|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
 Posted: Sat Apr 07, 2007 10:17 pm
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Sun Apr 08, 2007 6:11 am
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Sun Apr 08, 2007 6:12 am
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Sun Apr 08, 2007 7:03 am
 |
|
|
 |
 Name: Alexandre Depriest
Nickname(s): Alexei ("Russianization"), Andre (to his wife), Olenka (to his father); usually addressed by his full name
Species: human
Nationality: Smodrinan (mixed heritage)
Birthdate: December
Birthplace: Smodrina
Occupation: captain of the battle cruiser Vilna Victory
Physical Data
- Age: 36
- Height: 5' 9"
- Build: slender frame, moderately athletic build
- Hair: straight dark brown
- Eyes: dark brown, ringed with dark circles
- Skin: pale
- Attire: uniform of the Smodrinan Navy, or dress shirts, waistcoats or dress coats, and pants, usually accented with a sash
- Distinguishing Characteristics:
Personal Data
- Hobbies: archery, reading
- Likes: order, precision, dark places, quiet
- Dislikes: excitable people
- Favorite Color/s: onyx
- Favorite Food/s: crepes
- Sexuality: heterosexual
- Religion: lapsed Russian Orthodox
- Politics: National Royalist
- Education: military academy
Personality:
Cold, aloof Alexandre has made a career out of controlling his emotions and been very successful at it. A military captain, his ability to remain calm under even the most strenuous circumstances has saved his crew many a time. He is focused, controlled, and lives by a code dictating fair and honorable behavior.
Few people know what lies beneath that seemingly icy exterior. In the privacy of his house with his family, Alexandre is quiet, caring, and even a bit shy. Having a loving family is new to him and he still harbors uncertainties about what to do and how to act. He is tender and doting, but sometimes afraid to step on toes and put his foot down, wary of being too strict and alienating the people he cares about. He knows he's very good at alienating people -- all his life he's never had a real friend. He still has to prove to himself that he can be a good father and husband.
If you were to tell anyone familiar with Captain Depriest that he was scared of a few small children, they would laugh. Alexandre's reputation as a captain is unparalleled. He's smart, perceptive, and has a genuine knack for pinpointing weak spots. He utilizes psychological warfare to great result both on the battlefield and in personal relations. Even rarer, he knows when to stop. He can tell when he's pushed someone's buttons to the right point. He may have a reputation for ruthlessness, but he is never cruel if he can avoid it.
Alexandre developed his psychological skills as a child. Undersized and bullied, it was his father's suggestion that he find another way to fight back besides the physical. Alexandre studied the bullies and when he figured out their weak points and secrets, he revealed them to the world. He became the bully, using his words instead of his fists, and then using his influence on the bullies to command their fists on his behalf. It did not take Alexandre long to realize what he had become. His own ability to be cruel frightened him and he swore to that day forth strike only those blows which were totally necessary, and then stop.
All his life, Alexandre has lived by that restraint, that secret fear of what he and every other human is capable of. Only in the past year has he begun to take down the walls in his personality, to allow himself to answer to his emotions, and it is still a learning process. He will always be cold, aloof, and impersonal. But he will also become a good and loving father to his children, the father he always wished he had.
Background:
The illegitimate son of French courtesan Marie Depriest and Tzar Ivan XXII, Alexandre grew up teased and bullied by the other children. His parentage a secret, he was seen as a fatherless son of a whore. His isolation from the other children made him cold and unfriendly. In order to survive, he learned how to outsmart the bullies. He saw his father only occasionally, but Ivan XXII was wise and just, and Alexandre learned a great deal from each secret visit, patterning himself after his father's advice and ideals. He studied hard, particularly strategy and psychological warfare, which he used to get back at his tormentors.
At fifteen, he signed up for the Navy, and his father had him shortlisted as an officer recruit, the only time Ivan XXII intervened to help Alexandre. At eighteen, Alexandre graduated, and began his climb up through the ranks.
At twenty-five he was given command of the battle cruiser Vilna Victory. Being one of the Navy's up and coming stars enabled him to spend more time with his father, their relationship still a secret. It was widely thought that Ivan had simply recognized the young talent and was grooming him to become the next Naval High Commander.
A fair but impersonal captain, Alexandre earned the respect and loyalty of his crew, in particular his first officer, Sylvia Declair. They were a perfect command team, their styles and personalities perfectly meshed. They both believed strongly in order and discipline and were seen as cold and aloof, but excellent officers.
When Alexandre was thirty, Ivan XXII died. Ivan XXIII, Alexandre's half-brother, became tzar. Ivan XXIII was not the great leader his father had been; he fell short in al most every way imaginable. The government began to be ripped apart by royal advisors, each with their own agenda. Alexandre himself used his political connections to position himself close to Ivan XXIII. Within six months of the coronation, the neighboring League of Galatos, perceiving the instability in the government, attacked, and war broke out. Only Alexandre's seizing the reins prevented Smodrina from falling immediately. It was only then that he revealed to Ivan the fact they were brothers.
For three and a half years, Alexandre maneuvered to keep the League at bay, but Smodrina was outnumbered. In order to save the populace, Alexandre took Ivan XXIII and fled with him into hiding until such a time as they could retake Smodrina.
Unfortunately, Ivan, as ineffectual as ever, sank into deep depression. Alexandre realized it was impossible to put Ivan back on the throne in that state. Then, he was contacted by representatives of the Fleet who offered him and his crew safe haven and resupply in exchange for their service, with the promise that the Fleet would lend its considerable weight to the recapture of Smodrina when the time was right. Alexandre agreed, and the Vilna Victory joined the Fleet.
The Vilna Victory was in active Fleet service for about a year, until the Conference ended the war and the Fleet was disbanded. Alexandre and Sylvia began to plan the retaking of Smodrina, gathering up the necessary resources and formulating battle plans.
At the same time, Alexandre and Sylvia were starting to realize the feelings they had for each other, feelings they had repressed for the sake of their nation and careers. They were so distracted by the planning of the upcoming battle neither realized it was happening until it was too late to stop.
As a result, Sylvia became pregnant, Alexandre proposed, and they were married in December, that same month learning that Sylvia was pregnant with twins. They have been forced to put the plans to retake Smodrina on hold for the time being. The twins, a boy and girl to be named Sylvestre and Alexia, are due in July. Complications have confined Sylvia to bed until the birth.
Special Skills: speaks Russian and French at a conversational level, expert at psychological warfare
Weaknesses: still learning compassion
|
|
|
|
|
|
 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Sun Apr 08, 2007 8:21 am
|
|
|
|
Name: Sylvia (Declair) Depriest
Nickname(s): Sylvie
Species: human
Nationality: French Smodrinan
Birthdate: June 5
Birthplace: Smodrina
Occupation: First Officer of the Vilna Victory
Physical Data
- Age: 33
- Height: 5' 5"
- Build: slim
- Hair: blonde
- Eyes: brown
- Skin: pale
- Attire: normally the uniform of a Smodrinan officer, but during her pregnancy, her husband's shirts; she owns precisely one civilian outfit herself (a blouse and tan slacks) and given the choice would wear her uniform every day of her life -- she even wore it to her wedding
- Distinguishing Characteristics:
Personal Data
- Hobbies: cartography, both stellar and traditional; watercolors (trained by her mother)
- Likes: snow, frozen ponds, frost on the window panes, open fields
- Dislikes: amphibians
- Favorite Color/s: pale yellow, light browns, light blue
- Favorite Food/s: strawberries, raspberries, blackberries, especially over sorbet
- Sexuality: heterosexual
- Religion: nominally Russian Orthodox
- Politics: apolitical; fights at the command of her country and nothing more
- Education: private tutelage and military academy
Personality:
Cool, calculating, and even wore withdrawn and reserved than Alexandre in many ways, Sylvia has always preferred to live in the shadow of others, unnoticed, performing her duties in quiet competence. She lives her life by numbers and calculations and probability. She has no love for illogic and superstition.
Syvia was raised in a good household where she was expected to learn the mannerisms of a lady. Her military career has not changed this. She always behaves in a respectably restrained manner, polite and gentle. This often leads others to underestimate her: under that ladylike exterior is a frame of tempered steel.
Sylvia has a well-deserved reputation for being strict. She believes in the rulebook and harsh punishments for those who do not follow it. Though she never, ever raises her voice, she has a way of making clear her disapproval through her tone. She is slow to forgive transgressions and mistakes.
As a first officer Sylvia makes Alexandre look comparatively compassionate despite his legendary aloofness. She doesn't approve of the way Alexandre accomodates the crew's emotional needs by granting leave and suspending punishments, as she believes she does not need such accomodations herself and therefore no one else should, either. Though she disagrees with that aspect of his philosophy, she does recognize that he gets good results.
Unlike Alexandre, Sylvia has no desire to learn to live with her emotions or open up to people, even her own family. She would prefer to maintain the shell that separates her from the world. When the truth of her relationship to Alexandre was finally coming to light, it was Alexandre and not Sylvia who made the first move. Had it been up to her, the relationship would never have been consummated, though she is all the gladder that it has been.
If there is one thing she is guilty of, it is narrow-mindedness. Sylvia is slow to accept new things and people or philosophies outside her own. Because of this, she is unfit to serve as a captain. Where Alexandre changes and adapts to new circumstances, Sylvia tries to force new things to conform to her worldview.
The hormones of pregnancy terrified Sylvia in a way she had not felt since she was a little girl. From about the age of six onwards, Syvia developed a close protective shell to keep out the drama of the world around her, resolutely sticking to what was logical and controllable. Her pregnancy reduced her to a state before she had that shell, governed by emotions she could not control. For someone who prides herself on her ability to function without much emotion, it has been devastating. To think that twenty-five years of behavior could be overwhelmed by a few hormones upsets her.
Sylvia has come to accept that she loves her unborn children and will love them forever, but she has no intention of sacrificing her own identity to do it. She is determined to find a way to be both the person she is and a mother.
Background:
Sylvia is the second daughter of the Declair family, French lineage merchants who owned several brothels (though not the one Alexandre's mother belonged to). Being surrounded by such debauchery, Sylvia grew up desensitized to it. She developed a disdain for the drama the brothels invited, closing herself off to it and the rest of the world at large. Her father intended to marry her off but she had as much distaste for that as everything else, so she signed up to join the Navy at age sixteen.
Studious and quiet, she did well, though she had no friends and made no great impression on anyone. She attended the Academy the year after Alexandre graduated. The Vilna Victory was her first assignment out of training, and she would remain onboard it for the rest of her career. She was the ship's supply officer when Alexandre joined as captain. Her trim, efficient manner impressed him, and he made her his first officer two months later.
In her past, Sylvia has been the victim of unwanted sexual advances at some point, a fact she considers a secret. Unbeknownst to her, Alexandre knows, though he has never attempted to uncover the details or confront Sylvia about it, as it is clear it is something she would rather not talk about.
Special Skills:
Weaknesses:
Name: Sylvestre Depriest
Nickname(s):
Species: human
Nationality:
Birthdate:
Birthplace:
Occupation:
Physical Data
- Age:
- Height:
- Build:
- Hair:
- Eyes:
- Skin:
- Attire:
- Distinguishing Characteristics:
Personal Data
- Hobbies:
- Likes:
- Dislikes:
- Favorite Color/s:
- Favorite Food/s:
- Sexuality:
- Religion:
- Politics:
- Education:
Personality:
Background:
Special Skills:
Weaknesses:
Name: Alexia Depriest
Nickname(s):
Species: human
Nationality:
Birthdate:
Birthplace:
Occupation:
Physical Data
- Age:
- Height:
- Build:
- Hair:
- Eyes:
- Skin:
- Attire:
- Distinguishing Characteristics:
Personal Data
- Hobbies:
- Likes:
- Dislikes:
- Favorite Color/s:
- Favorite Food/s:
- Sexuality:
- Religion:
- Politics:
- Education:
Personality:
Background:
Special Skills:
Weaknesses:
|
 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Sun Apr 08, 2007 8:25 am
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Sun Apr 08, 2007 8:26 am
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Sun Apr 08, 2007 8:27 am
|
|
|
|
Alexandre and Sylvia's home is
- in the Neighborhood
- full of awesomeness
- made of creamcheese
One or more of those are true!
About Smodrina
A small planet outside the cluster of most galactic settlement, Smodrina was claimed by Russian cosmonauts and settled by imperialists fleeing the Revolution. The system, though modest in size with only a few planets and a very dim old star that doesn't provide enough light for much agriculture, has a mineral-rich double asteroid belt that gives it a strong mining and refinement industry.
Two hundred years after colonization, the burgeoning system declared itself an independent hereditary monarchy, following the financial takeover that placed the Ivanov family in power and the dissolution of the Soviet Galactic Federation.
The population is three-quarters Russian, one-quarter French. Traditionally the French citizens are of a merchant or middle class, and the Russians peasants or upper class. Like old Imperialist Russia, the Russian nobility have a great admiration for all things French, which has given the French community a strong degree of autonomy. The Russian aristocracy deals almost exclusively with the French merchantry, and both groups employ Russian peasantry as a working class. It is said that the Russians control all that is within the system (meaning the mining rights) and the French control all the roads (the exports and imports, though there are several Russian trading companies).
This unusually rigid division of the classes has led to a surprisingly homogeneous preservation of French and Russian culture. There is very little intermarriage between the ethnicities, and while all citizens speak standard Galactic English, most have at least a conversational grasp of either French or Russian or both. There is a local street dialect known as Smotra, a mix of French and Russian, but it is seen as a mark of low bearing. Russian is the official State Language, though its usage has declined somewhat in the past four hundred years in favor of Galactic English as communication improvements have opened Smodrina up to more of the galaxy.
As Smodrina's star is too weak to support a vast agriculture, the main food staples are low-light vegetables, farmed fish, and slum pork. The sky is perpetually a yellowish hue, making Smodrinans almost universally pale (except for the rich who can afford solar treatments) and giving the planet a dirty look and feel. Despite the lighting, Smodrina is environmentally very clean (the refineries are orbital), and its citizenry enjoy long, healthy lives, though there is a higher prevalence of depression and suicide than the galactic average. |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Sun Apr 08, 2007 9:18 am
|
|
|
|
Landor Niela
Sylvia's best friend besides her husband, the man who helped introduce her to the Imperium after the Vilna Victory joined the Fleet. Landor is a starfighter pilot who committed suicide after his homeplanet, Tinas, was destroyed by a new superweapon and he was left stranded in an asteroid field without hope of rescue. Quiet, soft-spoken, and gentle, he's a very sweet man, but sad. He harbored a secret love for Sylvia (secret to her if no one else) but did not act on it. He is not a jealous person in any respect and participated in the wedding ceremony. He remains good friends with Sylvia and both Sylvia and Alexandre trust him. Alexandre in particular recognizes Landor's value to his family and frequently summons Landor to aid during the pregnancy.
Landor is the twins' godfather.
Teqatia Endruis
An historian from the world of Ilr, Teqatia is Silvia's other best friend, though they had a falling out shortly after Silvia told Teqatia she was getting married. Qatia and Silvia have a lot in common. They are both strict, tidy, and quiet, and dislike emotional outbursts or sharing feelings. Unlike Sylvia, Teqatia does not have a ladylike exterior and has a bad sense of temper. A reclusive grouch, Teqatia hates people in general and only tolerates a few including Sylvia. She despises all signs of weakness in herself and others. Qatia was emotionally traumatized by a man she fell in love with and has never recovered, which is part of the reason she cut off Sylvia when Sylvia informed her of the upcoming marriage.
Teqatia thinks Landor Niela is the weakest man she knows and hates him because of that, but they were friends because having Landor around allowed Teqatia to feel superioir. When she cut off from Sylvia, she cut off from Landor as well. Sylvia is desperate to reconnect with Teqatia, as Teqatia is her only female friend.
Ivan XXIII (Ivan Ivanovich Ivanov)
Alexandre's half-brother and former tzar of Smodrina, Ivan is a weak leader despite good intentions. He does not function well under pressure. Most of his life he lazed about and played sports, his only aspiration to marry and produce an heir so he could turn over rule as quickly as possible. His ascension to the throne spelled disaster for Smodrina, and he became known ironically as Ivan the Terrible.
Ivan has always been aware of his failings as a leader, first made clear by his father's disapproval. It was never his intent to lead to the downfall of his people and he became extremely depressed after the fall of Smodrina, drinking heavily. Alexandre's disapproval depressed him even more. Ivan currently lives in his own self-inflicted hell of regret and alcohol, completely discarded by his only remaining family and lacking the skills necessary to pull himself out of the pit he's in. He desperately craves Alexandre's approval in tho place of their dead father, and Alexandre refuses to give it to what he perceives as a weak and slovenly individual.
Percival Prowley
Trion Bartholomew
Other Figures of Note
Anatoly Nafalev
Third in command on the Vilna Victory and its tactical officer, Anatoly is good-natured if a bit too enthusiastic. When Silvia was once incapacitated, he took over as first officer. If Alexandre were ever incapacitated, Sylvia would be acting captain and Anatoly first officer, which might be a problem as they do not generally get along. They are certainly nice enough to each other, but they have vastly different command styles and their styles don't mesh. While they are not enemies in any way, they do not get along well on a personal level, either. One particular point of contention between them is Anatoly's playfulness and sense of humor. He loves a good joke, even a practical one, and Silvia has no patience for it.
Anatoly is important as a contact point for some rebels on Smodrina, and in the coming battle will probably be captaining his own ship, assuming he can display the command necessary for the job. Anatoly likes serving onboard the Victory and isn't sure he wants to be captain, but for the good of Smodrina he might try.
Anatoly has a wife, two sons, and a daughter back on Smodrina. His eldest son will be turning twenty soon, and Anatoly would like nothing so much as liberating his planet and rejoining his family.
Ivan XXII
Alexandre's father, he had a major impact on Alexandre's life and philosophy despite not being able to live with and raise his son. Ivan was a fair and just ruler of his people and a true role model. He was married twice, his first wife and their two daughters dying in a tragic starship accident. After that accident, Ivan never left Smodrina to travel ever again. He married a second wife when he was fifty-five with the aim of producing an heir, but his love at the time was Marie Depriest, a young courtesan, and when she became pregnant they decided not to terminate and Alexandre was born. A few years later, Ivan and the tzarina had a son, Ivan, who would be the heir to the throne.
Ivan died well into his nineties, disappointed in his legitimate son and proud of his b*****d, Alexandre. He often wished Alexandre had been his legitimate son and not Ivan, and told this to Alexandre on several occasions. Ivan continued to maintain the secret of Alexandre's parentage for the sake of his lineage, and Ivan XXIII did not learn why it was his father so disdained him until well after Ivan XXII's death.
Dmitry Mikhaelov Petrov
Secondmost powerful psychic in the Imperium, dmitry has expressed an interest in helping liberate Smodrina as a test of his psychic skills.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Sun Apr 08, 2007 10:06 am
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Sun Apr 08, 2007 10:08 am
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Sun Apr 08, 2007 10:09 am
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
