Nex Sarionté

**Nex Sarionté** was a human male GR-Class revenant detective and spy who worked for the Security Force of the Ariphius Security & Enforcment Bureau on Nikrontri, earning the title of inspector. During the Datasea War, Nex was a vital asset to uncovering the plot of the Datasea Insurgency and was the key to unveiling the identity of Genesis and discovering the plans of the Regime. Nex was an early member of the COPEN Force, which aimed to protect the Ariphius Council during the Datasea War, after the Insurgency's plan to steal the conduits was revealed.

Nex conducted investigations into the Insurgency in 3GE 972, discovering the identity of Frank Neriabois, who had murdered Ariphius Councillor Henri Rou in Nikrobiru City, and with the help of the revenant Voltaic's spy network, took down the Yarkaz Sons, an Insurgent cell in the Bazaar on Nikrontri and, after learning of their plans, failed to save Sarvain Taraeus, Ariphius Councillor and director of the Taraeus Corporation from being murdered by the Serpent, a secret agent of the Imperious Order and wife of Taraeus, in the *Fabled Gold* casino.

Nex had desired justice and peace in Nikrobiru City since first joining the Nikrontri Security Force after his time at the Nikrontri Academy, believing that the crime and corruption in the political infrastructure of the Ariphius Confederacy and in the streets could be changed, and became one of the Ariphius Security & Enforcement Bureau's top agents. His dedication pushed him through the ranks and he was made a spy for Project Elimination, his skill as a spy and detective assisting him in uncovering Genesis and putting and making great contributions in putting an end to the Datasea War, contributions ultimately made fruitful by the power of Intelligence and the datasea.

## Biography

### Pre-revenant life

#### Childhood

Nex's consciousness prior to his mind being reset as a revenant lived in the early second century of the Second Galactic Era. His parents owned a large estate on a planet, in the countryside outside of a large city. As a young child, Nex spent most of his time in a grove by a river near the house at the centre of the estate. Soon after he turned six years old, his mother bore a daughter, Talea Sarionté. Nex's parents paid little attention to him following Talea's birth, as his father had left to work off-world and his mother was always focusing on Talea.

When Talea grew older, and Nex was twelve years old, she became better friends with Nex, and they played in the grove together. She still irritated him greatly, and Nex would throw her in the river out of anger, and he would be punished by his mother. One day, Nex found Talea whittling a small wooden statuette of their mother. Asking her why she didn't whittle their father, she revealed to Nex that she couldn't remember what he looked like and that she was aware he was working off-world, as she was told by Tutor Guarez, while her mother had lied that her father was in the city. She gave the wooden statuette to Nex, saying that even though their mother loved her more, Nex needed something to remember her. The statemen concerned Nex, as Talea was speaking as if preparing for their mother's death.

Soon after their conversation on the riverbank, their mother gave birth to a third child, a boy named Thio, which shocked Talea, as their father had been away for years, but Nex knew that their mother had reproduced with another man, further proven by Thio's very different appearance. When Thio turned three years old, he said his first word to Nex, pointing at him and saying 'funny'. Less than a year after, Nex and Talea's father finally returned, but he did not recognise his children and they did not recognise him until their mother assisted. The meeting was not happy, as Thio wandered in and Nex and Talea's father saw him, beating their mother as Thio ran away. Their mother and father fell out of love, but remained married and kept the estate.

### Early Life & Career

Nex was born on Nikrontri in the village of Suknari on the banks of Krabenua Lake, raised alone by his mother, as his father had died of disease during the Nikrontri biosecurity crisis. He was raised in poverty, though his intelligence was noticed by a professor at his school and was offered a scholarship at Nikro University, where he earned a degree in cryptology. At some point prior to 3GE 965, Nex was recruited into the Nikrontri as a small-time investigator, and quickly earned his way up to a higher-ranking detective, and earned enough to support his mother in her final years, before she died in 3GE 970.

### Datasea War

#### Murder of Henri Rou

Nex was most active during the early years of the Datasea War, where he was an important asset in uncovering the plans of the Datasea rebellion and the Tamarud Regime. In 1GE 972, he learnt about the recent news of the war on Nikrobiru while speaking to his old friend Drontiliene Nunaflon at the GE9 Wharf noodle bar, before being called on by Fra Ouios to investigate the recent murder of Ariphius Councillor Henri Rou. After meeting with director Aioren Merclaugh, Nex travelled to Henri Rou's apartment to investigate the murder.

After studying the crime scene, Nex discerned a clean cut in Rou's neck, alongside the violent killing blow. After his investigation, he let the state-of-the-art crime scene scanner technology study the scene, reconstructing it accurately. The scanner discovered traces of blood from a member of the Neriabois family on the shattered window. Nex recognised the family, recalling the two brothers Emile and Frank Neriabois. The blood was traced to the organ laboratory in the BE5 District in the lower levels of Nikrobiru City. Nex investigated the laboratory, discovering that Frank Neriabois had come by earlier to see about a unique artificial gland that the scientist and shopkeeper did not recognise. The gland had been recently extracted from an individual, and Nex discerned that Frank Neriabois had taken the gland when he had murdered Henri Rou. Nex inquired further and discovered that Frank was planning on seeing the Acheverus Opera at the Aquinito Theatre.

Nex travelled to the theatre on the slopes of Mount Keseduhar in the Gij'nfai Mountains, and discovered Frank in the auditorium, chasing him down through the audience to a backstage room. Nex and a police escort fought Frank, the escort being killed in the process, when Frank successfully shot them. Nex was nearly defeated, too, but managed to consume a synkenin pill and regain his energy. Nex and Frank continued to engage in a violent fist fight, both seriously injured in the process, but Nex was able to prevail and knock Frank unconscious. He called in a police pick up and arrested Frank.

At the Law Enforcement Agency's station, Nex interrogated Frank, and learned that there were multiple glands like the one he had taken that the Regime wanted for their efforts. Frank realised he was revealing too much, after his psychosis began to control him, and he killed himself with a remote explosive. Nex thought that Frank had destroyed the gland in the explosion, but an officer revealed that the scientist in the laboratory had given the gland to a group of insurgents and Frank never really had it.

#### Raiding the Yarkaz Sons

Soon after the death of Frank Neriabois, Nex visited his good friend, Voltaic, a retired revenant, in Sector 567 of Nikrobiru City's underworld. He explained his investigations into the Insurgency and Henri Rou's murder, and Vol in turn told him of his spy network, which had identified and spied on a Datasea Insurgency cell, the Yarkaz Sons, in the sector of the Nikrontri Bazaar overseen by the Oshoke megacorporation. They travelled to the Bazaar, where they discussed Vol's plans to move against and root out the cell at the spy network's outpost.

It was revealed to Nex that the cell worked closely with the Imperious Order, which had a hand in political matters on both sides of the Datasea War, and while claiming to be neutral, was clearly aligned with the Regime. The cell Nex was investigating received smuggled weapons and equipment from the United Systems Company, sent on the black market by investors loyal to the Order's Corporate League. Vol gave Nex an overview of the plan to extract information and useful assets from the base of the cell, in the Red Snake's Hostel. Many of the insurgents, at the time of the raid, would be out drinking in the Memorial Arm's Pub and the Deeplevel Club in the Bazaar.

Nex, Vol, and part of the Bureau of Census & Compliance task force sent to help them, walked to the Red Snake's Hostel in the Bazaar to avoid attracting attention. They were unable to enter the hostel via the front door, so they made their way through a partially abandoned office building owned by Bazaar Bancorp, which contained a secret tunnel that connected directly with the hostel. Inside, they investigated the numerous rooms in the hostel. Nex guessed that drugs were used extensively by the Yarkaz Sons, indicated by bags and syringes scattered throughout a room. At Vol's call, Nex discovered the hostel receptionist, a dev-human, who claimed the insurgents were bribing him so they could occupy the hostel. Nex sympathised with the struggle for money, referencing that he grew up in a rough neighbourhood in the city, and did not immediately arrest the dev-human.

One of the officers broke into another room using a burnbreaker, and inside were several insurgents. Most immediately surrendered, but one grabbed a lasgun and attempted to fire on Nex, but Nex shot him first, immediately regretting it, with Vol reminding him of the necessity of killing in a war. Nex investigated the room, reading through several documents and discovering the significant funds and organised spy networks established by the Imperious Order. Vol showed him a folder, which revealed that the Yarkaz Sons were led by 'the Serpent', a member of the Order who intended to assassinate Sarvain Taraeus, baron director of the Taraeus Corporation, in less than three hours at the Fabled Gold casino. Nex went to leave to attempt to prevent the murder, but was stopped by a sudden ambush by armed insurgents. After a firefight, Nex successfully escaped and ordered reinforcements, before hailing a taxi to take him to the *Fabled Gold* casino.

#### Murder of Sarvain Taraeus

At the casino, Nex met Merclaugh again who had received the news and was on the lookout for an assassin with several policemen and Ariphius Security Agency agents. Nex spoke with Sarvain Taraeus, who reminisced on his power over interstellar travel in the galaxy, as a result of the corporation's monopoly of being the sole manufacturer of paraulixes, and believed that if he was to be killed, there would be brief but severe economic crisis within the Ariphius Confederacy and disarray in the Taraeus Corporation. After speaking with Taraeus, Nex engaged in conversation with two shipment coordinators form the Taraeus Corporation while using the optimal focus of synkenin to study and listen to the crowds surrounding him. One shipment coordinator, Tadeus Ten, indicated to Nex that there was a man who appeared suspicious nearby. Nex spoke to the man, but while he did Hinya Serren Taraeus, Sarvain's wife, killed Sarvain and stole his conduit, quickly breaking into a run. When Tadeus Ten killed a police officer while crying 'Hail Ivor!', he revealed himself as a member of the Imperious Order, having distracted Nex by suspecting the man.

With Taraeus dead, Nex, out of anger, shot Tadeus and ran outside to see Hinya escaped in a spedacopter, chased by police. Nex pondered the deep corruption planted by the Imperious Order in the Ariphius Confederacy and the infrastructure, while wondering who 'Ivor' was who Tadeus had spoken of before his death.

#### Council Protection Conference

Following the murders of Henri Rou and Sarvain Taraeus, the Ariphius Council arranged a conference at their chambers in the apex of the Ariphius Pyramid. Officers and agents of the Ariphius Security & Enforcement Bureau attended the meeting to listen as the Councillors discuss recent events. Nex, Aioren Merclaugh, Fra Ouios and Élise Rou, the daughter of Henri Rou and the ASA agent who Nex had studied justice and law with Nex in the services department of the Nikrontri Academy. The conference began with an argument over the Ariphius Council's work, managing documents and signing excessive paperwork, with Leonardo Count, supported by commander-in-chief of the Ariphius Military, Charles Caravius, arguing that such work should be performed by the statesmen, but Anzo Hinjen retorted that the statesmen were too profit-focused so would sacrifice needed efficiency. The Grand Councillor, Arin Verdou, interrupted the argument, and officially began the meeting. Verdou explained the dangers of allowing the conduits to fall into the Regime's hands, and the datasea blackout that could be caused by all fifteen being used at once.

Then, Councillor Leslie Brauvac went on to explain the newly formed outline of the COPEN Force and its purpose to protect the further destruction of the Ariphius Council. He explained that Aioren Merclaugh was to be his direct secretary of correspondence and intelligence and leader of COPEN, stepping down as director of the Nikrontri Security Force. After his explanation, Leonardo Count expressed his enthusiasm for the new organisation and Arin Verdou announced the public beginning of the meeting was concluded. Nex, Fra, and Élise followed Merclaugh out of the chambers, where he explained that he would recruit them into the COPEN Force. Nex was initally sceptical, but Merclaugh explained it was only part time and Nex would not be forced to sacrifice his job in the Nikrontri Security Force. Merclaugh then led them to the COPEN Force offices, where Nex met Bernard Eccioti.

## Personality and traits

### Loyal detective

Nex had short brown hair, blue eyes, and pale skin, with the moderate build of someone who spent a lot of time in the streets of Nikrobiru City. He wore the official attire of Nikrontri Security Force, with a single-breasted suit or a dark blue coat over a dress shirt with a black necktie and braces.

Nex had grown up in the Ariphius Confederacy's capital, Nikrontri, and all his life he was exposed to the politics of the galaxy, and he saw the issues of the lack of security in the rougher areas of Nikrobiru City. It had always been his goal to bring criminals to justice and make Nikrontri a better place, but he was only one man. After hard work in the law school of the Ariphius Academy, a became a detective for the Nikrontri Law Enforcement Agency, hoping to make a difference in the enforcement of law and uncovering of criminals in Nikrobiru City. Working within the bureaucracy of the Ariphius Confederacy further exposed him to the classism among the upper echelons, seeing the constant struggle the billions of refugees and immigrants, many of which were dev-humans, faced in the dark lower levels of Nikrobiru City. Nex was determined to make a difference, though he struggled to do it on his own.