Born from the genetic stock of the Asari Commando Shiala in 2183, Lokea was created under strange circumstances by the Thorian, an ancient sentient plant found on the planet of Feros. While the Thorian exerted its influence and control of the populace of the nearby colony of Zhu's Hope, it created strange green-skinned clones of Shiala in order to speak for it and defend it. While quite a few were deployed when Commander Shepard arrived in search of the conduit, some were stored in sacks as a quick response measure. Some were deployed in order to quickly stop Shepard as the Thorian resisted Shepard's attempts to dispose of it. However, Shepard's squad was able to quickly dispatch the clones, the creepers and the nodes that held the Thorian in the building. The Thorian was killed, Shiala and the Zhu's Hope colonists were freed, and Shepard was able to use the conduit as planned, getting closer to Saren.

However, not all of the sacs were destroyed, and not all of the clones were killed. Hours after the incident, Lokea surfaced from one of these sacs, free from the grasp of the Thorian. While she had a mixture of memories given to her by the Thorian when she was created, these memories were all scrambled, all from different minds and different bodies. She struggled to figure out who she was, what her name was, and who to speak for. As she walked amongst the corpses of the creepers and clones that had fallen in the battle earlier, two more clones like her emerged as well. They met and got acquainted, and knowing that they were all in the same boat, they worked together to get out of the ruins they were in. Once they got hungry, they worked together to hunt some varren that wandered around the ruins. The three clones wandered the ruins for three days, all while trying to figure out who they were and what they should do next. It wasn't long before they stumbled into some of the colonists at Zhu's Hope. The colonists immediately tended to their needs and sent them back to their colony, where all three of them met Shiala.

Shiala proved herself to be more than helpful to both the colony and the clones. As they were fed and sheltered at the colony, Shiala explained to them who they were and why their minds were so clouded with memories and thoughts from others. After some impromptu counseling from Shiala and Lizbeth Baynham, the three eventually picked their names. The two other clones came to be named Kielo and Numeka, taking on the last name of 'Zhu' from Lizbeth's suggestion. Lokea followed suit with her last name, chosing her first name from the word 'Hope' from an ancient asari language, her name roughly translating to that of The Hope of Zhu. All three of them were known in the colony as the Zhu Sisters. Over the period of a year, the sisters ingratiated themselves into the colony and functioned quite well. While Kielo and Numeka assisted Shiala in her efforts in rebuilding and healing the colony, Lokea carved a path of her own, often going out on hunts and scouting missions with Davin Reynolds. In that time, the biotics of Shiala and the Zhu Sisters degraded thanks to the effects of the Thorian, and the four of them had to adapt to that. As Lokea's planted memories gave her visions of different places, her wanderlust grew, especially after hearing about Shepard's galactic exploits from the news.

In 2184, Lokea made the difficult decision to move away from Zhu's Hope to go see the galaxy for herself. While she had grown very close to many of the members of the colony, she felt that she would find her true calling elsewhere, as there wasn't much left for her to do at the colony. Ledra gave Lokea a free ride to Eden Prime during one of his supply runs, and from then, she wandered across the Milky Way.

In her several months of travels, Lokea's been to Eden Prime, the Citadel, Bekenstein and Korlus, doing odd jobs and light mercenary work to put food on the table and pay for other expenses. Her planted memories gave her quite a unique advantage in most job markets, as she had the combined skills of most of the affected colonists from Zhu's Hope. In Eden Prime, she mostly did contract work in the construction of homes and small buildings to pay for her ticket to the Citadel, all while visiting the sites of where the first shots of the Eden Prime War took place. She quickly made her way to the Citadel, where she spent a month doing maintenance and security work. She got into a few light scuffles with petty criminals, but she was able to end them quickly without causing serious harm. It slowly became clear to her that she couldn't afford to live on the Citadel, so she kept moving. She spent a week at Bekenstein sightseeing before saddling up for Korlus.

The moment Lokea made landfall on Korlus, she knew already that she hated it. A hot, noxious scrapyard world almost uninhabitable, the asari spent most of her time there in a rather dilapidated climate-controlled motel room. Thanks to the rather cheap rates of almost everything here, Lokea was actually able to turn a profit this time around from the odd jobs she did here. When she wasn't doing security work, she was also performing maintenance and deliveries for a few tidy sums. After about two weeks, Lokea got her first taste of blood when she killed six batarian gangsters and wounded four more when they attempted to murder her and one of her clients. Despite the rather terrifying incident, Lokea's implanted combat experience helped her during the fight and after it. At that point, she knew that in order to stay safe, she would have to use a codename. It took her some time, but she came up with one that had a nice ring to it. Since that incident, she was known as Venom Rose, and has gone by that codename since. Over time, Lokea got more jobs and earned some notoriety from some of the local gangs under that new name. On a particular anti-gang job, she was hired by a friendly krogan named Urdnot Stax, whom she later befriended and nicknamed 'Fat Stax'. She did a few jobs with him, and thanks to how crazy effective they were as a team, both of them agreed to a partnership. The neighborhood they lived in noticeably improved with their presence, and inspired some of the residents to stand up to some of the gangs that ravaged it.

After a month of doing anti-gang and bodyguard jobs, work died down a bit, as their neighborhood became arguably one of the safest on the planet. More people came to the neighboorhood, and the cost of living started to climb there. Both Lokea and Stax knew that the positive direction the neighborhood was meant that they would have to move somewhere else to keep making money, and while they considered their options, a new job came in. A wealthy volus merchant named Eppo Cal contacted them, and told them that his brother Niftu Cal had been kidnapped and held for ransom by a group of slavers, who also kidnapped a number of Eppo's staff. Eppo tracked the slavers down to a large building in Korlus, and he is paying good money for the recovery of both his brother Niftu and his staff. They took the job, and were soon greeted by a small group of mercenaries from Illium. The team worked on a proper plan and executed it the next morning. While Lokea and some lighter members of the team came in from the roof by rappelling down along the wall, Stax and the heavier team members stormed the building from the ground floor. Lokea's team quickly found Niftu, and shot the slavers through the windows before bursting through. Stax's team located the missing staff, who were in the process of being auctioned off, and promptly rescued them after gunning down all hostiles in the room. The rest of the building was cleared out within minutes, and all hostages were safely rescued.

It wasn't long before Eppo recieved the good news on Illium. Due to their resounding success, he paid all involved what they were owed, along with a bonus. As a further token of gratitude, he offered Lokea and Stax a ride to Illium, as well as a free two-week stay at one of his resorts in Nos Astra. Lokea saw a means of leaving the planet, and Stax saw a business opportunity, and both immediately accepted.

It was clear to both Stax and Lokea that their free resort stay was to sweeten an upcoming deal Eppo had for them, so when it came, they kept their heads clear about it. Eppo offered both Stax and Lokea jobs as high ranking members of CalCorp's security team, and after some calm negotiation, both Stax and Lokea agreed to it and signed on. The next day, they got acquainted with the rest of Eppo's team, a good portion of them being the same mercenaries that participated in the Korlus rescue mission. Eppo made sure to give both Stax and Lokea new weapons, and both continued to use their new toys well into the present. Since mid 2184, Stax and Lokea worked as CalCorp security agents. Most of the work itself was rather boring, but it did pay well and the duo took every chance they got to live like monarchs, even if it was for a few days out of the month. While Lokea and Stax performed rather dull duties throughout their new career, the few oddball assignments they did get broke up the monotony. Some missions they performed involved hostage rescue, others involved a little bit of corporate espionage, and sometimes Eppo just liked going to dangerous places and forced both Lokea and Stax to tag along.

Both Stax and Lokea knew that Eppo was a biotic since they signed on with him, but they never knew the full extent of his powers until the beginning of 2185. During a "business trip" to Omega, Eppo and his security team were ambushed by some Blood Pack mercenaries, but the volus didn't fret in the slightest. The three krogan and five vorcha that came for them couldn't stand back up for hours after Eppo thrashed them with his biotic powers, and the duo couldn't help themselves but be incredibly impressed by Eppo's biotic ability. Lokea herself was only slightly jealous of his ability to perform a biotic charge, but she managed to keep these feelings to herself. They later found out that those Blood Pack mercenaries were sent by one of Eppo's rivals, and while Stax suggested reprisal, Eppo declined on the basis of principle.

Both Stax and Lokea continued working for Eppo, taking on assignments and completing them with ease. Their effectiveness earned them a little bit of notoriety, where the duo started getting job offers from other businessfolk with promises of higher payouts. The duo considered them, but a little research often revealed the would-be poachers to be rather shady and untrustworthy individuals at best. It took some time for the duo to start trusting Eppo, but they've grown to be rather fond of the eccentric volus. While the rest of CalCorp's security team were at first cautious about the duo, they've also bonded well with Lokea and Stax. On days off, the whole security team threw parties at Eppo's Nos Astra resort (where he lets them live free of charge), parties that soon became the source of many of Lokea's positive memories.

When Lokea didn't feel like partying, she dabbled a bit in her artistic side, often painting and drawing digital art with the help of her omni-tool. Her artistic skills left much to be desired, but using implanted skills from some of the colonists, she got a small head start on some of the basics. At the time, her art hasn't really impressed anyone, but Stax and Eppo liked seeing this side to her.

The year of 2186 was one that was burned into the memory of the rest of the galaxy. The Reaper Invasion began with little warning, and the devastation was staggering. Thanks to the quick actions from most of the companies on Illium, the planetary fleet managed to keep most of Reapers from landing on the planet's surface by targeting the troop transports. For a while, the planetary fleet remained engaged with the Reaper capital ships, buying those on the surface enough time to evacuate to safer locations. However, while most of the Reaper's transport ships were destroyed by Illium's flotilla, a few made it through and landed on Nos Astra. The chaos of the evacuation and the battle in space made it rather difficult to really coordinate a ground defense, and Illium's authority had their hands full managing the situation.

At the first signs of the Reaper invasion, Eppo immediately liquidated all of his assets and went to work on purchasing weapons, armor and survival gear. He rallied all of his staff and immediately assigned them different jobs. All of his non-combat personnel were to build and maintain public shelters while his security teams were to form a militia. Eppo's quick actions garnered attention from other groups, and within a week, a tight alliance of various assembled militias became chartered as the Nos Astra Freedom Battalion. Consisting of mercenaries, law enforcement personnel and combat veterans, the Nos Astra Freedom Battalion became a well-regulated paramilitary force in its own right, and immediately began operations throughout the capital of Illium. Thanks to their experience, both Stax and Lokea were signed on as sergeants, and had their armor colored to match the battalion's uniform.

During the Reaper War, Lokea served with distinction. Her defensive biotics and her new cloaking ability allowed her to save the lives of countless civilians and combatants alike, often pulling them away from the line of fire to allow them to be evacuated to safer places. Most of the operations she participated in was in the evacuation of citizens, often attempting to bring them away from combat zones so the rest of Illium's forces could better fight the invading Reapers. The asari clone had a few close calls herself, having nearly been torn apart by the Banshees that the Reapers deployed on Illium's surface. Slowly but surely, Lokea and the rest of the NAFB were able to build up a proper resistance and keep the Reapers off the planet for the most part. Lokea's guerilla tactics proved to be quite effective, with Stax acting as the vanguard and Eppo providing shield support and aggressive biotic attacks. The three of them, along with most of the former security team they worked with, were able to cut through enemy resistance like hot knife through butter, allowing other elements of the NAFB to quickly complete their objectives. Reaper ground troops were only able to come in small numbers, and the NAFB made quick work of them anytime they landed in the city. Thanks to the NAFB, civilian losses were very limited, and the Reapers still had a hard time getting their troops onto the surface.

Despite the low casualty rate the NAFB suffered, the battalion still suffered losses that were almost crippling. Despite the Reaper's heavy disadvantage on the ground, their troops still didn't need to be fed, supplied or rested. Their relentless attacks wore down the NAFB and its allies, with some finding it difficult to keep fighting day in and day out. Some of the almost impervious Reaper capital ships made it onto the planets surface and laid waste to many of the settlements, and while civilian losses were still low thanks to the NAFB's efforts, many combatants lost their lives thanks to the capital ship's attacks. Lokea watched as many of her friends burned away in the death beams the Reapers fired, nearly avoiding the ship's gaze by sticking to the buildings. The NAFB had to maneuver around the capital ships to continue their operations, though they were able to neutralize at least two Reaper destroyers with what little heavy weapons they could get their hands on. And because of their actions, they continued to be a nuisance to the Reapers who tried to take Nos Astra.

As the months went on, normal life became a distant memory. Lokea could barely keep herself motivated anymore as the fight continued. Nos Astra was almost in ruins, and the life the city had once had was long gone. The only people that remained here at this point where just the soldiers who were doing their best to keep the Reapers away from the planet. Despite the presence of the capital ships and destroyers, the NAFB still did a good job at keeping the ground troops away. The only thing left on Lokea's mind was war. It felt like that was all her life at this point, and she felt a bit empty for it. The company of Eppo and Stax did keep her in moderate spirits, but when she was all alone, all she could do was draw and paint the pain away.

And then the Reapers fell. A massive wave of red static energy washed over the planet, and encased in red lightning, the Reapers ceased to function and all of them fell. The wave blown all Reaper ground forces to ashes. After the Reaper ships fell to the ground, there was an almost deafening silence. A cease of explosions, death beams and gunfire. A cease of blood-chilling screams, hostile or friendly. After three minutes of complete silence, a human member of the NAFB raised his rifle in victory and shouted at the top of his lungs. Lokea, Stax, Eppo and the rest of the NAFB followed suit in the celebration of galactic victory. They won.

And they were free.

After the Reapers were defeated, everyone had time to finally grieve. Many of Lokea's friends died during the war, but thankfully, many of those closest to her survived. Almost all of Zhu's Hope made it through the war unscathed, and both Stax and Eppo survived the war with her. Those that maintained the shelters went to the surface to help rebuild the city, and Lokea assisted in the NAFB's post-war peacekeeping efforts. Despite the grief and emptiness the whole galaxy felt after the war was over, there was still some celebration and partying happening. Eppo's element of the NAFB returned to his (now ruined) resort to party like old times, and despite the festivities, everyone knew in their hearts that nothing will be the same again.

Lokea did her best to apply her non-combat skills to the rebuilding efforts anytime she wasn't on peacekeeping duty. For the next year, she and the rest of Nos Astra's survivors helped rebuild the city, as well as some of its culture. A lot of things changed since then. As the economy slowly recovered, a greater emphasis was placed on the preservation of life, and the planet saw lots of reform. As Illium was rebuilding, Lokea and the NAFB continued in their peacekeeping duties, often fighting gangs and slavers that forgot the main lesson that the Reaper Invasion taught the galaxy. The NAFB's combined experience made them a feared fighting force, and it didn't take long for most of the local criminal elements to back off. Off-world criminal elements got the message too, but two years too late. Lokea herself was involved in many of the anti-gang and anti-slaver operations that the NAFB completed, many of them completed with the help of Stax. Eppo, however, had long since quit the NAFB and went to work on rebuilding his financial empire. While it would take years, Eppo promised all of his former staff that he would rehire them once he regained his wealth and assets, and that they were free to come visit him anytime they were on leave. Lokea, Stax and most of Eppo's surviving staff obliged him any chance they got.

As time went on, the NAFB's activities died down. By 2190, Illium had rebuilt most of its law enforcement and military, and the government made the rather controversial decision to disband the Nos Astra Freedom Battalion. Officially, they said that such a paramilitary organization was no longer necessary since most societal functions were now restored, but a popular conspiracy says that Illium's corporate elite pressured the government into disbanding the NAFB, as the group often hurt the profits of companies that relied on less ethical means. However, most members of the NAFB were reintegrated into Illium's military and law enforcement, and the rest were rehired by the companies they used to work for. Lokea and Stax found their way back to Eppo, who rehired them and a few other members of his security staff.

The next year was rather quiet. Since Eppo wasn't the tycoon he used to be, he had to hire all of his staff at a lower wage as he couldn't afford to pay them their old rate. He still housed them for free at his hotel, though it wasn't as good as his old resort was. Work was slow and dull, and while they still managed to salvage some good days, things still didn't feel the same. Lokea, like a good portion of the galaxy, had to battle with a lot of demons that the Reaper War gave her. She coped with it by painting and drawing, and Eppo offered to buy her art to fill up the space in his properties. Lokea agreed, and she created more pieces and tried new ways to breathe life into the places Eppo ran. Eppo ran friendly competitions with all of his staff to see who would make the best hotel room, and the results of the competitions brought more people to his hotels. Eppo slowly regained his wealth, and he slowly regained his old staff and his old resort. He slowly raised their wages to their old rates as he could afford them, and soon enough, CalCorp was back in business, and things were kind of like old times again. Joy came back to the parties Eppo's staff threw, and Lokea found the warmth of new and familiar friends. It took years, but now Lokea felt like she was living again.

Life was good in late 2191. Almost all of Nos Astra had been rebuilt, and its economy was starting to boom again. Things were almost like they were before the war, with some downsides and some improvements. Every month, Eppo's staff would party in the memory of the friends they lost in the war, as that's what the dead would've wanted. Lokea and Stax went on their fun little adventures again, and Lokea herself continued to paint for Eppo. One day, Lokea got a letter in her virtual inbox, one from a somewhat shifty individual. A brief investigation as to how this message got to her quickly led to Lokea's old job posting that she made before she got hired by Eppo, but that aside, neither Lokea or any of her friends could find anything on this "Proxy" guy. Depsite the mystery behind the job, it seemed like a lot of easy credits for a short excursion into Argus Rho. Lokea was originally going to turn the job down, but with the money being offered and its sign-on bonus, she couldn't pass it up, especially when half of that money can clear the remaining debts that she's been struggling to pay off. Both Eppo Cal and Urdnot Stax warned her about the job and the dangers of working with people who have a lot to hide. Lokea reassured them that she was well aware of those dangers, and while she could handle herself, if things start getting really fishy, she'll bail out and get to back Nos Astra as fast as possible. If it made them feel any better, she would remain in frequent contact with them during her travels. So, after lots of hugs and goodbyes, Lokea took a few flights over to meet up with Proxy's group.

What seemed like an easy job soon turned into something far bigger...

(Verse 1)
Feels like I've been drifting
Away from home
Another night of wishin'
I had control
My thoughts drown me like a river
Oh-oh-oh
Always stuck in the middle

(Pre-Chorus)
Wish I wasn't falling slowly
Never thought it'd be so lonely
Walls are closing in
Don't wanna be another sad story

(Chorus)
When it's all over
I want you to know
It was all worth it, oh
Promise I won't be, I won't be another sad story

(Drop)
I won't be another sad story
Oh, I will never be
Oh, I won't be another sad story

(Verse 2)
I don't wanna watch myself fall apart
'Cause I've seen all of the pieces of myself
I didn't know I had
My thoughts drown me like a river
Woah-oh-oh
Always stuck in the middle

(Pre-Chorus)
Wish I wasn't falling slowly
Never thought it'd be so lonely
Walls are closing in
Don't wanna be another sad story

(Chorus)
When it's all over
I want you to know
It was all worth it, oh
Promise I won't be, I won't be another sad story

(Drop)
I won't be another sad story
Oh, I will never be
Don't wanna be another sad story

When it's all over
I want you to know
It was all worth it, oh
Promise I won't be, I won't be another sad story