Exquisite Possession: A Dark Scifi Romance (The Machinery of Desire Book 4)
Page 23
DRAC missile – a missile developed by the people of Aerthe to kill off Mekker swathes. The exact way they function has been lost. Mekkers believe them to have great explosive power. This is only partly true.
E
Engine cores or waik cores – huge balls comprised of waik crystals that power the landships. The engine cores are recharged by mechlings bathing in Aerthe energy on the surface of the landships.
Engine Sea – the sea of radiation the waik cores reside in at the bottom of the landships.
F
Factor H
A substance said to be needed by only Mekkers that is depleted from their bodies merely by them living on Aerthe. It can be extracted from humans in quantities far greater than can be found in grounders or Scavs. Theories as to why it isn’t depleted in other people are many and as yet unverified. The Mekkers have not, yet, divulged such information.
Followers – a religion based around the sayings of Ryke’s mother, Symaia, after she was lost on the surface of Aerthe.
Fryger – a type of rifle.
G
Gaps – the holes in the deck that overlook the Engine Sea. These can be used to access the sea.
Gorr religion – they worship the stars and a star is their symbol.
Grounder – one of the two major classes of people native to Aerthe. Grounder is a descriptive term for those living a static existence rather than a term for a specific race. A Scav could also be called a grounder if they chose to live in a town. Grounders mine, manufacture, trade and farm, and prefer to live in one place. There are more grounders than Scavs but they are less warlike. Most live in towns, some run trading caravans. They trade with Mekkers and Scavs.
H
Hopper – an automated, rickshaw-like vehicle used to traverse the hallways inside swathe landships.
J
Jagg – eight-legged beasts that go through several phases before becoming adults. Scavs use the adults as riding animals. When in the younger, carnivorous phase, they are also used as guard animals. Blood-bonding is a feature of their relationship with people.
JI-mech 34 – a highly advanced military mech produced by Mekkers. None have been made since the Last Days of the War.
Jungle Swathe – a swathe lost over a hundred years ago in a jungle area – rumored to have been destroyed by a plague.
K
Kings-in-Waiting – Mekkers chosen to be, as it were, the princes waiting to be voted king. All must be related by blood to the king.
King’s Own Lawgiver – a secret post given to one man only. The KOL must not let others know of what he does, though there are rumors of his existence. He has permission to act outside the law to protect the interests of the king, the swathe, and all Mekkers.
L
Landship – an enormous vehicle, often as large as a ship or larger. A swathe is comprised of many landships travelling together.
Long gun
Preferred weapon of the Scavs – powered by waik crystals, with projectiles powered by shoom. The metal used in their manufacture is mined by grounders and responds to thought and meditation. Decorations on the surface of such weapons emerge over time as the weapon gets to know its owner. Power, accuracy, and general specifications, improve with use.
Lilo
The sound of a word meaning ‘a large snake’ in Mekkian.
M
Mechling – a small Mekker robot powered by power cells that are a refined version of waik crystals. Though not manufactured to be sentient, some eventually go ‘sun-mad’ and become self-aware.
On the world of Aerthe, humans can ‘hear’ the thoughts of mechlings and mechs such as JI.
Mekker – a space-faring race that invaded Aerthe, taking down all the major civilizations, destroying all cities. Neither side won the war – in reality all lost. Mekkers are seen as an invading foreign organism by the world of Aerthe. They travel and live in the swathes and must keep moving or the natural defenses of the planet gather and kill them.
Moons – the world of Aerthe has two moons.
P
Physician – a doctor who can use the magic of Aerthe to heal. They also use some of what would be called normal doctoring techniques.
Power Cell – manufactured from waik crystals by Mekkers; these power the swathes, as well as mechling and mechs.
R
Ramm – a flying Mekker war vessel that is launched from a swathe. Larger than a Sniker, able to travel great distances, and more powerful than a Sniker.
Royal Swathe – the swathe in which the king lives in.
S
Scav – a nomadic, warlike race that lives from hunting, scavenges from the remains of the old civilizations, trades with grounders, and still hopes to defeat the Mekkers.
Shoom – a material that provides explosive energy to projectiles.
Sniker – a small, hovering, warcraft of the Mekkers.
Swathe – there are four living swathes – Royal Swathe, Lesser Swathe, Greater Swathe, and the Lost Swathe (which is no longer lost). These are comparable to a nomadic tribe, such as that of Attila the Hun on Earth. These moving cities are composed of several enormous wheeled and tracked landships, each containing thousands of people. Each holds what a city needs – parks, theaters, homes, prisons, markets, courts, as well as engine rooms, command centers, and armed forces. They mine the surface as they travel and never halt unless compelled to do so.
U
Undercity – a term used by Scavs to describe the space they inhabit when they travel beneath a destroyed city. This is always a dangerous journey, though explorers have been mapping out paths beneath these cities for decades.
Underdeck – the bottom decks of the landships, crewed by deckers (slang) who are a lesser caste of Mekkers. The radiation damage they suffer from working on the waik engine cores marks their skin with blue cracks and tendrils. They have a shorter lifespan than those who remain above.
V
Vican – a purple, crow-like bird. Scavs use them to carry messages.
W
Waik cores – see Engine cores.
Waik crystal – a crystal mined from Aerthe and used to power vehicles, weapons, lights. Recharged by meditation, though the energy is sourced from Aerthe herself.
Warband – a tribe of Scavs.
Y
Yeger – a spiritual sage attuned to waik crystals. Among other abilities, he can sense waik crystals and can repower them by meditation.
About Cari Silverwood
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Cari Silverwood is a New York Times and USA Today bestselling writer of kinky darkness or sometimes of dark kinkiness, depending on her moods and the amount of time she’s spent staring into the night. When others are writing bad men doing bad things, you may find her writing good men who accidentally on purpose fall into the abyss and come out with their morals twisted in knots.
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Also by Cari Silverwood
The Machinery of Desire (post-apocalyptic star wars-esque series with kink, and dubcon/ noncom)
Acquired Possession
Claimed possession
Branded Possession
Fated Possession – a novella included in Claimed Possession and Branded Possession
Exquisite Possession
Dark Monster Fantasy
Prey
Steel
Blade
The Steamwork Chronicles Series (similar to The Machinery of Desire series)
Iron Dominance
Lust Plague
Steel Dominance
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Preyfinders – The Trilogy boxset
Preyfinders Universe
Cyberella – a spin-off novel
Dark Hearts Trilogy (contemporary BDSM and dubcon/ noncon series)
(Dark kinky fiction)
Wicked Ways
Wicked Weapon
Wicked Hunt
Wolfe – a spin-off novel from the Dark Hearts trilogy
Dark Hearts trilogy collection – contains Wicked Ways, Wicked Weapon, Wicked Hunt
Nightmare Rising – a dark contemporary story written with Nicolette Hugo
Pierced Hearts Series (contemporary BDSM and dubcon/ noncon series)
Take me, Break me
Klaus – a novella
Bind and Keep me
Make me Yours Evermore
Seize me From Darkness
Yield
The Complete Pierced Hearts boxset – all six books
The Badass Brats Series (contemporary BDSM romances with Mff)
The Dom with a Safeword
The Dom on the Naughty List
The Dom with the Perfect Brats
The Dom with the Clever Tongue
Squirm Files Series (spoofs of erotic romance and monster stories)
Squirm – virgin captive of the billionaire biker tentacle monster
Strum – virgin captive of the billionaire demon rock star monster
The Well-hung Gun – virgin captive of the billionaire were-squid gunslinger monster
Cataclysm Blues Series
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(A free kinky scifi novella)
Others
Santa with a K – an erotic story about a kinky Krampus
31 Flavors of Kink
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Rough Surrender – a BDSM themed historical romance set in 1910
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Magience series (epic fantasy)
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Acknowledgements & Copyright
COPYRIGHT
Exquisite Possession Copyright © 2019 Cari Silverwood
www.carisilverwood.net
Editor: Nerine Dorman
Cover art: Cari Silverwood
All rights reserved. This copy is intended for the original purchaser of this e-book only. No part of this e-book may be reproduced, scanned, or distributed in any printed or electronic form without prior written permission from the author. Please do not participate in or encourage piracy of copyrighted materials.
This e-book is a work of fiction. While reference might be made to actual historical events or existing locations, the names, characters, places and incidents are either the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, business establishments, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.
Acknowledgements
To everyone who has read and critiqued this story, thank you!
Janine Peta, Gabriela Wolek, Emma Rose, and Jody Rhoton.
And Pam Stanton, since you roped yourself in. :)