Lt. Stephanie Mercado (died IE), call sign “Midnight Angel,” was a fighter pilot assigned to the Queen Maria Sophia in 433. She had a propensity for buzzing other ships. In one memorable incident, she buzzed a Falcon piloted by JT Austin. She was escorting a shuttle from the Marcus Aurelius carrying Queen Reiko and Princess Elizabeth of Bonaparte.
After her return to the Sophie, she met up with JT and had an intimate encounter with him. As Mitsuko would be leaving the ship with the newly ascended Edward Windsor, they discussed becoming bunkmates. The conversation and further sexual activity ended abruptly when JT had to report to the captain.
When the Sophie came under attack by an unknown enemy, Patty Friese ordered her to an awaiting Falcon where she would transport Friese, now in command, and another officer while escorting Austin’s Falcon with the royal party aboard.
While evacuating the Sophie, they used its weaponry to cover the escape for JT and his party. However, like the royal party, they became trapped as Vernis, the terrorist seizing the ship, gained partial control and rotated the Sophie so they could witness the destruction of the Marcus Aurelius. She, Friese, and Kamal added spider drones to deliver stun grenades to disrupt the mechs. When this allowed Chief Engineer Peddig to jettison the EM drive reactor and restart the ship’s systems, Mercado was able to flee the hanger. However, Vernis’s ship remained active and fired on Mercado’s, killed her, Friese, and Kamal.
Appearances: Checkmate