Novels

Short stories

These also include stories about Lute and Moonhawk, the earlier incarnations of two major characters in the books. Some short stories also are being made available for free either in the Baen Free Library or at Splinter Universe.

Table of Liaden Universe short stories and novelettes

Liaden

Home planet "Liad". Liadens are usually shorter than the Terran norm, often with golden skin. They are deeply concerned with their melant'i which roughly corresponds to the concern with "face" for which Japanese samurai are famous. Some are almost rabidly isolationist; it is not uncommon for bigoted Liaden to refer to those of other races as "it", likening them to animals. Several characters are part- or even half-Terran: this does not endear them to the isolationists.

Liaden society is clan-based, each Clan being made up of one or more families ("lines"). The Head of a Clan is the "Delm", the head of a line is the "Thodelm"; either might be male or female as circumstances dictate.

Liaden Clans do not generally allow lifemating. Instead, Liadens practice contract marriages, where two individuals from different clans are ordered, or allowed, by their Delms to create a progeny for one of the two clans. This marriage is over when the terms of the contract are fulfilled. Most members of the clan must produce at least one progeny to replace them.

Lifemating is when two individuals become exclusively bound to one and other. This can happen rarely by order of a Delm, or this can happen by the physical, emotional, and spiritual bonding of two individuals with dramliza abilities (regardless of the depth of those abilities).

Some Liaden are trained as explorers: the Scouts. They are regarded with distaste by the more isolationist within Liaden society.

Most of the stories thus far center on members of Clan Korval, made up of the yos'Phelium and yos'Galan lines. Scouts also appear often.

Korval

• Val Con yos'Phelium: Delm, ex-Scout, Lifemate to Miri
• Shan yos'Galan: Master Trader, foster-brother to Val Con; Lifemate of Priscilla Delacroix y Mendoza; (current incarnation of Lute)
• Daav yos'Phelium: ex-Delm, ex-Scout, father to Val Con and Theo Waitley
  • Jen Sar Kiladi: Daav's alter ego, a professor of Cultural Genetics at Delgado University. Jen Sar was the onagrata of Kamele Waitley.
• Aelliana Caylon: Lifemate to Daav, mother to Val Con
• Er Thom yos'Galan: Master Trader, Lifemate of Anne Davis, father to Shan, Nova and Anthora
• Pat Rin yos'Phelium: cousin to Val Con
• Kareen yos'Phelium: sister to Daav, mother to Pat Rin, expert on "The Code of proper conduct"
• Anthora yos'Galan: sister to Shan and Nova, with preternatural (Dramliza) abilities
• Ren Zel dea'Judan: Lifemate to Anthora, with preternatural (Dramliza) abilities
• Nova yos'Galan: sister to Shan, Anthora and Val Con
• Luken bel'Tarda: cousin, rug dealer, foster father of Pat Rin.
• Children and younger members (in no particular order): Quinn, Padi, Syl Vor; Mik and Shindi; and Talizea.
• Jen Sin yos'Phelium: Chief Light Keeper at Tinsori Light. Thought to have died two hundred years ago, but was "merely temporarily misplaced".

Others

• Jan Rek ter'Astin: Scout Captain, friend of Jethri Gobelyn
• Clonak ter'Meulen: Scout, friend of Daav and Val Con
• Shadia ne'Zame: Scout, friend of Clonak
• Win Ton yo'Vala: Scout, friend of Theo Waitley and Less Pilot of Bechimo
• Kara ven'Arith: Crew of Bechimo
• Vertu dea'San: Taxi driver originally from Liad, subsequently exiled to Surebleak. Significant Other to Cheever McFarland.

Terran

Home planet known as "Terra". As remarked above, there is a brief reference to the possibility that this planet is possibly the fourth of that name. Possibly one prior Terra would have been destroyed along with the war-torn universe/galaxy from which mankind fled in Crystal Dragon, though neither the word Terra, nor Terran appear in that book. From cultural references, familiar English names, and references to regional linguistic dialects that appear in the core books, it seems likely that this Terra is nonetheless our own Earth. There appears to be some resentment that the "younger" races (usually Liaden) hold more power in the realm of shipping and commerce than Terra; there is reference to at least one political party involved in less-than-legal operations. Based on the description of the Liaden as younger races, it may be reasonable to assume that they predated the Liaden arrival in the expanding universe. Whether they simply arrived sooner and separately from Cantra's convoy or whether Terra existed in the expanded universe separately from the "Predecessor" universe is unclear.

The Juntavas are an organized-crime "clan" who appear in various guises, sometimes as antagonists, sometimes as allies of the main characters. Unlike the real-world mafia, the Juntavas are apparently able to act as an unopposed organized government in their own right, to the point of having appointed officials called Sector Judges who administer justice within their appointed jurisdictions. The Juntavas are usually not as oppressive as they might be, because they have learned that too much of that sort of thing is "bad for business."

A number of other planets are known to have non-Liaden human inhabitants, presumably of the Terran strain. Some of these worlds, such as Surebleak and Delgado, were settled by Terrans from this universe's Terra. Others, such as Sintia, were settled by ships from the same Crystal Dragon-era colonization waves as Liad and Terra.

Some of these colony worlds, such as Vandar, have backslid to pre-spaceflight technology levels. These worlds have been considered interdicted by the Liaden Scout Corps, with external contact forbidden in order to permit their societies to develop without interference. As of "Prodigal Son", post–I Dare, there are signs that this policy may be changing.

Gobelyns

• Jethri Gobelyn: apprentice trader, apprenticed to Norn ven'Deelin
• Iza Gobelyn: Captain of Gobelyn's Market, mother to Cris, Seeli, Jethri
• Arin Gobelyn: deceased, husband to Iza, father to Jethri, related to Uncle
• Cris Gobelyn: first mate of Gobelyn's Market, Iza's eldest child
• Dyk Gobelyn: junior on Gobelyn's Market, cook
• Khatelane Gobelyn: pilot on Gobelyn's Market
• Mel Gobelyn: on Gobelyn's Market
• Paitor Gobelyn: trader on Gobelyn's Market, brother to Iza
• Seeli Gobelyn: admin on Gobelyn's Market, Iza's second child
• Zam Gobelyn: on Gobelyn's Market
• Grig Tomas: back-up everything on Gobelyn's Market, Arin's cousin, related to Uncle

Korval clan-members

• Anne Davis: Lifemate to Er Thom, mother to Shan, master linguist and musician
• Priscilla Delacroix y Mendoza: Lifemate to Shan (current incarnation of Moonhawk)
• Miri Robertson: half-Liaden "Mercenary Retired, Bodyguard Retired, Have Weapon Will Travel", Lifemate to Val Con and joint Delm (Delmae)
• Inas Bhar: Juntavas Sector Judge Natesa the Assassin, Lifemate of Pat Rin
• Gordy Arbuthnot: cabin boy, Dutiful Passage. Shan's cousin via the Davis side of the family.

Korval-linked

• Theo Waitley: recently discovered (by Delm Korval and the clan generally) daughter to Daav yos'Phelium and acknowledged in Ghost Ship as blood kin to Korval but not Seen by Delm Korval so not a clan member (Daav and Val Con would probably advise Theo against membership at present).
• Kamele Waitley: Theo's mother and professor at Delgado University. Da'av was Kamele's Onagrata using the name Jen Sar Kiladi after Aelliana's murder.
• Cheever McFarland: Master Pilot, messenger to Korval, then Pat Rin's bodyguard/chief of security.
• Clarence o'Berin: Juntavas Boss on Liad; after retirement sat Second on Bechimo.
• Tollance Berik-Jones aka Tolly aka 1362: a mentor, who ensures that AIs are brought into awareness well socialized. Attached to Tocohl's mission.

Uncle-linked

• (The) Uncle (aka Yuri Tomas): a serially reborn meddler with a finger in everybody's pies, while at any one time tending a half-dozen certain-to-be-unsettling projects of his own. Uncle remembers the old universe. Has ties to Cantra and to some crew members of Gobelyn's Market.
  • Note: technically Uncle isn't a Terran because he predates Terra.
• Seignur Veeoni: one of Uncle's clones; she's working on making modern-day fractins at an undisclosed location.
• Dulsey Omron: Uncle's long-time companion and assistant.
• Grig (Grigory) Tomas: See Gobelyns.
• Raisy (Raisana) Thomas: Grig's older twin sister.

Others

• Hakan Meltz: Val Con and Miri's musical friend on Vandar
• Estra Trelu: person Val Con and Miri stayed with on Vandar
• Athna Brigsbee: Vandar busybody
• Kem Darmill: Hakan Meltz' girlfriend and later (by the time of Prodigal Son) wife.
• various Juntavas
• various people on Surebleak
• various people on Vandar

Independent A.I.s

• Jeeves: planetary security A.I. repurposed as butler to yos'Galen at Trealla Fantrol, but transferred to Jelaza Kazone upon Korval's relocation to Surebleak.
• Tocohl Lorlin (Daughter of Korval): Jeeves' daughter. Currently in control of Tinsori Light.
• Bechimo: a "sentient and sapient" space ship, built long ago as a "long-loop trader", incorporating "old tech." He was rediscovered by Win Ton yo'Vala. Theo Waitley became his Captain.
• Admiral Bunter: Originally a composite AI, made up of seven semiderelict ships (with thirteen old and cramped computers between them) out of the junkyard at Jemiatha's Jumble Stop. Admiral Bunter is Theo's Fault.^[50] It guarded Jamiatha's Jumble Stop Station from pirates for a time; it was later transferred to another "cranium" and ship by Mentor Tolly Jones, Tocol Lorin, and Inkirani Yo (another mentor), and has since become a "Free Ship," no longer associated with Jamiatha's Jumble Stop.
• Disian: A "Free ship" mentored by Tolly Jones.^[41]

Yxtrang

Home planet unknown at this time. Usually much larger than the Terran norm, they are a war-like people who live for conquest. They are almost universally prone to thinking of the other human races as animals.

References in Crystal Soldier and Crystal Dragon suggest that the Yxtrang are the descendants of a group of "X Strain" and "Y Strain" genetically-engineered soldiers who served in a platoon with Jela and accompanied the human migration to the new universe. Some of them venerate Jela (an "M Strain") for his skills and deeds as a warrior.

It is not known whether they can interbreed with Liadens or Terrans, though given their common genetic origin there is no reason why they should not be able to; the likely lifespan of such offspring is short, not for merely biological reasons.

• Nelirikk: ex-Explorer (equivalent to Scout), subsequently sworn to Line yos'Phelium, becomes Miri's bodyguard; aka "Beautiful".
• Hazenthull Explorer: junior Explorer, subsequently sworn to Line yos'Phelium.
• Diglon Rifle: enlisted soldier attached to Hazenthull, subsequently sworn to Line yos'Phelium.
• Commander Vepal: Yxtrang roving ambassador.
  • Pilot Erthax: member of Vepal’s Small Troop.
  • Ochin Rifle: member of Vepal’s Small Troop.

Clutch Turtles

These non-humans are even larger than Yxtrang and very long-lived; they appear much like turtles walking upright, hence the name. The length of their names are directly proportional to how old they are and their accomplishments: Edger's full name apparently takes some hours to recite. They are usually slow to act, but are very dangerous when angered and can move quickly when needed.

Clutch turtles travel in starships made from hollowed-out asteroids using an electron substitution drive that can have hallucinogenic effects on the human nervous system. Both a 'low drive' and 'high drive' exist; usually the clutch turtles use the slower low drive, but used the considerably faster high drive in "I Dare."

Clutch turtles are able to command forces of great destructive or healing potential by singing. Clutch turtles are greatly feared and avoided by the Yxtrang as the result of a resounding defeat in battle many years prior to the timeframe of the story.

The Clutch turtles encountered in the "Agent of Change" sequence make up a "market research" team on behalf of their clan, who are known for manufacturing crystalline blades of extreme sharpness and durability by growing them in caves over a timespan of decades.

• Edger
• Sheather
• Watcher
• Selector
• Handler

Cats

There are many cats which appear in the stories, usually by name, often taking an active part in the proceedings. Unlike ordinary housecats, these cats often display paranormal abilities, as well as considerable intelligence.

• Flinx: at Tarnia's Clanhouse
• Lord Merlin: Anthora's cat, very active in I Dare
• Patch: Binjali Repair Shop's resident cat and "co-owner"
• Lady Dignity: Daav yos'Phelium's answer to his sister's complaint that he has no (dignity, that is)
• Relchin: An orange-and-white cat who "enjoys the outdoors" also resides with Daav yos'Phelium
• Silk: Pat Rin's mouser and majordomo on Surebleak
• Charzi: lives in the Lysta Clanhouse in "Misfits"
• Coyster: Jen Sar Kiladi's cat, attached to Theo Waitley on Delgado in Fledgling
• Mandrin: Jen Sar Kiladi's black and white on Delgado

Norbears

Norbear—Size: 16–22 cm; Weight: 121–180 g. Furred quadrupedal mammal with a burrowing habit; soft dense coat, ranging in color from grey, brown, black, orange, white and mixed. Herbivore. Fearless and lively disposition, natural empath. Adapts well to domestication. Banned on certain worlds. Check port rules before importing. —Courier Wildlife Guide, Fourteenth Edition.^[51]

• Master Frodo aboard the Dutiful Passage in Conflict of Honors.
• Hevelin (named after long-time science fiction fan Rusty Hevelin^[52])
• Podesta: Hevelin's great-granddaughter

Trees (Ssussdriads)

The race formally known as Ssussdriads. An unusual character is Jelaza Kazone (a term that has been translated as "Jela's Promise," "Jela's Contract," or "Jela's Dream," among other variants) and the seedlings thereof (of which only two have thus far appeared in narrative). This very large tree lives in the grounds of Clan Korval's primary residence (also called Jelaza Kazone) and is in the habit of communicating its likes and dislikes to senior members of that clan; it has particularly been noted to have an interest in the likely parents of future children of the Clan.

As a young soldier, Jela found the tree on a desert planet on which his ship had crashed. Though barely a stunted seedling and the last member of a dying race, the tree was by itself able to repel invasion of the planet by the enemy Sheriekas. As an act of trust, the tree gave its only seed pod to feed the starving Jela. When Jela's rescue came, he refused to leave the tree behind.

The tree proved to be intelligent, and able to communicate via mental images. It also had the ability to manipulate the chemistry of its seed pods to create useful pharmaceutical compounds. Both these powers proved useful as Jela and Cantra searched for information necessary for mankind to escape its collapsing universe.

The name Jelaza Kazone refers to the promise Cantra yos'Phelium made to Jela, who knew he was destined to die before the migration could be complete, to see the tree through to safety on the new human homeworld. Clan Korval holds itself the guardian of this promise in perpetuity, and every trading vessel of Korval carries a seed of the tree somewhere on board, to ensure the survival of its race.

• Tree mentioned in Plan B at Erob's Clan house on Lytaxin.
• Seedling was installed on Cantra's ship at the end of Crystal Dragon. This sapling was recovered, alive, in Neogenesis.
• Sapling planted on Yulie Sharper's freeholding.
• Two saplings planted on yos'Galan's island on SureBleak.

Melant'i

A great deal of the Liaden culture centers on melant'i. Part of this concept is roughly analogous to personal honor or good manners: a person of impeccable melant'i will behave in a certain way, in a given situation. It is also used to distinguish between a person's different roles in life. If one is speaking to a shipmate in one's role as an officer of the ship, one uses a particular mode to cue the shipmate as to the formality of the situation, and is said to be expressing one's melant'i as that officer. If, on the other hand, one is speaking to the same shipmate, but in the role of daughter, one uses a different mode and is expressing the melant'i as a family member. Different levels of formality, and actions, will be appropriate in each case.

Bows and modes of speech

Space travel