Ara Sahar’i

Ara Sahar'i (/α:rə sα:hə’ri/ ) is the protagonist of'' Simulacrum. ''She is half human and half Voush'ni and before accidentally crash landing her shuttlepod on Earth, she was a skilled con-artist out in the Sector.

Current Status
Ara is a con-artist specializing in grifting and smuggling of contraband (Chs 2 & 4). Primarily, she works for a Sectorian trafficker known as TD Harrison (Ch 7). While en route to the Megalopolis of Chicago, she experiences a malfunction with her shuttle pod and strays off course, eventually crash-landing in the Megalopolis of Los Angeles. It is here where she is arrested by Det. Sgt. Sirius Steel for the possession of 25 cases of bootleg Argaesian brandy with the intent to distribute (Chs 1,2 & 4). Ara tries to get out of this arrest by convincing Assistant District Attorney Cordelia Maddox to make a deal with the Corporation Investigation Bureau in exchange for information on TD Harrison and his crime syndicate. This deal is retracted however, when word from a Voush'ni ambassador implicates Ara's involvement in a different crime that warrants the Voush'ni Empire's desire to extradite her from Los Angeles (chs 7 & 8).

Personality
Ara is shown to be sarcastic, scheming, and manipulative, especially in her interactions with Detective Sirius Steel. She seems to have a fear of men, however, indicated in her reaction to Detective Steel grabbing her by the arm to make her sit back down. This is shown in a brief flashback to be something mysterious that happened to her in her past (ch 4).

Early Life
Ara was born in 2231 to Zeth Sahar'i and Solera Hood. Ara's parents met each other during a time known as the Seven Year Peace, when war between the Voush'ni Empire and the humans was thought to be over. As a young child, Ara spent time with her maternal grandfather, Dr. Osiris Hood, on the Sectorian Colony Tau Ceti. He taught her many things, including the history of Earth following WWIII and the history of the Sectorian Colonies (Ch 5). When Ara was a young teenager, her older half-brother died in the Earth-Voush'noun Conflict after it had been restarted. Because Ara's family was of the Third Caste, and her father placed a great deal of importance on traditional values, Ara was named the bearer of her family's honor (Chs 8 & 9).