Sisterhood of Suns: Pallas Athena

by Martin Schiller

  She made the Maarkken against evil and stood, stretching her hands upwards to the night sky, feeling outwards with her Sight for Katrinn. Finding her at last, she breathed a sigh of relief.

  Katrinn was safe. For the moment.

  Not one to take chances, Grammy called on the names of the Oude Mehnsz and then she made the Maarkken of the Shield and the Spear, chanting their ancient names as she sent them across the vast gulf of space to the Athena. Behind her, Ingrit had also raised her arms, and sang in accompaniment as she lent her own power to the old woman’s spell.

  Then Grammy performed the same ritual for Lilith. Although she was an unbeliever, and not of their soil, she was also a loved one, especially to Ingrit, and deserved the same protection that she had given to her granddaughter.

  At last, when it was done, the old woman dropped her arms and pulled her shawl closer. With Ingrit lighting the way, they walked back down the hill together to the farmhouse in silence.

  END OF BOOK ONE

  The saga continues in Book 2, “Sisterhood of Suns: Widow’s War”…

  Glossary of Sisterhood Terminology

  Aqqa; a distilled alcoholic drink native to Zommerlaand. Clear, colorless, and ranging from 90 to 120 proof, it is the strongest adult beverage legally available in the Sisterhood.

  Baaka Wood; a fine grained Nemesian hardwood. Baaka wood is prized for its jet black color, and is used mainly for crafting fine furniture and quality fighting staffs.

  Battlebot; an intelligent robot which can be guided either by a human operator, or function independently in a combat role. Specialized battlebots can perform additional tasks such as medical/rescue response, or infiltration assistance for special operations teams.

  Battle Group; a common operational unit of the Sisterhood Navy, battle groups typically consist of three ships; two Macha class cruisers, and an Isis-class supercruiser. Battle groups are tasked with general patrol, enforcement of maritime law, and conducting special missions.

  Bioplasmic Energy; a term for the energy which interpenetrates and animates all living beings. It manifests as the aura or life-force. The term was coined during the Cold War on Old Gaia as part of experiments by the Soviet Union in psychic phenomena.

  Biosyncronism; an environmentalist movement which arose in response to the terraforming of extrasolar planets. The Bios believed that instead of changing an ecosystem, humanity needed to alter itself genetically to adapt to their new environment.

  Bio Action Army; a violent extremist group opposed to ‘ecological imperialism’, basing its philosophy on radical interpretations of the principles of Biosyncronism.

  Blast Resistant Armor; utilized by the military in a variety of applications (including vehicle and personal fighting armor), it is made of a classified ceramic which absorbs incoming energy and channels it away from the wearer. Additional layers of other materials also lend it the ability to defeat projectiles.

  Comerci; A one or two piece business suit worn on formal occasions, with a high, stiff collar and a monochromatic color scheme. A cravat-like accessory known as the ‘cravess’ offsets this somber arrangement with bright colors and is often accompanied by elegant stick-pins.

  Commander: A Gaian Star Federation rank adopted by the Sisterhood Navy. Commanders are normally in charge of a battle group, and outrank the Captains of its individual ships.

  Concordance, The; the founding document of the Sisterhood. The original is enshrined on Thermadon, in Concordance Hall, and is protected by a 24-hour Marine honor guard.

  Drow’voi; an extinct non-human race famous for its many ruins, and unknown technology. The most notable of their sites is the ‘Necropolis’, which is located in Xee space. Drow’voi ruins can be found almost anywhere in the Milky Way galaxy.

  Elant; a territorial division of the United Sisterhood of Suns, comprising a specific region of space and overseen by a Governess. Each Elant is represented by a Senatrix (who is appointed by the Sisterhood’s supreme executive officer, the Chairwoman), and they serve their region’s interests in a governing body known of as the Supreme Circle.

  Elzlate: a personal data pad, powered solely by bioplasmic energy, and responsive to psiever commands. A detachable stylus allows the user to input signatures and sketch images.

  Gravitronic Engine, Moteur Gravitronic; the gravitronic engine is a propellant-less system which allows a modern starship to travel through normal space at speeds that far exceed older antimatter engines, and with much greater efficiency, economy, and safety.

  Powered by a hyper-efficient positronic reactor, the engine produces positive gravitronic particles which surround a vessel with an artificial gravity field. At the same time, the engine emits a stream of negatively charged particles (or anti-gravitrons) that push against the positive field, repelling it and generating the motive force.

  In addition, this negatively charged field also acts as a shield, protecting the crew from acceleration forces and resisting impacts from foreign objects (making separate ‘shields’ outmoded). Defensive functions such as the discharge of energy weapons, firing missiles, or launching decoys, is accomplished through an adjustment by the ships computer, which creates a gap in the twin fields just large enough to accommodate the event, and only for as long as it is required.

  A byproduct of operating the gravitronic engine is heat. That problem is solved by special vanes sited along the body of the ship, which vector excess radiation outside of the gravity ‘bubble’ and into space (using the same process that allows for weapons discharges).

  Changes in heading are accomplished by vectoring the anti-gravitronic stream in a new direction. This is augmented by thermal anti-matter thrusters, which can deliver additional power during take off, and function as afterburners. They also support the grav bubble’s shielding effect by compensating for the drop in inertia otherwise created by any increase to the negative field, thus allowing for the ship to maintain its speed. Currently in their 5th generation, gravitronic drives are the most common form of in-system propulsion in the Sisterhood.

  Hriss; a humanoid race occupying a section of space adjacent to the Sisterhood. The Hriss are a patriarchal society divided into clans and ruled by an Emperor. Aggressive and warlike, the Hriss have engaged in numerous conflicts with the Sisterhood, starting with the First Widow’s War.

  Hriss’ka; the Hriss language, known for its colorful profanities and the custom of using insults as a polite form of conversation.

  Indweller, Indie; amorphous creatures that inhabit Nullspace, they will attack any spaceship that enters their dimension. To combat this problem, ships travel through Nullspace in convoys, accompanied by heavily armed escort vessels.

  Kaatze; a genetically altered version of the Old Gaian house cat. Kaatzen (plural) are slightly larger than their ancestors, and bred for intelligence. It is the custom for psievers to be implanted in them when they are kittens, allowing for mind-to-mind communications with their human companions.

  Ka’na; a single-edged, two-handed sword native to Nemesis, the Ka’na owes its design to the ancient Japanese katana.

  Klaxxy; a Zommerlaandar slang word for ‘crazy’. Another less popular term, ‘warpy’ hearkens back to the 24th century (pre-Plague era) and expresses the same idea.

  Malandrium; iron particles compressed through a classified industrial process to assume an ultra-dense state. Malandrium is used as a coating for bladed weapons and projectiles, and is recognizable by the black sheen it lends to the treated object.

  Mariner; Naval rank equivalent of a Yeoman (replaced in the 24th century by the Gaian Star Federation Navy).

  Marionite; a follower of the Church of the New Revelation of Mari, a survival of Christianity. The Marionites are responsible for the reintroduction of human males into society, out of the belief that by doing so, that their savior figure will arise and rescue humanity from its sins.

  Mark-7; the standard issue Marine infantry weapon. The Mark-7 discharges a concentrated ‘bolt’ of energy at a targe
t. It features a gun-to-psiever targeting interface as well as conventional iron sights, and can accept grenade launchers and other attachments. The Mark-7 is also equipped with a bayonet lug, and training with the bayonet is a feature of Marine basic training.

  MARS Plague; a gender specific disease, believed to be a bioweapon. Male Acute Respiratory Syndrome was 100 percent fatal to all human males during the late 24th century BSE. This brought about the collapse of the Gaian Star Federation and engendered the rise of the Sisterhood.

  Marauder Team; an elite special operations unit of the Sisterhood Marines, consisting of four women; a team leader, sniper/security, explosives/security and medical/communications. Their equivalent in the RSE is called a Special Reaction Unit (or SRU Team).

  Merchanter; The common term for a commercial spaceship, generally involved in the transportation of freight from one star system to the next. Merchanters are recognizable by the ‘CSS’ tag in their name (as in CSS C-JUDI-GO).

  Motherthought; a pro-female supremacist philosophy that was developed in response to the devastation left behind by the MARS plague. It espouses the idea that men were genetically inferior and that Woman is the summit of human evolution.

  Naming Conventions: Modern Sisterhood names are derived from their specific linguistic groups and consist of the individual’s personal name, followed by the local term for ‘daughter of’ and then the name of the birth mother that carried them to term (as in ‘Lilith ben Jeni’, or ‘Lilith, daughter of Jeni’). The only exceptions are where a woman takes the name of a teacher, family or clan as her surname.

  Needlegun; a common side-arm, the needlegun is clip fed, and uses magnetic fields to fire ‘smart’ or ‘dumb’ 5.588 mm projectiles (.22 caliber). Needlegun rounds can be solid shot, explosive, or even poisoned. Most needleguns are semi-automatic, but military and intelligence versions have a three-shot burst fire capability.

  Nemesis, Nemesian; a planet in the Rhadwa system, Thalestris Elant. This world is covered with dense forests and best known for its fierce predators, and unspoiled wilderness. Nemesis is also considered to be the ultimate expression of Biosyncronism. Here, the local women have been genetically modified for survival in their jungle environment, and strict laws are in place to control deforestation and prevent the destruction of the ecosystem. Nemesian women live in clan-based societies, as part of the Bio Movement’s belief that an aboriginal lifestyle was the most harmonious and natural way for humans to exist.

  Neoman; the product of a formerly secret Marionite genetics program, known of as Project Advent. There are three versions of neomen, based on their generation; Adam 1-15 (who would be considered conventional males by 21st century standards), Adam-16’s (who are sterile hermaphrodites with breasts, female features, but male genitalia) and a single Adam-17 who is the end result of the entire program, the Redeemer himself.

  Nullspace, Null; an alternate universe which parallels our own, Nullspace offers a shortcut around otherwise insurmountable stellar distances. Rifts in space and time, created by trained psi’s, allow a ship to enter Null and travel to destinations in mere hours instead of the weeks, (or even months) that would be required using alternative methods of travel such as warp drive.

  Nyx, Nyxian; a planet in the Morpheus system, Thalestris Elant. One of the most unique features about Nyx is that its dominant native life forms developed along nocturnal rather than diurnal lines due to an excess of ultraviolet radiation. Nyxian women were genetically modified using local DNA as the developmental model, both to address this environmental issue, and in keeping with the principles of Biosyncronism. A side-effect of this is super-albinism and an extreme sensitivity to bioplasmic fields, leading many Nyxians to pursue careers in medicine.

  Old Gaia; the Sisterhood term for the planet Earth, which was destroyed by the Hriss in the First Widow’s War. The location of Old Gaia in the Solara Elant is currently designated as a national monument.

  Omniplex; An interstellar information network which extends throughout Sisterhood space. The omniplex is also nicknamed the ‘plex, and local terminals are simply called omni’s.

  Pairmate; an alternative term for a wife. The Sisterhood marriage ceremony is sometimes called Pairing.

  Parthenogenic Birth, Parthing (slang); in response to the crisis created by the MARS plague, formerly forbidden techniques for artificially reproducing human life were hastily reexamined. One technique, pioneered by the great geneticist, Dr. Rachel Landa, proved to be the only one which surmounted the technical problems that were otherwise inherent in such an endeavor, and the Landa Method became the reproductive standard used by the Sisterhood.

  The birthing process (sometimes also refered to as ‘parthing’) begins with an application by the mothers to have a child. The candidate mothers are then required to submit samples for a pre-pregnancy genetic screening process. The samples are analyzed and a holographic simulation, which displays their daughter as she would appear at various ages (along with potential health issues) is then presented to the mothers for approval. If any genetic defects have been found, this is also the point where they will be identified, and scheduled for repair.

  The next step requires that both mothers be certified as being psychologically fit and financially capable of supporting their offspring. They must also successfully pass a State-approved class in child care.

  The final stage is the implantation process itself. A normal, unmodified egg is harvested from the donor mother, and combined with a specially modified egg from the birth mother. The end result is then implanted in the birth mother, and carried to term, resulting in a genetically diverse individual.

  Phonetic Alphabet; commonly used by the Sisterhood military to designate letters. The names for each one are: Anna, Betsi, Carli, Dana, Ellyn, Freda, Geri, Hilla, Ida, Jenny, Karyn, Lynda, Mari, Nora, Paula, Queen, Roberta, Sharra, Tina, Una, Viki, Willa, Xari, and Zena.

  Primary, Secondary and Tertiary Education; Primary is what societies on Old Gaia would have recognized as a combination of Kindergarten, Elementary School and Junior High. It ends at the 10th Level. Secondary begins at Level 11, and goes through five more stages, and can be compared to a blend of High School and Technical/Trade School. Tertiary School, which has no formal levels, but a degree system, is the equivalent of the Old Gaian university model and like primary and secondary, is free of charge to any woman.

  Psi; someone with psychic talents as determined by testing in primary and during induction into the military. An informal term is ‘talenti’ (as opposed to ‘normali’).

  Psiever; a device implanted at birth by nanites into the human brain. Utilizing an integrated microcomputer, psievers can differentiate between specific conscious thoughts and other brain impulses, translating those thoughts into commands. Such commands are then broadcast by the device to specialized receivers via a ULF radio signal.

  Psievers are also capable of receiving signals and relaying their information to the user’s brain centers, making induction learning, psiever-to-psiever communications and realies, possible. In addition, psievers also have a number of low-level functions such as a virtual inbox for text messages, a camera-capture application (using signals from the user’s visual center) and a clock/alarm mode.

  Qada; Due to their extreme vulnerability to ultraviolet radiation, Nyxians are compelled to wear the Qada. This garment covers their bodies from head to toe, protecting them when they venture anywhere where they might be exposed to harmful light.

  Realie; Realies, or Reality Induction Simulation utilizes the ability of psievers to receive information and transmit it to the brain to create an artificial reality.

  Red Star Relief Organization; a descendant of the Red Cross, the Red Star is a civilian disaster relief organization which provides assistance to communities and planets who are the victims of disaster or war. The Red Star takes its name from its insignia, which is a red interlaced pentagram that reflects the common religious symbolism of the Sisterhood.

  Santaj; the Thermad
onian art of blackmail, Santaj consists of two components; Intima and Terminér, (‘her underwear’, or compromising secrets and ‘the hard end’, sheer brute force).

  Second, Third; the terms used for the officers who are immediately subordinate to the Captain (or Commander) of a starship, and in descending order of authority. They are a 23rd century replacement for the older titles of ‘First’ and ‘Second Officer’. On a Sisterhood ship, the commander of a vessal is always considered to be the First, followed by the Second and the Third.

  Seevaan; an insectoid race, possessing a level of technology that is vastly superior to the Sisterhood. The Seevaans are responsible for gifting Humanity with space travel. They are also close allies with the Sisterhood.

  Senatrix; a government representative, appointed by the Chairwoman to serve the interests of her Elant in the Supreme Circle.

  Ship Classes; although it utilizes many types of vessels to fulfill its mission, the Sisterhood Navy currently fields three basic classes of starship for its battle groups. In descending order of their size and power, these are the Isis (supercruiser), Macha (medium cruiser) and Chandi (light cruiser). Of the three, the most common is the Macha class, which is considered to be the workhorse of the Star Service.