Marsmen were another group proud of their mixed ancestry. Podkayne Fries described herself as having dominant Swedish features, but also Polynesian and Asiatic ancestors. Her uncle Tom Fries was more obviously Polynesian.
They had received permission for three children and had them early in their marriage, to be cryonically preserved until they had time and money to raise them. Unfortunately, the Marsopolis Creche thawed out the Fries babies instead of theirs.
Bureau of Planetary Engineering
[mentioned in passing] Podkayne Fries' mother held a desk job there while she was having babies.
Junior third officer on the Tricorn; he helped Podkayne Fries study astrogation and escorted her to dances.
creche
On Mars, couples normally had their children in rapid succession while still young, then had them stored cryogenically to be raised when it was socially and financially more convenient. Some parents left their recently revived children at the creche for a few months to spare the mother those months of intensive work.
Dexter Kurt Cunha
Son of Venus Corporation's Chairman of the Board. He took an interest in Podkayne Fries, perhaps at his father's instigation, and escorted her all over Venusberg.
Kurt Cunha
Chairman of the Board of Venus Corporation. He tried to persuade Tom Fries to vote according to Venus' interests in the upcoming triplanetary conference.
Captain of the Tricorn. He took a liking to Podkayne Fries and gave her the run of the control room; she promptly took advantage of the opportunity to learn as much as she could about piloting.
Davis Drive
[mentioned in passing] Propulsion system for spaceships. How it worked was not described.
Free port on Mars' moon under the Three-Planets Treaty; as such, it was not subject to Mars law. The port structure was designed by Podkayne Fries' mother, while her father fought to have construction delayed until excavation of an ancient Martian site was completed.
Establishment in Venusberg. Podkayne Fries visited it with Girdie Fitz-Snuggly, and Clark Fries won a small fortune gambling there. Girdie got a job there after her money ran out, progressing rapidly from cigarette girl to blackjack dealer.
Earth
In Podkayne Fries' opinion, Earth was not truly suited to human habitation, and the human race probably didn't really originate there. Although the human colonies on other planets were politically independent, Earth still dominated them.
Current Ambassador from Mars to the Three Planets Summit, who believed that Mars should give in and join the Terran Federation.
Girdle (Girdie) Fitz-Snugglie (real name not given)
Podkayne Fries' pseudonym for the only other non-geriatric passenger on the Tricorn besides her and her brother Clark. A notorious society girl, she travelled to Venus to find work after she lost her wealth (possibly to a fortune-hunting husband). On the Tricorn, Clark became madly infatuated with her. When they reached Venus, Girdie got work first as a cigarette girl, then as a blackjack dealer, in a Venusberg casino; Podkayne predicted she'd soon be a stockholder.
Clark Fries
Podkayne Fries' brother, six Martian/eleven Terran years old, a genius with definite antisocial tendencies and a wide mercenary streak. He journeyed with his sister and uncle Tom Fries to Venus, on their way to Earth. He smuggled a bomb aboard the Tricorn after being bribed by a stranger, but dismantled the bomb and later used it in escaping from kidnappers.
Duncan, Elspeth, and Grace Fries
Infants accidentally revived from cryogenic suspension and presented to Podkayne Fries' family just before their scheduled trip to Earth. They were called "Delta," "Epsilon," and "Gamma" while in suspension.
Podkayne Fries
1. And adolescent girl (eight Martian/fifteen Terran years old) who was a citizen of Mars and had ambitions of becoming captain of a space liner. She journeyed to Venus on her way to Earth, with her brother and uncle Tom Fries. While on Venus she was kidnapped by her uncle's political opponents and was seriously injured in a bomb blast following her escape. She was called "Poddy" by nearly everyone, and "Flicka" by her uncle. She was named Podkayne after a Martian saint.
Podkayne's father (no first name given)
Van Loon Professor of Terrestrial History with Ares University, a Guggenheim fellow. His true love was Martian history. He was a veteran of the Mars Revolution, in which he lost an arm.
Podkayne's mother (no first name given)
A master engineer for heavy construction, surface or freefall. She was awarded the Hoover Medal and the Christiana Order, Knight Commander, for rebuilding Deimos and Phobos. She has received many honorary degrees for her work. She worked at the Bureau of Planetary Engineering at a desk job while having her five babies in rapid succession, then resumed field work, and was frequently away from home while Podkayne and Clark were growing up. Design Criteria With Respect to the Effects of Radiation on the Banding of Pressure-Loaded Sandwich Structures is a paper published by Podkayne's mother; it was typical of her work.
Tom Fries
Podkayne Fries' great-uncle and favorite relative. Originally a transportee, he was a Revolutionary veteran, a member of the Elks club, Past Grand Commander of the Martian Legion, and Senator-at-Large of the Martian Republic. He was appointed Minister Plenipotentiary and Ambassador Extraordinary to the Three Planets Summit, travelling with Podkayne and Clark to give the impression he was only on a pleasure trip. He opposed the idea of Mars joining the Terran Federation because it would most likely become dominated by Terran interests. His political enemies kidnapped Podkayne and Clark to force him to vote their way.
Mrs. Garcia
Gossipy old woman in the Tricorn. Podkayne Fries overheard her insults about Marsmen in general and the Fries family in particular, and reported them to Clark Fries. Mrs. Garcia was later seen with photographic chemical stains covering her face, which were at first taken for radiation burns.
The pleasantest of the elderly widows on the Tricorn. She befriended Podkayne and Clark Fries but turned out to be a Terran agent and political enemy of Tom Fries. She kidnapped and threatened to torture Podkayne and Clark to persuade Tom to vote according to Terran interests. She was killed by Clark when he and Podkayne escaped. She was sometimes called "Madame Grew."
Name to which both of Podkayne Fries' Venusian maids answered. Portuguese by ancestry, they claimed to speak no other language except Portuguese, but Podkayne overheard them speak in System Ortho.
Human settlements were independent of Earth, but there was great pressure to join the Earth-dominated Federation. Mars was also inhabited by intelligent natives.
Institution that "stored" babies cryonically between the time that their parents gave birth to them and they were prepared to raise them. Under this system, women could give birth when they were young and optimally healthy, then the families could raise the children when they were more affluent and settled.
Extinct, or nearly so, writing system that Podkayne Fries claimed to use for her journal, in an unsuccessful attempt to keep her brother from reading it.
Venus Corporation employee leased to Clark Fries as a bodyguard after Clark won a fortune in the casino.
Miles M. Milo
Customs agent in Deimos Port who weighed in the Fries' luggage for their trip to Earth. He was a member of the Martian Legion.
Miss Polka Dot Ma'am
Podkayne Fries' cat, also known as Miss Pokie. Podkayne commented that her mother's behavior with the triplets reminded her of the cat with her first litter.
Government agency that issued licenses for parenthood. It authorized Podkayne Fries' parents to have five children, and would have licensed seven had they wanted them.
[mentioned in passing] Legally part of Mars; Podkayne Fries once made a class trip there, the farthest she had been off-planet before her trip to Earth.
Gossipy old woman aboard the Tricorn. She showed an initial interest in Podkayne Fries, quizzing her about her home and family, but soon started treating her as a personal servant in the belief that she was "teaching her how to behave around her betters". Podkayne reported to her brother Clark insulting remarks Mrs. Royer had made about Marsmen in general and the Fries family in particular. Mrs. Royer showed up shortly after with photographic chemical stains on her face. ("Someone" had soaked her washcloth in the chemicals and then carefully dried it in total darkness, so that wetting the washcloth and using it in a lighted room activated the chemicals.)
Director of the Marsopolis Creche. He was persuaded by Tom Fries to pay for a trip to Earth for Podkayne and Clark Fries after the creche's error in thawing out their younger siblings cancelled the original planned trip.
The term for nonhuman natives of Venus; the term for human colonists is "Venusian". One life-form is vaguely human-looking, somewhat less intelligent than humans, and easily addicted to "happy dust", which causes them to become violent. Another resembles mythical Earth fairies; their intelligence level was unknown but they could follow simple commands.
