TEXT: Traveller
  LBB9: Library Data
  Knowledge is Power
  
  Library Data ©2011 Mongoose Publishing. All rights reserved. Reproduction of this work by any means without the written permission of the publisher is 
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  the Open Game License, please go to www.mongoosepublishing.com.
   
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  people organisations, places or events is purely coincidental.
  Traveller is a trademark of Far Future Enterprises and is used under licence. Printed in the USA.
   CREDITS
  Classic Traveller
  Marc Miller
  Loren Wiseman, John Harshman, Frank Chadwick, Darryl Hany, Winston Hamilton, Tony 
  Svajlenka, Scott Renner, Doug Poe, David MacDonald, Wayne Roth, Paul R. Banner.
  Mongoose Traveller 
  COMPILED BY
  Colin Dunn
  EDITOR
  Ted Chang
  LAYOUT
  Samantha Smith and Will Chapman
  INTERIOR ILLUSTRATIONS
  Nuno Nobre, Ben Wooten, Carlos Nunez de Castro Torres, James Gammell & Kim Feigenbaum
  PROOFREADING
  Charlotte Law
  TRAVELLER
  TRAVELLER
  LIBRARY DATA
  
  2
  LIBRARY DATA ENTRIES
  LIBRARY DATA ENTRIES
  Library data entries are compilations of information commonly 
  obtainable from ship’s computers in response to the correct 
  keywords. The information may prove useful in providing a 
  greater understanding of the workings of the universe, or in 
  providing direction in quests or searches. In any case, the 
  information in library data can be of great help to any travellers 
  looking for guidance.
  AAB: The Argushiigi Admegulasha Bilanidin, which in 
  Vilani means literally the ‘Vilani Repository of All Knowledge,’ 
  is a major scientiﬁ c institution located on the world of Vland. 
  The extensive AAB facilities include a vast museum, a library, 
  and several research centres and publishing houses. 
  Not only does the AAB collect samples, specimens and recorded 
  materials from all over explored space, it also publishes an 
  abridged 15-holocrystal encyclopedia set of its extensive data 
  ﬁ les. Known simply as ‘The Encyclopedia’, the set contains the 
  equivalent of 7,500 extensively illustrated volumes, yet it can 
  easily ﬁ t into a large pocket. 
  Abyss Rift: An area of space within the Lanth Subsector of the 
  Spinward Marches.
  The Abyss has been the site of several notable ship 
  disappearances over the last half-millennium and there has 
  built up a substantial amount of lore associated with them. 
  Curious jump-related phenomena have been reported in the 
  rift for centuries, often by reliable witnesses. Scouts plying the 
  xboat route report events such as receiving radio signals in 
  jump-space to reports of ‘someone on the hull, trying to get in’. 
  This is, of course, impossible.
  Only seven systems lie within the Abyss’ boundaries. The 
  presence of three Red Zone worlds, Victoria, Ylavin and 
  Sonthert, is taken as further evidence by locals that the rift is a 
  bad place where strange and terrifying things happen.
  Acheron: The Acheron are a variant Human race, genetically 
  engineered during the Interstellar Wars period to exploit the 
  mineral wealth of their homeworld. They are considered ugly by 
  human standards, but stronger, tougher and more resistant to high 
  radiation levels. Their Homeworld is Acheron (Diaspora 0932).
  Advanced Base: Modular pressurized quarters with room 
  for six persons. The system includes an air lock and an air 
  recirculation system for life support.
  It takes about two hours to set up or take down a sealed section 
  of the advanced base, and the interior can be set up or taken 
  down in four hours in the relative comfort of the sealed base. 
  The interior is also modular, allowing the interior layout to be 
  altered to suit the needs of the guests.
  Ael Yael: The Ael Yael are among the few exceptions to 
  a time-honoured rule of sophontology, which states that 
  ﬂ ying creatures, because of body weight and brain size, along 
  with the metabolic requirements for both, will never evolve 
  into intelligent species. In a universe as broad and diverse 
  as ours, ‘never’ is an uncertain word. The Ael evolved from 
  ﬂ ying arboreal hexapods, which used powerful hind and mid-
  legs to grasp their prey as they swooped from overhead. A 
  carnivore’s cunning, coupled with environmental pressures, 
  favoured the rise of intelligence.
  The forelimbs’ gliding surfaces eventually became quite 
  serviceable wings (which span four metres), while the mid-
  limbs became both generalised and ﬂ exible enough to permit 
  tool making. 
  Ael eyesight is slightly better than that of a human. Their visual 
  range extends into the infrared, giving them good night vision, 
  while a light-sensitive lens pigmentation keeps them from 
  being dazzled by harsh sunlight, or brilliantly reﬂ ective surfaces. 
  The combination of low gravity and dense atmosphere on 
  Jaeyelya (B-484655-4), the homeworld of the Ael, permits ﬂ ight 
  for larger creatures. Adults stand one and a half metres tall and 
  mass 50 kg. The planet is drying out and the once-extensive 
  forests have been vanishing during the last 1,000 years. Some 
  few Ael colonies still live in treetop communes but most inhabit 
  the caves and fractured cliff-top rocks that overlook Hi-yayahu 
  lae– the Glittering Floor. There are probably less than a million 
  Ael on the entire planet.
  The Ael Yael were ﬁ rst contacted by an Imperial mining corporation, 
  which sought to harvest the mineral riches of the Glittering Floor. 
  The corporation’s actions against the Yael prompted an Imperial 
  intervention, with a protectorate established for the planet. The 
  Glittering Floor is still mined but now by locals, who sell the 
  minerals to the Imperial government.
  The Ael Yael culture has a rich heritage of recited verse, poetry, 
  and mnemonic literature. They enjoy reading the literature of 
  Imperial peoples, which they rework into Aelan literature types in 
  their free time. They are solitary, shun close contact with other 
  races and always seem somewhat homesick for the craggy cliffs 
  and rock spires above the Glittering Floor. Allusions, metaphors, 
  and similes are often expressed in terms of hunting or ﬂ ight 
  (‘I grasp your meaning,’ ‘I need to look down on that idea,’ ‘My 
  soul feels wing-clipped’). 
  
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  They are ﬁ erce warriors in combat; in hand-to-hand they can 
  use their tails, wings, and hind-leg talons, along with any carried 
  weapons in their tool hands. They cannot ﬁ re weapons from 
  cover, however, and will leap straight up into the air when opening 
  ﬁ re from behind cover, exposing themselves to return ﬁ re.
  Ag Worlds Combine: Commercial alliance formed in 780 by the 
  three agricultural worlds of District 268, Motmos, Tarkine and 
  Tarsus, for the purpose of regulating sales to the high population 
  worlds of Collace and Forine. Despite initial difﬁ culties, the three 
  worlds were eventually able to establish a working relationship. 
  The Combine would provide a steady supply of produce and 
  the high-population worlds would provide a steady market at 
  reasonable prices.
  The worlds of the Combine were threatened with takeover by 
  Dallia in 840 but intervention by the two powerful consumer 
  worlds kept the status quo intact.
  Air/Raft: Also known as a ﬂ ier, the air/raft relies on solid-state 
  anti-grav modules for lift and propulsion. Four independent, 
  individually replaceable modules ensure maximum 
  of safety, in that each provides one-quarter 
  of the vehicle’s total lift. A standard air/raft 
  displaces about four tons and can carry a 
  payload of about four tons, including the 
  driver and three passengers. An air/raft 
  can be overloaded with passengers (a 
  maximum of eight can ﬁ t with minimal 
  comfort) 
  provided 
  total tonnage 
  capacity for the vehicle is not exceeded. 
  Cruising speed is usually 100 kph and 
  extremely subject to wind effects. Many 
  of these designs are open-topped and 
  subject to the effects of weather and 
  climate. Enclosed air/rafts are also available 
  for more hostile environments. 
  An air/raft can reach orbit (occupants must 
  wear vacc suits) in several hours (number of 
  hours equals planetary size digit in the UPP). Travel 
  beyond low orbit is not possible, as the grav modules 
  rapidly lose efﬁ ciency outside of a gravity well.
  The major drawbacks to the air/raft are its low load capacity, 
  relatively slow speed and its susceptibility to weather (both 
  the negative effects of bad weather on the passengers and 
  the slowing effects of winds and buffeting).
   
  Al Morai: Based on Mora, the merchant line Al Morai 
  services the Spinward Marches, with routes to the Deneb 
  and Trojan Reaches. In addition, Al Mora provides service 
  to all worlds in the Mora Subsector, connecting them to the 
  major trade routes.
   
  Al Morai was established in 75 as a local transport company 
  serving systems within 10 parsecs of Mora, the company 
  expanded by 120 to handle freight and passengers on a larger 
  scale. During the third century Imperial, the line established an 
  exploration division to supplement its cargo carriers
  All Terrain Vehicle: (ATV) The All Terrain Vehicle is designed to 
  provide high-quality transportation on any number of worlds. 
  It can traverse all but the most forbidding terrain and is fully 
  amphibious. The vehicle’s pressurised interior allows up to 
  eight passengers living quarters with reasonable comfort for 
  long periods of time, including laboratory, sleeping and galley 
  arrangements. The ATV masses 10 tons and can carry a payload 
  of six tons, including the driver and seven passengers. Cruising 
  speed depends on the terrain being travelled: roads can allow 
  up to 100 kph, while cross-country will rarely exceed 60 kph and 
  broken ground will keep speeds to 20 kph and under. Tracked 
  ATVs are somewhat slower than wheeled versions but are more 
  reliable in difﬁ cult terrain.
   
  An 
  ATV may be powered 
  by a battery charged from 
  a ship’s power plant, or it may 
  contain a small fusion pack 
  requiring hydrogen for fuel.
   
  The major drawbacks of ATVs are refuelling 
  requirements (depending on the speciﬁ c model), 
  slowness in some types of terrain and the bulk of the 
  vehicle itself. They are far too large to operate in built-up urban 
  areas, for instance.
  Amber Zone: The Travellers’ Aid Society classiﬁ cation for 
  a nation, world or system that presents a need for caution in 
  dealings and activities. The amber code may indicate chaos, 
  upheaval or xenophobia in local business, politics, society 
  or culture, or may be applied for other reasons. Travellers 
  should exercise caution. See also Red Zone, Travel Zone.
  
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  Anagathics: Anagathics or Antiagathics are longevity drugs, 
  usually a mixture of several compounds. They help prolong 
  life and prevent aging in humans. A regimen of regular monthly 
  doses enables an individual to ignore the debilitating effects of 
  advancing years. They need to be used starting at the age of 
  30 and with luck the user may reach an age of 100 or more 
  before old age starts to take its toll. Because of the rarity and 
  demand for anagathics, they are quite expensive and are often 
  unavailable at any price.
  It takes a while for the total effects of anagathics to be felt; it also 
  takes a while for the effects of anagathics to totally go away. 
  However, there are withdrawal symptoms from interrupting the 
  supply of the drug. Obviously, anagathics are most effective if 
  they can be taken long-term without interruption. A continually-
  interrupted supply can have devastating effects. Anagathics have 
  dangerous side-effects on some users and often anagathics 
  users take extra risks to maintain a constant supply.
  Imperial society generally frowns on nobles who take 
  anagathics.
  Ancients: ‘Ancients’ is the name given to a race of intelligent, 
  non-human beings who inhabited various locations in this 
  portion of the galaxy approximately -300,000. Archaeological 
  evidence recovered from excavations of the few known Ancient 
  cities indicates that the race destroyed itself during a 2,000-
  year period of intense warfare, which left only ruined cities and 
  shattered planets.
   
  The Ancients were responsible for several major features within 
  the region now occupied by the Imperium. Their warfare resulted 
  in the large proportion of asteroid belts throughout this spiral 
  arm. Scattered empty cities (most severely damaged by battle) 
  stand as evidence of their wars; most, however, are restricted 
  areas under investigation by the Imperium and not open to the 
  public. The Ancients are generally accepted as responsible for 
  the dissemination of Humaniti within its current domain when 
  they transplanted genetic stock from Terra to at least 40 worlds 
  across a span of some 360 parsecs.
  See also Humaniti, Solomani Hypothesis.
  The Ancients were also responsible for the creation of the 
  Vargr through genetic manipulation of carnivore/chaser stock. 
  Apparently, they used Terran canine stock acquired at the same 
  time as humaniti.
  See also Varg.
  Andory (Five Sisters subsector 0206-C695735-9 Agricultural). 
  Andory is a prime candidate for a possible Droyne homeworld. 
  Discovered in 802 and placed under interdict (red travel zone) 
  by Imperial Interstellar Scout Service.
  See also Droyne. 
  Android: An artiﬁ cially-created organic being. Technically “a 
  synthetic man, created from biological materials”. Androids can 
  take any form.
  These artiﬁ cial beings are created from a combination of cloning 
  and genetic engineering. Their general inability to reproduce 
  results from laws of most high-tech worlds rather than from 
  technology. At TL-14, DNA chains can be synthetically tailored 
  to create desired characteristics. Susceptibility to premature 
  aging and sickness at that Tech Level limits their lifespan to 
  10-15 years.
  Anglic: The ofﬁ cial language of the Third Imperium. 
  A distant descendent of Terran English, Anglic was the 
  language of the Rule of Man (-2294 to -1776). Anglic remained 
  a common interstellar language for trade and commerce during 
  the Long Night.
   
  Its widespread use on the original worlds of the Third Imperium 
  made it the natural language when the Imperium was 
  established. On many worlds, Anglic is only a second language 
  used for system trafﬁ c control, commercial operations and 
  interstellar communications. Anglic is sometimes called 
  Galanglic (for Galactic Anglic).
   
  The Imperium has not been able to prevent the emergence of 
  a wide variety of Anglic dialects, though interstellar commu-
  nications, holocrystals and recordings do help to spread a 
  uniform pronunciation of Anglic throughout the entire Imperium. 
  Within the Imperium, any Anglic speaker can understand 
  almost any other but isolated communities on worlds with 
  little contact with the interstellar trade lanes shift their speech 
  patterns to form dialects. In addition, broad areas within the 
  Imperium have established their own pronunciation patterns; 
  accepted dialects include Rim (which includes Terra), Core (the 
  central region of the Imperium), Riftian (the Spinward Frontiers), 
  and Transform (the Antares region).
  Anola: The anola is an arboreal omnivore native to Pysadi 
  (Spinward Marches 3008), occurring nowhere else in the 
  wild or in captivity. Anolas are considered holy by the Mother 
  Church of Pysadi. Their export, capture or study by any but 
  those high in the religious hierarchy is banned. They are kept 
  in special, heavily-guarded garden preserves and are cared for 
  by specially appointed keepers. Killing one of these animals is a 
  capital offense. Although anolas are occasionally encountered 
  in the wild on Pysadi, those close to civilised areas have been 
  taken into the preserves.
  Anolas mass an average of 3 kilograms and are usually between 
  50 and 75 centimeters in length, including their two prehensile 
  tails. Since anolas were known only from poorly preserved 
  pelts smuggled off-planet, for many years there were thought 
  to be three species but as more complete specimens became 
  
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  available, it was determined that the three different types were 
  only different sexual phases of one species.
  Ansing Expedition: Famous exploration of the accessible reaches 
  of the gas giant Annikkittar in the Pretoria system, in 870 to 
  884. Extensive use of specially-designed exploration vessels, 
  protective environment suits and high technology equipment 
  allowed the Ansing Foundation of Vland to extensively map and 
  explore the upper reaches of the gas giant’s atmosphere.
   
  Answerin: Minor human native to Answerin/Answerin (Vland 
  0431). The close binary system outputs a massive amount of UV 
  radiation, resulting in heavy melanin production in the Answerin.
  Like most minor human races, the physiological differences from 
  Solomani-Vilani norm are slight. Rather, it is societal, cultural 
  and psychological differences that set the Answerin apart from 
  the rest of Humaniti.
  Given the lower gravity of Answerin, the humans from that race 
  are somewhat taller than most humans. The average Answerin 
  male is about 1.9 metres tall, and the average Answerin female 
  is about 1.8 metres tall. Average mass is about 75 kilograms 
  for both sexes.
   All Answerin have dark brown or black skin tones. Hair colour 
  is likewise dark, with wavy hair three times as likely as straight 
  hair. Their faces are marked by slight epicanthic folds over their 
  eyes as protection against the light of their twin suns. These 
  folds give some individuals a squinting appearance, while 
  others just seem tired.
  A key element of the Answerin psychology is the belief that fear 
  in any form, from sheer lack of conﬁ dence through anxiety to 
  terror, is simply a disease of the mind. It is a weak will and 
  undisciplined mind that separates common men from heroes. 
  Conquering the mind, the Answerin believe, will enable them 
  to better master themselves physically and with that mastery 
  comes freedom from the physical. This is how the Answerin 
  view human happiness.
  The Answerin, then, sometimes appear as very self-assured 
  and smug to outsiders. They know that there is truly nothing 
  to fear except fear itself. This makes it difﬁ cult for others to 
  get along with Answerin. Their conﬁ dence can be overbearing 
  and more than a few Answerin are deemed by outsiders to be 
  conceited and arrogant. This is really a poor interpretation; 
  Answerin merely look at stressful situations with a rational 
  detachment and conclude that nothing, least of all efﬁ ciency 
  and success, is to be gained by giving into the corruption of the 
  mind known as fear.
  By no means are the Answerin stoic. They are not one-note video 
  aliens. They display the full range of human emotion in the usual 
  ways. Nothing akin to fear, however, means anything to them.
  The Answerin adrenal response is under conscious control for 
  most individuals, which they can use for bursts of speed and 
  strength in combat, or other stressful situations. Combine this 
  with their utter fearlessness and they can be extremely effective 
  and even terrifying, warriors.
  Another key component of the Answerin psychology is that, with 
  no fear of death, violence is viewed as a pragmatic solution 
  to many problems. The ancient Vilani exploited this, using 
  the Answerin as shock troops and marines.  They can often 
  be found in similar professions in the Third Imperium as well, 
  though their recruitment is no longer institutionalised the way it 
  was with the Vilani. 
  Antares: Trailing region of the Third Imperium. The 
  name Antares is applied to a variety of places at the trailing 
  fringe of the Imperium. Antares is a domain of the Imperium, a 
  sector within that domain and the capital of that sector. 
  Antares, League of: The League of Antares (although it does 
  not include the Antares system) is an autonomous region within 
  the Imperium. The worlds were originally pressed into the 
  Imperium in 89 during the Antarean Paciﬁ cation Campaign and 
  then were occupied by the Julian Protectorate during the Julian 
  War. When regained for the Imperium at the end of that war, the 
  peace terms included a mandate that the League of Antares 
  be given limited autonomy for control of trade, commerce 
  and internal affairs. The autonomy of the League of Antares 
  served as a model for the later establishment of the Solomani 
  Autonomous Region.
   
  Antebellum: Literally, before the war. This is a general 
  historical term referring to the period within the Imperium before 
  the Civil War, speciﬁ cally 210 to 604. The antebellum period 
  was characterised by expansion of the Imperium, with large-
  scale colonisation efforts, integration of numerous regions into 
  Imperial society and an overall mood of growth and exploration. 
  With the end of the antebellum period, the Imperium turned more 
  attention inward, devoting resources to internal development 
  and consolidation. 
  Archduke: Each of the six original domains has an archduke 
  exercising overall control and acting as an intermediary 
  between the Emperor and the other levels of nobility (except for 
  the domain of Sylea, where the Emperor is the archduke). They 
  are referred to by the title Archduke followed by the title of the 
  domain. An arch-dukedom includes a ﬁ ef consisting of an entire 
  world, generally retained as a private reserve. 
  Arcology: An arcology is a planet-based city or settlement 
  maintaining an extremely high sophont population density. 
  Arcologies are generally advocated as solutions to the 
  problems of overpopulation and environmental degradation, 
  as they reduce the ecological footprint of cities. Most cities 
  spread across a planet’s surface horizontally — covering more 
  
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  and more land and reducing arable farmland. Arcologies, on 
  the other hand, are more three-dimensional, either going 
  underground, or going vertical. 
  A distinction should be made between an arcology, which tries 
  to integrate itself into the local landscape and ecology and a 
  mega-structure, which is simply a giant building.
  Archon Thesis: During the early years of the Third Imperium, 
  and following the traditions of the previous Imperiums, there 
  was considerable speculation as to why Humaniti has arisen on 
  so many different worlds within the galaxy. Because of genetic 
  evidence that all these branches of humaniti sprang from 
  common stock, it is generally assumed that the race originated 
  on one world and was then scattered across the galaxy by some 
  mysterious ancient race.
  During the Second Imperium, the leading scientiﬁ c theory of the 
  period was the Archon thesis. That thesis postulates that the 
  Ancients were actually a race of humaniti (the Archons), who 
  developed vast technology on their home world — supposedly 
  Terra, home of the Solomani — some hundreds of thousands 
  of years ago. The minor human races across known space 
  are believed to be the descendents of the Ancient human 
  survivors of the Final War, who had been blasted back to a pre-
  technological existence.
  Given the degree of bigotry within the Solomani, it is hardly 
  surprising that the Archon thesis has attracted substantial 
  support, particularly from Solomani nobility and archaeological 
  scientists. Since the thesis postulates that the Archon Ancients 
  evolved on Terra, it lent further force to the Solomani nobility’s 
  delusions of grandeur. It led many Solomani to claim, arrogantly, 
  that they were entitled to rule the galaxy, not merely as the former 
  lords of the Ramshackle Empire but as the descendents of the 
  Ancients themselves. Though the theory is largely discredited, it 
  is still common on many worlds of the Solomani Sphere.
  Artifact: Technically, any manufactured object. However, the 
  term ‘artifact’ is commonly used to refer to any object, item, or 
  group of related items produced by the Ancients. 
  Aslan: Aslan are a Major Race, the last to achieve jump ﬂ ight. 
  They stand roughly human-sized, averaging 2.0 metres in height 
  and weighing about 100 kilograms. They are descended from 
  four-limbed, upright, bipedal carnivore/pouncer stock, originally 
  adapted to a solitary arboreal existence. The earliest Terran 
  explorers saw in them a vague resemblance to the Terran 
  lion and they have been described (by Terrans) as lion-like 
  ever since, although there is very little true similarity. The 
  derivation of the word Aslan is unknown. There are two sexes, 
  male and female. The most notable external difference is the 
  increased size and mane of the former. Females outnumber 
  males by 3:l. 
  Aslan have a single highly specialised claw under each thumb 
  which folds back jack-knife fashion into a horny covering in the 
  base of the thumb and palm. 
  The Aslan Hierate, a vast region of Aslan-dominated space lies 
  to rimward of the Imperium, bordering on Solomani space and 
  the Great Rift. However, Aslan themselves have ranged far 
  beyond its borders, with many settling within the Imperium and 
  attaining full status as citizens. As citizens, they subordinate 
  themselves to Imperial authority, although they have remained 
  culturally apart from human society. Aslan serve in the 
  Imperial armed forces; they achieve noble positions; they pay 
  taxes; they run businesses. 
  The Aslan are a warrior race, proud and noble, devoted to 
  those in authority above them. An individual Aslan is usually 
  a member of a family of from 2 to 12 individuals under a 
  patriarchal leader. Several families will combine into a pride with 
  one family dominant. A number of prides form a clan, with one 
  pride being dominant. Aside from military organisations and the 
  ruling council (within the Hierate), the clan is the highest social-
  political organisation among the Aslan. A deep-seated territorial 
  instinct causes the Aslan to have an inordinate (from a human 
  standpoint) concern with land. For male Aslan, owning land is a 
  major goal in life. An Aslan’s status is determined by the amount 
  of land he (or her husband) controls. Status is also gained by 
  being a vassal to a lord with a large territory.
  
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  The lowest classes of Aslan are landless and provide the 
  farmers, labourers, craftsmen and factory workers. A holder of a 
  large territory will often grant authority over it to vassals (usually 
  sons, brothers, or male relatives by marriage) who administer 
  the land in his name. 
  The two sexes have very different roles in Aslan society. Males 
  (in all but the lowest classes) are concerned mostly with military 
  operations, acquisition of territory, and political affairs. Females 
  are concerned with trade, industry and the accumulation of 
  knowledge. Upper class males have little conception of money 
  and are literally incapable of functioning in a technological 
  society without aid, thus are seldom encountered without the 
  supervision of a wife, mother, or other female relative or employer. 
  For instance, a typical Aslan mercenary unit will be organised 
  by a wealthy married female, who will then assign its operation, 
  for a share of the proceeds, to an unmarried female relative. 
  The battle commander and most of the troops will be unmarried 
  males (many of them also relatives), hired with the promise of 
  land grants (and the opportunity to gain honour and reputation 
  in combat); however, staff, operations, supply and intelligence 
  ofﬁ cers will generally be female. The extremely deadly nature of 
  any combat between Aslan has led to a rigid, ritualised pattern 
  of behaviour designed to reduce conﬂ ict. Aslan are very polite 
  and most have learned to be patient with non-Aslan, accidental 
  ﬁ ghts still occur. Disputes between individuals are handled by 
  the patriarchs, disputes between families by the pride leader, 
  between prides by the clan leader. 
  See also Aslan Border Wars, Aslan Hierate, Kuzu. 
  Aslan Border Wars (-1120 to 380): Series of conﬂ icts between 
  various Aslan clans and human systems as the Aslan expanded 
  toward already-settled human territory. The Aslan achieved 
  major race status late (circa -1900) and proceeded to expand 
  into the available territory in their region of space. Contacts along 
  their trailing border necessarily resulted in friction with the human 
  systems in that region. Because the Long Night was already well 
  under way by the time the Aslan encountered humans, there 
  was no central human government to resist Aslan incursions. 
  Since there was no united Aslan authority either, the sides were 
  fairly matched and numerous small wars were fought between 
  Aslan clans and human splinter states, with alliances among the 
  various powers constantly forming and dissolving. 
  The border between human and Aslan space remained relatively 
  constant, with a few systems changing hands after each war. 
  At this time some clans also launched raids into the interior of 
  the former Imperial domains, conquering and settling worlds as 
  much as 40 parsecs beyond the border. 
  Once the Third Imperium expanded into the region (circa 200), 
  its superior organisation and technology gradually put an end 
  to the Aslan threat. The ﬁ nal treaties, negotiated with all the 
  major clans, established a buffer zone about 30 parsecs wide 
  between the Imperial border and the region of Aslan control. 
  There has been no war since the ﬁ nal treaty was signed in 380, 
  although the Solomani have violated portions of the zone and 
  incorporated it into their boundaries.
  See also Aslan, Aslan Hierate.
   
  Aslan Hierate: Interstellar, multi-sector government of the many 
  Aslan clans. Aslan society centres on the clan. Within the Hierate, 
  the family structure of the Aslan and the governmental structure are 
  the same. The highest governmental functions are performed by a 
  council of 29 clan leaders chosen from amongst the most powerful 
  clans. “The 29” (as they are called) have quasi-religious status and 
  represent the essential unity of the Aslan race. To be chosen one of 
  “The 29” is the highest honour to which any Aslan can aspire. The 
  29 meets continuously on Kuzu to adjudicate inter-clan disputes 
  and decide matters of group policy. No member of the 29 speaks 
  for the Hierate as a whole, nor does the whole 29. 
  There are no Hierate military forces; each clan has its own and 
  they rarely act in concert with those of other clans. The Hierate 
  itself can call upon military forces only insofar as the clans 
  themselves agree to provide such forces. Even the minor forces 
  conveying the 29’s decisions are actually under the control of 
  individual clan leaders. 
  See also Aslan, Aslan Border Wars, Kuzu. 
  AssaultRon: The Assault Squadron, or AssaultRon, is 
  composed of troop transports and supporting ships. Capable 
  of carrying hundreds of battalions of invading troops, the 
  AssaultRon’s mission is to transport troops, their equipment 
  and their supplies from star system to star system and to deliver 
  troops from orbit to a disputed planetary surface.
  AssaultRons tend to be homogeneous units, each equipped 
  with only one type of ship. Thus, the 10897th Imperial Assault 
  Transport Squadron would be equipped for troop transport, while 
  the 9705th Assault Invasion Squadron would be equipped to 
  deliver the troops to an invasion beachhead on a world surface.
  See also CruRon, BatRon, TankRon, and ScoutRon.
  Astrography: The science of mapping interstellar space. 
  Basic to any science of mapping is a coordinate system. The 
  system used by the Imperium is based on rings of longitude, 
  rays of latitude and parsecs. Rays of latitude extend from the 
  galactic core, while concentric rings of longitude are placed at 
  one-parsec intervals. By convention, the concentric ring passing 
  through Reference/Capital is labelled the 10,000th ring and is 
  used as a baseline.
  Similarly, the ray of latitude extending from the centre of the 
  Galaxy through Reference/Capital is designated as the ﬁ rst ray. 
  Measurement is in parsecs, counting in the trailing direction. 
  
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  Computation reveals that the circumference of the 10,000th 
  ring (r=10,000) is 62,832 parsecs. Counting spinward uses a 
  subtraction from 62,833, which is the equivalent of the zero 
  baseline. 
  For example, Regina, of the Regina Subsector, in the 
  Spinward Marches, is 9930 ring/ray 62723. The format for 
  expression of location is xxxx ring/ray yyyyy, where xxxx is the 
  ring of longitude (distance from the galactic core in parsecs), 
  and yyyyy is the distance of the ray of latitude (in parsecs) from 
  the ﬁ rst ray of latitude, measured along the ring of longitude in 
  the trailing direction.
   
  This mapping system is highly Imperio-centric with other systems 
  being used by other peoples and races outside the Imperium. 
  This system has gained wide acceptance, however, among 
  Imperium-dominated client-states, human and otherwise. This 
  mapping system breaks down and is prone to error beyond 
  certain limits. It does serve admirably for a band approximately 
  400 parsecs wide at a longitude of 10,000 parsecs.
   
  ATV: See All Terrain Vehicle. 
   
  Baron: The second level of noble rank in the Imperium is the 
  baron, the lowest level accorded membership in the peerage. 
  Barons are referred to in several different styles including the 
  use of preﬁ xes to the surname (such as von, haut, or hault) 
  and/or the title Baron (or Baroness for females). An individual 
  accorded a barony for service may receive a ﬁ ef of land on a 
  single world, generally not more than 100 square kilometres. 
  When a barony includes a ﬁ ef, then the title is generally followed 
  by the ﬁ ef’s name (such as Baron Solvenos). 
  Baronet: Intermediate between the ﬁ rst and second level of 
  noble rank is the baronet. Baronet is a special form of baron 
  awarded by an archduke of one of the domains of the Imperium. 
  Baronets rank below barons in seniority and precedence. 
  Although the Emperor can create baronets (either as Emperor 
  or in his capacity as Archduke of Sylea), in practice they are 
  created only by the archdukes. 
  A baronetcy entitles the individual to use the preﬁ x Baronet 
  before the name.
   
  BatRon: BatRons, or Battleship Squadrons, in the naval parlance 
  of the Third Imperium, are typically two to eight battleships or 
  dreadnoughts of 100,000 to 1 million tons each, plus escorts 
  and auxiliaries (usually less than 25% of capital ship tonnage). 
  The term is also applied to Battle Rider squadron, though they 
  are organised differently.
  Battle squadrons are created from battleships or battle riders 
  and are intended to meet the best of the enemy ﬂ eet, engage 
  it and destroy it. Their purpose is battle. Battle squadrons 
  are usually reinforced with large numbers of auxiliary ships, 
  including refuelling shuttles, escorts and support cruisers. In 
  addition, they are accompanied by a number of ﬂ eet couriers, 
  which carry communications between squadrons
  .
  See also CruRon, AssaultRon, TankRon and ScoutRon.
  .
  Barracks Emperors: See Emperors of the Flag. 
  Battle Dress: Imperial term for personal powered combat armour. 
  Battle dress enhances the strength and senses of individuals 
  wearing it with variable feedback personal controls, servo-
  powered limbs, and various kinds of electronic assistance. 
  Battle dress is somewhat bulky but is roughly man-sized. 
  In addition to the enhanced strength, the suit usually has 
  several pieces of equipment built in, including short-range 
  communicators, life support systems and sensor enhancements. 
  Many also have one or more weapons built-in, along with 
  connection sockets for plasma and fusion guns.
  Battle of Kagukhasaggan: In the closing stages of the 
  Solomani Rim War, an Imperial task force built around the 
  ﬂ eet intruder Bard Endeavour was ambushed while refuelling 
  in the Kagukhasaggan system by the Solomani dreadnaught 
  Retaliation and a large number of accompanying warships, 
  together forming Strike Force Daring. Several of the smaller 
  Imperial escorts in the high guard position were destroyed 
  covering the disengagement of the Imperial task force from 
  the system’s gas giant’s gravity well and those ships already 
  refuelled headed out-system at maximum acceleration to make 
  a jump. To cover the withdrawal, the Bard Endeavour (its tanks 
  nearly dry) remained behind to delay the enemy and sell itself 
  as dearly as possible.
  The heroic stand of the Bard Endeavour enabled most of the 
  task force to escape, but left the ﬂ eet intruder a glowing wreck in 
  a decaying orbit over Kagukhasaggan 2, one of the small inner 
  worlds of the system. Those crew still living began evacuating 
  the doomed vessel, although many were cut off in the interior of 
  the stricken vessel.
  Based upon the interrogation of the evacuated crews, the 
  Solomani felt the ship was still intact enough to recover. The 
  Solomani assembled three strike teams. One entered through 
  the read doors of the boat dock deck to clear the jump drive deck 
  and repair the jump drives if possible. The second team forced 
  their way onto the ship via the ﬁ ghter recovery lock on deck 69 
  and crippled the four remaining ﬁ ghters. The third part forced the 
  air locks on deck 41 and cleared deck 40 above it. A handful of 
  marines and crew resisted the ﬁ rst strike team and denied the 
  Solomani salvage of the ship. The three strike teams evacuated. 
  Three hours later the Imperial Fleet Intruder Bard Endeavour, 
  with 43 of her defenders still aboard, suffered catastrophic re-
  entry into the atmosphere of Kagukhasaggan 2.
  
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  Battle of Two Suns, 1084: The ﬁ nal battle between Imperial 
  forces and the Outworld Coalition in the Fourth Frontier War. 
  Losses on both sides were heavy but the Imperium held the 
  ﬁ eld and the Coalition was unable to continue their advance due 
  to the lengthening supply lines. Had the battle gone the other 
  way, the loss of both Yres and Menorb (the encounter occurring 
  midway between those two locations) would have forced 
  the evacuation of Efate and meant the collapse of the entire 
  coreward end of the Regina subsector. The battleﬁ eld is still 
  posted as a dangerous area, littered with debris and avoided by 
  interstellar transportation.
  Battle Rider: Non-jump capable ship intended to stand in the 
  line of battle in space combat and carried between stars by a 
  jump-capable battle tender.
   
  Two opposite views in naval architecture have dominated the 
  design of the major warships of space navies. The battle rider 
  concept involves a large jump-capable tender carrying from two 
  to ten heavily armed and armoured battle riders. The opposite 
  concept is the battleship, a large jump-capable ship that carries 
  the jump drives and fuel tanks internally. The battle tender, so 
  integral to the concept of the battle rider, is little more than a 
  large dispersed structure with jump drives, fuel tanks and basic 
  controls. By dispensing with the need for jump drives and jump 
  fuel tanks on each of the riders, each becomes ton for ton 
  more heavily armed and armoured. It is generally held that, in 
  any meeting between a battleship and a battle rider of equal 
  tonnage, the battle rider will triumph
  . 
  See also Battleship, Battle Tender.
   
  Battleship: Jump-capable starship intended to stand in the 
  line of battle in space combat. The battleship embodies the 
  polar opposite of the battle-rider concept. Battleships are large, 
  well-armed and well-armoured starships of massive tonnage, 
  capable of meeting almost any adversary. In a battle against 
  a superior force, however, the battleship can ﬂ ee using its own 
  jump drives. A battle rider, however, carried into combat by a 
  battle tender, does not allow for the possibility of superior force; 
  no matter how good a rider is, if it meets a superior adversary, it 
  is placed in a position of winning or dying.
  Retreat is nearly impossible without losses. Battleships are 
  also more suited to ‘show-the-ﬂ ag’ missions, where one large, 
  heavily-armed vessel is sent to visit outlying worlds and client 
  states, in order to awe them with the power of the Imperium and 
  its Navy. 
  See also Battle Rider.
  
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  Battle Tender: Interstellar ship transport intended to carry battle 
  riders into combat. Generally a dispersed structure, it transports 
  a squadron of battle riders ready for immediate launch upon 
  entry into a system. While the riders press the attack, the tender 
  stays in the reserve for protection.
  See also Battle Rider. 
  Bawapakerwa-a-a-awapawab: Intelligent minor race native to 
  Marhaban (Empty Quarter 0425). Known as Bwaps or Wabs 
  (from their name for themselves, Bawapakerwa-a-a-awapawab), 
  they are also known as Newts due to their appearance.
  Bwaps average 1.4 m in height and mass between 30 and 
  50 kilograms. They are upright, bipedal, homoeothermic and 
  bisexual, with an internal skeleton and a closed circulatory 
  system. Their haemoglobin is copper-based, a deep blue in 
  colour, making their skin a faint greenish-blue in areas without 
  pigmentation. Otherwise, greens, browns, yellows and blues 
  are the most common skin colours, usually in patterns of darker 
  colours over a lighter basic colour
   
  Bwaps can be found throughout the Imperium, more commonly 
  in the region trailing and coreward of Capital (Core 2118). Fewer 
  than 12 Imperial worlds are fully controlled by Bwaps and most 
  of these are classed as religious dictatorships. Bwap merchants 
  and administrators can be found throughout known space but 
  are less common outside the Imperium.
  Society is dominated by the Bwap world-view, which holds that 
  each individual has a place in the wapawab or tree - a view 
  stemming from their habitat but including phratry, bloodlines, 
  country and place of duty. The literal tree is intricately tied into 
  the planetary ecology, providing shelter and oxygen, converting 
  water and minerals into food and so on. The ﬁ gurative tree is 
  much harder to deﬁ ne but is roughly equivalent to a clan or 
  tribal group. Both sorts of trees are part of a planet, which is 
  part of a solar system, which is part of a cluster, which is part 
  of a galaxy, which is part of the cosmos. Everything the Bwaps 
  do reﬂ ects this complex, wheels-within-wheels outlook. Each 
  individual takes great pride in being one small, functional and 
  unique cog in a vast, ever-changing universe of interlinked 
  patterns. Their ritual of greeting, for instance, seems like 
  meaningless formality and windy chitchat to non-Bwaps, but 
  it communicates ‘I am in this place and doing my part. Where 
  are you and what are you doing?’.
  From the human point of view, Bwaps are obsessed with 
  minutiae, patterns and the order of things. Driven by this internal 
  desire to see everything in its proper place, they make excellent 
  bureaucrats, ofﬁ cials, mathematicians, bookkeepers, scientists 
  and historians. However, their obsession with ritual and proper 
  conduct can make them difﬁ cult to deal with. Those who violate 
  the rituals will be lectured to, at length, on propriety. Dealing with 
  Bwaps takes time but trying to speed things up only takes more 
  time. Criminal behaviour is extremely rare and is considered the 
  worst form of mental disorder among Bwaps, since it disrupts the 
  proper order of things. Their world-view means that their deﬁ nition 
  of crime is often at variance with Imperial norms but fortunately 
  most Bwaps courts consider exile to be sufﬁ cient punishment, 
  especially in the case of aliens such as humans.
  Beaked Monkey: (Psittarhynchus fructophagii) or Beakers (as 
  they are sometimes called) are common on many worlds, both 
  in the wild and in captivity. In addition, they are found on many 
  starships as pets. Their planet of origin is not known but the 
  animals can be documented as far back as far as 300 years pre-
  Imperial, with a range almost as widespread as at the present.
  Beaked monkeys typically weigh from two to three kilograms, and 
  measure 60 to 75 centimetres in length, half of which is generally 
  taken up by the tail. Tails are sometimes bobbed on animals kept 
  aboard spacecraft. Beakers are covered by a short fur, most 
  commonly brown or gray. Black is rare and white extremely so. 
  The animal’s most notable feature, the beak, is formed of two bony 
  projections from the palate and mandible, covered by a horny 
  substance resembling keratin. The lower third of the esophagus 
  is extremely heavily muscled and lined with a number of tooth-like 
  grinding structures, which break swallowed food into fragments 
  small enough to be digested readily. In the wild, the beaker is 
  arboreal and is thought to have originally subsisted on a diet of 
  hard-shelled nuts and seeds, although specimens have been 
  observed eating insects and other small animals. In captivity, 
  beakers thrive on almost any available type of human food.
  The animals are quite popular as pets on starships because of 
  their gregarious affection to almost all humans, their intelligence 
  and their scrupulous cleanliness. Some individuals are rumoured 
  to act as a booster for certain psionic activities but this last ability 
  has not been proven to the satisfaction of most authorities.
   
  ‘Behind the Claw’: A slang term used by inhabitants of the 
  Spinward Marches, Deneb, and Trojan Reach Sectors to refer 
  to these areas. The term derives from a supposed resemblance 
  between a claw and the Great Rift, as seen on maps of the 
  Imperium. Inhabitants of this region feel a certain pride in this 
  designation, and it is used to imply that they share a camaraderie 
  and common interest. The name was once used as the title of 
  a popular news magazine with a circulation area encompassing 
  the three sectors. The term is rarely used by inhabitants of other 
  areas of the Imperium.
  Belt Mining: Belt mining is the process of extracting useful 
  minerals and other substances from asteroids. Asteroids fall 
  into three basic categories, each of which is different in nature 
  and value.
   
  Nickel-iron asteroids are reasonably dense, high-grade sources 
  of metal of most value to the manufacturing industry; large 
  asteroids can be sold to local shipbuilding concerns as planetoid 
  starship hulls
  
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  Carbonaceous 
  asteroids 
  are 
  the 
  most 
  common 
  planetoids and have the lowest value of all asteroids in most 
  marketplaces. These stony chunks have the most value in 
  systems where space colonies and large stations can make 
  use of the variety of the useful elements-carbon, hydrogen, 
  oxygen and so on-that can be extracted from them. 
  Ice chunks are made up of various frozen volatiles, such 
  as methane, water and the like. These “dirty snowballs” are 
  a source of hydrogen fuel and hence support an entire specialty of 
  ice miners who seek them out. In systems where gas giants 
  cannot be used for one reason or another, a starport or space 
  station may pay reasonably good money for ice chunks, though 
  they will never make a belter rich. 
  None of these three categories of asteroid is particularly valuable, 
  and few belters ever made a fortune strictly from discovering 
  and mining any of these. In point of fact, there are other things 
  to be found. Many asteroids, most particularly nickel-iron rocks, 
  contain varying amounts of the valuable minerals, platinum, 
  iridium and so forth, and sometimes radioactives. Occasionally 
  an asteroid will be discovered with an unusual conﬁ guration that 
  makes it valuable for scientiﬁ c or even aesthetic purposes. And, 
  ﬁ nally, there are artifacts, which take in the entire gamut from 
  the ﬂ otsam of a week-old wreck to a trove left by the Ancients, 
  and which vary in value accordingly.
   
  Belter: Strictly speaking, one who practices the profession of 
  asteroid prospector and miner, usually working alone or 
  with a small number of partners. Loosely, any resident of an 
  asteroid belt, including citizens of civilised belts such as Glisten, 
  some of whom have never been in a spaceship.
   
  Black globe generators: These devices are a rudimentary 
  force screen generator that produces a characteristic black 
  globe surrounding its mechanism. Matter and energy are unable 
  to penetrate the surface of the screen and energy impinging 
  on the screen is absorbed within the mechanism, typically to a 
  capacitor bank. When the screen is dropped, the energy is then 
  radiated away as heat.
  Unfortunately, the generator has several disadvantages, 
  primarily being restricted in its ability to manoeuvre, ﬁ re weapons 
  or communicate while the ﬁ eld is in operation. In addition, there 
  is a danger of the ﬁ eld overloading the energy banks; when 
  ﬁ lled to capacity, this causes massive internal explosions, side-
  stepping any armor the ship may be outﬁ tted with, leading to the 
  destruction of the vessel
  .
  A route around these disadvantages, and extending the time 
  to overload, is to ‘ﬂ icker’ the black globe generator. This 
  ﬂ ickering, set at any percentage of full absorption, allows 
  limited manoeuvrability as well as the ability to ﬁ re weapons, 
  communicate and radiate some of the energy that the generator 
  has absorbed. The drawback, of course, is the black globe 
  armed vessel will take on damage equal to the percentage that 
  the generator is ‘off’.
  This is a high-tech item. Early devices are available at TL 15 but 
  are more generally available at TL 16-19.
  Bloodwell: Merchant trader in the 1000-ton class belonging 
  to the Oberlindes Lines and generally assigned to the Regina/
  Regina to Pandrin/Uthe run. Lost with all hands and passengers 
  to Imperial naval action 347-1105 when mistakenly identiﬁ ed 
  as hostile. 
  Boat: Any defensive non-starship. In general, the term boat is 
  reserved for craft produced for local defensive operations. While 
  non-interstellar in nature, they are heavily armed and armoured.
   
  Also used to reference any small craft or non-jump vessel used 
  for orbital or interplanetary travel.
  .
  See also System Defence Boat.
   
  Bonded Superdense Material: Bonded superdense is a hull/
  armour material. It is made of superdense material that has a 
  small trickle charge passed through it in order to strengthen 
  molecular bonds. It is the best armour material available at 
  standard Imperial Tech Levels.
  Brzk: Archduke of Antares. Brzk’s great- (to the eighth) 
  grandfather, Admiral Soegz, was a loyal supporter of Arbellatra 
  in the ﬁ nal years of the Civil War.
  Brzk, a Vargr, is the only non-human Archduke in the 
  Imperium.
  Bush Runner: (Sufﬁ tifer andrewsii, et al ) Adult bush runners 
  weigh approximately 50 kilograms and are between 1.4 
  and 1.5 metres in length. Physically, they resemble a cross 
  between the terran kangaroo (Macropus and others) and the 
  eten fruit-lizard (Fructo raptor).
  Bush Runners have a succulent blue ﬂ esh, which is toxic in 
  any sort of quantity, but considered a delicacy on cultural Vilani 
  worlds. Like many animals, they have been disseminated to a 
  variety of worlds through the actions of one or another society, 
  though the likely culprits are the Vilani of the First Imperium. 
  Calibration Point: Deep space refueling points used to cross 
  areas of space where there are no star systems to provide gas 
  giant, ocean, or asteroid refuelling points. Calibration points are 
  located in deep interstellar space, light years from the nearest 
  signiﬁ cant astronomical body. At the simplest level, they consist 
  of a natural source of hydrogen, typically a comet nucleus or 
  other ice body but rogue planets are rarely found and used for 
  these purposes. These natural calibration points are discovered 
  and exploited, not constructed.
  
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  The most sophisticated calibration points are manned space 
  stations, with huge tanks of reﬁ ned liquid hydrogen fuel ready 
  for transfer into starship fuel tanks, repair facilities, hospitals 
  and rest and recreation facilities. These can be built entirely 
  from scratch, from modular components or sometimes from 
  empty fuel tanks but it is best if they can be constructed on an 
  existing body such as the natural calibration points above.
  The key feature of all calibration points is that they are carefully 
  plotted for those who use them, as interstellar space is a very large 
  haystack in which to ﬁ nd a needle like a calibration point. Ships 
  which jump into interstellar space without precise information on 
  the location of such calibration points are doomed to eventually 
  run out of fuel and drift forever in the cold and dark.
  Calibration points are usually secret, as their use confers 
  operational and strategic advantages that must be denied to 
  rivals. Most calibration points carry locator beacons that remain 
  silent until activated by pre-arranged coded challenge signals, 
  to prevent them from being used by unauthorised vessels.
  Capital (Capital/Core 0508-A586A98-F): Central world of the 
  Imperium and seat of government since its founding. Situated 
  in the centre of the Imperium, Capital’s astrographical position 
  has proven of prime importance, as a communications hub, a 
  cultural centre and an industrial focus. 
  Centaur: See K’kree. 
  Charted Space: The region known as Charted Space is hundreds 
  of parsecs across but it is a mere droplet in the vast ocean of stars 
  that is the galaxy. However, Charted space is unusual for one 
  important reason – it has sentient life. Non-sentient life has been 
  found beyond the little bubble of well-travelled space inhabited by 
  the various major and minor races but as far as explorers have 
  travelled in any direction they have not found a sentient species 
  that did not originate in Charted Space. The reason for this island 
  of life among a billion barren worlds is unknown.
  Of course, scientists concede that there may be sentient life out 
  there, beyond the explored regions, which have not yet been 
  contacted. There are groups of humans living on far-distant 
  worlds at the edge of Charted Space. But they did not originate 
  there, instead they were transported from Terra long ago, likely 
  by the Ancients.
  Children of the March: A ﬂ eet intruder (later frontier cruiser) of 
  the Azhanti High Lightning class, tail number 6355. Laid down 
  095-994. First ﬂ ight 117-997. 60,000 tons and heavily armed.
   
  The Children of the March was unusual in this class of ships 
  primarily for its method of ﬁ nancing. The boost to subsector 
  economy created by the award of starship construction contracts 
  is always important enough to make all areas of the Imperium 
  vie for the privilege. At the time of the bidding invitations, the 
  Solomani Rim War (990 to 1002) was burning on the other 
  side of the Imperium; there was little chance that the Spinward 
  Marches would receive a contract. 
  The Duke of Regina, speaking for the Marches, proposed that 
  the Marches fund one additional ship from its own resources, on 
  the condition that the Marches receive a contract to produce a 
  portion of the total run. The school children of the worlds within 
  the Marches contributed their lunch money, at a quarter credit 
  each, for the ultimate funding of one ship and it was named 
  Children of the March in their honour. 
  Chirper: Semi-intelligent minor race native to many worlds in 
  and outside the Imperium.
  Chirpers are omnivore/gatherers in the 25 kilogram class. 
  Living in small groups with limited social organisation, they 
  gather fruits and berries, supplementing their diets with 
  occasional small animals, which they catch and kill with crude 
  tools. Chirper intelligence is at the low end of the scale and 
  ranges from a few points above animal levels to a few points 
  below the average for humans. Chirpers are named for the 
  sharp bird-like chirp that characterises their speech. Chirpers 
  are recognised by Imperial authorities as intelligent and as 
  such, they enjoy the protections and responsibilities of intelligent 
  species within the Imperium. Most chirpers live in established 
  reservations with only limited interchange with humans. 
   
  Finally, chirpers are extremely swift, much more so than their size 
  or build would indicate. They can dash and dart about unseen, 
  if they care to. It is nearly impossible to catch a chirper.
   
  Church of the Chosen Ones: A fanatical Vargr sect 
  which believes that the Ancients not only ‘invented’ the Vargr 
  race by genetic manipulation of Terran carnivores but that 
  the Ancients also returned to the Vargr several times and 
  improved the race to the point that it could take its rightful place 
  as the leader of this part of the galaxy. Some Church members 
  even believe that the Ancients will return again to bring this 
  about. The Church has waned in inﬂ uence since its founding 
  200 years ago but it still has followers on many worlds.
  Ciencia lphegenia (b. 1088): Grand Princess of the Imperium, 
  daughter of Emperor Strephon and Empress lolanthe. As heir 
  to the Iridium throne, Grand Princess lphegenia has been 
  educated from birth to eventually assume the mantle of authority 
  for the Imperium. She is known to be extremely interested in the 
  sciences and exploration
  .
  Civil War (604 to 622): Fought between various factions within 
  the Imperium for control of the bureaucracy. It had its origin in the 
  strain on communications within the Imperium causes by the long 
  lag times dictated by the very size of the Imperium. To cite one 
  cause, however, would be simplistic. The diverse backgrounds of 
  the many constituents of the Imperium had its effects, as did 
  
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  rivalry for power by major naval and military commanders, and a 
  lessening in the Imperium’s expansionist tendencies. 
  The spark that started the Civil War was thrown off by the 
  First Frontier War (589 to 604) in the Spinward Marches. 
  Communications lags and a lack of preparedness forced 
  the Marches to conduct most of the war on its own, with 
  little additional help or support from the Imperium. When Grand 
  Admiral of the Marches Olav hault-Plankwell forced the war to 
  an end, he found solid support for a new government. Marching 
  on the Capital with his war ﬂ eet, he forced an audience 
  with Empress Jaqueline I, supposedly for recognition of his 
  war effort. In the course of the meeting in 606, he personally 
  murdered the Empress, and then proclaimed himself Emperor 
  by right of ﬂ eet control. The ensuing power struggle lasted 
  through eighteen years and eighteen emperors.
   
  The ﬁ ghting in the Civil War was of two varieties: fringe battles 
  for power bases, and central battles for control in the Core. 
  The fringe battles were fought throughout the Imperium as 
  rival factions recruited forces. Once any power block built up 
  enough strength to make a victory seem possible, the forces 
  were moved to the Core and used to either seize power or to 
  wrest it away from someone else. 
  But there was also a cheaper, easier route open to many. 
  The dynastic crisis of 244 had produced a precedent for the 
  assassination of the emperor if he or she overstepped the 
  bounds of legitimate authority. The concept was introduced 
  to legitimise the elimination of Cleon the Mad and never 
  intended for any other purpose. Nevertheless, in the turmoil of 
  the Civil War, assassination was reintroduced and accepted, at 
  least by those utilising the technique, as a way of promoting 
  a succession in government. 
  The line of Emperors during the Civil War came mostly from 
  naval ofﬁ cers and they are collectively called the Emperors of 
  the Flag. Of these eighteen, seven were assassinated; 10 were 
  killed in battle and one survived- Arbellatra.
   
  During the course of the Civil War, the Outworld Coalition of 
  Zhodani and Vargr saw that their defeat in the First Frontier War 
  at the hands of Olav need not be permanent. They attacked 
  again in the Second Frontier War (615 to 620). Their defeat 
  in that war had greater effects than they would know. Grand 
  Admiral Arbellatra Alkhalikoi managed the meagre forces of 
  the Imperium against the Coalition and managed to force a 
  second defeat.
   
  Arbellatra’s strategy after the war was, like her predecessor 
  Olav hault-Plankwell, to march on the Capital and seize power. 
  She, however, did not make the mistake of seizing the throne. 
  Instead, she defeated the current putative emperor and then 
  took possession of power, holding it in trust for a rightful 
  successor. She held the post of regent for seven years while 
  a search for a member of the Jaqueline’s family could be found 
  to take the throne. In the stability that followed with her as regent, 
  she made an impression on the government and succeeded in 
  establishing a broad power base. Ultimately, the bureaucracy 
  approached her to take the throne herself, an end that was 
  probably in her mind all along.
   
  With the end of the two Frontier Wars and the Civil War, 
  the Imperium entered a period of renewed expansions and 
  consolidation. An express boat system was established to 
  enhance government, commercial and private communications. 
  The Solomani inﬂ uence in the Imperium was lessened and 
  replaced with a more cosmopolitan policy. At the same time, 
  renewed efforts at interior development of existing Imperial 
  territories provided a new focus for the bureaucracy. 
  See also Appendix 1, Emperors’ List, First Frontier War, 
  Outworld Coalition, Second Frontier War.
   
  Client State: An independent political unit that has chosen (or 
  had forced upon it) the patronage of a larger political unit. This 
  relationship is generally mutually beneﬁ cial and is essentially 
  commercial in nature. That is, the political or defensive 
  ties that may be part of any patron-client relationship are 
  ultimately intended to promote trade between the two.
   
  Collace (District 268 0407 B628943-D): Highest population world 
  in District 268 and major industrial centre. Collace was one of 
  the ﬁ rst worlds settled in the District and is the primary candidate 
  for its capital when or if it is integrated into the Imperium.
   
  Confederation: Group of independent states, worlds or 
  systems united for speciﬁ ed purposes, while generally retaining 
  more freedom of action than the members of a federation. 
  League. Alliance (especially of princes, nations, states, worlds 
  or systems).
   
  Consolidation Wars (c. -5400 - -4000): Long period of wars, 
  invasions and diplomatic envelopments that occurred as the 
  Vilani state moved to integrate the various races and regions 
  throughout what was Charted Space at the time. 
  Count: The fourth level of noble rank is the count and is 
  associated with two or three worlds within a subsector. Counts 
  are referred to by their title followed by the individual’s surname 
  or by the name of one of the worlds within the county.
  County: Administrative grouping of systems, usually conﬁ ned 
  to a single sub-sector and typically not more than 4-8 systems.
  
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  Combat Armour: Combat Armour is a complete vacc-suit-like 
  array of metal and synthetic armour. Combat armour is strictly 
  military and not available on the open market; it is issued to 
  troop units and elite mercenary battalions
  Inexpensive when compared to battle dress, combat armour 
  is widespread in military use for higher technology forces and 
  usually contains integral communications and life-support 
  equipment.
  Corridor: 
  Imperial 
  sector 
  containing 
  267 
  systems 
  dramatically split by the Great Rift; 69 systems lie rimward of 
  the Rift and 149 systems form the coreward third of the sector. 
  Coreward of this sector lie the Vargr Extents, a source of raids 
  and pirate activity since the days of the First Imperium.
  Corridor is named for its role connecting the old, well-established 
  Vland Sector with the frontier sectors of Deneb and the 
  Spinward Marches. The name Corridor dates from about 140 
  and has displaced the old Vilani name (Eneri, rough translation: 
  ‘star salad’) for the sector.
  Coyns: Of the rare artifacts recovered from Ancient sites, the 
  most common are coyns; small disks of metal engraved with 
  various symbols. Their speciﬁ c purpose is unknown. It may be 
  that the objects served as money, jewelry, psionic focuses or for 
  some other unknown purpose.
  Original coyns have been found in various precious metals 
  such as gold, silver, platinum, iridium and even uranium. Sets 
  range in size from six to thirty-eight pieces and are considered 
  desirable to museums and collectors throughout the Imperium. 
  Each coyn has a scrap value of Cr400 (if gold); to a museum, 
  the value is closer to Cr4000. Copies of sets of coyns are made 
  of aluminum, lead, or zinc, and are more frequently encountered 
  from unscrupulous merchants or traders. Such fake coyns have 
  a value of about Cr20 each.
  Craig Anton Horvath: Duke of Warinir, Sector Duke of Daibei 
  (b. 1063)
  A career Imperial Naval ofﬁ cer, Craig selected the navy’s 
  technical branch. Retiring as a Fleet Admiral to his ﬁ ef on 
  Warinir, he brought with him a tremendous lifetime of training 
  in leadership and organisation, proving again the old wisdom, 
  ‘there is no ﬁ tting preparation for a king than to have been 
  trained in the navy’.
  ”
  Crested 
  Jabberwock 
  (Jabberwockiscristatus 
  saevitia) 
  Sometimes called the nightclaw, or the fanged death, the 
  Crested Jabberwock is a medium-sized carnivore native to 
  Kassan/Vega (Solomani Rim 0101 A-785757-E). Only a few 
  members of the species have been transported off world.
  Fully-grown Jabberwocks mass about 400 kilograms. They are 
  bilaterally symmetrical, homoeothermic quadrupeds, standing 
  about 1.2 metres tall at the shoulder and measuring some 2.6 
  metres in length. Their anatomy is unusual in that the animal 
  has four two-chambered hearts.
  The Crested Jabberwock is noted for its magniﬁ cent, multi-
  coloured crest, which is used in displays of territorial aggression 
  and courtship. This gorgeous crest is highly prized by hunters 
  and trophy collectors throughout the Solomani Rim and has 
  made the animal a highly prized and much-sought-after target. 
  In as much as the Crested Jabberwock is one of the most 
  aggressive carnivores known in modern exobiology (they have 
  been known to attack prey ﬁ ve times their size), the challenge 
  of Jabberwock hunting has long been considered the ultimate 
  proof of courage and skill in some circles.
  Crisis of ‘99: Albert Croale, in his book Almost Disaster, presents 
  a hypothesis that the Third Frontier War (979 to 986) occurred 
  two centuries late. After reviewing the progress of events in 
  the spinward reaches of the Imperium from the antebellum 
  period to the late seventh century, Croale then analyses the 
  rise of the Psionics Institutes, their growing public acceptance, 
  and their spreading power.  Finally, he presents that a straight 
  projection of events would predict a resurgence of the Outworld 
  Coalition, increased hostilities and ﬁ nally, a Third Frontier War.
   
  Instead, his hypothesis indicates the Psionics Suppressions (800 
  to 826 and beyond) were a massive manipulation of the 
  population of the Imperium, a form of psychohistory, in order to 
  eliminate the power of the Institutes. Preparations were ongoing 
  for war and the Imperium made representations of strength (in 
  799) to the Coalition. It backed down.
   
  However, the psychohistory project went wrong and resulted in 
  widespread rejection of psionics as a whole within the Imperium, 
  to the point that even the government had difﬁ culty in using the 
  science of psionics for Its ofﬁ cial purposes. 
  Cruiser: Ship capable of independent operations and of support 
  of the main line of battle. Cruisers are intended to fulﬁ l two diverse 
  missions- in battle, they support and reinforce capital ships which 
  are present and which form the main line of battle, generally 
  from the ﬂ anks and they perform independent operations, often 
  forming the centre of task forces which have no capital ships. 
  Cruisers are also put to use as independent ships.
   
  CruRon: Cruiser squadrons are organised with cruisers and 
  are intended to support BatRons in space combat. Although 
  a cruiser cannot defeat a battleship in one-on-one combat, a 
  number of cruisers can overwhelm a lone battleship and this 
  occasionally happens. The function of the CruRon is to hold or 
  delay a BatRon early in a battle.
  
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  CruRons are strong units. When no BatRon is around, they are easily 
  the strongest type of squadron available. In addition to supporting 
  BatRons, they are given the mission of supporting planetary surface 
  operations once the space battle has been won.
  Cruisers are the ships that bombard the planetary surface, 
  conduct siege warfare and cover the invading AssaultRons. 
  CruRons are accompanied by a variety of auxiliaries, including 
  shuttles, transports, and ﬂ eet couriers. Every CruRon is 
  assigned a bulk ordnance carrier that resupplies it with bombs 
  and missiles.
  Crystaliron: A ferrous armour/hull material using metal with a 
  perfect crystal structure and carefully controlled impurities in 
  order to gain maximum hardness and toughness
  .
  Currency, Imperial: The basic unit of legal tender in the 
  Imperium is the Imperial credit. Individual worlds may issue 
  their own currencies and those currencies may or may not 
  be acceptable on other worlds. Similarly, corporations and 
  megacorporations may issue scrip and its acceptance outside 
  of the corporate environment is a matter of conjecture. But 
  Imperial credits are accepted everywhere in the Imperium and 
  in many locations outside of it.
   
  Imperial credits are almost impossible to counterfeit 
  because of their unique method of manufacture. Plastic ﬁ bers 
  are combined under high temperature and pressure and 
  extruded as a rectangular bundle of great length. The different 
  colored ﬁ bers form the pattern of the bill. Additional ﬁ bers with a 
  unique quantum magnetic signature are also added at random 
  to the bundles. It is not printed on but actually made a part of 
  the structure of the note. The bundle is sliced to paper thinness, 
  and a 14-digit alphanumeric (letter/number combination) is 
  added for uniqueness.
   
  Credit bills are issued in 10, 20, 50, 100, 500, 1,000, and 10,000 
  credit denominations. Plastic coins, manufactured in a similar 
  manner in various shapes, are issued in quarter, half, one and 
  ﬁ ve credit denominations.
  
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   Imperial credits can be bulky in large enough quantities. 
  Bills measure 75 millimetres x 125 millimetres; 1,000 bills stand 
  50 millimetres high and weigh 500 grams. 
  Daghadasi: Massive sea creatures native to the water world of 
  Bellerophon, in the Vegan Autonomous District of the Solomani 
  Rim The largest specimens can reach lengths of two kilometres 
  or more, with their own unique eco-system centred on them.
  Darmine: The Darmine are a minor human race native to 
  Ishag/Liasdi (Zarushagaar 1323 B525986-A). The Darmine are 
  not radically different from their Terran counterparts. Like the 
  Vilani or the Zhodani, any differences are minor. Interbreeding 
  over the millennia has also helped to ‘wash out’ some of the 
  characteristics developed by the Darmine on Ishag.
  To survive in the thin atmosphere of their world the Darmine 
  have an increased lung capacity and blood oxygen capacity. 
  This gives the Darmine an increased endurance for strenuous 
  tasks, particularly when in a higher-pressure atmosphere. The 
  Darmine have dark skin to protect against the higher than 
  normal UV radiation from their star. While the Darmine were 
  clearly transported by the Ancients, it is less clear if the changes 
  to the Darmine physiology are geneered or are the result of 
  natural selection evolution.
  Delphine Adorania Muudashi: Duchess of Mora (Spinward 
  Marches). Born 980. Inducted into the Order of the Starship and 
  Crown in 1018 by Emperor Gavin.
  Directions, Galactic: North and South do not work when 
  referring to directions within the galaxy. Instead, the following 
  conventions have achieved widespread acceptance when 
  referring to direction.
  Toward the galactic core is coreward, away from it, in the direction 
  of the rim, is rimward. In the direction in which the galaxy is 
  rotating is spinward, while the other direction is trailing. 
  These directions are in widespread use in describing Imperial 
  features and businesses. For example, the Spinward Marches 
  is a sector at the extreme spinward fringe of the Imperium; 
  Rimward Lines is an important interstellar transport company. 
  Finally, within the Imperium, the term coreward is also used 
  to indicate the direction of Capital, the Imperial core. There is 
  some potential for confusion if the term is taken out of context.
  Dating Systems: Three major dating systems are in use when 
  referring to historical events- Terran, Vilani and Imperial. A fourth 
  system (Zhodani olympiads) is of passing interest.
  Terran dates centre on a year about midway through the period 
  of Vilani ascendance. After that date, years ascend and are 
  sufﬁ xed AD; before that date, years descend and are sufﬁ xed 
  BC. There is no year zero. Terran years have 365 days and are 
  considered a standard for length of year. Years are further 
  subdivided into months and weeks, although these divisions 
  have fallen into disuse outside of the Solomani Sphere.
   
  Vilani Dates count from the year of the Establishment of the 
  First (or Vilani) Imperium. Those before are sufﬁ xed PI (pre-
  Imperium), those after are sufﬁ xed VI (Vilani Imperium). There 
  is no year zero. Vilani years are approximately 1.33 standard 
  years in length. Vilani years are further divided into seasons, 
  months, and weeks, though these, too, are little used outside 
  of the Vland sector. 
  Imperial dates count from the year of the founding of the Third 
  Imperium, specifying the year zero as a holiday year. Dates 
  before that are negative, dates after that are positive, with the 
  sign usually suppressed. Imperial dating uses a Julian system 
  for specifying days. Each day in the year is consecutively 
  numbered beginning with 001. Thus, in the year 1105, the ﬁ rst 
  day of the year is 001-1 105. Weeks of seven days and months 
  of 28 days are used to refer to lengths of time but rarely to 
  establish dates. 
  Zhodani dating is counted in olympiads (obviously a translation). 
  Each olympiad is of three Zhodani years; each zhodani year is 
  .75 standard years. The ﬁ rst olympiad corresponds to 2209 BC. 
  The dating system itself has been in more or less continuous 
  use since then, with minor lapses due to war or temporary 
  decline of ruling parties. 
  Delgado Trading, LIC: Originally a manufacturer of military 
  hardware and widely known for their work in miniaturisation, 
  Delgado has extensive holdings in heavy mineral mining 
  and reﬁ ning, publishing, antiquities trading and recently, the 
  toy industry. Founded in 997, Delgado is the youngest of the 
  megacorporations.
  Stock ownership: Imperial family—5%, Delgado family— 47%, 
  Noble families— 27%, Private ownership- 21%
  Depot: (Corridor): Large imperial naval depot in the corridor 
  sector, headquarters for the vastly over-strength series of 
  Imperial ﬂ eets that patrol the sector. They are charged with 
  keeping the thin line of systems open and free of raiders, in 
  order to maintain trade and communications between the main 
  bulk of the Imperium and the sectors located ‘Behind the Claw’: 
  Spinward Marches, Deneb, Reft and Trojan Reaches.
   
  Disciples of the Bright Way: The Disciples of the Bright Way 
  are a sect that believes their deity exists in jump space and 
  communicates directly with people while they are in jump. 
  They call the sight of j-space ‘The face of the deity’ and have 
  a secret combination of drugs and meditation practices that 
  reduce (but not eliminate!) the insanity that results from directly 
  viewing s-space.
  
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  Disciples are generally not dangerous but their disturbing 
  practice of shooting up drugs and staring out of an open 
  porthole into j-space during the week of a jump means that 
  most ship captains refuse to allow them on board under any 
  circumstances. However, the Disciples will pay an exorbitant 
  amount of money for passage on a ship and since they do not 
  really care about bodily comforts, they are quite happy to bunk 
  two to a stateroom under middle passage conditions and pay 
  up to Cr25,000 each for their ‘pilgrimage’. The Disciples also 
  own a number of ships they use for their own ‘pilgrimages’. 
  These ships are generally decrepit old scouts or free traders 
  that have been roughly remodeled to hold dozens of members 
  in slum-level accommodations.
  Doyle’s Eel: (Ferrosolvens et al) Typical of a large number 
  of metal-dissolving species discovered in various parts of the 
  Imperium and its neighbours, Doyle’s Eel is a creature which 
  has proved to be at best a nuisance and at worst a serious 
  danger to ships operating in deep space. Animals of this general 
  type have evolved on many planets independently and have 
  since spread far and wide as they are carried by the ships they 
  invade and infest.
  An adult eel measures approximately one-third of a metre in 
  length, with a diameter averaging four centimetres. They are 
  hermaphroditic in nature, with all individuals capable of laying 
  eggs. In their natural environments, the eels seek out veins 
  of metal ore in underground caverns, using a powerful acid 
  secreted from organs located in their ventral surfaces to carve 
  a protected nest into the rock. The eggs are deposited here. 
  The adult remains in the nest until the eggs hatch, after which 
  it usually dies
  .
  While they can physically attack humans if disturbed, the 
  greatest threat posed by creatures of this type is indirect. If an 
  eel should get aboard a ship and lay eggs, that ship can face a 
  severe problem. Once larvae are hatched, these tiny nuisances 
  are likely to get almost anywhere - and have a special taste 
  for silicon, some plastics and other elements of shipboard 
  electronics, computer and avionics systems (to build up their 
  body tissue). A ship infested with these creatures will suffer from 
  numerous electrical breakdowns, often at critical points, as the 
  larvae reach sensitive parts of the ship.
  Droyne: Intelligent major race inhabiting scattered worlds 
  within an area slightly larger than the range of the current 
  Third Imperium. The Droyne are a small race, derived from 
  winged herbivorous gatherers. They vary in size depending 
  on caste but generally stand one metre tall (large workers 
  and warriors can be larger than humans). The history of their 
  evolution remains a puzzle because their home world is not 
  known with certainty, though Andory in the Spinward Marches 
  is currently the prime candidate. 
  Droyne society is divided into rigid castes determined when 
  an individual reaches adolescence. The six castes of the 
  Droyne all serve different functions within Droyne society. 
  Although they are identical at the time of caste selection, caste 
  members develop pronounced physical and mental differences 
  by maturity, as different genetic programs are awakened 
  by differences in diet and environment from caste to caste. 
  Young leaders, for instance, experience a nearly 30% increase 
  in brain size in the ﬁ rst year after casting; drones develop 
  sexual organs; and so on.
   
  The following are descriptions and deﬁ nitions of the castes.
  . 
  The Worker: Manual labour and mundane ordinary activity are 
  the province of the worker. Workers are not too smart and are 
  temperamentally suited to contentment with ordinary labour 
  and subservient tasks. 
  The Warrior: Trained for combat and possessing comparatively 
  well developed muscles and reﬂ exes, the warrior is the security 
  troop, the soldier, the marine and the policeman of the Droyne 
  culture. They are common in frontier Droyne bases and less 
  numerous in civilised areas.
   
  The Drone: Drones have a variety of purposes in Droyne 
  society. They perform a reproductive role which makes them 
  both fathers and mothers to Droyne young and they have a role 
  in the ceremonies, which determine caste for maturing young. In 
  addition, drones comprise a sort of middle management caste, 
  responsible for many of the routine functions in business, trade 
  and administration. 
  The Technician: This caste is the science-oriented portion 
  of Droyne society and is concerned with both research and 
  practical implementation of technology. 
  The Sport: Although the caste system of the Droyne is rather 
  rigid, the sport is the deliberately accepted exception to caste 
  structure. Sports are special individuals who cross caste lines 
  to become individual scouts, messengers, representatives, 
  hunters, prospectors and other occupations that require individual 
  initiative or separation from Droyne society for long periods of 
  time. A sport is the most probably encountered Droyne away 
  from a Droyne world.
   
  The Leader: Leaders are required to manage and direct society. 
  They are ultimately responsible for everything that the Droyne 
  as a whole do.
  There is little individual freedom in Droyne society and as 
  a result, society and government join into one concept. Workers 
  work. Leaders lead. All of society dedicated to continuing the 
  existence that provides all members with food, shelter and the 
  other amenities that make life enjoyable. In addition, there is little 
  discord in Droyne society when things are running smoothly, as 
  
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  each member of society has its own function to perform. Only 
  when disaster happens is the group forced to strain. 
  A typical Droyne group consists of a variety of Droyne from the 
  different castes. There will be many workers, few drones and 
  leaders and technicians and warriors based on current needs. 
  Each group will also have several sports, although they may not 
  be present, instead occupied with their own solitary tasks. This 
  is not to say that Droyne are mindless. Leaders are quite 
  capable and responsible; warriors have strategic and tactical 
  senses; technicians are inventive and clever. But all accept 
  the central group as a part of their lives and work for its beneﬁ t 
  above their own. 
  Dust-Spice: Rare euphoric spice used for seasoning food, 
  especially fruit. Harvested from the bark of desert scrub-plants, 
  this seasoning is popular with humans as a mild recreational 
  spice with effects slighter than, but similar to, alcohol. Certain 
  non-human races (notably Aslan and Vargr) ﬁ nd dust-spice a 
  much more powerful euphoric, and it is in constant demand by 
  those peoples. 
  Dynchia: Minor human race, originating on the world of 
  Melantris/ Melantris (0603-A6669C7-C) 
  Dynchia (the same word is used as both singular and plural) 
  are about 2.2metres in height and weigh about 100 kilogram. 
  They are slender and long-limbed. Skin tones range from pale to 
  bronze-tan; hair colour is usually brown or black but snowy white 
  hair is not uncommon. Hair ﬁ bers are soft and silky and hair 
  runs in a bushy mane down to the small of the back. Facial hair 
  is non-existent. The Dynchia have six ﬁ ngers on each hand and 
  six toes on each foot. Finally, the Dynchia’s teeth differ notably 
  from other similar species, in that instead of separate teeth, 
  their dental batteries consist of two bony ‘jaws’ (as if the teeth 
  had been fused into one upper and one lower ‘jaw’), with 
  fanglike extrusions. Obviously, the Dynchia prefer plenty of 
  meat in their diet.
   
  The major difference between the Dynchia and the rest of 
  Humaniti (other than their radical physical divergence, a result 
  of geneering by the Ancients) lies in the realm of psychology. 
  Two of the most common culture-shaping elements of human 
  psychology (the instinct to protect females from danger and the 
  instinct to possess territory) seem to have been left out of or 
  modiﬁ ed in the Dynchia. The Dynchia have absolute equality of 
  the sexes; prejudice or protection is psychologically impossible. 
  Being gallant to a Dynchia female (who is as likely to be an 
  admiral as a male) will earn you only a blank stare. The instinct 
  to possess territory has also been modiﬁ ed in the Dynchia. 
  A Dynchia is not a citizen of a particular world; he is a member 
  of a clan (which in turn is a member of a tribe). It does not matter 
  where the tribe rules, as territory is unimportant. There has not 
  been an actual war within the Dynchia race since before their 
  recorded history, only minor squabbles. 
  Wars are fought with outsiders though, for survival instead of 
  territory. The Dynchia have a rare and unusual quality: they 
  are warrior individualists in an un-warlike culture. This is to say 
  that the Dynchia never make war upon their race, though ﬁ ghts, 
  duels and challenges are common, as is a warrior ethic.
   
  The social basis of Dynchia mentality is a deep-felt sense of 
  honour (both personal and as part of a clan or tribe). It would be 
  unthinkable for a Dynchia to compromise his or her personal, 
  clan, or tribal honour — especially since the general religion 
  of the Dynchia is reverence for ancestors and worship of tribal 
  heroes. To be false to one’s honour is to forfeit a chance to 
  become a revered ancestor. 
  Equivalent Dates
  Equivalent Dates
  Terran
  Terran
  Vilani
  Vilani
  Imperial
  Imperial
  100 BC
  432 PI
  -4620
  1 BC
  358 PI
  -4621
  1 AD
  357 PI
  -4529
  100  AD
  283 PI
  -4421
  475 AD
  1 P1
  -4046
  476 AD
  1 VI
  -4045
  575 AD
  75 VI
  -3946
  2010 AD
  1341 VI
  -2511
  4521 AD
  3038 VI
  0
  4522 AD
  3039 VI
  1
  5523 AD
  3791 VI
  1002
  5626 AD
  3868 VI
  1105
  
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  Duke: The ﬁ fth level of noble rank is the duke and is associated 
  with a subsector. The noble is referred to by the title followed by 
  ‘of’ and the subsector name. The power of the duke depends on 
  circumstances and the situation within the sector but generally 
  one duke within a sector rises to power and comes to be the 
  sector duke, the ruler of that entire sector. No special title is 
  awarded to a sector duke.
  Dulinor Astrin Ilethian, Archduke of Ilelish: Archduke Dulinor 
  Astrin Ilethian was born in 1066 on the world of Dlan (Ilelish 
  1021). He rose to the highest levels of the nobility in the Domain 
  of Ilelish with the approval and support of the Emperor. 
  Dulinor was elevated to the position of Archduke by Emperor 
  Strephon in 1104, an action opposed by many of the nobility. 
  Dyson Sphere: Using incredibly strong materials similar to 
  those in a ringworld and adding gravity generators where 
  necessary for strength and comfort, a spherical shell could be 
  built to completely enclose a star.
  Such a shell would then trap all stellar radiation for use by the 
  civilisation. With a radius of 149 million kilometres (about 93 
  million miles), the internal surface area would equal about one 
  billion planets the size of Terra.
  First postulated by Terran scientist Freeman Dyson prior to 
  contact with the Vilani
  Emperor’s List: The listing of all Emperors since year 0. See 
  Appendix 1.
  Emperors of the Flag: During the Civil War period (604 to 
  622), the Imperium was in the hands of a succession of naval 
  ofﬁ cers of ﬂ ag (admiral) rank. These 17 emperors achieved the 
  throne through assassination, ﬂ eet action, political manoeuvres 
  and general mayhem. The year 619 particularly saw six 
  emperors serve on the throne, none of them for more than 
  three months. The succession of Emperors of the Flag began 
  with the seizure of the throne by Olav hault-Plankwell in 604, 
  which precipitated the Civil War. It ended with the naming of 
  Arbellatra Alkhalikoi regent of the Imperium in 622.
   
  See also Civil War. 
  Empire: Group of independent states, duchies, nations, tribes, 
  worlds, or systems under the supreme rule of an emperor. 
  European Space Agency Long Range Colony Mission: 
  Early in the space-faring history of Terra, a long-range program 
  of interstellar colonisation was begun, only to be abandoned 
  with the discovery of the jump drive. Before that abandonment, 
  however, several large colony expeditions were launched.
   
  The most ambitious such effort was launched in 2050AD by 
  the European Space Agency, in cooperation with the French 
  O’Neill colony and Beltmetallfabrikant AG. Three large asteroids 
  were hollowed out and ﬁ tted with reaction drives, becoming 
  the colonisation ships Voyageur, Marinus van der Lubbe and 
  C-Jammer. Each was ﬁ lled with a thousand crew, none of 
  whom would live to see the end (or much more than the very 
  beginning) of the voyage. Flight time was projected at 2,000 
  years. Despite this, there was no shortage of volunteers for 
  the crew, many of whom were already living in artiﬁ cial space 
  colonies: one colony was much like another and this one was 
  going somewhere interesting. Space was provided for a tenfold 
  population increase during the trip.
  Each ship also carried 100,000 additional colonists in cold sleep. 
  During the voyage, each colonist was awakened for a ﬁ ve-year 
  work period; at any one time there were 750 of them awake and 
  thus the culture of the ships maintained its contact with 21st 
  Century society. Each new shipboard generation was reminded 
  of its mission by some of those who had begun the trip.
  
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  The system worked well. Although some unavoidable cultural 
  gulfs developed between the crew and the sleepers, nothing 
  jeopardised the mission.
  The ships’ computers ultimately found and locked onto, a suitable 
  group of worlds and designated them the mission destination. 
  That destination proved to be the Islands Cluster, located in the 
  centre of what is now the Reft Sector, in a low stellar density 
  branch of the Great Rift. Their trip took over 2,000 years.
  Express 
  Boats: 
  The 
  primary 
  means 
  of 
  interstellar 
  communication is the physical transport of messages by a 
  jump-capable ship. Within the Imperium, the method is called 
  the express boat system. Small, fast, information-carrying 
  ships are specially constructed to make long jumps and carry 
  data for retransmission. Outlying worlds of the Imperium 
  stand nearly four years from the capital, and express boat 
  links have been established to insure the rapid transmission 
  of messages (governmental, commercial and private) with a 
  maximum of efﬁ ciency. Selected locations along major trade 
  routes are established as express stations, orbital facilities that 
  service and refuel xboats on their communications runs. As an 
  xboat arrives in a system, it beams its recorded messages to 
  the express station, which then retransmits them to an xboat 
  standing by for a jump outsystem.  Time between jumps is almost 
  always less than four hours and can be under seven minutes. 
  The speed of communication is thus nearly the speed of jump 
  (xboats are equipped with jump-4 drives, four parsecs per week). 
  In practice, this speed is somewhat reduced as trade routes do 
  not follow straight lines, and not all jumps are made at jump-4. 
  Average speed approximates jump-2.6 per week.
   
  False War (1082 to 1084): See Fourth Frontier War. 
  Fast Drug: So named because it makes the universe (to its 
  user) appear to move much more quickly, the drug slows down 
  personal metabolism at a ratio of approximately 60 to 1. Users 
  are extremely vulnerable while living at such a slow rate but 
  physical aging is also slowed and the need for consumable 
  supplies is reduced which thus allows conservation of air and 
  
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  food. Fast drug takes effect immediately upon ingestion; one 
  dose lasts for 60 days, making that time appear to be only one 
  day. An antidote is available to end the effect before 60 days.
  Federation: Group of states, worlds, or systems, each internally 
  independent, joined into a union to which has been surrendered 
  certain rights and responsibilities, most generally to do with 
  foreign affairs.
   
  Feudalism: With such great distances separating stellar 
  systems, individual responsibility and authority become of great 
  importance. The Imperium is divided into sectors (20 of them), 
  each about 32 parsecs by 40 parsecs in size. Each sector is 
  divided into 16 subsectors (8 by 10 parsecs). And within each 
  subsector are perhaps 30 or 40 systems, each with a star, worlds 
  and satellites. Individual worlds and even entire systems, are 
  free to govern themselves as they desire, provided power is 
  always accorded to the Imperium.
   
  Interstellar government begins at the subsector level – one 
  world designated the subsector capital. The ruling ﬁ gure at the 
  subsector capital is a high-ranking noble selected by higher 
  levels of government. This duke has a free hand in government, 
  and is subject only to broad guidelines from his superiors. But 
  at the same time, the duke owes fealty to the higher levels of 
  government and ultimately to the Emperor himself. 
  The feudal approach depends greatly on a sense of honour, one 
  cultivated by the hereditary aristocracy. This sense of honour is 
  very strong within the Imperium; it has proven essential to the 
  survival of such a far-ﬂ ung community.
  Fibre Optic Computer: Computer whose logic circuits are 
  constructed from ﬁ bre optic conduits. Such computers are less 
  vulnerable to radiation effects than normal electronic computers 
  and for this reason are often used on military vessels.
  First Frontier War (589 to 604): The ﬁ rst of the modern border 
  clashes between the Imperium and the Zhodani, sparking the 
  beginning of a continuing antipathy between the two major lines 
  of humaniti. With the conclusion of the war, Olav hault-Plankwell 
  returned to the Imperial core with his war ﬂ eet and took the reins of 
  government, murdering Empress Jaqueline and thus beginning 
  the Civil War and the reign of its Barracks Emperors. 
  First Imperium (-4045 to -2219): The ﬁ rst major interstellar 
  civilisation, politically and culturally dominated by humans 
  originating on Vland. The jump drive was discovered on Vland 
  in -9235. Immediately the Vilani discovered a number of inter-
  fertile and technologically primitive human races on worlds 
  within 60 parsecs. These were gradually brought to a high-
  technology state with Vilani help and assimilated into a loose 
  interstellar community bound by trade and common culture.
   
  Eventually, the client races themselves explored beyond the 
  local sphere, contacting and trading with still more races. These 
  new races gained their technology without being assimilated 
  into Vilani culture; the resulting increasing friction eventually 
  resulted in a series of wars, beginning about -5400.
   
  In response to the threat, Vland began tightening control of 
  its trade sphere, ﬁ nally organizing into a centralised state 
  in -5273. This marked the beginning of the First Imperium, 
  although there was as yet no emperor. During the thousand 
  year period of the Consolidation Wars, Vland conquered and 
  absorbed its enemies until in there were no longer any civilised 
  states on its borders (except for a portion of the Vargr Extents, 
  isolated from the Imperium by the Great Rift)
  The last war ended in -4045 and Vilani dating begins at this point. 
  With no exterior threats, the Pax Vilanica lasted for nearly 1,200 
  years; at its height, attained soon after the end of the wars, the 
  First Imperium contained 27 sectors and over 15,000 worlds.
   
  However, the cost of maintaining centralised control over this 
  vast expanse was cultural rigidity, exploration had ceased with 
  the beginning of the wars, and then scientiﬁ c research slowed 
  to a halt and the beginnings of a hereditary caste system began 
  to emerge. Civilisation was in decline. 
  As long as there was no exterior threat, the Imperium was 
  safe; but gradually, despite all efforts, technology leaked 
  across the borders. New interstellar states arose and the 
  Imperium could no longer afford to absorb them. Gradually, the 
  Imperium lost territory along its coreward and trailing marches. 
  Then, in -2422, the Imperium was contacted along its rimward 
  border by the Terrans, recently emerged into space. Terran 
  expansionism led to a series of interstellar wars, ultimately 
  resulting in Terran conquest of the Imperium in -2219 and the 
  founding of the Rule of Man. The First Imperium bore many 
  names in its long life, including the Grand Imperium of Stars, 
  the Grand Imperium and the Vilani Empire.
   
  First lnterstellar War (-2408 to -2400): The ﬁ rst military 
  engagement between the Vilani of the First Imperium and the 
  Solomani of the Terran Confederation. Beginning an on-again, 
  off-again series of wars between the two major human races, this 
  war ended in the defeat of the Imperium and the beginning of 
  ascendance of the Solomani. See Nth Interstellar War. 
   
  Focaline Tree Rat: The Focaline Tree Rat is a small rodent-
  like creature native to Focaline (in the Aramis subsector). 
  It weighs 3-4 kilograms and measures 70-80 centimetres 
  in length. Two thirds of its length is tail. Tree rats have a red-
  brown fur covering the entire body except for the soles of their 
  paws. Some specimens are shaded more to a deep chocolate 
  brown or maroon. Tree rats seem able to adapt very quickly 
  to temperature changes and exposure to cold weather for 
  more than a week results in their growing a thicker and rougher 
  
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  coat. Though they physically resemble terrestrial rodent types, 
  tree rats have longer legs, feet adapted to grasping and a 
  prehensile tail that all help them in their arboreal habitats. They 
  are quite intelligent (about the same level as most small Terran 
  monkeys) and have an elaborate social structure in natural 
  environments
   
  As pets, tree rats are quite successful. Their mammalian 
  physiology allows them to eat most of the foods that humans 
  do. They shed little, except when getting rid of a cold-weather 
  coat, and are naturally clean animals, easily housebroken. Tree 
  rats have an average lifespan of 15 years, mate for life, and 
  can bear young once a year after age three, in litters of about 
  four ‘ratlings’.
   
  Their major drawback as pets is their insatiable curiosity, which 
  has led to their accidentally being locked in airlocks or food 
  bins. They also like to collect bits of shiny or brightly coloured 
  material (like coins, keys, and credit cards), depositing them 
  in a nest in their owner’s cabin. This trait has earned them the 
  nickname ‘cinnamon thief’. This can develop into a game the 
  tree rat initiates by picking up a valuable item in its tail and then 
  racing around the ship, with the item’s owner(s) in hot pursuit. 
  Fourth Frontier War (1082 to 1084): Also known as the False 
  War. Short, inconclusive war fought primarily in the Jewell 
  subsector between the Imperium and the Zhodani Consulate. 
  The fourth of the frontier wars in the Spinward Marches with 
  initial assaults by the Zhodani against Jewell and Regina 
  subsectors stalled at the borders. Its ﬁ nal battle, the Battle of 
  Two Suns, 1084, was waged in the vicinity of Yres and Menorb 
  and resulted in Imperial victory. The armistice was signed 
  before instructions for the conduct of the war were received 
  from the capital.
   
  Frozen Watch: For naval vessels, crew attrition in combat is 
  a signiﬁ cant problem. The Frozen Watch system attempts to 
  alleviate the problem by having a certain percentage of the ship 
  crew available in Low Berths. Since revival time is a concern, 
  these troops are frozen in a long, drawn-out process that makes 
  it far easier and quicker to revive them as opposed to normal 
  cold sleep procedures.
  G-carrier: An enclosed, armoured military or quasi-military grav 
  vehicle, intended for troop carrier duties. With performance 
  similar to that of an air/raft, the G-carrier generally has a heavy 
  gun mount, often for a small plasma cannon or VRF gauss gun 
  and a rear hatch door. It requires a crew of one, with air/raft skill, 
  plus a gunner for the weapon, if any. It can carry 14 persons 
  (including the driver and gunner), plus two tons of cargo (or 250 
  kg or cargo for each person not carried; thus driver, gunner and 
  5 tons of cargo is its maximum capacity). 
  Gas Giant: A large planet with an extensive atmosphere of 
  hydrogen and hydrogen compounds. Starships typically can 
  refuel themselves by diving into the atmosphere on a hyperbolic 
  orbit and skimming hydrogen. Jupiter, in the Terra system, is 
  an example of a gas giant. 
  Garan’s leech: (unclassiﬁ ed) Garan’s leech is native to 
  Victoria, and is found nowhere else in the wild. Specimens 
  as large as 75 centimetres in length and weighing as 
  much as two kilograms have been found but individuals 
  more typically measure 6-10 centimetres and weigh 200·300 
  grams. Speciﬁ c anatomical features are not known, as well-
  preserved specimens are rare. Several forms are documented 
  but authorities disagree as to whether these represent separate 
  species, sexes, or different stages of development. 
  Garan’s leech is vermiform, radially symmetrical, invertebrate 
  and endothermic. The animal feeds through a sucker-like mouth 
  located anterior to a ring of tentacular projections. These 
  tentacles are coated with small, horny, toothed structures that 
  penetrate the skin of the victim, holding the mouth in place. The 
  victim’s ﬂ uids are sucked into a series of holding sacs just 
  under the dermis of the leech. When they are ﬁ lled, the leech 
  detaches itself from its ‘head’ and falls to the ground. The head 
  remains embedded in the ﬂ esh of the victim, where it eventually 
  rots away, usually causing a severe infection. 
  Garhawk (Stellafalconformis ululatis): Also known as the 
  Skyhuntress, or Kahkahyeek from its hunting call, the garhawk 
  has become popular in some circles of Imperial nobility for 
  hunting. Properly trained garhawks, with their keen eyesight and 
  superb hunting instincts, can spot and kill prey over remarkably 
  long distances. 
  Garhawks are large (over one metre wingspan) ﬂ ying carnivores, 
  originally from Nagaschk, a planet to spinward of the Imperial 
  core. Natives of the world, a tech 3 race, delighted in hunting; 
  their use of garhawks in their sport sparked interest among 
  human visitors. Once the trick of raising and training these 
  vicious aviforms was mastered, a small but lucrative trade in 
  garhawks gradually opened, introducing them through much 
  of the Imperium, the Solomani Sphere, and even within the 
  Zhodani Consulate. 
  Humans, at least those enjoying the hunt, have found the sport 
  of hunting with garhawks a fascinating renaissance of falconry 
  and hawking.
   
  Geonee: The Geonee are a minor Human race, famed for 
  their claim to be the Ancients. While this claim is generally not 
  accepted, they do have one of the oldest human interstellar 
  cultures in charted space, behind only the Suerrat and Vilani and 
  some of the highest technology. Their homeworld is Shiwonee 
  (Massilia 1430).
  
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  The Geonee are a short, stocky, and very muscular race. Their 
  average height is about 1.5 metre and their average weight is 
  about 65 kilograms.
  The Geonee were originally thought to be a Major Race, since 
  they had jump drive when ﬁ rst encountered by the Vilani some 
  10,000 years ago (in fact, they had built their ﬁ rst jump drive 
  several years before the Vilani completed theirs). However, it 
  was later determined that their development of jump drive was 
  based on a recovered Ancient starship, rather than independent 
  research. This revelation has coloured interstellar opinion of 
  Geonee achievement ever since, and they are generally not 
  regarded as being of major status
  .
  General Products, LIC: Largely concerned with heavy industry, 
  General is a manufacturer of starships, non-starships and 
  heavy machinery of all sorts. General is known for inexpensive 
  products of adequate quality but of late its starship division 
  (particularly its military products) has been plagued with disaster. 
  The corporation was formed by the merger of a number smaller 
  manufacturing concerns shortly after the end of the Civil War, in 
  the period 620 to 622
  .
  Stock ownership: Imperial family— 5%, Hortalez et Cie— 26%, 
  Noble families- 35%, Private ownership- 12%, Antares Holdings, 
  LIC- 12%, Other- 10%
  General Shipyards: The largest starship manufacturer in 
  the Regina subsector, with yards at Regina, Efate and Pixie. 
  Originally a military contractor, General no longer produces 
  ships for military use, instead concentrating on the more lucrative 
  commercial market. The yard at Regina is capable of producing 
  ships up to 5,000 tons, while the subsidiary yards at Pixie and 
  Efate are limited to 600 tons per ship and devote most of their 
  attention to annual maintenances.
   
  Generation Ship: A type of slower-than-light starship, typically 
  extremely large, that carries its full crew complement and 
  their families. Since such a voyage can take decades or even 
  centuries, it is the future descendants of the original crew that 
  complete the voyage
  .
  Githiaskio: The Githiaskio are a Minor Race of aquatic sophonts 
  with many startling similarities to Terran marine mollusks. The 
  ‘squids’ are an intelligent and very adaptive species, whose 
  zero-G and underwater agility made them in high demand for 
  industries related to those environments
  .
  The Githiaskio are native to Githiaski (Antares 2406) a water 
  world located on the edge of the Lesser Rift. Githiaski is metal 
  poor and at any event the race has no native opportunity to 
  develop metal working in the conﬁ nes of their watery home.
   
  The most peculiar aspect of this species is the surprising 
  similarity of their psychology to humans. This similarity is due, 
  sophontologists think, of parallels in their evolutionary history. 
  They evolved from omnivorous scavenger-gatherers, moving 
  across the ocean in small family groups that strongly resembled 
  hominid family groups on ancient Earth
  .
  The Githiaskio are radially symmetrical, bisexual and semi-
  homoeothermic. They have 1.8 to 2.4 metre long tapering 
  bodies that are about 45 to 50 centimetres in diameter. They 
  possess six suckered tentacles, which are used for manipulation, 
  restraining and feeding. They possess two large compound 
  eyes but vision is optimised for the aquatic environment and 
  they are insensitive to reds and yellows. Primary sense is sound  
  and their hearing is almost as good as a dolphin’s underwater. 
  Githiaskio females bear a single live young. Lifespans are about 
  roughly equivalent to humans.
  Locomotion is provided by movement of the tentacles; unlike 
  Terran mollusks, they do not possess the ability to jet water. They 
  are poor long distance swimmers and prefer to swim tentacles 
  forward. They are also poor hunters and their traditional food 
  was either scrounged from local reefs and ocean ﬂ oors, or was 
  carrion. They can tolerate depths of up to 700 metres under 
  1G but are less well adapted to greater depths and typically 
  fear and avoid them. They are oxygen breathers but can only 
  respire in water on worlds with a thin atmosphere or better. They 
  can withstand variable salinities but they are highly sensitive 
  to water tainted by pollution or local atmospheric conditions 
  and will refuse to enter any body of water so contaminated. A 
  Githiaskio stranded out of water will die of dehydration within 
  ﬁ ve minutes.
   
  Githiaskio encountered off their homeworld are often employed 
  in aquatic professions, or in zero-gee environments, where 
  they likewise excel. There are many Githiaskio colonies on 
  water worlds throughout the Imperium, including several in the 
  Spinward Marches. Since they do not tend to compete with their 
  terrestrial counterpoints, relations tend to be very cordial with 
  their neighbours.
  Glea (Glea/Liana 0209-A667800-F): Main coordinating centre 
  of the Hive Federation since 410. It is the centre of the Glean 
  Cluster, an unusually rich grouping of 16 Hiver-habitable worlds, 
  mutually accessible by jump-1 shipping.
  Good War/Bad War: The terms ‘good war’ and ‘bad war’ are 
  expressions used by mercenaries to differentiate between small-
  scale actions within the Imperium and full-scale wars between 
  the Imperium and outside forces. Small-scale actions are 
  viewed as good because the Imperial rules of war are in effect 
  and a unit knows that it will not be subject to nuclear weapons. 
  Good wars are usually short and not particularly bloody. A unit in 
  a tight spot need merely surrender and activate its repatriation 
  bonds to be removed from combatant status. Even anti-
  guerilla actions are good, under this classiﬁ cation, because of 
  the fact that although most guerillas usually observe no restraint 
  
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  with captured government forces, captured mercenaries can 
  usually be ransomed and serve as a source of income. 
  A war is bad when no such controls are in effect and a mercenary 
  unit will be subject to the full horrors of war. Mercenary units are 
  understandably reluctant to accept bad war contracts but are 
  often forced into them by Imperial law.
  Grand Princess (Grand Prince): Imperial titular designation 
  of the heir to the Iridium Throne. Under Imperial custom, the 
  eldest son or daughter of the Emperor becomes heir to the 
  throne at the age of 12. Elaborate ceremonies confer the title of 
  Grand Princess (or Grand Prince) on the heir and proclaim the 
  information to the Imperium. 
  Grand Survey: See Imperial Grand Survey.
  Gravity Control Technology: Gravity control technology is 
  one of the major technological breakthroughs (the others are 
  Nuclear Dampers and Jump Drives). Also know as grav, anti-
  grav, or contragrav. The gravity control produces weight control, 
  thrust and can be used to generate gravity as well, for artiﬁ cial 
  gravity aboard starships and space stations. This artiﬁ cial 
  gravity also acts as an inertial dampener, controlling the effects 
  of sudden acceleration/deceleration on the crew.
  This control of the force of gravity allows construction of vehicles, 
  like the air/raft and g-carrier, mapping of object mass through 
  densitometers and safety equipment like the grav parachute
  Gravity control is also part of the technology of the reactionless 
  thruster, along with the basis of the nuclear damper, used in 
  manoeuvre drives all over Charted Space.
  Great Rift: Broad expanse of space with a very low 
  density of stars lying spinward of the main region of the Third 
  Imperium. The Great Rift is a pronounced impediment to 
  interstellar travel and it constrains jumps through Corridor 
  sector to the Spinward Marches. 
  The Great Rift is one of many astrographical ‘terrain’ features that 
  have provided long-term security for the Third Imperium. By its very 
  nature, the Great Rift has made outside incursions difﬁ cult, which 
  has made the interior of the Imperium a secure population centre.
  GsbAG: short for Geschichtkreis Sternschiffbau AG: GsbAG 
  is one of two ﬁ rms charged with the manufacture of the personal 
  vessels of the Imperial family and is a major contractor for the 
  Imperial military. Their products command extremely high 
  prices, but it is generally conceded that the quality makes them 
  well worth it.
  According to company propaganda, the company was founded 
  in -2438 from a consortium of old Terran manufacturing ﬁ rms. 
  In actual fact, there is no concrete evidence of the corporation’s 
  existence prior to a contract with the Sylean Federation Navy 
  in -334.
  Detractors often use the epithet ‘gasbag’ to refer to the 
  company.
  Stock ownership: Hortalez et Cie— 19%, Imperial family— 
  4%, Noble families (includes the families of the legendary 
  founders)- 44%, Other corporations- 13%, Private investors- 
  4%, Other- 16%
  Guaran (Guaran/Hive 0307-A565800-F): Homeworld of the 
  Hivers. Guaran has no special political importance, although it 
  attracts millions of tourists annually from all over the Federation. 
  Gunboat: Ultimately, the distinction between ground, air and 
  spacecraft disappears for military vehicles and a single type 
  of vehicle assumes all of the roles for system defence. Called 
  gunboats, they are capable of extended operations in vacuum, 
  atmosphere and water, ready to continue resistance to enemy 
  action. Individually, the vessels are strongly armed and can 
  ﬁ ght enemy ships then later support ground troops or bomb 
  enemy installations. Further, they can continue resistance for 
  long periods, hiding on oceans or in the local gas giants and 
  coming out only when there is promise of enemy losses. Typically, 
  a gunboat is fast, well-armed and well-armoured. It is capable 
  of a wide variety of military responses and has a high survival 
  potential. Size: 200 to 600 tons. 
  See also System Defence Boat.
  Hiver: Intelligent major race with a large federation trailing 
  the Imperium. Hivers average 1.5 metres from ground to top 
  of upraised head and weigh about 150 kilograms. Descended 
  from omnivore gatherer/scavenger stock, they are the most 
  alien of the major races. Hivers exhibit a modiﬁ ed six-fold 
  radial symmetry; the body has a calcareous internal skeleton 
  consisting of a series of rings supporting the limbs and a fused 
  carapace protecting the brain and internal organs.
  The head is a modiﬁ cation of one of the limbs and contains six 
  eyestalks and six manipulative tentacles, plus paired infrared 
  sensor organs. The other ﬁ ve limbs are identical (except for slight 
  modiﬁ cations of the hand opposite the head) and are used as 
  arms and legs indiscriminately. Each limb ends in a six-ﬁ ngered 
  radial hand. Fingers are very ﬂ exible and have muscular suction 
  cups on the lower surface about halfway to the tips. Hiver arms 
  and hands are generally weaker than human but are very tough 
  and difﬁ cult to injure. 
  The mouth (digestive opening) is on the lower surface of the 
  body. There is no sound-producing organ but hivers do have 
  three ears placed around the neck near the head. 
  
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  Hivers have only one sex. Reproductive cells are exchanged each 
  time that hivers meet, using the modiﬁ ed rear hand (the process 
  has been termed by humans ‘shaking hands’). The cells are kept 
  in a reproductive pouch on the lower body surface where they 
  conjugate, exchanging genetic material. Once every 40 days 
  or so, a cell will develop into a larva, which then drops from the 
  parent’s body. Hive planets are mostly wilderness and the larva 
  will enter the wilds, where most are killed. After about a year, 
  survivors return to civilisation, where they are welcomed into any 
  nest and begin their education as citizens.
   
  Parental instinct in hivers is very strong and the young are adopted 
  by the entire nest. (Note that this instinct applies only to the year-
  old returnees; Hivers have no concern for the younger larvae and 
  in fact consider them minor pests.)
   
  Hiver language is a combination of arm/tentacle waving and 
  physical contact. The written language is ideographic and is used 
  as a standard language among the races of the Hive Federation. 
  Hivers talking among themselves use all three aspects of language 
  (gesture, touch, and writing) at once, a process capable of great 
  subtlety and sophistication but unintelligible to the outsider. 
  Hivers are unique among major races in that they had a 
  complex culture before becoming sapient. Originally, they lived 
  in the tunnels and built-up mounds of a large (1,000 kilogram) 
  burrowing animal. In exchange for shelter, they gave food. They 
  farmed fungus, foraging outside for decaying vegetation and dead 
  animals as a source of food for the fungus. The burrowers were 
  allowed to graze in the farm tunnels. Hivers ate the fungus and 
  whatever fresh food they could ﬁ nd outside. Intelligence arose 
  as the outside environment changed, forcing the foraging parties 
  to travel farther and discover new sources of food and fertilizer. 
  The foraging advanced from simple scavenging and gathering 
  to complex cooperative efforts to hunt and trap live prey. Today, 
  fungus remains the staple of the Hiver diet; fungus growing 
  is a highly developed art. Most buildings retain the beehive 
  shape and large underground tunnel complexes of the original 
  burrowers but are constructed by machines; the burrowers are 
  now reduced to the secondary function of keeping the tunnels 
  clean. Hiver attachment to them is essentially non-rational, they 
  just feel more comfortable with the burrowers around. 
  Hive society is highly individualistic. The term Hive results from an 
  early human misconception, stemming from the appearance of 
  the Hivers’ building and tunnel complexes. Nests contain from 
  ﬁ ve to 500 individuals, usually cantered around some common 
  endeavour. While 100 is the average size for a nest (and was the 
  size in pre-civilized times), larger groups may come together for 
  some civilized purpose such as large manufacturing companies 
  or universities. Small nests are usually spaceship crews or 
  isolated research parties. A young hiver will spend his ﬁ rst 15  
  years in his home nest; thereafter, nest changes may take place 
  as often as a modern human might change jobs.
   
  Because of the nature of their reproduction, hivers never 
  experienced the population pressures so important to human 
  history. The population of the homeworld is now only a few 
  hundred million, only ten times greater than it was in pre-
  historic times. Predators control the young; when the adult 
  survival rate rises, thus increasing the numbers of young 
  produced, the predator population increases proportionately and 
  the balance is maintained.
   
  Space colonisation arose not from pressure but from curiosity, 
  with which Hivers are amply endowed. They have colonised 
  only those planets with climates most pleasant to Hivers; if the 
  planet has no predators that like to eat Hiver larvae, they are 
  imported. Because of the high birth rate, a colony will rapidly 
  ﬁ ll up to its maximum population level of a few hundred million, 
  and will then stabilise. Hivers like planets of size 6 or less, with 
  thin or standard atmospheres and unvarying climates. Hiver 
  enclaves, for commercial or scientiﬁ c purposes, are found on 
  worlds of more extreme characteristics. 
  Hive industry and business excel at communications technology. 
  Major exports include artiﬁ cial and computer languages, 
  translators and sophisticated electronic hardware of all types. 
  Hiver mathematical systems are much in demand for their power 
  and elegance. 
  Hive Federation: Human term for the loose interstellar 
  community dominated by the Hivers; Hive Confederation is also 
  sometimes used. The Hivers have only one culture and one 
  language; the Hiver genotype (with individual variations similar 
  in degree to differences between individual humans of the same 
  race) is also constant. The Federation government (if such a term 
  is applicable) is mostly concerned with maintaining the uniformity 
  of the Hiver culture and species. This is accomplished by frequent 
  reproductive embassies from one planet to another. Members 
  of many different nests will shake hands with everyone nearby 
  in a sort of farewell party and will then board a large embassy 
  ship bound for a far-off world. Once there, they will meet with as 
  many people as possible, shaking hands and exchanging news, 
  art, gossip, scientiﬁ c information, political views and so on for 
  about a year. They will then return home for another yearlong 
  round of parties, discussions and handshaking.
   
  Most disputes among communities are handled in these 
  embassies; others, considered too urgent or transient to wait 
  for an embassy, are settled by judges. There is a considerable 
  body of Hiver common law and custom, and a judge is a person 
  who has spent years in study of the law; judges’ decisions are 
  not necessarily binding and are open to compromise; but carry 
  a great weight of custom. The discovery of alien races and 
  their integration into society required a slightly more formal 
  organisation, which grew out of the coordinating body that 
  schedules embassies. 
  
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  Two additional bodies were established: the Federation Navy 
  and a development agency. The Hiver parental instinct was 
  aroused by the discovery of numerous intelligent species 
  less fortunate than themselves, and work began immediately 
  to lift the ‘children’ to civilisation. An early experience with 
  an aggressive race led to the establishment of a system of 
  quarantine worlds, denied entry to (or knowledge of) interstellar 
  society. Covert operations are in progress on quarantine worlds 
  to modify overly-aggressive cultures into acceptable members 
  of the Federation and several quarantined planets have 
  been opened since the beginning of the program. So far, no 
  quarantined race is close to achieving interstellar travel on its 
  own; public debate continues on what to do in such a case.
   
  The navy is the main instrument of military force. Hivers came 
  late to the concept of war and are more comfortable with high 
  technology, long-range violence, disliking the personal approach 
  of ground combat. When ground forces are absolutely needed, 
  other races of the Federation generally supply the troops. 
  Federation armed forces are essentially a deterrent force and 
  are seldom used as an instrument of policy. 
  Other races of the Federation are equal partners in society, 
  although the structure of society is Hiver-generated and those 
  races able to best adapt to a Hiver way of life and customs have 
  been most successful. All races participate in the embassies, 
  although in a modiﬁ ed form. Some associate species retain strong 
  internal governments or police forces to regulate the aggressive 
  tendencies of their members, but whatever the solution reached, 
  all Federation-member societies are non-aggressive. Most 
  worlds of the Federation have communities of several species; 
  races inhabit the worlds they ﬁ nd most pleasant.
  .
  Holiday Year: The year zero in the history of the Third Imperium, 
  established by Cleon I to commemorate the formation of the 
  Imperium. Technically an aspect of calendar reform, the use of 
  the year zero provides a central date point for counting years 
  back into the Long Night and forward into the future of the 
  Imperium. The actual advantages of a holiday year are slight: 
  centuries begin in the hundredth numbered year instead of the 
  ﬁ rst numbered year, and the number of years between any 
  two dates can be determined by subtraction. More importantly 
  at the time, the holiday year was used as part of the 
  public relations campaigns, which were impressing the 
  authority of the Imperium upon local governments. The minor 
  requirement of changing to the new calendar was used to 
  determine cooperation by those governments. 
  See also Dating Systems. 
  Hoplite: (Marmotophagus var.) A large, heavily armoured 
  intermittent found on many worlds throughout the territory once 
  ruled by the Vilani empire. The world of origin of these beasts 
  is not known with certainty, since early Vilani colonisations 
  and subsequent settlement efforts have resulted in hundreds 
  of worlds with mixed biochemistries. Because of the carapace 
  and its horns, the hoplite is believed to have originated on a 
  world with many large predators, and this and other factors have 
  limited the number of possible worlds to less than a dozen, 
  mostly in the Vland sector.
   
  Adult hoplites are large, six-legged homoeothermic animals. 
  They weigh about 1,600 kg, and are usually around 2.5 metres 
  long and one metre high at a shoulder. The most notable feature 
  is the thick, articulated carapace (with many projecting horns) 
  covering the dorsal surface of the animal’s body.
   
  Hoplites usually feed on small, burrowing animals. They 
  locate the burrows by smell and probe within them using an 
  extensible, tough proboscis. When the prey is located, the 
  proboscis grabs it, extracts it from the burrow and conveys it 
  to the mouth, located on the underside of the head. When not 
  in use, the proboscis is pulled back under the head, forming a 
  j-shaped structure. The paired structures shown on either side 
  of the proboscis are extremely sensitive feelers used by the 
  hoplite to detect the vibrations of an approaching predator or 
  the faint sounds made by a burrowing animal. The forward-
  facing horns are sometimes used to enlarge a burrow to make 
  the insertion of the proboscis and extraction of prey easier.
   
  If attacked, a hoplite will attempt to run, but if cornered, will turn 
  on its attacker, and begin to gyrate its body, slashing with its 
  horns. It takes a tough, determined predator to bring down an 
  adult hoplite.
   
  Hortalez et Cie, LIC: This corporation was founded in 221 by 
  Lucienne Hortalez, capitalised from family funds. Primarily a 
  banking and investment house, Hortelez specialises in loans to 
  planetary governments, mercenary unit bonding, underwriting 
  of large-scale projects of all sorts, and other ﬁ scal activities. 
  Hortelez is one of the major insurance houses in the Imperium. 
  In some regions (the Spinward Marches Sector especially) the 
  ﬁ rm acts as a mercenary clearinghouse.
  Stock ownership: Hortalez family— 74%, Other corporations— 
  15%, Imperial family- 5%, Other- 6%.
  Humaniti (former spelling Humanity): Collective name for 
  all of the human races, including Solomani, Vilani and Zhodani 
  and others. See Humans.
   
  Humans: Intelligent major race dominating the Imperium and 
  several additional interstellar communities. Humans stand 
  approximately 1.8 metres in height and weigh about 100 
  kilograms. Descended from omnivore gatherers, humans 
  developed intelligence in response to shifting climatological 
  factors. The most unusual aspect of humaniti is the fact that 
  humans are present on many different worlds and stand at 
  various levels of development on those worlds. The Solomani 
  Hypothesis states that Humans evolved on Terra (Sol 
  
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  subsector) and were scattered to many different worlds by the 
  Ancients for reasons currently unknown. The result is that many 
  different, parallel human races exist and coexist throughout 
  known space. The three most widespread human races are the 
  Solomani (humans from Terra), the Vilani (humans from Vland), 
  and the Zhodani (humans from Zhodane). 
  See also Ancients, Humaniti, Solomani Hypothesis, Solomani, 
  Vilani, Zhodani, Minor Races.
  Imperial Army: Ground force troops maintained by the 
  Imperium, rather than planetary armies maintained by individual 
  worlds. Imperial Army units are typically trained and supplied 
  at TL14, no matter the Tech Level of the world where they are 
  stationed. The Imperial Army maintains approximately 200,000 
  troops per subsector. Planetary armies, in contrast, are closer 
  to 2 million troops per subsector.
  Imperial Calendar: Calendar established at the creation of the 
  Third Imperium as a universal calendar reform. Dates count from 
  the founding of the Imperium, the year ‘zero’. Dates before 
  zero are negative, dates after are positive. For example, Terra 
  discovered jump drive in -2431. The Imperium was founded in 
  year Zero.  The year is divided into 365 standard days, which 
  are grouped into 52 weeks of seven days each. The lengths of 
  days and weeks are a legacy of Terran domination during the 
  second Imperium. Days are numbered consecutively, beginning 
  with one. The ﬁ rst day of the year is a holiday and is not part 
  of any week. For example, the ﬁ rst day (Holiday) of the year 
  1104 is 001-1104. The last day of the year 1105 is 365-1104.
  Imperial Edict 97: This executive order is the enabling act for 
  the use of Imperial Warrants. Unusually obscure for such a 
  wide-ranging and powerful edict, it is nonetheless on ﬁ le at all 
  Imperial installations. The edict text runs to 34 pages, much of it 
  pure legalese; when distilled down, it proves very direct- assist 
  the holder of an Imperial Warrant with all the power you can 
  bring to bear.
   
  Imperial Grand Survey: The Survey Ofﬁ ce of the Imperial 
  Interstellar Scout Service is known commonly, and even internally, 
  as the IGS, the Imperial Grand Survey. It has responsibility for 
  mapping and exploration within Imperial borders.
  The Grand Survey is responsible, in addition to its actual 
  survey duties, for publishing its cartography, establishing trafﬁ c 
  control procedures and for enforcement of space vessel safety 
  standards. The function of exploring unknown areas accounts 
  for only a small percentage of IGS manpower and funds.
  .
  Imperial Interstellar Scout Service: The Imperial Interstellar 
  Scout Service is a major service within the Imperium, equal in 
  stature to the Imperial Army and the Imperial Navy, although 
  assigned a variety of unique, primarily non-military missions. 
  Its duties include exploration of the Imperial frontiers, on-
  going mapping and surveying of Imperial territory and the 
  maintenance of interstellar communications through its express 
  boat network.
  Imperial Navigation Act: Legislation enacted in 103 that 
  requires all vessels, whether military or civilian, to respond to 
  the GK, SOS, or Mayday signals, provided such response does 
  not endanger the ship and crew of the responding vessel.
  Imperial Navy: The mailed ﬁ st of the Third Imperium, the 
  Imperial Navy is the largest military force in Charted Space. 
  With thousands of ships, and millions of spacers and ofﬁ cers, 
  the Navy holds the line against threats from alien empires 
  outside of the Imperium, and from rebels, pirates and terrorists 
  inside its borders.
  The Navy has the ﬁ repower to destroy enemy ﬂ eets and burn 
  enemy worlds, if necessary. They transport Army and Marine 
  units to hotspots across the stars, and support them while they 
  ﬁ ght on the planets below.
  
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  Imperial Marines: The Imperial Marines are the armed ﬁ ghting 
  forces carried aboard starships. Marines deal with piracy and 
  boarding actions in space, defend the starports and bases 
  belonging to the navy and supplement other ground forces such 
  as the army.
  By reputation, the Imperial Marines are sent in when something 
  or someone presents a serious threat to the well-being of the 
  Imperium and its member worlds. They are never used lightly, 
  and once committed, they never leave a job half done.
  Imperial Research Station: The scattered worlds of the 
  Imperium manifest a wide range of technological levels: this 
  diversity is maintained by the distances between worlds, the high 
  cost of transportation, and the relative independence allowed to 
  worlds within the Imperium.
  Nevertheless, the Imperium itself is constantly involved with 
  research projects at the forefront of technology. While some new 
  technology can be purchased from advanced cultures beyond 
  the Imperial boundaries, such high technology is expensive and 
  still requires a solid technological foundation to allow its usage. 
  Consider: however useful solid-state chip circuits are, they still 
  require a ﬁ rm grounding in electronics and cannot be used 
  on a large scale without electronics, individual solid-state 
  chip components, photo processing and even crystal culture. 
  It is vital that the Imperium pass through many stages of 
  technological development on the way to achievement in higher 
  tech level areas. Imperial technological research is performed 
  in two ways: under contract by corporations, or in established 
  Imperial Research Stations. The difference is that the corporate 
  (or privately ﬁ nanced) research is directed at speciﬁ c practical 
  uses, while Imperial projects are breaking new ground on the 
  forefronts of knowledge.
   
  Private Research:
  Private Research: On a scale as vast as the Imperium, it is often 
  cheaper to duplicate research rather than search out and contract 
  for technology somewhere in the Imperium. Trade between 
  different worlds’ often disseminates knowledge and certain 
  technologically advanced items throughout the community 
  of worlds. If a certain item proves useful, local companies 
  will try to achieve the same technology and soon enter into 
  local manufacture. Local manufacturing takes into account 
  local preferences, as well as providing local employment. It 
  also avoids potential problems with licensing agreements and 
  arrangements.
   
  Imperial Research:
  Imperial Research: The Imperium ﬁ nances research into a variety 
  of areas in the forefront of knowledge. Often this is an attempt 
  to duplicate technology observed or reported in neighbouring 
  cultures and not yet within the ability of Imperial science. 
  Such research stations are sited in areas that need the boost 
  to the local economy, or in remote areas far from the potential 
  disturbance of Imperial politics. Many different stations may 
  be working in the same region, and many different areas of 
  knowledge may be under investigation at one time. In general, 
  one station will be constructed for one purpose and continue 
  in that area of knowledge for its entire span of usefulness. Its 
  size, personnel roster, power plant capacity, and even visibility 
  proﬁ le, are dependent on its area of investigation. Imperial 
  research may delve into many areas. Some examples include 
  black hole research, both large-scale and mini-black hole 
  investigation, instantaneous transmitter development (so far 
  proving impossible), advanced gravity manipulation, genetic 
  manipulation, anti-matter containment, weaponry research, 
  disintegrator beams, black globe development, deep planetary 
  core soundings, nova prevention (and prediction), psychohistory, 
  mass 
  population 
  behaviour 
  prediction, 
  psionics, stable 
  superheavy elements, deep radar analysis, long-range detection 
  systems, robotics, artiﬁ cial intelligence, stasis and time travel, 
  so-called magic, cryptography, bionics, personal shields, x-ray 
  lasers and high temperature superconductors.
  Imperial Stationery: The Imperial family has reserved (both 
  by custom and by law) a distinctive design for its personal 
  stationery. Well-known throughout the Imperium through its 
  use for routine messages and for Imperial appointments, this 
  writing material is a cream-colored artiﬁ cial vellum, embossed 
  with the Imperial Seal in gold. Because it is used for Imperial 
  appointments (even when issued in blank for ofﬁ ces in the 
  marches) all Imperial ofﬁ cials are familiar with the design and 
  can readily tell normal forgeries from the real thing.
  Imperial Sunburst: The symbol of the Third Imperium 
  established by Cleon (the ﬁ rst emperor) when the empire 
  was proclaimed. Images show him standing before the 
  original banner with a golden yellow sunburst against a 
  black background, representing Capital’s type G star against 
  dark space.
   
  In 247, the Eliyoh (a nonhuman minor race) joined the 
  Imperium. To that race the symbology was unimpressive. 
  The Eliyoh vision is centered in the far infrared, which resulted 
  in distinction between the ofﬁ cial colours of black and yellow 
  being impossible. So the Empress Porﬁ ria declared that the 
  symbol would have no ofﬁ cial colour.
   
  The original banner in the Imperial throne room is still black with 
  a yellow sunburst. The Imperial Interstellar Scout Service uses 
  a red sunburst; the Imperial Navy, yellow; the Imperial Army, 
  black; the Imperial Marines, maroon.
  Imperial Warrant: The Imperial Warrant is an instrument of 
  power issued at the highest levels of government. A warrant is a 
  written or electronic document provided to trusted agents of the 
  Imperium as a method of bypassing the bureaucracy. Typically, a 
  warrant is provided by the Emperor to an individual who utilises 
  the power it provides to accomplish some mission. Missions may 
  include establishment of colonies in areas requiring development, 
  the assumption of military command in the midst of a crisis and 
  
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  the unilateral establishment of new noble lines to administer 
  provinces that have suffered from war or economic collapse. 
  See also Imperial Edict 97. 
  Instellarms, LIC: Founded in 626, shortly after the end of the 
  Civil War, by Axel Murdoch, a retired colonel of mercenaries. 
  Taking advantage of inside contacts in the Imperial military, 
  Murdoch was able to obtain large quantities of surplus military 
  equipment at very low prices, but still costing billions of credits. 
  Where Murdoch got his ﬁ nancing is not known.
  Murdoch’s connections with various mercenary unit commanders 
  coupled with a willingness to ignore the Imperial regulations 
  on mercenary warfare where the proﬁ ts were large enough 
  enabled Instellarms to dominate the mercenary arms trade in 
  the coreward sectors of the Imperium within 90 years and in the 
  Imperium as a whole within two centuries.
  Manufacturing, buying and selling military equipment of all sorts, 
  Instellarms is a specialty supplier of mercenary units of all sizes 
  and types. Agents of the ﬁ rm can often be found on a battleﬁ eld, 
  negotiating the purchase of the equipment of the losing side 
  before the battle is completely over. The company does not deal 
  in interstellar vessels and chemical, bacteriological, or nuclear 
  weaponry but these can sometimes be obtained on low law 
  level worlds for astronomical prices.
  Stock ownership: Murdoch Holdings, LIC- 32%, Hortalez et Cie- 
  30%, Noble families- 8%, Ling-Standard Products- 6%, Ichiban 
  Interstellar, LIC- 5%, GSbAG- 5%, Sternmetal Horizons, LIC- 
  8%, Other- 6%.
  Interdiction: The Imperial practice of interdiction of worlds 
  within the boundaries of the Imperium has long been a source 
  of contention between liberal and conservative factions in the 
  government. Interdictions must be approved by a member 
  of the Imperial family but generally such approval is given in 
  response to a request from an interested service, almost always 
  the Scouts or the Navy. It is generally held that the Scouts 
  recommend interdiction to shield a young or sensitive culture 
  from the interference that trade and commerce will bring. The 
  Navy is held to be more vindictive in its recommendations, 
  using interdiction to punish local governments or to hide its 
  own mistakes. Interdicted worlds are awarded Red Zone travel 
  ratings by the Travellers’ Aid Society.
   
  See also Red Zone.
  .
  Interdiction Satellite: While most worlds that are under 
  interdiction will have blockade forces to intercept incoming 
  trafﬁ c, some have to make do with automated systems.  A 
  variety of automated satellites are used to enforce Imperial 
  interdiction. These range from warning buoys that automatically 
  record ship transponder codes, all the way up to armed and 
  armoured stations that will ﬁ re on approaching vessels.
  Interface Lines: Where one territory ends and another begins, 
  the special interface shipping line meets the needs of the 
  marketplace. Interface lines provide passenger and freight 
  service across the border. They carefully maintain favour with 
  both sides of the border, and sell as part of their product easy 
  transit over the line.
  The Vargr Extents are full of interface lines serving the many 
  distinct Vargr territories. Interface lines operate along the 
  Imperial border with the Aslan, they serve the interface with the 
  K’kree, they even serve along the borders with the Solomani 
  and the Zhodani.
  Interface lines may serve routes either long or short. Some 
  merely reach from a major world on one side of the border to a 
  similar major world on the other side. Others (trading with the 
  K’kree, for example) may operate a trade route as long as 75 
  or 100 parsecs in order to transport goods from one territory 
  to another.
  lolanthe: 
  Empress 
  of 
  the 
  Third 
  Imperium. 
  lolanthe 
  Guuilbataashullibaa was born in 1052, the daughter of the 
  senior duke of Gushemege sector, and member of a prominent 
  Vilani noble family. She married Strephon in 1079, in the eighth 
  year of his reign.
  Her primary avocation is the preservation of developing cultures 
  within the Imperium.
  Iridium Throne: The shining Iridium Throne is often 
  considered synonymous with the Emperor and Imperial power. 
  The throne is a teardrop-shaped hemisphere mounted on a 
  powered, rotating base. All possible comforts are provided for 
  the Emperor by the gleaming shell of the throne, as well as 
  a fair degree of armour protection. Traditionally, the Emperor 
  sits in his Iridium Throne and receives the new nobles of the 
  Imperium, entertains guests and ambassadors, and views 
  recorded messages from high-ranking nobles requesting aid 
  or assistance.
   
  Islands Cluster: In the centre of Reft Sector, deep in the Great 
  Rift, lies the Islands Cluster. It is an isolated grouping of stars 
  initially settled by the European Space Agency Long Range 
  Colony Mission, a 2000-year long mission launched in the mid-
  21st century. There are currently 28 inhabited worlds within the 
  Islands Cluster.
  See also European Space Agency Long Range Colony 
  Mission.
  Jgd-Il-Jagd: The Jgd-Il-Jagd are a gas-giant dwelling intelligent 
  species originating on a world on the coreward edge of the 
  Imperium. Although technically a minor race, they possessed 
  very advanced technology even before they were ﬁ rst contacted 
  by Vilani explorers in about -4200; in the period since, for 
  
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  obscure reasons, they have never employed jump drives, 
  although their slower-than-light ships have ventured several 
  parsecs from Jagd, and Jgdi colonies are spread across three 
  subsectors. Jgdi have very occasionally travelled further aﬁ eld 
  than this in heavy life support units carried by bulk transporters, 
  and Jgdi travellers have even collaborated with humaniti 
  in exploration and exploitation problems. The Jgdi are the most 
  advanced gas-giant dwellers in the Imperium.
   
  The Jgdi have roughly spherical bodies, about 3metres in 
  diameter, dotted with clusters of sensory cells and with three long 
  manipulative tendrils distributed regularly around the ‘equator’. 
  The densest mass of sensory organs, plus a large number 
  of manipulative ‘feelers’ and feeding structures, are sited on the 
  lowest point of the body.
  Jgdi thought is alien to all other races’ intelligence; hence 
  communication is a persistent problem. The obvious difﬁ culty of 
  simply conversing is generally solved by use of powerful human 
  or Jgdi computer translators, but even these tend to struggle with 
  many concepts; nor is pronunciation of synthesized phonemes 
  always easy (the race name is a human corruption of 
  something produced by an early Jgdi machine). In general, 
  relations with humaniti and other races are restricted to trade 
  and informational exchanges. The Imperium classiﬁ es the Jgdi 
  as a friendly associate species with autonomous government; 
  actually, no formal pacts exist, although relations are in a state 
  of stable equilibrium.
   
  Jump Dimming: The transitions to and from jumpspace 
  are momentous occasions during an interstellar trip. Following 
  an old Vilani superstition, the pilot of a ship customarily 
  dims the ship’s interior and exterior lights before going into 
  jump. Historically, this custom derived from the need for most 
  of the ship’s power to be diverted into the computer and jump 
  drive systems, so that the jump drive could be guided into 
  creating the jump ﬁ eld properly. Zhodani and Solomani pilots 
  do not follow this tradition of ‘jump dimming’.
  Lights on a ship are typically dimmed for a period of about two 
  minutes; the lights are brought back up to full strength as soon 
  as the ship is in jumpspace. 
  Jumpspace: The basic concept of interstellar travel is that 
  of an alternate universe. Theoretically, jumpspaces are 
  alternate universes, each only dimly understood from the 
  standpoint of our own universe. Jump is deﬁ ned as the movement 
  of matter from one point in normal space to another by travelling 
  through an alternate space (called jumpspace). The beneﬁ t of 
  jump is the distance covered, currently up to 6 parsecs, and that 
  the time required is relatively invariant at about one week. 
  Entering jump is possible anywhere, but perturbations due to 
  gravity make it safest to begin a jump at least 100 diameters out 
  from a world or star.
  Kian: A large ﬂ ightless animal that originated on Prilissa 
  (Spinward Marches 3035) and is used on many worlds as a 
  beast of burden or for riding. Though they resemble Terran 
  ostriches and are often described as a bird, kian are actually 
  bipedal mammals. Kian ﬁ ll many of the same functions as 
  horses and have been exported throughout the Marches 
  almost as widely.
  Kian are plains dwellers, travelling in herds of 10 to 60 individuals, 
  feeding upon grasses, leaves, or similar plant matter.
  Externally, the Kian is a large bipedal creature with a long neck, 
  short tail and no other limbs (the remains of an atrophied pair 
  of fore-limbs can be found in some species). Kians are thickly 
  furred, their coats showing distinctive colour patterns of brown, 
  gold, lemon-yellow and black. A kian’s legs are powerfully 
  muscled for fast movement over long distances. The sturdiness 
  of their overall frames has made them a frequent choice for use 
  as mounts and pack animals on the planets where they occur. 
  Kian’s hearing and eyesight are extremely good, reﬂ ecting their 
  predator-laden environment of origin
  .
  Along with Terran horses, Kian are used as ceremonial mounts 
  for the Imperial Household Cavalry.
  Kirur (Kirur/Thirty 0505-B863A03-F): Homeworld and capital of 
  the Two Thousand Worlds, the interstellar empire of the K’kree. 
  The planet’s oceans are extremely shallow and the world 
  exhibits almost no volcanic activity, very unusual for a world of 
  its size. Kirur has one large continent, which was conquered 
  in prehistoric times by the current ruling clan; Kirur is one of the 
  most politically stable planets known.
  K’kree: The K’kree are the most massive of the major races, and 
  are the only example of a major race descended from herbivores. 
  An adult K’kree stands about 1.5 metres at the shoulder 
  and between 2.0 and 2.4 metres tall when standing erect.
  Weight 
  averages 
  550 
  kilograms. They 
  are 
  bilaterally 
  symmetrical, hexapodal, and homoeothermic. They bear some 
  resemblance to the centaurs of ancient terran myth, a trait 
  noted by the earliest explorers.
  The arrangement of the manipulative organ (or hand) on the 
  front limb is one of their most interesting features. A complex 
  system of cartilaginous tubes permit the ﬁ ngers of the Centaur 
  hand to telescope up out of the way when the hand is used as a 
  weapon. Fully extended, the ﬁ ngers are mutually opposable to 
  each other and to the ‘thumb’ which is in reality an extension of 
  the ulna. The K’kree hand is very ﬂ exible but somewhat weaker 
  in grasping power than the human hand.
  The K’kree are covered with a short gray or black fur, with 
  a dense black mane covering the head and neck and upper 
  back of both sexes. Unlike Terran mammals, the young are 
  
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  fed partially digested regurgitated food instead of milk. Males 
  average 15% to 20% larger than females.
  K’kree are extremely conservative in all aspects of their culture. 
  Ceremonial military units (such as bodyguards) are armed with 
  equipment that K’kree military technology outdated centuries ago 
  and aside from modiﬁ cations made necessary by the discovery 
  of spaceﬂ ight, K’kree government has not changed signiﬁ cantly 
  in many centuries.
   
  Because of their origins as plains-dwelling herd animals, the 
  Centaurs are intensely claustrophobic; they cannot stand to be 
  enclosed. Centaur cities are clumps of low, broad, transparent 
  domes, the buildings inside never more than one story in 
  height and open to the sky. Internal building divisions are 
  achieved with curtains or tapestries.
   
  K’kree are extremely gregarious and are never found alone. A 
  one centaur will quickly sicken and die if removed from others 
  of their species for any length of time. Receiving a trade or 
  diplomatic delegation from the centaurs means entertaining the 
  entire family (one or more wives, servants, scribes, assistants 
  and so on) of the merchant or the ambassador. The K’kree word 
  for ‘my’ refers to a possession of an individual’s Noble herd, not 
  to that of an individual. Privacy and individuality are exotic and 
  little-understood concepts for the K’kree, and strike them as 
  being unnatural and possibly even immoral.
  K’kree society is divided into castes. The system is a remnant of 
  ancient times, which no longer ﬁ t their culture perfectly but the 
  K’kree stick with it because it is traditional. There are hundreds 
  of castes, but the distinctions are too faint for non-K’kree to 
  understand. For simplicity, castes can be divided into three 
  general groupings: noble, merchant and servant. It is possible 
  for a family to rise in caste, but this is a rare occurrence.
   
  The lowest caste, the servants, has come to include farmers, 
  factory workers, and unskilled labourers as well as servants for 
  all classes. The next higher caste, the merchants, includes most 
  skilled workers, scientists, engineers and technicians, scribes, 
  and government administrators as well as merchants and 
  businessmen.
  Nobles are the governmental ofﬁ cials (the Krurruna and others) 
  the high military ofﬁ cers, diplomats and heads of trade and 
  manufacturing concerns. Nobles are usually garbed in much 
  more ornate fashion than the lower castes. 
  Every male K’kree must serve a term in the military upon coming 
  of age. Warriors are drawn from all castes, rank in the military 
  being determined by the caste of origin (nobles enter the service 
  as general ofﬁ cer trainees, merchants as lower ofﬁ cers and 
  non-commissioned ofﬁ cers and so on). Upon completing the 
  required term of service, a warrior returns to his original caste 
  and position. Warriors are the only Centaurs permitted to bear 
  weapons and are further distinguished by their peculiar ﬂ ared 
  and horned helmets. They serve as soldiers, police, ﬁ re-ﬁ ghters, 
  and body guards for diplomatic and mercantile expeditions.
   
  Female K’kree are casteless, taking on the caste of their father 
  or husband. Females have no position in government or society 
  other than the rearing of young.
  K’kree Government: The basis of K’kree government is rooted 
  in the traditional herd system. The basic unit of government 
  is the herd consisting of thousands of individuals of all sexes, 
  castes and ages) led by krurruna (literally: bosses) under 
  a single steppelord. In recent times, most herds have been 
  assigned speciﬁ c geographic areas (several may be assigned 
  to a city, or a single herd may be assigned millions of hectares 
  of farmland). A number of herds are governed by a single “lord 
  of steppelords” (usually the ruler of a planet) and the Centaur 
  race as a whole is ruled by a ‘Steppelord of the 2000 Worlds’.
   
  See also Kirur, Two Thousand Worlds. 
  Knight: The lowest of noble ranks is knight, awarded as an 
  honoriﬁ c rank in recognition of achievement or service. A 
  knighthood entitles the individual to use the preﬁ x Sir (some 
  females prefer Dame, but such usage is obsolete) before 
  the name, and to sufﬁ x the initials of the order of knighthood 
  after the name. 
  Knighthood is awarded within an order. Several dozen orders 
  of knighthood exist within the Imperium. Some are restricted to 
  speciﬁ c classes of individuals, such as members of the Imperial 
  Family, racial Aslan, racial Vargr, or other special groups. 
  Others are awarded for speciﬁ c achievement or service, or for 
  holding speciﬁ c positions within the government.
  Still others are broadly based orders into which most new knights 
  are inducted.
  Knighthood, Orders of: The most common orders of 
  knighthood in the Imperium are the Order of the Emperor’s 
  Guard, established in 52 and originally limited to the Emperor’s 
  personal retainers but now of wide and diverse membership 
  and the Order of Starship and Crown, established in 17. More 
  exclusive orders have also been established: the Order of 
  Hlyuea (established to honor loyal Aslan citizens), the Order 
  of Gvadakoung (established to honor loyal Vargr citizens) and 
  the Honorable Order of the Arrow, (established to recognise 
  interstellar explorers). The domains each have orders named for 
  them: The Order of Antares, the Order of Vland, the Order of 
  Sylea, the Order of Sol, the Order of the Gateway and the Order 
  of Deneb. Of these, the Order of Sylea is administered by the 
  Emperor himself, in his role as Archduke of Sylea; the Order 
  of Deneb has never been used, as no Archduke of Deneb has 
  ever been appointed. 
  
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  Kuzu (Kuzu/Kilane 0406-A876986-E): Homeworld of the Aslan 
  race and capital of the Aslan Hierate. 
  Lair (Lair/Grnouf 0802-A8859B9-F): ‘Homeworld’ and capital 
  of the largest state in the Vargr Extents. Unusually enough for 
  the capital of a star-spanning empire, several sections of the 
  planet still boasted independence from central control only a 
  few years ago.
   
  Lanthanum: A rare earth element, the ﬁ rst of the inner 
  transition metals. It is vital to the construction of the inner coils 
  of interstellar jump drive units. 
  Leaping Snowcat: The Leaping Snowcat, (Thalailurus uncia) 
  is a carnivore/pouncer native to many worlds of the Imperium, 
  including Vland and Pretoria. In Vilani culture, the snowcat is 
  a symbol of powerful surprise. 
  Lesser Rift: Broad expanse of space with a very low density of 
  stars trailing the main region of the Third Imperium. This rift 
  is a pronounced impediment to interstellar travel, for it 
  constrains jumps through the Empty Quarter. The Lesser Rift 
  is lesser only when compared to the larger, more prominent 
  Great Rift spinward of the Imperium.
  The Lesser Rift, like the Great Rift, has provided long-term security 
  for the Third Imperium by constraining access to the Imperium’s 
  borders.
  Liberation Front: A growing separatist movement on many 
  worlds in the Spinward Marches. The Liberation Front is ﬁ ghting 
  for the right to be independent from the Imperium and other 
  political powers. For the most part, the group’s motives are 
  peaceful but they do not shy away from sabotage. They only use 
  violence when necessary and always avoid civilian casualties.
  Ling-Standard Products: Originally a mining ﬁ rm (and still very 
  active in that area) LSP currently engages in a wide spectrum 
  of activities including (but by no means limited to) manufacture 
  of electronic equipment of all sorts, ground and air vehicles, 
  starships and starship armaments systems, drive systems, 
  power systems, computer systems and software, small arms and 
  
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  a variety of other items. Also concerned, to a small degree with 
  banking, insurance and other activities. LSP maintains mining and 
  manufacturing facilities throughout the Imperium and beyond.
  Stock ownership: Imperial family- 8%, Hortalez et Cie- 26%, 
  GSbAG- 23%, Noble families- 8%, Murdoch Holdings, LIC- 8%, 
  Other- 27%.
  Llellewloly: Minor Race native to Junidy/Aramis (Spinward 
  Marches 3202 B434ABD-9). Llellewloly have five multi-jointed 
  limbs which function as hands and feet interchangeably. 
  Their main sensory organs are also located on the limbs. 
  The spherical central body is covered with long, coarse 
  hair, part of their adaptations to the extreme temperature 
  variations of Junidy’s day. The human minority on Junidy 
  often refers to the Llellewloly as ‘dandelions’, often in a 
  disparaging manner.
  Llellewyloly have a complex society with many dimensions of 
  social precedence; the same individual may be entitled to high 
  status in one situation and low status in another, and to make 
  an error concerning propriety is a serious matter.
  Loeskalth: Minor human race from Gushemege sector; known 
  only from ancient First Imperium records. During the early 
  stages of the First Imperium the Loeskalth culture absorbed a 
  great deal of science and technology indirectly from the Vilani 
  and founded a small empire which embraced, at its height, most 
  of their home subsector. 
  About 5,400 years ago, the Vilani consolidation destroyed 
  the Loeskalth Empire and absorbed the civilization into 
  the mainstream of Vilani culture. An aggressive and warlike 
  race, the Loeskalth resisted but were ultimately overwhelmed.
   
  Long Night: (-1776 to 0) The period of interstellar decline and 
  anarchy between the fall of the Rule of Man (also known as the 
  Second Imperium) and the establishment of the Third Imperium 
  by Cleon I.
  It was a period where worlds were cut off from one another, 
  technology was lost and the population on many worlds simply 
  failed to survive. Charted space is only just emerging from this 
  period, which is commonly held to be from -1776 to 0 according 
  to the Imperial calendar.
  Low Berth, Low Passage: Term used to describe travelling in 
  cold sleep. Cold sleep is induced hibernation brought about by a 
  combination of drugs and low temperature. It can be dangerous 
  for unhealthy passengers.
  Lucan Alkhalikoi Alkhalikoi: Prince of the Imperium. He is the 
  younger of the twin nephews of the Emperor Strephon, son of 
  Duke Dresden and Princess Lydia. Lucan was born in 1094, 
  ﬁ ve minutes after his brother, Prince Varian. He is fourth in line 
  to the Iridium Throne.
  Luugiir: (Aeromedusae globosus domer, ﬂ oater and gasbag, 
  among others - the Luugiir is found on many worlds throughout 
  the Imperium and adjacent regions. Domesti ated Vilani colonists 
  sometime early in the First lrnperium, the animal became a 
  common and popular pet and was spread throughout Vilani 
  space. Its original homeworld is no longer known, though it 
  is probably one of the low-gravity, dense-atmosphere worlds 
  included in the earliest Vilani interstellar sphere of inﬂ uence. 
  The Luugiir is invertebrate-like, resembling in some respects 
  a Terrestrial jelly ﬁ sh; its position on the evolutionary scale, 
  however, is much superior, and it has been surmised that 
  the animal’s 
  home 
  world 
  never 
  developed vertebrate-
  like forms. Luugiirs earn their names from their highly 
  unusual nature. Through a mechanism that continues to 
  fascinate xenobiologists right down to the present day, these 
  animals generate and store hydrogen gas in large bladders, 
  turning them into organic balloons.
  Luugiirs have a natural defense against predators, in the form 
  of four specialised ‘stinger’ tentacles. These inject a fast-
  acting poison that inhibits the involuntary muscle action of most 
  animals. The poison causes respiratory failure, seizures and 
  death, typically within 10 minutes for humans. Domesticated 
  Luugiirs, however , usually have their poison sacs removed, in 
  the same way as the scent sacs of a pet Terrestrial skunk can 
  be rendered ineffective.
  Lydia Aella Alhalikoi: Princess of the Imperium, younger sister 
  of Emperor Strephon. She is third in line for the throne.
  Kudeback’s Gazelle: Kudebeck’s Gazelle is an oddity. It is 
  not native to the world of Victoria but that is the only world 
  where it is found in the wild. In external appearance it closely 
  resembles a 6-legged version of a Terran gazelle, though there 
  are signiﬁ cant external differences.
  On metal-poor Victoria, the skeleton of the kudie is the primary 
  structural material for most buildings, wagons, and airships.
  Maghiz: In the Darrian language, Maghiz means chaos. It is 
  an appropriate name for the disaster that effectively destroyed 
  the Darrian civilisation in -998, when a science experiment 
  triggered a massive series of ﬂ ares in the Darrians’ sun, Tarnis. 
  The ﬂ ares and their accompanying electromagnetic pulse 
  devastated the Darrians’ interstellar culture, throwing most 
  worlds into collapse.
  MagnetoDynamics, Inc: Established in 1040 with an Imperial 
  charter and a mineral exploitation grant for Fulacin (Fulacin/
  Rhylanor 0203-A674120-D). The corporation holds several 
  patents for the recovery of precious and heavy metals from 
  atmospheric and oceanic suspension, and originally obtained 
  its position on Fulacin for the use of these properties.
   
  
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  Following the severe economic downturn associated with the 
  False War (1082 to 1084), the company encountered a cash 
  slowdown and suspended operations for a period. In 1089, an 
  inﬂ ux of capital allowed the company to resume operations. 
  In partial support of this new era, the company also established 
  a large starport facility (currently typed as class A, minus) with 
  construction and overhaul facilities for ships up to 10,000 tons,  
  completed in 1099.
   
  The starport facility, envisioned as ultimately supporting mineral 
  export trafﬁ c, has served an interim purpose of supporting 
  (through landing fees and other income) the on-going survey of 
  the world for ultimate exploitation.
   
  MagnetoDynamics’ exploitation grant expires in 1199, with 
  a renewability clause for an additional 100 years upon 
  demonstration of efﬁ cient and proﬁ table operations. Stock 
  ownership in the company is divided approximately as follows: 
  Spinward Marches nobility- 8%, Imperial Family- 5%.
  Main: A grouping of systems forming a chain of worlds 
  all reachable by jump-1. This grouping provides a sort of 
  ‘corridor’ allowing jump-1 capable ships to travel to any 
  world along the chain. Many such groupings of worlds exist in 
  the Imperium. Prominent examples include the Spinward Main 
  in the Spinward Marches, the Vilani Main centered in the Vland 
  Sector, The Sylean Main in Core Sector and the Antares Main 
  originating in the Antares sector. 
  Major Race. An arbitrary distinction based on the achievement 
  of a speciﬁ c intelligent race. A race that achieves interstellar 
  travel (jump drive) through its own efforts is classed major; one 
  that does not is classed minor. To date, the generally accepted 
  major races include Humaniti (Zhodani, Solomani and Vilani, 
  but not other examples), Aslan, Hivers, Centaurs, Vargr, 
  Ancients and Droyne.
  The Suerrat (a human race) have been held to be minor because 
  their achievement of interstellar travel utilised generation 
  ships. Similarly, the Geonee were originally thought to be a 
  major race but their development of jump drive was based on 
  recovered Ancient artifacts rather than true racial efforts. The 
  Geonee dispute this prevailing opinion and hold the (generally 
  unshared) view that they are of major standing. The Droyne 
  have been demonstrated to be major, with evidence showing 
  them having developed jump drive as far back as -7000.
  Makhidkarun: This corporation is one of the three original Vilani 
  bureaux. It originated with the aristocracy, and emphasised 
  interstellar government. Sometime, shrouded in the mists of the 
  Long Night, it transformed into a megacorporation. All that can 
  be stated with certainty is that its corporate form pre-dates the 
  Third Imperium. Makhidkarun specialises in the communications 
  and entertainment industries. The ﬁ rm produces ﬁ ne musical 
  recordings of all types, two and three dimensional motion 
  pictures, books, magazines and art reproductions of all sorts. 
  Its communications division produces a wide variety of data 
  processing, storage and retrieval equipment and the requisite 
  software for it. A gourmet foods division trades in all manner of 
  rare and expensive foods, wines and delicacies.
  This old Vilani Megacorporation is not the largest manufacturer 
  of robots but it is the most innovative. The company’s research 
  staff is responsible for many of the Imperium’s signiﬁ cant 
  breakthroughs in synaptic processing.
  Stock ownership: Imperial family— 5%, Noble families— 
  28%, Hortalez et Cie- 28%, Investment trusts- 25%, Private 
  ownership-14%.
  Margaret Yetrina Tukera: Princess of the Imperium and 
  Duchess of Delphi and Anaxias.
  Margaret, great-granddaughter of Emperor Gavin (946-
  1031) is a ﬁ rst cousin (once removed) of Strephon. She is 
  married to Count Blaine Trulla Tukera (of the Tukera Lines 
  megacorporation Tukeras).
  Marquis: The third level of noble rank is the marquis. A 
  marquis is associated with a single world (generally a large and 
  important one with a type A or B starport). The title consists of 
  the world name after the title, as in the Marquis of Aramis (or, 
  alternatively, the Marquis Aramis). 
  Mercenary. The remote centralised government of the Imperium 
  is possessed of great industrial and technological might but 
  it is also unable, due to the sheer distances and travel times 
  involved, to exert total control everywhere within its star-
  spanning realm. On the frontiers, extensive home-rule provisions 
  allow planetary governments to choose their own forms of 
  government, raise and maintain their own armed forces for local 
  security, pass and enforce laws governing local conduct, and 
  regulate (within limits) commerce. Defence of the frontier is 
  primarily the responsibility of local indigenous forces, stiffened by 
  scattered Imperial naval bases manned by small but extremely 
  sophisticated forces. Conﬂ icting local interests often settle 
  their differences by force of arms, with Imperial forces looking 
  quietly the other way, unable to effectively intervene. They are 
  able to operate as a police force only in the most widespread 
  of conﬂ icts as they cannot jeopardize their primary mission of 
  defence of the realm. Only when local conﬂ icts threaten either the 
  security or the economy of an area do Imperial forces take an 
  active hand, and then with overwhelming speed and force.
   
  In this environment, the soldier-for-hire ﬁ nds active employment. 
  Tolerance by the forces of the Imperium makes the hired military 
  force a practical matter. Imperial policy allows the marketplace 
  to provide military force to those who can afford it; one line of 
  thought is that hired military can be more effectively controlled if 
  it gets out of hand, as opposed to nationalistic or politically 
  motivated military forces. 
  
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  The Imperium does stand ready to enforce its own standards 
  however. Certain basic restrictions against improper scales 
  of force are observed and weapons such as poison gas or 
  nuclear devices are prohibited. If matters get out of hand, then 
  the local Imperial forces stand ready to intervene. The general 
  situation tends to keep the mercenary forces within the 
  Imperium in check.
  Megacorporation: 
  An 
  extremely 
  large 
  interstellar 
  corporation. When a corporation is truly Imperial in scope and 
  can provide services to all regions of the Empire, it earns the 
  term megacorporation.
   
  Only 13 companies are acknowledged to be megacorporations. 
  Because of their size, megacorporations have truly astronomical 
  numbers of employees, shareholders and proﬁ ts. Their upper 
  level executives labor at broad policy questions, and are largely 
  out of contact with day-to-day (and even year-to-year) activities 
  of the corporation. The real power in the company lies in the 
  hands of the regional managers (under whatever title they 
  have) who control the actual operations of the business. While 
  they may control only a small fraction of the megacorporation’s 
  assets, they wield more power in some areas than do the 
  representatives of the Imperial government. 
  A small number of Imperial regulatory agencies have 
  power over the megacorporations, and the companies are 
  subject to any applicable local taxes as well. Nevertheless, if 
  Imperial sovereignty is not blatantly violated, regional managers 
  can usually conduct their company’s business as they see 
  ﬁ t. Because a direct confrontation with the Imperium would be 
  bad for business, intentional violations of Imperial laws occur 
  on a covert basis only.
  Meson Accelerator (also: Meson gun, Meson cannon, 
  Meson weapon): The Meson Accelerator is a dual particle 
  accelerator, designed for work with electrons and positrons. 
  The collision of an electron and a positron creates a pi neutral 
  meson. Mesons have short half-lives, which can be prolonged 
  to precise duration by accelerating them to relativistic speeds. 
  Mesons do not interact signiﬁ cantly with other particles, and 
  matter is therefore transparent to them. By controlling the 
  velocity of the beam, the mesons may be caused to decay 
  inside a target, producing intense radiation effects.
  The Meson Gun is a weaponized version of the Meson 
  Accelerator, producing strong pulses of mesons designed to 
  produce maximum damage effects in a target. Most large modern 
  warships have meson accelerators as their main weaponry.
  Because the beam does not interact with rock, there are deep 
  meson sites used for planetary defence. The sites are buried 
  deep into the world’s crust and can defend against attacking 
  ships with impunity. Unfortunately the sensors necessary for 
  targeting and possibly the power source (detectable by neutrino 
  emissions, if fusion) are not as fortunate, and are often priority 
  targets. Indeed, as a matter of course, the Imperial Navy targets 
  neutrino emissions for destruction when invading a world.
  Meson Screen: A variation of the nuclear damper that provides 
  speciﬁ c protection against meson gun ﬁ re. The device projects 
  an interruption of the strong nuclear force, causing premature 
  decay of incoming mesons.
  Middle Passage: In order for starships to ﬁ ll their staterooms 
  with passengers, middle passage is offered on a standby basis, 
  in the event that not enough high passages are sold. While 
  middle passengers occupy staterooms normally similar to those 
  occupied by high passengers, they do not receive the service 
  or entertainment accorded the higher paying passengers. In 
  addition, the quality of the cuisine is rather low. Baggage totalling 
  100 kilograms is allowed. A middle passenger may be ‘bumped’ 
  and the stateroom taken by a late arriving high passenger; the 
  middle passenger’s ticket is returned, but no other compensation 
  is made. The middle could then buy a high passage and ‘bump’ 
  another middle passage, if the extra cost seemed worth it.
  Miniphant: (Microelphss ver.) During the earliest days 
  of expansion into space from Terra, a number of worlds 
  were settled whose terrains challenged the best overland 
  
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  transportation systems. Dense jungle growth and swamplands 
  foiled road building, and local vegetation sometimes proved 
  nearly unkillable. Since the colonies had (initially at least) 
  very low technologies, one solution to the problem was to 
  use specially bred beasts of burden. These animals could 
  be sent to the colonies in embryonic form and soon became 
  the low-tech alternative to the truck and ATV on many worlds.
   One of the animals developed for this program was geneered 
  from the Terran Indian Elephant (Elphas indicus). These beasts 
  were ideal for overland travel in forests and lesser swamps. 
  Later colonies carried the animals to other colonies and over the 
  years, numerous varieties were developed. The most popular of 
  these are several species collectively referred to as miniphants, 
  so-called because of their smaller size and mass. Miniphants 
  were bred for tractability and high intelligence. They stand an 
  average of 2.05 metres at the shoulder; males weigh 1,800 
  kilograms, females weigh 1,600 kilograms. No tusks are present  
  but miniphants compensate for this lack when lifting loads by 
  having more powerful trunks. 
  There is a fair chance of running across miniphants on worlds 
  with Tech Levels between 0 and 3, especially in the Solomani 
  Rim, and they can be found on some higher tech level worlds in 
  remote and backward regions, employed as cargo handlers, 
  pack and hauling beasts and mounts. 
  While they cannot speak, they can understand spoken 
  commands readily, even when given in whispers. A large 
  number of commands may be learned and will be retained for a 
  long period of time, though few tasks of exceptional complexity 
  will be known. Miniphants make slow but patient learners. They 
  have emotions as humans do, play games and practical jokes 
  and are amiable. If used as a pack animal or mount, miniphants 
  can carry up to 350 kilograms comfortably or can pull up to 
  2,000 kilograms in a wagon or cart. 
  Minor Race. A Minor Race is an intelligent race that has not 
  achieved jump drive through its own efforts. For most races, 
  this classiﬁ cation is appropriate. Many are contacted before 
  they have reached a technological level capable of even 
  considering jump drive, thus permanently prejudicing their 
  potential. Indeed, the shock of such classiﬁ cation and the 
  realisation that this classiﬁ cation pervades interstellar society, is 
  sufﬁ cient to relegate a race to a permanent role as shopkeepers 
  and accountants. Some slump, while others violently resist 
  the classiﬁ cation. The fact that the typing is informal and 
  arbitrary, and tends to elevate those already in power, has 
  made resistance difﬁ cult, if not impossible.
   
  Minor Race, Human: Any one of a number of human offshoots. 
  While most are the result of Ancient transplantation and genetic 
  engineering, a few are more recent. They are the result of 
  more modern attempts to engineer humans to survive in hostile 
  environments. Including these later additions, there are nearly 
  40 minor human races in charted space. 
  Minor Race, Non-human: There are over 200 non-human 
  minor races within the conﬁ nes of charted space. There 
  is no real commonality between these species, save their 
  possession of intelligence and the fact that they arrived late to 
  the interstellar party. 
  Monadium: Impenetrable bluish-gray metal used as the basic 
  construction material by the Ancients at the site on Antiquity/Ian 
  (Corridor 0816). It has defeated all efforts to determine its exact 
  composition, though some experts believe it contains titanium. 
  Even modern tech level 15 plasma and fusion weapons have 
  been unable to penetrate it.
  Monitor: Class of large military non-starship, often with armour 
  and armament equivalent to heavy capital-class vessels, like 
  cruisers, battle cruisers and battleships. Used to provide the 
  heavy ﬁ repower for systems defence forces. Similar in design 
  to battleriders, though some are constructed with asteroid hulls 
  for cost-effectiveness.
  Moot: The Imperial government’s only deliberative body. It has 
  few powers and even more rarely exercises them. In theory, the 
  Moot includes all Imperial nobles of baronial or higher status, 
  but most nobles do not ﬁ nd it convenient to travel to Capital, 
  and so many of those seated hold proxy votes. Large blocks of 
  these votes can be wielded by a single inﬂ uential noble.
   
  Technically, the Moot is supreme in the Imperium but its power 
  is extremely limited. In practice, its deliberations are advisory to 
  the Emperor and he is wise to heed them. The Moot has only one 
  power: to dissolve the Imperium. When this power is brought to 
  bear, it compels compromise between opposing factions. 
  When an Emperor dies, abdicates, or otherwise becomes unﬁ t 
  for ofﬁ ce, the Moot becomes important as the validating body for 
  the new Emperor. It has the power to examine the qualiﬁ cations 
  and credentials of the heir apparent and, in unusual situations, 
  to reject him.
   
  The Moot holds its sessions in the Moot Spire, which, at 
  1.75 kilometers high, is the tallest building on Capital. By 
  tradition, the Spire is the only building allowed to tower 
  above the Imperial Palace, which is 4.25 kilometers away. 
  Elevators with gravitic compensators can speed visitors from 
  the bottom to the top in 18 seconds. At the top of the Spire 
  is the High Moot, where select committees hold the most 
  private deliberations.
  Mora: (Spinward Marches 3124) Capital of the Spinward 
  Marches Sector, and site of the ﬁ rst major Imperial establishment 
  in that sector.
  Mora was settled in 60 and ﬁ nanced by Ling-Standard 
  Products. It was soon a thriving trade centre, building new 
  ships, overhauling old ones, and producing other manufactured 
  
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  goods on the side. At one end of the trade routes through to the 
  Sword Worlds Confederation and the Darrians, Mora became 
  known as the ‘Gateway to the Marches’.
  Mora sits fairly near the centre of the Domain of Deneb, astride 
  the Spinward Main. The bulk of the world’s 10 billion population 
  resides in a sprawling mega-city, straddling the equator and 
  covering most of the major continent. The Duchess Delphine 
  currently holds the reins of power in the world’s matriarchy.
  The Mora system’s belt is home to most of the signiﬁ cant biotech 
  industries in the Spinward Marches. The belt environment has 
  provided them with a safe and ﬂ exible environment for research 
  while being positioned at a large nexus of trade routes.
  Muan Gwi: (Solomani Rim 1717 A456A86-F) Capital world of 
  the Vegan Autonomous District. This low-gravity, arid world is 
  the birthplace of the Vegan minor race. The planet is dotted 
  with clusters of mega-cities, supporting the world’s billions of 
  citizens. Each cluster is dominated by a single tuhuir.
  Naasirka: Naasirka is a Vilani megacorporation that specialises 
  in the manufacture of information storage and processing 
  equipment and software, computers, robots and other complex 
  electronic devices. It was one of the three original Vilani 
  bureaux. It originated with the Shugilii, the food-preparation 
  caste. It ﬂ oundered for a time after it found that it could not 
  control food supplies on most worlds it dealt with. Ultimately, 
  though, it became a broad-based organization, emphasizing 
  energy, transport and luxury goods.
  The ﬁ rm’s current corporate incarnation is of uncertain lineage 
  but it is known to have been in business prior to the founding 
  of the Sylean Federation. Naasirka is the largest supplier of 
  communications equipment to the Imperial Interstellar Scout 
  Service’s Xboat branch.
  Naasirka is also the largest manufacturer of robots in the 
  Imperium. Naasirka’s robots rarely use innovative technology, 
  but their aggressive marketing staff has placed more robots than 
  either Makhidkarun or LSP, Naasirka’s two largest competitors.
  Stock ownership: Imperial family— 4%, Investment trusts— 24%, 
  Noble families- 23%, Hortalez et Cie- 11%, Other corporations- 
  14%, Igsiirdi family- 13%, Private ownership- 11%.
  Naval Base: Port facility for the support, maintenance, repair 
  and reﬁ t of naval vessels. Planetary surface facilities are 
  generally provided for vessels of 1,000 tons or less; orbital 
  facilities handle larger ships. A naval base has several distinct 
  parts to it; each part helps in the accomplishment of the overall 
  mission of the base. The typical naval base is composed of 
  an orbital berthing area, a surface berthing area, a maintenance 
  section and an administrative headquarters.
  Berthing areas provide locations for ships to lay over, whether 
  for a day or for months. All berthing areas include provisions 
  for refuelling from storage tanks or fuel lighters. Maintenance 
  sections at naval bases vary from base to base. Where such a 
  section would be redundant to the local starport shipyard, it is 
  small and repairs or alterations are carried out under contract to 
  the local facility. Where adequate local facilities do not exist, the 
  naval base itself may have a large maintenance section capable 
  of extensive repairs and reﬁ ts. Maintenance is performed on 
  the ships on the world surface or in orbit as necessary. The 
  administrative headquarters handles the day-to-day operations 
  of the base, as well as its paperwork (including the allocation 
  of funds, distribution of personnel and disbursement of 
  maintenance and repair contracts). 
  The naval base is not a tactical unit. It has no battle forces of its 
  own and does not exert control even over local system defence 
  boats (which are under a separate command). The naval base 
  is responsible for supporting the ﬂ eet and keeping it in optimum 
  condition for its combat missions.
  Naval Depot: Depots serve as focuses for naval efforts, supplying 
  a ﬂ eet’s every need, providing construction and repair facilities, 
  and producing and testing experimental ship prototypes. A depot 
  generally occupies an entire system. Facilities, materiel and 
  personnel are extensive enough to repair and resupply a large 
  fraction of the ﬂ eet at any time. A depot may be isolated from 
  outside contact for years at a time without serious setbacks. 
  As depots cover large parts of a system, there is no distinction 
  between orbital and surface berthing.
  In peacetime, the main function of a depot is the design and 
  testing of ships. A large staff of naval architects (the cream of 
  the area) and construction personnel is maintained at every 
  depot. In wartime, depots serve as repair and resupply centres 
  for the ﬂ eet. In emergencies, the depot’s construction yards are 
  sometimes pressed into service for production of military ships.
   
  Since a depot is obviously a very sensitive installation, security 
  is tight. An extensive array of both entry and exit codes are 
  employed to insure no unauthorised vessels enter or leave the 
  system. Contingents of marines and system defence boats are 
  stationed throughout the system and are constantly ready for 
  action. There is usually no more than one naval depot per 
  sector, placed in systems where they will be close enough to 
  the expected action to be useful but far enough back to insure 
  that they will not be captured.
   
  Newts: See Bawapakerwa-a-a-awapawab.
  Nobble:  This animal is a large herbivore grazer, indigenous to 
  Tarsus (District 268). It has a stocky body and short stubby legs 
  as an adaptation to the climatic extremes of its homeworld.
  
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  The popular nickname for these beasts comes from the 
  knobby projections on the end of their 1.5 metre-long tail. Wild 
  nobbles mass about 3 tons, ranched (semi-domesticated) 
  nobbles about 4 tons. Nobbles are covered all over with small, 
  feather-like structures, in several lengths. The inner layer is 
  short and thin ﬁ laments, an excellent insulating material. The 
  outer layer consists of long, wide ﬁ laments, which trap air in the 
  inner layer. The head is short and wide, with the eyes set far 
  apart. The large mouth is ﬁ lled with large batteries of teeth-like 
  grinding structures.
  Nobbles are extremely defensive of their herds, although 
  ranched ones will tolerate people and machines at a closer 
  range than wild ones. When threatened, they will form tight 
  circles around their young, with their thrashing tails outside. 
  Nobility: The foundation of interstellar government within the 
  Imperium. The Imperium depends on nobles ranging 
  from knights to archdukes to carry the chain of authority and 
  the mantle of responsibility from the Emperor to the people. 
  The Imperial nobility is a narrow class of persons at the upper 
  strata of society who hold, either personally or through their 
  family line, noble rank from the Emperor. Noble rank is a mark 
  of high social status for citizens and serves two purposes. It 
  rewards individuals for signiﬁ cant achievements and it provides 
  social station for the political leaders within the government. 
  All but the highest noble ranks (count, duke, archduke) can be 
  awarded in recognition of achievement or pre-eminence in a 
  ﬁ eld of endeavour. 
  The nobility includes within it a subset called the peerage, 
  consisting of all nobles except knights and baronets. Except 
  in extraordinary situations, to hold a high ofﬁ ce in the Imperial 
  bureaucracy, a person must be a peer (although not all 
  peers hold ofﬁ ce). 
  Nobility is usually hereditary. Once granted, a title continues to 
  be passed down to succeeding generations. Titles need not pass 
  through the ﬁ rst born (although this is the accepted practice), 
  and individuals with several titles may divide them among their 
  children as they see ﬁ t. An individual who is a member of a 
  close family with noble rank is usually considered a member 
  of the nobility even though that individual may not personally 
  hold a title. 
  Nobility is acquired through letters patent (patents of nobility) 
  issued by the Emperor. Traditionally, appointments are published 
  in the Holiday List (appearing on the ﬁ rst day of the new year) 
  and in the Birthday List (appearing on the Emperor’s Birthday). 
  Additional patents of nobility for political purposes or special 
  occasions are published when necessary. 
  Norris Aella Aledon, Duke: Duke of Regina, Count Aledon, 
  Marquis of Regina, Baron of Yori. Born 1063, second issue 
  of Duke Willem Caranda Aledon and Fiorella Havasu Aella of 
  Efate. Norris was enjoying a successful career in the Imperial 
  Navy when the accidental death of his older brother William in 
  1097, during what would turn out to be their father’s last year 
  of life, forced him rapidly into the unaccustomed role as the 
  impending heir. 
  As he was unmarried and had no heir, one precaution that he 
  was convinced to take during this period was the creation of 
  a clone, which he insisted be female. This clone is Seldrian 
  Aledon Aledon, still his heir.
  Nth Interstellar War: Any one of an indeterminate number of 
  interstellar wars fought between the Terran Confederation and 
  the First Imperium during the Period -2408 and -2219. The 
  First Interstellar War (-2408 to -2400) marked the initial clash 
  between Terra and Vland. The peace that concluded the 
  hostilities was both uneasy and short. 
  The second through seventh wars were marked by seesaw 
  exchanges of territory, mostly conﬁ ned to the Dingir and Sol 
  subsectors. These initial wars were fought, on the Vilani side, 
  with only the forces available to the Vilani provincial governor; the 
  central government was preoccupied with other problems. This 
  was fortunate for the Terrans, as Vilani power, even at this late 
  date, would have been sufﬁ cient to crush the Terrans in short 
  order had it been applied. The eighth war ﬁ nally broke open the 
  frontier and ended in the ﬁ rst major Terran victory. 
  Finally, the Imperium took notice, and dispatched major ﬂ eet 
  elements to the area, but the time for action had passed. Terran 
  invention of the jump-3 drive made the ninth war a crushing 
  victory for Terra and forced the Imperium to relinquish most 
  of the Solomani Rim. Thereafter, the Terrans were almost 
  constantly on the offensive. In the centuries after the conclusion 
  of the wars, no consensus could be reached in the academic 
  community as to when the later conﬂ icts began or ended; all 
  were interrupted several times by armistices, cease ﬁ res, or 
  shaky periods of peace (indeed, a new war would often break 
  out along the front lines before the existence of a peace treaty 
  could be communicated to the respective capitals). 
  Periods of warfare are lumped together or split apart depending 
  on the historian’s individual point of view, and a single war to 
  one historian can be identiﬁ ed as two or more wars by others. 
  The situation is complicated by the fact that records for 
  some of the years in question are sketchy. To clarify matters, 
  an accommodation was arrived at which simply labels all 
  interstellar wars after The Ninth with the indeterminate variable 
  N. Proper usage calls for the war to be deﬁ ned with the actual 
  years being discussed. 
  
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  Many history texts use this system to refer to all the wars 
  except the ﬁ rst. The Nth interstellar War (-2235 to -2219) 
  ended the series of wars when the Vilani Imperium collapsed, 
  as much from its own weight, age and decadence as from 
  Terran victories. The Terrans then moved quickly to occupy the 
  remaining Vilani territory.
   
  See First Imperium, First lnterstellar War, Rule of Man. 
  Nuclear Damper: Nuclear dampers are passive defensive 
  devices that create an interference ﬁ eld in which the strong 
  nuclear force can be manipulated. A series of nodes and anti-
  nodes are created, either to enhance or degrade the strong 
  nuclear force.
  Focusing a negative node on incoming nuclear warheads lowers 
  the potential barriers around nuclei, thus suppressing the strong 
  force; the warheads shed neutrons at very low energies and 
  are rendered harmless after a short exposure. Both ﬁ ssion and 
  fusion warheads are affected, as fusion warheads use a ﬁ ssion 
  trigger to create the heat required for the fusion reaction.
  Dampers may also be used to eliminate radioactive 
  contamination from an area. The damper is focused on the 
  contamination and forces the radioactive particles to shed 
  radiation until they are inert.
  Nuclear dampers may be mounted in spaceships or on vehicles. 
  A damper unit consists of three components: two separate 
  damper projectors and a ﬁ re control system. Shipboard dampers 
  are generally mounted as far apart as possible, and contain an 
  integral ﬁ re control system for efﬁ ciency.
  A further development of the nuclear damper is the damper box. 
  This focuses a positive node on its contents, raising the potential 
  barrier and preventing nuclear decay. Damper boxes are used 
  to store collapsing rounds, allowing materials with short usable 
  half-lives to be used as ammunition.
  Nuclear Dampers are one of the three advanced scientiﬁ c 
  discoveries and new technologies behind many other 
  technologies, the other two being gravity control technology 
  and the Jump drive.
  Oberlindes Lines: Established in 1084 with an Imperial charter 
  specifying trade and commerce within the Spinward Marches 
  and supporting distant trade with states bordering the Imperium. 
  Oberlindes is one of the major shipping lines within the Regina 
  subsector, with feeder routes to all major starports; Oberlindes 
  expansion into neighboring subsectors has improved star service 
  but alienated many of the older and more conservative lines.
   
  The Oberlindes name is an old one in the trade and commerce 
  business in the Marches. Roxanne Oberlindes established the 
  ﬁ rst line to bear the name in 487. She built a family business, 
  which thrived between each of the several wars that wracked 
  the Marches throughout the past half-millennium. The ﬁ rst 
  major increase in Oberlindes’ size came in 1049, with the 
  acquisition of Emissary, a surplus cruiser declared excess 
  by the Imperial Navy. This ship, armaments intact, served as 
  the ﬂ agship for Oberlindes’ excursions into the Vargr Extents 
  on trade expeditions; the venture proved highly successful. 
  A base for Oberlindes was established just beyond the 
  Imperial border (some irregularities in the ship transfer made 
  it impractical to bring the ship into the Imperium) and served as 
  a clearinghouse for trade good shipments between Regina and 
  the Vargr worlds. 
  In the years following the False War, Oberlindes Lines obtained 
  an Imperial charter and began operations with a large ﬂ eet 
  composed almost entirely of navy surplus ships- now numbering 
  in the hundreds. The organisation concentrates on the smaller 
  feeder routes, but has recently expanded into main line 
  service, in direct competition with Tukera Lines and other more 
  established major shipping lines. 
  Sergei hault-Oberlindes, patriarch and controller of the line, was 
  awarded a baronial patent, complete with estates on Feri (Feri/
  Regina 0405-B384879-B), by direction of the Emperor in 1101 
  for his contribution to the economic recovery in the Marches 
  following the Fourth Frontier War. 
  Oberlindes Lines is a family company with stock ownership 
  divided approximately as follows: Oberlindes family- 78%, 
  investment trusts- l0%, corporate employees- 8%, Imperial 
  family- 2%, and public (individuals)- 2%. 
  Octagon Society: Established in 342, the Octagon Society 
  was the ﬁ rst major distressed spacefarer assistance operation 
  to appear in the Spinward Marches. The group thrived on public 
  contributions and some tax revenues for 150 years before 
  it collapsed in the late 400s when scandals emerged over quality 
  of shelter construction and the disposition of certain funds. 
  Society shelters were generally of an octagonal shape. Large 
  hostels were established on major worlds, while smaller 
  weather shelters were placed on frontier or unsettled worlds. 
  The characteristic octagon shaped buildings are still visible 
  on various worlds, although none are still in use as shelters for 
  distressed space-farers. The Octagon Society was dissolved in 
  499 and its assets were sold at auction.
  Off-dirt Rank: Military jargon for the courtesy title ‘major’, 
  applied to captains of ground troops when aboard starships, to 
  avoid confusion with the starship captain. 
  Olympiad: Common translation of tleqazdijdiet, a Zhodani 
  measure of time   representing three Zhodani years (each 
  approximately .75 standard years). An olympiad is used to 
  
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  denote the period from one set of psionic games to the next. The 
  olympiad is used in the Zhodani calendar to mark dates, which 
  are further subdivided by year, season and day. 
  Onnesium: Rare element, atomic number 118, mildly radioactive 
  and a proven room temperature superconductor. Onnesium, 
  one of the stable superheavy elements, is normally found as 
  small, silvery spheres embedded within meteoric nickel-iron. 
  Created within supernovae, onnesium is plated onto asteroidal 
  surfaces, and can eventually be discovered in free-ﬂ oating or in 
  impact craters upon planetary surfaces.
  Oort 
  Cloud: 
  A 
  spherical 
  shell 
  around 
  most 
  stars 
  containing numerous small bodies of cometary material. A 
  typical Oort cloud is about 0.5 to 1 light year from its primary 
  and has an aggregate mass about that of Terra; density is 
  thus extremely low. The main constituents of cometary bodies 
  are ice and dust (‘dirty snowballs’). Bodies in the Oort cloud 
  are occasionally perturbed by collisions or by the inﬂ uence of 
  nearby stars into orbits which pass near the star; these form 
  the visible comets. The Oort cloud is named after its discoverer, 
  Terran astronomer Jan Oort. 
  Outcasts of the Whispering Sky: Minor race native to the 
  world 214-389 (Hinterworlds 1328).
  Also known as ‘Stalkers’ for their extensible necks, the Outcasts 
  are small, round quadrupeds with one eye on top of their necks. 
  The brain and all other organs are located in the body. They 
  communicate thru light patterns, so to them, the starry sky 
  appears to be saying something that they can’t quite ‘hear’ or 
  understand. They occupy 10 systems and an Ancient, partially-
  completed ringworld in the Leenitakot system. 
  They rigidly control access to the ringworld and the Leenitakot 
  system is rated as a Red Zone as a result.
  Outrim Void: Colloquial term for the region to the rimward of the 
  Spinward Marches. It consists of many small states, empires
  and independent worlds. The region is largely unknown to the
  civilian population of the Imperium.
  Outworld Coalition: Traditional name for the belligerent 
  groups allied against the Imperium during the various Frontier 
  Wars. Commonly applied to any alliance of powers threatening 
  the Spinward Marches and Imperial territories spinward of the 
  Great Rift. The original Outworld Coalition was formed in the 
  early 500’s at the instigation of the Zhodani Consulate. Vargr 
  allegiances vacillated, but memories of the Imperial campaigns 
  against certain Vargr states in the Corridor swayed some 
  into membership. Zhodane, as the major partner, contributed 
  military aid and assistance (such as technicians and advisors). 
  While some Vargr governments contributed personnel and naval 
  units, other Vargr remained neutral or sided with the Imperium.
   
  The initial history of the coalition was one of continuing struggle 
  for organization, as the Zhodani were continually occupied in 
  establishing Vargr governments and then maintaining them in 
  power. The intent was for the Vargr to harry the coreward edge 
  of the Spinward Marches, especially Regina and Aramis 
  subsectors, while the major thrust from Zhodane took Cronor 
  and Jewell subsectors. The Vargr portions of the offensive failed 
  dismally. Furthermore, the failure resulted in a collapse of the 
  coalition. The internal Imperial upheavals, like the Civil War that 
  followed the initial Frontier War exposed a continuing weakness 
  in the Imperium, and the Outworld Coalition reformed after a 
  hiatus of ﬁ ve years. 
  At the appropriate moment, the reformed Coalition again 
  attacked the Marches, this time taking portions of Jewell 
  subsector. Although the Vargr again failed to take any territory 
  permanently, their performance as a whole was considerably 
  improved. Traditionally, frontier wars in the Spinward Marches 
  have involved coalitions of Zhodani and certain Vargr states. 
  The Sword Worlds have also joined the coalition at times. 
  Paciﬁ cation Campaigns (76-120): A series of economic, 
  diplomatic 
  and 
  military operations 
  directed 
  at 
  forcing 
  membership in the Imperium upon those worlds which resisted 
  the initial efforts to annex them. Although the campaigns were 
  predominantly economic and diplomatic in nature, the Imperium 
  was not averse to using force when peaceful methods failed. 
  Imperial battleﬂ eets and ground forces rarely failed when 
  brought to bear. By 120, the paciﬁ cation campaigns ended, and 
  the initial phase of the Imperium’s growth came to a close. 
  Pan-Galactic Friends of Life: The Pan-Galactic Friends of Life 
  are a dedicated positive-action group strongly concerned with 
  protecting endangered species and threatened ecologies. Once 
  considered a lunatic fringe group, their defense of the declining 
  herds of dawnsingers on Phireene earned them considerable 
  exposure and a great deal of respect. 
  PDPT-beta: PDPT-beta is a chemical compound discovered 
  by Seaharvester Corporations scientists on Bellerophon 
  (Solomani Rim/ Esperance 0709 A88A986-E). They obtained 
  it from the corpse of a pre-reproductive phase daghadasi 
  specimen in 1099. The full name of the compound, Cis-1, 2 p
  aradichlorotriethylaminoprocyclohepatrenyl- 4-tricyclohexene-
  beta, is rarely used. 
  The chemical serves as the basis for a family of experimental 
  broad-spectrum antibiotics which can be selectively ‘tuned’ to 
  wipe out speciﬁ c types of bacterial, viral, and cancerous growths, 
  while leaving adjacent benign growths untouched. Thus far, no 
  synthesis of the chemical has been produced and no source 
  other than the daghadasi oguls has been discovered. 
  
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  Peerage: The hierarchy of nobles within the Imperium. Knights 
  and baronets are not considered part of the peerage, and it is 
  typically conﬁ ned to hereditary nobles only.
  Personality Overlay: A combination of techniques, including 
  hypnosis, drug therapy and others, that allows an artiﬁ cial 
  personality to be overlaid on top of a person’s actual personality. 
  The overlay is designed to subtly interact with the subject’s own 
  skills and memories to create the new persona and requires a 
  skilled operator to create. It can even fool psionic scans.
  Phoenix Project: Reported plot by Solomani guerrillas on Terra 
  to rise and destroy Imperial forces occupying Terra. Imperial 
  intelligence reported penetration of the project command 
  in 1045, with subsequent compromise of its basic plans 
  and dismantling of its structure.
   
  The Phoenix Project was supposedly born in the ﬁ nal years of 
  the Solomani Rim War (990 to 1002) as Solomani leaders saw 
  the possibility of their defeat and the loss of the homeworld to the 
  invading Imperials. The project was said to have consisted of two 
  distinct parts: prepositioned caches of military goods to supply 
  the rising and a continuing program for the training of guerrillas. 
  The caches were concealed in many different places on Terra, in 
  areas calculated to preclude accidental discovery over the years. 
  Each cache contained large quantities of munitions, weapons, 
  vehicles, and medical supplies, all of varying technological 
  levels so as to be of use regardless of the technical knowledge 
  of the users. Each cache was hidden with its location entrusted 
  to a single local family. These families were to form the core of 
  the guerrilla forces when the rising was to take place. 
  A massive Imperial counter-guerrilla effort in 1040 - 1045 was 
  directed at the discovery and destruction of the caches and the 
  arrest of the families entrusted with their secrets. 
  Persistent rumours of two additional aspects of the project 
  - Lambda (a codeword to trigger the rising) and Omega (the 
  reinforcement of the uprising by off-world Solomani) - have been 
  dismissed as baseless by Imperial ofﬁ cials. 
  Many historians believe that the extent of the plot was greatly 
  exaggerated by Imperial authorities, holding that it was little more 
  than an extreme example of wishful thinking on the part of the 
  Solomani leadership. At any rate, the Phoenix Project no longer 
  threatens the security of the Imperium, if indeed it ever did. 
  Postal Union: A group of political units associated to a greater or 
  lesser degree for the purpose of communication among citizens, 
  businesses and governmental units.
   
  Nearly all star systems are members of one postal union or another. 
  Governments cooperate along their borders in order to allow 
  the efﬁ cient ﬂ ow of communications between them. Members 
  of a postal union forward mail through their territories (subject, 
  of course, to local security needs, acts of war and so on) to the 
  proper addresses. On the average, communication is at the 
  speed of the fastest available transportation, which means about 
  three or four parsecs per week. 
  Porozlo, Battle of (980): In the third Frontier War, the 
  Zhodani through Vilis and Lanth subsectors toward Rhylanor met 
  a not unexpected problem- Rhylanor has no gas giant, although it 
  does have a strong naval base to defend it. Neighbouring Porozlo 
  (Porozlo/Rhylanor 0305-867A74-A) not only had a gas giant for 
  quick refuelling, but also possessed a naval base of potentially 
  great use to invading naval forces.
   
  The battle began with the appearance of a single large Zhodani 
  task force off Porozlo’s primary; it proceeded directly to the larger 
  of two gas giants in the system. The local naval base reacted 
  immediately, even admirably, considering that there was no 
  warning of Zhodani approaches this far from the front lines. 
  However, as the ﬁ rst Zhodani task force refuelled, portions of 
  it engaged the local defences, preoccupying them as a second 
  task force appeared and drove straight for Porozlo. The threat 
  of action against the planetary defences and facilities prompted 
  the world government to declare Porozlo an open world. Naval 
  forces either surrendered or jumped to safety at Rhylanor.
   
  The fall of Porozlo provided the Zhodani with a supporting base 
  for their siege of Rhylanor. Ships could easily refuel at the gas 
  giant, jump-1 to Rhylanor for raids, attacks, or blockade patrols 
  and still have enough fuel for jump-1 back to Porozlo, where 
  the class A starport and the captured naval base stood ready to 
  repair any damage immediately. 
  Since the war, Porozlo’s naval defences have been considerably 
  improved.
  Pseudo-Biological: Refers to a robot or software program that 
  it sufﬁ ciently life-like to pass as a real person. Such a construct 
  can hold a conversation on a variety of topics, at least in a 
  general sense.
  Pseudo-biological communiqué: Due to long communication 
  lead times, pseudo-biological programs are often used in 
  interstellar communications. The sender creates a simulation 
  of themselves and loads it up with the message, along with a 
  database covering any conceivable contingency related to 
  the original topic. In this way, the recipient can actually hold a 
  conversation with the program to get the answers required, along 
  with such things as personal messages, reports and the like.
  Psionic Games: A continuing competition held by the Zhodani 
  government for excellence in psionic achievement. The psionic 
  games are held once per olympiad, for a period of nearly four 
  weeks, on Zhodane. The participants (mostly intendants) are 
  selected by the various ruling councils and preliminary 
  
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  competitions are held to reduce the numbers to manageable 
  size. Intendants who do well in the games are promoted to 
  noble status. Because the Zhodani system provides psionic 
  training to all nobles and to the intendant class, the psionic 
  games are a popular device for the masses to see the powers 
  of their rulers in action. Competition is staged in nearly all ﬁ elds 
  of psionics, including telekinetic weight-lifting, distance and 
  accuracy teleportation, and many other events. 
  Psionics: The criminal use of mental powers to manipulate 
  matter and energy, to sense, and to communicate. It has been 
  demonstrated that minds (human or non-human, conscious or 
  unconscious, intelligent or unintelligent) contain some capacity 
  to operate without apparent use of physical facilities. 
  Until circa -1000, psionics was little studied in most regions, except 
  on a disorganised level (parapsychology, the occult, spiritualism 
  and so on). It was known and practiced among the Zhodani and 
  by some minor races but it was by no means widespread. 
  However, during the Long Night, many races, (human and 
  others) turned introspective. As a result, many ﬁ nally began 
  to engage in serious research in psionics, which revealed 
  much about the empirical nature of the phenomenon, although 
  the principles involved were, and remain, little understood.
   
  However, even though it assumed scientiﬁ c validity, psionics 
  remained a backwater science until about 650, when it 
  underwent a tremendous burst of popularity. Psionics within 
  the Imperium reached its peak in the latter half of the 700’s. In 
  the 790’s, however, the crest of popular opinion broke with the 
  revelation of scandals within the Psionics Institutes; the result 
  was the psionics suppressions (800 to 8261, which shifted 
  public opinion away from support of psionics.
  Psionics Institute: Any clandestine organization devoted to 
  the illegal training of individuals in the use of psionics talents. 
  Active Imperial campaigns to eradicate the Institute have been 
  pursued for over 200 years.
  Organisations of this nature have existed since before the advent 
  of space travel but attained prominence only during the Long 
  Night, when reproducible scientiﬁ c discoveries made psionics a 
  teachable, learnable science. 
  In the Imperial antebellum period, psionics institutes were 
  rare, being formed only on a few scattered worlds which, 
  for one reason or another, had an unusually high rate of 
  psionic talents appearing, or which encouraged psionics for 
  social, political, or commercial reasons. In the years after the 
  Civil War, institutes were organised on most high population 
  worlds within the Imperium. 
  Psionics institute is a generic name; each such institution 
  was independently organised and maintained. Institutes were 
  generally supported by that portion of the population that had 
  psionic talents; since that portion was small, they were viable only 
  on high population worlds (approximately one billion or more). 
  During the psionics suppressions, the institutes’ charters 
  were revoked, and talented individuals were persecuted. In 
  some cases, the individuals ﬂ ed to assume new identities 
  on other worlds; in others, whole families emigrated to the 
  Zhodani Consulate or to other places beyond the frontiers of 
  the Imperium. 
  Following the psionics suppressions, there were, in theory, 
  no psionics institutes remaining n the Imperium. In practice, 
  underground institutes are thought to have remained on 
  many worlds. 
  Psionics Suppressions (800 to 826): The revelation of 
  scandals (ﬁ nancial, ethical, and moral) within the psionics 
  institutes in the years 772 to 798 resulted in a shift in public 
  opinion against the institutes. Over a 26 year period, various 
  institute charters were cancelled, leading ﬁ gures jailed or 
  otherwise repressed, and restrictive laws passed limiting or 
  prohibiting the practice of psionics. 
  Many institute ﬁ gures went underground, to espouse their cause 
  in a type of guerrilla war. Popular prejudice against psionics 
  continues to the present day. The average citizen will admit to a 
  general dislike of psionics and if pressed, will usually state that 
  psionics violates a person’s right of mental privacy. 
  Psychohistory: The science of historical prediction and macro-
  social manipulation, sometimes called memetic engineering. The 
  main thesis of psychohistory is that the actions of millions, or 
  trillions of individuals take on a ﬂ uidity and predictability that 
  can be compared to that of molecules in a gas. The very size 
  of the population being dealt with factors out individual pecu
  liarities, and allows the prediction of its behaviour. With the 
  ability to predict the reaction of a population to a particular 
  stimulus, there comes the ability to manipulate that population, 
  psychohistorians reason. 
  Psychohistory began as a combination of public relations/
  advertising techniques and behavioural science and although 
  its techniques have been put on a more rigorous footing, the 
  basic principles are still not well understood. A number of 
  minor experiments have conﬁ rmed the general validity of the 
  science, but it was also shown to be too expensive to be of 
  any practical utility. Research continues at a small number of 
  Imperial universities.
  
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  Q-ship: A Q-ship gives the outward appearance of a conventional 
  (and helpless) merchant vessel but is armed and armoured like 
  a military vessel. Turrets over and above the vessel classes’ 
  typical number are installed as pop-turrets to conceal them. 
  Heavy anti-vehicle weaponry is often mounted to give boarding 
  vessels a surprise and marines or other ships troops will be 
  present as well.
  Rachele Society: Secret Vilani supremacist group founded on 
  Pretoria/Pretoria by Zid Rachele in 992. Genocidal policies 
  favoured by the group culminated in the attempted takeover 
  of the Pretorian government in 1010. An attempt at nuclear 
  blackmail backﬁ red when 26,000 people, including 1,900 
  Rachelean commandos, were killed by a nuclear explosion after 
  the Society seized Imperial Scout facilities on Saki (Deneb/
  Pretoria). Zid Rachele disappeared in 1015 after escaping from 
  the prison world Exile in Usani Subsector (Deneb/Usani 1928). 
  In 1103, Zid Rachele and the Rachele Society surfaced again in 
  Lishun in a brief power play at the Dynam Naval Depot (Lishun/
  Masionia 1219). Rachele and his followers attempted the theft 
  of several mothballed naval warships but were quickly defeated. 
  Zid Rachele’s vessel was destroyed in the battle.
   
  Rachelean 
  Revolts 
  (1010-1011): 
  Major 
  uprising 
  on 
  Pretoria (Deneb/Pretoria) fomented by the Rachele Society, 
  which has resulted in martial law, enforced the Imperial Navy, 
  ever since. The Imperium as a rule does not interfere with local 
  politics but their intervention was forced when a Scout base on 
  Saki (Deneb/Pretoria) was destroyed by a nuclear weapon. 
  See Rachele Society.
  Ragﬁ sh (Triaeroprosopon enteronophagus) Sometimes known 
  as the bletch, this piscine bizarre creature is native to several 
  freshwater bodies on Onicrom. Most humans ﬁ nd them 
  unusually, disgustingly, ugly in appearance and repulsive in 
  their habits. 
  Though quite rare, they have become popular as novelties 
  with wealthy aquarists, and have been known to sell for as 
  much as Cr15,000. They are also known for their lethal poison, 
  which is injected into their prey through a telescoping hollow 
  anterior spine. In their natural habitat, small ﬁ sh are attracted to 
  feed on ragged strips of mucus-covered skin which ﬂ oat from the 
  ragﬁ sh’s body (and from which the name is derived). These 
  small ﬁ sh attract larger animals, which fall prey to the creature’s 
  poison spine. While the prey is still dying, the ragﬁ sh disgorges 
  a number of intestinal tubes with sucker heads, which attach 
  to the prey, secrete digestive juices and ingest liquid and semi-
  liquid tissue. Besides being much sought-after by ﬁ sh collectors, 
  they have been used occasionally as assassin’s weapons. The 
  ﬁ sh will attempt to inject anything that disturbs it. 
  Ragﬁ sh can survive for long periods under adverse conditions, 
  even in chlorinated swimming pools and the like. The animal’s 
  mantle will keep it moist and alive for as much as eight hours 
  out of water. 
  The ragﬁ sh averages 40 centimetres in length and masses about 
  .5 kilogram. The anterior spine, which is less than 10 centimetre 
  long when collapsed, snaps out to 25 centimetre when triggered 
  by nearby motion or physical contact. The venom is quite lethal, 
  similar to Terran rattlesnake venom but much more dangerous. 
  Ramshackle Empire: Common disparaging term used during 
  the Long Night to refer to the Rule of Man, also known as the 
  Second Imperium. As the successor to the First Imperium, 
  the Rule of Man took over the territories (and the problems) 
  of its predecessor. Pro-Second Imperium histories contend 
  that the Rule of Man delayed the inevitable collapse. Pro-
  First Imperium histories claim that the First Imperium was 
  stagnant, but stable, and that the Ramshackle Empire actually 
  precipitated the Long Night by looting subject worlds and 
  promoting Terran superiority.
  See Rule of Man.
  Red Zone: The Traveller’s Aid Society travel zone classiﬁ cation 
  for a nation, world, or system that is dangerous to travellers. 
  In general, the imposition of a red zone classiﬁ cation indicates 
  the location is quarantined, interdicted by higher authority, or at 
  war. Quarantine indicates that a dangerous disease is present 
  and the danger of war is self-explanatory but interdiction 
  requires further discussion. 
  Interstellar governments often ﬁ nd it necessary to restrict access 
  to worlds or systems for political or military reasons and do so 
  by publishing interdictions. Enforcement of interdiction varies 
  with the reason for the restriction. Interdiction may be imposed 
  on a world if it is a military base or other sensitive installation, for 
  the private reservations belonging to powerful families desiring 
  seclusion, for developing societies that the government has 
  elected to allow to evolve in isolation, or for valuable resource 
  areas being saved for later development or exploitation. 
  Reference: (Core 0140) The astrographical centre of the 
  Imperium. The Galactic Prime Meridian passes through Reference. 
  Reference is also the location of the Imperial archives.
  Regular Squadron: Imperial naval forces are arranged into three 
  broad spheres based on their hierarchy within the Imperium. 
  Regular squadrons are front-line units equipped with the best 
  possible ships and personnel. They are assigned to the numbered 
  ﬂ eets of the Imperium and stationed at naval bases within the 
  Imperium. Regular squadrons carry the term Imperial in their 
  name. For example, Imperial BatRon 21 is a regular squadron. 
  
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  Repatriation Bond: A document guaranteeing passage of an 
  individual to a speciﬁ ed location upon completion of contract 
  work, or upon suspension of contract work for any reason. 
  Repatriation bonds are guarantees given as inducements to 
  workers who might otherwise be wary of leaving their own 
  worlds with no assurances that they could return. They are most 
  commonly used by mercenary units. Repatriation bonds are 
  usually administered by a large ﬁ nancial institution, which holds 
  the necessary funds in escrow. 
  Ringworld: An incredibly strong band of material rotating about 
  a central star, generally in the star’s life zone. Ringworlds use 
  centrifugal force to provide a simulation of gravity. A ringworld at 
  the distance of Earth’s orbit and with a width of 1.6 million kilometres 
  has a usable surface area of approximately three million Earths. 
  There is at least one unﬁ nished ringworld in the Hinterworlds 
  sector, in the Leenitakot system (1432 Hinterworlds).
  Robot: Typically a self-mobile, computer-controlled machine 
  designed to perform a range of tasks. This covers everything 
  from common household robots to Zhodani warbots and a great 
  deal of ground in between. As of TL15, pseudo-biological robots 
  can be built that can mimic the outward appearance of a human 
  well enough to fool most inspections, save medical or internal 
  scans. At the same time, advances in computer science and 
  robots can create a learning system, which many would argue 
  is self-aware.
  Rosette: Three or more equal masses (such as worlds) which 
  are set at the points of an equilateral polygon. The correct equal 
  angular velocities about their centre of mass will result in a 
  stable orbital conﬁ guration; no central star is required. Rosettes 
  never occur naturally.
  There is an Ancient-built rosette at Tireen (Knaeleng 2910) in 
  the Vargr Extents.
  Rule of Man (-2204 to -1776): (Also called the Second 
  Imperium and, disparagingly, the Ramshackle Empire.) A 
  short-lived interstellar empire, formed after the conquest of 
  the Vilani Imperium by the Terrans. The conquered territories 
  were under military rule from - 2219 to -2204. Vilani military 
  forces were incorporated into the Terran forces. Terran naval 
  ofﬁ cers took over key posts in the Vilani bureaucracy (which 
  was otherwise retained intact). 
  In - 2204, the Terran Secretariat attempted to transfer control 
  directly to Terra and incorporate the conquered regions 
  into the Terran Confederation. The commander-in-chief of 
  the Terran navy, Admiral Hiroshi Estigarribia, realised that 
  the Confederation government could not possibly control the 
  vast territories of the Vilani Imperium and proclaimed himself 
  Regent of the Vilani Imperium and Protector of Terra, with both 
  states now united in the Rule of Man. Nearly all of the ﬂ eet 
  sided with Estigarribia, both because it was composed largely 
  of colonials, who were under-represented under the Terran 
  Confederation government, and because of Estigarribia’s 
  careful preparation. The Confederation was dissolved without 
  signiﬁ cant resistance. 
  The Terran ﬂ eet headquarters on Dingir became the capital 
  of the Rule of Man. The bureaucratic centre of the Imperium 
  remained on Vland, although arrangements were undertaken 
  to gradually transfer it elsewhere. 
  Upon Estigarribia’s death, he was succeeded by his chief of 
  staff, who crowned himself Emperor Hiroshi II. Estigarribia, 
  even though he did not actually assume the crown, is therefore 
  known to history as Emperor Hiroshi I. 
  Hiroshi II transferred all functions of government from both 
  Vland and Dingir to a more centrally located world, renamed 
  bilingually Hub/Ershur. This world was to remain the capital of 
  the Rule of Man for the next 400 years. 
  During the Rule of Man, large numbers of humans from 
  Terra and its oldest colonies emigrated throughout the 
  Imperium. People of Terran ancestry or culture (many of them 
  assimilated Vilani) assumed positions of power on most worlds, 
  becoming industrialists and administrators. 
  The problems of sheer size and scientiﬁ c stagnation, which 
  had brought about the fall of the Vilani Imperium, continued to 
  plague the Rule of Man. The Vilani had coped with the problems 
  of ruling a large empire by a rigid caste system, with all citizens 
  rooted permanently in their places but this system could last 
  only as long as there was no signiﬁ cant external threat. The 
  Terrans did away with this system but were not able to replace 
  it with a new social order. The destruction of the caste system 
  swept away the foundations of society. Key industries fell apart 
  as their workers became free to move elsewhere. 
  The -1776 date for the end of the Rule of Man is arbitrary, and 
  notes the ﬁ nancial collapse of the central government, when the 
  Treasury at Hub/Ershur refused to honour a monetary issue of 
  the branch treasury at Antares. The resulting lack of conﬁ dence 
  within monetary circles marked the end of large-scale interstellar 
  trade and of effective governmental power within the Rule of 
  Man. Although the Imperium did not completely fall apart for 
  many years, the Rule of Man had effectively ceased to exist 
  as a viable interstellar community, and the period known as 
  Twilight had begun. 
  The Third Imperium refers to the Rule of Man as the 
  Second Imperium, which emphasises its own roots in the 
  Solomani-dominated Second Imperium and the Vilani-dominated 
  First Imperium. Anti-Solomani elements, however, emphasise 
  the failure of the Solomani-dominated Ramshackle Empire. 
  
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  Rule of Terra: Solomani terrorist group active in selected regions 
  of the Solomani/Imperial border. Violently anti-Imperial even by 
  the standards of most Solomani political groups, the Rule of Terra 
  seeks to force the return of all ‘rightful Terran property’ to Solomani 
  hands through assassination and other acts of violence. 
  The organisation, although interstellar in scope, was apparently not 
  a very strong organisation in the beginning; some of its claimed 
  attacks have proven to be accidents, while others were the work 
  of different dissident individuals or organisations. 
  The Rule of Terra’s acts, although not its goals, have 
  been disavowed by many other Solomani groups, including 
  the Confederation government. In return, the Rule of Terra has 
  attacked even Solomani populations, stating that ‘all who do not 
  contribute to the Manifest Destiny of the Race are not worthy 
  to be part of the Race’.
  Rhylanor: The subsector capital, Xboat link and site of two 
  major bases. Rhylanor is a high-population, high-technology 
  Imperial world located in the Spinward Marches. Rhylanor is a 
  smallish, normal climate planet with a very thin oxygen-nitrogen 
  atmosphere located in a cluster of three star systems just off 
  the Spinward Main. As such it provides a useful short cut for 
  high-Jump vessels and Xboats but is inaccessible to most 
  commercial ships. The majority of trafﬁ c into Rhylanor comes 
  via the Celepina-Jae Tellona link or from Fulacin to Porozlo.
  Rhylanor is best known as the birthplace of Olav hault-Plankwell 
  -- the ﬁ rst of the Emperors of the Flag. As Grand Admiral of 
  the Marches, Olav led the March Fleet against the Outworld 
  Coalition in the First Frontier War. His birthplace is now a small 
  museum and attracts many visitors each year.
  Rhylanor Taoiseach: The Taoiseach was founded by Olav 
  hault-Plankwell during his tenure as commander of the 
  Spinward Marches naval forces. It was originally a covert 
  paramilitary intelligence force comprised of scout and 
  marine commandoes.  In later years, it became attached 
  to the IISS as a cross-Imperial troubleshooting force. 
  After it was exposed in the late 800s, it was disbanded 
  in 907. The public information-gathering arm is still 
  intact, however, and generates reports on trade and 
  technology from all over the Imperium.
  Rumours that the paramilitary branch still operates are 
  categorically denied by Scout Service administrators.
  Scout Base: Port facility for the support, maintenance and repair 
  of scout vessels. The scout service maintains a variety of scout 
  bases scattered throughout the Imperium, with installations 
  tending to be on less well-developed worlds with star-ports 
  type D or C. Scout bases tend to be surface installations 
  equipped with basic facilities for fuelling and for minor 
  maintenance activities oriented toward ships of 1,000 tons 
  or less. Scout bases are positioned in systems more out 
  of the way than are naval bases and for a reason. The scout 
  bases serve as a source of ships carrying dispatches from the 
  well-travelled xboat lanes to more remote worlds. 
  Scout bases also have other responsibilities and most have an 
  administrative responsibility in addition to the maintenance and 
  refuelling of scout ships. Within a subsector, one base will hold 
  responsibility for cartography within the subsector, another will 
  be responsible for technical developments and still another for 
  contact or liaison activities. The scout base is more extensive than 
  an xboat station but less comprehensive than a way station.
   
  See Way Station, Xboat Station. 
  ScoutRon: Scout squadrons are composed of ships assigned 
  to the Imperial Interstellar Scout Service. They rarely serve as 
  ScoutRons; instead, the ships are assigned to other squadrons 
  based on need. For example, many ﬂ eet couriers are considered 
  scout-type ships. When a ﬂ eet courier assigned to BatRon 10 is 
  sent with dispatches to BatRon 11, it is automatically reassigned 
  to BatRon 11 when it arrives. Ships awaiting assignment to 
  serving squadrons are assigned to a ScoutRon, as are ships 
  being resupplied or undergoing repairs.
  Seedspitter: (Pseudotupaia gigans) The seedspitter is a small, 
  moderately intelligent animal native to the forests and uplands 
  of certain worlds throughout the Imperium. 
  
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  Externally, the seedspitter resembles the Terran shrew but is 
  larger, massing about 3 kilograms (about the size of a small 
  domestic cat). It has reddish-grey to reddish-brown fur, a domed 
  head and an elongated nose.
   
  At one time the seedspitter secreted an irritant poison similar 
  to a bee’s venom into a chamber located behind its upper lip. 
  It would ﬁ ll this chamber with venom, constrict it rapidly and 
  squirt the irritant out through an opening in its upper lip, with 
  sufﬁ cient force to propel it one or two meters. The irritant could 
  paralyse small animals, which formed a signiﬁ cant part of the 
  seedspitter’s diet . 
  As time passed, the animal learned to pick up fruit seeds or small 
  stones with its tongue, insert them into its poison cavity and 
  propel them at predators. In time, the seedspitter developed this 
  skill to the point where it only secret ed enough poison to lightly 
  coat the seed and lubricate its passage out of the chamber.
   
  Because of its affectionate nature and its appealing appearance, 
  (the upturned corners of the mouth give the appearance of 
  a perpetual smirk), the seedspitter is a common pet on 
  starships, where it helps in pest control. Seedspitters are easily 
  trained to do tricks such as hitting a target, or ‘juggling’ seeds 
  by repeatedly spittinq them into the air, catching them and 
  spitting them again . Well-trained animals can keep four or ﬁ ve 
  seeds in the air at once.
  Second Frontier War (615 to 620): Fought between the 
  Outworld Coalition and the Imperium during the period of the 
  barracks emperors. Arbellatra (587 to 666) was named Grand 
  Admiral of the Marches by Cleon V and led the combined local 
  and Imperial forces to defeat the Coalition and then proceeded 
  to reestablish the central Imperial authority. She was named 
  regent in 622 as a result, and Empress in 629.
  Second Imperium: See Rule of Man.
  Sector: Mapping unit in astrography equal to 16 subsectors. 
  Average density is 500 to 650 worlds per sector. Sectors are 
  named and several synonyms are in common use, including 
  march (or marches), region, reach (or reaches), quadrant, and 
  matrix. The Spinward Marches, for example, is a sector. As a 
  rough means of comparing size, the sector counts of the large 
  interstellar states and areas of settlement are: the Imperium: 19; 
  the Aslan Hierate: 15; the Hive Federation: 11; the Two Thousand 
  Worlds: 9; the Vargr Extents: 9; the Zhodani Consulate: 8; the 
  Solomani Confederation: 5. 
  Seneschal: An aide or executive ofﬁ cer. For high-ranking 
  ofﬁ cials, the wide range of responsibilities are manageable 
  only through computer assistance. Even then, the information 
  ﬂ ow may be too great. The seneschal is a product of the 
  computer age - an adjutant or assistant with responsibilities in 
  information management. The seneschal has no authority of his 
  own; he manages the massive input of information associated 
  with his superior’s position, keeping the ofﬁ cial informed but not 
  overwhelmed. 
  Shudusham Concords: Agreement signed by the 12 worlds of 
  the Sylean Federation at Shudusham (Core/Capital) in -110, 
  which dealt with weaponry carried by robots. The Concords have 
  no legal force now, of course, but many worlds have adopted 
  similar or identical standards using the Concords as a template 
  and most robots produced commercially in the Imperium are 
  designed with these restrictions in mind. 
  Six Races: Traditional term for the intelligent races which 
  dominate this region of the galaxy. It appears independently 
  in Aslan, Vargr, and Centaur literature. There is some 
  disagreement as to the meaning of the term and the identity of 
  the races involved. Most commentators agree that all of the 
  six races must be major races; the candidates are Aslan, 
  Centaurs, Droyne, Hive, Solomani, Vargr, Vilani and Zhodani. 
  Various racially-based hypotheses have emerged but none has 
  gained ascendency.
   
  Sleeper Ship: Type of slower-than-light starship where the 
  crew and passengers spend all, or most, of the journey in low 
  berths. Even for fast vessels, such journeys can take years, 
  decades, or even centuries.
  Smaetal swarmers: Popularly known as ‘smaets’, minnies 
  and piranha bugs, these carnivorous insect-analogues are 
  extremely small, ﬂ ying life-forms native to Smaeta, near the 
  Imperial core, but now found infrequently on countless humid, 
  tropical environments on worlds across the Imperium. 
  They are commonly spread by tramp freighters and merchant 
  vessels carrying consignments of tropical fruit and control 
  of these and similar pests is a major concern of port and 
  customs ofﬁ cials everywhere. Each adult smaet weighs less 
  than .1 gram and has a wingspan of less than one centimetre. 
  They are generally encountered as an upright, pillar-shaped 
  cloud, about two metres tall, which drifts along just above the 
  ground. One cloud may contain over 50,000 individuals. 
  These clouds of carnivorous insects will approach any 
  homoeothermic life form of more than about 50 kilogram mass 
  at the speed of a man’s run. A single bite is no more than 
  an annoying pinprick, but thousands of bites in the space of 
  a few moments can be deadly and smaets are classiﬁ ed as 
  dangerous life forms.
  
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  Smaet swarms can be dispersed by ﬂ amethrowers and 
  insecticidal sprays and fogs. Little else can signiﬁ cantly damage 
  a swarm, however. Only fully-sealed suits, such as vacc suits, 
  battledress, combat armour and combat environment suits will 
  prtect froma smaet swarm.
  Solomani: Strictly, a member of that human race which 
  developed on Terra from the original human stock (H. sapiens). 
  The term Solomani is often used to refer to members of the 
  Solomani race (or, more palatably to some, to members of 
  the human race of Solomani descent) or to members of the 
  Solomani political movement. Its original meaning is obscure 
  but the word seems to have originally meant either men of Sol 
  or sole men. After the Solomani developed jump drives in -2431, 
  Solomani humans were scattered to the stars in several waves. 
  Early colonisation efforts ﬁ rst settled the worlds closest to Terra; 
  the later conquest of the First Imperium and the establishment 
  of the Rule of Man sent more Solomani humans out, primarily 
  to occupy the former Imperial regions. 
  Solomani Autonomous Region: Area within the Imperium 
  granted self-government through a charter from Empress 
  Margaret I in 704. The charter granted control of the region of 
  space within a radius of 50 parsecs of Terra (hence the name 
  Solomani Sphere) to a Solomani governing body, which was 
  given broad powers of authority.
   
  For 200 years, the Imperium effectively ignored the region, 
  concentrating instead on its coreward frontiers. By 940, 
  Solomani oppression of non-human (and non-Solomani) worlds 
  forced Empress Margaret II to revoke the region’s charter. 
  After years of diplomatic actions proved fruitless, it was decided 
  to forcibly reintegrate the region into the Imperium. Naturally, 
  the Solomani resisted and the Solomani Rim War (990 to 
  1002) began. 
  Solomani Confederation: In 871, the government of the 
  Solomani Autonomous Region reorganised itself as the 
  Solomani Confederation, in an attempt to strengthen its claims 
  to the heritage of the old Terran Confederation. Although 
  tantamount to a declaration of independence, the reorganisation 
  was ofﬁ cially ignored by the government of the Imperium, 
  until the increasingly belligerent and extremist policies of the 
  Solomani caused many border worlds under Solomani rule to 
  petition the Imperium for redress. 
  The branches of the Solomani Confederation’s government took 
  the names of the government of the Terran Confederation but 
  the present institutions have little resemblance to those of the 
  past. The chief governing body of the Solomani Confederation 
  is the Secretariat. The Secretariat is presided over by the 
  Secretary-General, who is elected from its membership. The 
  Secretary General is the chief administrative ofﬁ cer of the 
  Solomani government, and while the ofﬁ ce holds great power, it 
  is fully accountable to the Secretariat.
   
  Representatives 
  to 
  the 
  Secretariat 
  are 
  appointed 
  by 
  the 
  governments 
  of 
  the 
  individual districts. 
  The 
  number of representatives each district may appoint is 
  determined according to that district’s contribution to the 
  Solomani economy. 
  A district typically consists of a single world but low population 
  worlds or depressed areas are combined into multi-world 
  districts. In the case of a district such as this, an election is 
  held to determine the representative from that district. These, 
  however, are not elections in the normal sense; the governments 
  vote, rather than the populace. Each government of such a district 
  is allocated votes (again, according to its economic importance) 
  which are used to elect a representative for that district.
   
  All government ofﬁ ceholders and ofﬁ cials must be members 
  of the ofﬁ cial party, the Solomani Movement. Although it 
  formerly possessed great power and inﬂ uence, the party is 
  now weak, decentralised, and of little importance. The real 
  power in the Confederation is held by the government and 
  the various factions.
   
  Because of the greater degree of local autonomy that exists 
  in 
  the 
  Solomani 
  Confederation, interworld 
  factionalism 
  exists to a much greater degree than would be allowed in 
  the Imperium. Coalitions of worlds exist outside the normal 
  government channels, sometimes equalling them in importance 
  within a given region. 
  For example, the Near Bootes cluster, in the Capella subsector, 
  dominates large portions of the adjacent subsectors, both 
  economically and politically. Bootean mercantile interests 
  heavily favour peaceful trade with the Imperium and their 
  inﬂ uence with the Confederation government is considered 
  to be the primary reason for the unofﬁ cial detente between 
  the Confederation and the Imperium. Another example of this 
  factionalism is the ongoing trade war between Kukulcan 
  (Kukulcan 0405) and the coalition of Thetis (Kukulcan 0108) and 
  Laputa (Kukulcan 0310). The war is causing severe damage to 
  the economy of Kukulcan but the Thetis-Laputa coalition has 
  thus far been able to muster enough power to prevent effective 
  intervention by the Confederation government.
   
  Solomani Hypothesis: When the Solomani discovered jump drive 
  in -2431, they also discovered that more than a dozen human 
  races had already colonised the worlds surrounding Earth. At the 
  time, there was no satisfactory explanation for the more than 40 
  genetically identical human races.
   
  The Solomani Hypothesis, ﬁ rst proposed by Magis Sergei haut-
  Devroe (64 to 141), theorised that all of the many widely scattered 
  human races of the galaxy originated on Terra and he thought 
  that they were transported to their current homeworlds by an 
  alien race (called the Ancients) for purposes that even today 
  
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  remain unclear. The approximate date of the scattering has 
  been established as -300,000. 
  When Terra was incorporated in the Imperium in 588, a 
  small historical mission veriﬁ ed much of haut-Devroe’s work. 
  The hypothesis was already generally accepted by the majority 
  of the human population in the Imperium.
   
  More than 40 known human races have been located 
  (and several more of them failed to adapt to their new worlds 
  and are now extinct); only three of these human races have 
  reached widespread prominence: they are the Vilani, the 
  Zhodani and the Solomani.
   
  Most other human races accept the hypothesis but lend it no 
  special importance. This hypothesis, though, is used by the 
  Solomani Movement as a basis for its claims of Solomani 
  racial superiority.
   
  Solomani Movement: An organisation devoted to the doctrine 
  that humans of Solomani descent are superior to all others and 
  are most ﬁ t to rule the galaxy.
   
  Solomani Rim War (990-1002): War between the Third 
  Imperium and the Solomani Confederation during which 
  a large portion of the Solomani Rim sector was returned to 
  Imperial control.
   
  Hoping to proﬁ t from Imperial preoccupation with the Third 
  Frontier War and the disorganisation that followed upon the 
  abdication of Styryx in 989, the Solomani reasserted their control 
  over the complete Solomani Sphere, including those portions 
  reabsorbed into the Imperium (see Solomani Autonomous 
  Region). The Imperium declared war in 990. 
  The initial phase of the war went very well for the Solomani. 
  Although the Imperium maintained sizable ﬂ eets along the 
  border, they were inferior in strength to the massed naval 
  elements of the Solomani Confederation. In most areas, 
  the Solomani regained the border worlds lost to the Imperium in 
  the last half century and even occupied a number of worlds that 
  had never been part of the Solomani Sphere. 
  However, Solomani fortunes were checked in 993 when a 
  large invasion force attempted to regain the worlds in the 
  Old Expanses sector. The ﬂ eet encountered near-fanatical 
  resistance and was repulsed with heavy losses.
   
  The period from 993 to 998 was one of stalemate. The Solomani 
  abandoned their plans of further expansion in order to rebuild 
  their forces. However, their policy of inﬂ exibly defending every 
  border world was a constant drain on their resources and the 
  Solomani were not able to regain the initiative. By 998, the 
  Imperial navy had achieved strategic dominance, as the greater 
  industrial base of the Imperium made its power felt.
   
  The last phase of the war, 998 to 1002, consisted of a near-
  continual advance by Imperial forces into the heart of the 
  Solomani Sphere. The basic Imperial strategy was to attack 
  along two parallel axes of advance, with lesser task forces 
  spreading out to create a huge pocket of Solomani Territory.
   
  Although the Solomani occasionally achieved a tactical success 
  against a task force (such as the Battle of Kagukhasaggan 
  in early 1002), they were unable to halt the main advances. 
  With the liberation of the Vegan district in 1001, the Imperium 
  gained the secure base envisioned in the reign of Styryx. 
  The loss of the Vegan district prompted the Solomani to 
  embark on a desperate gamble. Recalling the time when the 
  outnumbered Terran Confederation was able to defeat the 
  Vilani Imperium, the Solomani consolidated their remaining 
  naval forces into a single ﬂ eet and struck at the Imperial ﬂ eet 
  advancing out of the Vegan district. 
  At the Battle of Dingir, in early 1002, the Solomani Grand Fleet 
  was scattered and substantially destroyed. The remnants of the 
  Solomani ﬂ eet fell back deeper into the Sphere, with the Imperial 
  forces ﬁ rmly establishing themselves in Terra’s own subsector.
   
  The Imperial high command decided that Terra would have 
  to be invaded, in order to end forever all claims of Solomani 
  superiority and thus the use of Terra as a rallying standard 
  elsewhere in the Sphere. In order to invade Terra, a sizable 
  fraction of the Imperial forces in the Solomani Sphere were 
  assembled into an assault force, effectively ending the pursuit 
  of the defeated Solomani ﬂ eet. The invasion began in the 
  second quarter of 1002 and the hard fought campaign lasted 
  until nearly the end of the year.
   
  In the end, the Imperium conquered the planet. However, 
  the battle for Terra had consumed so much of the Imperial 
  military’s resources that the Imperial high command felt they 
  lacked sufﬁ cient strength to resume their advance into the 
  rest of the Solomani Sphere. Accordingly, they negotiated a 
  temporary armistice with the Solomani military commanders, 
  who were glad to gain a respite to regroup their remaining forces. 
  The war ended on this basis as both the Imperial and Solomani 
  civilian governments, concerned with the strain placed on their 
  economies by the protracted war, informally agreed to extend 
  the armistice indeﬁ nitely. 
  Although scholars continue to debate the wisdom of invading 
  Terra, some claiming that the battle was a marginal if not pyrrhic 
  victory for the Imperium, the general consensus is that the war 
  as a whole was a major victory for the Imperium. A substantial 
  amount of the Solomani Sphere was reabsorbed by the 
  Imperium and a vigorous Vegan Autonomous District was set 
  up to oversee Imperial interests along the new border. 
  While the Solomani Confederation continues to exist, the central 
  tenet of the Solomani Movement is largely discredited. In fact, 
  
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  with the strong Imperial presence along the border, the Solomani 
  Confederation seems to have abandoned any plans to resume the 
  conﬂ ict in the near future, concentrating instead on reviving its claims 
  to certain worlds in the more loosely organised Aslan Hierate.
   
  Solomani Sphere: See Solomani Autonomous Region. 
  Sophont: A generalised term for an intelligent life form. 
  Sophontology: The study of intelligent life forms. Subsidiary 
  branches of this science include cultural sophontology, the 
  comparative study of sophont societies; physical sophontology, 
  the study of the genetic and physiological makeup of 
  intelligent life; and developmental sophontology, the study of 
  the various means by which life forms evolve intelligence.
   
  Sphereworld: See Dyson Sphere. 
  Spinward Main: A grouping of systems in the Spinward 
  Marches sector, each within jump-1 of another. This grouping 
  forms a corridor that allows jump-1 capable ships to travel to 
  15 of the 16 Spinward Marches subsectors and to 
  223 of the sector’s 440 worlds. 
  Springer’s (Arachnofeﬁ s 
  var.} Springers 
  (also 
  called cave spiders. spider-cats and shrew-
  spiders) 
  are eight 
  limbed 
  quasi-mammalian 
  carnivores. Their origin world is not known  but 
  they are found throughout the coreward regions 
  of the Imperium. Although spread widely by the 
  mysterious Ancients, the range of the springer was 
  increased considerably by the colonists of the ﬁ rst 
  Imperium, as a means of biological pest control. 
  Mass is between 250 and 500 grams, and springers 
  average 15 centimetres in length. 
  Springers are active trappers and hunters, and 
  can spin webs from glands on their chests. While 
  they are venomous, their venom is normally only 
  dangerous to humans with allergies.
  Starburst for Extreme Heroism (SEH): The 
  SEH is the highest honour that can be achieved 
  by an individual under arms in the Imperium. 
  Generals, Admirals and Subsector Dukes will all 
  salute the sophont who has shown the outstanding 
  heroic qualities necessary to win the award.
  Starport: Establishment for the landing, servicing, 
  refuelling, and control of starships. Starports range 
  in quality from A (the best and most extensive) to E 
  (the worst, little more than a spot of cleared ground). 
  Starports generally have two components: a 
  surface facility and an orbital facility. The surface 
  facility includes cargo handling installations, a 
  landing ﬁ eld, control towers and other necessary areas. Surface 
  starport components are frequently called Down, as in Regina 
  Down Starport, though the term Downport is often used. Orbital 
  facilities are present (usually in stationary orbit above the surface 
  component) to enable handling of unstreamlined ships and to 
  allow construction of heavy craft in orbit. The orbital component 
  is often called Orbital, as in Regina Orbital Starport, though 
  the term Highport is in common usage as well. Type D and E 
  starports have no extensive orbital facilities but usually have 
  navigational satellites or similar equipment. Non-streamlined 
  ships at these starports must be serviced by shuttles.
  Starports, being the primary point at which starships interact 
  with a system, are usually the location for additional bases, 
  such as scout bases, naval bases or other military installations 
  and for shipyards.
   Sternmetal Horizons, LIC: Sternmetal is primarily engaged 
  in mining operations and manufacturing. It produces mostly 
  power generation equipment of all types, including power plants 
  
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  for starships, air and ground vehicles, cities and industrial 
  installations. Additionally, Sternmetal is the largest manufacturer 
  of food synthesis equipment in the Imperium.
  Stock Ownership: Imperial family— 2%, Hortalez et Cie— 29%, 
  Investment trusts- 32%, Noble families- 18%, Antares Holdings, 
  LIC- 19%.
  Subsector: Mapping unit in astrography. Average density: 
  30 to 40 worlds per subsector. Subsectors are noted within a 
  sector by their position using the ﬁ rst 16 letters of the alphabet 
  (A-PI. In addition, they are named and may be called by a 
  variety of synonyms for subsector, including province, cluster, 
  or district. Imperial convention is to assign numbers to districts 
  (for example, District 268) which are under Imperial protection 
  pending integration into the Imperium.
   
  Superdense Material: Superdense is an armour/hull material 
  made of crystaliron steel that has it’s structure partially collapsed 
  by an extremely strong artiﬁ cial gravity ﬁ eld. This process makes 
  the armour extremely strong and dense.
  Survey, First (published 420): The ﬁ rst comprehensive 
  astrographic and demographic survey of the Imperium, 
  performed by the Imperial Interstellar Scout Service. More than 
  a 100 years in the making, its publication in 420 made available 
  the Imperium’s records on its constituent worlds for public use. 
  Survey, Second (published 1065): The second comprehensive 
  survey of the Imperium, performed by the scout service, updating 
  the long obsolete and incomplete data in the First Survey. 
  The Second Survey was 70 years in the compilation, went to 
  greater lengths than the ﬁ rst survey and included more world 
  data as well as more complete astrographic data. In addition, 
  the expansion of the Imperium since 420 had added many new 
  worlds that had to be included. 
  Schunamann und Sohn AG, LIC: SuSAG engages in a wide 
  range of chemical, pharmaceutical and geneering activities. 
  SuSAG is the primary manufacturer of anagathics for the 
  Imperium and maintains psi drug manufacturing plants in certain 
  client states outside Imperial borders. Because of the bad 
  reputation for safety of its chemical/biological warfare division, 
  the ﬁ rm is not well liked in many regions, even though all of 
  SuSAG’s dangerous manufacturing plants and experimental 
  stations are located on remote, uninhabited planetoids.
  Since sabotage of its plants is widespread and its products 
  extremely valuable, the ﬁ rm maintains a large paramilitary 
  security force, equipped to Tech Level 12-14 standards.
  
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  SuSAG was founded in 252 by Gustav Schunamann, ﬁ nanced 
  from royalties received for his puriﬁ cation process for various 
  psi-drugs and using the shell of a bankrupt Sylean ﬁ rm (hence 
  the archaic AG in its name). With the Psionics Suppressions 
  in 800, psi drugs were declared illegal, all plants engaged in 
  their manufacture within the Imperium closed and all stocks 
  conﬁ scated and destroyed.
  Fortunately for SuSAG, the ﬁ rm had by then expanded into 
  other operations and although badly damaged, it managed 
  to survive and prosper. SuSAG often engages in clandestine 
  military ventures (using mercenary units) to protect their extra-
  Imperial interests.
  Stock ownership: Schunamann family- 52%, Imperial family— 2 
  1/2 %, Hortalez et Cie- 9%, Other corporations- 23½%, Private 
  ownership- 7%, Other- 6%. 
  Sinzarmes: Headquartered on Efate, in the Regina subsector, 
  Sinzarmes provides transport from the subsector’s many 
  worlds to the major trade route worlds. Sinzarmes is also a 
  major mail carrier, delivering xboat messages to worlds off 
  the main routes. 
  Star Trigger: Darrian weapon based on the device that caused 
  the Maghiz. The threat of the Star Trigger has been enough 
  to guarantee the territorial integrity of Darrian space during the 
  various Frontier Wars.
  Strephon Aella Alkhalikoi: Oldest surviving issue of Paulo III. 
  Born in 1049, proclaimed emperor by the Moot in 1071.
  In the early 1100s, Strephon launched a series of reforms, 
  giving Archdukes additional governing powers and taxation 
  authority. The restoration of governing and taxation powers 
  was designed to reconnect the Iridium Throne to the lives of 
  Imperial citizens, shifting from its then-current position as a 
  distant and abstract authority.
  During Strephon’s reign, the Fourth Frontier War (1082 to 1084) 
  erupted; although it was concluded with little actual input from 
  Capital, Strephon was nevertheless credited with the speedy 
  end to the conﬂ ict.
  Suerrat: The Suerrat are a minor human race transplanted to 
  Ilelish (Ilelish 2907) by the Ancients. The Suerrat claim to be a 
  Major Race as they independently developed interstellar travel. 
  However this was based on generation ships, not jump technology, 
  so the claim is not generally accepted by other races.
  The ancestral Suerrat lived in their homeworld’s lush equatorial 
  forests and were well adapted to that environment. Early Suerrat 
  literally lived in trees, having tamed and then moved in with, a 
  local predator that made burrows in the largest trunks.
  The Suerrat exhibit several genetic traits that are dormant in 
  Solomani or Vilani, producing what many Solomani think of 
  as ‘ape-like’ features. They are small but heavy for their size, 
  very broad across the chest, and quite muscular. Their feet are 
  slightly prehensile and Suerrat shoes are soft and mitten-like. 
  On the right surfaces they are likely to go barefoot. They are 
  comfortable with a much lower light level than a Solomani would 
  be. Their retinas are more sensitive, their eyes are larger and 
  their pupils larger still.
  The Suerrat grow a coat of fur over most of their bodies, missing 
  only on their palms, soles and from the neck up. This fur is 
  usually red and quite long. Curiously, they cannot grow facial 
  hair. Suerrat do not have more hair than Solomani, it is just that 
  Solomani ‘fur’ is much ﬁ ner and shorter than Suerrat fur.
  Sword Worlds Confederation: A loose confederation of worlds 
  in the Spinward Marches, spinward of Imperial space and 
  coreward of the Darrians. The ﬁ rst settlement in the region was 
  on Gram in – 399, by humans of Solomani descent.
  By ca. -200 the settlement of the area was largely complete, 
  and the ﬁ rst interstellar government in the region, the Sacnoth 
  Dominate, was formed in -186. Consisting of the 20 worlds 
  settled up to that point, the Dominate lasted until -102, when it 
  was fractured by rebellion into several smaller states. 
  During the ensuing centuries, various Sword World governments 
  rose and fell, sometimes coalescing all the worlds under a single 
  world’s domination, sometimes splintering into several small 
  states. Contact with Imperial traders in 73 brought increased 
  trade and had a stabilising inﬂ uence on the region but this 
  stability was short-lived.
   
  The First Frontier War brought a desire for cooperation among 
  the various squabbling worlds and the end of the war saw 
  the formation of the ﬁ rst uniﬁ ed confederation in centuries, 
  cantered on Sacnoth and referred to as the Second Dominate. 
  As a result of the Outworld Coalition’s victory, the Sword Worlds 
  annexed Terant 340, Torment, Trifuge and Cunnonic, all in the 
  Darrian subsector.
   
  The Second Dominate held power until 698, when it was 
  overthrown by a coalition headed by Gram. The Gram Coalition 
  ruled until 788, when a short war with the Darrian Confederation 
  resulted in the loss of the four worlds gained during the First 
  Frontier War. 
  Public outrage at the mishandling of the war caused the 
  subsequent fall of the Gram government. The replacement for 
  the Gram Coalition was the Trilateral Alliance, a decentralised 
  organisation headed by Narsil, Sacnoth, and Durendal. The 
  Alliance broke up in 848, due in large part to the inherent 
  weakness of its organisation, and an interregnum of essentially 
  
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  independent worlds lasted until Gram reasserted its inﬂ uence 
  (helped substantially by Zhodani money and advisors, rumour 
  has it) in 852. This government has remained in control down 
  to the present. 
  The government allows almost complete local autonomy. 
  Individual worlds maintain separate military forces, pass their 
  own laws and completely regulate their own internal affairs. The 
  Confederation government regulates interworld trade, handles 
  diplomatic relations with outside powers and adjudicates 
  interworld disputes. 
  In peacetime, the Confederation government maintains a pool 
  of high-ranking military ofﬁ cers (selected from the military 
  forces of all worlds) who are trained in large unit command 
  and staff operations. During time of war, all military forces are 
  confederalised, and placed under a single uniﬁ ed command. 
  For ground forces, divisions will be commanded by generals 
  from the individual worlds, corps and higher organisations by 
  Confederation ofﬁ cers. The component forces of a division will 
  be from the same world whenever possible. For naval forces, 
  individual ships are under the command of local ofﬁ cers, 
  squadrons or higher organisations under Confederation ofﬁ cers.
   
  Sylean Federation (-650 to 0): Large interstellar federation that 
  served as the basis for the Third Imperium.
   
  Established on Sylea in -650, the Federation grew slowly, 
  absorbing several surrounding worlds and increasing trade and 
  interaction between worlds. 
  By - 30, the real power in the Federation was an industrial 
  consortium headed by Cleon Zhunastu. Cleon, a Solomani 
  noble of great vision, used his family industrial base and the 
  support of other families (obtained by the persuasiveness of 
  his personality) to obtain behind-the-scenes control of the 
  Federation government and begin an active campaign to 
  increase the number of worlds under its control.
  After 30 years of economic and diplomatic manoeuvring (and 
  occasional military action), Cleon had increased the size of the 
  Federation, extending its control to the edge of what is now 
  Core sector. Cleon envisioned a territory larger than a single 
  sector, however, and concluded that the tightly controlled, highly 
  centralised nature of the government of the Sylean Federation 
  was not suitable for a large, star-spanning empire. 
  Cleon decided the Federation had served its purpose and 
  began plans for a more suitable form of interstellar government, 
  which would allow greater local autonomy but maintain 
  cohesion over large distances. In addition, to restore the past 
  glories of the Rule of Man (and therefore lay claim to all former 
  territories of the First and Second Imperiums), Cleon proposed 
  to revive the Imperium.
   
  This was made possible by the fact that in the closing years of the 
  period known as Twilight, one of the last claimants to the throne 
  of the Rule of Man had made Sylea his capital. Cleon traced 
  the legitimacy of the Sylean Federation backwards through this 
  emperor to the Rule of Man and (since the Rule of Man claimed 
  to be the lawful successor to the Vilani Imperium) to the First 
  Imperium as well. 
  In the 651st year of the Sylean Federation, the Grand Senate of 
  the Federation ‘persuaded’ Cleon to accept the Imperial crown. 
  That year, he was crowned First Emperor of the Third Imperium 
  and proclaimed the 651st year of the Sylean Federation to be 
  the Year Zero of the Third Imperium. 
  System: A star and its family of planets and satellites. The term 
  system denotes a major world and its associated star (or stars), 
  plus any other planets, satellites, asteroids and other bodies. 
  System Defence Boat: A non-starship speciﬁ cally intended for 
  defensive operations inside a star system. Developed on the 
  principle that a non-starship (because of the increased armament 
  made possible by its lack of jump drives) can normally defeat a 
  starship of equal tonnage. SDBs are typically stationed at the 
  vital points of a system (the gas giants, the asteroid belt, the 
  major world, and so on) and attack invading vessels according 
  to one or more predetermined plans. 
  System Defence Boats range in size from 100 to 1,000 tons 
  and are constructed at all tech levels from 8 to 15. There are 
  hundreds of different types, depending upon the speciﬁ c 
  mission for which they are designed. 
  TankRon: Tanker squadrons are special-purpose units dictated 
  by the need for Imperial Navy vessels to travel farther than their 
  fuel tankage will allow. TankRons carry large quantities of fuel and 
  are positioned to refuel other squadrons as they cross territory 
  that would not otherwise provide fuel resources for them.
  Tarsus (Tarsus/District 268 0308 B584620-A) Agricultural 
  world in District 268 of the Spinward Marches, notable for the 
  production of nobble meat and nobble hide. The world itself has 
  an extreme axial tilt resulting in pronounced seasons.
  Technology Level (TL): Technology Level is a measure of the 
  productive capability of a planet. While it indicates the common 
  tech level, it does not preclude items from higher Tech Levels. 
  Tech Level is a general measure and while a world may be 
  TL12 in general, it is quite possible for certain technological 
  developments to be more advanced, or conversely, more 
  delayed, than the general measure would indicate. 
  See comparative technology charts in Appendix 2.
  Terra (Terra/Sol 0207-A867A69-F): Also known as Earth. Origin 
  world of the genetic stock from which all races of Humaniti 
  
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  descended, former capital of the Terran Confederation, former 
  capital of the Old Earth Union and former capital of the Solomani 
  Autonomous Region. The word Terran (used in the past to 
  refer to an inhabitant of this world or to a citizen of the Terran 
  Confederation) is derived from the name of this world. 
  Terran Confederation (- 2499 to - 2204): The Terran 
  Confederation was an interstellar government consisting of 
  Terra and its colony worlds. The Terran Confederation has its 
  roots in the formation of the United Nations Space Coordination 
  Agency (UNSCA) in -2499, by the Treaty of New York. In 
  addition to handling mundane responsibilities that helped 
  avoid conﬂ ict, UNSCA soon became a clearing house for 
  space operations.
   
  One of UNSCA’s natural directions was research. In 
  2087, UNSCA researchers in the system’s asteroid belt who 
  were looking for better drives to transport ores discovered jump 
  drive. The ﬁ rst jump drives were used only in the solar system, 
  as they were too weak to be used for interstellar travel. In 
  2096, for various reasons, the ﬁ rst interstellar jump expedition 
  travelled to Barnard’s Star rather than Alpha Centauri.
   
  Upon their return in 2097, the expedition members were 
  hurried into a hushed meeting with UNSCA. The expedition 
  had encountered alien intelligent life and humans no less! The 
  expedition members had encountered a Vilani prospecting 
  camp, an outpost on the very fringe of a vast, advanced 
  empire controlled by alien humans. It came as quite a shock 
  to the Terrans that many of the worlds only a few parsecs away 
  were already claimed. Politicians echoed the popular sentiment 
  that it was unfair for alien humans from several hundred light-
  years away to claim worlds near Terra. Individual nations began 
  expanding their armed forces and building starships. 
  Over the course of the next three decades, UNSCA and 
  the United Nations transformed itself into a true world 
  government, which administered the defence of Terra against 
  the Vilani Empire. Terran colonies formed on other worlds were 
  granted membership into the United Nations. In -2400, the UN 
  ofﬁ cially changed its name to the United Worlds. Two years 
  later, the name was changed again to the Terran Confederation. 
  Modern historians, for simplicity, use this term exclusively.
   
  The Terran Confederation fought a series of interstellar wars 
  with the Vilani Imperium over the period - 2408 to - 2219. These 
  wars ultimately resulted in the fall of the Vilani Imperium. The 
  Confederation was dissolved in - 2204 upon the proclamation 
  of the Rule of Man. 
  See Rule of Man, Nth Frontier War.
  Terran Norm (T-Norm): This designation is applied to worlds 
  that are nearly identical to Terra. These are worlds that are Size 
  7-9, atmosphere 6-7, and hydrographics 5-7 and have average 
  surface temperatures in the range of 10-20 degrees Celsius.. 
  T-Norm worlds are the jewels of any sub-sector and become 
  instant targets for colonisation
  .
  Terran Prime (T-Prime): These are worlds that are similar 
  enough to Terra to be considered prime targets for colonisation. 
  T-Prime worlds have size 6-9, atmosphere classes 4-9 and 
  Hydrographics 3-9, with average surface temperatures in 
  the range of 5-25 degrees Celsius. T-Prime worlds are ideal 
  candidates for colonisation projects.
  Third Frontier War: (979 to 986): The long period of uneasy 
  peace between the Imperium and the Zhodani Consulate 
  erupted into war in 979 with simultaneous blows in the Querion 
  and Jewell subsectors. Imperial reaction was deﬁ cient and 
  the hostilities continued for nearly six years with little to show 
  for it. The armistice ﬁ nally signed in 986 give each side little and 
  brought about the abdication of Emperor Styryx in 989.
   
  Third Imperium (0 to present): Also called The Imperium. 
  Founded in 0 by Cleon Zhunastu from the Sylean Federation of 
  what is now Core sector. The Imperium grew swiftly during the 
  early Paciﬁ cation Campaigns, and then more slowly thereafter 
  until stability was reached in the 600’s, by which time the 
  Imperium had absorbed much of the territory of the First and 
  Second Imperiums.
   
  The Imperium can be best thought of as a form of feudal 
  confederation. Member worlds of the Imperium agree to pay 
  taxes and obey a few fundamental laws that the Imperium 
  promulgates, known as the High Laws. In return, the Imperium 
  agrees to patrol the space between the worlds, to protect 
  interstellar trade, to encourage travel and commerce and to 
  arbitrate diplomatic relations between worlds. Beyond this, 
  individual worlds are left to their own devices so long as they 
  acknowledge the power of the Imperium to rule the space 
  between the stars. 
  Imperial power is present on member worlds in the form 
  of consulates, bureaucratic off ices and bases. Sometimes, 
  larger enclaves of Imperial power are placed where they can 
  enhance the emperor’s strength. 
  The Imperium’s territory is divided into sectors, which are in turn 
  divided into subsectors and systems. Groups of sectors, called 
  domains, have been created above the sector level. During the 
  Paciﬁ cation Campaigns, Emperor Artemsus divided space into 
  six regions, labelled them domains and appointed an archduke 
  over each of them. To each archduke, he assigned the 
  continuing paciﬁ cation of the domain’s many systems and their 
  integration into the Imperium. The domains were: Sylea (Core, 
  Fornast, Massilia, Delphi), Vland (Corridor, Vland, Gushemege, 
  Dagudashag), Gateway (Ley, Glimmerdrift Reaches, Gateway, 
  
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  Crucis Margin), llelish (Ilelish, Zarushagar, Reaver’s Deep, 
  Daibei), Antares (Lishun, Antares, Mendan, Amdukan) and Sol 
  (Diaspora, Old Expanses, Solomani Rim, Alpha Crucis). Most 
  of the domains were never totally absorbed into the Imperium. 
  In 589, during the First Frontier War, a seventh domain 
  was established: Deneb (Spinward Marches, Deneb, Trojan 
  Reach, Reft). The intent was to appoint an archduke to be 
  responsible for their supervision. However, the Civil War broke 
  out before an archduke was appointed. 
  Following the Civil War, the emperors expressed concern about 
  individuals with powers equalling their own, so they moved to 
  lessen the power of the archdukes in the Imperial government. 
  Because of this, no archduke of Deneb was ever appointed. As a 
  result, the domains came to have little practical signiﬁ cance. Each 
  archduke did retain the power to create knights and baronets. 
   
  In the years after the Fourth Frontier War and after the problems it 
  presented from lags in communication, Emperor Strephon felt 
  a strengthened archduke position could enable the Imperium 
  to more quickly respond in defending the realm. Against the 
  protests and opposition of some prominent members of the 
  Moot, Strephon re-established the domain as a level in the 
  bureaucracy of the Imperial Navy and returned to the Domain 
  the ability to collect taxes.  
  See Sylean Federation.
   
  Thunderball: Mercenary jargon for an illegal nuclear weapon. 
  Travel Zone: Standard form of classiﬁ cation for worlds in terms 
  of relative danger. As a service to spacefarers, the Traveller’s 
  Aid Society publishes travel zone classiﬁ cations that indicate 
  the degree of danger a world presents to visitors. Standard 
  classiﬁ cations are green (no danger), amber (caution advised) 
  and red (severe danger). 
  See also Amber Zone, Red Zone. 
  Tree Kraken: (also called Land Squid, Squibbon) (Hexapoda 
  strenii. H. silvans, et al)
  The tree kraken is native to the planet Forboldn but for various 
  reasons can be found on many small, low gravity worlds. The 
  adult tree kraken weighs six kilograms and resembles in general 
  body form the octopus, having a central body, sensory cluster 
  and six radiating tentacle-like arms that surround a central 
  multi-hooked beak-mouth.
  Tree krakens are predators, with the six arms being lined with 
  disk-shaped abrading structures. They attack their prey from a 
  height, and some varieties are capable of gliding a signiﬁ cant 
  distance.
  Tukera Lines: The Imperium-spanning Tukera Lines actually 
  predates the formation of the Imperium. The original corporation 
  held a charter from the Sylean Federation; with the establishment 
  of the Imperium in the holiday year zero, all such charters were 
  automatically recognised by the Imperium. 
  Tukera Lines concentrates on the main communications links 
  within the Imperium and operates a vast ﬂ eet of jump-3 and 
  jump-4 liners and transports, which follow the established 
  xboat routes. In some subsectors, especially in the older, 
  more established regions of the Imperium, Tukera has a virtual 
  monopoly on long-distance shipping and travel.
   
  Stock ownership in Tukera Lines is divided approximately 
  as follows: Tukera family- 6%, Imperial family- 32%, large 
  corporations- 6%, public (individuals)- 31 %, investment 
  trusts- 25%. 
  Trojan Clusters: These are asteroid clusters found in the 
  Trojan points of gas giants, if present in a star system.
   
  Trojan Points: Simply put, Trojan points are empty points of 
  space that exert their own gravitational inﬂ uence due to the 
  gravitational forces of two larger celestial bodies – such as a 
  gas giant and its parent star. They are found in the same orbit as 
  the gas giant, but 60-degrees ahead of and behind the planet. 
  An object in a Trojan point remains in place as long as no other 
  force is brought to bear.
   
  True- Daughter: True-son or True-daughter is a polite term for 
  a clone. Usually reserved for offspring of Nobility created to be 
  heirs to their position.
  True-Son: See True-Daughter.
  Twilight (- 1776 to - 1526): The failure of the Rule of Man 
  triggered the collapse of most of interstellar civilisation. While 
  interstellar travel and commerce continued, it was at a greatly 
  reduced rate and the many worlds of the Imperium turned in 
  on themselves. The period of collapse is termed Twilight and 
  lasted for two and a half centuries.
   
  Modern historians consider Twilight to have begun in - 1776 
  when the treasury on Hub/Ershur refused to acknowledge a 
  monetary issue of the branch treasury at Antares, triggering a 
  ﬁ nancial collapse and the destruction of large-scale trade within 
  the Imperium. The end of Twilight is commonly accepted as the 
  year - 1526, when the last governmental body claiming to be 
  the Rule of Man ceased to exist. 
  Twilight’s Peak: Legendary story of lost starfarers who 
  discovered fantastic structures and devices while surviving a 
  terrifying winter season. Based on an epic poem of execrable 
  
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  quality, the story seems to be based on the disappearance of the 
  Gyro Cadiz task force in 984, which has never been completely 
  accounted for. 
  Two Thousand Worlds: Most common name in the Imperium 
  for the region of space ruled by the K’kree. Two thousand worlds 
  is a literal translation of the K’kree T’t’tkahk Xeng Kirr. The 
  same words can also be rendered idiomatically as ‘universe’. 
  In times past, the words meant ‘night sky’, as roughly two 
  thousand stars can be seen from one hemisphere of Kirur, the 
  K’kree homeworld. The name should not be taken to mean that 
  there are exactly 2,000 worlds in the K’kree empire. 
  The K’kree government is highly conservative. The current 
  dynasty ruling the Two Thousand Worlds has been in power 
  since prehistoric times and the form of the government has 
  remained unchanged except for a few minor modiﬁ cations 
  made necessary by the problems inherent in governing an 
  interstellar empire. 
  K’kree expansion into space progressed very slowly after the 
  discovery of the jump drive in -4142. The conservative nature of 
  society and the technical limitations placed upon spaceﬂ ight by 
  that society (K’kree spaceships must be very large, for example) 
  combined to inhibit early exploration and colonisation. The 
  discovery of other sophonts caused a xenophobic reaction in 
  K’kree society. The realisation that intelligent carnivores might 
  exist somewhere in space sparked the K’kree obsession to 
  convert the universe to herbivorism. This obsession stimulated 
  the growth of the Two Thousand Worlds to its present size and 
  still dominates K’kree culture.
   
  Local cultures are tolerated and other aspects of K’kree society 
  are not heavily enforced but all races within the Two Thousand 
  Worlds are 
  herbivorous. K’kree 
  contact 
  with 
  the 
  Hive 
  Federation was soon followed by the Hiver-K’kree war of - 
  2029 to - 2013. The military technology of the K’kree proved 
  superior in the ﬁ rst stages of the war. The war ended due to 
  non-military considerations, however, when the Hive Federation 
  demonstrated a plan to radically alter the K’kree social order 
  through the use of psychohistorical techniques and threatened 
  to implement it. The K’kree withdrew to the antebellum borders 
  and the border between the two states has remained stable to 
  this day. The K’kree empire eventually stopped in its expansion. 
  Increasing problems of administration over interstellar distances 
  and contact with other starfaring races (such as hivers and 
  humaniti) have stabilized the Two Thousand Worlds at its 
  present size. 
  Uplift: The process of genetically-engineering an animal 
  species into intelligence. It often involves changing limb shape 
  to provide hands, vocal cords to provide speech and other such 
  changes. Of the Major Races, the Solomani have the most 
  experience with uplift.
  Over the centuries, a wide variety of terrestrial animals have 
  been uplifted, including dolphins, orcas, paciﬁ c octopus, 
  humboldt squid, chimpanzees, gorillas, orang-utans, leopards 
  and black bears, with varying levels of success.
  Technically, the Vargr are an uplifted race but it is not considered 
  a wise idea to tell one that to their face.
  Varian Alkhalikoi Alkhalikoi: Prince of the Imperium. Varian is 
  the elder of the twin nephews of Emperor Strephon and is the 
  son of Duke Dresden and Princess Lydia. Varian was born in 
  1094, ﬁ ve minutes before his brother, Prince Lucan. He is third 
  in line to the Iridium Throne, after the Grand Princess Ciencia 
  Iphigenia and his mother, Princess Lydia.
  Vargr: Intelligent major race derived from Ancient genetic 
  manipulations of Terran carnivore/chaser stock, apparently 
  dating from approximately the same time that humaniti was 
  scattered to the stars. Inhabiting a region rimward of the 
  Imperium, the Vargr were for years a puzzle to Imperial 
  xenologists. The Vargr biochemistry and genetic makeup 
  are almost identical with a number of terrestrial animals but 
  differ radically from most of the ﬂ ora and fauna indigenous to 
  Lair, the purported Vargr home world. Researches during the 
  early years of the Third Imperium concluded them to be the 
  result of genetic manipulation of transplanted Terran animals 
  of the family Canidae, almost certainly of genus Canis. 
  The obvious conclusion, supported by archaeological evidence, 
  is that the race known as the Ancients was responsible. 
  Physically, the Vargr are not very impressive. The typical 
  Vargr is about 1.6 metres in height and weighs approximately 
  60 kilograms. They are upright bipedal carnivores, with 
  digitigrades rear limbs and hands very similar in size and 
  appearance to those of a human, although there are signiﬁ cant 
  internal differences. They have approximately the same 
  physical parameters as humans and are able to use the same 
  equipment without modiﬁ cation or additional instruction. On 
  the average their reactions are slightly faster than those of the 
  typical human but individuals vary widely. The Vargr senses of 
  smell and sight are superior to those of humans. 
  There is no central Vargr government; indeed, there is no 
  governmental type that can be said to be ‘typically Vargr’. 
  Every conceivable form of governmental organisation can be 
  found somewhere in the Vargr Extents. The only cohesive 
  force in the Extents is a ﬁ erce racial pride that causes a slight 
  tendency towards racial cooperation. The higher the level of the 
  Vargr government, the more unstable it becomes because of 
  the difﬁ culty of obtaining consent of all Vargr involved. 
  Vargr in the Imperium: While only a few planets populated 
  completely by Vargr exist within the Imperium, there are 
  millions of Vargr citizens of loyal subject planets. Additionally, 
  Vargr adventurers, criminals, mercenaries and traders can be 
  
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  found throughout the coreward reaches of the Imperium. The only 
  non-human Archduke in the Imperium is a Vargr, Brzk of Antares.
  The key elements shaping Vargr societies are a very strong 
  centrifugal force resulting from an emphasis on consensus and 
  informal lines of authority and an equally strong centripetal force 
  resulting from a deeply ingrained family-clan-tribe-nation loyalty.
   
  Centralised authority is extremely limited at the upper levels 
  of Vargr society and action is based on broad coalitional 
  concerns, with a constant splitting and rejoining of dissident 
  factions. Traditionally, this has made it very difﬁ cult for 
  more centralised and organised societies such as the 
  Imperium to deal on a meaningful basis with what passes 
  for Vargr states. The Vargr have little respect for formal 
  authority, decreasing as that authority becomes more 
  remote. Vargr generally have more respect for more informal 
  authority ﬁ gures and are more likely to obey superiors who 
  are better known to them.
   
  The Vargr have an intensive racial pride and are easily insulted. 
  They are prone to enter into ﬁ ghts without regard to possible 
  consequences.
   
  Even among the most stable Vargr governments, a highly 
  charismatic leader can attract followers for almost anything. The 
  neighbours of the Vargr are constantly the subject of impromptu 
  raids and scattered piracy by bands of Vargr (totally without 
  government sanction, of course) who have been talked into a 
  raid, a battle, or a war by a charismatic leader. 
  Vargr Campaigns (220 to 348): The series of wars, encounters, 
  conﬂ icts and disputes between the Imperium and the various 
  Vargr states in Vland, Corridor and Deneb sectors along the 
  coreward edge of the Imperium. As the Imperium expanded, 
  it initially recruited worlds that were former members of the 
  Second and First Imperium. As its borders reached farther 
  and farther out, the Imperial expansion was met by already 
  established Vargr states of varying sizes. The inevitable conﬂ ict 
  that resulted as the Imperium worked to secure its territory and 
  the Vargr resisted are collectively called the Vargr campaigns.
   
  Vargr Extents: The territory dominated by Vargr governments. 
  The term Vargr Extents refers to those sectors with major 
  Vargr populations. Extents are situated roughly coreward 
  of the Imperium, and especially coreward of the Spinward 
  Marches, Deneb, Corridor and Vland sectors.
   
  Vegan: An intelligent race originating on Muan Gwi (Solomani 
  Rim 0717-A456A86-F) and inhabiting the Vegan Autonomous 
  District. They are named by humans after the bright star near 
  their homeworld. 
  They are upright, bipedal, and bilaterally symmetrical, 
  Vegans also average 2.2 metres in height. They are 
  bisexual, homoeothermic oxygen breathers with an average 
  lifespan of over 200 years. Because of their low-gravity origin, 
  they are physically quite weak and are unable to live on high 
  gravity worlds. 
  The head serves both as braincase and as sensory 
  appendage. Auditory organs are located in the collar-like 
  structure around the neck. Despite external appearances to the 
  contrary, Vegans have two eyes, located inside the hood-like 
  ﬂ eshy structure that dominates the head. The paired eyes are 
  covered by a transparent eyelid-like structure, which acts as a 
  polarised light ﬁ lter. This structure protects the eyes from glare, 
  like built-in sunglasses and also serves to keep windblown dust 
  out of the eyes. This ﬁ lter can be retracted when not needed. 
  The eyes themselves are large and pick up radiation well into 
  the infrared portion of the spectrum, an adaptation to Muan 
  Gwi’s small red sun. Since the skull is ﬁ xed solidly in place, a 
  Vegan cannot turn its head but the ﬂ eshy hood containing the 
  eyes can turn through a large arc. 
  The mouth is a vertical slit in the upper thoracic region, with 
  paired breathing/vocal slits on either side of it. Two mandibles 
  are located inside the upper chest and grind food between their 
  opposing sets of teeth.
   
  
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  Where the forearm and hand would be on a human, Vegans 
  have three tentacles, which serve them as manipulative organs. 
  Their legs end in broad, splayed feet, which prevent them from 
  sinking into the soft sand. The urogenital opening is a vertical slit 
  located ventrally in the lower abdomen. There are no external 
  differences between sexes. 
  Vegans have a number of adaptations to the arid dry region 
  of Muan Gwi where they developed. Their tall, thin bodies are 
  designed for maximum radiation of heat.  The torso is covered with 
  a thick integument, whose convoluted surface is richly supplied 
  with blood vessels. By increasing or decreasing the supply of 
  blood to the integument, heat radiation from the torso can be 
  regulated to optimum effect (more during the day, less at night). 
  This arrangement obviates the necessity for sweating and its 
  consequent water loss. All oriﬁ ces of the body can be sealed to 
  prevent unnecessary moisture loss. 
  The Vegans received the jump drive about - 6000, from Vilani-
  inﬂ uenced traders and colonised several nearby worlds before 
  being absorbed by the First Imperium in - 4404. They were 
  severely restricted under Vilani rule, as were all races who 
  resisted being integrated into the rigid Vilani culture. Because 
  of this, they welcomed Terran victory in the Interstellar Wars and 
  the advent of the Rule of Man. 
  The Vegan Polity prospered under the Rule of Man and survived 
  the Long Night largely intact. However, with the advent of the 
  Third Imperium, the Vegan area was broken into individual 
  planetary states in accord with Imperial policy; non-humans were 
  treated as full citizens but, in order to cement Imperial authority, 
  no multi-world governmental units were allowed. 
  Under the Solomani, the Vegans were again restricted. 
  Human colonies were founded on many Vegan worlds to 
  maintain Solomani inﬂ uence there and Solomani governors 
  were installed on all Vegan worlds. After the Solomani Rim 
  War the present Vegan Autonomous District was formed as a 
  counterweight to the Solomani.
   
  Vegan society is divided into hundreds of different tuhuir, which 
  might be roughly translated as culture, philosophy, or tao. 
  Each tuhuir has its own customs and traditions and its own 
  interpretation of the proper way to live. The civil service that 
  governs the Vegan District is a tuhuir that oversees and 
  mediates among all the other tuhuir. Although rare, heretical 
  and rebellious tuhuir do exist. Archaeology shows that the 
  tuhuir were once separate societies, each associated with a 
  particular geographic location, like countries on ancient Earth. 
  Now, however, they are mixed together in complex patterns.
  Tuhuir are not hereditary; when a Vegan nears sexual maturity, 
  he or she enters a period of search, which may last for many 
  years. Eventually, the individual chooses a tuhuir; once made, 
  the choice is for life. In practice, about 50% of all Vegans enter 
  the tuhuir of their parents (the exact percentage varies with 
  each tuhuir); about 0.5% ﬁ nd that they enjoy the search as a 
  way of life and never join a tuhuir.  
   
  Vegan Autonomous District: After the pyrrhic victory over 
  the Solomani at Terra in 1002, the Imperium found that it could 
  not completely conquer and absorb the Solomani Sphere. The 
  Imperial high command decided to create the Vegan Autonomous 
  District to act as a counterweight to the remnants of the 
  Solomani Confederation. The Vegans have complete internal 
  control over their district but free passage is guaranteed for Imperial 
  citizens and goods. Although many factors have contributed to 
  the present peace and stability along the Solomani Rim, it cannot 
  be denied that the creation of the Vegan Autonomous District has 
  achieved its original purpose. 
  The worlds of the Vegan Autonomous District are under a single, 
  centralised government. State power is contained in a civil 
  service, chosen and promoted by competitive examinations. 
  Vemene: The covert security agency of Tukera Lines. The agency’s 
  ofﬁ cial mission is to thwart piracy, hijacking, theft and sabotage 
  directed against Tukera’s ships and planetary installations. Critics 
  charge that the real mission of the Vemene is to suppress Tukera’s 
  competition by any means necessary, legal or illegal.
  Verbal Override: A procedure used with computer-controlled 
  security systems, where a speciﬁ c codeword may be used as 
  absolute identiﬁ cation. When used, the codeword bypasses 
  all other identiﬁ cation circuits and automatically authorizes the 
  presence of the individual concerned. Primary use of such 
  systems is in the military, where large numbers of individuals 
  may be using the same system. 
  Victoria: Interdicted world in the Spinward Marches. The ofﬁ cial 
  reason for the interdiction is to allow Victoria’s unique human 
  culture to develop free of interference but that does not explain 
  why the Navy also maintains a blockade of the world.
  Civilization on Victoria is found at the top of a series of tall 
  mesas, high above the thick, toxic lower atmosphere.
  Vilani: Human major race (H. sapiens) that developed on Vland 
  from human stock placed there by the Ancients. The Vilani 
  were the ﬁ rst of humaniti to develop the jump drive (in - 9235) 
  and were the ﬁ rst humans to establish an interstellar empire. The 
  old Vilani culture that developed during the ﬁ rst Imperium was 
  a rigid caste system based on the idea that each citizen had a 
  speciﬁ c and set place in the universe and it was each citizen’s 
  duty to remain in that place. Society could not afford to let 
  individuals do as they pleased. Not all of the subject races of 
  the Vilani Imperium were able to be completely absorbed into 
  this culture (the Vegans, for example) and those societies did 
  not do well under the Vilani Imperium. The stability which Vilani 
  culture achieved was not obtained without cost. Cultural rigidity 
  
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  brought with it stagnation and the Vilani Imperium collapsed 
  soon after contact with the young, vigorous Terran Confederati
  on. Currently, Vilani is a cultural rather than a racial or national 
  labelling and is applied to those within the Imperium who retain 
  some of the old ways. The Vilani language survives in certain 
  places, along with a few fragments of Vilani culture, such as 
  musical forms and other ﬁ ne arts. Certain of the old Vilani noble 
  families have maintained more of the old culture, particularly 
  the families who control the Vilani megacorporations. 
  Virushi: With a length of nearly three metres, standing close to 
  1.8 metres at the shoulder, and massing close to 1,000 kilograms, 
  the Virushi are among the largest intelligent races known to 
  the Imperium. Virshash is a size A, dense atmosphere world 
  just within the borders of Imperial space within the Reaver’s 
  Deep sector; atmospheric density not withstanding, the planet 
  is heavily irradiated by the more distant of the world’s two suns. 
  These factors of high gravity, dense atmosphere and heavy 
  radiation have shaped the Virushi, guiding their evolution into 
  the awesome form of today. 
  The Virushi are squat, massively built creatures, covered 
  by overlapping plates of leathery armour. They walk -and 
  can run with surprising speed — on four tree-thick legs and 
  are capable of extraordinarily delicate manipulation with two 
  sets of arms. The pair of lower arms are heavily muscled 
  and extremely powerful; the upper pair seem withered by 
  comparison but are amazingly dextrous. The semi-erect 
  posture has led some humans to call the Virushi ‘centaurs 
  with tank blood’, or ‘intelligent bulldozers’. They are 
  immensely strong but this strength must be set against 
  generally poor sensory equipment. 
   
  As the Virushi progressed towards civilisation, an unusual social 
  unit called the ‘cooperative’ by sophontologists came into being. 
  Individual Virushi had to eat a great deal, and range over a wide 
  area, to feed their massive bodies. The tendency, then, was 
  towards a highly individualistic, even solitary existence. However, 
  those individuals who cooperated in building shelters, tools, 
  ﬁ re, and of course, families, had a better chance for survival. 
  The resultant culture today is semi-feudal. Obligation and duty 
  are complex and interwoven; the individual’s love of freedom 
  is carefully balanced against a feeling of responsibility towards 
  others. The concept of coercive government is inconceivable 
  — and incomprehensible — to these people. They give freely 
  of their own abilities and services, and expect a minimum of 
  outside interference in their lives. A Virush will work in voluntary 
  cooperation with others but cannot be ordered to do something 
  he does not want to do. 
  Though they appear frightening to humans, the Virushi 
  are a gentle race — largely because they are of such 
  size and strength. As one of the larger lifeforms on their 
  homeworld, they were never forced to aggressively dominate 
  their environment. Cultural units never evolved past the 
  cooperative stage. Organised states, large governments, 
  and organised warfare never came into being. Virushi found off 
  their homeworld are most likely to be engaged in a career that 
  stresses service to others; others are often found in work that 
  caters to their highly individualistic way of life. Their great 
  dexterity makes them excellent doctors - a Virushi surgeon was 
  recently elevated to the emperor’s personal medical staff. An 
  extreme dedication and fervour to help others characterises 
  such Virushi encountered in jobs of this kind. 
  Because they will not take orders, Virushi do not join the military, 
  even though their great size would make them fearsome ﬁ ghters. 
  In their chosen ﬁ elds, however, the Virushi have distinguished 
  themselves on many occasions.
   
  Vland (Vland/Vland 0307-A967A9A-F): Homeworld of the 
  Vilani, former capital of the Vilani Imperium, current capital of 
  the Vland sector and major trade and manufacturing centre for 
  the core\spinward regions of the Imperium.
   
  Vlazhdumecta: Human minor race spread throughout the 
  Far Frontiers sector. Like most other minor races their history 
  begins with the Ancients transplanting humans from Terra to a 
  distant world. 
  They bear evidence of incomplete genetic modiﬁ cation, though 
  externally they fall within normal human range for size and 
  appearance, if typically a little on the small side.
  War, Imperial Rules of: The rules of war are an accumulation of 
  unwritten concepts established on a case-by-case basis. They 
  have not been ofﬁ cially codiﬁ ed to prevent formal precedent 
  from preventing Imperial intervention. The main aim of the 
  rules is to maintain the economic and military well-being of the 
  realm. The Imperium tolerates the use of force as a necessary 
  outlet for built-up political and social pressures beyond the 
  opponents’ ability to mediate. A short war is deemed preferable 
  to continuing tension, sabotage, political agitation, and so on 
  However, attempts by extra-planetary forces to seize control 
  of a world’s affairs are beyond the scope of the ‘safety valve’ 
  rationale. Recognising that often some community of interest 
  exists between a faction or state on a planet and some off-
  planet organisation, the Imperium tolerates ‘assistance’ as long 
  as it is deemed appropriate   to the level of legitimate interest 
  in the affairs of the world held by the extraplanetary organis
  ation. When it has appeared that the primary burden for the 
  conduct of the war has been carried by an extra-planetary 
  power, the Imperium has intervened. One prohibition is clear 
  and ﬁ rm: use or possession of nuclear weapons, if discovered 
  and regardless of size or type, will almost certainly trigger 
  Imperial intervention. The Imperium alone retains the rights 
  to such weapons, because of their extreme destructive 
  
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  powers and the relatively low Tech Level at which they can 
  be manufactured. For similar reasons, certain other weapons 
  (chemical and bacteriological agents and meson accelerators, 
  for example) are strictly controlled, although they are not subject 
  to the sweeping restrictions placed on nuclear weapons. 
  Way Station: The Way Station is a link in the express boat 
  network. The way station is a large (for the scout service) base 
  devoted to overhaul and reﬁ t of express boats at points in 
  their journeys. During a normal tour of duty, an express boat 
  will jump from system-to-system, occasionally changing 
  pilots but steadily working its way farther and farther down 
  the line. At each stop (xboat station), the xboat is routinely 
  checked, refuelled, reprovisioned and sometimes recrewed. 
  Ultimately, however, the xboat must undergo maintenance 
  and possible repair after the rigours of its mission. The way 
  station performs this function. Way stations have stocks of 
  scout-oriented repair and maintenance equipment, as well as 
  trained staffs of service personnel. They are the equivalent 
  of naval bases, although they are capable of servicing only 
  smaller tonnage ships (10,000 tons and less) due to the size 
  and orientation of their facilities. 
  Xboat: See Express Boat.
   
  Xboat Station: Facility for handling xboats at a star system. 
  At each system served by the xboat network, an express boat 
  station is maintained to handle the message trafﬁ c and to 
  manage incoming and outgoing xboats. Usually located near the 
  edge of a star system, the station picks up messages beamed 
  to it by incoming xboats and relays the data to the local world 
  for delivery. Messages destined for worlds farther down the line 
  are transmitted to a waiting xboat which then jumps for the next 
  world in the network. The xboat station contains receiving and 
  retransmission equipment; refuelling and support facilities for 
  the local staff and waiting crew are also provided. The xboat 
  station maintains a local ofﬁ ce on the system’s major world 
  for the acceptance of xboat messages, as well as to handle 
  delivery of the messages to addresses on the world. 
  Year Zero: The base year of the Imperial calendar and the 
  founding year of the Third Imperium. By selecting a base year 
  numbered zero (instead of the generally selected year 1). 
  The Imperial dating system became a standard number line 
  extending forwards and backwards in time. Years before the 
  founding of the Imperium became simple negative numbers and 
  the differences between dates before and after the founding of 
  the Imperium could be determined by subtraction. 
  See also Dating Systems. 
  Zhodane (Zhodane/Gaval 0309-A6547C8-F): Capital of the 
  Zhodani Consulate and homeworld of the Zhodani people. 
  Unlike the capitals of other empires, Zhodane is largely 
  divided into the estates of the members of the ruling Zhodani 
  council, making the world’s population unusually low. The 
  Zhodani call the world Zhdant.
   
  Zhodani: Human major race (H. sapiens), inhabiting the Zhodani 
  Consulate, a region spinward of the Imperium. The Zhodani 
  are a branch of humaniti similar in most respects to other 
  human races. In general, they tend to be taller than Solomani 
  or Vilani and lithe of build. Their most important difference is the 
  acceptance and use of psionics.
   
  Zhodani society is divided into three classes: nobles, 
  intendants and proles. Nobles are the enfranchised ruling 
  class and receive psionic training from childhood. Intendants 
  are managers and administrators of society, and also receive 
  early training. Proles constitute the masses, are forbidden the 
  use of psionics and do not receive training. Within this rigid 
  class system, there are two opportunities for promotion to a 
  higher class. All prole children are tested for psionic potential 
  and those showing high scores are taken from their families 
  and adopted into the intendant class. Intendants are rewarded 
  for great diligence, service to the state, or victory in the psionic 
  games through the granting of noble titles.
   
  The presence of psionics in the hands of those in power 
  means that many aspects of society work at high efﬁ ciency. 
  Psychology, behavioural science, communications science 
  and education are more reﬁ ned and exact than in other 
  societies. Educational methods are ﬁ nely tuned and capable 
  of teaching concepts rapidly and accurately. Mental deviance 
  or criminal tendencies can be detected early and corrected 
  with facility. Zhodani society is generally a happy one. 
  Individuals are members of a functioning whole, with each 
  making a contribution to its success. The relative lack of 
  upward mobility for the proles is offset by the possibility 
  for their children to move upwards if they have the proper 
  potential. The burden of responsibility imposed on the 
  intendants is lightened by the ever-present possibility of 
  reward through elevation to the noble classes. The nobles 
  themselves temper their burden of authority with comfort 
  derived from their station in life.
   
  The Zhodani have a general distaste for other human races that 
  do not practice psionics. Effective indoctrination and ever-present 
  possibility that one’s mind is being read have removed dishonesty 
  and deviance as common features of society. Disagreements 
  still occur, competition thrives and passions ﬂ are. But all takes 
  place in an atmosphere of honesty and truth. Individuals can 
  express their feelings without fear and problems are openly dealt 
  with. In non-psionic societies, much is kept secret within the 
  mind. A Zhodani visiting the Imperium would be appalled by the 
  deviousness and dishonesty that pervades society. 
  
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  Imperial distaste for the Zhodani is based on two facts. First, the 
  Zhodani practice psionics and an Imperial cannot be sure that a 
  Zhodani is not invading his mental privacy at any time. Imperials 
  feel exposed and uncomfortable in the presence of Zhodani. 
  Second, because of their psionic abilities, the Zhodani have 
  the most effective authoritarian rule in history. Imperial citizens, 
  used to a great degree of local autonomy, fear Zhodani conquest 
  because of the loss of freedom it would entail.
   
  The Zhodani consulate is a participatory democracy in which 
  only nobles are allowed to vote. Executive and judicial functions 
  are the responsibility of a series of councils of varying sizes. 
  Each council elects one of its number as executive ofﬁ cer and a 
  number of its members as delegates to the next higher council.
   The Zhodani date their empire from the traditional date of the ﬁ rst 
  organized use of psionics on Zhodane, - 6731 Imperial, the year 
  of the ﬁ rst olympiad. They achieved jump drive about 1,300 years 
  later, in - 5415 Imperial. The expansion of the Zhodani was gradual 
  and uneventful. Although some states on the fringe resisted 
  absorption into the Consulate, most were annexed peacefully. 
  The Zhodani ﬁ rst came into conﬂ ict with the expanding Third 
  Imperium in the 500’s, starting the First Frontier War in a dispute 
  over present and future limits to settlement in the Spinward Marches 
  area. Continuing frontier wars over the next 500 years have failed 
  to resolve the basic differences between the two empires. 
  Zirunkariish: A Vilani banking and investment company. Unlike 
  most other Vilani megacorporations, whose origins are shrouded 
  in mystery, Zirunkariish is known to have been founded by the 
  noble Vilani family of Shiishuginsa in the year -425.
  Zirunkariish ﬁ nanced a great deal of the Vilani resurgence 
  following recontact with the Syleans.
  Zirunkariish is one of the largest insurance underwriters in the 
  Imperium and while its capital reserves are gigantic, it usually 
  chooses to invest them in various trusts rather than in other 
  megacorporations.
  Stock ownership: Shiishuginsa family— 29%, Imperial family— 
  18%, Sharurshid Trust- 17%, Hortalez et Cie- 7%, Noble 
  families-12%, Investment trusts- 8%, Private ownership- 9%.
  The Emperors’ List
  The 1,500-year period of interstellar anarchy known as the Long 
  Night ended about a thousand years ago with the establishment 
  of the Third Imperium. The traditions of the First (or Old) 
  Imperium and the Second Imperium remained even after 
  centuries of disorganisation and it was only natural for a new 
  interstellar empire to draw on its predecessors for precedent 
  and for stability. In a 30 year campaign that moulded public 
  opinion at the same time that battle starships were convincing 
  local stellar governments, Cleon Zhunastu committed a family 
  industrial base and a ﬁ rm foundation of industrial support to 
  the creation of an empire that would rival the glories of past 
  ages. He succeeded in forming a government that controlled, 
  with velvet-gloved ﬁ st, nearly a hundred subsectors. 
  In the 1,105 years since the assumption of Cleon I, the Emperor’s 
  List has been a convenient reference to events in the growth 
  and the development of the Imperium. The relationship of dates 
  and emperors serves as a mnemonic device and lends colour 
  to the data. 
  Cleon I:
  Cleon I: First of the Zhunastu dynasty and ﬁ rst Emperor of the 
  Imperium. Born -57, proclaimed hereditary emperor for life in 
  the ﬁ rst year of the Imperium. Died of natural causes in 53.
  Cleon II:
  Cleon II: Only issue of Cleon I; also known as Cleon the Weak. 
  Born 21, proclaimed emperor in 53, abdicated in 54. In point 
  of fact, a recent study indicates that the term weak may be an 
  unfair description of Cleon II. Apparently unsuited to devious 
  
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  palace politics, but still recognising the need to consolidate the 
  power of the ﬂ edgling Imperium, Cleon abdicated in favour of 
  his brilliant chancellor, Artemsus Lentuli. Still vitally concerned 
  with the welfare of his former realm, Cleon spent the rest of his 
  long, active, colourful and from all accounts happy, life on the 
  frontier as a self-appointed (and extremely effective) one-man 
  ﬁ re brigade. 
  Artemsus:
  Artemsus: First of the Lentuli dynasty. Born -17, proclaimed 
  emperor in 54, died of natural causes in 166 at the then incredible 
  age of 183, demonstrating the characteristic natural longevity of 
  the Lentuli line. The Solomani Hypothesis (that the humans of 
  the galaxy are all descended from one genetic stock, spread by 
  some ancient race for reasons unknown; and that the source of 
  that stock was Terra of Sol) was proposed in 114 and received 
  immediate, although somewhat disinterested, acceptance.
   Martin I:
   Martin I: Eldest son of Artemsus. Born 12, proclaimed emperor 
  in 166, died of natural causes in 195. Artemsus had an elder 
  daughter but she did not pursue a career in government.
  Martin II:
  Martin II: Oldest issue of Martin I. Born 53, proclaimed emperor 
  in 195, died in 244 of natural causes without issue.
  Cleon III:
  Cleon III: In the dynastic crisis caused by the death of Martin 
  II without direct issue, Cleon Zhunastu, great-great-great 
  grandson of Cleon II by direct ﬁ rst issue, appeared to be the 
  most legitimate claimant to the throne. Born 201, proclaimed 
  emperor in 244, assassinated in 245. Also known as Cleon the 
  Mad, it appears that while his claim to the throne was ﬂ awless, 
  he was not. His behaviour in ofﬁ ce soon convinced surviving 
  members of the government that he was a homicidal maniac, 
  and a decision to dispose of him was made and implemented 
  in short order.
  Porﬁ ria:
  Porﬁ ria: Fourth in the reestablished Lentuli dynasty, Porﬁ ria was 
  the oldest issue of the grand-nephew of Martin II. Born 201, 
  proclaimed empress in 245, died of natural causes in 326.
  Anguistus:
  Anguistus: Oldest issue of Porﬁ ria. Born 246, proclaimed 
  emperor in 326, died of natural causes in 365.
  Martin III:
  Martin III: Second issue of Anguistus (a preceding infant died 
  in childhood). Born 289, proclaimed emperor in 365, died in an 
  air/raft accident in 456 at the age of 167, having outlived his 
  only issue. In memory of this deceased son, the title Martin IV 
  was never used by an emperor.
  Martin V: 
  Martin V: Grandson of Martin Ill; oldest issue of Martin IV. Born 
  357, proclaimed emperor in 456, died of natural causes in 457.
  Nicholle:
  Nicholle: Oldest issue of Martin V. Born 401, proclaimed 
  empress in 457, assassinated in 475.
  Cleon IV:
  Cleon IV: Generally believed to be responsible for the 
  assassination of the Empress Nicholle and the murder of her 
  immediate family, Cleon IV was a distant relation in the Zhunastu 
  dynasty and based his claims to legitimacy on that. Generally 
  regarded as an interloper now, Cleon IV is considered to be 
  the ﬁ rst of the non-dynastic emperors. Born 423, proclaimed 
  emperor in 475, assassinated in 555.
  Jerome:
  Jerome: Ascended the throne by right of moot election. Born 
  525, proclaimed emperor in 555, assassinated in 582.
  Jaqueline I:
  Jaqueline I: Ascended the throne by right of moot election. Born 
  561, proclaimed empress in 582, assassinated in 606. During 
  the reign of Jaqueline, extensive expansion of the Rimward 
  Fringe of the Imperium took place, due primarily to her economic 
  policies which depended on cost-effectiveness. Terra of Sol was 
  reintegrated into the Imperium in 588.
  Olav:
  Olav: First of the Emperors of the Flag. Olav hault-Plankwell, as 
  Grand Admiral of the Marches, defeated the massive incursions 
  of the Outworld Coalition in the First Frontier War (589 to 604). 
  Upon return to the Imperial Core, Olav personally murdered the 
  Empress Jaqueline I and proclaimed himself emperor by right 
  of ﬂ eet control. Born 532, self-proclaimed emperor in 606, killed 
  in battle in 609.
   
  Ramon I:
  Ramon I: As Olav’s chief-of-staff, Ramon was able to convince 
  large portions of the ﬂ eet to attempt an overthrow of Olav. In 
  the Battle of Tricanus 5 (609) Ramon’s forces were apparently 
  defeated but Olav’s ﬂ agship was destroyed with all hands in a 
  ﬁ nal closing action. Born 560, proclaimed emperor by right of 
  moot election in 609, assassinated in 609.
  Constantus:
  Constantus: Born 562, self-proclaimed emperor by right of 
  assassination in 609, killed in battle in 610.
  Nicolai:
  Nicolai: Defeated the forces of Constantus in the Battle of 
  Rakakaka (610). Born 559, proclaimed emperor in 610, 
  assassinated in 612.
  George:
  George: Born 558, self-proclaimed emperor by right of 
  assassination in 612, assassinated in 613
  .
  Numerous emperors of uncertain status and unlikely heritage 
  ruled fragments of the Imperial Core from 613 to 615. None 
  held a sufﬁ cient balance of power to be judged truly an emperor  
  and the Home Worlds had formed a temporarily autonomous 
  state. Nevertheless, no break in the Imperium is judged to have 
  taken place as the Imperial bureaucracy continued to function 
  without interruption.
  
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  Cleon V:
  Cleon V: Born 565, proclaimed emperor in 615 after the re-
  subjugation of the Home Worlds, killed in battle in 618.
  Joseph:
  Joseph: Born 581, proclaimed emperor in 618 after defeating 
  Cleon V in the Battle of Markatch (618). killed in battle the same 
  year.
  Donald:
  Donald: Born 579, self-proclaimed emperor after the defeat of 
  Joseph in the Battle of Arakoine (618), assassinated in 618.
  Emdiri:
  Emdiri: Born 571, proclaimed empress in 618 by right of 
  assassination, assassinated in 619.
  Catharine:
  Catharine: Born 582, proclaimed empress in 619, assassinated 
  in 619.
  Ramon II:
  Ramon II: Born 566. proclaimed emperor in 619, killed in battle 
  in 619.
  Jaqueline II:
  Jaqueline II: Born 569, proclaimed empress after defeating 
  Ramon II in the Battle of the Nivzhine Belt (619), killed in battle 
  in 619
  .
  Usuti:
  Usuti: Born 558, proclaimed emperor after defeating Jaqueline 
  II in the Second Battle of Arakoine (619), killed in battle in 620.
  Marava:
  Marava: Born 551, proclaimed empress after defeating Usuti in 
  the Third Battle of Arakoine (620), killed in battle in 620.
  Ivan:
  Ivan: Born 580, proclaimed emperor after the defeat of Marava 
  in the Battle of Sulgami (620), killed in battle in 621.
  Martin VI:
  Martin VI: Born 597, proclaimed emperor after the defeat of Ivan 
  in the First Battle of Zhimaway (621 ), assassinated in 621. 
  Gustus:
  Gustus: Born 581, proclaimed emperor in 621, killed in battle 
  in 622.
  Arbellatra:
  Arbellatra: First of the Alkhalikoi dynasty (and occasionally 
  considered to be the eighteenth of the Emperors of the Flag). 
  Born 587, served as Grand Admiral of the Marches and led 
  the defeat of the Out-World Coalition in the Second Frontier 
  War (615 to 620). Arbellatra returned to the Imperial Core with 
  strong ﬂ eet elements and defeated the remnants of the Central 
  Fleet under Gustus in the Second Battle of Zhimaway (622). 
  Proclaimed regent in 622 pending the location of a suitable 
  surviving heir to the throne. Proclaimed empress in 629. Died of 
  natural causes in 666.
  Zhakirov:
  Zhakirov: Oldest issue of Arbellatra. Born in 624, proclaimed 
  emperor in 666. Zhakirov’s marriage to Antiama in 679 marked 
  and cemented an alliance between the Alkhalikoi dynasty and 
  the business interests of the Imperial Core; it broke the power 
  of the Solomani interests at court and ultimately led to the 
  Solomani Rim War (990 to 1002). He died of natural causes 
  in 688.
  Margaret I:
  Margaret I: Oldest issue of Zhakirov. Born 684, proclaimed empress 
  in 688, died in a tunnel collapse without issue in 736. Margaret 
  established the Solomani Autonomous Region in 704.
  Paulo I:
  Paulo I: Second issue of Zhakirov. Born 684, proclaimed emperor 
  in 736, died of natural causes in 767.
  Tomutov I:
  Tomutov I: Oldest issue of Paulo I. Born 712, proclaimed emperor 
  in 767, abdicated in 768, died of natural causes in 801.
  Paula II:
  Paula II: Oldest issue of Tomutov I. Paula II is perhaps best 
  known for her steady hand at the helm of state during the Psionic 
  Suppressions of 800 to 826. Born 752, proclaimed empress in 
  768, died of natural causes in 836.
  
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  Tomutova II:
  Tomutova II: Third issue of Paula II (preceding heirs died before 
  ascending the throne). Born 782, proclaimed empress in 836, died 
  of natural causes in 908.
  Margaret II:
  Margaret II: Oldest issue of Tomutova II. Born 824, proclaimed 
  empress in 908, died of natural causes in 945.
  Styryx:
  Styryx: Oldest issue of Tomolin (oldest issue of Margaret II, born 
  901, died 944). Born 920, proclaimed emperor In 945. abdicated in 
  989 in the repercussions following the mismanaged Third Frontier 
  War (979 to 986).
  Gavin:
  Gavin: Oldest surviving issue of Styryx. To Gavin fell the 
  management of the Solomani Rim War (990 to 1021) already set 
  into motion by his father. Born 946, proclaimed emperor in 989, 
  died of natural causes in 1031.
  Paulo Ill:
  Paulo Ill: Oldest issue of Gavin. Born 981, proclaimed emperor in 
  1031, died of natural causes in 1071.
  Strephon:
  Strephon: Oldest surviving issue of Paulo Ill. Current reigning 
  Emperor. Born 1049, proclaimed emperor in 1071. During his 
  reign, the Fourth Frontier War (1082 to 1084) erupted; clever public 
  relations turned the matter to Strephon’s advantage, although he 
  actually had little to do with it. The long delay in communications 
  with the front meant that his orders held little sway, and the armistice 
  arrived almost as soon as the news of the war. The conﬂ ict, 
  however, has been called the False War, and it resolved little of the 
  continuing tension between the Zhodani and the Imperium.
  Comparative Technology Levels
  Quality of Life Tech Comparison 
  TL
  Energy 
  Computers/Robotics 
  0 Muscles 
  Fingers and sticks 
  1 Water 
  Abacus / Geometry, Trigonometry 
  2 Wind 
  Algebra 
  3 Electricity 
  Calculus 
  4 Coal / Steam 
  Mechanical Calculators 
  5 Petrochemicals, Internal combustion 
  Electric Calculators 
  6 Nuclear Fission 
  Electronic Computers (Large Model/1 bis) 
  7 Solar energy, early Fuel Cells 
  Desktop Computers, Expert systems, Model/2 
  8 Geothermal 
  Massive Parallel / Low Data, Model/2bis 
  9 Early Fusion, Improved Batteries 
  Non-Volatile / High Data, Vocal I/O, Model/3 
  10 Fusion Plants 2KL Minimum 
  Early Synaptics, voice transcription, Model/4 
  11 Fusion Plants 1KL Minimum 
  Synaptic Learning Processors, Hand Computers, Model/5 
  12 Fusion Plants 250L Minimum, Advanced Fuel Cells 
  Low Autonomous Robots, Model/6 
  13 Fusion output 3Kw per L, Miniature Super-Batteries 
  Holocrystal Storage, High Autonomous Robots, Model/7 
  14 Fusion Plants 100L Minimum 
  Computer/Brain Implants, Model/8 
  15 Fusion output 6Kw per L 
  Pseudo-Reality Computers, Pseudo Robots, Model/9 
  16 Fusion output 7Kw per L, 80L Minimum 
  Low Artiﬁ cial Intelligence, Robots in all Facets 
  17 Early Antimatter Plants 
  High Artiﬁ cial Intelligence, Self-Aware Robots 
  18 Antimatter 1Mw/L, 750L Fuel Pod Minimum 
  Robots become Society’s Basic Workforce 
  19 Antimatter 2.5Mw/L, 200L Fuel Pod Minimum 
  20 Antimatter 15Mw/L, 40L Fuel Pod Minimum 
  21 Antimatter 50Mw/L, 5L Fuel Pod Minimum 
  23
  25
  27
  
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  Quality of Life Tech Comparison, continued
  Communications 
  Medical 
  Environment
  0 Runners 
  Mystics/Herbology 
  Natural (Caves, Huts)
  1 Long Distance Signalling 
  Diagnosis 
  Settlements, Towns (Irrigation)
  2 Printing press 
  Internal Anatomy 
  Cities (Canals, Roads)
  3 Telegraph, Audio Recording 
  Surgery 
  Cement Structures
  4 Telephone 
  Vaccination, 
  Antiseptics, 
  Anaesthetics 
  Cities 
  in 
  Rugged/Desert 
  Terrain, 
  Crude 
  Terraforming
  5 Radio, Radar 
  Mass Vaccination, X-Ray 
  Sealed/Conditioned Cities
  6
  Television 
  / 
  Advanced 
  Audio 
  Recording 
  Virus, Crude Prosthetics 
  Skyscrapers, Weather Predict, Underground 
  Cities
  7 Early Satellite, Video recording 
  Organ Transplant, Slow Drugs 
  Cities in Jungle Terrain
  8 Fibre optics 
  Artiﬁ cial Organs, Metabolics 
  Orbital Settlements, Early Weather Control
  9 Video Telephone, Flat Screen 
  Limb Regeneration, Cryogenics, 
  Fast Drugs 
  Arcologies, Orbital Cities
  10 Holovision, Text Transcription 
  Antiviral Vaccines, Cancer Cure, 
  Growth Quickening 
  Under-Sea/Under Ice Cities
  11 Personal Global Communications 
  Nerve Refusion, Artiﬁ cial Eyes 
  Gravitic Structure Support
  12 Real-time Multilingual Translators 
  Broad 
  Spectrum 
  Anti-toxins, 
  Enhanced Prosthetics 
  Major Terraforming, Advanced Weather Control
  13 Holovideo Recorders 
  Cloning of Replacement Parts, 
  Reanimation 
  Non-mobile Gravitic Cities
  14 Early Meson Communicators 
  Genetic 
  Engineering, 
  Memory 
  Erasure 
  Mobile Gravitic Cities
  15
  Meson 
  Communicators, 
  Pseudo 
  Reality Communications 
  Anagathics, Advanced Pseudobio 
  Prosthetics 
  Complex Terraforming Possible
  16
  Personal Meson Communicators, 
  Personal Holovideo 
  Brain Transplants, Crude Memory 
  Transfer 
  Global Terraforming, Hostile Worlds
  17 Pocket Meson Communications 
  Selective 
  Memory 
  Erasure, 
  Intelligent Anitbodies 
  Total Terraforming to 800Km worlds
  18 - 
  Partial Memory Transfer 
  Total Terraforming to 4000Km worlds
  19
  Non-Cryogenic 
  Suspension, 
  Advanced Bioengineering 
  Total Terraforming
  20
  Matter Transport Eliminates Global 
  Communication Barriers 
  Total Memory Transfer 
  Mobile Worlds (Sublight)
  21
  Matter Transport Eliminates Intra-
  System Barriers 
  Early Total Rejuvenation 
  Mobile Worlds (Jump Space), Rosettes
  23 Dyson Spheres (Many capsules)
  25 Ringworlds
  27 Rigid Dyson Sphere
  
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  Transportation Technology
  TL
  Land 
  Water 
  Air 
  Space
  0 Foot - Animals 
  Raft / Canoe 
  - 
  -
  1 Wheel - Carts/Chariots 
  Rowed 
  Galleys, 
  Crude 
  Sailing 
  Vessels 
  - 
  -
  2
  Advanced Wheel - Moveable Axle, 
  Replaceable Rims 
  Early Multi-Mast Sailing, Crude 
  Navigation 
  - 
  -
  3
  Extensive Road - High-Speed 
  Coach 
  Multi-Mast Sailing, Navigation 
  Hot Air Balloons 
  -
  4 Trains 
  Ironclads, Steamships 
  Dirigibles, Early Gliders -
  5 Ground Cars, Tracked Vehicles 
  Personal Self-Propelled Boats, Steel 
  hulls, Early Submersibles 
  Airplanes, Seaplanes 
  Early 
  Rockets 
  (unmanned)
  6 Amphibian Vehicles, ATVs/AFVs 
  Submersibles, Scuba, Amphibian 
  Vehicles 
  Early Jet, Helicopters 
  Early 
  Manned 
  Rockets, Unmanned 
  Rockets
  7 Hovercraft, High-Speed Trains 
  Hydrofoils, Hovercraft 
  Supersonic Jet, Hang 
  Gliders 
  Deep Space Probes 
  ( U n m a n n e d ) , 
  Maneuver-1/2 (non-
  gravitic)
  8 Triphibian Vehicles 
  Triphibian Vehicles, Early Artiﬁ cial 
  Gills 
  Triphibian 
  Vehicles, 
  Hypersonic Jet 
  Space 
  Shuttles, 
  Space 
  Stations, 
  Maneuver-3-5 (non-
  grav)
  9
  Early Grav Vehicles, Ultra High-
  Speed Trains 
  Early Grav Vehicles, Artiﬁ cial Gills 
  Early Grav Vehicles, 
  Rocket 
  Assist 
  Suborbital 
  Jump-1 
  possible, 
  Sublight Interstellar
  10 Grav Vehicles 
  UH Grav Modules
  Gravitic Manoeuvre
  11 Personal G-Tubes, HV Grav Modules 
  Jump-2, 
  Thruster 
  Technology
  12 Personal Grav Belts, LT Grav Modules 
  Jump-3
  13
  Grav Vehicles Merge with Orbital Spacecraft, Jump-4
  14
  Jump-5
  15
  Jump-6
  18
  Self-Aware Starships
  20
  Short Range Matter Transport
  21
  Starship-Sized Matter Transport
  Starship-sized Matter Transport Portals
  
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  Military Technology
  Personal 
  Personal
  Heavy
  Heavy
  TL 
  Weapons 
  Armour 
  Weapons 
  Armour
  0 Club, Spear 
  Fur 
  - 
  -
  1 Early Weapons (Bow, Sword) Jack Armour 
  Catapult 
  Wood
  2 Early Guns 
  - 
  Small Cannons 
  -
  3 Riﬂ ed Weapons 
  - 
  Cannons 
  -
  4 Cartridge 
  Mesh Armour 
  Howitzers, Gatling gun 
  Soft Steel
  5 Explosive Grenade, Shotgun Filter Mask 
  Mortars 
  -
  6 Automatic (SMG) 
  - 
  Nuclear Weapons, Missiles Hard Steel
  7 Grenade Launchers 
  Cloth Armour, Flak 
  Jacket 
  Beam Lasers 
  Composite Laminate
  8
  RAM Grenade Launchers, 
  Early Laser Carbine 
  - 
  Particle Accelerators, Target 
  Designated Missiles 
  -
  9 Laser Weapons 
  Ablative Armour 
  - 
  Light Weight Composite Laminate
  10 Advanced Combat Riﬂ e 
  Reﬂ ec, 
  Combat 
  Environment Suit 
  Plasma Guns
  Crystaliron
  11 - 
  Combat Armour 
  Meson Guns 
  -
  12 PGMP-12, Gauss Riﬂ e 
  - 
  Fusion Guns 
  Superdense 
  Armour, 
  Nuclear 
  Dampers
  13 PGMP-13, X-Ray Lasers 
  Battle Dress 
  X-Ray Lasers 
  -
  14 FGMP-14 
  - 
  - 
  Bonded Superdense
  15 FGMP-15 
  - 
  - 
  Early Black Globes
  16
  FGMP-16, 
  Plasma 
  Riﬂ e, 
  Neural Gun 
  Neural Shield 
  Tractor Beam 
  Black Globes
  17 Fusion Riﬂ e, Plasma Pistol 
  - 
  Disintegrators, 
  Antimatter 
  Warheads 
  Coherent Superdense
  18
  Disintegrator Riﬂ e, Fusion 
  Pistol 
  Personal Damper 
  Long Range Disintegrator/
  Tractor Beam 
  -
  19 Disintegrator Pistol 
  - 
  - 
  Proton Screen, Plastic Metal Armour
  20 - 
  - 
  Relativity Beam 
  White Globes, Proton Beam
  21 Relativity Riﬂ e 
  Personal 
  White 
  Globe 
  Jump Projector 
  Jump Damper
  
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  Imperial Date
  Solomani Date
  Vilani Date
  Event
  -500,000 495,000 BC
  480,000 PI
  Ancient cities arise
  -400,000 395,000 BC
  300,000 PI
  Ancients thrive. Humans transplanted
  -300,000 195,000 BC
  225,000 PI
  Final war (lasting 2000 yrs) destroys Ancients
  -200,000 95,000 BC
  150,000 PI
  Homo Zhdorlas arises on Zhodane
  -75,000 70,000 BC
  55,000 PI
  Droyne ascendance on several worlds.
  -20,000 15,000 BC
  12,000 PI
  Ancients’ warbots on Vland ﬁ nally run down.
  -15,000 10,500 BC
  8,500PI
  Rise of modern Homo Sapiens.
  -11,000 6,500 BC
  5,300 PI
  Flowering of Vilani culture.
  -10,011 5,493 BC
  4,547 PI
  First Vilani space explorations.
  -9,900 5,382 BC
  4,462 PI
  Scientiﬁ c bases established in Vland system.
  -9,400 4,882 BC
  4,081 PI
  Vilani sublight interstellar colonization.
  -9,310 4,792 BC
  4.013 PI
  Vilani discover non-Vilani human civilization.
  -9,235 4,717 BC
  3,955 PI
  Vilani discover Jump Drive.
  -8,590 4,072 BC
  3,464 PI
  Zhodani discover printing press.
  -8,500 3,982 BC
  3,395 PI
  Zhodani develop elementary psionics.
  -7,980 3,462 BC
  2,999 PI
  First Zhodani space explorations.
  -7,945 3,427 BC
  2,972 PI
  Plague on Zhodane.
  -6,800 2,282 BC
  2,099 PI
  Zhodani recovery.
  -6,731 2,213 BC
  2,046 PI
  First Psionic Games. Zhodani calendar begins.
  -6,200 1,682 BC
  1,641 PI
  First Zhodani planetary missions.
  -6,000 1,482 BC
  1,489 PI
  First Zhodani sublight interstellar ﬂ ights.
  -5,823 1,305 BC
  1,354 PI
  Zhodani Consulate established.
  -5,430 912 BC
  1,054 PI
  Vilani develop Jump-2 drive.
  -5,415 897 BC
  1,043 PI
  Zhodani discover Jump drive.
  -5,400 882 BC
  1,032 PI
  Start of Vilani Consolidation Wars.
  -4,698 180 BC
  496 PI
  Hivers develop inferior Jump drive.
  -4,520 AD 1
  361 PI
  Terran dating system begins.
  -4,404 AD 114
  272 PI
  Vega absorbed by Vilani.
  -4,305 AD 213
  197 PI
  K’kree uniﬁ cation of homeworld.
  -4,212 AD 306
  126 PI
  Hivers discover standard Jump drive.
  -4,142 AD 376
  72 PI
  K’kree discover Jump drive.
  -4,045 AD 473
  1 VI
  Consolidation Wars end; Ziru Sirka founded.
  -4,000 AD 518
  35 VI
  Vilani stop exploring. First Zhodani core mission.
  -3,810 AD 708
  180 VI
  Vargr discover Jump drive.
  -3,500 AD 1018
  416 VI
  First Imperium reaches greatest height.
  -2,800 AD 1718
  950 VI
  First Zhodani contact with Vargr.
  -2,559 AD 1959
  1133 VI
  First Solomani space explorations.
  -2,460 AD 2058
  1209 VI
  Solomani bases throughout solar system.
  -2,431 AD 2087
  1231 VI
  Solomani discover Jump drive.
  -2,424 AD 2094
  1236 VI
  Solomani visit Barnard’s Star.
  -2,422 AD 2096
  1238 VI
  First contact with Vilani.
  -2,408 AD 2110
  1249 VI
  First Interstellar War ends.
  -2,400 AD 2118
  1255 VI
  Vargr pillaging starts.
  -2,398 AD 2120
  1256 VI
  Terran Confederation established.
  -2,389 AD 2129
  1263 VI
  Terran Navy uses artiﬁ cially intelligent robots.
  -2,235 AD 2283
  1380 VI
  Nth Interstellar War starts.
  -2,219 AD 2299
  1393 VI
  Nth Interstellar War ends.
  -2,204 AD 2314
  1404 VI
  Terran Confederation ends; Rule of Man begins.
  
  LIBRARY DATA ENTRIES
  LIBRARY DATA ENTRIES
  68
  -2,190 AD 2328
  1415 VI
  Aslan First World War.
  -2,160 AD 2358
  1438 VI
  Aslan Nuclear War.
  -2,136 AD 2382
  1456 VI
  First Aslan space explorations.
  -2,083 AD 2435
  1496 VI
  Formation of the Tlaukhu. Aslan calendar begins.
  -2,074 AD 2444
  1503 VI
  Fleeing Vilani colonize Trojan Reaches.
  -2,045 AD 2473
  1525 VI
  First contact between K’kree and Hivers.
  -2,038 AD 2480
  1531 VI
  K’kree occupy several Hiver worlds.
  -2,029 AD 2489
  1537 VI
  Hiver-K’kree War begins.
  -2,023 AD 2495
  1542 VI
  Hive Federation established. Navy built.
  -2,018 AD 2500
  1546 VI
  Hiver manipulations of K’kree worlds start.
  -2,013 AD 2505
  1550 VI
  Hiver-K’kree War ends.
  -2,000 AD 2518
  1560 VI
  First Zhodani contact with Vilani traders.
  -1,999 AD 2519
  1560 VI
  Aslan develop Jump drive.
  -1,980 AD 2538
  1575 VI
  First Aslan contact with humans.
  -1,802 AD 2716
  1711 VI
  First human contact with Hivers.
  -1,776 AD 2742
  1730 VI
  Collapse of Rule of Man. Long Night begins.
  -1,700 AD 2818
  1788 VI
  Vargr pillaging ends.
  -1,690 AD 2828
  1796 VI
  Terran Mercantile Community established.
  -1,658 AD 2860
  1820 VI
  Sack of Gashilean. Vargr Enclaves settled.
  -1,526 AD 2992
  1921 VI
  Interstellar trade ceases. Long Night deepens.
  -1,511 AD 3007
  1932 VI
  Solomani Traders contact Darrians.
  -1,118 AD 3400
  2232 VI
  First Aslan Border War begins.
  -1,110 AD 3408
  2238 VI
  Old Earth Union created.
  -1.044 AD 3474
  2288 VI
  Aslan ﬁ rst cross Great Rift.
  -1,000 AD 3518
  2322 VI
  Zhodani Consulate reaches present size.
  -924 AD 3594
  2330 VI
  Darrians reach TL 16. Sun destabilizes.
  -650 AD 3868
  2589 VI
  Sylean Federation established
  -630 AD 3888
  2604 VI
  Island cluster colonized.
  -399 AD 4119
  2780 VI
  Sword World colonization begins.
  -200 AD 4318
  2932 VI
  First human contact with K’kree.
  -186 AD 4332
  2943 VI
  First Sword World confederation.
  -110 AD 4408
  3001 VI
  Shudusham Concords.
  -30 AD 4488
  3062 VI
  Cleon’s Campaign begins.
  0 AD 4518
  3084 VI
  Third Imperium established. Imperial dating system begins.
  50 AD 4568
  3123 VI
  First Zhodani contact with Imperial traders.
  60 AD 4578
  3130 VI
  Colonization of Spinward Marches begins.
  76 AD 4594
  3142 VI
  Paciﬁ cation Campaigns begin.
  114 AD 4632
  3171 VI
  Solomani Hypothesis proposed.
  120 AD 4638
  3176 VI
  Paciﬁ cation Campaigns end.
  148 AD 4666
  3197 VI
  Scouts recontact Darrians.
  210 AD 4728
  3245 VI
  Vargr Campaigns begin.
  348 AD 4866
  3350 VI
  Vargr Corridor campaigns end.
  Imperial Date
  Solomani Date
  Vilani Date
  Event
  
  LIBRARY DATA ENTRIES
  LIBRARY DATA ENTRIES
  69
  380 AD 4898
  3374 VI
  Peace of Ftahalr. Imperial-Aslan border established.
  404 AD 4922
  3392 VI
  First Shudusham Robotics Conference.
  420 AD 4938
  3405 VI
  First Survey of Imperium completed.
  426 AD 4944
  3409 VI
  Easter Concordat absorbed into Imperium.
  461 AD 4979
  3436 VI
  First Aslan contact with Zhodani.
  475 AD 4993
  3447 VI
  Empress Nicholle assassinated.
  489 AD 5007
  3457 VI
  Hive capital moved to Glea.
  500 AD 5018
  3466 VI
  Imperial explorations into Zhodani territory.
  588 AD 5106
  3533 VI
  Terra incorporated into Imperium.
  589 AD 5107
  3533 VI
  First Frontier War starts.
  604 AD 5122
  3545 VI
  First Frontier War ends. Beginning of Civil War.
  606 AD 5124
  3546 VI
  Plankwell murders Empress Jaqueline I.
  615 AD 5133
  3553 VI
  Second Frontier War begins.
  620 AD 5138
  3557 VI
  Second Frontier War ends.
  622 AD 5140
  3559 VI
  End of Civil War.
  624 AD 5142
  3560 VI
  Xboat system established.
  679 AD 5197
  3602 VI
  Solomani power broken at court.
  704 AD 5222
  3621 VI
  Solomani Autonomous Region created.
  718 AD 5236
  3632 VI
  Xboat system covers entire Imperium.
  750 AD 5268
  3656 VI
  Seventh Zhodani core expedition.
  799 AD 5317
  3694 VI
  Crisis of ‘99.
  800 AD 5318
  3694 VI
  Psionics Suppressions begin.
  826 AD 5344
  3714 VI
  Psionics Suppressions end.
  852 AD 5370
  3734 VI
  Current Sword Worlds government established.
  871 AD 5389
  3748 VI
  Solomani Confederation established.
  940 AD 5458
  3801 VI
  Confederation friction with the Imperium.
  950 AD 5468
  3809 VI
  Solomani reintegrated into Imperium.
  979 AD 5497
  3831 VI
  Start of Third Frontier War.
  986 AD 5504
  3836 VI
  End of Third Frontier War.
  990 AD 5508
  3839 VI
  Solomani Rim War begins.
  998 AD 551 6
  3845 VI
  Imperial advance to core of Solomani Sphere.
  1002 AD 5520
  3848 VI
  Siege of Terra. End of Solomani Rim War.
  1005 AD 5523
  3851 VI
  Solomani Home Guard created.
  1040 AD 5558
  3877 VI
  Destruction of Phoenix project begins.
  1045 AD 5563
  3881 VI
  Destruction of Phoenix project ends.
  1065 AD 5583
  3896 VI
  Second Survey of the Imperium completed.
  1082 AD 5600
  3909 VI
  False War (Fourth Frontier War) begins.
  1084 AD 5602
  3911 VI
  False War (Fourth Frontier War) ends.
  Imperial Date
  Solomani Date
  Vilani Date
  Event
  
  TRAVELLER
  Mega-City One - a vast metropolis where each of 
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SOURCE: textdata/thevault/Traveller/01 - Classic Traveller/Traveller - The Third Imperium - Library Data.pdf