Alva/Profile

Alva

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Profile

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"I can't sleep yet, I still have work to do..."

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Record 1

At an unspecified point over a decade ago, this prototype unit that would come to be known as AN-94 or Alva, was created under the "Wolf Pack Project"—a secret development program to create the ultimate Tactical Doll, led by Statesec and funded by an individual who would later come to occupy a high-ranking position within the URNC.

Due to upheavals during the program, Alva replaced AK-15 (a.k.a. Voymastina) as AK-12's partner and thereby became a member of Task Force "DEFY".

Alva's disposition is serious, attentive, and gentle, all the while holding a strong sense of pride in her identity as a member of Task Force DEFY. Accordingly, she would at times put up a cold, reserved demeanor befitting of that pride, motivated solely by the fear of sullying DEFY's image. Today, ten years later, she has largely forgone such superficial behavior to prove her own worth to others.

With her teammates being the assertive AK-12 and the mighty AK-15—known for being "the most powerful Doll in the entire NSU"—Alva appears rather unremarkable in comparison. She herself, however, never expresses any dissatisfaction with her circumstances. Instead of seeking fleeting fame, she places greater importance on the time spent alongside her comrades and does not hesitate to serve as their steadfast support. This aspect of her remains unchanged even after assuming leadership of DEFY.

What the Doll named Alva ultimately wishes for is a world in which her comrades—those born and raised for war—will no longer be needed for their original purpose.

Record 2

Alva had always demonstrated an outstanding ability to attend to others.

Truth be told, such a trait was not uncommon to see—even disregarding those back at Griffin, numerous Dolls onboard the Elmo possessed such an affinity, with Springfield being the prime example.

Alva's case, however, was different... more so than others.

She was like a shadow—going around and taking care of people's problems without anyone noticing.

Look away for an instant, and an unattended task might already be completed. Even Springfield once found the mountain of dishes piling up in the sink was gone and cleaned without anyone stepping into the kitchen.

As a result, the crew believed that a genuine "brownie" or a "house-elf" had appeared aboard the Elmo for quite some time.

I myself only realized the truth while arranging the schedule and noticing that the "house-elf" disappeared whenever Task Force DEFY was deployed on a mission.

"Maybe it could be Voymastina?"

When I approached Alva to confront her, she appeared reluctant and attempted to brush it aside with what could hardly be qualified as an attempt at humor.

Thankfully, she soon realized the absurdity of her defense and, without further input from me, she admitted that she was indeed the so-called "house-elf".

"Well... wanting to help everyone by spreading the workload is a good thing," I said, "but I don't want you to shoulder too much. Besides, what's with all this secrecy? Even Springfield's gotten a little unhappy that she hasn't been granted the chance to express her gratitude."

"...I didn't set out to hide myself," Alva sighed.

"I just didn't go out of my way to take credit for those things. As for why everything turned out like this, I'm not entirely sure myself..."

Subsequently, through my careful and deliberate observations, I finally identified the reason for all this: Alva's actions were just so natural and fitting to the specific settings that she simply blended into the background and everyone overlooked her comically inconspicuous presence...

While Qiuhua was occupied with the stove, Alva had cleaned out the cluttered sink behind her.

While Centaureissi focused on mopping the floor, Alva had quietly swapped the bucket of dirty water for a clean one.

While Mayling was tirelessly calculating the bills, Alva had discreetly brought her a plate of snacks.

...Just what kind of people had she been attending to, to have developed such natural proficiency?

I mused as I picked up the cup of coffee that had mysteriously appeared on my desk at some point in time.

Record 3

"Kevin kept complaining during recent check-ins after learning that Voymastina and I joined up with you."

One day, while I was casually conversing with Alva in the café, she unexpectedly brought up a name that stirred a sense of nostalgia in me.

Although a full decade has passed since I last heard this name, which in itself was far from uncommon, the image of that young, somewhat handsome, and most definitely whimsical agent immediately resurfaced in my mind.

"What did he complain about?"

"He said you're so cold and heartless for never contacting him for a whole decade, not even once."

I could not help but put on a wry smile.

"It's not that I was picking on him. He needs to understand that any private contact I have with former comrades will inevitably raise concerns among certain people. The fact of the matter is I have no good reason to disturb him, especially when he's already retired and is now enjoying a peaceful life."

Alva smiled knowingly, a rare hint of mischief appearing on her face.

"Well, the truth is, he did not quietly retire as some people hoped. Statesec has almost certainly been aware of this for a while, but he was the one providing us with logistics support all along."

"I was unaware of that fact. If anything, you were the ones excluding me from your operations by the sound of that."

"That goes both ways, Commander—we've known for a while that Paradeus still wriggles and writhes upon this earth, but should we have informed you of that? Frankly, it was hard for us to make that choice as well."

She shook her head and smiled bitterly.

"If one were to ask who had lost the most in the struggle against Paradeus, we would've easily agreed on the same answer, and that's precisely why we had at one point considered not bringing you into this again."

"And now?"

"We all came to the realization that such concerns and wishes to shelter you would've only had the opposite effect," Alva said with a nod.

"Therefore, we decided that we would no longer hide anything from you, nor leave you to fight alone."

"We wish that you could reciprocate with that same honesty."

"..."

I nodded solemnly.

"Rest assured. At this point, even if I say I don't need your help, you wouldn't just walk away, would you?"

"I'm glad that you recognize our resolve."

Alva appeared genuinely pleased.

"And regarding Kevin—it would be nice if you call him up once you have time."

"I will consider it."

Record 4

At the time of her creation, Alva did not even possess a codename of her own. She was entirely identified by the designation of her imprinted weapon—AN-94. As an experimental prototype unit, the sole purpose of her existence was to endlessly repeat drills and simulations to gather data for her creator for the improvement and refinement of the two other designs—the "Snow Wolf" and the "White Mastiff".

Unaware of this reality, Alva harbored the aspiration of one day leaving the laboratory and distinguishing herself on the real battlefield. This illusion remained intact until her creator, Doctor Samantha Shaw, personally shattered it.

Following that, Alva, unwilling to accept defeat, challenged her "successor", AK-15. The outcome destroyed Alva's confidence as an elite T-Doll completely and plunged her into a prolonged period of self-doubt and despondency. The one who ultimately pulled her out of that darkness was the very person who would become her partner and companion for the time to come: AK-12.

Even to this day, when reflecting upon that chapter of her life, Alva continues to hold sincere gratitude and deep trust toward AK-12.

Record 5

Alva never harbored resentment toward Samantha Shaw, even though from an objective standpoint, Doctor Shaw did indeed keep her purpose as a prototype unit hidden from her, treated her harshly, and showed her no compassion. Despite all this, Alva was nevertheless able to recognize the gentleness and concern that Doctor Shaw harbored and was incapable of conveying through words.

Despite the stark contrast in their temperaments, the reality was that, much like how "God" shaped humanity in His own image, Samantha Shaw had modeled Alva's appearance entirely after herself, given that Alva was her first undertaking in Doll creation. As a result, their facial features were identical, yet even when the two stood side by side, it would take considerable effort to notice the differences.

Perhaps for this very reason, Samantha Shaw came to regard Alva as a daughter-like presence in ways that even she herself didn't recognize consciously. Her reluctance to let Alva leave the laboratory could thus be seen as a distinctive form of motherly care—one that she would later realize did not align with what Alva truly desired.

Record 6

In the days following Task Force DEFY's withdrawal from Frankfurt, its members continued using the aliases that their former commander prepared for them. With AN-94 taking the name "Antje", AK-15 that of "Erwin", and AK-12 under the name "Lucia", they were able to freely operate within the contamination zones.

However, owing to Task Force DEFY's inherent capabilities, they stood out prominently during the fighting in Frankfurt and subsequent operations. This, on top of everything, garnered them much unwanted attention from prying eyes. Even after severing their ties with governmental authorities, their existence and the gift left by their former commander remained under close scrutiny by multiple intelligence organizations. Consequently, nearly all of their covert identities were exposed, compelling them to forsake their previous legacies and rely on Statesec—with which they still held a collaborative relationship—to create entirely new disguises.

It was also at that time that AK-12 bestowed her former codename, together with a new name she had conceived, upon a partner who once could only follow her, but had since grown into a trustworthy and capable leader of her own.

On that fateful day, the Doll known as Alva was born.

Record 7

Although Task Force DEFY was nominally an unaffiliated, independent T-Doll force, the three Dolls—who had supported one another since their creation and regarded each other as family—did not choose to fight on their own.

They maintained a collaborative relationship with Statesec from which they had severed official ties, going as far as occasionally accomplishing Statesec's commissions for a fee when their goals aligned. In other instances, they would pry intelligence from Statesec to use in their struggle against Paradeus.

As their shadow war with Paradeus raged on, DEFY gradually gathered a number of allies around them. Aside from Statesec, which naturally shared many interests and goals with the Task Force, there was also Kevin—a former Stasi agent who had previously supported DEFY during their operations in Germany a decade ago, and whom they reencountered by chance after years of independent operations.

Upon learning that Paradeus had not been completely eradicated, Kevin, who had retired from active duty by then, offered to support DEFY's actions once more without a second thought. Naturally, they did not decline a helping hand from their former comrade-in-arms.

"Kevin, much like us, is someone worthy of trust and bound by loathing toward Paradeus. Still, it was truly remarkable that his personality had not matured in the slightest over the years..."

Record 8

Although it was a little counterintuitive, I came to the realization that within Task Force DEFY, Alva played the role of a "big sister".

Voymastina—despite often being mistaken for an emotionless war machine due to her general coldness and composure—was in fact the type who kept her emotions to herself rather than expressing them. Once this emotional burden reached a critical point, it would start to impact her efficiency.

During such times, Alva would always keenly sense the shift and provide timely, effective relief.

As for the former leader of Task Force DEFY with whom I was more familiar—although she has yet to come on board the Elmo, she has vaguely expressed her intention to "pay us a visit eventually" in prior communications. She has also instructed me to have her quarters ready ahead of time, and that it must be located right between Alva's room and mine. A requirement that I was unable to satisfy, so I settled for freeing up the dorm adjacent to Alva's.

The reason for her inability to rendezvous with us in the near term was her ongoing undercover operation within the Orlog Conglomerate, a position from which she couldn't just walk away at any time.

It is precisely because of the nature of this mission that, beneath her usual carefree and boisterous demeanor, she hides a weight of pressure that I cannot truly fathom—a fact made evident by the frequency and length of her calls with Alva.

This was also how I was made aware of another matter.

"All by yourself again, Alva?"

One evening, as Alva stood alone on the deck, zoning out as she often did, I approached her.

"...Ah, Commander."

Realizing my presence, she paused briefly before greeting me.

"I see you coming up to the deck by yourself a lot lately. Is anything bothering you?"

"Bothering me...?" Alva pondered for a second before shaking her head, "Negative... I just wanted to clear my head."

"You..." I let out a helpless sigh.

"Both Voymastina and 'she' rely on you now. That should reflect how much you've grown as a leader... It's one thing for someone like Voymastina who rarely places her trust in others to do so, but the fact that even 'she' started doing this truly shows how dependable you've become."

"...Right. If it were before, 'she' would have shouldered all the pressure herself. Now that 'she' is willing to share the burden with me... that does make me feel really happy."

Alva smiled timidly.

"It's just that..."

"That?"

"That at times, I still feel somewhat lonely," Alva said, having deliberated for a while before cautiously selecting the right words.

"After all, I was the one who used to bother 'her' like this."

"I don't wish to burden 'her' anymore, especially now, after it has taken so much for 'her' to open up to me."

"So, what you're saying is you wish you had someone you could rely on," I said with a smile.

"...Eh?"

Alva froze.

"You're like the big sister of Task Force DEFY now," I continued while nodding.

"Every day, you look after the younger sisters, listen to their worries, and help take care of their problems. Yet when it comes to your own troubles, you have no one to confide in. That's the predicament all older siblings in a family eventually find themselves in—only that in your case, it came a little late."

"..."

Alva lowered her head, lost in thought, seemingly struggling to grasp my words.

After a short moment, she came to a silent reconciliation.

"...It does seem to be like that."

Seeing her expression of belated realization tinged with a trace of loneliness, I smiled and took a step forward, leaning against the deck railing right next to her.

"So, going forward, you can try relying on me as well," I said gently.

"'Big sisters' also need someone they can vent to and act spoiled toward, don't they?"

At this, Alva suddenly raised her head. Her eyes were filled with astonishment, as if she had never expected words like that to come out of my mouth.

She parted her lips, intending to argue something, but the words were swallowed back before they could escape.

After a good while, she finally shifted her gaze from me, back to the distant void of the night sky. She spoke so softly, it seemed as though she were talking to herself.

"...If you put it like that, I'll have no choice but to take you seriously."

"I wish you could take me seriously," I replied with certainty.

No other words followed, all I heard was a faint, almost inaudible "hmph".

As the night breeze blew past, stirring her silver hair, I saw the corners of her lips curve into a subtle but unmistakably genuine smile.

A smile that carried a hint of embarrassment, yet came straight from the heart, made possible only after she had finally laid all her burdens aside.

I wasn't sure if such reassurance would have the effect I hoped for.

As I was contemplating whether my phrasing could use some improvement, she turned back to look at me.

"...Tomorrow, can I have you listen to my worries here as well?"

"...Of course! Is that even a question?"

"...Thank you. Then... good night, Commander."

She bade farewell in a soft voice, as if eager to escape the embarrassment of the moment. Even her departing steps were swifter than usual.

"Good night, Alva."

Watching her slightly hurried retreat, I could no longer hold back the grin on my face.

Private Meeting Logs

Alva

Commander, have you heard about the cookery class that Miss Springfield is offering?

She says it's to teach basic cooking skills to Dolls on board the Elmo who can't cook but are interested in learning... I signed up for it.

The first lesson was today. It was an... unexpected experience.

I'd like to share my thoughts on the lesson with you... that is, if you don't mind listening to my trivial ramblings.

Thank you for giving me the time... It means a lot to me.

Tea Time

About Her Teammates

Commander
Did someone give you that little ceramic cat on the bookshelf in your dorm room?

Alva

It's a gift from Mayling...to welcome me aboard the Elmo.

I don't have many of such possessions. It's just an ornament with no practical value, but it reminds me of Mayling's care and concern for me every time I see it.

The value of a gift lies not in the object itself, but in the sentiment and connection within. It's...a beautiful concept.

About Her Sketchbook

Commander
I saw your sketchbook. You draw pretty well.

Alva

Thank you...It was "she" who suggested that I give drawing a go. She said it could help me observe the world more closely.

Even though I'm not equipped with the Wolf Eye, I'm still used to observing my surroundings as a T-Doll...for the sake of making tactical assessments, not for aesthetic reasons.

When I focus on capturing the shifts of light and shadow, I do feel a certain sense of...serenity. Commander, if you don't mind...I'd like to draw your portrait.

About Travelling

Commander
If you could travel anywhere, where would you go?

Alva

I want to see the ocean...The real ocean, not mere images or holographic projections in the database.

Data shows that the ocean covers most of the Earth's surface, but it is one of our least explored areas.

Commander, if there ever comes a day where we achieve genuine peace, shall we go see the ocean together? The clean, beautiful ocean.

About the Seasons

Commander
What's your favorite season?

Alva
Spring...I think.

Commander
Why spring?

Alva
Because it represents new life and possibility. Everything that has been dormant in winter awakens, and flowers bloom even in the most desolate land...I find this transformation beautiful.

About Reading

Commander
Alva, I always see a book in your hands these days. What have you been reading?

Alva
Just some books that Mayling lent me. Anything from poem anthologies to novels...I'm trying to "broaden my horizons".

Commander
Got any works that you particularly like?

Alva
I've come to realize that I'm especially drawn to stories about rebuilding and regeneration...The experience of people who get up on their feet again in the midst of ruins somehow resonates with me.

About Birthdays

Commander
Are there any human customs that you find particularly interesting?

Alva

There are many...but I'm most intrigued about the celebration of birthdays.

A person's birth is a completely coincidental occurrence. To celebrate it regularly with gifts and wishes...seems logically pointless, and yet it holds such great sentimental importance.

According to Miss Springfield, to celebrate someone's birthday isn't just to celebrate their existence, but also to show gratitude for having met them...When it's your birthday, I'll also express my gratitude for having met you, Commander.