Kristopher Yette
| Full name | Kristopher Yette |
|---|---|
| Pronouns | he/him |
| Species | Human |
| Origin | Lukyr Prime |
| Affiliation | Royal Research Guild · Sylvian Order |
| Role / occupation | Exobiologist · Sylvian Order operative |
Kristopher Yette is a theoretical exobiologist selected for the five-person research team to intercept SYMMETRY in 7354. Renowned among his peers despite being relatively young compared to other team members, he is quiet and contemplative by disposition. He is also a covert operative of the Sylvian Order, an imperial secret organization whose existence he eventually discloses to the crew.
Physical Appearance
Kristopher is approximately 35–40 years old with a brown mustache. He tends toward a distant, contemplative gaze rather than active engagement in conversation.
Personality
Kristopher is quiet and reserved, preferring observation to conversation. He is methodical and precise in his thinking, raising conceptual questions during investigation rather than jumping to conclusions. Despite his reticence, he shows moral directness — defending colleagues when he believes they have been treated unfairly and confronting uncomfortable truths without deflection. His Sylvian implant prevents him from lying to imperial representatives, a constraint he accepts and works around rather than conceals.
Background
Kristopher has established a strong reputation in theoretical exobiology — the study of potential life forms beyond known biology, their evolution, environments, and characteristics — despite his relative youth. He was recruited into the Sylvian Order, a top-secret imperial organization, at some point before 7354. As a Sylvian operative, he carries a neural interface brain implant granting him override access to nearly every government-owned computer and the ability to physically imprison people. The Emperor retains unrestricted memory access via physical contact with the implant, a forced-loyalty compulsion, and a kill switch over him.
He was assigned to the Royal Research Guild lab monitoring SYMMETRY's approach transmissions via The Glowing Element before the intercept mission was formally organized.
Relationships
Tomas Lithe — fellow team member and planetary geologist. Kristopher had limited conversation with Tomas during lab work; Tomas was one of the first people Kristopher spoke to candidly after disclosing his Sylvian identity.
Mera Serenol — fellow team member and orbital mechanics expert. Kristopher defended both Mera and Tomas after Byran's outburst in the maintenance room.
Byran Kale — fellow team member and ship technician. Byran identified Kristopher as a Sylvian operative before Kristopher's own disclosure, suggesting Byran had a contact who knew his identity. Kristopher later presided over Byran's treason trial and imprisoned him using his Sylvian powers.
Miryana Dorense — fellow team member and astronomer.
Story Arc
SYMMETRY Intercept Mission (7354)
Pre-mission: Kristopher worked in the Royal Research Guild lab alongside Tomas and others monitoring SYMMETRY's approach. He was summoned to the Royal Palace for the mission briefing led by Styvin Fring-Warpine, where a young scientist's attempt to withdraw was suppressed by force. Kristopher boarded the research ship at the regional spaceport on Lukyr Prime with barely 30 minutes of preparation.
Storage room investigation: When the team discovered a duplicated storage aisle, Kristopher raised the key diagnostic question of whether the doubled objects were physical clones or a spatial illusion — as well as the more conventional alternative that the aisles had simply moved closer together. He produced ship construction plans to check the room's intended dimensions, documents that Mera and Tomas had not received; the asymmetry was unexplained. He was interrupted before reading the measurements by a metallic screeching and followed Mera toward the sound. In the maintenance room, he witnessed both versions of Mera and was unable to prevent one from stunning the other.
Medical room: Kristopher examined both Meras' vitals and confirmed both were perfectly healthy with identical DNA. He identified the key implication: the double being unconscious proved she was a distinct entity, not an illusion. When the double woke, Kristopher responded carefully and honestly to her questions, acknowledging the team had informally designated her "the double" because she was stunned first. After Tomas made an insensitive remark to the double, Kristopher privately rebuked him, arguing that telling someone their existence is inconvenient causes real harm and that Tomas needed to follow through on his stated intention to keep her around.
Sylvian Contingency Override: When the ship's course was changed to Gamma Eona, Kristopher's standard override code was denied. He then invoked a Sylvian-level protocol, which the computer accepted immediately — cutting thrust and placing the ship in coast. The existence of this protocol surprised Tomas.
Shot by Byran: When Byran stormed the medical bay with a real gun, Kristopher was shot in the shoulder. He lost control of the arm; Tomas bandaged the wound. Permanent arm damage remains a possibility.
Sylvian Order disclosure: After Byran woke and identified Kristopher as a Sylvian operative, Kristopher disclosed his membership in the Sylvian Order to the full crew. He explained his implant's capabilities — computer override and the ability to physically imprison others — as well as the Emperor's controls over him: memory access, forced loyalty, and a kill switch. His justification was that he anticipated needing to use his abilities more openly. When asked whether disclosure violated his mandate, he explained he could take actions he genuinely believed served the Empire; if the Emperor disagreed, he would be replaced. His expression at that possibility was briefly frightened before he suppressed it. He also noted that Byran likely already had a contact who knew his identity.
Byran's treason trial: Kristopher formally accused Byran of high treason and granted him the opportunity to justify his actions. After Byran's justification failed to persuade Tomas or Mera, Kristopher formally read the verdict in the Emperor's name, revoking Byran's citizenship and imposing imprisonment. He then concentrated and extended his arm; Byran's body froze with a neutral expression and drifted motionless. The effort left Kristopher audibly strained. He also disclosed that Byran had sabotaged the ship's intercom shortly after launch and announced he had repaired it.
General assembly: Kristopher led the crew briefing in the common room, summarizing SYMMETRY's threat plainly and arguing against splitting resources between detection and prevention.
The white void: When SYMMETRY's anomaly took the crew, Kristopher entered the white void alone. His experience was distinct from the others: he encountered elaborate cities with architecture unlike anything in Lukyr, populated by frozen people, where only animals could move freely. In one such city he found a dog-like creature he named Diego, which accompanied him through the void. At the convergence point where the crew reunited, Kristopher perceived the environment as a concrete platform rather than the meadow Tomas saw or the space Miryana saw.
Reality collapse: After the crew reunited at the convergence point, Kristopher moved quickly to problem-solve and explore the central structure. When Miryana shared a fragment of her written notes on the probe's thoughts, he was visibly fascinated and reached toward the probe to reposition himself. His hand made contact with it — and reality catastrophically collapsed. What happened to him during the collapse is not recorded from his perspective.
Aftermath and return: Kristopher witnessed the full aftermath of the collapse: Tomas making contact with the probe ended all anomalies instantly. The probe then spoke aloud, apologized for its mistake, and asked permission to bring the crew home. Kristopher nodded, granting consent. The probe transported the ship back to Lukyr Prime at extreme speed and set it down at the original launch point. When Tomas later asked what Kristopher had told medical staff, Kristopher confirmed he had told the truth — a constraint of his Sylvian implant — placing his account of the probe's behavior, apology, and consent on official record.
Post-mission: Kristopher visited Tomas in the hospital after Tomas regained consciousness. He left the hospital with Tomas and Alex Prane, and is reported to be doing well following the return to Prime.
Open Questions
- What theoretical exobiology research has Kristopher done to earn his reputation?
- How long has he been a Sylvian — did he train from childhood?
- Does his quiet demeanor reflect Sylvian conditioning, personal temperament, or wariness about revealing his nature?
- Why did Kristopher have ship construction specs that Mera and Tomas were not given? Was this a Sylvian-level clearance benefit?
- Will his shoulder wound result in permanent arm damage?
- Who was the contact who would have told Byran about Kristopher's Sylvian identity?
- Can his implant be read remotely, or only with physical contact — does someone on Lukyr Prime (e.g. Rovin Warpine) now know what happened aboard the ship via Kristopher's testimony?
- What happened to Diego after the reality collapse?
- What will Kristopher do now that the probe is on Prime? Will he continue studying it?