by Wren, M. K.
COURT OF LORDS: A governmental body, primarily advisory in capacity, consisting of the First Lords of the Houses of the Concord.
CP-ONE: (Phoenix) The highest Critical Potential rating given an individual, designating an extremely high potential as a socially disruptive factor.
CREST RING: A ring worn by a First Lord; the stone is always the House stone incised with the House crest. It is a symbol of authority passed down from one generation to the next, from each First Lord to his first born upon the former’s death.
DAGGER OF WILL: A symbol sacred to the Order of Gamaliel. Actual daggers are usually made of jade, sometimes of other minerals, but never of wood or metal. They are always exactly twenty-one centimeters in length with the symbol of the Wheel of Destiny carved into the cruciform intersection of hilt and guard.
DANAE: Largest city on Perseus, one of the three Centauran Inner Planets, and site of the Home Estate of the House of Drakonis.
DARK SOUL: (Bond Religion) An evil spirit, escaped from Nether Dark, that infests living persons.
DEATH PLEDGE: Also “Death Boon.” A promise made to a dying person, generally considered an irrevocable pledge with deep moral and religious connotations.
DECADES OF DISASTER: A historical period, usually dated 2030 to 2060, marked by the dissolution and destruction of the Twentieth-Century civilization, culminating in the onset of the Second Dark Age.
DETENTION CENTER (DC): A Conpol or SSB prison.
DICTUM: (Bond Religion) A pronouncement attributed to a saint or holy man or woman. Dictums become part of the moral and religious code of adherents, and defiance of them is considered heresy.
DIPNOPTERA: An oviparous vertebrate native to southern equatorial areas of the Selamin Sea on Pollux. In its marine stage, it grows to a maximum length of thirty centimeters over a period of two Polluxian years. At maturity it undergoes a rapid metamorphosis, developing breathing sacs and membranous wings, after which it migrates in flocks numbering as many as half a million to breeding grounds in the forests of the Himalya, Comargian, or western Caucasias Mountains. After breeding, only gravid “females”—dipnoptera are actually androgynous—return to the sea, where they die after depositing their eggs to float and incubate in warm equatorial currents.
DIRECTORATE: The Directorate of the Concord of the Loyal Houses, a panel of ten First Lords by law elected by the Court of Lords or by the Directors themselves, although the positions are in practice hereditary. The Directorate is the ultimate governing body of the Concord.
DOC LOC #: Document locator number. A sequence of numbers used to call or locate a particular piece of information from a computer memfile system.
DOLCHETTA: (Music) A hollow-reed wind instrument with a range of three quarter-tone octaves characterized by a “straight” (without vibrato), slightly woody tone.
DOORCON: Door control. A small panel inset, beside a door, that controls its opening and closing, and may include voice-, print-, or lectrilock, and sec-system controls.
DOUBLE IDENT: (Phoenix) A member working outside Fina under an assumed identity.
DOUBLET: An Elite men’s sleeveless inner coat, close-fitting, sometimes belted at the waist, and usually decorated with brocade, which is often reinforced with strands of flexsteel to serve as light protective “armor”.
DRAKONIAN THEORY: A body of theory, formulated by the physicist Orabu Drakon (the first Lord Drakonis) and published in 3060, dealing with interrelationships of space and time, including principles Drakon called “chrono-spatial eversion” and “synchronal metathesis,” the applied principles in SynchShift and SynchCom.
DRENALINE: (Medical) A stimulant chemically similar to naturally produced adrenaline.
ELADANE: (Medical) A strong hallucinogenic drug listed as dangerous by Conpol, which makes its use and possession illegal. It can cause permanent psychosis and occasionally death by hyperallergenic reactions.
ELECTROHARP: (Music) A small, wood or plasteel, oval instrument, sixty centimeters in length, with twenty-four electronically amplified strings, played by plucking with the fingers.
ELITE: The term refers to the class or to individuals within it. The ruling class of the Concord. All Elite are related by blood to the First Lords of the Houses.
ENKEPHALINE: (Medical) An analgesic that functions by stimulating the production of enkephalin in the brain.
ENZYMATIC SOLUTIONS: (Medical) Solutions containing enzymes used in the treatment of injuries to dispose of necrotic tissue.
EPIGRA: A philosophical and/or moral thesis usually expressed in poetic form. The term is associated primarily with adherents of the Order of Gamaliel in reference to a body of Epigra attributed to Saint Gamaliel.
ESTRE: A religious holiday celebrating the Mezionic resurrection.
EX SEQ: Extrapolation sequence. A computer sequence extrapolating results of event interactions based on absolute data.
FACE-SCREEN: A small energy field screen that obscures the face by means of a light-diffusing field projected from a narrow, metallic ring worn around the neck.
FALCON: The smallest of the three classifications of Confleet ships, highly maneuverable even in planetary atmospheres. It is staffed at optimum with a crew of ten.
FER, FERRA: General masculine, feminine forms of address for Fesh, used when other titles—Master or Mistra, doctor, lector, etc.—are not applicable.
FESH: A term derived from the word “professional” applying to the middle class, which comprises approximately twenty-nine percent of the Concord’s population. Fesh provide the Concord’s skilled labor and technicians, as well as its scientists, scholars, and artists. It is the only one of the three officially recognized classes in which there is opportunity for professional and social advancement within the class.
FIRST LORD: The hereditary ruler of a House.
FIX: (Phoenix) A homing device used to accurately pinpoint transmission points for a matter transmitter.
’FLEETER: A popular term for a Confleet officer or enlistee.
FLEET OPERATIONS (FO): (Phoenix) The military branch of the Phoenix.
FLEXSTEEL: A steel alloy capable of being drawn into fine, flexible threads ranging in diameter from one to one-tenth of a millimeter.
FLOROPTERA: A photosynthetic organism native to Pollux, in general form strikingly similar to many Terran shrubs; notable for the ability of its large (up to twenty centimeters in diameter) blossoms to “fly.”
FRANCHISE: The exclusive right held by a House to manufacture, or produce, and distribute a specific product or type of product, or to provide a specific service.
GALININ RULE: A sanction against interference by any Concord agency in Bond religious practices and ceremonies except when they present a clear threat to life or property; formulated by the Chairman, Lord Benedic Daro Galinin, as part of the Civil Standards Code of 3065.
GAMALIEL, ORDER OF: A nonmonastic religious brotherhood whose primary philosophical tenet is absolute fatalism. It was founded by followers of Saint Gamaliel (ca. 2550 to 2610), one of Bishop Colona’s first disciples.
GAM CHI EXERCISES: A series of physical and mental exercises expounded by the Thirty-first Century Sinasian philosopher Gam Chi Roon.
GANISTAN CARPETS: Floor coverings woven in traditional designs and employing techniques used by Pre-Disasters cultures in northern Indasia.
GLASSGRASS: A photosynthetic organism native to the Paneast Desert of Pollux. It reproduces by a process analogous to fungal sporing, but is similar in appearance to Terran grasses, except that it is nearly transparent, and, due to its high crystalline silicon content, extremely refractive.
GROUNDCOMM: A combined form for Ground Command used in Confleet and Phoenix Fleet Operations.
GUILD: A Fesh organization made up of practitioners of a particular skill, craft, or profession, which maintains standards of competency and provides supplemental training. Fesh may or may not choose their professions, but once that decision is made, they are
admitted into the appropriate Guild as “prentices.” Advancement in Guild ranks is by means of competency tests and/or demonstrations of achievement in the profession through three degrees, ultimately to the rank of GuildMaster (masculine) or GuildMaster (feminine). They are subsequently addressed as Master or Mistra unless a higher title, such as lector or doctor, pertains. Fesh Guild rankings usually have a direct bearing on salaries and advancement, in conjunction with tech grade ratings.
Guilds may bring some pressure to bear on their Lords in behalf of members, but only in disputes with executive level (Fesh) superiors. Guild intervention against Elite level decisions, or mass protests or work stoppages, may be legally treated as acts of treason.
HABITAT SYSTEM: The collective mechanical systems—atmobubbles, water cyclers, energy systems, thermogenerators, etc.—necessary to maintain human habitation on planets and satellites where atmospheric or surface conditions are otherwise inimical to human life.
HEAT SHELL: (Medical) A miniature atmobubble used to maintain a controlled temperature around a supine patient.
HEAVENLY REALM: In Orthodox Mezionism, the abode of the All-God and Holy Mezion and, after death, of those deemed worthy.
HELEN: Largest city on Castor and site of the Home Estate of the House of Camine Eliseer.
HELION: A large, extremely bright artificial light source.
HEMUS: A Polluxian vinelike plant, with large (up to twelve centimeters in length) palmate leaves that grow into dense, impenetrable mats on forest floors in moist, temperate climates. Its pulverized “bud” tendrils are used as a topical anesthetic by practitioners of herbal medicine.
HOLOJECTOR: A mechanism for projecting holograms into a hologram chamber.
HOLY CONFEDERATION: An alliance (2585–2903) of all the feudal Hold-Masters and rulers of Conta Austrail; founded by Lord Even Pilgram.
HOLY WORDS: (Bond Religion) A verbal compendium of dogma, parable, moral codes, history, poetry, etc., analogous to the Holy Writ in Orthodox Mezionism, transmitted from one generation of Shepherds to the next solely by rote memory.
HOLY WRIT: A collection of writings and scriptures sacred to Mezionism, it includes parts of the Pre-Disasters Christian “Bible,” especially the so-called “New” Testament, and The Revelations of Bishop Colona.
HOUSE: A political-economic entity described as a “dynastic cartel,” ruled by a single family headed by a hereditary First Lord, and economically based on exclusive franchises for the production and/or manufacture and distribution of specific goods or services.
IMAGRAPH: A color image, appearing three-dimensional, printed on a vellam film.
INDEPENDENT FESH: An unofficial designation referring to Fesh whose lives and work are relatively independent of their House, Concord, or Church allegiances. Most Fesh in the University System are termed Independent, since many are there by virtue of temporary and even permanent allegiance grants from their Houses, the Concord, or the Church. Artists, authors, and performers are included under the broad umbrella of the University, although display, publication, and production of their work falls under House (DeKoven Woolf) franchises. Members of some professions, such as broadcasting and journalism, or artisans and designers in Houses based on “craft” franchises, are also considered Independent Fesh, as are individuals in the upper echelons of House, Concord, or Church administrative hierarchies.
INTERCONN: Interconnection; an intertie between two or more types of communication systems.
INTERPLANETARY TRANSYSTEMS: The interplanetary transport systems operated under franchise by the House of Badir Selasis, including all off-planet freight and passenger services. Selasid franchises also encompass the InterPlan port and terminal systems, as well as manufacture of all vessels used in any kind of off-planet transport, including Confleet ships.
IP PORT: Abbreviation for Interplanetary Transystems port.
IRIS LENSES: Small, plasex lenses, corrective and/or colored, that fit over the iris of the eye.
JAMBLER: A device for jamming and scrambling radio or vidicom transmissions.
JINNI: A mythical supernatural being of mischievous nature that can take animal or human form at will.
KAO-ROSSIC: Thirty-first-Century architech and designer whose work is typified by stringently simple lines and the successful mixture of woods and metals.
KARATT: A formalized style of hand-to-hand combat generally practiced as a sport only by Elite males.
KELP: A marine invertebrate native to Pollux where it inhabits temperate intertidal zones. It is “rooted” and much like true Terran kelp in appearance, but is usually classified as an animal, and in its adult phases is carnivorous.
KOYF: A woman’s headdress comprised of a close-fitting band framing the face, often brocaded, jeweled, or otherwise decorated, with an attached veil covering the hair and sometimes reaching waist, or even floor, length.
KRISTUS EVE: A religious holiday occurring at the summer/winter solstice on Terra celebrating the birth of the Mezion as Avatar.
LADY: Any Elite woman over Age of Rights.
LECTOR: A University teacher of advanced degree. The title is more prestigious than GuildMaster or GuildMistra, but is used only in reference to persons actively involved in teaching.
LECTRILOCK: A lock employing electrical field bonds that can only be negated by a lectrikey emitting specific frequency sequences.
LEDA: The largest city in the Centauri System; on the planet Pollux; site of the Home Estate of the House of D’Ord Hamid; and site of the first colony in the Centauri System.
LETTAPE: A communication typed on a special keyboard console, then transmitted onto a tape spool at the receiving console, where it is projected on a lettape screen.
LETTAPE SEQ: A number sequence designating a personal frequency used to direct lettapes to a particular person’s lettape console.
LIFE VOW: A religiously sanctioned vow regarded as binding until death.
LIGHTPEN: A pen-like electronic device used to write on photosensitive surfaces, such as vellam or scriber screens, or to write on or manipulate data on a computer data display screen.
LITIGATION BOARD: A House judiciary panel staffed by Fesh; its function is to adjudicate disputes between or involving Bonds.
LORD: Any Elite male over Age of Rights who is a First Lord or the first born of a First Lord. (“My lord” as a form of address is used for both Lords and VisLords.)
LUMENSA: A wall-sized screen that displays varying patterns and colors in response to sound (usually musical) stimuli.
MAM-AN: Matter/Anti-Matter Annihilation. The term, especially when abbreviated, usually refers to the MAM-AN generator and/or drive, developed by Fredric Cadmon, which exploits and controls the massive energy yields of matter/anti-matter annihilation.
MANELA CHANDELIER: A large, intricate light fixture, often referred to as a “canopy” chandelier, created by the Thirty-second-Century designer, Simyon Manela.
MANKEEN REVOLT: A sixteen-year-long (3104-3120) civil war instigated by Lord Lionar Mankeen, leader of the Mankeen League, which was made up of over three hundred dissident Lords of the PanTerran Confederation.
MANTLET: Clothing worn by young Elite males (generally under the age of seventeen), similar to a cloak, but shorter, usually fingertip length.
MARBLEX: A manufactured structural material similar to natural marble in appearance, but more durable and resilient.
MARCHING FORESTS: Also “Pygmy Forests.” An aggregation of predominantly photosynthetic species, all interdependent, some true symbionts, found in the Barrens of Castor at altitudes below + 1,500 meters (Helen Base Point). The organisms are low-growing, reaching a maximum height of one meter, and migrate collectively across hundreds and even thousands of kilometers in the course of a Castorian year, following the seasonal advance and retreat of the icecaps, which provide their only source of water.
MARICAINE: (Medical) An illegal and marginally addictive drug prized as a mild stimulant an
d euphoric.
MARLITE: Marblex with a phosphorescent material added to create a perceptible luminescence.
MATTER TRANSMITTER. (Phoenix) Abbreviated MT or, in the long-range form, LR-MT. A device functioning on Drakon’s principle of chrono-spatial eversion that transports, or transmits, objects or persons virtually instantaneously from one point in space/time to another.
MEMFILE: Computer memory or data storage file.
MERCFLEET: The Selasid Interplanetary Systems mercantile fleet.
METALITE: A steel alloy impregnated with conductive filaments that when electronically stimulated become luminescent. The stimulus control is generally set to respond to a reduction in the surrounding light level.
MEZION: Yesu Kristus, the Holy Mezion, Avatar of the All-God; an incarnation in human form of the All-God.
MICROSPEAKER: A miniscule tape spool equipped with an audio speaker.
MIDHAR: The equatorial desert of Castor, girdling the entire planet and varying from two to five thousand kilometers in breadth.
MINICEIVER: Also “ear ‘ceiver.” A radio receiver worn in the ear, its signal audible only to the wearer.
MINICORDER: A miniature audio recorder used for surveillance or espionage.
MOD-STIM DEVICES: (Phoenix) Modulated frequency stimulus devices. Mechanisms emitting aural or visual frequencies that induce synergistic resonances with a subject’s brain waves in order to produce the receptivity state necessary to conditioning.
MONTECTOR: A device used to detect the presence of electronic monitors.
MORPHININE: (Medical) A strong analgesic with an alkaloid base chemically related to opium; addictive only when taken in massive doses over a long period of time.
NAVCOMP: Navigational computer; or as an adjective referring to the programs, read outs, etc., it produces. The term is also used to refer to the techs who operate it.
NEOMEDIT: A furniture design introduced in the early Thirtieth Century characterized by use of transparent materials with delicate supports often in the form of the “Roman” arch.