Gregor Illum is a brutish man. The sisters tried to match him with a suitable companion, but even those who initially volunteered were loath to remain with such an incorrigible and stubborn individual.
He was neither cruel nor a malcontent, but he was a very strict adherant of the Neo-Artesian ways and this rubbed even other Neo-Artesians the wrong way. While he rarely spoke, it felt he was professing with his actions and his presence in his superiority.
One of the errors was a regret of madam Naoka in telling him about his lineage and this created a marked change in his demeanor when he realized he shard the same blood as our founder. He felt almost like a demi-god.
For centuries the descendants of the Knut have been kept secret or limited that knowledge to only a select few. Gregor would be the first to break that silence and make it known that he was a descendant of Karl Knutmudsen.
This caused quite a stir on the Grand Traveler, but even the Proto-Artesians who oppose the Neo-Artesians revere the Knut and this extends to his descendants including Gregor. In short notice he was elected Captain. Kallos father quickly followed and Gregor made him first mate.
Like most of the blood children as we called ourselves, our lives were controlled and manipulated by the sisters who perpetuated each generation. They limited our numbers and carefully selected whom could marry and produce children. For most male descendants, a sister was chosen to become their wife and depending on their blood purity to either the founder or one of the original sisters designated a suitable paring.
Female descendants of the Knut are prized above all others and Gregor's mother Gertrude was meant to be the crowning achievement of three centuries. Instead, she deserted Gregor's father and eloped with a common man she loved and had another son, Kallos' father. This was kept a secret that the two are half-brothers. More, by tradition of the Neo-Artesians such a infraction would mean Gregor would have to kill his half-brother to restore his family honor.
The betrayal of Gertrude haunted Gregor's father who took out his frustrations on his son. This hardened him and molded him. By 14 he was big enough to lift him up and put him aside during one of their vicious fights and walked out. He then insisted on becoming a merchant sailor and never looked back.
Gregor also has a younger sister Greta who was taken into the care of the sisters after Gertrude left and began her training. He vaguely remembers her as he was only 4 when she left and Naoka confirmed that she was now a full-fledged sister serving on the Martian colony. They met a few times whenever the Grand Traveler docked with Mars once every dozen or so trips to Earth.
They share kinship as they pity each other at how unfortunate their lives and shun their mother Gertrude. In their own private way they communicated without speaking their discontent with the sisters and madam Naoka who they blame for controlling every aspect of their lives.
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