Species: Human
Birthplace: Lansdorp, Amargosa
Birthdate: 414 IE
Connor Duffy is a native of Lansdorp on Amargosa and a crucial figure in the planetary resistance against the Occupation of Amargosa. A skilled field technician and demolitions expert, Duffy is known for his mechanical prowess, sardonic humor, and fierce loyalty to his companions. He is one of the youngest members of the underground network formed in the aftermath of the invasion.
Early Life:
Duffy grew up in the industrial city of Lansdorp, known for dismantling and reassembling anything mechanical. He formed a lifelong friendship with Ellie Nardino, sharing both a passion for technology and a knack for mischief. Before and during the invasion, Duffy and Ellie were an inseparable duo.
Role in the Resistance:
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Sabotage and Engineering:
After the Gelt invasion, Duffy joins the resistance, using his expertise in demolitions and engineering. Working closely with Ellie, he plays a pivotal role in sabotage efforts, most notably rigging the Edoras Transit Tunnel with explosives to halt Gelt and collaborator forces during the westward retreat. -
High-Risk Missions:
Though irreverent and sometimes brash, Duffy earns the trust of leaders like Suicide, who often taps him and Ellie for critical, dangerous missions where technical skill is paramount.
The “Trixie” Incident:
While traveling across the Central Plains, Duffy nicknames a captured Gelt girl “Trixie” when she refuses to speak. Unknown to him, “Trixie” is a vulgar slur in the Gelt Mother Tongue, translating to “whore.” The girl is later revealed to be Tishla, the widow of Lattus Kai. The nickname persists long enough to cause tension before they recognize Tishla as a potential ally. The incident adds a layer of bittersweet irony to their relationship as fellow survivors.
Ellie’s Apparent Death:
During a lycanth attack, Ellie is separated from the group and presumed dead, though her body is never recovered. Her apparent death devastates Duffy, leaving him grieving the loss of his best friend and closest partner.
Finding the Ban Ki-moon:
As the team arrived on the western coast, Duffy was instrumental in repairing an abandoned fishing boat. Suicide led the team aboard this vessel and found the fallen Ban Ki-moon. When Tishla was captured, he went with JT and Suicide to rescue her and fled to Hanar with them aboard Amargosa One.
Time on Hanar:
On Hanar, Duffy began training with Compact troops, honing his explosives and technical skills. He came under the tutelage of Mitsuko Yamato, who began treating him like a little brother.
Liberation of Amargosa:
Duffy flew with JT and Mitsuko in the liberation effort. While approaching the landing zone, their Falcon was knocked out of the sky by the fusion blast that destroyed Riverside. They were rescued by Ellie, whom they all thought dead. Though dazed from a concussion, he participated in cornering Lucius Kray and witnessed his bizarre Section 11 execution.
Post-Liberation:
Following the Liberation of Amargosa, Duffy departed the planet aboard the Challenger alongside Davra Andraste. While she entered naval officer training, Duffy was assigned to continue his education at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) on Earth, focusing on engineering and advanced propulsion. His technical expertise, honed during the resistance, made him a strong candidate for future military and civilian aerospace projects.
Cubist Incident in Boston (431 IE):
While attending MIT as part of his naval warp research assignment, Duffy became involved in the prevention of a mass casualty terrorist attack by radical Cubists in downtown Boston. When Cubist insurgents armed with incendiary nanites seized a theater near Harvard, Duffy improvised a counterstrike by illegally accessing a Cybercommand lab beneath the city. Using salvaged Gelt Stun Grenades and commandeered engineering spiders, he orchestrated an EMP-style neutralization of the insurgents without direct military engagement. Although his actions saved dozens of lives, Duffy was arrested for multiple Compact-level felonies, including unlawful entry and unauthorized use of classified technology. Vice Admiral Eileen Burke intervened to have the charges dropped, but Duffy was ordered to complete his studies remotely and reassigned to Officer Training School on Tian, effectively ending his time in Boston. The incident highlighted both Duffy’s brilliance and his lingering resistance-era disregard for formal command structures.
Relationships
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Ellie Nardino:
His childhood best friend and constant partner in resistance missions. Her apparent death during a lycanth attack leaves him emotionally gutted. -
JT Austin:
Initially skeptical of JT’s privileged upbringing, Duffy gradually respects him as a capable fighter and leader. Their bond solidifies during the resistance’s final campaigns. -
Eric Yuwono:
Duffy and Eric often patrol together and form a steady battlefield partnership, both balancing impulsiveness with discipline. -
Davra Andraste:
Duffy admires Davra’s tenacity and intelligence, working well with her on sabotage and reconnaissance missions. After the Liberation, Duffy and Davra traveled together aboard the Challenger to their respective training assignments. While Davra pursued naval officer training, Duffy was assigned to the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) on Earth to continue his education in engineering and advanced propulsion systems. -
Suicide (Commander Cui Yun):
Duffy respects Suicide’s leadership and trusts her tactical instincts, despite her sometimes cold professional demeanor. -
Tishla:
Although he accidentally insults her with the nickname “Trixie,” Duffy eventually accepts Tishla as a fellow survivor and later as an integral part of their growing family. -
Mitsuko Yamato:
During the liberation of Amargosa, Duffy forms a budding sibling-like bond with Mitsuko. Though initially closer to JT, Mitsuko later declares both JT and Duffy as her “brothers” — a declaration that quietly affirms Duffy’s place within the emerging extended family of the Children of Amargosa. - Eileen Burke:
Duffy maintains a complicated mentor-protégé relationship with Vice Admiral Eileen Burke, who oversees Compact military operations in the Tian Region. Although not directly involved with the warp program, Burke serves as one of Duffy’s highest-ranking protectors and disciplinarians. She respects his ingenuity, quick thinking, and wartime experience but is frequently frustrated by his lingering resistance-era defiance and improvisational tendencies. After Duffy’s unauthorized intervention during the Boston Cubist incident, Burke personally intervened to prevent his prosecution, using her authority as regional commander. She sharply reprimanded Duffy, warning him that while wartime guerrilla tactics were necessary on Amargosa, core worlds like Earth demanded strict adherence to civilian and military law. Despite their clashes, Burke remains a powerful advocate for Duffy, believing he has the potential to be a key figure in the Compact’s future — provided he learns to “color inside the lines.”
Author’s Notes:
Duffy is based on an earlier character by the author named Charles Duffy. The original Duffy was around 40 years old and variously described as looking like a younger John Goodman or Danny McBride.
Appearances: The Children of Amargosa (Book), Second Wave, Storming Amargosa, “The Spiders of Boston“