Laterrans

Not to be confused with Jules Verne Durand, sometimes referred to as “the Laterran.”

Laterrans are the people of Laterre, one of four worlds linked to the visiting Geometers. Accounts from a Laterran informant place a community of roughly ten thousand Laterrans aboard the starship Daban Urnud, living within the vessel’s clustered “orbs.” Officially, four orbs are assigned to Laterre, and one of these houses a school for Laterran children. Education is emphasized, and skills such as linguistics are treated as strategic assets.

Laterrans currently aboard the Daban Urnud are described as split between two political tendencies: the Fulcrum and the Pedestal. The Fulcrum is associated with opposition to the Pedestal’s approach; Laterre itself is said to be internally divided between the two sides.

Biologically, Laterrans can ingest foods from Arbre but gain no nutrition from them; they rely on provisions compatible with Laterran physiology. This has been observed directly when a visiting Laterran consumed Arbran bread for comfort while turning to Laterran rations for sustenance. During a low‑orbit approach toward the Daban Urnud, a Laterran participant was initially weak from limited compatible food and more affected by ascent stresses, but recovered with assistance.

Notable Laterrans - Jules Verne Durand: a linguist from Laterre who revealed himself during protected discussions and later traveled with avout and allies. He has provided descriptions of life aboard the Daban Urnud and context about Laterran perspectives. In low orbit, he briefly drifted and was towed by Suur Esma and then tended by Suur Vay before resuming work alongside the cell as payloads were consolidated under cover.

Status and Activities - Presence on and around Arbre is primarily through envoys and specialists participating in dialogues and logistics connected to the visitors’ mission. - Aboard the Daban Urnud, Laterrans live on houseboats over waters within their assigned orbs, growing food on rooftops; pressurized corridors connect the orbs, allowing movement between them when conditions and procedures permit. - A Laterran envoy has joined Arbran companions in low orbit during a covert approach phase toward the Daban Urnud, where reliance on Laterre‑compatible rations remains a practical constraint.

Language and Culture - A Laterran speaker has used the interjection "zhoost" to express approval. - A Laterran comparison likened trained decision‑making to complex board games played on Laterre, noting that successful human players rely on whole‑board pattern recognition rather than enumerating all possibilities.

Notes - Numerical estimates (such as “ten thousand Laterrans” and “four orbs”) and the description of internal political divisions derive from statements by a Laterran witness during ongoing events. - A Laterran has affirmed that a widely shared interior model of the Daban Urnud developed on Arbre matches the vessel’s layout in essentials.