Kyla Emmerich

## Biography

Kyla was born on Valhalla, Aymifa to a lower-middle class, and somewhat dysfunctional family. Her mother was barely scraping by and her father spent most of her life disappointed in her.

Kyla signed up to the Pilots Federation Academy when she was 17, defying her father's wishes for her to go to the University of Valhalla to study in accounting. While she had a keen eye for numbers, her desire for adventure among the stars, combined with her lack of interest in sitting behind a desk had her graduating with her pilots license a year later.

Her father left her mother for another woman shortly before she graduated, leaving Kyla in the difficult position of trying to help her mother cope with the financial stress, having just had a baby boy, and trying to make a name for herself among the Bubble. She spent several months tirelessly running data and small deliveries in her Sidewinder, *Beginner's Luck* before she was able to finally purchase her first real ship - a second hand, run-down Adder which she appropriately named *Chump Change.*

The Adder was able to net her a more steady income, but it was still barely enough for her to cover the costs of operating the ship and helping her mother and young brother. This caused her to live her life in constant stress, despite the relative safety of the Imperial star systems she typically flew in.

Finally, facing losing her house, Kyla's mother contracted herself into voluntary servitude, announcing it as Kyla came home for her brother's second birthday. This move devastated Kyla, and prompted her to seek other, more lucrative means of income. She flew off to the more ruckus regions of Federation space, beginning her smuggling career.

Her first taste of the large money came from Kremainn, where she smuggled a shipment of Onionhead into a small backwater system near the heart of Aisling Duval space, a region known for their staunch attitudes against narcotics of any kind.

Kyla enjoyed the rush of smuggling and the thrill of nearly being caught, but she was always morally conflicted with what she was doing, knowing deep inside that a lot of her deliveries were indirectly affecting the lives of many people. Her desire to get her mother out of servitude outweighed her guilty conscience, however, and her proficiency as a smuggler became recognized among fences.

Eventually she was able to afford her current ship, a Cobra MKIII named *Moon Shot,* and was able to cut her mother's contract in half using the increased income her new ship brought her.

Kyla's life as a smuggler, while paying well, was not without its stresses. After a series of traumatic events, Kyla decided to take a break away from the Bubble, choosing to fly off to the newly established Colonia sector, some 22,000 light years away from home.

The isolation of her trip took its toll on Kyla's mental health. She started slowly descending into madness only 1,000 light years out, causing her to hear things and have conversations with inanimate objects, and driving her into a deep depression. She only made it as far as the Eagle Nebula, 5,000 light years from home, stopping at Amundsen Terminal and catching a transport back to the Bubble. Kyla spent several weeks back home with her family before venturing out again to continue her life as a smuggler.

## Personality

Kyla projects herself as a cheeky and sarcastic woman, most of which is a front she uses to hide her deep insecurities, though she often appears as cold and closed off to people. She is suspicious of new people, especially if they approach her unexpectedly. She tends to be quite antagonistic toward people she is unsure of.

For the most part, she prefers to keep to herself, occasionally making stops back at Aymifa to see her family. She has few friends outside of her home system as she finds it difficult to make significant connections with people outside of business.

She cares a lot for her family, helping her mother and brother out where she can. When no one is looking, she is a complete mummy's girl during her visits to Aymifa and she adores her brother, Jared above all else. Deep down, she hopes he chooses a quiet life on Valhalla so that he can be around for her mother when she can't be.

## Sold Ships

* Adder - *Chump Change*
* Sidewinder - *Beginner's Luck*