Arks of Andromeda

In the far future, humans have colonized Andromeda and formed an empire called the Imperium. Centuries later, the Imperium is fraught with war, intrigue, and a mysterious secret that may tear it apart.

Characters

Augustus, Prince Alexander: Mischievous son of the Emperor and black sheep of the Augustus family.

Augustus, Emperor Hector: Patriarch of the Augustus family and current emperor of the Imperium.

Bar-Batos, Ambassador: Emissary of the Magna Supremacy and former (perhaps current?) adversary of Emperor Augustus.

Bentley: Longtime butlerbot of Lord Maycare.

Blixx, Capt. Durant: Captain of the pirate ship the Hotspur.

Boogs, Zarro: Disreputable vendor of questionable merchandise.

Burke, Lt.: Imperial Naval officer and assistant to Lord Tagus III.

Calico, Mister Jack: Quartermaster of the Hotspur.

Crawley, Detective: An unscrupulous detective of the Regalis Police Department.

Davidson, Randall: Member of the Robot Freedom League.

Doric, Prof. Jessica: Head of research for the Maycare Institute of Xeno Studies.

Freck, Melinda "Mel": A tinker from the Gnomi race, Mel builds whatever she can't steal.

Big G: Tikarin leader of the Si-Sawat crime syndicate and proprietor of the Fat Cat Casino.

Groen, Lord Raymond: An aristocrat often found gambling with life-long companion Lord Woodwick.

Gurkin, Smitty: Mysterious Gordian. Associated with Lord Rupert Tagus III.

Hitch, Capt. Cameron: Captain of the smuggling ship the Rattenbury.

Jericho: Advanced android with a gravitonic brain.

Kalidas, Counselor: Dahl adviser to Emperor Augustus.

Koshkin, Calesta: Member of the Red Lotus crime syndicate.

Lucy, Lefty: Bodyguard to Prince Alexander and former member of the Red Lotus syndicate.

Maal-Bok: A Magna involved with pirate attacks against Imperial shipping.

Marshall, Duncan: Only son of Senator Joan Marshall.

Marshall, Senator Joan: Member of the Imperial Senate.

Maycare, Lord Devlin: Famous sportsman and playboy. Founder of the Maycare Institute of Xeno Studies.

Montros, Empress Isabella: Wife of Emperor Augustus, Isabella comes from the House of Montros, one of the powerful Five Families.

Ramsey, Capt.: Captain of the freighter the Steppenwolf.

Ramus, Capt. Rowan: Captain of the freighter the Wanderer. A Dahl outcast knowledgeable in the forbidden art of Dark Psi.

Riff, Henry: Overly excitable assistant to Prof. Doric.

Skarlander, Oscar: Agent for Warlock Industries.

Skeeter: One-wheeled robot and associate to Smitty Gurkin.

Tagus III, Lord Rupert: Imperial Naval officer and son of the Tagus family patriarch.

Tarkio, Archsenator Malcolm : Member of the Emperor’s Council.

Vicious, Kid: Boss of the Griefer gang.

Woodwick, Lord Winsor: A noble of English descent and friend of Lord Groen.

Yost, Dyson: The enigmatic founder of dy cybernetics.

Valeria, Jolana: Archsenator Tarkio's mistress and member of the Red Lotus.

Glossary

Aldorus: The planet on which the Imperial government is located.

Ashetown: The richest district of Regalis. Also, the location of most Imperial government buildings.

Augustus: A royal family represented by a two-headed eagle.

Bettik: A Dyson sphere built by robots that serves as the Cyber Collectives home planet.

Cyber Collective: An independent, interstellar nation founded by robots.

Dahl: An ancient race dedicated to the accumulation of knowledge. Physically slight, they coincidently resemble elves of human folklore. Several sub-species of Dahl exist in Andromeda.

dy cybernetics: The largest manufacturer of robots in the Imperium. Founded by Dyson Yost.

Emperor’s Counsel: A group drawn from the Imperial Senate. Called archsenators, they act as a liaison between the Senate and the Emperor.

Fat Cat Casino: A large gambling house on Regalis run by Big G.

Five Families: The most powerful houses of the Imperial nobility. Direct descendants of the captains from the surviving sleeper ships.

Forgotten, The: Dahlvish term for any Dhal that’s been exiled from their society. The memory of their existence is psionically erased from all non-exiled Dahl.

Gnomi: A diminutive race, no more than two to three feet tall. Despairingly called tinks, the Gnomi are highly proficient with machines and electronics.

Gordian: A race of stubborn, boar-like humanoids with pig noses and tusks. Physically stocky, but shorter than the average human.

Gorgon: The largest warship in the Imperial Navy, commanded by Lord Rupert Tagus III.

Griefers, The: A street gang led by Kid Vicious.

Groen: A royal family represented by a cross bottony.

Hotspur: Pirate ship owned by Capt. Blixx.

Imperial Senate: The highest legislature of the Imperium, made up of both commoners and nobles.

Imperium: A empire founded, and largely controlled, by humans.

Magna: A races of green-skinned humanoids with devil or ram-like horns. Larger and more physically muscular than an average human.

Magna Supremacy: A major interstellar power at odds with the Imperium.

Middleton: A district of Regalis inhabited by large businesses and, in general, middle-class neighborhoods.

MoFoCo: A disreputable mega-corporation specializing in products of questionable quality.

Montros: A royal family represented by a rose.

Naiad: The “user interface” for the Pool of Memory.

Nobles: The nobles of the Imperium are families directly descended from the crews of the sleeper ship. The most powerful of these are called the Five Families. Also called the aristocracy.

Pool of Memory: A liquid computer in which the collected knowledge of the Dahl is stored.

Prill: A remote planet covered in thick jungles.

Psionics: Special mental abilities common among Dahl and related sub-species. Also called Mind Magic.

Rattenbury: Freighter owned by Capt. Hitch.

Red Lotus: A criminal organization run entirely by women, specializing in extortion and prostitution.

Regalis: Capital and seat of government of the Imperium, located on Aldorus.

Revenna: A planet of lush forests owned mostly by the Montros family.

Robot Freedom League (RFL): An activist group within the Imperium with the sole purpose of freeing robots from servitude.

Sadira Flowers: A neighborhood flower shop in Regalis that serves as a front for Red Lotus.

Si-Sawat: A crime syndicate made up of Tikarin and led by Big G.

Sleeper Ship: One of seven colony ships launched from Earth for the Andromeda Galaxy. Only five were known to have survived the journey.

Sorcerer: Starship owned by Warlock Industries, often used by Oscar Skarlander.

Starling: A starship owned by Magnus Black.

Steppenwolf: Freighter owned by Capt. Ramsey.

Tagus: A royal family represented by a lion.

Tikarin: A feline race slightly smaller than an average human.

Veber: A royal family represented by a scallop shell.

Wanderer: Freighter owned by Capt. Ramus.

Warlock Industries: A mega-corporation operating throughout the Imperium, specializing in military hardware, advanced technology, and genetic experimentation.

West End: A district of Regalis in which the poorest of the city live.