Name: Ellina McKarn

Age: Adult (23)

Species: Squirrel

Background: Ellina was ‘recruited’ to be a Surveyor at a very young and was trained under her mother’s strict supervision. Whether it’s breaking into the main frame of an old computer unit or using an old fashion lock pick, Ellina excels at breaking and entering.

Personally: [i]”It’s easy to frown at all this. It takes strength to smile but it feels so much better.”[/i] Ellina is spunky and light hearted. She is willing to try just about anything once and often barely manages to escape trouble. Ellina tends to be a bit absent minded at the best of times.

Psychology: Functioning and observed to be well adjusted.

Background:
“Everyone always asks me what it was like. I mean, not a first, right? Because that would be rude but eventually they all do. I don’t mind talking about it because I really can’t remember much. When my mother and I escaped from The Dominion, I was only five. I don’t have a lot of memories of it and my mother refused to talk about it to anyone including me.” Ellina closes her eyes as if trying to focus on something far off. “It rained a lot. Cold rain that smelled of smoke and made black streaks were it fell on your skin. I remember always being cold. And hungry. Not like here. It was the kind of hungry that you stopped feeling after a while because you got so used to it. The kind that made you feel sick, just thinking about food. Anyways, I remember my mother would hide me away, making me promise to stay quiet so they wouldn’t find me and take me away. Then she’d go and wouldn’t come back until the sun was gone again. Then one day we escaped, hacked our way out through the city gates. My mother chose to join up with the Terror. We had no where else to go. And it isn’t so bad here. I get food and a bed. And I’m not alone. And I get to go exploring! I don’t really want to talk about that place anymore, if that’s alright with you.”

Ellina joined the Terror six months after her and her mother escaped. It was a hard decision her mother had to face, choosing between freedom and survival. But the truth was, out there alone their for survival were even less that than in The Dominion. Their hours were spent constantly searching for the next meal or finding a safe place to rest for a few hours. While Ellina's mother's brain stayed as sharp as ever through the ordeal, her health began to deteriorate. It was either be a slave and live or be free and die. 

At first Ellina did not speak to anyone. She was her mother’s shadow, a silent specter that trailed a foot behind. She wouldn’t play games with the other children and had no interest in people in general up until her late teens. Her childhood was not lonely or sad, however. Her mother spent all her extra time teaching Ellina about hacking, picking locks, and setting traps. Her mother sang songs, played games, and rigorously drilled Ellina until being a Surveyor was second nature. At the age of nine Ellina was easily one of the best hackers in their group. At fifteen she was second, only to her mother. Seventeen was the first time anyone could remember hearing her laugh. She hasn't stopped laughing since. Sometimes people mention her aloofness when she was younger. Her only response is, "I didn't have anything important to say. Now I do." Since her mother's death two years ago, Ellina has come out of her shell more and more.