Sky World characters

Also known as McGill

Appears from the start

A Legion Varus centurion and the narrator. On his family property, he conceals the truth about two old bodies while helping his daughter Etta investigate a separate discovery in the swamp.

Appears from the start

McGill's daughter and a former Central computational biologist. Persistent and methodical, she finds human remains on the family land and begins investigating another object buried nearby.

Also known as Tribune Armelle

First appears in chapter 3

A former Germanica commander whom McGill remembers as a possible authority on Unification War history. McGill hopes Armelle may know what kind of installation lies beneath the family land.

First appears in chapter 3

Galina Turov's father and a senior government figure. Etta considers him a possible source of information about the buried structure, though his authority and hostility toward McGill make approaching him hazardous.

Also known as Primus Graves

First appears in chapter 4

The primus of Legion Varus. He knows that the hidden site on McGill's land reported a breach and orders McGill never to return or try to pass its sealed lower door.

First appears in chapter 5

An imperator, McGill's superior officer, and his intermittent long-term partner. She warns that an Internal Security inquiry into his historical searches could end in imprisonment or death.

Also known as Praetor Drusus

First appears in chapter 9

A praetor who receives McGill after his unexpected release from a storage sentence. He is overseeing the imminent Big Sky test and an urgent diplomatic meeting requested by Rigel.

First appears in chapter 10

The head of Rigel's diplomatic mission and the son of its previous leader. He presents himself as the future governor of Earth's region and demands that Earth stop building and testing the Big Sky planetary shield.

First appears in chapter 11

Galina Turov's younger sister and Alexander Turov's daughter. She initiates a concealed relationship with McGill after the diplomatic banquet despite the likely consequences within her family.

Also known as Adjunct Dixon

First appears in chapter 13

An adjunct transferred from Legion Victrix during Earth's emergency mobilization. McGill assigns him to command Third Unit's light troops in place of Barton.

First appears in chapter 13

A returning member of McGill's unit who reports the scale of the Big Sky disaster while Legion Varus mobilizes. She explains that all four stations were lost and that falling debris devastated the eastern Mediterranean.

First appears in chapter 15

A longtime associate of McGill and a Legion Varus participant. He joins the small commando team assembled for an immediate teleport strike against a Rigelian shield station.

First appears in chapter 15

A technical specialist in McGill's sixteen-person commando team. She deploys with the group on its urgent mission against a shield installation at Rigel.

First appears in chapter 15

A weapons specialist and senior noncommissioned leader in McGill's Rigel strike team. He ranks third in the mission's chain of command as the unit prepares to carry timed atomic bombs through a long-range jump.

Also known as Tribune Winslade

First appears in chapter 15

A tribune of Legion Varus who distrusts the rapid wartime purge. He warns McGill that records concerning the live warhead used in the Big Sky test have disappeared and pursues the possibility of domestic sabotage.

First appears in chapter 20

One of McGill's heavy-troop officers. He is disturbed by Dixon's lethal discipline and ambition during the legion's voyage to an undisclosed target.

First appears in chapter 20

A Legion Varus soldier who shares Harris's concern about Dixon's harsh discipline and efforts to impress Galina Turov during the legion's voyage.

Also known as Captain Merton

First appears in chapter 22

A transport captain acting under Central's authority. He arrests and questions McGill after an attack aboard ship, and reports that Graves died while resisting a separate arrest.

Also known as Primus Collins

First appears in chapter 24

A Legion Varus officer appointed acting primus while Graves is unavailable. He briefs the legion on its surprise assault against Dark World's orbital factory.

First appears in chapter 38

A blue-scaled Saurian figure seen in Dixon's concealed communications. Kivi uncovers the connection while Legion Varus fights for Sky World's mining complex.

First appears in chapter 49

The name of Galina Turov's sister, with whom McGill previously had a concealed encounter. Galina says Sophia works for their father, Alexander Turov, and may have helped arrange the punishment imposed on McGill and Galina.

First appears in chapter 51

A researcher based in cave laboratories on Dust World. McGill tells him about the isolated living brain discovered in the bunker, and he helps arrange her transfer away from Earth.

First appears in chapter 51

A Dust World researcher who works beside her husband. She helps operate the newly installed gateway posts and retrieve the living brain from the hidden chamber on Earth.

First appears in chapter 51

The only living occupant among eight brain tanks in the bunker. She has survived in isolation for decades on dwindling support, refuses to identify herself, and asks about modern revival technology.