The Inverted Sky

Undersecretary Thorne (Meridian Federation)

A cold, pragmatic, and powerful bureaucrat in the Federation's Ministry of State. Thorne is a master of political maneuvering who sees people and nations as pieces on a chessboard. He is Ruby's superior and represents the cynical, amoral realpolitik of the superpower she serves.

Captain Eric Voss (Caspian Combine)

An incompetent and cowardly officer in the Combine army, Voss is a product of a system that rewards loyalty over ability. He is Sean's direct commander in Erden and embodies the bureaucratic rot and moral corruption that Sean despises, prioritizing personal gain and self-preservation above all else.

President-Marshal Lysander Corvus (Sirona)

The ruthless dictator of Sirona. For fifteen years, Corvus has clung to power through fear and the backing of his patrons in the Meridian Federation. He is paranoid, ambitious, and willing to start a war and risk nuclear catastrophe to save his own regime.

President Kaelen Rask (Erden)

The democratically elected President of the Republic of Erden. A strong, resilient, and principled leader, she is caught in an impossible situation: fending off an invasio

Lisa Aris (Erden)

The acting mayor of the town of Oakhaven. After her father was called to defend the capital, Lisa was thrust into a leadership role she never wanted. She is young, overwhelmed, but fiercely protective of her people, representing the civilian struggle and resilience of Erden.

The Agent (Sirona)

A high-ranking Sironan official chosen to be the puppet leader of Corvus's "Western Erden." Wracked with guilt and fear, he attempts to defect to Erden to expose the conspiracy, inadvertently becoming the "package" Sean must protect. He represents the moral cowardice that enables tyrannical regimes.

General Valerius (Sirona)

A high-ranking and ambitious Sironan general, Valerius is a key player in the conspiracy between Corvus and the rogue Combine faction. He is arrogant, short-tempered, and dangerously overconfident in his own importance. While he is a competent field commander, his ego and explosive anger are significant weaknesses. He views the war and the conspiracy primarily as a means to his own personal advancement and enrichment, making him susceptible to manipulation by anyone who can successfully play on his pride and greed. He is the Sironan officer who captures Sean and is ultimately outwitted by him.

Major Ivan Rostova (Caspian Combine)

A man of unshakeable integrity, "The Ox" is a decorated officer who was court-martialed for exposing a conspiracy to secretly expand the Combine's neutron bomb arsenal. Though the charges were dropped, his career was sidelined, landing him in the disposable "Task Force Revenant." He is a symbol of quiet, stubborn defiance against a corrupt system, whose moral fortitude is a source of inspiration for Sean.

Captain Eva Rostova (Caspian Combine)

Major Rostova's sister, Eva is a fierce and principled officer whose career was destroyed when she disobeyed a direct order to save a village of civilians from annihilation. Her righteous fury and willingness to sacrifice her future for what is right make her a kindred spirit to Sean and a key member of his rescued team.

Leo Vance (Caspian Combine)

Sean's former academy roommate and a pilot in "Task Force Revenant." Leo is a sharp-witted and cynical man with a penchant for collecting secrets and a "sly grin" that often precedes a cutting truth. He is the one who reveals the doomed nature of their mission to Sean, providing crucial intelligence on the corrupt system that has assembled their disposable team. Despite his cynical exterior, he is a loyal friend to Sean. He shares the same last name as Ruby Vance, hinting at a possible familial connection.

Klara Denkova (Meridian Federation)

A stern, overworked, 63-year-old civilian logistics supervisor for NorthStar Services, the primary food contractor for the FIA campus. She is pragmatic and resource-focused, responsible for hiring cheap refugee labor to meet her quotas. While not malicious, she embodies the bureaucratic indifference of the corporate structure, seeing refugees like "Samir" as disposable assets to solve her staffing problems. She is Sean's initial entry point into the system.

Tomas Ruiz (Meridian Federation)

A mid-level IT technician for NorthStar Services, Tomas is a burned-out and cynical "colony kid" who resents the Federation bureaucracy and the privileged FIA personnel he services. His frustration and disillusionment make him an ideal first contact for Sean, who easily earns his trust by fixing his technical problems and sharing a sense of cynical camaraderie. Tomas unwittingly becomes Sean's first stepping stone to gaining deeper access.

Elena Vasquez (Meridian Federation)

A sharp, dedicated, but frustrated FIA IT auditor from a family of Federation bureaucrats. Tasked with ensuring compliance between internal FIA systems and third-party vendors, she is caught between her belief in "the rules" and the reality of a system where the powerful ignore them. She is intelligent and competent, but her loneliness and professional frustration make her vulnerable to the sense of partnership and respect offered by "Samir," making her Sean's most important, and most guilt-inducing, unwitting accomplice.

Dr. Aris Volkov (Caspian Combine)

A brilliant, once-idealistic geneticist and cloning expert from the Caspian Combine. Initially, he founded a secret medical institute wi th noble intentions: to use his genius to grow organs and save lives. However, his project was co-opted by corrupt and powerful elements within the Combine, who forced him—under threat to his family—to perform monstrous acts, including illegal organ harvesting and creating mindless clone "avatars" for political control. Wracked with guilt and blackmailed into complicity, he is a broken man, a tragic figure who represents the perversion of science by power . His confession to Ruby Vance becomes the catalyst that unites her and Sean against the conspiracy.

Colonel Denis Volkov (Caspian Combine)

A desperate father and a conflicted officer, Colonel Volkov serves as the deputy operations officer for the mission to rescue his own brother, Dr. Aris Volkov. Driven by the hope of saving his critically ill eight-year-old daughter, who was denied a life-saving transplant by the Combine's amoral elite, he becomes a mole for the Meridian Federation. He leverages his position to sabotage the rescue missions, feeding intelligence to the enemy to ensure his brother remains in their custody. His treason is not for personal gain but for a chance at a miracle, making him a tragic figure who sacrifices his honor and his comrades for the love of his child.

Lena Korva (Ex-Caspian Combine Intelligence Director)

As the disgraced former Director of Combine Intelligence, Lena Korva is the ruthless spymaster and "digital phantom" orchestrating the conspiracy in Cygnus. Projecting an aura of severe elegance and calm, she is a master of psychological warfare and digital traps, but beneath this polished exterior lies a volatile and paranoid tyrant. Scapegoated after the Erden affair, she is driven by a burning desire for revenge against the Combine leadership and an obsession with rebuilding her shadow empire. Viewing the galactic war as a mere stage for cynical elites on both sides, she masterminds the false-flag plot to regain control of the lucrative cloning "institute" and prove that true power transcends government loyalties. As the architect of the hunt for Sean and Ruby, she represents a chillingly competent and deeply personal threat born from the sins of the last war.

The Meridian Federation

The dominant superpower in the known galaxy, the Meridian Federation presents itself as a stable, sophisticated, and enlightened republic, a beacon of order and prosperity. In reality, its vast bureaucracy is driven by a cold, cynical realpolitik, and it maintains its dominance through a web of client states, economic control, and overwhelming military might. Led by a powerful, often unseen Ministry of State, the Federation views the rest of the galaxy as pieces on a chessboard, to be managed and manipulated for its own long-term security and influence. Ruby Vance is a product of its elite diplomatic corps.

The Caspian Combine

A rising, industrial superpower forged from a union of resource-rich worlds, the Caspian Combine is the primary rival to the Meridian Federation. The Combine's ideology is one of collective strength, pragmatism, and relentless ambition. While officially a democracy, its government is deeply intertwined with its powerful military-industrial complex, creating a society that values utilitarian strength over individual liberty. The Combine is seen by the Federation as a brutish, expansionist threat, while it sees itself as the only power strong enough to challenge the Federation's galactic hegemony. Sean Walker is an officer in its formidable air force.

The Republic of Cygnus

A staunchly neutral and immensely wealthy nation, the Republic of Cygnus has carved out a unique position between the two rival superpowers. Famous for its luxurious resorts, discreet banking systems, and role as a neutral ground for high-stakes diplomacy, Cygnus is the Switzerland of the galaxy. Its government prioritizes economic prosperity and unwavering neutrality above all else, making its territory a safe haven for spies, diplomats, and anyone seeking refuge from the galactic conflict—as long as they can afford the price of admission and agree to leave their wars at the border.

The Republic of Sirona

An authoritarian state masquerading as a republic, Sirona is a client nation of the powerful Meridian Federation. For fifteen years, it has been under the iron-fisted rule of President-Marshal Lysander Corvus, who relies on Federation military support to suppress dissent and maintain his power. With a faltering economy and growing internal unrest, Corvus's regime initiated the war with its neighbor, Erden, under the false pretext of "liberating" the Sironan-speaking populace. Sirona is a nation built on a foundation of aggressive nationalism, political paranoia, and a desperate need to project strength to hide its internal decay.

The Republic of Erden

A resilient and sovereign democracy, the Republic of Erden is a nation defined by its fierce independence and the determination of its people. Led by the popularly elected President Kaelen Rask, Erden finds itself caught between two hostile superpowers. Threatened by the aggression of its neighbor, Sirona, Erden has entered into a fragile, mistrustful alliance with the Caspian Combine for protection. While the Combine's support is limited and comes with its own agenda, the people of Erden are united in their fight for their land, their freedom, and their right to self-governance, embodying a spirit of endurance against overwhelming odds.