Taliya Itsuko

Born in 10175 AE to peasant rice farmers, Taliya grew up during the Aelmere Federation's rapid modernization during the 180's. She was accepted into the Morning Stars at the age of eleven and continued down a military career path, eventually joining the Aelmerian Air Force due to a dream of flying. From 10192-10194 AE, she became a renown fighter jet pilot and attained the rank of Commander, racking up numerous confirmed kills in several international skirmishes.

Towards the end of 10194, the Caskyans launched the first artificial satellite, Miroiter, into orbit around Solaeris. This led to the Generals Council issuing a mandate for the Federation to make rapid advancements in the Aelmerian space industry for fear of intercontinental nuclear attacks. In the beginning of 10195, the Caskyans followed up their previous success with Captain Valérie Chirac achieving the title of the first Solaeren to reach space. Immediately following Miroiter, the Aelmerian Air Force Archadmiral selected Taliya to be one of fifteen individuals for the Air Force's astronaut pilot program. After several setbacks in both Caskya and Aelmys' space programs with lives lost totalling four individuals, Taliya was chosen to be the astronaut heading up Starshot 3, Aelmys' third attempt to send an individual into space. The mission was not expected to be a success, and the Archadmiral did not want to go through with it as the rocket had not been successful yet. He was much more in favor of an unmanned mission first; however, Taliya and the Generals Council convinced him that the Federation needed to succeed here or else it could lose its international standing. The launch was successful, and in 10196 Taliya became the second Solaeren, first woman, first Felonian, and first Aelmerian into space, as well as the first Solaeren to achieve orbit, circling Solaeris five times. However, in orbit, her craft's communications array malfunctioned, leaving her stranded in space. After several hours of working on her craft's avionics, she was able to jury-rig the craft to respond to manual controls, initiating reentry and splashing down in the Northern Strait seven hundred kilometers off the West Caskyan coast.

When she returned to the Federation, she was heralded as a hero, earning several additional commendations and being inducted into the Federation's Legion of Honor. She continued to serve in the Aelmerian Air Force for a couple more years, going on three additional missions in Low Solaeris Orbit. Following the restructuring of the Royal Caskyan Empire due to their defaulting on their loans, the Caskyan space program was in shambles. Now a Colonel, Taliya used her connections to persuade the admiralty and the Generals Council to continue the Lunar Landing project in cooperation with the Caskyans. In 10199 AE, two years after the Caskyan Republic emerged, Taliya commanded the mission of four to Solaeris' lunar body, comprised of two Aelmerians and two Caskyans. One of the Caskyans piloted the command module in orbit around the lunar body while Taliya, the other Aelmerian, and the other Caskyan descended in the landing module to the surface. The landing was broadcasted live for over four billion Solaerens to watch with Taliya Itsuko yet again making history as the first Solaeren to step on another celestial body. The first day of the mission sought to survey the area surrounding the landing zone, the second day sought to collect surface samples; however, the Caskyan astronaut's oxygen system malfunctioned. Procedure mandated Taliya to return to the landing module in the event that she needs to pilot herself and the other Aelmerian back up to the orbiting command module. Instead, she instructed her Aelmerian partner to make his way over to the module. She decided to go rogue and jeopardized the entire mission by going over to aid her fellow astronaut, linking her oxygen system with his, and making their way over to the module for an emergency launch.

The general mood between crew members changed following that as Caskyan society only had room for male Caniseans—Taliya didn't fit that description, and she garnered her fair share of resistance from the Caskyans. Her willingness to sacrifice herself in order to help a Caskyan of all people made shockwaves around the world at a time when tensions between the two people were so high. The Caskyan Republic planned on hosting a homecoming ceremony for the two Caskyan members of the mission once they landed, though the Caskyan whom she saved refused to go back to his home country unless she was invited to the award ceremony back in Montélay. The Caskyan government was furious to hear such an act of treason but were helpless due to public support, and so upon the mission's return to Solaeris, the crew toured around the world. Taliya was bestowed the Torchbearer's Cross of Caskya upon their visit, the nation's highest civilian honor. In Aelmys she was given the title of Champion of the Federation, similarly the nation's highest honor.

In 10200, she was promoted and became the founding Archadmiral of the Aelmerian Space Corps, championing its founding as a sign of a more united century. The inaugural phase of the WIN—world information network, a global satellite communications array and precursor to the internet—was started under this ideal. Such peace between the two countries lasted until 10202 AE when the Caskyans secretly placed a spy satellite overtop of Taipys, and so the cold war was reignited. She remained the Archadmiral through the Mahraqet Crisis of 10214-17, coordinating reconnaissance satellite efforts. Immediately following Sentinel Leonix' resignation in 10217, the Generals Council appointed her Sentinel. Under her reign, the Federation saw the Southern Federation of Mahraqet being brought out of martial law, continued expansion of its foreign services contracts, the digital revolution, and the introduction of the smartphone. It was also during her time as Sentinel that the 10227 Taipys Metro attacks took place where SRG terrorists killed over a million people in the capital when a combined, second wave attack utilizing a biological dispersal agent and high-yield explosives tore through the underground transportation network. She ordered the Federation to significantly ramp up its efforts in neutralizing the SRG threat and continued to guide the nation through the long healing process until she was assassinated via an explosive attack on her motorcade by the SRG. Her only-daughter, Casdy, as well as her Chief of Security were killed in the attack. She is survived by her widow, Darryl Tsun-Schulz.