The Firebird Trilogy is a set of Space Opera novels by Kathy Tyers. Originally a duology released in the late '80s, in 2001 the series was rewritten to incorporate Christian themes and re-released, and a third book was added. In 2011, a fourth book came out, with a fifth and final book slated to be released in 2012.Lady Firebird Angelo is a royal wastling, born only to ensure that the royal line of Netaia does not die out and fated to commit honorable suicide now that her eldest sister has had two children. As a skilled military pilot, Firebird is ordered into the first wave of the attack against Veroh, a planet under Federate protection, under orders to seek honorable death in combat. Unfortunately for her plans, her mental cry of distress over the death of her wingman (and best friend) is noticed by the telepathic Special Operations officer, Brennen Caldwell, piquing his interest. He orders her captured.While interrogating her via mind access, he realizes that they are perfectly connatural: their brains function in the exact same way, potentially enabling them to connect far more deeply than they could with anyone who was not connatural with them. Not wanting to lose the only person perfectly connatural with him, Brennen offers Firebird Federate asylum. Firebird is thus forced to choose between her desire to live and her proud loyalty to a country that demands her death.The series includes these books:
Badass Princess: Firebird, while not technically a princess because of the Netaian inheritance structure, qualifies. She had a choice between going into advanced music studies or going into the military. She chose the military, and has repeatedly demonstrated her fighting skills. She also has no diplomatic skills, contrasting with Princess Classic Carradee and Politically Active Princess Phoena.
"It causes all the central motor neurons to fire. Every muscle contracts, every synapse sparks as if it were insane. It will near your muscles from the bones, and eventually stop your breathing . . . but it leaves sensory nerves intact to the very end."
The worst of the Netaian execution methods fall under this, too. There's the D-wave rifles, which disrupt and then destroy nerve cells, crazing the victim with pain. And then there's lustration, which is when super-heated plates are set at the end of the prisoner's extremities and very slowly moved inwards, vaporizing flesh and bone but leaving the victim alive until the plates reach the torso.
Comes Great Responsibility: The Sentinels are well aware of the dangers their powers entail, and therefore hold themselves to a high moral standard.
Conveniently Coherent Thoughts: Somewhat justified, as the telepaths don't merely read the thoughts off the surface off the mind; they are actively directing what they see.
Crapsack World: Three Zed. Netaia isn't exactly a barrel of laughs, either.
Darker and Edgier: The Federacy seems to be taking a turn for this. Well, given the political backdrop when Jesus walked the earth...
Double Meaning Title: Wind and Shadow refers to the main female character, Wind Haworth, and the main antagonist, who is a Shadow, as well as to the book's thematic elements: the ability of people to heal or to harm (wind, which can be beneficial or devastating) and spiritual darkness and temptation (shadow).
Idiosyncratic Episode Naming: Each book's name is based off of the main female character's name: Firebird, Fusion Fire, and Crown of Fire with Firebird; and Wind and Shadow with Wind Haworth.
The Shuhr can induce this in their victims, so that the victim doesn't remember the less pleasant aspects of their treatment.
The Sentinel Special Ops forces have a learned trigger which will cause them to forget any and all sensitive information they might know. (This overlaps with Psychic Block Defense.)
Mindlink Mates: Pair bonding, the natural outcome of sex for the telepathic races. The Shuhr have found a way to avoid this happening, allowing them to have sex without commitment. The Sentinels marry whomever they are compatible with (and only those they are compatible with—a pair bond between incompatible people causes both parties excruciating pain for the rest of their lives, as pair bonds are only breakable by death).
Mind Over Manners: The Sentinels have detailed limits (to the point of having a manual) on how they are allowed to use these powers. These limits are enforced by the Sentinel community, for two reasons: 1) Most Sentinels truly want to behave ethically; the limits provide fairly sound guidance as to what uses of their power are and are not ethical. 2) The limits and their enforcement are the boundary preventing a generally mistrustful public from panicking and deciding to wipe out all the Sentinels.
Mind Probe: Both Sentinels and Shuhr/Mikuhrans are capable of this, although the Sentinels are only allowed to use it in very limited situations (such as for military interrogation).
The Namesake: Fusion Fire refers to the enormous burst of energy created by reverse-polarity (telepathic) fusion, a technique which is first seen about halfway through that book and first used successfully during the climax.
Offing the Offspring: Younger children of the Queen/nobles of Netaia are to commit suicide once their older siblings have secured the succession.
Pride: The chief failing of both Brennen and Firebird.
Princess Classic: Carradee Angelo is gentle, honorable, sweet, and rather uninterested in politics. Unfortunately for her, as eldest, she is the heir to the throne, which leads to her being thrust into ruling before she is truly ready for it. She contrasts with Phoena, who is a Politically Active Princess, and Firebird, who is a Badass Princess.
Psychic Assisted Suicide: When they're not interested in playing with their victims, the Shuhr often resort to this to remove those who are no longer of use to them.
Racial Remnant: The planet Ehret was destroyed by civil war. Two groups fled the conflict. One group settled on an already populated planet and integrated into the existing structure, while still passing down Ehretan culture; they became the Sentinels. The other group settled on a previously barren world, creating a new culture that became known as the Shuhr (and later the Mikuhrans).
Samus Is a Girl: Brennen initially assumes Firebird is a man, simply because she was a pilot in the attack phalanx of the Netaian invasion force. His assumption is corrected after she is captured.
Tongue Tied: When Brennen tells Firebird about the prophecy his family is under, he first has to set up a mental block that prevents her from ever revealing the information she is about to learn to anyone else.
You Have Failed Me: Mook Arac Nahazh was in charge of the watch-link over The Mole who died under mysterious circumstances.
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