Author’s Notes

The Ships:
Pelled Krasc: “The Arrow Head”, armed interplanetary exploration & research vessel. Composite ship: 3 mated jettisonable pods: A-Pod command and control, B-Pod engineering & propulsion, C-Pod passenger & catering. All three pods, crew quarters. Hydrolytic Fission Reactor for electrical and environmental systems. Propulsion: Compound-drive Ion-pulse/Plasma, redundant systems on all decks. Crew: 8 officers, 42 crew, 8 passengers.

Ev-Trnod'ynat [Guardian of the Wind] and the Pe-Trnod'ynat [Guardian of the Mist] are two armed Interdiction Frigates, each with a compliment of 4, seconded from the Interplanetary Corsair Patrols to accompany the Pelled Krasc to the Hysaronat System. During Plasma transit the vessels are hermetically mated to A-pod.

Freighters: Interplanetary freighters are owned by the Syndicates, for the transport of their raw materials, products and supplies.

Corsairs: Corsairs are illegally armed and up-engined Freighters, owned clandestinely by various syndicates, which prey on the freighters of competitor syndicates.

The GARHYAR Ethnicities

Phenotypes: The GARHYAR are a hominid species with an elongated bone structure, adults averaging 2.3 meters, with high cheekbones and foreheads. Their primary differentiating characteristic is facial striations on both cheeks, which glisten in response to emotional stimuli or tension. There are 3 striations on each cheek, beginning near the ear and extending across to the nose. General skin colour is a light tan. The Uuma are tallest ethnicity generally, tending to grow to 2.5 meters. All have three digits and an opposable digit on each hand and 4 toes on each foot. Hair is very fine, either black or dark brown. Eyes tend to be brown or green. In intermarriage, striations follow recessive genes in offspring, but dominant genes in the second generation. Facial striations are the only major difference in phenotype.

Genotypes: Each type exhibits a full range of morphologies, and no single ethnicity exhibits a predominance of any single characteristic other than striations. Internal structures and organs are identical in all variants. “Race” is solely a social construct, which intermarriage has made obsolete.

The Four Houses of Garhyar: DEL, PENTAR, GIR and UUMA. Each has dialectical variations of the parent language. Confederation has blended a new Standard Speech, but dialects are preserved in homelife. Prior to Confederation the Houses tended to occupy semi-exclusive continental homelands or ethno-specific settlements within a host House.

DEL: Delai. Garhyar phenotype with blue facial striations.
The Del were the seafarers of early Garhyar history. Their specialty was navigation, and their business trade, merchandise, and piracy. They had trade embassies in all corners of the homeworld. Their network of contacts enabled them to act as the negotiators of confederation.

PENTAR: Pentari. Garhyar phenotype with white facial striations.
The Pentar lived in hardwood subtropical forestlands. Their expertise was in artistic woodworking and skilled practical carpentry. They were the boat builders for early Del exploration. Their timber and wood products were traded by the Del. Their co-operation in setting up the Confederation was crucial.

GIR: Girii. Garhyar phenotype with gray facial striations.
The Gir were master-builders and architects. They created the first urban environments of stone. They were first to suggest a confederation as a means of limiting cyclical wars and famines.

UUMA: Uumai. Garhyar phenotype with ochre [yellow-brown] facial striations. Primarily they are warriors. To seek superiority they became metallurgists, inventors, tool and weapons makers. Strategy, strategic alliances, planning came easily to them. The implied threat of their power helps keep the Confederation together.

Main Characters:
Jihr Taur' Regc : UUMA. Jihr = given name. Taur = High Military rank. Regc = Family name, a minor UUMA nobility. Childhood friend and one-time potential consort of Si' Viyatt Nu. Head of Security on the diplomatic mission.

Si' Viyatt Nu : UUMA. Si' Viyatt = "High Daughter", senior child of the High Counsellor of Garhyar, Nu = Family name of the current High Counsellor. Lost her opportunity to marry Taur’ Recq when her father was elected High Counsellor.

Bahrin Del-Phar [male] and Treen Del-Mahz [female]: DEL. Adolescent names, of the trading family of Phar. Twin children of the Verl Syndicate’s Commissioner.

Diplomatic Corps:
Tai' Gann: DEL. Senator Gann of the High Council.
Viq' Dalabar and Viq' Xutha : PENTAR: Specialist Advisors.
4 Mawim: Diplomatic Corps Cadets, all male : Maw' Del a 'blue-face', Maw' Pentar of the 'pale countenance', Maw' Gir a 'gray-skin', and Maw' Uuma a 'tawny-skin'

Ship’s officers:
Ki' Oste: Ship's Commander
Mil' Gnoste: Oste’s Consort, Second-Vice-Captain
Tu' Venne Vice-captain,
Tu' Bihr Ionator [propulsion engineer]
Tu' Kehrsu Environmental Engineer,
Ng' Ilazor Steersman, [Navigator]
Tuum' Hvenc second CIS officer

Human: Dr. Chapelle Delacroix (nee Devereux widow of David Delacroix), crew of SPEWOP 3.