Kyndi McCaskil

## Biography

Kyndi Jane McCaskil is a freelance smuggler, thief, and hacker. She has no home in the normal sense, having grown up in her parents' Asp Explorer and learning the basics of spacefaring, computer coding, and survival skills from almost the time she could walk.

When she fourteen, disaster struck: her parents were charting the outer Pegasi sector when they came across a Kumo raiding party. Unable to run or hide, they were more or less forced to allow the pirates to board. Both parents were subsequently killed, but Kyndi was taken prisoner.

For the next two years, she was a slave for the Kumo Crew. Swiftly realizing the fate of young girls, she took pains to escape notice but was abused nonetheless. Her spirit was never broken, however, and she was able to put her childhood training to use by stowing away in the life-supported cargo bay of a ship that was departing for the bubble.

Once in the bubble, Kyndi survived by working odd jobs, including the occasional turn as a prostitute. She found the work (and men in general) extremely distasteful, but had little choice. As she became familiar with the station regulars, she was able to gradually socialize more, even partaking in the gambling forays for which many pilots are known.

It was at the gambling table that Kyndi would take the second great risk since losing her parents: an extremely high-stakes game of card against a sexually deviant pilot. The final hand came down to a winner-takes all bet of the pilot's ship against a night of unrestricted access to her body (which she had previously denied him). Kyndi narrowly won the hand, and above the pilot's protests found herself the owner of a spaceship and all its cargo.

Despite her familiarity with spaceships, Kyndi lacked the knowledge to strike out on her own. An older, experienced woman by the name of LeAnne Higgens took her under her wing as a *de facto* first mate, showing the new Commander the ropes of independent freelancing. They flew together for several months, the older woman swiftly turning into a surrogate mother figure for the damaged young woman. Though she tried her best to not show it, her time with the older Higgens was enough to partially restore her faith in humanity.

In time, LeAnne sensed both Kyndi's growing attachment and the fact that she had taught the young woman all that she could. To Kyndi's sorrow, LeAnne flew her back to where her ship (an Adder) was stored, telling her that to be a pilot was to stay free and depend on no one. Accepting this as the final lesson from her mentor, Kyndi embarked on her own career as a pilot, attempting to live the mundane life of a legal hauler at the tender age of eighteen. For a time she did so, avoiding the rowdy nightlife for which younger pilots are known and keeping only to herself. One day, Kyndi stumbled on a derelict wreck of rare goods, selling them at massive profit and allowing herself her first real celebration in her time as a pilot.

Soon, Kyndi realized that the law and conventional governments held no particular importance to her- after all, she'd been raised largely outside their jurisdiction, and it hadn't helped her during her times of trial. At peace with her newfound attitude, Kyndi embarked on the much more lucrative (and risky) life of a smuggler. Paradoxically, it was her antisocial behavior that let her to again trust to a limited degree. She gained confidence in her negotiating skills, realizing that men in particular were willing to give her favorable terms. As time passed, Kyndi even allowed herself to open up sexually, but on her terms. She developed an onionhead habit from the casual exposure to the herb. As she grew more established in her smuggling career, she began dallying in other narcotics, but ultimately settled on the pungent herb as her recreational drug of choice.

After a particularly lucrative score, Kyndi decided to commit to her new identity as a freelancing smuggler, undergoing a cosmetic gene treatment to make her "natural" hair color a deep, lush purple. She also got several tattoos and developed a reputation as a smartassed- but competent- operator.

## Personality

Outwardly, Kyndi McCaskil is a smartassed, confident, relaxed young woman who can talk her way in or out of any situation. While this is not an inaccurate view, she is also very slow to trust- almost no one even knows her last name, and she is extremely averse to any significant emotional connection. Furthermore, she is plagued by nightmares from her past, still experiencing bouts of grief and trauma from the violent loss of her parents and subsequent time of desperation.

Her pleasures are typically of a sensual, earthy nature. She enjoys onionhead, sex, and the feeling of control and independence that comes from being a pilot. Doing the right thing is also a paradoxical priority for her- despite the indirect harm she causes by smuggling illegal goods, malevolence doesn't come naturally to her. She feels a strong sense of both unease and protectiveness with children. Likewise, she regards prostitutes and slaves with sympathy and a measure of compassion, though she seldom shows it.

## Current Ships

* Diamondback Explorer - *Cool Under Pressure*