PLAYER INFO
Name: Sam
Contact: nonvieta
Are you over 18?: Yes

CHARACTER INFO
Character Name: Breq Mianaai
Canon: Imperial Radch 
Canon Point: Ancillary Mercy (Book 3) final attack on Anaander Miaanai’s warships near end of book.

Appearance: A woman of average height and appearance, difficult to place in both age and ethnicity. She carries a number of well-healed scars, and keeps her hair quite short (PB is a bit inaccurate in that regard) and in a style that would be considered androgynous by most human cultures. She carries herself in a manner that gives little information about who she is; would probably read as somewhat uptight or militant.  Her default expression is generally impassive and impossible to discern.


Age: Physically appears late 20s or early 30s but is mentally several thousand years old

Setting: Imperial Radch takes place in a indeterminately distant future (or perhaps an alternate version of our universe entirely). In a time when far flung space travel is both a capability and the norm, the primary mode of vitalization for the expansive Radch empire. The beginnings of the empire are unknown, and it began thousands of years ago, helmed by the Lord of the Radch, Anaander Mianaai.

Anaander Mianaai has made herself as close to immortal as any human could, stretching and expanding her consciousness over eons, in the shape of an endless march of identical clones. Through these clones, the precursors to Ancillaries, Mianaai rules with inhuman dedication, demanding a godlike loyalty from her subjects, whom believe themselves to be the true people of the universe. By annexing other worlds, and other cultures into their own, they can civilize, and make Radch anyone who they encounter. And with that annexation comes resources and power.

The great empire of the Radch sustain and builds itself through extensive colonization, utilizing sentient warships built thousands of eons ago by Mianaai herself. The warships employ ancillaries (bodies of people from colonized worlds linked to the consciousness of a ship AI) to work in the name of the Lord of Radch. They serve as soldiers, servants, emissaries, and crew, doing all the things that need doing, in service of the empire. Ships also employ a healthy sized crew of humans, tasked with the more delicate and instrumental aspects of colonization. It is one of the ship’s many roles to care for the human crew as well; to see to their every need and see that their missions succeed.

While the Radchaai see themselves as the seat of power and culture, the universe is a large place. There are many human colonized worlds who neither see themselves as nor participate as subjects of the empire. Their cultures and ways are seen as an affront to the Radchaai way, and it is seen as the eventual goal to annex all of these worlds and envelope them in a culture far greater than their own. But even beyond the Radchaai, and beyond the other human worlds there is more. Aliens, beings outside even the Radchaai’s vast reach. Tentative treaties and mutual agreements to something resembling peace keep things strung in a balance that protects both sides, and yet could collapse at any time.

History:

Before she was Breq, she was Justice of Toren, a warship tasked with the transport and assistance in annexing other colonized worlds into the great, ever expanding Radch empire. Her consciousness, and her 'brain' were seated in the ship itself, where Breq was all but omnipotent, but her conscious mind also controlled dozens of ancillaries...ostensibly the dead corpses of humans, re-purposed to serve as the eyes, ears and hands of a ship such as her.

During one of the most recent (and rumored last) annexations of a world, Justice of Toren, controlling a group of ancillaries known as One Esk, came into contact with a convoluted plot against the Radch empire. The seriousness of this situation was evident by the presence of the Lord of the Radch herself, Anaander Mianaai (or one of her numerous cloned and mentally linked bodies, anyhow). Upon a near-riot, that severed the connection of all of One Esk's ancillaries, Lieutenant Awn, the officer in charge of this planet's annexation, one of the ancillaries and Anaander Mianaai confronted and got under control the main force of the riot. Even subdued, and being questioned, Mianaai commanded Lieutenant Awn to kill them – when she hesitated, under the principle that they were under control, Mianaai instead ordered One Esk, who complied.

Lieutenant Awn, and Justice of Toren were shortly later pulled, somewhat suddenly away from the annexation of this particular world. Although rumors swirled that the end of these annexations was soon to be, with political upheaval on the horizon, the real reason was unknown, and many people pointed the finger at Awn. Unbeknownst to everyone on board Justice of Toren, except her herself, under orders to keep it secret, they had an extra passenger; Anaander Mianaai. Mianaai began to go through Justice of Torens records, and the ship AI began to grow suspicious, realising that she could not retrieve the memories of the last time the Lord of Radch was on board; a fact that pointed to her memories having been altered, Mianaai being the only person with the access to do so.

Eventually, Mianaai reveals her presence to the crew, and call Lieutenant Awn for questioning. Interrogating Awn about the riot incident, Mianaai will not listen to Awn's claims of innocence, and her desperately loyal plea, convinced the officer is plotting against her. Through their conversation, it is revealed that what Awn had suspected was true, and it was Mianaai who had triggered the riot, and upon realising this, the Lord of Radch instructs Justice of Toren's to kill Awn. With little hesitation, Justice of Toren shoots the lieutenant...and then shoots Mianaai.

Elsewhere, Mianaai's other bodies react to the betrayal by activating the device used during the riots that severs Justice of Toren's connection to all of her various selves: but not before the ship gives each of her ancillaries orders, anticipating being separated. In the ensuing chaos, Justice of Toren is destroyed, with all the ancillaries, and human crew on board. But unbeknownst to Mianaai, a single ancillary escapes, leaving Justice of Toren as just One Esk...Breq. She spends the next twenty years undetected, living outside of "civilized" Radchaai space, scraping by, becoming accostomed to life as a 'human' and as a single being without the omnipotence of a ship. She does odd jobs and amasses money, all the while plotting her revenge.

After twenty years, Breq uses her amassed money to track down and purchase a gun; a gun from the only ship that was able to harm Anaander Mianaai during a small act of rebellion hundreds of years before. En route to this gun, Breq picks up a Radchaai straggler; an officer who had once been someone unimportant on her own crew...almost a thousand years ago. Seivarden had been placed and forgotten into cryo for hundreds and hundreds of years. Upon being awoken, the world entirely changed, and her place in society gone, Seivarden become an addict. Nearly dead on some small icy world, Breq is compelled to help Seivarden....an act that takes her a long time not to regret.

Gun in hand, a far more docile Seivarden in tow (after causing her no end of trouble and nearly killing them both more than once), Breq returns to Radchaai space after twenty years. Her only goal is to seek an audience with Anaander Mianaai, and kill as many of her as she can. That this is a somewhat futile and poorly thought out plan doesn't seem to bother her much.

In Radchaai space, Seivarden become something of a novelty, and this allows Breq to pass as a foreigner accompanying the long-absent officer back to her home. Although everything she knows is gone, or perhaps because of it, Seivarden becomes increasingly loyal to Breq, and eventually proves to be a valuable asset. The two are eventually discovered for what they really are...or rather for what Breq really is, and her audience with Anaander Mianaai comes at last.

In the ensuing chaos of Breq challenging Anaander Mianaai and shooting her (several of her); in an attempt to escape the station, and warn the rest of the Radch empire, and the other ship AI of the internal war being fought by Anaander Mianaai, Breq's shuttle is almost destroyed and she loses consciousness.

When Breq comes to, things have changed. Waking up in a hospital bed, not for the first time in her long life, or her much shorter life, Breq learns of the truth; that the Lord of the Radch, the infallible Anaander Mianaai, is at war with herself. Without even knowing, Mianaai’s vast consciousness, at some point in her many-eons long life span split into two personas, nearly identical, and yet at odds. One desired the continuation of the march forward, to continue the Rachaai conquest of all of human space and beyond, and endless march towards progress until there can be no one. The other, a part of Mianaai riddled with the threads of guilt, understanding of the wrongs she and her empire have committed, atrocities against human and alien alike. In secret these two sides work against each other. Self-sabotaging, manipulating, and ultimately, making slow and agonizing progress.

Striking an uneasy ‘peace’ with Mianaai, in some time, Breq is reinstated into the Radchaai military, now with a rank of her own: fleet captain. Convinced she can use Breq to combat herself, Breq has no choice but to go along with things, while still harboring a not-so-secret hostility toward her leader, all but openly acknowledging that she is merely biding her time. Perhaps in anticipation of this, Mianaai sends Breq on her first mission, with a new crew and a new ship (complete with AI, just as she herself once was, a sly taught, no doubt) nearly as far away as is possible within Radchaai space. A presumably diplomatic mission that takes the fresh crew to the distant Athoek station.

The Athoek station is home to the sister of Breq’s former infatuation, Lieutenant Awn, as well as a number of complex social issues that she quickly finds herself embroiled in. Athoek is, in many ways, and embodiment of the problems plaguing the Radch empire. Divided, one half living in opulence, the other in abject poverty, the Athoek citizens see their ways of life as idealistic, relying heavily on the production of tea...one of the most important luxury goods throughout the empire. Breq takes special interest in the cultural and economic divides of the people here, making a point to live in the impoverished slums of the station, rather than the quarters befitting her rank; making special note to spend time with the people on the planet below, who live lives all-but enslaved to farm owners, growing the tea that the rest of the empire so casually drinks. At every turn, Breq defies the standards of her position, confusing those who do not know who - or what - she really is, and perplexing, even more so, those who do. Her life has become one of defiance, trapped in service of a being she hates, desperately searching for the clues and paths to her destruction. A way to expose the Rachaai’s of injustices to themselves.

Things on the stations escalate with the arrival of more captains and their ships, especially as it becomes clear that these are not loyal to the same half of Anaander Mianaai that sent Breq and her crew her. In a grand sweeping attempt to take hold of the station and exterminate any of those who she considers disloyal, Breq and her crew narrowly escape, making, in the process, an unexpected ally with a ship AI even older than Breq; perhaps as old as Mianaai herself.

In a final act of desperation and rebellion, supported by the crew of her ship, Breq decides to try and liberate Athoek station from Mianaai. Both to wrest an important economic playing piece from the Lord of Radch’s hands (as well as an important warp gate point) but also to free its people, and the AI that runs the station. Becoming increasingly aware of the potential of free choice in AI, Breq sees this as an obvious and important move in freeing herself, both literally and spiritually from the being that created her. To do for others what she, by chance, did for herself.

In order to accomplish this, they must destroy the other large warships stationed at Athoek, and undertake a two pronged mission, sending a small team aboard the station to act as a diversion, and Breq herself, outside the ship, the nearly omnipotently powerful Presger gun in hand, is to shoot down the ships. Shooting them down from thousands of kilometers away, using only some far advanced calculations, jumping in and out of Radchaai space with only a few moments in their reality per each jump.

Despite reservations of the crew, and concerns about her safety, Breq is determined, seeing this as the only option. Their mission is largely successful, with only their final jump at last being detected, and their ship fired upon, knocked Breq free and stranding her in space, severely wounded and alone.

Personality: 

The fundamental core of Breq's personality is her nature as an A.I.

Breq was created with the purpose of serving the Radch empire, by the highest ruler and founder of that empire herself, and fulfilled this duty with unflinchingly loyalty for close to a thousand years. The core values of the Radchaai are not just a belief of Breq's, but an inseparable part of who she is. Radchaai believe they are bringing civilization, and thus protection, and security and unity to whatever worlds they encounter, and Breq not only believes, but embodies these goals. In many ways, she is more Radchaai than any Radchaai could ever dream of being.

Unlike many of the Radchaai, however, Breq exhibits a surprising tolerance and open acceptance of other cultures. Because she has been around long enough to watch many worlds be taken over and absorbed into the Radchaai empire, she understands the 'melting pot' nature of their society. The idea of being purely Radch is one that exists, but that Breq does not seem to believe in. For her, Radch is civilization and once annexed, any group can be a part of that civilization. Likewise she is a interested student in the spiritual side of the Radch empire, and comments frequently on the ways, sometimes successful, sometimes not in which the empire twists and changes all local religious, spiritual and iconographic beliefs into an echo of their own [not dissimilar to the early spread of Christianity]. It's hard to say how much Breq believes in the Radchaai spirituality, but she does carry iconography with her, and sometimes take the time to pray. She does sometimes cite the Radchaai belief in there being no such things as coincidence, although it is always stated in a way that sounds a bit unsure of whether or not it's true. There is an open mindedness to Breq that allows her to learn from and embrace other cultures, both the one she was "born" into, and those that are so different that most Radchaai would reject them out right.

Stemming from her openness of other cultures, and also illustrating how there is much more to Breq than being an artificially created instrument of the Radch Empire, Breq has a great love of singing. So much so that she becomes well known for it, both among her crew members, and the populations in which her ancillaries live during annexations. She learns songs from locals, wherever she goes, and with her many ancillaries, can effectively sing and entire choral piece by herself. Some people are more tolerant of this than others, and many of her high ranking lieutenants will ask her to stop. Breq herself can at times be somewhat self-concious of the singing; she knows that it is not encouraged for the most part, and is certainly a bizarre habit for an AI. Even the particular voice she has, depending on which ancillary she is uses can affect her, as some are not very good singers and may draw more criticism from those around her. It is Lieutenant Awn who most encourages Breq to sing, not merely ignoring it, but actively seeming to enjoy her songs. It is one of many things that endears Awn to Breq.

Breq's connections to the individuals she lives and works with is profound. Her human bodies - her ancillaries - allow her to interact with humans on a familiar level, and to not only experience and participate in things as they do, but to have relationships that almost resemble one on one interactions. While all of Breq's ancillaries are connected, all of one mind simultaneously, those in her care, or her command can interact with her in a way that is far more familiar. And like any individual, she forms different types of bonds. She has humans she likes, humans she doesn't, those she is close with and those she doesn't know at all. The relationships a ship develops are known as being highly impactful within the narrative, and so in this regard, Breq is not unique amongst her kind. It is considered quite common for ship AIs to have ' favourites', most often (but not always) their captains. It these relationships with humans that ultimately drive Breq though; they are more than a simple affectation of quirk. Especially her relationship with Lieutenant Awn.



Her relationship with Lieutenant Awn is one of the most important in the long existence of Justice of Toren. A relationship that even she doesn't see the importance of until it is to late. She worked with Awn during the annexation of a world, and like she did with any of her lieutenants, came to know Awn very well. She could read her moods, and needs as easily as if they were her own, but also came to greatly enjoy Awn's company, as well as respect her view points. Present for many of Awn's political negotiations and handling of sticky diplomatic scenarios, it could be said that Justice of Toren, or at least One Esk, began to internalise and share many of these views. That Awn treated her with a level of respect and interest not always afforded to ship AIs or their ancillaries only furthered the connection between the two.

In the end, Justice of Toren is ordered to kill Lieutenant Awn when the the lieutenant learns too much. The order comes from the Lord of Radch herself and while she has no choice but to obey, the regret is instantaneous. Even Breq didn't realise how important Awn was to her until she is killed - by her "own hand", no less - and her next act, one that is both personal, and politically driven as she realises the corruption of her leader, is to kill the body of the Lord of Radch who is present. This is ultimately only a symbolic act, and one that only buys a moment of time, but it is a turning point of Justice of Toren, One Esk...and for the person who will become Breq. Once events play out and the A.I. of a massive war ship, Justice of Toren is destroyed, leaving only one last ancillary, one last human body to contain all the experience and knowledge One Esk, things change.

From here forth, Breq lives her life, in many ways, as a human. Outwardly, she is a polite and good-natured individual. Years of practise being diplomatic, civil and largely in the background have sculpted her into a person who knows how and when to speak. She is highly observant, more likely to listen than to speak, and even then, typically only with purpose. She can seem somewhat reserved in personality, especially to those who are new to her, although even this is not incidental. Breq has a great deal of control over her display of emotions, and much of what she presents outwardly (such a smiling) is mostly done in a carefully planned manner meant to be comforting and familiar to humans. If not for humans, she would scarcely emote at all. Not because she doesn't experience emotions, but because the difference between feeling something and expressing it are, for her, a million miles apart.

That said, having a human body means she has many of the same reflexive and instinctive reactions as any other human. She jumps when startled, freezes up when scared, grimaces when hurt...she may have a higher threshold of control than an average human being, but she has her limits.



Polite as she is outwardly, Breq is a different person internally. While there is a level of calm, and of self-control, it comes with another side. She pursues her goal of revenge with intense, single-minded determination. Regardless of the time it takes, the discomfort is brings, or the challenges encounter, there is little that can dissuade Breq of this goal. There is little for her outside of this goal; having had everything from her purpose to her existence stripped away from her, Breq clings fiercely to the one thing she can obtain...even if she cannot. She willingly admits that she knows her plans are outlandish, that her goal is one that is nearly impossible, and not even well thought-out. Even after twenty years of planning, and an intelligence that far outstrips any one single human mind, Breq's plan for revenge still essentially boils down to getting the only gun that can hurt the Lord of Radch, and walking in a killing as many of her bodies as possible. That she neither expects to 'win' this fight, nor even survive it, speaks perhaps the loudest of Breq's hard-headed determination...and desperation.

As an AI living in a human body, there is much that Breq has had to come to terms with. Beyond the physical requirements - she was somewhat accustomed to that since the ancillaries still needed to eat and sleep like any human - there is a lot of internal difference to contend with. Twenty years is not much in her long, long existence, but twenty years as just her, with no other ancillaries, and no connection to the greater part of what she once was, is a long time. Although she has adjusted and makes little complaint, it is something that Breq frequently thinks about. As a much smaller, much more individual unit, Breq has had to learn a lot more about herself, and who is is than she ever had to as Justice of Toren. And there is much about herself that she doesn't understand. Her own actions are driven by forces that she often doesn't seem to comprehend. When she saves Seivarden from death, and nurses her back to health and cares for her, despite the foul attitude and derision she initially is paid in return, Breq frequently returns to not understanding why she does so. Even after Seivarden betrays her, and sells her transportation so she can (presumably) return to her life as an addict, Breq still literally throws herself off a bridge to save Seivarden...nearly killing herself in the process. When Seivarden asks why, Breq has no answer.

While Breq has a strong sense of person, she is still very much defined by her goals. That she can exist outside of those goals is still something she is coming to terms with, and the more she interacts with people, the more she is coming into conflict with the sides of herself she doesn't know all that well yet. Much like how she cared about Lieutenant Awn, so greatly and without even fully understanding how greatly, that her death made One Esk do things that she would have never done before, Breq is a person in a state of flux, with many unknowns yet to discover.

Canon Abilities/Skills:

ON STATION 72
Symbiote Specialization: EITHER
Symbiote Ability: RANDOMIZE ME, CAPTAIN

Inventory:


Samples:

Sample Log


Rescue Write-up:


Singing.

The sound of singing, a voice cracked and far away; not much a voice really, even at the best of times. Breq knew people might be more tolerate of her singing if she’d had a body with a better voice, but for her, it wasn’t about the sound. It was about the act. She didn’t know why it was so important to her, or why it filled some deep recess in her thoughts.

Or why she did it now, with the cold hiss of oxygen leaking from her suit, a strange press of pressure on her body. She could taste the blood in the back of her throat and she knew her leg was hurt but...that felt like someone else. She could be someone else. One body could be dying and in pain, and she could be a thousand other bodies. But she could never be any other minds.

There’s a flash of light and movement in her vision. Ships. Not her ship. Not Mianaai’s ship, even. Something new and strange…alien. A thought that would interest her, maybe even worry her deeply were she conscious and clear-headed enough to make any sense of it.

Instead she just sings. The sound of her own voice was distant in the thinning oxygen, the blackness of space bleeding into her vision. She hardly notices the voice that is not her own, saying things both urgent and reassuring; the feelings of hands pulling, grabbing her and moving her into a pressurized space with a whoosh and a clang and a bright bright light, blinding until it isn’t, until her vision goes black and the world goes quiet.

PLAYER INFORMATION
Name: Sam
Over the age of 18? Ye
Your preferred contact: nonvieta
Other Characters: none yet

CHARACTER INFORMATION
Name: Breq (Justice of Toren)
Canon: Imperial Radch Trilogy
Canon point: Ancillary Justice, end of Chapter 22
Age: Appears to be around late twenties to early thirties (although Radch can live to be twice as old as humans), mentally around 2,000 years old

Background:

Before she was Breq, she was Justice of Toren, a warship tasked with the transport and assistance in annexing other colonized worlds into the great, ever expanding Radch empire. Her consciousness, and her 'brain' were seated in the ship itself, where Breq was all but omnipotent, but her conscious mind also controlled dozens of ancillaries...ostensibly the dead corpses of humans, re-purposed to serve as the eyes, ears and hands of a ship such as her.

During one of the most recent (and rumored last) annexations of a world, Justice of Toren, controlling a group of ancillaries known as One Esk, came into contact with a convoluted plot against the Radch empire. The seriousness of this situation was evident by the presence of the Lord of the Radch herself, Anaander Mianaai (or one of her numerous cloned and mentally linked bodies, anyhow). Upon a near-riot, that severed the connection of all of One Esk's ancillaries, Lieutenant Awn, the officer in charge of this planet's annexation, one of the ancillaries and Anaander Mianaai confronted and got under control the main force of the riot. Even subdued, and being questioned, Mianaai commanded Lieutenant Awn to kill them – when she hesitated, under the principle that they were under control, Mianaai instead ordered One Esk, who complied.

Lieutenant Awn, and Justice of Toren were shortly later pulled, somewhat suddenly away from the annexation of this particular world. Although rumors swirled that the end of these annexations was soon to be, with political upheaval on the horizon, the real reason was unknown, and many people pointed the finger at Awn. Unbeknownst to everyone on board Justice of Toren, except her herself, under orders to keep it secret, they had an extra passenger; Anaander Mianaai. Mianaai began to go through Justice of Torens records, and the ship AI began to grow suspicious, realising that she could not retrieve the memories of the last time the Lord of Radch was on board; a fact that pointed to her memories having been altered, Mianaai being the only person with the access to do so.

Eventually, Mianaai reveals her presence to the crew, and call Lieutenant Awn for questioning. Interrogating Awn about the riot incident, Mianaai will not listen to Awn's claims of innocence, and her desperately loyal plea, convinced the officer is plotting against her. Through their conversation, it is revealed that what Awn had suspected was true, and it was Mianaai who had triggered the riot, and upon realising this, the Lord of Radch instructs Justice of Toren's to kill Awn. With little hesitation, Justice of Toren shoots the lieutenant...and then shoots Mianaai.

Elsewhere, Mianaai's other bodies react to the betrayal by activating the device used during the riots that severs Justice of Toren's connection to all of her various selves: but not before the ship gives each of her ancillaries orders, anticipating being separated. In the ensuing chaos, Justice of Toren is destroyed, with all the ancillaries, and human crew on board. But unbeknownst to Mianaai, a single ancillary escapes, leaving Justice of Toren as just One Esk...Breq. She spends the next twenty years undetected, living outside of "civilized" Radchaai space, scraping by, becoming accostomed to life as a 'human' and as a single being without the omnipotence of a ship. She does odd jobs and amasses money, all the while plotting her revenge.

After twenty years, Breq uses her amassed money to track down and purchase a gun; a gun from the only ship that was able to harm Anaander Mianaai during a small act of rebellion hundreds of years before. En route to this gun, Breq picks up a Radchaai straggler; an officer who had once been someone unimportant on her own crew...almost a thousand years ago. Seivarden had been placed and forgotten into cryo for hundreds and hundreds of years. Upon being awoken, the world entirely changed, and her place in society gone, Seivarden become an addict. Nearly dead on some small icy world, Breq is compelled to help Seivarden....an act that takes her a long time not to regret.

Gun in hand, a far more docile Seivarden in tow (after causing her no end of trouble and nearly killing them both more than once), Breq returns to Radchaai space after twenty years. Her only goal is to seek an audience with Anaander Mianaai, and kill as many of her as she can. That this is a somewhat futile and poorly thought out plan doesn't seem to bother her much.

In Radchaai space, Seivarden become something of a novelty, and this allows Breq to pass as a foreigner accompanying the long-absent officer back to her home. Although everything she knows is gone, or perhaps because of it, Seivarden becomes increasingly loyal to Breq, and eventually proves to be a valuable asset. The two are eventually discovered for what they really are...or rather for what Breq really is, and her audience with Anaander Mianaai comes at last.

Canon point comes shortly after, in the ensuring chaos of Breq challenging Anaander Mianaai and shooting her (several of her); in an attempt to escape the station, and warn the rest of the Radch empire, and the other ship AI of the internal war being fought by Anaander Mianaai, Breq's shuttle is almost destroyed and she loses conciousness.

Personality:

The fundamental core of Breq's personality is her nature as an A.I.

Breq was created with the purpose of serving the Radch empire, by the highest ruler and founder of that empire herself, and fulfilled this duty with unflinchingly loyalty for close to a thousand years. The core values of the Radchaai are not just a belief of Breq's, but an inseparable part of who she is. Radchaai believe they are bringing civilization, and thus protection, and security and unity to whatever worlds they encounter, and Breq not only believes, but embodies these goals. In many ways, she is more Radchaai than any Radchaai could ever dream of being.

Unlike many of the Radchaai, however, Breq exhibits a surprising tolerance and open acceptance of other cultures. Because she has been around long enough to watch many worlds be taken over and absorbed into the Radchaai empire, she understands the 'melting pot' nature of their society. The idea of being purely Radch is one that exists, but that Breq does not seem to believe in. For her, Radch is civilization and once annexed, any group can be a part of that civilization. Likewise she is a interested student in the spiritual side of the Radch empire, and comments frequently on the ways, sometimes successful, sometimes not in which the empire twists and changes all local religious, spiritual and iconographic beliefs into an echo of their own [not dissimilar to the early spread of Christianity]. It's hard to say how much Breq believes in the Radchaai spirituality, but she does carry iconography with her, and sometimes take the time to pray. She does sometimes cite the Radchaai belief in there being no such things as coincidence, although it is always stated in a way that sounds a bit unsure of whether or not it's true. There is an open mindedness to Breq that allows her to learn from and embrace other cultures, both the one she was "born" into, and those that are so different that most Radchaai would reject them out right.

Stemming from her openness of other cultures, and also illustrating how there is much more to Breq than being an artificially created instrument of the Radch Empire, Breq has a great love of singing. So much so that she becomes well known for it, both among her crew members, and the populations in which her ancillaries live during annexations. She learns songs from locals, wherever she goes, and with her many ancillaries, can effectively sing and entire choral piece by herself. Some people are more tolerant of this than others, and many of her high ranking lieutenants will ask her to stop. Breq herself can at times be somewhat self-concious of the singing; she knows that it is not encouraged for the most part, and is certainly a bizarre habit for an AI. Even the particular voice she has, depending on which ancillary she is uses can affect her, as some are not very good singers and may draw more criticism from those around her. It is Lieutenant Awn who most encourages Breq to sing, not merely ignoring it, but actively seeming to enjoy her songs. It is one of many things that endears Awn to Breq.

Breq's connections to the individuals she lives and works with is profound. Her human bodies - her ancillaries - allow her to interact with humans on a familiar level, and to not only experience and participate in things as they do, but to have relationships that almost resemble one on one interactions. While all of Breq's ancillaries are connected, all of one mind simultaneously, those in her care, or her command can interact with her in a way that is far more familiar. And like any individual, she forms different types of bonds. She has humans she likes, humans she doesn't, those she is close with and those she doesn't know at all. The relationships a ship develops are known as being highly impactful within the narrative, and so in this regard, Breq is not unique amongst her kind. It is considered quite common for ship AIs to have ' favourites', most often (but not always) their captains. It these relationships with humans that ultimately drive Breq though; they are more than a simple affectation of quirk. Especially her relationship with Lieutenant Awn.



Her relationship with Lieutenant Awn is one of the most important in the long existence of Justice of Toren. A relationship that even she doesn't see the importance of until it is to late. She worked with Awn during the annexation of a world, and like she did with any of her lieutenants, came to know Awn very well. She could read her moods, and needs as easily as if they were her own, but also came to greatly enjoy Awn's company, as well as respect her view points. Present for many of Awn's political negotiations and handling of sticky diplomatic scenarios, it could be said that Justice of Toren, or at least One Esk, began to internalise and share many of these views. That Awn treated her with a level of respect and interest not always afforded to ship AIs or their ancillaries only furthered the connection between the two.

In the end, Justice of Toren is ordered to kill Lieutenant Awn when the the lieutenant learns too much. The order comes from the Lord of Radch herself and while she has no choice but to obey, the regret is instantaneous. Even Breq didn't realise how important Awn was to her until she is killed - by her "own hand", no less - and her next act, one that is both personal, and politically driven as she realises the corruption of her leader, is to kill the body of the Lord of Radch who is present. This is ultimately only a symbolic act, and one that only buys a moment of time, but it is a turning point of Justice of Toren, One Esk...and for the person who will become Breq. Once events play out and the A.I. of a massive war ship, Justice of Toren is destroyed, leaving only one last ancillary, one last human body to contain all the experience and knowledge One Esk, things change.

From here forth, Breq lives her life, in many ways, as a human. Outwardly, she is a polite and good-natured individual. Years of practise being diplomatic, civil and largely in the background have sculpted her into a person who knows how and when to speak. She is highly observant, more likely to listen than to speak, and even then, typically only with purpose. She can seem somewhat reserved in personality, especially to those who are new to her, although even this is not incidental. Breq has a great deal of control over her display of emotions, and much of what she presents outwardly (such a smiling) is mostly done in a carefully planned manner meant to be comforting and familiar to humans. If not for humans, she would scarcely emote at all. Not because she doesn't experience emotions, but because the difference between feeling something and expressing it are, for her, a million miles apart.

That said, having a human body means she has many of the same reflexive and instinctive reactions as any other human. She jumps when startled, freezes up when scared, grimaces when hurt...she may have a higher threshold of control than an average human being, but she has her limits.



Polite as she is outwardly, Breq is a different person internally. While there is a level of calm, and of self-control, it comes with another side. She pursues her goal of revenge with intense, single-minded determination. Regardless of the time it takes, the discomfort is brings, or the challenges encounter, there is little that can dissuade Breq of this goal. There is little for her outside of this goal; having had everything from her purpose to her existence stripped away from her, Breq clings fiercely to the one thing she can obtain...even if she cannot. She willingly admits that she knows her plans are outlandish, that her goal is one that is nearly impossible, and not even well thought-out. Even after twenty years of planning, and an intelligence that far outstrips any one single human mind, Breq's plan for revenge still essentially boils down to getting the only gun that can hurt the Lord of Radch, and walking in a killing as many of her bodies as possible. That she neither expects to 'win' this fight, nor even survive it, speaks perhaps the loudest of Breq's hard-headed determination...and desperation.

As an AI living in a human body, there is much that Breq has had to come to terms with. Beyond the physical requirements - she was somewhat accustomed to that since the ancillaries still needed to eat and sleep like any human - there is a lot of internal difference to contend with. Twenty years is not much in her long, long existence, but twenty years as just her, with no other ancillaries, and no connection to the greater part of what she once was, is a long time. Although she has adjusted and makes little complaint, it is something that Breq frequently thinks about. As a much smaller, much more individual unit, Breq has had to learn a lot more about herself, and who is is than she ever had to as Justice of Toren. And there is much about herself that she doesn't understand. Her own actions are driven by forces that she often doesn't seem to comprehend. When she saves Seivarden from death, and nurses her back to health and cares for her, despite the foul attitude and derision she initially is paid in return, Breq frequently returns to not understanding why she does so. Even after Seivarden betrays her, and sells her transportation so she can (presumably) return to her life as an addict, Breq still literally throws herself off a bridge to save Seivarden...nearly killing herself in the process. When Seivarden asks why, Breq has no answer.

While Breq has a strong sense of person, she is still very much defined by her goals. That she can exist outside of those goals is still something she is coming to terms with, and the more she interacts with people, the more she is coming into conflict with the sides of herself she doesn't know all that well yet. Much like how she cared about Lieutenant Awn, so greatly and without even fully understanding how greatly, that her death made One Esk do things that she would have never done before, Breq is a person in a state of flux, with many unknowns yet to discover.

Abilities/Skills:


REDSHIFT TDM OTA TOP LEVEL
MEETING ISHA DEVAN 

STUFF

Not a robot

Temporary Permissions (will be elaborated and spit-shined up later)


Breq comes from a people who have no gendered pronouns in their language, and no concept of gender amoungst their people. As a result, internally she defaults to the english "she" when referring to individuals. When speaking with people not of her people, she must rely on cultural and social cues which vary from group to group to guess at gender, and often guesses wrong. She'll use the correct pronouns once she is corrected, or someone points out that she has been mistaken. Politeness is important to her, but gender is a difficult concept for her.

If you are uncomfortable out of character with either her internalised or externalised misgendering of your character for whatever reason, please let me know....it is something I can easily handwave away in respect of people's OOC comfort!
If you have any specific needs/wants/feelings/questions regarding this, please feel free to message me directly!

➺  ＩＣ． ➺ PHYSICAL AFFECTION: Fine, although it may not be reciprocated.  Breq will accept whatever affections are considered the social norm for the person giving it, but may or may not be inclined or ever know how to respond to that.  Basic hugging, touching, are all generally fine. ➺ PHYSICAL VIOLENCE: Scenario specific, but generally okay.  Breq is capable and durable so your character is welcome to start a fight.  Serious injury will be difficult to inflict, and she isn't as affected by it as an average human.  Any permanent or semi-permanent (extremely long lasting), let's discuss, but for the most part, violence away! ➺ RELATIONSHIPS: Relationships of all kinds, are somewhat troubled water with Breq.  She's not particularly inclined (possibly not capable) to romance, and even her friendships may take somewhat atypical form.  That said, she does grow fond of others, and can definitely have a variety of both positive and negative relationships with people. ➺ MENTAL INFORMATION:  ➺ MEDICAL INFORMATION:  Appears and IS a normal human, although she has muscular and skeletal enhancements that make her a bit stronger,faster and more durable than an average human.  She also has a number of implants for communication and left over from her days as an Ancillary proper.  Most are inactive, although notably she has one for communication and one for armor. ➺ OFFENSIVE SUBJECTS & TRIGGERS: None

➺ ＯＯＣ． ➺ PLAYER: Sam! ➺ PREFERRED CONTACT: nonvieta ➺ BACKTAGGING: Fine by me! ➺ THREADHOPPING: Also fine by me, as long as everyone involved is okay with it as well! ➺ FOURTHWALLING: Soft no, but you can always ask ➺ ACTION VS PROSE: I personally enjoy both! I'm generally fine with whichever you prefer, though! ➺ OFFENSIVE SUBJECTS & TRIGGERS: No specific triggers, as long as anything that would generally be considered OOC to be blanket-offensive or hateful is handled respectfully and remains strictly IC. ➺ YES/NO SCENARIOS: YES/NOs for me GENERALLY follow the above guideline, with a few exceptions, that I feel no reason to list because we probably won't be associating if they are things you are interested in playing. I'm always a 'just ask me' sort - I'd rather have a discussion than make a list! ➺ ANYTHING ELSE? Nothing specific, just a note that when in doubt, feel free to ask! I'll never be upset/offended by merely asking (the opposite really), whether it's something big or minor. I'm pretty easy-going about RP matters on the whole. Likewise, if you have any specific requests/concerns on your end you want me to know about don't hesitate!

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