Rena Rochat

Rena was born in Geneva and lived there with her parents and older brother in a calm household.
She was a quiet girl, keeping to herself and barely had any social connections outside of her close family.

Both her parents were accountants and because she didn’t really had any goals or plans for the future Rena studied toward following the same path, but without any real conviction. Her brother, Léon, was the total opposite. He was an energetic, athletic and overly optimistic person, which the latter bothered Rena on a regular basis. She would then make sarcastic and mocking remarks to her brother to which he always responded in a playful and friendly manner, something that bothered her even further.

Rena and Léon didn’t have a lot in common but one hobby, the shooting range. They would go regularly together and while Rena wasn’t a gun enthusiast like her brother, she had fun and enjoyed spending time there with him. While Rena studied something that didn’t really interested her, Léon had a clear goal, join the Waifuwehr and serve. When he made his wish known to his parents they didn’t opposed it, Rena however got angry and was totally against. The reasons Léon presented for why he wished to join the army was particularly infuriating for her to hear, ‘’save and protect the people’’, ‘’make the world a better place’’, things that fitted so well the idealistic values of Léon and not at all the pessimistic and cynical views of Rena. But no matter what she said or did, there was no way to change her brother’s mind. This deteriorated the relationship ,before that quite healthy, between the two siblings with Rena being frustrated with the situation and the refusal of Léon to compromise. Léon would come home from the army whenever he can, his parents always happy to see him, but Rena couldn’t shake off her anger and frustration and made it known to him when he was here.

It was a Saturday, Rena, Léon and their parents were casually walking in Geneva, both parents ahead and the two siblings behind them having some usual bickering, just spending and enjoying some family-time before Léon had to go back to the army again.

But suddenly an explosion, Rena finds herself on the ground, disoriented and partially covered by some small rubbles. She manage to get up and then try to visually find her parents, to no avail. She then look to her side and see her brother lying on the ground, she calls to him and tries to ‘’wake him up’’ but nothing will come out of it. Her parents and brother died of a terrorist attack that day.

She was all alone, in a now empty house. She wasn’t really close to the rest of her family so they didn’t gave her the comfort she needed. After weeks of isolation with the crumbling feeling of being lost and broken, she took a decision that seemed like the only escape of this pit of never-ending darkness, to enlist and join the Waifuwehr. She would join the army ,not for the idealistic dreams of her now deceased brother, but because she knew that if she stayed idle in this place any longer ,that would be the death of her. But deep inside she feel that if she can save and prevent someone to live the same kind of trauma she lived, it will be enough for her to move forward.

The army life won’t be easy, for her, who thought that her life will be spent behind a desk in a random office in Geneva. And whenever she’s having thoughts of despair she tries to regain her focus by taking a look at a happy picture of her family, or at a patch previously owned by her brother ,the Geneva flag with the motto: ‘’ Post Tenebras Lux’’.