Anna Seelya R'Mae, born 1 June 2575 to Selaan and Idoloran R'Mae, Treanni Prefect, Northern Territories, Planet Eesira. At age 5 (keep in mind that the difference between Eesiran years and ours are 3 to 1. One year on Earth is three years on Eesira) Anna is taken under her father's wing and introduced to the Academy at Srebanca. There she is allowed to watch new recruits as their instructors put them through their paces.
"Dun Dun ... what them doin'?" Anna asked.
"Shhh Anna ... just watch."
Today's bouts were a no holds barred competition between masters vying for the opportunity to serve at their masters side during the upcoming re-dedication ceremony for the new hall. Anna watched intently paying close attention to how they moved, countered and strike back at their opponents. She mimicked some of those moves with her hands, noting the smooth almost graceful way in which they were executed. At the end of the bouts when the floor had been cleared and her father otherwise occupied Anna decided she wanted to try some of those moves herself. She didn't notice her father watching out of the corner of his eye.
Stripping down to her shorts and tank top Anna first performed the 'loosening up' exercises her father taught her. Satisfied that she was ready Anna launched into a complex maneuver designed to disable an opponent with as little contact as possible. During a well executed back flip Anna misjudged her proximity to the wall and hit it almost knocking her self out. As it was she saw stars for awhile. Seeing this Idoloran helped Anna to her feet, made sure she wasn't too badly banged up then proceeded to berate her for not paying attention. Anna was near tears, her father had never scolded her in front of anyone before. He then explained to her the reason.
"As my daughter you will one day inherit my title Anna." He said to her. "So you must understand that if I am hard on you it is because I love you and wish you out of harms way. If you are to be my heir then you will train as they do, sleep as they do with one eye open, eat as they do knowing that at any moment someone may try to take what you have."
Anna never forgot those words and in the coming months she trained harder, slept less and ate faster because there were those who did try and Anna was determined that none would succeed and they didn't. At age six, the youngest to do so, Anna won her first masters. It wasn't easy as she had to best three opponents at one time and success is rated by how many of them do not get up after being put down. As many opponents as Anna had to face over the years not one ever got up. They were too busy nursing the many bruises she gave them. At age ten Anna won her fourth and final masters. This was by far the most difficult and deadly because the opponents she would face were real. To earn her degree as a weapons master Anna must face body guards whose sole aim was to kill her, if they could.
A brief note: Idoloran is Eesira's Grand Master and founder of the Assassins Guild. Anna was trained as an assassin by her father and by the time she was eleven had five kills under her belt. Here is where it gets most interesting, I think at least. Before Idoloran met Selaan he was known by quite a different name, synonymous with evil. Today you would liken him to the Devil or Hades or any other character associated with the dark side.
He was known as The Nexus, one the oldest known intelligences in the universe. He came into being some eighteen billion years ago when the universe itself was born. Wherever he went death and destruction followed until one day he came to planet Eesira to do his mischief. There he met Selaan, herself a power to reckon with. Selaan is a research scientist whose specialty is molecular engineering. Her birthright however is a bit more complex.
Everyone is familiar with the concept of Gaia, the Earth Mother or at least the principal. To the Eesir Gaia is a real person who lived on Eesira five million years ago. She too was a scientist and it was her breakthrough in the realm of nano-technology that enabled her to synthesize that technology and incorporate it into their very DNA. Thus the abilities she possessed and passed on down the line come to them naturally.
Selaan is a direct descendant of Gaia having been born under her sign. Anna too was born under that sign and therefore she possesses the same abilities as her mother. However Anna is also Idoloran's daughter or rather the Nexus' daughter and inherited his power as well.
The Nexus met and fell madly in love with Selaan on first sight. He was determined to have her but Selaan was having none of it. she told him flat out that if he wanted her that badly then he must turn around and undo all the harm he had done. At first he balked but when Selaan picked up an iron skillet and hit him over the head with it Nexus quickly backed down. No one had ever stood up to him before let alone hit him with something. He parted from Selaan for a year. During that time he visited all those places where he caused havoc and did his level best to reverse the harm. He rebuilt worlds, made resources freely available to all who needed them, improved the quality of life for countless billions and after all that, when he returned to Eesira and proposed to Selaan she took him so fast his head didn't have time to spin. After all in order to protect her investment she had him followed and knew what he had done.
Satisfied that Anna had mastered all he could teach her as an assassin Idoloran proceeded to teach her all he knew as the Nexus. When that phase of her learning was complete and with Anna comfortable with the power she possessed Idoloran then taught her how 'not' to use it. He instilled in his daughter a great respect for other cultures, to love life and to protect it come what may. Then the time came for Idoloran to take his daughter on the side and explain to her what was about to happen.
to be continued..........
