Ann Wilson

“ From time to time, at unpredictable intervals, they erupt into a random universe and--if that universe does not have a technological and population level near the Empire's--devastate it and proceed to another. However, no Empire-level civilization is attacked more than once, because a civilization at that stage can, and so far always does, defeat them. After such a defeat, the Ravagers retreat, and it is several years before they attack again anywhere. This is the reason Empires in various alternate universes cooperate to develop Empires or the equivalent in still other alternates. ”

“ As a safeguard, although going to the appropriate noble is generally preferable, all Imperial citizens have the right of direct appeal to the Throne, and if circumstances warrant (normally determined by an Evaluation Team investigation) , the Empire will act.
The Empire is based firmly on the principle of enlightened self-interest, making it the most thoroughly pragmatic government humans have ever developed. Ninety-nine-plus percent of the time, this means demonstrating an integrity pre-Empire Terran politicians would believe undesirable to impossible, probably both. ”

“ 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. ”

“ 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. ”

“ 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. ”

“ A genetically engineered race considered human-variant due to the number and extent of changes made. In dealings with Sandemans, especially the warrior caste, it is essential to keep those changes, and the fact of a culture designed in large part to enhance them, in mind. Sandemans are motivated primarily by honor, are intensely proud and ethnocentric, and have an extreme privacy drive. Courtesy is deeply ingrained and they do not expect non-Sandemans to live up to Sandeman standards even when visiting Sandeman worlds. ”

“ 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. ”

“ Fortunately, they are also more concerned with honor, propriety, and courtesy, and they are thoroughly trained in "warrior restraint"; it is dishonorable to fight Others who regard themselves as non-combatants, however great the provocation, except in self-defense. To a Sandeman warrior, the Marine slogan "Death before dishonor" is a truism--and a probable reason most warriors spend some time in that service.
Their physiology and training, however, make it unlikely that a warrior will ever become a Ranger or Sovereign ”

“ If both spouses are the same rank, the arms are impaled, with the original bearer's arms on the right. If one spouse dies, the other may, but need not, ask the Chief Herald for permission to continue using the marshalled arms. The original coats go to the eldest child of each sex. If the spouses are of different ranks, the impalement has the senior's arms on the right, and the eldest child assumes those arms while the next eldest assumes those of the lower-ranking parent. ”

“ Under the Shapers, warriors were about ten percent of the male population. This changed after Overthrow, when more warriors were seen as vital to the defense of the race. After Annexation, when the benefits of warrior-police were seen on the worlds they had conquered, other worlds began to hire them and warriors became an economic asset to their clans. Up to half of a modern clan's men may be warriors, with many of them away from the clan in the Marines or on contract as security forces. ”

“ Human Imperials follow all of the major religions from before the Empire, and many of the minor ones, though all have been modified to a greater or lesser degree by the discovery of other worlds and races. There are also new religions, of which Omnism is the commonest, and the Traiti faith picks up some human adherents after the War.
RELIGION, Sandeman: Created, like most of Sandeman culture, by the Shapers, this is a polytheistic faith loosely based on Shinto, Islam, and Odinism with a strong emphasis on honor. The deities are warriors and warriors'-women who have died in honor. ”

“ 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.) ”

“ 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. ”

“ Cloudcats are solitary hunters, living in mountain caves the Others provided with psionically-operated survival aids; although the closest world to their native one, Ondrian is enough harsher that, without the survival aids, cloudcat art and philosophy would have suffered, perhaps died. Most are involved with one or the other, many with both, and the tapestries they weave from their shed fur are in great demand throughout the Empire. ”

“ 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. ”

“ Commonly called an E-Team, this is a group of Marine Intelligence Division operatives sent in to investigate a citizen's report or appeal for help, if a preliminary evaluation shows a potentially serious problem to exist, and determine whether Imperial intervention is both justified and necessary. Only when the report is of imminent warfare or rebellion, when it includes evidence that makes an investigation unnecessary, or when the preliminary evaluation shows it not to be an Imperial matter, is an E-Team not sent in. ”

“ Susceptibility is determined by high empathy, though it may be mostly latent until the Change. Narvonese research has shown that a person with a certain rare "marker" gene configuration is susceptible, but until nearly 2600, the reason is not known. A susceptible person subjected to severe weakening (due to illness or trauma) after exposure will undergo physical and mental changes, becoming a Kin or Bloodmate.
It is the degree of empathy which determines whether the Change is to Kin or Bloodmate, with the more empathic becoming the Bloodmates. ”

“ No color band means no Imperial rank (except for brown, which indicates a local noble; technically, they have no Imperial standing, but are generally given the courtesy title of "Excellency") . Green indicates the Sovereign (wide) and Rangers (2 narrow) ; white is for Dukes, yellow for Earls, orange for Counts, and red for Barons (in all of these a wide band is for a Life Noble, two narrow for a Ruling Noble and @'s Consort and Heir, one narrow for a Life Noble's spouse and a Ruling Noble's younger children) . ”

“ 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. ”

“ 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 ”

“ 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. ”

“ The basic Sandeman social structure is a two-caste clan, with the upper warrior caste composed of the warriors and warriors'-women, the Other caste being everyone else. Caste may be determined by the clan-prefix (warriors are Dar, w'women Dru, Others Den) and often by clothing; the warrior caste usually wears subdued coveralls, the Others brighter clothing.
As a rule, Others marry; warriors and w'women do not, fostering their children with Other families to provide a stable home life. ”

“ In most cases, that means they will ignore even deliberate insults from non-Sandemans--but not in all cases. Touching one without permission will get at least a verbal rebuke; attacking one will in all probability result in the attacker's death. In Subsector Sandeman, the offender is at fault; elsewhere in the Empire, that is less automatic but still the presumption. To paraphrase then-Baron Klaes of Mjolnir, the first Imperial world to have Sandemans as guests and protectors instead of conquerors: These people are used to protecting themselves, rather than relying on police. ”

“ The force-field is the armor's primary defense; the armor itself serves mostly as a weapons platform, though if the force-field fails, it will sometimes provide enough protection for the operator to reach safety. In most cases, however, force-field failure is due to overload by enemy fire, and the ensuing suit failure and powerpack disruption cause total destruction of armor and operator both. ”

“ 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. ”

“ Eyes are pale-to-medium blue, green, or hazel. Children are born covered in fur resembling a kitten's; it is usually gone by three months of age.
Despite their small stature, Sandemans are stronger and faster than their creators, with greater endurance and higher average intelligence. Between twenty and fifty percent (up from about ten percent under the Shapers) of the males, depending on the clan, are further modified warriors, whose speed, strength and endurance are increased still further. (See also Warriors, Sandeman, and Need, Sandeman Warriors'.) ”

“ Semi-dress adds a silver-trimmed cloak with the Imperial Arms.
RAPID-HEAL: A drug derived from Ondrian miracle-weed which speeds the healing of injuries by a factor of about 3.5 for a standard human or Traiti, about 5 for a Sandeman non-warrior, and about 7 for a warrior of that race. It cannot be used on infected wounds, and the increased healing speed causes increased appetite and fatigue.
RAVAGERS: Inter-universal raiders. They are not life as Imperials usually understand the term; some scientists believe they are not really life at all. ”

“ 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. ”

“ 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 their social standing determined by the amount of wealth they contribute to 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. ”

“ 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. ”

“ This Creator is unknowable by finite intelligence, but some of A's attributes can be deduced from what humans can understand of A's creations. The main parts are that all religions are true in part, with the gods being those aspects of the Creator (some in body) sent to reveal what a given society needs and can understand about the Creator. (Everything in all the universes is part of the Creator, of course, that being what A created with.) Sin is either failure to use, or the harmful use of, the Creator's gifts. ”

“ The hormone that defines a Sandeman warrior and controls his need cycle.
EMPIRE, TERRAN: Founded by Cheong Chang in 2128, the Empire is an umbrella government with functions limited to defense of the Empire as a whole, peacekeeping (primarily between Sectors, though occasionally if necessary between lesser fiefs as well) , and inter-cultural relations that cannot be handled at a lower level. Its normal method of operation is that of minimum intervention, to encourage maximum diversity (within limits; neither anarchy nor Balkanization are seen as desirable) . ”

“ A strong, possibly latent empath who has been changed by the nosferatu pseudo-virus to an extremely capable blood donor, able to supply all a Kin's needs. The primary adaptation is bone marrow hyperactivity, which permits loss of blood with no harm to the Bloodmate beyond fatigue and increased appetite. Other changes include increased physical strength, though not to the extent of a Kin's, along with heightened empathy and endurance, both of which exceed a Kin's. ”

“ However, there is that other fractional percent of a time. Even the greatest idealists realize that from time to time, any government is going to need to use unpleasant, unethical, and possibly even illegal means to achieve something vital. ”

“ Traiti males average about two meters in height and 250 kilos in mass, with females somewhat smaller. They are heavily built but not fat, due to greater tissue density. Their bodies are human-looking, as are the hands (with the exception of semi-retractile claws instead of nails) , although their skin is medium gray in color and as tough as leather armor despite its softness. Heads are their least human-looking feature, being ovoid and having the long axis approximately parallel to the ground, with bulges along the top and sides. ”