Character page for the Wings of Dawn game mod for Freespace 2.
Crew of the Zephyr
Dawn Crossfire
The protagonist of the story, Dawn was formerly a pilot for the United Earth Union working to suppress the colonial revolts. However, her fighter was hijacked by the Cyrvans, who as of yet had not made contact with humanity, and they sealed her in subspace with no explanation. After waking up some decades later, she is taken in by the mercenary ship Zephyr, and she joins their operation. She pilots a privately-owned Ray Mk. III fighter.
- Amnesiac Resonance: She frequently has dreams of events she can't remember. She also frequently just knows certain information, like the names of the alien races the cast comes into contact with, but she can't remember why she knows this stuff.
- Deadpan Snarker: Once the drugs in her system wear off, she settles into an easygoing jokester personality.
- Fusion Dance: Or rather she is the result of a fusion between 3 children, of which one is a hybrid winged Cyrvan and one is a rare Half-Human Hybrid.
- How Do I Shot Web?: As a result of her amnesia, she has no idea how to use her esper powers. Complicating things further is the fact that the UEU performed brain surgery on her that sealed her powers, leaving her with only the tiny scraps that slip through accidentally.
- Laser-Guided Amnesia: The UEU tried erasing her past and giving her an artificial memory.
- Mysterious Past: Dawn has amnesia regarding anything prior to her service in the UEU, and has no idea why the Cyrvans are so interested in her.
- Paradox Person: After she rewound time, it's extremely unlikely that the events that lead to her birth will occur in the new timeline. Despite this, she continues to exist.
- Person of Mass Destruction: One of the main reason why the Cyrvans want to keep her sealed until she is needed.
- Psychic Powers: She is described by the Cyrvans as an esper, and she often dreams about flying in a Cyrvan fighter, or of events taking place far away. The dreams puzzle and frighten her, since she has no idea what they could mean. It's later revealed that she's probably the most powerful esper in existence, with abilities that border on Reality Warping, but the UEU did some brain surgery on her that locked away the majority of her power.
- Red Eyes, Take Warning: On the rare occasions she manages to tap into her full potential, her eyes glow red.
- Time Master: When she was put in combat against the Fir'kyr, she panicked and activated her power in a way nobody even knew was possible, by rewinding time across the universe by a few centuries.
- Translator Microbes: She understands the Cyrvan language for unknown reasons. However, she is incapable of speaking the language herself.
- What Does This Button Do?: The reason why she came to existence. When 3 children entered a restricted area with a strange device, one of them pressed the button which resulted in them being fused together.
Tempest
Real name Celesia Freescape. Tempest comes from a long line of mercenaries and has taken up the family business with gusto. She and Justice co-own the Zephyr, and her job is flying the fightercraft. She usually uses a heavily customized Dragonfly which she has nicknamed "Snarky".
- The Nicknamer: Notable in that "Justice" is already a nickname, and she further shortens it to "Ju".
- Only in It for the Money: She tends to be fixated on profit and earnings, which occasionally sets her at odds with her partner. Justice describes her as "willing to kick a dozen puppies if the pay's good".
- Supreme Chef: Apparently an excellent cook, according to both Justice and Dawn.
- Unresolved Sexual Tension: A bit of it between her and Justice. She denies having any kind of relationship with him other than professional.
- Wrench Wench: Being the only fighter pilot on the ship also means she has to take care of all the maintenance by herself.
Justice
Real name Daniel Hawkings. Justice is a former member of the Sol Union military, but quit after he got the training flying starships he wanted. He met Tempest as a mercenary, and the two of them formed a partnership and teamed up. He's the helmsman of the Zephyr and is in charge of planning and tactics.
- The Captain: He's not formally in charge of Tempest, but he takes this role due to flying the Battle Star and coming up with mission plans.
- The Chains of Commanding: The main reason he dropped out the SF academy in the final year. He was The Ace and is constantly given the job of the squadron leader in simulation. He is tired of being constantly given a Sadistic Choice in simulations between completing an important objective at the cost of half of his squadron or saving his squadmates at the cost of the objective.
- Chronic Hero Syndrome: As his name might suggest, he has a tough time ignoring people in need, even when they have nothing to pay him. Tempest is inclined to condemn this mode of thinking: mercenary work is expensive, and helping other people without reward is a good way to go bankrupt.
- Non-Action Guy: He complained about being stuck in Zephyr for most of the first part. He finally get to see some action in the second part and proved to be a better squadron leader than Misuzu despite the bridge officers' initial doubt of him because of him being a mercenary.
The Heralds of Tomorrow
Ophelia
A smuggler captain whom the Zephyr was hired to harass and throw a few monkey wrenches into her operations. She serves as the opening antagonist in the first few missions.
- The Captain: Of her ship the Contravention.
- Dumb Muscle: She is still a capable pilot despite being terrible at strategy and leadership.If spared, she will show up later and wipe the floor with the Nordera.
- Evil Counterpart: to Misuzu, being an airhead who also happens to be an ace fighter pilot.
- Facial Markings: She wears some, apparently in an attempt to emulate the Cyrvans, whom she does some work for. The Cyrvans just think the markings make her look stupid.
- Harmless Villain: Dawn immediately pegs her as an idiot, something Tempest and Justice are all too inclined to agree with. While her ship is much more powerful than the Zephyr, Ophelia clearly doesn't have a head for tactics and is easily out-smarted.
- Leeroy Jenkins: Pretty much the only strategy she will use is sending everyone charging head first into Zephyr's crew.
- Space Pirates: or rather smuggler.
- Wake-Up Call Boss: If the Vulture in the simulation wasn't enough, she is the first boss fight in the game against a tougher opponent.
Crew of the Guardian Angel
Admiral Henk Urilium
Commanding officer of the LSF Guardian Angel.
- The Captain: Actually an Admiral, though the Guardian Angel was considered an important enough posting to warrant someone of his rank. Of course, the Guardian Angel was supposed to be the flagship of an entire fleet, which explains why he's in charge of it.
- Dirty Old Man: Has no complaints at all about the fact that most of his crew are beautiful young women.
- Reasonable Authority Figure: He has no problem filling out the crew with mercenaries and Cyrvans, knowing that they need all the help they can get. For the mercenaries, he allows them to "join" the League Star Forces on a temporary basis to get around the legal red tape involved, even promising to pay them for their trouble afterward. For the Cyrvans, he promises to not take them prisoner or hand them over to any Terran faction when they return to Terran-held space.
- Taught by Experience: 64 years of active service (Terrans have longer lifespans in the future) have made him unflappable.
Suzume
Second in command of the Guardian Angel, also head of overall strategy and tactics.- Commander Contrarian: Frequently voices opposition when the Admiral has one of his... odder ideas. She will still follow her orders though.
- Number Two: XO of the Guardian Angel, and is usually the one planning missions and giving briefings.
- The Strategist: She's the one who comes up with most of the mission plans and tactics.
Invidia
A science officer who got assigned to communications for lack of anyone else to do so.
- Bridge Bunnies: The primary one, acting as the ship's comms officer.
- Closest Thing We Got: The Guardian Angel was extremely understaffed when they came under fire, so Invidia was put in charge of comms because she was literally the only member of the bridge crew available to do so. Her first time operating the comms board has her accidentally closing the channel every time someone responds to her.
Leona
Head of Engineering aboard the Guardian Angel.
- The Engineer: Not only does she keep everything running, but in her spare time she tinkers with weapon upgrades and other projects.
Misuzu "Misu" Stella
A pilot assigned to the Guardian Angel. She's soon appointed as wing commander, over her objections.
- Call Sign: It's just a shortening of her name. She apparently kept picking really grandiose and/or stupid callsigns for herself, so everyone just decided to shorten her name to annoy her.
- Gamer Chick: She's big into video gaming, and kidnaps Dawn to have someone to play with at one point.
- Leeroy Jenkins: The first time she commands a battle, her orders are just "Everyone, pick a target and shoot them down!"
- Obfuscating Stupidity: Dawn guesses that she's a lot smarter than she lets on, and is deliberately underperforming as a commander in the hopes that someone else will be assigned the position. On another occasion, Rose is left stunned at Misuzu's in-depth knowledge of how their fightercraft's weaponry works.
Rin "Milkshake" Aeaa
Another pilot on the Guardian Angel, known for her quick temper and aggressiveness.
- Call Sign: Originally it was "Thunderbolt", but then she requested a milkshake from the ship's cook, he didn't know how to make one, he took her sarcastic instructions literally, and this all resulted in Rin throwing a temper tantrum over not getting her milkshake, and the name stuck.
- The Napoleon: She's shorter than any other pilots, and seems somewhat self-conscious over it. Not that Misuzu helps matters.
- Vitriolic Best Buds: Though she'd deny it, she and Misuzu are closer than most of the other pilots. Most of the conversations are Misuzu making fun of her and then running away from Rin's anger. Rin does admit that Misuzu is fun to hang out with during downtime though.
Silvie "Kunoichi" Schwarzgraf
A fighter pilot on the Guardian Angel. She's also an esper, and a ninja.
- The Mentor: She becomes Dawn's mentor in esper capabilities, helping Dawn draw out her power.
- Ninja: Why do you think she got the callsign "Kunoichi"? She is highly trained in stealth arts, and admits to having assassinated people in the past.
- Psychic Powers: Hers let her become nearly invisible. Combined with her ninja training, she can sneak up on just about anyone... except other espers, who can sense her presence.
Zeri Xia "Jello" Yonsakuren
A fighter pilot aboard the Guardian Angel. She hails from the Delest Dynasty, and has been physically augmented as a warrior.
- Atrocious Alias: Her opinion of her callsign. On the other hand, only people who have guts dare to call her by it, so she finds it useful in finding out who is worth her attention.
- Bio-Augmentation: Her strength and instincts have all been heightened by the augmentations her clan performed. This also resulted in a heightened bloodlust, resulting in episodes where her rage takes over and others need to give her space to calm down lest she start beating other people up.
- Blood Knight: Nothing gets her excited like a good fight; the stronger the opponent, the better.
Fayette "Rose" Bellarose of Pegasus
A fighter pilot aboard the Guardian Angel. Hails from Neo Brittania.
- Religious Bruiser: As part of Neo-Brittania's whole "knight" schtick, it seems belief in God is fairly common among them.
- Sitcom Arch-Nemesis: She's constantly at odds with Zeri, and seems prejudiced against the Delest in general.
The Cyrvans
Wynter Celbrat
One of a pair of Cyrvan Deep Seekers sent to capture Dawn after she escaped from her prison. The Zephyr turns the tables and takes her prisoner instead.
- Classified Information: She doesn't seem to understand the concept, and happily gives details on their mission when interrogated. One gets the idea that she and Akyha were kept in the dark about so many things for reasons other than "standard black ops procedure".
- Eating the Eye Candy: She immediately swoons upon seeing Justice, remarking that if all Terran males are like him, she wouldn't mind "some of the things that might be done to prisoners".
- Hulk Speak: She can speak the standard Terran language well enough to be understood, but obviously hasn't mastered it. She improves over the course of the story.
Akyha Celbrat
One of a pair of Cyrvan Deep Seekers sent to capture Dawn. She is Wynter's twin sister.
- Foolish Sibling, Responsible Sibling: She's the responsible one, but her effectiveness at curbing Wynter's mistakes is hampered by the fact that she can't speak the Terran language.
- Language Barrier: She knows maybe two or three Terran words, and is at a loss when captured, relying on Wynter to translate for her. After a while practicing with Wynter she becomes much more fluent.
Crystal Is'va Dertanya
Acting captain of the CSA Basloir. After her ship is destroyed in a Nordera attack, she accepts Admiral Urilium's offer to temporarily join the Guardian Angel's crew.
- Enemy Mine: Freely admits that their mission was to disable the Terrans' sensor network, but she sees the wisdom in teaming up with the Terrans now that the Cyrvans have lost their ship and are being hounded by a third enemy.
- My Species Doth Protest Too Much: She's a bit kinder in conversation than most Cyrvans, lacking their characteristic haughtiness. She even apologizes for Acella looking down on Terrans.
- You Are in Command Now: She happened to be in Engineering when a Nordera ship obliterated the Basloir's bridge, leaving her the highest ranking officer on the ship. As such, she's in charge of the Cyrvans aboard the Guardian Angel.
Acella Yda'je Claiyer
Another crew member of the Basloir, acting as Crystal's second in command. However, there seems to be more about her than is obvious...
- Early-Bird Cameo: One might notice that she's the blonde-haired Cyrvan officer who escorted Dawn around the ship immediately following her capture.
- Mr. Exposition: She gives the biggest chunk of it in the story, explaining Dawn's origins and powers, as well as some backstory on the story's universe at large.
- Older Than She Looks: She claims to be 168 at first, which no one bats an eye at since Cyrvans are known to possess long lifespans. Later, however, Dawn guesses that she is in fact much older than that. Acella merely replies "You are very perceptive."
Protagonists
Misuzu Stella
Age: 21
Homeworld: Earth
A protagonist of the main Wings of Dawn campaign and one of the lead fighter pilots of the 1st JGASF. She is cheerful, energetic, and strange, but is an excellent pilot. Her hobbies are watching obscure old anime and collecting model kits of fighters and mecha.
- Ace Custom: Either the Ray Mk-III E or W variant, depending on the player's choice.
- Ace Pilot: Don't let her demeanor fool you, she's deadly in a space fighter.
- Cloud Cuckoo Lander: At times.
- Genki Girl
- Gratuitous Japanese
- Multiple-Choice Past: Invented one to mess with people.
- Otaku Surrogate
- Skinship Grope: Enjoys doing this to Crystal.
Crystal Is'va Dertanya
Age: 42
Homeworld: Cyrvadia
Another Wings of Dawn protagonist, and the Commanding Officer of the 1st JGASF. Though she does sometimes come off as arrogant or condescending, she is actually very interested in Terrans and jumped at the chance to serve in a mixed-species unit.
- Deadpan Snarker: She has her moments.Crystal: The rest is Magitek so I don't have to explain shit.
- Mildly Military: Follows the Cyrvan way of command, which is very informal and loose compared to Terran command structure.
- Military Brat: Her father is a decorated war veteran, as were many of her ancestors before him.
- Tsundere: A bit of this with Misuzu, whom she roomed with at the Academy. Probably not romantic in nature, though.
- Woolseyism: No, "Crystal" isn't actually her name, but it sounds a lot like her Cyrvan name, so she uses it in Terran company.
Dawn Crossfire
Age: 19 (119?)
Homeworld: Luna
The third and final Wings of Dawn protagonist. Dawn was born in the era of the United Earth Union, one hundred years before the start of the game. She had her brain enhanced when she entered the military, giving her faster reactions and telempathy. A Starlance accident threw her one hundred years into the future, where she uses her enhanced brain to pilot the Prometheus Frame.
- Angst? What Angst?: Despite losing all her wingmen upon arriving in the future, and leaving behind a family and boyfriend in the past, she doesn't seem to dwell on it much.
- Fish out of Temporal Water: A little bit. She actually adjusts pretty quickly.
- Psychic Powers: Empathy, and mild precognition. She's said she doesn't really like overly emotional people, as their moods tend to affect her own.
Infi
Species: AIAge: Unknown
Homeworld: Unknown
Infi is the artificial intelligence of the Infinity-class Aleyurian light fighter, which the Terrans designated the "Prometheus Frame". Originally, it had no name, but Dawn gave it one because calling it "computer" sounded too impolite and impersonal. Initially, it is dismissive of Dawn and the other humans, but grows to care for its pilot after their battles together.
- A.I. Is a Crapshoot: Averted. Infi does its best to aid Dawn once it realizes its creators no longer exist.
- Heroic Sacrifice: Rams the Hertak Flagship's engines to disable their Transspace drive, allowing the JGASF to finish it off.
- Normal Fish in a Tiny Pond: Among its creators, Infi was a mass-produced light fighter with only the bare minimum of armaments. Compared to the tech level of the current species, it's a Nigh-Invulnerable gunship that can rip apart capital ships twice its size with ease. It's also the only known true AI in existence, when that was just a standard feature of Aleyurian craft.
- Smug Super: It likes boasting about how powerful the Prometheus Frame is. For good reason.
1st Joint Guardian Angels Strike Force
Tempest
Real Name: Celesia EzerSpecies: Terran
Age: 26
Homeworld: Harcon III
A cheerful girl and the 1st JGASF's resident prankster. She and Misuzu get along quite well. Coming from a family of mercenaries, she tends to obsess over money and payment, and is constantly complaining about her low wages.
- Catchphrase: "I'm not getting paid enough..."
- The Prankster
- Signature Laugh: Nyo-ho-ho!
Kunoichi
Species: Terran
Age: 20
Homeworld: Lyrae Prime
A shy and timid girl who got her nickname because she's generally unnoticeable. She has self-confidence problems, but is a capable fighter pilot.
- Mask Power
- Ninja: Not really, her nickname aside. Artwork often shows her wearing a facemask, though.
- Shrinking Violet
Justice
Real Name: Daniel HawkingsSpecies: Terran
Age: 38
Homeworld: Librae Prime
The oldest Terran in the JGASF, and their most experienced pilot. He signs on during their first outing and becomes the flight leader of the group. He takes a mentoring position among the rest of the pilots, and occasionally as an advisor to Crystal.
- Cool Old Guy: He's not that old, but the rest of the crew sees him as this.
- Shout-Out:
Any physical similarities to Gene Starwind are coincidental.
Scar
Real Name: Zeraf MoretaSpecies: Terran
Age: 20
Homeworld: Harcon Prime
Scar is a bit of a mystery in the JGASF, as he comes from the prejudiced Harcon system. He is gruff and generally hostile to the rest of the team, but is a good fighter and would help any of them (even the Cyrvans) out in a firefight.
- Fantastic Racism
- Noble Bigot: He makes some occasionally racist remarks about Cyrvans, but doesn't ever let it impact his mission, and he doesn't seem to have a problem taking orders from Crystal.
- Playful Hacker: If his behavior during the examination is anything to go by.
Milkshake
Real Name: Rin AeaaSpecies: Terran
Age: 24
Homeworld: Vega II
A hyper-aggressive pilot in the JGASF, who decided to join the military to put her aggression to good use. Not a person you want angry at you.
- The Faceless
- The Lad-ette
- Sir Swears-a-Lot: Lets loose quite a bit of swearing when in a fight.
- The Unfavorite: The only female character that we have no idea what she looks like. She thinks Spoon dislikes her.
Axe
Real Name: Hecton FerdeSpecies: Terran
Age: 28
Homeworld: Tauri II
The team's resident Gentle Giant. Pretty much an all-around nice guy despite his imposing physique. For some reason, about the only person who understands Luna to any extent.
- The Big Guy: Everyone comments on his gigantic build
- Gentle Giant: Strong enough to crush an apple one-handed
- Heavy Worlder
- Nice Guy
Luna Yda'je Claiyer
Age: 39
Homeworld: Desa
The only other Cyrvan pilot in the 1st JGASF, and generally Crystal's wingman if she ever takes to a fighter. Nobody really "gets" Luna, including her fellow Cyrvans.
- Cloud Cuckoo Lander
- Psychic Powers: Misuzu, anyway, believes she has precognition.
- The Quiet One
- Running Gag: Other characters forgetting she exists.
Stranded Characters
Lightning
Real Name: Johan SturmritterSpecies: Terran
Age: Unknown
Homeworld: Ravi Prime
The protagonist of the "Stranded" mini-campaign. Lightning was the flight leader aboard the LSF Dauntless, and caught up in a subspace accident that left him and his wingman Silver stranded in enemy territory. In the True Ending, he joins the 2nd JGASF.
- Ace Pilot
- Red Baron: Gets a joint one with Silver: the "Silver Lightning".
- Ship Tease: With Silver.
Silver
Real Name: Alisa StrogovSpecies: Terran
Age: Unknown
Homeworld: Ravi Prime
A wingman of Lightning's that also got stranded behind enemy lines. The two of them must work together to find a way back home, and grow closer as a result of their experiences. In the True Ending, she joins the 2nd JGASF.
- Helmets Are Hardly Heroic: Her helmet mysteriously disappears after making the jump.
- Red Baron: A joint one with Lightning: the "Silver Lightning".
Slyphia Revlis'Mehl
Species: CyrvanAge: 106
Homeworld: Cyrvadia
A Cyrvan Deep Seeker that Lightning and Silver encounter behind enemy lines. She puts her mission on hold in order to help them get home. In the True Ending, she joins them in the 2nd JGASF.
- Innocent Bigot: She can be a bit condescending towards humans, but it's clear she doesn't mean anything malicious by it.
- Pardon My Klingon: Several times she said something in Cyrvan that could only possibly means something along that line. Lampshaded that Silver and Lightning do not wish to understand what it means.
- Poirot Speak: She does lapse into Cyrvan language at times.
- True Companions: With Lightning and Silver. In all endings she survives, she ends up working with Lightning from then on.
Liuzqo Derfa
Species: ZyA Zy Ace who encounters Lightning, Silver, and Sylphia. He has 99 kills to his name, and is eager to make one of them his 100th.
- Ace Pilot
- Blood Knight
- Combat Pragmatist: He pilots a stealth fighter in combat. And also separates the Player Character and his friends, so he can face them one at a time.
- Duel Boss: In the True Ending only. He did bring some friends though.
- Know When to Fold 'Em: Despite being a Blood Knight, he backed off after watching Lightning and company curbstomped his wingmen. If this happens, he then confront Lightning again when he is alone, bringing some friends as well. Seemingly knowing well that facing Lightning one on one would just mean signing his own death warrant. Assuming you beat the game, he was right on that part.
- Punch-Clock Villain: It looks like he hates being a Hertak battle thrall, even though he still indulge in his Blood Knight tendencies.
- Worthy Opponent: If Lightning decides to fight him in their first meeting, he sees Lightning as this.
Other Characters
Isa'emarl Dertanya
Species: CyrvanAge: 67
Homeworld: Cyrvadia
Crystal's older sister. She is very different from Crystal; she is openly dismissive of Terrans and doesn't understand her sister's fascination with them. She is an accomplished warrior and has a friendly rivalry with Crystal.
- Evil Redhead: She seems to enjoy appearing as one.
- Facial Markings: According to Crystal, they are a sort of familial war paint. Isa likes to add an extra stripe to hers for some reason.
- Fashionable Asymmetry
- Fantastic Racism: She makes it pretty clear she thinks herself above Terrans. Some of this might have been joking on her part.
Yaiceca M'es Vera
Species: CyrvanA white-haired Cyrvan who seems to serve with Isa. She shares Isa's view of Terrans, and enjoys riling them up.
- Fantastic Racism
- Running Gag: Her refusal to pronounce the words "Terran" or "human" properly.
Emizer Kerducy
Species: CyrvanThe only male Cyrvan yet seen. He's appeared a few times in the Q&A sessions.
Wynter Celbrat
Species: CyrvanAnother Cyrvan taking part in the Q&A sessions.
Species
Terran
A hardy race of organics who have used the Starlances to spread far beyond their homeworld of Earth. They are currently in an alliance with the Cyrvans, after they fought them to a stalemate in a war. In general, their fighting prowess and physical abilities are greater than Cyrvans, and they routinely live to the age of 140 or so.
- Bio-Augmentation: The Terrans used to engage in this heavily, but after the overthrow of the oppressive UEU, genetic engineering is looked upon unfavorably.
- Do Not Go Gentle: One reason they stopped the Cyrvan invasion was that they would just not. stop. fighting.
- Humans Advance Swiftly: Though they are nowhere near the Cyrvans now, the tech gap is closing much more quickly than the Cyrvans would like.
- Screw You, Elves!: Their response to the Cyrvans' claims of superiority.
Cyrvan
Suspiciously similar in physiology to the Terran race, the Cyrvans are a peaceful and artistic race. They are also highly technologically advanced and possess a powerful Armada that they will use to defend themselves if pushed. They are currently in an alliance with the League of Terran Worlds, after attempting and failing a Benevolent Alien Invasion. Cyrvans tend to see themselves as culturally superior, seeing it as their obligation and prerogative to protect and nurture the "lesser" races. They are often nicknamed "Space Elves" by Terrans.
- Benevolent Alien Invasion: They've attempted this with both species they've met. It worked on one, but the Terrans proved to be too much to handle.
- Can't Argue with Elves: They frame themselves as a superior species who have an obligation to nurture "lesser" species
- Half-Human Hybrids: They can interbreed with Terrans, though this is not encouraged due to Mayfly–December Romance.
- No Transhumanism Allowed: They absolutely forbid genetic research on religious principles. Thus, that is one area Terrans are more advanced in.
- Really 700 Years Old: They can live for up to a millenium.
- Winged Humanoid: An extremely rare genetic mutation among Cyrvans. They see such individuals as blessed and a good omen for times to come.
Yehio
A race of birdlike sapients that were benevolently invaded by the Cyrvans. They have yet to appear in the game itself, due to the Cyrvans being very protective of their charges.
- Expy: Of the Yehat from Star Control, except "80% less Scottish".
- Omniglot: One area they excel in is linguistics, despite (according to Crystal) not being too bright otherwise.
- Wings Do Nothing: They can't fly, despite their shape.
Cordi
Properly named the Co'dori, they are an insect race that were the last battle thralls of the Hertak. They are individuals and free-thinkers, not a Hive Mind, but they are fanatically loyal to their Queen, currently Lop'ferj'kk III. Their battle strategies tend to emphasize speed and numbers, and they were good enough to give the Hertak a run for their money militarily, before the Hertak captured their Queen as a hostage. Physically, only their warriors have been described. Misuzu referred to them as "overgrown preying mantises".
- Undying Loyalty: To the Queen.
- The Unpronounceable: presumably they have different mouthparts
- We Have Reserves: Their main strategy.
Nordera
A primitive race that willingly joined the Hertak in exchange for spacefaring technology and the chance to fight a bunch of aliens. They tend to be very aggressive and unintelligent, and are looked down on by the other Hierarchy races. Still, their numbers and tenacity in a fight make them effective frontline soldiers.
- Large Ham: They always speak in ALL CAPS.
- Low Culture, High Tech: Their ships are still considered low tech in the universe though, even the characters suggest that it is amazing that those piles of junk can make it to space in the first place.
- Made of Explodium: Absolutely everything they build explodes spectacularly, due to huge amounts of gunpowder and TNT on the inside. Word of God says this even holds true for their terrestrial cities.
- Mighty Glacier: They are very slow and favor hard-hitting missiles, railguns, and torpedoes.
Fura'ngle
A race of sentient crystals. They are extremely intelligent and are the only species shown thus far who can outmatch the Cyrvans technologically. They are also cowards, and don't commit to a fight unless they know they can win. They use very powerful energy weapons and are heavily shielded against the same, though they are weak to kinetic weaponry. They are particularly close allies to the Zy.
- Black Humor: Their preferred kind, for some strange reason.
- Cowardly Lion: Powerful weapons. Little to no courage.
- Expy: They are what the Spathi would be if they were written seriously.
- Living Ship: It is suggested that they are their ships, as there's nothing resembling a cockpit or entry point on any of them.
Zy
A race of reptilian hunters. The Zy, being predators, developed a warlike society and had already killed (and eaten) several other species before they met the Fura'ngle. The Fura'ngle's crystalline bodies not being too appetizing, they formed a close alliance and mellowed out considerably, channeling their aggression and bloodlust into a strict code of honor. They are by far the most powerful battle thralls the Hertak possess.
- Combat Pragmatist: They are close allies with the Fura'ngle. This doesn't mean they don't have weapons prepared specifically to kill Fura'ngle if necessary. They also give their best pilots stealth fighters.
- Proud Warrior Race: With a big emphasis on the "honorable" part of the trope. They are notably the only ones that give an opportunity for surrender prior to launching their assault.
Hertak
The main villains of the series, the Hertak are an extremely powerful empire living in fear of a legend that an even more powerful race will one day destroy them. They seek to supplement their own military with enslaved other species, which is why they are attacking the Terrans and Cyrvans. They possess immensely powerful warships and several technologies unknown to all other species, making them difficult to combat.
- Battle Thralls: they hope to make themselves stronger by subjugating other races and forcing them to fight
- Expy: To the Ur-Quan Kzer-Za.
- Genetic Memory: Male Hertak pass on their memories and skills to their children. It is mentioned that Hertak warriors are obligated to have at least one child before going to battle.
- No Kill like Overkill: Their Armageddon dreadnoughts outsize and outgun all other species ships fivefold, and the Flagship dwarfs even them!
