Windswept - the main characters

[wiseheart]

WINDSWEPT – THE CHARACTERS
(The outline of a possible sci-fi universe)
by Soledad

Note: This is just a first, tentative set of characters. The names will likely to be changed, more characters will be added gradually, and so on.


THE TECHNOCRATS

Avakum, the Lord of Thule – the supreme leader of the Technocrats, and their chief warlord. In his late forties, he has been First Duumvir – the one responsible for all military operations – for the last 17 years.

He is a soldier, coming from a long line of soldiers and politicians; somewhat rigid and closed-minded, like most Technocrats, and rather heavy-handed when it comes to the execution of the law.

There are no twosome relationships on Thule, for the sake of keeping the gene pool healthy; fertile men and women are required to spread their genes as widely as possible. The children are raised and educated in communal schools; each pyramid has one of those,

To date, Lord Avakum has 14 children, from 12 different women. They live in 6 different pyramids. There is no regular contact between parents and offspring.

O-Hime, the Lady of Thule – the co-ruler of Thule, responsible for civilian aspects of life in their society.

A woman of Japanese origins, in her early fifties, beautiful, with excellent genes and a sharp intelligence. She’s a mathematician in the first place, with secondary and tertiary fields in astrophysics and astronomy. Aside from being the Second Duumvir – the one responsible for all non-military issues – she’s also the Deacon of the local university.

Her leadership is as needed on Thule as are her genes. Like other fertile Technocrats, she is not allowed to leave Thule, even though her fertilized ova are regularly harvested and planted into gestation tanks or suitable surrogate mothers. She has 21 children to date; one of her youngest daughters, O-Hei works with her at the university.

Major Arkadi – A six-foot-plus Caucasian in his early forties, who looks like a brick shithouse. He is the supreme commander of Thule’s infntry. A very talented engineer, he created the famous Technocrat battle suits that –aside from being heavily armed and shielded – can also serve as small escape vessels: they can shoot off a planet within thirty seconds. He is the right hand of Lord Avakum.

By nature a rough, aggressive man, he’s also a shrewd tactician. Unlike Captain Aquila, he tends to attack frontally, with guns blazing, but always with fairly good knowledge about his enemies’ strength. He has fathered 17 children before the frequent explosure to cosmic radiation rendered him infetile.

Major Kaylee-Lee - the spymaster of the Technocrats; an infertile female, with an excellent strategic sense. Comes from the same Caucasian subrace as Avakum, Arkadi and Aquila.

Captain Aquila – is the commander of the small raider ship Sanguine Expectations (this is a working name, borrowed from Karen’s BSG stories, just because I liked it, and will be changed later). A man in his mid-thirties, dark, brooding and ruggedly handsome, an experienced veteran with a strong personal hatred towards the cyborgs – I haven’t worked out the reason for his hatred yet. In other words, a rather clichéd character at this point. *g*

Ensign Flaeryn – the navigator of the Sanguine Expectations. In his late twenties, he looks a lot like Captain Aquila, although there are no close blood ties between them. They do, however, belong to the same batch of male Caucasians, bred according the same parameters.

Lieutenant Sigtun – is Aquila’s XO. A pretty redhead about 30, she’s the weapons expert of the team. Like with many of the Technocrats, her bloodline has gradually lost the ability to procreate, due to radiation damage. The Earth-children might or might not be able to help her, but she has no chance to ask them for help. She’s the only crewmember wearing the rank of a lieutenant.

First Mechanic Flavia – the very talented engineer of the Sanguine Expectations. A gorgeous blonde woman in her early thirties. Her greatest regret is that both cybernetics and bio-engineering are outlawed on Thule.

Starhawk – a tough, female mercenary with short-cropped, white-blond hair. Flies a one-of-its-kind one-man fighter: the first truly new construction developed on Thule.

THE EARTH-CHILDREN

For them, I borrowed names from the Scandinavian mythology – without any sound reason, just because the names were so wonderfully weird-sounding. I might change them later, should I come up with something better, but until then, they will do.

The Leviathan – a huge, organic and sentient spaceship that lives in a symbiotic relationship with her crew. She has a vaguely whale-like shape and is usually referred to as “Mother” by the crew. She has a semi-organic hull and extensive regenerative abilities. Cared for by a group of bio-engineers and geneticists.

In theory, the Leviathan would be able to reproduce, in an asexual manner. However, producing a smaller replica and tending to it to grow to full size, not to mention equipping it with all necessary systems (as only the hull can be reproduced biologically) would require practically all resources of the Earth-children. So they keep this as the last resort. They do keep a ship-embryo alongside the cryogenically frozen human embryos, but for the time being that’s only a security measure.

Chief Builder Audhumla – is the chief caretaker of the Leviathan, their equivalent of a chief engineer. She’s a biomechanical expert of middle age (which means beyond 90 for her kind), also referred to as “the Crone”. Specialized in organic technology and bio-weapons.

Aglaec-wif – is the leader of the Leviathan’s protectors, the equivalent of a tactical officer or a security chief. She’s an elderly woman (past 130) of great skills and experience… and exceedingly foul temper. Also referred to as “the Hag”.

Alsvin the Swift – a young combat pilot, his unit often raids the ship Windswept to free the slaves. One of his ancestors was a slave on the ship, hence his dedication.

He is a tall, well-built male, olive-skinned but with Negroid features and short-cropped, curly fair hair.

Aurgelmir – also known as “the Patriarch”. A medical doctor who’s responsible for the cryogenically frozen embryos; an excellent geneticist. Due to his own strong genes, he’s often requested to father children.

A dark-skinned, mature male with collar-length, wavy white hair and a neatly trimmed full beard.

Heimdall “the Changer” – the spymaster of the Leviathan. Due to a spontaneous genetic mutation, he’s capable of rearranging his features to a surprising extent. In his original shape he’s a short, silver-blond male of middle age, with icy blue eyes.

Hertha – referred to as “the Maiden”, a young female warrior and Audhumla’s chosen heir. The Earth-children live in a female-dominated society.

Loki Skywalker – the closest thing the Earth-children have to a warlord. He commands the raider troops. And yes, the Norse god Loki was called Skywalker long before Star Wars, thank you very much. He has the older claim by several centuries. *g*

His distinctive looks make him stand out from the entire human population. He has dark grey skin, silver hair and amber eyes like a falcon. His physical attributes are the result of a genetic experiment with the aim of giving the Earth-children natural immunity against cosmic radiation. The experiment was a success – save from the fact that not one of his numerous children inherited his immunity.

Sahagin (= the Sea-hag) - is an oceanologist who still dares to lead expeditions on the planet’s surface, partly to keep a close eye on the evolution of the sea creatures, partly to search for humans still living on the northern continent and taking them to the Leviathan. At some point, she has asked to be implanted with a pair of gills aside from her lungs. Due to some minor genetic engineering, she also has webbed hands and feet.

Verdandi – middle-aged female member of the Earth-children’s leading council.

Vídhar – middle-aged male member of the Earth-children’s leading council.

Ymir – middle-aged male member of the Earth-children’s leading council.

THE WINDSLAVES

That is how the slaves living on the ship Windswept are usually referred to. On Royo’s pictures, these are the guys in rags and with collars, shown in battered and dirty places.

Usein – a strong, athletic black male with short-cropped hair. Collared, to keep him under control. Aggressive and virile, with excellent genes. He breeds with several of the slave women, including Ruith and Sioy, and has the Watcher’s permission to use any woman whom he desires. He’s very popular, only Isis hates him.

Isis – a collaborator who acts as a domina over male slaves. Cyborg slut.

Dark-haired and sensuous, with very pale skin; the only slave who interacts with the Watcher directly. She’s infertile, which is why she’s given to the cyborgs to serve their needs. Hates both fertile men and women and delights in torturing them.

The Overseer – a ranking slave, used to control and physically punish other slaves. Caucasian yet bronze-skinned, with a buzz cut. Although gay, he’s forced to make female slaves pregnant, because of his excellent genes. He regularly uses the Thrall for his own pleasure.

The Slave Master – a mysterious, hooded figure who keeps track of he slaves of Windswept-the-ship. Nobody has ever seen its face; it’s unknown of which race it might be or how old it possible is… or, indeed, if it’s but one person or a member of an entire unit of slave-masters. Some say it’s one of the Burrowers that was once captured and its great dorsal spikes surgically removed, as Burrowers are tough and tend to live very long.

The Thrall – a captured rebel who gets regularly tortured to betray the others. Caucasian, athletic, bronze-skinned, with a buzz cut. He’d have been turned into a cyborg, were his excellent genes not so badly needed. He’s collared.

He wasn’t born as a slave. Originally, he was the chief warrior of Terminus, the right-hand-man of Astarte. He presumably knows all the secret hideouts and escape routes of the ruined spaceport, but so far neither torture nor mind-sweeps have made him reveal anything. Despite being constantly watched, he’s managed to warn the rebels of Terminus about cyborg raids, with Peta’s help.

Azazel – a captured Burrower, held in a cell aboard the Windswept for breeding purposes. Since – at least in theory – all branches of Furies can interbreed with humans, the Watcher intended to breed a stronger race of slaves. However, Furies can regulate the functions of their reproductive organs at will, and Azazel has made himself infertile by sheer willpower, refusing to take part in such abomination.

Furies and Burrowers generally wear the names of angels and demons from Earth mythology since their first contact with mankind. Those aren’t their real names, of course; those are given them at birth and only revealed to their life-mates.

Peta – blonde female, suspected to have ties to the rebels, so she’s collared and constantly watched. Infertile, so she’s given to the cyborgs to be used.

She was born on Thule and got captured during a raid that went terribly wrong. Her male shipmates got killed or turned into cyborgs; she was brought back to the Windswept as a slave. Her ultimate goal is to free the Thrall and flee with him to Thule. Born and trained as a Technocrat engineer, she can use random lesser systems beyond the Watcher’s control to send one-way messages to both Thule and Terminus and has so managed to warn the rebels about cyborg raids.

Scorpia – an infertile brunette with long, lush hair. Currently the preferred toy of the head cyborg, #4792. Born on the ship from countless generations of slaves.

Unlike other slave girls, she actually enjoys the attentions of her cyborg master – and the privileged status that comes with it. For that, the others naturally hate her, but nobody dares to raise a hand against her.

Ruith – one of Usein’s breeding partners. An auburn-haired brunette who uses her valued status to secretly support the revels.

Sioy – a feisty redhead, another one of Usein’s breeding partners.

Raven – a young, dark-haired female rebel, hiding among the slaves to prepare them for an insurrection.

THE CYBORGS

The Watcher – is not a cyborg but an artificial intelligence that controls the main functions of the ship (computers, automated systems and so on). Its influence is slowly growing in extension towards the minor systems, as the ship’s extensive damages are being slowly repaired. However, most of the minor systems must still be manned. The Watcher has no control whatsoever over most of the lower decks and those systems tat had to be switched to manual control, due to the damage the ship has suffered during the war and the raids.

The Link – she is the only female cyborg, but a very different kind than the male soldiers. Once the chief cyberneticist of Windswept-the-ship, she voluntarily became the Watcher’s physical manifestation after the last battle.

She’s a beautiful black woman with lots of cybernetic gizmos implanted into her body – especially her head looks as if she’d be wearing some sort of wide, high-tech headband. In theory, she can directly interface with every computer on board, but it’s dangerous and painful for her to do so; the more primitive the system is, the worse it is for her.

After being grievously injured in the last battle, her ova have been harvested in order to secure her bloodline for the future. So far, no attempts have been made to fertilize them and put them into a surrogate mother, as nobody aboard the Windswept has the medical knowledge to do so. It’s assumed that without the Link, the Watcher would lose control over the ship, so she’s a favourite target of the rebels.

The Cyborgs – have no individual names, just serial numbers. Once they used to be gravely wounded soldiers of the Technocrats, who were stripped of most of their inner organs and equipped with biomechanical body parts and a partial exoskeleton of a similar nature. They don’t need to eat or to have a digestive system, and naturally, they are sterile, but they still have their male organs and sex drive. It’s unknown why these particular organs were left, but it’s guessed that the reason was to control them through their sex drive and the satisfaction of it. They have a battery-like energy source that needs to be recharged after a time, especially when they’ve been in combat. Yeah, I know it sounds a bit like the Borg, but it’s just a first draft, so it might change later (or so I hope).

The Watcher is, in theory, capable of creating more cyborgs, but most of those experiences have gone horribly wrong, because neither the cyborgs nor the slaves have the necessary knowledge to use the biomechanical labs properly. For this reason, the Watcher always urges its troops to capture Earth-children from the Leviathan, as those are the only people left who might have the necessary know-how.

Cyborg #4792 – said to be the last one from the original crew of the ship Windswept, from the time of the Conflict. It’s possible that he still has some of his human memories, unlike the newer models. He always uses the same slave girl, as long as said girl is available, and as he’s the ranking cyborg, the others stay away from his preferred toy, which is a slightly better fate for the girl in question. Hates Isis very much; his current chose one is a pretty brunette named Scorpia.

THE PLANET-DWELLERS

Heliantha – the current leader of As’Toroken, or what’s left from the chief city of the Earth-children. She’s young (planet-dwellers don't get old as a rule), white-skinned with long brown hair. An excellent fighter. She has semi-regular contact with both the Technocrats of Thule and the Earth-children of the Leviathan. Was repeatedly offered asylum by both groups but refused to accept, saying that her people needed her down the planet.

Her main goal is to free all Windslaves from the ship Windswept and eventually relocate them – as well as her own people – to the Leviathan. Her sympathies definitely lie with the Earth-children.

Nepentha – an excellent fighter, she used to be Heliantha’s right-hand-woman; until attacked by a sea monster – half cyborg, half armoured insect – that raped, killed and finally ate her. Her ova had been harvested, though, and are kept in storage aboard the Leviathan to enrich the gene pool.

There is a possibility of having her cloned and thus resurrected later. We’ll see.

Astarte – a thin, olive-skinned woman with short-cropped, jet-black hair; the only person who’s ever escaped from Windswept-the-ship on her own. How she’s managed it is still a mystery. She has extensive knowledge of the ship’s systems and about the strengths and the weaknesses of the cyborgs, and is thus invaluable for the rebels. She’s currently the leader of Terminus, the ruined spaceport of the planet, and organizes the resistance of this most endangered spot.

Her sympathies tend towards the Technocrats, believing that they have the best weapons to eradicate all cyborgs on the ship. The shared hatred towards these creatures led to her on-off affair with Captain Aquila. Basically, they have sex whenever Aquila visits the planet and they’re not in a fight of some sorts.

THE CREATURES OF THE OCEAN

I must admit these are the ones I have the least idea about. I’ll have to give them a lot of thought yet.

The Kraken – a race of tentacled sea monsters, big enough to be mistaken for small islands. They’re said to have strange mental powers, which is how they can rule over the planet’s oceans.

Sea-bugs – a relatively new mutation. Cyborgs of the Windswept have once crash-landed in the middle of the ocean, due to some malfunction of the particle transporter. They were captured and genetically changed by adding genetic material of sea creatures, presumably some sort of crabs. Now they can leave the ocean for short periods of time only, and as their urges have not been changed, they prey on the women of the planet-dwellers.

THE FURIES

Again, no individual characters yet. I’ll have to study the Royo pics in more depth to work out the differences.

So, that’s all so far. All and any ideas are welcome, and a joint effort to use all this stuff isn’t out of the question, either.