Akhté ik Zhanek

Akhté ik Zhanek (pron. AKH-tey ik CHAH-nek) (2041-2100 AE) is a character from The Hour before Morning. He was a Striver (rebel) leader against Ash'torian occupation on the planet Delurn II in Selbûn. He is played by Jay Hash in the film.

Biography
Akhté was born on Delurn II at a time when control of the planet was being contested by the Leddies and the Ash'torians. His family were Leddie immigrants. He was the oldest son of Rhoshtok ik-Shoibkrit (father), a hypertelepath, and Avran del Zhanek (mother), a singer in the Leddie operatic tradition. He had a younger sister, Mik-Eshnan del Zhanek (b. 4047) and a younger brother, Dhri ik Shoibkrit (b. 2050). All three children were hypertelepaths, individuals with very strong telepathic power to the point that it can cause mind-pain.

Akhté's father had a mental breakdown owing to an inability to manage his hypertelepathy. In the later stages of his breakdown his high telepathic power enabled significant abuse of his family. He was eventually hospitalized under close custody in Leddra, but Akhté conceived a lifelong hatred for his father and, when he was older, took his mother's surname, which is atypical for a son in the Leddie tradition. Disagreements over how to view their father led to a falling out between Akhté and his younger siblings, who were too young to remember his abuse.

The family relocated to Leddra for their schooling. There, Akhté and his siblings received training in Kovam (Mind-taxing or the Oxthodoxy), a system for controlling hypertelepathy. Akhté revolted against this training for requiring too much supression of emotion.

As a young adult, Akhté returned to Delurn II, which became his principal base as he rose to prominence as a Striver leader, defying Ash'torian occupation. During this time, he became a close friend of non-violent Striver leader, Denned Jenchae. Akhté became a problematic figure for using his hypertelepathy to attack Ash'torians, a violation of core international telepathic ethics. For this reason, he was eventually deemed an outlaw by the Leddie government. His brother, Dhri, was sent to apprehend him but ended up killing him.