#deepali

About:

Deepali Nibhanupudi is the surrogate daughter of Mona Nibhanupudi, and goes by the alias Deepali Nagarkar to avoid association with him. She is considered the first and therefore oldest krtrim ever created.

Mona formally trained Deepali in kalaripayattu as a form of discipline throughout her youth. Though Class-1B civilian vessels only stand at five feet (152cm) tall and have smaller proportions than a human her height, she is a formidable threat with her extensive martial arts background. She is quick to think on her feet and highly observant. However, her timid and often pushover nature make her unassertive, and she only exercises violence if the situation is dire enough.

Deepali is quiet, and does not usually speak until spoken to. Her shyness gives her the appearance of stoicism, though in the presence of those she trusts, she is possesses a charming wit and bright personality. She is deeply loyal to those she cares about, even it means risking her own life. She enjoys painting, knit sweaters, and playing word games like Sudoku or Scrabble.

Background:

For what is believed to be sentimentality, Mona kept Deepali for himself shortly after creating her. While other krtrim were advertised as workers to be sold off to corporations, Deepali was raised like a human child. Despite her reserved personality in adulthood, Deepali was very mischievous in her youth, which created tension between her and Mona's strict parenting regimen. Though she expressed her desire to go out into society to make friends, Mona banned her from ever leaving his custody, and she grew to resent him as time passed. In the rare times he was present, Mona would either subject her to training or tests of her cognition. The rest of the time he was largely absent, often traveling for business related to OURO.

After his death in 2029, his estate was ceased by interpol, causing her to flee into the surrounding city. Upon entering the streets she was marked for repossession. She finds and befriends another krtrim named Viggy, a former rickshaw driver, who is also on the run after the company he worked for disposed of all its krtrim staff. Together they try to escape to Bangladesh, but are ultimately caught by OURO authorities. Viggy is killed, and Deepali attempts to commit suicide. She is captured before she can go through with it.

Upon learning of her connection with Mona, Deepali is spared from repossession and instead interrogated for information. Robopsychologist Dr. Emelie Yadavalli is assigned to probe her mind to see what she knows. Deepali’s mental health spirals as she’s questioned on her purpose and the validity of her memories, developing rapid onset magnetic actuator deviancy (ROMAD), also known as Corruption. When OURO concludes that she has nothing to offer them, they plan to retire her permanently, but Emelie decides to buy her vessel-hood out of pity. She rehabilitates her, and once the war is over, she allows her to live on her own devices in Europe.