Evergence: The Prodigal Sun

by Sean Williams

  * * * *

  i-Hurn Uprising: a civil dispute that broke out between two rival factions of the Hum Caste.

  IDnet: see Information Dissemination Network.

  Information Dissemination Network: a communications network dedicated to the spread of data across the galaxy, although its reach so far extends not much beyond the COE and its neighbours. It acts as a combined news service and medium for gossip. Also known as IDnet.

  Intelligence: see COE Intelligence.

  Interdiction Wars: the 13th Millennium conflict between the COE and the Kesh Supreme Union, after which the Commonwealth did not officially exist for two thousand years.

  Interventionism: a movement among High Humans — and some mundanes — that advocates closer links between High and mundane Castes. See The Crescend.

  Ivy Green Station: a refueling station in deep space owned by the COE; typically the last port of call before Sciacca's World.

  * * * *

  Jaaf: a recently Transcended Caste whose home-world, near the COE, was annihilated by the nova of its primary star.

  Janek: tactician, COEA Midnight.

  jarapine: a swift-footed creature native to Proebis-12.

  jezu: an archaic name for ghost.

  Jralevsky Minor: major outpost and refueling port for the Ethnarch's Military Presidium.

  JW111101000: see Box, the.

  Jytte: transportee, Sciacca Penal Colony.

  * * * *

  Kabos: a star near Ede System that recently went nova.

  Kajic, Uri: captain, DBMP Ana Vereine.

  Kanaga Station: the geostationary refueling base around Sciacca's World.

  Kesh: the most primitive of the Castes in the region surrounding the Commonwealth of Empires. The Kesh are typically warlike and predisposed toward violence. In appearance, they tend to be larger than the Pristine average and have mottled, multicoloured skin. Their social structure is heavily ritualised, with a strong tribal or family base. They are known for being highly racist.

  Kesh Supreme Union: a now-defunct empire that came into violent contact with the COE during a short-lived outsweep migration.

  Klose, Proctor: captain, COEA Midnight.

  Knagg's System: briefly a member system of the COE (4th Millennium), no longer in existence. A religion founded by its government led to the founding of the Ataman Theocracy.

  Komazec: sergeant, DBMP Ana Vereine.

  * * * *

  Lansequenet, DBMP: Dato Bloc raider.

  Leditschke indicators: a determination of the information density of a nation with respect to the sum total knowledge of the galaxy.

  Lene, Hierocrat Kaatje: ruler of the Hierocratic Kingdom of Shurdu.

  Low Castes: devolved mundane Humans. These animal-like creatures come in many forms and occupy many niches across the galaxy. Some evolve back up to mundane status, given time and isolation, while others become extinct as a result of the forces that led to their devolution in the first place.

  * * * *

  M'taio System: a system notable for its Caste wars in recent times.

  Maii: Surin epsense adept.

  Makaev, Atalia: second in command, DBMP Ana Vereine.

  Malogorski, Edan: transportee, Sciacca Penal Colony.

  Marauder: an experimental class of warship developed by the Dato Bloc. See DBMP Ana Vereine.

  Marines: see COE Armada.

  Mbata: (Mbatan, adj & sing. n) a well-regarded Caste known for its peace-loving and familial ways. In appearance the Mbata resemble an ursine species, larger and stronger than the Pristine. Their culture is egalitarian and open to trade.

  MiCom: a common abbreviation for 'Military Communications'.

  Middle Reaches: the region of medium stellar density between the Outer Arms and the galactic core.

  Midnight, COEA: COE Retriever Class frigate.

  Military Presidium: see Dato Bloc.

  mind-rider: superseded slang for epsense adept.

  Montaban: the home-world of Ameidio Haid.

  mundane Castes: Castes of Humanity that are essentially similar to the Pristine in terms of size, mental capacity, worldview, etc. Naturally there is a spectrum of types across the mundane Caste — from the highly evolved (some might say near-Transcendent) Olmahoi, through the socially complex Surin and Hum Castes, to the Eckandar and Pristine Castes with their societies based on trade and empire-building, and beyond, via the earthy Mbata, to the relatively primal Kesh. Mundanes are typically short-lived (a century or so, when allowed to age naturally) and build empires up to four or five thousand systems in size. There is a ceiling of complexity above which mundanes rarely go without Transcending. See High Humans and Batelin Limit.

  * * * *

  Neva: transportee, Sciacca Penal Colony.

  Nisov: second lieutenant, DBMP Ana Vereine.

  Nkuyan, Jo-en: first Eupatrid of the COE.

  Non-Aligned Realms: systems near the Commonwealth of Empires allied neither to it nor its neighbours.

  * * * *

  Objective Reference Calendar: a system of date-keeping established by the A-14 Higher Collaboration Network.

  Olmahoi: an exotic Caste that communicates entirely by epsense. Physically the Olmahoi are of similar size to Pristines, but are much stronger; their skin is black, and they possess little in the way of distinguishing features, apart from the epsense organ that dangles like a tentacle from the back of the skull. Their social structure is too complex to explore in detail here. They are renowned fighters, capable of feats of great skill, yet also possess a capacity for peace far in excess of any other Castes associated with the Commonwealth of Empires.

  Olmahoi retribution units: renowned fighters able to combine perfectly their physical and epsense abilities. Also known as 'grey boots'.

  OPUS: the mining consortium originally granted rights to Sciacca's World.

  Outer Arms: the low stellar-density regions of the galaxy between the Middle and Far Reaches.

  outsweep migrations: brief, outward surges by expansionist empires. These usually occur in the crowded environment of the core or Middle Reaches, in an outward direction.

  * * * *

  Paladin, DBMP: Dato Bloc raider.

  Palasian System: a system of the COE recently quarantined by the COE Armada for reasons unspecified. Due to its lack of habitable or easily terraformable planet, it has never been extensively colonised, but is the home to several Armada bases and a small commercial mining operation.

  Pan-Human Finance Trust: a financial institution spanning the galaxy, although its coverage is patchy in the Outer Arms.

  Pan-Rationalist Alliance of Zanshin: a government in a distant part of the galaxy.

  peace guns: see HFM weapons.

  Port Parvati: the capital and sole large city of Sciacca's World. Its landing field is the only official route on and off the planet.

  Pristine Caste: the form of Humanity that most closely resembles the original race that evolved an unknown time ago on an unknown planet somewhere in the galaxy. The Pristine Human genome, handed down from antiquity and regarded with near veneration, is stored in innumerable places among the civilised worlds. Pristines themselves, however, are accorded no special status.

  Proebis-12: the home of the swift-footed jarapine.

  * * * *

  qacina: a name for ghost in the Dominion language.

  Quyrend System: a system of the COE; also a major node in the COE's Information Dissemination Network (IDnet).

  * * * *

  rapeworm: a life-form indigenous to Sciacca's World.

  Rasia: transportee, Sciacca Penal Colony.

  reave: see epsense.

  Rehlaender: presiding judge, High Equity Court.

  Retriever Class Frigate: a class of frigate built prior to the Ataman Wars.

  Riem-Perez horizon: the technical name for the boundary cast by a hypershield.

  Roche, Morgan: Commander, COE Intelligence.

  Rufo, Linegar: renowned xenoarchaeologist; see Galine Fo
ur.

  * * * *

  Sabra: transportee, Sciacca Penal Colony.

  Sciacca's World: the only habitable world of the Hutton-Luu System; once an agricultural planet of the Dominion, now a desert penal colony of the COE (Sciacca Penal Colony). Its ring of moonlets — the Soul — is owned and mined by DAOC Inc.

  Scion War: the war in which the Sol Apotheosis Movement met its downfall at the hands of the Dominion, the Ataman Theocracy, and the Commonwealth of Empires, among others. The war was brought to an end in the 37th Millennium ('577 EN) when the leader of the combined military forces ordered an attack on the headquarters of the Movement, provoking their explosive suicide. See Sol Apotheosis Movement.

  scutter: a small, swift spacegoing vessel with many uses, both military and civilian; also known as a 'singleship'.

  Secession War: the conflict of '837 EN in which the Dato Bloc achieved its independence from the COE.

  Second Ataman War: despite overextending its resources during the First Ataman War, the Ataman Theocracy remained aggressively expansionist until '442 EN, when attempts to annex neighbouring systems belonging to the COE provoked a fierce retaliatory response. This time, the Commonwealth did not stop with surrender, but fought until it forced the Theocracy to submit completely and eventually adopted it as a province.

  shelaigh: another word for ghost.

  Shem: the original capital system of the COE.

  Siegl-K: a brand of powered combat armour discontinued in '895 EN.

  slow-jump: a common alternative to the anchor drive that utilises similar technology. Most ships with an anchor drive can slow-jump if necessary. It is essentially a jump through hyperspace from any point in real space. A certain degree of kinetic energy is required before translation can be achieved, so ships must accelerate for some time beforehand. Even then, the hyperspace jump is short-lived, and the vessel emerges soon after (typically less than a light-year away from its departure point) with significantly less kinetic energy. The process must be repeated from scratch if another slow-jump is required. As a means of crossing interstellar space, it is inefficient and time-consuming, hence its name. Slow-jumping becomes increasingly nonviable closer to a gravity well, but more efficient as mass (of the traveling object) decreases.

  Sol Apotheosis Movement: a quasi-religious organisation devoted to the pursuit of Transcendence via genetic manipulation and biomodification that reached its peak and was destroyed in the 37th Millennium. Its fanatical followers were a source of unrest for decades, until an alliance formed among their neighbours dedicated to putting a stop to them. In '577 EN, at the climax of the Scion War, a flotilla of allied forces encircled their base, which the Movement destroyed in order to prevent its capture. The resulting explosion annihilated them as well, of course, but also decimated the flotilla. Of the four stations involved in the battle, only one survived, and that was severely damaged. So embarrassed was the alliance that the leaders of the day ordered the event stricken from history. They even closed the anchor point leading to the system to prevent anyone learning what occurred there. Nothing survived of the base, and the rest of the system is an unsalvageable ruin.

  Sol System: uninhabited system in a nonaligned region near the Dato Bloc. Former home of the Sol Apotheosis Movement.

  Sol Wunderkind: genetically modified clone warriors designed and bred by the Sol Apotheosis Movement.

  Soul, the: the local name for the orbiting ring of mineral-rich moonlets girdling Sciacca's World.

  Surin: a relatively minor Caste found in the regions surrounding the COE. The Surin exist in isolated clumps overseen by a governing body that guides rather than rules. They are social beings, yet ones fond of isolation, giving them a reputation for occasional aloofness. They are technically accomplished, especially in the biological sciences. In stature, they tend to be slight, and they have hair covering much of their bodies. It is occasionally speculated that they have re-evolved from Low Caste status.

  Surin Agora: the ruling body of the loosely knit Surin nation.

  Szubetka Base: the Dato Bloc's equivalent of COE Intelligence HQ.

  * * * *

  T'Bul: a Kesh slave trader.

  TAN-C: a commercial cipher employed by COE Enforcement. Teh, Sylvester: transportee, Sciacca Penal Colony.

  Tepko: MiCom supervisor, Port Parvati.

  Terms of Revocation: the treaty negotiated by the Dato Bloc and the COE that ended the Secession War.

  Terrison: first officer, COEA Midnight.

  Transcend: to break free of the constraints of mundane Humanity. A being or Caste that has Transcended typically has an extremely long lifespan and spreads its consciousness across a number of primary containers — such as neural nets, quantum data vats, and the like. Transcended entities, singular or collective, are referred to as High Human and accorded the highest status.

  Transcendence: the state of being Transcended. Usually achieved when consciousness research and computer technology overlap, allowing an organic mind to be down-loaded into an electronic vessel, thereby gaining the potential for unlimited growth.

  Transpicuous, COEC: a vessel once registered with the COE.

  tri-rage: the local name for a weather pattern — a series of three violent dust storms — found on Sciacca's World.

  Trinity: the world on which AIs are made in the region dominated by the COE. The AI factory was founded and is overseen by the High Human known as the Crescend.

  * * * *

  Ul-œmato: the Dominion name of Houghton's Cross; roughly translatable as 'Founder's Rock'.

  Undira Province: home of the Commonwealth of Empires' original capital.

  * * * *

  Vasos: the Mbatan capital system.

  Veden, Makil: an Eckandar Trade Axis citizen and Commerce Artel ex-delegate.

  Vereine, Ataman Ana: the last leader of the Ataman Theocracy and the founder of the Andermahr Experiment.

  Vexisen Republic, Greater: a nation home to the most ancient known Pristine remains, pushing Humanity's appearance in the wider galaxy back to half a million years.

  vintu buds: the shoots of a plant native to Sciacca's World.

  * * * *

  Walan Third: a COE world leased to the Commerce Artel.

  war-dancer: a Surin ritual combatant.

  Warfare Protocol: the code by which war is conducted within and between those nations that trade with the Commerce Artel.

  Wars: notable conflicts include the Interdiction, Scion, Secession, Ghost, and First and Second Ataman Wars.

  * * * *

  Xarodine: an epsense-inhibiting drug.

  1. The authors assume as always that the reader is familiar with the distinctions made between the High, mundane, Exotic and Pristine Castes. The critical point here is that few nations composed predominantly of the Pristine Caste exceed the Batelin Limit — the ceiling above which complexity exceeds biological capabilities; a nation becomes too complex, in other words, for its citizens to comprehend the nation in its entirety. In the case of the Pristine Caste, that ceiling is usually quoted at three and a half thousand systems. High Castes frequently achieve figures in excess of several thousand million.

  2. The COE is, in fact, an atheist state. It is interesting to note the strong correlation between aggressive expansionism and state religion. Of the seventy percent of mundane nations that profess to have no official belief system, fewer than fifty percent have embarked on explosive outsweeps, whereas more than seventy percent of those that do follow a theistic regime have done so at some point during their existence. Also notable in this case is the observation that atheist states tend to exhibit increased longevity.

  3. The COE was aiming for economic and political stability, in other words, rather than Transcendence. Unlike some of its neighbours, such as the Olmahoi and the short-lived (but explosive) Sol Apotheosis Movement, its long-term targets are set very close to home. Its rate of growth has never been rapid by most standards, and can be viewed more as extrapolated consolidation than a
s true expansion.

  4. To put to calendar in perspective, the date of the founding of the COE can be given as 410,623, according to the Objective Reference Calendar of the A-14 Higher Collaboration Network. The relevance of the ORA14 has been called into question in recent years, however, given that the emergence of Pristine (some would say 'Primordial' here) Humanity into the wider galaxy, the point at which the Objective Reference Calendar is supposed to begin, is currently estimated to be minus 40,000 years. All dates within the COE are measured from zero Ex Nihilo, and will be for the remainder of this report.

  5. Knagg's System evolved and expanded by degrees to become the Ataman Theocracy, which, after the conflicts known as the Ataman Wars, was absorbed into the COE itself. Not long after, it seceded again to become the Dato Bloc.