“We can never tell anyone about this,” Tony said.
“Are you speaking as an ad-hal or a friend?” Sean asked him.
“Both. Nobody can know. The Assembly will… I don’t even know what they will do, but we won’t like it.”
“Then they don’t need to know,” Sean said.
A beautiful bird cried out overhead and landed on the magnolia’s mighty branches. I had never seen one like it.
“Where are we?” I wondered.
Tony was looking out past the tree, where twin moons rose, one larger and tinted with purple, and the other small and orange.
“This is…” he said.
“Daesyn,” Sean finished for him. “Home planet of House Krahr.”
CAST OF CHARACTERS
Amphie of the Dominion, girl next door, representing planet Behoun, Team Smiles.
Bestata of Holy Anocracy, vampire knight, representing House Meer.
Cyanide, space snow leopard, representing the Higgra.
Donkamins, visually disturbing, representing Children of the Silver Star.
Ellenda of Uma, same origin as the Sovereign’s mother, representing planet Kyporo of the Dominion, Team Frowns.
Nycati, psionic and elf-like, representing the Gaheas
Oond, jazz fins, representing the oomboles.
Pivor, with easy smiles, representing the Murder Beaks
Prysen Ol, the philosopher, representing the six-limbed Kai.
Surkar of the Hope Crushing Horde, representing the Southern Tribe of the Gar.
Lady Wexyn, she of many precious accessories, representing the Temple of Desire.
Unessa, the blonde master of smothering, representing the Dushegubs.
Full name: Amphie Asturra.
Amphie, who had a privileged upbringing, is the daughter of a prominent Senator from Behoun.. She is an enthusiastic young woman, typical of the majority race of the Dominion, the humanoid Sislaf. She has taupe skin, big gray eyes, and soft, dark gray hair, which she styles in an asymmetric wave. She gazes upon Kosandion with worshipful adoration and tries very hard to come across as practically perfect in every way.
Her planet, Behoun, is one of the Dominion’s core 7 worlds. They are seeking to put her into a high position with hopes of future political benefits.
Full name: Bestata, Lady Emindra, Stratego of House Meer, Daughter of Konrrat and Ulize.
A statuesque female vampire knight of House Meer, with platinum blonde hair and the even skin tone particular to vampires, Bestata is usually sneering at someone. She appears in the black syn-armor, customary to vampire knights, which she dresses up with cloaks and flower hair accessories, as a nod to Dominion fashion. Snarly to the point of rudeness, she is, however, an honorable and agile warrior.
She represents House Meer. House Meer and House Krahr, into which Dina’s sister Maud is going to marry, have a tumultuous history. House Meer refused to honor their pledge to fight on Nexus, which forced House Krahr to return to that war ahead of schedule. When House Krahr, The Hope Crushing Horde and the Merchant Clan Nuan met at Gertrude Hunt in hopes of reaching a peace agreement, House Meer sent representatives to try to derail those negotiations. The three House Meer knights attacked Sean, who was wearing Turan Adin armor at the time, and he killed them in self-defense.
The refusal to fight on Nexus resulted in House Meer being excommunicated by the Hierophant of the Holy Anocracy for the sin of cowardice. While they are still part of the Holy Anocracy and are subjects to its laws and protections, this punishment barred members of House Meer from holding political and military appointments at the federal level until the excommunication is lifted. The cloud of shame has cast its shadow upon House Meer, and they must find a way to banish it if they are ever going to regain their honor.
Full name: Cyanide and then some growling.
Cyanide resembles a snow leopard, although she is larger and looks different enough to where not many people would mistake her for one. She is 3 feet tall at the shoulder and is covered with brilliant white fur splattered with flecks of gold and gray. She has big golden eyes and fluffy paws with very dexterous digits and long claws. Her gums and tongue are a vivid Prussian blue. She is a master weaver and is considered an artisan by her people.
The Higgra are an odd species. Their civilization didn’t follow the established milestones. Instead, they seemed to have leaped over some key evolutionary advances, which caused some people to speculate that the Higgra didn’t evolve but were biologically engineered by some mysterious galactic civilization lost to time.
The Higgra are very spiritual. They believe that their fate is predetermined, but that one should strive to earn that fate. Like a lot of felines, they tend to be mercurial in their social interactions, and they rarely explain their actions.
Full name: unknown.
Eight feet tall, thin, hairless, covered with pale pearlescent skin, the Donkamins set off alarms in most humanoid species. An innkeeper legend says that the first innkeeper who encountered them opened the door of his inn, saw the new visitors, and blurted out, “Don’t come in!” which is how they got their innkeeper nickname.
They appear unmistakably humanoid, with four appendages that resemble arms and legs, 7 nail-free fingers and two rows of pink pseudo-nipples on their torso— however, they are not even mammalian. They have large eyes, nasal openings shielded by a trilobite shell, and wide lipless mouths studded with conical teeth. The ridges protruding from their chest slide and elongate, allowing their necks to stretch in an arc as far as eight feet long.
Donkamins call themselves Children of the Silver Star and very little is known about their civilizations. They are relative newcomers to the galactic power scene. At the moment, they are focused on playing catch-up and trying to further their scientific achievements.
Full name: Ellenda of Sahava Branch, Pride of her People.
Ellenda is an Uma, and she comes from a fierce and reclusive people, like Kosandion’s mother. She is tall and muscled like a gymnast, and she moves with natural grace. Her skin is the deepest indigo, her eyes are black, and her glossy dark hair is braided into a complex crown arrangement. She is defiant, proud and mournful.
The Uma had been discovered a thousand years ago by Earth’s time by one of the slimier galactic nations. The newcomers arrived bearing gifts and sweet promises, and it took almost twenty years before the Uma realized they were not being helped, they were being colonized. The invaders severely underestimated the Uma spirit. In less than a century, the Uma purged them from their planet and shut their doors to most galactic visitors. The lucky few who had been invited told a story of a beautiful world populated by fierce people.
The Uma treasure their freedom above all else and would rather end their lives than be forced to endure against their will.
Full name: it’s a secret.
Nycati is graceful, lithe, with long limbs, perfect amber skin, and a face that is androgynous in its delicate beauty. His hair is very long and deep purple. He has the bearing of a scholar and carries himself with an air of elegance, whether he dons scale mail or robes. Like all Gaheas, he wears a diadem that enhances his psionic potential.
The Gaheas are a complicated civilization. Their world is that of political intrigue and assassination and heartbreaking beauty. They are committed to the notion of achieving a personal completeness and place a lot of emphasis on arts and education.