Valka Onderra

Valka’s relationship with Hadrian is central to her story in Empire of Silence. The two meet in Borosevo after Hadrian’s rise from pit-fighter back to nobility after his identity reveal. Their introduction – brokered by Lady Anaïs Mataro, the Count of Emesh’s daughter – is academically charged: Hadrian is immediately intrigued by Valka’s status as a learned xenologist, and Valka is quick to size up Hadrian’s intellect beneath his gladiator past. Initially Valka thought of Hadrian as Barbaric, because of his past as a fit fighter but as their relationship advances she ends showing deep admiration and loyalty towards Hadrian, even putting her safety on the line to help Hadrian take away the Cielcin from the inquisitors.

Born on Edda in the Demarchy of Tavros, the child of one Doctor Ivar Onderra by an unknown egg donor, Valka Onderra elected to follow in her father’s footsteps and become a xenologist, with special interest on the so-called *Quiet* civilization—a highly dangerous line of work, as knowledge of the Quiet is strictly policed by the Holy Terran Chantry in those territories where it holds sway. As a young woman, Valka studied xenology—with especial focus on the extinct cultures of the galaxy, and completed her education, earning her doctoral degree from Forseti University¹ on Edda at 19 (a feat not uncommon in the demarchy, where neurological implants and RNA indoctrination are the norm).

At the age of 20, Valka was enrolled in the Tavrosi Defense Force, as is the custom among her people, that being the pre-condition for participation in demarchist politics. There, Valka excelled, rising to the rank of kromnavi, or captain. She elected to renew her service for a second five-year term. It was during this time that the Prachars, members of a terrorist cell associated with the orthodox Hindu minority, seized a Durantine trading cog and threatened to smash into the planet’s orbital mirrors. Acting on orders from her command, Valka opened fire, destroying the ship and everyone aboard. For this, she was not lauded as a hero, but became the object of scorn and condemnation. This prompted her resignation from the Defense Force. It was during this time that her father, himself a xenologist, disappeared on a dig in the Norman Expanse. His disappearance, coupled with the situation at home after her engagement with the Prachars, prompted her departure from Edda and from the Demarchy at large.

She journeyed first to Ozymandias, where her father disappeared, but Valka failed to locate Doctor Ivar Onderra, and never saw him again. Her travels took her to Quiet sites across the Sollan Empire—always with some pretext, and the insulation of Tavrosi diplomatic immunity (though that had failed to protect her father). She visited Sadal Suud, and Judecca, and several other sites, forever careful to travel very publicly—her father’s mistake having been to move in secret, making it too easy for the Chantry to make him disappear. In time, her travels would bring her to the planet Emesh, where she would enjoy the patronage of Sir Elomas Redgrave, the once-famous adventurer, who sponsored her excavations on the southern continent at the famous site of Calagah. It would be on Emesh—during the rainy season that drove her from her work at Calagah—that Valka Onderra would meet a young Hadrian Marlowe, then disguised as a common myrmidon. Each would initially be quite skeptical of the other, but Marlowe and Onderra would come to regard one another first as colleagues, later as friends, and eventually, their entanglement would come to impact the broader galaxy for generations to come².

Born on the planet Edda in the Demarchy of Tavros, she belongs to a collective of freeholders who live outside Imperial rule​. By the events of Empire of Silence (c. ISD 16600s), Valka has earned the title of Doctor and established herself as a skilled xenologist – essentially an archaeologist of alien civilizations. She arrives on the Imperial world Emesh as part of an academic expedition to study mysterious ancient ruins on the planet’s southern continent, Valka serves as a researcher (and de facto diplomatic guest) attached to Sir Elomas Redgrave’s amateur archaeological team on Emesh. This posting brings her to the city of Borosevo, Emesh’s capital, where the young exile Hadrian Marlowe eventually crosses her path. At the time Hadrian meets her, Valka is investigating artifacts of a long-vanished alien species (known colloquially as “the Quiet”) whose monumental ruins dot Emesh’s deserts.

Throughout her stay on Emesh, Valka proves instrumental in unraveling the planet’s ancient secrets. Early on, she offers her technical expertise to Borosevo’s ruling household by repairing Umandh devices (relic alien machinery) that even Imperial technicians struggle to understand. Her knowledge of these devices and the lost civilization that built them is unparalleled on Emesh. When Hadrian is introduced to Valka, she opens his eyes to the existence of the alien ruins at a site called Calagah in Emesh’s southern hemisphere. Together with Sir Redgrave’s party, Valka guides Hadrian through these remote ruins, sharing with him her fascination for the enigmatic builders she calls the Quiet. This encounter proves pivotal – the ancient site becomes the backdrop for a dramatic first contact with humanity’s enemies, the Cielcin. Valka’s research helps reveal that the Cielcin raiders who arrive on Emesh are not there for conquest alone, but are drawn by religious awe toward the Quiet’s monument.

This section should describe the known life of the character, divided by short stories into subheaders like below.

The Demons of Arae

Divide information by story; one header for every short story.

Mentioned: Broken Binding edition, Introduction
6, 21, 44, 47, 51, 57, 59, 60, 61, 69, 70, 71, 72, 74, 76, 77

Present: 46, 48, 50, 52, 53, 54, 55, 56, 58, 62, 63, 64, 65, 66, 67, 68, 73, 75, 78

Mentioned: N/A

Present: N/A

Mentioned: 1, 3, 5, 11, 13, 19, 20, 26, 31, 34, 35, 36, 49, 50, 51, 52, 53, 54, 55, 57, 59, 60, 62, 63, 64, 65, 74, 78

Present: 2, 8, 9, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 22, 23, 24, 25, 27, 28, 29, 33, 37, 38, 39, 40, 41, 42, 43, 44, 45, 46, 47, 48, 61, 66, 67, 68, 69, 70, 71, 72, 73, 75, 76, 79, 80

Mentioned: N/A

Present: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 10

Mentioned: Broken Binding edition, Introduction
2, 3, 4, 5, 17, 18, 34, 36, 37, 41, 42, 43, 45, 46, 48, 50, 51, 55, 69, 70, 80, 87

Present: 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 14, 16, 19, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31, 32, 33, 35, 38, 39, 40, 49, 52, 53, 54, 56, 57, 58, 59, 60, 61, 62, 63, 64, 65, 66, 67, 68, 71, 73, 74, 75, 76, 77, 78, 79, 81, 82, 83, 84, 85, 86

Mentioned: 9, 15, 16, 17, 18, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 32, 33, 34, 35, 36, 37, 40, 43

Present: 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 19, 20, 21, 41, 42, 44, 45, 46, 47, 48, 49, 50, 51

Mentioned: 2, 10, 11, 15, 16, 17, 20, 29, 30, 31, 32, 44, 45, 47

Present: 1, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 12, 13, 14, 18, 19, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 33, 34, 35, 36, 37, 38, 39, 40, 41, 42, 43, 46

Mentioned: 1, 2, 3, 6, 7, 11, 15, 16, 18

Present: N/A

Mentioned: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 10, 15, 18, 19, 21, 22, 23, 25, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31, 32, 33, 36, 37, 38, 39, 40, 42, 43, 45, 47, 48, 49, 50, 51, 52, 53, 57, 59, 60, 61, 62, 63, 64, 65, 67, 68

Present: N/A

Mentioned:

Present:

Mentioned: The Demons of Arae, The Night Captain, The Pits of Emesh, After the Feast, Daughter of Swords, The Fangs of Oannos

Present: Good Intentions