The Gilded Scarab (47 page)
Authors: Anna Butler
Doxy—Prostitute
Dreadnought—A carrier ship in Her Britannic Majesty’s Imperial Aero Corps. Rafe Lancaster served as a squadron leader on the dreadnought the
Arc Royal.
Dreadnoughts acted as carriers with squadrons of small, biwinged fighters. Smaller ships—aerofrigates, aerocorvettes, etc.—also existed
Emissarium—Exhaust pipe
Ether—See
Aether
. Also, an anesthetic
Flechette—Pointed steel projectile, with a vaned tail for stable flight. In
The Gilded Scarab
, the flechette carries a warhead filled with a luminiferous aether/phlogiston/petroleum distillate mixture. Fired from laser-guided cannons
Fusillade—A discharge from a number of firearms, fired simultaneously or in rapid succession. May also be used in a literary sense, of any rapidly repeated noise, etc.
Gilt—A thin layer of gold or something simulating gold that is applied in gilding
Harquebus—
- (i) In the
Gilded Scarab
, a long firearm, like a rifle, powered with an aether/phlogiston mix. Capable of also firing a neural disruptor beam which, while unpleasant, is not fatal - (ii) Historical: A firearm with match holder, trigger, and tumbler, made in the second half of the 15th century. The barrel was about forty inches long
Havey-cavey—Irregular, unsavory, (possibly criminal)
Hermetic—Completely sealed, especially against the escape or entry of air
House—Oligarchic political unit, based on familial bonds. See
Convocation House, Minor House
Humors—One of the basic principles of medieval medicine was that of the four humors of which a human body was composed. The balance between these four (blood, phlegm, yellow bile, and black bile) was essential for the well-being of a person
Intelligencer—Spy
Ionic Exchange Ice Box—A refrigerator, powered by the exchange of negatively charged ions. See
Ion Exchange
Ion exchange—Exchange of ions between two electrolytes. In
The Gilded Scarab
, the exchange leaches out heat, producing a form of refrigeration – hence ionic exchange ice box
Ionic Gas Discharge Lamps—Fluorescent lamps
Journeyman—One who has fully served an apprenticeship in a trade or craft and is a qualified worker in another’s employ
Kinetoscope Camera—In
The Gilded Scarab
, a visual recording/monitoring camera used for surveillance
Laudanum—An opiate, freely available in an apothecary’s. Pain reliever. Addictive
Lucifer—Match with a sulfur head, for striking a light
Luminiferous—Light bearing
Luminiferous Aether—In 19th century physics, a postulated medium that would propagate light, since disproved by quantum physics and relativity theories. In
The Gilded Scarab
, the fifth element, an energy source for engines and weapons of all kinds
Marconi—Device for communication through the air, a radio/receiver
Metropolis—City
Minor House—One of the 60-plus subsidiary Houses, allied to the 8 Convocation Houses that rule the Britannic Imperium. The Minor Houses owe their wealth and position to their Convocation House ally, dependent on the Convocation House for posts within government that can provide careers/profit
Neophyte—A beginner, a convert and learner
Nobel’s Blasting Powder—Dynamite
Ocular—The eyepiece of an optical instrument, as of a telescope or microscope
Pantechnicon—
- (i) A depository or place where all sorts of manufactured articles are collected for sale
- (ii) A van, especially a large removal van. Originally pantechnicon van
Petroleum Distillate—Petrol
Philtre—A love potion. In
The Gilded Scarab
, Philtre Coffee is the fanciful, punning name of a chain of coffeehouses
Phlogiston—A particle that determines the combustibility of materials. According to that theory, wood had a good amount of them, oil was saturated with them, and rocks had none. (Now debunked.) In
The Gilded Scarab
, phlogiston particles, when combined with luminiferous aether, enhance the energy output (discharge) of an engine or weapon
Phlogiston Particle Projector—A (fictional) machine or component that produces a plasma bolt. In
Gilded Scarab
, an essential component powering weapons, particularly harquebuses and pistols
Photic—
- (i) adj. Of or relating to light
- (ii) adj. Penetrated by or receiving light
Photon Globe—Lamp; either domestic or large scale on posts in the streets
Plasma—One of the four fundamental states of matter, the others being solid, liquid, and gas
Plasma Bolt—A bolt, stream or pulse of plasma (that is, very hot, very energetic excited matter) from a aether/phlogiston-powered pistol or harquebus
Pneumatic—
- (i) adj. Of or relating to air or other gases
- (ii) adj. Of or relating to pneumatics
- (iii) adj. Powered by, or filled with compressed air
Security Net—In
The Gilded Scarab
, a form of wireless Internet used principally by House Guards to store data. Not in general use
Submersible—Small naval submarine
Tincture—
- (i) A trace or vestige
- (ii) Alcohol solution of a nonvolatile medicine: tincture of iodine
Transparent Aluminum—Clear, strong metal used for see-through aeroship canopies and autocar windscreens
Vapor—Steam
Vaporius—Steamy
Vaporium—Steam pipe
Vulcanized Rubber—natural rubber or related polymer converted to a more durable material via the addition of sulfur or other equivalent curatives
Water Closet—Lavatory. A toilet
Wireless Transmitter—Device for communication through the air, radio/receiver. See
Marconi
Wireless Power Transmitter—Device designed to deliver electrical current to distant devices through the air; i.e., a Tesla coil
Wireless telegraph—Radio and receiver
About the Author
A
NNA
B
UTLER
was a communications specialist for many years, working in UK government departments on everything from marketing employment schemes to running an internal TV service. She now spends her time indulging her love of old-school science fiction. There’s nothing better than handsome heroes running about shooting lasers, saving the planet, and getting into passionate scrapes with equally handsome space pilots. Or good-looking Victorian Aegyptologists getting entangled with gorgeous coffeehouse owners in a steampunk version of London. When she isn’t writing, she thinks about doing the odd bit of gardening, but that never lasts long—Pinterest and building up the biggest collection of tiara images on the web are far more alluring. Anna lives in London with her husband and the Deputy Editor, aka Molly the cockapoo.
Contact Anna at [email protected]
Website: http://www.annabutlerfiction.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/anna.butler.9822 and The Butler’s Pantry: https://www.facebook.com/groups/584417195037925/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/AnnaButlerFic
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