Name: Ylva Falk | Vanja
Rank: Captain (Army, NATO rank) | Senior Deep-cover agent
Callsign: Ebola / Doc. Ebola
Titles: SV, Doc.VRAL, Ba.HG (specialist virology, doctor of viral genetics, bachelor of human genetics)
Role: Science officer, expert in genetics and virology. | Tok'ra infiltrator. Ex.Member of the high council.
Age: 27 (born March 1st, 1987, International waters) | 2312 (unknown location)
Gender: Female | Technically asexual, but considers self female.
Appearance:
Lean, but not lanky, she is physically nearly in perfect shape for her size and weight. Her face is unremarkable, her hair pale brown. She looks several years younger than she is.
Ylva keeps her hair short out of convenience. Her eyes are pale, almost icy blue. Her skin is as pale white as her scandinavian roots dictate. In a crowd, she would not stand out.
As for clothes, she will generally wear clothes that she consider practical. Appearance has never been all that important to her. In her military role, that means some sort of uniform, whereas as a scientist, it'll be casual clothes and a lab coat. Sometimes she'll wear a mix of these.
Ylva is 169.4 cm tall and weighs just short of 64 kg.
Blending:
To everyone else, it is not known how Vanja met Ylva, or when she blended with her. She has not been in contact with the Tok’ra High council since before her old host, Mochán, died. All her reliable information about the Tau’ri advances and the changes in the greater galaxy in recent years comes from that single contact with the other Tok’ra. There are some few things dug out from the internet and such sources, but half are complete lies and the other half is impossible to verify.
Childhood (host):
Ylva was born in 1987 on a the ship where her father was currently stationed, and where her mother also worked at the time as a civilian researcher on a long-term contract. Her mother’s research was of a sensitive nature and it would take too long to replace her, which is the sole reason she continued the project even through her pregnancy.
Following her birth, she generally moved wherever her parents were assigned/stationed, rarely staying more than a year or so in any one place. As a result, she never had many close friends, nor much social interaction with people her own age. Though she was fairly stunted here, her education was the opposite. She proved early on to be a near-prodigy, learning to read well before even starting to attend school. Her rate of learning was considerably higher than that of those her own age, so she also went through school more rapidly, starting her university-level studies years early.
Symbiote career:
Vanja has, naturally enough, a much longer career. She's held countless roles over the centuries. Spy. Assassin. Overseer. Infiltrator. Councilor. Inquisitor. Commander. All these and more among them. But she has always valued science highly. She could never take a host that would ignore its value.
Following the signing of the alliance with the Tau’ri in 1998, they quickly realized from their interactions with Jacob Carter and Selmak that where most humans of the galaxy were not all that independent, the people of the Tau’ri were both strong-minded and very independent in nature. Not to mention, they were more advanced than most societies in the galaxy, their development not having been held down by the Goa’uld. As such, they determined that they had to know more about them. They could not know whether this was true of all the Tau’ri.
As such, the High council determined that the only viable option would be to send an agent to the Tau’ri to learn more about them. He or she would not have access to the Chappa’ai, so he or she would not be able to report in through that. Following the inclusion of Earth in the Asgard’s protected planets’ treaty with the Goa’uld, they also realized that it would be possible that the Asgard would be monitoring any subspace communications to and from Earth. As such, he or she would be alone. Most Tok’ra were good infiltrators, but few could handle operations with so many unknowns. Vanja, being particularly skilled at dealing with unknown societies, volunteered. [this was around 1999-2000].
The Tok’ra covertly transported Vanja and her current host, Mochán, to the world of the Tau’ri, using a single tel’tak they had managed to acquire, then departed. To say that the adjustment was hard, would be an understatement. Still, Vanja’s eons of experience made the adjustment possible without too many errors.
Exactly what happened during the first few years is a different story. After about four-five years, Vanja received notice from the High council that Egeria had been rediscovered, but died shortly afterwards. The news were old, but it had taken time to find an agent that could be spared to track her down. It was a hard blow for Vanja, considering that she was spawned from Egeria. Rather than abandon the mission, Vanja decided that it would be all the more important to stay, for she and Mochán saw great potential in the Tau’ri. She then gave the operatives that checked in with her the information she had gathered so far.
Ironically, some time later, a common low-life shot Mochán in the back, intending to steal his valuables. Because of Vanja, he did not die immediately, but it did pretty much muck up the mission. The first person on the scene happened to be Ylva Falk, who brought him to the best doctor she knew, who in fact happened to be her ‘family’ doctor. He agreed to do his best to help Mochán, though he had no idea about the presence of Vanja. If he did discover anything during his work, he did not say anything. Over the next year, Vanja, Mochán and Ylva Falk grew closer. But there was no saving Mochán from his fate. While the rest of his injuries healed, the damage to his lower spine was irreversible with the technology readily available on earth. Mochán simply could not live with being crippled. It was too hard for him. Vanja did not like Mochán’s death wish, but could not convince him otherwise, and was too respectful of his free will to even consider forcing the issue. Vanja did not share the death wish, so she looked for other options.
Eventually, Vanja opened up to Ylva, who took it with remarkable ease. Following the initial shock, of course. The end result, was that Ylva chose to blend with Vanja and continue her mission. It was her idea initially to consider the option of actually creating a new queen for the Tok’ra. She did not know how, but she thought it would be possible. Mochán in turn, got his wish, and was permitted to die peacefully. [around 2006]
Adulthood (host):
After her first degree, a master’s degree in viral genetics, she followed her father into the military, believing that she could accomplish more as a military scientist than as a civilian scientist. Her mother wasn’t too thrilled about that choice, but did not try to stand in the way. After all, most of her projects tended to be funded by the military too. Thus, Ylva served a few years, rising to the rank of 2nd Lieutenant, then went back to studying so that, among other things, she could complete her doctorate in viral genetics. The military wanted her to research bioweapons, especially in the field of stopping them, though she would also work to develop some. Her mother’s ethics affected these studies particularly, for she began the research into developing bioweapons that would self-destruct a certain time after deployment, rather than random life cycle.
The success of this research was meagre, until suddenly, some 4-5 years ago, there came significant input from scientists working out of some mysterious mountain complex in the americas. Though Ylva had some security clearance by this time, she did not have sufficient clearance to know the true sources of the advances. She had strong theories, but no facts. That clearance only came early april 2013, when she was formally hired by the IOA for the Stargate Program, so that, in their words, her skills in fields like virology could be put to use where they would most benefit the human species.
To say that everything about the stargate program and the how the galaxy truly was came as a surprise to Ylva would be a lie. But to say that nothing was surprising is just as much a lie. Vanja has not been in contact with any other Tok’ra in many years, and Ylva has never spoken to another Tok’ra. The sudden input of the new politics of the galaxy was pretty shocking to them both. They could hardly believe that the Goa’uld empire had at long last fallen. There was so much new information that it took them months of study simply to get a rough idea of what the Status Quo was.
The great increase in available resources that came with the increased security clearance gave Ylva much hope for her idea, though Vanja still thought cloning would be a more reliable solution for solving the issue of no tok’ra queen. In the years prior to her increased security clearance, she had subtly implemented several advances in her work that did not have human origins. Enough to improve human society subtly and make Ylva attractive for the Tau’ri stargate program, but not enough to be of suspected to be anything more than human. Most of it came through using what was already available, but in ways just beyond the reach of most humans.
Host personality:
Ylva is a very determined woman. She doesn't know exactly what she wants with life other than to follow in her parents' footsteps, but she never does anything other than her very best. Logic is at the core of her essence, and if she believes in anything, it would be science. She does not know that there isn't any higher power out there, but neither has she got proof such exists. Or rather, she did not have so before blending. Afterwards, she's known of the Ascended Ancients. But like them, she does not hold to worshipping such. Instead, she seeks to understand.
When she wants something, she will put her very being into achieving that goal, no matter the cost. As such, she eventually caught the eyes of the IOA. For the first few years after they hooked her in, she worked part-time with SG research on earth as a civilian, but there had always been some of her father in her, so she also served in the NATO with the rest of her time.
When the time came for the IOA to fill the crew for the latest BC-304, it did not take them long to decide that she should be on it, nor did it take her long to decide she wanted to be there.
Symbiote personality:
Vanja is not too different from her host. Being blended with each other for many years has naturally resulted in such similarity. They are both determined individuals who rely on logic. If possible, Vanja has even less belief in religion than Ylva. But then, she’s been around goa’uld and their mockery of religion her entire life. She likes using familiar solutions, even if there might be more potential for success in new solutions. in this way, she is a bit set in her ways.
She is also not above using cold, ruthless means to achieve her goals. If someone proves a potential threat to the self-assigned mission, Vanja is not above using any means of removing him or her. Permanently.
Prior to blending with Ylva, Vanja did not have any experience to speak of in virology. Diseases were almost unheard of among goa’uld and Tok’ra, so she had never taken any interest in the subject. As such, even with a number of years of being with Ylva, she still considers the subject fairly new, and doesn’t fully trust it. This is one area she clashes a bit with her host. Where Vanja persists in wanting to gain access to cloning technology and cloning a queen while inserting the genetic memories of a Tok’ra into the symbiote, Ylva thinks that other options have more potential. For example using a retrovirus to convert a tok’ra symbiote with an established personality into a queen.
The most notable effect of the blending is that Vanja is starting to think more outside the box. She has become more willing to accept unusual solutions, in part because of how Ylva thinks, but also because the Tau’ri don’t think the way most humans she’s encountered before do.
Skills:
With their shared knowledge, they have become leading experts in the fields of genetics and virology, advancing the field greatly, but not so much as to risk breaking their cover. Given a sufficiently equipped lab, she/they can construct viruses far more advanced than other tau'ri virologists, even to the point of creating diseases that break down on a timer. Almost perfect bioweapons. But they rarely do so, out of fear that they will be misused. Instead, they both focus upon a much harder field of study, that of viruses capable of altering living creatures without harming them. As of yet, that has not been a success to the degree they hope for. Sure, they've designed cures for some rare conditions formerly incurable, but it is not nearly enough to save the Tok'ra.
Of course, genetics and virology are but small parts of their skills. They're also skilled at unarmed combat, armed combat, piloting (primarily goa'uld vessels), naval and space tactics, infiltration, covert killing, espionage, acting, deceit, computers, rudimentary small unit tactics, common linguistics and many other areas. A bit of a jane of all trades, really.
Personal secrecy:
As a Deep-cover Tok'ra agent, they value their secrecy greatly. Through her father, a high-ranking member of NATO, they've ensured that both her medical and many of her personal records are so deeply classified that they might as well not exist. His own records were classified that way, so it wasn't hard for him to have hers classified as well. He doesn't know why, but he doesn't care. If she wanted it, she probably had a good reason. They share a doctor with his wife and her mother and have since early in Ylva's childhood, so all their medical exams have been done by him anyways.
He reasons that if she wants to be as secretive as him, she might as well get it. Every person has at least some quirks, and if hers are as simple as records secrecy, it is easy for him to make sure they're granted. It could certainly have been a lot worse. Secrecy is his life, so he only enjoys it more when she mimics that.
Of her medical records, only the bare bones are visible even to most military doctors. These details are the ones related to life-and-death issues. Everything else is classified, some parts more deeply than others.
Notes:
Following the blending and joining the IOA involving her in the Stargate Program, Vanja has helped Ylva manufacture a naquadah suppressant to mask the naquadah signature in their blood. Even with their skill at biology, it is not perfect. They've also ensured to have something implanted that interferes with MRIs, preventing such from being used to detect Vanja. This is excused by a supposed accident several years earlier.
Nobody except the Tok'ra High Council knows she's Tok'ra.
Personal quirks:
Due to an incident during childhood with a nurse that messed up when giving her an injection, Ylva developed a mild form of Aichmophobia. This means that she’s utterly terrified of others sticking needles and certain other sharp objects into her. Had it been stronger, she would have been excluded from any chance of military service. Her service in the armed forces naturally requires her to take certain injections and tests on a fairly regular basis. Because she would not give up the idea of following in her father’s footsteps, it was obvious a solution had to be found.
After over a month of searching, her father managed to find a doctor that not only had experience dealing with phobic patients, but also had the right security clearance. He did not want to have any doctor working on his daughter other than his own personal doctor, so security clearance was a requirement. In the years since, whenever anything medical involving needles came up, she would do it with that doctor, who can get her through it without any problems. It might at times have been inconvenient, but it generally worked out. Vanja’s influence has not helped her overcome this problem, though it has helped her when it comes to needles that aren’t to go into her own body.
Ylva does not serve much on the battlefield, so this system works fairly well. Naturally, if she’s unconscious, her phobia does not affect her.
She also can't eat fish without throwing up. Its inconvenient, but not not impossible to deal with. She doesn't make a point out of it, instead simply eating the side dishes if fish is the main course. As dietary quirks go, its one of the easier ones people can have. Nothing Vanja has tried will change this. Ylva is simply too stubborn. She doesn’t want to overcome it. While technically it is not an allergy, the effect is the same.
Because she went through both school and universities at an accelerated pace, she did not get quite as much social growth as others of her same age. Having parents that are highly focused on their respective jobs did not help either. As a result of these and other factors, she is fairly inept when it comes to social interaction, especially those related to Tau’ri customs. Unlike other fields, this is one where Vanja has proven to be fairly helpful. She might not understand Earth customs, but she knows how to interact with others without too many mistakes.
Potential exploits to the character:
Note: These details are not readily available, but can be discovered with digging.
History - Though she tries to hide it, she knows more about galactic history than she possibly should be able to know. She's been involved in a lot of it, after all.
Flora/fauna - Her knowledge of milky way flora/fauna is fairly extensive. Much can be attributed to innate skill at understanding things, but some parts would not make sense for a tau'ri to understand. She's not flawless at hiding these parts.
Crystal-based tech - She's not focused on it, but she knows quite a bit about it, especially when it comes to goa'uld/tok'ra designs. She can recognize what many arrays are supposed to do from merely looking at them.
The knowledge of the Tok'ra - She has intimate knowledge of nearly everything concerning the Tok'ra. This she's pretty good at hiding, especially because it rarely comes up.
Goa’uld - Despite Ylva not having been involved much in the war with the goa'uld, she hates their kind deeply, the way only a tok'ra can.
Naquadah-triggered tech - As a Tok'ra, she can use this. Thus she's careful not to touch anything she believes to be such. But if life and death is on the line and she thinks she can get away with it, she might step over this line.
Medical records - As stated above, most of her medical records, and quite a few of her personal ones, are deeply classified. The staggering amount of red tape covering them might make some people suspect that there is a secret to her. Which happens to be true, of course.
MRI/X-ray - She's managed to find a way to avoid MRI's (through an implant that would mess with MRI technology), but she has not found any means of stopping X-ray tech. If her torso/neck/head is X-rayed, Vanja's presence will not be possible to hide. Eventually, her luck at avoiding this will run out.
EEG - if someone connects and EEG monitor, she will have a dual signal, rather than the single signal a human Would have.
Naquadah Dampener - this technology is not flawless, and has to be utilized fairly regularly to maintain its effect. This could in theory go wrong sometime.
Experience - She has, in many ways, too many years of experience. Ylva may be less patient, but Vanja's inhuman patience sometimes bleeds through.
Eidetic memory - Read things once – know it well. If someone manages to get past all the blocks on her records, they might discover that, while she's always been somewhat of a near-genius, her memory has not always been flawless. However, getting past all that won't be easy for anyone, let alone discovering something so damning inside the secrets.
Wounds - She heals quickly. She can slow it down, but neither likes prolonging dysfunction. The medic in her doesn’t like leaving injuries longer than absolutely necessary.
Strength - while its voluntary to use, she has access to superhuman strength. Sometimes she forgets she shouldn’t have that.
Perfect health - she doesn’t get sick. Ever. No sick leave in many years. She can survive adverse conditions far longer than a human could.
