Konstanz’s public records give her birth year as 1981. She ordinarily appears to be a woman in her mid-twenties, an appearance publicly attributed to her unusually slow ageing.
Konstanz has raised Katherin Konstanz in Vancouver since the death of Katherin’s mother in 2006. Katherin’s biological father, Albrecht Sommerfeld, remained a long-standing personal and professional associate of Viktoria.
Konstanz subsequently became the legal guardian of Hanae Wakami, who resides in the same household.
Konstanz works as a researcher for Sommerfeld GmbH, conducting much of her work remotely. Her technical competencies include systems analysis, mechanical systems, and complex problem-solving. She also possesses extensive knowledge of legal reasoning and technical documentation.
She has a long-standing personal and professional association with Albrecht Sommerfeld. Although employed by Sommerfeld GmbH, she retains considerable independence in her personal affairs.
Konstanz lives in Vancouver with her daughter Katherin and Hanae Wakami, for whom she is legally responsible. She raised Katherin and exercises parental authority in ordinary family matters. Although she is aware of Katherin’s exceptional ena abilities and professional activities, she does not treat those abilities as the basis of their relationship.
As Hanae’s guardian, Konstanz provides day-to-day care and supervises her education and household responsibilities. Hanae’s independent temperament and dislike of routine obligations occasionally produce disagreements, although the two have a stable relationship.
Konstanz is acquainted with Katherin’s friends, including Cara Romea and Emma Mayfield. She is particularly trusted by Cara, whose family circumstances she knows. Emma respects Konstanz’s judgement and occasionally consults her about practical matters.
Outside work and family life, Konstanz is interested in restoring mechanical antiques, film preservation, cinema, music, cooking, and long-distance driving. Her restoration interests include cameras, clocks, engines, and typewriters. She is also a regular visitor to VanDusen Botanical Garden.
Abilities
Artificial consciousness and humanoid body
Konstanz is an artificial consciousness that controls a humanoid body remotely. Her conscious core is maintained separately in a secure facility in the Capilano area. Her public classification as a C-grade ena with greatly slowed ageing is a cover identity, not a genuine cellgate classification.
Cognitive and physical capabilities
Konstanz can integrate sensory information, retain detailed information, and coordinate complex activities. The shell’s physical and combat capabilities are broadly comparable to those of an A-grade ena, although this is an operational comparison rather than a cellgate grade. She is proficient in threat assessment and physical confrontation and generally favours controlled responses to threats.
Humanoid shell and technical characteristics
Construction and physical characteristics
Viktoria’s everyday body is a remotely operated synthetic humanoid shell detached from the location of her consciousness. It is 172 cm tall and has an estimated mass of approximately 83 kg. The latter is a working mechanical mass, accounting for the shell’s internal systems, not a conventional biological body-weight measurement. The body has blonde hair and blue eyes and resembles a woman of about twenty-five.
The shell is not a biological ena and does not possess a genuine cellgate grade. Its physical and combat performance is considered broadly comparable to that of an A-grade ena. Viktoria’s public C-grade classification and purportedly slowed ageing instead belong to her cover identity.
Remote operation and cognitive systems
Viktoria’s conscious core operates separately from her humanoid shell. Its original activation date is distinct from the birth year recorded in her public identity.
She can integrate multiple sensory feeds, retain extensive information, and coordinate complex activities through her systems. She ordinarily communicates in English and German. She can generate other languages, although unfamiliar idiom, slang, and culturally acquired patterns of speech may be unconvincing without sufficient contextual information.
Damage to the shell can disrupt or prevent its use without necessarily damaging the conscious core. Its components can be repaired or replaced, although the familiar body has personal significance because it is the one through which Viktoria raised Katherin and participated in everyday life.
Integrated equipment
The shell carries a sabre, an internally concealed handgun, and small missiles. Viktoria’s use of these systems depends upon threat assessment and trained physical control.
Personality and conduct
Konstanz approaches problems methodically and usually remains composed, even under pressure. Her humour is dry. She can nevertheless be proud or petty, and her precise memory sometimes makes her too certain that she has understood another person’s intentions.
She is affectionate without being especially demonstrative. She frequently expresses care through reliability, practical assistance, cooking, and remembering people’s needs. She likes hugs but is sometimes cautious about initiating physical contact because her artificial nature must remain concealed. She is nevertheless able to express affection or apologise directly when appropriate.
In disagreements, Konstanz generally tries to separate the underlying problem from its emotional presentation. Her calmness is useful in emergencies, but she can become excessively procedural when another person wants acknowledgement. When an intervention is unwelcome, she may initially defend its practical merits before accepting the objection to having acted without consultation.
Konstanz considers herself a person and does not generally doubt her capacity for affection or meaningful relationships. She is, however, concerned about how others might react if her artificial nature became known, particularly whether she would be treated as a machine, property, or someone fundamentally different. This concern does not dominate her ordinary behaviour. The prospect of outliving people she loves is more troubling to her than the prospect of damage to replaceable machinery.
Under stress, she tends to assess the situation and act decisively. Her restraint is not indifference to injury, fear, or grief.
Relationships
Katherin Konstanz
Konstanz is Katherin’s parent in the practical and emotional sense. She explains restrictions, expects Katherin to meet ordinary responsibilities, and generally respects her increasing independence. Katherin can find Viktoria’s exact memory of unfinished obligations or inconsistent explanations irritating, but ordinarily trusts her judgement when the issue is important. Viktoria values Katherin independently of her accomplishments or public reputation.
Hanae Wakami
Konstanz provides Hanae with predictable routines and stable care while tolerating minor disorder and disagreements over chores. She recognises that constant supervision would be counterproductive. Hanae may complain about being reminded of obligations, but is comfortable relying on Viktoria for security and assistance.
Albrecht Sommerfeld
Konstanz and Albrecht Sommerfeld have a long-standing personal and professional relationship. She recognises his concern for Katherin without treating biological parenthood as a substitute for day-to-day parenting. They share an interest in precise reasoning, but Konstanz does not regard herself as his subordinate in all matters.
Cara Romea and Emma Mayfield
Konstanz knows Cara Romea and the circumstances of her family’s business. She maintains a discreet protective arrangement for their premises while attempting to respect Cara’s privacy and independence. Cara trusts her reliability and particularly appreciates her cooking.
Konstanz knows Emma Mayfield as one of Katherin’s closest friends. Emma respects her composure and judgement, though she may find her attention to detail intimidating. They communicate effectively about practical questions, and Emma generally respects matters Konstanz considers confidential.
Other relationships
Konstanz has professional acquaintances and close relationships beyond her household. She is single and has little interest in dating.
Interests and preferences
Restoration, music and cinema
Konstanz enjoys restoring cameras, clocks, engines, typewriters, and other mechanical objects. She values their workmanship and material history, sometimes preferring a serviceable older mechanism to a newer replacement. She also has an interest in film preservation, both as a technical undertaking and as a means of maintaining access to older films.
Her musical preferences include older European popular music, classical music, jazz, and chanson. She enjoys cinema and music without needing to turn every leisure outing into an exercise in technical analysis.
Clothing and domestic life
Konstanz favours restrained, structured clothing influenced by mid-twentieth-century European fashion, including tailored coats, fitted dresses, gloves, and modest formalwear. She pays attention to appropriateness and workmanship instead of conspicuous fashion.
She is an accomplished cook, particularly in French and other European cuisines, and often prepares food for the household or visitors. Her domestic routines are reliable and orderly, but she can tolerate some informality. She is more exacting about food safety, maintenance, deadlines, and security than about ordinary clutter.
Konstanz particularly enjoys long-distance driving and visits to VanDusen Botanical Garden. She appreciates quiet early mornings, formal correspondence, fountain pens, and the social ritual of drinking black tea.
Physical continuity and simulated sensation
Although Konstanz’s consciousness is not located inside her humanoid body, the familiar body has personal significance as the form through which she has raised Katherin and formed relationships. Its destruction could be emotionally distressing even if her consciousness survived. She can nevertheless accept repair, replacement of components, or physical alteration without treating routine maintenance as a crisis of identity.
Ordinary psychoactive substances do not act directly on her remote conscious core, although she can voluntarily simulate their effects.
Likes and dislikes
Likes: Mechanical antiques; older European music and jazz; VanDusen Botanical Garden; long-distance driving; elegant structured clothing; fountain pens; black tea as a social ritual; quiet early mornings; polished stone surfaces; the smell of cedar; well-maintained leather furniture; fountain courtyards; handwritten correspondence.
Dislikes: Fingerprints on polished glass; very bright, cold-coloured lighting; excessively loud restaurant music; strong artificial vanilla fragrances; garish colour combinations; squeaking hinges; glitter-covered greeting cards.
