Silver Squirrel
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Contents
Abilities
Martial Arts
The enigmatic martial art Chani has been schooled in is considered to be one of the first established, and responsible for the fathering of many better known traditions. A secret art known by only a handful of reclusive masters in Nepal, this combat style is thought to be one of the reasons the Gurkha initially earned their fearsome reputation as warriors. Chani was fortunate enough to acquire teaching in this formidable art by an old friend of her family, the ancient Nepalese warrior passing on all the knowledge of this dying art to her so that it might live on, and that she may someday take a student of her own.
Special Training
Due to her time with Interpol, Chani is well versed in international law-enforcement methods and tactical training, as well as intelligence gathering techniques. She's expanded upon this knowledge after donning the mask, incorporating what she learned both in training and the field to good use.
Most notable is the training she received while Marshaled under the Fassai StarGuardian Kel'aryn. Already well versed in Earthly law-enforcement practices, she quickly had to learn about policing methods on a much larger level. Kel'aryn and Chani spent several years working together in secret on a particularly dangerous case, as she utilized her connections in Interpol to help hunt down a dangerous Ack'alian terrorist. To better equip her for the coming battle, Kel'aryn found a skilled student in Chani and trained her well in the art of Odrugaran stave-fighting, a fine compliment to her already considerable martial prowess.
Gadgetry
Considering that she doesn't have any powers, Chani has to rely solely on her training, skill, and various toys to get by against threats much more powerful than her. Lucky for her, she made a powerful ally before she took up the mask. The Starguardian she was marshaled under and trained by gifted her a pair of formidable weapons in the form of a pair of collapsible Odrugaran fighting staves made of a perfectly balanced hyper-dense alloy. In her capable hands these have become tools through which she's been able to dish out swift justice, adapting the Star*Guards close-combat style in as part of her own.
In addition to her batons, Squirrel has a plethora of gadgets she's acquired from contacts still with Interpol, and other more secretive channels. Much of this involves surveillance equipment, specially modified vehicles, and non-lethal weaponry. Her good standing with old friends in law enforcement has ensured that she finds the tools, information, and cooperation needed to get the job done.
She's also acquired a number of stranger gadgets over the years, some of which suggest at continued contact with alien lifeforms.
History
Growing Up
Chani was born in India shortly after her mother had moved back to her home country following the death of her husband, an American INTERPOL officer who died in the line of duty. Unfortunately for her, she was never quite accepted by the rest of the family, primarily due to the fact that her mother's marriage had caused quite the scism, considering that her parents had been staunch traditionalists. Despite this, her youth wasn't full of prejudices or any particular tragedies, and she spent time both in India and the US visiting relatives, and was very much a citizen of two cultures. She was adventurous in the early years of her life, the daring little 'squirrel' becoming known for her feats of climbing and acrobatics that were the talk of many of the other children, and concern of just as many adults.
As Chani came of age, her grandparents began arranging a marriage for her, and unlike her mother she decided to go along with the traditionalist customs, seeing that she was the last member of the family line; which had a special significance that she was not yet aware of. After the marriage was arranged, her grandparents saw to it that she would be set up to inherit the family's secret legacy, a responsibility that her mother had dodged. Sent into the Himalayas to spend several years under the tutelage of an old family friend, the nature of this meeting very much a mystery to the young woman. The man she met there was ancient, yet still in peak physical condition, the old Gurkha warrior a keeper of an ancient martial tradition that was nearly lost. He was fair but tough, and Chani didn't quite understand why she was undergoing this training, only that it was her responsibility; though on many occasions she thought she would perish.
After three years in the Himalayas, Master Pankaj Bahadur had taught his disciple everything he could. His years claimed him after the final day of her training in one of the first martial arts known to man, from which many of the others had sprung. She buried the old warrior and friend as she had been taught, and set to return to her family, knowing that someday it would be her duty to pass on the tradition that she had been given. She went off to University after returning and was married shortly afterwards, but the things she had learned had fundamentally changed who she was.
Interpol
After completing University, Chani decided to follow in her father's footsteps and become a law enforcement agent, so she might put the skills she had acquired to good use. She started off as a policewoman in India and quickly rose through the ranks,in part due to a number of impressive busts and take-downs that humbled a great many of her male counterparts, to such an extent that she was beginning to make the rest of the department look bad. When she applied to join INTERPOL and her application was accepted, Chani's departure wasn't mourned by many.
It was in INTERPOL that she really began to shine. Chani was sharp, and had developed a fearsome knack for tracking down international criminals even when details were sparse. She was completely devoted to her work, to such an extent that it unfortunately brought about the collapse of her marriage, leaving her divorced and without children. Law enforcement had become her spouse.
Star*Guard
Chani's involvement with the Star*Guard began with her chance meeting with one of there members by the name of Kel'Aryn. Starguard Kel'aryn is a Fassai assigned to a sector somewhat close (relatively speaking) to Earth's. He's earned a reputation among the other Starguard for being rash and sometimes incredibly stubborn, especially insofar as matters of personal honor are concerned. When an Ack'alian terrorist and agent of Mordace escaped his sector and cost the life of both of his Marshalls, Kel'aryn gave pursuit, the demand that they be avenged causing him to violate protocol and not immediately inform The Starguard of Earth that he was to be operating in his jurisdiction. This pursuit led to Earth, where the Ack'alian Xrita secretly worked on hatching his plans, while Kel'aryn struggled to track him down and put an end to put an end to his campaign of terror. Enter Chani Sterling.
INTERPOL had been tracking the movements of a newly criminal cell suspected of being heavily involved in arms trafficking, what they didn't expect was to find a super-powered alien monster at the center of it all. INTERPOL, with Sterling at the head of the team, descended on Xrita the time just before Kel'aryn tracked him down, but the Starguard's intervention was too late and nearly everyone on Chani's team was dead, and Kel'aryn ended up near fatally wounded. Xrita's plot was still unknown and he escaped, leaving Earth, Kel'aryn's failure to notify the Starguard assigned to this sector allowed for a dangerous criminal to once again get away. Unsure of what to do, Chani nursed the wounded Starguard back to health, after which he swore a debt of honor to her and that justice for her fellow comrades would be done. Instead of rashly acting once more, he notified The Starguard of the situation and set off after Xrith once more, this time taking the startled but capable Agent Sterling with him; Kel'aryn's fate for protocol would be delayed and discussed at a later time.
Chani was thrust into interstellar law enforcement with barely enough time to catch her breath. Kel'aryn trained her as best he could and appointed her his new Marshall, and they set about following the still hot trail of Xrita to break up his growing plot. During this time, Kel'aryn better prepared Chani for the coming confrontation. She was already an exceptionally skilled martial artist, and he saw further potential for her in the combat arts, teaching her the methods of Odrugaran stave fighting, that are utilized as part o the Star*Guard's close combat style. He gifted her with a pair of collapsible Odrugaran fighting staves, of the form that a Star*Guard cadet might wield in close-combat before earning their Starstaff. Eventually Kel'aryn and now Marshall Sterling tracked down the Ack'alian, and with the assistance of another Starguard, finally brought an end to the plot that Mordace had been hatching.
When Kel'aryn's disciplinary trial was to take place (delayed due to a number of complications in the Xrita case, Chani and Kel'aryn had been together for a couple years at this point), Marshall Sterling spoke in his defense, a strong bond having grown between the two in that time. However, due to the potential loss of life that could have been averted had protocol been followed, Kel'aryn was placed on temporary probation. Sterling was returned to earth where she incorporated everything she had learned during her interstellar travels to begin fighting crime in a new manner. Kel'aryn's probation recently came to an end, and Chani has been waiting to see if this means she'll see her friend again, or even be called back into service.
Silver Squirrel
After returning to Earth, Chani started approaching crime-fighting in a much more direct manner than she had been while a member of INTERPOL. She left the old job behind, and supported herself through a carefully established web of contacts and favors. She soon took up the mask and the moniker 'silver squirrel', inspired by her childhood nickname. She very much considers herself a citizen of the world, and thus her crime-fighting often takes on an international bent even now, though she currently works out of Millennium City in the United States.
Affiliations
The Star*Guard: Having operated as a Marshall for several years under the Starguardian Kel'aryn, Chani is considered a trusted ally of Star*Guard, and perhaps even a potential Starguardian should the need ever arise. She continues to assist their policing efforts whenever needed, and has made it known that she's always on call to give what aid she can. Sometimes Silver Squirrel will vanish from the public eye, it widely believed that during these sometimes lengthy disappearances that she's left earth to assist her mentor and friend in policing his assigned sector, suggesting that she never truly lost her status as a Marshall.
Interpol:Having served as an officer of Interpol, Chani made numerous connections within the police organization and continues to maintain and nurture many of them to this day. This has helped her stay up-to-date on many criminal affairs across the globe, and she's been known to assist Interpol agents in busting all manner of devious super-powered criminals.
Appearance & Costumes
What other Heroes have to say!
Crimson Emerald: "Can you believe that someone would want someone not to give to a 'Save the Squirrels' charity? I mean, as long as the computers are Windows 7- Wait, we're talking about the Silver Squirrel?"
Rumor Mill
(All information is available IC, feel free to add new ones)
- She was once bit by a radioactive Squirrel.
- Kel'aryn is more than her mentor, tabloids suggest at a potential love between this alien Starguard and human heroine.
Trivia
Facts:
- The Moniker Silver Squirrel is derived from her real name, Chani Sterling; Sterling as in silver, and her nickname 'Channi' meaning 'squirrel' when translated to the Konkani dialect of India.
Themesong:
