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OverviewChia Bel-Veres Caden was mother to brothers Lau and Elm, and one-time wife to Modim Earstly Caden.
Chia was a member of the wealthy Bel-Veres family of the affluent planet Damastion. She met Imperial Navy officer Modim Caden while he was on shore leave. After this initial meeting Modim took every opportunity to visit Chia when he was rotated away from the front. Chia eventually married Modim against the wishes of her family, and in doing so abdicated her claim to a vast inheritance. Notable EventsDuring their marriage the relationship between Modim and Chia began to sour, with Chia building resentments and turning to alcohol as a means of coping with what she perceived as being an insufferable situation. While she raised Elm to be studious and moral, she was less concerned with her own welfare — physical and emotional — and gradually became increasingly depressed and alcohol-dependent. Chia began to look forward to Modim's visit home as an opportunity to verbally admonish him, to the extent that she would forget other details of family life, such as birthdays. Despite their growing problems, Modim and Chia became pregnant again (→SFTD).
Modim eventually left for a new duty rotation on the ICS Curtailer, and had no intentions of ever coming back. He died during that rotation, prior to Lau's birth, and Chia was left widowed and pregnant with an expensive residential estate to look after. Her only income at that point was a 'death in service' stipend paid monthly by the Imperial Navy (→SFTD). Elm Caden's potential was recognised early in his life by the right people, and as a result of that he was fortunate enough to be whisked away into a state-funded educational programme which aimed, very successfully, to place him into the Shard Academy. His younger brother Lau was less fortunate, and since Lau was born after Chia's final descent into full alcohol dependence, he was left to mostly bring himself up while also looking after his mother. This has caused some tension in the family (→SFTD). In 3745 ELC, during the conflict with the Shaeld Hratha, Elm asked Lau to flee the city of Galloi, and to take their mother to a safe location in the Damastion countryside. He noted that Maber Castigon was rampaging his way towards anyone who had helped put him in prison, and suggested that Castigon would not think twice about harming Lau and Chia to draw out Elm Caden. Shortly after this discussion Elm lost contact with Lau, and was not able to determine if this was because Castigon was involved, or Lau had taken the advice and fled from civilisation and technology (→LOTD, TRD). Almost a month after that Elm Caden had still not heard from Chia or Lau, and despite concerted efforts to make contact he was unable to do so. Although he then took part in a mission to liberate parts of Damastion from Rasas he rightly held little hope of coming across his mother or brother while present on the surface (→FSS). Chia Bel-Veres Caden's whereabouts remain unknown. |