Hesho
| Hesho | |
|---|---|
| |
| Titles | Your Normalness,[1] Unexalted One Who Is Not King,[2], Unexalted One [2] |
| Homeworld | Kitsen homeworld |
| Universe | Cytoverse |
“I have been . . . overruled. What a curious experience. ”
Hesho is a kitsen captain and the former king of an absolute monarchy of his species.
Appearance and Personality
Hesho has white fur with a pattern in red on his snout and ears.[4] He often wears formal-looking silk clothing, like others in the kitsen government.[5][4][2] His voice, at least as rendered by a translator pin, is surprisingly deep for such a small being and sounds aristocratic and regal.[5]
He spent most of his life preparing to become the monarch of his nation,[2] and that history very much shows in the way he and the kitsen around him behave. Even though he is officially just one member of a democratic government by the time he travels to the Superiority's pilot recruitment program,[5] he is still treated quite specially and with great deference: he has an entourage of other kitsen who feed him,[4] fan him,[6] and drive him around,[7] all of which he accepts as his due. In spite of that, he seems to genuinely believe that it will be best for his people to move away from a monarchy, at least given the Superiority's rules on the matter, and he makes efforts accordingly to help the process along. For example, he tries to encourage Senator Aria to make a policy decision on her own, but she is confused and unable to come up with any ideas that don't involve just doing what he wants.[2]
After Hesho discovers that "Alanik" was actually the human Spensa all along, he becomes outraged and terrified and appears to be on the verge of shooting her. The members of his crew, however, talk him out of doing so -- the first seen instance of other kitsen going against his wishes in any way. Despite his kingly tendencies, he takes their desires into account and continues to work with Spensa, describing the experience of being overruled as "curious".[3]
Attributes and Abilities
Hesho has skill in poetry. He introduces himself as a "humble poet" and claims that he would have been a poet in another life.[8][7] His poetic background shows up in the elaborate names he bestows on things, such as "Flowers of Night's Last Kiss" (for what the Superiority dubbed Flight Fifteen)[7] or "The Wind That Mingles with a Man's Dying Breath" (for Vapor).[9]
As the former king of a considerable portion of his entire home planet, he continues to command great loyalty and influence within the nation until his death and would presumably be able to get his government and people to do just about anything within their power for him.
History
King Hesho
Hesho's kingdom took up over a third of the kitsen homeworld. Three weeks before traveling to Starsight, he stepped away from the throne, becoming instead a member of the kitsen democratic assembly and a ship captain.[9][7] Hesho's status as former king of his people is somewhat questionable, as he seems to bear the title in all but name,[4] and the new senate tends to unanimously vote against his wishes in an apparent attempt to prove that they are independent.[7] He is determined to convince all around him that he is no longer the monarch of his people.[6]
Captain Hesho
Hesho travels to Starsight with a contingent of around fifty of his former subjects, including his shieldbearer, Kauri, and a senator, Aria, to prove that their race is worthy of primary citizenship within the Superiority.[5][8] He forms a friendship with Spensa, which eventually morphs into an alliance. This alliance survives past Hesho's death at the hands of Brade during the Winzik's attack on Detritus.[10] Kauri takes command of the Swims Against the Current in a Stream Reflecting the Sun following his death, though it is unclear whether she was formally designated as his successor as the kitsen's captain or if she simply temporarily took command until the end of the battle.[10]