by Chris Hechtl
In Pyrax:
Rear Admiral Phil Subert: Human male, sleeper from Lemnos. Appointed to command the naval forces and shipyard of Pyrax.
Lieutenant Commander Saul Garretaj: Admiral Subert's chief of staff.
Lieutenant JG Roman Taylor: Doctor, graduate of Johns Hopkins orbital hospital Earth. Sleeper from Lemnos.
Captain SG Horatio Logan: Sleeper, acting commander of Pyrax. Replaced with Admiral Subert. Demoted to G-4 ships. Human male. Father of Captain Shelby Logan.
Governor Sim Saladin: Governor of Pyrax.
In Antigua:
Fleet Admiral and acting President of the Federation John Henry Irons.
Commander Sprite: Admiral Irons AI chief of staff and chief coder/AI.
Protector: Ensign, Semi-smart AI created from the remains of Defender and coding from Commander Sprite. He has taken over the protection of the Admiral as well as many of the chief of staff duties.
Proteus: Hive AI within the admiral's nanites. The AI acts as the admiral's engineering assistant.
Commander Vestri Sindri: Dwarf human male. Chief of the growing Antigua military shipyard complex.
In Agnosta:
Lieutenant Colonel Jersey Forth: Commander of the marines. Promoted to full colonel.
Major Pendeckle: Second highest ranking marine officer. Commander 2nd Brigade. Takes command of 1st Battalion to go to Protodon.
In Protodon:
Captain Gustav: Rescued on Bounty. Marine officer killed in a shuttle while attempting a hot drop on Protodon.
Lieutenant Ebensher: Human female marine lieutenant left in charge of surviving forces on Protodon.
Captain JG Trojan Vargess: Captain of EC Admiral Halsey.
On Yris'ka'th
LTCMDR Ssri'allth: Naga male. Former captain of Hecate.
Ensign Rich Marshall: AI of the destroyer Yris'ka'th. Named after a human who brought the ship back during the Xeno war.
Ensign Owen Lovejoy: Chief engineer, male, blue eyes.
Third Class Petty Officer Eddie Batoon: Helm.
Jamal Jenkins: Junior navigator.
Rear Admiral Amadeus White: Neochimp male. Sleeper.
Jig Jojo Pwaulli: Flag lieutenant and acting chief of staff of Admiral White.
Hecate: Manta Class Frigate
First Lieutenant Ssri'allth: Captain. Replaced by Captain Gruber.
Second Lieutenant Rico Riot: XO/chief engineer, male, has experience with small ships.
Ensign Nissan Ham: Navigational officer, female Neochimp, promoted to JIG and transferred to another ship.
Ensign Thr'll: Nav officer. Veraxin replacement of Ham.
Jim: Communications and computer rating.
Adel Shazam: Helm officer and hyperhelm, female petty officer 2nd class.
Captain JG Moira White Wolf: Sleeper female Neowolf marine. Led the rebellion on Kathy's World to take the planet back from the pirates. Elected President of the planet. Promoted to major.
Gunnery Sergeant Jethro McClintock: Marine male Neopanther. Black fur. Member of F platoon. Has an AI embedded in him and his legacy armor named Bast.
Bast: AI of Gunny McClintock and his armor. Neopanther female.
First Lieutenant Chiang: Human male. Marine leader sent to Kathy's World as senior officer on the convoy. Went to Protodon. Remained there after White Wolf returned to Kathy's World.
Captain JG Joshua Lyon: Recon Captain, recently promoted. Cameo. Human male.
Horathians:
Brigade General Baroness Yzma Busche: Female, bull like, stocky, smart. Leads a battalion of suppression troops on the planet. Recently promoted. In competition with Colonel Wizendek and Zin to see who could suppress the most planets in their career. Not into sadism but very strict and ruthless.
Captain Allegra: Male officer, assigned to interdict the spaceport with his platoon.
Earl/Captain Gaston Gumel: Captain of the Arboth class destroyer Jean Bart. Senior captain of fleet 4 TF2. Male. Iron black hair, hair implants, in his 50s. Had a ponytail, muscular build. Was an avid hunter in his youth. Blue eyes, cleft chin.
Lieutenant Commander Dutch LeFou: XO, male.
Lieutenant Shanty: TACO female. Bitch but minx in bed. Purple mohawk, piercings in her ear and bridge of her nose. Tall, well built. Martial arts. Had spike studded gloves she liked to kiss n call her knuckle dusters.
Kin Yan: Ship's sex slave. Favorite of the Captain.
Captain Brom Bones: Bit of a bully, friend and former classmate of Dutch. Wife Katrina. Corsair—Cutlass class.
Captain Queux: Big guy, bully, acid tongue to subordinates. Captain of the McRae—Antelope class.
Buccaneer's Breath: Destroyer, female captain Roberta Esslin, Nelson class
Reprisal: Destroyer ship, famous 1st Squadron Force, 4th Fleet
Henry Morgan: Destroyer ship, famous 3rd Squadron Force, 4th Fleet
Drake: Cruiser ship, famous 1st Squadron Force, 4th Fleet
Jean Bart: Arboth class destroyer
Smiladon: Cruiser, famous 3rd Squadron Force, 4th Fleet
Star Ravager: Battle cruiser, home fleet
Star Warrior: Battle cruiser, home fleet
Barnabe: Frigate, assigned to Protodon, destroyed
Moldy Crow: Freighter/tender Clydesdale, Captain Media (body builder)
Charaltan's Prayer: Cygnus class medium freighter, Captain Kail (former XO), Captain Eddings killed in Protodon
Prinz Zir: Mirilax class small freighter
Commander Crenis
Serius: Flight engineer
Alice: engineer
Raff: engineer
Rear Admiral Troy Frost: Big fat man. In charge of the Nuevo Madrid naval station. Exiled there from court. Only has one elderly destroyer and four frigates under his command. Plus two dispatch boats.
Jz Dahl: ensign, mahogany black male. Young, bridge watch ops.
Shantell Mueller: Captain of Derfflinger class BC Nevada. Served on Reprisal. Had a string of commands: Sexy Margerita; Blood, Sex, and Tears; Bloody Mary; and Lizzy Borden.
Commander Esenly: TACO Nevada, aggressive, very competent.
Trisha: Pretty female, JTO Nevada.
Jeffrey Hodges: Ensign Massachusetts.
Commander John Kizinsterg: XO Nevada.
Lieutenant Saul Roznine: Captain Yamagato class missile frigate Agricourt. Aggressive, knows Esenly. Gets along with her well, competition. Loves thorny tactical problems.
Sascha Manchez: Captain Arboth Starfish. Soft approach to tactical problems, boot licker.
Emile: Senior fighter commander Massachusetts.
Captain Arnold Post: Captain of the Derfflinger class Massachusetts. Tactical genius, wants higher rank. Won several rounds in the last fleet games. Commander of Battlecruiser division.
Appendix
My blog:
http://cyberforge3d.blogspot.com/
Navy stuff:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_off_Samar
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Change_of_command_(military)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Clifton_Sprague
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cythera_(yacht)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Destroyer
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flotilla
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Privateer
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Raymond_A._Spruance
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tameichi_Hara
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Task_force
Medical:
http://io9.com/the-first-lab-grown-muscles-to-behave-just-like-natural-1679387361
http://io9.com/flexible-brain-implants-have-arrived-1681423385
http://io9.com/how-well-finally-put-an-end-to-organ-donation-shortages-1683258349
http://www.engadget.com/2015/01/28/3d-printed-windpipe-cartilage/
Other:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sir_Kay
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Judgment_of_Solomon
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Huginn_and_Muninn
Sneak Peek:
The following is an excerpt from Jethro 4 Recruiting Drive:
By the light of the fires and his own enhanced night vision Jethro finally found his quarry. The female arctic selkie Kirima was amused and gratified by the message when she received it. He tried to stand off, to give her some privacy but she urged him to stay with a look. He knew she was tired. She smiled fondly though when she watched the message a second time. Apparently there was something going on between Deja and the arctic seal so some of Jethro's resentment over the errand burned away.
To his surprise she took out a tablet from a bag near her things, played the chip, and then came up with a reply. He was amused and annoyed to be a messenger once more when she silently handed him the chip back.
“Thank you. I think. I don't know when I'll see him again though,” he warned.
“Whenever.”
“I'll transmit it through the ansible. You can too if you wish,” he said.
“Ansible?”
“It is a device. A communication's device that allows us to talk between star systems.”
She blinked at him and then yawned. “Sorry,” she said waving a hand. He could smell the fish on her breath. “So sorry.”
“Don't be. I know you are busy and obviously tired after that,” he said, indicating the dark waters of the bay. She followed his gaze and then nodded when he turned back to look at her. “I can't see why anyone would want to ...” he cut himself off. Survival of course he thought.
“We do what we must to survive.”
“Yeah, I was just reminding myself of that,” Jethro admitted.
“Are you still here?” a familiar bass rumble asked in the darkness.
“Just going,” Jethro said, straightening.
“I told you to begone little man,” the walrus said.
“I am going now. I had to wait on the pleasures of the lady to finish. Good evening ma'am. Safe ... um, sailing I suppose,” he said. “Swimming.”
She smiled slightly and bobbed a bow back to him. She turned her gaze to the walrus. “Mind your manners, Yutu; he is a guest. You can stay the night,” she said, turning back to Jethro.
“It's okay. I need to get back anyway.”
“You are okay traveling in the dark?” she asked, now concerned for his welfare.
Jethro shrugged. “I am a panther. I love the darkness,” he said simply. “I prefer it to swimming,” he said when she shivered and looked at the shadows.
“Oh? You swim?” she asked, turning to him.
He snorted. “Deja taught me years ago when we trained together. I know my limits though. And I can't swim hyperspace like he can.”
“He did mention that. It would be interesting to try it,” she murmured.
“See if someone can trade you a VR headset with a hyperspace sim on it. Or I'll try to remember to ask Deja for one.”
“I'll ... let me see that chip,” she said, holding out a hand. He handed it over. She softly spoke into the microphone on her tablet, requesting a headset and simulation package and then handed it back. He nodded. “Good evening then,” Jethro said as the walrus came up behind him. He could smell the fish and foul smell of the mountain of flesh. He turned. “You're blocking my path,” he said mildly.
“Don't come back,” the walrus said, picking at one tusk with a flippered paw. “We don't care for your kind, landlubber.”
“Be kind, Yutu; he was passing on the message as a favor to Deja and to me. And you know what Koko said. We need to expand the gene pool. Expand the bloodlines. Deja is good for us. Good for me. Get over it.”
“This one I could squish then?” the walrus demanded, chest bumping Jethro.
“You can try if you wish,” Jethro said, teeth bared, claws out. “Just remember, I'm not a dumb fish. I've torn apart more people than you. People armed in ways you can only dream of,” he growled, dropping into a fighting crouch. He was aware that everyone on the beach was quiet and watching the tableau warily. Some seemed eager for a fight.
“Yutu, don't,” Kirima said from behind Jethro, now concerned.
“Oh, excuse me,” the walrus said sarcastically, stepping to one side. Jethro waited a beat then made a move to walk past. When the walrus went to take a swipe Bast hissed and flashed red on his senses but he was expecting it. He twisted and ducked under the swing, then rolled before the walrus could bring his bulk down to crush him. He flipped himself up and then kicked sand as he used his enhanced body to flip himself up and onto the back of the monster selkie. His toe claws came out and sank into the sides of the beast. Yutu bellowed as the claws cut into him. They didn't cut deep. He had a lot of blubber, but it probably hurt a bit. He bucked but Jethro sank the claws of his left hand into the walrus's nose and placed the claws of his right hand near the walrus's frightened eyes. “I think you need these, right?” he asked as the monster stopped moving abruptly.
The walrus quivered, eyes wide, head back, body arched. “Y's,” he said in a strangled high pitched voice.
“Maybe you shouldn't be such a bully.”
“Yezzz. I mean nooo?”
“I tell you what. You leave me alone, I'll leave you alone. We'll let bygones be bygones. But if you piss me off again ...,” he hissed, flexing his fingers and claws. He felt the walrus quiver again. “I'll tear your eyes out and then carve my name in your rump. Is that understood?”
“Yesss. 'et go,” the walrus said in a strangled voice. It sounded like his claws in the Selkie's nose was making it hard to talk. One female selkie stifled a giggle.
“What was that? I didn't hear the P word.”
“Frack. Pees.”
“What?”
“Please!” the walrus ground out, eyes squinting tightly together as tears formed in the corners. Blood dribbled on Jethro's claws. He could smell it. He wondered briefly if it would affect the walrus in the water. Would it make him a target for those giant fish? Possibly.
“Okay. Since you asked nicely,” Jethro replied. His claws retracted as he gathered himself and leapt off. He somersaulted in the air and then came down lightly on all fours. He stared at the walrus for a moment, watching him breathe and touch his nose. Finally Jethro stood once more. “Night folks,” he said, nodding to Kirima before he walked off into the night.
You can read the rest in the summer of 2015!