History Literature / JanitorsOfThePostapocalypse

* BerserkButton: Berserk is overstating it, Mops has impressive emotional control, but she easily slips into TranquilFury whenever someone suggests killing her crew, and then in the second book when she finds out about [[spoiler: Admiral Sage's experiments in turning other species feral deliberately]].

* CareerEndingInjury: The injuries Monroe took ended his infantry career, though he really only misses the companionship of other soldiers - he doesn't seem to have enjoyed the fighting mindset.

%%* ProudWarriorRace: Prodryans.

* ShooOutTheClowns: The third book, while it does still have some jokes and absurdity, is more serious than the other two, and the characters seem to be more competent. The Clippy-like personification of the Pufferfish's tutorial system, Puffy, barely appears and is not called by name.

** Krakau who have much to do with humans listen to a collection of human music and choose a song to use as their human names, since their own are very hard for humans to parse let alone find ways to repeat. Examples include Pachabel D Major, Belle-Bonne Sage, Scheherazade, and Final Countdown.

%%* TragicMonster: How some non-humans see humans.

* YoungerThanTheyLook: Adult feral humans are captured to be cured, but they don't really remember their feral lives and count their ages from "rebirth" on. Wolf is physically twenty-six but has only been a person for eighteen months, which might help explain her poor impulse control.

Marion "Mops" Adamopoulos is not a fearsome soldier. She is, in fact, a janitor--but a very good janitor. She is a Lieutenant on the EMCS ''Puffership'' in charge of the Shipboard Hygiene and Sanitation team. When a bioweapon attack reverts all the humans to their feral state, she and her team are the only ones who survive with their minds intact. She has to fly a ship she was never trained on, fight aliens, and find a cure for her people, preferably all while keeping everything clean and shiny. Along the way, she and her team begin to uncover secrets best left buried, about the nature of their species.

* ''Terminal Alliance''
* ''Terminal Uprising''
* ''Terminal Peace''

* FirstContactFauxPas: The first Krakau diplomats to visit Earth were killed and eaten by feral humans. [[spoiler: In fact this was ''second'' contact. ''First'' contact involved a Rokkau accidentally envenomating a human diplomat and putting her in a coma. Human efforts to revive her included a virus that at least got her moving and eating again, but, well...]]
** Nusurans as a species expect first contact - and a lot of other occasions - to include [[BoldlyComing an exchange of pornography]], if not outright interspecies sex.

* NoBiochemicalBarriers: Semi averted. Most different species can breathe the same air, though many require slightly different atmospheric composition and have to carry a PRA, a device around the neck which emits oxygen or whatever else to compensate locally. [[spoiler: Rokkau]] venom has little effect on most offworld species, but due to some odd chance it has disastrous effects on humans. Similarly, while humans can eat pretty much anything and suffer nothing worse than stomach noises and a bad time in the bathroom, for most species eating alien animals means a painful death. A good chef can tailor a meal to a different species, neutralizing anything that would do them harm, and serve up something that might not have much nutritious value but will pass without issue.
** Unmodified humans don't enjoy this same immunity. In the third book, while the cured crew get to taste a Prodryan food, Azure and the single red-blooded human present have to sit it out.
* NonhumanNonBinary: When the Krakau compiled a language for their cured subjects, just called "Human", they had to wrangle with human pronouns. Some species accept being classed as male and female. Nusurans insisted on a third gender and set of pronouns for some of their people. Glacidae opted for 'they'. Tjikko found the whole thing hilarious and insisted on being referred to as "he" and "she" alternately, as in "I saw her today, he said hello".
** Unusually for this trope, there are also non-binary humans, and awareness of non-binary aliens makes it easier for Mops to grasp how to address one when she meets them for the first time.

* ProudWarriorRace: Prodryans.

* ServantRace / SlaveRace: What cured humans functionally are to the Krakau. Within two months of rebirth they're drafted into the Earth Mercenary Corps as soldiers, medics, and custodians serving under Krakau officers. With their ability to recover quickly from faster-than-light travel they can temporarily assume command and fight when their officers are still unconscious, but the permanent ranks they can achieve are capped at Lieutenant. They are paid for their service and can save up enough to leave and work elsewhere, but they're looked down on across the galaxy as half-savage thugs. [[spoiler: The surviving population of non-feral humans refers to cured humans as the 'guns' of the Krakau.]]

* STDImmunity: ''Diseases'' are not as a rule compatible between species, but parasites may still cause trouble. Nusuran genital lice are such avid consumers of the silica crystals used in shipboard computers - see above for why something like that would colonize a Nusuran - that Alliance military vessels have strict protocols to lock down the whole ship the moment an infestation is detected.

* ThemeNaming: Krakau who have much to do with humans listen to a collection of human music and choose a song to use as their human names, since their own are very hard for humans to parse let alone find ways to repeat. Examples include Pachabel D Major, Belle-Bonne Sage, Scheherazade, and Final Countdown.

* TragicMonster: How some non-humans see humans.

* YoungerThanTheyLook: Adult feral humans are captured to be cured, but they don't really remember their feral lives and count their ages from "rebirth" on. Wolf is physically twenty-six but has only been a person for eighteen months, which might help explain her poor impulse control.

* AdvancedAncientHumans: Because human civilization entirely collapsed [[spoiler: with only a tiny remnant of naturally immune people remaining]], even though what there was wasn't nearly as advanced as Krakau technology Mops is awed and amazed by it.

* BoisterousBruiser: Wolfgang Mozart, aka Wolf, is very impulsive and really just loves to brawl and tends to lose sight of objectives and common sense. She's the character most inclined to boast that HumansAreWarriors. Naturally, she was assigned to Shipboard Hygiene and Sanitation instead of infantry.

* FearlessUndead: Part of the stereotype other species put on humans, downplayed with ferals. Ferals feel no pain and will risk and take debilitating injuries in pursuit of food, but very loud noises tend to make them hunker down for a time.

* FriendlyZombie: Cured humans, technically, since they're still physiologically very similar to ferals. [[spoiler: Ferals themselves, when fed well and under limited stress, are more like animals than monsters, and ones that have been well-fed and habituated to human contact are almost tame when calm and will take food from humans rather than trying to eat them.]]

* TheGenieKnowsJackNicholson: Gabe, in the third book, is [[spoiler: from the Library of Humanity]] and has a lot more familiarity with human pop culture than the rest of the cast, who at best have had exposure to non-speculative fiction. Gabe loves to relate things that are happening to things from ancient shows and movies, sometimes to the frustration of the others.

* NoSuchThingAsAlienPopCulture: Mentioned in passing, each species probably has more than is stated. Prodryans come up with new forms of poetry, Nusurans write and perform operas, war-romances, and a whole lot of pornography, and Glacidae have a lot of videogames and sporting events. Humans, on the other hand, don't have much new going.
* NoZombieCannibals: Averted. Feral humans associate in packs but will eat each other when nothing else is available.

** Nusurans as a species being interested in AnythingThatMoves expect first contact - and a lot of other occasions - to include [[BoldlyComing an exchange of pornography]], if not outright interspecies sex.

* IntriguedByHumanity: Those aliens who aren't indifferent and don't see humans as barely-controlled monsters lean this way. Admiral Pachabel just likes humans, when they aren't frustrating the hell out of her. Nusurans, of course, are curious about [[AnythingThatMoves sex]].

* NoBiochemicalBarriers: Semi averted. Most different species can breathe the same air, though many require slightly different atmospheric composition and have to carry a PRA, a device around the neck which emits oxygen or whatever else to correct locally. [[spoiler: Rokkau]] venom has little effect on most offworld species, but due to some odd chance it has disastrous effects on humans. Similarly, while humans can eat pretty much anything and suffer nothing worse than stomach noises and a bad time in the bathroom, for most species eating alien animals means a painful death. A good chef can tailor a meal to a different species, neutralizing anything that would do them harm, and serve up something that might not have much nutritious value but will pass without issue.

* FirstContactFauxPas: The first Krakau diplomats to visit Earth were killed and eaten by feral humans. [[spoiler: In fact this was ''second'' contact. ''First'' contact involved a Rokkau accidentally envenomating a human diplomat and putting her in a coma. Human efforts to revive her included a virus that at least got her moving and taking food again, but, well...]]
** Nusurans as a species being interested in AnythingThatMoves expect first contact - and a lot of other occasions - to include [[BoldlyComing an exchange of pornography]], if not outright sex.
* FlowersForAlgernonSyndrome: Feral humans are not people. [[spoiler: When well fed, they're animals that can recognize friendly individuals, at best.]] "Curing" them doesn't make most of them as smart or flexible as unmodified humans but they are still sentient and much more capable than ferals. Sometimes a human "reverts" to a feral state as their body rejects the cure, which is rare and sometimes associated with severe injury or eating a large amount. [[spoiler: Age may also have something to do with it. Mops starts to revert in the third book, and she's older than most cured humans get.]]
* FriendlyZombie: Cured humans, technically, since they're still physiologically very similar to ferals. [[spoiler: Ferals themselves, when fed well and under limited stress, are more like animals than monsters, and ones that have been well-fed and habituated to human contact are almost tame when calm.]]

* CareerEndingInjury: The injuries Monroe took ended his infantry career, though he really only misses the companionship - he doesn't seem to have enjoyed the fighting mindset.
* EasySexChange: Referenced, when Mops is talking to an alien whose species changes sexes over time she says it's quite simple to change biological sexes or mix and match aspects using Krakau-standard medical technology.

** Unmodified humans don't enjoy this same immunity. In the third book, while the cured crew get to taste a Prodryan food, Azure and the single red-blooded human have to sit it out.

* TechnicallyLivingZombie: Ferals. They're most interested in [[FleshEatingZombie consuming people]], but they'll eat just about anything.

** Nusurans as a species being interested in AnythingThatMoves expect first contact - and a lot of other occasions - to include [[BoldyComing an exchange of pornography]], if not outright sex.

* RealitySubtext: ''Terminal Peace'' was delayed and features a tonal shift, becoming somewhat more serious. Additionally, the book starts with [[spoiler: Mops being diagnosed with reversion - her body is rejecting the cure, giving her anywhere between two weeks and two months before her personhood dies.]] This hangs over her in a sober way, making her second-guess herself and affecting her relationships with the other characters, including frustration when some friends tiptoe around it. During the delay between books Jim Hines' wife contracted cancer and died - in the endnotes, he talks about how this affected the story.

Over a hundred years ago, the alien Krakau came to Earth to invite humanity into an interstellar alliance. Instead, they found that humanity had suffered a ZombieApocalypse, destroying their own civilization and leaving behind a planet filled with half a billion hungry dead. Rather than immediately fleeing and finding something better to do with their time, the Krakau set about trying to cure the mindless savages.

* ''Terminal Peace'' (upcoming)

* AlienArtsAreAppreciated: Glacidae video games are played and enjoyed by several humans.
* AlienAutopsy: Kumar is delighted to get to indulge in his hobby and dissect a deceased Krakau officer.
* AliensStealCable: Most of the Krakau's understanding of pre-plague humans comes from human media.
* ApocalypseHow: Earth was hit with something between Class 2 and Class 3. Half a billion unintelligent ferals survive on Earth a hundred and fifty years after the plague hit. Individuals are abducted and cured, making them into people, but they go on to serve the Krakau military instead of making their own society. [[spoiler: Roughly a thousand people naturally immune to the plague survived societal collapse and feral attacks to band together into the Librarians of Humanity, but after that century and a half their numbers are much lower and unsustainable.]]

* FriendlyZombie: Cured humans, technically, since they're still physiologically very similar to ferals. [[spoiler: Ferals themselves are more like animals than monsters, and ones that have been well-fed and habituated to human contact are almost tame when calm.]]

* HumansAreSpecial: In this setting, faster-than-light travel is extremely hard on people, most of whom have to medically render themselves unconscious in special fluid and are out of action for hours after each jump. Cured humans are tough enough that some survive even unsecured jumps and the only equipment one needs to survive unharmed is a pod with gelatinous padding. They're knocked out by the acceleration itself and come to a mere hour after deceleration, which is a lot of why they're so useful as soldiers. A note late in the first book suggests that even with the padding, many jumps results in brain damage.

* IntriguedByHumanity: Those aliens who aren't indifferent and don't see humans as barely-controlled animals lean this way. Admiral Pachabel just likes humans, when they aren't frustrating the hell out of her. Nusurans, of course, are curious about [[AnythingThatMoves sex]].

* NoBiochemicalBarriers: Semi averted. Most different species can breathe the same air, though some prefer different atmospheric composition. [[spoiler: Rokkau]] venom has little effect on most offworld species, but due to some odd chance it has disastrous effects on humans. Similarly, while humans can eat pretty much anything and suffer nothing worse than stomach pains and a bad time in the bathroom, for most species eating alien animals means a painful death. A good chef can tailor a meal to a different species, neutralizing anything that would do them harm, and serve up something that might not have much nutritious value but will pass without issue.

* ThemeNaming: Krakau who have much to do with humans listen to a collection of human music and choose a song to use as their human names. Examples include Pachabel D Major, Belle-Bonne Sage, Scheherazade, and Final Countdown.

* TokenNonHuman: Technician Grom, as the one non-human who managed to escape being eaten when the Pufferfish's crew went feral, is outnumbered by Mops' SHS crew. [[spoiler: They're joined by Azure at the end of the book.]]

* UndeadBarefooter: Since human civilization dissolved a hundred and fifty years ago, all ferals on Earth were born to feral parents and none of them wear clothing. [[spoiler: Unless dressed by clothes-wearing parties.]]

* AmbiguousDisorder: Wolf's impulsiveness and lack of self control can easily read as ADHD, Rubin's flat affect and extensive special interest suggest autism, Kumar has a suggestion of OCD and also seems to have some autistic traits. Mops can be read as having some level of auditory processing disorder that Doc helps her compensate for. These traits are completely accepted, aside from Wolf tending to get them into trouble.

Over a hundred years ago, the alien Krakau came to Earth to invite humanity into an interstellar alliance. Instead, they found that humanity had suffered a ZombieApocalypse, destroying their own civilization and leaving behind a planet filled with half a billion hungry dead. Instead of immediately fleeing and finding something better to do with their time, the Krakau set about trying to cure the mindless savages.

When the Krakau came to Earth, they planned to invite humanity into a growing alliance of sentient species.

This would have worked out better for all involved if they hadn't arrived after a mutated plague wiped out half the planet, turned the rest into shambling, near-unstoppable animals, and basically destroyed human civilization. You know--your standard apocalypse.

The Krakau's first impulse was to turn their ships around and go home. After all, it's hard to establish diplomatic relations with mindless savages who eat your diplomats.

Their second impulse was to try to fix us.

A century later, human beings might not be what they once were, but hey, at least they stopped trying to eat everyone. Mostly.

Marion "Mops" Adamopoulos is surprisingly bright (for a human). As a Lieutenant on the Earth Mercenary Corps Ship Pufferfish, she's in charge of the Shipboard Hygiene and Sanitation team. When a bioweapon attack by an alien race wipes out the Krakau command crew and reverts the rest of the humans to their feral state, only Mops and her team are left with their minds intact.

Escaping the attacking aliens--not to mention her shambling crewmates--is only the beginning. Sure, Mops and her assortment of space janitors and plumbers can clean the ship, but flying the damn thing is another matter. As they struggle to keep the Pufferfish functioning and find a cure for their crew, they stumble onto a conspiracy that could threaten the entire alliance.

A conspiracy born from the truth of what happened on Earth all those years ago…

This would have worked out better for all involved if they hadn’t arrived after a mutated plague wiped out half the planet, turned the rest into shambling, near-unstoppable animals, and basically destroyed human civilization. You know—your standard apocalypse.

The Krakau’s first impulse was to turn their ships around and go home. After all, it’s hard to establish diplomatic relations with mindless savages who eat your diplomats.

Marion “Mops” Adamopoulos is surprisingly bright (for a human). As a Lieutenant on the Earth Mercenary Corps Ship Pufferfish, she’s in charge of the Shipboard Hygiene and Sanitation team. When a bioweapon attack by an alien race wipes out the Krakau command crew and reverts the rest of the humans to their feral state, only Mops and her team are left with their minds intact.

Escaping the attacking aliens—not to mention her shambling crewmates—is only the beginning. Sure, Mops and her assortment of space janitors and plumbers can clean the ship, but flying the damn thing is another matter. As they struggle to keep the Pufferfish functioning and find a cure for their crew, they stumble onto a conspiracy that could threaten the entire alliance.

* AngstWhatAngst: After their first moment of unhappiness about the other Glacidae on the Pufferfish being eaten, Grom does not seem to care much, seeming more invested in their games, feeling superior to humans, and other trivial matters.

* RealitySubtext: Janitors are important and useful to have around, even if (especially if) they do the dirty, unpleasant things other people would like to avoid. [[spoiler: Librarians are also important.]]

* NotUsingTheZedWord: Feral humans are similar in many ways to non-rotting zombies, staggering around, moaning, and trying to hunt down and eat people.

* ApocalypseHow: Earth was hit with something between Class 2 and Class 3. Half a billion unintelligent ferals survive on Earth a hundred and fifty years after the plague hit. Individuals are abducted and cured to serve the Krakau military, but they aren't much engaged in rescuing their own species. [[spoiler: Roughly a thousand people naturally immune to the plague survived societal collapse and feral attacks to band together into the Librarians of Humanity, but after that century and a half their numbers are much lower and unsustainable.]]

* HumanityIsInsane: Expressed repeatedly by Grom and various Krakau regarding Mops, but most humans aren't as... independent as she is.

* ServantRace / SlaveRace: What cured humans functionally are to the Krakau. [[spoiler: The surviving population of non-feral humans refers to cured humans as the 'guns' of the Krakau.]]

* SpaceWhale: The Comaceans at the start of the second book are so large that people have set up biorefineries in their organs.

* TragicMonster: How some non-humans see humans.