History Literature / AlienChronicles

* AffablyEvil: The Viis MadScientist Ehssk puts his abiru test subjects through some truly horrific experimentation, but consistently addresses them with far more civility than most Viis characters display.

* MeaningfulName: Nashmarl and Foloth are named after the Aaroun words for courage and hope, respectively.

** Similarly, there are indications that not all Viis are happy with the way the Empire is run, from the rising popularity of reformist political parties to an armed rebellion in the colonies.

** In comparison to the original plan for the trilogy as ''Fanfic/AlienExodus'', the Viis Empire is the counterpart of the Varlian Empire. [[spoiler: The free abiru civilization founded on Ruu-113 at the end of the trilogy is similarly the counterpart to the one founded on Corellia at the end of ''Alien Exodus''.]]

** Similarly, Ampris' journey from gladiator to rebel leader resembles the popular depiction of [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spartacus Spartacus]].

** Indeed, the overall plot of the trilogy is surprisingly closly aligned with the original plan for ''Fanfic/AlienExodus'', though that's unsurprising since it was also taking cues from ''Book of Exodus''. ''Alien Exodus'' would have similarly involved the enslaves species of an interstellar empire fighting for their freedom, with Cosmo Hender being Ampris' equivalent. [[spoiler: This extends to them dying after a daring escape from the empire to the PromisedLand, leaving their closest friend in charge before they pass.]]

** There's also some similarity to ancient Egypt, especially with the extensive use of slavery across a wide range of fields in the Empire. The ''Book of Exodus'' parallels are also quite considerable.

** Ampris is raised in the Viis palace by the daughter of their ruler before going on to lead her enslaved people to freedom, not unlike the story of [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Moses Moses]]. [[spoiler: The abiru exodus at the end of the third book really cinches the comparison.]]

* DeadlyPrank: Israi grows jealous of Lady Zureal, her father's new favorite wife. When Zureal sends her an insultingly infantile gift, Israi decides to respond by giving Zureal a gift of cosmetics laced with itching powder. [[spoiler: It turns out Zureal geninely didn't realize Israi's age, and intended no insult by her gift. Israi pushes on with the plan anyway despite Ampris' protests, leading to Zureal suffering an allergic reaction to the powder that causes her to miscarry the Kaa's eggs she was carrying. The Kaa has the merchant who sold Israi the powder executed, and casts Ampris out of the palace to punish Israi.]]

* FantasticDrug: Dust, a highly addictive narcotic that the Viis try unsuccessfully to crack down on. Elrabin's father is an addict, and he himself becomes a Dust runner at one point out of desperation.

The third book, ''The Crystal Eye'', shows us how Ampris - now living free in the wilderness with Elrabin and a small band of abiru - returns to civilization to confront her old friend Israi for the last time, before making a desperate bid to free the abiru from Viis tyranny once and for all.

The ''Alien Chronicles'' -- also known as ''Lucasfilm's Alien Chronicles'' -- is a trilogy of Sci-Fi novels by Creator/DeborahChester, published by Creator/{{Lucasfilm}}. The books tell the tale of how a single Aaroun slave named Ampris leads an uprising against the cruel but crumbling Viis Empire, becoming a legend to the abiru -- the various species enslaved by the Viis - in the process. It reads largely like a cross between ''[[Literature/BookOfExodus The Book of Exodus]]'' and the story of Spartacus, [[RecycledWithAGimmick in space!]]

The ''Alien Chronicles'' - also known as ''Lucasfilm's Alien Chronicles'' - is a trilogy of Sci-Fi novels by Creator/DeborahChester, published by Creator/{{Lucasfilm}}. The books tell the tale of how a single Aaroun slave named Ampris leads an uprising against the cruel but crumbling Viis Empire, becoming a legend to the abiru - the various species enslaved by the Viis - in the process. It reads largely like a cross between ''[[Literature/BookOfExodus The Book of Exodus]]'' and the story of Spartacus, [[RecycledWithAGimmick in space!]]

However, the original plans were much different to the end result, not least of all by actually being set in the ''Star Wars'' universe. Creator/RobertJSawyer was originally tapped to write the trilogy, with the first installment to be known as ''Fanfic/AlienExodus''. Ironically, humans would have taken center stage, with ''Alien Exodus'' serving as an origin story for humanity in the ''Star Wars'' universe. But in the end, disagreements between Ace Books and Lucasfilm resulted in the decision that the books would not be associated with ''Star Wars'' after all. Sawyer departed the project, Chester was brought in, and thus ''Alien Chronicles'' - now set in an original but distinctly ''Star Wars''-esque universe - was born.

** The Viis themselves fall into this as well, with almost all engaging in (or at least unquestionably supporting) evil acts, particularly slavery of the abiru and inflicting violence against those who resist. Of the few Viis who don't fall into this, most are Viis Rejects (an underclass wracked with genetic defects) rather than regular Viis.

** Myal are a highly intelligent and scholarly, if somewhat meek, ProudScholarRace. They most notably make up the Viis Palace's archivists, and a Myal composer is offhandedly mentioned at one point.

* AncientArtifact: The Eye of Clarity, an amulet featuring a disk with radiating points and a small crystal in the middle. Apparently several Eyes of Clarity have existed throughout history in the possession of various species , including the Aaroun and Myal. Only one comes into play, introduced to Ampris by Bish the archivist as he tries to open her eyes to Viis oppression and teach her the near-lost heritage of the Aaroun. He claims that the Eye bestows great wisdom unto its wearer - at least once they've proven themselves worthy. Israi ends up giving it as a parting gift when Ampris is cast from the palace, putting its mythical claims to the test. [[spoiler: Sure enough, the Eye of Clarity displays some of the only truly supernatural properties in the trilogy. Often, this takes the form of providing Ampris with visions, but at one point it ''teleports her out of danger''.]]

* BadassInDistress: Ampris as the ''Crimson Claw'', after [[spoiler:a condemned Zrhel engineer, whom Ampris was desperately trying to talk to rather then just kill, manages to get in a lucky shot and severs her heel tendon, permanently ending her gladiator career and crippling her for life.]]

* TheBeautifulElite: The Viis, who actually judge individual worth by attractiveness, force aliens they find particularly (namely the Gorlicans) to wear masks in public to avoid offending them. "Ugly" Viis are a separate social class called Rejects. [[spoiler:The Rejects join the Freedom Fighters in Book 3, playing a crucial part in helping Ampris cause the entire Viis empire to BSOD. They turn her offer of joining the abiru on Ruu-113 down, however, preferring to stay behind and remold Viis society instead.]]

* ClingyJealousGirl: Velia, Elrabin's mate as of ''The Crystal Eye'', whose behavior is consistently screechy and unhelpful. At one point she reveals that she believes Elrabin only takes pity on her, while truly loving Ampris. Given that Ampris and Elrabin are both unwilling to seek a lover outside of their respective species, Ampris assures her that they're JustFriends.

** The Viis Empire is partially based upon the Roman Empire. This is most obvious with its gladiator games, but there's also its slow decline due to internal problems and enemy action. [[spoiler: By the end of the trilogy, its fall has well and truly arrived.]]

** The Zrheli constantly sabotage efforts to open the gate to the paradise planet Ruu-113, which they consider sacred and fear will be exploited by the Viis. This often results in entire flocks of Zrheli being executed when their sabotage is discovered. Interestingly, heroic sacrifices are actually part of Zrheli culture, with one outright saying “It is the Zrheli way. It is the Zrheli belief.” [[spoiler: Said Zrheli is part of the flock that helps Ampris escape from Vess Vaas laboratory, sacrificing themselves in the process by blowing up the facility. Not only does this neatly destroy evidence of the escape, but it spells the end of the horrific experimentation being performed there.]]
** [[spoiler: In the third book, Ampris' rebels develop a disease that mimics the Dancing Death, a plague that didn't affect the abiru but had horrific consequences for the Viis. Several abiru rebels willingly infect themselves with the new disease and die from it, followed by several Viis Rejects doing the same with the ''actual'' Dancing Death, with the discovery of their bodies leading authorities to the conclusion that a mutated cross-species strain of the Dancing Death has begun spreading. This sends shockwaves of panic through the increasingly unstable Viis Empire, just as predicted.]]
** [[spoiler: To take the above plan even further, Ampris infects herself with the same disease before surrendering herself to Israi in front of live media. Ampris not only reveals herself to be infected, but spits in Israi's face to seemingly infect her as well. Though Israi turns out to be fine, this only comes after the panic surges to the point of civil breakdown. However, to make the ploy as convincing as possible, Ampris realises she needs to confront Israi with the most advanced symptoms she can display. As a result, she takes a much larger dose of the disease's serum than its creator advised. Though she survives thanks to Elrabin getting her the antidote in the nick of time, it proves the breaking point for her already-declining health. She dies not long afterwards, but not before she sees the final stage of her plan - the exodus of abiru to Ruu-113 while Viis society breaks down - succeed.]]

** Book 2 has Ampris taking it in her last gladiator bout. [[spoiler:She'd already faced a Gorlican that, as an utterly untrained, condemned prisoner, nearly managed to take a chunk out of her in a desperation rush. In a later bout, she faces a unarmed Zhrel engineer in a similar situation, lets her guard down to attempt to talk to him, and gets rushed a second time - this one resulting in an injury that cripples her for life.]]

** Additional standouts are when [[spoiler: the Freedom Network proves hopelessly underequipped thanks to poor planning and preparation. Ampris laments that they didn't acquire weapons when the Viis begin massacring abiru in the streets, and later on one of her associates notes that they fled Viismyel to Ruu-113 with little more than the clothes on their backs - certainly without adequate tools to colonize a planet. If it weren't for a vision from the Eye of Clarity confirming that a new abiru society will in fact thrive on Ruu-113, their ultimate fate may have been much more ambiguous.]]

* KarmaHoudini: During the third book, Ampris comes very close to being able to kill [[spoiler: Ehssk, the MadScientist behind her MedicalRapeAndImpregnate and the subsequent death of her daugther]], but he manages to escape.

** If the treatment of [[spoiler: Ylea from Ampris' gladiator team]] is any indication, the Viis are particularly brutal to those who do live in the wilderness. After growing up in one of these free groups, [[spoiler: Ylea's family is caught and killed by the Viis. Between this and torture inflicted onto her, she was brainwashed into becoming a bloodthirsty killing machine for gladiatorial combat.]]

** [[spoiler: The Viis MadScientist Ehssk creates half-Aaroun half-Viis hybrids in his experiments to cure the Dancing Death, despite the two species being mammals and reptiles respectively. However, no other hybrids are seen even between the more similar species, so this is clearly only possible through cutting-edge - [[PlayingWithSyringes albeit]] [[MedicalRapeAndImpregnate horrific]] - science.]]

** Sahmrahd Kaa's most sympathetic moments involve small kindnesses to Ampris when she was a cub. [[spoiler: Sadly, when she starts imbibing forbidden knowledge and participates in a tragic, lethal prank by Israi, he still ruins Ampris' life without a second thought simply to punish Israi, indirectly inflicting the deathblow to his own empire.]]

** In between all his hardships, Elrabin actually gets the gang assassin Scar to like him. [[spoiler:Scar's obviously ''not'' happy when Barthul gives the order to lead Elrabin right to the police, but he's Barthul's [[TheDragon Dragon]], and does it without hesitation.]]

** [[spoiler: In the end, it's clear that the tensions between Nashmarl and Foloth are far from settled. Foloth is very eager to embrace his Viis side and claim dominion over the new abiru society, even clashing with Elrabin when Ampris names him her successor and gives him the Eye of Clarity. Earlier on, the Eye actually shows her a vision of her sons as grown adults standing at odds, possibly representing a power struggle for leadership after Elrabin. Ampris intuits that Nashmarl will suffer a great loss and that Foloth will remain a very bitter person, but deep down she knows that her sons would ultimately reconcile.]]
** [[spoiler: Despite the end of the trilogy seeing Ampris' victory and the Empire's downfall, the future of the Viis is still somewhat open. On the one hand, the Viis are still in ongoing genetic decline from the Dancing Death, meaning that the Rejects likely represent the species' future in the long term. The Empire itself is decapitated by Israi's death, is in the grips of anarchic panic over a possible return of the Dancing Death, and was already on its last legs long beforehand thanks to Viis hubris. Zrheli sabotage of the stargates has left many worlds increasingly isolated and suffering from economic decline, with the Empire's capital Viismyel suffering from severe ecological decline on top of this. Rebellion is raging on several fronts, including by the growing population of Viis Rejects, the unnamed rebellion in the outer colonies, and any remaining Freedom Network supporters among the many abiru unable to join the exodus. However, the last we see of the imperial government, it is still barely functioning and is in contact with at least some colonies and parts of the military. Israi's brother Oviel - previously implied to be painfully aware of the Empire's decline and desperate to reverse it - is also still alive but in custody, making it unclear if he will be able to seize the throne. A big point is also made of Ehssk escaping from Ampris' revenge, leaving his fate potentially open as well. Whatever happens to the Viis - or whatever might come to replace the Empire in the looming power struggles - is purely speculative, but there is enough of a foundation that further stories could have been told in the setting after the events of the trilogy.]]

* ShootTheShaggyDog: [[spoiler:Seriously, Ampris gets repeatedly kicked, almost from birth: stolen from her mother, raised by the unfeeling Viis, betrayed by her best friend, enslaved as a gladiator, maimed and discarded, experimented upon and artificially impregnated, gives birth to two ungrateful jerk-brat halfbreeds, and when all is said and done, dies right after she arrives at the planet she brought all the races to in order to liberate them all.]]

* WhamEpisode: Much of ''The Crimson Claw'' is a Spartacus-esque tale of Ampris rising to prominence as a gladiator while laying the foundations for a resistance movement against Viis rule. [[spoiler: That's until the book veers into horror territory when she's crippled by a career-ending injury, and is sold to a research lab to become a BreedingSlave bearing half-Viis children. Though she manages to escape, she's left with two half-Viis sons to raise and the trauma of having her only daughter killed and dissected.]]

** The granddady of them all is [[spoiler: what happened to the abiru who did not manage to get on the cargo ships headed to Ruu-113, such as those off the Viis homeworld Viismyel. All we know for sure is that the Empire is last seen collapsing and facing rebellion from both its colonies and the increasingly large population of Viis Rejects, but what their plans for a new society would look like - and how the abiru would fit into it - is purely speculative.]]

The ''Alien Chronicles'' - also known as ''Lucasfilm's Alien Chronicles'' - is a trilogy of Sci-Fi novels by Creator/DeborahChester, published by Creator/{{Lucasfilm}}. The books tell the tale of how a single Aaroun slave, Ampris, leads an uprising against the reptilian Viis and their cruel but crumbling empire, becoming a legend to the abiru - the various species enslaved by the Viis - in the process. It reads largely like a cross between ''[[Literature/BookOfExodus The Book of Exodus]]'' and the story of Spartacus, [[RecycledWithAGimmick in space!]]

The third book, ''The Crystal Eye'', shows us how Ampris - now living free with Elrabin and a small band of abiru - confronts her old friend Israi for the last time, before making a desperate bid to free the abiru from Viis tyranny once and for all.

** Once Ampris firmls established herself as a champion and leader of her team, her owner informs her that he's received a very generous offer from the Vess Vaas research institute to purchase her as a test subject. The offer is initilly rejected since she's more valuable as a gladiator, though that quickly changes following a career-ending injury.

* {{Foreshadowing}}: Lots of it in Book 2. [[spoiler:Ampris thinks early on about crippling a rival by severing her heel tendon - no points for guessing how Ampris' gladiator career ends. More foreshadowing of that end, in the form of a helpless, barely-armed Gorlican nearly running her through in a blind rush, happens during her last games.]]

** And just as the climax of the series is ending, [[UpToEleven we see yet another heroic Zrheli sacrifice]]. [[spoiler: After Israi's pursuit of the abiru exodus stalls thanks to the gate to Ruu-113 starting to close, the Zrheli navigator aboard her flagship seizes the controls and forces the ship into the gravitational maelstrom of the closing gate. The ship is destroyed, killing Israi and everyone else onboard.]]

* BindingAncientTreaty: The Osoa Treaty. As the Aaroun fought desperately against Viis subjugation centuries before the trilogy takes place, their homeworld of Sargas III was suddenly wracked by ecological collapse and subsequent famine from an unknown bacterial contaminant. The Viis - secretly the ones responsible for the contaminant - withdrew their armies and offered a deal: they would evacuate the Aaroun population and restore Sargas III's biosphere, and exchange the Aaroun people would repay them by spending a generation in indentured servitude as builders, architects, sociologists, healers, and musicians. The Aaroun scholar Osoa spearheaded the negotiations, which were filled with deceptive wording from the Viis. But with his people dying of starvation, Osoa ran out of time to negotiate and was forced to accept the deal. The Viis subsequently destroyed Sargas III shortly after the Aaroun were evacuated, with discussion the Treaty - and indeed much of Aaroun culture - becoming forbidden as the Aaroun were forced to toil as slaves. It's only in the third book that Ampris rediscovers the Treaty in the Imperial Archives, using it to help rally the abiru and expose the treacherous nature of the Viis.

** It also comes to light that the Viis deliberately inflicted this onto the Aaroun homeworld of Sargas III. They unleashed a bioweapon onto the planet, crippling its ecosystem and inflicting famine onto the Aaroun. Prior to this the Aaroun had been resisting Viis subjugation handily, but were ultimately forced to surrender in the face of starvation.

* BindingAncientTreaty: The Osoa Treaty. As the Aaroun fought desperately against Viis subjugation centuries before the trilogy takes place, their homeworld of Sargas III was suddenly wracked by ecological collapse and subsequent famine from an unknown bacterial contaminant. The Viis - secretly the ones responsible for the contaminant - withdrew their armies and offered a deal: they would evacuate the Aaroun population and restore Sargas III's biosphere, and exchange the Aaroun people would repay them by spending a generation in indentured servitude as builders, architects, sociologists, healers, and musicians. The Aaroun scholar Osoa spearheaded the negotiations, which were filled with deceptive wording from the Viis . But with his people dying of starvation daily, Osoa ran out of time to negotiate and was forced to accept the deal. The Viis subsequently destroyed Sargas III shortly after the Aaroun were evacuated, with discussion the Treaty - and indeed much of Aaroun culture - becoming forbidden as the Aaroun were forced to toil as slaves. It's only in the third book that Ampris rediscovers the Treaty in the Imperial Archives, using it to help rally the abiru and expose the deceitful nature of the Viis.

* GaiasLament: The Viis homeworld of Viismyel has been hit hard by exploitation and pollution. The cities are often described as having polluted air and a buildup of garbage, and by the third book food production is starting to be impacted. This trope is part of why the Viis take an interest in the paradise planet of Ruu-113, seeking to use its resources to prop up Viismyel without having to rely on other planets in the Empire - a move that they believe would shift the balance of power.

* ShoutOut:
** Ampris is raised in the Viis palace by the daughter of their ruler before going on to lead her enslaved people to freedom, not unlike the story of [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Moses Moses]]. [[spoiler: The abiru exodus at the end of the third book really cinches the comparison.]]
** Similarly, Ampris' journey from gladiator to rebel leader resembles the popular depiction of [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spartacus Spartacus]].
** The Viis word for emperor being 'Kaa' seems to be a reference to [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kaa certain fictional reptile]].

* AssholeVictim: At the Vess Vaas lab, the abiru are overseen by a Kelth caretaker named Niruo. Not only does he look down on and torment his fellow abiru, but it's all but stated that he's sexually harassing the young Kelth Shevin. Ampris doesn't hesitate to kill him when he tries to stop her and the other subjects from escaping, [[StillGotIt even using one of her old gladiator moves to do so]]. [[spoiler: It doesn't help that Niruo tries taking one of her sons hostage, [[MamaBear with predictable results]].]]

* AssholeVictim: At the Vess Vaas lab, the abiru are overseen by a Kelth caretaker named Niruo. Not only does he look down on and torment his fellow abiru, but it's all but stated that he's sexually harassign the young Kelth Shevin. Ampris doesn't hesitate to kill him when he tries to stop her and the other subjects from escaping, [[StillGotIt even using one of her old gladiator moves to do so]]. [[spoiler: It doesn't help that Niruo tries taking one of her sons hostage, [[MamaBear with predictable results]].]]

** Phiveans are cephlapods with thick, elongated bodies, numerous tentacles, four stout legs, flat spade-shaped tails, and bulbous heads. They are said to never be completely still. Easily the species closest to StarfishAlien status.

** Skeks are rodentlike creatures with multiple limbs and furry bodies. They are noted for being ExplosiveBreeders.