Chapter 1

Produced by Al Haines

+------------------------------------------------------+ | This work is licenced under a Creative Commons | | Attribution-Non-Commercial-No Derivative Works 3.0 | | Licence. | | | | http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/3.0/ | +------------------------------------------------------+

Imperial Empire Concordance

by

Ann Wilson

Copyright (C) 1992 by Ann Wilson

A

A: (Imperial English): The neutral-animate pronoun. Emperor Chang disliked the fact that there was no good Standard English pronoun that referred to a single individual of unknown sex, or where sex was immaterial, so he made use of the Celtic "a", often written with an accent mark (á) by those who use Standard, to distinguish it from the indefinite article (@ is sometimes used when the printing/writing device cannot show accent marks). In Imperial English orthography, the Cyrillic "ya" (reversed R) is used.

[Preparer's note: The @ symbol has been used throughout these stories in the manner described above.]

ACADEMY: The Imperial Military Academy or Imperial Administrative Academy. Both are headquartered in and have their most prestigious facilities in the Antarctica Palace Complex; "branch" Academies are located throughout the Empire.

AHTO, Subsector 12-C: No. systems: 89 Sector: Eridanus with 3 inhabited planets: 2 Ruled by: with 2 inhabited planets: 11 with 1 inhabited planet: 21

AEGIR, Subsector 17-D: No. systems: 72 Sector: Indus with 3 inhabited planets: 3 Ruled by: with 2 inhabited planets: 8 with 1 inhabited planet: 24

AGNI, Subsector 11-B: No. systems: 153 Sector: Gemini with 3 inhabited planets: 4 Ruled by: with 2 inhabited planets: 12 with 1 inhabited planet: 24

ALANNA, Clan: First of the Sandeman clans. Famous for its outstanding edged weapons.

ALANNA, Dana Dru-: Originally Dana Manfredi. A Terran woman who swore personal fealty to Richard Jason. When Jason repudiated her after trying to kill her, Dana asked the Alanna clan-chief's help in making atonement for allowing him to accept an unworthy thakur-na. After seeing the evidence, the Alanna instead asked Clan Miklos to convene a planet-wide conference, and asked Clan Vader to rule on both Dana's and Jason's actions. The decision was that Dana had acted properly and Jason had not; the Alanna then offered her his clan's countenance (essentially adoption), and when she accepted, claimed Chief's Right on her behalf. The conference agreed with that, banning Jason from any business in Subsector Sandeman, declaring his property forfeit, and giving him a day to get off-world or be killed by the first warrior who saw him. It also named Dana to the warrior caste and gave her the right to wear honor-black. ("Thakur-Na")

ALDRAS: Sector: 16, Virgo Year: Subsector: C, Ishtar Day: System: Elder Gravity: Settled/established: Axial tilt: By: Oxygen: Satellites: % Water: Ident code prefix: ALS Continents: Ruled by: Fayette family (Barbara Tennison)

ALPH, Subsector 17-A: No. systems: 95 Sector: Indus with 3 inhabited planets: 3 Ruled by: with 2 inhabited planets: 9 with 1 inhabited planet: 20

ALTERNATE UNIVERSES: Until the first ship from a provably alternate universe appeared in the Empire, these were thought to be mathematical abstractions. Afterward, however, they were accepted as fact. That first confirmed inter-universe transition, like most, was the result of a drive malfunction, and led to the further discovery that if the drive was repairable, the ship's next hyper-transition would take it away (from what happened to Imperial ships, return it to its own universe). If the drive could not be repaired, the transferees had to remain.

That, at least, was and is the official story. In actuality, controlled inter-universe transition exists, but is a strictly-controlled secret. There are several reasons for this, but the primary two are the Ravagers and the fact that, although the time rate is constant, the apparent time ranges from megayears in the "past" to megayears in the "future".

AMATERASU, Subsector 1-E: No. systems: 61 Sector: Orion with 3 inhabited planets: 4 Ruled by: with 2 inhabited planets: 10 with 1 inhabited planet: 24

AMATOR: (Xanadu) A member of the Guild of Amators, a professional entertainer specializing in sexual activities. Students are unrated; examinations, when their instructors consider them ready, will rate them as Specialist, Generalist, or Extra Class. Ratings can be upgraded by further training and examination.

ANGHNAR: Sector: 5, Pegasus Year: Subsector: B, Sleipnir Day: System: Freya Gravity: Settled/established: Axial tilt: By: Oxygen: Satellites: % Water: Ident code prefix: ANG Continents: Ruled by: General: The world where Ranger James Medart picked up a number of Sandeman prisoners, including Dartha DruLewies, who helped him end the Sandeman war.

ANTHEM, IMPERIAL: Otherwise known as "Darth Vader's Theme", by John Williams, from the Star Wars trilogy. In Annexation, this choice of anthem has a strong effect on the Sandeman attitude toward the Empire.

ANTI-AGATHIC: A drug developed in 2113 which greatly extends the lifespan of humans, both standard and variant. Begun immediately after adolescence, it will approximately double expectable lifespan; begun later, the effect is less dramatic but still appreciable. Biological age remains what it was when treatment was started, until the last 3-5 years, though some minor cosmetic changes (such as graying hair) may appear at around the normal time.

ANTI-INTERROGATION CONDITIONING: A total memory erasure triggered by a code phrase spoken by the person needing to use it. At this point, the victim fixates on the first person seen or heard. Memory up to the time of the last conditioning can be restored by replay of a mindscan tape made then, and memory after the conditioning is triggered is retained; the interval between is lost.

ANUBIS, Subsector 15-A: No. systems: 48 Sector: Auriga with 3 inhabited planets: 2 Ruled by: with 2 inhabited planets: 11 with 1 inhabited planet: 23

APIS, Subsector 9-C: No. systems: 91 Sector: Ursa with 3 inhabited planets: 2 Ruled by: with 2 inhabited planets: 11 with 1 inhabited planet: 24

AQUILA, Sector 10: Ruled by: No. systems: 207 Subsectors: 3 Inhabited planets: 147 A. Thunderbird B. Roc C. Garuda

ARDEN, Subsector 4-E: No. systems: 149 Sector: Fornax with 3 inhabited planets: 1 Ruled by: with 2 inhabited planets: 9 with 1 inhabited planet: 28

ARGUS, Subsector 2-A: No. systems: 141 Sector: Hydra with 3 inhabited planets: 5 Ruled by: with 2 inhabited planets: 9 with 1 inhabited planet: 23

ARIES, Sector 18: Ruled by: No. systems: 1,067 Subsectors: 8 Inhabited planets: 416 A. Ebisu E. Prometheus B. Pallas F. Forseti C. Magni G. Tyr D. Vishnu H. Donblas

ARMS BALDRIC: A formal or semi-formal way of displaying arms. The baldric is a length of cloth or other material about eight inches wide, hanging down in front to about wrist length, draped over the left shoulder, around the back to waist level on the right, and over the left shoulder again to about knee-height in back, with the arms pinned to it just below the left shoulder. It is colored in accordance with the level of the jurisdiction issuing the arms: green for the Empire, white for a Sector, yellow for a Subsector, orange for a system, red for a planet, and black for any lesser jurisdiction. The baldric may be fringed in silver or green, depending on the baldric's color.

ARRIAN: Sector: 19, Leo Year: 425.28 days Subsector: B, Galatine Day: 24 hr 18 min System: Regulus Gravity: 995 cm/sec2 Settled/established: Axial tilt: 21.4 deg. By: Oxygen: 25.3% Satellites: 1 (Whirlaway) % Water: 80 Ident code prefix: ARR Continents: 5 Ruled by: General: The entire population is male. Some are semi-androgynous, known as gynandri (singular gynandra), genetically engineered to be able to carry children. These are not numerous (most children are gestated in artificial wombs; all are products of cloning or laboratory gene-splicing), and they require considerable medical help to carry the baby to term once the embryo is implanted. While the genetic engineering that creates the gynandri is contrary to Imperial law, the reason was because the Arriani wanted to retain the closest approximation they could manage to natural reproduction, so until research can provide a way for women to live on Arrian, the engineering of gynandri is excepted. The Arriani, however, do not realize this; as far as they are concerned, they have managed to keep the gynandri a precious secret of their way of life. Religion is based on the Lady of Love.

ASGARD, Subsector 3-A: No. systems: 63 Sector: Sculptor with 3 inhabited planets: 5 Ruled by: with 2 inhabited planets: 8 with 1 inhabited planet: 21

ATHENA, Subsector 16-A: No. systems: 67 Sector: Virgo with 3 inhabited planets: 6 Ruled by: with 2 inhabited planets: 10 with 1 inhabited planet: 19

AURIGA, Sector 15: Ruled by: No. systems: 510 Subsectors: 4 Inhabited planets: 210 A. Anubis C. Tuonetar B. Nephthys D. Yama

AURORA: Sector: 8, Centaurus Year: Subsector: D, Pan Day: System: Aurora Gravity: Settled/established: Axial tilt: By: Oxygen: Satellites: % Water: Ident code prefix: AUR Continents: Ruled by: General: Had an interest in the heavy metals market strong enough for it to engage in industrial espionage; this attracted OSI's attention because of the possibility a former IntelDiv field agent was involved, which proved to be the case. (Barbara Tennison)

AVALON, Subsector 4-C: No. systems: 106 Sector: Fornax with 3 inhabited planets: 3 Ruled by: with 2 inhabited planets: 11 with 1 inhabited planet: 22

B

BADER, Lawrence: Imperial Ranger. Recruited Jess Winters as Sovereign of Alternate Sierra, 2683.

BALIK: (Sandeman) A solitary lupoid predator. Females tend to nest and bear their kits in the mountains or high foothills. (Sylvia Stevens)

BAST, Subsector 8-C: No. systems: 158 Sector: Centaurus with 3 inhabited planets: 3 Ruled by: with 2 inhabited planets: 10 with 1 inhabited planet: 24

BATTLE-COMPANION: (Sandeman) One who has fought beside another for some time, or done a combat-related service for the other deserving such recognition. Battle-companions are usually warriors/w'women, but Others are acknowledged as such occasionally. Under highly unusual circumstances, even an enemy may become a battle-companion, at which point @ is no longer an enemy. Battle-companions will give each other Last Gift without question if asked, and when using High War Speech, employ the familiar mode.

BATTLEPREP: (Sandeman) A combat-oriented form of need, induced by mental and physical concentration. Unlike the sexual form of induced need, which will subside on its own with no more effect than a slight shortening of the warrior's cycle, battleprep involves the entire body; unless the warrior goes into demanding combat within an hour or two, he will go into overload and die. As this is well known, a warrior will prep only when combat is imminent.

Battleprep is often referred to as a berserker state, but that is only partially correct. The prepped warrior is only marginally, if at all, aware of pain and wounds; blood clots quickly to minimize loss; speed and strength are heightened on the same order as that of someone of average strength who can suddenly lift a car to save an infant. Beyond this, however, the berserker analogy breaks down, because the warrior retains his full intelligence and judgement. This combination makes a battleprepped warrior one of the most dangerous beings in the known universe.

BAYARD, Subsector 5-A: No. systems: 92 Sector: Pegasus with 3 inhabited planets: 5 Ruled by: with 2 inhabited planets: 8 with 1 inhabited planet: 20

BCE: Before the Common Era. Usually called BC (Before Christ) prior to the Empire. See CE.

BLACK LORD, The: Sandeman term for Lord Darth Vader, generally regarded as villain of the classic Star Wars film trilogy. The Sandemans see him as a symbol of their race: held in thrall by another (Palpatine/the Shapers), but maintaining all honor possible during that thralldom and eventually throwing it off to regain (or gain) full honor for himself and his family (or the Sandeman race). Clan Vader, the first clan formed after Overthrow, was named for him and is the arbiter for the most delicate questions of honor. The ceremonial garb called honor-black is derived directly from the Black Lord's armor and robes.

BLASTER: The standard Imperial sidearm, a plasma weapon.

BLAST RIFLE: A shoulder weapon, powered by a small fusion reactor pack, which emits a plasma beam. Since their power packs are larger than those of a hand-held blaster, they are correspondingly either more powerful or more long-lasting, depending on the operator's preference.

BLOODMATE: A strong, possibly latent empath who has been changed by the nosferatu pseudo-virus to an extremely capable blood donor, able to supply all a Kin's needs. The primary adaptation is bone marrow hyperactivity, which permits loss of blood with no harm to the Bloodmate beyond fatigue and increased appetite. Other changes include increased physical strength, though not to the extent of a Kin's, along with heightened empathy and endurance, both of which exceed a Kin's.

Although Bloodmates appeared at the same time as Kins, their lack of visible change meant that for more than two years they were thought to be no more than unusually capable Donors. That changed when Marine Captain Jase Thompson, who was extremely susceptible to the virus, was changed and it was discovered that he literally had to donate at daily intervals to remain physically and emotionally healthy. ["Teams"] This allowed testing of the other unusually capable donors, and led to the discovery that the approximate 10% who went through change with no apparent effect had actually become Bloodmates.

BOND: A close physical/emotional tie between a Kin and a Bloodmate. It is involuntary, very fast, and takes place when a Kin feeds on a Bloodmate who is @'s complement. The empathic link between them is so strong that each is always aware of the other's physical and emotional state. This is usually quite pleasant, but if one is severely hurt or killed, the other will suffer psychological and physical pain and illness, sometimes fatal.

BRIGIT, Subsector 11-C: No. systems: 138 Sector: Gemini with 3 inhabited planets: 3 Ruled by: with 2 inhabited planets: 13 with 1 inhabited planet: 23

BROTHERHOOD OF FREEDOM: (Kingdom Systems) A Systems-wide terrorist group that appeared around 2550. It has no declared objective beyond the disruption of society, and its leader, Lawrence Shannon, claims to be the incarnation of Satan.

Its primary targets, until the Empire's arrival in 2572, were Royal Enforcement Service troopers; at that point, Imperial personnel took priority. Other than those two groups, the Brotherhood's targets are places which will cause the most distress: schools, hospitals, churches, and such are attacked at random, the people there killed with the maximum amount of violence. It is these terror raids which inspired the formation of the Strike Force section of the RES.

C

CADET INCOGNITO: The provision made for Imperial nobles who wish to attend the Military or Administrative Academies without receiving special attention (either leniency or strictness). The cadet's true identity is known only to the Commandant of Cadets, and revealed at graduation or if an emergency requires the cadet to drop out earlier.

CARLE: One of the Traiti Circle of Lords, female.

CARLE, Subsector 21-E: No. systems: 155 Sector: Traiti with 3 inhabited planets: 4 Ruled by: with 2 inhabited planets: 10 with 1 inhabited planet: 12

CASSELL, Sandoval (Sandy): (2092-2189) Leader of the genetic engineers later known as the Shapers.

CASSELL System: Sector: 5, Pegasus No. planets: 12 Subsector: D, Sandeman Habitable: 1 Ruled by: General: Sandeman's system, named for the leader of the Shapers. The Sandemans elected to keep the name; in spite of their opinion of the Shapers' attempt to control them, they are convinced the Shapers also deserve credit for creating them.

CATEGORY F ("Foreign Legion") ENLISTMENT: The provision made for anonymous enlistment in the Imperial military. A person wanting to make use of this provision must meet the normal enlistment criteria, and tell the recruiting officer the reason (which may not be revealed to any third party) for wanting Category F. If the recruiting officer is satisfied that the reason has no bearing on the individual's fitness for service, @ will be enlisted under a new name, with a Category F ident code (prefix FFF); only the Imperial computer net has data on both identities. The Cat F enlistee's career will not be restricted except in one way: @ may not become an officer without resuming @'s original name and ident code.

CE: Common Era, the Imperial term for what was called AD before the Empire's formation. BC, in those terms, is BCE--Before the Common Era. This change was made to avoid any implication that the Empire might favor or promote any particular religion.

CENTAURUS, Sector 8: Ruled by: No. systems: 356 Subsectors: 4 Inhabited planets: 217 A. Chiron C. Bast B. Pholus D. Pan

CERBERUS, Subsector 2-E: No. systems: 54 Sector: Hydra with 3 inhabited planets: 2 Ruled by: with 2 inhabited planets: 11 with 1 inhabited planet: 20

CHAMELEON, Sector 20: Ruled by: No. systems: 397 Subsectors: 4 Inhabited planets: 226 A. Oghma C. Dagda B. Thoth D. Ukko

CHANG, Cheong: (2050-2149) First Sovereign of the Terran Empire. Retired from the USMC as a Major General in 2097. Became acquainted with Reinhard Nannstein, an acquaintanceship that became a close friendship. At Nannstein's urging, Chang entered Solar Federation politics, rapidly earning a reputation for outstanding statesmanship and unyielding integrity. Elected President of the Federation in 2124, he was aware that his friend's work on gravitics (and the high probability that faster-than-light travel would soon follow) would require some drastic changes, and he began laying the groundwork for them. In 2125, Nannstein invented hyperdrive; as humanity exploded away from Terra, Chang and Nannstein acted. Democratic government, even as loose as the Federation's, had become so obviously impractical--and Chang was so highly regarded--that they were able to persuade the Federation Congress to pass a constitutional amendment dissolving the Federation and establishing the Terran Empire--on the condition that Chang agree to be Emperor. One of his first acts on assuming the Throne was to create the Rangers and nobility; another was to direct the regularization of English. His alphabet and some of his other linguistic changes caught on; some did not. He died seconds after midnight, 1 January 2149.

CHIEF'S BENCH: (Sandeman) A judicial-style bench in the clanhome's main hall, used by the clan-chief on formal occasions.

CHIEF'S RIGHT: (Sandeman) A clan-chief's right to impose punishment on one who has committed a serious offense against a member of his clan.

CHIRON, Subsector 8-A: No. systems: 74 Sector: Centaurus with 3 inhabited planets: 2 Ruled by: with 2 inhabited planets: 9 with 1 inhabited planet: 23

CIRCLE OF LORDS: The Traiti deities, three females and nine males--one of whom, Lord Esteban the Peacelord, is a human. All were planned for and then influenced, to a greater or lesser degree, by the psionic computer called Godhome--which had been left behind for that task when the Others departed to continue their development on another plane of existence. Once those who were to become Lords agreed to serve, Godhome forced them into full intellectual and emotional maturity; although they have powers generally thought of as godlike, they think of themselves as parents. Their aim, over millennia, is to bring all intelligence to their level; their philosophy is that self-responsibility is essential to natural maturation, so they intervene only when, and only as much as, absolutely unavoidable for racial survival.

CLAN NAMES, TRAITI: Naming convention is one or two letters, an apostrophe, and one or two syllables to form something pronounceable. Clan names probably had meaning when the clans were originally established, but those meanings have become lost over the millennia. (Some clan-names established in the series so far: Ch'geasht, Ch'kara, D'gameh, K'horan, N'chark, St'nar.)

CLANS, SANDEMAN: The basic unit of Sandeman society, the extended "family". While the clan-chief is in charge and has the last word, he is not--cannot be--a dictator. Until Overthrow, clans were established by the Shapers and restricted in size to 200-500 members; since then, some have gotten larger, and a new clan is formed by agreement between two or more "parent" clans who contribute members and resources.

Some established clans (those with asterisks formed by the Shapers), with their specialties and brief notes if applicable; there may be a more detailed entry as well, under the clan name, if available information justifies it.