S

Species: human
Gender: female
Age: 33
DOB:
Birthplace: Smodrina
Occupation: First Officer of the Vilna Victory
Languages: French, Russian, Galactic Standard (English)

Personality
Cool, calculating, and even wore withdrawn and reserved than Alexandre in many ways, Sylvia has always preferred to live in the shadow of others, unnoticed, performing her duties in quiet competence. She lives her life by numbers and calculations and probability. She has no love for illogic and superstition.

Syvia was raised in a good household where she was expected to learn the mannerisms of a lady. Her military career has not changed this. She always behaves in a respectably restrained manner, polite and gentle. This often leads others to underestimate her: under that ladylike exterior is a frame of tempered steel.

Sylvia has a well-deserved reputation for being strict. She believes in the rulebook and harsh punishments for those who do not follow it. Though she never, ever raises her voice, she has a way of making clear her disapproval through her tone. She is slow to forgive transgressions and mistakes.

As a first officer Sylvia makes Alexandre look comparatively compassionate despite his legendary aloofness. She doesn't approve of the way Alexandre accomodates the crew's emotional needs by granting leave and suspending punishments, as she believes she does not need such accommodations herself and therefore no one else should, either. Though she disagrees with that aspect of his philosophy, she does recognize that he gets good results.

Unlike Alexandre, Sylvia has no desire to learn to live with her emotions or open up to people, even her own family. She would prefer to maintain the shell that separates her from the world. When the truth of her relationship to Alexandre was finally coming to light, it was Alexandre and not Sylvia who made the first move. Had it been up to her, the relationship would never have been consummated, though she is all the gladder that it has been.

If there is one thing she is guilty of, it is narrow-mindedness. Sylvia is slow to accept new things and people or philosophies outside her own. Because of this, she is unfit to serve as a captain. Where Alexandre changes and adapts to new circumstances, Sylvia tries to force new things to conform to her worldview.

The hormones of pregnancy terrified Sylvia in a way she had not felt since she was a little girl. From about the age of six onwards, Syvia developed a close protective shell to keep out the drama of the world around her, resolutely sticking to what was logical and controllable. Her pregnancy reduced her to a state before she had that shell, governed by emotions she could not control. For someone who prides herself on her ability to function without much emotion, it has been devastating. To think that twenty-five years of behavior could be overwhelmed by a few hormones upsets her.

Sylvia has come to accept that she loves her unborn children and will love them forever, but she has no intention of sacrificing her own identity to do it. She is determined to find a way to be both the person she is and a mother.

Physical Characteristics
Height: 5' 5"
Weight/Build: slim
Hair: ashen blonde, silky and long, always tied back in a bun
Eyes: brown
Skin: pale
Face:
Attire: Smodrinan uniform or Vilna Victory flight suit

Collective History:
 

Individual History
Sylvia is the second daughter of the Declair family, French lineage merchants who owned several brothels (though not the one Alexandre's mother belonged to). Being surrounded by such debauchery, Sylvia grew up desensitized to it. She developed a disdain for the drama the brothels invited, closing herself off to it and the rest of the world at large. Her father intended to marry her off but she had as much distaste for that as everything else, so she signed up to join the Navy at age sixteen.

Studious and quiet, she did well, though she had no friends and made no great impression on anyone. She attended the Academy the year after Alexandre graduated. The Vilna Victory was her first assignment out of training, and she would remain onboard it for the rest of her career. She was the ship's supply officer when Alexandre joined as captain. Her trim, efficient manner impressed him, and he made her his first officer two months later.

In her past, Sylvia has been the victim of unwanted sexual advances at some point, a fact she considers a secret. Unbeknownst to her, Alexandre knows, though he has never attempted to uncover the details or confront Sylvia about it, as it is clear it is something she would rather not talk about.

Post-Extraction
 

Alexandre Depriest - Sylvia's husband and captain