Ritka is not one to take a fight lying down, even against insurmountable odds. A young Bitamul short in stature but packed with muscle and baring a confident tooth filled smile, they've been punched in the face a fair few times and dished out a punch right back. As all proper Bitamul are, they were conscripted at the age of 20, going down the path of air and space piloting after proving adept skill in simulators, and then later in the field. They would serve the ascendancy without doubt in the time of conscription. Ritka proceeded to racked up many killing marks on their very own ship, an exemplary soldier. They did not see to the other side of combat without injury though, becoming the victim of a ship explosion while nearby on the ground, the shockwave knocking them onto their back and flying shrapnel ripping across the side of their body that faced the explosion.
An unknown amount of time would pass before they got back up with ringing still in their ears, and their organs falling right out of their stomach. Through adrenaline, and perhaps a Bitamul's incredible resistance to pain, they scooped everything up into their shredded uniform and stumbled back to camp, bleeding and barely concious. The medics would sloppily stitch them back together before sending them off to a real hospital. With their extreme injury at the end of their conscription, they were honorably discharged, given their credit and earned their citizenship, welcome back if they so chose to fly again.
During their years of service, they made many allyships with their friendly demeanor and their love of the culture, an old diplomat took interest in their sensibilities, and made them an offer to apprentice under her guidance. This Diplomat was Malina Votric [self note to add link]. Ritka would show potential at first, quickly learning concepts of speaking and persuasion as well as how to respect cultural differences, but they hit a plateau in their learning for a myriad of reasons. Malina found herself overworked with no time, and Ritka was slowly discovering a new problem as they encountered more alien species on friendly terms rather than under violent pretense.
Ritka was a bloodthirsty beast of a Bitamul.
They would struggle to speak to certain species without thinking about how they were made of meat, some exotic unknown flavor they could sink their teeth into, haunted by some genetic memory, or more likely a lingering trauma to rip open their stomachs and pull their organs out. It would only get worse as time went on, going to such lengths as to finding avenues to satiate their cravings through black market dealings. They would try not to stare and drool in front of fellow foreign diplomats, often fumbling when prompted by Malina to attempt to speak. Through bureaucracy and the general disinterest in diplomacy from the Bitamul government unless absolutely necessary, their position was allowed to be kept for far too long between Malina being overworked and holding out hope their chosen apprentice wouldn't fail despite the writings on the wall... until there was an incident.
Ritka would be in their beast form on another planet of a more vulnerable --edible-- species, keeping to themself in their hotel room, when a foreign diplomat would attempt to engage in some under the table bribe, meeting them in their room. It was barely a minute from shutting the door before screams rattled the floor as the diplomat was grabbed between teeth. The sound was enough to stun Ritka, a second guess between an instinct to kill and their civilized self, their victim escaping out the door from the freshly bloodied beast that sat licking its lips and waiting for some consequence to befall their primal slip up.
The planet they were arrested on wanted nothing to do with keeping them there, the punishment they faced would be rather light, aided by their cooperation and Malina's defense of them, and the threat of a giant warmongering empire breathing down the neck of the justices. They would be sent back and banned from ever coming the planet again.
The punishment that would befall them back home was their well deserved termination from the position, and the government simply washed their hands of the slip up, chalking it up to the nature of Bitamul. But what effected them more than any financial or career loss was Malina growing distant for her own reasons. Throughout their apprenticeship, they would provide a leg to stand on when Malina was overworked or in need of help, always friendly, bringing food, being too close or hands on to be considered professional. They had a bond that was hard to come by with such a combative species, and this was an excuse for Malina to pull away after she herself was becoming disenfranchised, wishing to defect and disappear. It meant cutting contact with any aligned Bitamul for better or for worse, and this incident was a perfect cover to "retire."
Ritka was suddenly left without a job and more importantly missing a friend with only speculation to ravage their mind.
The old Bitamul did not want to leave without some sign they did not care however, hoping that Ritka would come to understand despite this low point in their life in time, perhaps pushing them to defect some day too. Ritka was left with a fund they would struggle to access unless it was for the purpose dictated, and a serious urging to go back to school to use it. So with only one path to take, they went. Going to live with a friend, they applied for commercial flight school, going back to what they knew they were good at, and shortly after, starting classes. Hopefully with less tasty looking alien species walking under their nose and sharp gnashing teeth.
- Means I want to play this character! Open to and usually works well with many kinds of plot ideas.
- Not off limits, but usually harder to play and requires the right mood or partner. Can cause slower replies.
- Simply not available for a variety of reasons. Mostly mood reasons.
