Whats Phoenix-A like? Specifically, wow would you describe like the environment of the station? And any hints for Anku's backstory relating to Phoenix-A?
This is such an amazing question! I'm happily willing to bring an answer to explain all of it!
• Phoenix - A • [Fan-made Honkai Star Rail Space Station]
Phoenix-A is a massive space station with the visual form of a black hole. (Explains why it was named after one.) Most of space ships who are unaware of this place confuse this space station with a black hole.
Phoenix-A being a massive space station could be also considered as a planet, but the correct way to refer to it is as a massive space station with advanced technology and plenty of "cities" inhabiting it.
The environment is similar to what cyberpunk/the underground(Arcane) is. They're so advanced technologically, that they have floating cars, motorcycles (like the Tron ones for example).
An evidence is Anku having one of them!
• Anku's origins •
[This is an updated version of her lore, due to the recent updates in-game]
Anku's actual name is Aikaterini, and she was born in Amphoreus, yet they lived in an excluded place due to their species being an hybrid of a human and owl.
Her mother's name is Athena, and she's a skilled swordsman who worked as a captain on the Phoenix-A space station. Due to multiple reasons, Athena had to take Aikaterini with her to the space station, therefore she became her daughter's master and taught Aikaterini how to fight, etc.
Phoenix-A then had a war with monsters, and that's when it is discovered that a stellaron was starting to manifest and putting in danger the space station, but it'd take a while for it to consume the entire place.
Long story short, Athena saw how this war wasn't looking that good, she decided to make Anku leave on a spaceship and sent her to an unknown location (The Xianzhou Luofu) so she could survive.
Aikaterini then, disguised herself as an owl and had to forcedly take the spaceship, yet there were difficulties (she bruised her ankle because of a monster attacking her).
After landing on the Xianzhou as an owl with a bruised ankle, a young man with long and white hair found it and took care of it. (Yingxing A.K.A Blade before being cursed)
A couple of years passed
Long story short X2 after what happened with Yingxing and getting cursed with immortality, he disappeared and got turned into a Stellaron Hunter. Aikaterini decided to go look after him, yet before that, she decided to go check on the Phoenix-A space station first, with the difference that she was more prepared to fight.
Aikaterini found this place infested with hundreds of monsters, she made her way to her master Athena but she was found dead. Aikaterini had a breakdown and started a slaughter of monsters due to the rage and sadness that was consuming her. Later on, she finishes with most of them.
The Stellaron Hunters had Phoenix-A as their destination due to the Stellaron growing on it, this is when Silver Wolf hacked the cameras on the space station and finds out that all the residents were dead, except for one who'd be surrounded by corpses of monsters and seemed extremely mad.
This is when Kafka gets interested on her and the leader of the Stellaron Hunters orders Kafka to convince Aikaterini to join them due to her potential.
Aikaterini then changes her name as Anku with her new identity and joins the Stellaron Hunters.
