“She was always the sleepy one on my courses. And even when she did not sleep, she dreamed: dreamed of things that had already passed as well as of things that were yet to pass, of eldritch, ancient things. Passioniate; that's how I'd call her. Truth has to be found at any cost: that is her creed.”
- - Professor I'kt during Thessina's time in the Academy
Xenoarchaeologist Emiment Thessina Venoriel, or just Thessina for friends, was once one of the brightest scientific minds in the entire Andromeda Galaxy, especially for a person of her age. Gifted with prodigious intelligence and an inquisitive mind - much like her infamous mother - as well as insatiable curiosity for knowledge, she had made numerous discoveries in the field of Rades precursor archaeology in but a decade, earning the admiration of many in the Andromedan Reclamation Service. With her family ties and her talents, her scientific career was going ever upward, and it seemed that nothing could stop her from eventually joining the ranks of Andromeda's greatest scientists such as Tarsus Senvinus or A'on ta-I'ri.
But these dreams have not come to pass. Thessina's insatiable curiosity drew her towards a darker path, making her dabble into mysteries not meant for mere mortals to understand, and the young Radeon scientist has found herself embroiled in a secret, galaxy-spanning conflict of the mysterious Anointed and the diabolical Revelation Adepts, worshippers of the very same Rades whose civilisation she has been studying for so long. Now, Thessina is travelling from world to world, a reluctant servant of the Isio'Nar chased by cultists, criminals and terrorists, her only companions being a Val'Kar mercenary, a Collective officer, and a strange Draconis with seemingly supernatural powers. Still, the ever-curious Radeon does not believe that such minor problems are a major setback on the road to enlightenment. For her, the war of gods she has become an unwitting combatant of is but a chance to make a few more discoveries.
Biography[]
Youth[]
Daughter of a famed fleet commander and strategist and her slightly less famed second-in-command, Thessina's childhood was spartan even by Radeon standards. Born aboard her mother's starship during the bloodiest conflict in the Gigaquadrant's history, she spent her entire childhood aboard in company of books and computers. The outside world that she had never seen until she was already a teen was captivating to her; as a little girl, she often spent hours daydreaming about what it would be to step on real, non-holographic grass or to see a sun rising. Nature in all its forms - anything in the universe outside the cold metal of a spacefaring vessel - was her passion. Her mother, however, disapproved of such pursuits and did everything in her power to make her daughter concentrate instead on something more practical. Mieo believed that Thessina should care more about things that would benefit her inside the Divinarium's rigid caste society, worried for her daughter's future, but, most of all, feared that Thessina's dreams would eventually be shattered by the Xhodocto's onslaught of terror - for as much as she loved nature, she could not protect it from the demonic storm that devastated galaxy after galaxy.
But years passed, and the demons were gone; as the ashes of the War of Ages and the Annihilation settled, the Divinarium began to rebuild, and the senior Venoriel could feel safe about her daughter's future at last. Slowly, but steadily, the relationship between Mieo and her daughter rekindled, and once Thessina was of age to recieve a caste like all citizen of the Divinarium, her mother finally gave in to her wishes and allowed her to pursue a career in science - a decision that Mieo, in an attempt to hide her feelings, rationalised through "adherence to social stratification". In the academies of Crepusculum, Thessina excelled, specialising mostly in Rades archaeology, and as the Andromedan Galactic Commonwealth was founded, she was one of the first Divinarians to join the Commonwealth Reclamation Service, the Andromedan Light's new head precursor study organisation. Her brilliant mind and non-linear thinking made her ascend quickly in the Service's ranks, further aided by favour from one of the organisation's chief researchers, Professor I'kt ta-Na'ku. The master and the apprentice had over time become a close, almost inseparable duo; the combination Thessina's youthful curiosity and I'kt's experience and wisdom allowed them to uncover the secrets of countless Rades artifacts and relics.
All of this, however, changed when I'kt uncovered the ancient Rades complex on Satyameva, triggering the series of events that would change the fate of Andromeda forever...
Revelations to Come[]
I am too lazy to write that
Characteristics[]
Appearance[]
“The contents of my capacious cranium more than compensate for whatever I might be lacking in the upper front section of my body.”
- - Thessina
Although Thessina might share her infamous mother's intelligence and obsessive personality, in terms of appearance the younger Venoriel has inherited very little from her - save for probably the bright silvery colour of her coat and the dogmatic, penetrating stare of her large bluish eyes. Much unlike her (extremely well-endowed and voluptuous) mother, Thessina has a quite plain, boyish-looking figure, rather underdeveloped breasts and an unremarkable, if somewhat amiable, face for a member of her species; few of those who have seen Thessina can actually remember what she looks like, even if they are well aware of wbat she does. Most of those who do usually describe her as "that Radeon nerd".
Although Thessina generally claims that she does not care much about her less than stellar looks, the truth is she is actually greatly sensitive about that fact, and generally tries to improve her appearance by all means. As her job in the Andromedan Reclamation Service means that she rarely ever visits her home country and spends most of her time in other Commonwealth realms, she is noticeably more open-minded when it comes to accessories and clothes in general than most of her people, and tries to dress as stylish as her profession allows her. Thessina has a particular liking for the fashion of the Neutral Zone Radeons, which she has incorporated even in her scientist clothes: bright colours, piercings, ear coverings and Artharon-esque hairstyles. Her usual attire of choice, both for science and her everyday life, is a silver nanoweave coat, both fashionable and useful for her exploration and research endeavours due to its ability to change properties, a skintight xylon suit and heavy yet elegant white plasweave boots: a combination of utility and apperance.
Equipment & Abilities[]
Thessina's greatest asset and weapon is, of course, her brilliant scientific mind, born from her predilection for deductive thinking (inherited from her mother, no doubt), a tendency to question everything around her (that is mostly I'kt's influence) and of course Thessina's own insatiable curiosity and thirst for knowledge. For a person so young of age, or even when compared to older researchers, Thessina is extremely well-versed in ancient Rades history, language, culture and technology, as well as in the civilisations of other (Andromedan or otherwise) precursors. As Thessina's research is also connected - one way or another - to other sciences, she is also somewhat learned - though not extraordinarily so - in the fields of biology, linguistics, physics and engineering.
However, as it would be expected of a person of her craft (and to the older Venoriel's great dismay), Thessina lacks any combat skills whatsoever; she can hardly hold a pistol, let alone shoot it, and she faints at the sign of bloodshed. This, however, does not mean she is helpless in battle. Her scientific knowledge, particularily when it comes to precursor relic usage, gives her a great advantage when anything related to ancient Gigaquadrantic civilisations (whether it is a superlaser or a microwave - only Thessina herself can tell the difference, after all) is in her direct vicinity; with a bit of imagination, she can repurpose any archaeotechnology into something terrible and flashy (and likely useless). Her logical, goal-oriented mind also makes her a fairly competent planner and strategist, though obviously not to the extent of her mother.
Personality[]
To be put simply, Thessina is not what people usually expect of a Radeon; although quite smart and (somewhat) cultured (two traits usually associated with her species), she is hardly sophisticated, moralistic or devoutly religious as her people are stereotyped to be. Having little love for collectivism so inherent to Divinarian culture, she is shy and scholarly, preferring the company of computers and books to that of living sapient beings. Thessina views most other people with a mix of contempt, jealously, and fear, and rarely speaks to anyone but the few friends she truly cares for - quite unlike her extroverted, social, charismatic mother. It is largely because of that - though it was hardly the only characteristic that set the two apart - that Mieo Venoriel and her daughter had never really got along until Thessina was already an adult; the differences between the mother and the child were profound and obvious.
Much like her mother, however, Thessina is quite obsessive, except that instead of warfare and strategy, the young Venoriel's mind is instead devoted almost solely to studying precursor cultures, particularily the Rades. This obsession goes beyond mere scientific curiosity, however; to her, the Rades civilisation, with its singular dedication to progress and advancement, is a paragon of a sort, the ideal to which all should aspire. Although Thessina may not follow of the ancients' religion of the Universal Truth (though some in the Reclamation Service - particularily the more zealous Masaari worshippers - believe she does), it is definitely her creed in life: the universe exists to be understood. Everything - every dogma, every theory, every axiom and even the tenets of Masaari itself - has to be constantly put into question and thoroughly researched, for only through questioning and doubting can the ultimate truth be realised. That philosophy - Thessina's philosophy - too has made her somewhat disliked among the more conservative members of her species with their belief in order and their own infallibility.
Science isn't everything for Thessina, though; although it is true that she can be obsessive at times, precursor studies are not the only thing she is interested in. Aside from being one of the brightest xenoarchaeologists in Andromeda, she is also an avid fashionista, an avid gamer with a love for holodeck simulations, and an enthusiastic AVN surfer. Quite unusually for a Radeon, Thessina also has a liking for Artharon culture, to the point that her friends often mock her for being a "wannabe cat"; she is deeply in love with Coalition art, music, and martial tradition, and, as some say, has a liking for the Artharon species in general (particularily the males). Many of those who know Thessina find that particularily ironic considering that, with her personality and appearance, she is essentially a polar opposite to the Artharon ideal of femininity.
Relations[]
Love[]
“Free hugs!”
- Mieo Venoriel - “I am a doctor now, mom! Really!”
- I'kt - I will heal you... somehow!
Friends[]
“Friends are like electrons: they spin around you but can get separated from you pretty easy. But not from me!”
- Gr'roz - You saved me on Satyameva. I am grateful.
Allies[]
“Excelsior.”
- Gavakar - I think I can understand why you are always so gloomy.
- Sarec - ...He is more than meets the eye, I swear. If only I could read his mind like my mother...
Neutral[]
“...Erm. Eh... Hello?”
- Tenri - I am not jealous. I am not jealous. I am not jealous of these curves...
Enemies[]
“I don't know how to shoot. But when I see people like you, I don't care about that.”
- Revelation Adepts - “You bring shame upon the Demiurges.”
Quotes[]
“You d- oh, wait, you are. Well done, daughter.”
- - Venoriel
“Kid needs to shut up and stop being so optimistic. It'll get her killed at some point.”
- - Gavakar
