Niev was born to a passionately salty, old-fashioned sailor of a father and a mother who specialized in holodeck programming on one of the minor islands of Velestus. As is fairly typical of a Velestian childhood, neither of young Niev's parents were very present in their life until they left their creche. At that impressionable young age, where everything is new and interesting, they became fascinated with... dirt. More specifically, the lack of dirt on their small island, along with the way the waves and storms swept it away but never brought back. Old stories of new islands rising from the sea set their imagination alight, and the usually quiet child could get quite animated at the thought of making their home island bigger.
Despite spending the next phase of their life being dragged around Velestus by their parents, childhood fascination bloomed into genuine passion for knowledge. All of that travelling left little room for socializing with other Velestians their age, and so Niev worked to finish the highest education track their home island offered in the time they could find to study. With invitations to some of the more prestigious learning institutions on the planet on the table, Niev found themself at a crossroads. Velestus, covered in endless expanses of blue, had started to feel almost as small as the island they grew up on. It would come down to a whim of fate as Niev walked by the local Starfleet Recruitment Center on their way to apply to one of the Velestian universities one rainy afternoon. All it took was one pivot in direction, and they were walking through the doors. It all felt like it happened so quickly. By the time Niev was having second thoughts, they had already been accepted to Starfleet Academy.
Niev's first space flight, across the gulf of darkness to Earth, also felt like it happened in the blink of an eye. Before they knew it, they were rapidly having to adjust to the new demands in life. The rigors of the Academy's education tracks made Niev's home island look like a quaint vacation, but the hopeful cadet was determined to make the most of the unexpected opportunity. Niev focused on rounding out their education while pursuing their major in science. They showed particular aptitude for the planetary sciences, just as fascinated as the little Niev of the past by how similar yet different Earth and Velestus were... if a little less willing to show it now that they were old enough to be self-conscious.
Niev is rather aloof but not unfriendly about it. They can come off as a bit detached, though they're very dedicated and reliable. The scientist hopeful carries a strong distaste for violence which they aren't shy about, but it's tempered by their sense of pragmatism. While Niev identifies as non-binary, much like many Velestians won't correct those who mistake them as human, Niev won't correct assumptions about their gender.
