Vivian Ashford

== Vivian Ashford ==
Vivian Ashford was an American social worker, volunteer, political activist, and rebel militant covertly active with the Hartford Liberators. Ashford, who came from a tumultuous urban setting, was known within her circles for her resourcefulness, adaptability, and intelligence in dealing with and mitigating problems, especially among people. While working as a volunteer and community outreach organizer in Seaboard-occupied Connecticut, Ashford was also a covert operative for the Liberator movement.
== Life Before Seaboard ==
Born in Harlem, New York, Ashford's early life was plagued by economic hardship and urban struggles. As a teenager, she grew resourceful both socially and skill-wise as a way to navigate and hopefully ascend from her way of life. Ashford performed well in school despite her day-to-day life, and received a scholarship for and was accepted into Tufts University in Boston. Ashford moved to Boston as a student in 2016 and attended university for three semesters until the Jinanvirus put a halt to all in-person education.
As the virus grew, Ashford returned to Harlem with her family. Through 2018, the state of the country continued to grow more dire. Ashford anticipated correctly that urban centers would be hit the hardest and that surviving in one would be difficult. She fled Manhattan after stocking up on many different books and went upstate to the Adirondack mountains. Ashford persevered through the summer and early fall as a nomad, but settled on a rural farm ranch in the mountains, working for the owner. She grew close with the owners of the property, and despite her urban upbringing, quickly adapted to the new way of life.
In 2021, Ashford left her home base as she believed the Seaboard-American war would come to the homestead. This was partially true, though Ashford had relocated to Boston, Massachusetts before it would happen. While there, Ashford linked back up with surviving friends of hers from her time at Tufts University.
== Growth in Activism ==
When Ashford began to public work again, she was pleased that the relatively stable government of the area, which had been untouched by war, had a high favorability for social work and common welfare programs. However, as the war progressed, resources were continuously diverted from these programs to bolster Seaboard's military. At the same time, mass-surveillance grew. These things, among others, began to concern Ashford, and she became an outspoken critic, organizing rallies, protests, and public action groups against such policies. As the Liberator movement began, Ashford caught wind of it and began to popularize the message in Boston.
In early 2022, Ashford met Haley Porter, a Hartford Liberator and rebel who was not fully transparent with the extent of her involvement. Porter, working with Thomas Brant, emphasized compartmentalization and anonymity within the Liberators, and thus, worked extensively with Ashford but with limited information between them. Ashford was a much needed resource for both Porter and Brant due to her social influence, outreach programs, and connections in Boston and the greater New England area.
== Work for the Liberators ==
Into 2024, Ashford became more aware of the extent of Porter's rather extreme measures as a liberator. Ashford was initially hesitant, but many rash and growingly autocratic decisions made by the Seaboard government made Ashford believe that more drastic actions were required for change. She went with Porter in the late autumn of 2024 to the mountains of New York along with a growing team of aspiring Liberators. They trained extensively in guerilla operations and marksmanship.
In the summer of 2025, Ashford, who by then was well revered by her peers, volunteered for Operation Parable.