Alpha and active member of the peacekeeper Squad; senior abolitionist. Under “official” rank; above “citizen” rank. Has wartime council experience.
Tina is the leader of S.T.P.S., aka the Squad, given this role by her older adopted brother Sapphire. She is also an empath, able to sense other’s emotions as if they’re her own. This, combined with her ability to shape-shift using blue mineral tech rings, is the result of her secret werewolfian heritage.
Though sometimes nervous and struggling to make sure she’s doing the right thing, she is often a confident leader and does her best to keep the peace, protect her people, and support her ragtag family of adopted siblings.
Fun fact–Tina, Sy, and Porter and Sapphire all have the same birthday!
Porter the hedgehog
Beta and active member of the peacekeeper Squad; senior abolitionist. Under “official” rank; above “citizen” rank. Has wartime council experience.
Porter is second-in-command of S.T.P.S., aka the Squad, and is the younger of the hedgehog twins. His gloves are teleportation gloves, embedded with purple mineral technology that allows him to warp space enough to teleport whatever he wants wherever he pleases, including himself.
He’s extremely protective of all his siblings, Tina and Sy especially. Though generally nervous on behalf of his siblings’ safety, he manages to stay cool and quick-thinking under pressure, and likes to tease his siblings when nothing else is going on.
Sapphire the hedgehog
Previous alpha and inactive member of the peacekeeper Squad; senior abolitionist.
Sapphire is the eldest of the hedgehog twins and the original leader of S.T.P.S., aka the Squad, before giving that role to Tina. He is a brilliant inventor by nature and can create anything using scraps and raw minerals he finds in the woods, which he uses to make his own blaster and Tina and Porter’s mineral tech.
He is generally calm, quiet, and the most decisive one. He is also chronically ill with a weak heart and asthma–as a result, physical activity is often limited for him, but that doesn’t stop him from guiding his siblings along what seems to be the best path for them.
Sy the cat
Active member of the peacekeeper Squad; senior abolitionist. “Nobility” rank; under “official” rank. Has wartime council experience.
Sy is the youngest adopted sister—extremely excitable and playful, she’s a born natural in martial arts. In addition to martial arts, she has two strange abilities, which the siblings can only credit as gifts from The Most High—Sy can crack the ground with a well-placed kick, and she can control wind. She doesn’t use these abilities often, but when she does, it’s with incredible skill.
Though the sweetest and most curious of the siblings, she can also be the most needy and clingy.
Shield the tiger
Active member of the peacekeeper Squad; senior abolitionist. “Soldier” rank; under “official” rank. Has wartime council experience.
Shield is a leucistic tiger who was once the abused pet of elite ragtag soldiers. His teal gloves are infused with mineral tech that allows him to create teal force fields with thought—force fields he can bend, shape, and move at will. When he meets S.T.P.S., aka the Squad, he’s relieved to join them and escape the injustices forced upon him. From then on, he’s a valued member of the team, and he values his team just as much.
Having dealt with shallow interactions and deep hatred most of his life, he’s a hardened and stoic man, and forms a tough outer shell to try and keep himself composed. But beneath that shell, he’s actually a thoughtful and gentle creature, genuinely caring about those who care about him and proving himself extremely loyal.
Valiente the Rottweiler
Active member of the peacekeeper Squad; junior abolitionist. Under “official” rank; above “citizen” rank. Has wartime council experience.
Valiente is proud to be part of the Squad. Formerly a secretly kept slave, he fought for his freedom and impressed Tina, Porter, Sy, and Shield because of that. He is also an excellent gymnast and contortionist, as well as being naturally good at marksmanship.
As his name might suggest, he is brave beyond measure. This is in fact due his lack of the brain chemicals that would normally make an average person feel fear in a relevant situation. He uses this to his advantage and tackles any challenge in his way.
Lee the tiger
Active member of the peacekeeper Squad; junior abolitionist. Under “official” rank; above “citizen” rank.
Lee is the strongest Neftarian alive, born with a genetic mutation that gave him super strength and made him extremely muscular. Though he and the Squad met on sketchy terms, they slowly extended their trust to him, and he eventually joined as one of the most reliable members of the team.
Despite being the biggest man in the room, he’s very small in demeanor. He is very humble and shy, desperately wanting to be needed and lend a helping hand to those around him. He hates having attention directed on him, genuinely wanting others to receive it instead.
Cadence–a mixed breed of Rottweiler (from her father Valiente) and shepherd dog (from her mother Caris)–is a talented contortionist and marksman, having learned everything from her father. When her cousins want to become a heroic peacekeeping team like the Squad, she finds herself being the one to step up and lead them–a difficult feat, but one she gradually succeeds at. She makes the cousins stronger and more closely bonded for it.
She is quiet and somewhat shy; harboring guilt for a tragedy she didn’t actually cause, she keeps her shame to herself and tries to make amends in other ways, always seeking what’s best for everyone else.
Iah the Vallhund
Iah was born in the city slums and, when endangered by an underground slave trade thanks to his own brothers, was rescued by Tina and the Squad when he was two years old. Upon the discovery that his family couldn’t (and shouldn’t) take him back, Tina adopted him as her son. As he grew older, though, he resented Tina and her family, believing she’d only taken him in out of pity and not real love.
He holds onto a shred of bitterness and is generally unpleasant to be around, sometimes acting like a bully. He does, however, have a soft spot for Cadence, whom he became attracted to. He gradually opens up to her and becomes a little kinder to the others out of necessity–and, eventually, out of honest appreciation for them.
Estlin the aardwolf
Estlin was born to Neftarian representatives aboard the Intergalactic Coalition HQ, who were assassinated during Estlin’s youth and left him orphaned with no straightforward way to Planet Neftar. In a rash decision to meet his father’s standards of not being affected by death, Estlin stowed away with a group of Brakans to Planet Brakah, being offered an easy way to desensitize himself. This came in the form of becoming an indentured gladiator for an underground fight ring, where Estlin was forced to fight to the death against Brakans. Against all odds, he became the top prizefighter in the ring, but his plan to become desensitized somehow failed.
He fears he’s a monster who has become more daunted by death. But despite all he’s done, he tries to be gentle and wishes for a peaceful life where he can run from his past. His only comforts are Stardust, his Neftarian attendant and friend, and the promise of being released after his final match.
Emmy the feline
Emerald, aka Emmy–half tiger (from her father, Shield) and half cat (from her mother, Sy)–genetically inherited Shield’s force field powers, which he’d unknowingly used enough to absorb into his DNA and consequently pass to Emmy. She has skillfully learned how to master this skill and is as proficient in wielding force fields as her father is.
She is incredibly studious and loves to gather all sorts of knowledge. She does, however, have skills in sarcasm that can make her annoying to be around. But she means well and is typically looking out for her cousins to make sure everyone is satisfied and not doing something stupid.
Strap the feline
Strap–half cat (from his mother, Priscilla) and half tiger (from his father, Lee)–is the third generation to receive Lee’s (and Alexander’s) hereditary super strength. He takes his lineage very serious and as a result is heavy on self-discipline and training himself to be not only a stronger person, but a better one.
Because of his strict nature and sheer size, he can come off as cold and intimidating, but is in reality very kind and protective. He tries to help others make logical choices and ensure everyone is safe and accounted for.
Mykall the feline
Mykall, Strap’s younger brother, is Strap’s opposite and proud of it. Like Strap, he also inherited super strength, but is much more casual and playful than Strap. Born mute, Mykall can still manage to be the loudest one in the room, often acting boisterous and loving to wrestle Strap. Since Mykall can only speak through Neftarian sign language, the Squad and Peacers have all learned signed language as well.
Although he’s very supportive and helpful toward his cousins, his desire to communicate verbally has sparked in him resentment toward Strap, who sometimes has to talk for him when others don’t understand sign language.
Spike the hedgehog
Spike, one of Porter’s twin sons and Flare’s brother, has an observant nature that is unmatched. His enhanced senses allow him to notice tiny things others would never notice, which is both extremely helpful in times of urgency and a little annoying when he points things out just for fun.
He takes after Porter quite a bit, being a very–but healthily–caring and protective person. He looks after everyone around him and tries to make sure needs are met and all options are seen and considered.
Flare the hedgehog
Flare, one of Porter’s twin sons and Spike’s brother, was born with teleportation powers like Porter’s. Porter used his teleportation mineral tech so much that he absorbed some into his DNA and passed it to Flare (a phenomenon that did not occur with Spike). Flare has been using his powers since he first discovered them at a young age, but never chose to use them wisely.
He loves to show off and teleport himself and other objects whenever he wants, annoying everyone else. Though it takes a long time, he comes to understand he desperately needs to control his teleportation wisely.
