Talia Hellion

Talia Hellion is a Dragoon loyal to the Alpha Clan. She was a member of Aether Squad, Phoenix Squad, then served as a member of Raven Squad in Darheel. She is currently a member of the Recon Division, serving in Crow Squad.
== Early Life ==
Being a member of the Great Family Hellion, Talia's childhood was one filled with privilege. Despite the privilege, her childhood was not one filled with innocence. Her mother died giving birth to her, and her father died when she was nine years old fighting in Operation Diomedes.
After her father died, guardianship was transferred to her father's sister and her husband, Silas Hellion. Although Talia was happy to be living with her cousin, Lina, she was still distraught by the death of her father. Talia had a very rough relationship with her uncle, often getting into verbal confrontations with him. It was clear that raising her was an obligation he wanted no part of, and he would verbally abuse her about how she won't amount to anything. This attributed to her developing a very jaded attitude towards him and the family, but it also drove her to work harder at the Academy. Despite the rocky relationship with her aunt and uncle, she maintained a close friendship with Lina.
She befriended Flynn Kirkland early on at the Academy, developing a very intimate friendship with him.
== Alpha Clan Service ==
She graduated the Academy with honors, much to her uncle's surprise. She requested to be assigned to a combat unit, being shipped to the Western Reach and joining Aether Squad of Winter Company, 26th Battalion. Silas was disappointed at the decision, as he finally began to respect Talia based on her accomplishments at the Academy.
=== Western Reach/Aether Squad ===
26th Battalion was primarily responsible for safe guarding corporate trade routes and factories in the Western Reach. Aether Squad, along with the rest of Winter Company, were tasked with keeping the roads between Ralpur and Kolkata secure for corporate caravans.
While not being the best team player or following orders to the tee, Talia proved herself as a capable warrior. Fueled by the animosity for her uncle, she was focused and precise when in combat. Aether's sergeant, Roy Kvilhaug, noted that Talia was quite the soldier but her focus was so strong that she would stop listening.
After several conflicts between squad members in the field, Kvilhaug requested that Talia be transferred out of the unit. Talia found out about the request, and the squad was disappointed when the request was denied. Animosity between her and the rest of the squad began to build due to the failed request, and it began to show when they were on assignment.
Kvilhaug would issue another request after a short amount of time, but this time it was approved.
=== Phoenix Squad ===
When Jeremy Bloomer was given his own squad, Silas saw a political opportunity for his family. As a respected warlord, he made a strong suggestion to the Bloomers to transfer Talia to Jeremy's new squad. He believed serving alongside the future chieftain would be beneficial for Talia in the long run. With Kvilhaug's second request coinciding with the creation of Jeremy's squad, Talia was transferred to the squad.
Encouraged by now fighting alongside familiar faces, Talia's attitude naturally changed. In Phoenix Squad she bonded with her squad and worked with them quite efficiently.
==== Northern Reach/Western Reach ====
Phoenix Squad joined Idol Company (led by Hauptmann Marble) of 12th Battalion (led by Warlord Cao). There they were assigned to help suppress uprisings and rebellions in the Northern Reach. They fought with the company and battalion into the Western Reach over the course of almost a decade.
For the most part, the squad was kept off the front lines and given easy tasks to accomplish. While Jeremy Bloomer and Abesamis were oblivious to this treatment, the rest of the squad secretly felt insulted and began to feel some contempt for Bloomer. While Kirkland began to express his concerns, Talia quietly encouraged the rest of the squad to simply remain supportive and do their jobs.
==== Battle of Patna ====
The Battle of Patna was the first real engagement that Jeremy Bloomer was put into a front line position. Bloomer's incompetence as a leader led to the death of Daniel Abesamis, also a member of Phoenix Squad and one of Jeremy's closest friends. When the death of Abesamis mentally crippled Jeremy, Kirkland took control and led the squad further into battle. Although Jeremy took credit for the squad's performance, those within the squad acknowledge that Kirkland was responsible for the squad's success.
After the battle, Jeremy Bloomer was pulled off the front lines and brought back to Founder's Mesa. Talia and the rest of the squad assumed Kirkland would be promoted to the sergeant. When it was announced that the squad would be dissolved and Kirkland would be shipped to the Shah Province, Talia was heartbroken: The Shah Campaign had devolved into a chaotic mess, and she feared for Kirkland's safety.
Talia, on the other hand, was transferred to Raven Squad, where she would join her cousin, Lina.
=== Raven Squad ===
==== Darheel ====
In Darheel, Raven Squad helped reinforce and stabilize the region. Talia served quietly, trying to find the positives in her situation while worrying about the well being of her friends in Shah.
While bonding with Lina, she eventually catches on to Lina's affair with one of their contracted freelancers, Markus Watkins. Soon after, Talia would confront Lina and advise her to put an end to the romance. Lina makes Talia swear not to tell anyone. Talia keeps her mouth shut, but she constantly tells Lina she should end the affair.
Eventually, Lina's affair is quietly discovered by others in the company when Lina becomes pregnant. Silas, finding it unacceptable and shameful for a Dragoon of Lina's heritage to birth a Human child, secretly plots with other Alpha officers (including Warlord Gray and Hauptmann Spaniol) to force Lina into aborting the fetus. He also brings in Krius and tasks him with executing Markus. The plan went south, however, as Krius ends up killing Lina and Markus escapes. Pheobe Durant is also killed in the incident.
With her cousin dead and another squad dissolved, Talia is once again heartbroken. Although she doesn't have concrete proof, she suspects her uncle Silas of being involved somehow. Silas's ongoing attempt at repairing their relationship is put to an end with Talia refusing to talk to him or acknowledge him in any social capacity.
Due to possible trauma, she is offered an administrative position in Founder's Mesa to take her off the front lines. Knowing the position would bring her physically closer to her uncle, she declines. Instead, she is transferred to the newly created Recon Division.
=== Recon Division ===
Talia and the other candidates for the Recon division were all called back to Founder's Mesa for an accelerated training session for the new division. Instead of the traditional squad and company formation, the new division would take a different take. On paper the Alpha Dragoons would still belong to a five-member squad within a company, but in practice the Dragoons would go out into the field wither solo or with a single partner.
After completing the training, Talia joined Kirkland and Mercedes Ruiz in Crow Squad. They were shipped to the Northern Reach and assigned to be supervised by Hauptmann Konstantine Curze. There, Talia stayed at the HQ and worked as Kirkland's and Ruiz's technical analyst and intelligence officer. She also served as the liaison to Curze and Alpha leadership while Kirkland and Ruiz were in the field.
=== Invasion of Roommenor ===
Crow Squad was recalled to Founder's Mesa for the final preparations for the Invasion of Roommenor. Talia, with Crow Squad, were among the first boots on the ground.
After the Invasion Line is formed, Crow Squad was assigned to support the Queen's Guard in battle. They did so successfully, with the Queen's Guard taking limited casualties against the insurgents.
Things would take a turn when Kirkland went out of his way to try to make things right with the widow of a member of the Queen's Guard. Kirkland felt responsible for his death, and he took the widow into the field to find the man's body. Talia reluctantly assisted, but constantly warned him of the possible consequences. Kirkland went down in the field, and Talia helped the widow leave the field.
Talia returned the day later and found Kirkland barely holding on to life. Knowing the Alpha Clan would severely punish Kirkland for his actions, she decided to protect him. She managed to get Kirkland back to Claire's (the widow) home to be rehabilitated. When it became clear Kirkland was going to be permanently handicapped, she helped Claire smuggle Kirkland back to the Northern Continent.
Talia continued serving on Roommenor for some time, until Crow Squad and most of the Recon Division was recalled back to Founder's Mesa.
== Assault on the Ivory Tower ==
Unbeknownst to most of the Alpha Clan, Chieftain Jeremy Bloomer and Malkeris had a falling out following an attempt on Elaine Galad's life. Osprey, having recently discovered the code inside of him to remove the Guardian's directive to kill Dragoons, reached out to Jeremy. Soon after, they agree to peace terms and unite against Malkeris.
Along with the majority of the Recon Division and Alpha Clan, Talia marched with the united forces on the Ivory Tower. After fighting through many of the creatures and experiments created by Malkeris, the united forces faced the Omega Clan. The united forces continued to take losses, but Talia held her own.
The united forces are ultimately successful, and Talia survives the battle.
== Road to Armistice ==
With Malkeris defeated, the united forces turned their attention on the Zealots. When Jeremy and Osprey discuss reaching out to White Horse, Talia strongly advises against it. Despite her plea, they go ahead and do it anyway. Crow Squad accompanied Field Marshal McQuade to the Hunan Summit as his security detail, where McQuade would invite White Horse into the alliance with Cassandra Volice's support. Crow Squad, along with other Alpha Clan and Guardian units, would remain close and support their new allies during the brief White Horse civil war.
She is present and fights during the Battle of Lons. As the battle began to swing against the united forces, she was knocked unconscious by an explosion. She woke up after the battle inside the alliance's forward base, unaware of who pulled her to safety. 
Despite her condition and medics suggesting she rest, she suits up and heads back out for the Second Battle of Lons. She manages to survive, almost passing out a few times due to her head injury.
After the united forces claim victory and the two sides agree to an armistice, she finally begins to take the recommended rest.
== Post-Armistice ==
When she's physically up to the task, she speaks directly with Jeremy and requests a leave of absence. When Jeremy inquires about the reason, Talia shamelessly reveals the truth about Kirkland: He did not die, and she helped take him to safety. Rather than respond in anger, Jeremy is actually revealed his old friend is alive. He not only grants Talia's request, but tells her to inform Kirkland that he is more than welcome to rejoin the clan.
Before she leaves she also speaks with Castor Bryant, who had also disappeared and resurface with Wayne and the marshals. Castor asks about Kirkland, and she brings Castor up to date. Having left each other on bad terms years before, Castor asks Talia to tell Kirkland that he wishes him the best and hopes to see him again.
Talia packs up sets out on her own to the Northern Reach.