The Ashes of Worlds

Roamers — loose confederation of independent humans, primary producers of ekti stardrive fuel.

Roberts, Branson — former husband and business partner of Rlinda Kett, also called BeBob; his ship is theBlind Faith.

Rod’h — experimental half-breed son of Nira and the Dobro Designate, second oldest of her children.

Rusa’h — former Hyrillka Designate who degenerated into madness after a head injury and began a revolt against the Mage-Imperator. Rather than allow himself to be captured, he flew his ship into Hyrillka’s sun, where he merged with the fiery elementals and has returned as the faeros incarnate.

Saga of Seven Suns— historical and legendary epic of the Ildiran civilization, considered to be infallible until Anton Colicos and Rememberer Vao’sh proved otherwise.

San Luis, Zia — one of the four surviving grid admirals after the black robot uprising and the hydrogue war.

Sarein — eldest daughter of Father Idriss and Mother Alexa, Theron ambassador to Earth, also Basil Wenceslas’s lover; she helped Estarra and Peter escape from the Hansa, but chose to remain behind on Earth.

septa — Ildiran Solar Navy battle group composed of seven ships.

septar — commander of a septa.

shizz — Roamer expletive.

Sirix — Klikiss robot, leader of robotic revolt against humans skymine — ekti-harvesting facility in the clouds of a gas-giant planet, usually operated by Roamers.

skysphere — main dome of the Ildiran Prism Palace, equivalent to a throne room.

Solimar — young green priest, treedancer, and mechanic; Celli’s boyfriend.

Soul-threads — connections ofthism that trickle through from the Lightsource. The Mage-Imperator and lens kithmen are able to see them.

Speaker — political leader of the Roamer clans.

Spiral Arm — the section of the Milky Way Galaxy settled by the Ildiran Empire and Hansa colonies.

splinter colony — an Ildiran colony that meets minimum population requirements.

Steinman, Hud — old transportal explorer, discovered Corribus and decided to settle there. After the black robot attack on Corribus, he and Orli Covitz were the only two survivors; they joined the Crenna refugees on Llaro before the Klikiss invasion there, and were rescued by Tasia Tamblyn and Robb Brindle.

Stoner, Benn — leader of former human captives on Dobro.

streamer — fast single ship in Ildiran Solar Navy.

Sweeney, Dahlia — DD’s first owner.

tal — military rank in the Ildiran Solar Navy, cohort commander.

Tamblyn, Caleb — one of Jess and Tasia’s uncles, stranded on Jonah 12 after the faeros destroyed his water tanker.

Tamblyn, Jess — Roamer in love with Cesca Peroni, infused with wental energy.

Tamblyn, Karla — Jess and Tasia’s mother, frozen to death in ice accident on Plumas, revived by tainted wentals.

Tamblyn, Ross — Jess and Tasia’s brother, betrothed to Cesca Peroni, killed in the first hydrogue attack on Golgen.

Tamblyn, Tasia — Jess’s sister, who left the Roamers to join the EDF, captured by hydrogues at Qronha 3 and freed by Jess. Now she and Robb Brindle have joined the Confederation military.

Tamblyn, Torin — one of Jess and Tasia’s uncles, twin to Wynn, currently running the Plumas water mines.

Tamblyn, Wynn — one of Jess and Tasia’s uncles, twin to Torin, currently running the Plumas water mines.

Tamo’l — experimental half-breed daughter of Nira and a lens kithman; second youngest of her children.

Telink — instantaneous communication used by green priests via worldtrees.

Terran Hanseatic League — commerce-based government of Earth and Terran colonies, also called the Hansa, managed by a Chairman and a figurehead King.

Theroc — forested planet, home of the sentient worldtrees, currently the center of the Confederation’s government.

Theron — a native of Theroc.

thism— faint racial telepathic link from the Mage-Imperator to the Ildiran people.

Thor’h — eldest noble-born son of Mage-Imperator Jora’h; former Prime Designate who joined Rusa’h’s rebellion; he died on Dobro.

torch trees — worldtrees possessed by faeros, filled with living fire but not consumed.

transgate — hydrogue/faeros point-to-point transportation system.

transportal — Klikiss instantaneous transportation system.

treedancers — acrobatic performers in the Theron forests.

treeling — a small worldtree sapling, often transported in an ornate pot and used by green priests for telink.

Troop Carrier — personnel transport ship in the Ildiran Solar Navy.

Twitcher — EDF stun weapon.

Tylar, Crim — Roamer detainee on Llaro, father of Nikko, rescued by Tasia Tamblyn and Robb Brindle.

Tylar, Nikko Chan — young Roamer pilot, son of Crim and Marla; Nikko was one of Jess Tamblyn’s first water bearers to deliver wental water; his ship is theAquarius.

Unison — standardized government-sponsored religion for official activities on Earth, whose spokesman is the Archfather, a paid actor.

UR — Governess-model Roamer compy, formerly held at Llaro with other Roamer detainees; she lost one of her arms protecting several children during an attack by a Klikiss scout.

Usk — breakaway Hansa colony, populated mainly by farmers, site of a horrific pogrom led by General Lanyan and the Archfather of Unison.

Vao’sh — Ildiran rememberer, patron and friend of Anton Colicos, survivor of the robot attacks on Maratha; one of the only Ildirans ever to survive the isolation madness caused by separation from other Ildirans.

Verdani — organic-based sentience, manifested as the Theron worldforest.

Voracious Curiosity— Rlinda Kett’s merchant ship.

warglobe — hydrogue spherical attack vessel.

warliner — largest class of Ildiran battleship.

Wenceslas, Basil — Chairman of the Terran Hanseatic League.

wentals — sentient water-based creatures.

Whisper Palace — magnificent seat of the Hansa government.

Willis, Admiral Sheila — one of only four remaining grid admirals to survive the battle of Earth; she defected to the Confederation after refusing to slaughter colonists on Rhejak.

worldforest — the interconnected, semi-sentient forest based on Theroc.

worldtree — a separate tree in the interconnected, semi-sentient forest based on Theroc.

Yarrod — green priest, younger brother of Mother Alexa, a devotee of Kolker’s telink/thismphilosophy. He was killed by the faeros on Theroc.

Yazra’h — oldest daughter of Jora’h; his official guard.

Zan’nh — Adar of the Ildiran Solar Navy; eldest son of Mage-Imperator Jora’h.

Acknowledgments

I’ve worked on the Saga of Seven Suns for nearly eight years, and even though I originally envisioned a vast epic spanning many volumes, the story has still grown and changed, thanks to the advice and expertise of many people. Among those who have helped me enormously over the course of these novels are Jaime Levine, Louis Moesta, Diane Jones, Catherine Sidor, Tim Holman, Kate Lyall-Grant, John Silbersack, and Robert Gottlieb.