If you've ever picked up a sci-fi novel and found yourself immediately drawn to the character who doesn't want the spotlight, then you're definitely going to want to meet Cairn Velos. He's the heart (and headache) of my series The Iron Protocol, and today I’m giving you a behind-the-scenes look at who he is, why he’s so compelling, and how his journey might just snag your own heartstrings.
Who Is Cairn Velos?
Cairn is not your typical hero. He didn’t ask for greatness; rather, he inherited it like a ticking time bomb. In a galaxy ruled by archived memory and sitting in the rubble of a ruthless empire, his family’s name was literally wiped from history—erased. However, when he accidentally activates a long-buried AI, the system suddenly recognizes him as the last heir to a disgraced House long thought destroyed.
Think of Cairn as a bureaucratic mess with a pulse—except the paperwork fights back, and it might even be sentient.
A Reluctant Protagonist on a Relentless Journey
From the first chapter, you’ll see Cairn navigating the galaxy not with bravado, but rather with sarcasm, skepticism, and a solid desire not to die. He’s morally gray, emotionally wounded, and always calculating the cost of being wrong. He doesn’t charge into battle with a sword; instead, he walks in with a legal clause and an escape plan.
And yet, beneath all that fear and reluctance, there is a deep-seated desire to do what's right—even if it kills him.
What Makes Him Real?
Cairn is no natural-born hero. You're not introduced to a guy with big muscles or a cool superpower. Instead, you meet a regular guy just trying to make it in a world that has punished him just for being born. His keen intellect, obsessive memory, and low tolerance for small talk often come across as cold or calculated. But they’re also part of his resilience, his insight, and his ability to find solutions no one else sees.
His internal world is rich, chaotic, and often at odds with the high-stakes galaxy he's navigating. And that tension? It’s exactly what makes him human.
The Allies and Antagonists He Encounters
From haunted ships with personality disorders to manipulative councilors and AI with too much attitude, Cairn’s not just up against villains—he's up against an entire system built on selective memory and fear. And then there is that annoying and threatening Vey Serranden.
And yet, he builds relationships. Awkward, hard-won relationships. The kind that hurt when they’re tested. The kind that grow when you least expect it. Especially when trust is a luxury.
Why Readers Connect With Cairn
He’s not flashy. He’s not fearless. But he is real. He makes bad decisions, owns up to them (sometimes), and grows in slow, painful, and powerful ways. He's likely to get punched in the face, but you know he'll get up. If you’ve ever felt like the world expected too much of you without offering a manual—Cairn gets it.
His journey isn’t just about unlocking an ancient protocol. It’s about reclaiming identity, confronting history, and deciding what kind of future to build when the past refuses to stay buried.
Ready to Meet Him?
You can listen to The Heir of Iron Protocol FREE on the Spoken app. It's also a Spoken Staff Pick, which means the curators behind the platform saw something special in the story—in the writing and the performance. You can also read it on Amazon—it is part of Kindle Unlimited. If you prefer, you can buy it at the specially priced at 99 cents.
Here's the link for Kindle Unlimited and Amazon: Read it Now
Here's the link to dive in: Listen Free on Spoken
So go ahead. Hit play. Get to know Cairn Velos.
Just don’t expect him to make it easy on you.
:: kisses, hugs, and back rubs ::
Morgan Sterling