Alia Tarno

* Part IV
* Part III
* Part II
* Part I

―Alia as to why she left her homeworld, *The Piece of Junk*

**Alia Tarno** is a female mavnian historian who specialises in the study of Remnant extinction and the translation of the Cosmic Gospel. While on the planet Haven to study a Remnant ruin near New London, she was caught up in the Scourge's attack on the planet and survived the slaughter by fleeing with other survivors on the *Unreliable*. Alia served as the crew's navigator on their perilous journey to safety and, later, their mission to the Green World. Having survived the Battle of Nexus Station and participated in the destruction of the *Darkened Heaven*, Alia formed a romance with Elijah and joined the crew of the CSS *Unreliable*, determined to stop the Calculator at any cost. She currently serves as chief navigator and, following Zelphor's ascension to captain, as the executive officer.

In the months following Elijah's "death", Alia discovered that he was alive via his SpecOperA comms signature and led a mutiny to take control of the *Unreliable* and launch a rescue mission. Apparently successful, Alia rejoiced that she was reunited with Elijah, unaware that he was actually his doppelgänger, Hadron. Once she discovered that Hadron was the false Elijah, however, she immediately turned against him and tearfully reunited with the true Elijah on *Twilight*. After the Battle of Borealis, the two reconciled their romance and decided to declare the *Unreliable* independent of SpecOperA. Once the ship had gone rogue, the two finally married and Alia joined her husband's military force Anvil.

Three years later, Alia unexpectedly underwent the skin shed that marked the transition to the next stage of her life cycle. Realizing that she would live on long after the ageing Elijah would perish, and unwilling to suffer the pain of losing him again, she took time away from their marriage just before the beginning of Anvil's journey to the Great Wall.

## Biography

### Early Life and Background

The only child of a mavnian scientist, Alia was raised by her mother alone. She knew little of who her "father" was, only that it was a human female; Alia is therefore a human crossbreed, giving her an upper skin layer identical to that of her "father". Her "father" disappeared before Alia was born.

From an early age, Alia became fascinated with the Remnants, seeing them as wondrous and mysterious figures from which all cultures could learn besides adapting their technology. Her parent's position meant Alia faced high expectations from everyone, causing her to chose a career in paleoarchaeology to indulge her interests and to escape the pressures of being the daughter of such a prominent figure. Because of her work, Alia spent most of her time in solitude. Her studies eventually led her to studying the Cosmic Gospel, a Remnant religious doomsday text recovered from the Library beneath the surface of Phobos in the Sol System. In pursuit of her studies, she journeyed to Haven in the Ambrosia Galaxy to investigate a recently unearthed Remnant ruin.

### Assault on Ambrosia

#### The Fall of Haven

As the Scourge began their attack on New London, Alia was heading towards her dig site. She was saved from collapsing debris by musician Alyx Pyrandol, before she saved him in turn with her bioenergenic abilities. Together, they joined Alyx's roommate Elijah and his saviour, sentient AI Hendrix, in commandeering a smuggling vessel to escape Haven. As they escaped into space, the entire planet was overwhelmed by the Scourge as the *Darkened Heaven* returned to deep space.

As the survivors slowly came to terms with what had happened, Alia agreed to remain with the crew on their perilous journey to Amaranthine. As the *Unreliable* was newly christened, Alia decided to use her previous spaceflight experience as the ship's navigator.

## Overview

### Physical Appearance

As a mavnian-human hybrid, Alia possess anatomical and physiological traits of both races. Like all mavnians, she was born genetically mavnian, giving her the same physiological structure as any other member of her race. However, her human genetics have formed an exterior skin surface that closely remembles the texture and tone of a human. Where this upper surface to be damaged or removed, it would expose a layer of metallic skin common to all mavnians.

### Personality

Initially, Alia is very shy, naive and inexperienced. She often prefers to be alone, which is why she spends much of her time on remote digs, unearthing items. Due to a life of social seclusion, she is socially awkward and not good with people, a fault she admits and is proven several times. Nonetheless, she never fails to be loyal, compassionate, brave and cunning.

## Powers, Equipment & Abilities

### Powers

* **Bioenergenics:** Alia was born with bioenergenic abilities that have been honed by decades of training. Her powers have been noticeably weaker since her energy was drained by Hadron on *Twilight*.
	+ **C-energy jets:** Alia's bioenergenics primarily manifest as streams of c-energy that she can launch at opponents.
	+ **Barrier:** When Alia's cortisol levels increase, the E-C deposits in her endocrine system create bioenergenic barriers, dark energy fields that redirect the kinetic motion of hostile objects away from her. This is her primary defensive ability.
	+ **Stasis:** Alia is able to create gravity fields that paralyse her enemies, stopping them in their tracks.

### Equipment

#### Vehicles

* ***Unreliable* 2.0:** Alia serves on the *Unreliable*, an advanced stealth warship captained by Elijah. Like on the first *Unreliable*, Alia serves as chief navigator and command deck coordinator, meaning she manages most of the command crew as well as communications between the different departments. She also served as Executive Officer during Zelphor's brief tenure as the ship's captain.
	+ **Cartography console:** Alia's console links her to V.I.C.T.O.R's database, including the massive star charts assembled by centuries of explorers.

#### Gear

* **Mask:** Alia's biological nature as a full-blood mavnian has given rise to several autoimmune disorders, most notably a form of asthma and a great risk of anaphylaxis. As a result, she is forced to wear a filter mask on most planets.
* **Sleeve:** Like most in the Settled Systems, Alia wears a sleeve, a wrist-mounted multipurpose diagnostic and manufacturing tool. Using the sleeve, Alia can browse the aethernet, assemble schematics, perform advanced calculations, play music, analyse technology and hack computers.

### Abilities

* **Genius-level intellect:** Alia is a passionate and deeply-knowledgeable chemist, cartographer and historian with an advanced education concerning Remnant language, technology and culture. Her years of travelling on starships have made her a consistant and reliable navigator, meaning she often assumes that role on the *Unreliable*.
* **Skilled markswoman:** Although she is not a trained soldier, Alia is a decent markswoman, more than capable of holding her own in a gunfight.
* **Hand-to-hand combat:** Alia is a skilled hand-to-hand fighter who prefers to rely on bioenergenics rather than physical strength.
* **Multilingualism:** Alia has a universal translator in her brain, but she is also able to read the extinct Remnant language.

## Relationships

### Elijah Rayes

Elijah and Alia have a good friendship founded on their shared trauma as a result of the Fall of Haven, their similar inner conflicts, a shared passion surrounding exotic physics, and a shared goal of stopping the Scourge. Elijah and Alia are arguably the two closest members of the crew, other than perhaps Gerren and Kera. They continue to bond during the journey to Sithniatt over their wandering natures and academic interests, having both found a place where they truly belong. When it came time to face the *Darkened Heaven* at the Battle of Nexus Station, the pair found further companionship in one another, solidifying their bond and giving them both a stake in the fight.

Alia was devastated by Elijah's sudden death and almost considered leaving the *Unreliable* as Amphear had. Elijah, meanwhile, was driven to reunite with her upon his resurrection and made a risky deal with Jack Platinum and Ryzen in order to do so. Alia's bond with Elijah was enough for her to deduce that the imposter they had rescued was not the true Elijah, and wept when she was finally reunited with him.

Three years after the Battle of Borealis, Elijah and Alia have finally - and informally - married. However, Alia's subsequent shedding and transition into the second stage of the mavnian life-cycle led to her having doubts about her relationship with Elijah, leading to their separation.

## Appearances

### Hyperspace: The Cosmic Gospel

#### Part I: Darkened Heaven

* "In the Beginning..."
* "The Piece of Junk"
* "Quarantine"
* "Forlorn Hope"
* "Boarding Party"
* "The Green World"
* "Homeworld"
* "Darkened Heaven"

#### Part II: The Battle of Borealis

* "Superluminal"
* "Parabellum"
* "Nomads"
* "Indigo Dawn"
* "Glass"
* "Hadron"
* "War Never Changes"
* "The Battle of Borealis"

#### Part III: Age of the Scourge

* "The Sands of Tethys"
* "Uncharted"
* "Starbridge"

## Trivia

* Alia is the first named mavnian to appear in the *Hyperion* Saga, the other being Schrödinger from *Constellation*.