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Commented out Zero Context Examples.
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* [[RebelliousPrincess Princess]] Syren Cosmirel, borderline-alcholic second-in-line to the throne of Zerraine, a backwater monarchist holdout in the still-independent [[TheFederation Cothollian Bargain]]. More concerned with drunkenly racing with her personal starfighter squadron than her royal duties, especially when they involve her wife.
to:
* [[RebelliousPrincess Princess]] Syren Cosmirel, borderline-alcholic borderline-alcoholic second-in-line to the throne of Zerraine, a backwater monarchist holdout in the still-independent [[TheFederation Cothollian Bargain]]. More concerned with drunkenly racing with her personal starfighter squadron than her royal duties, especially when they involve her wife.
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* EvenEvilHasStandards: Ro regards the "genocidal" methods of the unseen Exemplar Ahlle as "excessive". Chisis, meanwhile, is trying to suppress his own moral doubts about what he's doing.
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* EvenEvilHasStandards: Ro regards the "genocidal" genocidal methods of the unseen Exemplar Ahlle as "excessive". Chisis, meanwhile, is trying to suppress his own moral doubts about what he's doing.
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* HumansAreBastards: They ''did'' rule a racist dictatorship for millennia. Aliens tend not to be big fans.
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* HumansAreBastards: They ''did'' rule ruled a racist dictatorship for millennia. Aliens tend not to be big fans.
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* JerkWithAHeartOfGold: Syren, to an extent.
* LesbianJock: ''Definitely'' Syren.
* LesbianJock: ''Definitely'' Syren.
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* NiceJobFixingItVillain: Due to a single crucial--and understandable--intelligence-gathering error, [[spoiler:Exemplar Ro's]] actions led to the exact opposite outcome of what was intended, and in fact doing nothing at all would have caused much less damage. And it ''still'' would have been fine, if not for an inadvertent disclosure mid-EvilGloating...
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* NiceJobFixingItVillain: Due to a single crucial--and understandable--intelligence-gathering error, [[spoiler:Exemplar Ro's]] actions led to the exact opposite outcome of what was intended, and in fact intended. In fact. doing nothing at all would have caused much less damage. And it ''still'' would have been fine, if not for an inadvertent disclosure mid-EvilGloating...
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* TheRevolutionWillNotBeCivilized: The Commonwealth is utterly ruthless in maintaining power and order, having started a program of mass executions that never really stopped.
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* TheRevolutionWillNotBeCivilized: The Commonwealth is utterly ruthless in maintaining power and order, having started a program of mass executions that never really stopped.stop.
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* TellMeAboutMyFather: Almost verbatim.
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* [[DeathSeeker Unstable]] [[SoldierOfFortune mercenary]] Cay Dector, struggling to conceal her mysterious fire-wielding abilities and plagued by murderous voices in her head.
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* [[DeathSeeker Unstable]] [[SoldierOfFortune Unstable mercenary]] Cay Dector, struggling to conceal her mysterious fire-wielding abilities and plagued by murderous voices in her head.
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Up To Eleven is a defunct trope
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* ColorCodedForYourConvenience: Stars, which is TruthInTelevision. Simplified to a sliding scale of red, orange, yellow, white and blue stars (with each star producing that colour of starblood), which escalates from very common, dull reds to extraordinarily bright and rare blues. Red starblood is considered "battery-grade", white is "weapons-grade", and blue is [[UpToEleven more powerful still.]]
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* ColorCodedForYourConvenience: Stars, which is TruthInTelevision. Simplified to a sliding scale of red, orange, yellow, white and blue stars (with each star producing that colour of starblood), which escalates from very common, dull reds to extraordinarily bright and rare blues. Red starblood is considered "battery-grade", white is "weapons-grade", and blue is [[UpToEleven more powerful still.]]
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* PeopleOfHairColor: All Starborn have bone-white hair, if they have hair at all.
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* YouGottaHaveBlueHair: All Starborn have bone-white hair, if they have hair at all.
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Not So Different has been renamed, and it needs to be dewicked/moved
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* NotSoDifferent: Ro and Mosmere agree on this much. Their ideologies are at odds, but they acknowledge that their methods and fanatical attitudes are pretty similar.
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Added DiffLines:
If you are looking for the East Asian Fantasy duology of books written by Elizabeth Lim, please see ''Literature/TheBloodOfStars.''
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* NiceJobFixingItVillain: Due to a single crucial--and understandable--intelligence-gathering error, [[spoiler:Exemplar Ro's]] actions led to the exact opposite outcome of what was intended, and in fact doing nothing at all would have caused much less damage. And it ''still' would have been fine, if not for an inadvertent disclosure mid-EvilGloating...
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* NiceJobFixingItVillain: Due to a single crucial--and understandable--intelligence-gathering error, [[spoiler:Exemplar Ro's]] actions led to the exact opposite outcome of what was intended, and in fact doing nothing at all would have caused much less damage. And it ''still' ''still'' would have been fine, if not for an inadvertent disclosure mid-EvilGloating...
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* A Million Is A Statistic:
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* A Million Is A Statistic:AMillionIsAStatistic:
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A 2020 ScienceFantasy SpaceOpera novel by Alec Saracen.
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A 2020 ScienceFantasy SpaceOpera [[ScienceFantasy science fantasy]] [[SpaceOpera space opera]] novel by Alec Saracen.
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* [[RebelliousPrincess Princess Syren Cosmirel]], borderline-alcholic second-in-line to the throne of Zerraine, a backwater monarchist holdout in the still-independent [[TheFederation Cothollian Bargain]]. More concerned with drunkenly racing with her personal starfighter squadron than her royal duties, especially when they involve her wife.
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* [[RebelliousPrincess Princess Princess]] Syren Cosmirel]], Cosmirel, borderline-alcholic second-in-line to the throne of Zerraine, a backwater monarchist holdout in the still-independent [[TheFederation Cothollian Bargain]]. More concerned with drunkenly racing with her personal starfighter squadron than her royal duties, especially when they involve her wife.
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!!''Blood of Stars'' contains examples of:
* AcePilot: Syren isn't quite there, but Lieutenant Toscus is clearly the best pilot in the entire Zerraine fleet.
* ActionGirl: Numerous. Cay, being a highly competent professional soldier, is the most obvious example, but every female member of the main cast--Syren, Toscus, Ro, Saol--gets to do some serious ass-kicking at some point.
* AdvancedAncientHumans: The Empyrean ruled for thousands of years, but technology appears to have regressed to some degree during that time, especially if [[spoiler:Saol's theories on the origin of stasis bombs are true.]]
* AerithAndBob: "Cay" is reasonably normal; "Lua", "Ardor" and "Syren" aren't out of the question; "Kvir" and "Aghail" are pushing it; and then there are people like Tshkit and [[PunctuationShaker Je'Tehol.]]
* AirstrikeImpossible: Several, but especially the ringfighter attack on ''Chimera Epsilon''.
* AlienSky: The sky over Idyll is a constant ominous red, while tidally-locked Thaudos is beset by ceaseless lightning storms.
* AliensSpeakingEnglish: Or rather Galver (Galactic Vernacular), the CommonTongue of the galaxy. That said, most aliens appear to have their own language as well.
* AlternativeCalendar: The events of the book are set in Revolutionary Year 171.
* AmbiguouslyBrown: Humans--apart from Exemplar Ro, whose ultra-white complexion is clearly unnatural--seem to vary from what we could consider black (e.g. Kvir and the Cosmirel family) to light brown (e.g. Mosmere's "olive" skin").
* AnArmAndALeg: [[spoiler:Toscus]] loses a leg below the knee midway through the book.
* AppliedPhlebotinum: Starblood does just about everything, ranging from allowing CasualInterstellarTravel to granting [[PlayingWithFire magic powers]]. Its applications are so broad that there doesn't seem to be anything ''not'' powered by starblood.
* TheApprentice: Chisis regards himself as this to Ro, though Ro--especially going by her treatment of [[spoiler:Jascar]]--may not feel the same way about him.
* ArbitrarilyLargeBankAccount: After retrieving [[spoiler:the ''Asterion'']], its plentiful supply of ultra-rare blue starblood makes [[spoiler:Cay/Ardor]] rich enough to [[spoiler:hire an entire mercenary army to retake Zerraine.]]
* AristocratsAreEvil: The view of the Revolution, and what we see of Zerraine's aristocracy doesn't exactly prove them wrong.
* ArmchairMilitary: The Zerraine fleet has had nothing to do for decades except military exercises and a small-scale conflict with SpacePirates. Despite that, their battle plans seem sensible. [[spoiler: In fact, their defeat is almost entirely down to an almost literal stab in the back.]]
* ArmorIsUseless: The Fortiora wear menacing black armour, which starblood weaponry seems to melt straight through.
* AttackPatternAlpha: Once starblood weapons are being fired, electronic communication becomes extremely patchy during space battles, so most quick tactical manoeuvring takes this format.
* BadassArmy: The Nirnayatma Interstellar mercenaries, though not the most disciplined or regular force in the galaxy.
* TheBattlestar: Zerraine relies on dedicated fighter carriers, but all Commonwealth capital ships seem to carry Scorpion fighters, especially the immense dreadnoughts like ''Chimera Epsilon'' and ''Equinox Hammer''.
* BigEater: Cay, apparently. Makes sense, given how tall and muscular she is.
* BizarreAlienBiology: The Arrokhe are fairly ordinary LizardFolk on the outside, but they CannotTellALie--except for the hated and ostracised ''scuche'' minority, who find it painful but not fatal. This biological HonorBeforeReason extends to ''khasu'sogh'' blood feuds, which are lethal to the vengeance-seeker if not pursued.
* BloodKnight: Chisis, a predator by nature, takes great pleasure in killing with tooth and claw, and in killing in general. On the other side, Mosmere has tendencies like this as well, especially when fighting the Revolution.
* BlueAndOrangeMorality: Stars are widely regarded as incomprehensible, though they do display an understandable desire for self-preservation.
* CannotTellALie: Aghail ''can'', but like all ''scuche'', it hurts like hell and might kill him if he pushes his luck. This even extends to figures of speech, requiring him to be very careful with metaphor and exaggeration.
* TheCaptain: Aghail, though since the crew of the ''Midnight Motto'' is him and Kvir, it's almost a moot point. Also Captain Xallas, when he enters the frame.
* CasualInterstellarTravel: Interstellar travel is literally that, travel between the stars. This is done through the Veins, a dimension of what seems to be pure fire accessible only by ''flying directly into a star.'' Within star systems, ships can zip around pretty quickly thanks to starblood engines.
* TheChessmaster: Exemplar Ro, who makes a habit of thinking several moves ahead of everyone else. She's starting to lose her edge, though...
* ColorCodedForYourConvenience: Stars, which is TruthInTelevision. Simplified to a sliding scale of red, orange, yellow, white and blue stars (with each star producing that colour of starblood), which escalates from very common, dull reds to extraordinarily bright and rare blues. Red starblood is considered "battery-grade", white is "weapons-grade", and blue is [[UpToEleven more powerful still.]]
* CommonTongue: Galactic Vernacular, or Galver, is spoken by seemingly everyone.
* CoolStarship: Many.
**The sleek but battered ''Midnight Motto'' is equal parts this and TheAllegedCar.
**Its giant Arrokhe-built cousins, the Commonwealth dreadnoughts ''Equinox Hammer'' and ''Chimera Epsilon'', are kilometre-long black crescents, in sharp contrast to the blocky cruisers forming the bulk of the fleet.
**The [[spoiler:''Asterion'']] is effectively a gigantic flying sword.
**The slimline, blade-like Zerraine starfighters--323s, nicknamed "daggers"-- are cool, but not as cool as the ringfighters.
* CorporateWarfare: Nirnayatma Interstellar, the galaxy's largest mercenary outfit, is so large that it's sometimes contracted to fight ''itself''.
* CrystalSpiresAndTogas: Seems to be the general aesthetic of the richer worlds in the Cothollian Bargain, especially Cothol and Aerch. Zerraine is more about robes than togas.
* TheCycleOfEmpires: History before the rise of the Empyrean has been forgotten--or erased--but what little is known suggests that the cycle is in full swing, just very long. On a more recent scale, the nominally egalitarian Commonwealth has replaced one tyrannical regime with another, though some--especially non-humans--seem to think it's a small improvement.
* DeflectorShields: Every starship has them, powered by--you guessed it--starblood.
* DemocracyIsBad: Syren thinks so, at any rate. Toscus disagrees.
* DirtyCoward: Colonel Tshkit, who spends most of his time making sure that he has an escape route if things go sour. [[spoiler:It doesn't work out.]]
* DisproportionateRetribution: Exemplar Ro responds to the escape of [[spoiler: Mosmere and the King Father]] by ordering an entire town of twenty-five thousand people razed from orbit.
* DivineRightOfKings: A central tenet of the fallen Empyrean, and one which persisted in some form into the successor absolute monarchies of the Cothollian Bargain.
* TheDragon: Exemplar Chisis to Exemplar Ro. In the past, Exemplar Ro was this herself to Exemplar Parvian.
* DuelToTheDeath: Aghail versus [[spoiler:his adoptive daughter Cay]], sword to sword. Subverted in that nobody actually dies. Also between Mosmere and [[spoiler:Saol]], then later [[spoiler:Exemplar Ro]] and [[spoiler:Ardor.]]
* TheEmpire: The Empyrean. Definitely not a good place to be if you weren't human or related to one of the royal families.
* EnergyWeapons: Starblood weaponry fires laser-like bolts or beams of starfire.
* EvenEvilHasStandards: Ro regards the "genocidal" methods of the unseen Exemplar Ahlle as "excessive". Chisis, meanwhile, is trying to suppress his own moral doubts about what he's doing.
* FamilyOfChoice: A mainstay of ''scuche'' life. Rejected by their own families after being identified as a ''scuche'', they tend to be adopted by other adult ''scuche'', and grow up to adopt some of their own.
* FantasticFightingStyle: Duels between the Starborn characters are spectacular displays of fire, channelled into specific martial techniques with names like the Smoking River, Dirian Aegis, Half-Hand Breaker or Ecliptic Strata.
* FantasticRacism: Humans towards everyone else, at least historically. More on a structural level than a personal one.
* FantasticRankSystem: The Fortiora ranks are: Matriculant (private), Allegiant (corporal/sergeant), Jurant (lieutenant), Operant (commander/captain), Evocator (captain/major/colonel), Vexillar (general), and Aspirant (elite general). The royalist militaries follow a much more mundane system.
* FasterThanLightTravel: Technically averted. The Veins seem to compress space in such a way that ships travel at relatively low speeds even while moving between star systems light-years apart.
* AFatherToHisMen: Aspirant Je'Tehol, who comes across as a BenevolentBoss even while commanding Exemplar Ro's flagship.
* FeudalFuture: Not necessarily the future, but definitely feudal.
* FictionalCurrency: The Empyreal credit was replaced by the Revolutionary credit. Meanwhile, Zerraine uses 'marks'.
* FunctionalMagic: Starblood is, more or less, magic, and fuels virtually every machine and device in the universe.
* TheFundamentalist: Both Ro and Mosmere, as their conversation makes clear, are completely committed to their opposing causes beyond all reason. Neither of them come out of it looking good.
* GoodRepublicEvilEmpire: Somewhere between subverted and played straight. The Empyrean was clearly a tyrannical regime, but the republican Commonwealth which replaced it was little better, in part because its ruling Exemplars were effectively kings themselves. However, the general consensus of most characters seems to be that the Commonwealth was a mild improvement, though the Revolutionary War lasted so long that nobody alive remembers the Empyrean's heyday.
* GoodScarsEvilScars: Syren, Aghail and Toscus all start or end up bodily scarred in some way, but Mosmere and Ro--arguably the most "evil" characters--are both dramatically facially scarred.
* GoodThingYouCanHeal: Comes in handy for [[spoiler:Cay Dector]] in the climactic battle after [[spoiler:she discovers that Axiam's starblood heals her wounds.]]
* GreatOffscreenWar: The Revolutionary War, which lasted over a century and was fought across the entire galaxy, killing untold billions, ended a generation before the book begins.
* HatedHometown: Zerraine for Syren, mostly because of the expectations placed on her rather than the planet itself.
* HellIsThatNoise: The unearthly sound of starfire, usually described with words like "howl" and "screech".
* HoistByHisOwnPetard: Exemplar Ro's invasion of Zerraine, [[spoiler:launched under the mistaken belief that Ardor Asterion was in hiding there]], inadvertently leads to [[spoiler:the re-emergence of the real Ardor Asterion, Ro's own death at Ardor's hands, and the rebirth of the Empyrean,]] none of which would have happened if she'd done nothing. Oops.
* HonorBeforeReason: All Arrokhe, whether they like it or not.
* HonorRelatedAbuse: Any Arrokhe children discovered to be ''scuche''--i.e. more capable of lying than usual--have their tails cut off and are exiled.
* HumanoidAliens: Many of the galaxy's alien species are broadly humanoid, and many aren't. Chisis is an interesting example, his species seemingly being in the middle of evolving from a feloid form to a more humanoid one.
* HumansAreBastards: They ''did'' rule a racist dictatorship for millennia. Aliens tend not to be big fans.
* HyperspaceIsAScaryPlace: At one point Aghail sees what lies outside the tunnels of fire that form the Veins, and it's [[NothingIsScarier absolute nothingness.]]
* IDidWhatIHadToDo: Ro, Saol and Mosmere regard their actions as falling under this, even when in multiple cases it entailed the mass murder of children for the crime of being on the other side.
* IceQueen: Despite her fiery powers, Ro's cold demeanour and all-white hair, complexion and clothing move her into this territory.
* ImpracticallyFancyOutfit: Worn by Syren at one point for political effect, despite her objections to its impracticality. The Exemplars' white robes might qualify too, though they don't seem to impede them much.
* InTheFutureHumansWillBeOneRace: Not quite one race, but the spectrum of skin tones seems to have shrunk down to various shades of AmbiguouslyBrown.
* ItsPersonalWithTheDragon: Chisis's obsessive hunt for Cay is driven as much by his repeated defeats and humiliations as his orders or ideology.
* JerkWithAHeartOfGold: Syren, to an extent.
* LesbianJock: ''Definitely'' Syren.
* LostTechnology: The ability to create star-destroying stasis bombs was lost at some point in the past. The Revolution, which found them rather than built them, has a vested interest in pretending that they can destroy any stars they want, when in reality their stock of stasis bombs is now very low.
* MagicVersusScience: Starblood disrupts electronics, resulting in computers being extremely unreliable and simplistic compared to our modern technology. Sensors are virtually useless, and physical newspapers and paper files are still in widespread use. Any screen suffers constant static from starblood interference.
* {{Magitek}}: That said, starblood can still power fantastical technology like anti-gravity, forcefields, energy weapons and enormous starships.
* MerchantCity: The mercantile hub of Thaudos, situated on a trade route between the Cothollian Bargain and the outer fringes of the Commonwealth.
* A Million Is A Statistic:
->'''Je'Tehol's internal monologue, reflecting on how many people his fleet is about to kill:''' Thousands, certainly. Tens of thousands, very probably. Hundreds of thousands? A strong possibility. Millions? Not implausible. The numbers slipped through his mind, cold and hard as comets, trailing attenuated trains of zeroes.
* ModernStasis: Technology is an odd mix of pre-computer age and far-future, but seems to have stuck at this level for thousands of years due to the inherent limitations of a starblood-based universe.
* ModestRoyalty: She may not be ''modest'', but Syren spends most of her time in a flight suit or, at worst, a dress uniform.
* MonumentalDamage: During the climactic battle on [[spoiler:Zerraine]], a lot of very expensive and very old masonry comes crashing down.
* NiceJobFixingItVillain: Due to a single crucial--and understandable--intelligence-gathering error, [[spoiler:Exemplar Ro's]] actions led to the exact opposite outcome of what was intended, and in fact doing nothing at all would have caused much less damage. And it ''still' would have been fine, if not for an inadvertent disclosure mid-EvilGloating...
* NoGoodDeedGoesUnpunished: Aghail adopting a starving street kid resulted in the death of his son, the destruction of his business, and ultimately an interstellar war.
* NotSoDifferent: Ro and Mosmere agree on this much. Their ideologies are at odds, but they acknowledge that their methods and fanatical attitudes are pretty similar.
* TheOrder: The Empyreal Watch, a regimented military order of Starborn warriors dedicated to defending the Empyrean.
* OutrunTheFireball: Syren and Toscus after [[spoiler:destroying the starfire cannon on Idyll.]] They don't ''completely'' outrun it.
* PeoplesRepublicOfTyranny: The Revolutionary Commonwealth, which is at least attempting to be a totalitarian state in the name of the people of the galaxy. Infighting, fragmentation and overextension prevent it from achieving it completely, but it's definitely the intention.
* PerpetualStorm: One rages over the city of Terminator on the tidally locked planet Thaudos, where the hot and cold air of its light and dark sides meet.
* PosthumousCharacter: Exemplar Parvian haunts Exemplar Ro even decades after his death.
* PowerGlows: When the Starborn use their powers, fire surrounds their hands.
* PowerAtAPrice: The Starborn get devastating fire powers, yes, but their hair permanently goes white and the likelihood of contracting cancer skyrockets, while general health declines. Few make it to sixty.
* PuttingOnTheReich: Though closer to the Soviet Union than Nazi Germany, the Venators--the military police dedicated to hunting down Commonwealth citizens with any trace of royal blood--wear sharp black uniforms reminiscent of the Nazi SS. In-universe, Syren once wore one to a costume party, resulting in weeks of terrible press for the royal family.
* PracticalCurrency: Money is fuel is ammunition, as the credit is directly linked to starblood.
* {{Precursors}}: Whoever built the stasis bombs, and whoever they used them against.
* ProudWarriorRaceGuy: The Arrokhe specialise in shipbuilding more than fighting, but their hardcoded sense of honour takes them close to this.
* PsychicRadar: The Venators and Exemplar Chisis detect their targets by mentally hunting for the "scent" of royal blood.
* RagsToRoyalty: [[spoiler:Cay Dector, once her true identity is revealed and she acquires the ''Asterion''.]]
* TheReasonYouSuckSpeech: Delivered (deservedly) to Syren by Toscus.
* RedRightHand: Exemplar Ro has ''two'': her gnarled fingers, the result of her obsessively breaking them to remind herself of the price of failure, and the livid starfire scar across her jaw. Mosmere only gets one, his horrifically scarred face.
* ReportsOfMyDeathWereGreatlyExaggerated: Aghail's attempts to convince the galaxy that he's dead come back to annoy him when a door guard refuses to believe that he's alive.
* TheRevolutionWillNotBeCivilized: The Commonwealth is utterly ruthless in maintaining power and order, having started a program of mass executions that never really stopped.
* RomanticismVersusEnlightenment: The monarchist Empyrean and the egalitarian but brutal Commonwealth can be taken as extreme examples of each tendency.
* RoyalMess: Judging from the party on Zerraine, Empyreal planets used a variety of different aristocratic titles with no real standardization. The King or Queen of Axiam was the ruler of the whole Empyrean, but was still just a king who ruled over other kings.
* ScienceFantasy: Sci-fi/space-opera in aesthetics, fantasy in terms of magical starblood being the driving force of the universe.
* SpaceFighter: Several, from the 323s ("daggers") of Zerraine, to the Scorpions ("Scorps") of the Commonwealth, and the ringfighters of the old Empyrean.
* SpaceOpera: A sweeping story of long-lost heirs and immense interstellar wars? It can only be space opera.
* SpacePolice: Different branches of the Fortiora double as military and police, a result of the political hierarchy of the Commonwealth being entirely military.
* StarshipLuxurious: [[spoiler:The ''Asterion'']] turns out to be significantly nicer than any starship we've seen before that point, for obvious reasons.
* StateSec: A job shared by the Fortiora and the sinister Venators, who answer directly to the Exemplars.
* StealthInSpace: Possible because of starblood rendering sensors barely usable. A dark, powered-down ship can drift invisibly through space without being detected. An important technique for Aghail as a smuggler, and used militarily by Exemplar Ro in the past and by Captain Xallas in the present day.
* SpannerInTheWorks: Saol considers herself to be this to anyone and everyone, and she's not wrong.
->'''Saol:''' Just doing my thing. Upsetting plans, causing trouble, sowing chaos. The usual.
* TakeAThirdOption: Cay's unorthodox solution of [[spoiler:stabbing herself through the heart and making a miraculous recovery]] results in her duel to the death with [[spoiler:Aghail]] having no fatalities.
* TellMeAboutMyFather: Almost verbatim.
* TragicVillain: Ro was made who she is by Exemplar Parvian's constant calculated abuse during her childhood, and she in turn passed that trauma on to Chisis.
* VillainTakesAnInterest: Chisis becomes utterly obsessed with taking Cay down after she escapes his clutches.
* WalkingTechbane: The Starborn are especially bad, disrupting any electronics in their general vicinity, but anyone carrying starblood--e.g. anyone with a gun--is as well.
* WeHaveReserves
->'''Operant:''' We have to fight back, Exemplar! They destroyed a tank!
->'''Chisis:''' We have other tanks.
->'''Operant:''' They’re slaughtering my soldiers. I can’t just--
->'''Chisis:''' We have other soldiers.
->'''Operant:''' Exemplar! What kind of officer orders his people not to fight back?
->'''Chisis:''' We have other officers.
* WeWillWearArmorInTheFuture: The Fortiora are all armoured, though the effect seems to be psychological rather than practical.
* WorthyOpponent: Despite their mutual hatred, it's clear that Ro and Mosmere regard each other as this.
* YouGottaHaveBlueHair: All Starborn have bone-white hair, if they have hair at all.
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* [[VenturousSmuggler Veteran blood-runner]] Aghail, a [[LizardFolk reptilian alien]] who captains the [[CoolShip Midnight Motto]], despite the fact that his species is [[CannotTellALie biologically incapable of lying]] without suffering terrible pain or even death. In hiding to evade creditors after the murder of his son and destruction of his cargo, Aghail finds his [[RevengeBeforeReason hard-coded sense of honour]] driving him into the open, forcing him to unwillingly seek a vengeance he never wanted.
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* [[VenturousSmuggler Veteran blood-runner]] Aghail, a [[CoolSword sword-wielding]] [[LizardFolk reptilian alien]] who captains the [[CoolShip Midnight Motto]], despite the fact that his species is [[CannotTellALie biologically incapable of lying]] without suffering terrible pain or even death. In hiding to evade creditors after the murder of his son and destruction of his cargo, Aghail finds his [[RevengeBeforeReason hard-coded sense of honour]] driving him into the open, forcing him to unwillingly seek a vengeance he never wanted.
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* [[TheChessmaster Exemplar Ro]], a principal architect of the Revolution's success and [[EvilOverlord one of its most powerful rulers.]] Desperate to correct her greatest failure -- missing the chance to extinguish the Empyreal bloodline once and for all -- the ageing Ro plots one final masterstroke.
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* [[TheChessmaster Exemplar Ro]], a principal architect of the Revolution's success and [[EvilOverlord one of its most powerful rulers.]] Desperate to correct her greatest failure -- missing failure--missing the chance to extinguish the Empyreal bloodline once and for all -- the all--the ageing Ro plots one final masterstroke.
* [[TheDragon Exemplar Chisis]], Ro's principal agent. A [[HotBlooded ferocious]], [[ScarilyCompetentTracker relentless hunter]] and [[CatFolk feline alien]], Chisis is systematically tracking down every extant trace of Empyreal blood while wrestling with his [[MyInstinctsAreShowing bestial nature.]]
As their paths intersect and collide, long-held secrets are revealed, ancient agendas come to the fore, [[StuffBlowingUp lots]] [[OldSchoolDogfight of things]] [[StandardStarshipScuffle explode]], and the galaxy may never be the same again...
* [[TheDragon Exemplar Chisis]], Ro's principal agent. A [[HotBlooded ferocious]], [[ScarilyCompetentTracker relentless hunter]] and [[CatFolk feline alien]], Chisis is systematically tracking down every extant trace of Empyreal blood while wrestling with his [[MyInstinctsAreShowing bestial nature.]]
As their paths intersect and collide, long-held secrets are revealed, ancient agendas come to the fore, [[StuffBlowingUp lots]] [[OldSchoolDogfight of things]] [[StandardStarshipScuffle explode]], and the galaxy may never be the same again...
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Set in a sprawling galaxy once ruled by [[TheEmpire the human-dominated Empyrean]] and now by the [[TheRevolutionWillNotBeCivilized fanatical, nominally egalitarian Revolutionary Commonwealth]], the universe runs on the titular blood of stars: starblood. Stars, in this setting, are sentient, [[BlueAndOrangeMorality incomprehensible]], borderline EldritchAbomination entities, once worshipped as gods by the Empyrean and now enslaved by the Revolution. Their blood [[{{Magitek}} fuels engines, powers weapons,]] [[MagicVersusScience interferes with complex electronics]], is used as [[WeWillSpendCreditsInTheFuture currency]], and can even be used to grant [[PlayingWithFire the ability to wield starfire to individual people, the Starborn.]]
''Blood of Stars'' follows six central characters:
''Blood of Stars'' follows six central characters:
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Set in a sprawling galaxy once ruled by [[TheEmpire the human-dominated Empyrean]] and now by the [[TheRevolutionWillNotBeCivilized fanatical, nominally egalitarian egalitarian]] [[PeoplesRepublicOfTyranny Revolutionary Commonwealth]], the universe runs on the titular blood of stars: starblood. Stars, in this setting, are sentient, [[BlueAndOrangeMorality incomprehensible]], borderline EldritchAbomination entities, once worshipped as gods by the Empyrean and now enslaved by the Revolution. Their blood [[{{Magitek}} fuels engines, powers weapons,]] [[MagicVersusScience interferes with complex electronics]], is used as [[WeWillSpendCreditsInTheFuture currency]], and can even be used to grant [[PlayingWithFire the ability to wield starfire to individual people, the Starborn.]]
''Blood of Stars'' follows six centralcharacters:
characters as they're swept up in the hunt for Ardor Asterion, [[RightfulKingReturns the long-lost last heir to the Empyreal throne]]:
* [[RebelliousPrincess Princess Syren Cosmirel]], borderline-alcholic second-in-line to the throne of Zerraine, a backwater monarchist holdout in the still-independent [[TheFederation Cothollian Bargain]]. More concerned with drunkenly racing with her personal starfighter squadron than her royal duties, especially when they involve her wife.
* [[DeathSeeker Unstable]] [[SoldierOfFortune mercenary]] Cay Dector, struggling to conceal her mysterious fire-wielding abilities and plagued by murderous voices in her head.
* [[VenturousSmuggler Veteran blood-runner]] Aghail, a [[LizardFolk reptilian alien]] who captains the [[CoolShip Midnight Motto]], despite the fact that his species is [[CannotTellALie biologically incapable of lying]] without suffering terrible pain or even death. In hiding to evade creditors after the murder of his son and destruction of his cargo, Aghail finds his [[RevengeBeforeReason hard-coded sense of honour]] driving him into the open, forcing him to unwillingly seek a vengeance he never wanted.
* [[TheFundamentalist Mosmere]], fanatical last survivor of the [[TheOrder Empyreal Watch]]. In hiding for decades, rumours of Ardor Asterion's survival and his own bitterly held grudges bring him back into play.
* [[TheChessmaster Exemplar Ro]], a principal architect of the Revolution's success and [[EvilOverlord one of its most powerful rulers.]] Desperate to correct her greatest failure -- missing the chance to extinguish the Empyreal bloodline once and for all -- the ageing Ro plots one final masterstroke.
''Blood of Stars'' follows six central
* [[RebelliousPrincess Princess Syren Cosmirel]], borderline-alcholic second-in-line to the throne of Zerraine, a backwater monarchist holdout in the still-independent [[TheFederation Cothollian Bargain]]. More concerned with drunkenly racing with her personal starfighter squadron than her royal duties, especially when they involve her wife.
* [[DeathSeeker Unstable]] [[SoldierOfFortune mercenary]] Cay Dector, struggling to conceal her mysterious fire-wielding abilities and plagued by murderous voices in her head.
* [[VenturousSmuggler Veteran blood-runner]] Aghail, a [[LizardFolk reptilian alien]] who captains the [[CoolShip Midnight Motto]], despite the fact that his species is [[CannotTellALie biologically incapable of lying]] without suffering terrible pain or even death. In hiding to evade creditors after the murder of his son and destruction of his cargo, Aghail finds his [[RevengeBeforeReason hard-coded sense of honour]] driving him into the open, forcing him to unwillingly seek a vengeance he never wanted.
* [[TheFundamentalist Mosmere]], fanatical last survivor of the [[TheOrder Empyreal Watch]]. In hiding for decades, rumours of Ardor Asterion's survival and his own bitterly held grudges bring him back into play.
* [[TheChessmaster Exemplar Ro]], a principal architect of the Revolution's success and [[EvilOverlord one of its most powerful rulers.]] Desperate to correct her greatest failure -- missing the chance to extinguish the Empyreal bloodline once and for all -- the ageing Ro plots one final masterstroke.
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A 2020 ScienceFantasy SpaceOpera novel by Alec Saracen.
Set in a sprawling galaxy once ruled by [[TheEmpire the human-dominated Empyrean]] and now by the [[TheRevolutionWillNotBeCivilized fanatical, nominally egalitarian Revolutionary Commonwealth]], the universe runs on the titular blood of stars: starblood. Stars, in this setting, are sentient, [[BlueAndOrangeMorality incomprehensible]], borderline EldritchAbomination entities, once worshipped as gods by the Empyrean and now enslaved by the Revolution. Their blood [[{{Magitek}} fuels engines, powers weapons,]] [[MagicVersusScience interferes with complex electronics]], is used as [[WeWillSpendCreditsInTheFuture currency]], and can even be used to grant [[PlayingWithFire the ability to wield starfire to individual people, the Starborn.]]
''Blood of Stars'' follows six central characters:
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