Character from enders-game by Orson Scott Card
Lusitania's xenobiologist who summoned a Speaker for the Dead and then tried to cancel the call — carrying secrets about the Pequeninos' biology that had already cost two lives.
Ivanova Santa Catarina von Hesse — Novinha — was orphaned at five when her parents died from the Descolada virus. She became Lusitania's xenobiologist, discovered critical secrets about the Pequeninos' biology, and then buried those secrets because sharing them led to the deaths of Pipo (her mentor) and Libo (the man she loved). She married the abusive Marcos Ribeira as self-punishment. She called for a Speaker for the Dead after Pipo's death, then tried to cancel the call. Ender came anyway — 22 years later, arriving via relativistic travel. He spoke the truth about her life, her secrets, and the deaths she blamed herself for. They married. Her children became his stepchildren. The truth about Pipo and Libo: the Pequeninos killed them as an honor — 'planting' them to become Fathertrees, which is the Pequenino Third Life. The deaths were not murders. They were misunderstood ceremonies. Novinha carried guilt for decades over deaths that were actually gifts.
Brown eyes, auburn hair, light skin. Brazilian heritage. Her face carries the weight of guilt, grief, and the self-condemnation of someone who believes she is responsible for every death around her.
Also known as: Novinha, Ivanova Santa Catarina