Cassandra Elza
Cassandra "Cass" Elza is an Imperial Navy Captain of the 901st Tactical Wing's Valkyrie and Vulture-equipped "Vagabond Squadron".[1a]
History
Personally piloting the Valkyrie Vagrant and taking part in the defense of the world of Kanai Tertius against Orks, she was given a secret order by Lieutenant General Havali and Air Marshal Jakyra to help evacuate all senior Army Group Centre (AGC) staff by flying a supply run.[1a] During the mission, the squadron encountered heavy Ork anti-aircraft fire and the supply drop was insufficient. As they land, she delivered the secret evacuation orders to the AGC Command Staff, but commanding officer Mordian General Felkin refused to abandon his men as a major Ork assault began.[1b] The Squadron evacuates who they can before coming under assault by Ork aircraft, shooting down their pursuers but taking heavy casualties. With only emergency fuel remanding, Cass was forced to crash land at an abandon promethium hub.[1c]
In order to escape, Cass is forced to order a risky ground assault on the promethium hub. During the battle Flight Sergeant Korrie was killed, but they were successful in securing promethium for refueling.[1d] They are able to escape and return back to their base at Barduk, but Lord Commissar Vasquez executed General Ven Weem Percivald for cowardice by helping to organise the retreat.[1e]In the aftermath of the incident the Squadron is left demoralized, and Cass was forced to discipline her Lieutenant Hal Vaughn for stealing.[1e]
The Vagabond Squadron was then assigned to take part in the assault on Kantu valley and land Tempestus Scions and battle Deffkoptas. During the battle, Vaughn's gunship was damaged and forced to crash-land. The Vagabonds desperately fought to defend the crash site as a massive "Sky Gargant" was reported inbound.[1f] Vaughn and the rest of the downed crew and passengers are able to defend the site and repair their aircraft just as a massive Ork attack wave arrived.[1g] The 901st was then assigned to engage the inbound Ork air armada and try to take down the Sky Gargant, despite it being accepted as a suicide mission. During the battle, they down multiple Ork Bommers, but Cass was forced to crash-land her aircraft Vagrant. During the desperate mission, two other squadrons of the 901st were wiped out.[1g] The deaths also included Vaughn after Ork boarding craft caused Greenskins to throw a grenade into his aircraft.[1h]
On the ground, the Vagrant was boarded by Orks but Cass and her crew were able to fight them off with the help of the Vulture Ruffian piloted by Sergeant Emmi Konstantin. Taking back to flight, only the Vagrant and Ruffian now remained to take down the Sky-Gargant.[1i] In the desperate last stand, the Ruffian collided into the weapons bay of the Sky-Gargant's belly and unloaded its weapons at point-blank, destroying them both and breaking the Ork air armada. Meanwhile, the Vagrant was critically damaged but continued to shuttle survivors on the ground across the Eji river under heavy artillery fire.[1i] After completing the final shuttle run thanks to the sacrificial last stand of a group of Tempestus Scions under Lieutenant Stryk, Cass lands back at Barduk to discover she is piloting the only surviving aircraft in the 901st and that she is the last surviving member of Vagabond Squadron.[1j]
In the aftermath of the battle, Cass was celebrated as the Hero of Eji Valley and was used for political propaganda as the war on Kanai continued. Numb and empty from having lost her entire squadron, she is informed that she is to rebuild Vagabond Squadron with fresh recruits. Resigned to her fate, she accepted her new duty.[1j]
