NEITHE WEN
'neithe' - 'swan'
'wen' - 'bird'.  Given and surnames are often matched in this fashion.

APPEARANCE:
 AGE: 18
 HEIGHT: 5'1"
 HAIR: Dark brown
 EYES: Pink

Neithe is quite small in every respect, being short (although of average height for her own planet), thin, and built like a twelve-year-old boy.  Her face is 'cute' rather than pretty, still somewhat childishly round and covered in freckles, with dimples when she smiles.  Nevertheless, she walks and talks like an adult, and gives the impression that she is competent and in charge of things.  People who only know her from work, where she dresses in crisp, conservative suits, are often surprised by her t-shirt-and-jeans weekend apparrel.


HOME PLANET: Kellond

The Kellondar are a small people, with pink eyes and very coarse hair (not unlike horsehair in texture) that grows to shoulder length and no longer.  Neither sex has facial hair.  The planet was almost refused entry into the Alliance for what some tried to argue was inappropriate use of child labor: Kellondar children choose a profession at the age of ten, serve a four-year apprenticeship, and enter the workforce at fifteen.  Despite the arguments of the detractors, though, these young people are quite able to handle themselves at this young age, and the setup allows them to be financially secure before they marry and have children of their own, which generally happens in the mid to late twenties.  The Kellondar themselves find it very odd how long other cultures wait to let their children grow up and many feel this makes them superior to the people they term 'late-bloomers'.  They are an adventurous people, valuing intelligence and daring, and their histories tend to be more about discoveries and explorations than battles and dynasties.  However, like Switzerland, Kellond is most famous for its chocolate and its banks, both of which are supposed to be among the best in the galaxy.


BIOGRAPHY:

Neithe is too young to have really had the interesting past some of her fellow travelers have, and her story is mostly typical for that of a young woman on her planet.  She was an only child, apprenticed to an accountant co-worker of her father's after she showed an aptitude for mathematics.  There was little remarkable about her apprenticeship or the job she got with a bank once she'd finished it; she had every reason to expect that she would remain at this job until she retired (very few Kellondar change jobs in their lifetime - doing so is in fact consider improper).

As far as she was aware for the first three years she worked there, Torquel Hane was simply a very wealthy businessman who seemed to like her and in fact made more than one offer to hire her - she declined.  She learned the truth in perhaps the worst possible way; having been invited to a party he gave, she was present when he recieved the news that he'd been de-throned from his position in charge of the mob.  The person delivering this message mistook Neithe for someone else who already knew about Torquel's criminal involvement, and thus did not bother slowing himself down by delivering the message in code.  Neithe threatened to go to the police, forcing Torquel to take her with him in his escape.


PERSONALITY:

Although she's very good at math, Neithe is hardly a standard numbers geek, and outside of work she's quite happy to act her age as planets other than her own would see it; she has a wild streak most would not expect of an accountant, and enjoys comic books, swimming, and skydiving.  She has what might be considered a bad habit of acting as if she's on top of things in any situation... which can lead to problems when she's actually out of her depth.  She has little patience for fools, or for people who complain about a situation instead of trying to do something about it.