Biography

CharacterName = Ravenna Nelson
CallSign = Raven
Gender = Female
Age = 40
HairColour = Dark Blonde
EyeColour = Dark Blue
Height = 1.6 Meters
Weight = 54 Kilograms
DateOfBirth = 10/17/3037
Languages = English, German, Japanese
Interests = Hiking, Camping, History, Military Theory, Violin Player
PlaceOfBirth = Federated Commonwealth
Planet = Manassas
RaceCulture = British

CharacterHistory = 3037: Ravenna Nelson is born on October 17th in the sleepy village of Stone Bridge on the Davion world of Manassas to local magistrate William Nelson and his wife Mathilda. She is the third child behind brother Vincent and sister Margaret.
3039: Ravenna's younger brother Samuel is born in early may.
3047: Ravenna's older brother Vincent Nelson applies to and is accepted as a cadet to the Goshen War College.
3051: Vincent Nelson graduates from the Goshen War College as a Subaltern in the AFFC and is assigned to a Commonwealth Unit sent to aid in the defense of the Lyran half of the Commonwealth against the invasion of Clan Jade Falcon.
3052: Vincent Nelson is listed killed in action while attempting to cover the retreat of his unit and civilian refugees as they escape offworld. He is awarded the Federated Commonwealth Medal of Honor posthumously.
3053: Margaret Nelson is married to Baron Simon Westfalen. The baron is the wealthy owner of the Crimson Knights Stable on the arena world of Solaris VII. Later that year Ravenna applys to and is accepted into the New Avalon Institute of Science as a cadet.
3055: Lady Margaret Nelson-Westfalen gives birth to a son named Vincent Westfalen in honor of her brother. Samuel Nelson applys to and is accepted into the Goshen War College to follow in his brother's footsteps yet is expelled during his freshmen year for conduct unbecoming a cadet. He makes his way to the mercenary's planet of Outreach where he joins Wilson's Hussars.
3057: Ravenna graduates near the top of her class at the New Avalon Institute of Science with the rank of Subaltern and is assigned to the 1st Kathil Ulhans.
3059: The 1st Kathil Ulhans depart with Task Force Serpent on it's mission to reach the homeworld of Clan Smoke Jaguar, Huntress. During the journey she is promoted to Leftenant due to unit losses and is reccomended for the Silver Sunburst that she will be awarded later.
3060: During the battle of Huntress Ravenna fights with distinction and is given a field promotion to the rank of Captain when many higher ranking officers are killed. She is selected to join General Andrew Redburn and Prince Victor Steiner-Davion during the trial of Refusal on Strana Mechty. She is decorated with the Federated Commonwealth Medal of Honor by Prince Davion and General Redburn for bravery and valor during Operation Serpent. Her promotion to Captain is confirmed.
3061-65: Ravenna returns to the Federated Commonwealth. Archon Katherine Steiner-Davion deposed her younger sister Yvonne Steiner-Davion and assumed control of the Commonwealth in Victor's absence setting the stage for civil war. Both she and her unit remain loyal to Victor and serve with distinction during the conflict.
3066: Ravenna is awarded the Golden Sunburst for her actions during the civil war and is promoted to the rank of Major.
3067-3072: Ravenna is given the prestigious and much coveted assignment of instructor at the Albion Military Academy and becomes the executive officer of the 2nd Albion Training Cadre. In 3070 Vincent Westfalen is admitted as a cadet at NAIS. Using lessons learned in the heat of battle Ravenna educates cadets so as to prepare them for conflicts to come. She is considered to be a popular instructor during her tenure.
3072-3077: Ravenna is offered promotion to Leftenant Colonel and is given command of the 3rd Battalion of the Malagrotta Militia CMM. She is known for holding her soldiers to exacting standards of conduct and trains them constantly to bring them to a sharp edge. Her nephew Vincent Westfalen graduates at the top of his class at NAIS in 3074 and is assigned to the 1st Kathil Uhlans at the rank of Leftenant. Later that year he marries his academy sweetheart and fellow Uhlans mechwarrior Patricia Hasek. In 3076 Raven Hasek-Westfalen is born in honor of Ravenna. In 3077 after four years of academy life and twenty years active military service to House Davion Ravenna Nelson decides that it is time to move on after it becomes clear that she has no chance for further advancement or assignment that does not put her behind a desk. Opting for retirement from the Armed Forces Federated Suns, she leaves for Terra and travels to Alice Springs where she decides to put her lifetime of experiance to good use.
3077-3078: During her trip to Terra, she is contacted by an old friend, Colonel Micah Kerran, who asks her to become the Shadow Lancers Executive Officer, she agrees, and her first mission is a security contract on the Lyran world of Pandora, where she leads a task force against both rival corporations and executes a breakthrough and fighting withdrawl offworld past forces of Clan Jade Falcon. Afterwards she leads the troops of what will become known as Task Force Antares, in an 8 month long mission culminating in a battle against the Jade Falcons. During their time on Antares, they managed to free the population from a rogue governor and her security forces, along with training of SLDF troops and a new Antares Defense force. Raven herself is gravely wounded but manages to recover. During her recovery she enters into a romantic relationship with Captain Gustav, a former Clan Hell's Horses Elemental, and their child, Victoria Nelson, is born on August 10th. After the birth of their first child, Major Nelson tenders her resignation, formally leaving the service of the Shadow Lancers and begins the process of starting her own unit, named in honor of her former Task Force. And so the Antarian Lancers are born.

PersonalityProfile = Ravenna Nelson is a product of a strong family upbringing that emphasizes honor, duty and loyalty to a cause greater than the individual. Her many commendations for bravery mark her as a selfless individual who cares more for those around her than for herself. This may lead to her forming emotional attachments to those under her command. Analysis of her records also indicate that she has been in only two confirmed romantic relationships over the twenty years of her career. One of which ended badly with a definet animosity between the two. There is also speculation that this may have something to do with the subtle maneuvering that cut short her career and should be investigated by personel oversight at the earliest convenience.
A strong sense of loyalty and honor coupled with a maternal instinct to protect those under her command are reasons for her success as a military commander. Her retirement from active service in the AFFS is unfortunate yet not unexpected. (AFFS Psych Profile)
During her time with the Shadow Lancers, she entered into a romantic relationship with another officer, and fell in love. Though not formally wed, Raven and Gustav have been inseperable since their time on Antares together, in addition to the birth of their daughter, Victoria, ostensibly named for Victor Steiner-Davion.
She seems unshaken by her near death experiance, but those who know her can tell that the weight of her military career seems to have visibly lessened afterwards, this may be due to the fact of her new family. She inspired such devotion in her troops that many followed her and Gustav into the new unit. (Antarian Lancers Medical Psych Profile)