-Ninth Life-

Cast of Characters

by Havoc

Deirdre “Dee” Flynn

Species: Human

Sex: Female

Age: 27

Title: Supervisory Special Agent

Organization: Cerelan Federal Police

Birthplace: Belfast, Northern Ireland, Earth

Height: 5'8”

Weight: 130 lbs.

Hair Color: Red

Eye Color: Green

Bio:

Deirdre was born and raised on Earth in a strictly Catholic family. She was two years old when humanity went to war with the Ailian Ascendancy, and when she was twelve her family fled Earth just in time to escape the invasion of the separatist forces. Deirdre spent the rest of her childhood as refugee on the United Nations capital world of Cerelis. When she was seventeen and the peace accords with the Ascendancy were signed, Deirdre remained on Cerelis to complete her schooling. After graduation, she briefly considered higher education but elected instead to begin a career in the Cerelan Federal Police, humanity's galaxywide law enforcement agency. She distinguished herself early in her career by running down numerous fugitives from the law, including many people who collaborated with the separatist movement during the war. Despite her strict religious upbringing, Deirdre is a lesbian, a fact that she keeps hidden from her family and most everyone else who knows her. The secrecy has left her with little opportunity to form intimate relationships, and Deirdre frequents call girls, with a girl named Alice being her favorite. The guilt from her upbringing has led to a bit of an alcohol problem, which luckily has not interfered with her official duties.

Deirdre's current assignment is heading up the Cerelan Federal Police's Fugitive Task Force, an assignment which takes her throughout human and Ailian space. She frequently partners with Mari Ayalis, the CFP's liaison to the Ascendancy's Royal Guards.

Trivia:

Deirdre has played soccer since she was in grade school, and plays on an amateur team in her off time.

Mari Ayalis

Species: Ailian

Sex: Female

Age: 37

Title: Captain

Organization: Lirnan Royal Guards

Birthplace: Syleen, Core Worlds, Ascendancy

Height: 7'7”

Weight: 400 lbs.

Fur Color: Black

Eye Color: Pale blue (left), sapphire (right)

Bio:

Mari was born on Syleen, one of the oldest colony worlds in the Ascendancy, in the nearest solar system to the one that hosts the Ailian home world of Lirna. Her family was middle-class, and unusually for an Ailian family, Mari is an only child. During her childhood, she was frequently the target of ridicule and bullying due to her very small size for an Ailian. She learned early on how to defend herself against her larger schoolmates. Mari joined the military eight years into the Ascendancy's war with humanity and trained as a sniper, eventually being accepted into the elite Royal Guards and earning a spot on the protective detail for the Empress. Mari was briefly bonded in her early twenties, and has a daughter on Lirna.

When the war ended Mari remained in the Royal Guards, protecting the Royal Consort, Sami Me'lia, for several years before being posted as the Guard's liaison to the Cerelan Federal Police. As part of her assignment, she tracks and apprehends Ailian fugitives in human space, and she also assists the CFP with apprehending human fugitives in the Ascendancy.

Trivia:

During her time living in human space, Mari has become enamored with human music, and plays the piano as a hobby.

Alice

Species: Human

Age: 25

Sex: Female

Title: None

Organization: None

Birthplace: Unknown

Height: 5'5”

Weight: 120 lbs.

Hair Color: Blonde

Eye Color: Blue

Bio:

Alice is a call girl living on Cerelis. She caters to a high-class crowd and is very conscious of her looks. Alice doesn't like giving out too many details about her personal life, since discretion is the name of the game in the prostitution world, but some of her regular, trusted customers have the privilege of knowing a few tidbits. She first encountered Deirdre, who she calls “Dee”, when Deirdre was investigating a politician who happened to be one of Alice's clients. Deirdre was rather taken with her, and temptation proved to be too much, and now Agent Flynn is one of her best customers. Though Alice knows Deirdre would like to be more, as far as she's concerned things are strictly, if very cordially, business.

Trivia:

Alice always wears red lipstick, no matter what else she has on.

Marcus Remy

Species: Human

Age: 35

Sex: Male

Title: None

Organization: New Ascendancy (defunct)

Birthplace: Paris, France, Earth

Height: 5'10”

Weight: 180 lbs.

Hair Color: Brown

Eye Color: Gray

Bio:

Marcus Remy was born on Earth, and his family moved to Cerelis prior to the beginning of the war with the Ascendancy. He was a prodigy and graduated university prior to turning twenty, at which point he entered government service. His career went stagnant early, as his personality proved too standoffish for most of his superiors. Frustrated, he was easy pickings for Ara'lana Me'lia when the rebel leader was looking for spies in human space. Remy organized the assassination of several high-ranking UN politicians and military officers, and passed on countless bits of classified information to the self-styled New Ascendancy.

When the rebellion was defeated and the Pteryd retreated, Remy was quickly ferreted out by the Cerelan Federal Police. As arrest teams closed in on him, he killed several agents and caused an explosion at the main planetary spaceport before escaping. He has spent the ten years since the peace accords on the run.

Trivia:

Remy is a cigar aficionado, and has contributed several articles to various trade publications under pseudonyms during his time on the run.

Aria Me'lia

Species: Ailian

Age: 44

Sex: Female

Title: Commander

Organization: Lirnan Royal Guards

Birthplace: Hayikwiir City, Lirna, Ascendancy

Height: 9'10”

Weight: 510 lbs.

Fur Color: Black (dyed), orange with black stripes (natural)

Eye Color: Yellow-gold (right), black chrome patch where left eye once was

Bio:

Aria is the commander of the Lirnan Royal Guards, the elite investigative and security wing of the Ailian military, and the Cerelan Federal Police's counterpart in the Ascendancy. The Royal Guards function simultaneously as special operations troops and criminal investigators, focusing on the former in war and the latter in peace. They also hold sole responsibility for protecting the royal family. Aria was appointed to the Royal Guards by the previous Empress Kri'a Solan IV, and continues to serve under Empress Li'ren Amani. In addition to being the overall leader of the Royal Guards, Aria is the head of the Empress' personal protective detail. Though theoretically under the authority of the Chief Admiral, she reports directly to the Empress.

In the years after the end of the war, Aria and her subordinates have been extraordinarily busy tracking down traitors who aided the rebellion and the Pteryd. She has turned over the family business to her younger siblings, though she remains in her family's estate with her bondmate, Jack Squier. They maintain a second home on the Ascendancy colony world Sha'lai-ran.

Trivia:

Because Aria is the eldest relative of half of the royal pair, her proper title is “Princess Commander”. Her blood pressure goes up a little whenever anyone uses it.

Supporting Cast

Joseph Medici

Species: Human

Sex: Male

Title: Deputy Director

Organization: Cerelan Federal Police

Deputy Director Medici is Deirdre's direct supervisor. He usually takes a personal interest in most of her cases, since they are often of vital importance to both the CFP and the United Nations, and Deirdre is one of his best agents. Deirdre regards him as a “tough softie”.

Benjamin Goode

Species: Human

Sex: Male

Title: Supervisory Special Agent

Organization: Cerelan Federal Police

SSA Goode is the CFP's Special-Agent-in-Charge of their field office on Mars. He has worked with Deirdre and Mari on a number of assignments before and was a few years ahead of Deirdre in the academy. Within the CFP, he is considered a competent agent but lacking in imagination, though he is somewhat skilled with politics.

Larry Zhao

Species: Human

Sex: Male

Title: Prosecutor

Organization: Martian District Attorney's Office

Prosecutor Zhao is the chief prosecutor within the government of Mars. He's been a prosecutor for many years and is friends with Deirdre's boss, but he has little patience for outside interference in Martian internal affairs. Underneath that, though, he's a reasonable man and generally respected within the legal community.

Li'ren Amani

Species: Ailian

Sex: Female

Title: Empress

Organization: Ascendancy

Li'ren Amani has been the Empress for fifteen years, ever since the death of her mate, Empress Kri'a Solan IV, during the war. Already a skilled diplomat before ascending to the throne, her time as Empress has given her even more experience, and she leads confidently. As the first Empress outside the “true” royal bloodline in many thousands of years, her rule has not been without challenges, but she meets them gracefully.

Sami Me'lia

Species: Ailian

Sex: Female

Title: Royal Consort

Organization: Ascendancy

Sami Me'lia is the bondmate of the Empress, her closest friend since the late days of the war. She has little in the way of official duties other than being a companion to the Empress, not having been brought up in the political world. She is generally quiet and prefers to remain out of the public eye, apart from appearances she must make with her mate. She is expecting her first child with Li'ren, the result of some subtle genetic manipulation.