Background

Born in Hull, England to Anthea and Peter Spiner, Telana was the eldest of two and grew up in a rough working class area. Although she kept a kind heart and a community spirit, it didn’t stop her dabbling in crimes, falling into a bad crowd during her teenage years, almost constantly in trouble with the Police. Throughout her years growing up, Telana learnt how to go on with little to nothing, and how to make everything last as long as it could. Sewing classes in school and her parents encouraging further study, Telana found a natural skill in fixing up the clothes she so often tore and wrecked during her time spent up to no good. Even with no interest to pursue it as a career, she ended up with a biscuit tin, full of various sewing supplies. As she just about scraped through school, she very quickly realised she hadn’t much in the way of career prospects. Nothing really did catch her fancy, except for her Dad’s stories about his time in the Army. Interested and with nowhere to go, she signed up, becoming a Combat Medical Technician. Shortly after she got deployed to Northern Ireland, she met Lieutenant Colonel Phillip Barker, and got involved in a relationship with him. She didn’t realise at first that he was married, but when she did, she remained his Mistress. In December of ‘91, the wife of Phillip Barker, Judy, finally managed to speak to Telana regarding her and Phillip’s ongoing affair. The resulting talk resulted in the end of Telana’s relationship with him, and Telana took a long hard look at her life choices. From then on, she did her best to change, and her efforts were focused into becoming a proper Soldier, one her family could actually be proud of. In February ‘92, she was deployed to Germany. It was also here that she met Sergeant Wayne Teller, her future Fiancé. After her deployment there ended, Telana and Wayne hooked up for a number of one night stands until Wayne finally took her on a date to the Café des Artistes in Paris, and they began their relationship. In October of ‘93, Telana was promoted to the rank of Corporal. In August of ‘97, both Sgt. Teller and Cpl. Spiner were deployed to the Balkans. The pair were stationed at the same Base, and often had to work together, however, in early November, she asked a colleague to cover for her during a routine patrol due to recovering from a traffic collision. That patrol was hit by a mine, resulting in the deaths of three British Soldiers, including Sergeant Wayne Teller. Mid to late December of ‘97 and Telana was finally allowed to go out on patrol again, after getting the agreement of the Chaplain. All had gone well for the first week, but on Boxing Day the patrol came under fire. Cpl. Spiner was Wounded In Action when she attempted to move to a nearby casualty, suffering three rounds to her left leg and chest. Friendly forces recovered Telana and she received treatment, but the Pte. she had been attempting to recover was lost. Unfortunately due to her injuries and her current state of mental health, she was medically discharged on 2nd January, 1998. Now back to civvy life, Telana found herself struggling with the transition, as well as having plenty of time on her hands to process the events, although she struggled with her mental health as a consequence. As such, she found herself doing what she did best; running away. She never really spent more than a few months before moving to the next place, sticking to places she knew, like Germany and London, or was confident she could slip into, such as Canada and America. Like many, Telana hadn't paid much attention to the sudden surge of daisies and was caught flatfooted when things began to sour. With flights being grounded fairly quickly, she found herself trapped in the wrong London. Being strande, she began volunteering at the local community centre, which became the basis for the London Quarantine Zone. Here she worked with others to provide stability and care, as well as security for those displaced, her training as a medic and as a tailor becoming highly sought as the years progressed. During the turn of the millennium, the LQZ, like most others, found themselves spread far too thinly as they received an influx of refugees. With tension being the only thing in high supply, things began to get trickier. Not only that, but as the spring approached, the relentless assault of the daisies renewed themselves with ever increasing ferocity. The LQZ was abandoned and soon claimed by what became known as the Michigan Deadzone. As the survivors warned the Toronto QZ of the threats that approached, Telana met a woman named Hayley. The pair quickly became friends, and seeing the dangers that the TQZ faced, persuaded Telana to head further inland, to the Montreal QZ instead. Here they stayed for a couple of years, doing their best as the situation in Canada deteriorated. In 2003, alongside a Doctor and a young woman, they packed up and moved to Boston, deciding to stay, at least for a little while, during which Hayley and Telana began their relationship. In late 2004, using the cover of the winter, the couple crossed through the Fungal Follower’s territory and entered the Coalition. They arrived in the KQZ early 2005 and decided to stop there. Telana offered her tailoring services and helped Hayley in her volunteering to help in the community, wherever an extra hand was needed. In 2007, Hayley proposed, and the pair got engaged. In the beginning months of Winter 2008, whilst out on a supply run, bandits attacked the group. Despite Telana’s best efforts, Hayley died during the attack. The resulting grief began a turbulent rest of the year as she tried to cope with the heartbreak of loss once again, diving into her tailoring work as a means of distraction. Now, coming into Spring of 2009, Telana’s recovered herself, and finding herself forcibly ready to face the challenges of springtime.