Character guide

Richard Seaton

major

Also known as Dick, Seaton, Dick Seaton, Dr. Seaton, Dr. Dick Seaton, Richard B. Seaton, Richard Ballinger Seaton, Seaton V Direct Action Seaton, the Karfedix Seaton, the Karfedix, Karfedix Seaton, Karfedo Seaton, noble Karfedo

A brilliant, impulsive chemist who cracks the secret of atomic power and bets everything on a homemade spaceship, dragging his best friend and his fiancée into the void.

Martin Crane

major

Also known as Mart, Crane, the keen-minded Crane, Mr. Crane, Martin Crane, Mr. Martin Crane, Karfedix Crane, M. Reynolds Crane, the M. Reynolds Crane, the great M. Reynolds Crane, Mr. Reynolds Crane

A quiet, blue-blooded industrialist who bankrolls his friend's impossible dream, trading his fortune and his composure for a berth on the Skylark.

Dorothy Vaneman

major

Also known as Dorothy, Vaneman, Dorothy Lee Vaneman, Dottie, Dot, Dottie Dimple, Miss Vaneman

Seaton's sharp-eyed fiancée, whose nerve holds steady when the ship is hijacked and the stars turn hostile, proving she belongs on the voyage.

Marc DuQuesne

major

Also known as Dr. Marc DuQuesne, DuQuesne, Doctor DuQuesne, Doctor, Marc C. DuQuesne, Dr. Marc C. DuQuesne, Dr. DuQuesne, Karfedix DuQuesne, the Karfedix DuQuesne, the Karfedix

A cold, calculating rival scientist who steals the drive and the girl, then discovers that even his ruthless mind is no match for deep space.

Margaret Spencer

supporting

Also known as Spencer, Margaret Spencer, Miss Spencer, Margaret, Miss Margaret Spencer, Peg, Peggy, sweetheart Peggy

Crane's loyal sweetheart, swept into the abduction alongside Dorothy, whose quiet steadiness anchors the women through the terror of being lost among the stars.

Brookings

supporting

Also known as Mr. Brookings, fool Brookings, Steel, Brookings of Steel

The corrupt president of Steel Industries, who tries to bury Seaton's invention with sabotage and lawyers before the Skylark ever leaves the ground.

Dunark

supporting

Also known as the Kofedix, Kofedix, Kofedix Dunark, The Kofedix, The Kofedix Dunark, Soon Dunark

Dunark, the Kofedix, belongs to a warrior culture where rank is absolute and hospitality can turn lethal without warning, so his early dealings with Seaton and Crane test both his pride and his sense of obligation. His fierce loyalty and quick temper pull against the diplomatic restraint his position demands, especially once his people's long war with the Mardonalians becomes tangled with his new friends' fortunes. He matters because he turns a strange planet into a stage for the story's larger conflict, giving the Earthmen a cause, a refuge, and a war not their own.

Nalboon

supporting

Also known as XIV Nalboon

Nalboon sits atop a decaying empire whose power he maintains through suspicion, torture, and the ruthless pursuit of any advantage, including the secrets of the Skylark's drive. Where Dunark embodies honor bound by duty, Nalboon embodies appetite unchecked by principle, and his hunger for the Earthmen's technology makes him a predator rather than a host. He matters because his treachery converts first contact into open conflict, forcing the Skylark's crew to choose sides and raising the stakes from exploration to survival.

Perkins

minor

Also known as Mr. Perkins

Crane's loyal and efficient secretary.

Prescott

minor

Also known as Mr. Prescott

A government official involved in the early space project.

Shiro

minor

Japanese servant and cook for the Skylark crew.

Ferdinand Scott

minor

Also known as Scott, Fred

A Steel employee who spies on Seaton and Crane.

Sitar

minor

Also known as Kondal, Crown Princess of Kondal, the Kofedir Sitar

Princess of Kondal and Dunark's wife; a telepathic alien.

Tarnan

minor

Also known as Karbix Tarnan, The Karbix, the Karbix

A minor Osnomian noble who aids the Earthlings.

Van Schravendyck

minor

Also known as Van

A Dutch scientist who aids the protagonists briefly.

Chambers

minor

Also known as Doctor Chambers

A physician who treats the crew after their return.

Domak gok Mardonale

minor

Also known as the Domak, The Domak, Mardonale

Nalboon's treacherous prime minister on Mardonale.

MacDougall

minor

Also known as the great MacDougall

A Scottish physicist who assists with calculations.

Roban

minor

An Osnomian scientist and ally of Dunark.

Silk Humphreys

minor

Also known as Silk

A Steel employee involved in espionage.

Wilson

minor

A minor Steel employee or guard.

Blackie

minor

A nickname for a minor character, possibly a servant.

Dicky

minor

Affectionate nickname for Richard Seaton used by Dorothy.