The fair-haired Ves stood apart from the rest of Vernon Roche's unit, and not only in that she was the only woman in an elite formation of hardened cutthroats and swashbucklers. Her girlish face and shapely body would stand out even if a uniform did not emphasize them. For there is something in soldier women that attracts a man's gaze, and Ves was no exception. The reader should not, however, be mislead by this description - one does not earn a Blue Stripes membership with good looks, but with skill, determination and, at times, ruthlessness. Anyone disregarding Ves would pay dearly for misjudging this young woman.

Because of her gender, Ves would sometime receive assignments where her beauty was more important than her combat abilities and efficiency. Roche had used Ves as his trump card more than once.

Ves had a steady hand and sure eye, making her the best sharpshooter in the unit. Not many could match her at throwing knives either.