Wilasanee Saowaluk, better known as Wila, was a biochemist and employee of Juke Limited at The Rings station around the Formic scout ship.[1] She was first introduced in The Swarm.
History[]
Past[]
Wila was a devout Theravada Buddhist (specifically, a mae-chee[2]) and PhD student in biochemistry at a highly conservative universiry in Thailand. After the First Formic War, Wila dedicated herself to researching the communication of the Formics, which led her to learning about the Philotic Theory and the existence of a Hive Queen, who controlled the individual Formics.[1]
The Swarm[]
At age 20, Wila showed the dissertation committee at a university her three years-worth of research, but was denied her degree. Upset, she headed to the Wat Thung Sri Muang temple to pray. There she met Master Arjo, who was meditating at the time. She found a spot on the floor and began to pray for the Hive Queen that she would learn compassion for all sentient beings in the universe.[1]
After she finished, she saw that Master Arjo was waiting for her. After some conversation, Wila stated that she believed the Hive Queen was on the path to Buddhahood. While Arjo explained that many doubted her very existence, he knew there was a mind beyond human comprehension that was controlling the Formics. However, he thought that the Hive Queen was not a bodhisatta due to the fact that she inflicted more suffering upon Earth than anything before.[1]
Wila said that she believed the Hive Queen had a philote, the theoretical fundamental building block of all matter and energy. She explained the Philotic Theory to Arjo, who was skeptical but believed Wila had good ideas. Arjo stood up, and asked Wila to walk him through the garden to hear her perspective on life.[1]
Later that evening, Wila returned to her apartment. She shaved her head and went to her computer to read the news. She saw that Lem Jukes had released all his documents on the Formic scout ship's hull. Interested, she began to read.[1]
After submitting a theory on the hull material of the Formic scout ship, she was hired by Juke Limited to work in the Rings, the human research facility that circled the scout ship. She got on a spaceship to launch to the station and met Bingwen, who was heading to the Variable Gravity Acclimatization School. She explained to Bingwen her theory on the hull material of the scout ship and the existence of a Formic Hive Queen.[1]
When Bingwen had to stay in the ship's wall for the rest of the day-long flight, she talked to him about her childhood until she went to sleep. After arriving at the dock, she and Bingwen parted ways to their respective shuttles.[1]
For several weeks, Wila lived and worked in the Rings around the Formic scout ship. She spent many hours gazing at the alien spacecraft through the various portholes throughout the station. Early one morning while eating breakfast, Dr. Richard Dublin greeted her and engaged in conversation. They discussed prayer and the actions of the Formics in the First Invasion, as well as Wila's theories on the existence of a Hive Queen. Dublin brought out a data cube and asked her to look over its contents and tell him what she understood of it.[1]
After Dublin left, Wila headed to the top floor of the station and sat down on a padded bench near a porthole. She examined the data on the cube, watching the footage that Victor Delgado had caught while investigating the Formic-occupied Asteroid 2030CT. Wila noticed that the Formic slugs on the asteroid were collecting more silicon than any other metal. Her mind wandered to how it was possible that the slugs were forming very pure samples of silicon through a biological process, and realized the scale of the Hive Queen's bioengineering capabilities. Wila went into deep meditaion and pondered on what the Hive Queen was doing for a few hours. Afterward, she headed toward Dr. Dublin's office.[1]
Wila worked with Dr. Noloa Benyawe to create a second version of the NanoCloud, which could destroy a Formic hull based upon Wila's theory for how the hulls were formed. Once the NanoCloud 2.0 was created, Lem Jukes and Benyawe came to the scout ship to test the new iteration of the technology. Wila and Dr. Dublin met Lem and Benyawe in the Garden, before heading to the testing location. Lem questioned Wila a little about her religion, as Wila was a Buddhist. Eventually, the testing of the nanobots occurred. The first test was unsuccessful, due to the silicon casing surrounding the nanobots, so Lem ordered Dublin to create a temporary launching solution. Once a solution was devised, a second test occurred. The test appeared unsuccessful at first, but began to work after waiting a little extra time.[1]
Personality[]
Wila was shown to be caring for all sentient beings, including the Formics. She offered up prayers for the Hive Queen that she would cease her destruction.[1]