Kiaran Starshine

Name: Kiaran Starshin

Primary: Soldier Specialization: Melee

Secondary: Pharmacology (Medic)

Homeworld: Nakotia

Race: Nako

Age: 20

Description: Kiaran is about 5' 8” and weighs around 150 pounds. She is lean muscle from head to toe, and is covered from ears to tail in silky reddish-brown fur. She carries a pack on her back, and has a wooden spear with a stone spearhead shoved through the straps. She is dressed in a very primative fur garment; a kind of short “dress” made of animal furs with a strap over one shoulder.

History: Kiaran was born in the deep forests of Nakotia. From young childhood she was strong, and her tribal leader took quick notice. She was trained at an early age in the art of warfare, taught to children as the fun of raiding neighboring tribes. The weapon she truly excelled at in all of the games and raids was a simple stick. Twirling it, flipping with it, using it to jump any obstacle, including opponents, and of course cracking it over heads, were all things she was very talented at. As she grew older and the raids and battles became more than just contests between children, her skills progressed. For her fourteenth birthday, her father fashioned her a spear. Once she got used to the extra weight on one end of her stick, she became a real force to be reckoned with.

Her teen years passed in absolutely unremarkable fashion; kill the food, store the food, protect the food from raiding parties sent by other tribes, and eat the food. There were also tribal rituals and dances of course, most of them focusing on finding a mate, but Kiaran was really not interested in any of that. A soldier born and raised, she spent most of her time in hunting parties, making and repairing her spears and spearheads, or in physical training.

Once in a while a hunting party would come across a downed skiff or glider in the woods, and the bodies of the occupants: Naiko, from the cities. Kiaran knew little about the “other half” of the cat species. Her people told stories about their world, but no one from her tribe who had ever ventured near a city had returned, and no one knew if they had stayed of their own will. For her part, Kiaran wanted nothing to do with them, and usually stayed far from their downed vessels, even though she had heard tales of spears made with some kind of nearly unbreakable points that stayed sharp longer than her stone ones.

Kiaran went alone on a hunt one day, and as she approached her village with her kill, she smelled smoke in the air. Quickening her pace she ran into the clearing to find the huts broken and burnt, and her whole tribe, young and old, dead. She searched every hut, finding no one left alive, then sat in the middle of the village, tugging her ears and howling. Battles had raged between her tribe and their nearest neighbor over hunting rights, but no one had expected anything like this. When the first wave of grief had passed, Kiaran realized her possible danger, searched the remains of her hut for supplies, and struck out into the surrounding woods alone. A few months passed, and she started to wonder what would become of her. She had no family in other tribes, not even any friends. She had nothing left, and could not fathom the idea of spending her life alone in the woods. With a heavy heart, Kiaran picked up her pack and spear, and headed for the nearest city, wondering if there might be a new life for her there.

Author: Kat