Relaying unpleasant news.
“Super-engineered squirrels, or something,” the Lackya were minions of the Gilded Duke before the Baron squashed him.[1] Like the Jägermonsters, the Lackya must have a master, and signed on with the empire, performing various duties on board Castle Wulfenbach. Judging from the antagonistic conversation ✣ one of them has with Minsk, they do not get along with the Jägers, and Minsk becomes very angry with Agatha when she points out the similarity in backgrounds.
Description and Role in the Comic[]
The Lackya appear as fair-skinned men with white or light grey/silver hair (with one exception ✣ ), and color changing sclera in their eyes that shifts with their mood, as well as pupils that sometime shift to vertical slits. Their typical uniform is a fuchsia coat with gold trim and high collars, a double-buttoned white waistcoat and black trousers. Sleipnir refers ✣ to them as "the footmen" and a Jäger general also calls them "feetsmen" once.
They have been known to hiss when sufficiently aggravated.
One of them insists ✣ on bringing Theo to be disciplined by the Baron even as the Baron is trying to enjoy a few minutes of undisturbed research with Othar, and ends up getting disciplined as well.
While they look rather weak and have rather effete mannerisms, they're fast enough to graze a Jäger ✣ with their claws, one is seen punching a hole ✣ through the head of a warrior wasp, and they do seem to be quite willing to throw themselves into a good scrap. (Though the one that does the aforementioned clawing immediately gets pummeled into submission.)
They continue ✣ to serve Gil after he takes over as Baron, and are lurking ✣ on the airship even after it is suborned and evacuated by unknown forces during the breaking of the Mechanicsburg time-freeze. Or rather, it is eventually revealed ✣ that the one as-yet unnamed Lackya seen in this sequence was left behind by his brethren who all decamped to parts equally unknown while he was asleep, and he has no idea what is going on.
A Lackya Named Katz[]
One, and only one, Lackya has been given a name in the comic. The Baron addresses a Lackya as "Katz" in panel 5 of page (061) ✣ in volume 2. The Baron uses the same name in panel 3 of page (099) ✣ in volume 3 when a Lackya is present; presumably, the same one he called by that name in the second volume.
Print Novels[]
When Wooster is escorting Agatha to meet with Gil on Castle Wulfenbach, they encounter some Lackya escorting a group of Chinese diplomats; Wooster advises her to steer clear of the creatures.
Following Agatha's eventful stay on the airship, it is noted that the Baron has dispersed the Jägers to distant points of the empire, leading to the Lackya being given more prominent responsibilities. It is also mentioned that when they become nervous, they tend to engage in a sort of hand-scrubbing gesture.
Theories and Speculations[]
It is possible that the Lackya are super-engineered raccoons, which (unlike squirrels) do hiss when annoyed and engage in hand-washing behavior.