The Characters

Jordan Ben-Arië — Director of Mossad, Former Airforce pilot
Lean, mid-50s; close-cropped salt-and-pepper hair; runner’s posture; old shrapnel scar on left calf (2006). Fluent Hebrew/English/German working Arabic, field Persian.
Competencies: HUMINT/SIGINT fusion, contrarian analysis, quiet leadership.
Tells/Traits: Carries a graphite mechanical pencil; taps it twice before hard calls; dry Israeli gallows humour.
Blind spot: Personal risk tolerance spikes when family is threatened.
Totem: A folded note from a fallen case officer: “Ask what we’re not seeing.”
Arc: From keeper of secrets → steward of truth as the Ezekiel Protocol is tested.

Joshua Schneider — NATO Deputy Secretary General.

He is serving as Acting Secretary General after the Secretary General was hospitalized following a massive stroke.”

”Late 40s; tall, swimmer’s shoulders; faint cheek scar (youth protest in Leipzig). German/English, fluent Russian, reads Hebrew.
Competencies: Escalation ladders, early-warning algorithms, back-channel craft.
Tells/Traits: Hums Bach preludes under stress; writes on index cards, not screens.
Blind spot: Keeps “one foot outside” to preserve objectivity—costs him allies.
Totem: A field-modified drone transponder from a saved family incident in Brussels.

Sarai Leibovitz — Prime Minister of Israel
Early 50s; composed, minimal jewellery; reading glasses she never quite needs. Hebrew/English, policy-level Arabic/French.
Competencies: Crisis cabinets, coalition wrangling, hard math of casualties.
Tells/Traits: Straightens stacks of papers when buying time; quotes raw numbers instead of slogans.
Blind spot: Over-weights civilian harm, delaying moves by minutes that matter.
Totem: Daughter’s old school badge (ties to the U. S. VP’s family).

Britta Bergman — President of the European Commission
Mid-50s; minimalist wardrobe; cyclist’s calm. German/English/Swedish, some Dutch.
Competencies: Process diplomacy, moral framing, emergency summits.
Tells/Traits: Steps onto balconies to think; refuses to raise her voice.
Blind spot: Belief that transparency alone can halt tanks.
Totem: A fountain pen from her mentor, used only for cease-fire texts.

Charles Vance — President of the United States
Early 60s; TV-ready charisma; preacher’s cadence. English: memorized verses, not briefs.
Competencies: Message discipline, political pressure, theatre of power.
Tells/Traits: Palms the backs of chairs as if conferring authority; smiles when he denies scripture.
Blind spot: Certainty masquerading as faith.
Totem: A gilt-edged pocket Bible with dog-eared Revelation.

Tom Kirk — Vice President of the United States
Early 60s; steady gaze; funeral-black ties since the blast. English, some Spanish.
Competencies: Constitutional manoeuvre, coalition tone-setting, quiet courage.
Tells/Traits: Flips his legal pad closed when he’s decided; quotes Lincoln when cornered.
Blind spot: Loyalty threshold is high—hesitates to act until proof is absolute.
Totem: Wedding band he turns once before every consequential sentence.