Zaurbi Chemso

"It's always been my goal to spread the truth to the people. And I'm going to do just that."

- Kesira This name uses Russian naming customs: the patronymic name is Mairbekovna while the surname (family name) is Vakhaeva.

Kesira Vakhaeva (Chechen, Russian: Кесира Вахаева), known by her pen name Zalpa Vasayeva (Russian: Залпа Васаева), is a supporting character in the Big Hero 6 franchise.

A Chechen-American journalist and writer, she was born and raised in Russia and worked as a political commentator and writer for Novaya Gazeta. After a severe injury during the Second Chechen War, she was flown to the United States for medical care – where she currently resides. A technophobe against the advanced lifestyle of San Fransokyo, she was a former lover of CEO Alistair Krei and the mother of Dzhabrail Krei-Vakhaev with Alistair through an affair. She is currently involved in a child custody battle with Krei over Dzhabrail.

She is portrayed by Chechen writer Milana Terloeva.

Official Description
"Sharp, quick, and witty, Kesira "Kira" Vakhaeva is an ambitious journalist who's quick on her toes and even faster with her trusty pen. Raised in war-torn Chechnya, Russia, she's known for her rousing articles and immense dislike for robotic technology – despite residing in the highly advanced San Fransokyo. Against all odds, she finds herself inexplicably caught in a dilemma during her latest dive into the life of tech guru Alistair Krei."

- Kesira's official description

Personality
TBA

Physical Appearance
TBA

Early Life
Kesira Mairbekovna Vakhaeva (Russian: Кесира Майрбековна Вахаева) was born in the small town of Gordala, Russia, to parents Mairbek and Kheda Vakhaev. Her parents – both ethnic Chechens of the Gordaloy (Chechen: ГӀордалой ; Russian: Гордалой ) teip (clan) of the Nokhchmakhkakhoy (Chechen: Нохчмахкахой ) tukkhum – were born in Kazakhstan due to the 1944 deportations of the Chechen and Ingush people (Aardakh). The two were married in Kyzylorda before returning to their ancestral village of Gordala to reconnect with their Chechen roots. Kesira is the first of the couple's children before younger brothers Zelimkhan and Mokhmad. Her family follows Shafi'i Sunni Islam.

Born in the countryside, Kesira was raised truly Chechen in Gordala without the influence of urban life or modern technology. Her parents wanted their children to be strongly tied to their Chechen heritage; thus, Kesira learned the Chechen language, traditional melodies and dances, and methods of cooking. Her father even hired a local craftsman to create a dechig pondar (a traditional Chechen instrument) just for her so she could learn to play, despite manufacturers of the instrument being scarce. Kesira was also taught several survival skills and basic medical procedures, as the First Chechen War of Grozny had just concluded several years before (her parents wanted to make sure she'd be able to defend herself if needed).

Because the Second Chechen War began one year after Kesira's birth, the family was forced to move to the city of Grozny, the Chechen capital, for Mairbek's career as a politician and military strategist. Though Kheda firmly wanted to stay in the countryside away from the war, Mairbek promised to educate Kesira and her brothers when he could (all the schools were either destroyed or closed), stating that they would greatly benefit from it. Kesira initially had a difficult time adjusting to city life, but she managed to familiarise herself after awhile. Mairbek thus began teaching Kesira to read both the Cyrillic and Latin alphabets as well as some mathematics, language, and history. As the war progressed, Mairbek became more involved in with the military and was forced to spend weeks apart from his family. Thus, Kesira, her mother, and her brothers were trapped in their apartment for days on end without running water, electricity, or power. In their only bedroom, Kesira would browse through her father's old collection of Chechen literature and several novels by her uncle, Aslan, thus sparking her interest in writing. Through these stories, Kesira educated herself on Chechen history and the Aardakh (deportations) while collecting bits and pieces of ongoing issues through her father and his men.

Though the war pressed on for years, Kesira never quite grew accustomed to the constant gunshots and detonation of bombs throughout the city. The use of modern advancements for war and weaponry sickened Kesira, and she began developing a dislike for most futuristic technology as a teenager. Without any supplements, Kesira would, against her mother's wishes, sneak out of their apartment through the building's fire escape to dash to the nearby grocery market (which was lacking in produce, but still had some bottled water and packaged food). During one trip to the market with her brother Mokhmad, a nearby grenade from a battle site was detonated, killing Mokhmad but sparing Kesira. Though she survived, she was injured by multiple shrapnel remnants and rubble from the blast.

Appearances in Big Hero 6
TBA

Alistair Krei
"Oh, I know quite well how you businessmen think. And I can tell you're the type of person who's willing to cheat and cut through corners to get what you want. Don't worry, though, I've met many others who do the same. You're not all that unique."

- Kesira to Alistair TBA

Baymax
"You claim he [Baymax] is benevolent, caring, and compassionate, but he is nothing but code and programming. His alleged 'personality' is just what he was designed to do by humans. He is a machine; he – or should I say it – cannot feel for himself. If I were to, say, remove that wonderful green chip of his, your robot would be an entirely different being – am I not correct?"

- Kesira to Hiro on Baymax TBA

Hiro Hamada
TBA

Dzhabrail Krei-Vakhaev
TBA

Name Etymology
Kesira (Кесира) is a Chechen feminine name meaning "abundant, plentiful"; it is originally derived from the Arabic language from the word كَثِير (kaṯīr)  meaning "many, much".

The patronymic name, Mairbekovna, is from the name of Kesira's father, Mairbek, with the Russian suffix -ovna (-овна) denoting a daughter (-ovich or -ович is used for males). The name Mairbek, in turn, is from the Chechen word майра (mayra) meaning "husband" or "brave" combined with a Turkish title (beg) meaning "chieftain, master".

Her familia (фамилия; literally "surname" or "last name" ), Vakhaeva (Вахаева), is the feminine form of Vakhaev (Вахаев), in accordance to Russian family name customs – surnames of females end in -ova or -eva. The family name comes from the Chechen personal name Vakha (Ваха), which in turn is from the Nakh word vakha meaning "to live".

Trivia

 * She is fluent in Chechen, Russian, and English.
 * Kesira majored in political science but loves to read about psychology during her leisure time.
 * Kesira tried to apply for SFIT for its neurology program, but was rejected as her grades and exam markings were not up to par with SFIT's high standards.
 * Kesira is demisexual (gray-asexual).
 * Her most prized possession is a bronze necklace of the borz, an insignia of Chechnya bearing a wolf.
 * The necklace is similar to this:Borz kolye 2.jpg
 * Kesira stopped wearing a hijab after she was taken to San Fransokyo.
 * Though raised a Muslim, she considers herself as an agnostic.
 * As mentioned before, she has technophobia. She doesn't necessarily fear technology, but she serverely dislikes robots, machinery, and modern weaponry.
 * She has multiple reasons for her dislike of technology, but the problem originated from her firsthand witnessing of death of her brother, Mokhmad, who was killed in a grenade explosion during the Second Chechen War.
 * Kesira also suffers from mild PTSD due to this traumatic event.


 * Her favourite scent is Bath & Body Works's 'Eucalyptus Spearmint'.
 * Kesira's top role model is her deceased paternal uncle, Aslan, who was a writer.
 * His occupation inspired Kesira to enter journalism.
 * She is currently a part-time patient of Baymax for checkups on her legs, though Kesira is always tentative to go.