- Name: Caitlin Marchand
- Rank: Private
- Call Sign: Thumper
- Date of Birth: 2010
- Place of Birth: Canada
- Status: Killed in Action during the Second Robotech War
Personality
Outwardly Caitlin is talkative but frequently antagonistic and sneaky, a result of the string of tragedies that have filled her life. Privately, though, she is still optimistic that her life can only improve.
Biography
Caitlin was born in central Canada and was only a child when the Zentraedi nearly destroyed the planet. Her family relocated to New Macross City but they were only able to gain sporadic employment, forcing the family to live in poverty. Her parents were killed in the destruction that followed Khyron's final suicidal attack against the SDF-1, orphaning the young Caitlin and her two siblings. The trio were relocated to Monument City where they were placed in a government orphanage. What little money and possessions they had inherited from their parents was lost when the orphaned Marchand children were tricked and betrayed by a corrupt civil servant.
Desperate for any way out of her dismal life, Caitlin enlisted. Though initially dismissed, Caitlin proved herself capable of military service by passing a series of grueling physical and mental tests. Once accepted she was sent to armored training to become a hovertank pilot. The survival skills she'd had to learn to survive the orphanage helped her make it through training, but the defensive social barriers she'd developed made it hard to make any friends.
Things did not improve for Caitlin after she finished training. Her first assignment ended badly after she got into a fight with some other soldiers who were sexually harrassing her. The fight ruined squad morale and the participants were all reassigned and Caitlin was beginning to earn a reputation as a jinx. Things were not much better at her next assignment, as she took the blame for an accident that destroyed several VHT mecha. She did finally see some front-line combat during the later battles of World War IV where she proved to be an accomplished fighter, but it did little to counter her bad reputation.
Caitlin and her family suffered another setback shortly before the start of the Second Robotech War. Since she had enlisted, Caitlin had been investing a large portion of her money to help her siblings. Unfortunately a combination of bad investment choices and corrupt and incompetent financial advisors all but wiped out all of the savings Caitlin had set aside for her family and she had no choice but to stay in the military. To earn more money she volunteered for more active and dangerous duties and was assigned to the 21st ATAC.
Update: Caitlin was killed in action in June 2031 in Darwin during the last days of the Second Robotech War.
Call Sign: Caitlin earned the call sign Thumper after physically trouncing several drunk and lustful marines outside of a bar.