The history of ThalĂär remains a mystery. On this point, I must first acknowledge the salience of my colleagues’ reports. The various shafts, canyons, and large-scale gaps in the upper and middle planetary surfaces do not occur in any geometric, fractal, or other discernible ordered pattern, nor do the edges
Taxonomic Term Confusion: Taxonomy is even more of a mess than it used to be, having to deal with life originating separately (it is usually thought; see Panspermia) in a multitude of different ecologies, which then got intermingled by ancient and modern terraforming and accidents of star travel to produce
From the earlier – which is to say, closer to the fervor of the revolution – days of the Empire’s history: “Congratulations on your polity’s recent annexation by the Empire of the Star!” “Whether we have come as the result of a war with your previous government, or merely to
Panspermia: Not proven in the general case, any more than it is today, and probably substantially less – different evolutionary trees and biochemistries surely look as if they had different origins. Confirmed in some specific cases – Eliera, for example, derives its life from three sources: bluelife, which is very clearly descended
With the alchemical term rebis – link is to Spanish Wikipedia since the English entry appears to be broken – the primordial hermaphrodite, and the symbol of the unification of two opposing properties – it occurs to me I have the perfect ready-made term, translation-convention-wise, for a herm body operated by a two-person
Call A Rabbit A Smeerp: Almost inevitably, thanks to Translation Convention, and purging of jargon and dialog of obvious Earth-culture references, like, say, “Sorcerer’s Apprentice Problem” and “Newtonian mechanics”. Although at least most of the time, it is trying to indicate some subtle difference: making the distinction between “agorism”
“Welcome to Tessil System Space. You are now entering the Tessil system advisory zone. Contact Tessil SysCon on channel 43.2 and identify. Current ephemerides and system documentation updates are now being transmitted. Procedural control is now in effect.” “Current alerts: Undocumented debris has been spotted in AdĂrdis-CelĂ©res brachistochrone route
The following, as will be the other eight entries in the series, are extracts from the Word of the Flame, the record of the seeress Merriéle’s visions that is also the primary text of the Church of the Flame, the mainstream eldraeic religion. More specifically, this series will contain
FROM: CORE COMMAND TO: FIELD FLEET SPINWARD COMMAND (CS LIBERTY’S PRICE) *** PRIORITY PRIORITY PRIORITY *** EYES ONLY SPINWARD OPS *** STANDING ORDER UPDATE (SEQ 4377) FLT ADM DAPHNOTARTHIUS, COMMANDING FIELD FLEET SPINWARD: 1. THIS MESSAGE CONSTITUTES A MANDATORY UPDATE TO STANDING ORDERS PRESENTLY IN EFFECT. 2. RULES OF ENGAGEMENT AILÉK-1 ARE
Translation Convention: Applied – with a degree of selectivity, in which I translate names that are meaningful based on roots in modern Eldraeic (i.e. “Mosstone”, “Stonesmight”, “House Silverfall”, “House Steamweaver”, etc.), but leave untouched those derived from older languages. Occasional pieces of the actual Eldraeic are left in for effect,
By-the-Book Cop: Played straight in the Empire, inasmuch as proper protocol and ethical guidelines come in a gnostic overlay, run by every on-duty member of the Watch Constabulary. Granted, this being the Empire, proper protocol is pretty flexible and discretionary, but where it isn’t, the overlay makes sure it’
But Not Too White: Averted, since this meme never even had the preconditions to become established on Eliéra. The eldrae simply don’t tan in response to UV light, no matter how long they spend working, walking, or basking in the sun. (Essentially, their ancestors – thanks to the superior immune