Sector: 5, Pegasus Year:Subsector: A, Bayard Day:System: Webster Gravity:Settled/established: Axial tilt:By: Oxygen:Satellites: % Water:Ident code prefix: KET Continents:Ruled by:General: A poor world, its local economy is based on smuggling.Ketteran local nobles own and operate smuggling ships, with theirsocial standing determined by the amount of wealth they contributeto the planet's economy.
KINDRED OF THE DRAGON: Kins and Bloodmates, those susceptible to and changed by the nosferatu pseudo-virus. They are classed as human-variant, due to the extent of changes made by the virus. They are Narvon System's local nobility, and since 2280 all Imperial ruling nobles in the system are required to be Kindred. Susceptibility tends to run in families, though that is not always the case. Slightly over half the children who become Kindred have at least one Kindred parent.
Contrary to popular belief when the Kins appeared, the Kindred are neither predatory nor violent; their empathy prevents both, in many cases to the point where some Kindred have difficulty defending themselves. Because of this, they welcome the Imperial military, and many areas of all three Narvonese planets have Sandeman police forces. Violent sports are frowned on, considered in bad taste if not actually obscene.
Despite (or perhaps because of) this pacifism, most Kindred who feel capable of it spend some time in the Imperial military. Of these, most serve in the Navy's Chaplain or Medical Corps, though some are engineers or technicians. On rare occasion one will join the Marines; so far all of these have gone to IntelDiv.
KINGDOM SYSTEMS: Twelve planets in nine systems. The first, St. Thomas, was settled in 2158. The Systems' founders were Catholics who disagreed with the Roman Church on a number of matters and either separated themselves or were excommunicated, depending on point of view, when they persisted in acting on their beliefs. They appealed to the Empire, which refused to intervene in a religious dispute. The dissidents then fled, claiming persecution, in three small, barely-spaceworthy craft. When contact was lost and the Rescue Service was unable to find them, they were listed as missing and presumed dead.
Instead, they had gone well beyond what would be Imperial space for the next several centuries. Limited resources and numerous plagues made their growth slow, but it was steady, and by the time St. Michael was settled in 2180, the monarchial system was well established, the Royal Enforcement Service was in place and operating, and the Church had its own Pope.
KINNISON, Subsector 7-A:
No. systems: 144 Sector: Cygnuswith 3 inhabited planets: 2 Ruled by:with 2 inhabited planets: 10with 1 inhabited planet: 20
KINS: The majority (90%) of those susceptible to and changed by the nosferatu pseudo-virus. They first appeared in 2275, the result of a laboratory accident. Kins develop great physical strength and projective empathy, as well as the elongated canines that are the visible evidence of their change. This change also restricts their diet to blood, preferably fresh from a human donor. As a rule, they have no difficulty finding donors; their projective empathy allows them to share their feeding-pleasure with the donor. Attempts by Kins to eat normal food result in violent nausea, and most have an equally-violent allergy to strong spices.
KNIGHTS, IMPERIAL: Those who have given the Empire service beyond the expectable, but not of a degree that would make a Life Nobility appropriate. Knights are granted arms and may use "Knight of the Imperium" (abbreviated KI) with their names. They should be addressed and referred to as Sir Firstname.
KORE, Subsector 6-F:
No. systems: 59 Sector: Scorpiowith 3 inhabited planets: 4 Ruled by:with 2 inhabited planets: 10with 1 inhabited planet: 26
KORIL: Fermented milk Irschchans drink as humans do wine.
KRANATH: (Of Clan St'nar) Supreme Lord of the Circle, first of the Traiti gods known as the Circle of Lords.
KRANATH, Subsector 21-D:
No. systems: 90 Sector: Traitiwith 3 inhabited planets: 5 Ruled by:with 2 inhabited planets: 14with 1 inhabited planet: 21
LADY OF LOVE: The Arriani deity, depicted as an attractive human female but of no other set appearance. Although not specifically a sex deity, her followers do consider sexual activity a form of worship particularly pleasing to her (especially with a gynandra or, if off-planet and able, with a woman).
LANDER: The smallest of the Imperial spacegoing craft. It is shaped rather like a streamlined bus, and is about that size, so small it is not considered a class of ship. Its commonest use is as a shuttle between a spacecraft too large to land and a planet (from which it gets its name), but it is also useful for suborbital flights. While the configuration is usually for passenger transport, palletized construction allows rapid reconfiguration when necessary.
LANGUAGE, Traiti: A tonal language that gives their Imperial English a pleasant lilt. Like German, it combines small words to make larger ones as a matter of course, and the grammatical structure is also similar to German. Some of the terms that have made their way into Imperial English, though primarily used only in the Traiti Sector, are found under their individual entries.
LANGUAGES, Sandeman: Pre-Empire English, called Standard, and a modified version of Classical Russian, called High War Speech. Since the Shapers left Terra before Imperial English was widely accepted, they retained the old alphabet and irregularities (mostly in plurals). Standard is the Sandeman common speech used by both castes.
The purpose of High War Speech, as far as the Shapers were concerned, was another way to set the warrior caste apart. By Annexation, it was less exclusive; most Others had learned at least a little, and as long as they used formal mode to warriors, no one objected. (Familiar mode is restricted to battle-companions, lovers, and one's thakur or 'na.) There is a technical combat vocabulary, however, that remains mostly restricted to warriors since they are the only ones with a real use for it.
LAST GIFT: (Sandeman) The gift of a swift death, asked when a person (usually a Sandeman) has been too seriously wounded, or is too ill, for medical aid to do more than prolong death. Between Sandeman's overthrow of the Shapers and its annexation by the Empire, their medicine was primitive enough that this was seen as an unpleasant necessity to prevent further suffering. As Imperial medical personnel have said repeatedly, Sandeman medicine then was little more than first aid; even something as minor as an abdominal wound was normally fatal.
LAWS, IMPERIAL: The Empire has few laws, but the ones that do exist are strictly enforced, unless there is a very strong reason for not doing so--with the Sovereign the only one able to grant waivers.
And Imperial law is kept purposely simple. Pre-Empire lawyers would be appalled, because if a law is obscure or easily misinterpreted, it is rewritten until it is clear to anyone of average intelligence and subject to only minimal interpretation by the officer judging a case. As with any decision short of the Sovereign's, such a judgement may be appealed, but only on substantial grounds.
The ones so far covered (there are others) include the following:
No noble shall attempt to exercise control over any fief other thanthe one @ is responsible for.Attempted crimes are punished in the same way as one that wassuccessful.The penalty for murder of or assault on an Imperial noble is death.No mitigating circumstances.The penalty for murder of or assault on an Imperial servicewen isdeath or life imprisonment. The judging officer may considersubstantial mitigating circumstances.A child born to parents of differing cultures will, as far aspossible, receive the benefits of each culture most favorable tothe child.Massive genetic engineering of humans is forbidden. (This isgenerally interpreted as engineering not required to correcta medical problem.)
LENORE:
Sector: 8, Centaurus Year:Subsector: D, Pan Day:System: Poe Gravity:Settled/established: Axial tilt:By: Oxygen:Satellites: % Water:Ident code prefix: LEN Continents:Ruled by:General: Most inhabitants are receptive empaths, and have difficultycoping with non-empaths, so few leave Lenore. (BarbaraTennison/Sylvia Stevens)
LEO, Sector 19:
Ruled by: No. systems: 953Subsectors: 6 Inhabited planets: 348A. Hundingsbana D. HofudB. Galatine E. GraywandC. Gungnir F. Retaliator
LERAS, Nevan Dar-: SNDNS-6894-7693 (7 Jul 2547-24 Jun 2855) Graduated ITMA 2569, first in class; commissioned into SecuDiv and assigned to IBC Emperor Chang. Awarded Sovereign's Medal, merit promotion to 1Lt, and choice of assignment for his actions in the Palace assault that ended the White Order rebellion. Graduated IntelDiv Field Agent School, 2570, again first in class, for which he was given a merit promotion to Captain. He was then assigned to investigate the Melgarie pirate fleet, but went beyond a simple investigation; in 2572 he was able, with the unwilling aid of Melgarie's lover Neyse Greenfield, to arrange the fleet's destruction. For this he received a second Sovereign's Medal and promotion to Major.
In 2574, he swore personal fealty to Ranger Corina Losinj. On an assignment for her in 2578 (checking the security protecting IntelDiv field agents while attempting to deliver the personal weapons his father Kelly had bequeathed to one who had saved his life), he met and rapidly became close friends with his "target", Kiyoshi Owajima.
When Empress Losinj died in 2624, Nevan technically reverted to his status as an IntelDiv Major, though one with a grace-and-favor apartment in the Imperial Palace and a lifetime income independent of Corps salary. However, the new Sovereign, Jasmine Wang, asked him to continue his special services to the Sovereign without the oath of fealty. Since he was positive his thakur would have wished that, even though she had not asked it of him, he agreed; as a result, until his death in 2855, the various Sovereigns had a personal special agent who, until his fealty oath, had been the best field agent in IntelDiv.
LERAS, Riordan Dar-: Warleader of the Sandeman fleet that approached Mjolnir in 2541. When he was defeated in a duel with Gaelan DarShona, Baron Frederick Klaes' thakur-na, he was honor-bound to provide protection for Klaes' world, which he did by leaving part of his fleet on guard there. Grandfather of Nevan, through Kelly.
LESSA, Subsector 7-E:
No. systems: 46 Sector: Cygnuswith 3 inhabited planets: 3 Ruled by:with 2 inhabited planets: 11with 1 inhabited planet: 27
LIBIDINE: A persistent, but non-addictive, aphrodisiac with no known side effects. Effects vary from simple receptiveness with a trigger dose, to release of all cultural sexual restraints with a stronger one.
LIFE-DEBT (Sandeman): The debt a Sandeman clan owes one not of that clan who gives one of its members Last Gift. This always means the person may ask Last Gift of any clanmember, whether battle-companion or not, with the certainty it will be given, and for a warrior, if captured that he will not be tortured for information. (W'women and Others, by custom, are always immune from torture.) A specific individual repayment is between the giver and the receiver's clan-chief.
LIFEPOD: A cocoon-shaped field medical unit which is capable of providing total life support.
LIGHTSABER: An energy weapon developed by Clan Vader of Sandeman, inspired by the ones in the Star Wars trilogy they call the Saga. As in the Saga, it is a large hilt containing the powerpack and other equipment needed to generate a controlled-length, high-intensity laser beam "blade". It first came to Imperial attention in 2542, when Leigh DarVader bequeathed his to Ranger James Medart as a death-gift. At that time the powerpack would support less than five minutes' blade activation, making the saber impressive but of little or no practical use. Within two years, however, Imperial scientists were able to develop a powerpack that lasted over half an hour, making the saber a practical hand-to-hand combat weapon. With distance weapons far more popular with most Imperial citizens, however, they are still seldom seen outside Subsector Sandeman.
The Vader clan's development of controlled-length laser beams, though made specifically for the saber, has proven to be a significant one in other fields as well, leading to numerous improvements in technologies from medicine to heavy equipment manufacture. It has also, since Ranger Medart assisted them in obtaining an Imperial patent on the process, made the clan extremely wealthy.
LIMBURGER BERRIES: Another name for toli berries.
LIU: Traiti unit of distance, 2.58 kilometers (1.59 miles).
LOSINJ, Corina: RCJ-2958-5865 (2548-19 Feb 2624) The first non-human (Irschchan) Ranger, she was recruited by Ranger James Medart in 2569, when she reported the White Order's impending rebellion. In the course of stopping that rebellion, she and Medart experienced pattern rapport, which revealed that he possessed a strong Talent, including a healing aspect she had not previously encountered. She helped him train it as much as possible during the trip to Terra, completing it after the rebellion was over. Testing then showed the Sovereign and other Rangers also had strong Talent, and Losinj trained them as well. That degree of Talent, regardless of its specific aspect, was immediately added to Ranger qualifications.
She accepted Nevan DarLeras as thakur-na in 2574, was elected Successor in 2577 on Emperor Forrest's death, and succeeded to the Throne in 2603. She died in bed, with Nevan in attendance, in 2624.
LUNA: Terra's only natural satellite, site of the Imperial Navy's Prime Base and main shipyard.
LUPUS:
Sector: 17, Indus Year:Subsector: C, Poseidon Day:System: Hellespont Gravity:Settled/established: Axial tilt:By: Oxygen:Satellites: % Water:Ident code prefix: LUP Continents:Ruled by: Capparucini familyGeneral: Home of Jael warrior culture.
MacLEOD, Jamie: Independent scout who discovered Irschcha in 2527.
MAGNI, Subsector 18-C:
No. systems: 180 Sector: Arieswith 3 inhabited planets: 3 Ruled by:with 2 inhabited planets: 9with 1 inhabited planet: 27
MANFREDI, Dana: See Alanna, Dana Dru-.
MARINE CORPS, IMPERIAL TERRAN: The senior Imperial service, the ITMC was founded by Emperor Chang on 10 November 2128, though he established the Empire itself and took the Throne on 22 January. The date was deliberately chosen to coincide with the birthday, 353 years earlier, of the United States Marine Corps; the Navy and the Administrative Service were founded one week later, replacing Solar Federation services which were then disbanded.
Emperor Chang had retired from the USMC at the rank of Major General after twenty-five years' service, and thought it only fitting that the ITMC--a great majority of whose first officers and NCOs came from the USMC--continue the history and traditions he thought invaluable. He also instituted a new tradition at that time: at 1000 hours, Palace Standard Time, on 10 November of every year, the Sovereign @self publishes the Birthday Article to every Marine post and shipboard detachment. While there have been many changes, the ITMC retains things like the dress blue uniform and Marine Emblem which make its lineal descent from the USMC obvious. The dress blue uniform (with the USMC male version used by both sexes) is essentially unchanged; the ITMC Emblem substitutes the Imperial stylized globe for the USMC's Terran Western hemisphere. (For non-humans, there are uniform variations based on physical structure; Traiti, for instance, do not wear headgear except for protection, and the Irschchans, since 2569, wear a kilt version of any Imperial uniform.)
MARSTON, Dan: Dana Manfredi/DruAlanna's pen name when writing historical fiction.
MEDALERT TEAM: An emergency medical response team led by a physician, whenever possible a trauma specialist.
MEDART, James Kieran: RJT-6743-5197 (14 Aug 2494-28 Mar 2669) Imperial Ranger, 2515-2669. Led rescue of Yonar Colony, his first solo mission, 2518. Negotiated with the cloudcats to obtain human/Irschchan settlements on Ondrian in exchange for the privilege of travel on Imperial ships, 2532. Called Mjolnir Conference, 2542, which resulted in the end of the Sandeman War and the creation of Subsector 5-D, Sandeman. Recruited Ranger Corina Losinj, then helped her stop White Order revolt, 2569; en route from Irschcha to Terra on this mission, the two discovered and began to train his latent Talent. To Ranger Losinj's surprise, this included healing, an aspect that had not appeared on Irschcha.
Had Medart not been selected as a Ranger, he planned to specialize in xenoanthropology, and has in a sense done so, though not formally. His interest in the variety of cultures humans and non-humans alike can develop has led him to study and visit as many as his assignments allow; while he is not totally familiar with all the cultures in the Empire, he is the Ranger normally called on when there is an inter-cultural problem.
MEERCLAR, Subsector 9-F:
No. systems: 111 Sector: Ursawith 3 inhabited planets: 5 Ruled by:with 2 inhabited planets: 12with 1 inhabited planet: 28
MELGARIE, Jord: HPUJE-7895-2835 (? 2518-20 Nov 2572) Found 18 Jun 2518 by Subsector 6-G Rescue Service, alone in an escape capsule from which all identification had been removed. He appeared to be approximately four months old, and medical tests showed him to have been a subject of major genetic engineering (which explained the lack of identification, if not the abandonment).
Raised on New Bavaria by a series of foster parents who found him difficult to cope with. He enlisted in the Subsector Navy in 2536, then deserted in 2538, stole a ship, and began a career of piracy. A charismatic leader, he soon attracted other criminals and became head of a pirate fleet which eventually spread its operations out of Sector 6, making it an Imperial rather than a local concern. Several Imperial agents attempted to infiltrate; all, until Nevan DarLeras in 2570-72, were uncovered and killed. Melgarie himself died when DarLeras was able to call in a Fleet strike which destroyed the pirate base.
MESSENGERS, IMPERIAL: Heralds or military officers with special commissions to carry particularly sensitive or ceremonial verbal or written messages from the Sovereign or a Ranger. All Messengers are protected with special anti-interrogation conditioning which can be triggered by circumstance as well as by a spoken phrase, and on occasion a volunteer is given special conditioning so @ can deliver one of the Sovereign's messages in @'s own words and as close to voice as the Messenger can manage. When acting as such, Messengers wear scarlet tunics and travel in scarlet courier-class ships.
MILITARY, IMPERIAL: The Imperial Terran Marine Corps and Imperial Terran Navy. Imperial military personnel are very carefully selected; as a rule, enlisted personnel and Academy candidates have the equivalent of a pre-Empire bachelor's degree; by graduation and commissioning, an officer has the equivalent of three or four doctorates, and all ranks are expected to continue their educations. They are thoroughly tested in all physical and psychological aspects, then assigned where their individual aptitudes, attitudes, and training will be most useful. Note that this definitely includes a person's preferences, part of the Empire's pragmatism: a person does better in a job @ likes, so it is in the Empire's interest to put @ there. If for some reason it is necessary to put someone in a job @ doesn't like, @ will be there as briefly as possible.
MINOTAUR, Subsector 2-D:
No. systems: 129 Sector: Hydrawith 3 inhabited planets: 6 Ruled by:with 2 inhabited planets: 12with 1 inhabited planet: 27
MIRACLE-WEED: The Ondrian plant that is the only source of rapid-heal. Originally wild, it has been intensively cultivated since 2532, when humans and Irschchans established a colony for that purpose. Miracle-weed has been grown on other worlds, but does not thrive or produce usable rapid-heal.
MITHRA, Subsector 6-D:
No. systems: 146 Sector: Scorpiowith 3 inhabited planets: 4 Ruled by:with 2 inhabited planets: 12with 1 inhabited planet: 23
MJOLNIR:
Sector: 5, Pegasus Year:Subsector: B, Sleipnir Day:System: Thor Gravity:Settled/established: 2154 Axial tilt:By: North Americans, Scandinavians Oxygen:Satellites: 2 (Gnasher, Grinder) % Water:Ident code prefix: MJO Continents:Ruled by: Klaes familyArms: On a platinum field, a mallet proper, head upward, with athong through the handle's end.General: Stopping point of the Sandeman Eruption, 2542.
MJOLNIR CONFERENCE: (2542) The conference Ranger James Medart called in a successful attempt to end the Sandeman invasion of Sector Five. Mjolnir at the time was a Sandeman protectorate; its Baron Klaes declared it extraterritorial so the two sides could meet on neutral territory. The war ended due to what Medart liked to call "sweet reason, backed by five battle fleets"--though to his amusement, the Sandemans saw the fleets and Imperial weaponry as a temptation rather than a threat, and joined the Empire for the chance to use them.
MULTIVERSE: A group of related alternate universes. Exactly where one multiverse ends and another begins is not definite, since there is overlap, sometimes considerable. Grouping alternates into multiverses, though, makes it easy to refer to such a group without having to identify each alternate by its official designation.
NANNSTEIN, Reinhard: (2100-2142) A Da Vinci-type genius, Nannstein developed the science of gravitics in 2123, financed by a small inheritance he had invested and turned into a fortune. Still working independently, despite many offers from industry and government, he invented hyperdrive in 2125. Working with his friend Cheong Chang, he helped establish the Empire, then designed and supervised the building of the Imperial Palace in Antarctica. He disappeared in 2142 while testing an improvement of the hyperdrive.
NARVON System:
Sector: 16, Virgo No. planets: 12Subsector: A, Athena Inhabited: 3Ruled by: Nilssun family
General: Since the Kindred became widespread, in the early 2280s, this is one of the most peaceful systems in the Empire. Random violence, such as natural disasters and accidents, is inevitable--but it is in extremely bad taste to put pictures of the victims on the nightly news. The same with victims of violent crime, much less the crime itself. Violent sports aren't illegal, but they are not organized, and they are considered lower-class. In drama, violence (especially bloody violence) is treated about the way sex was on mid-twentieth-century North American television. Intimacy, emotional and physical, is the primary theme of Narvonese entertainment.
NARVON II:
Sector: 16, Virgo Year:Subsector: A, Athena Day:System: Narvon Gravity:Settled/established: 2219 Axial tilt:By: Colonists from Narvon III Oxygen:Satellites: 2 % Water:Ident code prefix: NAN Continents:Ruled by:General: Required minor terraforming.
NARVON III:
Sector: 16, Virgo Year:Subsector: A, Athena Day:System: Narvon Gravity:Settled/established: 2133 Axial tilt:By: Mostly Scandinavians Oxygen:Satellites: 2 (Thor, Loki) % Water:Ident code prefix: NAR Continents:Ruled by:General: Undistinguished until 2275, when the nosferatu pseudo-virusappeared and created a human-variant minority called Kindred of theDragon. These are now the system's local nobility.Sub-planetary jurisdictions are called districts, with DistrictAdministrators in charge.Dress clothing tends to be loose shirts, fancy (silk or brocade, forexample) culottes with sash, and high boots.
NARVON IV:
Sector: 16, Virgo Year:Subsector: A, Athena Day:System: Narvon Gravity:Settled/established: 2235 Axial tilt:By: Colonists from Narvon III Oxygen:Satellites: 1 % Water:Ident code prefix: NAV Continents:Ruled by:General: Required moderate terraforming.
NEED, Sandeman Warriors': The primary physiological change that differentiates warriors from non-warriors. It is controlled by a ductlesss gland which secretes the hormone egerin, beginning at puberty; this begins the need cycle, and increases the warrior's endurance and healing speed beyond even the Sandeman norm.
There are three forms of need: cyclical, induced, and battleprep. Cyclical is involuntary, caused by the normal buildup of egerin, since that hormone cannot be metabolized alone. A warrior's cycle length is individual, and can vary from five to eight days. If the egerin buildup is not interrupted by combat or sex (both of which stimulate adrenalin production to levels that allow interaction with egerin and permit it to be metabolized), about two-thirds of the way through a warrior's cycle he begins to experience heightened sensitivity, both physical and mental. This is the pre-need stage. Need itself begins as further-increased sensitivity that could be described as irritability, at which point patience and self-control are not among the warrior's strong points. This stage, as a rule, lasts for about a day; it is not dependent on the cycle length, and is what is called active need. If it is not satisfied, the warrior starts going into overload; all body systems become hyperactive, and the effect is one of multiple stress diseases. Untreated overload lasts about two days.
The other two forms can be undertaken voluntarily at any stage short of overload. Induced need is the sexual form, stimulated by arousal and manipulation of the need gland. It results in heightened sexual ability and greatly increased fertility; if the warrior's partner is in her fertile period; conception is almost a certainty. If induced need is not resolved, it will abate on its own since it involves only the reproductive organs, speeding the warrior's cycle slightly--though the egerin fluctuations are quite uncomfortable to the warrior. Its resolution results in aftersleep, a near-comatose state that lasts for several hours.
Battleprep is the combat-oriented form of need, induced by mental and physical concentration. Unlike induced need, battle-prep involves the entire body; unless the warrior goes into demanding combat within an hour or two, he will go into overload and die. As this is well known, a warrior will prep only when combat is imminent.
Battleprep is often referred to as a berserker state, but that is only partially correct. The prepped warrior is only marginally, if at all, aware of pain and wounds; blood clots quickly to minimize loss; speed and strength are heightened on the same order as that of someone of average strength who can suddenly lift a car to save an infant. Beyond this, however, the berserker analogy breaks down, because the warrior retains his full intelligence and judgement. This combination makes a battleprepped warrior one of the most dangerous beings in the known universe.
At home, or on any Sandeman-controlled world, a warrior is in no danger of overload unless very unusual circumstances arise. There are always warriors and w'women around. And except in hostile-alien territory, where need is a weakness that must be concealed, keeping even an enemy warrior from dying in overload is as ingrained as their politeness. It is honorable to kill him, imprison him, even torture him for information--but if he goes into active need, he gets treatment. If no w'woman is available or willing, there is a ritual offering of non-hostile life-combat by one or more of the imprisoning clan's warriors.
The need cycle can be disrupted by serious injury or illness; the disruption will last from the time of the injury or illness until the warrior regains near-normal health.
Shaper experiments show that the need cycle can be permanently ended by removal of the need gland; this turns the warrior into an Other man with combat skills but none of the other warrior advantages. Naturally, Sandemans find this idea both repulsive and obscene.
NEEDLER: Sandeman energy handgun. Although it has less raw power than a blaster, the beam is much more finely adjusted, so it has equal or greater effective power. While the narrower beam requires more careful aim, Sandemans prefer its greater precision, most considering the blaster's wider beam unacceptably sloppy.
NEMRA:
Sector: 13, Crater Year:Subsector: B, Inanna Day:System: Gilgamesh Gravity:Settled/established: Axial tilt:By: Oxygen:Satellites: % Water:Ident code prefix: NEM Continents:Ruled by:General: Site of the abortive rebellion led by Count Jonathan Kaplan'sson Robert, in which Ranger Esteban Tarlac was injured and DavidScanlon earned his Life Dukedom.
NEPHTHYS, Subsector 15-B:
No. systems: 197 Sector: Aurigawith 3 inhabited planets: 4 Ruled by:with 2 inhabited planets: 11with 1 inhabited planet: 22
NEW BAVARIA:
Sector: 6, Scorpio Year:Subsector: G, Tarlac Day:System: Fasolt Gravity:Settled/established: Axial tilt:By: Germans Oxygen:Satellites: % Water:Ident code prefix: NBV Continents:Ruled by:General: Most famous product is Doppelbock beer, which is a strongdark brew that travels well, but is also quite expensive.
NEW ZION:
Sector: 20, Chameleon Year:Subsector: B, Thoth Day:System: Solomon Gravity:Settled/established: Axial tilt:By: Neo-Christian fundamentalists Oxygen:Satellites: % Water:Ident code prefix: NZI Continents:Ruled by:
NIKE, Subsector 13-A:
No. systems: 181 Sector: Craterwith 3 inhabited planets: 3 Ruled by:with 2 inhabited planets: 13with 1 inhabited planet: 22
NIPPON-NI:
Sector: 7, Cygnus Year:Subsector: A, Kinnison Day:System: Amaterasu Gravity:Settled/established: 2129 Axial tilt:By: Japanese Oxygen:Satellites: % Water:Ident code prefix: NIP Continents:Ruled by:General: The settlers wanted to return to the glorious old days of thesamurai, without losing modern conveniences or an industrial base.On-planet, the Baron is called the Shogun.
NOBILITY, COURTESY: Those treated as Imperal nobles, though not strictly speaking nobility themselves, out of courtesy to the noble parent or spouse. This is normally a Life Noble's spouse or a ruling noble's younger children.
NOBILITY, IMPERIAL: Life and ruling nobles. In common usage this term includes the Sovereign and Rangers, though technically speaking they are royalty. See chart below for numbers and the proper ways of referring to and addressing royalty and nobility.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------RANK & NUMBER STYLE & TITLE ADDRESSED AS----------------------------------------------------------------------------Sovereign (1) His/Her Imperial Majesty Your Majesty or Majesty *Successor (1) His/Her Royal Highness the Your Highness, Highness,Crown Prince/ss, or Ranger or RangerRanger (abt. 10) Ranger (rarely, Prince/ss) Ranger (rarely, YourHighness or Highness)----------------------------------------------------------------------------Life Duke His/Her Grace the Life Duke Your Grace #FullnameSpouse Lord/Lady Firstname My Lord/My LadyChildren No title----------------------------------------------------------------------------Ruling Duke (22) His/Her Grace Fullname, Duke Your Graceof Sector _____________Spouse Duke-Consort Firstname of My Lord/My LadySector ___________Eldest child Duke-Heir Fullname of Sector My Lord/My Lady__________Other children Lord/Lady Fullname Lord/Lady Firstname----------------------------------------------------------------------------Life Earl The Most Honorable the Life My Lord/My Lady orEarl Fullname My Lord Earl/My Lady Earl #Spouse Lord/Lady Firstname My Lord/My LadyChildren No title----------------------------------------------------------------------------Ruling Earl (106) The Most Honorable Fullname, My Lord/My Lady orEarl of Subsector _______ My Lord Earl/My Lady EarlSpouse Earl-Consort Firstname of My Lord/My LadySubsector ___________Eldest child Earl-Heir Fullname of My Lord/My LadySubsector __________Other children Lord/Lady Fullname Lord/Lady Firstname----------------------------------------------------------------------------Life Count The Right Honorable the Life My Lord/My Lady orCount Fullname My Lord Count/My Lady Count #Spouse Lord/Lady Firstname My Lord/My LadyChildren No title----------------------------------------------------------------------------Ruling Count The Right Honorable Fullname, My Lord/My Lady or(1431) Count of _______ System My Lord Count/My Lady CountSpouse Count-Consort Firstname of My Lord/My Lady__________ SystemEldest child Count-Heir Fullname of My Lord/My Lady_________ SystemOther children Lord/Lady Fullname Lord/Lady Firstname----------------------------------------------------------------------------Life Baron The Honorable the Life Baron My Lord/My Lady orFullname My Lord Baron/My Lady Baron #Spouse Lord/Lady Firstname My Lord/My LadyChildren No title----------------------------------------------------------------------------Ruling Baron The Honorable Fullname, Baron My Lord/My Lady or(5596) of ________ My Lord Baron/My Lady BaronSpouse Baron-Consort Firstname of My Lord/My Lady__________Eldest child Baron-Heir Fullname of My Lord/My Lady__________Other children Lord/Lady Fullname Lord/Lady Firstname----------------------------------------------------------------------------* May also be addressed directly as "Sire", or by Rangers as "Sir".# Nobles serving in the military are addressed by their military titleswhen aboard ship or on duty; when off duty, either military or civiltitles may be used. Also, informal usage allows nobles to beaddressed by title and last name, e.g., "Baron Klaes".
NOBILITY, LIFE: Those who have been ennobled for significant service to the Empire carried out at serious personal cost or risk. The degree of service and risk or cost determine the rank given.
NOBILITY, LOCAL: Nobility other than Imperial Life or ruling nobles. These may be named by any ruling noble within @'s fief and will have whatever status the Imperial noble determines. If a nobility or equivalent already exists on a world joining the Empire, those will retain that status as local nobles. While local nobles have no Imperial status, they are generally given the courtesy title of Excellency.
NOBILITY, RULING: Those born to rule Imperial fiefs, except that the first ruling noble in a new fief will be named by the Sovereign. Technically, only the noble and @'s spouse and heir are Imperial nobles, but @'s younger children are treated so as a courtesy.
Inheritance of rule is by strict primogeniture, except in the few fiefs where, by the Sovereign's dispensation, there is some other qualification or automatic disqualification (e.g., Narvonese nobles must be Dragon-Kindred, while Sandeman nobles cannot be warriors). It is also possible, though rare, for a noble to ask the Sovereign to disqualify @'s firstborn for cause, and confirm someone else as Heir.
Should a ruling noble die without an heir, the Heir to the next higher fief takes over until the Sovereign can select a new ruler. If the fief left vacant is a Sector, a Ranger will take the position temporarily.
NOR: Traiti unit of weight, 0.56 kilograms.
NORVIS: