Dramatis Personae

Verity Starchaser

Verity Starchaser, the thrice Hippolyta Award nominated reporter, writes for the New Houston Chronicle, the Persephone Gazette and Zoenomie Magazine, on a variety of topics, including intergalactic travel, Terran politics, and 24th Century Lifestyle. Her work has been variously described as "bold", "polemical" and "outrageous".

Asked about her approach to Journalism, she has said: "there really is no substitute for putting yourself right in the thick of the action. Writing is all about presence, after all."

'Al' Starchaser

Al is very clear that he is proud of his much better known, and more successful, younger sibling. Although he has admitted on occasion that the name 'Starchaser' has become as much of a burden as it is a benefit. On the one hand, it opens doors. On the other, it makes anonymity that much harder to achieve, which can sometimes be necessary for any amateur treasure-hunter - a label which Al himself regards as horribly pretentious. He prefers to give his profession as 'student'. Al and Verity's father, on the other hand, prefers to describe him as a 'dilettante'.

(Dr) Lee Montana

Lee Montana is Verity's administrator, fixer, web manager, diarist and sometime cameraman. He graduated from Tycho City Community University with a double PhD in Social History and Creative Writing, around the time Verity was at work on her now-infamous expose of the faculty. He started working for her shortly afterward.

Of Lee, Verity says: "he's an absolute star.  He works like a Trojan, bless him. What would I do without him?" Lee also manages Verity's blog, "Chasing Verity".

LYRA

LYRA is an A.I. (she prefers the term 'Synthetic Consciousness') who is currently in residence on Verity's smartphone. She has a predilection for philosophy, and is often unsure as to whether her thoughts are real or merely a simulation. Despite this existential obsession, her calculations have helped Verity out of more than one tight spot.

Captain Sabrina Drake

Sabrina Drake, captain of the Swallow, believes in free trade, democracy, and the right to bear arms. She has been an itinerant space trader for a continuous period of five years, apart from two weeks during which she was stripped of her licence. This followed an incident involving an attempt to impound the Swallow in a New Delhi Spaceport, leading to what the local papers described as a 'fracas'. Fortunately, it emerged that the men she had shot were, in fact, terrorists posing as law enforcement officers and her licence was reinstated. Her association with Verity Starchaser dates from around that time.

Commander Hoshi Hanta, SS, DSO, LOM.

Commander Hanta is the Terran Military Attache to Interpol. During the course of her many investigations into intergalactic organised crime, she has crossed paths with Verity on a number of occasions. Whilst it is safe to say that no love has been lost between the two (a pseudonymous article describing Hanta as "a useful idiot" was never formally attributed to Verity), Hanta has been forced to admit that the "wet, useless pen-pushing liberal" has, on occasion, been useful to her.