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Because I know the way I want to role play Isolde, I had to come up with reasons for her to act the way she will.  This is what I came up with: 

     Isolde Pearl Rossignol-Smith was born on December 7, 2041 in Boston, New
England, USA at Medford Memorial Hospital. Her father, John Smith
(really), was an engineer and an expert in the fields of robotics and
artificial intelligence. Her mother, Elaine Rossignol, was a lawyer
specializing in litigation regarding the uses of AI. They met at an
AI conference and, although they were on opposing sides in the
prevailing AI debate, they had enough in common that they fell in
love, lived in a committed relationship and brought up a child
together.

Her father had invented some devices and licensed them to both RobCo and
General Atomics. He eventually worked for both companies and was
extremely well-off financially. Her mother was well-paid when she
did paying work, but she mostly worked pro bono publico. In spite of the family's capital, Isolde never felt wealthy. Her father had his own personal robotics lab which cost a great amount to build and maintain and her mother did not work for pay very often. So, she led a somewhat typical middle-class life.

Isolde never wanted to be an engineer/scientist or a lawyer. She wanted to
be a jazz musician. Unfortunately, she had no innate musical talent
and her hard work just could not compensate. She attended a small
liberal arts college in Maine (not far from Far Harbor) where she was
studying History when, in 2062, the U.S. government curtailed its
deferment programs and she was called to her three years of
compulsory National Service. Because of her aptitude scores she was
enrolled in the Marines.

After basic training, the Marines found that she was good enough to play in
the Marine band which she did for a year before they found someone
better. After she left the band and the government extended National
Service to four years, she was assigned to the judicial branch of the
Marines. She had a choice to spend her final three years of service
as a clerk or extend her tour by going to Law School for three years
to become a military lawyer and then serving as such for a minimum of
three additional years. She made the six year choice and became a
military lawyer in 2066.

She never got to appear in court as the Chinese Forces brought war to
Alaska that year and she was assigned to advanced combat training
which included power armor training. She was shipped out to the
Anchorage front the next year.

Her parents' relationship had become more and more strained as the AI
debate became more and more partisan and they eventually divorced in
2062 although they did remain on speaking terms. Her father was
involved in the creation of military grade power armor and of soldier
robots like the Assaultron. Isolde crossed paths with her father
several times during her advanced combat training.

     She and her father were both in Alaska in 2067 – she with the power armor reserve and he to review the field operations involving the new mechanical
creations. Neither of them was aware that her mother was also there
until they were informed she had been killed when Russian mercenaries
working for the Chinese overran the base where her mother was
involved in a case regarding an Assaultron which had gone haywire and
killed several civilians. Her father was killed later that year by
Chinese secret agents in an abortive kidnapping attempt.

Isolde chafed to get into battle with the Chinese but her unit was never
needed. After the Chinese were driven back, Isolde, seething with
anger and almost overwhelmed with grief, was reassigned to the West
Coast HQ to resume her legal duties. By 2069 she had completed her
required service but was drifting and directionless. Her one good
friend at HQ convinced her to continue her military career. As she
had no idea of what else to do, she signed on for another four years.

It was during those four years that she met Nate and their relationship
developed. In 2073 she was discharged while Nate still had a year to
go so she stayed on the West Coast to be with him. As he was about
to leave the military, the war was taken to Chinese soil and all
terms of service were extended through a court-adjudicated
interpretation of a little-known clause in the enlistment papers.
Nate was shipped out to China.

Isolde used her legal skills in an attempt to nullify this extension of
service but she lost the case. Dispirited, she went back to Boston
and using the little money her father had left her and her own
savings, she bought a lot in Sanctuary Hills and had a house built
there. She worked on and off for various Boston law firms until, in
early 2076, Nate came home from China, joined her in Sanctuary Hills
and they were married. Shaun was born in February, 2077.