Uliast: general, Sarl army
undersquare: see oversquare
unge: drug, smoked; L8&9S
Upstart: (species) generally recognised if mildly pejorative term for (usually intelligent and even Involved) species which is regarded as having achieved such status by the exploitation of its relationship with another, already advanced, civilisation
Urletine: (mercenaries) fight for Sarl; L8S
Uzretean: a Rollstar of L9S
Vaw-yei: Tower, Sursamen
Veil World: see Shellworld
Vilamian Ocean: on L8S
Voette: country, L8S
Vruise: location of Falls, L9S
wallcreep: foliage, L8&9S
Wars of Unity: sequence waged by Hausk to unite the Eighth
Wiriniti: capital of Voette, L8S
Xilisk: region near Pourl, L8S
Xiliskine Tower: Tower nearest to Pourl, L8S
xirze: crop, common on L8&9S
Yakid: Boiling Sea of, L9S
Yakid City: on shores of above, L9S
Yattle: planet, Greater Yattlian Spray
Zamerin: high rank of the Nariscene (see also Grand Zamerin)
Zaranche: planet, Inner Caferlitician Tendril
Za’s Revenge: C cocktail
Zoveli: star and system, location of Prasadal
Zuevelous: Morthanveld family, Gavantille Prime
Zunzil Ligature: region of space; location of Iln home world/s
Ships
Culture
Don’t Try This At Home: Steppe-class MSV
Eight Rounds Rapid: Delinquent-class FP exGOU
Experiencing A Significant Gravitas Shortfalclass="underline" GCU
It’s My Party And I’ll Sing If I Want To: Escarpment-class GCU
Lightly Seared on the Reality Grilclass="underline" GCU
Liveware Problem: Stream-class Superlifter (modified Delta class, Absconded)
Now We Try It My Way: Erratic-class (ex-Interstellar-class General Transport Craft)
Pure Big Mad Boat Man: GCU
Qualifier: Trench-class MSV
Seed Drilclass="underline" Ocean-class GSV
Subtle Shift In Emphasis: Plains-class GCV
Transient Atmospheric Phenomenon: GCU
Xenoglossicist: Air-class LSV
You Naughty Monsters: GCU
You’ll Clean That Up Before You Leave: Gangster-class VFP ex-ROU
Nariscene
Hence the Fortress: Comet-class star-cruiser
Hundredth Idiot, The: White Dwarf-class
Morthanveld
“Fasilyce, Upon Waking”: Cat.5 SwellHull
Inspiral, Coalescence, Ringdown: Great Ship
“On First Seeing Jhiriit”: Cat.4 CleaveHull
“Now, Turning to Reason, & Its Just Sweetness”: Cat.3 SlimHull
Sursamen Levels: Inhabitants
0: Surface; vacuum/habiformed: Nariscene/Baskers/others
1: Vacuum: Seedsail nursery
2: Vacuum: Baskers
3: Vacuum: Dark
4: O2 ocean: Cumuloforms
5: Methane shallows: Kites/Avians
6: Higher Gas Giant: Tendrils — Naiant
7: Methane Ocean: Vesiculars — Monthian megawhales
8: Land — O2: Sarl
9: Land — O2: Deldeyn/Sarl
(Under-/Over square division)
10: Mid Gas Giant: Tendrils — Variolous
11: Methane ocean: Vesiculars — Monthian megawhales
12: Lower Gas Giant: Swimmers
13: Water/slush matrices: Tubers/Hydrals
14: Ice/water: Dark
15: Machinery: the WorldGod — a Xinthian
16: Core — solid: the WorldGod — a Xinthian
Time Intervals
aeon: 1 000 000 000 years
deciaeon: 100 000 000 years
centiaeon: 10 000 000 years
eon: 1 000 000 years
decieon: 100 000 years
centieon: 10 000 years
millennium: 1 000 years
century: 100 years
decade: 10 years
year: 1 year
Epilogue
Senble Holse was hunched over a tub with a washboard, furiously scrubbing, when her husband walked in. He came through the doorway of the apartment in the company of a smoothly handsome, ringlet-haired blond gent and holding the hand of a strange-looking little boy. She watched, open-mouthed, as he nodded to her.
“Mrs Holse,” he said. He walked to the centre of their cramped living room, put his hands on his hips — the odd-looking child still kept a determined hold of his hand — and gazed around. He was dressed rather well, even for a prince’s servant, and looked better than ever he had; well-fed and sleek. The twins had taken one look and yelped; they were hiding behind her skirts, holding on fit to drag her to her knees and peeking round, one on each side.
“You look well, my dear,” he said. He caught sight of the youngest, hiding behind the door into the bedroom. He waved. There was a thin cry and the door banged shut. He laughed and looked back at her. “Young Choubris?”
“At school!” Senble told him.
“Good.” He nodded. “Oh,” he said with a smile. (His teeth looked wrong; far too pale and even.) “Where’s my manners, eh?” He nodded at the glossy-looking man standing smiling at his side. “Senble, dearest; meet Mr Klatsli Quike.”
The fellow nodded slowly. “An honour, ma’am.” He was carrying a small pile of boxes bound with ribbons.
“Mr Quike will be staying with us,” Holse announced breezily. “And this here,” he said, waving the hand holding that of the odd-looking, very serious-seeming little boy, “is Toark. Toark Holse as he shall be known henceforth. We’ll be adopting him. Mr Quike is a man of considerable abilities who finds himself at something of a loose end and with a sentimental attachment to our dear homeworld, while little Toark here is an orphan of war, and so much in need of love and a settled family life, the poor little soul.”
Senble had had enough. She threw the wet washing back into the tub, wiped her hands once on her skirts, pulled herself up to her best height — detaching the twins, who ran for the bedroom and disappeared, squealing — and said, “Not a word, not a word for an entire year, then you march in here, bold as you like, not a word of apology, telling me there’s gents going to be staying with us and bringing me another mouth to feed when we’ve no room in here as it is even without you being back let me add and no money to spend anyway even if we did have the room, which we don’t—”
“Now, dear,” Holse said, picking up the young lad and sitting him on his knee as he settled himself in his old chair by the window. The little boy buried his face in Holse’s shoulder. “We shall have a much bigger and far better set of rooms by this evening, Mr Quike informs me, isn’t that right, Mr Quike?”