Wilhelmina Vermeulen

Character Information

Gender		Female
Species		Human
Age		35
Date of Birth		1st January 2362
Place of Birth		Leuven

Physical Appearance

Height		198
Weight		224 lb
Hair Color		Brown dyed Purple (likely to change)
Eye Color		Grey
Physical Description		Will is a tall, broad woman who carries herself in a relaxed slouch. That coupled with her sometimes unusual hair colour choices, means it may surprise you to find out she is a capable navigator and a proud member of the Freecloud Centre for Astrogation. When not dressed for work she wears primarily soft greys and pastel colours.

Ship Identification

Duty Shift

Alpha

Family

Spouse		None
Children		None
Father		Jens Vermeulen
Mother		Margarette Vermeulen
Brother(s)		None
Sister(s)		Xandra Vermeulen (younger)
Other Family		None

Personality & Traits

General Overview		Will's generally laid back and cheerful personality belies a sharp sense of observation. Her professional motto is 'there’s always a route through any barrier'. For her cartography is as much a philosophical endeavour as it is a practical one. There's the quickest way, the safest way and the way that fills the spirit. While often people are in too much of a rush to explore the third option, for Will that is where life’s adventures lie.
Strengths & Weaknesses		Will is physically strong and a very capable member of any team who rarely panics under pressure. She is logical when approaching her duty, and has a strong sense of personal responsibility. This means when Will tells you she will do something, she will always follow through. However her curiosity and focus on her work can sometimes cause her to forget more pressing priorities. She also struggles with some written elements of her job, so will procrastinate on written reports unless there is a clear and compelling reason which appeals to her sense of personal accountability. Will has little to know combat experience and would much rather her talk her way in and out of trouble then let things get physical.
Ambitions		At the start of her journey on board, Will is looking for a sense of excitement that she had when she first became a stellar cartographer. She would like to one day set up an old fashioned bookshop.
Hobbies & Interests		Will loves cooking, in particular baking. There are few opportunities to really indulge as much as she wants, so in the absence of a decent oven and fresh ingredients, Will has taken to 'tweaking' replicator recipes. It's never quite the same, but she thinks she is getting real close to perfecting her liège waffle. Will also inherited a love of jazz from her father, and often can be heard humming classics when on the go. She has a particular fondness for Ella Fitzgerald, Miles Davis and Dave Brubeck.
Sexual Orientation		Straight
Language(s) Spoken		Dutch, English and French

History

Personal History		Will grew up on a sheep farm in the rural area around Leuven, Belgium on earth. As a child she spent a lot of time running wild and playing in barns. She has one sister with whom she has an incredibly tight bond. Her childhood was happy and uneventful but as she grew older she grew an urge to explore the known universe. She was a diligent student, and while she worked hard she was not particularly gifted academically. Eventually however her hard work paid off. When it came to choosing between starting work or heading into higher education, Will turned a childhood of exploring into a possible future of adventure. Realising neither of his daughters had an interest in taking over the family farm, an aging Jens sold the farm to fund his daughter's education. Xander went to a musical conservatory and Will applied to University of Ghent. While at University Will struggled to maintain her GPA. Ghent was a highly competitive environment and she struggled making connections with other students while also balancing her workload. She excelled at the practical elements of her studies, but struggled with written coursework and exams. She did ultimately graduate but without the top marks needed for the more lucrative and exciting ship postings. She spent a year aboard a freighter as a navigator before moving to work with a number of Colony tracking stations who collected data on various shipping lanes and commercial projects. Over the next few years she slowly worked her way the 169 lightyears to Freecloud. Here she was able to successfully apply for a position at the Freecloud Centre for Astrogation (FCA). The Centre’s concerns are mostly related to improving the navigational data concerning Freeclouds commercial interests. While at the FCA she worked as an instructor, specialising in Freight (where fuel costs played a key part of route planning). After a few years Will was offered the opportunity to join the FCA’s data/skill exchange. This programme offered navigation expertise to private vessels in exchange for copies of the data they gathered during their postings aboard the ship. While Will is technically in the employ of the FCA, while aboard the ship she is expected to behave as part of the crew and follow all orders as someone in direct employ of the ship. An FCA navigator costs the ships very little (salary and living costs are covered as part of the FCA agreement), but prioritizes applications from ships who are likely to travel less chartered parts of space. Should the navigator not return to the FCA at the end of the contracted term due to death then their data and personal logs would need to be offered in their place or the ship will be fined. The fine is half that which will be issued to the individual for breach of contract.
Service Record		Will began her navigational career through her studies at Ghent University. The University offered a number of exchange programmes and it was through these that she was able to begin working with off world colonies. Prior to coming aboard the Mary-Rose, after her studies were complete she worked in a number Colony tracking stations studying the gravitational effects of micro black holes on celestial body positioning concerning busy trade routes. Her studies eventually led her to work with the Freecloud Centre for Astrogation. However these years of study and grant work left her with little money. After a couple of years working with the centre she was offered to take part in the the Centre’s skills and data exchange. In exchange for the service of a skilled navigator and stellar cartographer, the Centre would get a copy of any navigation related data to help build a more accurate picture of the galaxy. This programme also offered Will a grant with which she could continue a line of personal study as long as she remained in the employ of whichever ship she was posted to.