The Prodigal Sun (42 page)

Summary of Important Dates

As per COE standard, “the nth Millennium” is abbreviated to “Mn.”

MO - COE formed, reference zero EN set

M2 - population exceeds one hundred billion, member systems number fifty

M4 - adopts a policy of independence from regional conflict; neighboring systems annexed; Knagg’s System allowed to secede

M10 - population in the thousands of billions, member systems more than two thousand

M13 - the Interdiction Wars; forced underground by the Kesh Supreme Union

M14 - Knagg’s System founds the precursor of the Ataman Theocracy

M15 - the COE reemerges from its underground existence with a population of fifty billion and one hundred member systems

M16 - first contact initiated by the Crescend

Ml8 - the precursor to the Ataman Theocracy dissolves following the annihilation of its power base in Knagg’s System by the fringes of an outsweep migration

M20 - population five thousand billion, one thousand member systems

M23 - the Dominion established from twenty-five previously Non-Aligned Realms

M26 - the Crescend becomes a formal trading ally

M28 - Trinity AI factory established in the COE

M35 - Ataman Theocracy formed

35,325 - the Sol Apotheosis Movement founded

36,836 - the COE encounters the Sol Apotheosis Movement

37,577 - the Scion War

39,112 - the Ghost War

’199 - the Dominion joins the COE

’293 - the First Ataman War

’442 - the Second Ataman War

’837 - the Secession War

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 a variety of types. Common on spacefaring warships.

Absenger, Burne:
chief liaison officer, COE Armada.

Ana Vereine,
DBMP:
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.

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 that are considered strategically important. There are approximately ten thousand million anchor points currently in existence across the galaxy—approximately one for every ten stars.

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 merely a flesh-and-blood after-thought. 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.

Armada:
see
COE Armada
.

Ascensio:
the home-world of Morgan Roche.

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 (in ‘837 EN).

Ataman Wars:
two in number, between the Ataman Theocracy and the COE. The First Ataman War was conducted in ‘293 EN, triggered by expansionist moves within the Ataman Theocracy. Overextended, the Theocracy fell to the Commonwealth in the Second Ataman War (‘442 EN), becoming a semiautonomous province under partial self-rule.

Bantu:
the Mbatan common tongue.

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.

Behzad’s Wall:
a mountain range on the main continental mass of Sciacca’s World, to the north of Port Parvati.

Bini:
a planet in the COE; current seat of the COE High Equity Court.

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

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

Bogasi, Dev:
a xenoarchaeologist.

Boras:
warden, Sciacca Penal Colony.

Box, the:
an AI commissioned by COE Intelligence. Its binary identification number (JW111101000) is one digit longer than normal.

Bright Suzerains:
a string of nations found close to the galactic core.

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, e.g. ‘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 COEA
Midnight
near the Ivy Green Station anchor point while en route to Sciacca’s World.

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, Hurn, Kesh, Mbata, Olmahoi, and Surin.

Chase, Auberon:
head of COE Intelligence.

choss roots:
a plant found on many locations, including Sciacca’s World.

COE:
see
Commonwealth of Empires
.

COE Armada:
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.

COEC:
commercial vessel identification prefix for the COE.

COEI:
COE Intelligence vessel identification prefix.

Commerce Artel:
a galaxywide organization devoted to instigating 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. (See Appendix.)

copek:
a currency commonly found in the Eckandi home-worlds.

Courtesan
, COEC:
a cruise liner registered to the COE.

Crescend, the:
a High Human of some note and great history. Its time of Transcendence is not recorded. Little is known about it, beyond the facts that it is the founder and overseer of Trinity, an ally of the Commonwealth of Empires, and a key supporter of the Interventionist movement. It is assumed to be a singular entity simply because the first person singular is its pronoun of choice.

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

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

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

Delcasalle:
warden, Sciacca Penal Colony.

Dirt & Other Commodities Inc. (DAOC):
a mining consortium that currently owns the rights to the Soul of Sciacca’s World. Its jurisdiction includes the planetary surface down to and including the mantle. In exchange for these exclusive rights, DAOC Inc. maintains the COE’s penal colony based in Port Parvati and the Hutton-Luu System’s only major base, Kanaga Station.

disrupters:
see
hyperspace disrupters
.

Dominion, the:
a long-lived multi-Caste nation that joined the COE in ‘199 EN in order to fend off the Ataman Theocracy.

dreibon:
a staple vegetable found on many worlds.

dust-moth:
a species of flying, nocturnal insect found on Ascensio.

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, grey 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 indiscriminate trade with and between the COE and its neighbors.

Ede System:
an Olmahoi system bordering the COE; recently ravaged by solar flares. Ede Prime is its only inhabited planet.

Emmerik:
a Mbatan transportee, Sciacca Penal Colony.

EN:
see
Ex Nihilo
.

Enforcement:
see
COE Enforcement
.

Enforcer:
see
COE Enforcement
.

epsense:
an ability encompassing telepathy and empathy. The ritual training of neuronics 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.

Espionage Corps:
see
Dato Bloc
.

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 on 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.”

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.

Fal-Soma:
a world in the Hurn provinces.

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

Felucca, Provost Hemi:
leader of the Pan-Rationalist Alliance of Zanshin.

First Ataman War:
conducted between the Ataman Theocracy and the COE in ‘293 EN, triggered by expansionist moves within the former.

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
.

freebooter:
pirate.

Frey, Decima:
an ex-mercenary.

Furioso:
a system in the COE.

Galloglass, DBMP:
a Dato Bloc raider.

Gastel, Felix:
current Eupatrid of the COE.

gehan:
a therapeutic herb.

Ghost War:
begun in ‘112 EN. The Dominion colony of Sciacca’s World was razed by Olmahoi retribution units under the orders of the Ataman Theocracy. In the process, the planet’s biosphere was fundamentally damaged. This incident triggered hostilities between the Ataman Theocracy and the Dominion, even though the former never laid claim to the system.

Giel, the:
a long-lived, highly Exotic Caste that inhabits the Far Reaches of the galaxy.

Gorgone-8:
a planet in the Hurn domain.

greyboots:
see
Olmahoi retribution units
.

Guidebook to the Outer Arms, The:
a popular reference book giving an overview of civilization in the more distant reaches of the galaxy. Updated every century, it is currently in its 456th edition.

Gyori:
major, DBMP
Ana Vereine.

Hage:
commander, DBMP
Galloglass.

Haid, Ameidio:
transportee, Sciacca Penal Colony.

Hazeal, Madra:
Dominion colonist, Sciacca’s World.