Rudy

The newest captain of a spacefaring locomotive, H.M.L. the Orphean. Vo is deeply invested in the wellbeing of vos crew - vos family - above all else, while recent events have been quite harrowing.

Rudesind is a fair, competent, and reliable captain. Unfortunately, vo lacks confidence in vos capacity to protect the crew, and avoids taking worthwhile risks. Rudy goes as far as to appease and serve those who fundamentally disrespect and show contempt for vo, in order to keep clients who can pay the crew well and prevent backlash from falling on them. There's a lot of administration to deal with in the aftermath of Captain Whitlock's untimely demise, and Rudy will allow voself to mar the good name of the Orphean and her crew.

Vo had been first mate to the captain; her friend, and her confidante. Or, so vo thought. Complicating matters surrounding her death, and secrets she kept even from her oldest crewmates, have made processing the grief all the harder. Vo doesn’t like being directly referred to as ‘Captain’, it feels like that title is still reserved for her.

Rudy’s tendency to compartmentalize to a detrimental degree and ignore vos own problems as a coping mechanism is certainly nothing knew, but it’s been exasperated in the wake of Whitlock’s untimely death. Vo's trying very hard to keep a lid on a lot of very complicated feelings for the sake of vos crew, with mixed results.

Rudesind grew up in Fallen London, in one of the less well-off districts. Vo recieved no formal education, but developed a love for engineering - and locomotives in particular - and a very young age. The books vo could get vos hands on were never enough and vo always strived to learn more. At barely 17 years of age, Rudy was approached with an offer to join Her Majesty's Military in the Corps of Royal Engineers. Of course, vo gratefully accepted.

For the next few years, Rudesind served in one of London's pointless wars, up until a bursting steam engine left vo with severe injuries. Vo was discharged before vo'd even gotton over the resulting infection, and was sent off at 19 years old for the Tomb-Colonies, where those unsightly and distressing to polite society are put away. Though vo struggled with this disparaging treatment - and adjusting to new physical limitations - Rudy soon set voself to small projects vo hoped would improve Venderbight for the colony's residents. Among numerous failures, one plan that actually got off the ground was a small communal garden, which persisted for several years.

Near the end of the 19th century, the High Wilderness was discovered. The New British Empire took to the stars, and Rudesind followed. Still holding onto some of vos idealism, vo hoped that service would restore vos sense of worth and that public good could make ammends for the harms of war. So, Rudy volunteered as a civil engineer and contributed to the building of the new Albion. Rudy was far from being a leader in the project, though, and had to make many compromises that left vos plans unrecognizable. At the end of it, Rudy recieved little appreciation for the work, and hardly any more compensation. And, of course, vo had not made any significant change in London's greater stuctural and societal issues through city planning alone. There would of course still be struggles and injustices under the empress's reign.

At the cusp of the new decade, Whitlock and Rudy crossed paths at a bar in London. At the time, vo was disillusioned, angry, and desperate for a sense of purpose. The new captain was seeking to hire a crew for her locomotive, and she took a chance on the aggrieved ex-soldier. The job offer was nothing short of life-changing for Rudy. Though she assured vo time and time again that she expected no repayment, Rudy still feels a debt of gratitude for the trust and friendship she's shown vo. She was one of very, very few people to look past vos scars and insist vo had value. ...It's been difficult, picking up what she left behind.

Rudy's captaincy has differed from Whitlock's. For one, while Whitlock had some revolutionary leanings of her own, Rudesind is even more invested, fueled by vos dissilusionment with Albion. What initially kept vo from going full renegade was the wellbeing of the crew, as vo resisted any action that might rock the boat and put their careers (or lives) at risk. But the crew needed to meet with a very influential contact in Albion who had worked with Whitlock in order to renegotiate contracts, and it went quite wrong. Rudy was used to holding vos tongue, seething and internalizing the comments made at vo, without remark. Whitlock had never wished to condone these slights against her companion, but the man's status trapped them in an obligation to appease him, lest he take it upon himself to give the crew strife whenever they wished to work in any region under the New Empire's command. Rudy would always try to assuage Whitlock's guilt over the matter, downplaying how it affected them. Vo could put up with the ..uncomfortable negotiations a few times each year, really, it was no bother.

The first meeting since Whitlock's death was off to a very typical start. The same put-downs and barbed comments, the magnate even more blatant without Whitlock's skill in politely but firmly steering the conversation back to business. But this time, Rudesind had brought along vos new first mate, Bronte. While the contact turned his attention to Bronte, Bronte had gradually pieced together what was happening and realized how long Rudesind had endured this abuse. Neither is sure who was the first to speak as the other swiftly followed, but Bronte eloquently cursed out the magnate and Rudy put vos foot down to defend both vos officer and, at last, voself. The pair asserted that such treatment would no longer be tolerated, and had walked out before the magnate recovered enough to shout his outrage down the hall.

Returning to the Orphean as the adrenaline wore off, Bronte and Rudy both realized the weight of their transgression and the need to immediately cut short their stay in Albion. Telling a client with great power in the region (who also happened to be Millie’s father, unbeknownst to the kid) to go fuck himself, among other things, certainly came with consequences. And those consequences would find them. Still, it was a great relief to finally tell off one of the many jackasses who'd been tearing down vos self-esteem for a significant portion of vos life. Following this event, with the crew's approval, vo embraced the opportunity to reject London and more boldly ally with rebels.

• When in a good mood, Rudesind plays pocket fiddle. While perhaps not the prettiest instrument, Rudy enjoys it very much. A good number of the crew are musically inclined, so Rudy encourages them to join in.
• Rudy has been living with lupus since the injury & infection that nearly took vos life. Vo handles the symptoms as much as vo can, but stress can cause flare ups, and vos job is very stressful. On a few occasions it gets bad enough to put vo out of commission for a week or more, which is very frustrating for Rudy, but vo trusts vos crew to keep everything running until vo recovers. Which is good, because Cress is adamant on vo getting plenty of bedrest.
• Vo enjoys drafting (technical drawing), though vo doesn’t have much opportunity to do so. Eventually, vo picks up charcoal as an art medium for architectural and abstract sketches. The inherent messiness of charcoal is therapeutic, in a way.
• For years, Rudy had to put up with appearing 'presentable' while in Albion or in other London-aligned spaces, which meant covering up vos scars just to be treated with any semblance of dignity. Vo always hated this, but whenever vo was acting in the capacity of a representative for the crew, vo would grin and bear it. After finally renouncing London for good, Rudy tossed vos eyepatch out of the cargo bay doors and proclaimed vo'd never wear another.