Zach Hughes - For Texas and Zed

Atmoflyer: Luxurious mode of transportation in the Galactic Empire for travel within the atmosphere. A few models were known to have limited space capacity.

Batgull: A seabird of Texas, half bird, half mammal. Batlike head, two rows of teeth, a long, unfeathered neck dwindling into a chunky, short body covered with dull gray feathers.

Beagle: Flying mammal of Texas. Noted for its appetite, omnivorous, feeding on anything from carrion to vegetation. In appearance, the beagle resembled the extinct bears of Earth, with huge, leathery wings appended to the shoulders.

Biters: Parasitic insects of Texas. As large as an Earth housefly, red and blue striped, biters were, in the early years of Texican settlement, a hazard to both health and comfort.

Blink Drive: A nul-grav, anti-space engine developed on Earth in the 1970s by Zed Blink. A popular explanation of the function of the blink generator, in brief: forces created in the generator negate mass while nullifying the existence of space itself. Under proper direction a chosen vector can be applied to the nul-mass under the influence of the blink generator. In effect, an object under the influence of a blink generator ceases to exist at one point in space and emerges into reality at another chosen point.

Blinkstat: A system of blink generator stations was established under the first Empire with relays at chosen points, enabling a physical message to be "blinked" from any given point in the galaxy, so long as straight line transmission was possible through relay stations.

Blood-flowers: A particularly showy native flower of the Planet Texas, three inches in diameter when fully opened, the bloodflower exuded a liquid of the color and consistency of human blood when disturbed.

Bojacks: An Earth term adapted by Texicans to indicate the wilderness areas of their planet. Comnum: Communications number. Identifying number for the receipt of blinkstat messages or planetary trid calls. Darlene Space Rifle: A weapon developed on the Planet Texas. Anachronistic in one respect, in that it

used a physical projectile, it was advanced in its time since a tiny blink generator allowed the projectile to be delivered instantly on target. Dozer: A potent, non-narcotic sleeping pill used mainly by spacers. Electro-book: After 2050, the form of most printed material. Words were commuted into electronic

impulses, stored in a cartridge and activated into either written or spoken language through an electronic

reader. Expand: A powerful explosive developed on Texas. Used primarily in construction and mining and, on specific occasions, as a weapon of war.

Farl; Largest of the land animals native to the Planet Texas. Smaller than an extinct Earth tiger, the farl was catlike and was said to be the most fearless animal ever encountered by man. In the early days of Texas settlement there were many casualties before the farl population was reduced and confined to wilderness areas.

Hornie: A toadlike reptile; habitat, the deserts of Texas. L.S.A.: Life support armor, a complete life support system in compact form used by spacers. Meacr: Shortened form of the Texican phrase "meat critter." Bovine in character, prolific in breeding, the

meacr became the principal source of meat first on Texas and later in the galaxy.

Nighten: Nightbird of the Planet Texas. Owl-like in form. A flying marsupial, the nighter fed on small rodents. Rio Grande Wine: A general term indicating any number of alcoholic beverages distilled from the juices

of cacti from the deserts of Texas. Sanrab: Short for sand rabbit, an edible rodent of the Texas deserts. T.E.S.: Prefixing initials meaning The Emperor's Ship, preceding the title of all Empire military vessels. T.E.M.S.: See above: The Emperor's Merchant Ship. Toothfish: Warm-blooded fish of the southern oceans ofTexas. Up to thirty pounds. Large mouth with

large display of tearing teeth. In schools, toothfish were dangerous to divers, swimmers and any other form of life to cross their paths. Trid: Three-dimensional form of communication forming an image, amazingly lifelike, on an electron screen.

Vandy: Short for Vanguard destroyer, a swift, small, deadly warship used in both the service of the Empire and the Cassiopeian allied dictatorships. In battle, Vandys, being more agile, were used as strike force, and as security for the larger vessels of the fleets, Middleguard cruisers and the ponderous Rearguard dreadnoughts.

Waken A non-narcotic anti-sleep pill. Used mainly by spacers on duty.

Winglings: The newly born form of the Texican meacr. Capable of swift and darting flight, the wingling soon lost its ability to fly, due to an active metabolism which induced an amazingly fast growth. Weight and the withering of wings soon confined the wingling to the grazing plains.