The Dark Imbalance (40 page)

Is this our ultimate fate, then, to amuse, or to act as breeding stock for new High Humans? We will never know until we learn the truth about our origins. And to do
that,
we need more data.

This is where you come in. As alumni from institutions all over the galaxy taking the bold leap of faith into the rarefied air of xenoarchaeology, your job is to probe deep into these questions and to expose the truth. Or if not the truth, then a fragment of it. Or if not even a fragment of the truth, then another question for someone else to answer. This process is ongoing, and will outlast me just as it has outlasted two hundred thirty-seven Provosts before me. It will probably outlast you, too, and the ones who follow you. Perhaps future xenoarchaeologists will look back on our work with an indulgent smile for our ignorance—or perhaps they will regard our work as cornerstones in the great edifice of understanding under constant construction. I cannot say which will be the case, just as my predecessors did not know. All I
can
say is that these questions are worth asking, even if we can never answer them. Not knowing where we came from does not stop us from moving on—and that is perhaps the most important thing about our race that has brought us to where we are today, wherever that is. We are not inclined to stay still.

Once, millions of years in the past, a small, barely bipedal creature rose up on its hind legs and squinted at the stars above. Well, we own those stars now, and we’re still moving. Only time will tell where we will ultimately end up....

GLOSSARY

A-14 Higher Collaboration Network:
an amalgamation of core-based High Caste members whose intentions include attempting to establish an objective frame of reference with respect to Humanity’s occupation of the galaxy.
The Objective Reference Calendar
is one result of this work.

A-P cannon:
a weapon that fires accelerated particles of various types. Common on spacefaring warships.

Absenger, Burne:
chief liaison officer, COE Armada.

adytum:
Skehan Heterodox term for the control room of a consistory vessel.

Alpha Aurigae:
an ancient system, the precise location of which is presently unknown.

Alpha Point:
a name for the single point in time and space from which some xenoarchaeologists surmise Humanity evolved.

Ana Vereine, IND:
the first of a new class of warships—the Marauder—manufactured by the Dato Bloc as part of the Andermahr Experiment. Its design incorporates a captain surgically interfaced with the ship. Once part of the Ethnarch’s Military Presidium, it is now an independent vessel registered to Morgan Roche.

anchor drive:
the usual means of crossing interstellar space, but by no means the only one (see
slow-jump).
Indeed, the anchor method has undergone several radical redesigns over time; current technology is rated at 49th-generation.

anchor points:
regions of “weakened” space from which translation to and from hyperspace is both easier and less energy-expensive; jumps from anchor points are therefore of a greater range than from “normal” space and usually terminate in another anchor point. They are typically located near inhabited systems (but far enough away to avoid distortion by background gravitational effects) or in locations in deep space which are considered strategically important. There are approximately ten thousand million anchor points currently in existence—one for roughly every ten stars, scattered across the galaxy.

Andermahr Experiment:
a covert project specializing in cybernetic interfaces designed to allow mind and machine to merge. Founded by Ataman Ana Vereine, who desired captains that were as much a part of their ships as was the anchor drive—an integral, reliable system rather than a flesh and blood afterthought. Continued in secret until the Ataman Theocracy emerged from the COE as the Dato Bloc. Culminated in the DBMP
Ana Vereine,
the first Marauder-class warship, with Uri Kajic its captain.

Ansourian, Alta:
only child of Atul Ansourian.

Ansourian, Atul:
adviser and self-styled
eminence grise
to the administer of Perdue Habitat, Inderdeep Jans.

Apostle:
a Hum vessel in the service of the Disciples of Evergence.

Aquareii:
a High Human renowned for being the most powerful member of the Interventionist faction.

Armada:
see
COE Armada.

Ascensio:
the homeworld of Morgan Roche.

Asha:
the single, warlike deity of the main Kesh religion.

Ataman Theocracy:
a tightly knit empire that existed as an independent entity until its absorption into the COE after the Second Ataman War in ‘442 EN. After several centuries, it eventually seceded as the Dato Bloc (‘837 EN).

AVS-38 & AVS-44:
two of the
Ana Vereine’
s large contingent of scutters.

Basigo:
a Caste not native to the COE region.

Batelin Limit:
the ceiling above which the complexity of a nation exceeds the biological capabilities of the individuals inhabiting it. In the case of the Pristine Caste, the value of the Batelin Limit is approximately three and a half thousand systems.

Black Box:
the generic term for an AI. Usually abbreviated to “Box.”

Bodh Gaya:
former capital system of the COE and the Dominion. Its second moon houses the Military College of the COE Armada.

Box, the:
an AI commissioned by COE Intelligence. Its binary identification number (JW111101000) is one digit longer than normal, indicating its unique status. Created by the High Human known as the Crescend, the Box is designed to infiltrate and subvert all available systems, thereby increasing its own processing powers until, at its most powerful, it resembles its creator. Once thought to be contained within a small black valise, it is now known to inhabit the cells of Morgan Roche.

Buk, Enver:
the COE Eupatrid prior to Felix Gastel.

Calendar:
the galactic standard timekeeping method consists of: 100 seconds per minute, 100 minutes per hour, 20 hours per day, 10 days per week, 4 weeks (40 days) per month, 10 months (400 days) per year. All dates are expressed in the form of year (usually abbreviated to the last three digits, i.e. ‘397), month, and day from the
Ex Nihilo
reference point. See also
Objective Reference Calendar.

Cane, Adoni:
the occupant of an unidentified life-support capsule recovered by the COEA
Midnight
near Ivy Green Station anchor point while en route to Sciacca’s World. A genetically modified combat clone designed to mimic a Pristine Human, his origins are known not to lie with the Sol Apotheosis Movement, although who did create him, and many others like him, remains a mystery.

Cane, Adoni:
field admiral, Old Earth Advance Guard; received a military Star for extraordinary acts of valor against the enemy.

Castes:
following the speciation of the Human race, numerous Castes have proliferated across the galaxy. These Castes are too numerous to list, but they can be classified into three broad groups: High, Low, and mundane (which includes Pristine and Exotic). There are seven predominant Exotic Castes to be found in the region surrounding the COE: Eckandar, Hum, Kesh, Mbata, Olmahoi, and Surin.

Catiph:
a High Human.

Ceyle’s Hub:
former home of Advocate Janil Coriett.

Chase, Auberon:
head of COE Intelligence.

Clarke Cylinder:
an ancient habitat.

COE:
see
Commonwealth of Empires.

COE Armada, the:
the combined armed forces of the COE, responsible for external security. Active soldiers are referred to as Marines.

COE Enforcement:
the policing body responsible for security and information gathering within the COE. Field agents are referred to as Enforcers.

COE High Equity Court:
the department responsible for intersystem justice within the COE. Its usual purpose is to settle territorial disputes.

COE Intelligence:
the body responsible for information gathering outside the COE. Originally and still nominally a subdepartment of the Armada, but an independent body in practice.

COE Intelligence HQ:
the command center of COE Intelligence, a large, independent station located in deep space near the heart of the Commonwealth.

COE Military College:
the main training institution of COE Armada personnel; situated on the second moon of Bodh Gaya.

COEA:
COE Armada vessel identification prefix.

COEI:
COE Intelligence vessel identification prefix.

Commerce Artel:
a galaxy-wide organization devoted to initiating and coordinating trade between Castes and governments that might otherwise have no contact. It prides itself on remaining aloof from political conflict yet has some strict behavioral standards to which it expects its customers to adhere (such as the Warfare Protocol). Structurally, it is divided into chapters managed by indigenous Caste-members with only loose control from above. It has strong links, locally, with the Eckandar Trade Axis.

Commonwealth of Empires:
often abbreviated to COE or Commonwealth. A relatively ancient Pristine nation currently in its 40th millennium of nominal existence—”nominal” in that the membership of the COE is fluid by nature, with provinces joining and seceding on a regular basis. It has had many different capitals and its borders have changed radically over the centuries. Indeed, it has drifted with time, and now occupies territories quite remote from its original location. One thousand inhabited systems currently fall under its aegis, and another three thousand uninhabited systems have been annexed. It is ruled by a democratically elected Eupatrid and a council of representatives who, when united, wield supreme executive power. Its security departments include Intelligence, Armada, and Enforcement.

Coriett, Janil:
an advocate formerly of Ceyle’s Hub, currently employed in Environment Control of the SHCV
Phlegethon.

Crescend, the:
a High Human of some note and great history. His time of Transcendence is not recorded. Little is known about him, beyond the facts that he is the founder and overseer of Trinity, an ally of the COE, and a key supporter of the Interventionist movement. He is assumed to be a singular entity simply because the first person singular is his pronoun of choice.

crypt:
the Skehan Heterodox term for the engineering rooms of a consistory vessel.

Dark Stressor, HHAB:
a compact habitat of ill-repute, known to be a gathering-point for mercenaries.

Dato Bloc:
an independent nation founded on the ruins of the Ataman Theocracy that recently broke free of the COE. Although not hierocratic in nature, the Ethnarch exerts a strict rule. Its security departments include the Ethnarch’s Military Presidium and the Espionage Corps.

Daybreak, COEI:
a courier vessel belonging to COE Intelligence.

DBMP:
vessel identification prefix for the Ethnarch’s Military Presidium.

De Bruyn, Page:
former head of Strategy, COE Intelligence.

Disciples of Evergence:
a covert organization with Hum connections devoted to serving the enemy.

disrupters:
see
hyperspace disrupters.

Dreher, Ralf:
a name from ancient records connected to the enemy.

Drys:
a caste not indigenous to the COE region.

E-shield:
an electromagnetic barrier designed to ward off particle and energy weapons. Used mainly by medium-to-large spacefaring vessels.

Eckandar:
(
Eckandi
, adj & sing, n): a Caste flourishing in the regions surrounding the COE. Its members are typified by their slight size, gray skin, bald scalps, and unusual eyes. They are a gregarious Caste, preferring trade and communication over conquest. They are also well-advanced in genetic science. Their past stretches back beyond that of the COE, although they lack the continuity of history that strong nationhood often provides. Their sole uniting body is the Eckandar Trade Axis.

Eckandar Trade Axis:
the main society of the Eckandi Caste, devoted, much like the Commerce Artel (with which it has close ties), to facilitating free and nondiscriminatory trade with and between the COE and its neighbors.

Egarr, Gurion:
senior councilor to Inderdeep Jans.

EN:
see
Ex Nihilo.

enemy:
Interim Emergency Pristine Council shorthand for the clone warriors.

Enforcement:
see
COE Enforcement.

Enforcer:
see
COE Enforcement.

epsense:
an ability encompassing telepathy and empathy. The ritual training of epsense adepts generally takes decades and incorporates elements of sensory deprivation. Note: telekinesis and precognition are not covered by epsense and are assumed to be nonexistent. Skilled utilizers of epsense are referred to as
epsense adepts
or
reaves.

Erojen:
a town on an outpost far from the heart of the Surin domain.

Esperance, SAS:
the fighter piloted by Defender-of-Harmony Vri.

Espionage Corps:
see
Dato Bloc.

Espire-Mavrodis Coalition:
one of the IEPC’s major allies.

Essai:
home of the Surin Agora.

Ethnarch:
the title of the leader of the Dato Bloc.

Ethnarch’s Military Presidium:
see
Dato Bloc.

Eupatrid:
the title of the chief executive officer of the COE.

Ex Nihilo:
refers to the date upon which the COE is believed to have been founded. Evidence exists to cast doubt upon the accuracy or relevance of this date—notably the fact the Commonwealth as a single body did not exist at all between the 13th and 15th millennia—but the date remains as a reference point. Usually abbreviated to EN.

Exordium Worlds:
the region first colonized by the Primordial Castes.

Exotic:
any mundane Caste that differs physiologically from the Pristine. There are a vast number of Exotic Castes, and, although no one type of Exotic comes close to outnumbering Pristine Humans, the Exotics as a whole mass far greater than Pristines alone.

fane:
the Skehan Heterodox term for a ship’s bridge.

Far Reaches:
the name of the outermost fringes of the Outer Arms.

Fathehi Consulate:
a habitat sent to Sol System by a Caste originating on the far side of the galaxy.

flicker-bombs:
devices used in space warfare to attack an enemy vessel. Employing the fact that small masses (under a few kilograms) can slow-jump a small distance within a gravity well, these missiles skip in and out of space on their way to their target, which, it is hoped, they will materialize within, causing massive amounts of damage. They are easily deflected by hypershields, however, which form a barrier in hyperspace that no such weapon can cross.

40th millennium:
the current millennium in the history of the COE. See
Ex Nihilo.

Gastel, Felix:
the current Eupatrid of the COE.

Gegenschein, COEI:
a cruiser owned by COE Intelligence.

God’s Monkey, HIC:
a small vessel operated by the Disciples of Evergence.

grayboots:
see
Olmahoi retribution squad.

Great Lanes:
the network of shipping routes delineated by anchor points across the galaxy.