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Lieutenant Suzanne Elise "Suz" Charbonnier is the second-in-command of the Warrington Militia, the security force operating out of Tenpenny Tower and in charge of protecting the greater Warrington area in the 2290s.
Background[]
Early years[]
Charbonnier was born to a pair of scavengers – Tamara and Clinton – in 2269, a time when the Capital Wasteland was still a lawless and dangerous place; to say it was tough growing up outside of a major settlement would be an understatement. Until she was around five years old, only Clinton would go out to scavenge and hunt while Tamara stayed "home" with Suzanne, which was little more than a camper near the VAPL-66 power station.
When Suzanne was around six years old, her parents began teaching her how to shoot and defend herself; still, practice was sparing considering how little ammunition they would scavenge in any given week. She got her own Smith & Wesson .32 caliber pistol for her seventh birthday and from then on, she was out scavenging with her parents, looking for food, medicine, and anything they could trade for what they couldn't find.
Orphaned[]
In 2278, even after all that the Lone Wanderer had done, the Capital Wasteland was still largely without law and raiders still thrived. This became abundantly clear when Tamara, Clinton and Suz were salvaging the ruins of Calverton and they were ambushed by a raider band from the nearby Evergreen Mills. Tamara and Clinton were able to defend themselves against two of the raiders, but they ultimately succumbed to a Flamer wielding berserker. Suz tried to scream, but nothing would come out; it's probably the one thing that saved her life that day. All she could do was hide beneath a pile of tractor tires and wait for the raiders to leave.
As night fell, Suz climbed out of the tires and ran and ran, eventually finding shelter in a trailer beside the VAPL-84 power station. She did not sleep at all that night; every time she closed her eyes, all she could see was the inferno screaming in front of her. By dawn, she left the power station and ran toward the nearest civilization: the monolithic Tenpenny Tower on the horizon. She ran nonstop until she got to the front gate, pleading for entry, but security wouldn't open the door. According to Allistair Tenpenny's policy, he didn't want any "riffraff" in his tower and a dirty orphan girl appeared to fit the bill.
Tenpenny Tower[]
But Charbonnier was nothing if not tenacious: she would not take "no" for an answer; rather, she couldn't. Who knew what was waiting for her outside that gate? Her anxiety and healthy lack of respect for private property got the better of her as she simply ran around the gate and squeezed through a crack. Of course, this didn't work and Tenpenny Tower security caught her. By then, however, the commotion had brought the attention of many of the resident, including Herbert "Daring" Dashwood, who demanded that Tenpenny allow the poor girl entrance. No one knows what Dashwood said to Tenpenny behind closed doors, but Suzanne moved in with Dashwood by lunchtime.
In spite of the snobbish attitude the Tenpenny residents had toward Suz, Dashwood's love and kindness allowed Suz to, if not cope with the death of her parents, accept it and confront the wasteland for what it was. Suz was an adventurer at heart and Tenpenny Tower only had so much to explore. To this end, Dashwood took Suz on gradually longer expeditions outside the walls of Tenpenny Tower and taught her that her protection was indeed within her control and that the death of her parents was no indication of her ability; this was done by first by teaching her to not fear what the wasteland threw at her, followed by how to avoid being seen all together, and finally rounding it off with controlled target practice, using the stray feral ghouls around Warrington Trainyard to teach her how to shoot under pressure.
Warrington Militia[]
Suz passed Dashwood's informal course in adventuring with flying colors by around 2283 and she even attempted to join the Tenpenny security force, a position in which she could demand respect from the pompous, blowhard residents who never worked a day in their life. Alas, because of Mr. Tenpenny's misogynistic attitudes, no woman would be allowed in the security force, although his "official" reason was that she was simply too young, regardless of her remarkable skill.
But the day that Tenpenny died in 2286, Charbonnier joined the Tenpenny security force. By this time, former Chief Gustavo had retired as Chief and transferred the rank to officer Louis Braddock. Dashwood became the de facto leader of Tenpenny Tower following the death of its namesake and organized an expedition into the surrounding former city of Warrington in order to regain the metro into Washington, D.C. and garner the attention of the young Republic of Columbia.
In merely two years, Charbonnier had proven her skills as a sentry and strategist during the Reclamation of Warrington and rose to Braddock's right hand. She would take charge of the Warrington Campaign in 2301, leading the recently reformed Warrington Militia in a military campaign to expel numerous raider camps from the southeastern Capital Wasteland, especially Evergreen Mills.
Appearance and abilities[]
Charbonnier is anything but dainty, with a five foot, eight inch (1.73 meters) athletic frame of firm muscle weighing around 150 pounds (68 kilograms). Her ancestry from the Ivory Coast and France contributes to a medium brown complexion and black hair, which she regularly buzz cuts. Her face is pleasantly ordinary, but can shift to a commanding sternness at a moments notice.
She has considerable skill in combat, especially with firearms, melee weapons and hand-to-hand combat. While she is not an master in any of these, she knows enough to get the job done (which usually only involves raiders or feral ghouls and very rarely super mutants). In addition to her physical fitness, Suz sets herself apart by her determination, strong will and extensive knowledge of group tactics, allowing her to effectively lead small squads and aid Captain Braddock in organizing the engagements of larger ones.
As good a leader as she is, Suz doesn't get the respect from the old fashioned Tenpenny residents that one might expect, since she always been a black sheep in the community as far as they are concerned. This can make it difficult for her to get support on anything from them. Nevertheless, what she lacks in respect from residents, she makes up for with the rest of the Warrington Militia. Even when she's barking orders, her naturally pragmatic attitude and clear orders draws reverence and good will toward her.
Equipment[]
| Apparel | Weapon | Other items | On death |
|---|---|---|---|
| Warrington Militia armor | {{{weapon}}} | {{{otheritem}}} | {{{ondeath}}} |
Weapons[]
Suz has learned extensively how to use the R91 5.56mm assault rifle, the standard issue firearm for the Tenpenny security force, and later the Warrington Militia. In addition, she carries the Smith & Wesson .32 caliber break action revolver her parents scavenged for her seventh birthday as her sidearm. An extendable 18-inch (45 centimeter) steel baton also hangs from her hip for when she is out of ammunition and needs to crack a few skulls.
Apparel[]
Charbonnier wears the standard uniform for Warrington militiamen: a sandy suit of combat armor, comprised of a chestplate, shin guards and shoulder and hip pads on top of a coarsely knit khaki shirt and durable linen trousers. Leather pouches on the lower ribs for storage of ammunition and black boots complete the uniform.
Miscellaneous[]
The lieutenant carries ample amount of ammunition, including four magazines of 5.56mm and two speed loaders of .32 caliber, with enough rounds to fill six. Additionally, she carries a couple syringes of Med-X in the event that she or one of her men get injured in the line of duty. She also carries the key to the safe of her adoptive father, Herbert "Daring" Dashwood because he kept forgetting where he put it.
Personality[]
Before she was lieutenant, some would have said Suz was dangerously adventurous; she took after Dashwood and explored the wasteland with him until his age impaired his ability to do so. Still, this was coming from the well-to-do Tenpenny residents whose idea of adventure was ordering their whiskey old fashioned as a double at the Federalist Lounge. She has retained much of her adventurousness, but cannot act on it as often as she would like.
Suzanne has had to balance her reputation as a person and her reputation as a commander for many years. As a person, she is genial, down to earth and always looking to entertain herself and others. However, when in a position of leadership, she is the epitome of the word "hardass": brutally demanding, aggressive, and has absolutely no patience for nonsense or anything but your best. Nevertheless, she is very protective of the men and women serving under her and holds their safety above the success of any engagement. She can't really be blamed for this behavior though, given her encounters with the hostile wasteland when she was a child; she just wants to make sure no one ends up like her parents, and if someone hates her because of it, so be it.