The Confederation Handbook (15 page)

The only time any Kiint have demonstrated any real enthusiasm for
anything involving the Confederation was regarding the Laymil
research project funded by the Lord of Ruin. Several Kiint are now
assisting with the task of analyzing the Laymil race, and the
instrumentation they have made available to the other researchers has
proved invaluable. The Lord of Ruin does not make any payment to the
Kiint involved in this project, as they participate simply because
they desire to.

Although never gregarious,
they can form friendships of a sort with humans, especially with
individuals they regularly come into contact with.

Reproduction

This is another subject on
which the Kiint are notoriously reticent. However, they do seem to
practice monogamous relationships, though none has ever been observed
mating. Duration of pregnancy is unknown, but given their large size
is estimated at fifteen (Earth) months. Only one infant has ever been
born inside the Confederation: Haile, the child of two researchers at
Tranquillity.

Economy

Their economy is difficult
to assess; in fact it is doubtful that the word “economyâ€

It eventually became known
that the actual Kiint homeworld is not even inside the Confederation
galaxy. Jobis was simply a scientific outpost used to explore this
galaxy.

The extent to which the Kiint had concealed their true abilities and
culture from the Confederation is quite extraordinary. Hiding behind
their claim of disinterest, they were able to promote the notion of
their being a species concerned only with cerebral enhancement in a
post-technological era. In fact they are—and all the time have
been—very much at the height of their technological powers,
having a teleport facility which does away with the need for
starships, and they are actively and vigorously exploring this entire
region of space. Their own homesystem does not have a single
homeworld, but rather a ring of planets orbiting their sun (which is
assumed to be their original sun). This system acts as a meeting
point for all the sentient starfaring species in their galaxy (and
presumably others), where knowledge and ideas can be exchanged.

That the Kiint are able to
manufacture planets on such a scale is an indication of their awesome
technical prowess, although the triad moons did hint at such an
ability. As previously suspected, they have developed a perfect
replicator to supply all their physical requirements.

Their government is referred
to as the Corpus, which does seem analogous to the Edenist Consensus,
although it is apparently more active and universal.

They have been observing the
human race for at least 2,000 years. Humans with modified genes were
specially bred to act as an observer team, and have been quietly
watching and recording Earth’s history for them. Apparently
they followed the same policy for every other pre-spaceflight
species, and observed many xenoc species in a similar fashion. Their
non-intervention policy is enforced quite rigorously by the native
observers.

Only two true humans, Joshua
Calvert and Jay Hilton, have visited the Kiint homesystem. It seems
that when the Confederation develops a stardrive capable of reaching
their galaxy, humans will be permitted full access to the Kiint
database.

This was the first sentient
xenoc species to be discovered by the Confederation. A scoutship
entered their system (180 light-years from Earth) in 2301.

At this time the Jiciro were
a pre-technology civilization that was just moving into an
agricultural age. It was therefore decided that no further contact
should be made, so allowing the Jiciro society to develop without
“contaminationâ€

Joshua
Calvert

Born in Tranquillity. His
father, Marcus Calvert, was the owner and captain of the starship
Lady
Macbeth.
Marcus died from organ failure due to substance and
neural-stimulant abuse following a long term of depression after his
last flight in the
Lady Macbeth
, during which the ship was
damaged. Joshua was ten years old when Marcus died, and inherited his
starship. His mother subsequently remarried.

Joshua has considerable
geneering in his heritage, since the Calverts have been involved in
the space industry for centuries, and have been modified accordingly.
They do not suffer from free-fall sickness, and their bones and
internal organs can withstand relatively high acceleration.

Joshua raised enough funds to repair the
Lady Macbeth
by
scavenging the Ruin Ring for xenoc artifacts. The starship is now
flown as an independent trader, traveling from system to system with
commercial cargo.

Liol Calvert

Joshua’s half-brother.
Born in Ayacucho asteroid, in the Dorado system, he was conceived
just before his father Marcus took
Lady Macbeth
on her last
flight. Liol founded and has built up his own astroengineering
company, Quantum Serendipity.

Ashly Hanson

Born in 2199, a one-way time
traveler. At thirty years old he put his inheritance money in a trust
fund managed by the Jovian Bank, which supplies him with long-term
maintenance for a zero-tau pod. He remains in stasis for fifty years
at a time, then spends five years looking around the Confederation
before going back into stasis again. He is an excellent pilot,
qualified for both atmospheric and spaceplane craft. A crew-member
on
Lady Macbeth
.

Syrinx

Edenist captain of the
voidhawk
Oenone
. She underwent a typical Edenist upbringing,
although she was the most wilful of her ten siblings. This may be due
to one of
Oenone
’s pattern energizers being the
Udat
, a blackhawk that would have a more liberal outlook than a voidhawk.
Since a newly hatched voidhawk and its captain grow in physical
symbosis for the first year, her personality would be forged in this
time, and with that lingering influence.

She and
Oenone
took an
early duty tour with the Confederation Navy, during which time she
lost her brother Thetis and the
Graeae
during a mission to
capture ships smuggling antimatter. After this time Syrinx became
suspicious and mistrustful of Adamists in general.

Ione Saldana

The Lord of Ruin, a title
which derives from her total command of the independent habitat
Tranquillity. Technically the habitat is a duchy of the Kulu Kingdom,
though in practice it has been an independent state since the
abdication crisis of 2432.

As her embryo was brought
out of zero-tau just when her biological father, Maurice, was dying,
her only true “parentâ€

Lady Macbeth

Melvyn Ducharme
Fusion
specialist

Sarha Mitcham
Systems
specialist

Dahybi Yadev
Node
specialist

Warlow
Cosmonik

Beaulieu
Cosmonik

Oenone

Ruben
Fusion systems

Oxley
Pilot

Cacus
Life support

Edwin
Toroid systems

Serina
Toroid systems

Tyla
Cargo officer

Villeneuve’s
Revenge

André Duchamp
Captain

Desmond Lafoe
Fusion
specialist

Madeleine Collum
Node
specialist

Erick Thakrar
Systems
specialist/CNIS undercover agent

Udat

Meyer
Captain

Cherri Barnes
Cargo
officer

Far Realm

Layia
Captain

Furay
Pilot

Endron
Systems specialist

Tilia
Node specialist

Arikara

Rear-Admiral Meredith
Saldana
Squadron commander

Lieutenant Grese
Squadron
Intelligence Officer

Lieutenant Rhoecus
Voidhawk
Liaison Officer

Kroeber
Commander

Beezling

Kyle Prager
Captain

Peter Adul
Alchemist team
physicist

Iles

Auster
Captain

On Hellhawks

Rocio Condra
Mindori
Possessor

Cameron Leung
Zahan
Possessor

Etchells
Stryla Possessor

Pran Soo
Varrad Possessor

Tranquillity

Parker Higgens
Director,
Laymil project

Oski Katsura
Laymil
Project, Electronics Division chief

Kempster Getchell
Laymil
Project astronomer

Monica Foulkes
ESA agent

Lady Tessa
ESA Head of
Station

Samuel
Edenist
Intelligence agent

Pauline Webb
CNIS agent

Kelly Tirrel
Rover
reporter

Lieria
Kiint

Nang
Kiint

Haile
Juvenile Kiint

Parris Vasilkovsky
Commercial
cargo starship fleet owner

Dominique
Vasilkovsky
Parris’s daughter, socialite

Clement Vasilkovsky
Parris’s
son, university student

Sam Neeves
Scavenger,
pirate

Octal Sipika
Scavenger,
pirate

Olsen Neale
Commander,
Confederation Navy Bureau

Valisk

Anastasia Rigel
Starbridge
tribe member

Kiera Salter
Marie
Skibbow’s possessor

Stanyon
Possessor, Council
member

Bonney Lewin
Possessor,
hunter

Hudson Proctor
Possessor,
Kiera’s deputy, hellhawk liaison

Tolton
Street poet,
fugitive

Tatiana Rigel
Fugitive

Erentz
Rubra’s
descendant

Dr. Ratan
Rubra’s
descendant, physicist

Trafalgar

Samuel Aleksandrovich
First
Admiral, Confederation Navy

Admiral Lalwani
CNIS Chief

Captain Maynard Khanna
First
Admiral’s staff officer

Admiral Motela Kolhammer
1st
Fleet commander

Dr. Gilmore
CNIS Research
Division Director

Jacqueline Couteur
Possessor

Lieutenant Murphy
Hewlett
Confederation Marine

Captain al-Sahhaf
First
Admiral’s staff officer

Koblat

Jed Hinton
Deadnight cult
disciple

Beth
Deadnight cult
disciple

Gari Hinton
Jed’s
sister

Navar
Jed’s
half-sister

Ayacucho

Ikela
Owner of T’Opingtu
company and Garissan partisan leader

Voi
Ikela’s daughter

Prince Lambert
Captain of
the starship
Tekas

Dan Malindi
Partisan
leader

Kaliua Lamu
Partisan
leader

Feira Ile
Ayacucho SD
commander, partisan leader

Cabral
Media magnate,
partisan leader

Mrs. Nateghi
Lawyer

Lodi Shalasha
Garissan
radical

Eriba
Garissan radical

Kole
Socialite

Shea
Prince Lambert’s
girlfriend

Jesup

Lawrence Dillon
Light
Bringer disciple

Twelve-T
Gang lord

Bonham
Light Bringer
disciple

Shemilt
Light Bringer
disciple, SD commander

Dwyer
Light Bringer
disciple, systems specialist

Norfolk

Grant Kavanagh
Owner of
Cricklade estate

Marjorie Kavanagh
Grant’s
wife

Genevieve Kavanagh
Marjorie
and Grant’s daughter

Luca Comar
Grant
Kavanagh’s possessor

Susannah
Marjorie
Kavanagh’s possessor

Mrs. Charlsworth
Kavanagh
sisters’ nanny

Mr. Butterworth
Cricklade
estate manager

Carmitha
Romany

William Elphinstone
Trainee
farm manager, Cricklade

Fletcher Christian
Possessor

Marcella Rye
Possessor,
Colsterworth council officer

Johan
Mr. Butterworth’s
possessor

Celina Hewson
Louise’s
aunt

Roberto Hewson
Louise’s
cousin

Bruce Spanton
Marauder

Véronique
Olive
Fenchurch’s possessor

Kenneth Kavanagh
Merchant

Lalonde

Powel Manani
IVET
supervisor

Lawrence Dillon
IVET

Jackson Geal
IVET

Ann
IVET

Scott Williams
IVET

Loren Skibbow
Colonist

Marie Skibbow
Colonist,
Gerald’s daughter

Paula Kava
Colonist,
Gerald’s daughter

Ruth Hilton
Colonist,
didactic imprint specialist

Jay Hilton
Colonist,
Ruth’s daughter

Father Horst Elwes
Colonist,
priest

Colin Rexrew
Governor

Terrance Smith
Governor’s
executive aide