Thomasa Savoi was the only child of a minor sugarcane harvester and a popular dressmaker. Her mother, Galayna, was discovered by General Malta’s new wife and asked to become a personal seamstress. Galayna did not want to leave her young daughter alone, so they permanently moved to the Malta estate. Her father, Oliver, was also requested to join them. All went well until he made a romantic pass at several female attendants. He then was dismissed back home. Oliver became bitter about being left out of such a promising future on the Malta estate, which was thousands of miles away from destruction and chaos.
Galayna was proud that her accomplishments as a seamstress brought enough acclaim that she could negotiate in her contract that Thomasa would be properly educated. She ensured her daughter was raised with knowledge of all of their traditions. The Savoi family had a long-standing history as phenomenal botanists. Before the war began, Oliver’s sugarcane plantation was the highest grossing agricultural establishment in the state.
Though General Malta spent most of her time away on deployments, she had developed a nurturing relationship with Thomasa. There were no other children on the estate during Thomasa’s formative years. General Malta’s wife tutored her in academia, while Malta herself incorporated light military tactical studies. Thomasa showed promise in both and was most enthusiastic about astronomy because it helped her cultivate land navigation skills around the estate. Thomasa displayed talents in homeopathy and also achieved high marks in academia, for which she had not received the same formal education as children of aristocrats and nobles. General Malta considered her a “gifted child,” and insisted to Galayna that she be enrolled at the Calvary Academy.
As the war raged on, each year the Infantry Lottery called every male head of household to serve on the front lines against the two houses. Thomasa’s father died from pneumonia twelve days after his name was selected from the Infantry Lottery, which meant she would serve in his place. By this time, Galayna agreed Thomasa was far too talented to serve as a mere infantryman. General Malta pulled some strings for a voucher and paid for Thomasa’s tuition to enroll at the acclaimed institution.
The Waring Robins, Ch. 5
Living Works of D.K. Fair 