The Last Hawk

by Catherine Asaro

  jahalla Sparse angular tree with yellow bark. Given water, its leaves and limbs expand with stored moisture and its flowers blossom. Its seeds are used to make java-cream.

  jahalla's defiance Qs. Structure that challenges the patterns established by dominant players in a session.

  Jahlt Myth. Goddess of silence.

  java-cream Dark cream, smooth and rich, made from javalla beans, which are the seeds of the jahalla tree.

  kasi OS., pl. kasi Husband. Derives from Akasi.

  Kelric Lysh. God of youth and hope.

  Khal Myth. Spirit of water holes and fog. Daughter of Away: and a mortal man, Edarque of Kej, renowned for his strength and intellect.

  kinsa Male prostitute.

  kinsaborn Having a kinsa for a father.

  kinsa-boss Female pimp.

  Khozaar Myth. Wind god known for his great beauty. See Savina.

  kicked-mote emitter Laser.

  kya Sk. Title meaning "born of the House of." Used by Imperial nobility. "Kelricson Garlin Valdoria kya Skolia,Im'Rhon to the Rhon of the Skolias" literally translates as "Son of Kelric, named in honor of Garlin, descended from the Valdor's line, born of the House of Skolia, heir to the lmperator, with the right to use the title 'Rhon.' "

  Lady Death Myth. Spirit who takes the living through the membrane between the realms of life and death.

  Lyshriol Lysh Home world to Valdoria branch of the Rhon. Lyshrioli. People or language of Lyshriol.

  metal changer Alchemist.

  Mox Myth. God of spices and love, father of Cuaz and Khozaar by Deha. Known for causing mischief. She is bedeviled by Max: she's in love.

  multiple builder Qs. Structure consisting of several builders, made by players working in cooperation.

  nested tower Qs. Tower shielded within another tower. The larger tower protects the smaller regardless of who owns it. A nested tower is captured by toppling the structure around it or making a bridge into the protecting tower.

  Night's First Hour The hour after sunset. See temporal calendar

  Night's Midhour Moment halfway between dawn and dusk.

  Novice Boy in Preparatory Home who is not yet an Initiate. A Novice who fails his Initiate exams usually leaves the House.

  Oath of Olonton Document in which Estates pledged to settle political conflicts with Quis rather than war. See Olonton.

  Old Age Millennium when Estates came into being. Characterized by constant warfare, the Old Age ended with the signing of the Oath of Olonton.

  Old Script Hieroglyphic language used in the Old Age.

  Olonton Uc. 1. Peace, in particular that which came when Quis replaced warfare. See Old Age. 2. Heart.

  orb's circle Qs. Circle that captures a orb enclosing it.

  order Qs. Number of sides on a Quis die. The higher the order, the higher the rank.

  Pattern games Qs. Quis used to solve equations.

  pattern of truce l. Qs. Pause in a session so opponents can negotiate. 2. Arch. Pause during battle so foes can negotiate.

  phalanx Qs. Structure made from wedges and used to penetrate an opponent's defense.

  podbag Withered airsack.

  pog Small amphibian with mottled green, pink, and blue skin. Lives in mountains. I'll be a pog on a pole: I'm amazed.

  pole-dung Excrement from scumrat

  Post-Quis Deconstructive Thematics Scholarly theory of modernist criticism that claims Quis is used to control male aggression and sexuality by sublimating it into the dice network. The theory is considered seditious by the women on the Quis Council. However, it creates less controversy than

  might be expected, mainly because no one can figure out what the heck "Post-Quis Deconstructive Thematics" means.

  Preparatory House Elite boarding school that trains boys for the Calanya. see Initiate Novice.

  Primary Estate Self-supporting Estate with an independent vote in the Quis Council

  Propriety Laws Laws from the Old Age that are still followed in HaKa. The require that a man a) never smile at a woman unless she is his wife, b) never go in public without female chaperones, a

  c) always wear full-length Cowled robes in public that cover him from head to toe, d) and always wear a Talha scarf in public that covers his face, leaving at most his eyes visible.

  pug Sk. Skolian cussword.

  queen's coup Qs. Any strategy hidden until it is implemented at which time it gives the player significant advantage.

  queen's fire Qs. Hawk's fire made from queen's spectrum.

  queen's gamble Qs. Ultimate rumrunner's gamble. Most queen's gambles have a high enough rank to capture even multiple towers.

  queen's spectral tower Qs. Vertical queen's spectrum. Out-ranks any horizontal structures it touches, such as a star-burst or spectrum.

  queen's spectrum Qs. Spectrum made with five or more polyhedrons arranged by number of sides, as in a builder.

  Quis Council Coban governing body. composed of the Minister and Estate Managers.

  Quis net Network formed from all dice players on Coba. Users access it by playing dice.

  Quis table Small round table supported by fluted pedestal. It may have carvings or mosaics around edges, but the playing area is unadorned. She has no Quis table: She is eccentric.

  Raaj Myth. God of the earth and all growing things.

  Ralkon Myth. Goddess of wisdom.

  Rashiva Myth. Goddess of fire.

  ravaged tower Qs. Tower that is harmed during capture but kept as a tower rather than converted to a new structure. Considered a brutal move, it offers no advantage over gentler moves, such as keeping the tower intact, or toppling or dismantling it.

  Raylicon Io. Planet. Birthplace of Ruby Empire and Imperialate.

  reopen Qs. Reenter a session after leaving it.

  Rhon Sk. Descendant of the Ruby Dynasty who carries a full set of paired Kyle genes.

  Roaz OS Old Age philosopher whose writings are considered a source of wisdom.

  rock's chute Qs. Rectangular rock's well. Although difficult to capture due to its stable architecture it is low in rank because players can continue moving pieces of theirs captured inside it and perhaps gain their release.

  rock's well. Qs. Hollow cylinder built from stone dice.

  roll Qs. Take out dice for a Quis session. Rolled right sharp: Looks good; is good. Roll the red die: Have sex.

  rosewood A glossy black wood with red highlights that comes from the darkrose tree. Also called darkwood.

  Ruby Empire Sk. Fragile interstellar empire that existed five millennia before Skolian lmperialate. Ruled by the Ruby Dynasty.

  rumrunner's gamble Qs. Any structure built with great risk and substantial potential payoff. Rumrunner's folly: A failed gamble.

  sailing-light device Laser.

  Savina Myth. Goddess of the sun. Savina rides a blue althawk that pulls a gold chariot carrying the sun. She has two Akasi, the wind gods Cuaz and Khozaar. See also Sevtar.

  scowlbug 1. Beetle with elongated mandibles. 2. sl. Angry person

  Scowl Laws sl. The Propriety Laws.

  Scribe 1. Scholar who records Estate affairs. 2. Historian.

  scumrat Small animal with greenish fur and buck teeth that lives in sewers. _

  Secondary Estate Subsidiary Estate with no independent voice in Council. Must ally with its Primary or abstain. See Appendix 1.

  Second Season Winter.

  Sevtar Myth. God of the dawn. A giant with skin made out of sunlight who strides across the sky, pushing away the night so Savina can bring out the sun.

  shylark Small bird with feathers the color of a human blush.

  Skolia Sk. 1. Family name of the Rhon. 2. The lmperialate.

  Skolian Sk. l. lmperialate citizen. 2. Imperialate language

  used as an interstellar standard.

  slither sl. Spy on someone.

  slow-syrup Sweet syrup made from suntree sap.

  snowfir Tree with white bark and blue-green needles, found only at high altitudes.

  S
peaker's Privilege Granted by Manager to let someone talk with a Calani. Usually only given to his kin.

  spectral tower Qs. Vertical spectrum.

  spectrum Qs. Five or more dice of same shape arranged in an unbroken curve according to the colors of the rainbow.

  starburst Qs. Star-shaped structure that breaks a circle. The star's spokes extrude into the circle and "burst" it.

  strokes sl. Pleases. Strokes Haka pink: pleases Haka.

  Suitor's Dice Jeweled dice given by a woman to a man to initiate courtship.

  Suitor's Privilege Granted by Manager to let a woman court a Calani.

  sunsky bridge Qs. Bridge made from yellow, gold, and blue dice. Used by one player to suggest a cooperative venture with another.

  suntree Deciduous tree with gold bark found in Dahl region. Produces a gold fruit prized for-its sweet taste.

  switch Qs. Any move taking a player to a new stage of play within a session. .

  Télha OS. A long, woven scarf similar in shape and length to a muffler, usually bordered with tassels. Worn for the Propriety Laws, or as protection against blowing sand and the sun.

  talope Hardy deerlike animal with silver fur.

  tas OS. Leafy plant found around Shazorla. Tas stick: cigarette made by rolling tas leaves in colored paper.

  taw Large plant with succulent stalk.

  tawmilk Sweet milk made from taw stalks.

  temporal calendar Calendar that specifies the exact time, every day of the year, for various moments throughout the day. Used by Cobans, who measure hours relative to sunrise and sunset.

  Teotecan Uc. Modern language spoken in the Estates.

  Teotecs Uc. Mountain range where most Estates are located.

  ticklefly iridescent green fly with fast-beating wings.

  toppled builder Qs. Tower laid flat by an opponent, making it a builder (and thus lower in rank).

  toppled chute Qs. Chute laid Hat by an opponent, making it horizontal rather than vertical (and thus lower in rank).

  toppled spectrum Qs. Toppled spectral tower

  tower Qs. Vertical builder. Dice are stacked in decreasing order, with the highest order piece at the bottom

  tower of Odana Qs. Tower of red dice meant to initiate seduction, most often made by a woman for a man.

  tower of Olonton Qs. Structure that transcends all others in a session yet causes no harm. Considered the most difficult structure to make, it is rarely seen even in high-level Calanya Quis.

  tower of souls Qs. Tower of black dice. Dismantles any structure within a distance of one dodecahedron.

  Tozil Uc. Some scholars claim this is the correct name for Ucatan. The origins of both words were lost in the chaos prior to Old Age.

  treeclam Mollusk that lives on trees in the lakes region around Viasa. Considered a delicacy.

  Ucatan Uc. Hieroglyphic language predating Old Script.

  upper level sl. Brain; mind. Slow in the upper level: Stupid.

  Valdoria Lysh. Family name for Lyshriol branch of Rhon. Valdor: Bard or singer.

  Viana Lysh. Goddess of fertility, beauty, and love. Her hair is the night sky.

  wing-ivory Ivory made from the bones of a small althawk.

  yhee OS. Formal form of word yes, often used to indicate respect.

  yip sl. Informal form of the word yes.

  Note: The chapter headings are named for Quis moves, or in a few cases, for Quis pieces. Taken altogether the chapter titles form a complete Quis session.

  Appendix IV

  Timeline for Skolian Imperialate

  Dates are given in Earth years for ease of comparison with Earth history. The Imperial Calendar, used in the Imperialate, sets Year One as the year the lmperialate was founded (AD. 1904). A much older dating system, the Iotic Calendar, begins with the year humans arrived on Raylicon. Disagreement exists, however, as to the exact date of the first Raylican settlement.

  circa B.C. 4000: Group of humans moved from Earth to Raylicon

  circa B.C. 3600: Ruby Dynasty begins

  circa B.C. 3100: Raylicans launch first interstellar flights; rise of Ruby Empire

  circa B.C. 2900: Ruby Empire begins decline

  circa B.C. 2800: Last interstellar flights; Ruby Empire collapses

  circa A.D. 1300: Raylicans begin attempts to regain lost knowledge and colonies

  A.D. 1843: Raylicans reattire interstellar flight

  1869: Astistos created

  1871: Aristos found Eubian Concord (aka Trader Empire)

  1881: Lahaylia Selei born

  1904: Lahaylia Selei founds Skolian Imperialate and takes Skolia name

  2005: Jarac born

  2111: Lahaylia Selei weds Jarac

  2119: Dyhianna Selei born

  2122: Earth humans achieve interstellar flight

  2132: Earth humans found Allied Worlds of Earth

  2144: Roca born

  2169: Kurj born

  2204: Jarac dies; Kurj becomes Imperator; Lahaylia dies; Eldrin Jarac Valdoria born

  2206: Althor Valdoria born

  2210: Sauscony (Soz) Valdoria born

  2219: Kelricson (Kelric) Valdoria born

  2237: Jaibriol Qox II born

  2258: Kelric crashes on Coba (beginning of The Last Hawk)

  2259: Soz meets Jaibriol II (beginning of Primary Inversion)

  2274: Domino War begins

  2276: Traders captures Eldrin; Althor Valdoria dies; Domino War ends; end of The Last Hawk

  2279: Althor Selei born

  2328: Althor Selei meets Tina Pulivok (beginning of Catch the Lightning)

  About the Author

  Catherine Asaro grew up near Berkeley, California. She earned her PhD in Chemical Physics and her MA in Physics, both from Harvard, and a BS with Highest Honors in Chemistry from UCLA. Among the places she has done research are the University of Toronto, the Max Plank Institut für Astrophysik in Germany, and the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics. She currently runs Molecudyne Research and lives in Maryland with her husband and daughter. A former ballet and jazz dancer, she founded the Mainly Jazz Dance program at Harvard and now teaches at the Caryl Maxwell Ballet School in Maryland. She also wrote Primary Inversion, Catch the Lightning, and The Radiant Seas, all science fiction novels set in the same universe as The Last Hawk. She can be reached by Email at asaro@sff.net, and on the web at www.sff.net/people/asaro.