Species: Human
Birthplace: Bonaparte
Susan Areestes is a Compact Navy trooper originally attached to the Household Guard during the Kaku V operation. Initially young and relatively inexperienced, she quickly distinguished herself for her discipline, combat effectiveness, and raw tenacity—traits that caught the attention of Lieutenant Mitsuko Yamato early in her career.
During the operation on Kaku V, she played a vital role in securing hostages and provided critical cover fire under extreme pressure from native cephalopod attackers. Her admiration for King Edward was well-known among her unit, though she remained focused and professional throughout.
In Royal Orders, Areestes is reassigned to the Household Guard detachment accompanying King Edward aboard the Chief Iron Cloud during the mission to the Helios system. She participates in the jungle raid on Aphrodite to extract Suicide from Gerard Kurz’s encampment—a mission that turns chaotic when a dormant giant mech activates.
Areestes is physically stomped on by the mech during the skirmish, a blow that would incapacitate most soldiers. Instead, it enrages her. Despite her injuries, she continues to fight with renewed fury, rallying the team as the battle unfolds.
Following the death of her superior, Staff Sergeant Washington, Areestes assumes the role of NCOIC (Non-Commissioned Officer in Charge). When Mitsuko disappears shortly afterward, she takes de facto command of the Household Guard ground unit. Her calm leadership and refusal to yield during the operation earn her the respect of her fellow soldiers and mark her as a natural leader under fire.
By the end of Royal Orders, Susan Areestes is being seriously considered for accelerated promotion, with Mitsuko recommending her for permanent assignment to Bonaparte’s elite royal security command.
Role in Another Way to Die
Though her role in Another Way to Die is limited to a single scene, Arestes appears once again as part of the Household Guard deployed to Hosh. During a moment of downtime aboard a houseboat, she is seen sunbathing nude alongside a female trooper from Deseret—who gleefully flaunts her society’s taboo against public indecency. Arestes appears equally comfortable, taking advantage of Hosh’s relaxed exposure laws and symbolizing the strange blend of casual irreverence and elite professionalism that defines the post-Royal Orders version of the Household Guard.
Raid on Gerard Kurz’s Jungle Encampment
Areestes seconded NCOIC in the raid on Gerard Kurz‘s jungle encampment as Mitsuko led an attack to rescue Suicide. Her immediate superior was killed, and Areestes herself was stomped on by a giant mech. Yet she got up and kept fighting, assuming the NCOIC role as the fight continued.
Dasarius Hostage Situation
Now a lieutenant, Areestes recruiting a dozen volunteers, including herself, to participate in an off-the-books raid on the Dasarius estate when Tessa and Shaneese Dasarius were taken hostage. The Household Guards had become the Foundation-level Templars. She performed bravely in the evacuation of the estate and extraction of the hostages. When Suicide went to board the Keiko Matsumoto, which threatened the Endeavour Areestes gave Suicide her own power armor as it fit. With Mitsuko, she led the Templar team in saluting Suicide as she left.
Appearances: “The Cephelapods,” Royal Orders, Another Way to Die, Suicide Solution