Jabaloma

Jabaloma is the Simurian delegation's primary diplomatic envoy, working alongside Usami to maintain peace between humanity and the Simurians. Stoic and composed despite having lost his only daughter in the same conflict that took Maru and Cross's parents, he rarely displays strong emotion. Cross holds him in high regard precisely because of this stoicism. When Cross is hospitalized and Usami is put out of commission, Jabaloma finds himself sidelined as the more aggressive Simurians gain sway, nearly pushing both sides into open war. Jabaloma's constrained grief — a man who has lost everything and responds by becoming perfectly still — is one of the series' most quietly devastating characterizations. His respect for Cross, and Cross's for him, traces a bond between two people who chose the same coping mechanism without ever acknowledging it.