Nicholas Saiga

Nicholas Saiga is a Geshrin serving in the Star Army of Yamatai. His Star Army Personnel Management Administration file can be found here.

		雑賀 ニコラス
General Information		Physical Characteristics
Species:	Geshrin	Age:	21
Gender:	Male	Height:	190.5cm (6'3”)
Employer:	Star Army of Yamatai	Weight:	78kg (172 lbs)
Occupation:	Communications; Star Army First Officer	Eyes:	Emerald Green
Rank:	Shosa	Hair:	Dark Brown
Current Assignment:	YSS Senbu

Nicholas is a player character. He is played by raz.

Nicholas Saiga's shuttle was reported destroyed during the opening engagement of the Second Mishhuvurthyar War at Nataria.

Standing at six-feet-three-inches, Nicholas is taller than most of his Geshrin and Yamataian peers, and while he has a larger build because of this, is still lean and wiry. He has a fair complexion that reflects his near-constant service in space but is not so pale as to appear unhealthy. In stark contrast to the rest of his family, he has a very handsome face dominated by emerald green eyes and the Nepleslian ancestry of his father, but still maintains a subtle Yamataian flavor to his visage. Even despite his good looks, most have trouble remembering his face leaving Nicholas an easily overlooked and oft-forgotten. His dark brown hair tapers up from short to mid-length as it rises into a part from the right side. As is tradition for men in the Saiga family he is tattooed somewhere on his body, with his piece being an ire-zumi sleeve that covers his right arm with what is a predominantly feathered pattern.

The Saiga family has always been very traditionally oriented, and Nick grew up learning a strict code of etiquette that governed the household. When around his superiors or those he is not familiar with, Nick is generally calm and quiet, and always addresses them with the proper honorific suffix. Nick rarely speaks when it is unnecessary for him to speak, and only when he is around those that he is extremely familiar with does he relax his demeanor.

The young Geshrin is always courteous, sincere, and compassionate, especially towards those of lesser station or privilege than him, even when they do not reciprocate the same attitude. He is always confident in his own skill, but only when someone challenges it, and is modest when praised.

As all members of the Saiga family, he is loyal to the Yamatai Star Empire, even when such loyalty would result in terrible consequence. He is very proud to serve the Empire, but isn't boisterous about it and doesn't advertise the fact without provocation. He takes any duty bestowed upon him with the utmost determination until he is relieved of it, even if it is inconsequential. Nicholas hopes to receive a commission as a Star Army Intelligence officer someday. For the young Geshrin, working for the glory of Yamatai is far more rewarding than working for the glory of oneself.

He has an affection for alcohol, although in recent months has not had the time to partake in one of his favorite pastimes very often. Nicholas is also somewhat sexually perverted, but is very discreet with regards to this trait. He also enjoys reading and is skilled at playing war games. On a rare occasion, you can find the Geshrin studying old star maps, taking hours simply staring at far off and scantly known star systems on the edges of known space.

After his first combat experience, he was able to confirm that he defiantly didn't like being in that type of situation. He feels some shame in that fact, but not much; Nick is a communications specialist, and a Geshrin at that. However, the young man does feel a great shame in the fact that he has never fired a personal weapon in aggression on any occasion, despite having been in several combat situations to date.

Nicholas was born into the traditionalist Saiga household in YE 9 to Fálki Saiga, a stellar cartographer and explorer for the fledgling Yamatai Star Empire, and Dr. Sakiko Saiga, a clinical psychologist working with PNUgen. Fálki Saiga died when his son was six, leaving his wife Sakiko and their young son with the Saiga family estates on Yamatai and Tatiana, as well as various other small holdings throughout the Empire.

He spent the earlier part of his life living on Yamatai, occasionally vacationing on Tatiana, until YE 24 when his mother changed their permanent residence to Tatiana. Nicholas was schooled by various tutors, eventually learning from one of his distant cousins, Ruri Saiga. Only four years his senior, she was responsible for Nicholas' final pre-collegiate studies, and became his closest friend. He grew up watching the archaic politics practiced by his family, and keenly knows the difference between sincere words and truthful words. Although he was able to befriend a few outsiders, most of his acquaintances before his enlistment in the Star Army are from the expansive Saiga family.

Rather than attending college when he was of age, Nicholas enlisted in the Star Army. He was originally billeted to specialize in the piloting of small craft, such as torpedo bombers and shuttles, but was transferred to communications soon after he began his pilot's training.

Nicholas' first assignment was on the YSS Destiny. Only hours after he had reported for duty, the ship was lost to the Nepleslians. In the turmoil that followed, Nicholas found himself quickly transferred to the YSS Confidence under the Destiny's former commander, Arild Bard. On the Confidence, Nicholas participated in the actions against the mutinous contingent of ships in the Fifth Expeditionary Fleet at Taiie.

Nicholas' tenure aboard the Confidence would be brief, as he was once again transferred, this time to the YSS Mikomi. During his time aboard the Mikomi, the ship was sent to investigate an unexplored world called bowhordia. Upon entering the planet's atmosphere, the Mikomi came under attack from an unknown enemy. In the battle that ensued on the planet's yellowy, desert surface, several of the ship's crew were killed, and the mission was abandoned. In the aftermath of the battle, Nicholas was promoted by one rank.

When the Mikomi returned to port, Nicholas was once again ordered to another duty station. He was given another promotion and assigned to serve as the chief communications technician on the YSS Goban, a transport ship with the Third Expeditionary Fleet. He would find that his duty's title was somewhat extravagant, being that he was the only communications technician assigned to the vessel, but he was happy that he was finally assigned to a cozy, rear-echelon ship where he would be able to find plenty of time to relax.

Immediately after a skeleton crew had been assembled, Shoi Ozaki Kyosuke, the ship's commanding officer, was ordered to deliver cargo from SAFD Nataria to NovaCorp HQ at Kohana. Soon after the mission began, Nicholas found that his duties would be far from mundane or relaxing. After being attacked by a pirate ship and its crew, discovering that the Goban had a secret mission, and fighting against two rogue NH-X Nekovalkyrja and their war droid, the Goban was stolen by the two Nekovalkyrja. Making their way back to Yamatai aboard an, ironically, stolen shuttle, the crew was ordered to find their missing ship.

Requisitioning a Ketsueki-class Escort, quickly dubbed the YSS Adauchi, Nicholas and the rest of the Goban's crew set out amidst the confusion of Taiie's destruction. Some time after they were underway, a message from Ann, the Goban's artificial intelligence came through, giving coordinates to their bounty's location. Upon arriving at the scene, they found the Goban hanging lifeless in the black ocean of space, but soon afterward came under attack from two Mishhuvurthyar Ghullfrashirv-class destroyers.

Following a quick and desperate battle with the Mishhu destroyers in which the Goban, along with the Adauchi were knocked out, Nicholas found himself along with his fellow crew members prisoner aboard one of the enemy ships. Surprise and relief overcame the young Geshrin upon the realization that he wasn't dead yet, but that feeling wouldn't last. As fear overcame the crew due to the circumstances of their confines, things seemed even more hopeless now than they had before; at least he was on a friendly ship during the battle.

Nicholas and his comrades managed to escape the horrifying cell that they had been confined to and proceeded to make their way through their captor's vessel, dodging patrolling Mishhu at every turn. However, all was not as it seemed. As the disoriented crew of the YSS Goban frantically scurried about the bio-organic corridors, it would be revealed that they were not on a Mishhu destroyer at all, but were in a simulated environment overseen by soldiers of the First Fleet. Given the most rudimentary explanation as to what had happened to them, they were debriefed and quickly given new assignments.

Although Nicholas had applied for admittance into the Kyoto War College, he was denied the opportunity and sent to the YSS Yūgumo in the Fifth Expeditionary Fleet. He has been assigned a bunk and performed his first, albeit short, duty shift aboard the vessel. Shortly before the ship's destruction, Nicholas was relieved from duty aboard the Yūgumo. He has been awaiting a new assignment since then.

Following a lengthy period where he was not assigned to any particular unit, Nicholas was finally assigned to the YSS Senbu in the First Expeditionary Fleet. Upon arrival, he interviewed with the ship's commanding officer, Shosa Shizuka Endo, and was given the honor to serve as her lead power armor wing's mission operations officer.

Soon after his assignment to the Senbu, the ship was sent on its first mission: to rescue the students and personnel aboard the YSS Takemitsu. The Takemitsu was heavily damaged in the wake of the destruction of Nataria, and the Senbu was sent to help the crippled ship. During the operation, the Senbu and Takemitsu were attacked by a pirate Vampire-class Patrol Craft and its wing of AIR and AIR2 power armors. For his performance, as well as a consideration of his service record, Shosa Shizuka Endo promoted the Geshrin to Shoi Kohosei with plans for him to train as the ship's XO.

• Communication: Nicholas is not only familiar with basic radio operations and procedures, but with a plethora of other types of advanced and rudimentary communications protocols used by the Star Army. He has basic knowledge of cryptography and coding messages, and has the clearance to encrypt and decrypt low security transmissions. He is fluent in both Nepleslian and Yamataian, and can read and write both well.
• Fighting and Physical: Nicholas has received the Star Army's basic combat training, and knows how to use most infantry weapons. Despite knowing as much as the next soldier about rifles, grenades, and power armors, he is only confident in his skill with a pistol.
• Information Technology: Nicholas is proficient with the Kessaku Operating System and can operate computers that use it. He knows how to quickly enter and search for information, and can work out most of the more common problems that occur.
• Mathematics: Nicholas has received basic mathematics training, to including up to algebra and trigonometry. Although he dislikes it, he can passably perform most complex mathematical operations required of him with the assistance of a calculating program.
• Knowledge (Analysis): Nicholas is skilled in quickly analyzing and sorting incoming information for his commanding communications officer. He often spends his spare time calculating odds and analyzing random bits of information to hone his skill.
• Rogue (Manipulation): Being extensively exposed to the courtly politicking practiced by the Saiga family, Nicholas knows how to manipulate people easily. Although he rarely exploits this strength, Nicholas knows that he can probably talk his way though most situations.
• Starship Operations (Helm; Navigation): Originally, Nicholas was to be trained as a Star Army pilot, but after the introductory courses, was transferred to communications. Nicholas still retains the knowledge, however basic, to operate most shuttles and fighters. He prefers to leave this to people who really know what they’re doing, though. Nicholas inherited some mundane star maps from his father and studying them has become something of a hobby for him. He has a rudimentary knowledge of star-navigation, but nothing anything more than that at this time.
• Leadership (Command): Starting with his tenure aboard the YSS Goban, Nicholas was thrust into a leadership position and was forced to make command decisions as the situation demanded. When he was assigned to the YSS Senbu and eventually promoted to be the vessel’s first officer, his on-the-job training as part of a ship’s command structure increased and the Geshrin quickly learned to control high-stress situations as an officer in the Star Army of Yamatai.

• Heicho Nicholas Saiga, 3rd XF by Zairyo
• Nicholas Saiga with the other Gobaners by Luca
• Shosa Nicholas Saiga (hypothetical dress uniform) by raz