Mini character synopses

Talon Brave, the protagonist and main character, is caught between opposing psychic forces. On one hand, he lacks self-confidence and has deep skepticism for his tribal heritage. On the other hand, he knows that he can offer something special and he is intrigued and touched by inner mysticism.

As the protagonist, he seeks to survive the Trocaran gauntlet to save his fellow captives (particularly Mary Thunder) and to “win” the game, so that Earth will be removed from the rank of the seed worlds (and humanity will not be obliterated). The insectoid hive queen is the antagonist—her drive is to stop Talon, and the rest of the humanoids, from winning the game. She desires Earth as her fairly won prize.

The Staleene Keeper is the Obstacle Character and the Contagonist. As the contagonist, the Staleene Keeper keeps Talon on the run, tempting him with games (with incredibly high stakes), always trying to keep him from reaching the victory conditions but always believing that he is getting closer. The Staleene Keeper always seeks to control the situation.

Talon’s Great Grandfather is the Guardian character. He seeks to protect Talon, to offer him advice, to provide him with tools to help him survive (weapons and ammo left from his earlier abduction, the familiar, etc.). He also seeks to awaken the powerful mystic abilities within Talon, which are his ultimate keys to victory.

Talon’s sidekick is the familiar given to him by his great grandfather. Appearing when summoned (if Talon has enough mystical energy), the familiar exists to help Talon and to encourage him.

The Humanoid Hegemon is the Skeptic. He wants to see Talon succeed, because that means that Earth will remain “stocked” with humanoid genetic stock, though it’s not really a passion. He doesn’t believe that a single individual as weak and small as Talon can succeed against the Staleene Keeper’s challenges, much less against the Hive Queen. He also has deep skepticism in Talon’s mystical powers, since he has no concept of spirituality at all.

Mary Thunder, who is Talon’s potential love interest, is the Reason character. She knows that Talon is capable of so much more, and she knows that there is a reasonable and rational path to escaping the situation on the Trocaran ship. She tries to keep Talon focused on the real—she has no understanding of the mystical.

Hata-skeen, the Humanoid vampire alternate, is the Emotion character. She is bound to help Talon because of his conquering her tribe, though she holds no love for him. She is a passionate character, driven by irrational emotions and outbursts.

Growing in his own skills, and utilizing the help of the other central characters, Talon is able to meet the goals set out by the Staleene Keeper. It is at that moment that Talon learns that the Staleene Keeper has no intention in keeping her part of the bargain. Talon then improvises and creates a threatening situation for the entire Trocaran ship, by figuring out a way to release the artificial sun from its magnetic harness. Finally, the Staleene Keeper must give in and award Talon the prize—the rescue of the remaining hostages and Earth taken “out of the game.”

Possible plot synopses

The Trocaran ship has entered the solar system and has sent a ship down to Earth to gather some human “samples” before the human species is wiped from the planet. Talon’s reservation is destroyed and the survivors are rounded up on the ship. Talon survives, sees the captives, including his love-interest Mary Thunder, taken onto the shuttle and sneaks aboard with hopes to save them.

On the shuttle, Talon frees several hostages, makes his way to the bridge and captures it. He attempts to figure out the controls of the ship when the door is blasted down and he is captured. Talon awakes on an operating table, with several of his limbs detached. He passes out.

When he wakes up, he is in a pen, alone, his limbs reassembled. His first goal is to survive. Before he breaks out, the spirit of his great grandfather comes to him, and tells him of his awakening mystical powers.

Talon escapes and finds Mary Thunder and the other captives. He now strives to free them. As he struggles to survive and find a way to free them, he meets the Staleene Keeper, who begins to explain the situation to him—Talon learns that Earth is doomed.

Struggling through a tribe of humanoid vampires, Talon conquers them and the leader becomes a reluctant ally. She offers him important information to free the hostages.

Talon meets again with his great grandfather, who offers him a familiar and teaches him the first things about his mystical power. When Talon returns to the cells, the captives are gone (several are there dead). Talon curses himself—if only he ran back and didn’t talk with his grandfather, he might have made it. Now he must find Mary again.

Talon meets the Keeper again, and is offered the first game challenge. He must infiltrate the saurian region of the ship and destroy their new alternate before it “skews the game.” He is also told that if he survives three quests, then Earth will be taken from the game.

Talon meets the humanoid ruler.

Talon quests and destroys the alternate, and he meets with the Keeper again, who informs him of the insectod’s role in this and the struggles in the station. He must find the hive queen and steal something from her and return it to the Keeper. Then he will learn of the location of the captives.

Along the way, the grandfather teaches Talon more and more mystical powers. Talon meets with the hive queen and learns the full story of the Trocaran species. He also learns that she vows to destroy the humanoids on this ship and on Earth, which is her lawful prize.

Talon again meets with the Keeper, who tells Talon that he must face a series of arena battles to free Earth. Talon ventures and learns of the location of the captives—he finds them, and although he cannot free them, he knows there are less now and he talks with Mary. Talon battles through and survives the arena combat.

Surviving the combat means that he has fulfilled the obligations, and the Keeper tells Talon where to go. Along the way, Talon encounters the Hive Queen and massive resistance—Talon must fight through the insectoids and alternates before getting to Mary and rescuing here and the other two survivors.

Talons comes to the Keeper’s meeting place, only to learn that she has no intention of honoring the deal—it’s a trap. Talon battles through and discovers a control room that controls the magnetic harness—he threatens to unleash the sun and finally, the Keeper acquiesces. She agrees to honor the terms of the deal.

The Keeper then opens up a portal back to Earth, and Mary and the others go back through—before Talon can go, she shuts the portal, and offers him a choice. She reopens two portals, one back to Earth, one to places unknown. Talon jumps through to places unknown and the story ends.

Master character synopses

Talon Brave becomes the unwitting savior of Earth when he sneaks aboard the alien shuttle with a load of earthly captives. His adventure takes him aboard the Trocaran mothership, in a struggle to survive, to rescue Mary Thunder and the other captives and to save the human species of Earth. His attempts to save the human species puts him in direct opposition to the Hive Queen, who has won the right to seed earth with her own kind and rid it of the humans.

Talon is allied with his Great Grandfather, who serves as his spirit guide once he is aboard the Trocaran mothership. Talon’s Great Grandfather was a powerful medicine man who now exists only as a spirit—he teaches Talon to use his newly awakening mystical energies and provides him with a familiar as well as weapons and ammunitions (from his earlier abduction). Talon’s Great Grandfather understands the Trocara’s position in the life cycle of the galaxy, though he sees spiritual energy as coming from beyond their realm. He deeply wants Talon to save the Earth and thus maintain the human link to the larger spiritual center.

The Staleene Keeper is the master of the Trocara, and is the defacto god of the galaxy. She sees Talon as an amusement, and offers him a series of challenges, or games, which, if he wins, will gain the freedom of the captives and the salvation of Earth. If Talon succeeds, she has no intention of honoring her agreement. She plays him, like all of the Trocara, like a puppet.

Mary Thunder, Talon’s friend and potential love from Earth, believes wholeheartedly in Talon and urges him to see this test through to the end.

Talon, with the help of his great grandfather and his familiar, meet with the Hive Queen. The Hive Queen wishes not only to destroy and reseed Earth, but also to rid the Trocaran ship of another species—the humanoids. Talon, using the help of the emotionally volatile Hata-skeen, meets with the Humanoid Hegemon. The Hegamon is deeply skeptical of the Hive Queen’s threats and of Talon’s ability to fulfill the Keeper’s tests, but he does wish to see Earth, and his genetic progeny, saved.

Objective Characters in relation to the goal:

Talon, great grandfather, Mary Thunder and the Humanoid Hegemon are all aligned together in their desire to see Earth removed from the game and thus saved. Hata-skeen is driven by more selfish motives. The Hive Queen is directly opposed to the efforts to take Earth out of the game—in addition, she wishes to see the Humanoid species destroyed, and she is loosely allied with the saurians to this end.

Feeling gets in the way of many of the conflicts in the Trocaran universe. Talon is unsure of his abilities, and has very complex feelings about his connection with the mystical forces of his ancestors.

The Stalene Keeper feels that she is the master of all, yet she has uncontrolled feelings of jealousy towards all species that can procreate.

The Hive Queen is driven by a feeling of disgust towards the Humanoids—she feels that a universe without Humanoids of any type would be better off.

In order to stop the genocide of the humans on Earth, logic must prevail. Talon must use logic to survive and work through the challenges that confront him. It is logical that when Talon wins his challenge, that Earth is freed.

From the other point of view, it is logical that the insectoid get to reseed Earth because they won that right fairly in a game. From the Stalene Keeper’s point of view, it is logical that Talon will fail the tests because he is an inferior being.

Talon’s feelings of inadequacy and his confusion about his mystical heritage grew from his childhood experiences. When young, he had a moment of connection with his dying Great Grandfather—this opened up to the mystical possibilities, but everywhere he turned, there was no support. It culminated in a day when Talon was in a fight or don’t fight situation and he felt that the mystical energy told him not to fight—he was beaten severely. This made him turn his back on his heritage. His current situation, having lost a true love after changing for here, and after losing his mother and now being trapped on the reservation, make him very unsure of himself, his judgements and his abilities.

The Trocara have existed for many millions of years, and throughout that time, the Keepers have guided the genetic growth of all intelligent life in the galaxy. Their feelings of superiority and control have been born out of many millennia of having absolute control.

The Hive Queen’s feeling of disgust for the Humanoids has grown from thousands of years of watching their species atrophy—they have become petty, incestuous cannibals and are no longer worthy, in her mind, of a position as one of the primary genetic trees in the galaxy.

As an aside, this happened once before, though for different reasons—there was a fourth Trocaran species that evolved in an out of control fashion and were destroyed by the current species with the blessing of the Stalene Keeper.

Talon wants to survive and meet the Stalene Keeper’s challenges because that means that he will have a future life and that humanity will live into the future on Earth.

It is the action of the Trocaran away team destroying the reservation that gets Talon involved.

It is the action of taking Mary that makes Talon want to rescue her and get on that ship.

It is the action of the Keepers vivisecting Talon that reawakens his mystical powers.

It is the action of the Stalene Keeper giving Talon the challenge that gives him hope and spurs him onwards.

Talon is concerned with the future of his own life and that of the human species—he wishes to survive and stop the genocide.

The Stalene Keeper wishes the future to be just as the past—following her rules and she is in control.

The Hive Queen is concerned with the future because she wishes to reseed Earth, and more importantly, she wishes a Trocara sans the humanoid species.

The Great Grandfather is concerned with the future in that he wishes Talon’s abilities to grow and eventually bring him to the level of shaman. He is also concerned with the future survival of Earth.

Mary Thunder is concerned with getting back to Earth and a future life in a relationship with Talon.

Hata-skeen is concerned with exacting here revenge upon Talon, but also in the genetic stock he (and the other earthly captives, especially Mary Thunder—hence here desire to help him) possesses that will help her regrow her tribe with “fresh blood” and a fresh gene pool.

The saurians are concerned with preserving the rules of the game and the order of the Trocaran way of doing things—they want Talon to fail, but also the insectoids to fail in their attempt to eliminate the Trocaran humanoids.

Talon is concerned initially about maintaining his survival. As the story progresses, he becomes concerned with the quest to obtain three things.

The first is to obtain a future for Earth. Talon must play the Stalene Keeper’s game in order save the human species from genocide.

The second concern is to obtain the freedom of Mary Thunder (and the other captives as well, but Mary is the drive). Talon has growing feelings for her and he want her to be safe.

The third concern is to obtain the skills and focus necessary to full awaken and utilize his inner mystical abilities.

The Stalene Keeper is interested in Earth becoming an insectoid seed world, because that is the way of the games. She is also interested in becoming more than she is—she is interested in becoming a being who can procreate—and from this current inability, her jealousy grows.

The Stalene Keeper is subconsciously jealous of Talon—his passion and energy, and of course his ability to procreate. She is also driven by her own notion of superiority and her own sense of control. She also constantly reminds Talon that he amounts to nothing in the grand scheme of things. Also, she simply does not believe in any of his mystical abilities.

Talon is deeply effected by his own lack of self-confidence, and his own internal conflicts about his growing mystical abilities. Talon is also driven, however, by his deep-down sense that he is something more—that he has something to offer. This pulls directly against the Stalene Keeper’s insistence of his worthlessness.

Once aboard the Trocaran ship, Talon meets with his great grandfather and learns of the past visits of the Trocara and his past abduction.

Talon meets the Stalene Keeper who explains what will happen in the future--humanity will be gone from the Earth and the insectoids will reseed the world.

Talon must battle through a series of tests set up by the Stalene Keeper.

Our characters learn of the (partial) past of the Trocara and the great grandfather’s previous abduction—as they learn more about the ship and explore it, attempting to survive and locate the captives, Talon meets with the Stalene Keeper, who informs him what will become of Earth in the future.

Talon learns of the future, and it stunned by it—he attempts to escape and find the captives, but instead meets with the Stalene Keeper and is given his test—he must progress through a gauntlet of tests in order to save Earth.

Talon moves through a series of tests, as well as an unexpected confrontation with the insectoids, until he finally meets up with the Keeper and focuses all attention on that moment—either the Trocaran ship will be destroyed or Earth will be taken from the game.

When Talon Brave thwarts the Keeper and forces him to

Talon must actively escape from the Trocaran attack of his reservation and gain entrance to the Trocaran shuttle ship. He must then gain entrance to the bridge of that ship.

Talon attempts to obtain the whereabouts of the human prisoners and to obtain the freedom of Mary Thunder. He fails.

Talon must learn to use his reawakening mystical energy in order to harness it into a suite of usable powers.

Talon understands his mystical powers, and he also understands that the Stalene Keeper has been playing him for the fool.

Once Talon wakes up in the cell (after he is captured in the bridge of the Trocaran shuttle and is mutilated), he must survive long enough to learn that the survivors are on this larger ship. Talon then strives to find their whereabouts and to free Mary (and the others).

Once Talon locates Mary, but fails to free her, he struggles to find another means to free her—he meets with his great grandfather as he begins to feel mysterious pulls at his inner being. His great grandfather explains that it is time to learn to harness his natural energies.

Once Talon learns to use his mystical powers, he battles through the challenges put forth by the Stalene Keeper only to come to a full understanding of his mystical powers and the betrayal of the Stalene Keeper.

Becoming

Conceiving

Being

Conceptualizing

The Stalene Keeper, by capturing Talon, threatens to keep him from becoming who he imagined he might be.

Talon begins to imagine the role he must play—as rescuer and as a special being who must come to grips with his mystical powers. As Talon begins to conceive of the role for himself, the Stalene Keeper reminds him that he is a nothing—that his efforts and energies are irrelevant and that he is not a hero, but an insignificant being.

Talon, having learned some of the powers taught by his great grandfather, begins actually acting in the role of hero. The Stalene Keeper attempts to thwart him by his series of tests and ultimatums. Unfortunately for the Keeper, Talon is very effective at being a hero.

The Stalene Keeper forces Talon to think of a way to thwart his plans to destroy Earth—when Talon succeeds, Talon begins to consider life back on Earth with Mary at his side—the Stalene Keeper destroys that notion by opening the two portals for Talon.

Nearly all actions in Prey revolve around the choices of the central characters. Talon chooses to get on the Keepers’ shuttle to get to Mary. The Staleene Keeper chooses to keep Talon alive to play with him—she also chooses to allow him to play a game. Mary chooses to put her trust in Talon. Talon chooses to believe in his grandfather and the mystical lessons he offers. After Talon kills Hataa-skeen’s tribe, Hataa chooses to ally with Talon rather than to immediately exact her revenge. The Hive Queen chooses to circumvent the Keepers’ authority by releasing the xenocide drones early. Talon chooses to accept the Keeper’s bargain and finally, Talon chooses to forge his own destiny when he has been betrayed.

If Talon delays getting on the Keepers’ shuttle, he will lose Mary forever. If the Staleene Keeper delays fulfilling her promise to Talon, she will lose the entire game. If Talon’s great grandfather delays teaching Talon the shamanistic arts, Talon will not survive through his adventure. If the Hive Queen delays sending out the drones, then she risks the possibility of the humans surviving on Earth. Finally, if the Staleene Keeper delays her decision to give in to Talon, then the entire Trocaran mothership will be destroyed. Delay is disadvantageous in the story.

The difference in Prey is often choosing to make a decision (choice) or waiting until later (delay). The Trocara are moving along with such pre-conceived inertia that delaying a decision is discourteous. Talon’s survival is keyed upon his ability to choose the right path at a moment’s notice. When the Keeper’s shuttle is getting ready to go, any delay for Talon in making a decision will mean that the ship takes off without him and he’s lost Mary forever. But if he chooses action and doesn’t hesitate, he at least has a chance. The consequences for delay are always dire in this pressure-packed situation—choosing an action rapidly is always the better alternative.

The way in which Talon approaches things is key to the story. Talon’s approach to life, just prior to the story beginning, is that of sitting and waiting—he’s all but given up on taking on the responsibility of forward momentum. Once Talon is thrown in with the Trocara, he must take charge of his own momentum. He has to become active for his own survival and to maintain any hopes of rescuing Mary and the others. When his great grandfather confronts Talon, he learns that he must take a wholly different approach—he must be willing to consider his awakening mystical powers as real. Taking an active approach is advantageous.

Talon begins the story low on confidence and with almost a meek and defensive attitude. When Talon is forced to battle through the Trocaran mothership, his attitude, his brazenness, is one of his best assets. When the Staleene Keeper berates Talon, his new found attitude acts as a shield of confidence. When the final challenge is passed, and the Keeper has betrayed Talon, his “I can do this” attitude gives him the strength to take on the overwhelmingly difficult task of taking on the entire Trocaran mothership.

Talon often needs to rethink his approach to a new situation, but often, his attitude will bolster him and give him the courage to make the direction change.

The Staleene Keeper becomes a victim of her own rationalizations. She imagines herself as the ultimate authority in the galaxy (which is the known universe for her), and justifies her actions towards Talon as fully acceptable. She tells herself that it is perfectly all right to “play” with him and deceive him. She tells herself that he is valueless and nothing more than a speck. Finally, she tells herself that she is in complete control of the situation. Her rationalizations are disadvantageous.

The Staleene Keeper is ultimately bound by one obligation—to serve “The One Who Makes”—but this is an abstract obligation, to say the least. She sets herself up with conflicting, mutually exclusive obligations. She also is obligated by the order and rules of her own creation—that Earth has been justly won by the Hive Queen and her newest stock alternate. She is also obligated, by rules of fair play, to honor her wager with Talon and take Earth out of the game, but she breaks that obligation—in fact, she had never meant to keep it. Obligation proves to be disadvantageous.

The Staleene Keeper is bound by obligations when they are “convenient” for her. Often, she rationalizes her actions because she believes very firmly in the fact that she has been given dominion over the galaxy—for her, that is an a priori fact.

Dream

Talon begins the story living through a muted dream that he is something more than he currently is. At times, he even allows himself to dream of life with Mary. Once into the throws of the adventure, Talon must dream and envision his mystical power before he can utilize it. Indeed, the very presence of his great grandfather is a dream. For the Staleene Keeper, she dreams of what it would be like to procreate—to be alive, genetically. Mary Thunder dreams of life with Talon and her freedom. Talon’s great grandfather dreamt of Talon decades before he was born—when he was abducted aboard the Trocaran ship—now he, in a way, lives through a dream. Hataa-skeen dreams of a time when he tribe can reproduce—she dreams that it will be Talon that will save them-—even though she thirsts for revenge, she can’t help but be attracted to Talon. The Hive Queen dreams of a Trocara sans the humanoids.

Talon hopes that he has the will to persevere. He also hopes that his mystical powers will give him the edge he needs. Talon’s great grandfather hopes that Talon has grown up with the strength to utilize his inner powers, Mary hopes that they will survive and escape. Hataa-skeen hopes that she will be able to save her tribe. The Hive Queen hopes that he plan of releasing the gas drones will eliminate the humanoids on Earth.

Prey: A Talon Brave Adventure is an adventure tale, a bildungsroman, if you will, which focuses upon Talon Brave, a down-and-out Apache Indian who must grow to the level of hero as he reluctantly becomes the savior of the human species.

Talon, as well as all the other characters in the story, dream of becoming something more—this adventure throws them into a situation in which they must actually achieve those goals or they will be lost forever.

The difference in Prey is often choosing to make a decision (choice) or waiting until later (delay). The consequences for delay are always dire in this pressure-packed situation—choosing an action rapidly is always the better alternative.

Talon often needs to rethink his approach to a new situation, but often, his attitude will bolster him and give him the courage to make the direction change. He clearly sees his dreams and hopes ahead of him, but he plays on a slippery, unexpected slope—it is only by being flexible—by evaluating and acting and having sufficient confidence and bravado, that he can suceed.

The Staleene Keeper is bound by obligations when they are “convenient” for her. For her, obligations to tradition are only obligations to the way in which she first thought that things should be done. Often, she rationalizes her actions because she believes very firmly in the fact that she has been given dominion over the galaxy—for her, that is an a priori fact.

All of the characters in Prey: A Talon Brave Adventure dream of achieving things that seemed impossible to them at the outset of the story. Often, that dreaming pushes them onwards towards action. In this story, though, dreaming is not enough—characters must hope for smaller gains and then utilize their wits and logic and abilities to make what they hoped for spring true.