Vada Mars/Lore

**TW:** death, emotional abuse, alcohol, illicit substances, murder

## Early Life

Vada Mars, born Alyxandra Vera Ramsey, was born on **Earth** in an area once known as *New York*. Her father worked in Finance for the Government, and her mother was a housewife, raising a son, aged 3. When Alyxandra was 3 years old, her younger sister was born. Alyxandra's patrilineality, for as far back as archives go, has lived in the area formerly known as *North America*, while her matrilineality is from the area formally known as *Italy*. Formerly, she only knows one language-Galactic Basic, however over the years has learnt various words in different languages across the galaxy. Her early childhood was considered quite privileged by Earth standards. Her family lived in a nice house in the suburbs to avoid the polluted air of the cities. Her father’s position in the Government earned him a hefty salary so her family never went without. He was well-liked by his colleagues and would often throw extravagant dinner parties just because (if not to flaunt his wealth).

Growing up, Alyxandra and her brother were practically inseparable. As if they were two halves of a whole. They did everything together and would cry for hours whenever they were apart. She doesn’t have many memories of her brother, but the ones she does remember involve them sneaking out of bed in the dead of night to lay on a blanket in the yard and watch the stars. He told her stories of what was beyond their planet and the adventures he’d have when he was older. Even at a young age, he had always wanted to be an astronaut. To live beyond the confines of his home planet and travel across the galaxy. When she was 6, the two were playing in their front yard when the ball she threw fell onto the road. Without looking, he ran after it. She has never been able to remember that day or the weeks that followed. Her father never emotionally recovered from losing his son and he turned to alcohol to numb his pain. Because of this, he eventually got fired from his job and with the exorbitant price tag of living in the suburbs, the family was forced to move into a unit in the city.

#### Life in the City

Alyxandra’s father spent his days drinking and gambling and began purchasing tickets in **The Lottery** desperate to create a new life for himself and his family. Her mother was forced to get a job working in one of the produce factories which left Alyxandra to all but raise her younger sister. While the two were never close in their early childhood, over the years their relationship improved to the point that her sister would come to her for advice rather than her mother. While she loved her sister, Alyxandra began to resent her parents for forcing her to take on the responsibility of raising a child, while still a child herself.

Alyxandra was a relatively good student at school. While never the top of her class, she always received above average grades in mathematics and physical education. Throughout her schooling years, she was somewhat of a loner. She had a few friends but never felt like she fit in with anybody. Because of her size and family situation, she was often barraged with abuse and relentless taunts from her classmates.

When not looking after her sister, Alyxandra spent her time exploring the city. One afternoon she stumbled across an auto-mechanic shop. It was owned and operated by a kind, ageing man. Over time Alyxandra found solace in this man. She would often spend her time after school with him and it is through him that she became interested in auto-mechanics. He taught her many life lessons over the years and became a fatherly figure to her.

As a teen, Alyx started getting attention from some rather questionable classmates. Finally feeling like she fit in, she began to let her guard down and relish this new found freedom that these friends gave her. She was almost caught participating in illegal activities a handful of times but as she was quick on her feet, she was almost always able to evade capture. She had multiple intimate encounters during these years and developed a reputation of being easy. It never bothered her and over time, the judgemental glances from her classmates stopped.

At age 17 while leaving a party, her friends decided to have a race through the street. While this is normally considered a dangerous activity, the addition of illicit substances in the body heightened the danger tenfold. Alyx was a passenger in the car of her on/off boyfriend. All she remembers is that he won the race and, immediately afterwards, the sound of crunching metal and a searing pain in her abdomen.

Alyx woke up a week later in hospital. Her injury list was a page long and her mind was foggy. She found out that after the accident her friends, fearing she was dead, ran and left her to avoid getting in trouble. It was the owner of the auto shop who found her and called Emergency Services. She spent the next few months recovering at home and ended up completing school from her home. She spent her time at the auto shop and ended up being employed to do little odd jobs.  Unbeknownst to Alyx, shortly after employing her, the owner made the decision to leave his shop to her after he passed.

After the accident, Alyx’s relationship with her sister grew stronger and they became makeshift best friends. Her relationship with her parents continued to decline with her father still blaming her for her brother’s death. Every time something bad happened in his life, he would palm the blame onto Alyx. While her mother never outwardly said anything, Alyx knows she held the same belief as her husband.

One month after her 18th birthday, her father received a **Notice** informing him that due to his family’s *ineligibility*, it was time to pay the debt he owed from his purchase of The Lottery tickets. He was furious and immediately blamed Alyx citing her recklessness as a teenager to be the cause. An argument ensued and he all but told her “Because this is your fault, you should be the one to do it.”

She moved into the back room of the auto shop and worked long hours to keep herself distracted. It didn’t work all too well as she played that argument in her head like a broken record. She thought about everything bad that had happened to her family, and the cause always came back to her. Her brother, her father’s job, moving to the city, her accident, The Notice. All of it was her fault. She visited her family one last time to tell them that she would pay the debt in her father’s stead and volunteer for the **IASA Space Program**. Her father was elated, her mother was worried and her sister was distraught. Alyx reminded her sister that it was only a few years, and on her return, she would tell her the stories of her adventures.