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somatosensory) wrote2023-04-21 12:38 am
somatosensory) wrote2023-04-21 12:38 am
Entry tags:
— character history
Like all Kossian children, Aristaeus was born in a breeding center in the heart of the imperial capital and raised in a group-home by caretakers who taught him to think of himself as part of a community. As a result of the hivemind connecting the psychically-sensitive population of Kossos together, Aristaeus learned to eschew personal relationships and individualism, focusing instead on his duty to the collective. Though he had no knowledge of nor contact with his parents, he bonded to those around him, and he came away from this early education feeling certain about his place in society.
A gifted student with a strong sense of nationalistic pride, Aristaeus was accepted to the empire's military academy. His time there further cultivated in him a fanatical devotion to both the empire and its policies of benevolent expansionism, believing that those hostilities bettered the lives of all those integrated into the empire. Under the supervision of a senior instructor and telekinetic specialist named Pallas, Aristaeus trained to become a Venator, tracking down and retrieving individuals identified by Themis as good candidates for integration into the empire due to their strong psychic abilities. With her assistance, he refined his already precocious predisposition towards telekinesis and became a prodigy at precision control. He graduated from the program a year earlier than projected, at thirty-eight. During his graduation ceremony, he was fitted with a spinal implant to enhance his power and assigned to an operational unit.
As a Venator, Aristaeus joined an elite caste in Kossian society, enjoying all the pleasures of imperial bounty, regarded by fellow Kossians as the right arm to Themis, the ancient AI who rules the empire (and whose discovery birthed the empire and its hivemind). Venators have the novel privilege of interacting with Themis directly, and through this experience, Aristaeus also developed a personal and fanatical devotion to the AI. Fueled by this increasingly aberrant personal loyalty to Themis and Pallas, Aristaeus served dutifully in this role for about fifty years and developed an impressive reputation for efficiency.
When a routine assignment takes him into the Soundless Wilds, one of the last territories untouched by imperial influence, Aristaeus and his unit meet with representatives of the itinerant Kuruko clan. The Venators attempt to negotiate for the surrender of their target, but the conversation quickly sours when the Kuruko deny sheltering her. Per protocol, the Venators turn to violence to seek out their target. But even after brutally eliminating the clan's people to the last man, they find no sign of her.
En route back to the shuttle point, Aristaeus discovers signs of life. Upon investigating, he discovers the target — Mavis — approaching the wreckage of her former clan. They fight, and Mavis escapes.
Rendered unable to pursue by injury, Aristaeus returns to the capital. Ashamed of his failure and fixated on correcting his mistake, he argues for his unit to be sent back. After debrief and healing, he is. His obsessive determination to capture her only grows when, on their next encounter, Mavis kills the youngest of his teammates, Ione, and creates a psychic tether between herself and Aristaeus, allowing them to sense each other's thoughts and feelings, even across a great distance.
The next time he finds her, he and his remaining teammate, Leto, pursue her into an ancient mine site where she shelters from a growing dust storm. Their conflict causes the mine to collapse, killing Leto and trapping Mavis and Aristaeus together. Left to survive or die together, Aristaeus and Mavis reluctantly bond. Aristaeus' fixation on Mavis deepens into something more complicated, which ultimately leads him to decide that if she won't return with him voluntarily, he will simply remove the choice from her. After all, once she sees what the empire has to offer, she will understand. A rescue team arrives after two days, greeted by him and his unconscious captive.
A gifted student with a strong sense of nationalistic pride, Aristaeus was accepted to the empire's military academy. His time there further cultivated in him a fanatical devotion to both the empire and its policies of benevolent expansionism, believing that those hostilities bettered the lives of all those integrated into the empire. Under the supervision of a senior instructor and telekinetic specialist named Pallas, Aristaeus trained to become a Venator, tracking down and retrieving individuals identified by Themis as good candidates for integration into the empire due to their strong psychic abilities. With her assistance, he refined his already precocious predisposition towards telekinesis and became a prodigy at precision control. He graduated from the program a year earlier than projected, at thirty-eight. During his graduation ceremony, he was fitted with a spinal implant to enhance his power and assigned to an operational unit.
As a Venator, Aristaeus joined an elite caste in Kossian society, enjoying all the pleasures of imperial bounty, regarded by fellow Kossians as the right arm to Themis, the ancient AI who rules the empire (and whose discovery birthed the empire and its hivemind). Venators have the novel privilege of interacting with Themis directly, and through this experience, Aristaeus also developed a personal and fanatical devotion to the AI. Fueled by this increasingly aberrant personal loyalty to Themis and Pallas, Aristaeus served dutifully in this role for about fifty years and developed an impressive reputation for efficiency.
When a routine assignment takes him into the Soundless Wilds, one of the last territories untouched by imperial influence, Aristaeus and his unit meet with representatives of the itinerant Kuruko clan. The Venators attempt to negotiate for the surrender of their target, but the conversation quickly sours when the Kuruko deny sheltering her. Per protocol, the Venators turn to violence to seek out their target. But even after brutally eliminating the clan's people to the last man, they find no sign of her.
En route back to the shuttle point, Aristaeus discovers signs of life. Upon investigating, he discovers the target — Mavis — approaching the wreckage of her former clan. They fight, and Mavis escapes.
Rendered unable to pursue by injury, Aristaeus returns to the capital. Ashamed of his failure and fixated on correcting his mistake, he argues for his unit to be sent back. After debrief and healing, he is. His obsessive determination to capture her only grows when, on their next encounter, Mavis kills the youngest of his teammates, Ione, and creates a psychic tether between herself and Aristaeus, allowing them to sense each other's thoughts and feelings, even across a great distance.
The next time he finds her, he and his remaining teammate, Leto, pursue her into an ancient mine site where she shelters from a growing dust storm. Their conflict causes the mine to collapse, killing Leto and trapping Mavis and Aristaeus together. Left to survive or die together, Aristaeus and Mavis reluctantly bond. Aristaeus' fixation on Mavis deepens into something more complicated, which ultimately leads him to decide that if she won't return with him voluntarily, he will simply remove the choice from her. After all, once she sees what the empire has to offer, she will understand. A rescue team arrives after two days, greeted by him and his unconscious captive.