Madalyn Leigh

Madalyn Leigh (born 31st December, 2215) was a member of the '''Terra Firma Fleet. '''

Biography
Born on New Manhattan colony in 2215, Madalyn had an idyllic childhood, growing into a streetwise young woman. She was a natural leader, but with an impulsive streak and unorthodox methods. Hot-headed but ultimately kind-hearted, Madalyn prided herself on the fact that she would always put people before protocol. She was a baseball fan and an avid supporter of the New Manhattan Meteors.

Family
The daughter of Joey - a New Manhattan mechanic who ran his own garage and taxi company - and Bryce - a trauma nurse, originally from Earth but now working at the New Manhattan Hope Hospital - Leigh, Madalyn was born to young parents - both aged 19 when she was born - and she spent her childhood as an only child, dividing her time between school - where she never showed great academic promise - and her father's garage, where she developed her skills as a mechanic from the age of twelve.

Her father's employees became like a family to Madalyn, and she often described the experience as being like having six older brothers, constantly encouraging her to cause trouble - as well as one uncle; her father's best friend, who treated her like she was family.

Madalyn's younger sister, Brooklyn Leigh, was born in 2238.

At the Academy
Madalyn applied to enrol at the Academy at the age of 15, and she was accepted as part of the Terran Colonial Council's "Scheme", in an attempt to get young people from the newer colonies - generally perceived as unintelligent - into the Terra Firma Fleet if they possessed certain skills. Madalyn displayed a natural aptitude for engineering thanks to several years learning and working as a mechanic for her father, being described as "gifted" by the tutor who assessed her suitability for the Scheme. She was accepted and started the Academy on January 1st 2231, having just turned 16 the day before.

Although she showed natural aptitude in Engineering - eventually graduating with an Engineer First Class qualification - she struggled in other areas, particularly Fleet History. However, she also proved to be proficient in hand-to-hand combat and flight, passing her basic flight within six months of starting lessons.

Madalyn managed to avoid any major disciplinary procedures during her time at the Academy, although she had several warnings, with one lecturer noting that whenever her name was mentioned, "you could guarantee that trouble wouldn't be too far behind". True to this, Madalyn's life at the Academy was eventful - in her first year, she was involved in a speeder crash that left her critically injured and her spleen was removed, leaving her with a compromised immune system. Still, she graduated basic training after two years, beginning officer training and being made unit leader, despite her young age, immediately afterwards. Her placement during officer training was on the ill-fated "Eventide", where she was made duty first officer after showing great promise. She was on duty at the time of the disaster, and was later commended for her bravery and quick-thinking with the Steven Crichton Bravery Award, presented to her on the day she graduated an Ensign.

Fleet Career
After graduating the Academy, Madalyn took placements in engineering crews on several "shop jobs" - routes considered unsavoury by most new graduates, but Madalyn was desperate to avoid the lingering fame that came with being "Eventide girl". By the age of 22, Madalyn had been promoted to the rank of 'Captain', and was given command of her first ship, a general-purpose cargo vessel - the 'Estrellita'. During her time on the 'Estrellita', she was involved in the Lucciolan Crisis, which saw the murder of her science officer. Her time on the 'Estrellita' was ended when the ship was attacked by pirates and destroyed; killing many of the crew and leaving the survivors - including Madalyn - seriously injured.

Once she had recovered, Madalyn was posted to a Nomad-class frigate, the 'Maelstrom'.

Madalyn grew disillusioned with the Fleet and what they stood for, having witnessed many crew members and friends killed over the years, and at the age of twenty five, she retired from the Fleet.

Post-Fleet Career
After retiring, Madalyn relocated to Sycamore Station and became a freelance border pilot.

Trivia

 * Madalyn's full name is Madalyn Coolridge Leigh. Her middle name comes from a New Manhattan Meteors player who batted a particularly impressive home run, winning the game for the team on the day Madalyn was born.
 * One of her most distinguishing features is her midnight-blue hair with a white streak through her fringe. The blue was a result of a dare - to surgically alter her hair in the New Manhattan Meteors' colour - and the white is a strange side-effect of a scar she gained from a fall as a child.
 * Her nickname in the Academy was 'Blue', in reference to her hair.