Gender: Female
Age: 27 Earth years

Appearance: A tiny young woman with a very short height of 4’ 9”. Usually spotted wearing the working clothes of the Arcandian working crew, carrying a big bag almost larger than herself, and always seem to be in a hurry. She usually wears a smile on her face, but what that smile means is often up to interpretation. It can be genuine but sometimes people can feel the malice seeping through the otherwise completely polite gesture.

Personality: At the first glance, Evie seems to be a person who is easy to be friends with. She always maintains a friendly attitude and rarely raises her voice. But this is just a mask she developed from dealing with all kinds of assholes she met in her line of work. In actuality, she is the type of person who holds grudges for a long time, and remembers everything people did to her no matter how small. When the opportunity arrives, she can be quite fierce in her vengeance. Evie is a believer in planning for the future and hates people who waste the resources in unnecessary endeavors. Contrary to popular belief, she is actually proud of her short height because it’s the mark of people’s endurance and adaptability to the harsh gravity of her motherland. At the core she is still a proud Soteirian no matter how far away she is from home.

Evie is also very superstitious, having experienced a tragedy once in her life. It is not uncommon to see her praying for the good result in harvest or praying for safety, especially when in the middle of combat or in a life or death situation.

Role:
Evie Lu is the quartermaster of the Arcandian, her duty involved:
- Managing the ship supplies including food, weapons, medical supplies, fuels, maintenance supplies, and other necessities
- Managing wastes producing on the ship
- Overseeing the food production process on the ship
- Overseeing the ship’s room maintenance and cleaning
- Check and prepare equipment, weapons, emergency and life saving supplies like the fire extinguisher, oxygen masks and tanks, etc. Making sure they are ready to use anytime.

Skills:
- Mathematic and inventory management, she also has a good understanding of logistics and is sensitive to things that disappear, get added on, or misplace, in an unusual manner.
- planning and scheduling, including prediction of the crew behavior in unusual times like space turbulence, blackout, in regards to the use of inventory. Also able to predict the time of inventory runout to some extend
- Basic firearms knowledge and how to take care of the equipment. She also got a basic training standard for the USF officer, but don’t expect her fighting skills to be any good.
- Intermediate AI knowledge. Can use AI for more advance tasks and troubleshoot some minor issue, knowing the general logic and the limit of AI technology
- Simple knowledge on how to take care of plants and animals
- Basic cooking skill
- Temperature adaptability. Can endure heat and cold better than most humans due to growing up in an extreme environment
- Unusual strength due to growing up in a planet with strong gravity
- Knowledge on the religious prayer and ritual for good luck (?)

Personal Belongings/Equipment:
- Lucky charm given to her by her parents
- Picture of her with her first boss and mentor
- Personal laptop computer
- USF standard pistol
- Objects of mystical and spiritual origins

Background: Evie was born in Kore Soteira, the planet of data and eccentric seasons, far away from the solar system. Since her parents are among the first to set foot on this planet, she is considered the first bunch of the second generation, and the first native born one. She got an education from the USF base where her parents work and started her career as an assistant supplies management there. Last year she finally completed her training in space management and was reassigned to one of the transport ships on the Soteira route. Unfortunately for her, the captain of that ship makes some serious error that ends up destroying the ship, and hundreds of people in the process. Maybe because of her excellence in maintaining the ship’s lifesaving equipment that saved many lives during said tragedy, she got nominated for the USF latest and most ambitious space expedition program. Now she is the furthest away from the homeland she has grown to love.

Miscellaneous:
Someone in the crew has found many straw dolls in the room of their quartermaster while fetching some items for her. It is just an item for good luck right? RIGHT?

Planet name: Kore Soteira (Commonly referred to as Soteira)

History: Formerly known as Gliese 514 b before the age of galactic expansion and within the distance of around 25 light years from the solar system, it is one of the more remote settlements in the federation. While the settlement of this planet is a recent thing, its availability as a home to humanity has been speculated and confirmed even as far back as the last century. The name of this planet came from the Queen of the underworld in Greek mythology, who famously got abducted and caused the change of seasons. 'Kore' also means 'Maiden' which is a nod to the planet's placement in the Virgo constellation

Planetary characteristics:

Mass: Minimum mass of at least 5.2 Earth masses.
Orbital Period: 140.4 days.
Orbital Distance: 0.422 AU from its star.
Orbit Shape: The orbit is highly elliptical (eccentric).
Host Star: The planet orbits an M-type star named Gliese 514.

Kore Soteira is known as the land of extreme hot and cold. It spends 3 quarters of the time in winter and the last quarter in extreme hot summer. This is due to its unique orbital that moves in and out of the dwarf star’s heat emitting range.

Life and custom in Soteira: Since the first landing in 2158, people here have been contending with the extreme environment of this planet. The first settlers would rely heavily on life support technology and live only in the highly closed off base. Over time, they would slowly adapt to the planet’s gravity and temperature, and once the new generation was born they know something special happens. The newly born of Kore Soteira has significantly denser bone structure than the regular earth born one. So as harsh as it may sound, the plan to slowly reduce life support operations on Kore Soteira slowly began. The primary reason is to cut the cost of planet’s upkeep even lower, but the second and more secretive reason is an attempt from the USF to study the change in human biology under another planet’s influence, with the hope of making subspecies of human that would be suitable for each and other planet in the future.

Kore Soteira is a recent settlement. For most of its time, it has had a very sparse population consisting mostly of the USF officers, quantum computer managers and engineers, and careers in support of the USF base operation. Just less than ten years ago others such as biogenetic experts, tourists, and the second generation started adding to the pool of citizens, changing it to a true nation with its own culture rather than just another government’s base of operation.

Most cities still had a population in the unit of thousands, which revolved around the USF base as a center. The further you go from the base center, the less like earth it will become, with more harsh temperature and gravity. Visitors can only live in the base, requiring rigid training and endurance tests before they can be allowed to wander outside of the safe zone. The bases themselves are located under a thick layer of ice that melts only in summertime, transforming to the underwater base. It is said that within a hundred years, the population of Kore Soteira might change enough to be able to swim in the ocean without a life supporting suit.

The most important time of the year for people living here is, of course, the summer. It is when the ice melts into water and most crops can grow without relying on too much expensive technology. Their most important festivals include ‘The Last Snow Festival’ which celebrates the coming of summertime, and ‘The Lost Month’ which is the time when Soteira orbits outside the heat zone, thus making it too cold for most people to work, it is also their planetary holiday month.

Industry and role in the federation: Despite being a remote planet, Soteira is considered the federation’s leader in AI technology and data systems solely because of one thing: the extreme coldness. It is one of the few habitable planets that can maintain the temperature suitable to operate the quantum computer without spending too many resources in keeping people alive. Its signature extreme seasons also attract some tourists who want to experience something novel, especially during the early summer when the ice melts.

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Role

Duties:

• Study Astrological Phenomenon as the Arcadian finds them
• Run Research & Write Reports Over Any New Astrological Finds
• Work with Signal Officer to Categorize Any Unexpected Space Readings
• Advise the Captain on any Potential Astrological Dangers
• Locate Planetary Bodies for the Astrogeologist to Examine, particularly if they're potentially habitable

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Miscellaneous

Parent Star

Planetary Characteristics

Brief History Kepler-22b has long been dreamed of by scientists and visionaries as a potential new world for humanity, one of the few planets that was within it's star's habitable zones and seemed perfect to have water. With the discovery of the Pluto ship crash and the engineering of the Argos FTL drive, seeing Kelper-22b in person finally become a possibility. Then when they finally arrived, they discovered that it was indeed a water world, but not much other than water, a very volcanic core, a few rocky mountains, and an air almost right for life as humans knew it, but not quite. After some examinations to make sure there was no life, the go-ahead was given for terraforming efforts to begin. With the terraforming, the atmosphere gained the right amount of oxygen to introduce sea life and fish that could be genetically tailored to the planet and a few volcanic soil-rich islands raised to the surface that could start to help supplement Earth's role as the main breadbasket of the USF. Once the scientists deemed things satisfactory, pioneers came pouring in, taking charge of their own lands and ships and after some hiccups managing to create the newly christened Swanhilde into the prosperous place it is today.

Industry and Role in the Federation

Population and Society
Around 1 billion people make their permanent home on the planet. The vast majority are migrant fishers, often families working together within a fleet of ships, that follow different patterns to catch fish at the prime times to catch them then take their catches to port cities to sell, where they can then buy anything they can't catch or make themselves then take some time to enjoy the sights of land before taking off to fish all over again, their exact routes changing by the season. Overall, they keep to themselves, handle their own affairs, fend off raiders, and get to live a life of sailing under the sky and stars that they like. There can sometimes be quarrels between fleets over fishing spots, sometimes leading to fleet feuds that may turn violent if someone doesn't the level head to radio for a sheriff to settle and still might lead to grudges and ill-will, especially if different fleets were descended from different sides of WW3. But by and large, the fishers can generally settle disagreements themselves amicably and may even become friends over it, settling any lingering hostility with drink as the fleets lash themselves together for a party (a thing only otherwise done for religious observances, holidays, and other celebrations depending on the cultural background of those families).

The secondary majority are the farmers, who take charge of the islands and end up taking over most of the governance of the world (though it then also mostly applies to the islands themselves and not to the fishers when they're not on land). Given the limited nature of their situation, they of course seek to maximize as much land as possible for growing crops. Many farmers even live within house boats and other forms of floating houses or dig their houses under the ground in order to save more precious farm land. Needless to say then, they tend to not like anything not meant to help with farmland. Most industries then are regulated to rocky islands that are unfit for farming along with most scientific venues. Ports are kept strictly to the beaches and are built off into piers, also encompassing most of the cities of the planet. Only reluctantly do some farmers sacrifice land for anything else and they have to feel it's worthwhile, such as for a church or a nearby school for their kids or for a water purifier. Even then, they'll still seek to be as frugal, prudent, and economic as they can be while also seeking to keep good relations with their neighbors and with the established law.

It especially grinds the farmers' gears then that any of the precious land would be squandered for tourist traps. Sure, some of the more enterprising farmers enjoy having direct customers to sell to and make connections with within the broader USF. But most farmers can only see good land being used for busy-bodies to tramp around like they own the place and stick their noses where they don't belong, with the worst ones even making it so the tourists think they're actually 'living the life' that the farmers actually live daily. They could live with it though, if it weren't for the fact that many of the resorts also contain casinos and other sordid 'entertainments' that the vast majority of the farmers (and a good number of the fishers) find abhorrent, damaging to Swanhilde's community and reputation over all, and bringing in suckers who then are stuck on the planet with no one way home and so make it everyone else's problem or criminals who pretend to be normal tourists while using the resorts as places for their various machinations with many choosing to 'disappear' into the planet's population, which then creates more ruckus further down the line as unrepentant former criminals don't tend to be the most model of citizens later on. Farmers do keep themselves armed and generally know how to defend themselves from those types and from raiders, but they'd still prefer to not have such troubles in the first place if they can avoid it. However, any motion to get the resorts banned have so far been stalled and denied. Among the resort owners themselves, there's some smaller owners (along with just simple inn and/or tavern owners) scattered throughout who just want people to be able to enjoy a visit to Swanhilde and see themselves as innkeepers to travelers, fishers, and farmers alike. Many of those might even share many of the moral scruples of the farmers and are generally not that unwelcome though still sometimes seen with wariness. The larger resort owners though are just in it for the money, not caring what ripple effects their business can have as long as they profit.

Scientists make the smallest legal minority, with few staying around permanently. They generally keep to themselves as well and their studies, purchasing food and other local-made goods from passing fishers and nearby farmers while sending on their reports and findings back home. Some of them choose to retire to the planet, becoming the main caretakers of the scientific institutions there and seeking to maintain positive relationships with the locals. Their places tend to be the most high-tech since, as opposed to the farmers and fishers, their installations are the most protected from getting wet and most of their scientific equipment needs to be made specifically elsewhere anyway. Also, they're government run facilities and so are forced to maintain government standards.

Then there are the raiders, smugglers, pirates, and other types of lowlife who decide to make parts of the planet their hideouts. Given that Swanhilde is so remote and is such a vast open ocean world, USF law enforcement can't monitor the entire surface at all times. And so, fleets of raiders have built up for various reasons to migrate like the fishers (and are often formers fishers) but then target the fisher fleets and the farmers to steal their produce along with anything else they can get their hands on, often killing their unlucky victims with rumors spreading that the most vile raiders kidnap some of their victims to sell into slavery or forcibly conscript into their crew. Then if they're successful, what they don't eat, they take to a friendly resort where they then sell their ill-gotten gains and squander it on the resort itself before continuing the cycle all again. Pirates and smugglers are said to have modified their spaceships to be able to dive beneath the ocean in order to throw off pursuit, then are able to make their way into coves where they then make their way to friendly resorts in order to celebrate with their plunder, rendezvous with their contacts, plan their next attack, or simply to lay low until the heat is down. Farmers and Fishers alike have gotten better at defending themselves against raiders (even if maintaining guns around salt water can be difficult), but there are always someone small and weak enough to be a new target and only so much the local law enforcement can do at the moment.

Gender: Female

Age: 32

Appearance: Cilia is often in a professional scientific attire, with eyeglasses nestled on her nose. She has her reddish hair done up in a bun to keep her hair from getting in her face as she works.

Personality: Cilia has a naturally inquisitive nature that sometimes borders on a case of "curiosity killed the cat". She is generally laid back and doesn't seek to be confrontational, though she isn't afraid, insofar as her field of study goes, to tell the truth if she believes the other person needs to know. As such, she is hardly a fighter by any stretch of the imagination, but will stand for the truth if she believes it is a worthy cause.

Role: Xenobiologist.

Skills: Cilia is a student of genetics, with knowledge of animal and marine biology. She sees it as a math of sorts and is able to calculate or compute things fairly quickly in her head.

Personal Belongings/Equipment: Cilia has a lab that she has set up on the ship. It permits her to study genetics, blood samples, and perform special procedures such as radiology. While on the field, she has a small pack she carries on her back which functions as sort of a mini-laboratory.

Cilia also has a pet squirrel named Arthur, who is often seen on her shoulder. This is especially true when she's working in her lab. She only takes Arthur with her into the field if she knows it's safe, or the terrain is inhabitable for him.

Background: As a child, she often got in trouble with her parents for capturing and inspecting animals in her backyard to try to understand them better. (Though she never harmed them, and on a few occasions even nursed wounded ones back to health.) In her teenage years, the harder questions of science began to fascinate her, as she found them to be similar to puzzles and mystery books that she could dive into and unravel. This especially became true when she discovered debates over the creation of life, and the possibility of life on other planets. With the rise of the United Systems Federation, she was able to become more involved thanks to the nation's funding of scientific projects. When the Arcadian began to be formed, she sought to sign up, and obtained the position. She was eager to explore potentially non-conventional life that might shed more light on our own genetics.

Miscellaneous: None. (May be filled in at a later date.)

Richtofen Von Ludwig

Gender
Male

Age
52

Appearance
A modestly built pale skin man that stands at an even seven foot. His hair is close cropped and loosely styled, his face accented by a small pair of glasses that do little to hide his steely eyes.

As opposed to the standard jumpsuits that are common amongst crew, he wears a rather antiquated suit and tie, covered with a pure white lab coat that is generally buttoned shut.

Personality
Richtofen is, in few words, quiet. A deeply contemplative man with trouble truly connecting to people personally, almost always stuck seeing them as a patient. Looking over ever person with a critiquing eye hoping to catch some twitch or bump before it presents some deeper issue.

In contrast, many people enjoy talking to the stoic man. Perhaps seeing his ability to genuinely listen to them.

Role
He is the Chief Medical Officer. The man who will keep the crew healthy and together…physically.
He is not responsible if you go insane or get atomized.

Skills

• Medical Diagnostics - A skill expected for many medical professionals, but sorely lacking in most. Richtofen has spend decades using the most advanced tools and the most basic or primitive analysis to figure out what is wrong.
• Triage - To be able to preserve someone until they can receive proper medical care. Something any Medic can do, but few doctors can. The art of being able to keep a man missing all their limps and with 40% of their body covered in burns alive with two sticks and a rock until they can get into a Hospital.
• Surgeon - Rather simple all things considered. He can do surgery by hand, not even needing all that fancy equipment. Just a good old scalpel and headlamp.
• Experimental Medicine- Something that not many Doctors would be willing to do, but as one who is experienced with dealing with dieses strange and uncatalogued requires one to often create mixtures on the spot that many would say need unneeded years of tests. Often, one does not have such time when ones organs melt through their ears.
• Prostatic Mechanic- The One skill Richtofen genuinely did not like having to learn in order to get his first medical degree. His craft is rudimentary, but his patients will never have an issue with such things like improper nerve connections or any other sort of interface issues. Just don't ask him to make it sleek and modern.
• Ornithologist- Has the unerring knowledge of birds. Not just earth birds, or the ones on one or two planets, but seemingly all of them.

Personal Belongings

• A plethora of Suits and other unregulated clothing
• Far too many medical texts
• Far to many Medical Degrees
• A record player and its complement of records

Background
There are few in the Medical Communities of earth who do not recognize the name of Richtofen Von Ludwig and his accolades.

He broke records in how early he got a medical degree, then broke another in how many he got. On paper, he was the doctor many would aspire to. A man who got accolade after accolade, and then threw it all away.

In his thirties he left his Prestigious position and took a job in a small teaching hospital. In truth, he was a man who was tired of simply earning knowledge and not applying it. Of sitting in an office with a wallpaper of his education and no true thing to show for it except a few vetoed policies that had little effect either way. So he taught, and took the cases many claimed were impossible. Spending days vexing his former colleagues in the boards and the high echelons of society by 'wasting skills better used on the savable'.

Posh idiots, the lot of them.

Perhaps that is why he accepted the invitation on board the Pathfinder? To get away from those who pester his every move? Perhaps, but he would also like to be on the frontlines of whatever new issues such deeply unexplored space presents. Right there to create a fix and prepare for those who come next.

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Role

Duties:

• Survey Planets and Asteroids for Potential Alien Ruins and Artifacts
• Study Alien Ruins and Artifacts if Discovered & Record Them and Their Locations
• Assist the Linguistics and Signal Officers if There is a First Contact Scenario
• In a Combat Situation, Assist the Medical Team
• Assist the Geology, Xebotany, & Xenobiology Teams in their Duties Whenever You Have No Further Responsibilities in Your Department

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Miscellaneous