Jennifer
| Jennifer Anne Braddock | |
|---|---|
| Quote: | "No idea what good a retired Helljumper might be 'round here, but I'm not complainin' at all the downtime." or formerly, "OORAH!" |
| IC Info | |
| Race: | Human |
| Gender: | Female |
| Sexuality: | Bisexual |
| Place of Origin: | Mississippi, USA |
| Height: | 5'9" |
| Hair Color: | Bleach-blonde |
| Bloodtype: | O+ |
| Hobbies: | Exercise, recreational shooting, creative writing and reading |
| Favorite Things: | Jack Daniels', time on the beach, early-morning runs, Rae |
| Dislikes: | Anti-military sentiment, insensitive people, birds (reminds her of the Kig-Yarr she fought), great apes |
| Romantic Status: | Involved (Rae-Anne Anderson) |
| Romantic Identification: | Picky Polyamorous |
| Religion: | Agnostic |
| Residence: | Seaside Sanctuary |
| Occupation: | Freelance Author, United National Space-Corps, 7th Shock Troopers Battalion, 105th Marine Expeditionary Unit, Staff Sergeant (ret) |
| OOC Info | |
| Source: | Halo OC (Stop giggling : |
| Other Characters: | Talia Kyras, Leuca, Raven, Kirika |
Jennifer Anne Braddock, preferring Jennifer or just Jen to her friends, used to be one of the hardest working and most rocksteady NCOs the UNSC's marine corps could ask for. A military brat descending from a long line of service, she followed in her family's footsteps by enlisting at a very young age. Serving with distinction with the UNSC, later joining its ODST (Orbital Drop Shock Trooper) special ops unit, she retired with honors before getting her life back together. Living in Yuriba, seeking a new lease on life, she leads a quiet existence, often writing freelance short stories under a pseudonym in her spare time.
History
Born in Mississippi, Jennifer was a military brat to the core, to a Navy Mother and a Marine Father; Amber Marcus-Braddock and Jonathan Braddock respectively. She grew up moving from posting to posting; Wheras army brats now would go from state to state, or even move to other countries, she would often move from colony to colony on a variety of UNSC worlds. Despite a very rushed childhood, Jennifer regretted little about having to move so often, always wanting to carry out the family tradition of service like her parents.
She lived a very active lifestyle, often partaking in sports and playing around with the boys instead of more feminine pursuits as a child. Jennifer was always one of the guys, which helped her when she enlisted in the marines after war broke out between the UNSC and a theocratic alien collective calling itself the Covenant. The Covenant had always been a distant threat after they attacked Harvest in 2525, but as Jennifer grew older they became more of a boogeyman than anti-UNSC Insurrectionist units could have.
The choice was obvious to Jennifer, and before she even finished High School she joined the UNSC as a marine, excelling in basic training and cutting her teeth on many assignments across UNSC territory. Her zeal to defend Earth and her colonies was hard to match, but it could only last so long. As the horrors of warfare sunk in, she began to wonder if mankind could even recover from such a brutal conflict with an enemy this numerous, advanced, and aggressive as the Covenant. However, every atrocity the aliens committed eventually just caused Jennifer to commit harder and harder to doing her part to quell the alien menace.
As a Corporal she caught the eye of one 2nd Lieutenant Alessandra Cardoso of the Orbital Drop Shock Troopers, a special unit in the marines that specialized in orbital insertions into enemy territory, when Jennifer's unit came across Cardoso's team. Assisting the Helljumpers in their mission, Jennifer was later recommended by the Lieutenant to seek out joining the ODSTs, which she did with enthusiasm. Assigned under Cardoso's command, Jennifer eventually rose to the rank of Sergeant, and later Staff Sergeant, becoming a valued member of the platoon Cardoso led. When others would cave from the pressure of combat, Jennifer would merely grit her teeth and push her comrades to carry on with the mission. She was rock-solid and borderline fearless, to the point that some joked she would've been a terrifying SPARTAN had she been given the chance to be augmented as one of the super-soldiers.
Had she known at the time what ONI did to produce SPARTANs, she would've been very displeased.
Her service carried her across the galaxy, from Sargasso to New Mecca to Reach, and back to Earth in time for the Covenant's arrival to the UNSC homeworld. She fought the hardest battle she had to date in New Mombassa and Voi, narrowly surviving even the surprise appearance of a horrific alien parasitic force called the Flood, before she and her unit were tasked aboard the Forward Unto Dawn, to end the war on Installation 00, the 'Ark' as it were.
When a ceasefire was declared upon the death of the Covenant's leadership, and the UNSC's newfound allies in the Sanghelli, disgraced 'Elite' caste warriors in the Covenant turned unexpected enemies of their former masters, Jennifer retired with honors like many of her brothers and sisters in arms. Reintegrating into civilian life and helping rebuild what remained of the UNSC's civilization was rough, but Jennifer came to realize her mental health was a more pressing concern. The war had left many scars on Jennifer, like most of the UNSC, and several were emotional rather than physical; She lost many friends and loved ones to the alien menace, as well as watched several worlds she called home burn to the ground, as well as the inhumane treatment she saw servicemen and civilians suffer at the hands of the more sadistic elements of the Covenant.
When the counselors did their work, it was time for her to heal and live peacefully. Drifting from place to place, Jennifer tried finding a niche, to no avail until fate had other plans in store. She was out on a late-night drive, Jennifer found herself going through a rift that lead to Yuriba, and there she'd find not only peace but love in the form of Rae-Anne Anderson, who she now lives with.
Personality
While originally a perfect example of the hot-blooded jarhead, later special ops drop-pod jockeys that characterized the UNSC's more brazen elements, Jennifer grew taciturn and patient as the war wore on for her. She was cool headed no matter what came about. Jennifer was the type to go in first, shotgun at the ready as she blew away alien tangos or dropped hostiles with well-aimed rifle fire.
However, being an icy-blooded operator is hardly the mindset for civilian life, nor for living on Yuriba with countless nubile ladies to sample. Jennifer has mellowed over time, at first confused by Yuriba's multiversal weirdness and magical nature, but eventually shrugging it off as she became more comfortable with its cultural oddities. Being surrounded by pretty women did not hurt, as Jennifer felt free to express her sapphic side, eventually becoming a girlfriend to Rae when she and the painter hit it off. It's clear she prefers to not go into her former life now, feeling mostly pain and fear whenever she thinks too hard on her military service. While she does not regret it, she still feels her share of scars even now.
When not chasing girls, keeping in shape, or just knocking pints at the local bars, Jennifer is an oddly studious sort. She has begun to try her hand at writing her own stories, whether they be about slice-of-life dramas or using her own experience for military-themed science fiction, Jennifer has yet to get anything substantial published, though she has several manuscripts worth of stories well hidden until she can figure out how to get them made available to a publisher, or even find an audience for her work. One can still hope, however.
Skills
As a marine, Jennifer excelled in hand to hand combat, combat tactics, and marksmanship. She was a fantastic trooper both as a regular marine or one of the ODSTs, spending long periods of time in the wilderness as she carried out high-risk missions against the enemy both in cloak and dagger infiltration or the most intense of combat drops. Beyond this, she is also still incredibly fit for her age, able to run for miles without fatigue and carrying out feats of intense physical ability. Retirement hasn't cost Jennifer her edge, as she still works to stay sharp in the event of trouble, though that might just be the routine as a marine still lingering in her mind.