Star Queen

Original cover art
by Gino D'Achille.
Updated to include
a prominent role for
IPCC agent Pallis Atwrode.

In Star King, the first novel in the Demon Princes series by Jack Vance, readers are introduced to the IPCC, the Interworld Police Coordinating Company. However, it is not until the start of The Killing Machine (book 2 in the series) that we see Kirth Gersen working for the IPCC. Gersen has devoted his life to hunting down and destroying the five Demon Princes who killed his parents.

Gersen is recruited by Ben Zaum of the IPCC to go into the Beyond and find a wanted man: Mr. Hoskins. The only reason Gersen agrees to perform this mission is because Zaum lets slip that Kokor Hekkus is somehow involved with Hoskins. Kokor Hekkus is one of the Demon Princes that Gersen intends to kill.

Another official of the IPCC who has dealings with Gersen is Walter Koedelin. At the start of The Book of Dreams, Koedelin and Gersen chat about the evil deeds of the final remaining Demon Prince, Howard Treesong. Gersen learns that a few years previously, Howard Treesong had unsuccessfully tried to take control of the IPCC.

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The IPCC is part of the cultural background for the other three books in the series. In Star King, Gersen is attacked by Hildemar Dasce and knocked unconscious. He wakes up in a hospital and is interviewed by a Police Investigator of the Sea Province Constabulatory. Based on the seriousness of Gersen's account of the attack, the IPCC is immediately called in to assist with the case.

Poor Pallis
As Vance wrote the story, Gersen was out for an evening on the town with Pallis Atwrode when they were attacked. Pallis was kidnapped by Hildemar Dasce and becomes a "damsel in distress". Gersen feels guilt for having involved Pallis in his affairs and he repeatedly mutters to himself, "Poor Pallis." Eventually Gersen rescues Pallis from Dasce's evil clutches.

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In the past, I imagined that there was a sequel to Star King. I imagined that Pallis was a secret agent, infiltrating the organization of the Demon Prince Malagate.

I like to imagine that the Demon Princes saga is based on actual events that took place in the Asimov Reality and then were first written about in science fiction stories of the Ekcolir Reality. In the Ekcolir Reality, the female characters had more important roles in the versions of the Demon Princes novels that were written in that Reality. Were they Demon Princesses novels?

The Planet of the Dryads

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After Gersen obtains the valuable Flight Course Monitor from Lugo Teehalt's spaceship, he becomes a hunted man. When he lands on Alphanor, he is "greeted" by Sivij Suthiro, one of Malagate's henchmen.

After pretending to let Suthiro take Lugo's Monitor (actually it is a decoy, containing no flight data), Gersen quickly goes to Olliphane and obtains a copy of the key that will open Lugo's Monitor and give access to the recorded location of "Teehalt's Planet", a distant world that is the home of plant-like aliens who were named "Dryads" by Teehalt.

Nova (left) and Kate (right)
at their home on Alphanor.

Returning to Alphanor, Gersen needs to obtain the "decoder strip" for the valuable planetary data in Lugo's Monitor, but he is distracted by two "pretty girls" at the spaceport and he wonders if they are agents of Malagate. Gersen thinks: Not impossibly, Malagate had sent these girls to beguile me. Vance never provided the names of the two girls: Nova and Kate.

Having Gersen meet some innocent bystanders was not a bad idea for a plot twist, but maybe immediately after making planet fall was not quite the right time. And if we are updating plot elements and some of the characters in Star King for the new century, then why not allow Nova and Kate to be a couple?

Updated for the new millennium.

In the Ekcolir Reality

Two work-study student helpers in the
Sea Province University Library who help Gersen
obtain information about the top administrators
of the Department of Galactic Morphology.

As Star King was told in the Ekcolir Reality, Kate and Nova met Gersen when he arrived at Sea Province University. By then, Gersen had already used the University's artificial intelligence system to make an appointment to visit the Department of Galactic Morphology. Arriving on campus, Gersen first stops at the University's Main Library and attempts to obtain information about the Department of Galactic Morphology; in particular, he wants to know which member of the Department sent Teehalt on a locater's mission to the Beyond. While struggling to get useful information from the Library's data systems, Gersen is approached by two helpful work-study students named Kate and Nova.

Kate Prekus completed a student
research project under the direction
of Dr. Kagge Kelle.
Kate is murdered by Malagate's
evil henchman, Suthiro.

Kate is particularly useful to Gersen. She has in the past worked as a research assistant for Dr. Kelle. She tells Gersen that only Warweave, Kelle and Detteras might have the authority to hire Teehalt as a locator.

After visiting the Department of Galactic Morphology and speaking to Warweave (Provost), Kelle (Chairman of the Research Committee) and Detteras (Director of Exploration), Gersen returns to the Library and arranges to meet again with the two helpful students (Kate and Nova) after they are done working in the Library. Gersen remains uncertain who sponsored Lugo Teehalt's mission in the Beyond. Gersen, Kate and Nova have dinner together, but they have been followed by Suthiro and Dasce. Acting on orders from Malagate, Suthiro poisons Kate, but, even worse, the evil Dasce kidnaps Nova and takes her to his secret planet where he holds her captive. While trying to defend Nova, Gersen is bashed on the head by Dasce and knocked unconscious.

"Beauty Dasce" source

After being attacked by Dasce and upon regaining consciousness, Gersen is interviewed by IPCC Special Agent Pallis Atwrode who is investigating the murder of Kate. Due to his training on the planet Sarkovy, Gersen is able to help Agent Atwrode understand how Kate was killed by Suthiro's poison. Later, Gersen is caught breaking into Dasce's home and he again meets Special Agent Atwrode. To avoid being jailed for the crime of "breaking and entering" Gersen now must share more of his plans with Pallis and they begin working together to rescue Nova and identify Malagate.

Kings and Queens

Provost Gale Warpweave

And if there were to be updates of Star King for the new millennium, then at least one of the Sea Province University administrators should be a woman. Why not transform Gyle Warweave into Gale Warpweave?

Why did Vance use the name "Star Kings" to refer to the aliens from planet Lambda Grus III? Vance tells us that these aliens are "sexless". To reproduce, they undergo a strange type of parthenogenesis that allows them to pass acquired characteristics to their offspring. Upon infiltrating human society and masquerading as a human, these aliens would have a choice of becoming male or female or possibly even using an androgynous physical form.

Teehalt's Planet is
the Planet of the Dryads

In order to deflect attention, the aliens from planet Lambda Grus III might try to avoid using their natural androgynous form which might possibly cause suspicion that they are an alien in disguise. They might even over-compensate and construct/develop an extreme human male or female physique. Vance chose to write about a "Star King" living in the guise of a man, but why not change this up and have a "Star Queen" who lives within human society as a woman?

Smade, working behind the bar
at Smade's Tavern which is on
Smade's Planet, in the Beyond.

It has bothered me for decades that, on page 2 of Star King, Smade was able to inform Gersen that the only other guest currently at Smade's Tavern was an alien Star King. This information takes Gersen by surprise...

Gersen: "There's a Star King here, at the Tavern?"

Smade: "He has presented himself so."

Maybe the matter came up in conversation if Malagate made a special request with respect to food. Vance tells us that Star Kings are disgusted by human food. However, during the long flight from Alphanor to Teehalt's planet, there is no mention of Malagate (Warweave) having any trouble eating the onboard food.

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An alternative path towards Gersen learning that Malagate is a Star King would be to have Special Agent Atwrode tell Gersen that the IPCC has good evidence suggesting that Malagate is an alien.

While working with Gersen, Pallis could also consistently use the scientific name for the beings from Lambda Grus III: Homo parthenoid, usually shortened to "the parthenoids". Rather than have Gersen telling Pallis about about the mysterious Star Kings over dinner, Special Agent Atwrode could give Gersen a briefing on the parthenoids and instruct Gersen on how to detect alien DNA from Malagate.

Special Agent Atwrode chasing
Malagate on Teehalt's Planet

In Star King, Malagate is killed by the Dryads on Teehalt's Planet. "Beauty" Dasce is left on that world, living as Rampold's captive. In my imagination, Special Agent Atwrode would follow along behind Gersen, first to Dasce's secret planet and then to Teehalt's Planet. I like the idea that the residents of Teehalt's planet arranged for the death of Malagate, but the method described by Vance for how a Dryad kills Malagate seems silly.

Agent Atwrode is saved by Nova.

Vengence
I'd prefer to see Pallis help Gersen kill Malagate on Teehalt's Planet. After being "rescued" by Agent Atwrode and Gersen, it should be Nova who kills Dasce when they are still on his secret hide-away planet. However, in my imagination, the rescue of Nova is almost bungled! 🤯

When Gersen tries to rescue Nova, he battles Dasce in hand-to-hand combat and is knocked unconscious (again!) by Dasce. Having followed Gersen to Dasce's Planet, Agent Atwrode arrives next and tries to rescue Gersen, but she is also captured by the wary Dasce. While Dasce is busy turning his horrific attention to Pallis, Nova finds one of Gersen's weapons "on" his body and she manages to kill Dasce.

Next: Wendy visits Alphanor

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