Editing Schismatrix (section)

==Characters==
* Abelard Malcolm Tyler Lindsay: Naturally born in a Mechanist society, Lindsay undergoes an experimental intensive Shaper diplomatic training that gives him an enhanced capability for manipulation and deception. His ambition and knack for self-preservation see him frequently play a pivotal role in the Schismatrix.
* Alexandrina: Lindsay's first wife. An aristocratic Mechanist much older than he was.
* Kitsune: Head of the Geisha Bank. Becomes an entire ecosystem that consists entirely of her skin and body parts.
* Margaret Juliano: Shaper scientist, she pioneers the 'Superbright' gene-line, with a natural intelligence far above even the shaper norm. The instability of the Superbrights brings suspicion on Juliano and Shaper gene-lines are limited to an IQ of 200.
* Nora Mavrides: Lindsay's second wife. She believes deeply in the Shaper cause and chooses to fight the Mechanists when they begin to attack her state even when the situation is hopeless.
* Philip Khouri Constantine: Former friend of Lindsay. Becomes obsessed with obtaining power and tries to bring power to the Shapers through radical means.
* Vera Constantine: Shaper daughter of Philip Constantine, cloned from genetic material of Vera Kelland.
* Vera Kelland: Aristocrat who also trained with Lindsay and Constantine. She commits suicide in an attempt to defy the aristocratic Republic that she and Lindsay came from.