Glossary
It’s not until you sit down to write a story that you realise how much background work needs to go into it. I started putting this Glossary together because I have a dreadful memory and didn’t want to mistakenly use the same names in different stories! Then it occurred to me that, as a reader, you might appreciate some key to the stories I write.
So here it is for your enjoyment. I plan to update the Glossary with every story I sell and, if feedback is positive, I wouldn’t be amiss to adding more background details to important entries.
Happy reading!
Last updated: May 2009
A | B | C | D | E | F | G | H | I | J | K | L | M | N | O | P | Q | R | S | T | U | V | W | X | Y | Z
Acqui K’liven. Head of security on the Castor Xeni Orbital. K’liven is a heavy-worlder and often has his own secret agenda for doing what he does. He is also a very efficient administrator.
See also: Castor Xeni Orbital; Prime Suspect.
Aldanen. The name of Ebony Strike’s opponent in the final rounds of the Rewards Series. He is not a bulky man but is tall enough, lean-muscled, with bronze skin and a shock of snow-white hair. His eyes are amber-green. Aldanen enters the Rewards Series ostensibly to win the cash prize, but he has a hidden agenda.
See also: Ebony Strike; Rewards Series; Dinoh, Prefect; Combat!.
Alpine Monk’s Retreat. In one of the cold regions of Fa Drunn III live a contemplative order of monks. They believe in meditation and strength of mind and Arais is sent there for rehabilitation.
See also: Fa Drunn III; Arais; Commander’s Slave, The.
Amnesia. In The Commander’s Slave, we meet a woman who is suffering from amnesia. In this case, although not explicitly stated, I’m thinking that Asha/Arais has subconsciously used her shuttle accident in order to avoid delivering bad news to her world. As envoy to the royal family of Fa Drunn III, she takes her responsibilities extremely seriously and the prospect of condemning her entire planet to ultimate destruction is one that, I feel, drove her to the desperate measure of amnesia. This works, of course, until she finds herself facing an even worse fate.
See also: Asha; Arais; Fa Drunn III; Commander’s Slave, The.
Ankoll. The name of the only man who lives in the keep of Ankoll Castle. He is under a wizard’s curse to live half of a month as a human and the other half as a dragon. He is desperate to have the curse lifted from him because dragons are not very nice animals. They may look magnificent, but all they think about is eating, attacking and hoarding gold. Ankoll is tall, with broad shoulders, nut-brown skin, dark brown hair and piercing blue eyes. He is intelligent, handsome and a good cook! He also whistles off-key.
See also: Dragon of Ankoll Keep, The.
Ankoll Castle. The rumoured home of a treasure belonging to a dragon of legend.
See also: Dragon of Ankoll Keep, The.
Ankoll Village. A small village that rests in the valley below Ankoll Castle. It used to be much larger, but the loss of its ruler’s line and five hundred years of subsequent neglect have taken their toll on the inhabitants.
See also: Ankoll Castle; Dragon of Ankoll Keep, The.
Ansible. Not really a person or place but a thing. The ansible enables faster-than-light communication. Many authors have used this device, including Orson Scott Card, but it was first created by Ursula K. le Guin. You can look it up on www.wikipedia.org if you’re interested in further details.
Arais. Asha’s real name, as she finally discovers when she returns to her home-world, Fa Drunn III. Her full name is Arais Innan Cybar sun-Abrengo and she is niece to the ruler of the planet, the Eminence Dowager.
See also: Fa Drunn III; Asha; Commander’s Slave, The; Eminence Dowager.
Asha. The name Tangus gives to the woman he purchased on Helson V. Asha is a voluptuous woman who Tangus thinks will be a good breeder. She has golden skin, curling copper hair and amber eyes. Her real name, as we discover later, is quite a mouthful.
See also: Tangus Xalor; Helson V; Commander’s Slave, The.
Aura Fordsnix. A member of the Republic aristocracy (also known as the gentry). She is tall, with large, almond-shaped eyes of brilliant green and gleaming mahogany skin and hair. The family are poor aristocrats.
See also: A Pirate’s Passion.
Bank Ora. The name of pirate captain Gilthen Ahn’s ship and the flagship of the Darck Banks pirate cartel.
See also: A Pirate’s Passion; Gilthen Ahn; Darck Banks cartel.
Bank Tam. The name of Commander Wonn’s ship. It’s not the biggest in the cartel, but it’s the prettiest.
See also: A Pirate’s Passion; Wonn; Darck Banks cartel.
Beltrin of the West. The master sorcerer who laid the dragon’s curse on Ankoll when Ankoll was foolish enough to challenge the older man to a wizard’s duel.
See also: Ankoll; Dragon of Ankoll Keep, The.
Bliss. A hell-hole of a planet, hot and dry, where the Republic sends its worst criminals. People sent to Bliss never return to civilised life. They, and their descendants, are condemned to the planet for the rest of their lives. Bliss has three moons.
See also: Republic, the; On Bliss.
B’nen. Also called Old B’nen. He is a heavyworlder and warlord of the territory encompassing Toh’s habitat and the local town of Regulation. B’nen surrounds himself with an assortment of vicious and toadying thugs…as warlords do.
See also: Toh; Regulation.
Bridgian fish. A rare and tasty species of fish that’s known as a delicacy throughout Republic space. There is as much skill required in eating the fish as there is in catching it. Just remember to always use the three-pronged knife when you do the filleting on your plate.
See also: A Pirate’s Passion.
Carven family. The family that owns the Ralvez 3 Consortium and, by corollary, the Ralvez 3 solar system. At the time of A Pirate’s Passion, the head of the consortium is Sern Carven. He and his wife, Niloh, have two children, Fikora and Vane Carven.
See also: A Pirate’s Passion.
Castor Xeni Orbital. A giant ship-fitting space station in Republic space, orbiting a planet rich in ore and minerals. The Orbital is a private corporation that has a high reputation due to the calibre of its staff and stringent quality standards.
See also: Heron Meed; Prime Suspect.
Catiliian. A Fusion reptilian species renowned for their strength and apparent imperviousness to pain. Their tails are a great asset in combat, as well as the ridge of spikes along their spines. But the one feature that a Catiliian is most known for is its ability to concoct sometimes-lethal biochemical mixtures that it exudes through its fangs. Ouch!
See also: Combat!; Fusion, the.
Cerian Nintral. An alias Tera d’Olzon uses to try and throw her captor, Gilthen Ahn, off track. It doesn’t work.
See also: A Pirate’s Passion; Teralis Meta-Wing Ortasnay d’Olzon; Gilthen Ahn.
Chaltow III. A planet in the seventeenth decime of the Fusion galaxy. Birth-planet of Ebony Strike.
See also: Ebony Strike; Vahsoon-ya Province; Combat!; decime.
Chitterin. Another Fusion species, insectoid this time. It’s unusual to see a Chitterin as a fighter because they are usually a non-aggressive social conglomerate. In my mind, they look like giant wasps without the wings.
See also: Combat!; Fusion, the.
Cirlian Formal. The lingua franca of the Fusion. At the beginning of The Commander’s Slave, Asha likens the auction-master’s accent to Cirlian Gutter but she’s just being waspish–there is no such dialect.
See also: Fusion, the; Combat!; Commander’s Slave, The; Asha.
Combat!. The story of Ebony Strike and what happens to her when she enters the galaxy’s most notorious underground martial arts tournament.
See also: Ebony Strike; Rewards Series.
Commander’s Slave, The. Tangus the mercenary buys a female slave in order to perpetuate the Seti name, a species wiped out in a single act of brutality. Little do they know that both Tangus and Asha are really after the same thing.
See also: Asha; Tangus; Seti, the.
Dae. A mechanic in B’nen’s employ.
See also: B’nen; On Bliss.
Darck Banks cartel. One of the many pirate cartels that roam Republic space. The Darck Banks have four ships and are headed by pirate captain, Gilthen Ahn.
See also: A Pirate’s Passion; Gilthen Ahn.
Daurent Fens. Tangus’ second-in-command. I like Daurent because he still hasn’t achieved that hard cynical edge that Tangus has, despite what their species has gone through. The wisps of a story about Daurent keep swirling in my brain but they’re currently too nebulous for me to nail down.
See also: Tangus Xalor; Commander’s Slave, The.
Decime. Before everyone writes in and tells me that ‘decime’ is based on the Latin word for ‘unit of ten’…I know. So how come Chaltow III is in the seventeenth decime? Well, because the Fusion keeps expanding and so, rather than keep renaming (decime to centime, say), they just keep upping the number while retaining the original designation. I look forward to writing a story set in the hundredth and forty-sixth decime!
See also: Fusion, the; Chaltow III.
Delvew d’Olzon. Tera’s father, and a member of the Republic aristocracy.
See also: A Pirate’s Passion; Teralis Meta-Wing Ortasnay d’Olzon.
Dinoh, Prefect. The corrupt governor of his Fusion decime, which he adminsters from Sundi’s World. Dinoh has been siphoning off his decime’s funds to seed the most notorious martial arts tournament of the galaxy, the Rewards Series. He also sells access to the Series to underground gambling dens all through the Fusion and beyond. A true perverse entrepreneur, he also has a twist to the Series that makes it irresistible to his paying customers.
See also: Sundi’s World; Rewards Series; Fusion, the; Ebony Strike; Combat!.
Dobos VII. The planet which was the cause of Heron making its ill-fated ethical stand. Heron is charged with mutiny and sentenced to the e’Bultar Detention Centre.
See also: e’Bultar Detention Centre; Heron Meed; Prime Suspect.
Dolen. Ebony Strike’s first love.
See also: Ebony Strike; Combat!.
Dragon of Ankoll Keep, The. Gamsin is a thief looking for a treasure. Ankoll is a man condemned by a wizard’s curse. This story is the first of their adventures together.
See also: Gamsin; Ankoll.
Ebony Strike. Pseudonym for a very accomplished and successful martial artist, originally from Chaltow III. Ebony Strike detests Prefect Dinoh and all he stands for but enters his Rewards Series in order to buy her starving home-province another year of life. Ebony is a tall, rangy woman with short black hair, midnight black skin and large dark eyes. She is assertive and uses a cloak of cynicism to hide a soft heart.
See also: Chaltow III; Dinoh, Prefect; Rewards Series; Combat!; Xin Dell.
e’Bultar Detention Centre. A high-security prison that’s one step above the prison-planet of Bliss. Reserved for the worst of criminals, political prisoners and anybody the Republic regards as a threat.
See also: Bliss; Republic, the.
Eidolon. The name given to spirits who were banished from the world a millennia ago. Unfortunately, master sorcerer, Beltrin of the West, has reopened the portal between the worlds and they are once more loose. The eidolon survive by sucking the souls from people they hold in thrall. Gamsin and Ankoll discover the first–the relatively weak White Eidolon–on their first adventure together.
See also: Beltrin of the West; Gamsin; Ankoll; Dragon of Ankoll Keep, The.
Elva. The name Gamsin gives a hulking farmer so he’ll leave her alone. It doesn’t work.
See also: Gamsin; Dragon of Ankoll Keep, The.
Eminence Dowager. The ruler of Fa Drunn III, an old member of the Fusion, and a member of the Abrengo aristocratic family. The Dowager has two daughters, Onduin and Erinan.
See also: Fa Drunn III; Onduin; Erinan; Arais; Commander’s Slave, The.
Erdonn. The man Subah Doisson married. He was a kind and uncomplaining man and Subah feels guilty when she realises she wants more and sees his death as a way of freeing herself for a more exciting life. Unfortunately, she thinks she is doomed to failure.
See also: Prime Suspect; Subah Doisson.
Erinan. Second daughter of the Eminence Dowager, ruler of Fa Drunn III. Erinan is still a teenager and a bit of a tomboy. She is cheerful and impish although her older sister, Onduin, and her mother wish for a little more gravity. No doubt she will grow into that. Her cousin is Arais sun-Abrengo.
See also: Eminence Dowager; Fa Drunn III; Onduin; Arais; Commander’s Slave, The.
Esru. A system in Republic space.
See also: A Pirate’s Passion.
Fa Drunn III. A Fusion planet, governed by an aristocracy. They are famous for their medical knowledge and facilities. The current ruler is the Eminence Dowager.
See also: Fusion, the; Eminence Dowager; Commander’s Slave, The.
Farmer Banton. We never find out about Farmer Banton but we know his wife occasionally sells freshly-slaughtered piglets in the market square of Tendraf Village.
See also: Tendraf Village; Dragon of Ankoll Keep, The.
Fikora Carven. Daughter of Sern and Niloh Carven and a real beauty, with shoulder-length chestnut hair, pale skin and large, blue eyes.
See also: A Pirate’s Passion; Carven family.
Flow-Stick Cluster. A star cluster near the Vodex System.
See also: Vodex System; Commander’s Slave, The.
Fodox Stellar Barrens. A large void in space, marking one boundary of the Republic.
See also: Dobos VII; Prime Suspect; Republic, the.
Folon. The farmer in Ankoll Village who pays too much unwanted attention to Gamsin. He ends up raping her before she escapes the village.
See also: Ankoll Village; Gamsin; Dragon of Ankoll Keep, The.
Fusion, the. Various writers have different names for their galaxies: the Federation, Empire, Republic and my personal favorite, Iain M Banks’ the Culture. I call mine the Fusion. It’s an aggregate of a dizzying array of peoples, from humanoid to insectoid to drone. From the stories I write, you’d think that the Fusion is a terrible place to be but, in fact, the Fusion is mostly a place of success stories. But, where’s the fun in writing about success stories?
See also: Commander’s Slave, The; Combat!
Fusmic. The male Immigration officer on the Castor Xeni Orbital that initially gives Heron Meed a hard time .
See also: Castor Xeni Orbital; Heron Meed; Prime Suspect.
Gamlez. A sergeant, part of the armed forces on Fa Drunn III.
See also: Fa Drunn III; Commander’s Slave, The.
Gamsin. A young thief. The first time we meet her, she’s on her way to find the famed treasure of a dragon of legend in a far-off place called Ankoll Castle. Gamsin is small and slim, with pale skin, black cropped hair and grey eyes.
See also: Dragon of Ankoll Keep, The; Ankoll Castle.
Gentry. The name given to the Republic aristocracy. They are all human families.
See also: A Pirate’s Passion; Teralis Meta-Wing Ortasnay d’Olzon; Carven family.
Georg Sessen.Heron’s supervisor at work. Sessen is a capable engineer, but a man of deep prejudice. He dislikes the hermaphrodite and finds it difficult to be civil to it. He’s a large burly man with short-cropped fair hair and hairy, freckled forearms.
See also: Castor Xeni Orbital; Prime Suspect.
Gilthen Ahn. Leader of the Darck Banks pirate cartel. Gil is tall, of a solid and muscular build, dark skinned with black hair and eyes.
See also: A Pirate’s Passion; Darck Banks cartel.
Gilthen Diffahn d’Olzon Rivera. The name Gil goes by when hunting for heiresses.
See also: A Pirate’s Passion.
Guzzled Goose, The. A tavern in Mishlow City.
See also: Mishlow City; Dragon of Ankoll Keep, The.
Hanek. The young male astronavigator of the Odyssey. He has been unsuccessfully pursuing Hoara Felin for the past year.
See also: Hoara Felin; Odyssey.
Hell’s Market. The nickname for Helson V. A young woman with no memory is sold here to a fierce mercenary called Tangus.
See also: Helson V; Tangus Xalor; Commander’s Slave, The.
Helson V. Also known as Hell’s Market. A world on the edge of Fusion space where flesh is bartered as easily as spare parts.
See also: Hell’s Market; Fusion, the; Commander’s Slave, The.
Heron Meed. A male-dominant hermaphrodite and the only one who ever served with the Republic Space Fleet. Although part of the Republic, hermaphrodites rarely venture beyond their home planet in the Morhea Sector. Subah thinks of Heron as a pleasure-giving predator, built for grace and movement.
See also: Prime Suspect; Republic Space Fleet; Subah Doisson.
Higher Convergence. The upper house of the Fusion’s legislative arm. Logically enough, the lower house is called the Lower Convergence.
See also: Lower Convergence; Fusion, the.
Hoara Felin. Sub-Commander within the Republic Space Fleet. Hoara has worked hard to reach this position but has had to put her personal life to one side to achieve the rank of Sub-Commander. When her shuttle crashes on the planet of Bliss, however, she’ll find more than her situation has been turned upside down. Hoara has chocolate-brown skin, dark eyes, luscious lips and wavy raven-black hair.
See also: Toh; On Bliss; Republic, the.
Imgran. Senior steward of the royal house of Fa Drunn III and most trusted retainer of the Eminence Dowager.
See also: Fa Drunn III; Eminence Dowager; Commander’s Slave, The.
Inras Idis. The first person, besides Subah, who befriends Heron on the Castor Xeni Orbital. To say Heron is surprised would be an understatement. Inras works in the refit section of the Orbital.
See also: Castor Xeni Orbital; Heron Meed; Prime Suspect.
Jay. An engineer on the Castor Xeni Orbital. He normally works Engineering Primary Support.
See also: Castor Xeni Orbital; Prime Suspect.
Jaynex. Captain of the Cruiser Zephyr and the first, and closest, ship to pick up Hoara’s distress beacon.
See also: Hoara Felin.
Justice. The port-town that’s still in B’nen’s territory. Hoara and Toh are forced to land here when Toh’s flyer runs out of fuel.
See also: B’nen; Hoara Felin; Toh.
Kiz Vin E. The chief medical officer on board the Castor Xeni Orbital. Vin E seems to be the only person Acqui K’liven seems truly comfortable around. She is brisk but friendly.
See also: Acqui K’liven; Castor Xeni Orbital; Prime Suspect.
Kotase. Gilthen Ahn’s second-in-command. Kotase is a grizzled, middle-aged pirate who looks on Gil much as a father on a son.
See also: A Pirate’s Passion; Gilthen Ahn.
Krat System. The system that Arais approaches in order to seal a treaty between them and Fa Drunn III. Both are Fusion members. She is unsuccessful.
See also: Fusion, the; Fa Drunn III; Arais; Commander’s Slave, The.
Lasc Prein, the. An established, underhanded member species of the Fusion. The Lasc Prein manage to skilfully skirt the laws of the Fusion, always bending but never breaking them. They are responsible for the destruction of the Seti home-world.
See also: Seti, the; Fusion, the; Commander’s Slave, The.
Lower Convergence. All policy within the Fusion is decided by legislation passed through two houses, the Lower and Higher Convergence.
See also: Higher Convergence; Fusion, the.
Martiss Lake. A large serene lake by the palace of the Eminence Dowager of Fa Drunn III.
See also: Fa Drunn III; Commander’s Slave, The.
Medieval world. As much as I enjoy watching the battles of the Societies of Creative Anachronism (I’m a sucker for Medieval Faires!) and reading historical romances, in the back of my mind, I know that people of medieval worlds would have strung me up as soon as look as me. Which got me to thinking. What kind of life would a young orphan female lead in such a world? Who would help and support her? How would she make a living? I tried to come close (but still with some fantasy) in The Dragon of Ankoll Keep.
See also: Dragon of Ankoll Keep, The.
Memory-vibe. The next generation in vibrators. A memory-vibe is a vibrator made of a memory polymer, with some firmware built in at the base. It only reacts to moisture and heat and, as well as vibrating, slowly expands until it reaches its configured dimensions. The deluxe model comes with a retractable mini-mouth pseudopod. Its one of Heron’s, uh, toys.
See also: Heron Meed; Prime Suspect.
Mirror Lake. The name of the Fast Rake that Arais takes in order to make a proposal to Tangus.
See also: Arais; Tangus Xalor; Commander’s Slave, The.
Mishlow City. The port city that Gamsin regards as her home.
See also: Dragon of Ankoll Keep, The; Gamsin.
Morhea Sector. A sector in the outer reaches of Republic space where the humanoid hermaphrodite species originates.
See also: Heron Meed; Prime Suspect; Republic, the.
Muit. A sector in Republic space that contains the Ralvez 3 solar system, owned by the very rich Carven family.
See also: A Pirate’s Passion; Carven family.
Nareg. The leader of a circus troupe who took Gamsin in during some unspecified difficult period of her life. It was as part of Nareg’s troupe that Gamsin learned the skills to be an accomplished thief.
See also: Gamsin; Dragon of Ankoll Keep, The.
Nessan. A semi-amphibious, furry animal that’s also regularly served at gentry tables. Remember to skewer their meat with a gold needle rather than a silver one.
See also: A Pirate’s Passion.
Niloh Carven. Sern Carven’s wife. Pale skin and permanently sporting an impassive facial expression. Her posture is painfully, ramrod straight. Not a pleasant woman at all.
See also: A Pirate’s Passion; Carven family.
Northern Forest Expanse. A cool-weather forest that flanks Martiss Lake to the north.
See also: Martiss Lake.
Northern Waste. The arid desert north of Toh’s habitat.
See also: Bliss; Toh.
NX-8903. The system where the male remnant of the Seti home-world are hiding out.
See also: Seti, the; Commander’s Slave, The.
Odyssey. The name of a shuttle that Hoara and two of her crew are travelling on when they hit a gravity shear. They make an emergency landing on the planet of Bliss.
See also: Hoara Felin; Hanek; Sim.
Oerter. The captain of the ship where Heron mutinies. Oerter wins.
See also: Heron Meed; Prime Suspect.
Old Duck, The. A tavern by the wharves of Mishlow City. Gamsin hears about the treasure at Ankoll Castle after eavesdropping on an old sailor at the tavern. She has a bad habit of doing that.
See also: Mishlow City; Gamsin; Ankoll Castle; Dragon of Ankoll Keep, The.
On Bliss. An erotic sci-fi short story that relates a seemingly impossible romance between a human and a Shapeshifter.
See also: Hoara Felin; Toh.
Onduin. The elder daughter of the Eminence Dowager of Fa Drunn III and next in line to the throne. Onduin is a serious young woman, with the responsibilities of future rule already weighing heavily on her shoulders. Her cousin is Arais sun-Abrengo. She has pale eyes, golden skin and fair golden hair. Arais, quite poetically, describes her “as fair as sunshine”.
See also: Eminence Dowager; Fa Drunn III; Arais; Commander’s Slave, The.
Onn Tertiary IV. Aldanen’s home planet … or so he says. An agricultural world, also known as the ‘grain bowl of the Greater Onn System’. In the third decime of the Fusion galaxy.
See also: Aldanen; Fusion, the; Combat!.
Patience. The name of Hoara Felin’s command ship.
See also: Hoara Felin.
Qolari. A Fusion planetary species. Qolari are a caste-based, mostly isolationist species. They are tall and skinny with white skin and banded mowhawks of hair. Some Qolari join the Qolari Diplomatic Corps, where they renounce their castes and former existences. The more active members of the Corps also engage in series of upgrade surgeries, obtaining VAPs (Value-Add Prosthetics) that help them in their missions.
See also: Combat!; VAPs.
Ralvez 3 Consortium. The name of the family company that owns most of the Ralvez 3 system. Interestingly enough, effective ownership of an entire solar system does not make the Carvens the richest of the Republic aristocracy.
See also: A Pirate’s Passion; Carven family.
Rakk. One of the administrators of the auctions on Helson V.
See also: Helson V; Commander’s Slave, The.
Regulation. The closest town to Toh’s habitat and a six-hour walk for him.
See also: Toh; On Bliss.
Republic, the. The Republic is a much tougher place than the Fusion. There are no grand visions that encompass this particular confederation and little mixing with other species, unlike the indiscriminate embrace of the Fusion. The Republic is dominated by humans, who use their technological superiority to subjugate the other species in their part of the galaxy.
See also: On Bliss; Prime Suspect; A Pirate’s Passion.
Republic Space Fleet. The military enforcement arm of the Republic.
See also: Republic, the.
Rewards Series. The name given to Prefect Dinoh’s underground martial arts tournament. After preliminary elimination rounds, the two finalists are then pitted against Dinoh’s own army of fighters. If they survive, they then have to fight each other for the ultimate cash prize. Of course, Dinoh also adds his own perverse twist to the competition.
See also: Fusion, the; Combat!.
Sabreo Sector. A sector in Republic space.
See also: Prime Suspect; Republic, the.
San. Skilled navigator of the Bank Ora, the flagship of the Darck Banks pirate cartel.
See also: A Pirate’s Passion; Bank Ora; Darck Banks cartel.
Sern Carven. The patriach of the Carven family. He is of medium height and pale skin, heavy jowls and deep fanning wrinkles that bracket his face.
See also: A Pirate’s Passion; Carven family; Ralvez 3 Consortium.
Seti, the. The species that was wiped out by the Lasc Prein, leaving only the remnants of Tangus’ Second Fleet. Their planet was in the Vodex System.
See also; Tangus Xalor; Commander’s Slave, The; Lasc Prein, the; Vodex System.
Shapeshifter. The name given to the species that can alter its form. Among themselves, the Shapeshifters call themselves Transitionals.
See also: Transitionals; On Bliss; Toh.
Sim. The astrophysicist aboard the Odyssey. Hoara admires the woman’s quiet sense of humour and air of calm.
See also: Hoara Felin; Odyssey; On Bliss.
Skin Lane. The street where most of the butchers of Mishlow City ply their trade. I’ll leave it to you to imagine what it smells like.
See also: Mishlow City; Dragon of Ankoll Keep, The.
Slen. One of the soldiers under Tangus’ command.
See also: Tangus Xalor; Commander’s Slave, The.
Smolich. A young dogsbody on the Bank Ora.
See also: A Pirate’s Passion; Bank Ora.
Stera. One of the soldiers under Tangus’ command.
See also: Tangus Xalor; Commander’s Slave, The.
Ston. The young man from Vahsoon-ya Province who tracks down Ebony Strike (even though by this time she has changed her name to Xin Dell and her profession to trainer), and asks her to enter the Rewards Series on the province’s behalf.
See also: Xin Dell; Ebony Strike; Rewards Series; Combat!.
Straw-Hair Nebula. A nebula at the boundaries of Fusion space.
See also: Fusion, the; Commander’s Slave, The.
Strike. The name of Tangus’ flagship. The name transfers to each ship that Tangus commandeers as his own.
See also: Tangus Xalor; Commander’s Slave, The.
Subah Doisson. A widowed hydroponics engineer living on the Castor Xeni Orbital. Subah feels life has passed her by and all she has to look forward to is a gradual decline until death. But then Heron Meed comes along ….
See also: Castor Xeni Orbital; Heron Meed; Prime Suspect.
Sundi’s World. A hot, old tropical world. This is the base of operations for Prefect Dinoh, the corrupt governor of his decime. Sundi’s World is famous for its swamps — hot swamps, cold swamps, boiling mud, Sundi’s World has it all.
See also: Dinoh, Prefect; Combat!; Fusion, the.
Tackon. A sector in Republic space.
See also: A Pirate’s Passion.
Tangus Xalor. Commander of the Second Fleet. His world was a new member of the Fusion but was completely destroyed by the Lasc Prein. As a result, he is suspicious of anything and anyone associated with the Fusion and views them as a corrupt body to allow such a massacre. Tangus is a quintessential alpha male. Aldanen has a leaner build, Ankoll likes to cook, but Tangus is a military commander, curt and ruthless, tall and broad-shouldered, with short dark hair and black eyes.
See also: Commander’s Slave, The; Seti, the; Lasc Prein, the.
Tendraf Village. A village where Gamsin and Ankoll stop to buy horses and provisions. It is here that Ankoll turns into a dragon to punish the villagers for their assault on Gamsin.
See also: Ankoll; Gamsin; Dragon of Ankoll Keep, The.
Teralis Meta-Wing Ortasnay d’Olzon. A member of the Republic’s aristocracy. Out of some perverse sense of justice, Tera has stolen something from the Republic and she hopes to use it to somehow help the majority of the population that the Republic keeps repressed. She hasn’t really thought through her plan, to be honest. She is tall, with long, straight ebony hair, coffee skin and a pair of enormous blue eyes. She is lacklustre with weaponry but she can parry and thrust verbal insults with the best of them.
See also: A Pirate’s Passion; Gentry.
Thirt City. A seaside city on Ralvez Five, above which sits the summer home of the Carven family.
See also: A Pirate’s Passion; Carven family; Ralvez 3 Consortium.
Tix. An engineer on the Castor Xeni Orbital. She works with Energy Supply.
See also: Castor Xeni Orbital; Prime Suspect.
Toh. Hero of On Bliss. Toh is a Shapeshifter, a species reviled throughout Republic space. But, as he points out, things are never quite what they seem. Among his own species, they call themselves Transitionals. Toh has regular features, tanned skin, brown eyes and chestnut hair in his human form. As a Shapeshifter, he is almost three metres high, with skinny limbs, large dark eyes and hairless ghost-white skin.
See also: On Bliss; Hoara Felin; Republic, the.
Toldah Federation. Another union of worlds that bumps space with the Fusion.
See also: Fusion, the; Commander’s Slave, The.
Tomben. One of the soldiers under Tangus’ command.
See also: Tangus Xalor; Commander’s Slave, The.
Tor Gamma B Cluster. A strategic point in the Tor sector which houses a number of commercial and military shipyards.
See also: A Pirate’s Passion.
Transitionals. What the Shapeshifters call themselves because they believe they are in transition from the corporeal world to the spiritual one. They believe their ability to change shape allows them to appreciate the different forms created by the Divine.
See also: Toh; On Bliss.
Tumi. An engineer on the Castor Xeni Orbital. She normally works Hydroponics.
See also: Castor Xeni Orbital; Prime Suspect.
Tuskel. A planet in the Sabreo sector. Known for its hot and spicy cuisine.
See also: Prime Suspect.
Twilight Ranges, the. A range of dark craggy peaks to the far far east of Mishlow City. This is where Gamsin and Ankoll discover Beltrin of the West…and the horror he unwittingly unleashed on the world.
See also: Mishlow City; Gamsin; Ankoll; Beltrin of the West; Dragon of Ankoll Keep, The.
Umfir. A species of traders that travel through the galaxy. They are long-lived but otherwise a very mysterious species. Nobody seems to know much about them.
See also: A Pirate’s Passion; Republic, the.
Usourne. A female member of Wonn’s crew. Before contracting aboard the Bank Tam, Usourne had been a child prostitute at a space port.
See also: A Pirate’s Passion; Bank Tam; Wonn.
Vabinian tea. A rare and exclusive type of tea grown on Ralvez Five. The colour of the steeped brew is a rich reddish peach, the scent faintly redolent of vanilla. It’s Fikora Carven’s favourite tea blend.
See also: A Pirate’s Passion; Fikora Carven; Ralvez 3 Consortium.
Vahsoon-ya Province. The region on Chaltow III where Ebony Strike was born. We don’t get any more specific information regarding the place of her birth. She’s a very mysterious person. Just to throw Aldanen off-track, Ebony Strike also tells him her name is Vahsoon-ya.
See also: Aldanen; Ebony Strike; Combat!; Fusion, the; Chaltow III.
Vahsoon City. The capital of Vahsoon-ya Province.
See also: Vahsoon-ya Province; Combat!; Fusion, the.
Vane Carven. Fikora Carven’s older brother. Tall and lithe, he has light brown hair that obscures his eyes. It’s difficult knowing what he thinks, although he always seems to have a scowl on his face.
See also: A Pirate’s Passion; Fikora Carven; Carven family.
VAPs. Stands for Value-Add Prosthetics. Name given to augments that are given to members of the Qolari Diplomatic Corps. VAP additions range from monofilament garrots inside fake thumbs to entire ribcage rebuilds.
See also: Combat!; Qolari.
Ven. The talented pilot of the Strike, Tangus’ flagship.
See also: Strike; Tangus Xalor; Commander’s Slave, The.
Viils. One of the soldiers under Tangus’ command.
See also: Tangus Xalor; Commander’s Slave, The.
Vodex System. The system that contains the Seti home-world.
See also: Seti, the; Commander’s Slave, The.
Vosra. Fikora Carven’s business manager.
See also: A Pirate’s Passion; Fikora Carven; Carven family; Ralvez 3 Consortium.
Wresla. Captain of the Fast Rake Mirror Lake.
See also: Mirror Lake.
Xin Dell. Another pseudonym for Ebony Strike. What can I say? The woman changes identities he way you or I would change shoes for a season.
See also: Ebony Strike; Combat!.
Zehnda Galin. The senior doctor of the Seti Second Fleet.
See also: Commander’s Slave, The; Seti, the.
Zephyr. The ship that rescues Hoara from Bliss.
See also: Bliss; Hoara Felin.
Zincan fowl. An alien bird that is usually prepared by the chef of the Strike Seti-style, which means poached in a lightly-spiced stock.
See also: Commander’s Slave, The; Seti, the; Strike.