Omega Classification

  Berranian categorisation of extraterrestrial biologic entities by way of intelligence:

  Alpha Class—tool users typically humanoidal in form and displaying cultural evolution.

  Beta Class—higher animal life exhibiting cognisance but lacking complex tool usage.

  Gamma Class—primitive, single-celled organisms—

  Ontwa

  Berran calendar year comprising 363 eids and equal to thirteen Earth months.

  —

  Orbit, Geostationary

  Alternatively called geosynchronous orbit; object parked 22,300 miles above a planet and matching that planet's velocity, hence appearing stationary to an observer, and taking one revolution of the planet to complete one orbit.

  —

  Originator, The

  Prehistoric animal term for the Supreme Being; typically venerated in the likeness of the idolising creature; reputed to be neither a benign or malignant deity, merely one who exercises a parental watchfulness.

  —

  Ornithischians (awni-this-keeanz: “bird hips")

  One of the two main dinosaur groups named for birdlike pelvic bones; includes Ceratopsians, Hadrosaurs and Pachycephalosaurs. See Saurischians.

  —

  Ornithopods (awni-tha-podds: “bird feet")

  Small and large-sized plant-eating ornithischians that could walk on their hind legs.

  —

  Outsider

  Bonehead term for lowland creatures; often used in a derogatory context.

  —

  Pastsight

  Thunderfoot ability unique to the Matriarchs permitting the user to regress into flashbacks of ancestral lives drawn from latent racial memories.

  —

  PIL

  Acronym for Personal Implant Locator; combined identification / tracking chip planted subcutaneously, usually at the base of the neck; compulsory equipment for Berran's offworld explorers; accurate to within half a metron; maximum range 300 kalacs.

  —

  Plateback

  Stegosaurus (steg-oh-sawross: “covered lizard")

  Late Jurassic herbisaur characterised by prominent back plates and tail spikes; 20-43 ft long; weighed 7.7 tons; found in North American states of Colorado, Utah, and Wyoming.

  —

  Prime Council

  The global legislative and administrative body of Berran.

  —

  Pterosaurs (terra-o-sawrs: “winged lizards")

  Flying reptiles related to the contemporary dinosaurs; in decline twenty million years prior to the asteroid strike to due competition from birds. See Archosaurs.

  —

  Quadruped

  An animal that walks on four feet.

  —

  Redmount

  Stratovolcano located 125 miles northwest of the Concealed Valley; formerly stood at 9,766 ft in height, reduced to 8,294 ft by cataclysmic eruption.

  —

  Regressionists, The

  Subversive Boneheads dedicated to returning the clans to the old policy of uncontested isolationism.

  —

  Rohn

  Berranian measurement of time equal to one Earth minute. See Semic.

  —

  Saurian (saw-rian)

  Meaning lizard-like.

  —

  Saurischian (saw-risk-ian: “lizard hips")

  One of the two main dinosaurs groups named for lizard-type pubic hipbones; includes the ornithomimosaurs, sauropods and theropods. See Ornithischians.

  —

  Sauropods (saw-ra-pods: “lizard feet")

  Family of immense quadruped dinosaurs characterised by a huge body with lengthy neck and tail; evolved in Late Triassic to flourish throughout Jurassic and Cretaceous Africa, Asia, India, Europe and the Americas; the longest and heaviest animals ever to walk the Earth. See Saurischians.

  —

  Saviour, The

  Informal title for Gideon indicating his desire to reclaim the gene pool of his lost race by salvaging a remnant of the doomed dinosaurs.

  —

  Semic

  Berranian measurement of time equal to two Earth seconds; thirty semics make up one rohn.

  —

  Settlement, The

  Naturally formed Uplands rock edifice pockmarked with caves used as shelter by the Boneheads.

  —

  Shieldhorn

  Generic name for members of the ceratopsian family.

  —

  Shortfrill:

  Triceratops (tri-serra-tops: “three-horned face")

  Largest of the ceratopsids; one of the handful of instantly recognisable dinosaurs. See Ornithischians.

  —

  Sky-fire

  Colloquial prehistoric animal description of lightning.

  —

  Solsat

  Solar power arrays in orbit over Berran; 13 kalacs long and 3 kalacs across; beam microwave energy to assigned habisyl, where the beams are collected by internally mounted wire-mesh oval antennae measuring 500 metrons by 750 metrons and converted to electricity.

  —

  Spirit Forest

  Heavenly, predator-free afterlife of the herbisaurs.

  —

  Starlight Falls

  2,000-foot-high cataract in Mother Forest region located in the Uplands roughly 300 miles due west of Fernwalk; the source of Clearwater River.

  —

  Starsphere

  Globular Berranian starship; hull composed of the rare metal alloys Dutranium and Tiselminium blended for superior corrosion and heat resistance; standard diameter 9 metrons; size limited to 30 metrons by complexity of shipboard systems and inherent instability of the plasma-fueled quantum matrix stardrive; maximum velocity .75 l/s (three quarters light speed); highly maneuverable.

  —

  Stellar Corps

  Space exploration branch of the Academy of Stellar Studies; motto is ‘Ready for Anything'.

  —

  Stoneback

  Thescelosaurus (thessa-lo-sawross: “marvellous lizard")

  Dinosaur plant-eater comparable to modern deer in habits and nature; 12 feet long, 3 feet tall; lived in western North America 77-65 million years ago. See Ornithopods.

  —

  Supreme Being

  God; the Almighty; the Creator; Boss; the Big Guy; typically given a male persona by worshippers.

  —

  Swamp of Despair

  22,000 square miles of inhospitable marshland southwest of Crescent Lake; home to dying trees, rotting vegetation and Moldar.

  —

  Theropods (theer-a-pods: “beast feet")

  The carnivorous group of dinosaurs; named for their three-toed, clawed feet; varied in mass from chicken-sized predators to the largest carnosaurs. See Saurischians.

  —

  Thunderfoot

  Alamosaurus (alla-mo-sawross: “Alamo lizard")

  Typical member of the titanosaurid ("gigantic lizard") subgroup that was one of the last of the genus to evolve before the mass extinction. See Sauropods.

  —

  Thunder Passage

  The spiral tunnel leading up from the base of Starlight Falls to enter the Concealed Valley.

  —

  Tractor Beam

  A focused magnetic field employed to either attract or repel a targeted foreign object in space.

  —

  Treefur

  Alphadon (elfa-donn: “first tooth")

  Possum-like prehistoric marsupial.

  —

  Triassic (tri-ass-ik)

  Earth time period 248—213 million years ago; starting period of the Mesozoic Era.

  —

  Trunkleg

  Apatosaurus (appatta-sawross: “deceit lizard")

  Previously known as Brontosaurus. See Sauropods.

  —

  Tsor

  Warrior race of saurian humanoids from the Draco (Dragon) Constellation who warred on an interplanetary scale with the Berranians to the detriment of both worlds.

  —

  Tsor Confederacy

  League of war-states on Tsor homeworld pledged through mutual alliance to the destruction of Berran.

  —

  Uplands, The

  Informally known as the Haunted Hills; a 450-mile sweep of high country running north to south said to be plagued with spooks; in reality the domain of the furtive Boneheads occupying the hidden vale at its northern end.

  —

  VAI

  Acronym for Voice Activated Intelligence; also known as cybernate; artificial intellect controlling technical functions aboard starspheres; dual emotion / personality chip incorporated into computerised workings enabled humanlike interface with pilot.

  —

  Warmbloods

  Reptilian slang for mammals; derived from mammalian ability to remain active day and night in extreme heat or cold.

  —

  Watersnout

  Deinosuchus (dino-soo-chass: “terror crocodile")

  Largest crocodilian to have ever lived; name applied to pseudo-crocodiles. See Archosaurs.

  —

  Whiptail

  Diplodocus (di-plodd-okass: “double beam")

  Late Jurassic diplodocid; 85 ft long, weighing 12 tons. See Sauropods.

  * * *

  Visit www.synergebooks.com for information on additional titles by this and other authors.

 

 

  Alan J. Garner, Chosen One

 

 

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