SilverPaw

Virtue and Sin - A Dungeon Punk RP

The Ant of Diligence

Aelwin Lelland

Human Name: Aelwin “Al” Lelland

Title: The Ant of Diligence

Sex: Male

Age: 28

Occupation: Head Guard of Yhiwell

Personality: Extremely hard-working (obviously) as well as ambitious, Aelwin is stubborn enough to reach any goal he sets to himself. His focus tends to be single-minded and his belief that the ends justify the means may very well leave some unpredicted consequences in his wake. Aelwin prefers to work under some sort of a superior or at least alongside a trusted companion, because those are the only type of people who can stop him from making regretful mistakes on his path to success. Al can be surprisingly charismatic, inspiring people (especially if they’re already somewhat like-minded) to put in their share of work, and do so eagerly. Lassitude in both himself in others is certainly a pet-peeve, to the point where it isn’t uncommon that Aelwin overworks himself, which leads to stress induced headaches more than he would like. If he has any subordinates, he is willing to cut them some slack, especially if they prove to produce the desired results, however Al will gladly bear down on an underperformer with strict harshness.

Appearance: Standing at 5’11, Aelwin is fairly muscular, though more to the side of compactly sinewy rather than outright brawny. He has a tanned skin tone and short dark blonde to light brown hair and is trying to grow out a decent beard. His eyes are such a light hazel that they seem almost eerily like amber. Al prefers to wear darker coloured cloth and leather materials, though due to his occupation, he also adds on a hauberk, a York helmet, and his sword and shield, of course. Though even off-duty, he would at least keep his sword in its usual place on his belt, for personal safety.

Fighting Skills: He’s well versed in using the traditional longsword and shield combination, mixing in the occasional kick, punch, or throw when necessary. As a combatant, he can and will either disable or kill opponents swiftly and efficiently, to the point where some might call him a killing machine, though his allies tend to appreciate his skill and dedication. He’s comfortable fighting even when mounted on a horse, and can perform acceptably enough with a bow.

Special Ability: Toxikinesis. Aelwin can generate various poisons (including drugs, both medical and recreational) from his body, most typically by transforming his blood, breath, or saliva into a toxin or venom. If he has an idea of what the effect(s) of the poison should be, he can create it, even if he doesn’t understand its properties as a scholar might. He’s definitely immune to his own creations, but any naturally occurring or man-produced poisons are not necessarily as harmless – his body does automatically try to neutralize them and eventually builds up resistance, but nonetheless, if a quickly working lethal toxin were introduced to his body (especially if he were asleep or otherwise compromised), he would have to consciously dedicate all his mental and physical resources (entering a somewhat meditative trance, if you will) if he had any wish to counter it successfully. Another benefit from this power is that he can always reverse the effect of his own poisons on the victims he subjected to them if he acts swiftly enough. He could do the same even with a poison from some other source (that is, not one of ‘his’) if he were familiar enough with it.

Backstory: Aelwin was born in the Kheales Kingdom, which lies some ways North of Reever and is perhaps a third of its size, mostly consisting of farmers, hunters, and miners. Aside from Yhiwell, the kingdom’s capital which is ensconced snugly against part of a mountain range full of rich minerals (and is also Kheales Kingdom’s only source of magic crystals apart from trade), the rest of Kheales is a place of simple and modest living, almost to the point of poverty.

Aelwin was born to a tavern wench and a hunter and helped both of his parents from as early as he could. The trio had meagre lodgings and Al’s father was often driven to poaching, since the legal ways didn’t get them fed well enough, especially once Al’s little sister, Signe, was born when he was 5 years old. Not that Aelwin was aware of his father being a criminal, until he was significantly older. Either way, Al spent his youth helping provide for his household, eventually picking up essential skills (such as writing and reading) doing odd jobs for the town-folk in exchange for tutoring, since the only official schooling in Kheales cost a pretty penny. Whatever little time remained to him, Aelwin spent dutifully with his sister, playing with her or teaching her or just looking after her in general.

When he was old enough, sometime upon becoming a teenager, he set his eyes on becoming part of the militia or one of the guards, since both forces often went to face bandits outside and had a fairly nice income, especially if they managed to “reposes” whatever illegal loot the criminals happened to have on them. When Al mentioned his ambition to his father, however, his sire took his son aside and told him of his poaching, not so much as to forbid him from pursuing his wish as it was to caution him regarding the situation. Aelwin thought about the warning, but ultimately decided that if his father was so worried of being discovered, having his son “on the inside” might even turn out to be helpful.

Aelwin in time managed to reach the lofty position of being one of the personal guard to the prince, the heir apparent of the Kingdom. Over the years he had provided as much money to his family as they allowed – an amount he personally considered meagre, but his blood-kin refused more. He understood, of course he did; if they took any more, their neighbours and even good friends might grow too jealous, and his parents wanted to stay in their hometown and preferred the nearby folk’s goodwill over a richer lifestyle. At least Al had been able to pay a good chunk of his sister’s dowry with her full knowledge and agreement, as she apparently loved the rather shrewd businessman she was with and didn’t mind moving closer to the capital (and consequentially, to a somewhat better off city than her hometown had been).

Once Aelwin was so close to the prince, a man by the name of Andres Philip Sherriden, he worked on befriending him, with the thought of bettering the Kingdom by influencing the prince to be more sympathetic to the common folk’s woes. However, Al soon learned that society didn’t change as easily as he might have imagined nor as quickly as he might have hoped. Nonetheless, he invested part of his income to various projects that caught his eye, often discussing what might benefit the state (especially regarding security) with Andres, who became King two or three years after Al had entered the man’s service.

In the end, Al’s elevation to the position of a Head Guard was a very matter-of-fact event and didn’t really change Aelwin’s efforts. He began to fear he was spreading himself too thin, exactly a situation his dreams (those that he knew had to belong to his past lives) had warned him against. When he was 25, his first niece was born, a girl named Elisa, and Aelwin dedicated a significant part of his free time to be a good uncle to her. When he was 27, he was fully awakened to the fact that he was The Ant of Diligence, and what exactly that meant for both him and the world. The overload on that day happened in the middle of his work-day, and it being assumed that he had over-worked himself (again), only this time with more dire effect, his Lord and the King of Kheales ordered him some time off to get well-earned respite. Now, a year later from that incident, Aelwin knows he will have to leave his home, his liege, and his family. All to hopefully protect them from what might otherwise be the end of the world.

Virtue and Sin - A Dungeon Punk RP

@Salvia I know. I had no time to do much yesterday and I want to try writing the bio before moving the CS to its proper place.

The Hunters Club

Akio Nagasawa

“Oh, wow,” Akio said, thinking only Seven? in an almost horrified disbelief. “It’s alright,” he reassured Suzue. “Hmmm, so you make webs? Or venom…?” he wondered. “Same, Suzue,” he replied, in a rather self-satisfied manner.

Akio nodded to show he understood Saito’s rules. So, woods, capture an unknown, don’t get ink on the neck, Suzue’s boss. He then listened to some other’s abilities and tried his best to remember them and match them to his club member’s faces, since, well, they were teammates.

“Right now, I can kind of levitate things. We’re all obviously beginners, so…Have to figure it out as we go, I guess,” he shrugged. “Oh, and I bought some rope earlier. Though if it’s intangible,” he trailed off, and shrugged again.

“Um, we should probably think about the forest too,” Akio tried adding to other people’s suggestion. “We don’t know the thing we’re supposed to catch, and we don’t really know anything about the location, besides that it’s a forest. Unless anyone has been here already? Hmm, so, uh, the trees and bushes could maybe be an alright cover,” he said, somewhat uncomfortable to be speaking to more than one person. It almost felt like one of those school presentations, only less intense. Akio rolled his shoulders in the hopes of dispersing the tension he felt, and peered cautiously towards the forest they were to go into.

Virtue and Sin - A Dungeon Punk RP

The Ant of Diligence

Human Name: Aelwin “Al” Lelland

Title: The Ant of Diligence

Sex: Male

Age: 28

Occupation: Head Guard

Personality: Extremely hard-working (obviously) as well as ambitious, Aelwin is stubborn enough to reach any goal he sets to himself. His focus tends to be single-minded and his belief that the ends justify the means may very well leave some unpredicted consequences in his wake. Aelwin prefers to work under some sort of a superior or at least alongside a trusted companion, because those are the only type of people who can stop him from making regretful mistakes on his path to success. Al can be surprisingly charismatic, inspiring people (especially if they’re already somewhat like-minded) to put in their share of work, and do so eagerly. Lassitude in both himself in others is certainly a pet-peeve, to the point where it isn’t uncommon that Aelwin overworks himself, which leads to stress induced headaches more than he would like. If he has any subordinates, he is willing to cut them some slack, especially if they prove to produce the desired results, however Al will gladly bear down on an underperformer with strict harshness.

Appearance: Standing at 5’11, Aelwin is fairly muscular, though more to the side of compactly sinewy rather than outright brawny. He has a tanned skin tone and short dark blonde to light brown hair and is trying to grow out a decent beard. His eyes are such a light hazel that they seem almost eerily like amber. Al prefers to wear darker coloured cloth and leather materials, though due to his occupation, he also adds on a hauberk, a York type helmet, and his sword and shield, of course. Though even off-duty, he would at least keep his sword in its usual place on his belt, for personal safety.

Fighting Skills: He’s well versed in using the traditional longsword and shield combination, mixing in the occasional kick, punch, or throw when necessary. As a combatant, he can and will either disable or kill opponents swiftly and efficiently, to the point where some might call him a killing machine, though his allies tend to appreciate his skill and dedication. He’s comfortable fighting even when mounted on a horse, and can perform acceptably enough with a bow.

Special Ability: Toxikinesis. Aelwin can generate various poisons (including drugs, both medical and recreational) from his body, most typically by transforming his blood, breath, or saliva into a toxin or venom. If he has an idea of what the effect(s) of the poison should be, he can create it, even if he doesn’t understand its properties as a scholar might. He’s definitely immune to his own creations, but any naturally occurring or man-produced poisons are not necessarily as harmless – his body does automatically try to neutralize them and eventually builds up resistance, but nonetheless, if a quickly working lethal toxin were introduced to his body (especially if he were asleep or otherwise compromised), he would have to consciously dedicate all his mental and physical resources (entering a somewhat meditative trance, if you will) if he had any wish to counter it successfully. Another benefit from this power is that he can always reverse the effect of his own poisons on the victims he subjected to them if he acts swiftly enough. He could do the same even with a poison from some other source (that is, not one of ‘his’) if he were familiar enough with it.

Backstory: Not needed initially, however appreciated later on so interesting stories can come up. You don’t need to deliver it right off the bat but be sure have this up later on.

Virtue and Sin - A Dungeon Punk RP

I would like to reserve diligence for the allotted 24 hours, if I may.

The Hunters Club

Akio Nagasawa

Involved in making his cat’s cradle with the help of telekinesis, Akio felt his fingers starting to get sore – there were already red rope imprints running along all ten of them – due to the improper type of a rope he was using and was even aware of sweat beginning to accumulate on his forehead. He thought of making just three more shapes or so before quitting for the time being but was interrupted by a quiet masculine voice speaking up right next to him. Akio startled slightly and looked up at Saito in surprise. Oh, how could he have not noticed the teen standing right next to him? That- that was just so rude and…and extremely embarrassing. Thankfully, if quite unexpectedly, the president just complimented him. And encouraged him. “Oh. Oh, thank you. I’ll keep that in mind,” Akio replied in just as low of a tone as Saito had used.

Before he could begin disentangling his intricate rope creation still settled on his fingers, however, the blonde delinquent, Akira, once again made a memorable entrance. And once again, Akio gaped at him in horrified astonishment. But he could probably honestly say that at least this time, he clicked his mouth shut faster than on the previous similar occasion. The blonde decided to compliment him as well, and Akio blinked once, slowly, as he contemplated how unlikely it was that he had just been subjected to two subsequent interactions that he hadn’t even imagine could or would happen. “Thank you, Akira,” Akio replied nevertheless – politely, because he definitely didn’t want to find himself on the bad side of this particular boy.

Akio then finally untangled the cat’s cradle, stored the rope back into his bag, and rubbed his fingers to get the blood there back to circulating properly. He shouldered his bad, and went to hover besides Saito to wait for his instructions, standing at a polite distance both from the club president and the girl standing next to him. And gods, did he wish that he at least knew the brownie girl’s name! The name of a person who was willing to share such treats freely was worth knowing, but unfortunately, he did not. He was just contemplating whether to simply ask or not, when he heard part of what she had said to Saito. “You have siblings?” Akio asked curiously, not having much (or any) experience interacting with younger children. “Ah, sorry,” he smiled somewhat weakly at her, his mind insistently screaming at him that this was a good opportunity and that he shouldn’t let it pass by. “I’m Akio, as you may already know. I’m afraid I hadn’t caught your name earlier, however.” He gave her what he hoped was a polite and earnest look, though he had the niggling suspicion that his neutral expression would, as it often did, come across as cold.

I, the Demon King, Will Summon My Own Damned Heroes!

Asteria

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“Ok, I’ll go make the bone needles that I can, you go start laying the trap,” Asteria whispered. She quietly crawled out of the cave, going slowly and warily staring towards the steadily approaching enemies, hoping she and Ed wouldn’t be noticed. Once she reached the bone fragments, she tried making needles out of them. It was harder than working a whole bone, but she did what she could. If she succeeded in making any sharp bone needles, she would go and dip them into the poison pool. After that, she followed Ed and set any new needles she might have made into the earth, trying to mimic Ed’s placement, so that the trap would make sense…and would do the most damage to as many opponents as possible. When they were both done with the traps, Asteria went back into the hole, and continued gazing to the front, actively focusing on her sight. She lied low, attempting to calm her breathing. She relaxed her muscles as much as she could, but also poised her mind to be ready for the oncoming attack.

@Searat

I, the Demon King, Will Summon My Own Damned Heroes!

Asteria

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Asteria smirked smugly at the success of her little ‘tail experiment’. True, she couldn’t in any way use her tail in combination with the poison needle to give herself a stinger, however the appendage was surprisingly tough as well as flexible, and functioned kind of like a whip. This meant she had just discovered a new weapon, giving her more versatility for future combat encounters. She relayed what she had found out to Ed. “I can’t use my tail as a stinger, either, no. But it can be used like a whip. Just keep it in mind if you need to bash or trip some goblins, ok?” she whispered as faintly as she could. She strained to keep her voice so quiet that even Ed could barely hear her, knowing that the approaching enemies must absolutely not find out the trio of Dire rat was there before the right time.

Asteria nodded as Ed told her of his idea of a trap. It was something like what she had initially had in mind for the poison needles, and had only changed her mind once she realized she did not have the tactical sense to think of what the best placement for such a trap might be. “A trap will be best, yes. We only have four poison needles though, so we have to find a really good position for them. We should be quick as well as extremely careful as we do this, however. The enemies are getting closer by the minute,” she muttered quietly. During the whole conversation, she kept her gaze focused towards the enemy’s approach, actively using the Beast Sense II on her sight. The light was low enough that she only saw vague shapes and the few dancing lights of the torches, but she could still tell the goblins were beginning to come dangerously close. They’d have to lay the trap soon. After that it would probably be wise if they did their best to copy Mother Rat, who lay prone and relaxed, presumably just waiting for when she could use all her energy in a swift strike against a near enough opponent. “Any specific spots you had in mind for burying the needles? Just in front of our fox-hole or somewhere else?” she asked Ed in a low voice.

@Searat

The Hunters Club

Akio Nagasawa

“Hmmmm…” Akio hummed noncommittedly. He had already decided he would not tell his parents. They would worry overly much. And might not believe him. I’ll have to think up of something good about what a ‘Hunter’s Club’ in a school might do…Something to do with temples, maybe exploring them, or some such. Could be believable enough I suppose. I hope. He frowned lightly in distaste when their club president let them know about the group activity they were to have in a park, however. They didn’t even know each other properly! And they were expected to work together to catch something? And a harmless something? It better not be an intangible spirit. Akio grimaced – he could imagine easily enough how this disturbingly sports-like event might progress. Maybe he could just test his powers on whatever it was they were supposed to catch from the side-lines.

He loitered around in the classroom, waiting for the most eager ones to leave. He couldn’t help gaping in surprise when the blond delinquent boy jumped out of the window. Jumped out of the window! AKio shook his head in disbelief, thinking to himself that this was the kind of thing he’d have to get used to soon. The supernatural not only existed but was now part of his life. He then turned to stare at a most excitable pair, Aiden and a cheerful girl Akio had pegged as an airhead. Akio had an inkling he should at least try to get along with everyone, but people like that…they were just- too much. Too loud, too intrusive, too friendly. As the kind of person who warmed up to others very slowly, the people who were so overtly sociable were the ones that, in his experience, were better avoided, at least in the beginning, while they searched for like-minded individuals to flock to and group up with. And after they had their own little popular clique, Akio could have his peace. Though how this would work inside of a club, where group activity and co-operation was expected, he couldn’t quite imagine. On that note, why had the club president said he would only watch? Did- did he need to do that to know how to lead them better? Or would he just take on the role of an examiner, assessing how they dealt with novel situations?

Akio sighed, and after gathering his belongings, quietly exited the club-room, avoiding being caught up by anyone seeking easy companionship. He was curious to see that the boy who had seemed just as solitary as himself, if not more, ran after the rambunctious pair. However, he did not change his mind on joining the group and went his own way instead. On the way to the Yume park, Akio made a short stop at a convenience store. He bought something small and cheap to snack on, a bottle of cool water, and a bundle of rope. The rope was the kind used for tying up tomatoes as they grew, to support them. While wandering the store, he figured he may as well buy something that might help in their task, and rope was the simple, affordable choice. After that, he ambled towards the Yume park, much less tense now that there was no pressure to socialize with anyone. And though there were plenty of people around, it wasn’t nearly as bad as being on any public transport in the rush hour would be. He enjoyed his walk to the park and happily strolled on the paved paths among the artfully arranged greenery. Akio eventually settled himself on a bench, in a shade, and wolfed down his snack, then sipped on the water slowly. Though he had had that delicious brownie earlier, it had only hungered him. The small pastry and the water he had bought, however, worked to energize him. Hopefully this chasing-something wasn’t an extreme enough activity to cause him to vomit. That would be- more than awkward.

Akio felt rather pleasant right now, and for a few minutes just observed the surroundings. He looked at how many other people there were, or if he could see any of his classmates around already. He then took out the bundle of rope he had purchased and searched for scissors in his pen case. Akio cut the rope free, then cut a short piece off of the bundle. With that done, he stored everything but the short cut-off rope piece in his bag. He had decided to play some cat’s cradle on his own to pass the time. The rope wasn’t nearly stretchy enough, not to mention he would have to tie the two loose ends together. As he was making a knot, though, an idea struck him. Akio untied the partial knot and concentrated on holding the two ends together just with his new telekinesis powers. It took a very intense focus to do what he wanted, especially once he began looping the rope around his fingers, trying to manipulate the thing into different shapes without letting the construction fall apart. It was challenging, and Akio became completely absorbed in his self-given task, without even noticing his preoccupation.

Children of Plunder

Ileshra

Ileshra Xanahir a.k.a. Tsivari Khastae

Race: Lynx/Snow leopard Alori

Age: 28

Gender: Female

Job: Deckhand/Boarding party

Weapons:

Battle suit

The suit is optimized for stealth, speed, and agility. The armour’s main features are its superb camouflage system and its sound absorption, the latter making any movement nearly silent. It has decent protection against blunt-type attacks and is resistant to environmental hazards to an extent. It’s most vulnerable to piercing and laser-based damage. It’s basically designed to help evasion, not take a severe beating. It is custom built to fit her specific Alori anatomy comfortably. The helmet specifically muffles sounds of certain amplitudes and frequencies which would otherwise be harmful to the naked ear, but doesn’t impede any other sounds.

V-13 BIS

A plasma powered, laser assisted pistol with an integrated silencer. Most effective at close to mid ranges, against unarmoured opponents. A close enough shot can cause notable damage to someone wearing a battle-suit or such, a bruise or even a bone break – an accurate enough shot to the neck might even kill a lightly armoured target.

FE-58 SPPE

A popular model of an assault rifle, commonly used by soldiers as well as mercenaries. Relies entirely on plasma but packs a punch. Has a longer range, faster rate of fire, and can more easily eat through protections compared to her pistol, but it isn’t as accurate. The weapon is prone to begin overheating if not given enough time to cool down between switching magazines.

Grenades: 3x smoke grenades, 1x stun grenade, 1x frag grenade, 1x incendiary grenade. She can carry 6 grenades on the belt of her battle suit at any time.

Abilities:

◊ Espionage: Skilled in obtaining information, whether by stealthily breaking into a secure location or simply blending amongst the legitimate personnel and common-folk of an establishment. Ileshra has experience locating, observing (or eavesdropping to), memorizing, and sometimes recording pertinent data. She can gain valuable insight even from seemingly mundane conversations or rumours. She is practiced in the art of tailing others inconspicuously and as such, is very sensitive to being tailed or observed in return. Ileshra is closely familiarized with the methods of ensuring secure communications with the desired party and can conceal as well as transfer the targeted information (or, in some cases, an object or a person) to a chosen destination – though such conveyance typically necessitates the assistance of allies.

◊ Military training: Experienced in CQC, knows how to disable, restrain, or kill targets. Has the know-how to competently use a variety of weapons. She is also capable of operating a Sword. Her combat style uses her speed, maneuverability, and agility to their utmost advantage, and when faced with an opponent she can either take them down swiftly or harass them long enough to find an opening (to kill them or to escape), depending on their capability. She is well-versed in evading attacks and using the opponent’s (physical) strength against them but isn’t suited to taking much of a beating. As such, she’s fully willing to use what some might perceive as trickery, underhandedness, and dirty fighting – anything that might gain her an advantage.

◊ Natural feline abilities: Ileshra is naturally agile and flexible and could have made for an excellent gymnast under different circumstances. She is a good climber, could probably fit into some unlikely locations, and can seemingly jump effortlessly, though greater heights and distances require a moment of preparation. Even if she were to fall from somewhere, she would twist her body mid-air and then make as safe of a landing as possible in the situation. Her senses, especially her sight, hearing, and smell, are much higher when compared to a human or even to a different type of Alori. In the direst of circumstances, she could use her claws and teeth as a weapon. She has what could be termed ‘night vision’ and as such can see very well in low-light conditions. However, she has a very limited ability to taste sweetness. She can shed or grow fur according to the environment’s temperature, but is best suited to colder climates, and would suffer in hotter, especially arid, climates. Though she has learned how to swim in controlled conditions, she is still instinctively afraid of being submerged into water and would most certainly panic if that were to happen unexpectedly. She strongly dislikes small confined spaces and loud noises. Her tail and pads (on her palms and feet) are some of the more vulnerable parts of her anatomy and she must take extra care to protect them.

Personality: Ileshra can perhaps be best characterized as a cynical individual, and is of the opinion that good intentions and holier-than-thou preachers can go screw themselves with a very sharp stick. She’s cautious and solitary, mainly because she considers trust and loyalty as lofty ideals that are unlikely to ever be applied in relation to her, however she might wish that were possible. What some might find surprising, however, is that she can get along with others just fine, especially if they don’t mind her occasional bitterness, resentment, and sarcasm. Ileshra also values co-operation, as she’s experienced its advantages, though she is very well aware that for it to have desirable results, at least a basic alignment towards a common goal is necessary. However, she’s rather got used to the fact that any allies she manages to find are temporary at best. Despite being considered a traitor by two governments, she is proud of herself and regrets no past actions. The best kinds of relationship with others in her opinion are the ones based on a mutual respect. It probably goes without saying that Ileshra highly values individual freedom (specifically, her own). With an accompanying strong sense of pragmatism, however, she is quite willing to be someone else’s subordinate, as long as they don’t cross her lines – and given how few she has, she doesn’t believe that to be too high of a requirement. In the recent years, she has acquired somewhat of a taste for engaging in daredevil behaviour.

Short bio: Either abandoned or orphaned since her birth – she’d never been able to find out which – Ileshra remembers being raised in what appeared to be a charity funded orphanage. There were numerous other children within the establishment, all Alori of various ages (the only ones above the age of majority the employees, for obvious reasons). It was a frequent occurrence that a child left the facility, presumably by being adopted, transferred elsewhere, or due to having run away onto the streets. At the beginning, Ileshra wondered at what the life of those who left might be like, but soon realized that such speculation was quite pointless. She also learned that while companionship was- useful, it was better not to treasure it, as one never knew when they might part with a friend only to never see or hear from them again.

From early on in her life, her time was almost wholly dedicated to being educated alongside the other children – though calling it training would be likely more accurate, as there were plans of initiating the capable young-lings to fill a very specific role. The children often learned in groups, though these were not necessarily homogeneous in age. Ileshra noticed that the children doing the worst were…transferred the soonest. Next, the mediocre ones were gone. Then begun a constantly on-going competition amongst the average ones, and those who managed to exceed their initial potential remained longer, though not always significantly longer. And they all struggled to remain in this specific facility, because it was special, and which orphan wouldn’t want to be special? After they managed to complete their basic education, sometime in their early to mid-teenage years, each child was adopted by a guardian or two, and the new family was shipped off either by itself or accompanying other travellers towards not only another planet, but an entirely different galaxy, under the purview of a different government. Ileshra was given a new name, and perhaps more importantly, new documents. She was now to be known as Tsivari Khastae, daughter to a pair of middle-aged Alori seeking to find a different life.

They settled in HBE’s residential sector, and so began Tsivari’s time of studying in a foreign world, within a new culture, for the first time facing the variety of existent races head on, and living under a different type of government. About a year after her arrival, she was contacted by an unknown Alori, who made her an exclusive one-time offer of initiating her as a spy for the UTF, something she had apparently been evaluated as being capable of. Desiring the feeling of importance and a connection with her homeland, even one as feeble as this one would be, Tsivari accepted. She suspected at least one of her new adoptive parents was part of the UTF intelligence service, though this wasn’t something she ever managed to confirm.

Either way, by the time she reached adulthood, she became well versed in espionage and was given the long-term mission to infiltrate HBE’s military, which she enrolled into straight away. Following this path, she was soon transferred into the Gawain system. She played the role of a loyal imperial soldier, accomplished her missions efficiently, passed along valuable (usually classified) information off to the UTF, and steadily secured her position as an individual trusted by the targeted HBE. Why, Tsivari figured in but a few years she’d be well within reach of an enticing high-security clearance position! And that would practically be a jackpot. She imagined the way to that goal would be paved with more of the same as reaching her current position had been. That is, she fully expected to further co-operate in subjugating, capturing, torturing or killing the empire’s enemies even when she personally wished them no ill will. Her work often included supressing riots and beating on encountered rebels (even and especially Alori ones) as well, a job she carried out even though she secretly found their open resistance admirable, if also incredibly foolish. She routinely betrayed imperial colleagues and superiors, all the while knowing they simply acted in accordance with their duty, just as she did – they simply happened to be on the opposite side.

Not to say that she lamented her lifestyle. It was all she knew. It was her one and only purpose in life. She well recognized she was but a simple pawn to her homeland, the information she provided valued, while she, as an individual, was not. There was no recognition in her line of work. No glory. Nonetheless, she was proud of what she did. As such, she never entertained the possibility of receiving a mission she would be unwilling to complete. Oh, how wrong she turned out to be. So very, very wrong. Tsivari received missive that a high-ranking military man from one of the other planets in the Gawain system, believed to possess some priceless information, travelled to Tristan for an extended duration. Her UTF allies ensured that her imperial superiors believed she had plenty of reason to head for that planet as well. And Tsivari did indeed relocate for the time being. However, the details of her mission indicated she was to procure that vital information by seducing the male. Apparently, he just so happened to have a penchant for a specific type of Alori girl. To say that Tsivari was shaken to her core with disgust was not an understatement. To become a pleasure toy – even if a temporary one – for a human? Why, the mere idea was repulsive to the point of blasphemy! And no, she no longer held any particularly strong discriminatory sentiment towards humans, but that did not mean she was willing to let herself be used by one in such a way.

So, apparently her loyalty did extend only so far. And within the expected time-frame in which she should have been working towards her goal…Tsivari decided to do something else. Something entirely crazy. Something that more than warranted keeping a suicide pill on her at all times. She worked to discover the existent rebels in Tristan, inflamed their anti-imperial sentiments, helped to recruit dissidents that might have otherwise stayed on the hedge, spread information that would entice this rebel force to act soon, and circulated strong unfavourable rumours about her target – rumours which were backed by compelling (faked and actual) evidence of his indecency. Tsivari procured a Sword and had it modified to increase its capabilities of long flights, speedy manoeuvring, and payed good money to have one of the best stealth cloaking technologies she could manage to obtain worked into it. She couldn’t be thankful enough for the several space missions she had been in, as they had required the participating soldiers to all acquaint themselves with at least the basics of operating a Sword. She had the small space vessel (and various other travelling necessities) shipped off to a leased, nondescript warehouse to a planet in the Lamorak system. A week or so before the riots, including the attack on her supposed target’s residence was set to begin, Tsivari made the final preparations to leave the Empire. She informed the UTF, she’d meet with her target on a Lamorak planet and indicated she might have to resign as a soldier to be successful in the seduction mission. Thus, when she handed in her resignation to the HBE, she was granted it easily enough. She travelled from Gawain to Lamorak, and two days before the riot on Tristan, left the planet and the Empire’s territory discretely in her Sword. She would have dearly loved to stay just a bit longer and watch the effects of her efforts first-hand, but alas, the risk was too great.

Still, watching the news-coverage of the event a few days later was the most fun she had ever had. One of the rebels even managed to severely injure her target-to-be! The thought of how the UTF would have to deal with this little diplomatic crisis sent her into a gleeful cackle even several months after the event. Indeed, a group of mainly Alori rebelling to the point that it could be called terrorism created quite the little conflict between HBE and UTF. As expected, however, UTF eventually revealed the main schemer behind that particular act of resistance to be one Tsivari Khastae. And certainly, her departure had been somewhat sudden and suspicious enough. Nor was Tsivari to be found where HBE might have expected her (or anywhere, for that matter). The HBE was first to set a bounty on Tsivari, and based on the amount, the Alori in question suspected the UTF had managed to convince the empire in one way or another that she had committed treason (which, to be fair, she had). Amusingly enough, UTF never revealed her original name (Ileshra Xanahir) in association with her appearance, understandably enough. They had barely managed to set their initial conflict upon HBE accusing them of terrorism, they could hardly afford to let it be known that the name (and identity of) Tsivari was anything but her true one. Of course, the UTF was more than happy to add to the bounty on Tsivari. And while she had to conceal her appearance and couldn’t stay in no one location for too long, she was more than happy to flaunt the name Ileshra, because she suspected that some Alori, at the very least, must have known of the connection. And if they gave chase, she didn’t hesitate to shoot them down. She still keeps that suicide pill, both as a morbid good luck charm, as well as due to an honest unwillingness to be ever captured alive.