Iyra Aldonia (2024)

Iyra Aldonia, formerly living under the alias, Sana Vesper, born Akiyo Iyra T'Soni-Shepard, is an Asari bounty hunter. In her colorful past, Iyra has worked as an agent of the Shadow Broker Agency, a corporate goon for Holosom Progressive, and an underground street racer, under her varying aliases. She is the central protagonist of Mass Effect: Chronicles of a Silent Galaxy and the final child of Commander Ken Shepard and Liara T'Soni.

Akiyo was born on Thessia, the final child of renowned Commander Ken Shepard, and Doctor Liara T'Soni. She spent the first several decades of her life living on Thessia, with her parents and older sisters, Dia T'Sonia and Benezia T'Soni, until her father's death in 2313 CE. Viewed as the most gifted of the children, Akiyo was trained rigorously by her mother, who grew increasingly colder in the years after Shepard's death. While Dia and Benezia left for education and new pursuits, Akiyo was groomed to be an agent of Liara. As time went on however, Akiyo sought new opportunities, away from the suffocating presence of her mother, and eventually left Liara's service.

Shifting her identity to Sana Vesper, she relocated to Illium, and quickly assimilated herself to the bustling but dangerous corporate life there, working for the the technological foundation, Holosom Progressive. As the years went by, Sana began to live a double-life, maintaining her occupation as a corporate entity in the upper levels of Nos Astra, while gaining notoriety as an underground street racer in the crime-filled lower levels of the city, under the alias of Ashara Gia. Eventually, her double life would lead to trouble in Sana's career, and events that would change the course of her life.

Biography[]

Early Life[]

Iyra, born Akiyo T'Soni, is the third and final child of Liara T'Soni and Ken Shepard, and was born on her mother's home world of Thessia. Being the youngest of the children, Akiyo was often coddled by her parents, creating some animosity between her and her older sisters, Benezie and Dia T'Soni. Akiyo herself felt she was suffocated by her mother, while her sisters saw the attention as unfair, a typical issue in families with multiple children. In actuality, Shepard divided his time as equally as he could between all the children, though Liara often spent more time with Akiyo than the others. Liara recognized Akiyo's biotic aptitude, and her mental makeup closely resembled Shepard's himself, and Liara began grooming Akiyo to be the ideal Shadow Broker Agent one day. Liara though, never made this intention apparent to Shepard. Despite the family tension between the daughters, Shepard himself always managed to bring the family closer together, and he was very involved with all three children's lives. Akiyo herself was closer to Shepard than Liara, due to her mother's rigorous childhood training she implemented on her, Shepard's laid back parenting was a much more relaxing method. Throughout her youth, Akiyo developed close relationships with many of the family's companions of the past, notably EDI, the AI that assisted Liara. When her parents were on business, Akiyo was placed in the care of their former companions, typically Garrus Vakarian and Tali'Zorah, and sometimes even Urdnot Wrex. She refers to them as her uncles and aunt, and developed friendships with Garrus and Tali's adopted Quarian child, Rael'Zora nar Vakarian, and their adopted Turian child Octus Vakarian, as well as several of Wrex's offspring, specifically Urdnot Solus, who became like a brother to her.

Akiyo's sheltered childhood life created the foundation of her adrenaline junkie mindset, an attitude that would only grow stronger as she grew older. She often got herself into trouble as a child, running away home to explore the Thessian wilderness, causing issues at school, even losing herself in cities from time to time. Akiyo even began to take on daredevil-like stunts to impress her friends, a subconscious attempt to make a name for herself rather than riding the fame that came with the Shepard family line.

Akiyo was quickly assimilated into secret training as a child by her mother, to prepare her as Liara's protege. She was taught to martial arts, received firearms training, educated on sociology and psychology, and most importantly, learned to devalue the life of others.

Shepard's Death[]

On February 25th, 2313 CE, Commander Shepard passed away. The Day Became known as All Heroes Day, an intergalactic day of remembrance for the man who's efforts saved the Milky Way from the Reapers. The death of Shepard adversely affected Akiyo and her entire family, with both her and Liara taking much of the psychological fallout from the event. Akiyo rued her father's short life, the life of a human, and the fact she could possibly live another thousand years without him hurt her even more. To mask this pain, Akiyo sought more adventurous, and risky, challenges in life. Liara on the other hand, grew colder, and more distant. As Dia and Benezia left for higher learning, Akiyo stayed behind, feeling obligated to support her mother, despite her growing desire for an exciting life, one not chained to Liara.

Shadow Broker Agent[]

Shortly after Shepard's death, Akiyo was brought into the fold by her mother, fully introduced into her life in the Shadow Broker Agency.

First Identity Change, Sana Vesper[]

Double Life[]

Becoming Aldonia[]

Early Bounty Hunting[]

Description[]

Physical Description[]

Iyra, like most Asari, is considered beautiful by galactic standards, with a very clear, teal-blue complexion, light markings adorn the sides of her face, just shades brighter than her skin. She often draws on eyebrows, similar to her mothers markings but with a distinct cut through the left brow. Her skin fades to a very light teal tint going across the top and back of her scalp. She has an angular face, and an uncharacteristically somewhat soft nose and high cheek bones and a well formed but narrow jawline, complimented by purple lips and eyes. Her eyes themselves were mono-lided, an unusual trait in Asari, and sharp, often described as cold and piercing. She was once referred to as an "evil twilight zone Liara" due to her appearance. In terms of size she is rather small and thin, though not feeble by any means, rather fit, with notably powerful legs.

She often sports an array of high quality streetwear, albeit, tactical at the same time to suit her career field. Iyra is known to show a little sex-appeal in her attire, often exposing her mid-drift, and sporting tight fighting attire. She is rarely seen without her trademark single-sleeved crop-top jacket, which is decorated with various insignias and slogans.

Personality[]

Iyra's qualities, at first glance, have little resemblance to either of her parents. She is often cold and brash, pushing forth an assertive and blunt attitude to those around her. She is limited in her display of affections and has a disdain for small-talk with strangers as well. Iyra uses sarcasm and cruel humor as a linchpin in her conversational makeup, and her impassive attitude makes her difficult to read for many. Even those who have been acquainted with her for years have difficulty understanding Iyra. Due to her mother's rigid attitude, Iyra has an issue with authority, and will even go as far as to purposefully contradicting authority. This is largely a response to her mother's authority. She accepts that the galaxy is a dark place, and that financial prosperity is the only real driving source for many. Despite these traits, Iyra is much more alive and free-willed than her callous attitude would suggest. She has a general disgust for the average person, and it's because of this, that she doesn't care about other's perceptions of her. Adventure and exploration are true romantic passions that serve as some light in a world of darkness for Iyra, and she's always looking for a new journey, albeit impatiently. She can be reckless, showing little regard for her own safety, and often takes a direct and aggressive approach to situations. She held little value of the life of others, a trait imbued in her by her training. She was comfortable with killing, to the point where if she were to take a life, it was simply like making breakfast. Everyday enjoyment was something difficult for Iyra to achieve, and as such, she was an adrenaline junkie who loved off of the extreme in life.

Beneath the layers of irony, sarcasm, and angst, Iyra still carries traits reminiscent of both Shepard and Liara. Even though her outward personality suggest her affectionate capabilities are limited, Iyra will go the distance to help her friends and allies. Though, she'll often attempt to persuade those she's assisting, that she doesn't actually care, or that there's something in it for her. This maintains her hard exterior. Like Shepard, she is tenacious and ambitious, priding herself on her focus and ability to achieve her goals. She doesn't shy away from challenges, she welcomes them, and often looks to dominate the situation. Much like Liara, she was intuitive and at times, caring. Crucially, similar to her father, Iyra seemed to inspire loyalty wherever she went, despite the fact her attitude seemed to clash with many.

Her family connections weren't always a point of pride her however. Growing up, Iyra, clearly aware of the notoriety carried by her family name, has always felt desire to prove herself. Not just to live up to the family name, but to show she doesn't need any favors because of who her parents are. She has always approached situations intent on putting forth maximum effort, never wanting to be handed anything simply for who she is, rather, what she's done. This has endowed her with a chip on her shoulder and a temper as well, at times showing arrogance when refusing help or assistance. Her stubbornness has a habit of putting her in difficult situations, and even causing herself to indirectly put distance between herself and others. This issue later evolved after Iyra separated from her Mother's service, and she underwent a multitude of aliases as she distanced herself form her lineage.

Despite her angst towards her family's name, Iyra truly did love them. Though, she was distant from her mother and her sisters. Being the baby of the family, she felt often too protected and controlled by her mother, and like most children this caused some difficulties between the two. Little did Iyra know however, is that her mother intended on Iyra eventually taking over as the Shadow Broker, and wanted to ensure Iyra was ready for such a task. Despite Iyra feeling controlled by Liara, her sisters saw it as the opposite, that Liara took more of an interest in Iyra than them. This led to tension between the siblings as well, and though they had their moments of peace, Iyra always had some friction with her sisters, and simply kept her distance. The one member of the family she remained close to, her father, Shepard, in the cliche "daddy's little girl", Iyra was just that. Where her mother was overbearing and hard, Shepard was soft and lenient, giving Iyra a reprieve from her mother's guidance.

With Shepard's passing, Iyra's true desire for adventure in exploration was manifested in the wake of devastation. She came to long for a life of adventure, and feared that she would one day become as cold and detached as her mother was, and the the life of a spy would be a dark and lonely existence. This led Iyra to leaving her role in the Shadow Broker Agency and changing identities, for the first time.

Despite dropping her birth name, Akiyo, Iyra very much still holds onto her Father's Japanese roots. She is even fluent in Japanese, as well as neo and traditional Asari, English, and has a basic understanding of native Krogan and Turian. Inscribed on her arm is 夢, the kanji for "dream", as Shepard always told her to dream big. She also has a love for Neo-Japanese culture, and keeps a collection of trinkets ranging from posters to neon signs decorated in her living quarters. She has an affinity for the occult as well as dark tales and mysterious legends, often incorporating such myths into her jokes, and sprawling to venture in rumored haunted locations.

Relationships[]

Skills and Abilities[]

Gallery[]

Appearances[]

• Mass Effect: Chronicles of a Silent Galaxy
  • COSG: The Advocate (First Appearance)

Quotes[]

Trivia[]

• Iyra was originally planned to be the 2nd primary protagonist behind Taylor McClellan, however as the plot was rewritten, she was shifted into being the main protagonist and the central hero of the story.
• Iyra's voice is very much similar to her mothers, as implied by the joke "she exhales a bit of air when she speaks".
• She is adept at playing the piano, and has been known to be a better than average singer.
• Iyra is a known fan of biotiball and Asarime, Animated Asari media closely resembling that of Anime on Earth.

Related Pages[]

• Taylor McClellan
• FV Aetherius
• Kasper Martial
• Galactic Federation of Allied Systems