Andrew Cherenkov

Andrew Cherenkov is a supporting character in Xenosaga Episode I.

History
Cherenkov was brought to life as part of the Life Recycling Law 36 years before the events of the game. He was specifically brought to life to take part in war and participated in the Miltian Conflict. He found trouble getting used to civilian life after the war's end and committed violent crimes. He was put on trial where it was agreed that rather than using capital punishment, he would undergo Level 7 Personality Reconditioning. For a time, Cherenkov lived a normal life and even got married to his defense attorney. However he would eventually find out that she didn't really love him. She refused to have a child with him, considering his DNA abnormal and got married to him in order to get a permit so she could clone herself. After she reveals this to him, in a rage, he kills her.

Cherenkov is put on trial again for the murder of his wife, and is sentenced to Level 8 Personality Reconditioning. This strips him of his human rights and reduces him to the same status as a Realian, being a life form belonging to the Federation. One day, a few years later, walking among a crowd, he ran across a little girl, the clone of his deceased wife. When she called him garbage, he gets into a rage and strangles her. Locked up once again, the authorities decide that he may be of some use as a test subject for Level 9 Personality Reconditioning. This also results in disaster as he murders everyone at the facility. There, Margulis comes upon him. By this point Cherenkov has grown quite the reputation. He initially attacks Margulis, who dodges his attack and knocks him down. Margulis takes Cherenkov with him and makes him his underling within the U-TIC Organization.

While part of the U-TIC organization, Cherenkov was involved in a Zohar Link Experiment which caused the disappearance of the planet Ariadne. Before departing Ariadne, he has sees a vision of his former wife and her clone. Cherenkov also led an operation to seize a prototype version of KOS-MOS. He was provided with a control device from a mysterious hidden man (eventually revealed to be Kevin Winnicot). He led a group of U-TIC soldiers that marched into the Vector facility where KOS-MOS was being worked on. When he activated the control device, KOS-MOS awakened, but acted wildly out of control, killing both U-TIC soldiers and Vector employees that got in her way. He fled outside where KOS-MOS destroyed a pursuit ship. KOS-MOS was eventually stopped by Shion and Cherenkov's involvement in the event was unknown to her.

Present Day
At the start of the game, Cherenkov is stationed undercover on the Woglinde, holding the title of Commander. He first appears on the Woglinde bridge along with Captain Moriyama, expressing the importance of retrieving any salvageable objects in the area such as the Zohar Emulator. When Shion reports on the current status of KOS-MOS to him and Moriyama later, Cherenkov becomes quite frustrated at learning that KOS-MOS has no actual field data. He appears quite distressed over the possibility that the gnosis may attack the ship. Moriyama tells him to let it go and Cherenkov, receiving a message from Margulis, departs the bridge shortly after. Cherenkov reports to Margulis, and is apologetic about the fact that people disappeared upon touching the recently recovered Zohar Emulator. Margulis orders him to keep the Zohar Emulator safe until reinforcements arrive, as well as to encourage the KOS-MOS development team to hurry with its deployment. Cherenkov later complains to Allen offscreen about KOS-MOS.

Later, when the gnosis attacks the Woglinde, Cherenkov ignores his official Woglinde duties and instead heads to the area of the ship where the Zohar Emulator is stored. There, he orders Vanderkam and other undercover U-TIC members to prioritize getting the Zohar Emulator to their commander. He orders them to get in an escape pod and evacuate and that he will stay behind with the Zohar Emulator, even if it results in his death. Shion, KOS-MOS, Allen and Virgil arrive soon afterwards as the gnosis make their way to that part of the ship. The Zohar Emulator is seized by the gnosis and Cherenkov survives only by holding onto the outside of Shion and Allen's escape pod.

Cherenkov joins Shion, Allen and KOS-MOS as they board the Elsa and head to the bridge where he asks Captain Matthews to drop him off at Senir. A gnosis soon makes its way onto the bridge and grabs a hold of him by the neck until chaos touches it, causing it to disintegrate. Cherenkov survives, but is scarred by the event. While Shion and Allen befriend the Elsa crew, Cherenkov largely keeps to himself. He stands over KOS-MOS while she rests and pulls out his gun, being frightened of his previous experience with her. Shion arrives shortly afterwards to bring him some food. He refrains from telling Shion his true feelings and says he just has a bad habit of holding his gun. He and Shion then have a conversation about KOS-MOS.

Later, after Ziggy and MOMO join the Elsa and U-TIC is fought off, Cherenkov reports back to Margulis about losing the Zohar Emulator to the gnosis, but also the fact that he's on the same ship as MOMO, for whom the U-TIC Organization desires to recover. Margulis tells him to just stick to his duties and not go beyond the scope of his mission, returning to headquarters when he is able. When the Elsa makes a rest stop at a Dock Colony, Cherenkov wanders outside on his own. Unknown to him, this area has people abandoned by the government who hold a grudge against the military. Wandering around in his military uniform, Cherenkov is surrounded by a bunch of street punks who beat him up. Hammer, seeing what is happening, rushes back to the Elsa. A symbol appears on Cherenkov's forehead, symbolizing the breakdown of his personality reconditioning, and he murders all the men attacking him. Shion and the others find him afterward and bring him back to the Elsa to treat his wounds. Cherenkov makes up a story about the street punks fighting amongst each other so as to enable his escape. After heading off on his own to another part of the ship, Cherenkov appears quite distressed and has to inject himself with something to calm himself down. The symbol appears on his forehead again. He tries to sleep but has nightmares. Getting up and going to a vending machine, he sees his arm start to appear invisible.

The Elsa is soon caught up by the Cathedral Ship, a giant gnosis, and Cherenkov is separated from the others. He wanders around, seeing images of the Zohar and other things. He soon realizes that parts of the ship are from Ariadne, but finds it hard to believe. Eventually he makes his way to a room where the Zohar Emulator is located. Shion and the others soon make their way there as well and they find him. Cherenkov's condition has worsened, with more parts of his body becoming invisible. He finds it doubtful they will make it through this alive and admits his role in the disappearance of Ariadne as well as Vector and the Woglinde being pawns in a plan to recover the Zohar Emulator. He starts seeing flying things that no one else can see and transforms into the gnosis Gargoyle soon after. After he is defeated, Shion sees visions of Margulis talking to him. Appearing on a beach, Cherenkov explains his past to Shion and that killing was his whole reason for existence. He felt as if the whole world had rejected him until meeting Margulis. Through his experiences though he realized that the world didn't reject him, but he rejected the world. He realizes this place, where there is no anger, sadness, happiness or a future is the place he has been searching for. Shion returns to reality shortly afterwards. The disappearance of Cherenkov's tracking signal is reported to Margulis shortly afterwards, news of which he seems disappointed by.