Name: Douglas Best
Homeworld: Jefivah
Affiliations: Compact Assembly, Jefivah Legislature, Compact Diplomatic Corps
Titles: Minister of Agriculture (Jefivah), Delegate to the Compact Assembly, Ambassador to the Laputan Guardianship (briefly), Liaison to Hanar, Governor of Amargosa
Summary:
Douglas Best is a career politician and interstellar diplomat from Jefivah whose life has intersected repeatedly with some of the most volatile events in Compact history. Born and raised on Jefivah, Best first gained prominence as Minister of Agriculture, battling the colony’s ecological collapse and civil unrest. He later represented Jefivah in the Compact Assembly, where his pragmatism and biting humor masked a deep commitment to stability and reform.
As food riots gripped his homeworld, Best became entangled in a secretive initiative orchestrated by the corporate entity Juno. He was instrumental in facilitating the colonization of three Class-E worlds—Barataria, Mercia, and Marilyn—in exchange for relocating unstable factions, including the Temple of Marilyn, off Jefivah. The deal, brokered by a shadowy figure known as Luxhomme (later revealed to be Marcus Leitman), allowed the Temple to settle on what became Marilyn, and involved the covert transfer of nuclear warheads. Seven of those warheads went missing during the operation, and Best was falsely implicated in their disappearance and arrested.
Following his release, Best embarked on a self-driven investigation into JunoCorp’s shadow network, which took him across several worlds. During a second bombing incident on Bromdar, likely tied to the extremist group Radical Cubists, Best was severely injured by radiation exposure. His survival was uncertain until Jayne Best, a mysterious spiritual figure tied to the Marilynists, arranged his transport to Thule, where he underwent advanced rejuvenation therapy. The Thulian process, derived from Orag (Neanderthal-descended) genetics, not only cured him of radiation poisoning but biologically reset his age and physiology. As with others who undergo the procedure, Best now carries near-total immunity to disease and enhanced regenerative abilities, though not without side effects.
After recovering, Best resumed his political role as liaison to Hanar, the post-Gelt name for the former colony of Gilead. He played a key part in normalizing relations between the Compact and the joint human-Gelt colony established there by Tishla. Later, as part of postwar stabilization efforts, Best was named Governor of Amargosa, overseeing reconstruction and reconciliation after its liberation.
Though often seen as a reluctant hero, Best’s sharp mind, resilience, and unique experiences—ranging from cult diplomacy to exposure to alien biotechnology—make him a uniquely grounded yet transformational figure in the Compact’s history.
Relationships:
Carolyn Carver Best: Douglas’s first wife, she was a gifted political strategist whose insight often tempered his cynicism. Believed killed in the second bombing of Bromdar, she was secretly rescued and hidden by Tol Germanicus at his estate. Though presumed dead, she later reemerged under the identity Marilyn Germanicus, living in seclusion. While she was never a member of the Temple of Marilyn, she later became a symbolic figure within it—particularly to Jayne Best, a long-serving cleric who saw in Carolyn a source of strength and inspiration. Her quiet return provided emotional and strategic support to Douglas during his later career.
Marcus Leitman: Operating under the alias Luxhomme, Leitman served as the chief architect behind the JunoCorp colony deal that ensnared Best in political scandal. A manipulator with deep ties to shadow organizations and a warped personal mythology, Leitman orchestrated the Temple of Marilyn’s off-world settlement, the disappearance of nuclear warheads, and the destabilization of multiple Compact institutions. Best gradually uncovered Leitman’s true identity and role, culminating in a series of confrontations across several worlds. Their rivalry was ideological as well as personal, with Leitman representing unaccountable power cloaked in populist mysticism—everything Best spent his career fighting against.
Grand Dimaj McLaren: Spiritual leader of the Temple of Marilyn, the Grand Dimaj was both an uneasy ally and a source of deep frustration for Douglas Best. As part of the JunoCorp colony deal, Best allowed the Temple to settle a new world—later named Marilyn—to ease social and political tensions on Jefivah. While the Dimaj outwardly projected charm and devotion, Best viewed him as dangerously manipulative and a zealot cloaked in velvet. Their tense cooperation helped avert further riots, but Best never forgave the Dimaj for exploiting the Compact’s desperation—or for fostering the cult-like infrastructure that later turned Jayne Best into a global religious icon.
Myra Gillorn: First Minister of Jefivah, Gillorn was a long-time political ally of Douglas Best and a central figure during the colony crisis and the rise of the Temple of Marilyn. A master of legislative maneuvering, she dispatched Best to handle the JunoCorp negotiations and later appointed him chief of staff to the Compact Assembly’s leadership—bypassing confirmation in the wake of his exoneration. After Best’s reassignment to Hanar and eventual promotion to senior delegate, Gillorn remained in the background until his departure from the Assembly. Following Best’s elevation to governor of Amargosa, the Jefivah Legislature appointed Gillorn to succeed him as senior delegate and Security Council member, with Adam Hogarth—a centrist lawmaker with agricultural credentials—named to replace Carolyn Best, who had briefly served as junior delegate before her presumed death.
Jayne Best: Jayne Best, a centuries-old cleric of the Temple of Marilyn, entered Douglas Best’s life during his lowest point—after radiation exposure nearly killed him during the second Bromdar bombing. While Jayne had served the Temple for over 150 years, her role became intensely personal when she arranged for Douglas’s transfer to Thule, where he underwent amortal rejuvenation. Thulian custom imposed a biological obligation: those healed by its process were expected to help conceive the next generation of amortal children. Jayne turned off her own fertility to help Best fulfill this obligation safely, guiding him through the powerful sexual cravings caused by rejuvenation without placing further burdens on him. Their intimacy led to the birth of a daughter, whom they named Carolyn, in honor of Best’s late wife.
Quentin Austin: A blunt-force strategist and rising star in the Compact Navy, Rear Admiral Quentin Austin became an unlikely ally of Douglas Best during the early unraveling of the JunoCorp crisis. When Austin uncovered evidence of covert weapons transfers and suspicious settlements tied to the Temple of Marilyn and the colony deals, his efforts to pursue the matter were cut short. Promoted and reassigned to the Compact’s warp program in what was widely seen as a strategic sidelining, Austin lacked the political latitude to continue the investigation. Recognizing this, he handed off the inquiry to Best, who possessed both the cultural fluency and political cover to operate where Austin could not.
Baker ibn-Aziz: Baker ibn-Aziz, the reluctant first President of the Compact following a constitutional reform of the Secretary-General’s office, had a complex relationship with Douglas Best. A seasoned diplomat elevated into an executive role he neither sought nor relished, ibn-Aziz often relied on Best’s insight during the unraveling of the JunoCorp affair and the post-Liberation political fallout. While not a close ally, he respected Best’s deep institutional memory and willingness to confront entrenched powers like Marcus Leitman. Best, in turn, viewed ibn-Aziz as a competent caretaker occasionally overwhelmed by the scope of the Compact’s dysfunction.
Tol Germanicus: The uploaded posthuman once known as Steven Turing, Germanicus played a quiet but critical role in shaping Douglas Best’s survival and legacy. Though often feared or dismissed as a living ghost of Compact history, Germanicus intervened personally after the second Bromdar bombing, rescuing Carolyn Best’s consciousness, resurrecting her at his Vietnam estate. His actions preserved her life and later enabled her return under the identity Marilyn Germanicus. While never fully forthcoming, Germanicus appeared to view Best as a fulcrum—someone capable of steering events away from ideological collapse.
Suri Mongano: Though not close personally, Best worked briefly with Suri Mongano, who operated under the alias Minaz Tirwaz as Thule’s delegate to the Compact Assembly. She later met with Best on Thule to offer him the post of governor of Amargosa and asked Jayne to establish and lead the Thulian Clinic there. Her diplomatic, understated approach helped shape the couple’s post-Assembly role in Amargosa’s recovery.
Athena Jovann: Best first met Athena Jovann on Metis during his unofficial investigation into Marcus Leitman and JunoCorp. Initially wary of his presence, Athena soon recognized the depth of his insight and agreed to collaborate discreetly. Their partnership deepened during the early reconstruction of Hanar, where Athena served as Compact liaison and Best advised Gelt leadership. Later, on Amargosa, their roles aligned again as civilian leaders—Athena as a diplomatic anchor and Best as governor. Their relationship was built on mutual trust, shared pragmatism, and a deep respect for each other’s ability to navigate complex postwar realities.
Appearances: Tishla's Journey, Chasing Eternity, Storming Amargosa, Suicide Run, Suicide Gambit