Kolker

"For the Russian teacher and Esperantist, see Boris Kolker".

Kolker is a fictional character from the Saga of Seven Suns series of novels by Kevin J. Anderson.

Biography

Kolker was a talkative green priest who served onboard the Hansa skymine at Qronha 3. During his service he became friends with the manager of the facility, Sullivan Gold, and eventually owed his life to Sullivan during the eventual hydrogue attack on the complex. However, Kolker lost his potted treeling during the attack and, though he managed to esacpe safely, he began to suffer severe withdrawal symptoms from his lack of telink.

Kolker was one of the many humans kept under house arrest on Ildira, due to being witness to the Mage-Imperator conspiring with hydrogues. This confinement only served to further fuel Kolker's anxiety. Whilst in the Prism Palace, Kolker was able to 'feel' the presence of a worldtree and sought it out, trespassing into Jora'h's private chambers in the process. Though he tried to simply tried to touch the treeling, his efforts were crushed by Yazra'h. In order to ensure that no one found out about his shameful dealings with the hydrogues, Jora'h (begrudgingly) dropped the treeling from his balcony and let it shatter into pieces, leaving Kolker with no means to talk to the worldforest.

Whilst on Ildira, Kolker met an aged lens kitman by the name of Tery'l. The Ildiran was eager to talk with a green priest in order to find out more about the telink, believing it to be akin to the Ildiran's own "thism". Kolker saw this off-handed analysis of telink to be insulting, and shunned Tery'l's invitation to talk. However, after being deprived of any worldtrees, Kolker began to talk to Tery'l and became quite friendly with the old man, comparing and contrasting both of their beliefs.

Eventually, Kolker met Nira at Prism Palace and was finally able to re-connect with the worldforest (thannks to Nira summoning a living verdani shoot from within some dead worldtree wood), reassuring all his friends that he was indeed alive. However, Kolker felt inexplicably empty by the experience; it was relieving, but not the euphoria he'd longed for. He felt that something was...missing. Troubled by this, Kolker sought out Tery'l for advice, only to find that the old Ildiran had been mortally wounded by a falling hydrogue warglobe. The two friends were forced to bid each other goodbye. Whilst they spoke, Kolker realised that telink did not unite all of humanity, but simply the green priests; if humans were ever to understand one another as Ildirans did, they would all need some sort of mutual bond. Before passing on, Tery'l gave Kolker his lightsource medallion as a gift.

With the help of Osira'h and her half siblings, Kolker found a connection between Telink and the "thism" which he is able to pass onto other humans.

Appearances/ Sources

*Hidden Empire
*A Forest of Stars
*Horizon Storms
*Scattered Suns
*Of Fire and Night
*Metal Swarm