...and you'll never work a day in your life."

Growing up in the Keloriin Asteroids, Ti'kor was surrounded by machinery her entire life, setting her eventual career in motion as a pup by disassembling one of her toys after 'borrowing' her father's toolbox. After a brief scolding, her parents redirected her inquisitive nature with building blocks, construction sets, 3D jigsaws and other similar toys. Many years and a mechanical engineering degree later, she was encouraged to join the military, where she would get to take apart guns, medical devices, spaceships and communication equipment on a daily basis, having upgraded from screwdrivers to power tools, and from clear tape to welders.

And man oh man, this is the coolest job EVER!

On the downside, its rare to see her without a black spot on her fur somewhere unless she just came out of the shower, though they move around frequently - she jokes that detergent to remove oil from her fur is her biggest personal expense, and that she should just dye her fur black instead... except that there's the problem of the very white gear lubricant she works with. Equipped with knowledge of everything from toasters to HVAC systems, and able to take any appliance apart in minutes and put it back together right afterward, she's good at what she does because she loves doing it. She's also left-handed, and has a set of left-handed tools (including, she jokes, a left-handed screwdriver).

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The last of the supporting cast, Ti'kor's role is indispensable even if she never gets seen; she keeps all the equipment in check, performs maintenance on whatever ship the squad is currently using, and handles most hardware-related issues. Mechanics like her are important to keep around squads, because even the toughest and most reliable equipment can still break down, and it's important for it to be maintained and for a technical person to be close at hand if repairs are necessary.

The military certainly is a sizeable hirer of skilled professionals, even the ones who never pick up a gun - so every college and university has a recruiting team on it somewhere, staffed by former veterans or retirees and occasionally a volunteer or professional representative, happy to espouse on the virtues and rewards of a career in the military. Anyone with a practical trade can be a candidate for some kind of work, though some are more valuable than others, which is why the education system requires everyone to learn at least one practical skill - if you want to study art history, you'd better be prepared to also learn something useful if you want that degree at the end of it all.

Plus, there tends to be a lot of upward mobility for skilled professionals within the military. Talented mechanics can eventually look forward to helping to design and test new vehicles, weapons and devices, working more often with blueprints and CAD programs than with a wrench and a cutting torch. They can even get a transfer into the Public Works branch eventually, working on civic projects. You don't have to know how to use a gun to work for the military - but it helps.

Character and setting are mine.
Art by  not-fun.