Kilian De Martelaere

> "Green? Well...so are the rest that comes from Venus. And so will you be. Unless you dislike saxitoxin in your morning coffee."
>
> - Kilian threating classmates with neurotoxin
>
>

## Biography

### Childhood (2101-2113)

Kilian was born 24 August 2101 to Martijn and Vera De Martelaere, Both second generation Venusian, desendent of outcasts from the De Martelaere family. They are first cousins that share the same surname. Incest isn't outlawed on Venus for its population crisis and utter failure as a maintainable colony. The death rate is extraordinarily high on Venus due to its climate, and only very few children survive past the age of 3, Kilian being one of the lucky ones. Communication between Venus outposts is rare and unseen, and trading between them is usually considered a suicide mission. Kilian, therefore, had no real childhood friend to speak of, aside from his household AI Toos.

His household AI, Toos, was the only one Kilian had ever confided in and saw as a friend during his childhood. On the other hand, Toos showed complete support towards all Kilian's early ventures, despite any moral ambiguity. It also only showed such loyalty to Kilian, despite being the designated AI for his entire household.

In spite of his self-induced isolation, Kilian had all the attention he wanted as a child. He was one of six surviving children of the entire NR Noord outpost and the only male child. His own mother, however, secretly resented him, for he was accidentally conceived, and she wanted nothing more to do with Martelaere. Kilian's early talent in chemistry also made her restless. For this reason, she was often seen verbally abusing Kilian. On the other hand, Martijn saw him as a means of reinstating his status with the family, for Saar De Martelaere took an interest in using him as the poster boy for the company's venture toward genetic engineering.

Kilian, on the other hand, despite his young age, knew very well of his parent's schemes and had no interest in being a puppet for Martelaere. When he was 11 years old, Vera died mysteriously of lung cancer, despite having no genetic history, never exposed to Venusian air and being a non-smoker. Martijn was devastated; however, Kilian showed no signs of grief. This created distance between father and son, but Kilian was unaffected by it, having never seen his father as his ally. He was, however, confused by his father's agony.

### Adolesence (2114-2119)

Going into adolescence, Kilian started dating Leonie, a girl close to his age, mostly to get the attention of the outpost elders off his back. In the beginning, he didn't care at all for her. He would rather be in his lab and research different types of poison. During dates, he would nonchalantly listen and nod and maintain appearances while trying to ignore the stares from dwellers walking past. This continued for half a year, and despite everything Leonie did, he never tried to change his act.

One night, Kilian again ignored Leonie's text for their evening walk and stayed home for his research. He was close to a breakthrough and did not want any distraction. Around midnight, he heard a light noise and thought it was his dad coming home from the bar. Soon after, he felt a handkerchief over his face and lost consciousness. When he woke sometime later, he found himself in an exosuit half a kilometre from the outpost, attached to a Landsailing Rover. His suit had an oxygen leak, and the radio wire inside the exohelmet was purposefully severed. For the first time in his life, he cried out in horror. After about half an hour of him fearing for his life and seeing the oxygen meter going close to zero, a waystation started to appear behind the rough terrain. The rover stopped in the meantime, and he crawled inside within an inch of his life. He was found about a day later.

The culprit of the incident was never found; however, Kilian never pressed. He was grateful for his survival and started to gain a new understanding of death. He became more mindful around Leonie and eventually found himself falling for her. He remained awkward and disagreeable, but Leonie never complained, and neither did him of her. Their relationship continued until both of them reached 17.

On his 17th birthday, Leonie fell ill. It was a degenerative genetic disorder unique to Venusian-borns. It was extremely rare for children past age 7, for it usually has a brief incubation period. Kilian was devastated. He finally got a glimpse of his father's agony. The outpost was unfit to provide her treatment, and she would have to be relocated to earth. No one in Venus has the money and resources for such a relocation. Saar was quick to learn about his struggle and offered to save Leonie in exchange for the rest of Kilian's life. He was to be her puppet and do Martelaere's bidding for every step. He accepted.

### Admission to Agrona Interworld Academy (2119)

In 2119, being of age, Saar admitted him into Agrona for further education. She took notice of his talent and was reluctant to see it wasted. On the other hand, Kilian fully saw Saar's indifference towards human lives and secretly plotted to uproot Saar from her throne. With her ears everywhere and Leonie away on earth for treatment, he was again all alone, weary of who he could really trust.