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A short history of the Andros family
The Andros family scrapbook
(All pictures are of model Daniela Pestova, starting at age
17 to early 30's)
(Some pictures have HQ versions... just click picture to
find)
Selection on Velor - circa 1160AD
Kalla, appearing before the Scalantran trader on the surface
of Velor, dressed in a conservative, slightly ill-fitting but formal gown of
Velorian blue.
She has her family's permission to volunteer for this
patriotic assignment, and is both thrilled and frightened at the prospect of
being one of the first Velorians to travel beyond their planet's atmosphere,
other than to Aria like the Naturalists.
A Purest, she is a Prima-1, the first of an unusually tall
and athletic family of Velorians that would later be called simply: P1.
Arrival on Andros
Kalla as she first lands on Andros. She's
wearing a traditional Velorian outfit from that era. She's seventeen and
lost and lonely already.
The journey has been difficult, but until
arriving on Andros, she's had the company of several other Velorian girls.
Unfortunately, the other girls stayed on the ship as she traveled to the
surface with the Scalantran trader.
She feels a bit like a freak, what with
the wild tales about her people that the Scalantran is telling everyone,
stories about super-women.
She has no idea how weak and fragile
ordinary humans are (yet), but she can readily see that even in her bare
feet, she's a couple inches taller than most men and a head taller than the
women. She's also discovering her ability to see through things, which was
weird enough on the ship, but is totally freaky when the walls and buildings
of the small city next to her turn transparent.
 The
following day, we see her as she's presented to Feodor Andros, first
Patriarch of the planet Andros.
She's heavily gold-encumbered, something
you can see in her eyes as well as around her neck.
Feodor has no idea what he's buying into,
other than a beautiful and uniquely healthy young woman from a world he's
never heard of.
The Scalantran is bargaining hard,
describing her abilities and attributes, but Feodor thinks he's insane. It's
not humanly possible. And a million credits for her? Impossible.
Fortunately for the Scalantran, a test
with a powerful projectile weapon proves that the outrageous rumors of her
invulnerability are not mere fantasies. He fires away for several minutes,
making a mess out of her clothing and injuring several bystanders with the
ricochets, but she never even flinches.
Fascinated and awed by her mix of
incredible power and inhuman beauty, Feodor scrapes the bottom of the
barrel and comes up with the money.
He's now the proud owner of an indentured
Velorian femme. Period of indenture: 100 years.
Kalla at the end of the first week on
Andros. She's removed most of the gold, and is gradually getting used to
being empowered. She's just learning to fly.
Still lonely though, and feeling even
more like a freak as people follow her around, staring, she's found that
Feodor is a dedicated but driven man.
The good news is that she's been
successful in her first amorous encounter with him, and was pleased to find
that Feodor was beside himself with joy at the wonder of her beauty and the
loving skills that her mother had hastily taught her before she left Velor.
Skills that only a Velorian has the flexibility and strength to master.
The glimmer of pride from being both a
member of the Andros family and an empowered Velorian (living among humans)
is already visible in her eyes.
Feodor's Funeral - 1192AD
Kalla thirty-two years later, pictured
leaving Feodor's funeral. He died at the age 78 after a productive and
happy life.
Kalla has been at his side all that time,
helping build bridges, clear forests, build roads. He included her in the
heart of his family, not as a wife, not as a daughter despite her young age,
but also more than a mistress. Strangely, she's become his wife's best
friend and auntie to their five children.
Sharing Feodor's bed when he travels,
assisting his business as well as protecting him from thieves and warlords
and privateers, she and Feodor have been inseparable in public. They've
truly shared this thing called love, along with a great deal of respect for
each other.
The man she's looking back at is Jayar
Andros, Feodor's son, a young man who has just reached his 20th year. She
knows that a new Binding will put her in his care, and this only compounds
her grief at losing Feodor. Jayar has invited her to his bed many times,
but she has always refused, claiming loyalty to the father. He is angry, and
determined to make her pay for her refusals.
Jayar Andros -
second Patriarch of Andros - 1232AD
 Kalla
forty years later, and now the constant companion of Jayar of Andros,
Feodor's son and the second Patriarch.
Pictured here wearing Velorian blue, she's become comfortable with Jayar,
despite their difficult start.
Arrogantly forbidding her to wear gold, he's come to realize that if not
for her skill and caring, he would have died long ago.
Together, they've continued Feodor's work, and have now finished building
most of the infrastructure on Andros. Numerous technicians from more
advanced alien worlds are living on Andros now, helping to leapfrog them
from 12th century technology to near-spacefaring technology in two
lifetimes. Kalla does all the heavy lifting, and has established their
first orbital platform.
She is pictured here, sitting next to Jayar's half dozen children, several
of whom appear older than Kalla.
Pictured here at Jayar's funeral in 1270AD, she's grown
more sophisticated and lovely, her focus now on helping Jayar bring art
and culture to Andros.
She's the Director of the Andros Museum and Gallery, the
exhibition of early Andros artifacts along with treasures from the many
worlds that Andros has traded with.
She still looks very young, despite being 127 Terran
years old. Living empowered is good for a Vel.
She's completed her indenture, but has no desire to
leave. She's as much a member of the Andros household as anyone else.
Kyros Andros -
third Patriarch of Andros - 1320AD
Kalla fifty years later and living with Kyros, the third Patriarch. He has
no appreciation for her talents other than as a trophy and bedmate,
flaunting his pride at having her as his concubine, and insists she dress
in scandalous gowns. He parades her on his arm to every official function.
She knows she could leave, but she's attached to several of the children
in the family, and she remembers the kindness of Feodor and the
satisfaction of building a world with Jayar.
She is still Director of the Museum (of Antiquities now).
Kyros' wife bitterly resents Kalla, blaming her for his lack of passion
toward her. Even worse, the citizens of Andros hate Kyros, the Patriarch,
so more and more of her time is devoted to protecting him.
The pride isn't gone, however. You can see that in her eyes in this photo
taken in 1334AD at Kyros' funeral.
She displays as much modesty as he has allowed her, but living under
(literally) Kyros has been very difficult for her, what with her sexual
abilities the only thing he valued.
But a Velorian's pride can't be destroyed, only suppressed. The tyrant has
passed on, and she is now preparing to engage his son, Nestor.
Nestor Andros -
fourth Patriarch of Andros - 1380AD
Kalla initially lived a life of luxury with Nestor, but he saw her boredom
and unhappiness with the lack of challenge. Being a wise man, and in love
with her, he encouraged her to continue her education, consistent with her
role as Director of the Museum and Galley.
After she graduated with a degree in Fine Arts, he further encouraged her
to continue in a technical field, eventually receiving a Masters degree in
Nuclear Engineering.
Nestor has since founded a company to manufacture spacecraft, starting
with purchased Scalantran plans. Initially it was to give her something to
do, but he's found a great opportunity to provide ships to other worlds
that the Scalantrans want to keep dependent on their transports. But to do
that, he needs Vendorian technology. That will let him leapfrog the
Scalanatrans.
The result is a plan to allow Kalla to go and get that technology.
She's pictured here on Vendor, having lived there for two years now,
supposedly an entertainer, working to steal plans for Vendor's advanced
ships from right under their secretive noses.
Using all her Velorian talents, including the charms you can see here,
she's worked her way into the heart of the Vendorian science community.
With her knowledge of nuclear physics and the ability to handle materials
that would kill an ordinary human, not to mention the ability to seduce
any Vendorian, she's about to steal the components of a hybrid
fusion/anti-matter power plant, along with the plans, and return them to Andros.
Seen here after her return from Vendor in 1383, she's teaching Nestor's
son, Owen, the fine skill of pool. Nuclear Engineer, secret agent, museum
curator and head of a company that's attempting to design and build a
starship, she's also able to run a hundred balls without missing. A woman
of many talents. She's become emotionally attached to both father and son
by now, and is sharing the father's bed and occasionally that of
sixteen-year-old Owen. An unusual relationship, even for Kalla.
Both men love her dearly, and she is fond of both of them, particularly
Nestor, who has encouraged her education and allowed her to grow.
She's 240 Terran years old as pictured here. You'd be hard pressed, even
with the closest inspection, to judge her as being over 30. By Terran
standards.
Owen Andros -
fifth Patriarch of Andros - 1400AD
Kalla, now Chief Test Pilot of Andros Spacecraft, about to pilot their
first fusion/anti-matter-powered, interstellar ship into orbit.
At 257 years of age, she's focused her talents for the last 17 years into
developing and helping build their first crude interstellar ship. Knowing
that it's too dangerous for anyone else to fly, she's also studied to
become the test pilot.
This first ship has only a primitive environment control system and
radiates intense nuclear fields, but if she can take it through a wormhole
and back, she'll have proven that they've mastered Vendorian technology.
As you can see, it makes little sense to wear clothing in a ship's cockpit
that would vaporize anything she wore. Just the restraints to make travel,
and the tens of G's gradient during the hole transit, a bit easier to
relax in.
The next step, if successful, would be to install the new fusion drive
system and a better anti-grav in a shielded ship and open up the vast
reaches of the galaxy to Androsians, who could then travel on their own
without bartering passage on Scalantran ships.
Something neither the Arions nor the Scalantrans are very happy about.
This is where my Andros story will start...
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