DARKSTAR

 

 

 



Species: Chakat
(1/2 Chakamil)
Gender: Herm
Born: 30 August 2228
Mother: Longstride
Sire: Penta
Height: 170cm

 

 

 

Lynx patterned Chakat. Hir parents, Longstride and Penta, were original settlers on Chakona; they obtained a development grant in the mountains west of Berdoovia and built a homestead there. Darkstar is the oldest of three siblings, with Schwartzchild (one year younger) and Corona (three years younger) being the others. When Darkstar was eleven, Corona was killed by a scimitar cat during a family camp-out on Nova Belarus. Upon reaching their majority Darkstar and Schwartzchild left home and joined Star Fleet. After five years, Schwartzchild dropped out and returned home, bringing a Chakat mate named Joly. Schwartzchild and Joly produced four children: Rowan, Spruce, Pine, and Willow. Darkstar, meanwhile, remained in Star Fleet and unattached - except for a fling with a Chakat named Iris. Iris broke off the relationship and dropped out of Star Fleet without telling Darkstar that shi was pregnant with Darkstar's child. In time, Darkstar achieved the rank of Lieutenant Commander and was appointed executive officer of the F.S.S. Illustrious. Longstride and Penta took the entire family to Voxxa to celebrate; unfortunately the liner on which they travelled - the Quezon City - struck a warp rift and suffered a catastrophic failure of its warp reactor. Darkstar's entire family died instantly when drive plasma vented through their suite. Worse yet, Illustrious, being the closest vessel, was sent to the rescue. Darkstar learned about the death of hir family while leading a team searching for survivors. Captain Ch'ibali promptly relieved hir of duty and sent hir to Chakona for psychological counseling. Shi took care of the family's outstanding affairs and appointed a family friend - Chakat Brightsong - to oversee things, then requested to resume active duty. Shi left Chakona without attending the funeral Brightsong had arranged. From then on shi served with distinction, eventually replacing Captain Ch'ibali when he retired. Hir promotion to flag rank was stalled by allegations that, shortly after the Quezon City accident, shi'd deliberately executed prisoners. Shi accepted retirement rather than face an inquiry into the matter. Shi returned to Chakona, visited hir family's graves, and resolved to kill hirself. Shi rented a cottage on the coast, just north of Berdoovia, and set about implementing hir plans. Meanwhile, Fyodor Moseivitch, Chair of Xeno-Sciences at Dewclaw University, had heard that Captain Darkstar, a famous and much decorated Star Fleet officer, had retired to Chakona. He resolved to recruit hir, in the hopes of boosting his department's prestige. He reached hir just as shi'd finished hir preparations and was about to kill hirself. Shi listened politely to his pitch then explained that shi couldn't accept, since shi was about to die. When shi explained why, Fyodor worked desperately to talk hir down, and managed to keep hir on the phone for several hours. In the end shi cracked; Fyodor drove straight out to hir cottage and spent several days with hir. In the end shi accepted his offer and became an expert consultant to the College of Xeno-Sciences. On the way into town one day, shi met someone who recognized her: none other than Iris. From Iris, Darkstar heard about hir daughter, whom had been named Marla. But Marla did not turn out as Iris had hoped; where most chakat children were gentle, friendly, and social, Marla was surly, violent, and aggressive. Shi fought with hir classmates, argued with hir parents, and engaged in a broad range of antisocial and self-destructive behaviors. Finally, feeling that they had no choice, Iris and hir new mate Buttercup sent Marla to a home for troubled youth. Marla was the only chakat there. Marla graduated - eventually - and upon hir return home, beat hir parents nearly to death with a length of pipe. Iris recovered but Buttercup remained permanently impaired. After that, Marla vanished without a trace. Darkstar then launched a campaign to locate hir missing daughter, using contacts shi'd established in Star Fleet and the University. In the process shi discovered that hir father, Penta, had been a Chakamil: a variant of the chakat with enhanced physical qualities and aggression, meant to be a race of super-soldiers. The Chakamils had been made in secret to meet the threat posed by other war beasts left over from the Gene Wars, but before they could be deployed, the Three Firms Scandal broke. Star Fleet decided that the political climate wasn't right and quietly terminated the project - which included executing all the Chakamils who'd been created. A few escaped, and they looked enough like normal chakats to mix with the general population; the only outwardly visible distinguishing factor was that Chakamils all resembles short tailed cats: lynxes, bobcats, and caracals. Darkstar appreciated at once that Marla's Chakamil blood had no doubt contributed to hir behavior; Darkstar's own early life had been very similar. Penta understood how to deal with it, though, and Darkstar became a reasonably well adjusted adult. Isis and Buttercup hadn't, and Marla suffered for it. Eventually, by following a trail of arrest reports, convictions, and outstanding warrants, Darkstar tracked Marla to a remote colonial outpost in the Voxxan sector. Sadly Marla died the day before Darkstar arrived, by taking a space walk while stoned and getting crushed to death by a new module being attached to the space station. Shi left behind a daughter named Aurora, whom shi'd treated very badly, and was little more than feral when Darkstar found hir. Darkstar eventually won custody of Aurora through a mix of legal maneuvering, blackmail, and bribery. Shi took Aurora back to Chakona, where the two of them lived in the family homestead.

Darkstar was brought in to help deal with the Stariionae situation, ending up with a new chakat Companion, Longstocking, and becoming the de facto Chief Sitter of Star Dancer, a living spaceship, and her foster siblings.

Darkstar got to know Goldfur and hir family when Eudora met hir in a park while Darkstar is visiting Earth. When Garrek retrieved Eudora, he invited Darkstar to dinner as a way of thanking hir for saving Goldfur's grandmother's life decades ago. Another connection to the family was realised with Goldfur's sister, Forestwalker, who was mated with Star Fleet Admiral Boyce Kline who was acquainted with Darkstar. This acquaintance grew in importance when Boyce sought hir out for serious guidance when he took a course of action to destroy the Humans First movement. Their relationship became a lot more intimate than either had planned. When Goldfur's extended family moved to Chakona, Darkstar opened up hir family homestead to them, and filled a bit more of the emotional hole in hir heart. Hir relationship with Boyce continued to grow until Rosepetal, Boyce's Caitian Firstwife, approaches Darkstar with a proposal of mating as his Sixthwife. Shi rejected the proposal, but with everyone supportive of it, hir resolve is wavering.

Sample art by and copyright to Kacey Miyagami and Terry Knight.

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