Chapter 7

SELKET, Subsector 6-E: No. systems: 68 Sector: Scorpio with 3 inhabited planets: 5 Ruled by: with 2 inhabited planets: 11 with 1 inhabited planet: 19

SEPOL: (Of Clan D'gameh) One of the Traiti Circle of Lords, known as Lord of the Ordeal.

SEPOL, Subsector 21-F: No. systems: 64 Sector: Traiti with 3 inhabited planets: 4 Ruled by: with 2 inhabited planets: 10 with 1 inhabited planet: 24

SHADOW FLEET: A secret Imperial fleet which, under normal circumstances, exists only as a cadre. Its existence, however, is a matter of perpetual rumor, and is the standard explanation for a military person who drops out of sight for an extended time, especially if @ reappears at a higher rank. When it is activated for military emergencies (under another designation, of course), it operates, if necessary, without regard for the Laws of War; its Fleet Admiral is subsequently courtmartialled, then given another identity and set up on a world of @'s choice.

Home port is Shonnar, where its cover mission (and, most of the time, real one) is to interdict that world from contact.

SHAMASH, Subsector 1-F: No. systems: 51 Sector: Orion with 3 inhabited planets: 2 Ruled by: with 2 inhabited planets: 10 with 1 inhabited planet: 15

SHAMU, Subsector 14-F: No. systems: 133 Sector: Phoenix with 3 inhabited planets: 1 Ruled by: with 2 inhabited planets: 9 with 1 inhabited planet: 22

SHAPERS: The genetic engineers, led by Sandoval "Sandy" Cassell, who created the Sandeman race and much of its culture. They were overthrown and killed by their creations in 2316.

SHIP CLASSES, CIVILIAN: Civilian ships are so varied it is impossible to summarize them, except to say that they vary from hundred-meter needles (the smallest size able to carry hyperdrive engines) to five-hundred-meter spheres (the largest able to land in near-standard gravity fields).

SHIP CLASSES, ITN: In order of size, Imperial Navy ships are:

Battle Cruisers (IBCs), equatorial diameter 1000 meters, mass 8 x 10 to the eighth tons, crew 2000, carrying capacity over a million, named for Sovereigns or Rangers. Flagships of Imperial Fleets when such must be assembled, and the ship-type most commonly used by Rangers. They are very well armed, used for things like colony setup, deep-space patrol, large-scale rescue, and similar missions, as well as combat.

Heavy Cruisers (IHCs), equatorial diameter 800 meters, mass 1.75 x 10 to the eighth tons, crew 1800, named for famous sea ships. Flagships of Sector-level fleets.

Light Cruisers (ILCs), equatorial diameter 700 meters, mass 1.2 x 10 to the eighth tons, crew 1500, named for stars or given guardian-type names (e.g., Guardian or Protector).

Heavy Destroyers (IHDs), equatorial diameter 500 meters, crew 1000, named for military commanders. Massing 4.28 x 10 to the seventh tons, this is the largest class of ship capable of landing in a near-standard grav field.

Light Destroyers (ILDs), equatorial diameter 400 meters, crew 750, named for military commanders.

Armed Scouts (IASs), equatorial diameter 200 meters, crew of 500, named for scouts or explorers.

Couriers (ICs), length 100 meters, crew 5-50 (some automated to require only a pilot), named at pilot's option.

(For comparison, the largest U. S. aircraft, the C-5B, is 75.5 meters long, with a wingspan of 67.9 meters, and maximum mass of 418.5 tons.)

SHIP-COMP: Ship-computer, an artificial intelligence installed on all Imperial ships of Scout class or higher.

SHIVA, Subsector 6-A: No. systems: 120 Sector: Scorpio with 3 inhabited planets: 2 Ruled by: with 2 inhabited planets: 13 with 1 inhabited planet: 25

SHONNAR: Sector: 3, Sculptor Year: Subsector: A, Asgard Day: System: Bifrost Gravity: Settled/established: 2153 Axial tilt: By: Terran mystics Oxygen: Satellites: % Water: Ident code prefix: SHO Continents: Ruled by: Chief Monitor

General: Called Retreat by its inhabitants, this world was rediscovered by Crown Princess Halona Strider in 2321, while she was looking for a permanent home base for the Shadow Fleet. The mystics who had settled it were developing powers she thought might be useful in the future, if they were left alone to do so. That was precisely what they wanted, as well, so they agreed to provide the base she needed. She established an interdiction zone, with the cover story that it was there to allow Shonnar's "lizard-like, subsapient inhabitants" to develop sapience without exploitation.

SIB: Arriani extended family, usually having 20-50 members.

SIREN, Subsector 14-E: No. systems: 105 Sector: Phoenix with 3 inhabited planets: 1 Ruled by: with 2 inhabited planets: 9 with 1 inhabited planet: 17 Arms: On a black field, a silver lozenge on which is a mermaid with black hair and green tail, looking into a crystal ball held in her right hand, holding a sword point-down in her left.

SKYWALKER, Subsector 7-B: No. systems: 189 Sector: Cygnus with 3 inhabited planets: 4 Ruled by: with 2 inhabited planets: 10 with 1 inhabited planet: 17

SLEIPNIR, Subsector 5-B: No. systems: 103 Sector: Pegasus with 3 inhabited planets: 2 Ruled by: with 2 inhabited planets: 12 with 1 inhabited planet: 22

SOH TREE: (Traiti) A moderate-climate Homeworld tree with broad silvery-green leaves and sticky sap.

SOL, Subsector 1-A: No. systems: 63 Sector: Orion with 3 inhabited planets: 3 Ruled by: with 2 inhabited planets: 11 with 1 inhabited planet: 20

SOLAR FEDERATION: (2091-2128) Established when enough Terrans had moved off-planet to justify a System-wide government, the Federation was a loose democracy. It was superseded when hyperdrive allowed humanity to travel faster than light, rapidly spreading to the point where sheer scale made democracy impossible. At that point the Federation Congress amended the constitution, dissolving the Federation and creating the Terran Empire.

SOUL-BLADE: (Irschchan) A dagger carried by all Irschchans from pre-adolescence. It has the owner's personality impressed on it by a specialized form of darlas, and is supposed to remain with its owner for the rest of @'s life. The owner becomes uncomfortable if it is not within reach, more so if it is handled by another, and suffers permanent psychic shock if it is destroyed.

After the owner's death, the soul-blade is preserved in the family's Hall of Memories, where the survivors are able to feel the presence of their deceased relatives.

SPECIAL LIAISON: An individual with special knowledge of a culture or society, usually because @ was born or raised in it, appointed to work with the officer in charge of a mission to that culture.

STILDYNE, Subsector 7-F: No. systems: 96 Sector: Cygnus with 3 inhabited planets: 6 Ruled by: with 2 inhabited planets: 8 with 1 inhabited planet: 26

STINGWEED: Nemran plant. A low-growing shrub with silvery-green three-lobed leaves and milky sap. The sap contains something generally described as a cross between a fungus and a bacterium, which is harmless to intact skin, but is poisonous if introduced into a wound. The first indication of poisoning, usually in less than an hour, is that the wound begins to ooze a thick, greenish-yellow, foul-smelling matter. If the victim does not receive prompt treatment, a fever develops, followed by delirium, coma, and death, the speed of progress determined by the amount of poison absorbed. It is dangerous for anyone except a medic or physician with life support available to attempt medicating a stingweed victim, since even something as normally safe as quidine may at times intensify the poison's effect.

STUNNER, NEURAL: A blaster setting or special-purpose handgun that stuns rather than injuring the one shot. Although it causes no actual damage, the victim does wake with a severe, migraine-like headache.

STYX, Subsector 17-B: No. systems: 115 Sector: Indus with 3 inhabited planets: 3 Ruled by: with 2 inhabited planets: 10 with 1 inhabited planet: 21

SUBSECTORS: The second subdivision of the Empire, ruled by earls. There are 106 Subsectors, having an average of 53 planets in 36 systems.

SUCCESSION, IMPERIAL: After considerable study of possible alternatives, Emperor Chang decided that the Imperial succession should be based, with one modification, on the Roman Catholic method of selecting Popes. That difference was timing; rather than wait until the Sovereign died to elect a new one, thus risking a period without a ruler, the Conclave would elect a Successor as soon as the new Sovereign ascended the Throne. Acting on that, a Conclave to elect his Successor was held a month later; that was Ranger Susan Lindner, who followed his example, as has been done ever since. See below for a list of the first twenty-five Sovereigns and the dates of their reigns.

Cheong Chang, 19 Jan 2128 - 1 Jan 2149 Susan M. Lindner, 1 Jan 2149 - 9 Nov 2182 Bjorn Bengtsson, 9 Nov 2182 - 7 Jul 2230 Juana Mendez, 7 Jul 2230 - 10 Feb 2249 Christopher J. Kyle, 10 Feb 2249 - 19 Apr 2256 Mohammed Gamayel, 19 Apr 2256 - 10 Dec 2280 Corwin M. Jacobs, 10 Dec 2280 - 20 Aug 2315 Brandy P. Lansky, 20 Aug 2315 - 17 May 2333 (female) Halona Strider, 17 May 2333 - 18 Aug 2366 Nicholas C. Browder, 18 Aug 2366 - 23 Sep 2382 Eileen P. Holt, 23 Sep 2382 - 4 Aug 2395 Grant L. Barton, 4 Aug 2395 - 26 Jan 2420 Leonard M. Frey, 26 Jan 2420 - 7 Nov 2488 Joyce G. Kingsley, 7 Nov 2488 - 25 Jan 2508 (male) Adli Yasunon, 25 Jan 2508 - 28 Mar 2553 Charles Davis, 28 Mar 2553 - 20 Sep 2577 Rick Forrest, 20 Sep 2577 - 11 Apr 2603 Corina Losinj, 11 Apr 2603 - 19 Feb 2624 (female, Irschchan) Jasmine Wang, 19 Feb 2624 - 29 Nov 2630 Ray Kennard, 29 Nov 2630 - 29 Dec 2678 Anna A. Peterson, 29 Dec 2678 - 14 Sep 2700 Konstantin J. Gagarin, 14 Sep 2700 - 8 Jun 2753 Sharon T. Windsor, 8 Jun 2753 - 6 Mar 2804 Prae Ofyn, 6 Mar 2804 - 21 Feb 2862 (male, Irschchan) Einar J. Lang, 21 Feb 2862 - 26 Dec 2893

SURYA, Subsector 1-B: No. systems: 193 Sector: Orion with 3 inhabited planets: 2 Ruled by: with 2 inhabited planets: 10 with 1 inhabited planet: 24

SUSANOWO, Subsector 12-E: No. systems: 193 Sector: Eridanus with 3 inhabited planets: 1 Ruled by: with 2 inhabited planets: 10 with 1 inhabited planet: 20

SYSTEMS: The third subdivision of the Empire; the 1,431 with more than one inhabited planet are ruled by counts.

T

T/CT: Terrene/Contra-Terrene, a more accurate term for what is often called matter/anti-matter (since both are actually matter, simply in different forms). The reaction between the two forms liberates all the energy both contain, making it by far the most efficient and least polluting energy source available. For this reason, T/CT is used almost exclusively for planetary and large-craft energy needs.

TALENT: Psionic ability strong enough to be trained into a reliable skill. Always includes a mind screen (sometimes powerful enough to be called a mind shield) and telepathy. It may also include telekinesis, darlas, clairvoyance, teleportation, psychometry, rarely precognition, and (so far only in humans) healing. There may be other aspects also, as yet undefined. On Irschcha, it has been searched for and trained by the White Order since circa 3000 BCE; the first human so trained was Ranger James Medart, in 2569.

Talent is uncommon among humans, only about half of one percent having mind shields, though perhaps twice as many have the weaker screens. Among Sandemans, Talent of shield level is fifty percent, ninety-five percent for warriors. Very few Sandemans, however, are willing to take Talent training, seeing it as a violation of privacy, so there is no way of telling what other aspects they might have.

TARLAC, Esteban: (2533-2568) Imperial Ranger, 2553-2568. His first solo mission was stopping the Nemran revolt. He was almost killed when the rebels poisoned him with stingweed, but he was rescued and kept alive, until Imperial forces arrived with medical help, by 14-year old David M. Scanlon, who was made a Life Duke for the feat.

Tarlac's greatest accomplishment, though, was his almost single-handed ending of the Traiti War. He agreed to submit to the Traiti Ordeal of Honor and succeeded, returning to Terra with the Traiti leaders, who claimed their rightful place (thanks to their Terran origin) as Imperial citizens. Tarlac was assassinated during the ceremony, by a Humanity First fanatic. The Traiti maintain, however, that he actually died of his Scarring seconds after completing the Ordeal, and became the last member of the Circle of Lords, their gods; they revere him as the Peacelord.

TARLAC, Subsector 6-G: No. systems: 44 Sector: Scorpio with 3 inhabited planets: 0 Ruled by: with 2 inhabited planets: 10 with 1 inhabited planet: 23

TEACHING TAPE: A standard reading tape "overprinted" with electronic impulses which can be played directly into a human brain to provide instant memorization of facts. The recipient must still learn to work with those facts (e.g., how to pronounce and otherwise use the words and grammatical rules of a language), but is saved the considerable time @ would normally have wasted in rote memorization.

TEFNUT, Subsector 12-B: No. systems: 82 Sector: Eridanus with 3 inhabited planets: 4 Ruled by: with 2 inhabited planets: 8 with 1 inhabited planet: 26

TERRA: Sector: 1, Orion Year: Standard (365 1/4 days) Subsector: A, Sol Day: Standard (24 hrs) System: Sol Gravity: Standard (980 cm/sec2) Settled/established: N/A Axial tilt: 23.5 deg. By: N/A Oxygen: 21% Satellites: 1 (Luna) % Water: 73 Ident code prefix: TER Continents: Phys. 4, polit. 7 Ruled by:

General: The world where humanity, Traiti, and cetaceans evolved. It is the Imperial capital world, centered on the Antarctic Palace Complex; it is also the capital of Sector Orion and Subsector Sol.

It remains a world of many societies, though there is no longer much friction between them.

The Traiti call it Truehome.

THAKUR: (Sandeman) One who has accepted personal fealty from another.

THAKUR-NA: (Sandeman) One whose offer of personal fealty has been accepted.

THARK: (ISCTK-2395-8016) High Adept of the White Order, 2540-2569. Corina Losinj's teacher until she discovered his planned revolt against the Empire. His intent was to replace the unTalented (and therefore unqualified, in his opinion) human rulers with the White Order. When he discovered that Losinj had become a Ranger, and was forced to realize that some humans did indeed have Talent, his reason for revolt was eliminated. The same honor that had motivated him to start the revolt then required that he halt it, surrender leadership of the White Order, and accept punishment. As part of that punishment, he destroyed his soul-blade, which sent him into a permanent state of psychic shock. Since he had ended the rebellion himself and imposed a part of the punishment on himself, he was not executed; instead, he was placed in the custody and care of Clan Ch'kara of the new Traiti Sector.

THOMPSON, Jase: The first Bloodmate to be recognized as such, in 2277. He was in command of the Evaluation Team sent in response to Archbishop Klein's complaint about Narvonese turning into blood-drinking monsters. When blood tests taken on landing showed him to be extremely susceptible to the nosferatu pseudo-virus, Count Nilssun decided he would be an ideal Imperial Liaison for the System if he became a Kin. When he rejected the idea, she arranged for him to become infected, then be weakened enough for the Change. To her disappointment, he did not appear to Change--but that night, it became obvious that he literally had to feed a Kin at daily intervals; in so feeding Narvon System's Chief of Detectives, Enna Kaufman, he Bonded to her. When he was questioned by Count Nilssun, he mentioned a dream of the Dragon Prince, which led to the further discovery that a number of others who had not appeared to Change had also had such a dream, and were also able, but did not have, to supply a Kin's daily needs. ("Teams")

THOR, Subsector 12-G: No. systems: 74 Sector: Eridanus with 3 inhabited planets: 1 Ruled by: with 2 inhabited planets: 12 with 1 inhabited planet: 21

THOTH, Subsector 20-B: No. systems: 158 Sector: Chameleon with 3 inhabited planets: 4 Ruled by: with 2 inhabited planets: 8 with 1 inhabited planet: 24

THUNDERBIRD, Subsector 10-A: No. systems: 55 Sector: Aquila with 3 inhabited planets: 6 Ruled by: with 2 inhabited planets: 16 with 1 inhabited planet: 23

TITANIA, Subsector 4-B: No. systems: 72 Sector: Fornax with 3 inhabited planets: 2 Ruled by: with 2 inhabited planets: 10 with 1 inhabited planet: 24

TOLI: (Traiti) A Homeworld vine that often kills the trees it uses for support. It also yields orange berries that, to quote Ranger Tarlac, "look like jelly beans, smell like dirty socks, and taste fantastic."

TORRANCE, Clan: (Sandeman) Clanhome is located on Quivira Continent. Although its specialties are boating and seamanship, like most clans it raises most of its own food; because of Quivira's topography and relatively cold climate, it has more land than the average clan. That land includes most of the Cold Peak mountain range, which is popular with tourists who can get the clan's permission to visit; the clan hunts there, as well as harvesting ice-berries, most of which are exported as a luxury item.

TORVA BUSH: (Traiti) Actually a low-growing tree. Its tough inner bark can be used as a substitute for rope or twine.

TRAITI: A cousin-race to humanity, having evolved on Terra from a common ancestor, and removed by the Others about 35,000 BCE to insure racial survival. Although traces have been found on Terra, they were not recognized as such until after contact was made; before that, such finds were denounced as mistakes at best, frauds at worst.

Traiti males average about two meters in height and 250 kilos in mass, with females somewhat smaller. They are heavily built but not fat, due to greater tissue density. Their bodies are human-looking, as are the hands (with the exception of semi-retractile claws instead of nails), although their skin is medium gray in color and as tough as leather armor despite its softness. Heads are their least human-looking feature, being ovoid and having the long axis approximately parallel to the ground, with bulges along the top and sides. The eyes are small; the nose is barely noticeable except for slit nostrils, and the lipless mouth has triangular, serrated teeth. There are no external ears.

Much of Traiti society is influenced by their sexual imbalance and (on human terms) severely limited fertility. Only approximately one-quarter of the Traiti race is female, leading to a custom (almost a compulsion) requiring that females and younglings be protected. (Note that because of this, all Traiti fighters are male.) Their "family" structure is by clans ranging from 10,000 members up, with all adult members of a clan acting as parents to all its younglings.

Custom restricts sexual activity to within a given clan, which is not, thanks to occasional adoptions and a very stable gene pool, genetically harmful to the race. The general attitude is that sharing bodies is a thing of goodness, between any two adult members of the clan. Heterosex is preferable when available, because of the possibility (however remote) of offspring, but because of the sexual imbalance, the great majority of Traiti males are bisexual in orientation.

During peacetime, clans are led by the Ka'ruchaya consulting with the senior fighter, always a Cor'naya; in combat, the senior Cor'naya takes charge, consulting with the Ka'ruchaya. Although she is not in any formal position of authority, both listen to the clan's Speaker for the Circle of Lords, who is their religious leader. The race as a whole is led by the male Supreme and the female First Speaker.

TRAITI, Sector 21: Ruled by: Supreme & First Speaker, co-Dukes No. systems: 568 Subsectors: 6 Inhabited planets: 308 A. Homesun D. Kranath B. Peacelord E. Carle C. Davis F. Sepol

TRAVELER, Subsector 5-C: No. systems: 93 Sector: Pegasus with 3 inhabited planets: 1 Ruled by: with 2 inhabited planets: 11 with 1 inhabited planet: 28

TREASURE-TUNNELS: Role-playing game derived from the twentieth-century Dungeons and Dragons. It has a steady following in most of the Empire, especially in Subsector Sandeman, where it is a tactical training aid as well as a game.

TRIBUNAL, IMPERIAL: A formal hearing by an Imperial officer to determine the facts in a case, then order the appropriate punishment or reward.

TRIQUINIA: Sector: 17, Indus Year: Subsector: A, Alph Day: System: Ganges Gravity: Settled/established: Axial tilt: By: Oxygen: Satellites: % Water: Ident code prefix: TRQ Continents: Ruled by:

General: The first Imperial contact with this world was made by Ranger Caitlyn Macdonald, who discovered a planetary population of intelligent four-legged creatures apparently engineered from Terran colonists' pets and domestic animals. The humans had been subsequently wiped out by a disease that did not affect the animals, and all Terran connections were forgotten. (Cathy Whitehead)

TUONETAR, Subsector 15-C: No. systems: 156 Sector: Auriga with 3 inhabited planets: 3 Ruled by: with 2 inhabited planets: 9 with 1 inhabited planet: 23

TYR, Subsector 18-G: No. systems: 42 Sector: Aries with 3 inhabited planets: 6 Ruled by: with 2 inhabited planets: 9 with 1 inhabited planet: 19

U

UKKO, Subsector 20-D: No. systems: 71 Sector: Chameleon with 3 inhabited planets: 3 Ruled by: with 2 inhabited planets: 10 with 1 inhabited planet: 26

ULTRAWAVE: The gravitics-based communications system. It is essentially instantaneous at intra-galactic distances.

UNICORN, Subsector 14-B: No. systems: 48 Sector: Phoenix with 3 inhabited planets: 2 Ruled by: with 2 inhabited planets: 10 with 1 inhabited planet: 24