- Full Name: Lattus Kai
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Affiliation: The Realm
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410 IE – 429 IE
Summary
Lattus Kai was a High Born of the Realm and a pivotal figure in the early events of the Gelt Incursion. As the governor of the penal colony Essenar, he attempted to transform the outpost into a viable Gelt holding despite food shortages, civil unrest, and political pressure. Though not a Warrior by upbringing, Kai wielded both a sword and political cunning, ultimately dying in single combat with General Laral Jorl—though this challenge would later be nullified.
Kai was accompanied to Essenar by Palak, a Warrior who had once served his family and acted as a father figure to him. While deeply loyal, Palak disapproved of using Essenar as a penal colony, seeing it as a dishonorable practice that undermined the Realm’s principles. Nonetheless, he remained by Kai’s side as governor and would later help protect Tishla after Kai’s death.
Relationship with Tishla
Kai was Tishla’s childhood friend and her first lover. He “tasted” her at age 13, a culturally typical age for first intimacy among the Gelt. Deeply in love with her, he arranged her indenture to fund her education in genetics, all while training her as a pilot and making her a partner in managing Essenar. Though they were officially bound by the master–servant dynamic, their bond was built on mutual trust and emotional intimacy.
Palak, who had served as a surrogate father to both, remarked, “They were married long before they even understood what that meant.” Tishla would later echo this sentiment to JT Austin when he reflected on his brief but intense relationship with Lizzy Parker.
When riots and famine brought Essenar to the brink of collapse, Kai accepted a “gift” of genetically modified food from the human Marq. However, this act eventually backfired, as the crops failed in later seasons and exposed Essenar to further unrest and exploitation by the Realm’s Warrior Caste. In an effort to free Tishla, Kai signed her contract over to Marcus Leitman and ordered him to take her to his homeworld—ostensibly Metis, though this was later revealed to be a ruse. Unbeknownst to Tishla, Kai had already realized she was pregnant, a fact later confirmed by human doctors.
Kai’s final acts cemented his legacy as both a lover and a revolutionary. He died in an honor duel with Laral Jorl, knowing he had found a loophole in the Realm’s caste restrictions against marrying a servant. Tishla would later challenge and nullify the duel, undermining Jorl’s claim and fulfilling Kai’s vision of elevating her beyond her indenture.
Legacy
Though officially dead by the Realm’s rules, Kai’s legacy lived on through Tishla and their surviving daughter, Athena. His challenge to Laral Jorl marked the first serious blow to the Laral family’s legitimacy. By exploiting the Realm’s legal frameworks, Kai maneuvered to give Tishla the legal and moral foundation to inherit his authority and challenge the very system that oppressed them both.
To the humans of Hanar, Kai became the invisible architect of the first cooperative Gelt–human settlement. To Tishla, he remained not just a lover or master, but her equal—her true husband in all but name. His posthumous impact would ultimately shape the future of both the Realm and the Compact.
Palak continued to honor Kai’s memory, acting as a guardian for both Tishla and Athena. Despite his misgivings about Essenar’s purpose, Palak never questioned Kai’s devotion to justice or his belief that a better Realm could be forged—one not built on conquest and servitude, but on choice and unity.
Appearances: Tishla's Journey