Lepoort plate, Stafl Orbital
Lesser Yattlian Spray region of space
Lesuus plate, Gadampth
level re a Shellworld, one of the world’s spherical shells
lifebowls see mottled
Logarithmic re: a Shellworld, term given to one whose levels occur in exponential increments (hence aka Exponential)
Machine Core/level level immediately surrounding a Shellworld Core
Meast water-nest city, Gavantille Prime
Meseriphine star in the Tertiary Hulian Spine
MHE Monopathic Hegemonising Event (usually runway nanotech)
MOA Mysterious Object from Afar
Moiliou Hausk family estate, L8S
Mottled re a Shellworld, term given to one whose Surface is partially (mostly) free of atmosphere, with significant areas – within large, high-walled (normally original) Surface features – of nominally inhabitable pseudo-planetary environments, called Lifebowls
Multiply Inhabited re a Shellworld, one with more than one intelligent species in residence
Nameless City of L9S; long buried metropolis being uncovered by the Hyeng-zhar
nanorgs nano-scale organisms; often aka injectiles (though this covers non-biological material too)
Natherley a Rollstar of L9S
nearpole direction (opposite of farpole)
Nearpole Gate a main gate of Pourl city, L8S
Nestworld usually, and always in context of Morthanveld, a type of artificial habitat composed of multiple twisting tubes, complexly intertwined and generally water-filled
Night re a Shellworld, places within a level which are totally or almost totally dark, over the horizon from both direct and reflected sunlight or vane-blocked
Oausillac a Fixstar of L9S, Sursamen
Obor a Rollstar of L8S, Sursamen
Oerten Surface crater, Sursamen
Optimae name given to Culture, Morthanveld, etc. by more lowly civilisations; roughly equivalent to HLI
Oversquare re a Shellworld, levels beyond which increasing separation of secondary supporting filaments branching from Towers no longer allows intra-filament inter-Tower travel (usually in top half of levels); opposite of undersquare
Pandil-fwa Tower Oct transport Tower, Sursamen
Parade Field Pourl, L8S
Pentrl a Rollstar of L8S
Peremethine Tower Oct transport Tower, Sursamen
Pierced re a Shellworld, a level-accessible Tower
Placed placed under care (Morthanveld term)
Pliyr star, Morthanveld space
Pourl region and capital city of Sarl, L8S
Prasadal planet, Zoveli system
Prille country on Sketevi
Primarian type of large Oct ship
Prime re a Shellworld, term given to structure of world as originally built by Veil
Quoline river, draining the Quoluk Lakes
Quoluk Lakes of L8S, near Pourl
Quonber module platform, Prasadal
Rasselle Deldeyn capital city, L9S
Reshigue city, L8S
roasoaril fruit plant, L8&9S (refinable)
Rollstars Shellworld interior stars which move
roving scendship (Oct) scendship air- and underwater-capable
Safe (multi-million-year) re a Shellworld, term given to one with no recent history of world-caused gigadeaths
saltmeat (Sarl) salted meat
Sarl people and kingdom, L8S, Sursamen (also planet)
scend tubes tubes scendships use
scendship ship which ascends or descends within a Shellworld Tower
Scholastery recessional university, like a secular monastery devoted to learning
Schtip district of Pourl, L8S
scrimp dismissive name for Falls workers
seatrider C skeletal AG device; personal transport
Secondary re a Shellworld, term given to structural additions to world added by later possessors
shade areas on a Shellworld level without direct sunlight (effect severity varies with shell diameter, vane geometry, etc.)
Shellworld artificial planet, part of ancient megastructure; also known as Hollow World and Slaughter World (archaic)
Shield world see Shellworld
Shilda province of Sarl, L8S
silse collective term for class of Shellworld creatures which transport silt particles from seabeds and other aquatic environments to land, via hydrogen sacs, evaporation, clouds and rainfall
Sketevi continent on Bulthmaas
Slaughter World see Shellworld
SlimHull type of Morthanveld ship
Sournier county within Sarl, L8S
Spiniform (world) a partially collapsed Shellworld
spiniform applied to species, indicates a spiny, pointed body type
Stafl C Orbital
Stalks slightly derogatory term used for landgoing peoples by aquatic peoples
Starfall (rare) phenomenon occurring when the remains of an exhausted Shellworld interior star fall from the ceiling of a level to its floor; generally catastrophic
Sterut Nariscene Globular Transfer Facility
Sull Deldeyn region, L9S
Sullir Deldeyn regional capital, L9S
Sulpitine river, L9S
Superintendent judicial rank, Sursamen Surface
Sursamen Arithmetic Shellworld, orbiting Meseriphine
Swarmata the detritus of competing MHEs
SwellHull type of Morthanveld ship
Syaungun Morthanveld Nestworld in the 34th Pendant Floret
Taciturn of a species, one which is especially uncommunicative
tangfruit C fruit, pan-human edible
terraf short for terraformed; a planet so amended, or any other large-scale constructed environment (see habiform)
Tertiary Hulian Spine region of space; location of Meseriphine
thin-film screen; goes over eyes to show virtual reality (Morthanveld term)
Tierpe Ancestral port, Syaungun
tink dismissive name for Falls worker
T’leish sub-group of Morthanveld, on Gavantille Prime
Tower re a Shellworld, a hollow supporting column or stem, normally with vacuum inside, also used as transport tube
Tresker a Rollstar of L9S
tropel trees C flora; common on ships
Twinned Crater Surface crater, Sursamen
Uliast general, Sarl army
undersquare see oversquare
unge drug, smoked; L8&9S
Upstart (species) generally recognised if mildly pejorative term for (usually intelligent and even Involved) species which is regarded as having achieved such status by the exploitation of its relationship with another, already advanced, civilisation
Urletine (mercenaries) fight for Sarl; L8S
Uzretean a Rollstar of L9S
Vaw-yei Tower, Sursamen
Veil World see Shellworld
Vilamian Ocean on L8S
Voette country, L8S
Vruise location of Falls, L9S
wallcreep foliage, L8&9S
Wars of Unity sequence waged by Hausk to unite the Eighth
Wiriniti capital of Voette, L8S
Xilisk region near Pourl, L8S
Xiliskine Tower Tower nearest to Pourl, L8S
xirze crop, common on L8&9S
Yakid Boiling Sea of, L9S
Yakid City on shores of above, L9S
Yattle planet, Greater Yattlian Spray
Zamerin high rank of the Nariscene (see also Grand Zamerin)
Zaranche planet, Inner Caferlitician Tendril
Za’s Revenge C cocktail
Zoveli star and system, location of Prasadal
Zuevelous Morthanveld family, Gavantille Prime
Zunzil Ligature region of space; location of Iln home world/s
Ships
Culture
Don’t Try This At Home Steppe-class MSV
Eight Rounds Rapid Delinquent-class FP exGOU
Experiencing A Significa
nt Gravitas Shortfall GCU
It’s My Party And I’ll Sing If I Want To Escarpment-class GCU
Lightly Seared on the Reality Grill GCU
Liveware Problem Stream-class Superlifter (modified Delta class, Absconded)
Now We Try It My Way Erratic-class (ex-Interstellar-class General Transport Craft)
Pure Big Mad Boat Man GCU
Qualifier Trench-class MSV
Seed Drill Ocean-class GSV
Subtle Shift In Emphasis Plains-class GCV
Transient Atmospheric Phenomenon GCU
Xenoglossicist Air-class LSV
You Naughty Monsters GCU
You’ll Clean That Up Before You Leave Gangster-class VFP ex-ROU
Nariscene
Hence the Fortress Comet-class star-cruiser
Hundredth Idiot, The White Dwarf-class
Morthanveld
“Fasilyce, Upon Waking” Cat.5 SwellHull
Inspiral, Coalescence, Ringdown Great Ship
“On First Seeing Jhiriit” Cat.4 CleaveHull
“Now, Turning to Reason, & Its Just Sweetness” Cat.3 SlimHull
Sursamen Levels: Inhabitants
LevelInhabitant
0 Surface; vacuum/habiformed Nariscene/Baskers/others
1 Vacuum Seedsail nursery
2 Vacuum Baskers
3 Vacuum Dark
4 O2 ocean Cumuloforms
5 Methane shallows Kites/Avians
6 Higher Gas Giant Tendrils – Naiant
7 Methane Ocean Vesiculars – Monthian megawhales
8 Land – O2 Sarl
9 Land – O2 Deldeyn/Sarl (Under-/Over square division)
10 Mid Gas Giant Tendrils – Variolous
11 Methane ocean Vesiculars – Monthian megawhales
12 Lower Gas Giant Swimmers
13 Water/slush matrices Tubers/Hydrals
14 Ice/water Dark
15 Machinery the WorldGod – a Xinthian
16 Core – solid the WorldGod – a Xinthian
Time Intervals
TermYears
aeon 1 000 000 000
deciaeon 100 000 000
centiaeon 10 000 000
eon 1 000 000
decieon 100 000
centieon 10 000
millennium 1 000
century 100
decade 10
year 1
Epilogue
Senble Holse was hunched over a tub with a washboard, furiously scrubbing, when her husband walked in. He came through the doorway of the apartment in the company of a smoothly handsome, ringlet-haired blond gent and holding the hand of a strange-looking little boy. She watched, open-mouthed, as he nodded to her.
“Mrs Holse,” he said. He walked to the centre of their cramped living room, put his hands on his hips – the odd-looking child still kept a determined hold of his hand – and gazed around. He was dressed rather well, even for a prince’s servant, and looked better than ever he had; well-fed and sleek. The twins had taken one look and yelped; they were hiding behind her skirts, holding on fit to drag her to her knees and peeking round, one on each side.
“You look well, my dear,” he said. He caught sight of the youngest, hiding behind the door into the bedroom. He waved. There was a thin cry and the door banged shut. He laughed and looked back at her. “Young Choubris?”
“At school!” Senble told him.
“Good.” He nodded. “Oh,” he said with a smile. (His teeth looked wrong; far too pale and even.) “Where’s my manners, eh?” He nodded at the glossy-looking man standing smiling at his side. “Senble, dearest; meet Mr Klatsli Quike.”
The fellow nodded slowly. “An honour, ma’am.” He was carrying a small pile of boxes bound with ribbons.
“Mr Quike will be staying with us,” Holse announced breezily. “And this here,” he said, waving the hand holding that of the odd-looking, very serious-seeming little boy, “is Toark. Toark Holse as he shall be known henceforth. We’ll be adopting him. Mr Quike is a man of considerable abilities who finds himself at something of a loose end and with a sentimental attachment to our dear homeworld, while little Toark here is an orphan of war, and so much in need of love and a settled family life, the poor little soul.”
Senble had had enough. She threw the wet washing back into the tub, wiped her hands once on her skirts, pulled herself up to her best height – detaching the twins, who ran for the bedroom and disappeared, squealing – and said, “Not a word, not a word for an entire year, then you march in here, bold as you like, not a word of apology, telling me there’s gents going to be staying with us and bringing me another mouth to feed when we’ve no room in here as it is even without you being back let me add and no money to spend anyway even if we did have the room, which we don’t—”
“Now, dear,” Holse said, picking up the young lad and sitting him on his knee as he settled himself in his old chair by the window. The little boy buried his face in Holse’s shoulder. “We shall have a much bigger and far better set of rooms by this evening, Mr Quike informs me, isn’t that right, Mr Quike?”
“It is, sir,” Quike said, flashing dazzling teeth. He put the pile of ribbon-wrapped boxes on the kitchen table and produced an official-looking letter from his jacket. “Your new lease, ma’am,” he said, showing it to her. “For one year.”
“Paid for in advance,” Holse said, nodding.
“Using what?” Senble asked loudly. “You won’t even get your servant’s pension now, not under this new lot, citizen. I’m owing – you owe half a year’s rent on this place. I thought you must be the bailiffs when you marched in here, I did!”
“Money is not going to be a problem for us from this point on, dearest, I think you’ll find.” Holse nodded at the washtub. “And you shall have servants to do that sort of thing, to protect your delicate hands.” He was looking round for something. “You seen my pipe, love?”
“It’s where you left it!” Senble told him. She didn’t know whether to hug the rogue or slap him about the face with the wet washing. “What’s all that anyway?” she asked, nodding at the pile of boxes on the table.
“Presents for the children,” Holse explained. “For the birthdays I’ve missed. And this,” he said, reaching into his jacket and producing a slim box, also bound with ribbons, “is for you, my dear.” He handed it to her.
She looked at it suspiciously. “What is it?” she asked.
“It’s a present, dearest. A bracelet.”
She made a humphing noise and thrust the box into her apron pocket without opening it. Holse looked hurt.
“And where’s all this money coming from?” Senble asked. She glared at this Quike fellow, who smiled gracefully back. “Don’t tell me you’ve finally won something at the betting!”
“In a sense, dear,” Holse told her. “The money will be coming from a fund set aside for special circumstances by some new friends I’ve made. He waved one hand airily. “Mr Quike will be handling the financial side of things.”
“And what do you propose to do?” Senble demanded. “If this is a betting win you know damn well you’ll just gamble it all away again next week and we’ll be back to hiding from the constable’s men and pawning the brass, which is already pawned, I might add.”
“Oh, I’m going into a career in politics, me dear,” Holse said matter-of-factly. He was still holding the shy young boy and patting his back, reassuring him.
Senble threw back her head and laughed. “Politics? You?”
“Politics me indeed,” Holse said, smiling broadly at her. She was still distracted by those teeth. “I shall be a man of the people, yet one who has been places and seen things and made friends such as you would entirely not believe, my dear. I’m better connected, upwards and downwards – WorldGod be praised – than you could possibly imagine. Also, as well as my earthy charm, native cunning and other natural abilities I shall have an inexhaustible supply of money” (Quike smiled, as though to confirm this outrageous statement), “which I understand is
a not un-useful attribute in the political sphere of life, and I shall additionally have a rather better knowledge of my fellow politicians’ tastes and foibles than they will ever have of mine. I shall probably make a very good parliamentarian and an even better First Minister.”
“What?” Senble said, incredulously.
“Meanwhile Mr Quike here will be keeping me honest and making sure I don’t become a – what was that word, Mr Quike?”
“Demagogue, sir,” Quike said.
“Making sure I don’t become a demagogue,” Holse went on. “So, it’s politics for me, my dear. It’s an ignominious end for a man of my earlier ambitions, I realise, and not one I’d have wished on myself; however, somebody’s got to do it, it might as well be me and I think I can confidently say I shall bring a new, fresh and wider perspective to our petty political scene which will be good for the Sarl, good for Sursamen and very good indeed for you and me, my darling. I don’t doubt I shall be most affectionately remembered by later generations and will probably have streets named after me, though I shall aspire to a square or two and possibly even a rail terminus. Now, where did you say that pipe was, dearest?”
Senble went to the mantelpiece, grabbed the pipe from its little stand and threw it at him. “There!” she shouted. “You madman!”
Holse flinched. The pipe hit him on the shoulder and fell to the floorboards but did not break. He lifted it with his free hand. “Thank you, my dear. Most kind.” He stuck the pipe in his mouth and settled back in the seat with a contented sigh, legs extended. Little Toark no longer had his head buried in his shoulder; he was looking out at the city now on this sunny, fresh and beautiful day.
Holse smiled at the still thunderstruck-looking Senble and then glanced up at Quike. “Ah, family life, eh?”
Iain M. Banks, Matter
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