Characters

PROTAGONISTS

Dofey Boonis, male, (main protagonist) - Dofey is a "data skimmer", which is pretty much a research pirate. He is named after his father’s favorite drink, a hot beverage often drank during mornings.  It grants the drinker alertness and increased energy. He works on a ship with a rather large crew, including his family. He is very good at what he does but more than anything, he wishes for adventure. He spends his entire life living in the past and studying the present. Such is the life of a freelance researcher. What he really wants is to live out the fantastic stories that he’s read about in his adventure periodicals. His hobby is playing an instrument called a choirphone which, when used by someone if considerable skill, creates a joyous sound like a choir singing. He plays this instrument with his best friend, Iss Milla, who is also his choirphone instructor. He wears a "tech lens" over his right eye which has many different functions that allow him to effectively study life and artifacts without the aid of most other equipment. It also serves as his e-reader and, as a bonus, it filters out harmful UV rays!

Iss Milla, gender neutral, (the BFF) - He belongs to a musical race  whose language is often described as having a singsong quality similar to reading poetry. They possess eight vocal chambers in their throats and have nostrils located on the tops of their heads. Resonance chambers frame the head like a halo. Their song is beautiful and without an equal. Breathing is accomplished by alternating nostril sides, making it possible for them to hold notes and sing for extended periods of time. They are also excellent mimics and can train themselves to imitate many sound effects, certain instruments, and even people’s voices. Their species is gender neutral. They use their heavenly songs to attract mates. A lifelong mate is found when their songs are able to match up with perfect unison. It is at this time that gender is determined. Iss is prone to spontaneous song and dance numbers when he’s excited. He and Dofey are able to communicate in their own secret code with a series of whistle patterns.

Jaynecia Prisima, female, (The Know-It-All Friend) - Jaynecia kind of shoehorned her way into the group. Her race is from a feline-like species that is believed to have been the first sentient beings in the universe. It is their custom, as it has been from the beginning, to document everything and pass it down through their generations so that all history everywhere is recorded. Anytime members of this species meet, regardless of their level of acquaintanceship, they chat by exchanging information so that not one scrap of knowledge will be lost from history. Jaynecia is not only a know-it-all, but she talks far more than her friends would like. They call her Necia for short though she prefers Jayn. (Author’s note: Necia is the female form of the Spanish word for “fool”, though it is often used for people who are very annoying and don’t know when to leave well enough alone. The character runs her mouth off and sometimes sticks her foot in it.)

Dth’líndta Ploy-Mar, female, species unknown, (The Mysterious Being) - Dth’líndta is a being of unknown species or origin. She is found by Dofey, Iss and Jaynecia while exploring signs of life on a planet declared dead and without flora or fauna for thousands of years. The small crew notes that her appearance is very similar to mermaids on other planets though she seems much different. She has pale blue skin which is richly contrasted by her bold blue eyes, lips and hair, the latter of which tapers at the back of her head and travels down the length of her back and tail to form a long fin similar to that of an eel. She also has two unusual pairs of wings which are not used for flight but for swimming at incredible speeds. The wings themselves are strange in that they resemble those of a bat but have no bones. The webbing in the wings is not leathery either, but more like the webbing between the appendages of an octopus. The wings themselves can pull together tightly to form tendrils or hyperextend to form even longer prehensile tentacles. The wings can also drape across her body and change her appearance as an advanced form of camouflage similar to the defense mechanism of a cuttlefish.  Dth’líndta received her name from Dofey who literally said the first sounds that came out of his mouth. Jaynecia gave her the surname Ploy-Mar so that she can have “a real name”. (Author’s note: Ploy is a popular Thai nickname which means “precious stone or gem”, Mar is taken from the Spanish word for “sea” but in English, the word means to ruin something good or beautiful. In the context of this story, it serves as foreshadowing to the coming downfall of the Kailyua’s fiendish plan to rule the universe.)

ANTAGONISTS

Prince/King Nerovosa Kailyua of the Kailyua Empire, male (main villain) - The story opens with Nervosa Kailyua as a young prince and heir to the Kailyua throne, though we soon see him become king as kinghood in the Kailyua family is not maintained until death, but until the royal offspring is deemed old enough to rule. King Nerovosa has been instructed in the ways of the Kailyua family since birth, ensuring his compliance with their system. His rule will be different from the kings before him. He will be the king to carry out the family plan for universal domination using a false Queen to fool everyone into accepting his requests as all will be supported without question by the false Queen. (Author’s note: Kailyuan rulers are assigned a regal adjective at the end of their reign to describe their greatness.)

The Abiding Lord Elrath Kailyua of the Kailyua Empire, male (grandfather to Nerovosa) - Lord Elrath is the grandfather of King Nerovosa. He acts as a confidant and mentor to the young king. His job is to make sure that the royal plan for universal conquest is executed perfectly, just like his father and grandfather and so down the royal lineage.

The Sovereign Queen, Mother Allurena, female, (the false Queen) - Allurena is, as far as the universe knows, the new Sovereign Queen born to the Kailyua royal family. She is, in fact, a reconstruction of the only Queen Mother to have been killed by The Unequalled King Yzexius Kailyua 1000 years ago. She was tossed into a black hole during the time of her seventh generation of life, the only time when the Queen is vulnerable to death. The royal family has secretly been collecting, reassembling and studying this version of the Queen only to toss her back into the same black hole and repeat the process over and over again. This covert cycle has been repeated over the past thousand years. Mother Allurena is the newest and final version of this reconstructed Queen. More than enough information has been gathered to know precisely how to approach her with propositions that no one of good conscious would ever agree to and present them in a way that seems logical and for the greater good. She is completely unaware of her predicament or what was done to her iterations in the past, or the former iterations themselves.

The Unequalled King Yzexius Kailyua of the Kailyua Empire (ancestor king of Nerovosa) - The highly revered King Yzexius is the only person in history to have killed the Queen Mother. His actions were an act of defiance against the Vanischi Empire who hosted the Sovereign Queen at that time. They abused their roles as chosen hosts to the Queen for their own gain. While the Queen would never agree to their actions, they decided it best that she was out of their way while they ruled, sending her on tours to help the impoverished. It was during one of these tours that King Yzexius kidnapped and broadcasted her death by tossing her in a black hole. He also died that day as a kraken, a supernatural monster which lives in black holes, clutched the king’s ship with its ghostly tentacles and pulled Yzexius and his crew into the event horizon where they were devoured by the black hole.

NEUTRAL CHARACTERS

The Great Ancient Ones - The Great Ancient Ones are the keepers and enforcers of the laws that hold the universe and all matter together in harmony. They are invisible and intangible. It is extremely rare and beyond difficult for a person to communicate with one of the Great Ancient Ones. The true power of the Sovereign Queen Mother is that she alone is ultimately able to communicate with the Great Ancient Ones in a two-way exchange of information. She is able to access their guidance and use their knowledge as she sees fit. It is this access to infinite knowledge that makes her the ultimate power in existence, though she is free to withhold this wealth of information if she feels that it will be misused.

Garm, the Avatar of the Spirit - Garm is an immortal and an avatar. Garm is the embodiment of what lies within people’s hearts: love, jealousy, hatred, joy, fear, guile, immorality, righteousness and everything that falls between folks’ desires. Like all avatars, Garm is neither good nor bad. He simply is. He is naturally competitive, does as he pleases and often acts on impulse. His best friend is Grimsinger, who is also his greatest rival.

Grimsinger, the Avatar of the Mind - Grimsinger is an immortal and an avatar. Grimsinger is the embodiment of the conscious and subconscious mind, the self and the true self. Grimsinger is thoughtful, calculating, cunning, witty, careful and meticulous. Like all avatars, Grimsinger is neither good nor bad. He simply is. He is naturally competitive and makes very precise decisions. His best friend is Garm, who is also his greatest rival.

Both Garm and Grimsinger, though neutral in the sense of “good and bad”, love fighting and war. They especially find war as a source of entertainment much like a game. They never instigate any wars, but they will occasionally make wagers and join a random battle already in progress and choose opposing sides of the skirmish. They have even been known to actually participate in the war, leading to legendary battles with each other. They have no need real need for frivolous items of monetary value since they are immortal. They do find pleasure, however, in wagering body parts and organs. This is how Garm lost his right eye. Some of the wagered parts are theirs while others are parts they’ve collected during battles, usually fresh off the battlefield they’ve just left. They refer to the body parts as “loot” and values are based on how interesting the part is to Garm and Grimsinger. Their favorite parts are preserved and stored in their utility pouches. Those are the most valuable prizes, some of higher value than their own body parts.

Next Chapter: Chapter Zero