Subterrestrials/Glossary

This page has descriptions of important places and other plot elements from Subterrestrials.

Chimozto
When the crew of the MWWV Elephant arrives at Osiris IV, the planet appears to be devoid of intelligent life. Mysteriously, there are life forms that seem to have been derived from Earth's biosphere and there are indications that a technologically advanced civilization once lived on the surface of the planet. Finally, the astronauts discover the remnants of a civilization BELOW the surface of planet: Millions of miles of inter-connected steel corridors that once housed a very scientifically-gifted race of beings and still contains remnants of their highly developed machinery and inventions. "Chimozto" is the name used by the Luminads to refer to the underground city of Osiris IV.

The only life that remains in the corridors of Chimozto is a deadly mutation of the original "alien" species: quadripedal predators that are somewhere between lizards and tigers. The crew of the Elephant must fight these creatures, but eventually analysis of the beasts' blood samples leads to the discovery of a way to create clones of the Luminads in their pre-mutated state...

MWWV Elephant
In Subterrestrials, the MWWV Elephant travel to Osiris IV in search of an Earth-like planet that could be colonized by people from Earth. "MWWV" stands for "Milky Way War Vessel", just as "USS" means "United States Ship".

Luminads
After the crew of the MWWV Elephant arrives at Osiris IV, they begin to explore the underground base and find records and other evidence of a highly intelligent "alien" race that once inhabited Osiris IV: The Luminads. At first, the crew of the MWWV Elephant suspects that the Luminads are aliens, but eventually it is realized that the Luminads originated on Earth thousands of years earlier.

Starting in 15,139 BCE, some humans who had been removed from the glacial conditions of Earth were transported to Osiris IV (note, the aliens never used the name "Osiris IV") by alien nanorobotic artificial life forms. Those humans were first established inside the underground base of Osiris IV and genetically engineered to be better adapted to the conditions on the surface of Osiris IV. These genetically engineered humans did live on the surface for a while, but they eventually developed a technological society and re-discovered the underground base. By the time the MWWV Elephant arrives at Osiris IV, it has been thousands of years since any Luminads lived on the surface of the planet. Efforts to warm the planet have been halted and the surface is returning to its previous state of only having frozen water on the surface.

When it became clear that humans on Earth had developed space travel technology and would eventually reach Osiris IV, most of the Luminads left the planet. One group of Luminads was devoted to the idea of developing a genetically engineered life form that would be recognized as a non-technological native life form of Osiris IV under the Rules of Intervention, and so be allowed to remain in the underground base after humans reached Osiris IV. See: Sauroks.

Osiris IV
A Class K star first cataloged in 2018 and given a number designation. The star was later selected as a target for colonization in 2358 and named after the god Osiris. Osiris IV was identified as having an oxygen-rich atmosphere with water, although calculations indicated that the world should have been outside of the circumstellar habitable zone of Osiris and so far from Osiris that there should be no liquid water on Osiris IV.

Terraforming of Osiris IV began in 29,430 BCE when artificial life forms of alien origin arrived and began to prepare the planet for human habitation. The main goals of the terraforming project was to warm the planet, thaw the oceans and establish an ecosystem with algea, plants and cold-tolerant animals. Osiris IV was originally colonized in 15,139 BCE, a time when the equatorial parts of the surface of the planet were becoming habitable for cold-tolerant land mammals. During the original colonization, humans and other mammals from Earth were first housed in an underground base and genetically engineered for improved cold tolerance and adaptation to conditions on Osiris IV. Eventually Osiris IV becomes dominated by the Luminads.

Sauroks
These predatory beast are the result of mutations in Luminad test subjects involved in a genetic research study. With a strong survival instinct and human-like intelligence, the Sauroks developed their own secret plan to hide in the underground base and wait until the base was evacuated in anticipation of the arrival of the MWWV Elephant. The Sauroks then emerged from hiding and claimed control of the underground base as natives of the planet.