open/close all folders
Crew of the Machito
The Crew as a Whole
The Machito is a scout vessel crewed by a small compliment of Captain Taneel's former command (a battleship).- Badass Crew: They're not a ridiculously overpowered crew by any means; in fact they each seem to be typical for their species. It's just that the roles they have played and are playing make them incredibly well suited to their current task.
- Skitter is one of only two of his species operating in human space, apparently the only species capable of truly piloting without risk at FTL speeds.
- Orla appears to be unexceptional for a member of the Jinyiwei, except insofar as she has transferred her loyalty to the crew and their goals rather than to the Jinyiwei. Oh, and "unexceptional" means "able to take on four fights to the death in a row where each one was intended to kill her... in an Offscreen Moment of Awesome".
- Nosh is typical for a Veetan: big heart, big fun, big appetite for life, big appetite for learning, and just a big appetite. However, in addition to being a very capable science officer (really; ignore the accent) and getting
- Captain Taneel is on the outs politically, having been loyal to the former (recently assassinated) emperor, and having been long estranged from her member-of-the-secret-police-of-the-secret-police husband, and harboring the person accused of killing the emperor (Nosh) who she broke out of prison, and having the former emperor's strongly-hinted-to-be-heir on her crew... but she was also the commander of an imperial battleship and both inspires fierce loyalty in and gives fierce loyalty to her crew.
- Cuddow is typical for a Fillipod: really smart, way too dedicated to bad poetry, and super goofy. He also happens to be one of the few Fillipodans trusted with the secret that the Fillipods did what the humans couldn't in understanding the Drive as well as trusted with the knowledge of how it really works, and further developed a number of improvements and applications that the Continuum hadn't thought of.
- True Companions: The story opens with Taneel and crew breaking into a prison planet to get Nosh out, as they had saved one another's lives over the course of an evening. She takes her crew seriously. Even relatively late arrivals Skitter, Orla, and Cuddow very quickly adopt the same attitude.
The Machito
The Machito is a very small, very old, very smell (formerly) scout ship.- The Alleged Car: When we first enter the series, it's made clear that the Machito is a thoroughly subpar vessel. And it stinks. But the emperor gives it a full retrofit when he sends the crew to find the rest of Skitter's species.
- Mid-Season Upgrade: Kind of early for mid-season, but still appropriate. When the Emperor learns about Skitter's abilities as a pilot, he demands the crew go find more like him and gives the Machito a full remodel. Including real leather in the captain's chair.
"Skitter" AKA Ostree
A small lizard creature with a case of amnesia. Remembers nothing before waking up in prison, though Nosh says he took a nasty hit while defending him.- Audience Surrogate: Courtesy of his amnesia, Skitter needs to have a lot explained to him, allowing the readers to catch up alongside him.
- Bizarre Alien Biology: His "mohawk" crest allows him to sense gravity, pick up heartbeats from a distance, and communicate telepathically with other telepaths or "bonded" humans if the member of his species with the Tres Primos is any indication, sometimes it borders on New Powers as the Plot Demands. He also has two hearts.
- Driven to Suicide: In his backstory, he was the Sole Survivor of an attack by predators on his village. Giving up, he decided to roll to the edge of a platform to fall to his death. His grandfather, who was on the brink of death from a heart attack caused by the same trauma used his last moments to stop him.
- Easy Amnesia: Skitter woke up on a prison planet with no recollection of who he was or how he got there, and was informed he took a nasty hit trying to protect Nosh. Lampshaded. In truth, the amnesia was self-inflicted more than once by his own Telepathy in order to block out a painful past.Nosh: ... You are like bad episode of Gilligan's Island.
- Improbable Aiming Skills: Played with. Skitter doesn't actually man the ship's weaponry, but he can see exactly where to aim to pick a Vinn ship several times the Machito's size out of space with a single shot.
- Really 700 Years Old: Not quite that old, but members of Skitter's race are only allowed to leave their homeworld for the last tenth of their lifespans, after years of dedicated service... that last tenth of a lifespan being about sixty years. Or at least, that is what Trellaine assumes. Turns out he is still young, and the real reason he doesn't need to worry about the tithe isn't because he abandoned it or paid it conventionally, but because he was the Sole Survivor of his village.
- Troubled Backstory Flashback: The concentrated telepathic power of a whole Rhinn village manages to push through his amnesia and reveal some details of his past. He was the Sole Survivor of a village wiped out by an unusually large swarm of predators. From a position of relative safety, he was forced to watch everyone he ever knew and loved die horrible deaths. This goes a LONG way towards explaining his issues.
- Unfortunate Name: He wanted to call himself Steve, but that's also the name of Captain Taneel's ex-husband. Still, it might've been worse. Nosh's ideas were "Pablo Picasso", "Mr. Fancy Pants", and "Boopsie-Diddle".
Nosh
A Veetan scientist, falsely arrested for the murder of the previous Emperor. His old crew broke him out of prison, and he insisted on bringing Skitter along, as payback for protecting him earlier.- And Then John Was a Zombie: Gets stung by a Vinn-infested Fekk Dragon.
- Beware the Nice Ones: As he demonstrated against a Tesskan guard that was talking smack about Captain Taneel.Nosh: Show respect to my captain.
Tesskan: ooOOooh... whatcha gonna do, pacifist? Punch me?
Nosh: No... but I am very good hugger. [picks Tesskan up from behind with a "hug"] - Big Eater: Comes with being a Veetan. Even when Vinnified, he thinks with his stomach.
- Big Fun: An Amusing Alien from a heavyworld, and a staunch pacifist until suficciently upset. Hobbies include eating, reading Russian poetry, and playing board games.
- Came Back Strong: after getting safely de-Vinned, he is his old self again, but with neato superpowers.
- Comically Missing the Point: Fairly often.Taneel: Wonderful. So they're bigger and faster... and I'm flying the dang car I had in high school.
[...]
Nosh: Wait wait wait wait... you saying your car in high school smelled this bad? I find hard to believe. - Crouching Moron, Hidden Badass: More a Genius Ditz than moron, but Nosh fought off a bunch of mooks on his own.Nosh: [mid-fight] Maybe you forget why you lost the war, Tesskan. You didn't lose because of the humans... you lost because you made my lovely, joyful, peace-filled people... PISSED OFF.
- The Dog Bites Back:
- In his backstory, he scared the shit out of a Russian gangster extorting his adopted parents.
- He also whups a platoon of Tesskan guards in Madrid. He isn't much fazed by their insults to him, but he does not stand for them backtalking Captain Taneel.
- Frame-Up: Emperor Cruz had the former Emperor's death pinned on him.
- Genius Ditz: Nosh is the science officer of the crew, interested in all types of science, but lacks common sense.Nosh: I am researching lung capacity of common earth-wolf.
Taneel: Good lord...why?
Nosh: Pique of my interest, mostly. I read in earth story how wolf able to bring down house with massive lung capacity...
[Beat]
Taneel: ...Did the aforementioned wolf happen to "huff and puff" before he blew said house down?
Nosh: Yes! Amazing creature, no?... I research the pig construction techniques, next. - Gentle Giant: Nosh, and apparently most Veetans. It's one of their hats, according to their entry in the Enciclopedia Xenobiología.Nosh: Is too much anger in Monopoly... Share the railroads! Everyone benefits!
- Happily Adopted: By a Russian couple back on earth. He also considers Captain Taneel a mother, and he's like a son to her.
- Jabba Table Manners: Watching him eat is a nightmarish experience.
- Omnidisciplinary Scientist: Like most of his people, he has an insatiable desire for knowledge of any sort.
- Shock and Awe: After infection by the Vinn he gains bioelectrical powers, which he retains after being cured.
- Trademark Favourite Food: Has a special place in his heart for piroshki. He's also a big fan of Baba Ganoush, a rice dish.
- Twitchy Eye: Nosh, upon learning the crew's next destination is Tesskil, and later when he finds out that a Continuum Dreadnought ship is pursuing them. His eyes eventually shut outright, which he claims "is one long twitch".
Captain Taneel
The captain of the Machito. Once captain of might battlecruiser, she's now stuck with a third-rate scout, answering to an Emperor she hates, unhappily divorced and getting on in years. Taneel isn’t what you might call a very cheerful woman.- Must Have Caffeine: She's rarely seen without a cup of coffee in her hand.
- Never Mess with Granny: Taneel is a goddamned pillar of willpower, rarely shows fear even under the most dire of circumstances, and is terrifyingly competent.
- Parental Substitute: To Nosh, with whom she has a very parental relationship, even referring to him as "my boy".
- Punny Name: She's named after the music duo Captain & Tennille.
- Reasonable Authority Figure: Compared to most of the authority figures in the comic thus far, yes.
Fernando
The previous Emperor's 14-year-old grandson, and head engineer of The Machito, by virtue of only members of la Familia being allowed to know how the pinch drive works.- I Just Want to Be Normal: He wants nothing more than to live a normal life, without the intrigue, politicking and danger that come with being part of la Familia. Sadly, this can never happen, as he's the rightful heir to the throne, and cannot ignore this without putting his life in immense danger.
- King Incognito: The Tres Primos imply that he's supposed to be Emperor, not Cruz. Confirmed by his cousin Sebastian.
Orla O'Malley
The Machito's xenobiologist, appointed by the Emperor as part of the ship's mission to find Skitter's homeworld. She's more than she appears.- The Mole: It's heavily implied she's a Familia plant working for the Emperor. Turn's out she's worse — she's actually a member of the Jinyiwei, the Imperio's Secret Police.
Senior Adviser Cuddow
- Cunning Linguist: Fluent in six languages; Fillipod, Hybrid, Old Spanish, and three unidentified ones
. He's also attempted the Makers' language. - Oh, Wait!: After he reveals to Fernando that the Fillipods know how the Ring Drive works.Fernando: Do you know what my family will do to your people when they find out??
Cuddow: What, crack our planet in half? Oh wait. - Ridiculously Cute Critter: A caterpillar-like alien, Cuddow resembles nothing so much as a living plush toy.
Species of the Galaxy
What hats do each of the intelligent races of the galaxy wear?
Humans
- Ban on A.I.: Despite humanity's best efforts, A.I.s repeatedly caused wars and murdered people out of curiosity, eventually leading to a permanent ban on strong AI research.
- Humans Are Morons: Humans aren't quite the dumbest sapient race in the galaxy, but they're pretty close. Only the Tesskans seem to be dumber, just about every single other sapient species is noticeably brighter than humans. The human institute in charge of quantifying alien intelligence famously left a huge gap on their charts between humans and the top.
- Humans Are Special: Humans are one of the few races that combines the aggressiveness needed to form an empire with a willingness to take advantage of the strengths of alien races. Most aliens are polarized to one of two extremes. They are either pacifistic, brilliant, and friendly, but too naive to handle real warfare, or they are warlike and xenophobic while completely lacking friends.
Veetans
A short-lived, pacifistic species, the Veetans are long-time members of the Imperio.- Beware the Nice Ones: An info page lists the Tesskans flash-bombing a Veetan planet as the critical error in the three year Tesskan/Human war. The resultant mobilisation of the Veetan Defence Force resulted in Tesskil being conquered a week later.Nosh: Show respect to my captain.
Tesskan: ooOOooh... whatcha gonna do, pacifist? Punch me?
Nosh: No... but I am very good hugger. [picks Tesskan up from behind with a "hug"] - Big Eater: Placid as they usually are, they're voracious and ferocious eaters. There's an in-universe poem about the sight of a Veetan eating. It ends with "A Veetan eating is not joy, but more like abject fear"
- Heavy Worlder: Veeta has heavier gravity than Earth, and Veetans are ridiculously strong and durable as a result, as demonstrated when Nosh shrugs off steel I-beams falling on his head and beats the crap out of a dozen Tesskans. Unfortunately, they also suffer from chronic hip and joint problems and live just twenty-five years at most.
- Perfect Pacifist People: Veetans are taught that fighting wastes the life they could spend searching for knowledge.
- Short-Lived Organism: Veetans have an average lifespan of about twenty years. On learning this, Skitter is horrified and asks if Veetan years are longer than Earth years; his Veetan friend Nosh replies that no, it's twenty regular years, which to them is a perfectly long and fulfilling life.
Tesskans
Aggressive, violent brutes, the Tesskans are one of the two sapient species native to Tesskil. They once came close to utterly destroying the Imperio, but have since been subjugated.- Abusive Alien Parents: They're an r-selecting species and abandon their offspring to the wild, eventually allowing the survivors to rejoin the pack when they gang up on and kill the pack's oldest member.
- Lightning Bruiser: They're terrifyingly fast and strong, as well as incredibly sturdy. The logistical advantage the drive imparts may as well have not existed when it came to a direct war between the Empire and the Tesskans, as the Tesskans were overpowering in actual battle. This is demonstrated handily by those captured by the Continuum, who swept the single largest ship in the galaxy before the Makers could manage even a token defense. The only thing that's stood successfully against them is the Empire-backed Mighty Glacier of the Veetans.
- Space Orcs: They're violent space age barbarians whose culture never developed past the most brutal of stone age structures. They're violent, short-tempered and interested in little beyond fighting and eating; they're entirely dependent on the Fillipods for advanced technology or society of any sort, reacted to first contact with both the Fillipods and humanity by trying to utterly destroy them, and nowadays mostly serve the Imperio as goons and thugs.
Fillipods
The other sapient natives of Tesskil — FillaTrestanWhey, in their language — the Fillipods are essentially the Tesskans' opposites, and are intelligent, frail-bodied, highly pacifistic and entirely devoted to art and philosophy. They were nearly destroyed by the Tesskans when they first met and survived by convincing their conquers to keep them around as slaves. Since their planet's conquest by the Imperio, they've settled into a comfortable existence as bureaucrats and middle managers; the humans largely dismiss them as fops who write bad poetry, but the Fillipods are hiding more than their new rulers suspect.- Bunny-Ears Lawyer: They're an entire culture of fops and dandies obsessed with terrible poetry, but they're also one of the most technologically gifted species in existence.
- Gadgeteer Genius: They're extremely good with technology — they went from zero manufacturing to space travel in two generations, and are the only race to have successfully reverse-engineered Ring Drives — unlike the humans, who simply build and maintain but don't understand them.
- Skilled, but Naive: As brilliant as the Fillipods are, when it comes to covert ops, their naivety makes them really bad at keeping them quiet or understanding the full consequences if they fail. When they start making maneuvers with the Ring Drive, which only La Familia are permitted to control, they simply assume that El Imperio couldn't possibly do worse to them than has already been done even if they get caught. The Secret Police catch them instantly since they were using less than secure communications and even acted right in front of a La Familia member. They only get away with it because a sympathetic faction within the Secret Police detected it first and help them out.
- Skewed Priorities: They're rather poetry obsessed, and tend to break out in overly long poetry if not forced to work on more important things, like dealing with invasions.
- When their Tesskan masters are mostly killed and their human masters forced to shift away all forces and oversight, they choose to take advantage of this precious strategic time of autonomy... by hosting a slam poetry contest.
- The Fillipods hastily assemble a device to repair their shattered planet, only to go off schedule by getting distracted by another poem.
- Starfish Language: The Fillipod language is an extremely complicated, musical tongue that most other species can’t physically speak, since their mouths can’t make the "wild undulations" that the Fillipod language relies on.
Prahsitt
A superstitious race neighboring the Grasskans.- Self-Fulfilling Prophecy: They believe that greenborn are destined to do that interesting and exciting things. This leads to greenborn being put in situations likely to lead to the expected results.
Astina
- Abusive Alien Parents: They have hundreds of pups, which the adults require to prove their worth to their family. When Orla catches a pup stealing, his father kills him with his bare hands for getting caught.
The Continuum
Ancient, seclusive and very, very advanced, the Continuum practice a religion based around the creation of new technological devices — known as "spirits" — and are extremely protective of their creations. Since the FTL technology used by the Imperio is, unknown to them, based off of Continuum designs, this had led the two nations to existing in a state of constant war, now hot and now cold.- Abusive Alien Parents: They reproduce asexually and rapidly if they want to — Makers can produce dozens of pre-Makers in a day should they need to — treat their progeny as cannon fodder with nothing but a number to identify them, form no emotional attachments to them whatsoever and emotionlessly dispose of them as punishment for transgressions. One in thousands survives the heat of battle and becomes a Maker.
- Ban on A.I.: One of the Continuum's oldest and strictest laws. Ahmis, one of the most brilliant makers the Continuum had ever seen, was sentenced to death for building one and became The Heretic.
- Broken Pedestal: Shen, founder of the Continuum, is treated as a platonically perfect and mythical being. Those few that stumble on the truth learn that the historical Shen tried to cover up a failed invention that was not perfect from the start like their myths would imply.
- Enemy Mine: Offered, but ultimately rejected. The Grasskans stole several spirits (the Makers' term for original technology) from the Continuum and fought bitter wars with them over it. When the Grasskans get Curb Stomped by the Vinn, they try begging for an Enemy Mine with the Continuum to work against the greater threat to the both of them. While new Maker Prime feels that the Vinn threat is big enough to at least consider it and respects the Grasskans as a Worthy Opponent, the rest of the Colegium prefers Revenge Before Reason and overrules him. Due to being insular and still carrying a grudge, they decide that they would rather take their chances and watch them die.
- Gadgeteer Genius: Their hat is that they invent things; the creation of new, unique technology is the greatest accomplishment a member of the species can aspire to, and experienced makers are very good at it. Ahmis is able to fix a completely ruined hover tractor and build an unspecified farm machine within one night.
- Higher-Tech Species: The Continuum is one of the most advanced civilizations in the galaxy to still exist, but not by an overwhelming margin.
- Luxury Prison Suite: Only high-ranking members of the Continuum even get jail as opposed to execution; as such, Makers that have been charged with a crime are usually made comfortable.
- Poor Communication Kills: Literally. Their language is so complex and nuanced that traditional translator devices can't decipher the whole thing. This leads a Tesskan to decapitate a Maker out of frustration when trying to talk, and human/Continuum relations are severely hampered by the fact that they humans genuinely have no idea what the Makers' messages even contain.
- Scary Dogmatic Aliens: They can be friendly under the right circumstances, but if you offend their religion by stealing their technology they will attempt genocide unless and until you give it up.
- We Are as Mayflies: Continuum Makers can live for several centuries but most other species have lifespans comparative to humans.
Gannath
An alien race of spider analogues. They are strictly territorial, so not much is known about them.- Artificial Intelligence: They are one of the very few species that hasn't placed a Ban on A.I. despite the fact that A.I. Is a Crapshoot and A.I.s in this setting are Always Chaotic Evil.
- Compelling Voice: The Gannath are no longer entirely a Hive Mind, but are close enough for commands from their Hive King, the Center, to manifest as a compelling voice.
- Hive Mind: Modern Gannath are full individuals, but it would seem that their ancient ancestors were a telepathic Hive Mind in the ancient past. The Gannath themselves have long since forgotten it.
- Hive Queen: The modern Gannath are primarily individuals, but they still have a dominant Gannath they call "the Center", a Gannath who has been enhanced and made more aggressive than even normal Gannath by the "royal jelly" eaten from the defeated corpses of his rivals. When the Center gives commands, he instinctively transmits them telepathically. The lesser Gannath are sufficiently individual to protest orders that harm them personally, but the Center's telepathy causes the lesser Gannath to feel what he feels and automatically obey even so.
- Insane Troll Logic: The Center of the Gannath has been described as a "living Id". While the Gannath have plenty of legitimate reasons to be suspicious of the Machito, the explanation the Center comes up with for their presence is completely off the wall. He insists they are allied with the Vinn as spies of the Grasskan Empress to steal what is his as part of an ancient convoluted game. It should be noted that the Grasskan Empress and most of her race was annihilated by the Vinn months ago.
- People's Republic of Tyranny: The name of their government is the "Gannath Alliance". This name is said to be a misnomer on par with our own People's Republic of Tyranny. Their government is a dictatorship ruled by a single almighty leader.
- Telepathy: They still have vestigial telepathy from back when their species were a Hive Mind, though they themselves have completely forgotten this and were unaware.
Grasskans
The rulers of a powerful space-faring empire, the Grasskans are old foes of the Continuum.- Enemy Mine: Offered, but ultimately rejected. They stole several spirits (the Makers' term for original technology) from the Continuum and fought bitter wars with them over it. When the Grasskans get Curb Stomped by the Vinn, they try begging for an Enemy Mine with the Continuum to work against the greater threat to the both of them. While new Maker Prime feels that the Vinn threat is big enough to at least consider it and respects the Grasskans as a Worthy Opponent, the rest of the Colegium prefers Revenge Before Reason and overrules him. Due to being insular and still carrying a grudge, they decide that they would rather take their chances and watch them die.
- Despair Event Horizon: When the Vinn kill the last Grasskan princess, most of the surviving leadership doesn't even try to evacuate those that they can before committing mass suicide.
- Matriarchy: The Grasskans have one of the flip variety. When El Imperio attempted to negotiate an Enemy Mine with the Grasskans against the Continuum and the Vinn, the Grasskan Empress outright rejected their ambassadors due to them being male. El Imperio only figured out their mistake after it was too late.
- Taking You with Me: They get brought to the verge of extinction at the hands of the Vinn. Since the Continuum refuses to help, they kill all of their stars, deciding that its better for all of them to die then let their families be remade by The Virus.
- Throw-Away Country: The Grasskan Empire is barely even mentioned before the Vinn invasion, and once they realize they've lost that war they destroy their own stars.
- The Worf Effect: They're an old starfaring empire, and one strong enough to fight even the Continuum to a stalemate. As soon as the Vinn are given FTL travel, they completely Curb Stomp the Grasskans and wipe them out.
Sill
In ancient times, the Sill ruled the greatest empire that the Galaxy has ever known. Thousands of years ago, a spiritual movement swept through their empire and led most of them to retire in monastic seclusion. Nowdays, only a few dying monks linger on their homeworld.- Abusive Precursors: Most species remember the ancient Sill as warlike conquerors who subjugated their ancestors in ancient times.
- Ascend to a Higher Plane of Existence: Enlightened Sill perceive death as this, which is why the last remaining Sill monks are not too fussed about dying out and losing all remaining presence on the physical plane. One of them implies that their minds continue to live on in the Great Quiet.
- Benevolent Precursors: Oddly, while most species remember the ancient empire of the Sill as warlike Abusive Precursors, the Fillipods have a much rosier memory of them. For some reason the Sill never conquered Tesskil, and instead taught the Fillipods art and poetry.
- Fantastic Drug: Telepathy can be used to reach a state the Sill religiously refer to as the "Great Quiet". It produces an absolute ecstasy that makes the "noisy" material world difficult to pay any attention to, which has resulted in their race dwindling towards extinction since they barely maintain their bodies or produce offspring. The few remaining monks only keep themselves alive at all to offer this path to others.
- Precursors: They were the most advanced race the galaxy has ever known and the only one to ever reach a type 2 Kardashev civilization; they ruled a significant swath of the galaxy, and through their trading and wars left profound influences on almost every sapient species they encountered. When they discovered Telepathy and modified themselves to be able to use it, one of them discovered that it can be used as a religious Fantastic Drug and their entire civilization got addicted. Now all that's left of them are some impressive ruins and some slowly dying monks.
- Telepathy: They were able to modify themselves with the ability to hear and speak to the minds of others shortly before their civilization collapsed.
Rhinn
Arboreal creatures capable of sensing gravity fields. Skitter's species. Spoilers ahead.- Bizarre Alien Senses: Their mohawks can detect gravity fields, allowing them to maneuver around obstacles nobody else would notice until too late and perceive otherwise unnoticeable objects. They use them on their homeworld to identity invisible airborne predators.
- Long-Lived: They're only allowed to leave their homeworld in the last 10% of their lifespan, if they make it that far without getting eaten by predators. Said 10% is about 60 years, suggesting a lifespan of at least 600 years.
- Non-Linear Character: They are this on a tiny and localized scale thanks to their mohawks. Unlike most beings, which only exist in an eternal now, their brains simultaneously perceive a range of time between a few milliseconds into the past and a few milliseconds into the future. In practical terms, this means that they can react to external stimuli just before they actually happen, giving them what appear to be supernaturally good reflexes.
- Seers: They partially exist a few milliseconds into the future, which is part of what makes them such good pilots — they can respond to events a fraction of a second before they actually occur, which, in situations where a second of hesitation can cause a ship's destruction, is a very big deal.
- Telepathy: They're natural telepaths, something implied to be extremely rare. Considering how their planet is a Death World with invisible airborne predators, it's implied that they needed telepathy to defend against these predators, allowing them to alert each other to them.
- Treetop Town: They live in houses built in the treetops of the forests that cover Ashteet.
The Vinn
Have their own folder below, because they're not really a species. El Imperio
Emperor Cruz
The supreme ruler of the Imperio, who got his position by murdering his uncle, the previous office-holder, and framing Nosh. At the start of the comic, he charges the crew of the Machito to find Skitter's homeworld, as his species' ability to sense gravity disturbances would make them superb starship pilots and a massive asset to the Imperio.- Big Ol' Eyebrows: His eyebrows are so big, they jut out from the sides of his brows and can even be seen from behind his head.
- Dead Person Conversation: Has a habit of talking to his predecessor's statue when things are going poorly.
- The Emperor: The absolute ruler of the Imperio, which keeps its rule secure through liberal use of force and Secret Police, Cruz got his title after having the previous office-holder assassinated.
- Evil Uncle: To Fernando, though the available data suggests he's technically his second cousin (as Fernando's grandfather was his uncle).
- Last-Name Basis: Thus far he's only been referred to by his title and the family surname.
- The Napoleon: He's extremely short, and if his preference for appearing through giant holograms is any indication he may be compensating for it just a bit.
- Pragmatic Villainy: He was originally planning to dispose of the Machito's crew as part of The Purge of the previous emperor's loyalists, but due to its captain's reputation for competence and her good fortune to find exactly what he needs to win his war with the Continuum, he agrees to give them amnesty in return for finding more pilots like Skitter.
- Well-Intentioned Extremist: He assassinated and overthrew his kindly predecessor in a coup and put El Imperio on war footing. Why? Because his predecessor was willing to give up Faster-Than-Light Travel to appease the Continuum, which would not only end their empire but also leave them vulnerable to other threats. As far as he is concerned, his actions might cause his people to hate him, but they are keeping them alive.
Sebastian Cruz
The Proconsul of Du Fu, Sebastian receives the Machito's crew when they land there on orders of the emperor, although he has his own pressing reasons for wanting to speak to them.- Verbal Tic: He tends to repeat words two or three times, as in "mustn't-mustn't", "quickly-quickly" or "but but but!"
The Vinn
Less so a species than something like a neurological plague, the Vinn are a myseterious and hostile force that rules a large section of space on the edge of the galaxy, and spreads by transmitting itself to other beings. Infected creatures develop a number of new organic powers, at the cost of having their minds completely overwritten by those of a new Vinn entity.
- Beneficial Disease: The Vinn parasite causes all sorts of neato superpowers to develop within it's host: cytotoxic venom, a sixth sense, chromatophores, the ability to throw thunderbolts from the palm of one's hands, etc. The only drawbacks? The infested lose all memory, becoming an entirely different person. They also lose the ability to reproduce.
- Big Bad: So far shaping up to be the main driving force behind the story's larger conflict, as their religious desire to spread their disease and the revelation that the Vinn parasite makes its hosts unable to reproduce threaten the existence of all life in the galaxy.
- Bizarre Alien Biology: The Vinn are actually a number of species infected with a parasite, but this parasite spreads a number of useful genetic traits across each of those species. So most Vinn tend to have "bioelectrogenesis, venomous necrotoxins, chromataphore cells in their skin/hides, sharp vision due to minimal diffraction of incoming light, and shark-like electroreception".
- Cure That Kills: The "Daisy Cutter" weapon can kill the Vinn parasite, but the shock to the host usually kills them as well. The Jinyiwei eventually develop a slower treatment that kills the parasite but leaves the hose intact and allows them to recover their memories.
- Deflector Shields: They eventually develop these to shield their ships from Daisy Cutter particle beams, much to the dismay of the Jinyiwei.
- Didn't Think This Through: Their numbers are dwindling because the Vinn virus is a Sterility Plague. Their chosen solution is to infect the entire galaxy with it, sparing no one. They are too focused on their religion to realize the long-term implications of this, instead hoping that enough "births" will please their gods enough to save them.
- Have You Seen My God?: The Vinn religion revolves around finding their "Lost Gods", which in truth are an extinct race that genetically engineered them in an attempt to cure a disease that was killing them. It's a doomed quest — the Vinn parasite killed its makers more effectively than the disease ever did, and the few survivors nuked themselves into oblivion in a failed attempt to destroy the Vinn. It's implied that the Makers are the descendants of one of these "Gods" who managed to use the Ring Drive to escape their doomed homeworld.
- Mark of the Beast: Vinn all have black squares around their left eyes. It goes away when the parasite dies.
- No-Sell: The Vinn manage to re-create the containment field on the weapons specifically intended to fight them, and turned it inside-out to protect their ships.
- Puppeteer Parasite: Their biology revolves around a virus that infects other creatures' nervous systems and rewrites their minds and most of their biology to create a new creature to spread the Vinn infection.
- Super-Intelligence: One of the gifts of the parasite. A typical Fekk Dragon struggles to learn (let alone understand) a word. A Vinn!Fekk is goddamn eloquent.
- The Virus: The Vinn aren't actually a single species but at least 14 species all infected with a common parasite that bonds to the nervous system and restructures the brain, resulting in an entirely new, unique mind. Most, possibly all, Vinn are trying to spread across the galaxy in an attempt to find their "gods", who developed the parasite as a misguided cure for an unknown affliction, although it's described as a "cancerous malady".
- You Will Be Assimilated: The Vinn are like what you'd get if you crossed the Zerg with the Covenant: a religion of parasite-infested Super Soldiers who constantly evolve and have "spread our Beneficial Disease" as a form of evangelism.
Others
The Tres Primos
Three cousins and members of the Familia, the Tres Primos rejected their family's tyrannical rule, stealing a ring ship and becoming freedom fighters, fighting from the rich and powerful to help the poor and the oppressed.- Captain Ersatz: Robin Hood, Little John, and Friar Tuck IN SPACE!. No mention of the other merry men, Sherwood, etc, however. Alternately, ¡Three Amigos!.
- Cool Uncle: Three of them, to Fernando. To the rest of El Imperio, they're Black Sheep.
- Stealth Hi/Bye: They do this to Fernando while he is alone on the Machito.
Ahmis a.k.a the Rogue Maker
A Maker of the Continuum who was cast out from his people for inventing AI. His rebellion and escape from the Continuum proved to be the Inciting Incident that indirectly leads to the rise of El Imperio. Thought to be dead, he was actually sealed in a stasis pod unbeknownst to all, but has been awakened in a time not his own.- Badass Boast: When a Prahsitt farmer asks him if he can really repair a broken vehicle and create a machine to increase his harvest six-fold overnight, this is his response.Ahmis: My friend, I will build worlds with these hands.
- Broken Pedestal: He is widely admired as one of the most brilliant and inspiring Makers ever seen. But he is also regarded as one of their worst heretics, leading the Continuum's current leadership to have very mixed feelings about putting him on trial.
- Everyone Calls Him "Barkeep": His real name is Ahmis, but most refer to him as "Maker".
- Fish out of Temporal Water: Predates the Empire. He was thought to be dead, but was actually sealed in a stasis pod. When he awakens, he has no knowledge of the human Empire, or its war with the Continuum, or the Continuum's war with the Grasskans or basically anything for the last couple centuries. As Nosh puts it:Nosh: OOOF! That is heck of nap!
- The Heretic: In his efforts to impress the Continuum, he invented an artificial intelligence, a spirit that can create spirits. The Continuum regarded his invention as an abomination and hunted him down. At one point while on the run, he attempted to create a new religion. He has also called Shen, the first maker and the founder of the Continuum, a liar. He was still deeply offended when he learned that humanity stole the Drive when confronted with the Machito, but after Cuddow appeases and impresses him with the blueprints for an invention derived from the Drive, he opens up to the idea of working with other peoples.
- Impossible Task Instantly Accomplished: He passed the Test of Tests, which was supposed to take nearly a week, in an hour. Largely out of petulance, no less.He could have took another day. Added some art to the design. They told him he would get no sustenance until he was finished. That made him angry. He wanted a sandwich.
- The Mentor: To Kik, after the young Prahsitt impresses him with his understanding of complex technical concepts and a gift of a hand-made pendant.
- Play-Along Prisoner: The Continuum ends up discovering that he is still alive and takes him prisoner, planning to give him a trial and probably execute him. Ahmis later reveals that thanks to his current technology, he could have escaped whenever he wanted to and only played along because he has business that needs to be settled with them. He passes important information to the only Colegium member willing to listen to him and then uses a hacking implant to break loose when they inevitably sentence him to death.
- Super-Speed Reading: Possesses this skill, and he is able to use it to learn foreign languages. According to Kik, Ahmis could read through a whole dictionary in "two minutes, tops."
Kik
A young Prahsitt whose family farm the Rogue Maker crash-landed on, he eventually tags along with him as he goes to investigate the Vinn.- Audience Surrogate: Generally, his role in the story is for the Rogue Maker to have someone in-universe to exposit to, by extension providing a good narrative reason for him to exposit to the readers.
- Born Lucky: According to Prahsitt superstition, anyway. He's Green-Born — one of the rare Prahsitt born with green skin — and as such he's held by Prahsitt folk belief to be fated for a more momentous and interesting life than others. Considering his association with Ahmiss...
- Genius Ditz: Kik talks like your stereotypical deep south hick, and behaves in general like an untraveled rube (his first reaction to seeing humans for the first time is "I ain't never met humans a'fore, but I seen y'all in mah pitcher-books!"). But he makes Ahmis a fine piece of jewelry from scratch and is able to keep up with the Maker when Ahmis explains complex technical concepts like how the ring drive functions. He actually impresses Ahmis so much that Ahmis actually takes him on as a student.
