1 A mathematical set with a pattern that repeats as it expands or, as in the case of the Boldklub equations, contracts.
2 Aged between twelve and seventeen, Tyros are the foot soldiers of Kaparis, secretly selected from care institutions across the world and indoctrinated to serve him.
3 The digestive systems of nano-humans can absorb only 10 per cent of normal food and water. Blood, however, being more refined, can be absorbed at nearer 25 per cent.
4 Nano-radar sets, shrunk to detect super-dense nano-material. Limited in range.
5 Propellers with blades extended into a screw shape, usually used in pumps, etc. Especially efficient in viscous liquids.
6 Latin for “Let there be light.” First words of the Holy Bible.
7 Aka QED. Latin for “which was to be demonstrated”. A term used to show that something has been proved by reason and experiment – last word in science.
8 Latin for “reduction to the infinite”.
9 Special French marine commando force co-opted to the G&T following assault action in Operations Scarlatti and Forbidden City.
10 High Altitude Low Opening. A parachute technique used by special forces to avoid radar detection.
11 Aircraft specifically developed to take full advantage of power-to-mass ratios at nano-scale.
12 Reducing matter collapses the electromagnetic spectrum in such a way that nano radio transmissions cannot be picked up on macro radio receivers and vice versa. An nPhone is a tiny macrophone carried in a backpack with a keypad that allows texting on the regular phone network. It also allows constant tracking.
13 Short-range solid-fuel air-to-air missile, relying on infra-red homing for guidance.
14 French military medal awarded for heroic deeds in conflict.
15 Nickname for the Exploratory Spinal Loop Interconnect program.
16 Low probability of intercept.
17 Latin for “Let there be Kaparis”.
18 More precisely, take a right into the femoral artery, then turn left up the iliac artery, then left again up the descending aorta. As you approach the heart, take the third exit on the right and follow the subclavian artery for a short distance before taking another right into one of the vertebral arteries.
19 LCA = liquid compressed air. Improved power-to-mass ratio at nano-scale allows more air to be stored in a standard tank than at macro level.
20 A superorganism is a group of individual organisms that gather together to better ensure their survival (e.g. an ants’ nest, coral reef, human society). As a young scientist, Kaparis developed a theory that superorganisms worked to serve a few special individuals (such as himself). In 1993, in a lecture given in Cambridge, his theory was demolished by Finn’s father, Ethan Drake, who pointed out a simple mathematical error in the statistical method.
21 Blue – shorthand for the deoxygenated blood carried in the veins, to distinguish it from the red (oxygenated) blood, although in reality “blue” blood is a dull red.
22 [INFORMATION REDACTED] G&T order no. 22378/b
23 A now-discredited psychiatric surgical procedure whereby most connections to the prefrontal cortex of the brain were severed.