by Ann Wilson
F
FAMILY (capitalized): The extended family structure recently introducedin the Kingdom Systems, primarily as a socially-acceptable means ofdealing with the satyr virus and the physiological changes it produces.As a side effect, it also provides a family structure stable enoughthat Special Operations personnel may now marry and are no longerrequired to be sterile. The new Families, the first and best known ofwhich is Family Cortin, consist of several spouses--ideally, but notnecessarily, half male and half female--with any children. (As anexample Family Cortin, at this point [2572], consists of Colonel Cortinherself, who is Family head but not a spouse, two wives, five husbands,and three children, with a fourth on the way. It may become morebalanced in the future, since it began as a mostly-male Strike Forceteam and has as yet had little opportunity to court more than onecivilian wife.)
FEALTY, CONDITIONAL: (Sandeman) An oath to someone in return for aconsideration, unknown until Gaelan DarShona talked some of thewarriors on the guardian fleet around Mjolnir into taking service inPlanetary Security in exchange for Imperial credits. Such an oath isconsidered void if payment in wilfully withheld (inability to pay isnegotiable) or if the one to whom such an oath is taken attempts toinjure the oath-taker, at which point the one taking the oath may feelfree to take appropriate action against the false acceptor.
FEALTY, PERSONAL: (Sandeman) An oath of absolute personal loyalty andobedience. Theoretically, anyone may swear such fealty to anyone, butin practice it is almost exclusively warriors swearing to Warleaders orother high-status warriors.
It is an honor either to be offered such fealty or to have it accepted.The one giving fealty (thakur-na) becomes, to the best of his ability,an extension of the one accepting it (thakur). The only acceptablereasons for disobeying a thakur's will are to preserve his honor or hislife, with the thakur's honor taking precedence. This relationship ismost obvious to non-Sandemans in the custom that any children a 'nafathers are considered the thakur's, and their use of the familiar modeof High War Speech.
The 'na has his right cheek tattooed with a mark of his thakur'schoice. Although in theory, since a 'na does swear absolute obedienceand perfect fidelity, there is no need to acknowledge even the greatestof such service, the Sandemans are realists; if a 'na gives greaterservice or does a deed more heroic than may be reasonably expected, histhakur will have the tattoo circled and allow his 'na to use his namehyphenated with the 'na's own. If the 'na outlives his thakur, histattoo is barred with black to show honorable completion of service; ifit works out the other way, his thakur will see to honorable burial, ifpossible at one of their clanhomes.
Although those are by far the commonest ways of ending therelationship, two others are possible. If the 'na commits a seriousoffense, the thakur may dismiss him by telling him something like,"Leave me; I no longer need you." The real meaning is "You havedishonored me"; the 'na is expected to atone by a painful death ateither his own or his clan-chief's hands. The other, since DanaDruAlanna's case in 2624, is for the thakur to dismiss without offense,in which case the 'na's tattoo is barred with black and service ishonorably terminated for both parties.
FELZINE: A mild, non-addictive tranquilizer.
FENRIS, Subsector 14-A: No. systems: 174 Sector: Phoenix with 3 inhabited planets: 7 Ruled by: with 2 inhabited planets: 8 with 1 inhabited planet: 22 Arms: On a counter-ermine field, a gold star of four large and eight small points, charged with a red circle on which is a silver wolf's head.
FIEFS: The subdivisions of the Empire. As of 2568, the end of theTraiti War--and including the new Traiti Sector--they are broken downas follows:
21 Sectors, consisting of two to eight Subsectors apiece 106 Subsectors, averaging 53 inhabited planets in 36 systems 1,431 multi-inhabited-planet systems 2,388 single-inhabited-planet systems 5,596 inhabited planets
Fiefs cannot be combined. If the heir to a fief marries a rulingnoble, @ forfeits all claim to the fief @ was to inherit, and the nextoldest child becomes heir. If one heir or ruling noble marriesanother, the Sovereign decides which forfeits @'s fief (usually thelower-ranking, if they are of different levels) and who is to succeed(usually the next oldest child).
FIELD AGENT: An IntelDiv officer with special training in covertintelligence gathering. Although they often work openly, sometimeseven in uniform, they are not identified as field agents and are alwaysassigned to cases where their special skills (such as reading thesubtleties of body language, some of them with near-telepathicaccuracy) are needed.
When working under an assumed identity, a field agent will use whatevermeans are available and most effective for getting the information aneeds or otherwise accomplishing @'s mission. While this is recognizedas necessary under such circumstances, it is not something the Empiretakes pride in or wishes publicized. It is also unfortunate that attimes former field agents revert to this end-over-means philosophy,though if they have left the Service, there is seldom any harm done,and very little the Empire can do unless the person has broken a law aswell.
FORNAX, Sector 4: Ruled by: No. systems: 472 Subsectors: 5 Inhabited planets: 285 A. Oberon D. Xanth B. Titania E. Arden C. Avalon
FORSETI, Subsector 18-F: No. systems: 90 Sector: Aries with 3 inhabited planets: 7 Ruled by: with 2 inhabited planets: 9 with 1 inhabited planet: 21
FREYA, Subsector 16-D: No. systems: 97 Sector: Virgo with 3 inhabited planets: 4 Ruled by: with 2 inhabited planets: 8 with 1 inhabited planet: 31
FUSION: The forced combination of hydrogen atoms at extremely hightemperatures to produce energy. It is used in most craft (spaceshipsand ground vehicles) which are too small to carry T/CT generators.