110 Queen Estarra

111 King Peter

112 Basil Wenceslas

113 Zhett Kellum

114 Kotto Okiah

115 Queen Estarra

116 Osira'h

117 Mage-Imperator

118 Prime Designate Jora'h

119 Adar Kori'nh

120 Queen Estarra

121 Jess Tamblyn

122 Dobro Designate

123 Osira'h

124 King Peter

125 Father Reynald

126 Adar Kori'nh

127 Sarein

128 Father Reynald

129 Mage-Imperator Jora'h

130 Cesca Peroni

131 Jess Tamblyn

132 Basil Wenceslas

133 Anton Colicos

134 Tasia Tamblyn

135 King Peter

Command Structure Of The Earth Defense Forces

Selected Noble-Born Children Of Prime Designate Jora'h (Designates-In-Waiting)

The Ruling Family Of Theroc

Clan Tamblyn

Glossary Of Characters And Terminology

SPECIAL EBOOK FEATURE:SKETCHBOOK

Klikiss Robot

Hydrogue Warglobes

The Whisper Palace

Worldforest on Theroc

The Fungus-Reef City

Ildiran Features and Outfits

An Ildiran Female

THE STORY SO FAR

In the ruins of the ancient Klikiss civilization, human archaeologists MARGARET and LOUIS COLICOS discovered an exotic technology capable of igniting gas-giant planets to create new suns. For the first test of the Klikiss Torch, at the gas giant Oncier, observers included BASIL WENCESLAS, suave Chairman of the Terran Hanseatic League (the Hansa), and the alien ADAR KORI'NH, military commander of the vast but stagnant Ildiran Empire. Though the humanoid Ildirans helped Earth colonize the Spiral Arm, they still see humans as ambitious upstarts. They considered the test of the Klikiss Torch unnecessary hubris, since many other planets were available for colonization.

When Oncier was ignited, collapsing into a compact sun, instant reports of the event were transmitted around the Galaxy by the green priest BENETO, a human from the forested planet Theroc, who has a special symbiosis with semisentient worldtrees. Green priests, like living telegraph stations, can send thoughts anywhere through the interconnected forest network, providing the only form of instant communication across vast distances.

At the end of the Oncier test, observers saw a cluster of diamond spheres race away from the collapsing gas giant at incredible speed; scientists eventually classified the sight as an unknown phenomenon of the Klikiss Torch. Back on Earth, OLD KING FREDERICK, a glamorous figurehead ruler, led a celebration of the successful test, while Adar Kori'nh returned to his capital of Ildira and reported to his all-powerful leader, the MAGE-IMPERATOR. On hearing of the strange diamond spheres, the Mage-Imperator was greatly disturbed.

Meanwhile, on Ildira, the Mage-Imperator's firstborn son, PRIME DESIGNATE JORA'H, treated the human REYNALD, heir to the Theron throne, to a performance of the grand epic, theSaga of Seven Suns. Afterward, as a token of friendship, Jora'h invited Reynald to send two green priests from Theroc to Ildira to study the Saga. The worldforest, which gathers knowledge through its human intermediaries, is always hungry to learn about history.

Then Reynald left Ildira for a secret rendezvous in space with the Roamers, fiercely independent space gypsies led by old SPEAKER JHY OKIAH and her beautiful protegee, CESCA PERONI. They discussed a possible alliance to maintain their freedom from the sprawling and greedy Hansa. Reynald even suggested the possibility of marriage with Cesca, but she was already betrothed to a skyminer, ROSS TAMBLYN.