The Start of Eternity/Glossary

NOTE: The End of Eternity, Eternity, Galaxia, the Three Laws of Robotics and other ideas from Issac Asimov's fiction might be the property of his estate or some company. Asimov's ideas are used here in the spirit of Fan Fiction with no intent for profit and only for the enjoyment of Asimov's fans.

Aliens that are not male or female
The pronoun "thon" is as a Gender-neutral pronoun for many of the key characters in the story who are not male or female.

compact dimension
an important part of physics, used for hyperspatial travel, telepathy and time travel. Some forms of matter can move through compact dimensions from one point in space-time to another.

Deltrijoshnypwannem species
highly genetically modified to allow two parallel thought processes, one in each side of the brain. Capable of carrying on two conversations at the same time. Hermaphroditic pattern of reproduction and complete reliance on artificial womb technology for embryo gestation. Demographer Wilry is a member of this species.

Eternal life cults
A common social phenomenon by which members of various come to believe in eternal life or a way to dramatically increase the length of lives for biological organisms.

Eternity
what makes time travel possible. Eternity is a place outside of ordinary time and space where time travelers live, the Eternals. The Eternals can move back and forth between Eternity and ordinary time and space, entering into any time period of history. Their mission is to make Reality Changes, changes in the course of history that will result in an improved Reality.

Fundamental Theorem of Species Diversity
The Fundamental Theorem of Species Diversity states that galactic civilizations composed from diverse mixtures of species are the most stable. Across millions of years and tens of thousands of galaxies conditions have proved the soundness of this Theorem as the basis for social engineering policy.

Galaxia
the super-organism that is forming in the Milky Way Galaxy and which requires creation of a group mind for all of humanity.

Ghreliuw species
Bipedal species most known from the Roswell Incident. Genetically engineered to have only a single sex and a single type of gamete. In vivo fertilization is still possible, but rarely practiced. Reproduction almost always involves laboratory-assisted fertilization.

Guiphoa species
a relatively rare example of a heavily genetically engineered species that had retained two distinct sexes. Morphology: quadrupeds with a centralized apical combination tentacle, genital and sensory stalk. Reliance on artificial reproductive technology is nearly universal. Individuals such as Fint who have an interest in non-technologically assisted reproduction are viewed as regressive throwbacks to the past.

Home Galaxy
the origin of the Huaoshy species, now roughly at the center of the 90,000 galaxies that have been tamed by the Huaoshy and brought into their vast inter-galactic civilization.

Huaoshy species
The Huaoshy species was the first species that developed the hyperspatial jump drive. They developed a galactic exploration process that has grown to include tens of thousands of galaxies populated by millions of space-faring species. This vast inter-galactic culture is united by a common language and almost all of the many species have been carefully engineered by the Huaoshy to be similar to the Huaoshy and each other.

Imfulri
The planet Imfulri, in the Milky Way Galaxy, is the home planet of the Ressese species. However, most Ressese live on worlds of the Large Magellanic Cloud. The Ressese are relatively short and stout.

Sahiwha Nennoad is a member of the Ressese species and the leader of the training mission to Imfulri.

Many Sails
This is the spaceship that is commanded by Captain Hooski.

Observers
Observers must follow the Rules of Observation. In general, Observers have more advanced technology than the culture they are observing. The Rules of Observation are designed to allow advanced civilizations to study more primitive cultures without allowing the primitives to become aware of the Observers.

Oodeckru species
The Oodeckru were a notoriously difficult species that caused a significant amount of disruption within intergalactic society. The Oodeckru were often discussed as a "textbook" example of a species needing a large amount of social engineering.

Ouwui species
Highly genetically modified to promote abstract thought and detachment from physical concerns. Greatly reduced chemical and tactile senses, monochromatic visual sense, but highly developed hearing and speech abilities. The auditory sense organ is nearly a complete ring around the crown of the skull. Morphology: bipedal with a radial array of branched tentacles. The Ouwui have a body temperature set point that is significantly higher than the average for species that work with the Huaoshy.

The Ouwui are hermaphroditic with complete conscious control of the reproductive process. They have a consciously-controlled form of sequential hermaphroditism and can switch from producing male gametes to female in about a year and from female to male in a much shorter period of time. At the gross anatomical level they have both male and female structures all the time. The Ouwui species has a strong bias against using artificial reproductive technologies.

Lorn-Kru is a member of the Ouwui species.

Positronic brain
Positronic brains are what makes telepathy possible. In the long history of the Huaoshy, electronics have always been used for the production of artificial intelligences. Unlike electronic robotic brains, positronic brains can produce T-particles, the basis of telepathic communication.

Reality Change
term used to describe an alternative time line caused when a time traveler goes back in time and makes a change in the course of events.

Rules of Intervention
so important it needs its own page! This is the basic law of the Huaoshy species. Many less technologically advanced species are not aware of these rules.

Rules of Observation
these rules are designed to keep humans on Earth from learning that extraterrestrial forces have been observing Earth for millions of years. The Rules of Observation are a special case of the Rules of Intervention which generally restrict contacts between more technologically advanced life forms and less advanced cultures.

Social Engineering Guild
One of the major social tasks facing intergalactic civilization is finding ways to engineer millions of different cultures so as to make them compatible. The Social Engineering Guild trains professionals who study conflicts between cultures and design social changes that will remove conflict.

Standard Intergalactic
The standard language used through all of the tens of thousands of galaxies within the sphere of influence of the Huaoshy species.

Tokishira
one of the few planets in the Milky Way Galaxy where visitors from other galaxies are allowed.

T-particle
T-particles are a form of dark matter. Positronic brains can use T-particles and their associated twitinos for telepathic communication.