Samus/History
Samus, real name Samantha Volkova, was born on Persephone 22 years ago. Her parents were both humble Catholic merchants who worked 20 day shifts aboard a transport. When one parent was working, the other would watch Sam. Neither of them had that much money. Samus, as a child, took quickly to the fighting styles that her father practiced while off work. Because of her other hobbies, such as target practice with her father's guns and parkour, she was seen as a tomboy around her neighbourhood.
She attended a public school close to her home and achieved average grades, though she had the potential to do much better. She had few friends - most at school were either afraid of her or thought of her as queer. Growing older, she became more refined as a martial artist, doing more training than studying. When she turned 17, Samus began showing signs of chronic leukemia. Her parents immediately began trying to access doctors to treat her, though because their money was limited, they couldn't afford very thorough processes.
Samus' parents were both loving and mindful towards their only child. Though they had little money, they spent most of it on their child to save her life without expecting anything in return. They were always supportive of Sam's choice of hobbies, going as far as to buy her kick-boxing lessons.
The medical bills forced the family into poverty. Samus dropped out of school to get a job at a local restaurant as a chef's assistant in order to pull her family through the rough times. Though plagued by the cancer and tired from work, she'd still spend plenty of time training and practicing with her dad's firearms. She began to feel betrayed by the God that her parents had taught her about while growing up and began to idolize Commonwealth icons such as Admiral Frost - people who do things for themselves, and don't depend on others.
The moment Samus saw Admiral Frost on the Cortex was the most pivotal point in her life, just after being diagnosed. It was when she realized that she couldn't keep depending on others, or even God, for help. Seeing someone like the pirate Captain taking stands and refusing to be oppressed inspired her to start doing things for herself. Because of this, Samus decided to leave home.
When she turned 20, Samus left her parents and began searching for a more suitable job. For two years she wandered around the 'verse, taking short-lived jobs at different restaurants. Once, she even worked as a body guard for a minor noble on Santo, gaining experience in the field for approximately 9 months. Her symptoms reoccurred several times over the span of those two years, and have since fallen in to guaranteed, but unpredictable patterns.
A particularly violent relapse from her cancer forced Samus to return home to Persephone, unable to take care of herself. Unfortunately, her parents had fallen ill just before her arrival as well. Samus, desperate for money with which to get them treatment, took a waitressing job at one of the local bars on the planet. She thought she'd be stuck in the same dead-end type jobs her entire life because of her lack of education.
That is, until she heard the Commonwealth was hiring.
