Leona Peshlakai

Leona Peshlakai was an American teacher, educator, survivalist, and mercenary who became known as a member of Matthew Castillo's Los Salvajes after the Great Collapse.

## Early Life

Peshlakai was born in Phoenix, AZ, to an estranged Navajo mother and Ray, an African-American father in the late 1970s. Her life in the urban sprawl was notably different than that of her mother's early life, and Peshlakai's father was often absent in her childhood. Despite learning a broken-form of Navajo, Peshlakai grew up rather disconnected from her familial roots, seldom visiting her relatives. As she grew older, she became more interested in music, nature, and community, becoming a rather academic student through school.

In her late teens or early twenties, Peshlakai returned to her family's hometown, Tuba City, Arizona. She hoped to provide education and support for the disenfranchised Navajo communities, helping to lead them towards a path of sustainability. She attained a bachelors degree, and briefly worked as a teacher. In 2005, she joined the Peace Corps, staying in Uganda for two years and learning the local language. She later returned to Tuba City to resume work as a survivalist educator and teacher in her home nation.

## Life Changes During the Great Collapse

When the Jinanvirus spread through the US, the Navajo nation was hit particularly hard. Despite her attempts to help alleviate the situation in the beginning of the outbreak, her community began to turn against itself as resources grew scarce. When the education system crumbled, she was left without an occupation, followed by the death of many of her extended family members. She became nomadic, using her skills as a survivalist to help her wander the region.

Peshlakai had at least a couple of violent encounters with aggressors in the four-corners region that led her to adopt a survival by necessity philosophy, where she sought out any means necessary to continue living in the post-collapse world. She left the destabilized region and left north to Salt Lake City, Utah, which housed the local governing center for the state in the Phoenix Union. She lived there for a few years, but grew remorseful when it came to what she saw as the government's over-exerting and exploitative treatment of the native people in the Phoenix Union. While learning about the rise of Seaboard, she saw the proto-state as both inspiring and frightening.

Peshlakai returned to the Navajo Nation in early 2023, and ended up traveling to Shiprock, a relatively powerful and independent Navajo town. There, she met Matthew Castillo, a notorious mercenary and Army veteran. After being acquainted with him, he offered for her to join his side, deeming her skills valuable. Peshlakai, though she showed respect to Castillo due to his status, had serious disagreements with him when it came to their praxis. However, Castillo seemingly strong-armed Peshlakai into joining his gang by declaring it so. Without other options, she followed suit.

## Member of Los Salvajes

Over the next two years, Peshlakai stayed by Castillo's side, and despite her abuse endured by Castillo in their tumultuous, one-sided relationship, Castillo put a great deal of trust in her. She quickly fell into line, effectively helping the mercenary leader carry out his deeds, especially as they began to work more extensively in the northeast. Peshlakai contributed greatly to Castillo's work, as he found her more approachable and convincingly sociable to outsiders. Peshlakai also developed a keen understanding of the region, including its flora, fauna, terrain, and weather, using it to their advantage while hunting targets. Peshlakai may've been victim to a sort of Stockholm Syndrome, or possibly staying by Castillo's side as she feared ramifications if she were to disobey his wishes.

Into 2025, Peshlakai helped form an undetected, observational post of the Krauss ranch, where she helped gather details about Brian Burnett and his company, which he was clearly training in preparation for a coup against Elaine Cocklin. During the attack in May, Peshlakai and other members of Los Salvajes helped defend the capitol, but more specifically, had intentions in capturing or neutralizing targeted SAACC troops, including Brian Burnett. After this, many of their Seaboard-listed targets escaped, and Castillo was intent on going after them, though Peshlakai remained ambivalent. Not only did she have suspicions about the team's ability to engage with such experienced targets in numbers, but she questioned the ethics of going after what was essentially a family. Castillo assured her that he had no intentions of harming Maria Burnett or her children. Regardless, Los Salvajes worked to track half of the Burnett clan down to northern Maryland. With the help of ally Joshua Carpenter, they split former sentinel Kyle Wald from the team by creating a false distraction. Peshlakai helped create an attack plan in the eastern wilderness, and she'd grown more confident due to Wald's separation. After the gang pinned Burnett and her clan down, Castillo shared brief dialogue with her, before the gang was ambushed by Wald, who returned far sooner than anticipated. Peshlakai helped secure the area, and their target clan was able to escape to Confederate territory out of their hands, but not before Castillo killed Jayden Harris.

After the matter, Peshlakai traveled to Connecticut with Castillo. They were informed that their contract for those retreating to Virginia had expired, and so Castillo redirected his attention towards the other half of the Burnett clan who was still in Harrisburg. Peshlakai became more concerned, and at that point, the numbers in their gang had dwindled. Julian Otero was previously killed by Jack Burnett, Kevin Trujillo had been killed by Wald, and Marco and Daniela Perez had seemingly severed ties with them after they went to Connecticut. Regardless, the two of them returned to Harrisburg, and Castillo accurately predicted that their targets would return to the Krauss ranch. While there, Peshlakai stayed on lookout as Castillo kidnapped Zoe Brooks, hoping to use her as leverage to lure out and systemically eliminate his targets, including SAACC Sergeant Leonardo Evans. Her, Castillo and Brooks converged at an abandoned rest lot off the highway, and Castillo made a call to Paul Coleman, hoping to break the Corporal's focus by putting Brooks in danger. Still on the call, Castillo intended to rape Brooks, but Peshlakai stopped him, sympathizing with the young girl and feeling that it was unnecessary and cruel. Castillo, without the rest of his gang and growing desperate, gave in to Peshlakai's wishes, but ordered her to return to the Krauss ranch and keep an eye on the others. While away, Castillo failed to kill Coleman, and instead, was wounded. Peshlakai and Castillo argued about their priorities, and finally both agreed to leave the gang be until they could become more prepared.

Peshlakai stayed in the Connecticut area while Castillo continued his lustful quest, providing help from the sidelines. In the beginning of the summer, she joined Castillo as they tracked Abel Clark, finding out that he'd been seeing a girl associated with the liberator cause- Chloe Anderson. They surprised Anderson and her mother by arriving unprompted at their apartment after Clark left, and Castillo quickly became threatening and merciless towards the teenage girl, hoping to get answers out of her. Yet again, Peshlakai stopped Castillo before he harmed Anderson further. This infuriated Castillo more, who took it as disobedience. However, their thoughts were cut short by Anderson's older brother unexpectedly revealing himself with a carbine. Seconds after, a group of militant liberators, who neither Anderson or Castillo had met, forced Peshlakai and her leader to submit due to their greater numbers and positioning. Peshlakai had no intentions of shooting her way out of the situation, and did as the liberator leader, Haley Porter, requested. Peshlakai and Castillo, after striking a rather one-sided deal that favored them, left the Andersons' residence.

After the matter, Castillo took out his frustration on Peshlakai. He gave her a final chance to prove her loyalty, and she stayed behind as Castillo joined Burnett in ambushing a disguised Seaboard arms transport. After squads of Seaboard troops chased Castillo and Burnett away, Peshlakai came to the transport, helping other liberators secure what they could of the shipment. After, a Los Salvajes member, Terrance Smalls, had met them after being back in New Mexico. As Castillo's hunger for vengeance shifted towards Abel Clark, Smalls and Peshlakai agreed to make a strategic exit from Castillo's grasp. Castillo was defeated by Clark and apprehended by Seaboard authorities briefly after, and Peshlakai and Smalls made no attempts to help or rescue their leader, who they viewed as reckless, dangerous, and wicked.