ACADEM: Roamer school inside a hollowed-out comet, near the Roamer complex of Newstation. The school is run by Jess Tamblyn and Cesca Peroni.
ADAR: highest military rank in Ildiran Solar Navy.
AELIN: green priest, brother of Shelud, with a special connection to the bloaters.
ALAA’KH: one of the misbreeds in the Kuivahr sanctuary dome.
ALAKIS, ADAM: researcher on Vaconda, father of Zoe Alakis, died of Heidegger’s Syndrome.
ALAKIS, EVELYN: researcher on Vaconda, mother of Zoe Alakis, killed in a flyer crash when Zoe was young.
ALAKIS, ZOE: wealthy head of the Pergamus medical research facility.
ALU, BEREN: station chief of Fireheart Station.
ARAGAO, OCTAVIO: communications officer aboard the Kutuzov.
ARBOR: Rlinda Kett’s restaurant on Theroc.
ARITA, PRINCESS: daughter of King Peter and Queen Estarra, a budding naturalist.
ARUNE’L: lens priestess in Mijistra.
ASKELOR: Ildiran industrial planet converted to weapons production.
ATTENDER: servile Ildiran kith.
AURIDIA: sparsely inhabited planet over which Newstation and Academ orbit. Auridia contains a Klikiss transportal for access into the transportal network.
BEAUVAIS: traditional Roamer skymining clan.
BEBOB: Rlinda Kett’s pet name for Branson Roberts.
BEKH: Ildiran curse.
BELLIROS: gas-giant planet, site of clan Duquesne skymines.
BELTRIAS: green priest hunter from Shorehaven Village.
BIG RING: Kotto Okiah’s large experimental accelerator under construction at Fireheart Station.
BJORN: spaceship engineer in clan Reeves.
BLACK ROBOTS: intelligent and evil beetle-like robots built by the Klikiss race; most of them were wiped out in the Elemental War.
BLOATERS: strange organic nodules found in deep, empty space, the source of ekti-X.
BRINDLE, ROBB: administrator of Kett Shipping, married to Tasia Tamblyn, father of Xander.
BRINDLE, XANDER: one of the pilots of Kett Shipping vessel Verne, son of Robb Brindle and Tasia Tamblyn.
BUGBOT: deprecating slang term for a Klikiss robot.
BURA’S: female Ildiran engineer, operations manager of the Askelor weapons industries.
CAILLIE: generation ship from Earth whose passengers colonized Theroc.
CAIN, DEPUTY ELDRED: former deputy of the Terran Hanseatic League, now an administrator of Earth loyal to the Confederation.
CELLI: green priest, married to Solimar, who tends a terrarium dome in Fireheart Station. Celli is the sister of Estarra and Sarein.
CERF, ALDO: biological merchant from Rakkem.
CHAIRMAN: leader of the Terran Hanseatic League.
CHAKLEN: colony leader of Dremen.
CHIAR’H: Ildiran woman of the noble kith, volunteer worker in the Kuivahr sanctuary domes, married to human Shawn Fennis.
CHRYSALIS CHAIR: reclining throne of the Mage-Imperator.
COLICOS, ANTON: historian, known for his work with Ildiran records, first to translate portions of the Saga of Seven Suns.
COLLIN: young green priest, friend of Arita’s.
COMPETENT COMPUTERIZED COMPANION: intelligent servant robot, also called a compy, available in Friendly, Teacher, Governess, Listener, Worker, and other models.
COMPY: nickname for competent computerized companion.
CONDEN’S FEVER: deadly human disease.
CONFEDERATION: new human government replacing the Terran Hanseatic League, loose alliance among Roamer clans, independent planets, and remnants of the Hansa. Ruled by King Peter and Queen Estarra, capital on Theroc.
CORRIBUS: colony where Orli Covitz once lived, devastated by Klikiss robot attack during the Elemental War.
COUGHLIN, JAN: worker at Fireheart Station.
COVE, TRISTAN: village leader of Shorehaven.
COVITZ, ORLI: compy scientist, strong advocate for compies, married to Matthew Freling. She is the owner of DD.
DARO’H, PRIME DESIGNATE: successor to Mage-Imperator Jora’h.
DAUNTHA: green priest on Ulio Station.
DAYM: blue supergiant star, one of the “seven suns” in the Ildiran sky.
DD: Friendly compy owned by Orli Covitz.
DECLAN’S GLORY: Kett Shipping vessel.
DENVA, MARIUS: operations manager at Del Kellum’s distillery on Kuivahr.
DETEMER: Roamer clan.
DHOUGAL: isolated island colony on Serenity’s Reach, wiped out by a deadly brain parasite.
DHULA: gas-giant planet on the edge of the Ildiran Empire.
DOBRO: Ildiran splinter colony, former home of the secret breeding program where many humans were held captive.
DREMEN: cloudy Confederation planet primarily known for fungus harvests.
DRE’NH, SEPTAR: leader of a Solar Navy septa.
DUQUESNE: Roamer clan, runs two refurbished skymines on Belliros.
DUQUESNE, AARON: heir apparent to clan Duquesne.
EARTH DEFENSE FORCES (EDF): former military for the Terran Hanseatic League, precursor to the Confederation Defense Forces.
EKTI: exotic allotrope of hydrogen used to fuel Ildiran stardrives.
EKTI-X: stardrive fuel with higher energy potential than traditional ekti.
ELEMENTAL WAR: conflict across the Spiral Arm involving the human race, Ildiran Empire, the hydrogues, faeros, wentals, verdani, as well as the Klikiss and their black robots.
ELJIID: abandoned Klikiss world where Margaret Colicos is buried.
ENTURI, ELISA: wife of Garrison Reeves and mother of Seth, deputy of Lee Iswander at the Sheol lava mines. Also goes by her married name of Elisa Reeves.
ESTARRA, QUEEN: ruler of Confederation, married to King Peter, with two children, Reynald and Arita.
EXXOS: leader of surviving Klikiss robots.
FAEROS: sentient fire entities.
FELLIWELL, DARWIN: station manager of Ulio Station.
FENNIS, SHAWN: human born on Dobro, volunteer worker in the Kuivahr sanctuary domes, married to Ildiran woman Chiar’h.
FILMGOGGLES: eye protection used on Ildira.
FIREHEART STATION: Roamer research and industrial station at the heart of a nebula, specializing in energized films. Site of Kotto Okiah’s current large-scale experiment.
FITZKELLUM, KRISTOF: thirteen-year-old son of Zhett Kellum and Patrick Fitzpatrick III, also called Toff.
FITZKELLUM, REX: two-year-old son of Zhett Kellum and Patrick Fitzpatrick III.
FITZKELLUM, SHAREEN: seventeen-year-old daughter of Zhett Kellum and Patrick Fitzpatrick III.
FITZPATRICK III, PATRICK: husband of Zhett Kellum, one of the managers of the Kellum skymine on Golgen.
FORAY PLAZA: gathering area in front of the Prism Palace.
FRELING, MATTHEW: compy scientist, former husband of Orli Covitz.
FUNGUS-REEF: large inhabited fungal growth on the worldtrees of Theroc.
GALE’NH, TAL: halfbreed son of the green priest Nira and Ildiran war hero Adar Kori’nh, a tal in the Ildiran Solar Navy. Gale’nh was the captain of the exploration ship Kolpraxa.
GARDENERS: ancient, original tenders of the worldforest.
GOLGEN: gas-giant planet, home of the Kellum skymine.
GORHUM: transportal nexus near Theroc.
GOR’KA: one of the misbreeds in the Kuivahr sanctuary domes.
GREEN PRIEST: servant of the worldforest, able to use worldtrees for instantaneous communication.
GUIDING STAR: Roamer philosophy and religion, a guiding force in a person’s life.
HANDIES, ADMIRAL EDGAR: CDF Admiral, head of Grid 0, one of the “Three H’s.”
HANDON, TERRY: one of the pilots of Kett Shipping vessel Verne, partner of Xander Brindle.
HANSA: Terran Hanseatic League
HAR’LC: one of the misbreeds in the Kuivahr sanctuary domes, son of swimmer and scaly kiths.
HAROUN, ADMIRAL SHIMAL: CDF Admiral, head of Grid 6, one of the “Three H’s.”
HARVARD, ADMIRAL PETROV: CDF Admiral, head of Grid 11, one of the “Three H’s.”
HEIDEGGER’S SYNDROME: fatal degenerative neurological disease, thought to be incurable. Adam Alakis died of Heidegger’s Syndrome.
HERREN 3: Confederation planet.
HILTOS: Ildiran shrine to the Lightsource.
HORIZON CLUSTER: star cluster in which the Ildiran Empire is located.
HYDROGUES: alien race that dwells within gas-giant planets, the main destructive antagonists in the Elemental War.
HYRILLKA: Ildiran planet, site of several battles in the Elemental War; the Klikiss robots were originally discovered on one of Hyrillka’s moons.
IKBIR: Confederation colony world.
ILDIRA: home planet of the Ildiran Empire, under the light of seven suns.
ILDIRAN EMPIRE: large alien empire, the only other major civilization in the Spiral Arm.
ILDIRAN SOLAR NAVY: space military fleet of the Ildiran Empire, commanded by Adar Zan’nh.
ILDIRANS: humanoid alien race with many different breeds, or kiths; they are able to interbreed with humans.
ILLI’V: one of the mates of Prime Designate Daro’h, a clothes designer.
ISPEROS: hot planet, site of a metals-extraction facility designed by Kotto Okiah at the beginning of the Elemental War.
ISWANDER, ARDEN: thirteen-year-old son of Lee Iswander.
ISWANDER INDUSTRIES: company owned by Lee Iswander with numerous high-risk operations, including the Sheol lava mines.
ISWANDER, LEE: Roamer industrialist with numerous operations, including the Sheol lava mines.
ISWANDER, LONDA: wife of Lee Iswander.
JAZER: energy weapon used by Confederation Defense Forces.
JONAH 12: ice-moon hydrogen-extraction operations founded by Kotto Okiah during the Elemental War.
JORA’H: Mage-Imperator of the Ildiran Empire. He is the father of numerous important Ildirans, including Adar Zan’nh and the halfbreed telepath Osira’h. His consort is the green priest Nira.
JUGGERNAUT: largest battleship class in the Confederation Defense Forces.
KANAKA: one of the old Earth generation ships, origin of the Roamer clans.
KAO’L: lens kithman leader of the Hiltos shrine.
KEAH, GENERAL NALANI: commander of the Confederation Defense Forces.
KELLUM, DEL: former Speaker of the Roamer clans, successor to Cesca Peroni. Father of Zhett Kellum. He now runs a distillery on the Ildiran ocean planet of Kuivahr.
KELLUM, ZHETT: daughter of Del Kellum, married to Patrick Fitzpatrick III. She ran a large skymine on Golgen. She and Patrick have three children, Shareen, Kristof, and Rex.
KENNEBAR: leader of an isolationist faction of green priests on Theroc.
KETT, RLINDA: trader and former trade minister of the Confederation, now owner of Kett Shipping. She also owns several high-end restaurants.
KETT SHIPPING: Rlinda Kett’s shipping company, managed by Robb Brindle and Tasia Tamblyn.
KIRAE: intoxicating drink enjoyed by Ildirans, although humans find it distasteful.
KLEE: a hot beverage made from ground worldtree seeds, a specialty of Theroc.
KLIKISS: ancient insectlike race, long vanished from the Spiral Arm, leaving only their empty cities. After their resurgence in the Elemental War, they departed through their transportal network and are considered lost or extinct.
KLIKISS ROBOTS: intelligent and evil beetle-like robots built by the Klikiss race; most of them were wiped out in the Elemental War. Also called black robots.
KOLPRAXA: Ildiran exploration ship that ventured beyond the Spiral Arm, led by Tal Gale’nh; destroyed by the Shana Rei.
KORI’NH, ADAR: great Ildiran military hero from the Elemental War, father of Gale’nh.
KRIEGER, JOCKO: human weapons scientist who developed modifications to the Ildiran sun-bomb design.
KUIVAHR: Ildiran planet with shallow seas and strong tides, site of Tamo’l’s sanctuary domes for misbreeds and Del Kellum’s distillery.
KUTUZOV: flagship Juggernaut of the Confederation Defense Forces.
LENS KITH: one of the Ildiran breeds, religious philosophers.
LIGHTSOURCE: higher plane of existence above normal life, an Ildiran version of heaven.
LU: Listener compy now working on Ikbir.
LUNAR ORBITAL COMPLEX: military and civilian base established in the rubble of Earth’s Moon.
MAGE-IMPERATOR: the god-emperor of the Ildiran Empire.
MANTA: cruiser-class battleship in Confederation Defense Forces.
MEDUSA: large cephalopod from Rhejak; its meat is considered a delicacy.
MIJISTRA: Ildiran capital city.
MO: Domestic compy now serving the Ikbir colony.
MOSBACH, PROFESSOR MICHAELA: one of Shareen Fitzkellum’s teachers on Earth.
MUNGL’EH: one of the misbreeds in the Kuivahr sanctuary domes, a powerful singer.
MUREE’N: halfbreed daughter of Nira and a warrior kithman, a skilled fighter, student of Yazra’h.
MURIEL: biological mother of Zoe Alakis, a factory womb.
NADD: green priest serving aboard the Kutuzov.
NEW PORTUGAL: Confederation planet, home of a university and also known for its wines.
NEWSTATION: large orbiting station above planet Auridia, the new Roamer center of government. The Roamer school Academ is also nearby.
NIGHTSHADE: Shana Rei occultation barrier.
NIRA: green priest consort of Mage-Imperator Jora’h, mother of five halfbreed children: Osira’h, Rod’h, Gale’nh, Tamo’l, and Muree’n.
OHRO: spokesman for the Onthos refugees on Theroc.
OK: compy owned by Xander Brindle.
OKIAH, JHY: legendary former Speaker of the Roamer clans, mother of Kotto Okiah.
OKIAH, KOTTO: renowned but eccentric Roamer scientist.
OKRUN: CDF Juggernaut commanded by Admiral Haroun.
ONTHOS: alien race, also called Gardeners.
ORBITAL RESEARCH SPHERE (ORS): isolated medical research satellite orbiting Pergamus.
OSIRA’H: daughter of Nira and Jora’h, bred to have unusual telepathic abilities.
OSQUIVEL: ringed gas giant, former site of Kellum shipyards.
PANNEBAKER, ALEC: one of Lee Iswander’s deputies at the Sheol lava-processing facility.
PAOLUS, DR. BENJAMIN: foremost neurological researcher on Earth, sold Prince Reynald’s medical data to Pergamus.
PASTERNAK, SHAREEN: lost love of Del Kellum, killed by hydrogues on a skymine. Shareen Fitzkellum is named after her.
PATTON, DILLON: weapons officer aboard the Kutuzov.
PERGAMUS: secure medical research facility owned and managed by Zoe Alakis.
PERONI, CESCA: former Roamer Speaker, wife of Jess Tamblyn; together they run the Academ school complex for Roamer children.
PETER, KING: ruler of Confederation, married to Queen Estarra, with two children, Reynald and Arita.
PING LABYRINTH: game played at Newstation.
PLUMAS: frozen moon with deep liquid oceans, former site of Tamblyn clan water industry, destroyed by the Shana Rei.
POL’UX: one of the misbreeds on Kuivahr.
POWER BLOCK: energy source made of a charged film, folded and packed inside a container.
PRIME DESIGNATE: eldest noble-born son of the Mage-Imperator, and successor.
PRIMORDIAL OOZE: trade name of one of Del Kellum’s distillations from Kuivahr.
PRISDIAMOND: rare precious gem found on several Confederation planets.
PRISM PALACE: crystalline palace of the Ildiran Mage-Imperator.
PRODIGAL SON: Garrison Reeves’s ship, formerly an Iswander Industries vessel.
PROUD MARY: Kett Shipping vessel formerly piloted by Mary Coven, given to Orli Covitz.
QRONHA: binary star in the Horizon Cluster, two of the “seven suns” in the Ildiran sky.
QRONHA 3: gas giant in the Qronha system, site of a decisive battle against the hydrogues in the Elemental War.
RAINDROP: Rlinda Kett’s pet name for Reyn.
RAKKEM: non-Confederation planet known for unregulated black-market medical services.
REEVES, DALE: brother of Garrison, second son of Olaf Reeves, died of plague.
REEVES, ELISA: wife of Garrison and mother of Seth, deputy of Lee Iswander at the Sheol lava mines. Also goes by her maiden name of Elisa Enturi.
REEVES, GARRISON: Roamer worker formerly at the Sheol lava-processing facility. He was married to Elisa, father of Seth. He is the son of clan head Olaf Reeves, brother of Dale.
REEVES, OLAF: gruff clan leader of isolationist Roamers who died of a plague on derelict Onthos city; father of Garrison Reeves.
REEVES, SETH: ten-year-old son of Garrison Reeves.
RELLEKER: Terran colony planet, former home of Orli Covitz’s compy laboratory.
REMORA: small attack ship in Confederation Defense Forces.
RENDEZVOUS: asteroid cluster, former center of Roamer government. Destroyed by the Earth Defense Forces, but clan Reeves attempted reconstruction for years.
REYN, PRINCE: son of King Peter and Queen Estarra, in line to be the Confederation’s next King. His full name is Reynald.
RHEJAK: watery planet with habitable reefs, known for large cephalopods called medusas.
RICKS, SAM: new Speaker for the Roamer clans.
ROAMERS: loose confederation of independent humans, primary producers of ekti stardrive fuel, often disparagingly called “space gypsies.”
ROBERTS, BRANSON: Rlinda Kett’s favorite ex-husband, affectionately called BeBob.
ROD’H: older halfbreed son of Nira, fathered by Dobro Designate as part of the secret breeding program.
ROHANDAS, HOWARD: fellow student with Shareen Fitzkellum on Earth.
RUSKIN, BOWMAN: worker at Fireheart Station.
SAGA OF SEVEN SUNS: historical and legendary epic of the Ildiran civilization.
SALIBA, SHARON: sensor technician aboard the Kutuzov.
SAREIN: sister of Estarra and Celli, lives in self-imposed exile in the Wild.
SEPTA: small battle group of seven ships in the Ildiran Solar Navy.
SERENITY’S REACH: colony world, home of Dhougal island, which was wiped out by a deadly brain parasite infestation.
SHANA REI: fearsome creatures of darkness that preyed upon the Ildiran Empire long ago.
SHELUD: green priest, brother of Aelin.
SHEOL: binary planet under heavy tidal stresses, site of lava-mining operations led by Lee Iswander.
SHIZZ: Roamer expletive.
SHOREHAVEN VILLAGE: lakeshore village on Theroc, site of wyvern attacks.
SKYMINE: ekti-harvesting facility in the clouds of a gas-giant planet, usually operated by Roamers.
SKYSPHERE: audience chamber of the Prism Palace.
SOLIMAR: green priest, married to Celli, who tends a terrarium dome in Fireheart Station.
SPEAKER: Roamer leader.
SPIRAL ARM: the section of the Milky Way Galaxy settled by the Ildiran Empire and Terran colonies.
SWIMMER: otterlike Ildiran kith that spend most of their time in the ocean.
TAIT, MATTHEW: tactical officer aboard the Kutuzov.
TAL: military rank in Ildiran Solar Navy, cohort commander.
TAMBLYN, JESS: one of the heads of Academ school, married to Cesca Peroni.
TAMBLYN, TASIA: administrator of Kett Shipping, married to Robb Brindle, father of Xander.
TAMBORR’S DEMENTIA: disease being studied on Pergamus.
TAMO’L: one of Nira’s halfbreed children, daughter of a lens kithman. She runs sanctuary domes for misbreeds on the planet Kuivahr.
TELINK: instantaneous communication used by green priests via the worldtrees.
TEREDIT: Confederation planet.
TERRAN HANSEATIC LEAGUE: former commerce-based government of Earth and Terran colonies, dissolved after the death of Chairman Basil Wenceslas at the end of the Elemental War.
THEROC: forested planet, home of the sentient worldtrees.
THERON: a native of Theroc.
THISM: faint racial telepathic network, centered on the Mage-Imperator, that binds all Ildiran people.
THOR’H: eldest son of Jora’h, the first Prime Designate, who betrayed the Empire and died in the resulting civil war.
THREE H’S: Admirals Handies, Harvard, and Haroun in the CDF.
TOM ROM: guardian and majordomo of Zoe Alakis.
TRANSPORTAL: Klikiss instantaneous transportation network.
ULIO: large trading complex in open space, frequented by traders of all sorts.
ULIO, MARIA: founder of the Ulio transfer hub.
VACONDA: wilderness planet, site of the Alakis forest watchtower station.
VERDANI: organic-based sentience, manifested as the Theron worldforest.
VERNE: cargo ship flown by Xander Brindle and Terry Handon.
VORACIOUS CURIOSITY: Rlinda Kett’s private ship.
VU’LN: one of the misbreeds on Kuivahr, a mixture of soldier kith, lens kith, and swimmer kith.
WARGLOBE: crystalline sphere used by hydrogues.
WARLINER: largest class of Ildiran battleship.
WENCESLAS, CHAIRMAN BASIL: former leader of the Terran Hanseatic League.
WENTALS: sentient water-based creatures.
WHISPER PALACE: traditional seat of power in the Terran Hanseatic League, where the figurehead Great Kings ruled.
WHISTLERS: possibly sentient cacti on Eljiid.
WILD, THE: unexplored continent on Theroc.
WINGO, MERCER: First Officer aboard the Kutuzov.
WISSKOFF, ZACHARY: manager and maître d’ of Rlinda Kett’s Arbor restaurant.
WORLDFOREST: the interconnected, semi-sentient forest based on Theroc.
WORLDTREE: a separate tree in the interconnected, semi-sentient forest based on Theroc.
WULFTON: active star, home of numerous faeros.
YAZRA’H: daughter of the Mage-Imperator, skilled warrior and bodyguard. She is the mentor of Muree’n.
YODER, DANDO: trader pilot who works for Kett Shipping.
ZAN’NH: Ildiran military officer, eldest son of Mage-Imperator Jora’h, Adar of the Ildiran Solar Navy.