Terrans

Major John Rico - Rico has grown into his role as an officer in the MI, the troopers respect him in his command and he runs the top company in the MI, in these ways he would make Razak proud. But Johnny has a big emptiness after a failed marriage to Dizzy after the loss of their first child. Rico sees the failed marriage as his fault and has exiled himself to SICON 'Tenting' missions across the galaxy, leading the SICON offensive against the remain bug hives. But ten years after the Queen's death Rico is getting a little burned out on SICON, not just fighting the bugs, but SICON itself. But deep down inside Rico is still (and always will be) a hero, and when he finds out that he has a friend that needs help he throws everything he has at helping get that friend out of trouble. He just happens to have a knack for saving the world while he's helping his friends.

Isabel Flores (Diz) - Diz has changed quite a bit in ten years, to almost the opposite of who she was during the First Bug War. Her marriage to Rico was great, a faerie tale that she never wanted to end, but with the death of their child the faerie tale ended for Diz. Her thirst for excitement and adventure was snuffed. More over, she sees those times as bad memories (they always lead to her thinking about her lost child) and has tried to put that person/time/place behind her. She does not talk or meet with the other Roughnecks before episode 203: Reunion and she really didn't want to come on this mission until she found out that Carl was in danger - then she demanded to be included - although she is not happy to be there. Once she is reunited with the other Roughnecks she will be very protective/mothering (not wanting any of her "family" to come to harm) and T'Phai's death affects her greatly also, almost ANY death affects Diz greatly. Diz is in for a hard ride this season, let's hope she can pull through.

Admiral Carman Ibanez - Carman has played her cards right after the Queen's death and how she is in command of Fleet's pet project, the Thomas Davis, SICON's newest integrated battleship (meaning Terrans and Tophetti crew the ship). It is also the first vessel to have a full squadron of new Tophetti Tactical Fighters for close support missions. Carmen is very proud of this but is holding on to it by her fingertips, she needs to prove the project is worth the expense of its upkeep. Carmen runs a tight ship but she has not let the power of command go to her head. She is also the only one who really has much contact with Rico before the start of the second season, she knows how Johnny feels about his failed marriage but she doesn't know how to approach either of them to try and help patch things up.

Francis Brutto - Sgt. Brutto is now part of the SICON Diplomatic Corps on Tophet. He is still in the hover chair but he has been fitted with a new 'plug' - a neural implant that allows him to 'jack' into some new prototype SICON vehicles as well as his hover chair. It was placed in him during some medical procedures SICON has been doing on his back to cure his paralysis, but Brutto is not cured yet.

Richard "Doc" Lacoix - Doc is now a Master Sergeant in the MI Medical Corps who was also about to retire before the start of season two. Think of Danny Glover in Lethal Weapon. He knows all the details of Rico and Diz child's death and even Diz's psych profile and it makes him very sad and protective of his friend's pain. Doc is the one that keeps the other Roughnecks from questioning Rico or Diz about their marriage and child. But Doc will always be Doc with his wise cracks and gruff bedside manner. Although now he might seem a little less likely to want to 'mix it up' in combat. He wants to live to see his retirement - ala memories from Letters Home (season one-Klandathu campaign).

Jeff Gossard - Goss is now a shrimp boat captain, after the First Bug War Goss was released from active duty and awarded his citizenship. With his ingenuity and know how Goss has become a very successful shrimp fisherman. If fact, he has been so busy that he is still not married, but has recently started a relationship with a spunky Mexican woman from Texas. Goss will always come to the aid of a friend, but he is also very concerned about his boat/shrimping business and his new relationship that must be put on hold as he goes on his adventure across the galaxy. Goss has also done some side work with SICON Research and Development as a consultant, he is not open about this as his work is classified, but this will be shown when he already knows how to use the prototype equipment and has the specs on it and knows how to fix it, this will bring strange looks from the other Roughnecks that Goss will just try to shrug off.

Max Brutto - A DI (Drill Instructor) at Camp Currie on Earth. Max is a splitting image of Zim as a DI. Coming to the aid of Carl his not high on Max's list, but his dad and T'Phai asked him to come so he is coming. During the ten years after the Queen's death Max has gained a lot of life experience and combat experience, making him a much more reliable trooper then he was during the First Bug War.

Charles Zim and Miriam Redwing - These two got married after the First Bug War. Up until the beginning of the second season Zim has been teaching high school civics class and is a retired SICON officer (Lieutenant). Zim, who is now well over forty years old, has slowed down a little and is a little out of shape. Zim has also developed a more Razak-like persona, becoming a more respectable leader while still retaining most of his DI gruffness, but once back in a power suit Zim and on a mission he turns back into 'Zim the Top Kick' and helps to keep the other Roughnecks from getting soft or being careless. Zim is very attached to Miriam and will remain in contact with her throughout the season; this can be used to help keep the reader informed on what the situation is on Earth and how it continues to change. Miriam has followed her career and is now the President of the Terran Federation Council. She stays on Earth throughout the second season and although older, is essentially the same character that she was in the first season.

Robert Higgins - Top Rated Field Correspondent for UNN (Universal News Network, NOT FEDNET) Paperboy a.k.a. Robert Higgins has become some what of a household name over the ten years following the bug Queen's death as his presents on the news networks has only grown. Higgins sees the First Bug War as "The Good ol' Days" - it was during this time that Higgins made his future career and all he has are good memories from his time in the Roughnecks (at least that is all that he chooses to remember) and he is very much looking forward to this reunion with old friends. He is still the insightful and hardworking "Paperboy" but he has seasoned well and now carries more "screen presents." In order to cover his actions with the Roughnecks, Higgins has made a news assignment about investigative reporting on the future of interstellar tourism.

Val Baxter - Recruit/PsiOps: Operative that is recruited by Freeman. Baxter has seen more then he admits, and observes more than he lets on. He's a people watcher. Though most would say he is cold and calculating, Baxter has a much clearer idea of events then nearly anyone gives him credit for. Later serves as a Freeman lieutenant. He ends up in command of Freeman's 'Fleet' and captains the flagship.

Marcel Rouche - Recruit/PsiOps: Another operative that is recruited by Freeman. He sees everything has a threat first and is determined to eradicate any menace to SICON, real or imagined. He's been training with Freeman since he entered Federal service. Later serves as a Freeman lieutenant and is the 'Storm Leader' for Freeman's ground forces on Erebus.

Haley Roman - Recruit/PsiOps: Carl's classmate and love interest that spurs his investigation into psychic personnel disappearances. Haley is very intelligent and does not see her psychic gift of object reading as being all that special. She is very pretty with dark hair and green eyes; she is about the same size and stature as Diz. She and Carl meet in Intel training and fell of each other over time, they invented a few psychic tricks that they would use to talk or locate each other as well as working on the ability to ward your thoughts from being read by another psychic. When the season opens she has gone missing.

Captain Jack Eddington - A freighter pilot that is part of the "Smuggler's Guild." The guild is the driving force of interstellar commerce after the First Bug War. They operate outside of the control of SICON but are tolerated because they are efficient. Nothing can move between systems without the guild's knowledge and support. The roots of the guild can be traced to an ancient 20th century labor union called the "Teamsters." The guild creed is "...anything can be moved anywhere for a price." He should show up a couple of different times throughout the season when a 'wild card' is needed. In the final assault on Erebus, he and some other guild ships should be transporting bugs to the surface.

Tophetti

T'Phai - He has remained basically the same character as he was in the first season. After T'Phai completed his tour of duty with the Roughnecks he headed back to Tophet and has been involved in politics ever since. There is no Sky Marshal for Tophet; instead they govern with a Ruling Council. If there were a Sky Marshal, T'Phai would be one of the first candidates for this position, although the political environment on Tophet has been 'hot' lately. In the recovery from the bug invasion, T'Phai has found out that he is a widower, L'War passed away during the bug occupation of Tophet. T'Phai has tried hard to raise his children right without their mother's help but balancing that with his political career has been difficult and relations between T'Phai and his son T'Phal have quickly been deteriorating as this season begins.

T'Phal - Son of T'Phai: He is the second born of his brood and T'Phai's oldest son. He was always demanding as a youth, but was mindful to share any good fortune with his brood brothers and sisters. T'Phal chose to attend the Terran Military Academy and follow his father in a military (and political) career. But when problems of off-worlder prejudge arose, T'Phal immigrated back home to attend the Tophet Military Academy. Ever since T'Phal has had a growing hatred and distrust of SICON. While on Earth he was selected to lead the first Tophetti Tactical Fighter squadron but when he returned to Tophet the offer was repealed. During the First Bug War, when T'Phal was still a young boy he was hassled and bullied by Terran troopers who where occupying Tophet at the time.

M'Rett - Daughter of T'Phai: She is the first born of her brood and oldest child of T'Phai. She is a high level psychic as well as a genetics researcher. Her sense of duty to her father and to Tophet was the driving force in her joining SICON and venturing off-planet to study genetics. She has been developing theories about the bug's origins and strongly believes that they are the result of some unknown outside influence, before she disappeared she had several conversations with her father regarding this matter. In many ways she is very much like her father.

J'Ton - Pilot/Cadet, Tophet Military Academy: This young male is one of T'Phal's friends. A carefree spirit, he is anxious to defend and serve his planet and is caught up in the political rhetoric gripping his home world. But after hearing and witnessing the treatment his friend T'Phal received from the Terrans while he was on Earth, he too wants nothing more to do with SICON. An instinctive pilot, he was a star pupil at the academy and had come to the attention of Admiral Carmen Ibanez. The admiral had planned to have the young Tophetti join the new squadron she was forming. He had begun training with her in earnest when he suddenly went back to his home world. J'Ton could appear in the Earth arc as a student, as well as a Tophetti pilot in the last Colony World arc. (Final battle)

M'Zar - Pilot/Cadet, Tophet Military Academy: This young female is also a friend of T'Phal and J'Ton. She is more cautions about voicing her political beliefs and more thoughtful in her actions then her male friends. While a proud Tophetti, she recognizes that the time is not right to strike against the stronger SICON forces. She had also begun advanced combat flight training with the admiral before returning home. While more comfortable with moment-to-moment tactics than galaxy-spanning plans, she is tough and has more than once proven she can hold her own with the males. M'Zar could appear in the Earth arc as a student, as well as a Tophetti pilot in the last Colony World arc. (Final battle)

W'Bag - A Tophetti psychic who has conflicting abilities and is one of Freeman's underlings as well as the best example of Carrier Bug success. He is an empath; a healer, as well as a lancer; an aggressive offensive weapon. He comes under Freeman's influence while on Tophet. He is under the influence of a Carrier Bug but he will die if it is removed. He is a Bad Guy that is really a Good Guy.

Bugs

Snatcher Bug - This giant size bug is one of Freeman's creations. This bug is almost the same size as a Tanker Bug or just a little smaller with two large claws, a swollen abdomen, and long powerful legs that allow it to travel very fast. These bugs radiate a high charged electrical field around their bodies and can channel the current into their claws. The electrical charge from this bug is not enough to kill a human or tophetti but it is enough to knock either species unconscious or disables unshielded electronic devices (which includes power suits). Once they query is stunned, the Snatcher Bug will cocoon it with silk web spun from a gland in the abdomen. Once the prey is cocooned the Snatcher will attach the sticky bundle to the top of its abdomen and move on to more prey. This bug should first appear in 205: The Guide, but should also appear in: 206: New Enemies, 208: Dead Run, and 221: Silent Drop.

Lamprey/Injector Bug - This is another giant size bug that is of Freeman's creation. The Lamprey is the size of a baby transport bug or the size equivalent of two adult plasma bugs and is a cross between a boarding torpedo and an armored personnel carrier (for bugs). These bugs resemble transport bugs in a way but their abdomens are much different. The abdomens of these bugs change size when they are full or empty, much like a balloon, and the abdomen is used to hold Imposter bugs until they are ready to be deployed. The Lamprey have six long and thin appendages that it uses to affix itself to starships in deep space, it will then use super power teeth that surround an orifice at the rear of its abdomen to tear a hole in the hull of the starship. Once the hull has been breached the Lamprey will inject the contents of its abdomen into the starship, then it is up to the Imposter Bugs to disable the starship from the inside. The Lamprey can also carry Control and Carrier Bugs in its abdomen to aid the Imposters with their assault on a starship. A single Lamprey can carry as many as twenty-five Imposter Bugs in its abdomen. These bugs only appear in one episode, 220: A Wolf in the Fold.

Sentinel/Watcher Bug - Another of Freeman's new bug breeds, this bug is more like a snail then an arachnid, it is also one of Freeman's small creations, only measuring about 6 feet (2 meters) in length. The Sentinel Bug looks like a heavily armored flat worm that has a camouflage ability that allows it to blend in with the environment that surrounds it, like makes the Sentinel very hard to spot without using thermal scanners. Small eyes cover the Sentinel's hard outer shell, peering out between the armored plates. These eyes can be 'seen' through by any member of the 'hive' via psychic communication, which make these bugs very good watchers. This bug has no real offensive attack and its defense is to build up a small plasma charge inside itself and then use that to self-destruct into a small plasma explosion, equivalent to a single plasma bug blast. These bugs are littered all over Freeman's hive on Erebus and are one of the things that make the hive well defended from ground attack. These bugs should first appear in episode 206: New Enemies, but could also be used in episodes; 207: Descent into Hell, 221: Silent Drop, and 223: A Friend in Need.

Carrier Bug (improved Control Bug) - The smallest of Freeman's creations, this bug resembles a Control Bug in size but has a far more sinister look with six long, spidery legs and a set of thin and very sharp fangs. Their function is much like that of the control bug, but instead of using psychic energy to dominate their host the Carrier Bug uses a biochemical toxin to control its host. This enables the Carrier Bug to use its own psychic ability to control its host's psychic ability, thus, using Carrier Bugs Freeman is able to take over and control unwilling psychics. The creation of these bugs was a result of many horrifying experiments by Freeman and his associates and cost many 'lab rats' there lives in the process. Freeman uses these bugs mostly on the tophetti prisoners that he has as they are unwilling to cooperate with his plans. These bugs should first appear in episode 207: Descent into Hell, but after that they should appear in the nightmares of any who survived their imprisonment by Freeman.

Improved Imposter Bug/Super Imposter - These bugs are the prize of Freeman's bug army, much like the Imposter Bugs that Zander made on Klandathu, the Improved Imposter Bug or Super Imposter, is just as fast and just as deadly but they are much more intelligent then Zander's Imposters. The Super Imposter is the same size and looks just like the Imposters that Zander made but it is their mental abilities that make these bugs so much more formidable as an opponent. They use minor telekinetics to do things like force guns to miss by 'pushing' the barrel or pulling a trooper's knee out when they are standing so that they fall over - like someone kicking them in the back of the knee. These bugs are very effective against humans and tophetti and work in conjunction with Freeman's psychic human forces. These bugs should first appear in episode 205: The Guide, but should also be used in episodes; 206: New Enemies, 207: Descent into Hell, 208: Dead Run, 220: A Wolf in the Fold, 221: Silent Drop, 222: The Meeting of the Minds, and 223: A Friend in Need.

First Season Bugs - Bugs to make return appearances are Warriors, Hoppers, Plasma Bugs, Tanker Bugs, Transport Bugs, and a new Queen (smaller then the first). Freeman does not use any of these bugs in his army, as they would not follow him as they do their Queen. Mostly, these bugs should be used in episodes: 202: A Bell in the Night, 216: Echoes of the Past, 217: Strange Bedfellows, 218: Into the Fire, 219: Coronation, 222: The Meeting of the Minds, and 225: Two Tombs. Remember that SICON has been waging war against the bugs for the ten years since the Queen's death, their numbers have been GREATLY reduced and the bug battle strategy of overwhelming an opponent with numbers is no longer viable, the new Queen (and Carl) need to be much more strategic with their use of the remaining bug hordes.