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Principal Characters

Anand, Ashwini Staff member at the Gaia moon hotel, responsible for accommodation, technology and logistics.

Black, Peter Tour guide at the Gaia moon hotel, pilot of the moon shuttle Charon. Knows all the moon craters by name.

Borelius, Eva Scientist and CEO of the German research company Borelius Pharmaceuticals. Northern German, dry character. Likes classical music, horses and chess. Married to the surgeon Karla Kramp. Member of the moon tour group.

Bruford, Sid Former oil worker at EMCO Imperial Oil, Canada, unemployed. Dreams of a career as an actor.

Chambers, Evelyn Most prominent and influential talk-show host in the USA, presenter of the show Chambers. Latina, whose bisexuality has turned her into a hate figure. Brilliant analyst, perceptive and curious. Member of the moon tour group.

Chen Hongbing Car salesman, Yoyo’s father. Polite, but reserved, with a murky past. Commissions Owen Jericho to find his missing daughter.

Chen ‘Yoyo’ Yuyun Student, daughter of Chen Hongbing, founder of the internet dissident group ‘the Guardians’, member of the motorcycle club City Demons. Sings in a neo-prog band, loves parties and the excessive lifestyle. Beautiful and quite exhausting.

Crippen, Jan Technical director of the American Peary Base, lunar North Pole.

‘Daxiong’ Guan Guo Founder member and vice head of the internet dissident group ‘the Guardians’, head of the motorcycle club City Demons and owner of the Demon Point motorbike workshop. Giant with bear-like strength and French-style spleen.

DeLucas, Minnie Doctor and specialist in life-support systems at the American Peary Base, lunar North Pole. Investigating the possibility of raising livestock on the Moon.

Diane Owen Jericho’s computer.

Donner, Andre Owner of the Muntu African restaurant in Berlin. Murky past in Equatorial Guinea.

Donner, Nyela West African, co-owner of the Muntu African restaurant in Berlin, Andre Donner’s wife.

Donoghue, Aileen CEO and artistic manager of the Xanadu hotel and casino company. Wife of Chuck Donoghue. Dominant-mother type. Member of the moon tour group.

Donoghue, Chuck Hotel mogul, founder and CEO of the Xanadu hotel and casino company. Amateur boxer and hard-line Republican. Loud and jovial. Cheerfully tells the world’s worst jokes. Member of the moon tour group.

Edwards, Marc Founder and CEO of the microchip company Quantime Inc., extreme sports fanatic and diver, creationist view of the world. Husband of Mimi Parker. Member of the moon tour group.

Funaki, Michio Sous-chef and barman in the Gaia moon hotel, sushi specialist.

Gore, Kyra Shuttle pilot at the American Peary Base, lunar North Pole.

Gudmundsson, Lars Bodyguard, employed with his team by the Eagle Eye security company to protect the oil manager Gerald Palstein.

Hanna, Carl Canadian large-scale investor, main area alternative energies. Solitary type, macho, but likeable. Always has his guitar in his luggage. Member of the moon tour group.

Haskin, Ed Chief technician, Orley Space Station (OSS).

Hedegaard, Nina Tour guide at the Gaia moon hotel, moon shuttle pilot. Capable and romantic. Involved in relationship with Julian Orley.

Ho, Patrice Senior Shanghai police officer and careerist, friend of Owen Jericho. Jericho has supported Ho in several investigations and is therefore owed a favour.

Hoff, Edda Project manager, central security division, Orley Enterprises. Pale, expressionless and extremely reliable.

Holland, Sid Political history editor at environmental broadcaster Greenwatch. Likes driving his friends and colleagues around in his old Thunderbird.

Hsu, Rebecca Founder and CEO of the Taiwanese luxury company Rebecca Hsu, workaholic, incapable of being on her own. Fights a hopeless war with her obesity. Member of the moon tour group.

Hudsucker, Susan Director of the environmental broadcaster Greenwatch and immediate superior of Loreena Keowa. Prudent, sometimes hesitant.

Hui Xiao-Tong Member of the City Demons motorcycle club.

Intern Colleague of Loreena Keowa at environmental broadcaster Greenwatch. Glutton and tireless researcher.

ISLAND-II Psychotherapeutic aid program.

Jagellovsk, Annie Astronomer and pilot at the American Peary Base, lunar North Pole.

Jericho, Owen Cyber-detective from Great Britain, brought to Shanghai by an unhappy love affair. Outstanding investigator, lone wolf and linguistic genius. Suffers from loneliness and nightmares. Hired by his friend Tu Tian to find Yoyo.

Jia Keqiang Commander of the Chinese helium-3 mining station, Sinus Iridum, Moon. Both a patriot and a supporter of international understanding.

Jin Jia Wei Student, member of the internet dissident group ‘the Guardians’ and of the City Demons motorcycle club.

Keowa, Loreena Reporter for the environmental broadcaster Greenwatch, native American of the Tlingit tribe. Green views, elegant appearance. Determined to solve the assassination attempt on Gerald Palstein.

Kokoschka, Axel Head chef, Gaia moon hotel. Genius at the stove, in the company of others shy, uncommunicative and awkward.

Kramp, Karla German surgeon, critical and analytic. Asks tough questions. Wife of Eva Borelius, member of moon tour group..

Laurie, Jean-Jacques Geologist at the American Peary Base, lunar North Pole.

Lau Ye Daxiong’s right-hand man, mechanic at Demon Point motorbike workshop and member of City Demons motorcycle club. Small, slight, but intrepid and loyal.

Lawrence, Dana Manager and head of security, Gaia moon hotel. Cool, unapproachable and thorough.

Lee, Bernard, ‘C’ Head of MI6, London.

Leto Former mercenary, friend of Jan Kees Vogelaar, Berlin.

Liu, Naomi Senior secretary at Tu Technologies; stylish appearance, with liking for strawberry tea.

Locatelli, Warren Founder and CEO of photovoltaic manufacturer Lightyears. American of Algerian–Italian descent, irascible and egocentric, although not without charm. Likes cursing, car-racing and sailing regattas. Winner of the America’s Cup. Married to Momoka Omura. Member of moon tour group.

Lurkin, Laura Fitness trainer, Orley Space Station (OSS).

Maas, Svenja Attractive postgraduate at the Charité Hospital, Berlin.

Ma ‘Animal’ Liping Violent paedophile, initiator of the child porn ring Paradise of the Little Emperors. In spite of hip and eye problems, extremely dangerous.

Ma Mak Member of City Demons motorcycle club.

Mayé, Juan Alfonso Nguema West African general and sometime leader of Equatorial Guinea. Successor to Teodoro Obiang, came to power in a coup in 2017. Corrupt and megalomaniac.

Merrick, Tom Specialist in information and communication, central security division, Orley Enterprises. Introvert.

Moto, Severo Opposition politician in Equatorial Guinea, during Teodoro Obiang’s time in office.

Nair, Mukesh Founder and CEO of the Tomato food company. Wealthy son of a farmer, with a liking for the simple life, sees the beautiful and the good in everything. Member of moon tour group.

Nair, Sushma Paediatrician, wife of Mukesh Nair, warm-hearted, sometimes a little fearful. Member of moon tour group.

Na Mou Crew member, Chinese helium-3 extraction station, Sinus Iridum, Moon.

Ndongo, Juan Aristide Ruler of Equatorial Guinea after the fall of General Mayé. Trying to rebuild the country in a decent way.

Norrington, Andrew Deputy head of the central security division, Orley Enterprises. Responsible for the safety of the moon tour group.

Obiang, Teodoro Ruler of Equatorial Guinea until 2015.

O’Keefe, Finn Irish actor, became global superstar with Perry Rhodan. Critics’ favourite, sex symbol, solitary and shy, with a reckless past. Nurtures his rebel image. Member of moon tour group.

Omura, Momoka Japanese actress, art film star, eccentric and arrogant. Wife of Warren Locatelli. Member of moon tour group.

Orley, Amber Tim Orley’s wife, teacher. Capable and uncomplicated, tries to act as go-between for Tim and his father. Member of moon tour group.

Orley, Crystal Julian Orley’s late wife, spent the last months of her life in a state of mental derangement.

Orley, Julian Former film producer, founder and CEO of technology empire Orley Enterprises and wealthiest man in the world. Unconventional, charismatic, with a pronounced instinct for power and a demonstrable dislike of nation states. Inventor of the space lift and host of moon tour group.

Orley, Lynn Julian Orley’s daughter and CEO of Orley Travel, the tourism group of Orley Enterprises. Perfectionist, psychologically unstable, architect of the Gaia moon hotel and member of the moon tour group.

Orley, Tim Julian Orley’s son, teacher, at loggerheads with his father. Tries to protect Lynn from collapse. Member of moon tour group.

Ögi, Heidrun Photographer, albino, former stripper and porn actress, calls a spade a spade. Wife of Walo Ögi and member of moon tour group.

Ögi, Walo Swiss investor, architect, man of the world and epicurean with a weakness for the music of the 1990s. Lovable, with tendency towards self-dramatisation and grand gestures. Husband of Heidrun Ögi. Member of moon tour group.

Palmer, Leland Commander of the American Peary Base, lunar North Pole.

Palstein, Gerald Head of strategy at EMCO oil company. Aesthete, numerate, spent years fighting for his company to switch focus to alternative energies. Narrowly escaped attempted assassination.

Parker-Edwards, Mimi Fashion designer and founder of the Mimi Kri label producing intelligent fashion. Diver, extreme sports fan, creationist views. Wife of Marc Edwards. Member of moon tour group.

Reardon, Mickey Ex-IRA man, specialist in alarm systems.

Rogachev, Oleg CEO of the Russian steel giant Rogamittal, with links to the Kremlin and the Russian Mafia. Martial arts and football enthusiast, places great stress on self-control, courteous, sometimes seems distant. Member of moon tour group.

Rogacheva, Olympiada Member of the Russian Parliament, daughter of the former Russian President Maxim Ginsburg and wife of Oleg Rogachev. Inconspicuous and dejected. Unhappy in her marriage, drinks. Member of moon tour group.

Ruiz, Alejandro Strategy manager of the Repsol oil company, vanished in South America in 2022.

Shaw, Jennifer Head of the central security division, Orley Enterprises. Competent and authoritarian, with a dry sense of humour.

Sina Editor, Society and Miscellaneous, at environmental broadcaster Greenwatch. Helps Loreena Keowa with her research.

Song, Joe Strategy manager of the Chinese oil company Sinopec, Beijing.

Sung, Tony Student, member of the internet dissident group ‘the Guardians’ and of the City Demons motorcycle club.

Tautou, Bernard CEO of the Franco-British water company Suez, politician. Charmer with a tendency to complacency. Member of moon tour group. Tautou, Paulette Foreign language correspondent, wife of Bernard Tautou, condescending, weak stomach. Member of moon tour group.

Thiel, Sophie Deputy director of the Gaia moon hotel, responsible for housekeeping and life-support systems. Cheerful and open, detective instincts.

Thorn, Vic Commander of the first crew of the American Peary Base, lunar North Pole. Capable astronaut and playboy. Lost his life in an accident on Orley Space Station (OSS) in 2024.

Tu, Joanna Painter, ex-girlfriend of Owen Jericho and wife of Tu Tian. Elegant and urbane, observes the world with sardonic detachment.

Tu Tian Founder and CEO of Tu Technologies, a Shanghai company producing holograms and virtual environments. Skilled golfer and businessman, with unparallelled self-confidence. Confidant of Yoyo, companion of Chen Hongbing and close friend of Owen Jericho.

Vogelaar, Jan Kees Mercenary, sometime member of the government of Equatorial Guinea under General Mayé. Extremely cunning. Special characteristic: glass eye.

Voss, Marika Director of the Institute of Forensic Pathology at the Charité Hospital, Berlin.

Wachowski, Tommy Deputy commander of the American Peary Base, lunar North Pole.

Wang, Grand Cherokee Student, Yoyo’s flatmate, self-dramatist, weak character. Operates the Silver Dragon ride at the Shanghai World Financial Center (WFC).

Winter, Miranda Ex-model, inheritor of billions and occasional actress. Naïve and uneducated, warm and strident. Has names for her breasts. Member of moon tour group.

Woodthorpe, Kay Director of the bioregenerative systems research group, Orley Space Station (OSS).

Xiao ‘Maggie’ Meiqi Student, member of the internet dissident group ‘the Guardians’ and of the City Demons motorcycle club.

Xin, Kenny Agent, aesthete and neurotic.

Yin Ziyi Student, member of the internet dissident group ‘the Guardians’ and of the City Demons motorcycle club.

Zhang Li Student, Yoyo’s flatmate.

Zhao Bide Acquaintance and occasional helper of Owen Jericho from Quyu, like Jericho in search of Yoyo.

Zheng Pang-Wang Founder and CEO of the Chinese technology company Zheng Group, great hope of Chinese space travel.

Zhou Jinping Crew member of the Chinese helium-3 extraction station, Sinus Iridum, Moon.