I can certainly work on a longer and more detailed backstory over time, I’m actually quite chuffed that you’re requesting it; I usually write too much and feel bad my first pass and have been working steadily to make more concise sheets. I’ll take that as a ‘mission accomplished’ and just have fun with expanding my outline for later.
Equipment will be filled out by tonight, and I’ll shift the sheet over at that time.
"Oh, come on... Everyone wants to see inside the suit. You know you do. I know you do. Let's skip to the part where you ask about it and I talk about how fast I've seen people boil alive in the atmosphere of Thetos."
Art by SATURDAY (@Koyamamichiru) on Twitter.
"I'm sorry, are you disappointed? What did you expect, two heads?… It’s not worth getting all choked up over, quit that."
Full Name: Tel'larel of the Great House Darnirrah of the Uzzhi-Attan of Thetos
Nicknames/Titles: Banshee - Current mercenary callsign and preferred name. Formerly... Uzzhi-Attan - Title reserved for the upper echelons of her homeworld, Thetos. Used as a blanket term for the upper caste in informal conversation. Roughly equivalent to the human 'Princess' when used for Banshee, due to the context-based meanings of the language.
Tella - Informal nickname given to her by her younger siblings and father.
Ea-Retta - 'The Great Betrayer' in the Thetos tongue; a significant title of exile.
Age: Physiological Stage: Adulthood Human Equivalent age: Approximately thirty two. Thetos age: Five.
Gender: Female [She/Her] by choice.
Ship Role: Member - Combat oriented role, formally a 'Mercenary' before joining the crew.
Race:
Classification: Gas Giant
Star Type: Binary System in Steady Degradation: A lesser blue star being slowly pulled towards its orbiting companion, a super-luminous Green Giant. Estimated collision and resultant destruction of the Thetos Home System in 1.2 million years.
Rotation and Yearly Cycle: Exceptionally slow planetary rotation, with its yearly cycle being roughly six times that of Earth. Those born at the Dawn of a Thetos Day will not see Sunset until they are considered elderly, and only those of the highest ranks in the Caste System [called the Uzzhi-Seros] could hope to extend their lives to see the Night without traveling around the planet.
It is worth noting that the atmosphere and gases required by the People of Thetos to naturally breathe and tangibly interact with their surroundings are hyper-toxic to most species, and being fully submerged in the atmosphere of Thetos or a room adapted to its gases results in suffocation, burning/boiling, and death for those who cannot handle its properties.
Thetos is home to the People of Thetos, a gas-based people who are solid and very much so tangible while in the atmosphere of their home planet- but require the use of specialized Pressure-Suits to interact meaningfully with the universe outside their planetary borders. This has not held the People of Thetos back in more than a negligible capacity; their military might extends to a dominion of one hundred star systems that they claim as Imperial Territory, with dozens of planets and a proportionate amount of subservient species residing within. The primary means of expansion for the People of Thetos themselves are super-massive station-fortresses pressurized and built to house the gases of Thetos' atmosphere, which form the core of their military defense structure as well as act as the governing bodies of their Star Systems.
Aside from Thetos, only two other planetary bodies have been terraformed for the People of Thetos to inhabit personally;
The Paradise Habitation of Hanoli-Minor, a moon of the Gas Giant Hanoli-Major, which was originally created for ecological study of Thetos Fauna in a foreign atmosphere and has evolved into an oft-revered paradise whose residencies are used as Imperial Reward.
The Colony World of Farhome, a recent effort by the People of Thetos to create a staging ground to exert further influence over the Galactic Core. Unlike Hanoli-Minor, Farhome is the first effort the People of Thetos have unveiled in the concept of 'cannibalizing' a foreign Gas Giant; the terraforming efforts are successfully altering atmospheric conditions on Farhome to match those of Thetos itself, which bodes well for the future of the Empire.
Subservient species within the Empire are considered second class citizens and the only upward mobility available to them is as Auxilia in the Imperial Army. That is not to say they are necessarily ill-treated, for they are a vital necessity to The Dominion's expansions and livelihood, but that they are distinctly kept out of the Thetos Caste System itself. In some ways this is a blessing, their cultural autonomy permitted within certain parameters, and allowing them the natural hierarchies and social structures of their species so long as their appointed representatives continue to meet Dominion expectations.
The Dominion's military might lies uniquely in its Space Force; Star-Fortresses of The Dominion are the envy of the galaxy in terms of Mega-Structure technology, and the Dominion Fleet is a feared entity in all the bordering star-sectors. The weakness of The Dominion's military comes in its planetary invasion and ground forces; they are reliant on the Auxilia of subservient species, with a relatively small amount of highly trained squads of the People themselves acting as command squads and special operations forces for the Auxilia forces.
Though few in number by comparison, the People of Thetos' specialized military units are seen as Spec-Ops boogeymen by the greater galaxy and their methods and tools are the topic of speculation and fear.
'Gender' is a choice for these people, their 'mating' with outside species is exceptionally rare due to the requirements for their bodies to take tangible form. Most choose to identify in Galactic Binary, but it isn't uncommon to find neuter or otherwise personal identifications within their society.
The bodies of the People of Thetos are malleable within the confines of their personal Mass; most choose an identifiable form and stick with it, and those who make use of Pressure Suits often modify the suit to their chosen body types and gender identity. This means that should an individual choose, they could theoretically operate very strangely shaped suits indeed- and there are stories of more bestial or exotic forms within the Dominion Military
Their form, when not solidified by the atmospheric gases of their Pressure Suits or Habitats, is gaseous naturally and will dissipate upon death. If their pressure suits break or they are forced outside of their habitable atmosphere, it is equivalent to suffocation or drowning to them- in slow-form. Their gaseous bodies are typically just as toxic to other species as their atmospheric conditions, and ending up outside a Pressure Suit or Habitat is often a slow and painful process of death due to the unique tools required for other species to interact with them. In short, they're floating balls of toxic gas that only become tangible bodies in certain environments.
The People of Thetos rely on a diet primarily of the intake of Gases, and can only interact with or consume physical food while in suitable Habitats- and even then, their requirements are so unique that they can typically only handle meals imported from The Dominion anyway.
The People of Thetos inherit based on Youth, meaning that the ruling class (outside the military) are headed by a radical youth cycle with elder siblings and family members taking advisory roles in the political spectrum. This can be a bloodthirsty affair if older siblings want their inheritance.
Personality: Banshee is a jovial sort, sociable to a fault. Her demeanor is that of a mask, using her social inclinations and comedic nature to keep distance and dilute intimacy- a topic she has great issues with, and a topic she struggles with meaningfully connecting to others with. There is a certain haughtiness to her that she has never been able to quite shake that manifests in a smugness. Her upbringing as the highest class of Dominion society has instilled her with this unshakable identity as a superior person that has come into extreme conflict with her greater travels. There is certainly room for growth here, as she reconciles her own mortality and existence with that of others in the galaxy. She's fallen from a life of never knowing want into the darkness of 'Killer for hire', and that perspective change has brought with it philosophical identity crisis.
"In the end, we all bleed and die... That has to mean something, right?"
Biography:
Born into the Great House Darnirrah during Sunset, Banshee was the First Daughter. Inheritance into the illustrious Head of House Darnirrah was forever unattainable for her, but her education and choices widened with the birth of each sibling. The eldest of five, she eventually was granted autonomy over her destiny and chose a life of Glory.
Forgoing the initial political aspirations of her upbringing, she received personal tutelage from weapons masters and retired Dominion instructors to get a leg up on her admittance tests into The Dominion. She excelled, and in her young adult life achieved a high placement into the Special Forces. Hundreds of VR missions and skirmishing operations with the Auxilia later, Operative Banshee was born.
Her first major military operation was quelling an uprising within the Dominion, where she achieved renown within the Dominion for acts of heroism on the field of battle. Her squad spearheaded and commanded the Vanguard of the planetary assault; her boots were one of the first pair to hit the ground, and were one of the last sets to leave the planet's surface. The conflict was short and bittersweet, lasting only one local week, and her squad was accredited with the capture of the Rebel Leader after a blitz-assault of their reinforced Capital.
This success lead to the beginnings of an illustrious military career. She was a part of three more major military operations within the Dominion before she was assigned to the Expansion Effort. For the first time, she had to engage with truly foreign hostiles who were highly trained and well equipped. A far cry from the surgical strikes against localized uprisings, the horrors of true galactic warfare birthed the distant and comedic demeanor she is known for now.
This initial conflict against a Core Species resulted in the first major defeat of her career. Three of the seven squad mates she had come to trust and love had been killed, and she herself had sustained a crippling injury. 'The Bloody Defense of Farhome', as the battle has come to be called, is a stain on the Dominion military history. There was not yet a functional Star-Fortress in the system, and a cease-fire and truce were established with the destruction of the original Terraforming Pumps. The recovery and rebuilding of the system has been a political issue ever since, and radical parties within the Dominion cite it as a cause for both isolationism and military jingoism.
Temporarily crippled by the conflict, a traumatized Banshee was returned home. While in convalescence, she was approached by the Second Son of the family who attempted to recruit her into a plot to 'Cull the weakness from the family'. In short, her younger brother propositioned her with a plan to assassinate their three lesser siblings to re-establish The House Darnirrah as a powerful political force with 'His Allies'.
Shaken by her time at war, hardened by the conflicts she'd faced, and mentally unstable from her injuries and losses, this proposition shattered her mind. In a brief struggle, she killed her brother and contacted her convalescing squad mates. Within one standard solar week, she and the other three members of her squad enacted a series of strike operations within Thetos' atmosphere and decapitated the subtle stirrings of bloody coup that had been revealed by Banshee's brother. The four surviving special operations faced trial as Traitors, and were launched into galactic exile. A lessened sentence in light of their service to the Dominion, but a required one due to the vigilante nature of their 'justice'.
Thus the four banded together in Exile as mercenaries. Their cohesion and bond made them an efficient and lethal force for hire; their trauma and experiences in the wider galaxy pushed them apart. Eventually Banshee was alone as her companions pursued their own ambitions and goals in the galaxy...
And Banshee was approached to be hired on to a crew called 'The Star-Breakers'. Some day she hopes to encounter her former companions and regain their friendship, but for now she has to make ends meet.
Powers/Skills: highly trained combat specialist, capable in all forms of combat- but specialized in the 'Traditional' weapons of the Thetos Dominion and focused in close quarters combat scenarios. She fulfills the role of a 'Juggernaut' handily.
Socially trained, politically inured; she is a savvy talker and is resistant to mental influences. Unfortunately this means she has 'opinions'.
Fleet-Based Operations: She has a keen mind for the complex topic of ship movements and gunnery, and has specialized training in Zero-G combat.
Equipment: To Be Filled
Other: I've drawn inspiration from a myriad sources for this one, with the heaviest being the Volus or Quarians of Mass Effect and the secondary being various episodes of Star Trek where they encountered truly 'alien' beings with different core makeups than the carbon-based human type. As for my 'favorites' in Science Fiction, for literature that would be Dune by Frank Herbert [though I've only made time to read the first in its illustrious series at this time] and the Hyperion Cantos by Dan Simmons [which has an excellent audio book adaptation series that I'm able to steadily consume]. In Video Games, that would be Mass Effect if I'm discounting the subgenre of 'punk'- if I included it, I'd have to quietly shill for Cyberpunk 2077 as an experience I legitimately enjoyed quite a bit despite its glaring flaws.
Oh, and I’d be absolutely remiss not to mention Firefly. You can’t take the sky from me!
I just need to fill out her Equipment, otherwise this is complete. Posting now since I need to get myself to work and can finish that minor section tonight.
I’ve recovered to 70% and just plateau’d there. It was a horrible week then just this ongoing… Tiredness. I’ve never struggled to keep my wits as much as I have since getting this virus.
Sounds like most of you are trying to avoid engaging the pirates directly, am I good to assume the group will be entering the Barrow/Tomb to avoid detection?
Burn the land and boil the sea, you can't take the sky from me. I'll stick my nose in tentatively as I massage my brain. I had many of the same questions as Benz.
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