Document created in 2182 – Authentication Code CLOCKWORK
The following is an excerpt from Lieutenant Commander Avantus' service record signed by her commanding officer in 2174.
"Headstrong, yet thoughtful, Lt. Cmdr. Avantus is among the rare breed of officers that show ambition but also respect for the chain of command. Her dedication and ruthlessness to any task she has set is just the kind of mind we need for high pressure scenarios. Her inevitable promotion to Commander will be just the kind of inspiration for what it takes to succeed through sheer force of will. Will eagerly keep an eye out for her in the future."
Written by Witness – Supervised by SB
The above quote was one of many commendations that Teyrna Avantus received throughout her military career in the Turian Navy. Her peers remember her as a quiet, but determined leader, one that did not mince words while maintaining a strong moral compass. A good solider, intelligent and talented.
Born in 2149 to a modest businessman and his wife, Avantus did not experience the typical childhood that most turians were accustomed to. Not technically in poverty, but not well off either, Avantus spent most of her early years in space, requiring her to become home-schooled instead of being shipped off to one of the many academies on Palaven. The training she received from her parents was radically different than what the rigorous coursework on her homeworld would have engrained her with. Avantus' parents taught her to respect authority by recognizing the natural order of the galaxy and adhering to it strictly by recognizing exactly where she belonged in her environment.
Her parents also gave Avantus a more cultural view, one less xenophobic than the traditional turian youth. All forms of life were to be respected in the Avantus household and each person was to be considered as a separate, but equal entity. From these teachings, Avantus became a very insightful and perceptive turian as she grew, always hungering for more knowledge while thoughtfully maintaining her view of right and wrong.
Perhaps it was her parents' guidance that prevented Avantus from forming a clear opinion about the Relay 314 Incident. Eight years old at the time, Avantus was not angered at the presence of the humans but rather fascinated, intrigued at the knowledge that there was a new species to be discovered. Like her parents, Avantus remained neutral about the entire conflict during the three months it transpired and was somewhat relieved that both her people and the humans managed to make an uneasy truce, despite the loss of life, for it represented a clear step in the name of galactic progress rather than dissolving into blind conflict.
Most likely drawn from her natural work ethic, with her parents' blessing, Avantus enlisted in the Turian army at age fifteen and was subsequently drafted into possible candidacy by commission due to her high test scores. Avantus would eventually earn her commission by passing the physical and mental tests with ease, automatically becoming accepted into the planet's most prestigious academy. In five years, Avantus graduated and earned the rank of ensign as a result which included a posting on the cruiser Indomitable.
Despite the advantageous position, Avantus would become distressed throughout her tenure at her colleagues' treatment of other species, particularly of humans. Collected reports show that Avantus was subjected to mild hazing due to her defense of humans, despite the collective opinion of her shipmates stemming from the 314 Incident. Avantus remained steadfast, however, and her view on other aliens was not dissuaded, regardless of the additional pressure.
The more progressive captain of the Indomitable recognized the qualities in Avantus and took her under his wing. This resulted in rumors of favoritism from Avantus' peers, but her exceptional performance in her duties managed to derail any of those notions before they could become fully fledged. As a result, Avantus flourished while on the Indomitable and her efforts and dedication impressed a visiting admiral so much that he lobbied for her to join his own crew, to which she accepted.
By 2175, Avantus, now a full commander, was the XO of the Repressor, one of the most powerful warships in the turian fleet. By this stage, she had built up a reputation for being strict with her subordinates, but also clever enough to gain their unquestionable loyalty. In over fifteen separate pirate raids, Avantus never lost a soldier on a mission and she was beloved for her cautious but firm attitude. Rumors were abound at this time of her gaining her own ship within the year, no doubt a fine reward for someone who took their duty to heart each day. Some would say that she even took her job too seriously but comments like these were always taken as compliments by Avantus. Her version of doing what was right was performing her duty to the best of her abilities, and her uncanny sense of right from wrong had never failed her before.
Ultimately, a time would soon come when Avantus' beliefs would be questioned. While on patrol in the Terminus Systems, Avantus and her squad accidentally encroached on a human settlement and had angered the property owner with their presence. Avantus had apologized to the owner and promised to move off the land as quickly as possible but two of her squadmates, still angered from the 314 Incident (despite the fact that they never participated, being too young) were overcome with emotion and began to assault the human in front of his home. Avantus tried to maintain order but the two turians refused to listen, even going so far as to assault the human's daughter when she entered the fray to save her father's life.
As soon as the human girl was struck, Avantus flew into a fury. She yanked a squadmate off of the male and knocked him out with one blow to the face. The other squadmate, the one who struck the daughter, was hit by Avantus so badly that his arm broke. Eventually calming down, Avantus requested for an evacuation while apologizing to the humans for the behavior of her subordinates.
Unfortunately for Avantus, the turian whose arm she broke happened to be the son of a noted admiral in the fleet and he demanded answers for the injury. The reports made by Avantus and the son did not match up as the son had changed to story to better reflect himself. An inquiry was hastily put into action but the humans that had been in the middle of the assault were never bothered to be questioned, which could have saved Avantus a great deal of trouble. Therefore, Avantus was put on trial and it was ultimately through the intervention of her captain and the crew of the Repressor standing up for her which convinced the jury that the son had been lying. The son was dishonorably discharged and Avantus was cleared of any wrongdoing, but she now had a black mark on her record and any buzz about an upcoming promotion soon vanished entirely.
Frustrated by the bureaucracy, Avantus had been communicating with the female human, Sophie Haines-Perez, and kept her updated throughout the entire ordeal. Avantus used her funds to help Sophie and her father recover and the two of them eventually began to form a friendship. Avantus would frequent Haines-Perez during her shore leave and the two began to grow close. Avantus did not mention her relationship with anyone because xenophobia was still very high in the turian military and she thought that such a revelation would considerably hamper her chances of promotion even more. After a year had passed with no progression in sight, Avantus became disillusioned with the military and began to consider mustering out altogether.
By this time, Avantus had built a house with Haines-Perez on a remote planet in the Terminus Systems and planned to settle down there with the human. It can only be speculated that the two wanted to forge a stronger connection between the other and that living together would have been an ample first step. Fate, as it turned out, would have other plans.
Alerted by a message from Haines-Perez, Avantus went AWOL during a mission to travel back to her new home. She arrived to find the homestead burned to the ground and that Haines-Perez had been brutally tortured and left to die, quickly expiring in Avantus' arms. Unbeknownst to Avantus, the Blood Pack had raided the homestead and lingered nearby, allowing for Avantus to be subdued and captured upon her arrival.
The Blood Pack spent a week torturing Avantus, viciously removing large sections of her skin, subjecting her to violent rapes, and partially blinding her in one eye. A medical diagnostic would reveal that so many of her nerves were damaged from being burned that they were not able to function anymore. Deciding not to kill her and finding it crueler to let the mauled turian live, the Blood Pack deposited her naked body on Khar'Shan, the batarian homeworld, where she was sold into slavery.
The trauma from losing Haines-Perez and being mutilated took a hefty toll on Avantus. Slowly healing in a cell, her damaged mind suppressed most of her memories while maintaining the worst moments of her life. When she was ushered out onto the auctioning stage, the naked Teyrna Avantus looked like a walking corpse, her scarred body not even appearing like a turian anymore. Despite this, a member of the organization, the Dealer, was in attendance in the crowd and bought the turian with the intent of freeing her so that she could become an integral part of the organization.
The Dealer clothed, fed, and tended to Avantus, who remained silent initially. When asked for her name, instead of Avantus, she replied with "Grevel." The origin of the word gre'vel is Khelish for "demon of the soul" and it was a word that Avantus had repeatedly heard while confined in the batarian cells. Apparently a crazed quarian captive would not stop repeating the word and it stuck into Avantus' damaged mind. At that point, Teyrna Avantus had finally been killed by the Blood Pack but Grevel was reborn from the loss.
The process of teaching Grevel to function normally again was challenging, but ultimately rewarding. Grevel's broken mind healed quickly and she became accustomed to the work of the organization, accepting her new purpose without any hesitation. It might have been possible that Grevel knew her occupation in the past but it was a point that she deliberately suppressed in order to become another person so efficiently. Regardless, Grevel's training as a ruthless assassin culminated when the location of her torturers was given to her. The mission brief specifically requested clean kills but Grevel deliberately ignored the instructions and brutally tore apart the vorcha that had tortured her. Their deaths were agonizingly slow and Grevel presented her kills without remorse to her commanding officer. Instead of being punished, Grevel was rewarded and given command over a specialized squad.
Years down the road, Grevel has proven to be a reliable asset, one that has never failed a mission. Her inherent sense of right and wrong has caused her to butt heads a few times but her opinions always had facts behind them, making her dangerous with her words as well with her hands. Having mastered almost all forms of combat, Grevel is one of the most dangerous weapons the organization has at its disposal and one it should treat with the utmost care. Grevel has shown that she is dedicated to a set cause so it must be our duty to provide her with one lest she find our resolve lacking.
Witness portion ends here – SB picks up dossier at this point
What Grevel has shown is that she is fiercely loyal to me and the organization. There is no blind devotion as she has repeatedly questioned orders from time to time, but she has always been upfront about her misgivings. It is her skill as an assassin as well as courage to offer alternatives to orders that has allowed me to place my complete trust in her. Traces of Avantus still remain within but the Grevel side allows a perfect blend of the two personalities to coexist, creating a perfect warrior with a calculating mind.
This collection of documents is meant for herself to review, despite her insistence that she is not interested in recounting her past. It is not something that Grevel has to read but that the knowledge that the information of who she was is at her disposal can have a positive effect on her psyche. Grevel is aware of this collection's existence which means that she knows that I'm being upfront with any information regarding her. If she understands that I'm not keeping anything from her past hidden from her, then she will respect me more.
Additional Notes:
Recommend that Operant Grevel handle the Anhur situation. Collectors are getting bolder and they require more difficult subjects to acquire. Will resume collaboration with Na'hesit clan for added efficiency. Grevel should be able to handle the situation alone with ease, even though I would like to send a contingent of troops along with her, but our enigmatic clients are quite demanding and are straining the organization's resources quite heavily. Besides, Grevel has never failed me before.
See attached documents for additional data.
A/N: This chapter was something a bit different that I wanted to write out. Throughout the two stories, I left bits and pieces regarding Grevel's past around, but I never spelled out her backstory in full. This "dossier" is the outline that I've always had in mind when thinking of Grevel and I wanted it to be a detailed look into my favorite villain to write. Think of this as a bonus presentation so that the audience can understand what I've imagined when writing this character.
I should have the author's notes released in a day or two and then I can get started on planning for writing in a different franchise. Not so sure how that will work out but I'm looking forward to it nonetheless.