The cast of The Comet's Curse

Triana Martell had everything going for her: a loving father who not only taught her what she would need to know in life, but taught her about life itself...often in lessons that didn't register with the teenager until later; a wonderful life in the shadow of the Rocky Mountains of Colorado; an active sports life; and an inquisitive mind that drove her to explore more than what she found in her books.

But that all changed in the blink of an eye, carried within the deadly particles of a comet's tail. Now, at sixteen, Triana finds herself in charge of the most ambitious mission the human race has ever attempted. As the Council Leader, will her strength and her character - and the lessons from her dad - be enough to carry her through the doubts and insecurities that creep into her mind? Will she be able to balance the discipline of command with her emotions?

Triana journals, using it as an outlet whenever she's troubled or curious. Many of them can be read within the pages of The Comet's Curse, but you can also find many more of her journal entries right here on the pages of Club Galahad.

Gap Lee was born in China, and even began training for a possible future in Olympic gymnastics, before his family moved to the United States and settled in northern California. Friendly, outgoing, and a bit of a daredevil, Gap's natural curiosity and sharp technical mind made him an easy choice as the head of Galahad's engineering section.

And yet, nestled within those rational, logical thinking circuits there's also plenty of rough-and-tumble boy, the one who lives to Airboard (just wait until you read about that). There's also a quiet, sensitive side, the side which often torments him...especially when it comes to girls.

Gap would like to always remain cool, but sometimes his emotions flare up. Just ask Bon.

Lita Marques was raised by her physician mother and shop-owner father near the shores of Veracruz, Mexico. In fact, a small glass cube, filled with sand from the beach near her home, sits on Lita's desk in Galahad's clinic, lovingly referred to as Sick House by the ship's crew.

As the head of Galahad's medical department, Lita often draws on the experiences she recalls from her mother's duties as a doctor. More than anything else, Lita studied the way her mom handled the personal side of medicine, the way she talked with patients, the way she dealt with difficult decisions and responsibilities.

Plus, Lita grew up as a student of great Spanish explorers, an interest that only magnified her desire to set sail on mankind's biggest adventure of all time.

Channy Oakland also draws upon her mother's background. Galahad's head of Nutrition and Activities takes her role seriously, no doubt fueled by watching her mother work as a physical therapist. There's also a personal inspiration for the spirited fifteen-year-old from England. She watched her older sister claw her way back from a disastrous injury that threatened her ability to walk; Channy never forgot that, and pushes not only herself, but the crew of Galahad, to the peak of fitness.

There's another side of Channy, however. While some might call it gossip, she would likely prefer the term 'social networker.' She fancies herself something of a Cupid, as well, and brags about her ability to sniff out shipboard romance...much to the groans of crewmembers.

And yet, what goes on within her own heart...?

Bon Hartsfield is an enigma. His reputation among the crew often can be described with words like 'sullen' and 'brooding.' There's one person on the ship who is able to pierce the hard outer shell and see within this boy from Sweden.

A contentious relationship with his father, a farmer near Skane, eventually led to Bon moving away to live with family members in the U.S. But the crops, and hard work, have remained in his blood. His father's dominant work ethic drives Bon as he oversees the incredible Farms underneath Galahad's magnificent domes.

Feisty and quick to slash with his words, Bon's position on Galahad's Council is often questioned by others...and yet Triana knows that his angry side is quite possibly an element that the crew needs from time to time. Her personal relationship with him is even more complicated.

Dr. Wallace Zimmer never had a family of his own, which probably explains why the teenagers of Galahad are so dear to him. The mastermind behind the mission, he finds himself growing to love these bright, outgoing kids.

He also finds himself caught in a race to finish the ship's construction, and the crew's training, before a determined band of protestors can find a way to stop the mission before it starts. His own former colleague, and friend, becomes his chief antagonist. Can he finish the job before the opposition - or Bhaktul's Disease - tears it apart?

Roc...well, not much can be said about Roc that he hasn't said about himself. Calling him the world's greatest thinking and talking computer just wouldn't do him justice, and he'd be the first to tell you that, too. To quote Roc from the pages of The Comet's Curse, he is "the coolest thing in the solar system and beyond."

He's also Triana's sounding board, and Gap's tormentor. He has some of the most vital roles aboard Galahad...but is he infallible?