A Greater Duty (Galaxy Ascendant Book 1)
Page 53
Stiliek: An eight-legged, arachnid species, the Stiliek were the most recent species to have joined the Alliance. While they have not taken a particularly significant role within the Alliance, recently the first Stiliek were accepted to the Scions of Justice, signifying their taking on a larger role in the galactic community.
Stronghold Tiran: A massive fortification/military complex on Darvia. Stronghold Tiran was originally constructed when wars were still fought among Darvians on the planet, but as the Darvians unified and expanded into space, it was further enhanced, built up and has since become the Darvian military’s command center, and one of the most secure locations in the Alliance.
Swift Strike: Felinaris longclaw class light cruiser, personal ship of Admiral Felivas Kharitzon, who had been its captain prior to his promotion to admiral. It is an older ship, and it age occasionally shows, but it is battle tested and with a long, storied legacy.
Talrus System: An Alliance core system, the Talrus system’s three were originally colonized for use as bases for the then relatively new Legion Navy by Tehlman, Darvian, and Irhani elements due to the strategic location of the system. Over time, however, as the Alliance expanded and the settlements in the system grew, the Legion Navy bases were relocated elsewhere and the Talrus system established its own independent defense force, though it operates in close cooperation with the Legion Navy.
Talvostan Invasion: The attempted invasion of the Galactic Alliance by the Talvostan Union some three hundred years ago. The Galactic Alliance, still fairly young at the time, had been aware of the existence of the Talvostans not far from Dorandor, but unaware of the Union’s military might. Thus, it was taken by surprise when the Talvostans invaded. While the Talvostans initially held the upper hand, taking numerous Alliance worlds and even invading Dorandor itself, the Legion Navy and other Alliance member fleets managed to push them back, and a peace agreement was soon made, saving the Alliance from the difficult decision of whether to invade the Talvostan Union or live with enemies on their doorstep.
Talvostan Union: The Talvostan Union is presently the largest and most powerful faction within the Alliance, comprising three Alliance member systems and maintaining a large military of its own while contributing significantly to the Legion Navy as well. The Talvostans are a militaristic people, placing heavy emphasis on individuals providing service to the protection of their society, but after their failed invasion of the Alliance the Talvostans have abandoned their focus on expansion in favor of building up both the Alliance and the Union.
Talvostans: Talvostans are a bipedal, reptilian species. They are tall, thin, and most of their bodies are covered in tough, spined bone plates, and have toothy, inflexible mouths. Talvostans generally are very authoritarian-minded, rigid, and have a strong sense of duty.
Taravon System: The Taravon system, which now contains three relatively densely populated worlds, was originally first settled by the Daeris, who discovered ruins of an ancient civilization there, which led to the first wave of settlers as they followed archeologists to the system. Later on, due to the highly fertile soil found there, the system became took on an agricultural focus, and is one of the leading food supplier to many Alliance worlds. After the Daeris Uprising, the system came under the control first of the Talvostan Union, and then the Alliance itself, and is still technically under military law, administered by a small Legion Navy force.
Tarin System/Deisrik/Kidor: The Tarin system was originally a Tehlman colony system, comprising three primary planets, including Deisrik, but over time proved attractive to various businesses due to cheap cost, few local regulations, and the system’s distance from the more heavily regulated Alliance core. A number of moons were colonized, and largely owned by businesses, or wealthy individuals, as is the case with Deisrik’s moon Kidor.
Tehlmans: The extremely adaptable and resourceful Tehlmans are the most populous and widespread species in the Galactic Alliance, and one of its founding members. Tehlmans are a bipedal, mammalian species, with skin tones ranging from very light brown to darker maroon, blue, and green tints. They each also have a distinctive bony crest around their eyes, though it varies widely in shape and shade. Tehlmans are also capable of seeing the world around them in a manner similar to thermal vision, where they perceive things as colors based on their temperature, and ability they refer to as the Second Sight. However, due to modern life and living among species that do not share this capability, many Tehlmans neglect this ability to the point where they would have difficulty making use of it should the need arise.
Tofer: Felinari word for bright.
Tofermier: Shuraf mount of Grand Admiral Nayasar Khariah.
Tofermier: Lit: Bright claw.
Traggia Prison: A high security prison on Dorandor, where only the highest priority prisoners are kept under the direct authority of the Alliance Assembly.
Tyrannodons: A reptilian species that originated from beyond Alliance space, that had been uplifted from a more primitive species by the Reizan’Tvay. They are very tall, large, but with a lanky build. They are covered in extremely tough scales, usually a deep blue in color. As of this moment, however, the vast majority of Tyrannodons are male, and clones created solely for military purposes, with only approximately one thousand non-clones.
Vakarin System: The Vakarin system is the home system of the Talvostans and the center of the Talvostan Union. With eight heavily inhabited worlds, it is the largest and most developed single system in the Galactic Alliance. While its population is largely Talvostan, due to its importance and proximity to the core, many members of other species live on at least the more outer worlds of the system, though the Union’s primary world, Ranivantum, has remained almost entirely Talvostan.
Zarian System/Zaria: The Zarian system is a fairly recent addition to the Galactic Alliance, and is located near the edge of Alliance space. The system, and its primary world of Zaria, is still considered a backwater, and as such a higher percentage of criminal activity conducted inside of Alliance controlled space (as opposed to inhabited areas outside of Alliance control) takes place in or around the Zarian system.
Zarians: Zarians are a Tehlmanlike species, though they do not have any sort of eye crest and their skin tone is almost uniformly nearly white. Additionally, Zarians sport very distinctive fangs. Zarian society is fairly evenly split over whether they should be spending their time and energy working to further integrate into the Alliance, where in some circles they have already acquired a negative reputation of being duplicitous and hedonistic, or working to further build up and clean up their own world.
Acknowledgements
The road to this book’s publication has been an extremely long one, and there are many, many people who deserve thanks. I will try to get to everyone here, but if do forget someone, I’ll do my utmost to rectify that in my next book. First, of course, I must thank my parents, who first introduced me to Star Trek, and through that more sci-fi and fantasy, which led me to where I am today. I must also thank them for supporting me in this venture, and not pressuring me too much to find a “real” job.
Next, I will acknowledge my late grandparents, whose generosity helped support me through seven years of college and graduate school and have left me with some capital to get this book completed.
I must also thank those people whose knowledge and advice helped get me to this point: Brendan Costello, the only good creative writing professor I had in college, Brandon Sanderson, for being an inspiration as a writer and for the plethora of writing advice he has produced over the years, Paul Stevens, whose interest first told me that my book had an intriguing premise, Larry Correia, who showed me that not everyone in the industry thought the same way, and Brian Niemeier, for his extremely helpful advice.
Lastly, I would like to thank my editor, Ben Zwycky, who made the editorial process both productive and enjoyable, John Zeleznik, for his superb cover art and front cover design, and my sister, Miryam Merkin, for putting together the back cover and for de
signing the galaxy map.
About Yakov Merkin
Yakov Merkin grew up in New York City, though now lives on the other side of the world in Israel (and somehow misses the family cats deciding to walk across his keyboard while he worked.) He holds a Master’s Degree in history—though the plan was always to write science fiction and fantasy. The universe in his head had to get out one way or the other.
Besides writing, he has helped build houses, worked on a farm, and practices Krav Maga, as well as (amateur level) parkour.
Visit Yakov at http://www.yakovmerkin.com
Follow @YakovMerkin on Twitter, Gab, and Periscope.
Honest reviews are extremely helpful in helping others make informed reading decisions. Please consider leaving a review of this book where you bought it.
Travel to the Galaxy Ascendant!
Sign up for the free Galaxy Ascendant newsletter to receive access to updates and sales in advance, as well as free short fiction well before anyone else gets to see it.
Copyright ©2017 by Yakov Merkin
Cover art copyright ©2017 by John Zeleznik
Galaxy map design copyright ©2017 by Miryam Merkin
Formatting by Polgarus Studio
This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and events are either fictional or used fictitiously. All rights reserved. This book or any portion thereof may not be reproduced, transmitted, or used in any form without permission in writing from Yakov Merkin, except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.