Aspen Bolt

Aspen Bolt (formerly Arc'tus)
Biographical Information
Race	Defel
Homeworld	Svivren
Mother	Vriss
Father	Yarchur
Born	Year 287
Physical Description
Gender	Female
Height	6'5
Hair Color	Black (under visible light); Blue (under ultraviolet light)
Eye Color	Red
Political Information
Affiliation	Tion Hegemony
Rank	Recruit

"Arc'tus? That person is dead... and I am here to avenge her."

— Aspen Bolt

Early Life

Aspen Bolt was once called Arc’tus, and was born on Svivren, a planet known for its importance as a trading port. Her parents, Vriss and Yarchur, who were themselves born on the Defel home planet Af’El, migrated to Svivren after being hired by corporations that sought their skills and knowledge in metallurgy. It did not take long for them to become relatively prosperous, as there were plenty of opportunities for those whose skills were in high demand. Vriss and Yarchur encouraged Arc’tus to imbibe the entrepreneurial culture of Svivren, hoping for their daughter to follow in their footsteps as a successful business owner and perhaps a pioneer of the metallurgical industry.

While Aspen was obedient enough to do what was expected of her, the young Defel could not help but grow curious about the world beyond Svivren. She dreamt of one day visiting Af’El, and perhaps see what else lay beyond the steamy skies of her home planet.

Leaving Svivren

After completing her required schooling as well as passing the entrance exam for the prestigious Svivren Xenomineralogy Institute, Arc’tus began to realize that this way of life was not one that she wanted to keep for herself. She expressed her longing to see the world; it came as little surprise to her that her parents did not agree with her passions.

Frustrated with these restrictions, Arc’tus decided to run away and join the planet’s security force after one of her professors told her that doing so would be the best way to learn the skills she needed to explore the dangerous depths of space.

Military Experience

Life as part of Svivren’s security force was harsh, but Arc’tus not only managed to survive, but managed to thrive in the environment. Her superiors found that Arc’tus was skilled in managing teams as well as piloting ships, her team often making the fastest transport mission times. Eventually gaining enough trust to bear greater responsibilities, she was sent to act as an escort to a shipment of various luxury goods to Voss. The mission was completed successfully, and it would be the beginning of many trips to come.

Betrayal

On one fateful mission one of Arc’tus’s crew members, a Dug pilot named Orthus, managed to hijack the command ship by collaborating with a group of armed pirates, stealing the cargo and leaving most of the crew injured and a few dead. Frightened with the prospect of failure and shame, Arc’tus managed to make it to the escape pod and passed out due to blood loss as soon as the pod departed from the main ship. She did not remain conscious long enough to find out that the pirates shot down the fleet, annihilating all personnel trapped in the vessels. The pod alone remained unnoticed among the debris.

A New Beginning

A junk trawling ship picked up the pod as the Voss military did not notice it amidst the debris left by the aftermath of the massacred fleet. The owner of the ship was a human named Ulrich Braus, who was curious enough to watch over Arc’tus until she awoke, even healing her wounds. He had hardly seen Defel but he knew one when he saw one due to the trademark shadowy appearance and red eyes that their kind had. Ulrich made her a business proposition: a new life for her services in hull repair for a year. Knowing from her uniform that she had been leader of the fleet, and having failed the mission, she had nothing to go home to but a lifetime of debt, shame and servitude. The lost cargo was worth at least three million credits in losses.

Arc’tus quickly shook his hand and introduced herself as Aspen Bolt, throwing out her old name and cutting the last ties she had with her family.

Fortunately, Ulrich was not an unreasonable man. He was fair and paid Aspen her wages, eventually relenting without complaint when she told him that she was going to leave as soon as the term was over. He wrote her a recommendation to join whatever occupation she wished to take up in Voss, helping her forge a new identity.

It was not long before Aspen joined the Tion Hegemony as a recruit; vowing to right the wrongs she did as Arc’tus, she resolved that if it came to that once more, she would go down with the ship and protect her crew.

And if Orthus and Aspen cross paths, his life would be hers to take.