briefed on, so she's a bit less knowledgeable on that end.
GUNS, GUNS, GUNS - She loves guns, being a country girl. Able to wield and shoot a variety of weapons and use them in combat.
〖 FILE 5: QUIRKS 〗
"I AIN'T TALL!"
She's tender about her height. Being taller than most women, it doesn't take much to agitate her easy going personality with jabs about her height. "I DO DECLARE"
She has the desire to be more feminine deep down, but doesn't show it in her somewhat hardened personality.
"....THE FARM, N DADDY"
She misses her family, and deeply wanted to start one of her own. Unfortunately the trauma from the accident made that next to impossible, so being obsessed with space and the mission was her only true focus.
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