Literature: Federation Of The Hub aka: The Demon Breed
The Federation of the Hub is a series of science fiction short-stories and novels by James H. Schmitz. They are connected by their setting, an interstellar federation in the far future located toward the center of the galaxy. The series as a whole is considered memorable as one of the earliest in mainstream SF to feature strong female leads.Almost all of the stories feature one or more of three different young women. The majority of the stories (and the majority of the words in the series) are about teenaged psychic Telzey Amberdon. There are also several stories and one short novel starring or co-starring the young student Trigger Argee, who gets caught up in interplanetary intrigue, and later in the series, becomes friends with Telzey. In addition, there is one short novel and one short story starring biologist Nile Etland; though Nile never encounters Telzey or Trigger. Beyond that, there are a handful of stories featuring other minor characters, some of whom have smaller roles in the main Telzey/Trigger storyline.Baen Books have brought the series back into print in recent years. The reissue attracted some controversy among long-standing fans because of the editor's decision to tighten up a few of the stories, a process that in some cases more closely resembled major surgery. There were also some kinks in the release order: it was decided to release all the Telzey Amberdon stories first, with the result that every Telzey team-up story appears before the story introducing the character she's teaming up with. This doesn't really matter for the lesser recurring characters, whose stories don't have strong continuity or chronology; but volume 2, containing the Telzey and Trigger team-up stories, is definitely set after, and contains significant spoilers for, the solo Trigger stories in volume 3.Novels in the series:
Legacy (aka A Tale of Two Clocks). Stars Trigger Argee.
The Demon Breed (aka Tuvela). Stars Nile Etlund.
Baen's collections (in publication order) are:
Telzey Amberdon
TNT: Telzey and Trigger
Trigger and Friends (includes Legacy)
The Hub: Dangerous Territory (includes The Demon Breed)
Chivalrous Pervert: Heslet Quillan takes instant advantage of the situation when the nakedAction Girl falls into his arms—but never hesitates when a lady needs his help.
Curse Escape Clause: In "Child of the Gods", Telzey is mentally enslaved by another psionic, with several of her most potent skills locked away. When the man is incapacitated and a monstrously powerful alien is shortly due to arrive to enslave and/or eat them, Telzey breaks free when she realizes that his command to look after his best interests—without him conscious to decide otherwise—would best be served if she had full access to all her abilities and was free of his control so she could use them most effectively.
Extra Eyes: In "Company Planet", a surgeon has an additional eye in the centre of his forehead, which Telzey guesses might act as a magnifier for close-in work.
Famous Last Words: "And now, if it is within the power of a Tuvela to defy our purpose, show what you can do."
Hunting the Most Dangerous Game: Played with in "Novice" (the first Telzey story) with humans hunting crest cats, who (unbeknownst to the humans) are intelligent beings. However, the crest cats are having enormous fun hunting the humans right back.
Humans Are Psychic In The Future: The Hub stories have a significant number of psychic characters, even though psis are still only a tiny fraction of the human race. However, they are numerous enough that the Federation Psychology Service has spent centuries making sure that rogue psis don't screw up the status quo too badly. A character in one story explicitly mentions that humanity only developed psi powers when it started spreading to other planets, and speculates about how the two events might be connected.
Humans Are Warriors: the epilogue to The Demon Breed concludes that Humans Are Dangerous, Leave Them Alone.
Hyperspace Is a Scary Place: "A Nice Day For Screaming" has this in spades: the space itself is inherently hazardous, and then it turns out there are things living in it... although they aren't malicious.
Kaleidoscope Hair: Danestar Gems, in "The Searcher", always wears a wig of the same colour as her outfit.
Make The Dog Testify: In "Undercurrents". Subverted in that the dog didn't actually know a damn thing, but Telzey knows some people who can implant fake memories really really well...
Mook Horror Show: The epilogue to "The Demon Breed" retells the story from the aliens' point of view.
I must emphasize strongly the oppressively accumulating effect these events produced on the Parahuans during the relatively short period in which they occurred. As related by the survivors, there was a growing sense of shock and dismay, the conviction finally of having challenged something like an indestructible supernatural power. At the time they were questioned, the survivors still seemed more disturbed by this experience than by the practical fact of their own impending demise on orders of Porad Anz, of which they were aware.
Mugging the Monster: In Lion Game two street thugs stalk Telzey...very briefly.
Psychic Block Defense: Mind shield devices were commercially available, and creatures known as Old Galactics could provide them to their symbionts (such as humans).
Reasonable Authority Figure: Although the Federation's Psychology Service originally comes on like Psi-Corps, we rapidly see that if a psi shows a reasonable measure of self-control and responsibility the Psychology Service is entirely willing to leave them free to live their own life, even if their actions were technically illegal. The Psychology Service's motto might as well be "Every case is on a 'case-by-case basis'."
An example is that despite the fact that Telzey originally fought for her freedom by blackmailing the Psychology Service, they've been entirely willing to help with the damage control on other crises she's helped bring to their attention, no strings attached, to the point of temporarily giving her official status as a Psychology Service field agent and then cutting her loose again rather than forcing her to stay when the case was over (despite the fact that they have the legal authority to draft her at any time). Then again, her case manager seems to be taking the tack of 'When Telzey finishes growing up, she'll probably come to me willingly... after all, she does enjoy the work.'
Red Oni, Blue Oni: When Telzey & Trigger team up, the calmly cerebral and ruthless Telzey plays a classic blue oni to Trigger's cheerful, outgoing, and Hot Blooded red oni.
Sapient Pet: Telzey Amberdon's pet crest cat Tick-Tock in "Novice".
Screw the Rules, I Have Money!: Averted. Telzey's father is a highly wealthy and influential man, and her mother is on the Federation High Council... and vs. the forces she's been up against, both official and otherwise, neither one would have been able to do a damn thing to help.
Well, her dad comes in handy on one of her early cases by introducing her to the Kyth Detective Agency... and paying their bill.
Smart People Play Chess: Telzey Amberdon is a superpowered Teen Genius telepath, introduced in one story playing in the planetary championship games. (Made it to the semifinals, then had to drop out due to being interrupted by a case.)
Spank the Cutie: In Legacy, the threat of spanking is unsucessfully used (by her allies, no less) to keep Trigger Argee from making escape attempts. Trigger later uses the same trick on a captured Villain with Good Publicity, and records the conversation for blackmail fodder. Yowls and all.
Taking You with Me: In The Demon Breed, Ticos Cay's collection of biological specimens was assembled with this in mind, if he ever outlived his usefulness to the alien invaders.
Touched by Vorlons: How Telzey gets her powers. More precisely, Telzey was born with her powers but didn't consciously realize she had them until telepathic contact with an alien race "unlocked" them for her. However, the "unlocking" procedure went on for longer than it was supposed to, meaning that she gained access to some powers most humans didn't or couldn't.
Transhuman Treachery: “The Machmen” claim they have this rather than brainwashing.
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