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Library Data: SSecond Imperium : - The successor of the First Imperium, established by Admiral Hiroshi Estigarribia to rule the territories conquered from the Vilani Empire (Ziru Sirka) by Terra.See also Rule of Man. Sector : - A sector is a term used to describe an area of space. A sector is 32 parsecs wide and 40 parsecs long. Each sector is named and is split into 16 named, equal sized subsectors each measuring 8 parsecs by 10. Seneschal : - An aide or executive officer. For high-ranking officials, the wide range of responsibilities of high office are manageable only through computer assistance. Even then, the information flow may be too great. The seneschal is a product of the computer age - an adjutant or assistant with responsibilities in information management. The seneschal has no authority of his own; he manages the massive input of information associated with his superior's position, keeping the official informed, but not overwhelmed. Senagoa : - The IND Senagoa is a 6000 ton Imperial Navy destroyer attached to the Rimward Expedition towards the galaxy's rim. Ships Boat : - A ships boat is a small craft commonly carried by starships to be used as an atmospheric interface craft, or to ferry personnel and supplies between ships. Shudusham Concords : - Agreement signed by twelve worlds of the Sylean Federation at Shudusham (Core/Capital 1821) in -110 which dealt with weaponry carried by robots. The Concords were originally brought in following a tragic incident in -112 where a terrorist group rigged a courier robot to self-destruct and sneaked it onboard the Sylean battleship The Empire's Will. While on a goodwill mission round the world Fornol (Core 1715) the robots fuel cells exploded killing Fornol's premier, two ambassadors and the Sylean vice-minister. The repurcussions of the event were so great that the Sylean Federation was nearly thrown into civil war. The Concords have no legal force now, but many worlds have adopted similar or identical standards using the Concords as a template, and most robots produced commercially in the Imperium are designed with these restrictions in mind. The Concords consisted of seven articles:
Signal GK : - Abbreviation for Gashimeku Kaalariin, Vilani for "vessel in distress". The code signal GK originated on Vland as a distress signal in maritime and aviation activity, and it was one of the standard communication codes of the Vilani Imperium. When the Second Imperium succeeded it, signal GK was retained as a distress code co-equal with the Terran SOS and Mayday signals. The Imperial Navigation Act of 63 requires all vessels, whether military or civilian, to respond to the GK, SOS, or Mayday signals provided such a response does not endanger the fabric or crew of the responding vessel. See also Mayday, SOS. Slake Moth : - Slake Moths are vicious creatures native to the world of Thagam. Very rare, these beasts are like large humanoids with huge wings and beaks. On the inside of their wings are swirling patterns of light that hypnotise their prey if they look at them (fortunately if seen through a mirror it has no affect). Once their prey is hypnotised they will insert their long probing tongues into the victims brains and suck out their conciousness. On Thagam they were originally being held captive by a local crime lord who was using their excrement as a drug called Dream Shit. Solomani : - Strictly, a member of that human race which developed on Terra from the original human stock (H. Sapiens). The term Solomani is often used to refer to members of the Solomani race (or, more palatably to some, to members of the human race of Solomani descent) or to members of the Solomani political movement. Its original meaning is obscure, but the word seems to have derived from either "men of Sol" or "sole men". After the Solomani developed jump drives in -2431, Solomani humans scattered to the stars in several waves. Early colonisation efforts first settled the worlds closest to Terra; the later conquest of the First Imperium and the establishment of the Rule of Man sent more Solomani humans out primarily to occupy former Vilani controlled regions. Solomani Hypothesis : - When the Solomani discovered jump drive in -2431, they also discovered that more than a dozen human races had already colonised the worlds surrounding Terra. At the same time, there was no satisfactory explanation for the more than 40 genetically identical human races. The Solomani Hypothesis, first proposed by Magis Sergei haut-Devroe, theorised that all of the many widely scattered human races of the galaxy originated on Terra, and he thought that they were transported to their current homeworlds by an alien race (called the Ancients) for purposes which even today remain unclear. The approximate date of the scattering has been established as -300,000. More than 40 known human races have been located (and several more of them failed to adapt to their new worlds and are now extinct); only two of these human races have reached widespread prominence: they are the Vilani and the Solomani. Most other human races accept the hypothesis but lend it no special importance. The hypothesis is used by the Solomani Movement as a basis for its claims of Solomani racial superiority. SOS : - Terran distress signal, developed in the century before the first space travel. An abbreviation of "Save Our Souls", which developed primarily because of the widespread adoption of a simple communication code. See also Mayday, Signal GK. Sophont : - A general term used for an intelligent lifeform. Spinward : - The galactic direction pointing with the galactic spin. Starnaf : - Some sort of unit of measurement, probably equivalent to one mile, used by the occupants of the monastery on Heuen. Starship : - A space faring vessel that is equipped with the ability to travel through Jump Space. Generally only vessels over 100 displacement tons have this capability. Sternmetal Horizons, LIC : - Sternmetal is primarily engaged in mining operations and manufacturing. It produces mostly power generation equipment of all types including power plants for starships, air and ground vehicles, cities, and industrial installations. Additionally, Sternmetal is the largest manufacturer of food synthesis equipment in the Imperium. Various Sternmetal divisions trade under other names, and many individuals are unaware of how often they use Sternmetal's products. The aim of this policy appears simply to reach as many markets as possible with their fundamental trade goods. Stock Ownership: Imperial family- 2%, Hortalez et Cie- 29%, Investment trusts- 32%, Noble families- 18%, Antares Holdings, LIC- 19%. Subsector : - An area of space that neasures 8 parsecs by 10 parsecs. There are 16 subsectors in a sector. Sylea : - The core world of the Third Imperium upon which the seat of Imperial power is located. Sometimes refered to as Capital Sylean Federation : - Large interstellar federation which served as the basis for the Third Imperium. Established on Sylea in -650, the Federation grew slowly, absorbing several surrounding worlds and increasing trade and interaction between worlds. By -30, the real power in the Federation was an industrial consortium headed by Cleon Zhunastu. Cleon, a Solomani noble of great vision, used his family industrial base and the support of other families (obtained by the persuasiveness of his personality) to obtain behind the scenes control of the Federation government and to begin an active campaign to increase the number of worlds under its control. After 30 years of economic and diplomatic manoeuvring (and occasional military action), Cleon had increased the size of the Federation and extended its control to the edge of what is now Core sector. Cleon envisioned a territory larger than a single sector, however, and concluded that the tightly controlled, highly centralised nature of the government of the Sylean Federation was not suitable for a large, star spanning empire. Cleon decided the Federation had served its purpose, and he began plans for a more suitable form of interstellar government, which would allow greater local autonomy but maintain cohesion over large distances. In addition, to restore the past glories of the Rule of Man (and therefore lay claim to all former territories of the First and Second Imperiums), Cleon proposed to revive the Imperium. This was made possible by the fact that in the closing years of the period known as Twilight, one of the last claimants to the throne of the Rule of Man had made Sylea his capital. Cleon traced the legitimacy of the Sylean Federation back through this emperor to the Rule of Man and (since the Rule of Man claimed to be the lawful successor to the Vilani Imperium) to the First Imperium as well. In the 651st year of the Sylean Federation, the Grand Senate of the Federation "persuaded" Cleon to accept the Imperial crown. That year he was crowned First Emperor of the Third Imperium, and he proclaimed the 651st year of the Sylean Federation to be the Year Zero of the Third Imperium. System Defense Boat : - A non-starship specifically intended for defensive operations inside a star system. Developed on the principle that a non-starship (because of the increased armament made possible by its lack of jump drives) can normally defeat a starship of equal tonnage. System Defence Boats are typically stationed at the vital points of a system (the gas giants, the asteroid belt, the major world, and so on), and they attack invading vessels according to one or more predetermined plans. System defence boats range in size from displacements of 100 to 5000 and are constructed at all tech levels. There are hundreds of different types, tailored to their specific mission. |