Name: Clarice Tien Kustakia

Nickname: Thess

Birthdate: 9/29/2030

Archetype: Street Samurai

Race: Human

Low (Black Diamond, Auburn)

Everything about her looks is suggestive of extensive augmentation. Thess stands a tall 6'1"/185cm, but weighs more than she looks. Cybernetic replacements and bioware augmentation puts her around 160lbs/73kg. Crystal blue cybereyes look too real and slightly too large for her face. A dermal sheath gives her skin an unnatural look, vatgrown muscle and tendon replacements have resulted in a characteristic style of movement. Her hair, shoulder length and black, hides a trio of datajacks. She carries the expression of someone who has lost their sense of humor.

Thess was born on mainland Japan. She experienced an upbringing inside the walls of the corporate world. Her family has a long history of employment with the Renraku Corporation. Both of her parents work with the company. Japanese is her first language.
Thess was a bright student in school, but yearned for something more than academic success. Never one for books, she had an undying desire for a life of adventure and stimulation. Not one lived behind a desk. This wanting lead her down a different path from most of her peers. Where her classmates practiced the art of negotiation and money management, Thess was experimenting with athletics and more active endeavors.

"Look at the world. Man and machine have grown so close together it's hard to tell them apart. People don't realize how similar to lifeless metal that are becoming. I look at myself in the mirror and have trouble telling the difference. I touch my finger to my skin. Most people feel the warmth of flesh. All I feel is the coldness of metal. The metal that I have inside. Does that still make me human? Even though I am mostly machine? Am I alive in the true sense of the word? Do I still have a soul?"

Thess's first job was as a security guard at one of Renraku's offices in Japan. It was work she had hoped for. There was promise of excitement and a change from the average grind of corporate life. However, most of her time was spent in a hell of boredom. Being of corporate background and education, she was promoted to a shift head. A job that sadly put her behind a desk. It took her many years to work up her skills and will to earn positions higher up on the corporate scale. It wasn't until 2055 that she gained an opportunity to join the Red Samurai. Until then she had only distantly affiliated with them as an investigator.
The Red Samurai had always been Thess' goal. However, the cost to join was more than mere physical and mental strain. It was the cost of her soul in a way. The Red Samurai made extensive use of cyberware. A life with them meant losing a significant portion of her true self. It was a sacrifice she made and would later live to regret. Her career moved along. She participated in many operations and procedures. Slowly more and more of her body was replaced with modifications.
Then she had a breakdown. It got to the point where she did not recognize the person staring back at her in the mirror. It wasn't the same. She began to doubt herself, even doubt that she was truly alive anymore. It wasn't long until she became disassociated with the rest of humanity. Renraku did not seem to care. Almost like a person who didn't feel quite human was just the kind of person they wanted for illicit and cruel assignments. Every night Thess contemplated her position. Her very nature. The answers she drew for herself finally pushed her over the edge. She attempted suicide. It did not succeed, but it gave her the motivation she needed. One afternoon, in the quiet sunset, she simply walked away from the life she had built. She plans to keep walking until she can answer the questions that continue to plague her mind.