The Shadows Cycle

Kara Ishtan- The main character of the story.  Though she faces no personal threats, Kara definitely fights in the war as if there were.  13 years before the Narlan Wars began, her parents were sent on a special mission to gather 5 chemicals in the galaxy of Galto, and Kara was raised by Commander Simon Heffer and Captain Constance Beckley.  They trained her to be a pilot in the Galactic Army, and she became one of the highest ranking officers in the army, as well as leader of the Galactic Fleet.

Commander Simon Heffer- At the age of 21, Simon Heffer proved himself to be an expert at the strategy in warfare as he was battling the Tilcaines.  He was appointed the position of Commander after that battle, as has been for the past 30 years; his predecessor, Avrian Horkov, became the Corian, leader of the humans in the galaxy of Nefarius.  Simon sent Clark and Melissa Ishtan to the galaxy of Galto to collect special chemicals after receiving a note from the Captain that told him to do so.  The chemicals would be the ingredients of the Peace Detonator, a type of 'radar' that would signal a disruption caused by the Narlan anywhere in the universe.  He raised Kara Ishtan for 6 years, during which time he trained her to become a pilot in the Galactic Army, and then be able to take care of herself.  Simon is a war genius, but as the humans and the Narlan used to be allies, they each know the others' strategies.

Captain Constance Beckley- A man with a mysterious past known to few, Constance Beckley earned the trust of Commander Heffer at an early point in his career.  Constance helped Simon to raise and train Kara Ishtan as a pilot, and he is the one that gave Simon the note to get someone to gather the chemicals from the galaxy of Galto.  Throughout the war, he goes missing for a few minutes and returns, and he starts becoming more cocky and 'independent'.  As the tide begins to turn towards the humans' advantage, he convinces the Commander to appoint two second-in-commands, who are now Kara Ishtan and Mendell Affner.

Mendell Affner- He is introduced about 1/3 of the way through the novel as a diligent leader.  Mendell specializes in weaponry, and he always knows what type of equipment is needed for the situation that he is faced with.  He too is mysterious in many ways, for he causes the impossible to happen twice in one battle.  It is clear that Mendell is under the control of Captain Beckley, for he is always completing every assignment that Constance gives to him.

Tony Griffen- Tony's story is not good.  His mother never joined the Galactic Army due to the fear of death, and his father, Jovic Griffen, was imprisoned for life after the brutal murder of a comrade.  He is first introduced in the very beginning of the story, asking Kara to warn the Captain about something.  After a short battle, (caused by the sudden attack of the Narlan fleet), Tony goes on shift to guard a special 'all-knowing' radar system, during which there is a second attack by a second enemy, and both Tony and that radar vanish.  He comes back into the story 20 chapters later, on board the station of a mysterious force and becomes the victim of a plot to continue something that was never finished.

Corian Avrian Horkov- The Corian, or leader of all of the humans in the galaxy of Nefarius.  He learns of Commander Simon Heffer's plan of attack and tries to convince him to change it.  It is not until the Commander is confronted by the Captain that Simon does change it, and even then Simon shows resentment.  Avrian is only shown once in the 'Narlan Wars', but he becomes a big part of Book 2.

Jay Liverd- Jay is the third-in-command to the entire army.  He is also primarily a pilot, but Jay's main duty is to be in charge of the pilots who are flying the station.  He too is loyal to Captain Beckley, though [he] is sometimes impatient with how long it takes to do things.  Suspicion is aroused when he isn't affected by a radiation that kills everyone else on a certain mission, which in turn suggests that his comrades may also have something to hide, though nothing is checked into at first.

Vilaroce- He is introduced at the same time that Tony Griffen is brought back into the story, for he took part in organizing Tony's capture.  There are only hints and clues as to what Vilaroce is doing, but it is clear that he will let nothing stop him from coming into power.  By his nature, it is obvious that Vilaroce is the leader of the forces on his station, and he contacts one person from the human army who's voice Tony recognizes but cannot place.  Though Vilaroce is sometimes cruel and impatient towards his crew/army, it is expected of him.

Lepricidion- He is part of Vilaroce's army, and is scolded the most of all, though it does not affect him.  Lepricidion is the being that is always trying to calm Vilaroce down when he is getting impatient, though it is usually to no avail.  He is the fifth-in-command, but tries to harshly correct Tony whenever Tony is talking to Vilaroce, though Vilaroce does not care.

Halifax- Halifax is Vilaroce's second-in-command.  He does not talk much, but he plays what I consider to be the most important role in the entire 'Shadows Cycle'.  Vilaroce uses him to escort Tony to and  from the controls room, and under Vilaroce's orders, does something to Tony.  The person that Vilaroce was communicating with thinks that Halifax is dead, having killed Halifax himself, but it secretly doesn't work.