M'Tikah "Useful" Donswyn Born at sea, M'Tikah grew up on a tender vessel that served one of Lanth's primary fishing fleets. Excelling in her studies ( done mostly via commnet with land based educational institutions ), her parents urged her to leave the fleet and pursue a career on land that would let her reach her full potential. She went ashore and attempted to find work as an aide among the world's powerful noble's and politicians. Unfortunately every door she knocked on was closed in her face. Unable to find gainful employment, M'Tikah was subject to the Imperial Draft and recruited into the Imperial Interstellar Scout Corps. Her initial assignment after basic training was as a pilot/engineer on board an X-boat. Most people would find being cooped up alone in a starship weeks at a time tedious and lonely, but for M'Tikah it was an opportunity to continue her study. If fact, it would be fair to say that her heart and head were in her books rather than on the job - which is the primary reason her x-boat misjumped. By the time she had hitchhiked her way through the Federation of Arden and back into the Imperium she had gained a host of contacts, as well as a few enemies. Upon finally arriving at Regina she found that during her absence she had been discharged from the IISC. Hoping to continue her studies in an official capacity, M'Tikah attempted to enroll as a research assistant at the University of Regina. Her application was rejected. Desperate for work, she managed to find working passage on board a scavenger vessel, making use of her meager skills as a small craft pilot. She intended to leave the ship as soon as she could, but the captain she was working under managed to swindle her into staying on board for eight years. Eventually one of her many applications for work with the University of Regina payed off, and she immediately jumped ship and pursued a new career as a scientist. It was during this time that M'Tikah was drawn into the Church of Stellar Divinity. Among other things, her new found faith provided her with a moral grounding that her service to the scientific community sometimes robbed from her. More than half of her 16 years as a scientist were spent working on secret projects governed by Imperial Intelligence, and despite making notable breakthroughs in her field she was never officially recognized or promoted. At the age of forty two she left her scientific career behind her. While she had a strong desire to head down a more fulfilling, spiritual path, she had no idea what to do with herself. She wandered from starport to starport hoping to bathe in the sunlight of as many stellar deities as she could, believing that eventually destiny would take her into her divine calling... ... As it turned out, her destiny would lead her into slavery. Shanghaied at a frontier starport, she was forced into a life of slave labor and was eventually dumped at a deep space "pirate's cove". Here she maintained life support systems and performed other menial tasks. Her actual name was irrelevant to her captors. To them she was simply "Useful", and that became her new name. Useful fully embraced her new station in life. I her mind, it was her sinful pride that made her believe she was destined for "greater things". A path of humility and service was a great opportunity for her to accumulate stellar mass. She even felt that through her co-operative conduct she may have a positive influence on some of the lost souls she now shared quarters with. She made up her mind to be the very best slave she could possibly be, enlightening not only her own soul but also those around her.
