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-Dramatis Personae-

"Character develops itself in the stream of life."

• Johann Wolfgang von Goethe

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Main Characters

Johnathan "Jack" Squier

Species: Human

Sex: Male

Homeworld: Europa (born), Earth (raised)

Rank/Title: Civilian, Lieutenant (retired)

Age: 28

Height: 6'6" (1.98m)

Weight: 200 lbs (91 kg)

Skin: Light

Eyes: Dark Blue

Hair: Sandy Blonde

Family: Mother and father (living on Earth), brother (living on Mars), sister (UN fleets)

Distinguishing Characteristics: Small scar on his left leg from a training accident.

Bio:

Jack was born on the American colony on Jupiter's moon, Europa, and moved to New York City on Earth with his family when he was five years old. He was sixteen when the first human colonies on the frontier began disappearing, and turned eighteen just as verified first contact with the Ailian Ascendancy was made and the war began. He joined the United Nations Naval Fleet and trained to become a fighter pilot. A training accident nearly ended his short career, but he made a recovery and entered active service flying escort missions for cargo shipments.

Jack retired from the Navy after his two-year service contract ended and became a civilian cargo pilot. Two years into that job, he met a girl and entered a serious relationship with her. After six years, however, she left him and his career began going downhill from depression. Jack has a mother and father living on Earth, a brother living on Mars, and a sister who is an officer in the UN Navy, but he has little contact with his family.

On his last cargo run with his company, Jack encounters a female Ailian soldier named Aria after crash-landing on an uncharted planet. Through a series of events they fall in love, and Jack was brought to live on the Ailian homeworld of Lirna. There he stayed with Aria and her family, under the guise of being her slave. He has come to be accepted by Aria's family, and has forged an especially close friendship with her eldest sister, Sami. Jack is currently on the Ailian colony world of Arbaros while Aria is responsible for protecting the new Empress of the Ascendancy, Li'ren Amani.

Aria Me'lia

Species: Ailian

Sex: Female

Homeworld: Lirna

Rank/Title: Captain, Lirnan Royal Guards

Age: 28

Height: 9'10" (3m)

Weight: 510 lbs (210 kg)

Fur: Black (dyed), Orange and cream with black stripes (natural)

Eyes: Yellow, flecked with gold

Family: Ara'lana (mother), Arn (father), Sami (sister)

Distinguishing Characteristics: A long, thin scar going from her collarbone down to her navel.

Bio:

Aria was born on Lirna, the homeworld of the Ailian Ascendancy, and was brought up in a wealthy merchant family. Her father, Arn Me'lia, was wealthy in his own right even before he bonded with her mother, Ara'lana, who was at the time a Captain in the Ascendancy Navy. Despite her father's disapproval, but with the tacit support of her mother, who had since risen to the rank of Chief Admiral, she followed in her mother's footsteps and joined the Ascendancy Navy as a junior officer when she turned twenty. For the first few years of her career, Aria served in the ground infantry division, eventually training to be a commando. She served as a commando for several years and saw action in numerous battles with humans on the borders. She hoped to one day serve under her mother's command, but before that could happen Aria's mother was killed in battle.

During one battle in space, human soldiers boarded the ship Aria was stationed on and planted demolition charges on the engines. Aria managed to disarm most of the charges, but the last one exploded and severely wounded her. Close to death, she somehow pulled through and survived. Decorated for bravery, she nevertheless was forced to transfer from the infantry division and she became a pilot flying patrol missions on the less-active areas of the Ailian borders. It was there that she encountered a human cargo ship, and pursued it in a chase which eventually led to her crashing on an uncharted planet.

While on the planet, Aria comes face-to-face with the human pilot, Jack Squier. They agree to a truce in order to survive and escape the planet, and fall in love in the process. Aria brings Jack home to Lirna with her, pretending that he is her slave, but because of their relationship she is charged with treason. Before her trial can begin, Aria is kidnapped by her mother, Ara'lana, who as it turns out survived her battle with the humans and has been secretly planning to overthrow the Empress. Aria rejects her mother's offer of an alliance and escapes back to Lirna to bring this news to the Empress, Kri'a Solan IV, who pardons Aria out of gratitude for her warning.

Aria is currently a captain in the elite Lirnan Royal Guards, living on the Ailian colony world of Arbaros with Jack and her family. She is responsible for protecting Li'ren Amani, newly-crowned Empress of the Ascendancy after her mate, Kri'a, is assassinated by Ara'lana.

Supporting Characters

Li'ren Amani

Species: Ailian

Sex: Female

Homeworld: Arbaros (Inner Colonies, born and raised), Lirna (adopted)

Rank/Title: Empress of the Ascendancy, Consort to the Empress (former), Ambassador (former)

Age: 25

Height: 8'6" (2.59m)

Weight: 400 lbs (181 kg)

Fur: Gray-blue with gold stripes

Eyes: Dark red

Family: Miri (mother), father (deceased), three brothers (living on Arbaros), Kri'a (mate, deceased)

Distinguishing Characteristics: Emerald bonding jewel in her navel, given to her by Kri'a.

Bio:

Li'ren was born on the Ailian colony world of Arbaros into a noble family. Her mother, Miri, was an ambassador and the chief advisor to the Royal Governor of Arbaros. Li'ren displayed a marked aptitude for legal and political matters during her education, and was groomed by her mother for service in the diplomatic corps of the Ascendancy. When Li'ren was fifteen, her mother was appointed as the chief diplomatic advisor to the Empress of the Ascendancy, Kri'a Solan III. Miri brought Li'ren with her to the homeworld of Lirna to be her assistant to gain practical experience. It was there that Li'ren met Kri'a Solan IV, then the crown princess and an admiral in the Ascendancy Navy.

Almost immediately upon meeting, Kri'a and Li'ren began a deep and long love affair, eventually becoming bonded to each other. Though initially alarmed by this development, owing to the extreme taboo against same-sex relationships in Ailian culture, Miri Amani eventually came to support her daughter in her relationship. When the Empress found out, however, she threatened to strip Kri'a of her nobility and rank, before grudgingly allowing it in order to forestall the scandal that would result from such a public drama. Li'ren eventually became an ambassador, and took the title of Consort to the Empress, usually reserved for males, once Kri'a ascended to the throne. Publicly known and admired as a prominent diplomat and advisor to the Empress, her relationship with Kri'a became quite well-known among the nobility, and not in the most positive light.

When civil war broke out in the Ascendancy, Li'ren was sent back to her homeworld of Arbaros by Kri'a, in an effort to lessen the danger to the her life. She is guarded by a detachment of the Lirnan Royal Guards, led by the redeemed soldier, Aria Me'lia. Upon Kri'a's assassination, Li'ren becomes the youngest Empress of the Ascendancy. She currently lives on Arbaros while Lirna is under the control of the rebels, and she has become rather close with Aria's eldest sister, Sami.

Sami Me'lia

Species: Ailian

Sex: Female

Homeworld: Lirna

Rank/Title: Civilian

Age: 22

Height: 9'2" (2.80m)

Weight: 390 lbs (177 kg)

Fur: Light orange and white with black stripes

Eyes: Light blue, flecked with gold

Family: Ara'lana (mother), Arn (father), Aria (sister)

Bio:

Sami is the eldest sister of Aria, born on Lirna like the rest of her siblings and raised in luxury. Unusually for an Ailian, she never had any ambition for a military, political, or mercantile career, preferring quiet pursuits such as art and music. Nevertheless, she is confident and intelligent, and owing to the matriarchal nature of Ailian society she is the head of the family while Aria is away. She is very friendly with Jack and is learning how to speak English from him, in turn giving him lessons in the Ailian language.

Sami currently lives on Arbaros with the rest of her family while Aria is assigned to protect Li'ren Amani. She has developed a very close friendship with the new Empress, to the point that they have begun feeling affection for one another.

Kri'a Solan IV

Species: Ailian

Sex: Female

Homeworld: Lirna

Rank/Title: Empress of the Ascendancy, Admiral (First Fleet)

Age: 40 (deceased)

Height: 9'4" (2.84m)

Weight: 520 lbs (236 kg)

Fur: Dark blue

Eyes: Ruby

Family: Kri'a (mother, deceased), father (deceased), Li'ren (mate)

Distinguishing Characteristics: Onyx bonding jewel in her navel, given to her by Li'ren.

Bio:

Kri'a was born on Lirna, the only child of her mother, the Empress. She grew up in the palace, very close to her father, who died when she was ten years old, but emotionally distant from her mother. As the crown princess, she was virtually guaranteed a successful career in the Ascendancy Navy, and she quickly rose to the rank of commander and eventually became an admiral. Kri'a was, from a fairly early age, quite openly a lesbian, which was frequently a subject of gossip in the Ascendancy and a source of exasperation for her mother, who tried to sweep her daughter's lifestyle under the rug.

Kri'a became acquainted with the young noblewoman Li'ren Amani when she was brought to Lirna with her mother, an advisor to the Empress. They almost instantly fell in love with each other, and Kri'a risked her position and her future to protect her mate from the wrath of the Empress. When she herself became the Empress, in the midst of war with humanity, she angered her Chief Admiral, Ara'lana Me'lia, by suggesting making overtures to end the conflict. Though unbeknownst to her Ara'lana had been scheming for years to overthrow the Ascendancy, this prompted Ara'lana to fake her own death and ramp up her preparations in secret. Kri'a perhaps accelerated her own fate by using the relationship of Aria, Ara'lana's daughter, and the human Jack Squier as a catalyst for building support for ending the war.

After sending Li'ren away for her protection, Kri'a was captured and assassinated by Ara'lana Me'lia during the battle for Lirna.

Ara'lana Me'lia

Species: Ailian

Sex: Female

Homeworld: Amarg (Outer Colonies)

Rank/Title: Empress of the New Ascendancy (self-granted), Chief Admiral (former)

Age: 56

Height: 10'0" (3.05m)

Weight: 550 lbs (249 kg)

Fur: White with black stripes

Eyes: Emerald

Family: Arn (mate), Aria (daughter), Sami (daughter)

Distinguishing Characteristics: Heavy scarring around her eyes, due to injury in battle.

Bio:

Ara'lana was born in the Outer Colonies close to the beginning of the rein of Empress Kri'a Solan III. Her homeworld is the colony planet of Amarg, a world which was characterized by a waning mining industry. When she was young, she developed a fierce sense of the injustice perceived by the people of the Outer Colonies, which experienced much greater poverty and marginalization than the rest of the Ascendancy. She escaped the poverty by joining the Ascendancy Navy, quickly earning a reputation as a fierce and intelligent soldier during border disputes with the Pteryd Combine. Because of her success in her military career, she earned a posting as a captain with the Core Fleets on Lirna, where she met the businessman Arn Me'lia and took him as a mate. Ara'lana eventually became the Chief Admiral of the Navy under Empress Solan and later her daughter, Kri'a. Ara'lana has nine children: Aria, Sami, Ana, Sana, Jin, Mari, Lem'a, Raya, and Li'ara.

Shortly after the ascension of Kri'a Solan IV to the throne, Ara'lana fell in battle and was succeeded in her position by Admiral Jin Te'rou, the first male to take the position of Chief Admiral. However, Ara'lana was not dead as was commonly believed, and had survived her injuries to develop her own private army in secret. She has emerged from her exile to lead an uprising of the Outer Colonies against the Ascendancy, with the goal of establishing the supremacy of the Outer Colonies and imposing what she sees as their rightful destiny to lead her species. Her rebel movement has seen remarkable success, due in no small part to her prowess in military strategy, and they have succeeded in killing the Empress and taking over the Ailian homeworld of Lirna.

Ara'lana is a brutal soldier and infuriated by her daughter, Aria, taking up with a human and remaining loyal to the royal family rather than joining her in her fight. Furthermore, she finds it personally offensive to her sense of culture that Li'ren Amani has been declared the Empress of the Ascendancy, seeing it as a usurpation of the proper line of ascension.

Jin Te'rou

Species: Ailian

Sex: Male

Homeworld: Jalal (Outer Colonies)

Rank/Title: Chief Admiral

Age: 45

Height: 9'1" (2.76m)

Weight: 500 lbs (226 kg)

Fur: Red with black stripes

Eyes: Black

Bio:

Jin Te'rou was born on the Outer Colony world of Jalal and joined the Ascendancy Navy as soon as he was old enough. He steadily rose through the ranks, a competent soldier, and became an admiral at a rather young age. He was the commander of the First Fleet stationed at Lirna until he was replaced by Princess Admiral Kri'a Solan IV, but returned to that position upon her ascension to Empress and was made Chief Admiral upon the supposed death of Ara'lana Me'lia, becoming both one of the youngest Chief Admirals and the first male Ailian to hold that position. He is a strict follower of military law and somewhat of a bureaucrat, but by all accounts he leads the military well. Unlike many Ailians with Outer Colony origins, he remained fiercely loyal to the Empress when civil war broke out. He is currently on Arbaros, leading the effort to rebuild the fleets in preparation for retaking Lirna.

Miri Amani

Species: Ailian

Sex: Female

Homeworld: Arbaros (Inner Colonies)

Rank/Title: Royal Governess (Arbaros), Ambassador (former), Empress Regent (briefly)

Age: 62

Height: 9'2" (2.79m)

Weight: 450 lbs (204 kg)

Fur: Gray-blue with gold stripes

Eyes: Red

Family: Li'ren (daughter), mate (deceased), three sons (living on Arbaros), Kri'a (daughter-in-law, of sorts)

Bio:

Miri was born to a minor noble family on the Inner Colony world of Arbaros, where she met her mate, a doctor on that planet. She had ambitions of entering the political world from an early age, and entered the diplomatic corps when she was twenty-two. She spent five years as a minor diplomat on her homeworld before gaining a promotion and serving on the Core World of Regis, near Lirna. After five years there, she was appointed the Deputy Chief Ambassador to the Nuretan Empire for three years, before returning to Arbaros as the chief advisor to the Royal Governor there. She has four children, the eldest of whom is her daughter, Li'ren.

After seventeen years on Arbaros, Miri's skill as a diplomat earned her the attention of Empress Solan IV, and she was summoned to Lirna to serve as her advisor on diplomatic affairs. She brought her daughter Li'ren with her to give her practical experience in diplomacy and politics, inadvertently sending her daughter on the path to become the mate of the crown princess, Kri'a Solan IV. Though not the path she would have chosen for Li'ren, Miri came to accept their relationship and cares greatly for Kri'a, whom she considers a daughter just as much as Li'ren.

Once Kri'a ascended to the throne, Miri was dismissed from her posting on Lirna but in turn was appointed Royal Governess of Arbaros, where she has served well ever since. Upon Kri'a's death, Miri was the de facto Empress for a brief period until Li'ren was declared the heir to the throne.

Minor Characters

Arn Me'lia

Species: Ailian

Sex: Male

Homeworld: Lirna

Rank/Title: Civilian

Age: 60

Arn is the mate of Ara'lana Me'lia and the father of Aria and Sami. He is a businessman from Lirna who built a wide and highly profitable network of merchant businesses that span the Core Worlds and Inner Colonies. He disapproved of Aria entering the military but is proud of her accomplishments. Though initially hostile towards Jack due to resentment over the troubles their relationship has brought Aria, he has come to respect him and seems ready to accept him into the family.

Misa Tal'in

Species: Ailian

Sex: Female

Homeworld: Mog (Outer Colonies)

Rank/Title: Major (former)

Age: 50 (deceased)

Major Tal'in is Aria's commanding officer and the base commander for Mat'aar Airbase on Lirna. She is known throughout the Ascendancy as an expert in hand-to-hand combat. Unknown to most, she is also one of Ara'lana Me'lia's agents on Lirna. She orchestrates the kidnapping of Aria prior to the start of her treason trial. Aria kills her to escape from her mother's base of operations.

Brooke

Species: Human

Sex: Female

Homeworld: Unknown border colony

Rank/Title: Slave

Age: 13

Brooke is a human girl who was captured with her family at a very young age, during the early days of the war between the Ascendancy and humanity. She cannot remember much of her life before she was made a slave, and does not remember her parents at all. She meets Jack when he first comes to Lirna, and soon after she is purchased by the Empress and made a servant in the royal palace. She currently serves as a lady-in-waiting for Li'ren Amani, and though she harbors great (understandable) resentment towards Ailians, she has been treated very well during her ownership by the royal family, in stark contrast to the treatment she received under her previous owners. As a result, she has a grudging sort of respect and loyalty to the new Empress.

Tara Shi'ala

Species: Ailian

Sex: Female

Homeworld: Amarg (Outer Colonies)

Rank/Title: Chief Advisor to the Empress (former)

Age: 67

Tara is a high noblewoman from the Outer Colonies and a veteran of the diplomatic corps. She served as the Chief Advisor to Empress Solan III for much of her reign, and lost her position to Li'ren Amani upon Kri'a Solan IV's ascension to the throne. She is a confidant and supporter of Ara'lana Me'lia, and one of the central figures in the rebellion.

Selina Kris

Species: Ailian

Sex: Female

Homeworld: Lirna

Rank/Title: Admiral

Age: 48

Admiral Kris was born on Lirna but unusually served most of her early career in the Outer Colony fleets. When she was promoted to admiral, she briefly commanded the First Fleet on Lirna before being promoted to regional commander of the Outer Colony fleets. She is one of the central figures in the rebellion led by Ara'lana Me'lia.

Seirin-143

Species: Pteryd

Sex: None (biologically female)

Homeworld: Pteryys

Rank/Title: Envoy

Age: 5

Seirin-143 is an envoy of the Pteryd Combine, the insectoid alien race that has been the enemy of the Ascendancy for thousands of years. Though it would biologically be considered female, the entire race is female and reproduces by parthenogenesis, making gender-based pronouns meaningless for them. Pteryd do not receive an individual name until they reproduce. Seirin-143 is the one hundred and forty-third offspring of its "mother", Seirin. Seirin-143 serves as the representative of the Pteryd Combine liaising with Ara'lana Me'lia's rebel forces.

Kalma Soumaren

Species: Nuretan

Sex: Female

Homeworld: Nurenai

Rank/Title: General, Nuretan Imperial Marines

Age: 57

Kalma Soumaren is the highest-ranking officer of the Nuretan Empire, the allies of the Ailian Ascendancy. Properly, she is the commander of the Nuretan Imperial Marines, the elite fighting force of the Nuretans which is comparable to the Lirnan Royal Guards. Traditionally and practically, this role also bestows upon her the same kind of authority as Admiral Jin Te'rou enjoys as Chief Admiral. She is responsible for the defense of the Empire, and for coordinating with the Ascendancy Navy during periods of mutual aid.

Mari Ayalis

Species: Ailian

Sex: Female

Homeworld: Syleen (Core Worlds)

Rank/Title: Lieutenant, Lirnan Royal Guards

Age: 22

Mari is a lieutenant in the elite Lirnan Royal Guards. She is very short and petite for an Ailian, not much larger than the tallest of humans, but she has a reputation as the fiercest soldier in the Royal Guards. She is sent to Arbaros by Empress Solan to aid Aria Me'lia in training a new division of the guards to protect Li'ren Amani.