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  Soz is one of the three Imperial scions Kurj chose as his possible heir, along with Althor and Kelric. A strategic genius, she became the greatest military leader known in the Skolian Imperialate. The story of her time as a cadet at the Dieshan Military Academy is told in Schism, The Final Key, and “Echoes of Pride” (Space Cadets, ed. Mike Resnick, 2006). The Final Key tells of the first Skolian-Trader war and Soz’s part in that conflict. The story of Soz’s rescue of colonists from the world New Day is told in the novelette “The Pyre of New Day” (The Mammoth Book of SF Wars, ed. Ian Whates and Ian Watson, 2012). How Soz and Jato met appears in the novella, “Aurora in Four Voices” (Analog, December 1998). Soz and Jaibriol’s stories appear in Primary Inversion and The Radiant Seas. They have four children: Jaibriol III, Rocalisa, Vitar, and del-Kelric.

  Jaibriol Qox Skolia (aka Jaibriol III) Emperor of the Trader Empire = Tarquine Iquar (Trader Empress, Finance Minister, and Aristo queen of the Iquar Line)

  Jaibriol III, the eldest child of Soz and Jaibriol II, becomes the emperor of the Eubian Concord, also known as the Trader Empire. As such, he must hide his true identity, that he is also an heir to the Ruby Throne. The story of how Jaibriol III becomes Emperor at age seventeen is told in The Moon’s Shadow. The story of how Jaibriol and his uncle Kelric deal with each other as the leaders of opposing empires appears in The Ruby Dice and Carnelians. Jaibriol III also appears in The Radiant Seas as a child and as a teenager.

  Denric is a teacher. He accepts a position on Sandstorm, an impoverished colony, to run a school for the children there. His harrowing introduction to his new home appears in the story, “The Edges of Never-Haven” (Flights of Fantasy, ed. Al Sarrantino). He also appears in The Quantum Rose.

  Shannon is the most otherworldly member of the Ruby Dynasty. He inherited the rare genes of a Blue Dale Archer from his father, Eldrinson. He left home at age sixteen and sought out the Archers, believed to be extinct. He appears in Schism, The Final Key, The Quantum Rose, and as a child in “Stained Glass Heart.”

  Aniece = Lord Rillia

  Aniece is the most business-minded of the Valdoria children. Although she never left her home world Lyshriol, she earned an MBA and became an accountant. Lord Rillia rules a province including the Rillian Vales, Dalvador Plains, Backbone Mountains, and Stained Glass Forest. Aniece decided at age twelve that she would marry Rillia, though he was much older, and she kept at her plan until she achieved her goal. Aniece and Rillia appear in The Quantum Rose.

  Kelricson (Kelric) Garlin

  = (1) Corey Majda (deceased)

  = (2) Deha Dahl (deceased)

  = (3) Rashiva Haka (Calani trade)

  = (4) Savina Miesa (deceased)

  = (5) Avtac Varz (Calani trade)

  = (6) Ixpar Karn

  = (7) Jeejon (deceased)

  Kelric is one of the three Imperial scions Kurj chose as his possible heir, along with Soz and Althor. He is a major character in Carnelians, The Ruby Dice, “The Ruby Dice” (novella, Baen’s Universe 2006), Ascendant Sun, The Last Hawk, and the novelette “Light and Shadow” (Analog, April 1994). He also appears in The Moon’s Shadow, Diamond Star, “A Roll of the Dice” (Analog, July/August 2000), and as a toddler in “Stained Glass Heart” (Irresistible Forces, ed. Catherine Asaro, 2004).

  Kelric and Rashiva have one son, Jimorla Haka, who becomes a renowned Calani. Kelric and Savina have one daughter, Rohka Miesa Varz, who becomes the Ministry Successor in line to rule the Estates of Coba.

  The novella “Walk in Silence” (Analog, April 2003) tells the story of Jess Fernandez, an Allied Starship Captain from Earth, who deals with the genetically engineered humans on the Skolian colony of Icelos.

  The novella “The City of Cries” (Down These Dark Spaceways, ed. Mike Resnick) tells the story of Major Bhaaj, a private investigator hired by the House of Majda to find Prince Dayj Majda after he disappears.

  The novella “The Shadowed Heart” (Year’s Best Paranormal, ed. Paula Guran, and The Journey Home, ed. Mary Kirk) is the story of Jason Harrick, a Jagernaut who barely survives the Radiance War.

  Time Line

  Circa BC 4000 Group of humans moved from Earth to Raylicon

  Circa BC 3600 Rise of the Ruby Dynasty

  Circa BC 3100 Raylicans launch their first interstellar flights. Rise of the ancient Ruby Empire.

  Circa BC 2900 Ruby Empire declines

  Circa BC 2800 Last interstellar flights. Ruby Empire collapses.

  Circa AD 1300 Raylicans begin to regain lost knowledge

  AD 1843 Raylicans regain interstellar flight

  AD 1871 Aristos found Eubian Concord (aka Trader Empire)

  AD 1881 Lahaylia Selei born

  AD 1904 Lahaylia Selei founds Skolian Imperialate

  AD 2005 Jarac born

  AD 2111 Lahaylia Selei marries Jarac

  AD 2119 Dyhianna Selei born

  AD 2122 Earth achieves interstellar flight with the inversion drive

  AD 2132 Allied Worlds of Earth formally established

  AD 2144 Roca born

  AD 2169 Kurj born

  AD 2203 Roca marries Eldrinson Althor Valdoria (Skyfall)

  AD 2204 Eldrin Jarac Valdoria born (Skyfall)

  Jarac Skolia, Patriarch of the Ruby Dynasty, dies (Skyfall)

  Kurj becomes Imperator (Skyfall)

  Death of Lahaylia Selei, the first modern Ruby Pharaoh, followed by the ascension of Dyhianna Selei to the Ruby Throne

  AD 2205 Major Bhaajan hired by the House of Majda (“The City of Cries” and Undercity)

  Bhaajan establishes the Dust Knights of Cries (Undercity)

  AD 2206 Althor Izam-Na Valdoria born

  AD 2207 Del-Kurj (Del) and Chaniece Roca born

  AD 2209 Havyrl (Vyrl) Torcellei Valdoria born

  AD 2210 Sauscony (Soz) Lahaylia Valdoria born

  AD 2211 Denric Windward Valdoria born

  AD 2213 Shannon Eirlei Valdoria born

  AD 2215 Aniece Dyhianna Valdoria born

  AD 2219 Kelricson (Kelric) Garlin Valdoria born

  AD 2220 Eldrin and Dehya marry

  AD 2221 Taquinil Selei born

  AD 2223 Vyrl and Lily elope at age fourteen and create a political crisis (“Stained Glass Heart”)

  AD 2227 Soz enters Dieshan Military Academy (Schism and “Echoes of Pride”)

  AD 2228 First declared war between Skolia and Traders (The Final Key)

  AD 2237 Jaibriol II born

  AD 2240 Soz meets Jato Stormson (“Aurora in Four Voices”)

  AD 2241 Kelric marries Admiral Corey Majda

  AD 2243 Corey Majda assassinated (“Light and Shadow”)

  AD 2255 Soz leads rescue mission to colony on New Day (“The Pyre of New Day”)

  AD 2258 Kelric crashes on Coba (The Last Hawk)

  AD 2259 Soz and Jaibriol II go into exile (Primary Inversion and The Radiant Seas)

  AD 2260 Jaibriol III born, aka Jaibriol Qox Skolia (The Radiant Seas)

  AD 2263 Rocalisa Qox Skolia born (The Radiant Seas)

  Althor Izam-Na Valdoria meets Coop (“Soul of Light”)

  AD 2269 Vitar Qox Skolia born (The Radiant Seas)

  AD 2273 del-Kelric Qox Skolia born (The Radiant Seas)

  AD 2274 Aliana Miller Azina born (Carnelians)

  AD 2275 Jaibriol II captured by Eubian Space Command (ESComm) and forced to become puppet emperor of the Trader empire (The Radiant Seas)

  Soz becomes Imperator of the Skolian Imperialate (The Radiant Seas)

  AD 2276 Radiance War begins, also called the Domino War (The Radiant Seas)

  AD 2277 Traders capture Eldrin (The Radiant Seas)

  Radiance War ends (The Radiant Seas)

  AD 2277–8 Kelric returns home and becomes Imperator (Ascendant Sun)

  Jaibriol III becomes the Trader emperor (The Moon’s Shadow and The Radiant Seas)

  Dehya stages coup in the aftermath of the Radiance War (Spherical Harmonic)

  Imperialate and Eubian leaders meet for preliminar
y peace talks (Spherical Harmonic)

  Jason Harrick crashes on the planet Thrice Named (“The Shadowed Heart”)

  Vyrl goes to Balumil and meets Kamoj (The Quantum Rose)

  Vyrl returns to Skyfall and leads planetary act of protest (The Quantum Rose)

  AD 2279 Althor Vyan Selei born (the second son of Dyhianna and Eldrin)

  Del sings “The Carnelians Finale” and nearly starts a war (Diamond Star)

  AD 2287 Jeremiah Coltman trapped on Coba (“A Roll of the Dice” and The Ruby Dice)

  Jeejon dies (The Ruby Dice)

  AD 2288 Kelric and Jaibriol Qox sign peace treaty (The Ruby Dice)

  AD 2289 Imperialate and Eubian governments meet for peace negotiations (Carnelians)

  AD 2298 Jess Fernandez goes to Icelos (“Walk in Silence”)

  AD 2326 Tina and Manuel return to New Mexico (“Ave de Paso”)

  AD 2328 Althor Vyan Selei meets Tina Santis Pulivok (Catch the Lightning; also the duology Lightning Strike, Book I and Lightning Strike, Book II)

  Taken together, Lightning Strike, Book I and Lightning Strike, Book II are similar to the story told in Catch the Lightning, but substantially rewritten and expanded for the eBook release.

  The eBook version of Primary Inversion is rewritten from the original and considered by the author as the best version.