Netem Samtem

Official portrait of Samtem, circa. 2225

**Professor Netem Samtem** (2159-2283), nicknamed '**The Prof**', was a Tibetan-born politician, historian and academic who was a close associate of Ekrim Tekin and his clone copy for almost a century. Notably, he was thoroughly involved in the cretion of the Human Commonwealth, which many have named him the true archicect of. He is credited with introducing Tekin to the ideas of pan-humanism.

## Early Life

Samtem was born in the city of Shigatse, Tibet, to **Dechen Samtem** (2123-2169), a veteran of the Third World War who initially fought for GUISS before joining the **Glorious Tibetan Resistance**, and **Chesa Tenzin** (2128-2204), a chemist. He had two older sisters, **Ketu** (2154-2261) and **Nima** (2158-2249). Aged only ten, Samtem lost his father due to a motoring accident

In 2178, at the advent of the Declaration of Martial Law, Samtem attained a place at Chengdu University, in GUISS, for a History and Philosphy Degree. He completed the degree and continued his studies with a Master's in Modern Political History, unable to return to Neo-European Tibet due to the new hard border put in place by the two powers.

## Academic Career

Remaining in the Sichuan region, Samtem devoted his time to his continued reseach, and subsequently became a Professor of Modern History at the University of Sichuan. He specialised in the early twenty-first century.

In 2188, Samtem was finally permitted to return to Neo-Europe. He continued to publish his research but did not have an academic position until 2190, when an offer at Cambridge University was made known to him. Recently married, he relocated to Britannia which saw him become a very prominent academic. In 2193 he published an article defending Tekin, comparing his coup to that of Wolfgang von Stuttgart's against the German government, resulting in several news appearances.

## Political Career

Following several more articles and media appearances, Samtem met with Tekin, who appointed him Historical Consultant, an informal position which he simultaneously held while still at Cambridge. However, he began to devote more and more time to this role and resigned from his academic responsibilities; however, at Tekin's urging he was made a Professor Emeritus, allowing him to retain his title and privilege.

### Tekin's Regime

By the early 2200s, Samtem became an integral part of Tekin's regime.

### Post-Tekin

Following Tekin's death, Samtem felt uncomfortable enacting his plans with Tekin of the Human Union under Franz II, who he did not trust. He kept at a distance from him and knew to play the long game, aware of the plans around combining a copy of Tekin's mind with that of a clone body.

When news of Franz's death broke in 2239, Samtem enacted his Contingency Plan, which had been in place for over forty years at this point, put into place to ensure his safety if Tekin ever turned on him. He contacted his network of associates who planted evidence to give the impression he had committed suicide and successfully smuggled him from London into his native Tibet, where, following his instructions in the 2190s, an underground bunker was built for him.

#### In Hiding

Samtem waited. He had one contact from London, Anya Turanova, who fled to Arabia where she awaited orders from Tekingrad. They knew never to contact each other unless there was an emergency.

He spent seventeen years in hiding in his bunker in the Tibetan mountains before the clone copy of Tekin demanded his presence. He lived a peaceful life, rarely leaving the surface and working on his **Second Manifesto for the Future of Humanity**. During this time, Samtem became incredibly frail and was almost blind. Understanding the assignment and using the identity of a fictional Chinese GUISS bureaucrat, he made his way to Lhasa where an escort took him to Arabia.

### Arabia and the Moon Base

In Arabia, he was taken to the Tekinite stronghold where, to his dismay, Tekin was not there. He began to question the whole operation: was the consciousness transferal even successful? Or was this new 'Tekin' simply an elaborate hoax to mislead millions?

'I'm an old man', he told the Tekinites. 'I planned to spend my final years in peace, in my home nation, but instead I have been dragged to some backwater to please some religious fanatics. If the plan worked, I must see the Supreme Marshal myself. We have business to attend to'. The Tekinites agreed and forced him into a car, where they drove deep into the Arabian Desert.

They got out of the car. A Tekinite smiled. 'He is real. But he is not here, but almost four-hundred-thousand miles away. The Moon.'

Samtem laughed. 'The Moon? How was he not detected? This could have destroyed the whole operation.'

'Professor, please. The existence of this second Tekin is no secret. But knowledge of him has created an international diplomatic situation. Fortunately, we have temporary allies in the Arabian and French governments. We must move quickly.' He was forced into a small shuttle, which subsequently took off and made for the Franco-Arab Moon Base. There, he was scanned and subsequently permitted to enter.

[TBA]

## Death

An official statement was released on 20 June 2283 confirming the death of Samtem. The statement read that 'Samtem had died peacefully following an illness brought about due to his advanced age. The Protector would like to express his sincere condolences to the family of one of his dearest friends and allies. He thanks Samtem for his decades of servitude to the causes of the human race, and anticipates his works will continue to be referenced in our long and prosperous future'.

Samtem's illness was not disclosed, but, aged 123 years old, it may have been something relatively minor. He was very frail in later years, but friends insisted he remained mentally in control. A state funeral was held where Protector Tekin made a brief appearance and spoke a few words, but did not attend the full ceremony due to the pressures of the The Soft War.

## Personal Life

Samtem married twice; to his first cousin, Luna (2163-2195) from 2189 to 2195, and to Mirela Sufi (2179-2238) from 2199 to 2231. He had a daughter, Kala (2192-2286) with his first wife and sons with Sufi, Constantine (2208-present) and Juztin (2223-present). All three of his children followed their father into politics and were all close associates of Tekin. Kala perished as a civilian in the Battle of Constantinople while her two half-brothers were on Mars at the time, where they continue to support the Human Commonwealth in their plight against the Domolaki.

Samtem was a polyglot, being fluent in his native Tibetan as well as Hindustani, Mandarin, Russian, Anglisch, Realm English as well as being conversational in Turkish - Tekin's preferred method of communication.

## Legacy

Samtem would grow in importance following his death, and even more so following the Domolaki invasion. With no Tekin to challenge