Celia MacLowan

## Biography

Celia was born on Oxcrown, in 2387, the daughter of wealthy industrialist *Morgan MacLowan*. Traditionally *House MacLowan* was not an original noble family, with more standard Aventis noble houses holding land or territority on Aventis prior to unification under the first Aventis Emperor *Excalis I*.

Celia's father, *Morgan* had been from a labourer family working under *House Windera*, one of the lower noble families under *House Fullex* and had made several successive breakthroughs in improving Aventis sensor design for their vessels, replacing the antiquated *Light Detection and Ranging (LIDAR) system* with *High-Resolution Optical Scanners*.

These technologies had made *Morgan MacLowan* exceedingly rich and caught the attention of *Alfrin Rumania*, the powerful head of *House Rumania* and father to future Emperor *Ginwald I*. *Alfrin* petitioned Emperor *Tavus V* who was also a member of *House Rumania*, to formally make *House MacLowan* a noble family for services to the Empire.

*Tavus V* agreed to give patronage to *House MacLowan* and the House was officially recognised by the Aventis Empire, much to the disgust of both *House Fullex* and *House Telkana* who saw this *promotion* of commoners as a threat to their aristocratic heritage.

This unfortunate history was passed on to *Morgan's* daughter Celia when she attended the prestigious *Penda I Imperial Academy*. Being the only daughter to *Morgan MacLowan*, Celia was expected to be married off for political advantage with the other Houses. However this proved impossible when she broke the nose of her visiting suitor from *House Fraltis* after he propositioned her.

*House Fraltis* saw this as a sign of *low breeding*, claiming that a low-born family could never ascend to the Aventis nobility and that *Morgan's* lack of discipline and *commoner ways* were polluting his children.

As a result of this, Celia managed to convince her father, at the age of 14, to enrol at the *Penda I Imperial Academy*, the most pretigious Imperial military school on Aventis Prime.

Her time at the academy proved to be extremely difficult as she was only one of two females attending the school, as female military involvement, although technically allowed since the time of *Penda I*, was strongly discouraged and still somewhat taboo in Aventis society.

Despite the constant harrassment and bullying from her peers and teachers, who were eager to see her fail, Celia excelled in her military training, becoming a skilled combatant with Aventis swords, as well as an exceptional fighter pilot. When interviewed later in her life about the experience, she claimed that she had been inspired by *Penda I*, *The Queen of Iron* and wanted to be the role model to other girls that *Penda I* was to her.

After graduating, *Morgan MacLowan*, who had always been a supportive and loving father passed away due to heart complications and her brother *Merwald* took the leadership of *House MacLowan*, declaring his sister to be a *freak* and refusing her from attending her father's funeral on Oxcrown. In reality, *Merwald* had always been jealous of his sister's success and was worried that she would challenge him for the leadership of *House MacLowan* as secretly, *Morgan* had named Celia as his successor on his deathbed.

Cut off from her family, Celia served aboard the *A.V.S. Canterburos*, an Aventis Bastion Class and quickly distinguished herself as a formidable pilot during *Dunnira I'*s invasion of the Rothian Union, following the end of the *Roth/Strategos War*.

Despite doing her duty, Celia objected to the invasion as it seemed *dishonorable*, a concept that was supposed to be at the core of Aventis society. However she had also taken a vow to serve the Emperor and felt that refusing his orders would dishonor her name and her families, who she still cared deeply about, despite her exile.

When Ginwald I ascended the throne after *Dunnira I*  was assassinated, Celia had the honor of flying the boy Emperor to the *A.V.S. Canterburos*. In awe of her strength, Ginwald asked her why she was not a higher rank in the Aventis military, to which she responded that woman were not allowed to be military leaders but she was at least doing her duty for the Empire.

Impressed with her answer, Ginwald I later contacted her regarding the *Aventis-Commonwealth Officer Exchange Program*, a project laid out in *The Trident Pact* which was signed in December 2420. Believing that Celia could showcase the *best of his Empire*, Ginwald encouraged Celia to participate. Unable to refuse the direct request of her Emperor, Celia agreed and was assigned to the U.S.S. Normandy (NCC-61944-A) under Fleet Admiral Leogryn Romeli.

In February 2421, Celia was appointed *Empress* of the Aventis Empire in February 2421, when *House Telkana* travelled to *S.S. Trident*, attempting to get United Commonwealth of Planets support in appointing a new leader after the supposed abduction of *Emperor Ginwald I*. Beliving *House Telkana* to be untrustworthy and knighted as an *Adjudicator* by the *Aventis High Council*, Sky Marshal Leogryn Romeli appointed *Celia* as *Ginwald's* successor since *Celia* had been giving the *Sword of Excalis*, recovered from Wightnare, by the crew of the U.S.S. Claidheamh Mòr, by *Ginwald* to keep it hidden within the *Commonwealth*, posing as an exchange officer.

## The Reign of MacLowan

Despite being from a small house, Celia proved to be an effective empress of the Aventis Empire, skilfully navigating the politics of the *Aventis High Council* and dealing with numerous plots and political intrigue at home.

In October 2421, Celia successfully mounted a defence against the invasion of Aventis (Aventis II) with General Sylveris Lunamonde of the U.S.S. Claidheamh Mòr, routing the enemy from Aventis space.

However when the U.S.S. Normandy (NCC-61944-A) returned to Aventis Prime with the rescued Ginwald I, who had been held on Throne of Umojas (Umojan Prime) since his abduction, Celia shocked the entire crew by personally murdering the boy, claiming an ancient Aventis law to prevent herself from giving the throne back to Ginwald.

Almost immediately after, it was revealed that MacLowan had made a deal with both House Telkana and *House Fullex* to reduce the influence of *House Rumania,* to ensure there would be limited fallout in the wake of Ginwald's death. Celia also used the U.S.S. Claidheamh Mòr to intimidate her dissenters into compliance, making her undisputed ruler of the Aventis Empire.

In 2431, Celia gave birth to twins, Osgar and Hild MacLowan.

## Death

While arriving in the Omega Quadrant, Celia was aboard the *A.V.S. Oxenaforda*, her personal Aventis Bastion Class vessel and demanded that *President Aaru Dedef’ti* hand over both the refugees from *New Roth* and Sovereign (S921/OV) for both committing crimes of terrorism against the Empire.

With the blessing of *President Aaru Dedef’ti* and The Shadow Commonwealth, the U.S.S. Thunderchild launched a daring rescue of their captain while also sabotaging their Aventis Coaxial Warp Drive, making Celia's death look like an accident, with the hope that the Aventis would fracture into civil war between Celia's children without *Empress MacLowan.*

However the sabotage of the *Coaxial Warp Drive* actually had a secondary effect, transporting both half of the *Oxenaforda* and the U.S.S. Thunderchild to 2 million lightyears outside of the Black Eye Galaxy.

There, while in a race against time and each other to repair their ships, Celia revealed that she had become an "*Agent of the Spirit of the Abyss"*, infected with *Radical Isotopes*, allowing the Abyss some level of control over her. Celia had known about the abyss for some time and attempted to expand her empire to stop it but had unwillingly become subservient to it following her exposure to radical isotopes.

The U.S.S. Thunderchild successfully managed to escape while the remains of the *Oxenaforda* were consumed by an Old One of unknown origin.

## Legacy

Despite her fall, which later became public knowledge through the actions of her daughter, *Empress Hild I,* Celia has remained one of the most renowned rulers of the Empire. Not born into wealth and in a disadvantaged position due to her gender and family status, Celia thrived to become a trusted confident of both the Aventis Empire and the Galactic Commonwealth. It is believed that her *"insanity"*, as her rule during The Dark Ages led to her being referred to as *"Celia the Mad"*, was caused by her contact with the *Radical Isotopes* of the Spirit of the Abyss, which allowed the Abyss to manipulate her.

After The Abyss War, Celia has been recontextualised as a *"True Queen"* and a good ruler, something was championed by her daughter who is also considered herself to be the most esteemed female ruler since Penda I.