Dasha

**Name:** __Dasha Malenko__
 * Speciality:** Weapons Specialist, Designated Marksman
 * Gender:** Female
 * Height:** 157 cm
 * Weight:** 52 kg
 * Age:** 17
 * Demeanour:** Addict (Lho-sticks)
 * Description:** Trooper Malenko is a flimsy thing of a girl, slight malnutrition having taken its toll on her stature. Almost getting lost under her regiment's heavy standardized flak coat and big ushanka - the traditional fur cap of the Valhallan people - Dasha's diminutive stature nonetheless tends to work in her favour, often making her appear less obvious and less threatening than her usually much bigger comrades, giving her ample opportunity to line up a perfect shot. Her face bears a weary expression, courtesy of the harsh living conditions on her homeworld. Occasionally, her dark eyes wander to the distant, making her seem absentminded, yet her perception - or, as some might say, her jumpiness - is such that she can snap out of this state at the slightest sound or hint of movement in the corner of her eyes.

Weapon Skill: 30 (+3) Ballistic Skill: 48 (+4) Strength: 22 (+2) Toughness: 25 (+2) Agility: 30 (+3) Intelligence: 30 (+3) Perception: 35 (+3) Willpower: 30 (+3) Fellowship: 35 (+3)
 * Characteristics**

Wounds: 0/12 Fatigue: 0/2 Fate: 0/1 Initiative: 1d10+3 Movement: 3m Half, 6m Full, 4-9m Charge, 18m Run Logistics: 10 Corruption: 0 Insanity: 0
 * Condition**


 * Aptitudes**


 * Agility
 * Ballistic Skill
 * Fellowship
 * Fieldcraft
 * Finesse
 * Perception
 * Weapon Skill


 * Skills**


 * Common Lore, Imperial Guard +10
 * Common Lore, War +10
 * Forbidden Lore, Orks
 * Linguistics, Low Gothic
 * Operate, Surface
 * Survival
 * Navigate, Surface


 * Talents**


 * Fieldcraft, Tundra (failed Survival and Navigate tests in arctic regions may be rerolled)
 * Hatred, Orks (+10 WS versus Orks)
 * Rapid Reload (Full Action reload is Half Action, Half Action reload is Free Action)
 * Resistance, Fear (+10 bonus to Resist Fear tests)
 * Weapon Training, Las (can use Las weaponry without penalties)
 * Weapon Training, Low-tech (can use Low-tech weaponry without penalties)
 * Weapon Training, Solid Projectile (can use SP weaponry without penalties)


 * Ranged Weapons**

__M91 Mordian-Gaunt-pattern Long Las__ Class: Basic Las Damage: 1d10+3 Type: Energy Penetration: 1 Range: 150m (0-2m Point Blank BS+30, 3-74m Short Range BS+10, 75-300m Optimum Range, 301-450m Long Range BS-10, 451-600m Extreme Range BS-30) RoF: S/-/- Clip: 35/40 (+ 1x40 Reserve Chargepack) Reload: Full Weight: 4.5 kg Special Rules: Accurate (+10 BS for Aim, +1d10 damage for 2 DoS, 2d10 damage for 4 DoS), Modified Stock (+2 on Half Action Aim, +4 on Full Action Aim), Reliable (Jam only on 100), Felling IV (reduces target's Unnatural Toughness by 4)

__M36 Valhalla-pattern Lasgun__ (Reserve) Class: Basic Las Damage: 1d10+3 Type: Energy Penetration: 0 Range: 100m (0-2m Point Blank BS+30, 3-49m Short Range BS+10, 50-200m Optimum Range, 201-300m Long Range BS-10, 301-400m Extreme Range BS-30) RoF: S/3/- Clip: 60/60 Reload: Full Weight: 4 kg Special Rules: Homeworlds Materials (+5 to Resist Fear), Reliable (Jam only on 100)

__Frag Grenade__ Class: Thrown Damage: 1d10 Type: Explosive Penetration: Range: 6m (SBx3) Count: 4 Weight: 0.5 kg each Special Rules: Blast III (hits anything within 3m radius), Ogryn-proof (can be used by Ogryn without penalty)


 * Melee Weapons**[[image:bayonet.jpg align="right" caption="NR-40 Plasteel Bayonet"]]

__NR-40 Bayonet__ Class: Melee/Thrown Damage: 1d5+2 (1d5+SB) Type: Rending Penetration: 0 Range: 0m/5m Weight: 1 kg Special Rules: can be thrown, can be affixed to M39 Lasgun

__Rifle Butt__ Class: Basic Improvised Melee Damage: 1d10 (1d10-2+SB), max 7 Type: Impact Penetration: 0 Range: 0m Weight: n/a Special Rules: Ogryn-proof (can be used by Ogryn without penalty), Primitive VII (damage dice has maximum value of 7), Unbalanced (-10 on Parry, unable to use Lightning Attack)


 * Armour**

__Valhallan Flak__ Head: 2 AP Right Arm: 3 AP Left Arm: 3 AP Body: 3 AP Right Leg: 3 AP Left Leg: 3 AP Weight: 7 kg Special Rules: Includes poor weather gear


 * Other Gear**[[image:http://www.tridentmilitary.com/New-Photos14/field-set-1b.jpg align="right" caption=""The Emperor provides.""]]

__Field Uniform__ Description: Olive-green field uniform worn below flak coat. Weight: 2 kg

__Field Bag__ Description: Rolled sleeping blanket strapped to shoulder. Contains canteen, rations, mess kit and IIUP. Weight: 4 kg Effect: Blanket provides protection from elements. Rations provide nutrition for max. 2 weeks.

__9-70 Entrenching Tool__ Description: Durable spate for digging trenches. Counts as improvised weapon if need be. Weight: 1 kg

__Lamp Pack__ Description: A fist-sized illuminative device casting a strong, yellowish light. Weight: 0.5 kg Effect: max. 5 hours duration

__Matches__ Description: A box of small wooden sticks, their tips laced with pulverized promethium. Weight: 0 kg

__Lho-sticks__ Description: 5 rolled paper tubes containing a mild addictive narcotic. Weight: 0 kg

Name: Yuri Demeanour: Lucky Status: Healthy
 * Comrade**[[image:Yuri.jpg width="300" align="right"]]


 * Orders**
 * Close Quarters, Half Action (flank CC opponent, provide +10 WS bonus)
 * Follow, Half Action (maintain Cohesion with player character)
 * Hail of Fire, Half Action (provide Pinning quality to attacks)
 * Ranged Volley, Half Action (provide +5 BS bonus to player character)
 * Take Cover, Full Action (incoming damage must exceed 3+Cover AP to wound)

__Total XP Spent: 300__ __XP to Spend: 300__
 * Experience**
 * Hail of Fire, 12.07. (300 xp)


 * Background**[[image:http://images.dakkadakka.com/gallery/2012/8/7/399012_md-Character%2C%20Female%2C%20Guard%2C%20Imperial%2C%20Imperial%20Guard%2C%20Valhallans.jpg width="400" align="right"]]

Dasha is the middle one out of five children, having two elder brothers and two younger sisters. Growing up in the vast subterranean city of Nostrograd, the girl was put to work early in her life, aiding her family in tending to the algae farms that cultivate the nutrient slime which forms the main source of food for Valhalla's population. Like many of the city's children, Dasha often used to climb through the small auxiliary tunnels for fun, at times all the way up until reaching the plasteel shutters separating the underground network from the icy surface. Her adventurous behaviour was tolerated, if only barely, even in this strict society, for the Valhallans love their children dearly.

Nevertheless, for everyone comes the day when they have to take on more and more responsibilities in order to keep Valhallan society from collapsing. For most of the people, this means diligent work at the large vat farms, or in one of the many polluted Manufactoriums churning out machinery and wargear. Many, however, are also conscripted into the service of the Imperial Guard, for Valhalla has a long and honourable history of providing the Munitorum with a core of grimly unyielding troops naturally suited for exhaustive campaigns in harsh tundra climates. Dasha herself had "lost" both her elder brothers to the Imperial Guard, although this was, of course, no occasion for sadness amongst the proud Valhallan people.

Many years ago, a cave-in due to excessive mining had maimed Dasha's father, who was barely graded fit enough to serve in the PDF now. When local district adepts came to inform the family that their youngest son, twelve-year-old little Sergej, was to be drafted, the young girl, by this time working in a factory mass-producing respirators, was determined to intervene. Offering herself in place of her brother, Dasha was accepted into the draft to complete the city's decennial quota.

Having had little time to say her farewells, Dasha was soon given her uniform and a rifle, transported to the surface and, together with thousands of other recruits, herded into one of the long rail trains that carried her to the starport. After five days of travel with only a single ration to eat, the transport had finally reached its destination. Not wasting any time, other soldiers rushed the group into the giant Galaxy-class troopship, where two thirds of the newly formed regiment had already been billeted, having arrived days ago on other trains from other cities elsewhere on Valhalla.

The venerable troopship, a behemoth from before the Age of Apostasy in M36, had vast cargo holds capable of easily transporting entire regiments of the Imperial Guard, yet Valhallan regiments tended to be notably larger than those of other worlds, often made up of many tens of thousands of troops at once in order to conform to the Munitorum's demands. Due to this, living conditions aboard the ship were cramped, and Dasha had to share a bunk with a fellow recruit. The cameraderie and cohesion ingrained into most Valhallan people had the two novice Ice Warriors quickly form a bond of friendship, and in the coming weeks they would often be seen together in the mess halls or during one of the many training sessions organized by the Commissars.

Initially, Dasha was slated to be trained as one of the regiment's medicae, yet her consistently high scores during basic lasgun drills saw the overseeing Commissar suggest her reassignment to the role of a squad's designated marksman. Although it took the onboard bureaucracy of the newly formed regiment two weeks to process this proposal, one of the company commander's aides finally stamped the paper without even studying its contents, trusting the Commissar's experience. Meanwhile, Dasha contemplated the chance of seeing one of her elder brothers again on one of the Imperium's many battlefields. Yet as fate would have it, no happy reunification would await this young soldier - only war.


 * Trivia**

The WW2 Soviet sniper Klavdia Kalugina of the 1156th Regiment, 344th Rifle Division, served as partial inspiration for this character. Her tale can be read [|here].