Character Interview: The Scimtar/Juarez Children in The End of Childhood

EDIT: To make it clear, these are supporting characters, mostly for color/background. The main viewpoint character is their mother.

1. Go ahead and introduce yourself.

ESTEBAN: From oldest to youngest, I'm Esteban and I'm sixteen Imperial years of age. My younger sister Ilora is fourteen, brother Ilras is thirteen, sister Imtara is twelve, and Alden is eleven. We are the result of our mother deciding to carry children to term instead of using artificial gestation. We have the power of Seventh Order Guardians.

2.Tell us where and when were you born.

ESTEBAN: I was born in the Residence Arcology on Indra while our mother was recovering from a duel. The next three were all born on her pilot module, as she used being one more Vector pilot among several times sixty to the fifth pilots to hide us from our rivals. Alden was also born in the Residence Arcology, right after Dad got his change of service, and a post where he was allowed to live off-base.

3. How would you describe yourself?

ESTEBAN: I'm about an ififth fiftysix, brown skin, black hair, brown eyes. In Earth measure, that's 127 centimeters. For my clueless American cousins, that four feet two inches.

ILORA: I'm the same height as Esteban, but I've been keeping my skin darker, a dark bronze with reddish tinge, like Dad and grandfather Scimtar. My hair is also black.

IlRAS: I'm about about five isixths shorter. It's not like I can't make myself grow, but Mom and Dad say to let it happen naturally for a while. I like being a lighter brown, like Mom, and my hair is the same as hers, a dark brown that's not quite black.

IMTARA: I'm just a little shorter than Ilras, and like Esteban, I see no reason to change what I was born with. Brown skin, black hair, brown eyes.

ESTEBAN: Who told you what I was born like?

IMTARA: Everyone knows. Why are you pretending they don't? But let's let Alden talk.

ALDEN: I'm an ififth thirtyeight.

IMTARA: He's also skinny as a rail!

ALDEN: and lighter skinned, with green eyes, like grandmother.

ESTEBAN: He means Grandmother Anara, not Grandmother Helene, who's really our great grandmother. But he has light brown hair, not red like grandmother!

4. Tell us about where you grew up.

ESTEBAN: Until just before Alden was born, we lived onboard Mom's pilot module. Dad would come visit when he could, but it was fully wired for everything we needed. We'd get out and see the sights and meet people when Mom judged it safe enough, and we had Aunt Tina, too.

ILRAS: And Mischief and Scarecrow!

IMTARA: Dogs don't count, silly!

ILORA: (raising eyebrow)

IMTARA: So maybe they do! But they're still not people!

ALDEN: Since I was born, and especially since the Cor War, we've been living in the family Residence, near the top of Residence Arcology, overlooking the Sumabad Straits on Indra. Sometimes we get to go out and meet people, but security is important. Sometimes, we get to take a break at the Alternate Residence, but we can't have visitors there except a very few.

5. How old are you?

ESTEBAN: We range in age from my sixteen to Alden's eleven. I'll be seventeen soon, and probably decide to start puberty about then.

IMTARA: Remember these people are from Earth!

ESTEBAN: They're on Imperial years same as us. They know an Imperial year is 255 Earth days. They can do the math if they need to.

6. Did you have a happy childhood? Why/why not?

ESTEBAN: Happy is what you make of it. We're immensely rich, even with just Mom and Dad's personal money. When you get into the family money, the Earth slogan about 'born with silver spoons in our mouths' doesn't begin to cover it.

ILORA: We can have anything except safety.

ILRAS: We'll be fine! We've got until we're thirty to learn what we need to! And it's not like the Empire is stuck back in the days of the Fifteen Families! There are over Forty Great Houses now!

ILORA: If we get until we're thirty. The fractal demons think they're ready for war.

ILRAS: Nonsense! Grandfather and the other Great Ones are way ahead of the demonic leaders!

ALDEN: Mom and Dad aren't so sure. We need to work hard to be ready in case the demons win.

IMTARA: We know the demons don't respect the Code, but there's nothing we can do but be ready if we need to. If we try to help, we void our protection from the other families!

7. Past/ present relationships? How did they affect you?

ESTEBAN: We're all legal children, none of us even in puberty yet. Our relationships are with our family and family friends.

8. What do you value above all else in life?

ALL FIVE: Family!

9. What are you obsessed with?

ESTEBAN: Improving ourselves!

ILORA: Learning!

ILRAS: They're the same thing!

ALDEN: Not quite...

IMTARA: ...But close enough for most things!

10.How do your beliefs make life better for yourself and the people you care about?

ESTEBAN: Because we're all working to be ready to take care of ourselves and help the family when we take our adulthood tests, our parents and family aren't too worried about us.

IMTARA: Unlike Cousin Urona! Poor Aunt Anana and Uncle Parnit are at their wits' end over her!

ILORA: But there's no getting out of being a member of a Great House! Even if Grandfather threw her out, the others would only see it as a cheap opportunity!

11. Biggest fear?

ESTEBAN: As Ilora said, we can have anything except safety. Not from the other Great Houses, the fractal demons, or the universe in general

12. What line will you never cross?

All Five: The Good of the Human species!

13. What is the best thing that ever happened to you? The worst?

ILORA: One and the same: Being born to a Great House. I envy the average people of the Empire, who get to live whatever lives they want.

ILRAS: Now that's pessimism, sister! Being a Seventh Order Guardian is great!

ALDEN: But we will be targets when we become legal adults. And there is no resigning the bargain.

ESTEBAN: So work hard at learning to handle your abilities and you'll be fine! Ji da to pront!

ILORA: Yes. But I would like to have been asked whether I wanted to pay that price, brother.

14. What is your current goal?

ESTEBAN: For all of us to be ready to survive and contribute when we've passed our adulthood tests.

IMTARA: Yes, both the family and Mom's family have lost too many people already.