John Farno was the sole survivor of an attack that destroyed all the inhabited domes on Farigha. He survived having camped out in a rover during the attack.
A terraformer, he was originally from Bonaparte, where he used to wake to a flying mammal that made unpleasant noises as the sun rose. As an adult, he served in the Navy after the Polygamy Wars. His service included two years on New Saigon.
During his month-long struggle for survival, he renamed the planet Farno and declared himself King Farno I, King of Farno and Emperor of 2 Mainzer.
Farno later returned to Farigha as it was repopulated. Though he was virtual governor of the now-colonial world under Metis, he took the title of “chief administrator,” as he felt Farigha was still “a glorified terraforming project.” Nonetheless, Farigha achieved core world status when Metis, along with Farigha and Amargosa seceded from the Compact. They functioned as core worlds in the newly independent Metisian Republic. When Admiral Shorees arrived from the Realm to show Farno evidence the president’s chief of staff was a clone who murdered the previous Sovereign, Farno expressed skepticism that Farigha, as well as Metis and Amargosa, would remain in the Compact much longer. He hosted a meeting with the Chancelloress of Metis and the governor-general and governor of Amargosa to review the evidence. Farno recommended secession to his government after viewing the evidence. Best and Chancelloress Jovann did likewise to their respective governments.
In 434, he attended the wedding of King Edward and Mitsuko Yamato as a diplomatic guest of the Bonapartan Court.
Appearances: No Marigolds in the Promised Land, Suicide Run