Nicephorus

Nicephorus is the Lord Chamberlain of Emperor William XXIII of the Sollan Empire and, by blood, a clone of the Emperor -- sharing forty-four of forty-six chromosomes with William. Born of the Aventine tanks, it is an androgyn with jade eyes, addressed as 'Uncle Nick' by Selene and as 'Nicky' by William, who calls it a brother.

As William's genetic near-double, Nicephorus holds the Imperial palatine keys: the biometric access and retroviral mechanism by which the Emperor's blood governs the dynasty's genetic succession. It is the last of the androgyn fail-safes, the others having been terminated before William departed Aurora. It also holds the trust of the Holy Terran Chantry, which has been deceived into believing Hadrian personally holds the key.

Nicephorus served the Emperor with absolute loyalty through the campaign at Ashes and into the final crisis: protecting the Emperor physically, arranging clandestine meetings, shielding his deteriorating health, blocking Prince Alexander from moving against Selene, presiding over the abdication ceremony, and drafting Hadrian's proclamation. Its deep distrust of Hadrian -- once expressed as a private death threat -- eventually gave way to a cold acknowledgment that Hadrian is 'our charlatan.'

At the governor-general's palace in Meridian, Nicephorus publicly declares William's designation of Hadrian as successor and accuses Alexander of causing William's death. A Sentinel shoots Nicephorus above the left eye, killing it. Hadrian reflects that with Nicephorus dead, the Sollan Empire has effectively fallen -- William had placed the fate of the blood palatine on the eunuch's shoulders.