Bob
Grew up on a farm in the Canterbury Plains in the South Island of New Zealand. When his father died, he left school and started working on a trawler. After a couple of years trying to run the farm, his mother sold up and bought a place in Christchurch. When she died things fell apart. He had a couple of jobs, including as an extra (an Orc) on the second Lord of the Rings film (uncredited) but afterwards got mixed up with booze and small time crime. An alcoholic, he started to sleep in the park near Christchurch hospital, where he meets Belle and first journeys into the unstable zone.
New Zealanders from the rural South Island have a wonderful accent and a distinctive way of talking. They have a wonderful capacity to disregard the incidents of modern life - seeking quality rather than quantity. While he owns a property in Christchurch (presently being managed by a trustee) he has quietly forgotten about it as he pursues a new life with Belle the Captain of the Sky-Boat "Whist" at Gleise 710.
Kathy
A complex independent woman. Born into a rural family, she endured a childhood of violence and self doubt. She used education as a way of getting away from her family, getting early entry into a regional university and taking a degree in Arts. She became politically active, but became disillusioned with the motivation of those around her. She met Pete through this period. She completed her degree and became a teacher in inner Sydney for a little while, reconciled with and caring for her elderly mother at the final stages. She returned to the family farm after her mothers death and, although determined to wind up the estate, found it difficult. At this time she met Pete for a second time and invited him to the farm to help her prepare it for sale. The relationship lasted a couple of months over a winter but failed for a host of reasons and she kicked him out.
She returned to teaching for a couple of years, having a child, Storm, during this period. She has refused to discuss the paternity of the child. When Storm turned 2, Kathy left Sydney and purchased a small horse stud in the South East highlands.
The farm has become a model of sustainability, not connected to mains electricity. Independent and comfortable, she became part of the local community, and taken into the confidence of the local community.
Following Pete into the unstable zone she is able to let Storm know she is safe, stumbles on and then looses Bob and Belle, before encountering Anthem's rescue attempt. She and Anthem clash before joining Belle's crew sailing at Gleise 710.
Storm
Kathy's daughter.
Storm has lived on her mother's horse farm all her remembered life. She knows the area better than anyone. Comfortable with the land and horses, she roams, learning about the lives of those nearby, including Pete. She enjoys shocking him, once telling him she has used him toothbrush to clean fox skulls (about which she has no regrets).
She is puzzled about her mother's refusal to talk to her about her father, and seeks any information about this part of her life.
She struck a deep friendship with Teathyme after discovering the aelf stealing eggs. Teathyme has given Storm the power to summon her. She stole the cat Waylander (with Waylander's agreement) for the aelf Onesti, and Waylander now lives at her farm when not roaming with the aelf.
She recovered from the disappearance of her mother quickly and has kept the farm operating, albeit without access to her mother's financial resources.
Peter Quinton
Palerang
March 2015
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