Ensign Niev Galanis (/ˈniv ˈgælənɪs/; born 237606.07) is a Centauran Junior Science Officer specialized in planetary sciences. They are currently serving aboard Amity Outpost.
Known Siblings: Neia Galanis (Half-Sister), Rhys Galanis II (Half-Brother)
Relationships
Family
Rhys Galanis Birth Father/Incorrigible Nuisance
Niev has a... complex relationship with their father. The man is loud, gregarious, a dominating presence in the room. The contrast with the aloof and somewhat reserved Niev is drastic. It was Rhys Galanis' fame and ambitions of sailing Velestus the way the old Velestians did that defined much of Niev's upbringing. A celebrity on the island of Emnos and among the sailing enthusiasts of Velestus, he had always hoped to raise Niev into a sailor worthy of the Galanis name. Given that Niev's assignment is now in the Delta Quadrant, it doesn't seem that wish is coming true any time soon.
Esha Kyros Birth Mother
A force to be reckoned with all on her own, the elegant and shrewd Esha Kyros is Niev's mother. A holo-programmer whose experiences walk the line between technological effort and outright art, she often traveled the seas with Niev and Rhys out of convenience, flitting from client to client around Velestus. Though Niev isn't quite as exasperated by their mother's presence, Esha's tendency to try and micromanage Niev's life has kept the young Ensign running.
Neia Galanis, Rhys Galanis II Half-Siblings
Niev has never really gotten to know their half siblings. Niev's mother has only had one child in her life, while Rhys Galanis is somewhat infamous for living up to the reputation of a sailor on shore leave. Both Neia and Rhys II were adopted by separate parents, and Niev has only met either of them on a handful of occasions. Not even Niev's father seems to know exactly how many relatives the young Centauran has.
Friends
Niev has yet to establish any friendships within Starfleet.
Acquaintances
Niev has yet to make any acquaintances within Starfleet.
On Niev's very first day as a Starfleet Officer - literally the moment they beamed from the transport center at the Academy to Probert Station - Roshanara Rahman was in the middle of experiencing a revelation that would shake Starfleet to its core. The fresh graduate had no choice but to trust the recently freed Captain and was swept up into the events of the day, their posting at Amity Outpost indefinitely delayed. Though their interactions have been brief so far, Roshanara's experience and actions in such a dire situation left a lasting impact on Niev's views of what it meant to be a Starfleet Officer.
Hannibal Parker, a marine with the rank of Major, was met on Niev's first day as a Starfleet Officer as well. As Roshanara Rahman's rescuer and a massive, intimidating presence, Niev wasn't sure whether to be afraid of the man or impressed. In the end, the Centauran was mostly glad he was on their side. Through their brief interactions, the gruff and well-seasoned marine provided a sobering foil to Niev's inexperience. As much as Niev didn't like to hear them, they'll carry some of Hannibal's words with them for a long time to come.
239611.02: Completed primary education, including a year to make up for classes missed while travelling.
239704.22: Accepted into Starfleet Academy.
240106.21: Graduated and became an Ensign, assigned to Amity Outpost as a Junior Science Officer.
Biography
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.
Receiving your posting and gathering with your family before departing at Starfleet Academy's Presidio Campus was practically a rite of passage for cadets. It was no different for Niev Galanis - even their parents had made the trip from Alpha Centauri IV to be there. After all, not many cadets were lucky enough to graduate so close to Frontier Day. Though Niev had been assigned to Amity Outpost, light-years away from anything familiar, they said their goodbyes and stepped on the transporter to the mighty Probert Station in high spirits.
Unfortunately for Niev, a chance encounter with then-Captain Roshanara Rahman and Major Hannibal Parker in one of the transporter rooms would derail the Centauran's expectations, delay their posting at Amity Outpost indefinitely, and leave them in circumstances that had seemed unthinkable just a few minutes before.
They say every ensign has a horror story about their first day. But surrounded by strangers and faced with a terrible revelation that may put the fate of Starfleet itself at stake, Niev was going to have to use every bit of their Academy training and then some if they wanted to live to tell theirs...
