Hikari "Kari" "Xena" Shimizu, Daughter Of Yamato (ViA)

## **Character Description**

**Name:** Hikari "Kari" "Xena" Shimizu, Daughter of Yamato

**Species:** Oni

**Gender:** Female

**Age:** 160 standard Earth years

## **Appearance**

**Height:** 5 feet 2 inches (1.5748 meters/157.48 centimeters)

**Hair Color:** Burnished Copper with Rose Gold highlights

**Eye Color:** Jade Green

## **Strengths and Weaknesses**

**Skills:** Survival skills, analytical mindset, sewing, cooking, trained in various blade and martial arts, shinobi training, doesn't judge people by appearances or stereotypes, fluent in written and spoken Kiellar language, and a dedicated learner.

**Weaknesses:** Loosing herself during a fight, some social niceties, can be a bit literal at times, has issues with understanding innuendo, can be overly curious, and the specificity of some of her training not always applying.

## **Inventory**

* Hell's Messenger - holstered at the small of her back; normally reserved for larger targets like Ragon
* A pair of Testament Heavy Particle Pistols - stored in thigh holsters
* Mugenjin - sheathed on her back; momento from her father when she left home and not something she’s properly trained to use in combat
* Dual Utilitarian Plasma Pistols - kept in forearm holsters that can drop them into her hands on command
* Yin and Yang - scabbards kept on her lower back
* Nanoforge - small blades such as shuriken, kunai, throwing knives, knives, daggers, chakram, and the like
* Combat suit - can be equipped with modular components for different situations
* Thermal insulating coat
* Modular helmet
* Horn hiding hooded cloak
* Shinobi tool pouches - worn as needed
* Sewing kit
* Tailoring tools

## **Personality**

Usually a calm, collected individual, Hikari learned from her shifu to never act without understanding.  To this end, there is very little that'll make her act on sight alone;  generally, she gives each new person she meets a chance where she observes them and interacts with them before forming an opinion about them.

One of the few Oni who ranked highly in capabilities as a multitasker, Hikari always has a lot of thought processes going on as she goes about her daily life.  While this has helped her in fights and staying alive in general, others can perceive her as distracted some times.  Though not meant as such, there have been some who considered this as rude.

Hikari's training allows her to suppress her emotions when 'on the job'.  While there are some cases where they would be of use, her shifu stressed acting logically and rationally to accomplish tasks - emotions at the wrong moment could cause a mission failure at best, a loss of the operative's life at worst.  As such, Hikari enters a state of mind where she comes across as cold, logical, and calloused.

In the reverse, and part of the reason she works as a field operative for the Oni instead of living inside their sphere, Hikari can become overstimulated and lose the ability to suppress her emotions.  Though not a berserker, her normal self is overwhelmed as this outpouring translates out into almost a thrill and enjoyment for a fight.

Another reason why Hikari prefers the field to living in safety is her intense wanderlust.  This young Oni almost lives and breaths for the thrill of adventure - instead of sitting still, her heart is always seeking just what is around each bend in the road of her life.

## **Background**

**Role on Ship:** Chef, seamstress, Kunoichi, and bounty hunter

**Crimes Committed:** Not applicable (depends on who defines what as a crime)

**Backstory:** Born a daughter of the affluent Yamato clan - the reigning clan that historically produced the rulers of the Oni people - Hikari Shimizu, or Kari for short, grew up in the traditional styles of both her people as a whole as well as the traditions unique to her family and clan.

From a young age, the girl's sense of adventure reared its head as she was constantly escaping her minders and exploring.  Though not restrained by the stereotypical tomboy or girly girl descriptions, Hikari climbed her share of trees and broke her share of bones just as often as she attended formal gatherings for friends and family.

By the time Hikari reached the traditional age of 100 Earth standard years of age and also graduated from her shifu's training, she began her walkabout into the greater galaxy outside what the Oni controlled near the core.  Appalled at what she found, she petitioned upon her return for the Oni leadership to authorize more active efforts to help those outside - however, her pleas fell short as it was decided the Oni were not strong enough as a nation to risk exposing themselves.  Frustrated with their lack of action and her own personality traits forcing the issue, Hikari agreed to work as a field operative tasked with both finding potential recruits to bring back to the Oni as well as serving the greater good abroad.

For the following decades, Hikari worked as a bounty hunter under the alias of Xena.  Those few who met her face to face often mistook her horns for the implants used by Kiellar Command psykers, which could make her work all that much easier;  though, it could just as easily hamper things.  Though willing to make use of these misconceptions, the negative reactions eventually forced her to fall back into the shadows and working through intermediaries and censored video communications.

Over the years, she helped an Archellian contact with several very lucrative and successful business deals.  As someone she could trade favors with after discovering her contact's nature, Hikari often brought profit the Archellian's way when she needed their help with something.  In fact, a world in the Neutral Zone colonized by rogue Kiellar wanted ships to defend themselves - Hikari acted as the intermediary, but gave her Archellian contact all the credit for bringing the planet's vast mineral wealth under their control;  this was her end of a deal to use her contact's personal ship to *Afewag Station* for an operation she was undertaking.

Unfortunately, neither expected the Gollar Confederation to have annexed the station during their transit.  Also unexpected was their reaction to Hikari's horns - mistaking her for a Command psyker upon arrival, they chucked her into a brig cell.  Thankfully, in respect for the profit she had brought their way, her Archellian contact kept her luggage aboard ship when they found out, ready for her retrieval when she got free.

In the meantime, Ansemenk began his assault on the *Defiance* in his bid to take over the former prisoner transport.  Even when her cell temporarily lost power, Hikari impressed her jailors by refusing to try and escape, even helping to rescue one when debris fell ontop of him and pinned his leg.  After the fighting died down - though Hikari can't prove it, she suspects her Archellian contact had a hand in things - the Gollar security officers sent word to the *Defiance* their resident psyker was back in the brig.