Gelak Lerants—A member of the Lsel Heritage Board, an accreditation body.
Gienah-9—A mostly desert planet, annexed with great force and considerable personnel loss by Teixcalaan, and then lost in a rebellion. Reannexed; subjugated. A popular setting for military dramas.
Glass Key—A Teixcalaanli serial holodrama depicting the history of the Emperor Two Sunspot and the attempted usurper Eleven Cloud. Approved for crèche-school use.
Gorlaeth—The Ambassador to Teixcalaan from Dava.
Gravity Rose—A scout-ship of the Tenth Legion, captained by Eighty-Four Twilight.
homeostat-cult, homeostat-cultist—A derogatory term for the Neltoc heritage religious practice of homeostatic meditation, or for a practitioner thereof.
huitzahuitlim—“Palace-hummers,” a species of nectar-eating bird.
ikantlos—A military rank in the Teixcalaanli fleet, usually tasked with commanding a battle group within a legion.
imago—An ancestral live memory.
Imperial Censor Office—The office of the Teixcalaanli government tasked with determining what media is spread to which areas of the empire.
infofiche—A mutable, foldable, transparent plastic that can display images and text. Reusable.
infofiche stick—A thumb-sized container, often personalized, containing a holographic representation of a message that appears when the stick is broken open. It may also contain an actual piece of infofiche.
infosheet—A newsheet made of infofiche.
Inmost Province—The central province of the City, containing the government buildings and major cultural centers.
Inmost Province Spaceport—The major spaceport of the City, seeing 57 percent of inbound traffic.
Inscription’s Glass Key—The flagship of the Teixcalaanli Emperor Two Sunspot.
Intertwined with Our Starlight: a Handbook of Syncretic Religious Forms Within Teixcalaan—An academic monograph by the Teixcalaanli historian Eighteen Smoke.
ixhui—A meat dumpling.
ixplanatl—Any accredited Teixcalaanli scientist (physical, social, biological, chemical).
Jasmine Throat—A Teixcalaanli supply vessel, Succor-class.
Jewel of the World—The colloquial (and the poetic) name for the City-planet.
Jirpardz—A pilot on Lsel Station.
Kamchat Gitem—A pilot on Lsel Station.
Kauraan—The habitable planet of the Kauraan System. A Teixcalaanli colony, recently the site of an abortive revolt.
Keeper of the Imperial Inkstand—The title for the Teixcalaanli Emperor’s schedule-keeper and chamberlain.
Knifepoint’s Ninth Blooming—A scout-gunner ship of the Tenth Legion.
Kumquat—A drink. Inadvisable. (Not to be confused with the fruit, which may be advisable.)
Lost Garden—A restaurant in Plaza North Four, famous for its winter-climate dishes.
Lsel Record of Origin—A collection of documents and accounts of the earliest activities of Lsel Station. Incomplete and contradictory. Highly valuable.
Lsel Station/Stationers—People living on any of the mining Stations in Bardzravand Sector. Planetless.
Mad With Horizons—A Teixcalaanli medium cruiser, Exultation-class. Assigned to the Second Legion.
Mahit Dzmare—The current Ambassador to Teixcalaan from Lsel Station.
Mist, the—The Judiciary Ministry’s investigatory and enforcement body.
Nakhar—A Teixcalaanli-controlled planetary system, prone (until recently) to periodic revolt, insurrection, and unrest.
Neltoc System—A Teixcalaanli star-system with three inhabited celestial bodies: the planets Neltoc and Pozon, and the satellite Sepyri. Neltoclim practice a registered heritage religious tradition known as “homeostatic meditation.”
Nguyen—A multisystem confederation near Stationer space, with whom the Stationers have a trade agreement.
Nine Arch—An ex-girlfriend of Three Seagrass’s.
Nine Crimson—A Teixcalaanli historical figure, yaotlek of the Third, Ninth, and Eighteenth Legions of the fleet, approximately five hundred years ago.
Nine Flood—A Teixcalaanli historical figure, an Emperor from when Teixcalaan had not yet become a spacefaring power.
Nine Hibiscus—Fleet Captain of the Tenth Legion, on the flagship Weight for the Wheel. Sometimes known as the Hero of Kauraan. Yaotlek of the Teixcalaanli force sent beyond the Anhamemat Gate to prosecute war with unknown enemies. Sometimes called Mallow.
Nine Maize—A major court poet at the court of His Brilliance the Emperor Six Direction.
Nine Propulsion—The former Minister of War, now retired.
Nine Sea-Ice—The communications officer on the Chatoyant Sirocco. A member of the Seventeenth Legion.
Nine Shuttle—The planetary governor of Odile-1, recently reinstated after an uprising.
Nineteen Adze—Her Brilliance the Emperor, She Whose Gracious Presence Illuminates the Room Like the Edgeshine of a Knife.
Ninety Alloy—A Teixcalaanli holo production, episodic. Military romance.
North Tlachtli—A neighborhood in Inmost Province.
Odile—A Teixcalaanli planetary system which has recently been the site of insurrection and unrest.
One Conifer—A Teixcalaanli citizen, employed by the Central Travel Authority Northeast Division.
One Cyclamen—The Second Sub-Secretary of the Epistolary Department of the Information Ministry.
One Granite—The legendary first ezuazuacat to the First Emperor.
One Lapis—A historical Teixcalaanli emperor, succeeded by the Emperor Twelve Solar-Flare.
One Lightning—Formerly a yaotlek of the Teixcalaanli fleet, much acclaimed by his soldiers. A failed usurper.
One Skyhook—A renowned Teixcalaanli poet, often taught in schools.
One Telescope—An ezuazuacat from approximately two hundred years ago. A statue of her stands in the central transport hub for Inmost Province, commemorating her achievements.
Opening Frontier Poems—A multiauthor collection of Teixcalaanli poetry, popular in the Fleet.
osmium—A valuable metal, often found in asteroids. One of the exports of Lsel Station.
Parabolic Compression—The flagship of the Twenty-Fourth Legion, Eternal-class.
Parzrawantlak Sector—The Teixcalaanli pronunciation of Bardzravand Sector.
patrician (first-, second-, or third-class)—Ranks at the Teixcalaanli court, primarily representative of personal salaries received from the Imperial treasury.
Peloa-2—A Teixcalaanli resource-extraction colony that exports silicates.
Perilous Frontier!, The—A graphic novel in ten volumes, published by the Lsel Station small printer ADVENTURE/BLEAK.
Pilot’s History of the Future: Worldships and Lsel Station, A—A work of popular history written by the retired Stationer pilot Takan Mnal.
Poplar Province—One of the more distant provinces from Inmost Province in the City; an ocean-crossing away.
Porcelain Fragment Scorched—A stealth cruiser of the Twenty-Fourth Legion, Pyroclast-class.
Pseudo-Thirteen River—The unknown author of The Expansion History, who used the name Thirteen River despite not being the Minister of the Judiciary of that name whose treatises on retributive justice are still taught in Teixcalaanli law schools.
Red Flowerbuds for Thirty Ribbon—A Teixcalaanli romance novel.
Reflective Prism—A Teixcalaanli warship of the Tenth Legion, captained by Twelve Caesura.
Ring Two—A designation for provinces in the City which are more than 300 but less than 600 miles from the Palace. Information Ministry slang.
Second Palm—One of the branches of the Ministry of War. Supply chains and logistics.
Secret History of the Emperors, The—A famous (and salacious) anonymous account of the lives of many Teixcalaanli emperors. Often updated. Never imitated.
Seven Aster—Second Undersecretary of the Ministry of War. The Second Palm.
Seven Chrysoprase�
��A newscaster, employed by Channel Eight!
Seven Monograph—The Fourth Undersecretary of the Ministry of Information.
Seven Scale—A junior aide to Her Brilliance the Emperor Nineteen Adze.
Shard—a single-pilot Teixcalaanli fightercraft, operated via biofeedback interface and cloudhook.
shocksticks—An electricity-based weapon, primarily used for crowd control on Teixcalaan.
Shrja Torel—A citizen of Lsel station. Mahit Dzmare’s friend.
Six Capsaicin—Captain of the Jasmine Throat. Also, an ixplanatl.
Six Direction—His Brilliance the Emperor of All Teixcalaan. Deceased.
Six Helicopter—A former Teixcalaanli bureaucrat.
Six Outreaching Palms—The colloquial (or poetic) name for the Ministry of War; so named for the reaching out of hands in every direction (north, south, west, east, up, and down) which is the hallmark of Teixcalaanli conquest theory.
Six Rainfall—A medical cadet on the Weight for the Wheel. A member of the Tenth Legion.
Sixteen Felt—An ixplanatl, investigator on the research study “Report on Human-Algorithmic Interfaces: Military Applications.”
Sixteen Moonrise—Fleet Captain of the Twenty-Fourth Legion, on the flagship Parabolic Compression. A member of the Teixcalaanli force sent beyond the Anhamemat Gate to prosecute war with unknown enemies. Sometimes called Apogee.
Sixth Palm—A branch of the Ministry of War. Engineering and shipbuilding.
starshine—“The Emperor’s drink,” a distilled wheat spirit used in Fleet traditional meals.
Sunlit, the—The police force of the City.
Teixcalaan—The empire, the world, coextensive with the known universe. (Adjectival form: Teixcalaanli; a person who is a citizen of Teixcalaan is a Teixcalaanlitzlim.)
Teixcalaanli—The language spoken in Teixcalaan.
Ten Pearl—The current Minister of Science.
Third Palm—One of the branches of the Ministry of War. Infosec, political officers, and internal affairs.
Thirteen Muon—An engineering specialist. A member of the Second Legion.
Thirty Larkspur—He Who Drowns the World in Blooms, formerly one of Six Direction’s ezuazuacatlim, a scion of a major merchant family from the Western Arc. A failed usurper.
Thirty Wax-Seal—Captain of the scout-gunner Knifepoint’s Ninth Blooming. A member of the Tenth Legion.
Thirty-One Twilight—An Information Ministry employee in the Epistolary Department.
Thirty-Six All-Terrain Tundra Vehicle—A Teixcalaanli citizen.
Three Azimuth—The Minister of War. Colloquially, the butcher of the Nakharese mind. She Who Kindles Emnity in the Most Oath-Sworn Heart.
Three Lamplight—A member of the Information Ministry.
Three Nasturtium—A Teixcalaanli citizen, Central Traffic Control Supervisor at Inmost Province Spaceport.
Three Perigee—A historical Teixcalaanli emperor.
Three Seagrass—Third Undersecretary of the Information Ministry. Formerly the cultural liaison to Mahit Dzmare, the Lsel Ambassador. Sometimes called Reed.
tlaxlauim—A certified accountant or financial professional in Teixcalaan.
Tsagkel Ambak—A negotiator and diplomat from Lsel Station, who formalized the Station’s current treaty with the Teixcalaanli Imperium.
Twelve Azalea—A member of the Information Ministry. A friend to Three Seagrass. Sometimes called Petal. Deceased.
Twelve Caesura—Captain of the Teixcalaanli warship Reflective Prism. A member of the Tenth Legion.
Twelve Fusion—Ikantlos-prime of the flagship Parabolic Compression. A member of the Twenty-Fourth Legion, adjutant to Fleet Captain Sixteen Moonrise.
Twelve Solar-Flare—A historical Teixcalaanli emperor, who first discovered Parzrawantlak Sector, and thus Lsel Station.
Twenty Cicada—The ikantlos-prime of the Tenth Legion’s flagship Weight for the Wheel. A homeostat-cultist. Sometimes called Swarm.
Twenty-Four Rose—A Teixcalaanli author of travel guidebooks.
Twenty-Nine Bridge—The current Keeper of the Imperial Inkstand, serving Her Brilliance the Emperor Nineteen Adze.
Twenty-Nine Infograph—A member of the Judiciary Ministry.
Twenty-Two Graphite—An aide to Her Brilliance the Emperor Nineteen Adze.
Twenty-Two Thread—The Fifth Undersecretary of the Ministry of War. The Fifth Palm.
Two Amaranth—A historical ezuazuacat, serving the Emperor Twelve Solar-Flare.
Two Calendar—A major court poet at the court of His Brilliance the Emperor Six Direction.
Two Canal—The Fleet Captain of the Sixth Legion. A member of the Teixcalaanli force sent beyond the Anhamemat Gate to prosecute war with unknown enemies.
Two Cartograph—The son of Five Agate. Seven years old. Sometimes called Map.
Two Catenary—The chief of medical ethics at the Twelve Solar-Flare Memorial Teaching Hospital. Author of a commentary on Eleven Lathe’s Dispatches from the Numinous Frontier.
Two Cholla—The first Teixcalaanlitzlim to die while wearing the uniform of the Tenth Legion.
Two Foam—The communications officer on the Weight for the Wheel. A member of the Tenth Legion. Often called Bubbles, but not to her face.
Two Kyanite—An ixplanatl, primary investigator on the research study “Report on Human-Algorithmic Interfaces: Military Applications.”
Two Lemon—A Teixcalaanli citizen.
Two Rosewood—The former Minister of Information.
Two Sunspot—A historical Teixcalaanli emperor, who negotiated peace with the Ebrekti.
Verashk-Talay—A political confederation of several systems and sectors, with a minor presence beyond the Anhamemat Gate. Comprised of two distinct populations, the Verashk and the Talay, each speaking a separate language, who seem to have resolved their resource conflicts via adopting a form of representative democracy.
Verdigris Mesa—A Teixcalaanli warship of the Third Legion.
Weight for the Wheel—The flagship of the Tenth Legion, Eternal-class.
Western Arc—An important and wealthy sector of Teixcalaan, home to major merchant concerns.
xauitl—A flower.
Xelka Station—A Teixcalaanli military outpost.
yaotlek—A military rank in the Teixcalaanli fleet; commander of at least one legion.
Yskandr Aghavn—The former Ambassador to Teixcalaan from Lsel Station.
Zorai—The home planet of the former Minister of War Nine Propulsion.
On the pronunciation and writing system of the Teixcalaanli language
The Teixcalaanli language is logosyllabic, written in “glyphs.” These individual glyphs represent both free and bound morphemes. Teixcalaanli glyphs also can represent phonetic sounds, usually derived from an initial morpheme’s pronunciation which has lost its meaning and become purely phonetic. Due to the logosyllabic nature of Teixcalaanli, double and triple meanings are easily created in both verbal and written texts. Individual glyphs can function as visual puns or have suggestions of meaning unrelated to their precise morphemic use. Such wordplay—both visual and aural—is central to the literary arts of the Empire.
Teixcalaanli is a vowel-heavy language with a limited set of consonants. A brief pronunciation guide is given below (with IPA symbology and examples from American English).
a——father
e—Ɛ—bed
o—oƱ—no, toe, soap
i—i—city, see, meat
u—u—loop
aa—ɑ—The Teixcalaanli “aa” is a chroneme—it extends the length of the sound a in time, but does not change its quality.
au——loud
ei——say
ua—ʷɑ—water, quantity
ui—ʷi—weed
y—j—yes, yell
c—k—cat, cloak (but never as in certain)
h—h—harm, hope
k—kʱ—almost always found before r, as in crater or crisp, but occasionally as a word-ending, where i
t is heavily aspirated.
l—γ—bell, ball
m—m—mother, mutable
n—n—nine, north
p—p—paper, proof
r—ɾ—red, father
s—s—sable, song
t—tʱ—t, aspirated, as in top
x—ks—sticks, six
z—z—zebra
ch—tʃ—chair
But in consonant clusters (which Teixcalaanli favors), t is more often found as “t,” the unaspirated dental consonant in stop; l is often “l,” the dental approximate in line or lucid. There are many loanwords in Teixcalaanli. When pronouncing words originating in more consonant-heavy languages, Teixcalaanli tends to devoice unfamiliar consonants, i.e. “b” is pronounced like “p” and “d” is pronounced like “t.”
On the language spoken on Lsel Station and other Stations in Bardzravand Sector
By contrast, the language spoken on the stations in Bardzravand Sector is alphabetic and consonant heavy. It is easier for a native speaker of Stationer to accurately pronounce a Teixcalaanli word than the other way around. (If one wishes to pronouce Stationer words one’s own self, and has only Earth languages to go by, a good guide would be the pronunciation of Modern Eastern Armenian).
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
Second books are, proverbially, far more difficult than firsts. A Desolation Called Peace, despite my bravado and determined assurances to various persons—including, but certainly not limited to, my agent, my editor, a slew of fellow writers I’m honored to call friends, and my wife—was no exception. Bravado and determination will only get one so far in the face of one hundred fifty thousand words, a deadline, and the weight of knowing that, while you might have managed the trick once, each novel requires you to again learn how to write a novel.
I am still learning how to write a novel.
I will never, so long as I am privileged to write, be done with learning how to write a novel. I say this without resignation but instead with an acquired and giddy satisfaction: I hope I look back on this acknowledgments note in fifteen years and laugh at how little I knew, and how much more skillful a writer I have become. I hope all of you reading do the same. My first thanks is to you: everyone who picked up A Memory Called Empire, loved it, and made it a success. Without you I would not have any reason to pick up Mahit’s story again and spin it a little farther on. I am profoundly grateful.
A Desolation Called Peace Page 49