Damkina Ki Kankal

Damkina, full name Damkina Ninmir Ragal Ki Kankal, is a reputable surgeon and the leader of Izina's medical services.

While she doesn't care to speak of her past, it is known that Damkina was born in Anduruna, the largest and oldest city in the settled territories. She and her sister attended the finest Kankal medical school on the homeworld. Damkina had a successful career as a surgeon in an upperclass Anduruna hospital before she joined a Kankal mercenary company. She is currently the leader of Izina's medical services.

Personality
Cutting open a drugged body is infinitely more fascinating than interacting with a conscious person. Damkina has never been good at that whole socialization 'thing.' Strangers are often intimidated by her blunt speech, no-nonsense professionalism, and the quiet war she seem to wage against the concept of 'fun.' She's always had difficulty feeling comfortable around the general public, instead preferring a small circle of trusted friends.

Damkina allows her hidden emotions to emerge when she's in the right company. She's infamous for her dry sense of humor and quick wits, always taking time to taunt the people she cares for. On a good day, when the planets are positioned a certain way and the wind is favorable, you may catch Damkina giggling like a lovestruck schoolgirl when she spends time with her longterm partner -- a man who has always been able to bring out her most guarded emotions. She is passionate about helping others, though she would prefer to remain in the shadows and avoid direct interaction.

She cares, very deeply, but admits that she's always had trouble expressing her emotions. Her closest companions have learned to read her body language and the little changes in her moods in order to 'translate' what she's feeling into something they can understand.

Early Life
Damkina and her sister were raised in the Kankal district of Anduruna, the oldest and largest city on the homeworld. Given Urum Kankal's strict caste system, and given their later success in life, they must have been born into a wealthy family. Both sisters do not speak of their upbringing to anyone other than their lovers -- Damkina becomes defensive when asked about it. Formal documents suggest that Damkina was taught by private tutors for most of her early life and earned marks that were exceptional even by Kankal standards.

Medical School
An impressive scholastic record allowed Damkina to enroll in the most respected Kankal medical school on the homeworld. She earned great praises for her technical and surgical skills, but instructors would often critique her lack of socialization on the grounds that a poor bedside manner would be a threat to her future career. She did not make very many friends while at school, uninterested in most, and would instead remain part of her sister's more active social circle.

Damkina took up internships at several Anduruna hospitals, initially working as an emergency medical technician before moving up to become a surgeon. With an impressive record under her belt, she was certified to perform emergency surgery and take part in difficult operations.

After graduating, Damkina was offered a position at Anduruna's most reputable hospital.

Becoming a Mercenary
After a long period of service at their hospital, Damkina and her sister resigned from their positions on the same day. The decision was a shock to many. Damkina's work had been celebrated by her peers, and all of her superiors agreed that she was set to move up in the medical field. She offered no clear explanation for her actions, stating that she was unable to continue her employment due to 'personal reasons.'

Damkina enlisted in one of Urum Kankal's largest mercenary companies and became a military surgeon -- earning only ten percent of what she had made with her previous employer. Although she would be responsible for performing surgeries in a conventional hospital setting, she would also be trained as a combat medic to assist soldiers in the field. She was taught basic combat skills and took part in a long series of combat exercises to prepare for what Urum Kankal thought was an inevitable war.

She and her sister were ordered to served on the same warship after the completion of their training. She provided basic medical care to soldiers during interstellar patrols. When the neutral colonies were created by Hierarchy Treaty 126, Damkina and Nikkal both volunteered to relocate to Izina. After reviewing their records, the mercenary company they were employed with accepted their request.

Tragic Arrival at Izina
Damkina was a passenger on the E'Rikar, an old Kankal transport, during her long journey to Izina. The trip was without incident until the vessel entered the outskirts of the Aluya System. The E'Rikar collided with a small asteroid while decelerating to intercept Izina. The object was large enough to punch a gaping hole through one side of the vessel, resulting in over three dozen instantaneous deaths. Damkina, as a medical professional, was tasked with caring for the injured in the ship's only medical bay.

The crew of the E'Rikar was able to hold the ship together for the remaining weeks of the voyage, relying on emergency power reserves and makeshift repairs. Living conditions on the vessel dropped to uncomfortable extremes due to limited oxygen and impaired temperature regulation.

The vessel began to break apart when the engines were burned one last time. Unable to enter stable orbit, the surviving passengers began to board escape pods and escape to the surface of Izina. As a non-essential crew member, Damkina was ordered to abandon her station. The medical bay depressurized after a segment of the hull cracked open. Damkina slammed into a wall and shattered her shoulder blade. Despite her injury, she was able to escape the E'Rikar before it hit the atmosphere. The remaining crew was lost.

Damkina began physical and mental recovery after hiking to a rendezvous location with her fellow survivors. While she was able to recover from the endeavor, she still avoids discussing it.

Leader of Medical Services
Following her recovery, Damkina began to oversee Kankal medical teams within the growing town of Aria -- which would later become Izina's largest settlement and unofficial capital. Izina's diverse population remained segregated in the early stages of colonization, but the need for shared resources became more important than maintaining traditions. Damkina and her sister would soon care for every member of the growing community -- not just the Kankals.

Damkina's educational background and work history made her the most experienced medical professional on Izina. Other doctors, from all urums, would look to her for support. She accepted the responsibility of running the first official hospital on the planet. As Izina developed, her workload would increase. Damkina effectively became the surgeon general of a jointly-controlled planetary health service.

Although she became more of an administrator over time, Damkina still kept her skills sharp with routine surgeries and combat medic exercises.

Starting a Family
After her sister started dating a Zalag combat pilot, Damkina was forced to mingle with his social circle. She took an immediate dislike to a man named Veles. He had been raised the middle of nowhere, had no obvious class or manners, and was a citizen of Urum Iduz -- the socialist rivals of her people. She thought he was little more than a knuckle-dragging ape. Veles soon proved that he had a bright mind and a killer instinct for arguments. When she fired a shot at him, he fired right back. Their arguments became an amusing, obsessive game. As a boxer might grow to respect a powerful fighter, Damkina found herself admiring her opponent.

Damkina and Veles grew close as time went on, sharing their private emotions and life histories. His easy-going nature made her feel comfortable enough to share things that she would otherwise hide from others. He taught her the excitement in having adventures out in the wilderness, and she challenged him to philosphical discussions. While verbal sparring would always be the foundation of their relationship, Damkina allowed herself to fully trust and care for Veles.

The two would enter a romantic relationship without much fuss or fanfare. It just felt natural. They did not marry by choice, but they would go on to have two daughters -- Nanshe and Nisaba.

The Breaking of the Treaty
A cargo capsule containing illegal military-grade weapons landed just outside the city of Aria. Local thugs, supposedly gun smugglers, engaged in violent combat with members of local law enforcement. Survivors of the skirmish were taken to Damkina's hospital for treatment. The arrival of so many wounded prompted Damkina to meet with other local leaders to discuss the crisis. The presence of an offworld cargo capsule meant that someone had violated the treaty that kept Izina isolated from the rest of the territories.

Veles was convinced that it wasn't a simple case of smuggling, instead believing that it was the precursor to a genuine conflict. Damkina, erring on the side of caution, prevented him from upsetting the rest of the planetary council by countering his theories with cool logic.

She would continue to be a voice of reason until her own interests were threatened by the unfolding drama. At that point, she was more than willing to get her hands dirty.

Veles
The most important relationship in Damkina's life involves a complex mixture of emotions. Veles is her best friend, her chief rival, her dedicated lover, and the father of her children. They've maintained a deep bond throughout their time on Izina. Their greatest joy is to get into a good verbal sparring session -- pitting their great intellects against each other. At the same time, there is a quiet gentleness to their romance that can only be understood by those who know them well enough to pick up on the little gestures.

Veles has always been able to get Damkina to lower her defensive walls and reveal the emotions she keeps locked within. There are moments where she turns into a giddy young girl when alone with him, smiling and laughing without a single care in the world. He's been a constant source of emotional support. She, in turn, encourages him to be ambitious and help others. She provides sound advice during his times of crisis. Her cool rationality prevents him from getting lost in his own theories and plots.

She has never wanted to marry, proud of the fact that he stays without a contract there to bind them.

Daughters
Nanshe, their elder daughter, was a 'surprise.' While Veles was enthusiastic about becoming a father, Damkina was initially afraid of motherhood. She was concerned that her emotional distance would make her a bad parent. The last thing she wanted was to be hated by her children. Her worries would fade after the birth of her first daughter, though not completely.

Nanshe shares Damkina's tendency to hide her emotions away, and their combined reluctance to open up about their feelings has resulted in a rather distant relationship. They are fascinated with each other, and they respect each other, but they seldom have the courage to talk about their affection. This emotional barrier would not stop either woman from giving their all to help the other.

Nisaba and Damkina have a slightly closer relationship, if only because Nisaba more readily speaks her mind. They share a passion for the sciences. Both prefer to work on complex projects in solitude, and Nisaba completely agrees that touchy-feely teamwork is nonsense. Damkina always smiles in understanding when Nisaba starts to rant about the insane behavior of more sociable people.

Suen and Nikkal
Nikkal, Damkina's amiable sister, has been her constant companion in life. Nikkal was the social butterfly at school. Damkina, unconcerned with making her own friends, frequently orbited around her sister's social circles. While they occasionally fight like all siblings do, Damkina and Nikki both view each other through maternal eyes. Damkina has always fought to give her sister a good life and a promising career. Nikki, on the other hand, encourages Damkina to find greater emotional fulfillment. If all other relationships were to fade away, Damkina and Nikkal would still be there to lean on each other.

Damkina had high standards when it came to Nikki's love life. Suen was the first man she approved of. He is charming, polite, and has a genuinely good heart. He received the honor of Damkina's blessing when he proposed to Nikki. She continues to hold him in high regard, although the two are not especially close due to Damkina's emotional distance. She is comfortable enough to tease him, though, which is a terribly fun game when she and Veles team up against him. Suen doesn't think it's quite so amusing, but that's what being a sibling is all about.

Lirum
Veles is prone to creating complex plans based on intuition. Suen and Nikkal are creatures of passionate emotion. Lirum is the only friend that shares Damkina's preference for rational thought. She was relieved when he joined their group. It meant that she wouldn't have to be the only sensible voice. Lirum and Damkina are the ones who hold back the others when they start to run away with volatile emotions. They have a quiet understanding -- an appreciation for each other. Damkina has known for some time that Lirum has thought of her as a potential love interest, but she has never returned his feelings. It's an issue that was resolved early on in their history.

Other Relations
Nikkal's children and Nanshe's friends have been constant visitors to Damkina's home. She treats all of them as extended family members and is no longer surprised when any of them show up at mealtime -- there's always extra to go around. She is proud of her nephew's hard work at law school. Raia, her niece, possesses many family traits which cause both amusement and worry. Lirum's son has always been like a member of the family.

Out of Nanshe's companions, she is especially fond of Kalisha, though she rarely vocalizes this out of fear of embarrassment. She feels that Kalisha is able to soothe Nanshe's restless nature and give her purpose. She appreciates Kalisha's no-nonsense personality.

Physical Appearance
Her personality is more intimidating than her appearance. While she was a bit more robust during her active mercenary years, Damkina now has a petite body without much muscle. She has a long bob of dark brown hair and equally dark eyes. Having grown up within the hyperstructures of Anduruna, and spending most of her current days inside a hospital, she has very pale skin. Her face is round and symmetrical, possessing gentle curves that fall in line with traditional depictions of femininity.