Aria Pantel is the lieutenant of the Federation starship Century. As second in command to the captain, she has a lot of responsibility on her plate and has to act with a high level of decorum. Sometimes she finds this more difficult because she's a regular human being just like the rest of the crew. Years of bottling up her emotions and refusing to take care of herself may finally have caught up to her.

Doctor Hansel Heinrich is a famous Biologist and ranking member of the Federation’s Governing Medical Board. He's on a personally important mission to research exotic plant life on outer rim worlds. Incredibly arrogant, he takes no pleasure in having to share a ship with his one-timr classmate at the Academy, Aria Pantel. They have plenty of unresolved history and he doesn't feel like digging it back up. He rather they ignore each other, but that's hard for them to do when he finds out their interests align.

Tinsdale Brown is a navigational officer aboard the Century where she serves on the bridge. She and Aria are good friends from early in their professional careers. They met during Aria's second tour of duty after her short stint aboard the famed Discovery vessel. These two can be found during shore leave buzzed and laughing together at the nearest space bar.

Captain Tensicola is in charge of the Century, a Federation science vessel. His thinning, gray hair and coarse hands remark about his own storied history in the military. Quick to rise in the ranks, he is an inspiration to many cadets and career professionals. If you could get him talking, you probably wouldn't believe half of what he said about his past. However, you probably couldn't get him to open up anyway. He's super serious like that.

Gregory is an officer in the Federation military. He serves on the bridge of the Century as a ship power engineer.

Alynnise was the mother of Aria Pantel. She is also known as the Mother of the Million. She worked as a volunteer for the Martian Cooperative organization which delivered humanitarian efforts to the Martian people during a planet-wide famine caused in part by the political Earth trade blockade.

Adam is a Junior Officer of the Federation and is serving aboard the Century. He is tasked with running gopher jobs and generally assisting with communication and collaboration aboard the sprawling ship.

Chron is a primitive, early evolved human person living on the galaxy rim planet 747-B orbiting star Polaris-22. His people and the associated other humanoid inhabitants are unaware they are being observed and wouldn't know what to make of it even if they were. They live in thatched houses and sport mostly animal hide and woven grass clothing. His species at this time lacks verbal language but may have developed some other interesting advancements that casual observers don't give them enough credit for.

Doc is the psychologist aboard the ship Century. He supports the crew with matters involving mental health. He is of Earth and subscribes to some of the popular cultural facets such as an interest in the antiquities like wood and paper books. His methods are somewhat 'bleeding edge'.

Julian is the newest crew member aboard the Century. He's a fresh out of the Academy pharmacist. He's only been on the job one day when our story takes place. He really knows his stuff but also likes to avoid socializing with people.

The Quillian race comprises of an alien society from outside the Milky Way galaxy. A war between them and the Terrans ended over a decade ago. Pushed back out of our galaxy, they haven't been seen from since. That doesn't keep Aria from having nightmares about them.

Dary is a crew member of the Century. He works in the hangar and compiles manifests of inventory. He has a daughter who admires Aria because of her war story regarding the Battle at Sumpter Nebula.

Federation space vessel, the starship Century, is an impressive deep space home for hundreds of soldiers, scientists, and dignitaries. The crew's current mission is to catalog humanoid civilizations on the outer rim of the Milky Way galaxy. They do not have permission to make contact as this may disrupt the natural order of emerging "proper" human evolution. In addition to their mission, they provide support for other researchers who wish to work in the same systems they traverse. Equipped to the brim with survey technology, this vessel has no need for weapons. No worries. The Quillian aliens haven't been seen for decades since their defeat.

More than a decade prior to our present story, the legendary Starship Discovery was a war ship battling the Quillian aliens across the galaxy. Aria Pantel served a tour aboard it. It was her first post straight out of the Academy. Her actions while stationed there jump-started her career.