The Gripping Hand

Dramatis Personae

Sinbad:

HIS EXCELLENCY HORACE HUSSEIN BURY. Imperial Trader and Magnate; Chairman of the Board, Imperial Autonetics, Ltd. and owner of the yacht Sinbad

SIR KEVIN RENNER, KCMG, Captain, Imperial Space Navy Reserve; pilot of Sinbad

NABIL AHMED KHADURRI, Valet and Personal Secretary to Bury

CYNTHIA ANWAR, Companion to Bury

REUBEN FOX, Captain of Imperial Autonetics ship Nauvoo Vision

SIR LAWRENCE JACKSON, Governor of Maxroy's Purchase

RUTH RACHAEL COHEN, Lieutenant. Commander, Imperial Space Navy Intelligence

AJAX BOYNTON

JAMES SCOTT Snow Ghost Hunters, Maxroy's Purchase

DARWIN SCOTT

RODERICK HAROLD. LORD BLAINE, DSC, GCMG, Earl of Acrux, Capt. ISN (Ret.), former master of Imperial battle cruiser MacArthur

SANDRA (SALLY) LIDDELL LEONOVNA FOWLER, LADY BLAINE, onetime doctoral candidate in anthropology, wife of Lord Blaine

THE HONORABLE GLENDA RUTH FOWLER BLAINE, Rod and Sally Blaine's daughter

BRUNO CZILLER, Vice Admiral, ISN (Ret.), former master of INSS MacArthur

DR. JACOB RUCKMAN, Astrophysicist

HIS EXCELLENCY BENJAMIN SERGEI SACHS, President of Imperial Traders Association, and Chairman of Union Express

BARON SIR ANDREW CALVIN MERGER, newly appointed Viceroy and Governor General of His Majesty's Realms Beyond the Coal Sack

ARKLEY KELLEY, Former Gunner, Imperial Marines, and Blaine family retainer

JENNIFER BANDA, Graduate Student in Xenobiology, Blaine Institute

IVAN, JOCK & CHARLIE, Motie ambassadors to the Empire, representing the Mote Prime family headed by "King Peter"

CAPTAIN RAPHAEL CUNNINGHAM, ISN Intelligence case officer

ALYSIA JOYCE MEI-LING TRUJILLO, feature columnist Imperial PostTribune Syndicate, Special Features reporter, Hochsweiler Broadcasting Network

THE HONORABLE KEVIN CHRISTIAN BLAINE, Lieutenant. ISN

COMMISSIONER JOHN CARGILL, Admiral, ISN (Ret.)

COMMISSIONER DAVID HARDY, Bishop of the Established Church, and former Chaplain-Captain, Imperial Space Navy Reserve

LT. COMMANDER WILLIAM HIRAM RAWLINS, ISN, master of the frigate Atropos

COMMANDER GREGORY BALASINGHAM, ISN, master of the cruiser Agamemnon

THE HONORABLE FREDERICK TOWNSEND, owner and master of the yacht Hecate

TERRY KAKUMI, former Chief Petty Officer, ISN, engineer aboard Hecate

ADMIRAL THE HONORABLE SIR HARRY WEIGLE, Commander of the Crazy Eddie Fleet

The Moties:

Medina Traders Group:

EUDOXUS, Mediator

MUSTAPHA PASHA, Master of Inner Base Six

CALIPH ALMOHAD, Master of Medina Trading

East India Group:

LORD CORNWALLIS, Associate Master of Inner Base Six

WORDSWORTH, Junior Mediator

OMAR, Senior Mediator

ALl BABA, Apprentice Mediator

Crimean Tartars Group:

MERLIN, young Master

OZMA, senior Master

VICTORIA, Mediator

DOCTOR DOOLITTLE, Physician

POLLYANNA, Apprentice Mediator

Khanate Group:

HARLEQUIN, Mediator