Ground State characters

Also known as Joe, Bishop

Appears from the start

Commander of Task Force Black, directing the search for two Outsider scout ships that escaped the destroyed Gateway. He keeps the mission moving despite Valkyrie's damaged jump capability and the lack of a proven defense against either scout.

Appears from the start

The Elder AI allied with Task Force Black. He studies the escaped Outsider ships and their unfamiliar technology while struggling with the apparent failure of the Gateway operation, but remains essential to every effort to understand the new threat.

Also known as Colonel Reed

Appears from the start

Valkyrie's captain and Joe Bishop's principal operational deputy. She emphasizes that the ship's damaged jump drive and dependence on a carrier make continued pursuit hazardous, especially when even one Outsider scout may outmatch Valkyrie.

Also known as Colonel Frey

Appears from the start

Commander of Star Team Razor, prepared to undertake boarding and assault work for Task Force Black. She offers her team for a raid on a late Maxolhx supply ship as the task force seeks a way to recover the hidden fleet's route.

Also known as Outsider scout ship

Appears from the start

A hostile force from beyond the galaxy. Two scout ships crossed the Gateway before its destruction, leaving Task Force Black unable to locate them and uncertain whether any available human or Elder weapon can stop them.

First appears in chapter 3

An allied AI adapting to an Elder matrix. Her new pathways are still forming, and Skippy warns that choices made during this early stage may permanently constrain what she can eventually do.

Also known as Admiral Scorandum

First appears in chapter 3

A covert Ethics and Compliance operator and Kinsta's protector. He has compromised the Inquisitors' security network and monitors it for an attempt on Kinsta.

First appears in chapter 3

Scorandum's deputy in Ethics and Compliance. The Inquisitors know his allegiance does not truly lie with them, making his continued freedom both a calculated provocation and a reason they may try to kill him.

First appears in chapter 3

A human diplomatic adviser whom Joe Bishop intends to consult about drawing the Rindhalu back into the conflict. His perspective may help determine whether diplomacy can reduce the danger of fighting both the Outsiders and the Maxolhx.

First appears in chapter 6

The UN Security Council representative assigned to Valkyrie's reconnaissance mission. Chang joins the ship alongside civilian monitors and is positioned to help Joe Bishop navigate their oversight while the crew investigates Maxolhx contact with the Outsiders.

Also known as Margaret

First appears in chapter 7

Joe Bishop's pregnant wife, living with their family on Jaguar. She supports aircraft maintenance and wildlife recovery, favors a gradual restoration of the planet's environment, and considers Jaguar the family's home.

First appears in chapter 10

A senior Hegemony commander who presents a deliberately unremarkable public image while privately questioning the alliance with the Outsiders. Task Force Black identifies him as the best prospect for independently verifying the human warning.

First appears in chapter 12

A trusted but politically stalled subordinate chosen for a secret mission beyond the galactic rim. She conducts the reconnaissance with a carefully selected cruiser and understands that discovery could be as dangerous politically as the mission itself.

First appears in chapter 17

Valkyrie's AI, working with Skippy to interpret sensor evidence from the former Gateway battle site. Their analysis indicates that one of the two escaped Outsider scouts was destroyed while attempting its displacement travel.

Also known as Diktat

First appears in chapter 18

The incumbent ruler of the Hegemony. A concealed cranial implant tied to his thought patterns and DNA can remotely disable upgraded Maxolhx warships, making him the indispensable living authenticator for a powerful fleet kill switch.

Also known as Gurken

First appears in chapter 20

Commander of Andromeda and a disciplined Royal Navy officer serving with Task Force Black. When the Outsider's irregular route defeats the first tracking plan, he proposes searching near the decoy Gateway for an earlier and more useful trail.

Also known as Kane

First appears in chapter 28

Commander of the force supporting Operation Junkyard. He commits ships to back the attack on the unfinished Icebox and to recover Valkyrie if necessary, while Joe Bishop plans for Valkyrie alone to enter the immediate battle area.

First appears in chapter 30

Jaguar's distributed AI, targeted when Outsider malware spreads through the colony's military systems and infrastructure. Skippy's earlier preparation gives him some resistance, but much of his capacity is forced offline during the attack.

First appears in chapter 30

A son of Joe Bishop and Margaret Adams. During the attack on Jaguar, a Star Team operator evacuates him and his brother across the river and keeps them safely away from the base.

First appears in chapter 30

A son of Joe Bishop and Margaret Adams, evacuated across the river with his brother Jeremy by a Star Team operator during the attack on Jaguar.

Also known as Kaylee

First appears in chapter 31

The newborn daughter of Joe Bishop and Margaret Adams. She is delivered prematurely after Margaret's defense of their home during the attack on Jaguar, but Nagatha reports that Kaylee is healthy and safely with her family.

First appears in chapter 34

The Elder AI whose matrix now hosts Nagatha. Its hidden data identifies active Vortexes and five Elder warship fortresses, but Nagatha remains a distinct individual and does not possess Unit 52's full authority.

Also known as Hercules

First appears in chapter 34

The reachable Elder warship fortress revealed by data in Unit 52's matrix. It may contain escort ships and dreadnoughts, offering Task Force Black a possible anti-Outsider weapon if the team can gain entry without valid access authority.

First appears in chapter 38

An Elder dreadnought prepared by Fortress Hercules for Skippy, with Reed assigned as its captain. It is the single fortress vessel available to Task Force Black under the rule that each warship requires its own Master Control AI.