Z Karr

More about the universe of my favorite protagonist

Zach Karr

Zach, often known simply as “Z,” is a young Peacekeeper, working for the Planetary Coalition. Some consider him brash, impulsive, and arrogant. He his highly intelligent, with a photographic memory and keen analytical skills. Born on Saturn’s moon Titan, a colony with limited resources, he is used to devising new devices to suit the occasion.

He pilots a two-person craft, the Pegasus, which is equipped with a fourspace drive for faster-than-light travel. He has an assortment of high-tech gadgets. His most notable gadget is his wrist computer, worn on his left forearm, with a six-by-three inch display and single-hand keyboard.

Kay Karr

Kay is a xenolinguist from Saturn’s moon Titan, and Zach’s younger sister. When she was younger, she wanted to be a musician. Her keen ear was equally suited to xenolinguistics, a field she considered more important for the peace of the galaxy. Caring and empathetic, she seeks to form a true connection with any alien species she meets, each of whom she considers the equal of humanity.

Tetsuo

Tetsuo, whose name means “iron man” in Japanese, is a Peacekeeper often partnered with Zach Karr. After his parents’ death at age five, he was raised by a colony of monks on the planet Kannon. He is a skilled martial artist, practicing Shaolin Wushu. His preferred combat style uses the crane stance with defensive kicks and the quarterstaff.

He has remarkable physical stamina, due in part to meditative techniques that prevent exhaustion during exertion. He has a competitive nature, often claiming himself deserving of awards or breaking records for feats during his adventures.

He prefers not to rely on technology. Due to his sheltered upbringing, there is much of the galaxy he doesn’t understand.

He tends to be calm and easy-going, and accepts life on life’s terms. He’s fond of passing on the wisdom gained from his Buddhist upbringing, and often invents his own truisms.

Rashet

Rashet is a humanoid feline engineer from the desert planet Ailuros. She specializes in the building of large-scale technological structures, such as the microphone arrays she built in coordination with Kay Karr’s geolinguistics project.

She is rash and impulsive, with a strong sense of personal and cultural pride. She particularly hates arthropods such as the dust burrowers which killed two of her friends. She often keeps a plasteel exosuit and slow-charge laser rifle for personal defense, which is often employed preemptively.

Aagla

Aagla is a yellow slime mold, a variant of Fuligo septica, about six inches in diameter. He was exiled from his colony due to his sterility and rescued by Zach. Though genderless, he uses he/him/his pronouns as suggested by Zach and Kay.

Though his species can grow to cover fifty kilometers overnight, his sterility prevents him from further growth. The cause for his sterility is unknown, so it is unknown if it is a permanent condition.

He speaks via bioluminescence, in flashing lights of various shades of yellow. This is translated by a photosensitive speaker on his bell jar into a gentle chirping voice.

Four-Dimensional Space

Four-dimensional space, commonly referred to as “Fourspace,” is a sub-region of the universe existing parallel to our own. The concept is similar to “hyperspace.” Ships can enter fourspace using a special engine, travel through fourspace, then exit using dimensional anchors which are attached to the corners of the ship. Travel through fourspace effectively allows travel at many times the speed of light.

Visually, fourspace looks like blurred, swirling, interlocking clouds of color. There is a high concentration of background radiation (presumably similar to Cherenkov radiation). Time does not pass normally in fourspace, and a person can survive there for hundreds of years.

Demeter (Planet)

Demeter is an agricultural world with a predominantly vegetarian populace. The ecosystem lacks carnivores, leading to an overpopulation of pests like the locust squirrels.

Demeter’s produce, including the Ambrosia Apples, are unusually nutritious and are sought after for their intricate flavor profiles.

Hecate (Planet)

The planet Hecate is notorious for its treacherous swampland and fierce predators, most notably the swamp hounds.

The citizens of Hecate maintain an air of mysticism, mostly to appeal to tourists. They often employ technology such as micro-robotics to create seemingly magical effects.