Kulina

Sacred Oath[]

“the Kulina’s primary honour is in the service of Fleet" (DL)

“In all the seven hundred years of the Kulina, no serving warrior has ever violated the oath as she has, and been allowed to live.” Khola turned to the Admiral, (Bedi) and looked him in the eye. “When the time comes —and believe me Admiral, the time will come —I’ll kill her myself.”(DL)

Only one sacred oath...and probably not to Fleet, but to the mysterious Guidance Council:

“I know Fleet told you to keep me alive. So now you’ve betrayed your sacred oath, you fucking hypocrite. And that’s why you were really apologising.”

“There’s only one sacred oath of Kulina,” Khola wheezed. “And only one of us has... has..." He collapsed (DL-38)

Kulina Warriors[]

Colonel Timothy Khola[]

Started out at Suguali. Has been training cadets at Fleet Academy for the past ten years. Trained Major Thakur. Assigned to the occasional assassination.

“It must be someone beyond reproach,” said Bedi with certainty. “The group was in agreement. Your service record is exemplary, even by Kulina standards. You hold the Liberty Star. You have repeatedly refused higher promotion in favour of your Academy role. The wider Fleet hold a low opinion of officers who do their superiors’ dirty work just to win promotion. You are not that sort of officer, and everyone knows it.” (DL ch 1)

he serves Guidance Council

Major Trace Thakur[]

Marine commander, UFS Phoenix. See Major Thakur

Cadet Rohan[]

Very ambitious and capable young cadet at Fleet Academy in book two, Drysine Legacy:

That lad there looks Kulina,” Bedi suggested.
“Cadet Rohan, yes. Since he arrived from Sugauli two years ago, he’s been leading his class on half of the disciplines, and is top fifth in the others.”
Bedi whistled. “Some effort in this field. Was Thakur that good?”
Khola smiled faintly. (DL)

Sugauli and its Culture[]

Sugauli is a mountainous world. The vicious krim attacked the human settlements and somehow a warrior mindset was born

"Sugauli’s a rough place, it was founded in violence and it’s no garden spot. We glorify and mysticize it, but it’s a traumatised culture to this day. I think for Trace, the Kulina were an escape.” (DL)

Unlike most marines, she was Kulina, the elite warriors from the world of Sugauli. Among other things, that meant she didn’t drink or gamble, and as far as anyone knew, hadn’t been screwing around either. (R-2)

Nepali language. Buddhist/ Hindu practices:

Khola smiled. The expression never reached his eyes. “Svagata mitraharula, Trace bahini.” It was Nepali, today mostly lost, like so many of Earth’s once-common languages. The settlers of Sugauli had returned to it in part, as the natural language of a mountainous world whose primary inhabitants were Buddhist and Hindu, once the krim had been removed. (DL)