Gerine

Gerine is a human insectoid hybrid born and raised on the planet Lianhua, and main protagonist of the Thus Saith The Stars book series.

## Biography

Gerine was born to marooned human Melanie Waters, and an unnamed Lianhuan hunter. Her mother mysteriously vanished shortly after the girl's birth, leaving her to be raised by her dad single-handed. The first few years of her life were uneventful, mostly spent training rigorously to became as great a hunter as her father before her. During a routine round of archery practice, she misfired an arrow into his turned back, paralyzing him from the waist down and forcing her into the role of breadwinner before she was truly prepared.

At age fourteen, she made her first contact with an otherworldly creature, that being the intergalactic fugitive Rewll. While unwittingly aiding Rewll's escape from the law, she would be informally introduced to the Yetsibee when the soldier Zernia paid an unauthorized visit to Lianhua looking for him. A fight broke out between the huntress and the officer, during which time a fire the girl had left smoldering consumed her nest, ending her father's life. She was shortly thereafter taken into Yetsibee custody in the Southern Orion Juvenile Detention Center, where she encountered Jileeta and Hujuno, and was subsequently duped into identifying Rewll in a line-up.

Free from custody, but unwilling to return home in the wake of her father's demise, Gerine departs the detention center for to reconnect with her human heritage, at Jileeta's strong suggestion. Crash landing her pod amidst the plains of New Africa, she encounters Kuku Gremlington, Obano Lionheart and Doerdon Dragonson, who (both intentionally and unintentionally) impart important lessons on her related to life on Earth.

After spending a number of weeks in Buffalo City, gorging on garbage, struggling to keep steady a job as a hostess at Floaties', and renting an rundown apartment from one Cornelious Clowngood, Gerine grows fed up with living paycheck to paycheck, and opts to try out for the Yetsibee instead. Despite her age, and less than refined social mannerisms, the head of the organization, Yoojinx Yetsi takes a liking to the girl, and okays her for a trial run as a Feeder.

Her first assignment saw her and Zernia ambushed by the bionic beast Behemoth aboard the Rattletrap, her resulting triumph against the android in combat earning her a promotion to Global Guardian.

Her next notable mission would be to Sorrosul, whereby, after besting the overzealous Emperor Chyme following what should have only been a routine inspection, an ancient Sorrosullen tradition resulted in her inheriting the throne of the desolate desert planet. In a bid to be relieved of her duties, she and Hujuno performed a number of stunts in the hopes of provoking the Galactic Coalition. Their plan perhaps worked too well, as Sorrosul's neighboring planets soon expressed the desire to wage war on the defenseless world. Through a mix of honor and guilt, Gerine would stand before the Coalition to make amends, offering a series of solutions to their long-standing disputes as consolation. Gerine's reign finally came to an end after she ended the life of one of her loyal subjects by inadvertently feeding him a fatal poison. The resulting court case would see her sentenced to probation, overseen by her fellow soldier Tarest. The leaderless planet falls into the hands of Shady Stars estates, to Jileeta's chagrin.

After the expiry of her sentence, Gerine got right back to work, refereeing a planet-wide wrestling match on planet Casmarsea. A trip back to Earth would soon follow, as Gerine hoped to reconnect with the increasingly distant Jileeta. After a day of wandering and worrying, amid which she used drugs provided by Doerdon in a desperate bid to unwind, Gerine arrived at Floaties' for dinner with her mentor, only to find she still hadn't been forgiven for her negligence on Sorrosul. Though Jileeta encouraged her to move on with her life, resign from the Yetsibeee and spend time on Earth with her friends, Gerine instead dedicates herself to earning enough money to buy Sorrosul back from its current rights holders.

## Appearance

Gerine runs on the smaller sign, measuring at a mere 4'2 (127 cm), and possessing a slender (yet undeniably muscular) frame. Her spiky hair is bright green, matching the spiral marking around her eyes and abdomen, and her eyes themselves. Her skin is pale, bordering on stark white, as are her somewhat pointy teeth. Her shoulders sport a pair of oval-shaped insectoid wings, proportionally inferior to those of her brethren.

Her dress varies depending on location and situation. During her Lianhuan days, she stuck to a camouflage top sewn from Boolerat skin, black and grey pants of unknown make-up, and boots and gloves presumably of tanned Anterloper hide. Her tenure on Earth saw her masquerading in more formal attire; a glittery black dress and brown paper back to conceal her human features. Under Yetsibee employ, she would wear the standard steel body armor, with the pants from her home planet worn over her codpiece for a touch of Lianhuan flare. As Empress of Sorrosul, she donned a royal red robe with a basic black bikini underneath.

## Abilities

* Flight — Though initially hindered by her substandard wings, Gerine is perfectly capable of flight, and with Doerdon's help, learns to harness her latent potential.
* Enhanced Digestion — Her insect physiology allows her to consume substances which harmful to other species, limited only to potent poisons like the Chocoroach.
* Weapons Mastery — At her father's tutelage, Gerine has been trained in all fields of rudimentary weaponry, namely the spear, knife and the bow, though she swore off the latter after inadvertently injuring her instructor (sorry, dad).
* Stealth — Also a result of lifelong training, Gerine rivals Earth's apex predators in her ability to maneuver unnoticed, aided by the natural camouflage of her bright green hair.

## Relationships

* Jileeta — Arguably the most important person in Gerine's life, Jileeta is the fact person to act kindly toward the girl out of genuine good will. Gerine views her as a replacement mother, something the soldier actively discourages, should she be killed during an assignment, putting the human through the loss of yet another parental figure. On the opposite side, Jileeta sees Gerine as the last hope humanity has for revival, and does everything in her power to keep her safe, something her husband and boss don't particularly aide. Their bond is strained somewhat by Gerine's forfeit of planet Sorrosul to Shady Stars Estates.
* Kuku — The first Earthling to enter her sphere, as well as the one to break the tragic news of her fellow humans' demise, to crash her space pod and short-circuit her mother's holographic projector, and to teach her about the concept of currency, Kuku Gremlington has secured his spot in Gerine's heart and mind, for better or for worse. Kuku, for his part, harbors a massive crush for the young human, and will take any pains to please her, though these desperate gestures have yet to win the girl's affections.
* Hujuno — Although not nearly as friendly as Jileeta, Hujuno played a major role in Gerine's life outside of Lianhua, providing some much needed levity to the stressful situations she lands herself in.
* Rewll — While pleasant at first, —when Gerine provided Rewll a place to hide from the Yetsibee and Rewll taught Gerine about the universe beyond her home planet— their relationship has remained strained from the moment Rewll injected Gerine with knockout serum and stole her mother's spaceship. Since then, the two have known nothing but loathing for one another, Gerine for Rewll's betrayal, and Rewll for Gerine's blabbing to the authorities.