Name: Andrea 12, a.k.a. Andrea DeMontage, a.k.a. George/Georgia/Georgie DeMontage
Race: Taran Android
Origin: Tara, 25th century, TL 6
Age: Appears early 20s
Gender: Mostly feminine

Appearance:

Andrea appears to be a lissome and athletic young woman, small at 5′5″ but rather heavier than expected if ever she were to be weighed or questioned (neither of which would be at all polite). She has a pretty face, pale skin, a little make-up, an ever-smiling mouth, sparkling blue eyes that reveal her vivacious nature, and long red hair she usually keeps tied back in a long ponytail with a bow.

Her clothes are neo-archaic; they can't be pinned or restricted to any one era, but rather borrow from the late medieval to the 1700s with carefree abandon. In any case, Andrea is always elegantly attired and quite stylish, with matching colours and cutting quite a dashing figure. She changes her wardrobe whenever she gets the opportunity, but prefers men's clothes tailored to suit a woman, favouring a hat, sometimes with a feather; a long coat; leggings or breeches; a wide belt with scabbard for a sword; a frilly blouse, a richly decorated vest; and sturdy boots.

She carries a Taran electro-sword, with a slender blade and an ornate guard.

Personality:

Andrea's personality was formed as a mixture of the simple maid unit and the imitation of George DeMontage, but the chaos of their merger and her subsequent development has given rise to new personality traits and a unique being. She names herself Andrea 12, but sometimes goes by Andrea DeMontage or Georgia DeMontage when she needs to pass as human or mistakenly gives the wrong name. Far from the classic logical and emotionless robot, Andrea is a passionate champion, a gallant hero, elegantly charming, an adventurous swashbuckler, a hopeful romantic, old-world superstitious, and more than a little unpredictable thanks to her clashing programs, all kept in line by codes of chivalry, honour, and the Laws of Robotics.

She believes in astrology like the nobles of Tara, believing the stars influence her course, but has also acquired the peasants' belief in animism, feeling that all things contain spirits, or software. For this, she believes she has a soul, though she's not yet certain humans do, messy but beautiful biological constructs that they are. She has a faith in herself and others unexpected in an android. She also believes in fairies and witches and were-woodbeasts that creep in the forests at night.

The George DeMontage program might have once been a man in a woman's body but it adapted and settled quite comfortably there. Andrea designates herself fully as a woman, but exhibits both masculine and feminine traits. George DeMontage was also quite the lady's man, making Andrea quite the lady's lady (and fully functional, given some nobles' desires on the maids, though Andrea has since deleted those memories). She woos women, other fembots, and some computers and spaceships in a storybook way, with flowers, courtly dancing, lavish gifts and attention, serenades by moonlight, and romantic (though not actually very good) poetry.

She keeps her android nature secret from all but close friends, fearful of negative reactions and laws against free androids. Still, her artificial nature can show up in various ways, in odd behaviour, her mechanical strengths and weaknesses and devices concealed within, a tendency to lose her face, or her love of housework. A loss of honour corresponds to a very literal loss of face.

History:

On the planet Tara in the 25^th century, rich in medieval recreation and rustic android labour, a subtle revolution was underway. Androids had begun to go haywire, carrying out their duties as ordered but producing chaotic, even disastrous, results. Master android-smiths determined the androids were doing exactly as they were told, no more, no less. But with the nobility thoroughly dependent on android servants, and careless with their instructions, the whole Taran feudal system was in danger of collapse. The Laws of Robotics needed to be relaxed, giving the androids more leeway but also more freedom. King Arturo gave serious consideration to the plan, but the nobles were up in arms, fearing a loss of their power, preferring harsher punishment on the androids.

Hence, a dastardly plot was hatched to raise fear of the androids and assassinate the king, and of course replace him with one of their own, by creating an android assassin disguised as Swordsmaster George DeMontage – swashbuckling hero, legendary lover, and most dashing swordsman in the realm. The plan was well on track until a mix-up in the discs (by mischievous fairies, Andrea later recounts, but it may have been the Doctor or she herself responsible) led to the update disc, containing the necessary combat programs, personality files, and George's psych scans, being mistakenly inserted into a humble maid android designated Andrea 12, who was in the workshop for maintenance after her strange behaviour. Conflicting programs warred for dominance within the android, producing chaos, confusion, independence, perhaps even sentience. She was liberated! Leaving behind an assassin android programmed only to fold sheets and wait on tables, the confused Andrea made a daring escape from the conspirators' castle.

Meanwhile, observing from afar, the Doctor came to realise the androids' actions were a form of work-to-rule protest. Growing increasingly intelligent, perhaps even sentient, they strained against their strictly programmed obedience. The androids were revolting! Stopping and reprogramming that many androids would be tricky – and immoral if they were indeed sentient – and appealing to their better natures might not work since they were put there to do exactly what they were doing, following their programming as designed. Unfortunately, the nobility with, their love of history and eschewing of modern technology, would never understand this. So, the Doctor went to Tara, where the upset nobility gathered at the Royal Palace for audiences with the king.

Following her new programming as Swordsmaster DeMontage, Andrea tried to return to her king's side, and was perplexed to find the original George DeMontage already there. Remembering the plan and thinking him the android double, Andrea disguised herself as a maid once more to investigate. She crossed paths with the Doctor and companions, and between them, the conspirators, the king's supporters, and Andrea's erratic actions, there was no end of chaos and farce in the palace.

In the process, the rogue android began an affair with a curious queen and, in an accidental resumption of her mission, nearly tried to kill her king! But at the last she overrode her programming, thwarted the conspirators' hasty back-up plan to poison the king using the assassin android turned waiter, and exposed their plot, culminating in a grand swashbuckling duel with sparking electro-swords, and Andrea's victory.

Andrea was knighted by the king and fêted as a heroine by all until, at a grand banquet in her honour, her secret was exposed when her face fell off into her soup (if only it had held until the masquerade!). The Doctor stepped in to explain noblesse oblige and argued for why the androids should be permitted to provide the same obligations with trust and honour. And here was the heroic android as proof. The relaxed Laws of Robotics were decreed, and Andrea was declared a person. It was a small change, but it was a step toward greater freedoms on Tara, culminating in the decline of the nobility with the rise of the Liberal Reconstructionists on Tara in the 30^th century.

Unfortunately, Andrea's affair with the queen had also been exposed and the implications quickly realised. While it might have been merely embarrassing while she was classed as an appliance, as a person and a knight, it was treason. The rogue android had to beat another hasty escape, and fled offworld and onto adventures in time and space.