Vanessa Kimball

"Everyday I ask myself, "what do you fight for", and every day I answer "for a better tomorrow". Well, if we can’t set aside our past and start trusting one another, there won’t be a tomorrow. So please, fight with me. Fight to see Malcom Hargrove locked away for the rest of his life! Fight to wipe that stupid grin off of Felix’s face! Fight because you deserve to fucking win!"

- Kimball's motivating speech to the New Republic and Federal Army in All or Nothing

General Vanessa Kimball is the leader of the New Republic, a group of rebels that battle against the Federal Army of Chorus in order to obtain their freedom. First appearing in Lost But Not Forgotten, Kimball persuades the Reds and Blues to take command of her young troops.

Meeting the Reds and Blues
Kimball first appears in Lost But Not Forgotten, where she acknowledges Caboose, Tucker, Simmons, and Grif on their past accomplishments. She then informs the four that the Feds have their friends alive and in captivity and makes them a deal: if they can help the New Republic take back Chorus, they can save their friends and leave the planet when the war is over. Although the four are reluctant to agree, Kimball reminds them that the civil war on Chorus has gone on for too long and the young, inexperienced, Rebel soldiers are scared, yet have hope because of them. This, in turn, encourages the four to take on leadership positions and join the New Republic.

Several weeks later, Kimball stops a failed training exercise led by Grif, Simmons, and Caboose, and scolds the three for cracking under pressure. After Tucker and Felix return from a mission, Kimball informs the captains that she knows where their friends are being held, having ascertained the information from the hard drive Tucker stole. Seeing the mission as too dangerous, Kimball gives them five days to assemble a new squad, comprised of the best of their respective platoons, in preparation for a potential rescue mission.

Several days later, Kimball interrupts a heated discussion between Felix and Tucker, and privately talks to the latter near a lake. There, Kimball apologizes to Tucker for Felix's rude behavior and explains more about the latter's history with the New Republic, as well as his rivalry with Locus. She tells Tucker that Felix has been fighting alongside the New Republic long before she became an officer and has stood by them ever since. She then reveals the she is the New Republic's fourth leader and encourages Tucker to keep on training with the time he has left, before leaving. However, Kimball and the other rebels find a message from the Reds and Blues regarding their departure, concerning her.

Learning the Truth
After Felix informs her and the rebels of the Reds and Blues' "deaths", Kimball becomes very depressed and loses hope. However, Felix convinces her to launch a final attack on the Feds, who he states are assembling at the Chorus' capital, Armonia, and use the Blood Gulch Crew's "deaths" as inspiration to the rebels. Initially reluctant, Kimball agrees and thanks Felix. After she gives a moving speech to her troops, she and the New Republic proceed to infiltrate Armonia, where they are soon surrounded by Doyle and the Federal Army of Chorus. As the two armies engage in battle, Kimball corners Doyle.

Suddenly, several video screens activate inside Armonia and display Felix revealing the Space Pirates' involvement in the war through Tucker's helmet cam. Now realizing the truth, both Kimball and Doyle order a cease fire and pick up the Blood Gulch Crew from Radio Jammer Station 1C. After the armies form a truce, they regroup at the New Republic HQ, where Kimball and Doyle discuss moving the rebels to Armonia. The two then thank the crew for their efforts, and together learn the true identity of Control: Chairman Malcom Hargrove. When the Chairman declares war on Chorus, the Blood Gulch Crew, Federal Army, and New Republic accept.

Going to War
A month later, Kimball and Doyle argue over the armies' proper use of ammunition until Grif interrupts them. After Kimball orders Grif out, Doyle informs her of their men's most recent capture of a Charon research facility. Soon afterward, Kimball and the others at Armonia are informed by Dr. Grey, Carolina, Sarge, and the Blues of the reactivation on an alien temple, which destroyed all of Charon's hybrid weapons. Because of this Kimball suggests they launch an assault on the pirates while they're down, agreeing to lead Wash, the Reds, and Chorus armies to Crash Site Alpha while Carolina, Grey, and the Blues follow coordinates the temple emitted.

As the armies prepare for the attack Kimball finds trouble ordering around two Feds, who instead take orders from Wash. Wash advises Kimball to let go of her animosity towards the Feds and try to have faith in them, though Kimball is reluctant to comply. Nonetheless, Kimball leads her squad to Alpha and the army executes their attack. Unfortunately, Felix informs Kimball that the mercs were prepared for this, as the pirates gain reinforcements from the UNSC Tartarus. Outmatched, Kimball sends a distress call to Doyle and demands he sends reinforcements. However, Carolina interrupts her and tells Doyle to send a squad east of the mountains instead.

Ultimately, Doyle decides to send squads to both Kimball and Carolina's location, while he leaves to obtain the key at the east mountains. With reinforcements on the way, the assault team are forced to take refuge inside the shipwreck due to enemy fire. Simmons, luckily, devises a plan of escape by using the ship's engine to create a smokescreen. With the help of Wash and the lieutenants, the assault team escape Alpha and return to Armonia, along with the away team. Kimball soon becomes aware of Doyle's decision to forfeit the Great Key to Felix and gets into a heated argument with the latter, until Wash breaks it up.

Upon realizing that the two armies lack cooperation, the Blood Gulch Crew attempt to improve their teamwork. However, when Kimball and her men threaten to leave Armonia, the Feds create a perimeter around the city to prevent this from happening, causing tensions between the two armies. Because of this, the Reds and Blues  have Doc hold a counseling session for Kimball and Doyle in an attempt to get the armies to cooperate with each other. The session makes the generals reveal their true feelings about each other, much to the shock of the crew. Suddenly, however, the meeting comes to an abrupt end when the Space Pirates attack Armonia.

Charon's Final Assault
In order to survive the assault, Epsilon comes up with an idea of eradicating the pirates by overloading the nuclear reactor in the center of the city. Kimball, Carolina, and Washington are sent to overload it but run into Sharkface on the way. Carolina asks the latter to spare Kimball and Wash so she can fight him alone, to which Sharkface agrees. As Kimball and Wash proceed to the reactor, they are told that Doyle didn't get on the Pelican with the rest of the Reds and Blues like he was supposed to, but is instead on his way to the reactor, in order to keep the pirates in Armonia. Kimball and Wash try to tell Doyle to go back to the others but he refuses.

After informing Carolina of this, the two soon find her and an injured Sharkface in the streets. After Sharkface threatens them, Kimball and Wash quickly gun him down and kill him. Doyle then contacts the three and informs them that he must destroy the reactor manually after the pirates destroy the reactor panel. Kimball contradicts, volunteering herself to do it, but Doyle tells her that Chorus still needs her. As the Reds arrive to pick up Kimball, Carolina and Wash, Doyle ignites the reactor's core, selflessly sacrificing his life in addition to killing a majority of the Space Pirates. Still within the blast radius, Carolina uses her Domed Energy Shield to protect the Pelican.

After escaping, Kimball and the Blood Gulch Crew regroup at Crash Site Bravo with the armies, who mourn the loss of Doyle. While the crew attempt to formulate a counterattack plan, they realize that the armies still won't cooperate, with the Feds blaming Kimball for their leader's death. Kimball then provides a speech for them to fight not only for their lives, but so that Charon can suffer for what they've done. As a result, the New Republic and Federal Army of Chorus finally manage to work together and prepare for a final fight with Charon. After the crew and Chorus armies acquire alien artillery from the Temple of Arms, Kimball leads the attack on the Communication Temple.

With the armies united, they are able to beat the Pirates, forcing the remaining ones to surrender. After the Reds and Blues activate the Temple, Hargrove himself arrives at the planet in the Staff of Charon and releases numerous Mantises. Upon noticing, Kimball, Wash, and Carolina hold off against the droids, while the Reds and Blues board the Staff of Charon in order to override their controls. With the override successful, Kimball, along with the Freelancers, Dr. Grey, Bitters, Smith, Palomo and Jensen, act as the crew's evac from the enemy ship.

Personality
Kimball is shown to be a wise leader, expressing her belief that the New Republic is fighting for a better future and sharing much wisdom with her new captains. While Kimball does at times lose her temper and is strict, such as over the failed training exercise in Oh Captains, My Captains, she is truly a passionate person. For example, when she first meets the remaining Blood Gulch Crew members, she gives an inspiring speech to them on why she needs them and shows concern over her troops' morale. Although she becomes somewhat disappointed that her "heroes" aren't quite what she expected, Kimball acknowledges that the Reds and Blues are respected because they're misfits that have overcome impossible odds, which allows everyone to relate to them as fellow soldiers instead of commanders.

Although a capable leader, Vanessa has proven more than once to favor the more fatalist option when backed against a wall. She has on multiple occasions expressed her belief the best way to handle a losing battle is to die shooting as opposed to considering other options. Such an attitude often puts her at odds with other commanding figures, such as General Doyle, Agent Washington and Agent Carolina.

Relationships
Since her introduction in Season 11, Kimball has developed few, but significant, relationships.

Felix
Since being thrown into her new position as leader of the New Republic, Kimball immediately developed a sense of dependency on Felix on multiple levels. She viewed the mercenary as the only true hope for her army's future, and always trusted his judgement. Despite the fact that he charged for his services, Felix gave Vanessa a sense of comfort and confidence; so much so that she was willing to believe his suggestion of staging a final assault against the Federal Army at Armonia, unknowingly walking straight into a trap Felix and Locus set up.

This dependency, however, was shattered after the Blood Gulch Crew revealed the truth about Felix and Locus: that the two had been playing both armies for monetary gain, while they recovered and manufactured the technology left over from Project Freelancer. After this, Kimball despised Felix, having taken the revelation of his actions personally.

Tucker
While she recognizes his lecherousness, Kimball places a high amount of faith and trust in Tucker, confident in his growing skills as a commander. She also finds it easier to relate to him as a person, able to discuss her history and fears with him on a deep and personal level. Kimball supports Tucker in his efforts to both train his elite teams and to rescue his friends, and offers words of wisdom and encouragement to him multiple times throughout the series. When Washington tells her that the plan to infiltrate the mercenaries at the radio jammer station was Tucker's idea, Kimball acknowledges that she isn't surprised, showing that she has a great degree of faith and confidence in Tucker's abilities. By the end of Season 12, the two seem to have a very fond relationship.

Simmons
Since they met, Kimball and Simmons have been respectful to one another. After she motivates the remaining Blood Gulch Crew to join the New Republic, Simmons was genuinely grateful to Kimball for giving him a promotion and his own squad in his journal entry. When Simmons becomes depressed, calling himself a "coward" after she states the group wasn't what she expected in Something Else Entirely, Kimball states he's not, but he and the others are underdogs that still accomplished the impossible, improving his morale. When Tucker decides they should leave without their recruits in Self Assessment, Simmons argues that Kimball might pass their team, showing his faith in her judgement.

Grif
Kimball initially had respect for Grif and the other Reds and Blues who joined the New Republic, despite the fact that Grif attempted to explain to her that they are not who she thinks they are on numerous occasions. As the show progressed, however, Kimball tended to show annoyance and Grif's interruptions and immaturity, which culminated into putting him on dish duty as punishment more than once in Season 13. A notable exception to this attitude towards him came when Kimball attempted to contact the Blood Gulch Crew in Fed vs. New and she called out to both Tucker and Grif, perhaps indicating she does care about his well being deep down.

Doyle
Because the two are the leaders of the opposing factions of Chorus, Kimball and Doyle show mutual disgust for one another. When they face each other during the battle of Armonia, Kimball claims the Feds governed "a broken, fucking bureaucracy that nearly killed the planet!" while Doyle calls her a "selfish and bloodthirsty" human being. However, before the two can kill each other, both learn that the Space Pirates have been manipulating both factions for monetary gain. This results in the two negotiating a truce between their factions, somewhat improving their relationship.

However, after a month passes, the two still seem to bicker over numerous things, as shown in Capital Assets, where Kimball blatantly states her dislike for Doyle and the Feds. Later on, in Off - Key, Kimball calls Doyle a "stupid, selfish coward," because the latter wasn't willing to sacrifice himself during his confrontation with Felix, as well as the fact that he doesn't take risks. She was nonetheless surprised to later learn Doyle admired Vanessa's courage, and was all too willing to attempt a rescue for the General prior to his sacrifice to detonate Armonia's reactor to destroy the Pirate forces.

Washington
Although the two have had minor interaction, Kimball and Wash seem to have respect for each other. This is seen briefly in the Season 12 finale, as both are able to get along well through dialogue. Their relationship develops further in Season 13. In No Fighting in the War Room, Kimball doubts the Feds will take orders from her for the impending assault on the tractor beams at Crash Site Alpha, but Wash states otherwise, as their lives are on the line. In Along Came a Spider, Wash advises Kimball to believe in the Feds, as they may do the same with her. The two also seem to work well together in combat, as can be seen during the battles at Crash Site Alpha and Armonia.

In The End is Near, Kimball greets Wash in a relieved tone upon his and Carolina's return from the Purge, indicating that she both worries and cares about him.

Carolina
Kimball's relationship with Carolina is much like her relationship with Wash; they both respect each other and cooperate well in combat. In Armonia, Part 1, Carolina asks Sharkface to spare Kimball and Wash. In Armonia, Part 2, Carolina, Kimball and Washington team up to take down the latter. Later in the episode, Carolina helps Kimball into the Pelican after hearing Doyle's plan to sacrifice himself to save the others and later expresses concern about her state of mind following Doyle's death. It appears this concern is mutual, as Kimball greets Carolina with relief upon learning that she and Wash survived their fight at the Purge.

Leadership
As the young leader of the New Republic, Kimball is known to have a great sense of leadership. This is first seen when she persuades Tucker, Caboose, Grif and Simmons into joining her rebellion in Lost But Not Forgotten. Right before the New Republic heads to Armonia, Kimball lectures her men on how they've come too far to  back down and how they are so close to victory. Kimball also seems to take big risks. An example of this can be seen during the battle at Crash Site Alpha as she orders her team to prepare for the smokescreen, even when she was told the engine might explode and kill them.

Kills
In Fed vs. New, Kimball kills several members of the Federal Army of Chorus, the only on-screen kills being the Feds guarding Doyle as he retreats from the battlefield. She then fires three shots and tries to kill Doyle, but fails. Later, at Crash Site Alpha, she manages to kill several Space Pirates. She later, assisted by Washington, guns down Sharkface in Armonia.

Trivia

 * Vanessa Kimball's full name has great relation to herself, as:
 * The Greek meaning of Vanessa is butterfly, which often symbolizes the soul or transformation, similar to how she seeks to change Chorus for the better and inspires others.
 * Kimball is of Celtic origin meaning war leader, similar to her being leader of the rebels. This may also be a reference to the leader of the New California Republic in Fallout: New Vegas, President Aaron Kimball.
 * Vanessa is the first non-Freelancer female character to have her own theme, which is the song Vanessa by Trocadero, featured on the Red vs. Blue: Season 12 Soundtrack.
 * Kimball is the first female faction leader to appear in the series.
 * Kimball's statement to Tucker, Grif, Caboose, and Simmons about trying to lead her soldiers is a reference to Reconciliation where Wash tells Tucker to try.
 * Kimball's armor consists of Air Assault helmet, Commando left shoulder, GUNGNIR right shoulder, War Master torso, Contoured forearms, Ricochet legs, and Pioneer visor.
 * Being a general, Kimball is currently the highest ranking member in the series, along with Doyle.
 * According to series director Miles Luna, Kimball was originally written as being killed in action detonating Armonia's reactor to destroy the majority of Charon's Space Pirate forces. However, the role and death instead went to Doyle when the episode was made.