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▶ CHARACTER
NAME: code name: Cain ( Alexei )
CANON: Starfighter
CANON POINT: chapter 5, page 95
AGE: 22
BACKGROUND:

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Little of Cain’s real history before joining the Alliance isn’t actually known in canon, but there have been some vague details alluding to his past. Mostly that he’s from the colonies (not specified) and has quite a record, which has lent him to spending time in jail. (Later, he does say it’s on trespassing charges.) At the beginning of Starfighter, Cain is introduced as he’s meeting his new Navigator; in the Alliance, to fight an enemy known as the Colteron, they have amassed paired units to pilot ships - each with one Fighter and one Navigator - under codenames. Upon Cain and Abel’s introduction, there is a lot of friction--both in personality and chemistry. Within minutes, Cain has declared Abel “his bitch now” and proceeds to bite a scar on his mouth like a mark of ownership. To further test their compatibility, before Abel can even consider reporting him, an immediate threat forces them to battle, and in a split second decision to save the Fighter of the Tiberius before the antimatter cannons are fired, Abel takes the lead despite Cain’s clear indignation to just leave him to die and rescues him. (Before they return to the hanger, Cain jerks it right there in the cockpit.) Later, this leads to Cain trying to once again assert his dominance over Abel and Abel resisting by trying to fight him. Cain, of course, is amused, and thus begins their odd relationship beyond the parameters of Fighter and Navigator.

In the second chapter, another Fighter is seen watching over Abel and reporting what he’s seen to Cain. Enter: Deimos. Their relation to each other is more than fellow Fighters, though by what extent isn’t entirely clear; their colony backgrounds probably come into play here. Yet, Deimos tells Cain that he’d seen Abel speaking to Praxis, the Fighter of the Tiberius, which ends with Cain hunting down Praxis to deliver a warning about staying away from his Navigator. Obviously, this is the time for some one-on-one where they try to beat the hell out of each other until they’re almost caught. Afterwards, Cain meets up with Abel and is told that he’s volunteered them to be reassigned to the Sleipnir for a mission in deep space to fight the Colterons. This pisses Cain off despite Abel’s reassurances since it’s practically suicide. We also soon learn about Cain’s dealings in the Shady Plan with Bering. Cook and Deimos are also involved.

Cain’s time on the Sleipnir is a difficult transition as he tries to find where he fits in with the other Fighters already aboard. He clashes with the lead Fighter, Encke, who says he’s not going to look the other way simply because he’s working for one of the commanders. All Navigator and Fighter pairs are soon called to battle because of an enemy attack, and while in the middle of it, Abel activates a hidden jump drive in the Reliant as they fire on one of the last ships planning a head-on collision to destroy them. Though everyone’s surprised, the rest of the crew on the ship is ecstatic they suffered (somewhat) minimal casualties.

Eventually, everything comes to a head, Cain’s betrayal and Cook’s out in the open, but Cain’s feelings for Abel over the course of their time together changed his view on things. Cook tries to arrest them for treason; in the scramble to escape, Cain is shot in an attempt to save Abel, who, in turn, saves him. They leave on the Reliant, using the jump drive to leave that particular part of space.

PERSONALITY:

Put bluntly, one of Cain’s most obvious traits is the fact he’s a dick. He has very little respect for almost everyone that he interacts with and has a rather deep superiority complex. If others refuse to listen to him, he will make himself known in any way possible--especially if said method resorts to violence or picking a fight. What’s more is that this is a known issue since before Cain joined the Alliance. Bering himself even said that they weren’t sure Cain would “fit” as a Fighter because of his reluctance to follow their guidelines and rules. He will say just about anything to anyone to get them to understand that they had better not cross him or get on his “bad” side. When he’s paired with Abel, it’s common knowledge that he’d gone through several Navigators before him, and this is only one example of how fierce a competitor Cain can be.

Another thing to realize about Cain is that he can handle himself in most situations, though it tends to lean more towards a physical confrontation than simply talking it out. His issues with aggression and anger often lead to outbursts that can’t be contained unless it’s through fighting or sex, and sometimes, even that’s not enough. That he has the capacity and will to kill, on top of threaten others, is merely an underlying current to Cain’s character. Something that should also be noted about Cain, among these things, is the fact he can be rather prideful. He’s used to being the best and has said as much to Abel. Nothing will stop him from staying at the top, and he has no issue making this clear with the promise of cutting whoever happens to drag him down loose, though it could be argued that it’s an empty bluff at best.

Still, beneath all this bravado and tough demeanor, Cain can be rather compassionate and gets easily excited by things. When he is, his accent is more noticeable, and he even slips in some Russian exclamations. (This could be said of when he’s pissed off too.) He only takes an interest in things that are interesting to him (re: mostly Abel) and has no issue expressing it—usually by being blunt. Cain is, by far, a rather physical and verbal person. He says what he wants and does what he wants, headbutting authority without caution. But for all the harshness that Cain exudes through this lenity, he still harbors his own fears.

From the brief flashes of a dream, there is an obvious sense of reluctance on Cain’s part to want to be subjected to the feelings he might have for his Navigator and being associated with the Alliance as a Fighter. It means trusting someone more than he’s probably trusted others in his life, and while it’s not necessarily a bad thing, it’s clear that Cain keeps everyone at an arm’s length to be used for whatever purpose he can use them for without running the risk of compromising himself. If he lets down his guard, that opens up the potential to get hurt, and Cain fronts better than the rest of them, pushing it down and hiding it with smirks or harsh words or criticisms. Getting invested is a waste of time, which is why he attempts to dominate and bend others to his will instead. With this in mind, especially his lack of regard for those in command, it’s particularly odd that he’s working under Bering and is part of Project Thebes. This could be for a number of reasons - none that have been divulged in canon - and why Cain is following through is exponential given his criminal record, issues with aggression and promiscuity (as seen in the above picture and clearly “surprises no one”).

Yet, even the most asshole-ish of assholes can be kind. He’s capable of holding politer conversations and has even been shown to indulge Abel at some points throughout their time on the Sleipnir. Stop eating all of his cheap space borscht, dammit. Really, it’s important to know that whatever vulnerability Cain hides is overcompensated by his vast ego and a touch of sadism - hello, he bit Abel and left a scar within the first few minutes of having met him - as well as the drive to do better and be better than his peers. Basically? Everyone else can just go suck it.

POWERS/ABILITIES:

Since Cain is human, he doesn’t have any extraordinarily outlying skills aside from his stamina and ability to fight (mostly hand-to-hand combat with some gun handling experience as per his current canon point).

INVENTORY:

☆ (1) leather jacket
☆ (1) pack of cigarettes
☆ (1) lighter

MOONBLESSING: Sanguis

▶ SAMPLES

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