Darya Darteriov

Darya and Steffis

A Harat-Shar pantherine. Weapons specialist and pilot on the UAV Stardancer. Friends with Felsha and later Steffis.

Physical Characteristics

A pantherine, she's black-furred with black hair in long loose curls. Has a husky or sultry contralto. Digitigrade and has claws, and prefers to go barefoot.

To Svetlana Karishenikov's eyes, Darya "looked as voluptuous as she sounded, with merry eyes and a ready smirk."

History

Family

Native of Harat-Sharii, complete with family harem (train name is Darteriov). Live underground, many siblings.

Recent History

Darya was assigned to the UAV Stardancer at some time before Alysha Forrest became captain; she was present for Captain Leary's brief tenure and very likely before. She was one of the members of the lower bridge members who were late to their stations because they had overindulged the night before; Leary punished them by making them wear their pajamas the next shift. Unlike most of the shift crew (who entertained themselves making or acquiring amusing granny nightgowns), Darya went full homeworld Harat-Shar and wore something risqué..

Darya is "never catty" according to Felsha (which may be a best friend's perspective). She likes to gossip in a nice way about all the people she's hoping to romance. Knows enough about the code controlling her various systems to read it and look for obvious issues; she is on 'the weapons track with code mod specialization.'

On the Stardancer, Darya is in charge of the Happy Houris.

On Amity

Along with Felsha and Rochelle InOrder, Darya explored the caves that were Alastar Virgil's last known position, and located and rescued the Second Commander. She and Felsha later discovered the ruins of buildings and called in the archaeological team.

Taylitha selected Darya and Julien Steffis to search for the missing Alysha Forrest in the caves. Despite tension between the two (Darya nonplussed that Steffis arrived armed, Steffis wary of Harat-Shar), they reached the caves and encountered an Octopi partially blocking the way. After disagreeing on the best way to handle it (and what to call it, for that matter), they called to the Stardancer for a marine biologist and were sent Janny Perralta. While Perralta examined the Octopi, Darya and Steffis doubled back to another entrance to the caves, which they navigated until they reached an abandoned slimsuit with the programmable fabric set to display the captain's rank braid. While they considered what to do, the water worked on Darya's bare feet and she heard one of the Octopi telling them to prepare to move to the sea.

Felsha arrived with slimsuits they had requested, and Perralta joined them as well. Another Octopi joined the first, and Darya was instructed to tell the others to put on their slimsuits, but they suggested that she leave hers off so that she could more easily translate. Darya happily complied, over Steffis's objections. The Octopi brought them to where Alysha was. They delivered her slimsuit and filled her in as to what had been happening on the Stardancer--including the discovery of a living Small One--and Alysha explained the tragic history between the Small Ones and the Octopi, and why they were 'on trial' with the Octopi. The four volunteered to go with her to speak again to the Eldest.

Trivia

Relationships

Felsha Rennagan is Darya's close friend and roommate. Of the pair, Alysha Forrest observed: "They were a striking pair, with their contrasts, light and dark, prim and earthy; from what Alysha had gathered, they considered their differences superficial, compared to the qualities that had inspired their friendship."

Darya and Julien Steffis had a contentious relationship from the get-go, due to significant personality clashes and differences in upbringing (especially as regarded Steffis's discomfort with homeworld Harat-Shar cultural norms, and Darya's disapproval of Steffis's tendency to go on the offensive).

Other Trivia

• Swears by the battleangels, battlehells, and the "Angels on the field"
• Likes to say she is 'hunting' when she's confident that her advances are welcome and likely to be successful
• Drinks coffee
• Used to drink heartbomb cocktails (strong enough to make her nose water and sweet enough to be her teeth ache), but hasn't since her first, terrible break-up (until the issue at Oasis).
• Per Felsha, "Darya was irrepressible and big-hearted and her vivacious personality was difficult to resist, but she really did have the attention span of a gnat when her interest wasn’t engaged. It was fortunate that her duties interested her, but running scans this broad was a far cry from the halo-shield and sensor work that kept her occupied on board."
• Finds use of rank and surname "so confining."
• Activates her telegem by clicking her tongue in the back of her mouth.

Quotes

• "People would have you believe that our way of life gives us no strengths, but you learn very quickly how to embrace new things on the homeworld. It's fighting against something you don't understand that gives it an opportunity to damage you, you know?"

• "I don't do non-consent. Do you understand? I want willing play partners. Even in my pornography."

• "Why do people do any of the bad things they do? Thoughtlessness. Selfishness. Living-inside-their-own-head-exclusively-ness. I don't know. I didn't sign up as a psychologist, arii. I signed up to shoot guns at people who refused to back down."

Story Appearances

Category Darya Darteriov Appearances not found