Astaire Quatrevaux
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This article is considered to be In Character by its author. |
Astaire Quatrevaux is a neuroscientist and clinical psychologist ostensibly from Caille, Gallente Prime. His true background has intentionally been shrouded in lies and secrecy.
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| Name | Astaire Quatrevaux |
| Gender | male |
| Race |   |
| Bloodline |  |
| Blood Type | A+ |
| Father | Errol Falconer |
| Mother | Xay Licei |
| Siblings | none |
| Children | Tessande Falconer, Theredore Falconer |
| Place of Birth | Octanneve V, Solitude |
| Height | 183 cm (6’0) |
| Hair Color | dark brown |
| Eye Color | brown |
| Specialization | Medicine |
| Education | University of Caille |
| Corporation | Viavant |
| Religion | none |
| Affiliation | Karaya-Ya Circle |
| Augmentations | none |
Identity: Astaire Quatrevaux
Personal life and studies
According to records, Astaire Quatrevaux was born and raised in Caille by Jenai and Micaela Quatrevaux, both Gallente. He attended the University of Caille, where he earned doctorates in neuroscience and psychology.
Professional career
Quatrevaux opened a clinical practice sometime around the turn of the century. In YC115, he entered capsuleer training, from which he graduated on July 8, YC121. He has no criminal record. He launched a new suite of practices under the corporate name Viavant shortly after graduating.
Verification of records
The documentation confirming his identity is solid and able to be verified. The only sign that something might be amiss is that, due to changing technology, some of the documents, such as his birth certificate, are formatted in ways that are too modern for being four decades old. This might be explained by the original files being corrupted.
Identity: Ira Falconer
Early life
Irawakeri "Ira" Falconer was born in the city of Moisant, on the island of the same name, on Octanneve V in Solitude in YC77. His father was Gallente and Mannar, and his mother was a descendant of Krusual slaves from the Amarr Empire.
The city of Moisant was a refuge of sorts set up by the Mannar governors of Octanneve V’s larger continents. Run by Clan Licei of the Krusual Tribe, it straddles the equator, and is one of the warmest places on the planet, with a subtropical climate. Falconer grew up on a marina owned by his mother’s family. Early on, he displayed a talent for building things. He studied engineering first, then coding. When he learned the natural sciences in school, he made a connection between the neural “circuits” of the physical body and the electrical circuits that powered his world. This paved his way into neuroscience, specifically brain implants.
His father worked in warehousing and distribution, but in secret, the work he did was for the Serpentis Corporation. He attempted to leave his position around YC86, and may have attempted to steal information or double-cross the corporation in the process. Before he could quit, he and his wife were killed in an unfortunate dropship accident. The clan chief of the Licei, Kaya Licei, suspected Serpentis and had Ira adopted by clan members living in Mylain, a city on Gallente Prime, in hopes that the corporation would not search for him there.
Employment by Serpentis
Falconer excelled at his studies and began college at 16 years old, enrolling at the University of Caille. There he met a woman named Drienne Bossier. They dated, fell in love, and unexpectedly created a child. Ira married Drienne several months before she gave birth to their daughter, Tessande 'Tessie' Falconer. A year later, they also had a son, Theredore. Falconer continued his studies, but his new family put him under increasing financial strain. Serpentis approached him with an offer he couldn’t refuse: a position researching and developing neural implants, with a sizable salary to match.
For over a decade, Falconer worked for Serpentis while continuing his education at Caille. Falconer earned advanced degrees in neuroscience and biology. Meanwhile, Drienne chose to become a capsuleer, entering training in YC107. Her family pledged to pay for her training, but they found out about Falconer's true employment with Serpentis, and extorted the funds from him instead. Falconer paid for all four years of Drienne's training in secret. The curriculum was fast-paced and tough on Drienne, but she passed all of her assessments up until the last one, where she was expected to self-euthanize into her first clone.
His years of work in the same position with Serpentis were beginning to disillusion Falconer, and he began searching for more legitimate work.
Implied death
On 8 July YC111, Falconer received a job offer and signing bonus for a position as a neurological researcher for a reputable network of health clinics in the Caille area. Several months of interviews and background checks had gone into earning the job, but he had refrained from telling Drienne about it, for fear of giving her false hope. They and their children had gone through the cycle many times before, and found disappointment each time.
Drienne arrived home first, having put off the self-euthanization for the third time. She had been issued a warning by her instructors that if she did not clone within a week, she would fail her capsuleer training. She was supposed to have picked her children, now aged 16 and 15, up from school, but did not do so for unknown reasons.
What happened when Falconer encountered Drienne at home remains unclear. Drienne suffered a fatal blaster shot to her upper chest, and Ira fled the scene, never to be seen again alive in Caille. Investigators alleged that Falconer had shot his wife, due to partials of his fingerprints being found on the blaster as well as the fact that he seemed to be in hiding, but the coroner's office suggested that the wound had been self-inflicted, albeit poorly. There were no other witnesses; Tessande Falconer was the first to come upon the scene, followed closely by EMTs who appear to have been called by Ira.
The case was never solved. Tessande and Theredore were assigned as wards of the Federation and spent their last few childhood years bouncing among Clan Licei homes.
Ten years later, a body previously identified as a John Doe would be matched with Falconer's DNA. The body had perished, along with dozens of others, in a fire at a Hueromont drug den.
Possibilities as to actual fate
There are strong public indications that Astaire Quatrevaux is in fact Irawakeri Falconer. Records show that several properties formerly leased or mortgaged to Falconer were held in trust by Clan Licei for a decade until they were sold to Quatrevaux. Clan Licei did have the resources to not only clone Falconer into a new body in YC111, but were also heavily involved in the booster trade at the time, and several other bodies at the Hueromont fire were tied to them, which suggests that the fire was a chance for the clan to tidy up its messes. Clan Licei also paid for Quatrevaux's schooling as he earned a doctorate in psychology as well as his capsuleer training; it is unclear what might have motivated them to do so if Quatrevaux were only a Gallente stranger to them.
Additionally, Quatrevaux has occasionally referred to himself as being from Solitude, even though records show that he was born in Caille. He was instrumental in the rescue and recovery efforts following the hurricane that devastated Moisant in September YC121.
It is also possible that Falconer escaped to Molden Heath. A data trail suggests that he resided in Heild as recently as YC119 and was connected to the Angel Cartel. If that is the case, then there is no record of his movements since that year, but that would not be altogether unexpected for someone leading such a lifestyle.
On GalNet sites and in interviews, Tessande Falconer has been vocal about her hatred for her father, whom she describes as a drug pusher and a liar. Her brother, Theredore, appears to be indifferent toward him and his fate.
Clan identity and affiliation
As a member of Clan Licei, Irawakeri Falconer has an elaborate identity. His name is an untranslatable Atchafalayan Krusual word describing a particular astronomical event. The word describes a sunrise or sunset where a dense cloud cover and heavy fog reduces the sun(s) to a mere pinpoint rising on the horizon, with rays of light shooting out vertically; this phenomenon might be compared to when a sharp knife is held horizontally and a dot of light reflects on the surface of the blade. Thus, the name can be roughly translated as "he who dances like the light on a knife's edge"; it is also an honorific reflecting the condition of the sky when he was born, which is of astrological significance to the Licei.
Falconer also possessed a Voluval mark on his lower left abdomen. It was a three-pointed, five-dotted symbol known as "Cemi," "Zemi," or "Spirit-Touched," depending on the clan and tribe. Typically, the mark is interpreted to indicate that the bearer is particularly attuned with the ancestral and natural spirits, and is highly favored to excel as a shaman or a clan or tribal leader. Ultimately, Falconer shunned this fate, choosing instead to study neuroscience. This was highly opposed by the clan, who appeared to blame the struggles that plotted his later life on his failure to follow the path outlined by his Voluval.
Astaire Quatrevaux, allegedly a full-blooded Gallente, has his clones marked with the Cemi on the lower left abdomen.
When the Karaya-Ya Circle was formed by Clans Licei and Ramijozana in YC120, Astaire Quatrevaux was included as a founding, if junior, member. The Circle's existence is not a secret, but its operations are, and its motives are unclear. The circle's stated goals are "the preservation of [Matari] history, the freedom of all Matari, and the maintenance of peace in the cluster by any means necessary."
Recent work
After earning his capsuleer license, Astaire Quatrevaux reduced his client load at his mental health clinic, though he does continue to treat patients. He also manages security work for a number of clients.
Over the course of at least a decade, Quatrevaux developed a personal artificial intelligence assistant, which he refers to by the acronym MAYA. The AI appears to be a weak AI, albeit with the potential to develop into strong AI should a pattern of recursive self-improvement be allowed to develop.
Quatrevaux also participated in the charity auction held ahead of Khimi Harar's annual Heideran VII Ball, in which he won the right to attend with Lyra North-Onren as his date. Between the auction and the ball (which was postponed due to the passing of fellow capsuleer doctor Druur Monakh), Quatrevaux and North-Onren entered into a romantic relationship. The outcome of the auction and ball apparently irritated fellow bidder Kyle Saltz enough for him to place a 10 million ISK bounty on Quatrevaux's head.
Astaire Quatrevaux and Viavant were the first on the scene, along with Corovid Industries, following the hurricane at Moisant in September YC121.
Appearance
Astaire Quatrevaux is about 183 cm, or 6 feet, tall and 190 lbs. His skin is light brown and he sports dark brown hair. His eyes are brown. He is in excellent physical shape but is highly sensitive to pain.
His left eye is divergent and tracks more slowly than the right, sometimes causing double vision. The irregularity recurs in his clones, and he treats the condition with eyedrops.
Lagniappe
Quatrevaux names all of his ships with letters and symbols in a system that, as attested by his regular crew, makes sense only to him. The only exception to his ship-naming protocol is the Harbinger, all of which he names after Lyra North-Onren.
Lyra North-Onren's nickname for Quatrevaux is "Sprinkle."
Quatrevaux attended an autumn costume ball dressed as (Baron) Samedi, a Brutor and Krusual spirit of the dead, in honor of the lives lost at Moisant. While there, he befriended Jade Blackwind in the form of a werehyena.
