Valerie Raymond is the creator of Valkyrie Network.
Biography[]
Little of her background is known other than the fact that she got her Masters in Computer Science from M.I.T. at the age of twenty-one and at the age of twenty-five she got a PhD in Engineering Physics from Tulane. When the Red Flu started breaking out in Egypt, Val noticed it and started tracking its progress. When it jumped to phase six overnight, she fled to an oil rig off the coast of New Orleans and became convinced that the government wasn't doing anything to stop it from spreading.
In response, Val created the Valkyrie Network which allowed her to communicate throughout the entire world over bluetooth through an app called "Dead Man" and adopted the pseudonym "Valkyrie". She attracted six million subscribers and eventually caught the attention of the leader of the Immune Army, Sean Ramsey.
Sean showed Val redacted documents that implied the American Government sent the Nathan James to the Arctic as part of Operation Bluenose to weaponize the virus, instead of discovering a cure. Sean used this to recruit her and Val allowed Sean and his army of Immunes to use the Valkyrie Network and made sure they were the only ones allowed to use it. In addition, she also facilitated Sean posting several videos and documents doctored by Sean to demonize the US Navy and destroy their credibility.
Events of The Last Ship[]
Season 2[]
The Nathan James hears Val broadcast a message over the radio stating they do not have the cure and speculates they are spreading a new strain of the virus or an unproven vaccine. Val then encourages people to fight them or flee to avoid getting vaccinated. (“Safe Zone”)
After the crew of the Nathan James discover and raid the oil rig where the network is located, Val attempts to flee. When she is cornered she pulls out a gun pointing at them before Comm. Chandler talks her into handing him the gun and Val boldly claims the Immunes will come to save her. After they search her person they learn her real name and Val goes on to say how she knows the truth about them and what they have done. Chandler dismisses and even makes fun of her theory about how they caused the virus to spread so fast, which Val claims is what she would expect them to do. After Chandler tells her the truth, that they came home with the cure and Sean wants to destroy it so he and his race of Immunes can rule the world, Val scoffs saying Chandler is the real conspiracy theorist.
Chandler then gives her a message to play on her network from the President claiming it shows the truth, Val refuses and Chandler responds by telling his crew to dismantle the Valkyrie Network. Civilians brainwashed by the Immunes arrive on a boat and fire an RPG at the oil rig disorientating everyone, including Val, and even kill others. Val uses the opportunity to try and escape with Chandler giving chase. Chandler eventually catches up and drags her off the oil rig and onto the Nathan James before the rig goes up in flames. While on the ship Val sees the crew care for the wounded, grieve their fallen and slowly begins to realize Chandler was telling the truth. Val thanks Chandler for saving her while Chandler admits it was partly so Val could see who they really are, to help get the truth about the cure out there and asks if she will help them with what she has in her bag. (“Valkyrie”)
Lt. Granderson shows Val to the communication room where Val and Alisha standoff after Val sarcastically say they wonder why people don't trust them. Alisha then tells Val she needs to either keep making snarky comments about it or to help them correct it and Val starts by hooking the Valkyrie Network to the Nathan James antenna lead. At a briefing with the senior command staff about the Immune-aligned civilians boxing them in, Val explains she charted the phones at each of the blockades, meaning the Immunes and civilians are working directly for Sean. When Comm. Slattery suggests turning it off, Val explains she can't based on how it was designed, but she can send false information over the network to spoof their location. When the civilians get to the location in the text Val will send more messages implying the Nathan James already moved on, getting the civilians out of the line of fire.
Val sets up her Valkyrie Network on the bridge through a remote connection and Val puts her plan into action. When Val tells Alisha not to worry about her being a double agent, Alisha responds that she isn't because the first instance she indicates betrayal, Alisha will kill her. Val thinks she is kidding but realizes Alisha is serious and executes her plan. When the Nathan James arrives at the first blockade it is clear of civilians proving Val's plan is working so they move on to the next blockade, which works just too and the Nathan James eventually comes head to head with the Ramseys submarine the Achilles. During the battle Val struggles to stay on her feet as the ship makes hard turns and takes fire from enemy torpedoes. The Nathan James eventually manages to sink the sub with help from a land team that stole a weapon the Ramseys were planning on using on the Nathan James. Val and Chandler exchange meaningful glances as everyone subtly celebrate their victory. (“Cry Havoc”)
Val helped spread a message recorded by the President to tell them about the cure and a video of Dr. Scott curing a family to establish credibility. She ran it every fifteen minutes for the next three days on the President's orders. Val later hands out several phones with a picture of the Ramseys' third in command, Kevin MacDowell, who took over leadership of what is left the Immune Army after the death of the Ramseys as he could be a potential threat. Val later joins the crew in sharing a laugh when Miller makes a funny comment while Dr. Rachel Scott is explaining how the contagious cure works. Val walks into Michener's office just as Michener and MacDowell finish talking and Val begins tracking MacDowell's phone. Val tracks the phones MacDowell's people are using over the Atlantic theorizes that is where they are. Val eventually learns the Immunes dumped the phones and flew them across the Atlantic to divert suspicion. After MacDowell is captured, Val helps the Nathan James crew spread the cure in St. Louis and attends Jeffrey Michener's swearing in ceremony. (“A More Perfect Union”)
Season 3[]
She is seen working alongside Kara Green, tring to set up a video chat for Kara and Danny, who is in Asia, so Danny could meet his son. During the video chat, Val noted that the audio was fine, but there was something blocking the visuals from working and can't tell what it is. She later accompanies Chandler when he goes to China for a meeting with President Peng Wu to discuss a possible mutation of the Red Flu and to address allegations that Peng is hoarding the cure. When they land she is surprised to see Wolf Taylor and runs over to hug him. Val asks if Chandler knew and he reveals he personally ordered it. When they arrive at the mansion, Chandler ask for help when a Korean man talks to him and needs a translation, Val offers to help. Val jokingly tells Chandler that he doesn't like his face and doesn't know what he is saying. While Val waits on the ground floor she calls Wolf over to her and hands him the security code to Peng's mansion because she could but still can't crack the noisy channel. Wolf suggests getting lost after the meeting to somewhere a little more romantic and Val loves the idea.
After the meeting in China is over and hears several Nathan James crew members have been kidnapped, she prepares to board the plane with Chandler. Wolf says she will see her in St. Louis in a few days while Val tells him not to do anything stupid and Wolf says he will. When Chandler decides to stay behind and go to Vietnam instead of returning to the US, he tells her to tell POTUS he is going to hook up with the Nathan James to find their crew members, but wait until she is in a secure area. When the plane takes off, Valerie is examining the communication that had been blocking video, and is shocked when she finally figures out what it is. She tells the pilots that they need to turn the plane around immediately. From the ground, their plane is shown circling back to the runway when it explodes, as Chandler, Wolf, and Sasha look on. (“The Scott Effect”)
Legacy[]
Her work as an IT specialist is what she is best known and remembered for. During her work for the Immunes she developed a communication network where they only needed bluetooth through an app to communicate and helped spread misinformation about the Nathan James and their cure. While she did this without knowing the Immunes' true agenda, her actions led to the deaths of four Nathan James crew members: BM Walker, SCSG Lynn, Lt (jg). Andy Chung and Israeli Lt. Ravit Bivas. After realizing the Immunes lied to her about the cure, Val helped the Nathan James plot the positions of the Immunes and helped lure the Achilles into a trap which sank it, helped distribute the cure and got a job working for the President in St. Louis. Even after she was killed, Val continued to assist the Nathan James from beyond the grave as they use the security system codes she stole from Peng Wu's mansion to break in and force him to give them fuel for the Nathan James.