Liaden Universe [19] - Alliance of Equals - eARC (35 page)

CAST OF CHARACTERS & GLOSSARY

Humans & Intelligences

ORBIT 1: DUTIFUL PASSAGE AND TRADE RELATED

James Abrofinda
—a longtime Korval contractor.

Janifer Carresens-Denobli, Trader-at-Large
—also Trade Commissioner.

Faw Chen
—one of the ’ponics techs, female.

Lonan Davis, Second Mate
—a cousin of Shan’s on his mother’s side; in fact, his Uncle
Richard Davis’
eldest child.

Priscilla Delacroix y Mendoza
—captain of
Dutiful Passage
, lifemate to Shan yos’Galan; together they are
Thodelm yos’Galan
. Priscilla is also the current reincarnation of Moonhawk, an old soul.

Kris Embrathiri
—shuttle pilot attached to the
Passage
, a good friend of Vanner Higgs.

Lina Faaldom
—
Passage
Master Healer, Librarian, Cultural Officer,
daibri’at
instructor. Short, even for a Liaden, very slight, honey-colored eyes.

Unet Hartensis
—one of the owners of Hartensis Catering and Receptions, and Padi’s contact within the firm.

Vanner Higgs
—Tech First Class, and security on the
Passage
; former merc tech sergeant.

Inleen
—Padi’s opposite number; a ’prentice; not known for his punctuality.

ira’Barti, Cargo Master
—cargo master on the
Passage.

Roner Jerethine
—Comm Tech on
Passage.

Jeri
—another of the ’ponics techs, male.

Lute
—Moonhawk’s “submissive” in the old universe; part of that group of
dramliz.

Moonhawk
—a leader of a group of
dramliz
that stood against the Enemy in the old universe.

Gustav rel’Ana
—proprietor of the Laster Garden on Andireeport.

Tarona Rusk
—proprietor of the Gem Garden of Langlastport, former ’prentice to to Master Jeweler Moonel, of Solcintra, Liad.

Jon Schneider, Arms Master
—defense instructor and security person.

Kik Strehlir
—another of the
Passage
’s pilots.

Danae Tiazan, First Mate
—a Korval cousin, new to the ship, middle-aged.

Dil Nem Tiazan, Third Mate
—another Korval cousin, new to the ship, late middle years, taciturn, tough, and “a bit stiff in the honor.”

Sally Triloff
—Comm Tech on
Passage.

Varoth, Head Tech
—in charge of Hydroponics; a woman in a perpetually bad mood.

Ambassador Valeking of Granda
—doesn’t like Shan, but re-signed the twelve-year contract with Korval anyway.

Padi yos’Galan
—heir and apprentice to Shan yos’Galan, approximately sixteen Standard years.

Shan yos’Galan
—master trader on
Dutiful Passage
. Shan is the current reincarnation of Lute, the life-companion (over several lifetimes) of Moonhawk. He has…mixed feelings…about this.

Daibri’at students:

Brisalia
—a female who works in maintenance.

Caz Tar
—a male about Quin’s age.

Jon
—see
Jon Schneider
(above).

Keslis
—an older female.

Lina Faaldom
—a female Librarian and Healer; long-time friend to Shan and Priscilla.

Riean
—a male cafeteria worker.

Chesselport:

Magistrate Tinerest
—one of seven Chesselport magistrates.

Security
—
Bruller
,
Cap
and
Riley
.

Guests
at the reception on Langlastport:

Irfenda Dorst
—head buyer for Gerome Mercantile, bright green shirt.

Malekai Gerome
—senior sales associate at Gerome Mercantile, pale orange shirt.

Herst Plishet
—Textile Broker.

Marthimyr Seirt
—Master of the Langlast Technology Exchange.

ORBIT 2—SUREBLEAK—CLAN, KIN, RESIDENTS

Luken bel’Tarda
, aka
Grandfather Luken
—head of Clan Korval’s small third Line.

Mr. Brunner
, aka
Ichliad Brunner
—the weatherman on Surebleak, entrusted with getting the weather satellites in orbit and calibrated so the place will (eventually) warm up.

the Elder
—the ranking Explorer in Hazenthull’s partnership. Deceased.

A Tiazan of Erob
, aka
Miri Robertson Tiazan
—Val Con’s lifemate, Delmae Korval, the Captain.

Jeeves
—Tocohl’s “father,” a sentient AI; Korval’s House Security.

Jelaza Kazone
—Korval’s Tree, aka Korval’s damned, interfering Tree.

Liz Lizardi
—Chief of Surebleak Port Security; Haz and Tolly’s former boss.

Nelirikk nor’Phelium
—another former Yxtrang Explorer, member of Korval House guard, Hazenthull’s superior.

Diglon Rifle
—a lower-ranking Yxtrang attached to Korval House guard.

Architect vin’Zeller
—is to be building the yos’Galan house on Surebleak.

Syl Vor yos’Galan
—Padi’s cousin, Shan’s nephew; Nova yos’Galan’s heir.

Kareen yos’Phelium
, aka
Cousin Kareen
—Val Con’s father’s sister; Pat Rin’s mother.

Pat Rin yos’Phelium
, aka
Boss Conrad
, aka
Cousin Pat Rin
—as above, also the Boss of the Bosses of Surebleak.

Quin yos’Phelium
—Padi’s cousin and her pilot, in the order kept at Runig’s Rock.

Val Con yos’Phelium
and
Miri Robertson
—the delm of Korval, aka Korval Themselves. Val Con is also the Scout, and Miri the Captain.

ORBIT 3—TOCOHL’S MISSION—INVOLVED PLAYERS

Tolly
, aka
Tollance Berik-Jones
(aka
1362
)—a mentor, who ensures that AIs are brought into awareness well socialized. Attached to Tocohl’s mission.

Tocohl
Lorlin
—Jeeves’ daughter, an AI.

Hazenthull nor’Phelium
, aka
Haz
, aka
Hazenthal Explorer
—a former Yxtrang Explorer, now a member of the Korval House guard, accidentally attached to Tolly and Tocohl’s mission.

Glinz Pirl-Dorn
—another Lyre director, also deceased.

tel’Vaster
—one of directors of the Lyre Institute. Deceased.

Stew
, aka
Master Mechanic Steward Vannigof
—Up-Shift Boss, Senior Repair Tech, Jemiatha’s Jumble Stop.

Vez
—Down-Shift Boss, Jemiatha’s Jumble Stop. Stew’s junior by ten hours.

the Tinker
—a down-on-her-luck repair person, deceased.

Inkirani Yo
—pilot first class, and mentor, aboard
Ahab-Esais
, female
.

ORBIT 4—OTHER DUTIES AS ASSIGNED—CHARACTERS VARIOUSLY IN SPACE OR PLANETS ELSEWHERE, BUT NOT NECESSARILY TOGETHER

Aelliana Caylon
—Val Con’s mother, lifemate to Daav yos’Phelium.

Dulsey
—Uncle’s long-time companion and assistant.

Jen Sar Kiladi
—Daav’s alter ego, a professor of Cultural Genetics at Delgado University. Jen Sar was the
onagrata
of
Kamele Waitley
and is Theo Waitley’s genetic father.

Vestin yos’Thomaz Clan Ebrim
—Padi’s birth mother.

(The)
Uncle
(aka
Yuri
)—a serially reborn meddler with a finger in everybody’s pies, while at any one time tending a half-dozen certain-to-be-unsettling projects of his own. Uncle
remembers
the old universe.

Seignur Veeoni
—one of Uncle’s clones; she’s working on making modern-day fractins at an undisclosed location.

Theo Waitley
—Jen Sar Kiladi’s daughter, Val Con’s sister, Shan’s cousin, captain of
Bechimo.

Daav yos’Phelium
—Val Con’s father, lifemate to Aelliana Caylon. Also see
Jen Sar Kiladi
(above).

Places

Andireeport in the Kinsa Sector
—the
Passage
is going there to trade.

Andireeport Fruit and Flower Market
—a trade zone on Andiree planet.

Ashlan
—anchor port for three Carresens long-loopers and a number of short-loopers.

Berth 12
—where
Tarigan
is berthed on Jemiatha’s.

Bestwell-Kessel-La’Quontis Route
—the last trade route Shan built himself.

Bieradine
—the planet to which
Tarigan
is Jumping.

Billingston
—the planet where Faw Chen came aboard.

Brieta
—Langlast’s nearest neighbor.

Chessel’s World
—a world sorely in need of
milaster
, next in the route after Andiree.

Chesselport Grand Auction Hall
—where the trading action is on Chessel’s World.

Galaxy Nowhere
—the place where dead pilots go—and sometimes come back from.

Gem Garden
—on Langlastport.

Gilady Station
—where Uncle and Dulsey stopped to take on supplies and catch up the news.

Happy Occasion
—one of the reception rooms for hire on Langlastport.

Jelaza Kazone
—Korval’s clanhouse. “Jela’s Fulfillment.” Also the name of the Tree that grows in the center of the garden it encloses.

Jemiatha’s Jumble Stop
—a repair station with a specialty in…odd tech. Has an extensive junkyard of old ships.

Langlast
—next stop after Chessel’s World.

the Laster Garden
—in the Fruit and Flower Market, Gustav rel’Ana, propietor. Offers all things
laster
, including chutneys; also candied
trovyul
; dehydrated
spinginach
; salted ginger.

Nomi-Oxin-Rood
—a planet without a loop, known to Carresens-Denobli.

Nostrilia
—a world where the Lyre Institute has a presence.

Palamar
—the last place where Padi was allowed to fly a real spaceship as part of her training.

Runig’s Rock
—the place where Korval’s Treasures were hidden during the Late Unpleasantness.

Surebleak
—now homeworld to Clan Korval and
Dutiful Passage.
It is located in the
Daiellen Sector
, and it has two tidal moons,
Triga
and
Toppa
, and a local double-star,
Chuck-Honey
.

Torridon Hotel
—on Langlastport, five stars.

trade bridge
—the bridge on the
Passage
from which the traders do long-distance trade, trade news, and answer questions, while the ship is on approach.

Trealla Fantrol
—yos’Galan’s house, which was unmade because it could not be moved from Liad and yos’Galan refused to let it fall into the hands of the Council of Clans.

Weapons Hall
—where Shan met Lute; the place the red counter and
Weapons Lore
came from.

Ynsolt’i
—the planet where
Bechimo
was ambushed upon approach.

Organizations

Aldergate Enterprises
—contacts Shan with a Letter of Interest.

Carresens-Denobli
, aka
the Carresens Syndicate
—a trade family encompassing both long- and short-loopers; also run the Festevalya.

Clan Korval
, aka
Tree-and-Dragon Family
, aka
the Dragon
—direct descendants of Cantra yos’Phelium, the pilot and Captain of the ship that founded Liad.

Council of Clans
—supposedly the ruling body of Liad.

Crystal Energy Consultants
—the Uncle’s front, a shell company simultaneously pursuing many of his interests and goals.

Department/Department of Interior/DOI
—the Department of the Interior are largely seen as the bad guys.

Gilmour Agency
—the company that opened Surebleak for the purpose of mining timonium, and then abandoned it when other, easier to obtain, sources were discovered.

Hartensis Catering and Receptions
—a catering service on Langlastport.

Healers
—Liaden psychic healers who deal with both mental and physical injuries. For the most part they are low- to mid-grade
dramliza
trained in medical arts.

Laster Cooperative
—on Andiree, a trade group.

Lyre Institute for Exceptional Children
, aka
the institute
—this universe’s iteration of
Tanjalyre Institute.

Pilots Guild
—an interstellar organization involved in pilot training, certification, and welfare. Historically Clan Korval has been a major if behind-the-scenes contingent.

Terran Trade Commission
, aka
TerraTrade
—Shan has petitioned them to raise Surebleak Port’s rating from Local to Regional.

Things

Andulsin frog, three-nosed
—an ugly somebody.

Catalinc Project
—a sooper sekrit project of the Uncle’s. Its security was recently breached in
Dragon Ship
. Uncle’s employee
Andreth
was on-site and captured two intruders— one is alive; the other has been “downloaded.”

Complex Logic Laws
—the group of galactic laws that makes it illegal to be a sentient, self-aware, independent artificial intelligence.

Festevalya
—the trade show put on by the Carresens.

Flutterbee
—a cross between a bumblebee and a moth.

Free Gene and Manumitted Human Act
—A generally recognized Terran law, usually supported by Liadens, forbidding the cloning or manufacturing of humans.

Guild Quick Guide
—a service of the Pilots Guild; rates the relative safety and sophistication of various ports.

milaster
—not a fruit, but a nut, the kernel of the
laster
fruit. Andiree likes the fruit; the kernel, not so much.

’mite
(from
vegamite
)—a high-energy yeast drink; an acquired taste for spacers.

nerligig
—a device that enhances or alters moods. Some iterations are entertainment, others are more insidious and so Not Exactly Legal.