Copyright © 2010 Jennifer R. Pournelle. All rights reserved. Manufactured in the United States of America.
First electronic edition 2010.
Characters, locations, and events featured in King David’s Spaceship are Copyright © 1980 Jerry Pournelle, used by permission.
Characters, locations, and events featured in The Mote in God’s Eye are Copyright © 1974 Larry Niven and Jerry Pournelle, used by permission.
Characters, locations, and events featured in The Gripping Hand are Copyright © 1993 Larry Niven and Jerry Pournelle, used by permission.
Musical score for “The Gathering Hymn” Copyright © 2009 J. Daniel Jenkins, used by permission.
Illustrations © 2010 Jennifer R. Pournelle.
For my father.
It’s his world, we just try our best to live in it…
Cast of Characters
Imperial Autonetics Majority Shareholders
Sir Kevin Renner
Owner and pilot,
Sinbad
; five percent plus one share.
Robert Peele Bury
Oldest grandson of Horace Bury, twenty percent less one share.
Ali Baba
Mediator, fifteen percent.
Eudoxus
Mediator, representative, Medina Traders, fifteen percent.
Omar
Mediator, representative, East India Company, ten percent.
Victoria
Mediator, representative, Crimean Tartars, 2.5 percent.
Other Humans
Citizens of the Second Empire of Man
Amari Selkirk Alidade Clarke Hathaway (Asach) Quinn
Analyst and Advisor.
Sandra (Sally) Liddel Leonovna Fowler, Lady Blaine,
Co-Director, the Blaine Institute, New Caledonia.
Roderick Harold, Lord Blaine,
Earl of Acrux, Co-Director, the Blaine Institute, New Caledonia.
Commissioner (Dr.) Anthony Horvath,
Minister of Science, Sparta.
HG
Horvath’s delegate and representative on New Utah.
Colchis Barthes
Curator of American Collections, Imperial Library, Sparta. Information delegate to New Utah.
Sir Lawrence Jackson
Governor, Maxroy’s Purchase.
Saint George, New Utah, and Environs
Zia (Umm Hugo) Azhad
Procurement Agent, Orcutt Land and Mining.
Ollie (Abu Hugo) Azhad
Chief of Security, Orcutt Land and Mining, Zia’s husband.
Hugo Azhad
Son of Zia and Ollie.
Deela Azhad
Daughter of Zia and Ollie.
Marul
Zia’s niece.
Lady Lillith Van Zandt
Margravine Batavia, Entrepreneur.
Harlan Clegg
Security Contractor.
Aloysius Geery
Dean, Zion University College of Technical Science, Engineering, and Urban Planning.
Saint George True Church Militant Security Zone
Captain Jeri Legrange
Zone Operations Security Officer.
Sergeant Sheila Thompson
Medic, Zone Operations Support Company.
Private Swanson
Legrange’s driver, Zone Operations Support Company.
Private Theo Parker
Zone Operations Support Company.
Major Johannes Trippe
Executive Officer, TCM Saints (“Mormon”) Battalion.
Linda Libiziewsky
Zone Operations Administrator.
Bonneville and The Barrens, New Utah
Collier (Collie) Orcutt
Rancher.
Laurel Courter
Rancher, Orcutt’s niece.
Michael Van Zandt
Opal meerschaum broker, Lillith Van Zandt’s son.
Nejme Silelyan
Major Domo to Michael Van Zandt.
Lena Silelyan
Nejme’s daughter.
Mena Silelyan
Nejme’s wife.
John David Swenson
New Utah Founder’s Era surveyor, provisioner and naturalist.
Other Moties
John
Farmer. Agricultural concession-holder.
Longshanks
Runners. Post-Watchers in the employ of Farmer John.
Leica
Runners. Offspring of Longshanks.
Sargon
Master. Procurator, Northern Protectorate, Mesolimeris.
Lagash
Keeper, Northern Protectorate, Mesolimeris.
Enheduanna
Master, Side Captain, House of Sargon.
Alhacen
Miner.
Lord Cornwallis
Master, East India Group. Associate Master of Inner Base Six; presumptive parent of Ali Baba.
Other Species
Agamemnon
A horse.
Chronology (Standard Years)
Events preceding the opening of this story…
2450
Jasper Murcheson explores region beyond the Coal Sack.
2452
In New Caledonia system, domed colonies established on New Scotland and New Ireland, following terraforming.
2456
Maxroy’s Purchase settled by dissident Mormons.
Domes removed, New Scotland and New Ireland colonies.
2552
Mountain Mover asteroid mining registered, Purchase system.
2553
100,000+ transportees settled on Maxroy’s Purchase.
2567
Temple of the True Church moved to Glacier Valley, Maxroy’s Purchase. True Church colony sent to New Utah. Founder’s Report to the Elders of Maxroy’s Purchase filed.
2600
Imperial Navy Initial Assessment Report (IAR), New Utah, filed.
2603
Secession Wars begin. New Scotland loyalist; New Ireland secessionist. Maxroy’s Purchase and New Utah are distant and largely neutral.
2640
First Empire collapses.
2800
Interstellar trade collapses in Trans-Coal Sack sector.
2820
In absence of Imperial contact, Loyalist New Scotland continues prosecution of war against “Rebel” New Ireland. Coherent light from the Mote reaches New Caledonia.
2862
“Motie” civilization on Mote Prime launches a solar sail-guided probe into human space, using a laser cannon. Coherent light from the Mote reaches New Caledonia.
2867
City churches, Maxroy’s Purchase destroyed. Temple of the True Church proclaimed Governing Church of Maxroy’s Purchase. Swenson’s Ape paper authored.
2868
Alderson tramlines collapse between Purchase system and New Utah.
2870
Secession Wars end. New Ireland defeated.
2882
Howard Grote Littlemead founds Church of Him on New Scotland.
2902
Coherent light from Mote ends abruptly. Howard Grote Littlemead “hastened to meet his God.” Under intense persecution, many Himmists flee to New Ireland.
2903
Leaonidas IV of Sparta proclaims the Second Empire of Man.
2908
His Mission dispatched from New Ireland to Maxroy’s Purchase. Expands rapidly among “false” Church remnants.
2963
Hannefin Mines registered, Pitchfork City, Maxroy’s Purchase. True Church begins secret, periodic shipments of selenium supplements and fertilizer to New Utah, in exchange for opal meerschaum.
2964
His Mission to Heaven dispatched from Maxroy’s Purchase to New Utah.
2967
Imperial contact with New Caledonia re-established. INSS Terrible bombards Derry, ending New Ireland secession. New Scotland designated sector capital.
2984
General Metals registered, Pitchfork City, Maxroy’s Purchase.