The Ashes of Worlds

by Kevin J. Anderson

  Earth Defense Forces (EDF) — Terran space military, led by General Kurt Lanyan, devastated during the black robot uprising and the hydrogue war.

  Eddies — slang term for soldiers in EDF

  ekti — exotic allotrope of hydrogen used to fuel Ildiran stardrives, primarily extracted from gas-giant planets.

  Eldora — Confederation forestry colony.

  Estarra, Queen — second daughter, fourth child of Father Idriss and Mother Alexa, married to King Peter, recently gave birth to a son, Reynald.

  faeros — sentient fire entities dwelling within stars.

  featherviper — poisonous serpent from Theroc.

  Fitzpatrick, Maureen — former Chairman of the Terran Hanseatic League, grandmother of Patrick Fitzpatrick III, nicknamed “Old Battleaxe.”

  Fitzpatrick, Patrick III — General Lanyan’s protégé in the Earth Defense Forces, presumed dead after battle of Osquivel but captured by Roamers. Later, he abandoned the EDF, stole his grandmother’s space yacht, and went in search of the Roamers; now he is married to Zhett Kellum.

  Frederick — previous Great King of the Hansa, Peter’s predecessor, assassinated by hydrogue emissary.

  Freedom’s Sword — outspoken protest group that is attempting to oust Hansa Chairman Basil Wenceslas.

  fungus reef — giant worldtree growth on Theroc, carved into a habitation by the Therons.

  Gale’nh — experimental half-breed son of Nira and Adar Kori’nh, third oldest of her children.

  Gold, Jerome — Sullivan and Lydia’s adult son.

  Gold, Lydia — Sullivan’s wife.

  Gold, Patrice — Sullivan and Lydia’s adult daughter.

  Gold, Philip — Sullivan and Lydia’s teenaged grandson.

  Gold, Sullivan — former administrator of the Hansa’s modular cloud harvester at Qronha 3, which was destroyed by hydrogues; temporarily held captive by Ildirans, then quietly returned to Earth by Rlinda Kett and Branson Roberts.

  Gold, Victor — Sullivan and Lydia’s adult son.

  Golgen — gas giant where Ross Tamblyn’s Blue Sky Mine was destroyed; now it is the site of renewed Roamer skymining, particularly by clan Kellum.

  green priest — servant of the worldforest, able to use worldtrees for instantaneous telink communication.

  Guiding Star — Roamer philosophy and religion, an inspirational force in a person’s life.

  Gypsy — space yacht flown by Patrick Fitzpatrick III, renamed after he stole it from his grandmother to search for Zhett Kellum.

  Hansa — Terran Hanseatic League.

  Hansa headquarters — pyramidal building near the Whisper Palace on Earth.

  Hobart — Roamer clan, operators of a skymine on Golgen.

  Horizon Cluster — large star cluster near Ildira, location of Hyrillka and many other splinter colonies. Most of Rusa’h’s rebellion took place in the Horizon Cluster.

  Huck, Tabitha — engineer aboard Sullivan Gold’s cloud harvester, held captive by Ildirans and turned her talents to helping in the war against the hydrogues. A devotee of the green priest Kolker’s joined telink/thism philosophy, Tabitha was killed by faeros when they reemerged from the dead sun of Durris-B.

  hydrogues — alien race living in the cores of gas-giant planets, allied with the black robots and defeated by a combined force of verdani, wentals, Solar Navy, EDF, and Roamers.

  Hyrillka — Ildiran colony in the Horizon Cluster, from which Designate Rusa’h began his rebellion. When battles between faeros and hydrogues threatened to extinguish one of Hyrillka’s suns, the population was evacuated and taken temporarily to Ildira. The current Hyrillka Designate is the boy Ridek’h.

  Idriss, Father — former ruler of Theroc, husband of Mother Alexa and father of Reynald, Beneto, Sarein, Estarra, and Celli.

  Ildira — home planet of the Ildiran Empire.

  Ildiran Empire — large alien empire, the only other major civilization in the Spiral Arm.

  Ildiran Solar Navy — space military fleet of the Ildiran Empire, much of which was devastated defending Earth during the end of the hydrogue war. Many warliners were being rebuilt in large orbiting shipyards over Ildira before the recent faeros invasion.

  Ildirans — humanoid alien race with many different breeds, or kiths.

  Isix cats — sleek feline predators native to Ildira; Jora’h’s daughter Yazra’h kept three of them, though one was killed by faeros.

  jazer — energy weapon used by Earth Defense Forces.

  Jonah 12 — icy planetoid, site of Kotto Okiah’s hydrogen-extraction facility, destroyed by Klikiss robots. Caleb Tamblyn was stranded on Jonah 12 after faeros destroyed his water tanker.

  Jora’h — Mage-Imperator of the Ildiran Empire.

  Juggernaut — largest battleship class in Earth Defense Forces.

  Jupiter — Admiral Willis’s flagship Juggernaut.

  Kamarov, Raven — Roamer captain, destroyed with his cargo ship during a secret EDF raid. Patrick Fitzpatrick III gave the order to fire on him, following instructions given by General Lanyan.

  Kellum, Del — Roamer clan leader, in charge of Osquivel shipyards and many Golgen skymines; formerly engaged to Shareen Pasternak, who was killed by hydrogues; father of Zhett.

  Kellum, Zhett — daughter of Del Kellum; married to Patrick Fitzpatrick.

  Kett, Rlinda — heavyset merchant woman, captain of the Voracious Curiosity, now serving as the Confederation’s Trade Minister.

  kith — a breed of Ildiran.

  Klikiss — ancient insectlike race, long vanished from the Spiral Arm, leaving only their empty cities, recently returned to take over their former worlds.

  Klikiss robots — intelligent beetlelike robots built by the Klikiss race.

  Klikiss Siren — sonic device developed by Kotto Okiah.

  Klikiss Torch — a weapon created by the ancient Klikiss race to implode gas-giant planets as a defense against the hydrogues; their design was rediscovered by Margaret and Louis Colicos, who tested the device at the gas giant Oncier, thereby unwittingly provoking the hydrogue war.

  Kolker — green priest stationed on Sullivan Gold’s cloud harvester at Qronha 3, held captive by Ildirans. Kolker discovered a way to unite telink and thism, thus forming a new pseudo-religion, but he also unwittingly created a pathway for newborn faeros to spread. He was killed during the faeros invasion of Ildira.

  Kori’nh, Adar — leader of the Ildiran Solar Navy, killed in a heroic suicidal assault against hydrogues on Qronha 3; mentor of Zan’nh.

  Ko’sh — Chief Scribe of the Ildiran rememberer kith; despite the Mage-Imperator’s orders to correct and revise the Saga of Seven Suns, Ko’sh resisted all changes.

  Kulu, Dr. Jane — Hansa scientific adviser, assigned to assist Chairman Wenceslas in creating technological “miracles.”

  Lanyan, General Kurt — commander of the Earth Defense Forces.

  lens kithmen — philosopher priests who help to guide troubled Ildirans, interpreting faint guidance from the thism.

  Lightsource — a realm on a higher plane composed entirely of light. Ildirans believe that faint trickles of this light break through into our universe and are channeled through the Mage-Imperator and distributed across their race through the thism.

  Liona — green priest assigned to Del Kellum’s skymine on Golgen and then to the Osquivel shipyards.

  Llaro — abandoned Klikiss world, site of a human colony and also a POW camp for Roamer detainees. The Klikiss invasion overwhelmed this colony, killing many of the people; only a few colonists escaped.

  Lotze, Davlin — Hansa exosociologist and spy, sent to Rheindic Co, where he and Rlinda Kett discovered how to use the Klikiss transportal system. Later, he left Hansa service and went in hiding to live on Llaro with other Crenna refugees. After helping the colonists to escape, he was captured by the Klikiss and consumed in the breedex’s next fissioning.

  Mage-Imperator — the god-emperor of the Ildiran Empire.

  Manta — midsized cruiser cl
ass in EDF.

  Maratha — Ildiran resort world with extremely long day and night cycle, abandoned since Klikiss robots took over.

  Maratha Prime — primary domed city on one continent of Maratha, destroyed by Klikiss robots.

  Maratha Secda — sister city on opposite side of Maratha, destroyed by Klikiss robots.

  Mijistra — glorious capital city of the Ildiran Empire, site of the Prism Palace.

  Muree’n — experimental half-breed daughter of Nira and a guard kithman, youngest of her children.

  Nahton — court green priest on Earth, assassinated by Chairman Wenceslas when he tried to send a warning to Theroc about an impending EDF attack.

  Nira — female green priest, Jora’h’s lover and mother of his half-breed daughter, Osira’h. She was held captive for years in breeding camps on Dobro, then freed.

  Okiah, Jhy — former Speaker of the clans, died on Jonah 12.

  Okiah, Kotto — Jhy Okiah’s youngest son, a brash and eccentric inventor who created many innovations to assist the clans during the hydrogue war, including the “doorbells” that destroyed warglobes and the wental-ice artillery shells that destroyed faeros.

  old Battleaxe — nickname for former Hansa Chairman Maureen Fitzpatrick.

  O’nh, Tal — second-highest-ranking officer in Ildiran Solar Navy, mentor to Hyrillka Designate Ridek’h. He was blinded by Rusa’h in a faeros attack on his septa of warliners.

  Osira’h — daughter of Nira and Jora’h, bred to have unusual telepathic abilities. She was a special envoy to the hydrogues.

  Osquivel — ringed gas planet, site of secret Roamer shipyards; also, the name of a new personnel transport built to retrieve Roamer detainees on Llaro.

  Otema — former ambassador from Theroc, green priest sent to Ildira, where she was murdered by Mage-Imperator Cyroc’h.

  OX — Teacher compy, one of the oldest Earth robots, instructor and adviser to King Peter; his memories were mostly wiped during Peter and Estarra’s escape from Earth.

  Palace District — governmental zone around the Whisper Palace on Earth.

  Palomar, Ronald — former Hansa Chairman who served between the administrations of Maureen Fitzpatrick and Basil Wenceslas.

  PD — one of two Friendly compies formerly belonging to Admiral Wu-Lin, taken as “students” of Sirix during the black robot uprising.

  Peroni, Cesca — Roamer Speaker of all clans, trained by Jhy Okiah. Cesca was betrothed to Ross Tamblyn, then Reynald of Theroc, but has always loved Jess Tamblyn. Nearly killed by the black robots on Jonah 12, she was saved by the wentals and is now infused with wental power; she has joined Jess in his work for the wentals.

  Peroni, Denn — Cesca’s father, killed by faeros near Jonah 12.

  Peter, King — formerly Raymond Aguerra; Great King of the Hansa, married to Estarra; he escaped Earth and established a new Confederation on Theroc.

  Pike, Zebulon Charles — one of four surviving grid admirals after the black robot uprising and the hydrogue war.

  Plumas — frozen moon with deep liquid oceans, site of Tamblyn clan water industry, nearly destroyed by a tainted wental inhabiting Karla Tamblyn’s body.

  Prime Designate — eldest son and heir apparent of Ildiran Mage-Imperator.

  Prism Palace — dwelling of the Ildiran Mage-Imperator.

  Pym — abandoned Klikiss world resettled during the Colonization Initiative, now the site of a large Klikiss subhive.

  Qronha — a close binary system, two of the Ildiran “seven suns.” The system contains two habitable planets and one gas giant, Qronha 3, where all skymining was destroyed by hydrogue attacks.

  QT — one of two Friendly compies formerly belonging to Admiral Wu-Lin, taken as “students” of Sirix during the black robot uprising.

  Relleker — former Hansa colony, destroyed by hydrogues. Now resettled by Roamer clans and Confederation colonists, known for its new cutting-edge technological industries.

  Rememberer — member of the Ildiran storyteller kith.

  Remora — small attack ship in Earth Defense Forces.

  Rendezvous — inhabited asteroid cluster, once the center of Roamer government before it was destroyed by the EDF.

  Reynald — eldest son of Father Idriss and Mother Alexa, killed in hydrogue attack on Theroc. Also the name of King Peter and Queen Estarra’s firstborn son.

  Rheindic Co — abandoned Klikiss world investigated by Margaret and Louis Colicos; the central transfer point for the transportal network before the Klikiss recaptured it from General Lanyan.

  Rhejak — former Hansa colony, an ocean world of reefs, medusa herders, and fishermen. Rhejak was the site of a planned EDF pogrom, but General Lanyan was foiled by the mutiny of Admiral Willis.

  Roamers — loose confederation of independent humans, primary producers of ekti stardrive fuel.

  Roberts, Branson — former husband and business partner of Rlinda Kett, also called BeBob; his ship is the Blind Faith.

  Rod’h — experimental half-breed son of Nira and the Dobro Designate, second oldest of her children.

  Rusa’h — former Hyrillka Designate who degenerated into madness after a head injury and began a revolt against the Mage-Imperator. Rather than allow himself to be captured, he flew his ship into Hyrillka’s sun, where he merged with the fiery elementals and has returned as the faeros incarnate.

  Saga of Seven Suns — historical and legendary epic of the Ildiran civilization, considered to be infallible until Anton Colicos and Rememberer Vao’sh proved otherwise.

  San Luis, Zia — one of the four surviving grid admirals after the black robot uprising and the hydrogue war.

  Sarein — eldest daughter of Father Idriss and Mother Alexa, Theron ambassador to Earth, also Basil Wenceslas’s lover; she helped Estarra and Peter escape from the Hansa, but chose to remain behind on Earth.

  septa — Ildiran Solar Navy battle group composed of seven ships.

  septar — commander of a septa.

  shizz — Roamer expletive.

  Sirix — Klikiss robot, leader of robotic revolt against humans.

  skymine — ekti-harvesting facility in the clouds of a gas-giant planet, usually operated by Roamers.

  skysphere — main dome of the Ildiran Prism Palace, equivalent to a throne room.

  Solimar — young green priest, treedancer, and mechanic; Celli’s boyfriend.

  Soul-threads — connections of thism that trickle through from the Lightsource. The Mage-Imperator and lens kithmen are able to see them.

  Speaker — political leader of the Roamer clans.

  Spiral Arm — the section of the Milky Way Galaxy settled by the Ildiran Empire and Hansa colonies.

  splinter colony — an Ildiran colony that meets minimum population requirements.

  Steinman, Hud — old transportal explorer, discovered Corribus and decided to settle there. After the black robot attack on Corribus, he and Orli Covitz were the only two survivors; they joined the Crenna refugees on Llaro before the Klikiss invasion there, and were rescued by Tasia Tamblyn and Robb Brindle.

  Stoner, Benn — leader of former human captives on Dobro.

  streamer — fast single ship in Ildiran Solar Navy.

  Sweeney, Dahlia — DD’s first owner.

  tal — military rank in the Ildiran Solar Navy, cohort commander.

  Tamblyn, Caleb — one of Jess and Tasia’s uncles, stranded on Jonah 12 after the faeros destroyed his water tanker.

  Tamblyn, Jess — Roamer in love with Cesca Peroni, infused with wental energy.

  Tamblyn, Karla — Jess and Tasia’s mother, frozen to death in ice accident on Plumas, revived by tainted wentals.

  Tamblyn, Ross — Jess and Tasia’s brother, betrothed to Cesca Peroni, killed in the first hydrogue attack on Golgen.

  Tamblyn, Tasia — Jess’s sister, who left the Roamers to join the EDF, captured by hydrogues at Qronha 3 and freed by Jess. Now she and Robb Brindle have joined the Confederation military.

  Tamblyn, Tor
in — one of Jess and Tasia’s uncles, twin to Wynn, currently running the Plumas water mines.

  Tamblyn, Wynn — one of Jess and Tasia’s uncles, twin to Torin, currently running the Plumas water mines.

  Tamo’l — experimental half-breed daughter of Nira and a lens kithman; second youngest of her children.

  Telink — instantaneous communication used by green priests via worldtrees.

  Terran Hanseatic League — commerce-based government of Earth and Terran colonies, also called the Hansa, managed by a Chairman and a figurehead King.

  Theroc — forested planet, home of the sentient worldtrees, currently the center of the Confederation’s government.

  Theron — a native of Theroc.

  thism — faint racial telepathic link from the Mage-Imperator to the Ildiran people.

  Thor’h — eldest noble-born son of Mage-Imperator Jora’h; former Prime Designate who joined Rusa’h’s rebellion; he died on Dobro.

  torch trees — worldtrees possessed by faeros, filled with living fire but not consumed.

  transgate — hydrogue/faeros point-to-point transportation system.

  transportal — Klikiss instantaneous transportation system.

  treedancers — acrobatic performers in the Theron forests.

  treeling — a small worldtree sapling, often transported in an ornate pot and used by green priests for telink.

  Troop Carrier — personnel transport ship in the Ildiran Solar Navy.

  Twitcher — EDF stun weapon.

  Tylar, Crim — Roamer detainee on Llaro, father of Nikko, rescued by Tasia Tamblyn and Robb Brindle.

  Tylar, Nikko Chan — young Roamer pilot, son of Crim and Marla; Nikko was one of Jess Tamblyn’s first water bearers to deliver wental water; his ship is the Aquarius.

  Unison — standardized government-sponsored religion for official activities on Earth, whose spokesman is the Archfather, a paid actor.

  UR — Governess-model Roamer compy, formerly held at Llaro with other Roamer detainees; she lost one of her arms protecting several children during an attack by a Klikiss scout.

  Usk — breakaway Hansa colony, populated mainly by farmers, site of a horrific pogrom led by General Lanyan and the Archfather of Unison.

  Vao’sh — Ildiran rememberer, patron and friend of Anton Colicos, survivor of the robot attacks on Maratha; one of the only Ildirans ever to survive the isolation madness caused by separation from other Ildirans.