Born of the union of convenience between a banker mother and a barrister father, it came as no surprise that Phaedra excelled in school. An alert, attentive child, she showed an early propensity to defend those weaker or less fortunate than she. Initially, she was supported in her somewhat peculiar bent as her parents believed in allowing their children to grow and develop as nature and the gods intended. As long as this 'phase' did not interfere with her classes in law and finance, all would remain well. Fond of tales and history, Phaedra began reading some of the more romanticized stories about the Civil War; the brave fighters and vast endless vistas of space. Whether the story touted the virtues of the heroes of the Triple Alliance or the 'other side', she took to them like a starving woman offered bread. By the time that her parents realized the direction that their daughter was going it was too late. She had tested for and received a license to carry a weapon and was spending a good deal of her free time studying practical warfare. In an attempt to stem the tide, she was enrolled in the prestigious Institut Villa Mont Gliese, high in the Gliese mountain range. Although her grades remained more than satisfactory, she did not graduate in the top 5 of her class. Her parents, sticklers for perfection, were disappointed in their daughter and turned their 'grooming for succession' passion to her brother instead. Although he cursed her playfully, it could not have been a better arrangement. He was suited to the task of becoming the Scion of House Demos and she was free to pursue her own interests.
Taking a small loan from the family fortune, Phaedra left Libran for Leonis. Once there, she enrolled in the Colonial Fleet Academy with a stated major as law enforcement with a minor in tactics. Rather than aiming for officer training, she turned her attention to a more 'nity-gritty' curriculum that included a lot of weapons and physical training. Although warned of this eventuality each semester, she came to her final year short on credits. Unable to graduate without spending another 2 years getting higher level classes, she chose to leave the institution and enter the military as a grunt. The call of the warrior could not be denied.
Boot camp was an eyeopener. As a young woman from a privileged family, Phaedra had never experienced the level of sheer effort that she was exposed to during training. The work, the filth, the grueling effort, the food, the shouting… Initially, it looked as though she would wash out of the military too. About half-way through her first year in boot camp, she had a run-in with a member of the MP squad. This happened when she tried to interfere with an explosives demonstration for the troops at the base. She stepped up on the stage prepared for the demo and bodily removed one of the mock-up bombs that were waiting to be 'disarmed'. An MP was called when she would not relinquish the 'bomb'. By the time the MP arrived, the demonstration was a shambles with the troops supporting Phaedra and the instructor red-faced and angry. The clash was legendary and explosive with the MP giving Phaedra a blistering tongue lashing that rang with outrage and mockery. She did not cry. She did not break. She did not cower. She stood straight, tall and at attention for the entire lecture. When it was over, she saluted, responded properly and when dismissed, turned. On the way out, she called the medical corp and requested a hearse and medical cadre head to the facility to 'scrape the attendees from the floor and ceiling'. That got the MP's attention. He called her back and asked her to explain herself. When she showed him how the mock-bomb had been jury rigged to actually blow, he was impressed. Over the next few months, he would show up to offer encouragement and support. He taught her some of the tricks of survival and when she got into the final leg of Basic, asked her to see him. At their meeting, which was attended by several members of his squad, he outlined what the MP does. By the time he finished, she knew that she had found a 'home'.
After boot, Phaedra entered MP training. While it was in many ways as grueling as Basic, the focus was different. While she learned how to use weapons, how to keep her mind and body sharp, in MP training she learned how to apply those skills to keeping people alive, keeping them safe. She ate it up. This time, she graduated with top marks. Her family came to the ceremony and even her father was beaming with pride. For the first time, she felt absolutely complete and at peace with herself and her place in life. Her first posting was with Tau Garrison on Tauron. She served there for the first two years of her career. Just after attaining the rank of Lance Corporal, she was transferred to Vidgis Anchorage, a space station on the Armistice Line. There, her finishing school manners came into play during the investigation of an incident linked to The Barbed Arrow. She remained there for another two years and passed through the rank of Corporal to Sergeant. Recently, she was transferred to the Cerberus where she hopes to further her career, expand her military family and generally excel.