Armada characters

Appears from the start

A high-school senior in Oregon and one of the world's highest-ranked players of the online combat simulator Armada. Zack is quick-tempered, devoted to science fiction and games, and still preoccupied with the father who died when he was an infant. Seeing a craft from Armada above his school makes him question whether his habits have distorted his judgment.

First appears in chapter 2

Zack's mother, who has raised him alone since her husband's death. Pamela works hard to keep their life stable and understands both Zack's fascination with his father and the anger that fascination can feed.

Also known as RedJive

First appears in chapter 2

Zack's father, who apparently died in an industrial accident shortly after Zack was born. He left behind games, music, films, and notebooks arguing that decades of popular entertainment were covert preparation for an alien war. His private archive shapes Zack's tastes and his fear that obsession may run in the family.

First appears in chapter 3

The owner of Starbase Ace, the game shop where Zack works. Ray was a friend of Xavier Lightman and serves as a patient adult presence in Zack's life, sharing his enthusiasm for games while watching his more reckless impulses.

Appears from the start

One of Zack's two close school friends and a fellow participant in the gaming culture that structures their free time. Diehl knows Zack's history and tries to keep his confrontations from becoming self-destructive.

Appears from the start

One of Zack's closest friends at school. Cruz shares the references and jokes through which Zack makes sense of the world and witnesses his alarm after the impossible sighting above the school.

First appears in chapter 2

A hostile classmate who repeatedly provokes Zack and treats his dead father as a target. Their confrontation demonstrates how close Zack's anger is to overruling his judgment.

First appears in chapter 8

A senior commander of the Earth Defense Alliance who briefs the recruited gamers. Vance presents the secret organization as humanity's shield against an approaching alien force and treats the recruits' gaming records as proven military aptitude.

Also known as Lex

First appears in chapter 11

A technically gifted Earth Defense Alliance recruit whom Zack meets after entering the hidden military world behind Armada. Alexis is direct, capable, and unwilling to be impressed by rank or by Zack's place on a leaderboard.

First appears in chapter 2

A teacher at Zack's school whose class discussion collides with Zack's sensitivity about catastrophe, heroism, and his father's death. Their exchange helps expose Zack's difficulty separating a justified objection from an impulsive response.