The White Mountain (44 page)

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Authors: David Wingrove

BOOK: The White Mountain
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In
Monsters of the Deep
we witness the first cracks in the great edifice as cousin is set against cousin in a war that is as tragic as it has become inevitable.

CHARACTER LISTING

MAJOR CHARACTERS

DeVore, Howard
A one-time Major in the T'ang's Security forces, he had become the leading figure in the struggle against the Seven. A highly intelligent and coldly logical man, he is the puppetmaster behind the scenes as the great ‘War of the Two Directions' takes a new turn.
Ebert, Hans
Son of Klaus Ebert and heir to the vast GenSyn Corporation, he has been promoted to Major in the T'ang's Security forces, and is admired and trusted by his superiors. Ebert is a complex young man; a brave and intelligent officer, he also has selfish, dissolute ambition to become not merely a prince among men but a ruler.
Fei Yen
‘Flying Swallow', daughter of Yin Tsu, one of the Heads of the ‘Twenty-Nine', the minor aristocratic families of Chung Kuo. Once married to Han Ch'in, the murdered son of Li Shai Tung, she subsequently married his brother Li Yuan, nine years her junior. This classically beautiful woman seems fragile in appearance, but is actually strong-willed and fiery, as was proved in her secret affair with Tsu Ma, the T'ang of West Asia.
Kao Chen
Once a
kwai
, a hired knife from the Net, the lowest level of the great City, Chen has raised himself from those humble beginnings and is now a Captain in the T'ang's Security forces. As friend and helper to
Karr and a close associate of Haavikko, Chen is one of the foot soldiers in the war against DeVore.
Karr, Gregor
Major in the T'ang's Security forces, Karr was recruited by Marshal Tolonen from the Net. In his youth, Karr was a ‘blood'; a to-the-death combat fighter. A giant of a man, he is the ‘hawk' Li Yuan plans to fly against his adversary, DeVore.
Lehmann, Stefan
Albino son of the former Dispersionist leader, Pietr Lehmann, he has become a lieutenant to DeVore. A cold, unnaturally dispassionate men, he seems to be the very archetype of nihilism, his one and only aim to bring down the Seven and their great City.
Li Yuan
Second son of Li Shai Tung, he became heir to City Europe after the assassination of his elder brother. Considered old before his time, his cold outward manner conceals a passionate nature, as expressed in his brief marriage to, and divorce from, the fiery Fei Yen, his dead brother's wife.
Mach, Jan
A maintenance official in the Ministry of Waste Recycling and a part-time member of Li Yuan's Reserve Security Force, Mach has a second identity as one of the Council of Five, the policy formulators of the newly split-off Yu, the revolutionary successors to the
Ping Tiao
, a new and yet darker force within the depths of City Europe.
Tolonen, Jelka
Daughter of Marshal Tolonen, Jelka has been brought up in a very masculine environment, lacking a mother's feminine influence. However, her genuine interest in martial arts and in weaponry and strategy masks a very different, more feminine side to her nature – a side brought out after the unsuccessful attack on her by
Ping Tiao
terrorists.
Tolonen, Knut
Marshal of the Council of Generals and one-time General to Li Shai Tung, Tolonen is a big, granite-jawed man and the staunchest supporter of the values and ideals of the Seven. Possessed of a fiery, fearless nature, he will stop at nothing to protect his masters, yet after long years of war even his belief in the necessity of stasis has been shaken.
Tsu Ma
T'ang of West Asia and one of the Seven, the ruling Council of Chung Kuo, Tsu Ma has thrown off his former dissolute past to become one of Li Yuan's strongest supporters in Council. A strong, handsome man in his mid-thirties, he has extricated
himself from a secret affair with Fei Yen, which – had it become public – might easily have destroyed the Seven.
Wang Sau-leyan
Young T'ang of Africa. Since his father's murder he has thrown off his former ways and become a sharp and cunning adversary to Li Yuan and the old guard among the Seven. An abrasive, calculating figure with sybaritic tastes, he is the harbinger of Change within the Council of Seven.
Ward, Kim
Born in the Clay, that dark wasteland beneath the great City's foundations, Kim has a quick and unusual bent of mind that has marked him from the first as potentially the greatest scientist Chung Kuo has ever seen. His vision of a gigantic star-spanning web – formulated in the darkness of the Clay – has driven him up into the light of the Above. Now, after a long period of personality reconstruction, he has, through Li Yuan's generosity, been given the means to build his own great Company. But there are those who do not wish him success in this venture.
Ywe Hao
Born into the lowest levels of City Europe, Ywe Hao – ‘Fine Moon' – joined the Yu, a terrorist organization, after the murder of her elder brother. A strong, idealistic woman, she represents the new tide of indignant rebellion that is stirring in the depths of the great City.

THE SEVEN AND THE FAMILIES

An Liang-chou
Minor Family Prince
An Sheng
Head of the An Family (one of the ‘Twenty-Nine' Minor Families)
Chi Hsing
T'ang of the Australias
Chun Wu-chi
Head of the Chun Family (one of the ‘Twenty-Nine' Minor Families)
Fu Ti Chang
third Wife of Li Yuan
Hou Tung-po
T'ang of South America
Hsiang K'ai Fan
Minor Family Prince; heir to the Hsiang Family (one of the ‘Twenty-Nine' Minor Families)
Hsiang Shao-erh
Head of the Hsiang Family (one of the ‘Twenty-Nine' Minor Families)
Hsiang Te-shang
Minor Family Prince and youngest son of Hsiang Shao-erh
Hsiang Wang
Minor Family Prince and second son of Hsiang Shao-erh
Lai Shi
second Wife of Li Yuan
Li Yuan
T'ang of City Europe
Mien Shan
first Wife of Li Yuan
Pei Ro-hen
Head of the Pei Family (one of the ‘Twenty-Nine' Minor Families)
Tsu Ma
T'ang of West Asia
Wang Sau-leyan
T'ang of Africa
Wei Chen Yin
Son of Wei Feng; regent for City East Asia
Wei Feng
T'ang of East Asia
Wu Shih
T'ang of North America
Yin Fei Yen
‘Flying Swallow' ex-wife of Li Yuan and daughter of Yin Tsu
Yin Han Ch'in
bastard baby son of Yin Fei Yen
Yin Tsu
Head of Yin Family (one of the ‘Twenty-Nine' Minor Families)

FRIENDS AND RETAINERS OF THE SEVEN

Chan Teng
Master of the Inner Chambers at Tongjiang
Ebert, Berta
wife of Klaus Ebert
Ebert, Hans
Major in Security and heir to GenSyn
Ebert, Klaus Stefan
Head of GenSyn (Genetic Synthetics) and advisor to
Li Yuan
Haavikko, Axel
Lieutenant in Security
Hung Mien-lo
Chancellor of Africa
Kao Chen
Captain in Security
Karr, Gregor
Major in Security
Nan Ho
Master of the Inner Chamber to Li Yuan
Shepherd, Ben
son of Hal Shepherd
Shepherd, Beth
wife of Hal Shepherd
Shepherd, Meg
sister of Ben Shepherd
Shou Chen-hai
Hsien Ling
, or Chief Magistrate of Hannover
Hsien
Sun Li Hua
Master of the Royal Household at Alexandria
Tolonen, Helga
wife of Jon Tolonen
Tolonen, Jelka
daughter of Knut Tolonen
Tolonen, Jon
brother of Knut Tolonen
Tolonen, Knut
Marshal of the Council of Generals and father of Jelka Tolonen
Tong Chou
alias of Kao Chen
Viljanen, Per
Lieutenant in Security; assistant to Marshal Tolonen
Wu Ming
personal assistant to Sun Li Hua
Yu
Surgeon to Li Yuan

THE TRIADS

Feng Shang-pao
‘General Feng', Big Boss of the 14K
Ho Chin
‘Three-Finger Ho', Big Boss of the Yellow Banners
Hui Tsin
‘Red Pole' (the 426, or Executioner) to the United Bamboo
Li Chin
‘Li The Lidless', Big Boss of the Wo Shih Wo
Lu Ming Shao
‘Whiskers Lu', Big Boss of the Kuei Chuan (Black Dog)
Mu Li
‘Iron Mu', Big Boss of the Big Circle
Wong Yi-sun
‘Fat Wong', Big Boss of the United Bamboo
Yao Tzu
‘Red Pole' (the 426 or Executioner) to the Big Circle
Yun Yueh-hui
‘Dead Man Yun', Big Boss of the Red Gang

YU

Chi Li
alias of Ywe Hao
Edel, Klaus
brother of Vasska
Erika
fellow member of Ywe Hao's
Yu
cell
Hsao Yen
Yu
terrorist
Klaus
Yu
terrorist
Mach, Jan
Maintenance official for the Ministry of Waste Recycling, ex-
Ping Tiao
and Founder of the split-off Yu faction
Rooke
Yu
terrorist
Tu Li-shan
Yu
terrorist
Vasska
fellow member of Ywe Hao's
Yu
cell
Veda
Member of the
Yu
‘Council of Five'
Ywe Hao
‘Fine Moon', female
Yu
terrorist from the Mid-Levels

OTHER CHARACTERS

Boden, Mikhail
alias used by Stefan Lehmann and Howard DeVore
Cherkassky, Stefan
retired Security special services officer; friend of
DeVore
Chi Su
childhood companion to Kao Chen
Curval, Andrew
experimental geneticist, working for ImmVac
Debrenceni, Laslo
acting Administrator at Kibwezi Station
DeVore, Howard
former Major in Li Shai Tung's Security forces
Drake, Michael
supervisor at Kibwezi Station
Enge, Marie
woman server at the Dragon Cloud teahouse
Fan Tseng-li
Mid-levels surgeon
Fang Shuo
underling to Shou Chen-hai
Ganz, Joseph
alias of DeVore
Golden Heart
young prostitute bought by Hans Ebert for his household
Gustaffson
security guard at Kibwezi Station
Kao Ch'iang Hsin
daughter of Kao Chen and Wang Ti
Kao Jyan
eldest son of Kao Chen and Wang Ti
Kao Wu
second son of Kao Chen and Wang Ti
Kung Lao
young boy; friend of Ywe Hao
Kung Yi-lung
young boy; friend of Ywe Hao
Lehmann, Stefan
albino son of former Dispersionist leader Pietr Lehmann and former lieutenant to DeVore
Lever, Charles
‘Old Man Lever', Head of the ImmVac pharmaceuticals company of North America; father of Michael Lever
Lever, Michael
American; son of Charles Lever
Leyden, Wolfgang
Security guard at Hannover
Hsien
Mu Chua
Madam of the House of the Ninth Ecstasy, a singsong house or brothel
Novacek, Lubos
merchant; go-between for Triads
Palmer
security guard at Kibwezi Station
Peng Lu-Hsing
Minister of the
T'ing Wei
; the Superintendency of Trials for City Europe
Reid, Thomas
sergeant in DeVore's forces
Shang
‘Old Shang';
Kwai
and childhood ‘Master' to Kao Chen
Sheng
Minister to Wei Feng
Shou He
second wife to Shou Chen-hai
Shou Wen-lo
first wife to Shou Chen-hai
Ts'ui Wei
father of teenage troublemaker
Tuan Wen-ch'ang
alias of ‘morph' sent by DeVore from Mars
Wang Mai Yu
uncle to Wang Ti
Wang Ti
wife of Kao Chen
Ward, Kim
‘Clayborn' orphan and scientist
Wong Pao-yi
steward to Shou Chen-hai
Wu
surgeon for Security
Yen T'ung
Third Secretary to Minister Peng Lu-Hsing
Yue Mi
young maid in Shou Chen-hai's household
Ywe Chang
uncle to Ywe Hao
Ywe Sha
mother to Ywe Hao
Ywe Su Chen
wife to Ywe Chang

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