Character Reference Sheet
Valunara "Val" Jaren
The Engineer Who Holds It All Together
Valunara "Val" Jaren is the embodiment of frontier resilience. A graduate of the prestigious Meridian Engineering Academy, she turned her back on a promising corporate career for a life of hands-on, practical work at the galaxy's edge. For years, she was one of the unsung heroes of Edgepoint Station, a master of improvisation who could coax life back into the most ancient and broken-down technology. She is pragmatic, direct, and trusts machines far more than she trusts people.
At a Glance
Species:
Human
Profession:
Starship Engineer, Systems Specialist
Defining Trait:
Pragmatic Competence. Val sees the galaxy as a series of complex systems to be analyzed, understood, and, when necessary, fixed with whatever tools are on hand.
Key Skill:
Master of Antiquated & Advanced Tech. Her unique experience allows her to repair both ancient frontier hardware and the Orriona's cutting-edge, semi-sentient systems.
Prior Posting:
Independent Repair Contractor, Edgepoint Station.
Closest Ally:
Jotter, her multi-generational bot companion and the last link to her family.
A Life of Fixing the Broken
Val's philosophy is simple: everything has a failure point, and her job is to find it before it finds her. She is a brilliant diagnostician with an intuitive understanding of how machines work, from the simple mechanics of a cargo lift to the quantum complexities of a starship's core. Her years on Edgepoint forced her to become a master of salvage and improvisation, able to build a life-saving solution out of little more than spare parts and sheer stubbornness. This experience makes her uniquely qualified to maintain the Orriona, a vessel that is itself a fusion of technologies from across the ages.
A Bond Forged in Time: Val & Jotter
Val's gruff exterior hides a deep well of loyalty, reserved almost exclusively for her ancient bot companion, Jotter. More than a tool, Jotter is her family. A multi-generational unit passed down through her lineage, he is a living library of galactic history and a constant, silent witness to her life's journey. Their bond is one of unspoken understanding, and her fierce desire to protect him and upgrade his ancient systems is one of her primary motivations.
From Survivor to Protector
Initially joining the Orriona's crew for the promise of a final, life-changing payday, Val is quickly drawn into a conflict that challenges her cynical, solitary worldview. Forced to rely on a crew of strangers, she discovers a new sense of purpose beyond just surviving the next cycle. Her journey is one of rediscovering her capacity for trust and embracing her role not just as a mechanic who fixes ships, but as a protector of the found family she never knew she needed.
Did You Know?
Val was born on Meridian Prime.
She spent six months on an Axrathan supply frigate as part of a highly competitive engineering exchange program, giving her a rare, firsthand understanding of their bio-metal technology.
Despite her tough exterior, Val has a soft spot for the elderly and often performed pro-bono repairs for the older residents of Edgepoint Station.