Characters in The Novels of The Company - Homo Umbratilis

Homo Umbratilis, meaning Man of the Shadows, is the name of a third species of human, after Homo neanderthalensis and Homo sapiens. Small, pale and furtive, they hide from all contact with humans and cyborgs. They have racial memory, being born with full recollection of the knowledge of their ancestors. There are hints that they are in fact a hive species, like bees, ants and naked mole rats, except for some hybrids from raids by humans. The hybrids are mechanical and scientific geniuses, and may be the source of the technology that the Company uses. They are not very creative, but can focus intensely on developing something, such as a disrupter field that paralyzes the cyborgs, whom they regard as enemies. Attempts to exploit these creatures, once they come to the attention of the Company, is an important element in the series' plot.

An example of their monomania is that, having originally disabled and captured Lewis in medieval Ireland, after he escapes with mortal help they concentrate on recapturing him until the 23rd century, even though there are other cyborgs around for them to capture and study. It is Lewis' encounter with them that lets Aegeus take advantage of their abilities.

In the final novel, The Sons of Heaven, we learn more about these humans, but their origins and final fate remain obscure. A group headed by a queen female (given the title Quean in the novel) occupies tunnels in an artificial mound known as a "Hill". The Quean is attended by "stupids", the idiot savant workers who can produce technological marvels but are incapable of original thought and have limited communication skills. One of the talents of the Quean is a power of persuasion which can even be used on ordinary humans to compel them to do her bidding. Occasionally a homo sapiens male is kidnapped to become the Quean's consort. The children of this union are hybrids known in the Hill as "Uncles". The Quean can also mate with Uncles, to produce more "stupids". The Uncles, while waiting their turn for her favors, fetch her luxuries from the outside world. Eventually the Quean produces a daughter, who, if she is not killed by her mother first, will grow up to overthrow her with the help of some of the Uncles. The Uncles, like the "stupids", live short lives, a few decades at most. The Quean and her daughters seem to live much longer. All have inbred knowledge called Memory which tells them who they are, and what their role in the Hill is.

Thanks to the Company's own breeding program, mortals such as Bugleg, descended in part from captured Queans, have many of the abilities, and shortcomings, of the Homo Umbratilis males.