Helen Cashaw
From ExodusWar
| Helen "Little Mouse" Cashaw | |
|---|---|
 Portrait of Helen Cashaw. | |
| Birth | September 5, 2291 Titan City, Theia, Titan System |
| Death | July 20, 2316 Mnemosyne |
| Allegiance(s) | United Earth Alliance |
| Profession | Pilot |
| Recognitions | Rank of Second Lieutenant |
| Achievements | Credited with 76 kills |
Helen Cashaw joined the United Earth Alliance's Air Defense Force to pay her way through school. She was studying to be a psychologist, and never wanted to be a warrior.
When the Second Exodus War began, she proved to be not only an able combat pilot, but one of the best. She scored dozens of kills against the pilots of the Royal Imperial Air Force, until she went up against Emil Torsc. Torsc killed her in a head-on engagement over the planet Mnemosyne.
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[edit] Early Life
Helen was born to Michael and Linda Cashaw in Titan City, on Theia. She had two brothers, Jeremiah and Brady, both of whom also grew up to serve in the Alliance military.
Growing up, Helen was an unremarkable child, known to her friends and teachers as a "quiet girl", who always seemed to be thinking or reading. She was enrolled in the Titan City school district from age 6 to 11, when her poor grades prompted her mother to tutor her privately at home. Helen was eventually re-enrolled into the Titan City school district for her junior and senior High School years, where she blossomed as a student and received multiple athletic and academic awards.
Helen's high school professors noted her intelligence and ability to "read" people quickly. She was very popular in the school counselor's office, where her status as "not one of the adults" aided her in listening to problem students and getting actual results. Helen was actually credited with talking down an armed, suicidal student in 2309, and was commended by the mayor of Titan City and the Titan City police.
[edit] Formal Education
With her natural talent for understanding people and reasoning through crisis situations, Helen wanted to enter the psychiatric health field. Unfortunately, the Cashaws were not wealthy enough to put her through school, and her grades were not high enough to qualify for achievement scholarships.
Helen's brother Jeremiah, a lieutenant serving in the Alliance Defense Force, suggested she join the military to get the much-needed financial aid. Helen visited the Titan City recruitment office, and nearly enlisted before being advised by her mother to try to enroll in one of the military academies.
The United Earth Alliance operated multiple military academies, and the Air Force Academy on Earth accepted Helen's application. She entered as a cadet in the class of 2310, and graduated in 2314 with a degree in psychiatric health and a commission as a Second Lieutenant in the Alliance Defense Force, reporting to the Air Force.
[edit] Military Training
With her basic training and officer school completed in the Air Force Academy, Second Lieutenant Helen Cashaw was sent to pilot candidacy school. It was here that her fellow pilot-candidates gave her the nickname "Little Mouse" for her quiet demeanor and small size. This nickname was appropriate at first, but later in training she showed a more aggressive side.
Helen's military career was only marred by a single black mark. During the last weeks of pilot candidacy school, two male recruits and one female recruit were involved in a brawl, which Helen single-handedly broke up, breaking the nose of one of the male recruits in the process. A formal inquiry was conducted, but Helen was never court martialled and was simply given administrative discipline.
On November 15, 2314, Helen Cashaw was given her wings as a certified fighter pilot, and deployed to the 1416th Squadron in the Sol System.
[edit] Military Career
From her deployment in 2314 until the Onyx Empire's invasion on January 9, 2315, Helen had an ordinary military career.
When the Onyx Empire's invasion fleet attacked the Sol System and Earth, Helen was on patrol with a combat-ready fighter, and was one of the few pilots in the system not caught on the ground.
Helen shot down 11 Imperial fighters before the Alliance Defense Force declared a general retreat from the Sol System and she was picked up by the UEAS Vyskov, which retreated to the Lyrae System.
[edit] Top Ace
For the first two years of the Second Exodus War, Helen Cashaw was the top ace of the United Earth Alliance, killing over seventy Imperial pilots in various battles.
Her incredible killing spree was finally put to an end on July 20, 2316, when she engaged Emil Torsc in single combat over Mnemosyne in the Titan System. Despite her outstanding skills, Emil Torsc was the better pilot, and shot her down.
Ironically, Cashaw's own psychological insight doomed her. Over the brief course of her final duel with Torsc, she came to understand the inhuman ruthlessness and combat potential of the man she faced. When the two pilots faced off in a head-to-head pass, Cashaw lost her nerve and broke away, leaving herself vulnerable.
