Civil Dictator Amaki Astela nar Suurewie

Amaki Astela nar Suurewie

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"Where all roads end, our path does not stop."
- Amaki Astela nar Suurewie

Dr. Amaki Astela nar Suurewie (born 4 May 2006) is an Ausari politician and former officer, who has served as the Civil Dictator of Roulons since 9 August 2038; she shares the Office of the Dictators with Lahja Aasmae Eskola, who serves as Roulons' Military Dictator.

Amaki Suurewie is a tall, athletic woman in her mid thirties. She sports a head of ginger hair that runs just past her shoulders, overlapped by a pair of canine ears, both of which are a little chewed up around the edges. She has pale, freckled skin over toned muscle and voluptuous curves. Her tail is very floofy.

Early life

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Amaki Astela nar Suurewie was born on 4 May 2006 at Astrasanct Central Metropolitan Hospital in Ostravou Ward, Astrasanct, California Nebula, while both of her parents were studying at the University of Suwaleka. She is the only child of Petr Ossi vas Suurewie - an officer in the Imperial Corps of Engineers, and Katrin Harjunna nar Suurewie (née Astelis), a lawyer and eventually owner of her own law business. The Suurewie noble family can be traced back to the pre-confederation era of Ausari history, and it is one of the oldest still-surviving noble families in the Milky Way; since its ascent to nobility in 852 BCE, the Suurewie family has grown in influence and for much of the 20th Century, dominated Ausari politics. The family produced three Prime Ministers of the Kingdom, sixteen government ministers, and hundreds of governors of Ausari territory in just 1901-2000 CE alone.

Amaki was assigned male at birth, but she began to show signs of dysphoria at a young age; she preferred more feminine fashion, identified more with female characters in her favourite cartoons, and would ask her parents when she would grow up into a girl. Amaki took her name from her favourite character in a cartoon she watched.

Much of her childhood was spent in Astrasanct; from the age of four until eleven, Amaki went to Laurits' Heart Primary School, and attended Ostravou Junior College from fourteen to eighteen years old; she graduated from Junior College in 2024 with As and A*s in all of her subjects including Law and History. Her interest in Law as a career choice came from both her mother and an activity in her Law class where she played the role of the defendant for ancient Aquariian king Liitvo IV in a mock court case. Her teacher said that Amaki "had made excellent use of her rhetorical and political skills to drum up an impressive and convincing defence for the king".

The outbreak of the Alba-Regalian War in 2012 when Amaki was five years old came just months after her father had left the Army for a career in the public sector. The war did not affect the Suurewie family as much as it did for most other people in Astrasanct; their position and wealth bought them additional rations and removed some restrictions. Amaki later said that: "what we gained just by having the right name was outrageous and disgustingly unfair." In her late teens and through her young adulthood, Amaki constantly criticised her family's special treatment and went on to reject many of the privileges that were offered to her as a result of her name.

2017 saw a military coup led by Astela Jouko Valbe that brought an end to the war; the creation of the Albali Republic crippled the Suurewie family and threw Amaki's life into chaos; nobility was abolished and many in the family were expelled from their governmental positions by Valbe's provisional government. The family suddenly found itself with little power, though their name remained influential in military circles despite this. The eleven-year old Amaki was devastated at this development, but by the time she was in her late teens, her attitude had changed; she praised Valbe for her actions and was grateful that her own family no longer had power because of their birthright. Privately, Amaki felt a sense of guilt over the opportunities she had as a result of this.

Amaki attended the Miyasha State University - Blanchimona Campus from 2024 to 2029; MSU-B is considered to be among the best and most prestigious universities in Albali. Despite claims that she only gained a place in the university because of her name, Amaki insists to this day that she earned her place, just as every other student had done. She earned an LLB in Criminal Law, and went on to Major in Civil and Albalian Law. In her fifth year, she earned a Doctorate in International Sapient Rights Law. Amaki was considered by teachers and students alike to be an extremely good, committed, and well-behaved student at all times; the rumours that surrounded her name prompted Amaki to work harder than her peers to prove that she belonged in the institution; by the end of her first year, the rumours against her had died down. During her studies, Amaki worked for her mother's company, 'Suurewie & Associates Law Offices' - Amaki's goal was to work in a government court and thus she saw her mother's company as a stepping stone along the way. Nevertheless, she performed her absolute best and wanted to help her mother to succeed with her own business.
In addition to her studies and her work, Amaki gained a spot on MSU's student council in 2025, and represented all MSU students in the ASA (Albalian Students' Association) from 2025 until her graduation. Fellow student Miklós Kotilainen said that "we were happy for [Amaki] to represent us; she had our best interests at heart and everybody could see that she cared more than most."

After graduating from MSU, Amaki clerked for Judge Vidrik Klavan as a result of a formal request from the Albalian Supreme Court in addition to her job at her mother's law business. She worked there for almost a year, until the War Against The Heavens began when the Umbral Ones invaded from outside the Milky Way on 12 April 2030. Amaki reluctantly resigned her clerkship the following day.

Early military career

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After completing her studies and once she had enough experience in law, Amaki had hopes to become a judge herself, though the outbreak of the War rendered those plans impossible. Amaki joined the military less out of patriotism, and more out of the simple necessity to keep the galaxy alive. Amaki undertook the Officer Entry Exam on 21 April and was enrolled into Military Academy Tederane three days later. While in the Academy, Amaki had shown great aptitude in planning and general strategy and was put forward for a possible staff officer role upon her commission. MA Tederane became one of a handful of military academies that had their officer courses fast-tracked, and after six months of training, Amaki was commissioned into the Astrasanct Guards Regiment as an Alleluutnantti (Sublieutenant) on 19 October 2030.

Following her commission, Amaki was placed into the officer staff for the 121st Infantry Brigade - Astrasanct Guards' parent formation - and was given the task of helping oversee the mobilisation of Astrasanct reservists into the 16th Astrasanct Reserve Regiment under General Heikki Ruumoli Kallas. Amaki had roles planning training exercises and combat operations alike. Despite her lack of experience, Amaki continued to surprise her superiors with her skill in managing people and creating plans. With Amaki's help, the staff officers of the 16th Reserve Regiment were put into positions where they would be able to use their abilities to their fullest.

In December 2030, Kindraaladjutantti (Adjutant General) Lauri Vesik, commander of VI Corps, inspected the 16th Astrasanct Reserve Regiment shortly after its mobilisation was completed. Vesik, unimpressed by what he observed, began to berate regiment commander Maila Saarlana Lepp in front of her own staff. Lepp took Vesik's harsh criticism in stunned silence, but when Vesik turned his ire to the regiment's staff officers, Amaki angrily (albeit reluctantly) interrupted to inform Vesik of logistical and administrative difficulties of which he was unaware; Amaki also told Vesik that the VI Corps staff had not been very helpful in dealing with those problems. Lepp and her staff were concerned that Amaki's willingness to confront Vesik had probably cost her her career. Instead, Vesik routinely began to seek out Amaki and ask for her advice.

Amaki, as part of the 121st Infantry Brigade's officer staff, helped to plan the defence of the moon of Talde in the Albalian outer colonies, which raged for a full month between February and March 2031. The counterattack that pushed the Umbral Ones off the moon completely was Amaki's "brainchild" which brought one of the first notable Albalian victories of the early War period. Vesik, who had been impressed with not only Amaki's planning abilities but her way of diplomatically delivering harsh truths, had Amaki brought on to his own officer staff in VI Corps. From there Amaki worked closely with Vesik and had become a key planner in VI Corps' operations.

In particular, Amaki was instrumental in the planning and the co-ordination of the liberation of Mustlinn, fought between May and September 2031. Despite her successful plans, Amaki regarded the campaign with disgust, saying that "we're sending soldiers to their deaths for the sake of a rock nobody cares about; the only reason we want it is because we lost it. [...] Every time I think about Mustlinn, my stomach turns upside-down." Regardless of her feelings, the campaign was a total success - the entire Umbral garrison on Mustlinn was destroyed and upwards of 20,000 prisoners were taken. Though the moon was strategically unimportant, Albalian propaganda spun it into a stunning victory - for her role in the campaign, Amaki was promoted to Luutnantti (Lieutenant) on 4 September 2031.

(doing a rewrite lmao)

In January 2032 Amaki was assigned as a liaison to Kindraalluutnantti Kairi Padar's 2nd Albali Armoured Division, subordinate to Vesik's VI Corps. Padar described her as "brilliantly clever, conscientious, hard working, original and talented" but had severe doubts about her decisiveness, toughness and lack of command experience. She remained in that post until July 2032, when she was promoted to Kaaptantti (Captain) and became the battalion XO for the 3rd Panssarikranaattipataljoona (3rd Mechanised Infantry Battalion) of the Astrasanct Guards Regiment.

This posting was Amaki's first outside of a general staff, though with Vesik's advice and guidance, as well as the transfer of the Astrasanct Guards to rear-line duties just before, Amaki was able to learn her new role in a short time; she showed great skill in her duties, especially where personnel management was concerned - she was popular with junior officers and enlisted soldiers alike for her willingness to listen to their concerns and provide them with whatever they needed.

In spite of her popularity, Amaki did not get along with her superior, Eeversti Reeli Koiv. Amaki was worried that Koiv was more concerned about results without any regard for how she got them, while Koiv disliked Amaki's indecisiveness and sympathetic nature. However both women were able to work together, and indeed both officers shared a begrudging mutual respect. Koiv's views on Amaki were elaborated on in an official report on 17 August 2032:

"Major Amaki nar Suurewie is, in professional terms, well trained and very disciplined. She isn't afraid to speak her mind to me, even if I do not agree. Suurewie often demonstrates her intelligence in planning and logistics and skilfully applies it. She is also extremely popular with the enlisted soldiers in the battalion - she takes a lot of their concerns into consideration and it seems she is on personal terms with most of them. However I think Suurewie is far too soft and will be unable to handle the loss of the soldiers under her when the time comes. She is also innately indecisive while in the field and requires explicit orders before she is willing to act. Suurewie relies too much on guidance and advice from above.
However, Suurewie's brilliance in regards to planning should not be ignored; I think she would do far better if she were placed back into a staff role where she can use her talents to the fullest. My recommendation on the record is that Suurewie absolutely must be used in staff or teaching jobs because constitutionally she loves it."

Amaki's most notable deployment began in September 2032 when she and VI Corps were deployed to the Ylora, capital of the Republic. Amaki found herself relying on Vesik and his advice a lot more than usual, as Ylora was the first time she had seen combat on a truly large scale. The XVIII Corps was put under the Albalian 3rd Army, which itself was part of Army Group 'North Capital'. Amaki and her fellow Albalians fought their Umbral enemy in a fighting retreat for three months, until they had reached the Maesra River; Amaki participated in the ensuing Battle of the Maesra - despite putting up a ferocious defence across the front, the Albalians were forced to retreat from Ylora - though it would be razed to the ground by Albalian orbital strikes shortly thereafter. Amaki was promoted to Eeverstiadjutantti (Adjutant Colonel) on 26 July 2033, once VI Corps left the front lines.

Military career

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As a result of her skilled leadership in the ensuing battle, Amaki was given her own command, heading the 2nd Tank Battalion of the 12th Armoured Regiment. Amaki soon gained a reputation as a brilliant offensive commander, capable of acting without assistance from her sponsor, though she was unable to exploit it much; she found that she would have to retreat soon after attacking, lest she become encircled. She was again promoted on 18 October 2034, becoming an Eeversti (Colonel).

Despite this increase in rank, Amaki remained in command of her battalion at Vesik's behest; she would still learn valuable lessons from her sponsor, even though she had already proven her independence. Amaki led her battalion in numerous minor battles during this period, though at this stage in the war Amaki was afraid to commit her battalion fully, lest it be wiped out. Amaki also learned that her home city had fallen to the Umbral Ones, leading her to focus even more singularly on her military leadership. Amaki was promoted to Seersantkindraal (Sergeant General) in September 2035. The following month she was named Deputy Chief of Staff of the 19th Army, still under Vesik's command. In that role she helped draft the battle plans within the California Nebula, some plans even including the possible defense of her home city.

In November 2035, after the 19th Army's commander Arméekomentaja Lauri Vesik became commander of the entire 7th Army Group, Amaki, who had never commanded a larger unit than a battalion prior to this time, became commander of the 19th Army. So far into the war, the lack of experienced officers forced the Albalians to fill command positions with inexperienced or unprepared officers, as was the case with Amaki; she was deeply concerned about taking on such a high command despite her lack of experience yet resolved to do her utmost to succeed regardless.

Amaki's successful performances had inspired confidence from her fellow officers, and on 3 December Amaki was summoned to Army General Staff HQ to discuss the defence of Astrasanct. Vesik's 7th Army Group assumed responsibility for the Miyasha area with Amaki's 19th Army defending the approaches to Astrasanct itself.

Amaki's forces fought a fighting retreat over the next four months; her brigades mainly fought delaying actions against the massive Umbral onslaughts, coming out in better shape than the surrounding armies but giving up much more ground in the process. By February, the General Staff had forbidden any further retreats; Amaki was to hold Astrasanct or die trying. She was charged with command of the 19th Army within the city limits itself.

Astrasanct

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The battle for Astrasanct began in early March as the first Umbral formations reached the suburbs; Amaki ordered her soldiers to fight for every street and building to prolong the battle as much as possible. Amaki's forces took blow after blow from the Umbral Ones and within two months most of Amaki's brigades had been pushed back to the city centre and the industrial zones. As a result of the fighting in the city, the area of control of Amaki's army to her rear had become a vast refugee camp for Albalian civilians fleeing from the combat and the Umbral occupation. Amaki took great pains to provide food and lodging for these refugees. At one stage, the 19th Army was estimated to be feeding more than half a million people every day.

Reinforcements continued to pour into the city by the hundreds of thousands to replace the losses Amaki's army had incurred, and by May 2036 the 19th Army had become the largest and most powerful Albalian army ever to take to the field, commanding nine corps (490,000 men and 7,800 tanks) at its peak. Amaki had become concerned about the size of her force; she lacked the ability to command so many corps at once and made multiple requests to Army Command to form the 19th into a new Army Group which were repeatedly refused.

By June, Amaki's forces had been forced out of the cite centre; much of her army continued to fight in the indistrial zones, though several brigades were trapped in several pockets throughout the city. The collapse of the Astrasanct Space Elevator on 29 June threw the Albalian defence into chaos; many Albalian soldiers were killed by debris, dust, or fire. Amaki's command post on the Ruugaro Hill was surrounded on all sides by an inferno that limited her ability to communicate with her forces.

In July, the Umbral forces launched a massive counter-offensive on both of the 19th Army's flanks, and Amaki found herself nearly completely surrounded by an entire army group. Her commanding officer tried to convince Amaki to withdraw several times but Amaki refused even to consider withdrawal, stating, "Capitulation is out of the question. Every day that the army holds out longer helps the whole front and draws away the Umbral armies from it." Amaki sent 70,000 soldiers to halt the advance of the Umbral pincers on 14 July; the formation was utterly destroyed and the Umbral encirclement was completed on 20 July.

Amaki had realised that she was totally out of her depth and without any more experienced officers to look to for help, she almost broke down following this new development. The only thing keeping her in the fight was the impending reinforcements from Kindraaladjutantti Karoliina Sirel's 24th Army, which was preparing a drive towards Astrasanct to break the encirclement. Amaki followed Sirel's advice to hold her forces' positions in the city under all circumstances and wait for the order to attempt a breakout, despite the fact that she was completely surrounded by formidable Umbral forces. Amaki prepared to cooperate with the forthcoming offensive by placing much of her forces in the direction of the 24th Army.

For the next month Amaki and her men fought on. However, the lack of food and ammunition, equipment attrition and the deteriorating physical condition of the Albalian troops gradually wore down the Albalian defense. After a heavy Umbral attack overran the final emergency airstrip in Astrasanct on 21 August, Amaki practically begged Sirel in the 24th Army to begin her offensive as soon as she could. Telling Sirel that collapse was "inevitable," Amaki stressed that her men were almost out of ammunition and food, and she was no longer able to command them. She also said that 76,000 men were wounded and were in immediate need of medical attention - many of these men would die in the following days.

Operation Synapse

The 24th Army began its offensive (code-named Sunburst) to help her army break out on 29 August, with Amaki's 19th Army attacking the following day (code-named Synapse). In the words of Amaki to Sirel, the 19th Army was planning to push west "like a caterpillar". According to Amaki's plan, the heavy Type-26g tanks of the 609th Heavy Tank Battalion should lead this caterpillar. The metaphor is quite apt because, as the head led the way, the rear-guard in the tail was going to be engaged in just as heavy fighting trying to disengage from following Umbral forces.

The final army conference of the 19th Army took place at 1240 hours on 1 September. At this point, contact was lost with the V Corps and the XI Mechanised Corps. The conference found that the only possible break-out route had to lead through the Vrosti forest to the south west. This was not difficult for the Umbral commanders to deduce as well, while, on the other hand, 19th Army had virtually no information about the Umbral force dispositions between it and the 24th Army. From this conference onward, and despite Amaki's best efforts, command and control within the 19th Army collapsed. There was almost no contact between the 19th Army headquarters and the 24th Army HQ, and little contact with formations under 19th Army command.

On the night of 2 September, Amaki's forces tried another mass breakout from the Vrosti forest and Astrasanct's suburbs. They broke through the Umbral forces there, and the 609th Heavy Tank Battalion had created a corridor from their positions to 24th Army's frontline to the west, but paid a very high price. During 3 and 4 September, the Umbral reinforced the flanks and attacked from the south, pouring in rockets and artillery shells. By this time, the 19th Army's troops were spread out over a wide area. The rearguard was approximately 13 kilometres behind the vanguard, which had linked up with the 24th Army. The Umbral battle plan was to split the caterpillar into segments and then destroy each segment individually. The Albalian battle plan was to continue moving west as fast as possible, keeping the corridor open.

The situation in Vrosti and Astrasanct was desperate for Amaki and the 19th Army. Orders were still being issued to recognisable formations, but many of these formations only existed on paper. In the following days, the fighting became more and more confused; communication between formations became virtually impossible, and many units had to resort to using animals and/or runners to deliver messages. Albalian artillery from the 24th Army shelled much of the combat zone, but artillery support was eventually ceased as an "overwhelming number" of units reported friendly fire. If the Albalians came into contact with enemy forces and overran a Umbral position, the Umbral counter-attacked not only with ground forces, but with artillery and aircraft. Losses in the 19th Army were catastrophic. By the time the fighting was over on 8 September about 47,000 of the 19th Army's soldiers had escaped to join up with the 24th Army, just one-third of the force before the breakout attempt; the other two-thirds were either killed or captured by Umbral forces. Approximately 90% of the 19th Army became casualties or prisoners of war during the entire campaign.

After Astrasanct

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By mid-September 2036, the 19th Army was exhausted, but it had received some badly needed reinforcements and was defending the area of Edrauth, a city approximately 56 kilometres from Astrasanct. The 19th Army was placed back into the ex-7th Army Group, now renamed to Army Group Miyasha - Miyasha being the geographic area the army group was assigned to. The defense of Edruath took place from September 2036 until a renewed Umbral offensive in January 2037. By that time, Amaki's forces held static defensive positions on direct orders and during the lull in the fighting it had created a defensive zone more than 140 km long.

On 2 January 2037, the Umbral began their colossal Operation Reclaimer, whose overall objective was the destruction of Army Group Miyasha. The action against the 19th Army was called the Edruath Strategic Offensive. The 19th Army suffered nearly 76,000 casualties during the thirteen days of Operation Reclaimer of which 58,000 were killed in action. 60% of the 19th Army was destroyed within two weeks; combined with the losses at Astrasanct from which Amaki's forces had yet to recover, the 19th Army was fighting at approximately 7% strength. The 19th Army ceased to exist and had to be replaced by the 34th Guards Army and the LXIV Tank Corps. On 9 January 2037, Amaki wrote in her journal; "we are not just an army that has been beaten every day for six months; we are an army that is physically, morally, and thoroughly beaten."

The death of Amaki's fiancée on 17 February 2037 was the final push that sent Amaki spiralling into depression. Despite this sudden, stunning bereavement, Amaki's superiors worked her to the limit; she was placed in command of the 47th Guards Infantry Division while the 19th Army was being reconstituted behind the lines. On 21 February, Amaki was given the task of cutting off an Umbral spearhead and co-ordinating an effective counterattack with her fellow army commanders - many of whom outranked her. She lacked the staff and the experience for this task, and is reported to have burst into tears when informed of it. She failed to co-operate with the 34th Guards Army commander, Kindraal (General) Ardo Korjus, and the 7th Tank Army commander, Kindraaladjutantti Elina Kross. By 24 February Amaki's morale was "at rock bottom." After a meeting with General Korjus on 26 February, she remarked to an Albalian officer: "I'm shattered and I can't do anything."

On 28 February the Albalian Army Command, alarmed at the situation, sent the Chief of the General Staff, Fláteakomentaja (Fleet Commander) Heiti Orosz, to confer with Amaki and Korjus. Orosz later said: "I found Suurewie in a state of complete depression. No plan, no thought of a plan. Ready to be slaughtered. Defeated at the head without casualties... I lost my temper and shook Suurewie by the collars of her jacket. The woman is completely broken." Orosz effectively took over the co-ordinating role from Amaki and managed to organise an attack towards Astrasanct.

At a meeting in the village of Maartu on 1 March, Generals Korjus, Kross, and Orosz found Amaki depressed and pessimistic, "heavily marked by the fatigues and anxieties of the past eight months." After leaving this conference, Amaki was transferred back to command the 19th Army before her deployment to Roulons. Kindraalluutnantti Vilppu Laukkanen (Korjus' Chief of Staff) said: "With all respect, she's no loss to us in this emergency."

Roulons

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Her last deployment saw her remain in the California Nebula; Amaki was deployed to Elmarth, a recently colonised planet where the underground city of Roulons was being constructed. Amaki's orders were the assist in construction of the city, and to protect it should the city be discovered. On 8 December 2037, Amaki received a message from the Army which called for the total lack of communication to and from the planet from then on. In addition, Amaki was promoted to Kindraalluutnantti (Lieutenant General) and given command of all military forces on the planet. That was the final message Amaki would ever receive from off-planet, sending her into a furious depression, the shadows of which still remain.

Roulons became habitable in April of the following year; Amaki became the legal adviser of the city's leadership and eventually the first Civil Dictator; her subordinate, Eeversti Lahja Aasmae Eskola, was given command of the military and became the first Military Dictator. The Albalian forces in Roulons were reorganised into the Väkimestekaitsehaer (English: People's Defence Army). Even several years after the founding of Roulons, Amaki still forbids any communication off-planet, and that incoming messages are to be ignored.

For the most part, Amaki has focussed almost exclusively on domestic affairs, with foreign affairs sidelined. However, in late 2040, Roulons began exporting some of its resources to native settlements on the surface at no cost to the Kaithrit. This was done to build trust and to gain favour with the natives as part of a multi-layered plan to bring about Roulon hegemony over the planet by peaceful means. In March 2042, Amaki and Military Dictator Lahja Aasmae Eskola signed C/MP-002 which, among other things, gave native Kaithrit the ability to gain citizenship with less red tape and gave them permission to join the military.

The reasoning behind this policy became clear with the commencement of Operation Blue on 18 July; Albalian troops were deployed to the surface for the first time in support of civilian efforts to bring many local Kaithrit settlements under Roulon rule. Ever since then, much of Amaki's working time has been spent supervising the new territories - in particular, overseeing the natives' abrupt transition from feudalism. Amaki has committed a significant sum of money from the Roulon treasury for "nation-building" within the Kaithrit territories, including schools and roads. In addition, military forces on the surface have been assisting in these endeavours.

Personal life

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For the duration of her time in university, Amaki shared a dorm with Arianelle "Ari" Kaldalis Belessa and several other students; Ari and Amaki quickly became friends. In Amaki's words, "Ari had basically adopted me." The extroverted Ari pulled the introverted Amaki into her own group of friends, and the two remained best friends even when Ari graduated in 2028. Amaki, who was studying a five-year course, was the last of her friend group to graduate; once Amaki received her diploma, she, Ari, and their friends travelled to the garden world of Shinrarta Dezhra to celebrate their successes. Ari had made use of her MSc in nursing to start a career at Astrasanct Central Metropolitan Hospital, and their friends had found jobs in business, accounting, and engineering.

On the edge of Shinrarta Dezhra's colossal Chalk Canyon, Amaki and Ari confessed their love for each other and began dating. Amaki proposed to Ari on 16 March 2030. The outbreak of the war tested both Amaki's and Ari's commitment - Ari was worried about losing Amaki in the war, and wondered if their relationship was sustainable. Both girls decided to see their relationship through when it was clear they they were a source of strength and resilience for each other.
While Amaki was at war, Ari continued with her career in the hospital; as the war came closer and closer to their home, Ari's hospital became a major centre for wounded soldiers and sailors coming from the front. Ari worked her way up the chain to eventually become the senior nurse responsible for delivering care for soldiers.

Amaki's and Ari's only child, Amara, was born on 21 June 2035; Amaki was able to secure temporary leave for the birth of her daughter. Ari took on much of the responsibility for Amara's care as Amaki could not be present for Amara's early years. Recalling this fact, Amaki was quoted as saying: "Not being able to be there for my own daughter was a very bitter pill to swallow... but I'm very happy she had Ari caring for her when I could not."

With the ongoing battle for Astrasanct in 2036, Ari and Amara fled the city, where they were taken in by Albalian soldiers; Amaki found them in a temporary shelter shortly during her army's campaign to defend the city and took them both in. They once again fled Astrasanct before the Umbral Ones encircled Amaki's forces inside the city in July. The survival of Ari and Amara helped Amaki's mental state considerably, as both of her parents had been missing in the city for months and were presumed to be dead. Amara's presence in particular drove Amaki on.

As a result of the disastrous defeats suffered by Amaki's forces, Ari and Amara fled further behind the lines for their own safety; their residence was a permanent camp for support staff and civilians. In addition to caring for Amara, Ari worked as a nurse in the camp using her expertise from her job in Astrasanct. Unfortunately, on 17 February 2037, Ari was killed when long-ranged Umbral artillery hit the camp; Amara's survival was attributed to simple "dumb, blind luck". The loss of not only her parents, but her fiancée as well, drove Amaki to a complete breakdown, and her subordinate Lahja Aasmae Eskola assumed command in her place. As a result of her breakdown, Amaki was declared to be "totally incapable of further front-line command" by her army group commander and she was recommended for an "immediate" transfer to rear-line duties.

Amaki and the reconstituted 19th Army was transferred to Roulons shortly afterwards, with Amara alongside her. Amaki spent all of her spare time with her daughter - those close to Amaki have said that Amara brought her a new lease of life, and Amaki herself said that "Amara became the only thing I had to live for." Ever since then, it is impossible for the brooding, miserable dictator to be such when Amara is in the room. Lahja - Roulons' Military Dictator - remarked that "there is no force in the galaxy more powerful than the love Amaki has for her child."

Political views

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While she is the Civil Dictator, Amaki is in favour of a strong, centralised government that can keep the people living under it safe from the threat of Umbral invasion. She sees dictatorship as the best way to achieve that goal, as she believes that good leaders should not be subjected to matters such as term limits, nor should they need to deal with political rivals. That said however, Amaki sees democratic republicanism as the best form of government in peacetime and as such, she doesn't hold a grudge towards democratic leaders like many other dictators or autocrats would. She does harbour a dislike towards autocrats whom oppress their people without any valid reason (e.g., survival).

As mentioned before, however, Amaki does not rule exactly to her ideals; Amaki considers herself a democratic socialist. This is due in large part to her feelings to her own upbringing where as a child from the nobility, Amaki had all of her whims and wants taken care of. It was only when the nobility was abolished and much of their wealth seized by the government that Amaki realised how much people had to work to get even part of the treatment she received. As she grew older, Amaki's politics shifted to the point where she resented her upbringing - though not necessarily her family - and felt that families being more powerful than others simply because of perceived birthright was morally wrong.

In many ways, this way of thinking has crept into Amaki's leadership; the Roulon system can be seen as "mostly socialist" where Amaki has sought to ensure that no single citizen is any better off than another for the wrong reasons - those being corruption, nepotism, perceived nobility, etc. Most sectors of Roulons are publicly owned with the exception of the retail industry, though Amaki has this sector regulated.

The subject of the Umbral Ones' invasion and the War in general is a serious berserk button for her; avoid the subject if possible.

Policies

• CP-001 - 'Lebenruum Policy'
  CP-001 was thought up as the city's rising population meant that space was a valuable commodity. The policy allows private companies and individuals to mine into the natural walls surrounding the underground city, thus resulting in more space for the city to grow.

• CP-003 - 'Civil Defence Policy'
  CP-003 was created to address the relatively small military of Roulons. As the Kaitsehaer falls under the purview of the Military Dictator and thus she cannot create policies regarding it, Amaki created the Roulon National Guard - a militia force under her offices' control. Every able-bodied man and woman not already in the military or government is encouraged to join, and members train for five weeks per solar year. Within a year of its inception, Roulons' military power almost quadrupled.

• CP-004 - 'Growth Policy'
  CP-004 offers incentives for parents to have two or more children, either naturally, or through artificial insemination and adoption. The goal of this policy is to strengthen Roulons in the future, where there will be more workers to contribute to the military, the economy etc.

• C/MP-001 - 'Reclamation Policy'
  The Reclamation Policy is the so-called 'first step' for the Roulon people in reclaiming their lost glory. It is a joint policy between the Civil and Military Dictators that gives much more resources towards the military and the relevant industries. Dockyards have begun to produce warships and the military is researching weapons that have been augmented with Umbral technology. It is expected that Roulons will take a much more aggressive stance when dealing with its primitive neighbours.

• C/MP-002
  C/MP-002 is the second joint policy that has come into action - under C/MP-002, the entire structure of the military is to undergo reform in support of a secret clause to this policy. Kaithrit native to the planet may join the Kaitsehaer once they gain citizenship. In the civil department, the process for Kaithrit natives gaining citizenship has been explained in a 67-page guide printed in both Albalian and the Kaith-tongue. Guides and procedures for deployments to the surface for both military and civilian assets have also been created.
  

For & Against (For her politics, not her ideals)

• For: militarism, nationalism, autocracy, tradition, safe expansionism, collectivism, technological advancement

• Neutral: fascism, republics and democracies, statism

• Against: monarchism, using technology carelessly, gun control, pacifism, individualism, bullying weaker groups

Personal Information

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Personality

Amaki tends to come across as a serious, stubborn, rarely-forgiving, hard woman to those who first meet her; she dislikes false courtesies and thus she surrounds herself with advisers whom she trusts to be blunt with the truth, whether she may like it or not. Amaki has very little patience for false politeness that is expected of a leader, and she generally states her opinions of others or what is on her mind aloud; she has no reservations about mocking or otherwise offending those she perceives as incompetent. Despite this, she can muster up polite or even outright kind behaviour towards those she likes or at least respects. Amaki's keen sense of duty and devotion to work means she can get extremely irritated by people who don't take their work seriously. Amaki tends to avoid talking about her own personal life and issues, as she sees them as her own concern, and she also thinks talking about it is not as important as running Roulons.

Amaki pushes herself as hard as possible in her own work and expects nothing but perfection from herself - she resents the favourable treatment she received as part of a noble family, and constantly works hard to show that it was her own work that got her to her heights. This mindset did not leave her and in some cases it grew during her time in the Army. With this mindset comes her willingness to admit her mistakes and to be merciless to herself when she makes them.

During her time in the Army, Amaki was regarded by her peers as a kind and soft military commander. Kindraal Rudolf Nurme, a member of the General Staff during the war, described Amaki as a brilliant yet modest officer with outstanding experience in staff work; Nurme also pointed out Amaki's prodigious talent for strategic and operational planning. Amaki also showed respect for subordinates and demonstrated an acute sense of diplomacy and politeness. Part of this attitude was down to her desire to go unnoticed by her peers so she could focus on her tasks. Kindraalluutnantti Kairi Padar described Amaki as "a woman who put 100% into everything she was asked; despite her inexperience, her enthusiasm to learn and improve was infectious." She also described Amaki as an able leader when she had the opportunity; she also noted that Amaki enjoyed exceptional trust from her mentor Lauri Vesik, and was able to persuade him even during the most heated of discussions.

Amaki's actions and personality were sometimes the object of dispute. In particular, Kindraal Ardo Korjus defined Amaki as a passive commander completely under the total control of her mentor, and blamed her for the failure of the Miyasha Campaign in early-mid 2037. He saw Amaki's previous successes as a result of her mentor's interference, and noted that after his death Amaki seemed unwilling to take action. Among Amaki's strongest critics was Fláteakomentaja Heiti Orosz, who criticized Amaki's decisions during the liberation of Astrasanct, especially her refusal to retreat from the city when encirclement became likely.

A view on Amaki was elaborated by Marika Laas in her 2042 book, On Marshal Vesik. Laas points out Amaki's timidity and her inability to defend her opinions before the Army General Staff. Reportedly, Amaki was appointed to such high military positions before she was ready because she was easy to manage. However, Laas recognises Amaki's intelligence and assumes that Amaki was the main architect of the plan to liberate Astrasanct in 2036. She also points out that Amaki and Vesik probably deliberately under-reported the estimated strength of the Umbral Ones' forces in and around the city to gain the General Staff's approval for that risky operation.

The most significant change in Amaki's personality began soon after she and Ambrosia von Carstein entered a relationship together. Amaki had initially took her job as Civil Dictator as a way of taking responsibility for her perceived failures in the past which essentially entailed working herself to death. With Ambrosia's and Lahja's help, Amaki has finally began to find purpose in her life once again. She has started to find happiness in getting out of bed in the morning, mostly due to her beloved Amara, but partly because she can do her job as Dictator with less and less baggage from her past weighing down on her conscience.

Leadership style

In spite of the astronomically high standards to which she holds herself, she is surprisingly lenient when it comes to the people beneath her; she has spent a lot of her time implementing and perfecting a 'no-blame' culture in her departments. Amaki sees mistakes and failures as an inevitable part of any workplace, and she is reluctant to punish people for such mistakes. She prefers to let her subordinates learn from their failures instead of punishing them; she believes this way of leading leads to a healthier, calmer work environment where her subordinates are not afraid to report their mistakes and concerns. Amaki implemented this way of leading as the extremely merciless culture in the Army's general staff was intolerant of mistakes during an era of war where inexperienced commanders were common; Amaki and many generals like her were relieved of command or "retired", and the pressure of performing to perfection ground a great many of them down to the point of complete demoralisation.

Amaki has shown herself to be an excellent manager of people, appointing subordinates to the positions they would be most effective - or in Amaki's words: "putting the right jockey on the right horse". One of the core pillars of her leadership philosophy is to give her departments an overarching goal and trusting that the people can deliver on that goal without her intervention. She sees micromanaging as an overtly oppressive method of leadership that stifles innovation and remains set in its ways, while she believes her own method promotes dynamic thinking and teamwork to bring everybody together in pursuit of a common cause.

To Amaki, good communication is essential, particularly between people. In keeping with the open, calm environment she fosters, she encourages discussion so everybody can have their voice heard and their feelings considered.

Personal trivia

• She cries herself to sleep every night.

• Cooking with her daughter is one of her favourite past-times.

• Amaki sings in the shower. Is she good? Use your imagination.

• Amaki speaks with a strong Albalian accent, which sounds vaguely Finnish.

• Usually, she sounds rather monotonous and disinterested - because she is.

• If war did not break out, Amaki would have become a judge in the Galactic Criminal Court.
  

Military awards

Gallery

Quotes
"We cannot win this war anymore, but we must not lose it."
- 21 August 2036

"Hope is not a method, but hope is the only method we have left."
- 3 October 2037

"What is life but an unpleasant interruption to a peaceful nonexistence."
- 14 December 2039

Relationships

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Amara Belessa nar Suurewie

???

Ambrosia von Carstein

The relationship between Amaki and Ambrosia is one built on mutual unconditional trust and support. The pair are always there for one another through the good times in their lives and the bad, offering advice, an ear to listen, and a shoulder to cry on.

Lahja Aasmae Eskola

???