Species: Human
Birthplace: Tian
Birthdate: 386 IE
Affiliation: Compact Resistance
Call Sign: “Suicide”
Real Name: Cui Yun
Overview
Known by her call sign Suicide, Cui Yun is a former Compact Navy pilot and a respected resistance leader on Amargosa. She operates under her call sign throughout the conflict, a name earned through years of executing high-risk missions. Suicide brings both strategic discipline and emotional gravity to the resistance, mentoring younger fighters while carrying the weight of profound personal losses.
Background
Originally from Tian, Suicide’s path to military service began in grief. Her husband was killed in the Polygamy Wars, prompting her to join the Compact Navy. During her service, she endured a second tragedy when her wife was killed in a terrorist bombing on Aphrodite, an event that deepened her emotional reserve and hardened her resolve.
Eventually, she left the Navy and settled in a cabin near the Founders' Mine on Amargosa. She lived in relative isolation until the Gelt invasion, when she reemerged to take a central role in organizing resistance efforts across the continent.
Role in the Resistance
Suicide is a key field leader in the resistance. She assembles and leads an overland team tasked with contacting survivors of the Ban Ki-moon, a crashed Compact cruiser lying off the western coast of Amargosa’s inhabited continent. She is known for:
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Making difficult, often morally complex decisions under pressure
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Balancing strategic efficiency with a fierce protectiveness toward her team
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Tolerating and using individuals like Tyler Wat as necessary evils
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Holding her team—including teenagers—to professional standards
She frequently works alongside Colonel Diana Jovann but functions with independent authority. Her leadership is rarely questioned, even when it borders on intimidating.
Mother-Son Dynamic with JT Austin
Over the course of the series, Suicide’s bond with JT Austin deepens beyond mentorship or command. Though initially wary of her, JT comes to see her as his closest family. This culminates in Storming Amargosa, when JT must decide whether to fly for Hanar or the Compact. The morning of his decision, he openly refers to Suicide as “his mother”—a moment that crystallizes the maternal role she has played in his life. This declaration is especially poignant given Suicide’s history of personal loss, including her husband in the Polygamy Wars and a wife in a terrorist attack on Aphrodite. JT’s words affirm not only his love for her, but the family they’ve chosen through war and survival
Post-Liberation
In the aftermath of Storming Amargosa, Suicide deepens her role as JT’s chosen mother and fiercest advocate. She helps secure their new ship, the Goldeneye, and pushes JT toward embracing his future as a pilot and officer, even as he struggles with the lingering trauma of war. Though outwardly gruff, Suicide takes quiet pride in JT’s growth, encouraging him without smothering his independence. Her steady presence offers JT a form of family stability he has lacked since childhood, and her faith in his abilities becomes a critical foundation as he rebuilds his life on a scarred but slowly healing Amargosa.
Relationships
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JT Austin – More than just a subordinate; Suicide takes on a maternal role with JT, guiding and correcting him as he matures into a leader.
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Connor Duffy & Ellie Nardino – Respects their technical skill, often assigning them critical sabotage and demolition tasks.
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Eric Yuwono – Pushes him hard, seeing both his potential and his naïveté as a former cadet.
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Davra Andraste – Recognizes Davra’s intelligence and drive but reprimands her for reckless decisions.
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Lucius Kray – Views him as a dangerous megalomaniac; actively works to undermine his influence.
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Tyler Wat – Distrusts him deeply, but uses his insight against Kray when the mission demands it.
- Mitsuko Yamato:
Suicide bonds quickly with Mitsuko after the liberation of Gilead (Hanar), recognizing in her a kindred spirit—deadly, disciplined, and unafraid to speak her mind. The two form a quiet but powerful alliance, with Suicide acting as a secondary mentor figure alongside Mitsuko’s formal role as JT’s trainer in swordplay and special forces tactics. Suicide sees Mitsuko as a stabilizing presence in JT’s life and often plays off her in planning or command situations. The two develop a mutual respect that quickly becomes camaraderie. - Tishla:
While Suicide is wary of the Gelt First Citizen of Hanar at first, she gradually comes to respect Tishla’s resolve and leadership. Their relationship is complicated—Suicide sees the potential for betrayal but also recognizes Tishla’s sincere desire to forge peace between humans and Gelt. She keeps JT at arm’s length from Tishla at first, suspecting a budding attraction, but eventually relents. Suicide even intervenes when others question Tishla’s loyalty, recognizing the necessity of building bridges in the aftermath of war.
Personality and Leadership Style
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Strategic and unsentimental, except when it comes to the safety of her team
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Quiet but commanding, using presence rather than volume to lead
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Emotionally closed, shaped by the loss of both a husband and wife
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Efficient and unflinching, willing to discipline even sympathetic figures like Davra or JT
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Often acts with foresight and caution, contrasting with the more idealistic impulses of her younger fighters
Legacy
Suicide is the steel thread that binds the youth-led resistance on Amargosa. Though she rarely shows emotion, her quiet care for those under her command—especially JT—defines her legacy just as much as her battlefield decisions. She represents resilience forged in personal loss and discipline shaped by war.
Appearances: The Children of Amargosa, Second Wave, “Lizzy“