Jemine Caesar

## Biography

Jemine Caesar was born on the 23rd of April 3273 in the habitation module of an itinerant troupe of entertainers. Her mother Ellie, a classically trained dancer, would put on shows for the farming communities they visited on their homeworld, LHS 3447-A5. Jemine's father, Jed, was somewhat less talented, but did his best to support the family by reciting popular extracts from the works of William Shakespeare. He would also sell bio-med packs to the more injury-prone farm workers. It wasn't until years later that Jemine discovered the packs had no real medicinal value whatsoever.

They were a pathetic group, little more than common beggars, though the inhabitants of the towns they passed through described them in far less flattering terms; 'rogues', 'vagabonds' and 'ne-er-do-wells' were some of the more polite ones.

Even so, men are men wherever you go, and when darkness fell Jemine's mother would often be visited by lonely farmhands looking for a little extra entertainment. At a reasonable price, of course.

Shortly after Jemine's 16th birthday, her father picked up a young man hitch-hiking his way across the continent. The wanderer said his name was Caz. He and Jemine quickly became good friends. Caz was five years older than Jemine, and said he was going to the Sol system to make a name for himself on Earth. He was clever, confident and charming. Jemine was in awe of him, but her mother regarded him with suspicion.

As it turned out, she had good reason to be wary. Jemine was only 16. She was too young to fall in love, and Caz was too young to care. One thing led to another, and three months later Jemine told Caz that she was expecting his child. The next morning Jemine woke to find Caz had gone. Jemine was well aware of her father's violent temper, so she kept the pregnancy a secret until it began to show. If Caz had still been travelling with them, Jemine's father would have killed him.

Jemine's daughter Bekka was born in the same habitation module as Jemine had been, and quickly grew into the very image of her grandmother. Their simple life went on very much as it had before. Bekka's childhood was spent in grinding poverty, roaming around the country watching her mother and grandparents eking out an existence in the only way they knew.

Then, towards the end of the year 3300, two events happened that changed Jemine's life forever.

First, her beautiful Bekka fell victim to a mystery illness. Bekka's deterioration was mercifully quick, for Jemine could do little to ease the terrible pain Bekka endured each day. When the family finally managed to get her to a doctor it was already too late. Bekka died aged only ten. The doctor told Jemine the disease was caused by a rare and particularly malevolent virus only passed down through the male line.

The second event came like a bolt from the blue, in the form of a letter from Bekka's father, Caz. In the letter, Caz told Jemine he had managed to carve out a comfortable life for himself on Earth, and wanted her to join him there. Whilst he had been unable to afford the fare for Jemine on a passenger vessel, Caz had somehow arranged for a Sidewinder to be waiting for her at Trevithick Dock, together with a course of basic flying lessons. Jemine's parents encouraged her to accept the offer, insisting it was a golden opportunity to escape from a miserable life. So, with very mixed feelings, Jemine made her way to Trevithick Dock, took possession of the Sidewinder, and set out on her journey to find Caz.

## Personality

In the absence of any formal education as a child, Jemine was taught to read and write by her parents, Ellie and Jed. This meant that she grew up with very little knowledge of the 'verse at large, and left her with only the most basic understanding of politics, science and human history. As a result, Jemine's naivety has often left her bewildered by things that most people seem to take for granted. She does, however, harbour a hatred towards the Empire for the part it played in the cloning of her deceased daughter, Bekka. The discovery that Jemine's real father, Edward Harvard, was himself an Imperial citizen is something that Jemine has had to come to terms with.

Fun-loving and warm-hearted, Jemine is prone to flirting with anyone she finds attractive. Her prostitute background gave her the legacy of a somewhat casual attitude towards sex. She is genuinely capable of loving and being in love with more than one person at a time. She is devoted to her long-term partner, Sam Hodkin, but flings with her good friend Nathalie Hudson and bounty hunter Matt Lehman have left her confused and conflicted about her own desires.

She is a naturally trusting woman, always ready to see the good in people, but her tendency to be too trusting and gullible has resulted in Jemine falling foul of the whims of others on several occasions. Jemine has come to realise that she must address this side of her nature if she is to make her own way in the galaxy.