Veronika Nova
Birds of a Feather
NAME: Veronika Nova, Ph.D.
HOMEWORLD: Volik
CURRENT LOCALE: The Beacon of Broadcast - GUIDE Headquarters
FORCE SENSITIVE: Unknown
FACTION: G.U.I.D.E
OCCUPATION: Xenobiologist with a specialty in Xenobotany.
As a xenobiologist, Veronika studies the universe's lifeforms, such as animals, plants, fungi and bacterium. She typically works on ecological projects for the maintenance of several planets biodiversity and in some medical units for G.U.I.D.E. She also serves in extensive field work collecting and recording the more particulars such as information on local businesses, cultures, sovereign rulers, and peoples to be sent back to the Scribes at HQ
With her specialty in Xenobotany, Veronika researches and studies alien plant life. Typically with G.U.I.D.E she spends most of her time in the field rather than at a facility in controlled conditions.
Scholars are often found working in conjunction with Pathfinders and Starnauts. Their duty is that of collecting and recording the more particulars such as information on local businesses, cultures, sovereign rulers, and peoples to be sent back to the Scribes at HQ. Scholars deal more with the local populace of any given planet than Pathfinders and Starnauts and are seen as emissaries of the Guide. Scholars should be well spoken and have good attention to detail.
SPECIES: Lovalla | Varnesh
GENDER: Female
AGE: Young Adult
HEIGHT: 1.85m
WEIGHT: 68kg
EYE COLOR: They change color -- Sometimes lavender, sometimes blue, sometimes grey...
HAIR COLOR: Naturally silvery white | Dyed Red and Indigo
SKIN COLOR: Varies, but generally two toned colour shifting with bright hues and mottled stripes.
APPEARANCE:
As a Varnesh Lovalla from the southern continents, , Veronika is slender with more pronounced markings. These markings can be a combination of thicker and brighter colourings but still can vary based on emotional/hormonal state. As a Varnesh Lovalla, she is more nimble and graceful, prone to contorting her body in the most impressive of ways with exceptional flexibility than a baseline human. Typically she is silvery and blue with mottled stripes. Pink tends to indicate pleasure at meeting a friend or colleague. Brown's and greys are rarely seen and tend to show negative emotions. Deep scarlet is particularly amorous Lovalla and isn't often seen (only one day every four months and they tend to stay out of public view on these days).
Her skin is able to emit a faint glow when particularly strong emotions are felt.
There is a mild level of conscious control over this and those trying to attract a mate are often prone to colourful displays. Veronika, as the brighter of the mated pair sets the baseline for their hue, and Iestyn's color almost always the same hue as her when together, just noticeably less bright.
BEHAVIOR:
Veronika has been considered to be rather aloof in the office and seemingly reserved. This persona changes when on the field, where she becomes more sociable. Her love of field work is apparent by merely observing her in her element.
Like many of her people Veronika sees intellectual pursuits as far more worthy than physical. She is very fond of music and word play, with a distinct joy for riddles. If anyone listens to her speak for long enough they'll start to pick up an almost musical rhythm in her speech patterns.
Veronika also has a love of ballet, lending her grace and flexibility to the art. A fan of the Mon Calamari Opera, she is a patron of the art. She is also a fierce activist in the protection and conservation of threatened and endangered biomes.
However, it is her presentations to the academic community at large that result in her standing apart. It is one of the few times that the Lovalla becomes the epitome of beauty, intelligence, and passion for her field, enhanced by the subtle glow of her stripes.
+ Varnesh Heritage: Racial Traits include being more nimble and graceful, prone to contorting her body in the most impressive of ways with exceptional flexibility than a baseline human. Double Jointed. Highly Intelligent.
+ Gifted with eidetic memory, allowing her to recall images, sounds, or objects in memory after only a few instances of exposure, with high precision for some time after exposure, without using mnemonics.
+ Mated Pair: Empathic Bond between her mated pair as such as to maintain an awareness of the emotional state of her partner even over short distances.
- Lovalla: Has a long reproductive cycle (three years) and are known to only be fertile for one day every four months.
- No Martial Skill: Having evolved without predators they're typically thought of as very placid. They very, very rarely turn to violence with the exception of when a family member is threatened.
- Physiology: Weaker and less robust than a human (an exception is when a mate is under threat, a sudden burst of hormones can make one stronger than a typical human during this period. [roughly double])
- Mated Pair: When kept apart from Iestyn for more than a few days, Veronika will typically start to get short tempered. Sh will then lose her colouring, turning to muted shades of grey and brown. If kept apart for much longer than a week she will start to fall into depression. Following thereafter exhibiting physical symptoms as well such as losing weight and becoming ill.
LIFE MATE: [member="Iestyn Nova"] || Personnel file
Reviewing the holonet commentary on the "Relative warp analysis in determining
sexual dimorphism of Meleagris Kamanis Ciracuse Tegarin Olfertan Connosoris in the Dantooine Plains, Dantooine."
Nova et al once again failed to reference the work of Villiam et al (837). If they had it would perhaps have become apparent that they were drawing incorrect conclusions for a small sample of data.
The Authors find that the review comments of Villiam's team once again seems more preoccupied with attempting to reference their own work than providing constructive criticism. If they had fully understood the paper they would have seen that their qualms are regarding suggestions for future research, not firm conclusions.
If the Authors of the paper wished to make speculations of results, perhaps they should have considered a blog instead of a journal article?
Nova et al would like to request a different review team.
As the only daughter of Alona and Dmitri Nova, Veronika was raised among very loving parents and dotted upon as a child. Alona and Dmitri were at the root of influencing Veronika's wanderlust, both renown academics in their fields of microbiology and Horticulture. Like most Varnesh, Veronika is gifted with eidetic memory, enhancing her already bright mind and ambition in her studies. Of the few times she ever would return to Volik would be to obtain her duel major degree within six years, followed by a seven year doctorate with the Ithorian Priests at the University of Ithor.
Nova traveled all across the galaxy, studying animal life from dozens of different planets. She developed her skills in the fields of Xenobiology, and due to her love of her father's field, Xenobotany, becoming one of the most accomplished scientists in her field. It was during her fellowship with the Ho'Din at the University of Moltok that she first came across the journal articles of Iestyn Villiam, Ph.D.
Her research in the fragile balance between the Gia Moss and the Makeb Gizka was vitally dependent on the research done by Villiam et al on the Makeb Gizka population. The amount of detail, research, and his distinguished career in Xeno-Zoology greatly impressed the Lovalla, resulting in a subsequent following of his academic pursuits and a prolific reading of his scientific papers and journals.
Quietly teased by her best friend ,Tatiana Jy Voe, at her, 'Nerdy Holo-Journal crush', it would be two years before she would be able to meet her fellow academic at a conference she was set to present. Nervous, she made it through the entire affair, only to be disappointed at having missed the opportunity in the chaos of the congratulations that came after. None the less, this was quickly dispelled when she discovered that Villiam's review team would be reviewing one of her articles.
As a Lovalla, her excitement and pleasure was far to easily discerned by her vibrant color changing hues. Rare indeed to have such a distinguished academic provide a peer-reviewed commentary. Nothing would prepare the Xenobiologist for what came next.
Further comprehensive research is still lacking, failing to reference the work of Villiam et al (835), drawing incorrect conclusions for the Gizkanoidae Verdanta...
Veronika was stunned.
At first she placed validity to Villiam's peer-reviewed commentary, resulting in scouring her research for the inconsistencies. However, it would soon become apparent that this was more than met the eye. For the next few months Villiam would often use the Holonet to pick holes in Nova’s published works. This greatly riled up Veronika, who had hoped for some encouragement from a fellow Lovalla with a more distinguished career in the subject. It would seem that the reality of her 'scholarly crush' amounted to nothing more than a presumptuous and rude intelligentsia.
Iestyn Villiam would subsequently earn her vexation through a series of public Holonet commentaries.
Tatania would remark that that she had never seen Veronika so quick to rise to Villiam's remarks. Normally an aloof and reserved individual, Iestyn managed to find the chink in her armor, ruffling her proverbial feathers to the point of brightening the vibrancy of the teal glow of her mottled skin. This spilled over into several conferences where the pair often had public spats during presentations.
It was five years before the root of the matter reared its head, when Iestyn finally admitted how he felt at a conference dinner. The xenobiologists present found the very colourful display rather interesting as Lovalla courtship displays were well documented and rarely seen. The pair turned up to the conference the next day together, sat quietly beside each other and remained a pleasant shade of pink all day. There was much relief from a community who had been expecting this for several years and had grown tired of their bickering.
It took several months for them to find work together. As they grew closer it became increasingly difficult to remain apart as their hormonal systems became codependant. Iestyn turned down a prominent research position in the Core. With Veronika's love of field work it was decided that Iestyn would move into a career more aligned to hers, with the understanding that they'd probably both want a desk job when they were past a hundred anyway. They managed to both get a position at GUIDE together and were permitted to assemble their own team comprised of two postgraduate students, a postdoctoral student and one junior research post.
Iestyn frequently complains that he preferred to study climactic effects from a distance and Veronika pretends this annoys her. In truth she's simply glad to have her life mate with out in the field. They have now been together for five years, following a quite bizarre five year courtship.
HAVE A CAREER IN G.U.I.D.E.
GUIDE
Acronym. Stands for Galactic United Information Database Enclave and refers to the group that oversees and produces the collective articles of The Guide.
The Guide
Refers to the collective of articles and information produced by GUIDE. It comes in the form of a downloadable application that can be used on any datapad. The Guide is available to every galactic citizen by purchase of membership (1 month, 3 months, 6 months, 1 year, 3 year, 5 year, 10 year, or lifetime). It is updated instantaneously as the Guide Scribes work round the clock to provide the most current information recorded by our teams in the field.
Beacon of Broadcast [GUIDE Mobile HQ]
Informally and lovingly referred to as BOB, the Beacon of Broadcast is a large ship that stands as the home and Headquarters of GUIDE and its employ. BOB is generally situated in neutral or friendly territories and moved only out of necessity to maintain neutrality or for the safety of its crew and residents. It was created by Koros Spaceworks as part of the INVESTOR agreement made by Lily Kirsche Kuhn.