Jack—fourth Great King of the Terran Hanseatic League; also, a large moon of Oncier.

jazer—energy weapon used by Earth Defense Forces.

jigglefruit—Theron fruit.

Jora’h—prime designate of the Ildiran Empire, eldest son of Mage-Imperator.

Jorax—Klikiss robot, often seen on Earth.

Juggernaut—large battleship class in Earth Defense Forces.

Kamin—planet in the Ildiran Empire.

Kanaka—one of the eleven generation ships from Earth, last to depart; these colonists became the Roamers.

Kellum, Del—Roamer, ekti cargo driver.

Kett, Rlinda—merchant woman, captain of the Voracious Curiosity.

Khali—Nira’s family name.

kith—a breed of Ildiran.

kleeb—derogatory term.

Klikiss—ancient insectlike race, long vanished from the Spiral Arm, leaving only their empty cities.

Klikiss robots—intelligent beetlelike robots built by the Klikiss race.

Klikiss Torch—a weapon/mechanism developed by the ancient Klikiss race to implode gas-giant planets and create new stars.

Klio’s—Ildiran Minister of Commerce.

K’llar bekh!—strenuous Ildiran curse, “God damn!”

Kori’nh, Adar—leader of the Ildiran Solar Navy.

Lanyan, General Kurt—commander of Earth Defense Forces.

Llaro—abandoned Klikiss world.

Lorie’nh—cohort commander in the Ildiran Solar Navy.

Lotze, Davlin—Hansa exosociologist and spy on Crenna.

Mage-Imperator—the god-emperor of the Ildiran Empire.

Malph—young bully on Earth.

maniple—battle group of Ildiran Solar Navy consisting of seven septas, or forty-nine ships.

Manta—midsized cruiser class in EDF.

Maratha—Ildiran resort world with extremely long day and night cycle.

Marco Polo—one of the eleven generation ships from Earth, third to depart.

Maylor—Roamer clan.

Meena—Nira’s mother.

Mesta, Gabriel—captain of Great Expectations, killed by Rand Sorengaard’s pirates.

Meyer—red dwarf sun, location of Rendezvous.

Mijistra—glorious capital city of the Ildiran Empire.

Moon Statue Garden—sculpture exhibit and topiary at Whisper Palace.

napple—Theron fruit.

nialia—“plantmoth” grown on Hyrilka.

Nira—young green priest acolyte; accompanies Otema to Ildira.

Okiah, Berndt—Jhy Okiah’s grandson, chief of Erphano skymine.

Okiah, Jhy—Roamer woman, very old, speaker of the clans.

Okiah, Junna—Berndt Okiah’s daughter.

Okiah, Kotto—Jhy Okiah’s youngest son, brash inventor who designed Isperos colony.

Okiah, Marta—Berndt Okiah’s wife.

Oncier—gas-giant planet, test site of the Klikiss Torch.

Osquivel—ringed gas planet, site of secret Roamer shipyards.

Otema—old green priest, ambassador from Theroc to Earth; later, sent to Ildira.

OX—Teacher compy, one of the oldest Earth robots. Served aboard Peary.

pair-pear—Theron fruit, grows double on trees.

Palisade—Hansa colony world.

Pasternak, Shareen—chief of Welyr skymine.

Peary—one of the eleven generation ships from Earth, first to depart.

Pellidor, Franz—assistant to Basil Wenceslas, an “expediter.”

pepperflower tea—Roamer beverage.

Peroni, Denn—Cesca’s father.

Peroni, Francesca—Roamer woman, in training to become next Speaker, betrothed to Ross Tamblyn.

perrin seed—Theron nut.

Peter, Prince—successor to Old King Frederick.

Petrov—Roamer clan.

platcom—Platform Commander, chief’s rank aboard Thun-derhead weapons platform in EDF.