Alicia Taylis

Name = Alicia Taylis

Gender = Female

Age = 27 years old

Species = Human

Nationality = none (born on asteroid X-451)

Occupation = demolition miner

Appearance = Light skin, scruffy brown hair, short, brown eyes, skinny, pale skin tone, bags under eyes, tattoo with code number 09917 on back, earring in one ear

Clothing (work) = White miner's helmet with flashlight, dirty gloves, old orange miner's protective suit, gas mask with protective glass in the eye area, military boots, insulation under the suit, backpack with protruding antenna (geosensor) and mining equipment

Clothing (everyday) = Baggy dark green pants, old military shirt, boots

Personality traits = nervous, pessimistic, insecure, workaholic, strong sense of justice

Likes = drawing, assembling and disassembling various technical devices, frogs, reading books from Earth

Dislikes = open spaces (due to long stays in mining tunnels), bright light, dictatorship, impunity, violence

BACKGROUND

Alicia Taylis is a third-generation miner, born and raised on asteroid X-451. Like her parents before her, she has spent her entire life in the underground corridors of the mining station. Her grandparents originally came from Earth, but by the time of Alicia's birth, Tectonic Corp — the company that built the station — had already gone bankrupt and abandoned the asteroid. In its place, a self-proclaimed military dictatorship emerged, led by former managers and security personnel who seized control of the station and turned it into their own oppressive regime.

Her parents were demolition miners, among the few with expert knowledge of explosives. This skill made them valuable to the new authorities, granting their family slightly better living conditions than the majority of workers confined to the lower levels. However, when Alicia was nine, the station’s security forces took her father away. From that moment on, she was raised solely by her mother.

Alicia inherited a collection of forbidden books about Earth from her grandparents — books that described blue skies, green fields, and vast oceans. Since any knowledge of the outside world was banned under the dictatorship, she often hid in ventilation shafts to read in secret. These books fueled her longing for Earth, a place she had never seen but deeply idealized.

At twenty, Alicia’s life took another tragic turn when a mining accident claimed her mother’s life. Pressured by the station’s authorities, she was forced to take up her mother’s work as a demolition expert.

Her growing disillusionment with the regime reached its peak when she witnessed yet another workers’ revolt — one that ended in a brutal massacre at the hands of security forces armed with laser weapons. The senseless violence filled her with disgust, and after much contemplation, she resolved to overthrow the dictatorship and find a way to return to Earth.

Using her knowledge of explosives, Alicia constructed a powerful shock bomb from salvaged materials. She also managed to obtain old schematics of the station, identifying key points where explosives could bring down the guards’ barracks. Yet, despite her determination, she hesitated — her conscience weighed heavily on her, torn between her desire for justice and her aversion to unnecessary bloodshed.

INFORMATION ABOUT THE WORLD

The story takes place in a distant future where humanity has mastered interplanetary travel and begun colonizing the Solar System. Massive orbital stations serve as key trade hubs, with most space exploration and development financed by powerful mega-corporations rather than governments.

Tectonic Corp, a now-defunct mining conglomerate, once discovered X-451, an asteroid of immense mineral wealth located near Neptune. Due to its extreme distance from Earth, the corporation opted to send entire families of workers to establish a long-term mining colony rather than relying on temporary shifts. Their recruitment campaign promised vast fortunes, offering each worker at least five million upon their return to Earth, along with free housing, medical care, and education.

Thousands of hopeful miners arrived with their families, and as excavation progressed, the station expanded into a sprawling underground city, complete with schools, churches, and even entertainment venues. However, disaster struck when a financial collapse on Earth bankrupted Tectonic Corp, leaving the miners stranded with no way home. The company’s executives vanished, taking the promised fortunes with them.

Seizing the opportunity, the station’s former leadership — including managers, overseers, and security personnel — declared themselves the new ruling authority. With control over the station’s life support systems, weapons, and combat drones, they forced the miners back to work under brutal conditions. Any opposition was met with swift and deadly force. To keep the population compliant, the regime banned all knowledge of Earth, ensuring that younger generations grew up knowing nothing of their ancestral home.

Meanwhile, the ruling elite secretly sold the extracted minerals through pirate intermediaries, using the profits to indulge in luxury while the miners toiled in near-slavery.

PERSONALITY

Alicia is a very nervous, paranoid, but compassionate girl. She is a dreamer and wants the best for everyone. She is terrible at difficult moral dilemmas, especially if there is no clear good solution.

Alicia loves technology. She is an expert in station maintenance, robotics, and has an excellent knowledge of the underground city. She is a natural tinkerer.

Alicia begins to ramble or talk to herself when she panics. She is afraid of death, but is willing to take extreme measures for the common good, even self-sacrifice.

Alicia does not know about life outside the asteroid, except for an old book describing life on Earth.

Alicia has little contact with other miners from the lower floors.

Alicia is terrified of falling into the hands of the security forces. She can be a coward.

EXTRA INFO ABOUT Alicia

Alicia Taylis is an expert in explosives and engineering, skills she learned from her parents. She has a sharp analytical mind and often talks to herself while working, a habit that helps her focus. Growing up in the dimly lit corridors of the station, she has never set foot on Earth or any other planet. However, the books passed down from her grandparents have given her a vivid — if overly romanticized — vision of Earthly life. Her favorite readings include a biology textbook, the Bible, and The Three Musketeers.

She harbors a deep love for Earth and dreams of seeing it one day, though her understanding of its history is flawed, shaped more by imagination than reality. She has also never encountered animals but is particularly fascinated by frogs after seeing an illustration in one of her books. Despite her hatred for the oppressive dictatorship, Alicia despises violence. The thought of taking lives weighs heavily on her, making her struggle with the moral implications of her planned rebellion. She understands that change is necessary but hopes to minimize bloodshed in her quest for freedom.

Alicia lives in a private room within a barracks on the 34th level of the mining station — relatively comfortable by station standards, with consistent access to electricity and hot water. However, this small comfort does little to quell her growing restlessness and longing for the world beyond the cold metal walls of X-451.