"If I ever believed those conspiracies about genetically-bred super-soldiers for government-funded militias, she would be my proof." ~ Stealth

Real Name: Athena Khyran

Codename: Valkyrie

Species: Polar Bear

Gender: Female

Birthplace: Taekarta, Raikonia

Age: 27

Eye Color: Purple

Fur Color: White

Hair Color: White

Power: Near-indestructible body with enhanced strength

Physical Description: Tall and powerfully muscled. Often ties her hair into a ponytail, though two thin bangs typically hang over her forehead.

Personality: Cold, disciplined, and dead serious, Athena rarely speaks unless something absolutely has to be said, and even then it's often no more than a sentence or two. Few have ever seen her smile; she doesn't have much reason to, given her outlook, and she cares little of anyone who isn't involved in her personal life. That said, she is incredibly focused when necessary and packs a determination that enables her to get anything done, no matter how difficult the task. No amount of prodding will get her to come out of her shell; she would only do so on her own terms and with someone she trusts fully. She isn't easily angered, but when threatened, she can be deadly and if involved in a fight, will do whatever it takes to end it as quickly as possible; often that involves brutally maiming her opponents to prevent them from fighting back. This is seen by many as a heartless disposition, and while she may have such traits, she is more likely to simply consider it the most efficient way to get things done.

When it comes to the few friends she has, she is fiercely loyal and would readily take a bullet for any of them (even without her gift of near-invulnerability). However, she has difficulty showing affection of any sort, given that the only person to have shown it to her early in life betrayed her (see Background for details).

Background: Athena was initially raised by a seemingly-normal family in northern Taekarta. Her mother seemed distant; her father was often the caregiver and showered his daughter with affection. Tragically, this would not last. Around the age of eight, her mother left her father for another man. For Athena, it wasn't much of a concern since she never had a decent relationship with her mother anyway. Her father, however, took it horribly and began drinking, quickly becoming an alcoholic. The next few years would traumatize the poor girl as her father became abusive both physically and verbally, lashing out in anger at the littlest things and wailing about "how it used to be" back when her mother was around. Eventually, soon after Athena turned fourteen, the abuse got so bad that he was discovered and arrested, leaving her without a parental figure and more emotional scars than any young girl should ever have. The result of the debacle turned her cold; she bottled up everything, refusing to let herself be a victim to anyone else. This made it difficult for the therapists and caregivers assigned to her, and before long she ran away, wanting to start over by herself without anyone's help. Craving some form of order in her life, Athena managed to get herself enlisted in the Taekartan military, lying about her age in order to bypass the age restrictions. Though dedicated, she had to get used to being given orders and as a result became a challenge to authority figures. Miraculously, though, she impressed the officials with sheer skill and once they became privy to her mannerisms, learned how to properly motivate and order her into discipline. In time, she took to the life of a soldier quite well. When the Nightmare occurred and Malivia began attacking Raikonia, she became completely dedicated to the defense of her home planet, focusing on nothing else.

As time went on, however, she developed a stigma among her fellow soldiers. Though she never had a problem working on a team, many would notice how she never associated with anyone during her free time. She was always off by herself, often staring at nothing at all with the same serious expression. Many tried to get her to open up, but getting her to talk was hard enough on its own. A few even tried getting her to react through picking fights, though such situations rarely ended well. She would turn these fights into outlets for all the anger she bottled up, and would occasionally leave some of the offending soldiers permanently crippled. Her officials were tasked with the difficult decision of whether or not to discharge her, but despite the results of these attacks they knew she was always defending herself; she never provoked the fights.

It was during this time that she came to work under Jerelle Arko, who had been warned beforehand how difficult she might be. Jerelle saw her as an interesting case and welcomed the opportunity to try something different in hopes of helping Athena become more than just a silent commando. Sure enough, given his wisdom and experience, the Colonel left a lasting impression on her and quickly became the only authority figure she would ever come to respect completely. He continually (and rightfully) sided with her when others challenged her, and during combat training would often show her techniques and similar faire she never realized before, opening up the opportunity for conversation.

Later, one of her other superior officers became wary of how easily she was adapting under Arko's tutelage (this officer had been the first officer she served under, which meant he had the worst time with her). One night he attempted to assault her himself, using a gun in the process, but ended up being nearly killed in her retaliation. He attempted to use his authority to court marshal her, citing evidence he planted to make it look like a vengeful assault by her, but Jerelle was quickly at her side defending her. One interesting piece of evidence that baffled everyone (and concerned Jerelle) was the fact that in spite of being shot at point blank range three times, the bullets didn't even penetrate her body. Most assumed the officer mistakenly loaded his gun with blanks, but Jerelle recovered the flattened bullets himself. It was then he realized she may be developing an Aura. He's kept a closer eye on her since then.

Dominant Hand: Left-handed

Height: 6'5"

Weight: 245 lbs.

Strengths: Determined, disciplined, level-headed, strong

Weaknesses: Cold, stubborn, has a problem with authority at first, can be pushy, doesn't show much subtlety

Notable Talents: Disciplined commando, accurate, skilled gunsmith, can lead effectively, able to identify traits in others

Arsenal: Verrocite riot gun Hammer (orange crystal); combat knife; throwing knives (6); collapsible entrenching tool; Viper x037 submachine gun

Shock Suit: Thermal regulators prevent heat stroke; reinforced biomesh flex-weave increases armor strength

Fighting Art: Krav Maga

Team Position: Commando

Nationality: Equivalent of American

Voice: Sigourney Weaver

Theme: "Behind Blue Eyes" by Limp Bizkit

For those wondering why Hammer doesn't have a trigger, well... Verrocite guns don't need them ;) They're powered by their wielders' Auras, so all the kinetic energy produced is supernatural and guarantees no misfires. At times Athena is a mystery even to me. While not difficult to write for (it's really fun to just sit and think about her personality), she tends to set herself up for dullness if I'm not paying attention. Luckily, this is easy to rectify since the rest of the team tends to know just how to get on her nerves, providing some interesting scenarios. To her, they're the closest thing to a family she's had in a long time and she trusts them as such, but that doesn't mean they all get along perfectly :p

Valkyrie and the R-Force © Aelius (me)