Author’s Note Janer seldom spoke about his past, but I filled in some of his story from his best friend, Maxim. Perhaps in part thanks to his difficult past, he has become a man of extraordinary wisdom and faith and a person I am humbled to call friend. – OES*
Janer Yuftri was born on the surface of Samūm and raised among the Bedoui, working among solar construction nomadic types. Orphaned young, he was raised by an aging surface engineer known simply as Grandfather, an elderly surface engineer whose and calm wisdom helped shore up the young man against bitterness and resentment toward the world. Together they traveled the wilderness with the nomadic work-crew. He never fully integrated with the nomadic work crew he lived with. Though some were kind to him, most treated Janer as his Grandfather with some distrust.
Janer has a strong intuition around machinery and an uncanny sense for what he calls "the moods" of robots and automated systems. A skilled climber, wingsuit glider and base jumper, and dexterous rope and textile worker. He approaches danger with a mix of preparation and utter fearlessness that defies labels. Though adventurous, he keeps to himself, shaped by years of solitude and the wary attitude of others around him. Spending countless hours with Grandfather and Al-Ankabūt (Grandfather's eight-leg guardian - a 6-ton construction robot), he developed a deep intuition for interacting with robotic emotive engines.
After a tragic accident left Grandfather severely injured, Janer’s desperate trek through the gorges of Samūm led him to the refuge of the Desert Monks, who treated his guardian and sheltered them both. There, Janer saw compassion lived without luxury, mercy offered with no thought of repayment. When Grandfather’s health prevented him from returning to the surface, the monks encouraged Janer to seek to overcome his fear and prjudice of the Combs.
In the city he met Maxim al-Majd, the shipwright’s son, whose friendship changed both their lives. When Maxim relinquished his own nomination to the Mingubara Space Pilot Academy to give Janer a chance to attend, the gesture set in motion events neither could foresee. Eventually, both young men would eventually find themselves side by side again—as space crew in training, and share a kinship closer than brothers to this day.
Janer Yuftri
Born: Surface of Samūm, approx. 2270.
Home: Bedoui nomadic construction camps north of the Combs in the Al-ketif y al-'ibt region.
Parents: Orphaned in early childhood and adopted by an elderly surface engineer called "Grandfather"
Mother: Amna Innayi Al-Sahrai', sister of [King Hadi al-Qamar Al Sahra'i] - ostricised by their father for her compassion for the nomadic "surface dwellers". Disowned when she married Janer's father.
Father: Zain Imrane - little is known about Janer's father except that they perished in unknown circumstances about 2271.
Personality: Curious, trusting, and introspective. Self-driven, mildly introverted, but steady and loyal once trust is earned.
Skills: Skilled climber; adept body-glider pilot (wingsuit); strongly developed intuition with robotic behavioral analogs; resourceful under duress, skilled natural fiber (Potag) craftsman.
Ambition: To live faithfully and make himself useful in a world that has already taken much from him.
Favorite Food: Dried dates and strong tea shared under canvas to sheild from the hot wind.
Position: Bedoui technician. Later cadet at the Mingubara Space Pilot Academy.
Personality:
Courageous but Thoughtful: Acts with deliberation even in crisis; his instinct is to preserve life before pride.
Methodical and Intuitive: Balances learned engineering with a near-instinctive grasp of machine behavior.
Reserved but Compassionate: Quiet in speech but generous in loyalty; those who know him well trust him without hesitation. Highly empathetic with those that may be outsiders thanks to his own upbringing, shaped by loss but defined by how he chooses to serve because of it.
