Alysha Forrest
Alysha Forrest is a military officer in the Alliance Fleet. Best known for her captaincy of the UAV Stardancer.
Physical Description
One of the Karaka'A, Alysha is about 6 feet in height, pleasant alto voice, with rain-gray fur and black straight hair to her shoulder-blades, with full lips and ice-pale blue eyes.[1] Her fur is fine enough, and her grey skin beneath it light enough, that her blushes are visible when bright enough.[2] Post-graduation from the Fleet Academe she wears a pair of ice-gold hoop earrings.[3] She has prosthetic claws made of breathnache, a clathrate usually found in starship hulls.[4]
Scar on her lower back (fur is growing in a different direction.) And another on her shoulder blade.
Has a very high Stanley-Kerrileu Xenophilia Average score.
Pre-Service History
Alysha was born on Selnor to Selina and Talen Forrest. After her father's death, her mother--previously a singer and musician--ceased her previous work, instead taking poorly-paying jobs at seedy bars and neglecting her daughter. While at finishing school, Alysha dedicated herself to translating the Exodus Lullabies that her father had sung to her from Meridan to Universal. They moved from neighborhood to poorer neighborhood and ultimately began to regularly run out of food, while Alysha's mother brought home anonymous liaisons.[5][4]
Alysha left to apply to the Academe at Terracentrus and paid her way through the first year of school via an illegal career at the Phantasies nightclub, where she danced under the name "Steel."[6] She arranged for the escape of two other women at the club: the pre-teen Rispa[4] and Liset Line Insendere[7], who danced under the name Angel. She also enraged the club owner, Tiell, both by disrupting his operation and by attacking customers in self-defense and defense of her fellow dancers; in retaliation he had her declawed, and she had her claws replaced with breathnache.[4]
It was while working at the club, and arranging for care for her peers, that she first met Nathan and Laelkii Lifeweave, who provided her and others with critical medical care. After Nathan's untimely death, Alysha encouraged Laelkii to sign on as a Fleet cadet.[8]
Her involvement there led to the exposure of an Anti-Human League conspiracy and her subsequent tuition was paid in full, anonymously, by Matthew Brighthaven, then commandant.
Service History
- Ensign, ages 21-23, UAV Diamondwing
- Lieutenant, ages 23-26, UAV Sunchaser
- Commander, ages 26-29, UAV Blackice
- First Commander, ages 29-31, UAV Scattersky
- Captain, age 31-?, UAV Stardancer
Ensign
Alysha Forrest was immediately assigned to the battlecruiser UAV Diamondwing, in part due to recommendations from Fleet Academe staff. When she was three months into her tenure there, she was selected by her superior officer Vera to serve as part of the honor guard for an observance of the anniversary of the induction of the Phoenix to the Alliance. While so doing, she met Terrell Shirrelberry in logistics. While undertaking this duty, she assisted Vera with an unforeseen problem, and was provided with another perspective on the question of Terran Military humans in Fleet.[2]
Alysha later attended the ensign training retreat on Quickwater Reserve[9]; at that point, she had been an ensign for almost a year[10]. There, she met Taylitha Basil, who became a lifelong ally and friend, and first encountered Mike Beringwaite. During a disastrous canoe trip at the end of the retreat, she was thrown from a broken canoe into rocks and broke three ribs, but was rescued by the courage and quick thinking of Taylitha.[11].
Alysha and Laelkii Takara Lifeweave remained in contact during her ensign years.[2]
Related Fiction
References
- ↑ Alysha's Fall, "Steel"
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 "Leadership Lessons"
- ↑ Alysha's Fall, "The Piece that Makes the Difference"
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 4.3 Alysha's Fall, "A Cold and Gentle Dark"
- ↑ Alysha's Fall, "Impetus"
- ↑ Alysha's Fall, "Two Uniforms"
- ↑ Alysha's Fall, "Blood Money"
- ↑ Alysha's Fall, "Inescapable Dawn"
- ↑ Second, chapter 1
- ↑ Second, chapter 3
- ↑ Second, chapter 9