Cellular Civilization/Glossary

Genesaunt
General term used to refer to any social group that traces its origins back to Earth. Most of Genesaunt civilization exists in secret bases scattered through the Solar System and on worlds of nearby star systems. The Observers and the Overseers are two distinct Genesaunt groups.

Interventionists
Genesaunt forces that attempt to work around the Rules of Observation and the Overseers in order to help human civilization on Earth develop successfully.

Nanites
Nano-scale devices that can be used for many purposes such as spying on people or modifying the appearance or function of human or robotic bodies

Observers
A Genesaunt faction devoted to making observations of Earth's biosphere and human cultural development on Earth. The Observers are based at an underground city on the Moon.

Overseers
A Genesaunt police force that works to prevent illegal interventions into the course of events on Earth. The bounds of legality are set by the Rules of Observation. The Overseers are derived from Neanderthals who were taken off of Earth tens of thousands of years ago.

Robot
A mechanical device designed to look and behave like a human.

Rules of Intervention
See Rules of Observation. The Rules of Intervention are more general, and restrict the kinds of interactions that a more technologically advanced culture can have with a less advanced culture. (Plot spoiler warning: these Rules are never explicitly revealed in the X7 Trilogy. See Three laws for details.)

Rules of Observation
Never described in detail during the X7 trilogy, but these rules are designed to keep humans on Earth from learning that extraterrestrial forces have been observing Earth for hundreds of millions of years. Also, it is generally illegal for any Genesaunt to interfere in the development of a more primitive culture. The Rules of Observation are a special case of the Rules of Intervention which generally restrict contacts of more technologically advanced intelligences with less advanced cultures.