Species: Gelt
Affiliation: Warrior Caste
Status: Died 429 IE
Spouse: Laral Peteesh
Father: Laral Jorl
Overview
Laral Umish was a Gelt Warrior and political schemer who played a central role in the unauthorized invasions of Gilead and Amargosa. A staunch Gelt supremacist, Umish notoriously advocated for the domestication of humans as pets. Despite this, he briefly showed surprising pragmatism by backing a human-sympathetic dissident, Tishla, in her claim to govern Gilead (renamed Hanar by the Gelt). Umish ruled from a massive colony transport hovering over the ruins of Lansdorp until his death in a terrorist bombing—an event that also killed the Sovereign of the Realm.
Biography
Family and Early Ambition
The son of Laral Jorl, Umish was raised within the powerful and politically aggressive Laral family. As a member of the Warrior caste, he was bred for conquest and domination. He and his father conspired to expand Gelt territory by orchestrating invasions of Compact frontier worlds without approval from the Sovereign.
Invasion of Gilead and Amargosa
Together, Jorl and Umish engineered the dual invasions of Gilead and Amargosa. Umish helped manipulate the noble Lattus Kai into fronting the takeover of Gilead. When Kai died, Umish shockingly agreed to champion Tishla, Kai’s widow, in her challenge for leadership of Hanar (Gilead). His father, Jorl, was so distraught at the prospect of dueling his own son that he chose ritual suicide over single combat.
Following the political shift on Gilead, Umish continued overseeing the Gelt’s interests on Amargosa, ruling from a hovering colony transport left over from the invasion. Despite the military success, his leadership was divisive, and his supremacist philosophy alienated not only humans but many Gelt Warriors as well.
Philosophy and Infamy
“Humans as Pets” Doctrine
Umish’s most notorious belief was that humans should be reduced to pets, a position that horrified allies and enemies alike. This ideology went beyond conquest and slavery; it aimed to strip humanity of dignity and agency entirely. It also undermined attempts at diplomacy and galvanized the human resistance.
Marriage and Personal Life
Peteesh
Umish’s wife, Peteesh, was unusually present during the military occupation of Amargosa. While her exact role is unclear, her survival of the bombing that killed Umish suggests she may have held a degree of political significance or served as a figurehead aboard the transport. She escaped the terrorist attack by letting Davra Andraste take her prisoner.
Death and Legacy
Umish was killed in a terrorist bombing aboard the colony transport over Amargosa. The explosion also claimed the life of the Sovereign himself, causing massive upheaval in Gelt leadership and a sudden power vacuum among the Warrior caste.
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Peteesh survived the attack, surrendering to her former captive and “pet,” Davra.
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With Umish gone, a cousin, a Gelt banker, temporarily took control of Cyal (the Gelt name for Amargosa), but failed to command respect from the Gelt military caste.
Appearances: Tishla's Journey, Second Wave