Glossary
A collection of mini-articles explaining terms specific to the Anatali Universe
A / C / D / E / F / G / H / J / K / L / M / N / P / R / S / T / V / W
A
Apocalypse Eternal — Refers to a MMORPG popular on Anatali Station and the ancient war on Venus it emulates. Details of the war can be found here. Details about the game can be found here.
AI (Artificial Intelligence) — A programmed entity existing in computer systems or android/robotic bodies. The sophistication of artificial intelligence reached it peak centuries ago, limited by the eccentric nature of self-aware programs. Normally AI's are shackled by high-end security programs, but some are given free reign to act in the real world and networks. Strictly regulated, the risk of a machine revolution is still considered science fiction.
AL (Artificial Lifeform) — AL plants, animals and humans have existed since 3468. Artificial Life Science surpassed cloning, creating advanced sub-species better suited for life on ground colonies and stations. While genetically and technically alive, many of their organs are biosynthetic or completely unique/enhanced. They are commonly born into adolescence or adulthood. After a revolution on Venus, human AL's were granted equal rights by Sol-Union legislation, which also enforces an above average intellect. The production of human models faded afterwards—natural humans are easier to manipulate by those seeking a working-class populace.
Anatali — A family-owned corporation that's developed immense power in the Sol System. 'Anatali' is also an abbreviation of Exodus-Class Star Station Anatali, the corporation's newest and most ambitious creation. Details on the corporation's origins, purpose and political status can be found here.
Anatali Academy — The primary source of higher learning aboard Anatali Station. The school offers a variety of technical studies and excellent job-placement within the parent organization. The school currently teaches 200,000 students and houses 100,000 within its dormitories. The Academy's odd architecture earned it the nickname, The Egg. Further details about the Academy can be found here.
Anatali University, Juneau — This millennia-old, prestigious university is located in Juneau, Alaska. While the Academy focuses on technical and vocational studies, the University is all-encompassing and a small city in its own right. It is also home to dozens of secret societies that put fraternities and sororities to shame. The Knights are the most famous due to the scandal accompanying their exposure and downfall. Most of the current Knights, a street gang aboard Anatali Station, are alumni of Anatali University and former members of their namesake society.
Android — The difference between androids and robots is subtle but important. Androids are advanced, self-aware artificial intelligences. Their human-looking bodies are mobile shells—they're not alive, though they're convincingly disguised as such. Except for physical injury they're impossible to identify. They are never mass-produced, and their existence is believed extremely rare though the technology has existed for a millennium.
Antlion — A historically-based Venusian monster, it's been recreated in the game Apocalypse Eternal. Legend has it a queen army ant from Earth underwent a severe dark energy mutation, growing to whale-sized stature. It's abdomen evolved, adapting into a segmented millipede tail, allowing it to swim through desert sands.
Apple Pie — This classic baked delight is an anytime treat using a compiler, though many culinary aficionados prefer home-baked goods using fresh organic ingredients.
ASA (Anatali Security Agency) — A corporate division that patrols Anatali Station. Among the rich ASA is viewed as competent and responsive, while the poor vehemently argue the opposite.
Atom Chart — A 3D visual tool used to navigate and design complex programs. Several globes orbit a nucleus containing the main protocol or central AI. The key principle is the orbiters are optional sub-protocols supporting the nucleus.
C
Chip, The (Computerized Human Interface Peripheral) — The most popular cybernetic implant available, the chip is installed at the base of the skull and wired throughout the brain. The chip provides both a wireless and hardware connection to system networks, allowing one to transfer their thoughts into data and vice-versa. It's a required cybernetic implant for many modern job fields, though unnecessary for 90% of normal people.
Comm-unit — This versatile communications device is popular among the young and old alike. It comes in many shapes and sizes, though always has an expandable holo-monitor and a holographic keyboard. It provides a direct connection to one's home workstation and any network it is subscribed to. It also comes equipped with a variety of video camera, audio/music, instant mail, television and navigation software.
Compiler — Utilizing a pipeline of atomic particles (possible through DETH), this common in-home appliance synthesizes food-stuffs in moments. Recipes are uploaded, broadening its menu. It's a wonder for the lazy, but hasn't replaced the social importance of restaurants, nor has it won over critics who call the creations bland—lacking in quality and artistic essence.
Core, The — Anatali Station's core is a gamut of twelve DETH reactors stacked along a central column. In desirability it's the equivalent of living next to an airport due to the anomalies encountered in its vicinity. Any connection between the core and phantoms are publicly denied by Anatali.
Cybernetics — The popularity of cybernetics has declined in recent centuries--they offer little value other than the chip and prosthetic limbs. It was proven in the 37th century that multiple implants drastically increase the odds of dementia. In modern times people get their chip and nothing else, and focus on medicine to prolong their lives.
Cybersiren — This nickname was given to a new crop of singers, natural talents with a cybernetic implant in their larynx. The operation is tricky and expensive. Those with the implant possess enhanced vocal range, volume, and corrective modulation. AI singers were a failure in the mainstream market, but these living singers offer a blend of humanity and vocal perfection. They excel in any genre, though have found the most popularity in club/dance music.
Cyborg — Cyborgs are relics of the past. Popularized in games like Apocalypse Eternal, they are half-human, half-mechanical beings of immense power, but with a short-lived grasp on sanity. Anyone undergoing heavy cybernetics loses their humanity and 'becomes the machine' given a few decades.
D
Dark Energy — A mysterious force accounting for 70% of the universe. It exists evenly, though at infinitesimal levels, between all visible and dark matter. By condensing this endless free resource, unimaginable power is drawn from the black of space itself. This is the heart of humanity's scientific and colonial progress in the Age of Dark Energy.
Dark Energy Anomalies — A public secret, it's long been suspected DETH reactors create phantoms, space-time anomalies and radiation flares. This information is suppressed in the media, leaving word-of-mouth to spread the strange truth of the matter.
DETH (Dark Energy THeory) — DETH is the theory behind the utilization of dark energy. Most technicians and students focus on the application of the science, rather than understanding its nature. Details on the science and its history can be found here.
DETH Reactor — The wonders of DETH are possible via top-secret black-box technology. Only scientists and politicians know what reactors look like—even fewer understand how they work. The size needed to support them varies from a middle-class home, to the handheld units Io produces. Large reactors (such as Anatali Station's core) are susceptible to energy overload and feedback, requiring constant vigilance to control.
Dethism — A religion that arose during the Age of Limitation, focusing on the lost souls of Jensen-Almay. By communicating with these spirits through fasting, meditation, séance, and cutting-edge technology, Dethists believe they can develop great power, even enough to transcend Mortality Shock. While the names are similar, Dethists are opposed to Anatali's DETH development. More information on Dethism's roots and goals can be found here.
Districts — Anatali Station is designed in a series of eight stacked cities called districts. The top and bottom of the station are a mirrored halves of the whole. A and H are domed metropolises for wealthy citizens and businesses. B and G are nearly windowless and reserved for working class colonists. C and F are industrial districts containing the station's mining and decompiling factories. D and E sit on top and underneath a central disk and serve as star docks. Details about Anatali Station's design and districts can be found here.
Double-M.P. — These handheld diagnostics devices are inexpensive to make and easy to use. After bombarding the patient in a brief cycle of various energy wavelengths, the Multi Platfrom Medical Peripheral transmits the results to a medical network. In moments detailed analysis is displayed on the device's holo-monitor, where EMT's and laymen alike can interpret it.
Double-X — A nano-drug developed by Anatali Corp, Xanoxine is a yellow serum containing microscopic machines. They stimulate the production of euphoric hormones while repairing damaged neural pathways. It was created to combat dementia, humanity's third leading cause of death (due to apathy, murder and suicide). While it's trafficked on Anatali's streets, it's pricey and hard to find.
Dvorak (Dark-energy Variant Organic Reanimated Anomaly Kirghiz-class) — The first rumors of these creatures surfaced during Venus' recolonization in the Age of Limitation. Dvoraks are bodies of the dead, reanimated by dark energy radiation. While slow and weak at a distance, in proximity to the living they display a vicious thirst for blood. They are impossible to kill except for methods that vaporize, incinerate, or otherwise turn them into little pieces. Dvoraks represent yet another subject DETH researchers and their political allies discount as preposterous. They travel in packs in the Venusian wastelands; Nome, Alaska; and Las Vegas, Nevada.
E
Empyrean — The center of Anatali District A is a vertical city housing the government. All official headquarters in the Station reside in this sub-district. Security is strict. Classically, Empyrean is the throne of heaven, the seat of God.
Exodus-Class — A designation given to a new star stations with multiple DETH reactors. These stations are larger, faster and tougher than previous mobile colonies. They were created to transfer millions away from the over-populated and under-resourced Sol System, something once believed impossible. Anatali Station is the first exodus-class station completed and launched, though others are only a decade behind in construction.
F
Firearms, Antique — Conventional pistols and rifles are still popular, even two millennia after the science existed for bigger and better things. They are cheap to produce, require little training, and are collector's items besides the fact. A man with a revolver or shotgun is just as dangerous as he was in the Information Age.
FTLS (Faster Than Light Speed) — FTLS was one of the first breakthroughs of the new millennium. DETH technology has provided the ability to create smalls rips in space and time, allowing small vessels and transmissions to exceed light speed, reaching destinations at an fraction of conventional speed. While it remains impossible to transport anything larger than a shuttle, FTLS has given humanity greater ability to communicate and restock its outposts.
G
Genetics — The building blocks of life have been understood and mastered for close to a millennium. In the last great medical advancement in the Age of Limitation, the genes affecting aging were suppressed, allowing for a once-believed kind of immortality. While natural, unaltered humans are uncommon among the rich, the poor can't afford to give their children a perfect start, nor can they afford genetic treatments that lengthen their lifespans. The mastery of genetics has also allowed for the creation of specialized and superior beings--artificial lifeforms.
Gravity Gun — This devastating weapon is a product of Io, an independent monarchy. While Anatali secretly tested DETH reactors on Earth, Io focused on military-grade application of dark energy. The 'grav gun' is their most infamous success in the field. Utilizing a tiny reactor, Io created a pistol that discharges an unstable black hole that devours and compresses local matter without resistance. While the unknowing may consider its appearance silly (a wide ten-inch cylinder with a triangular, tapered handle), those who recognize the weapon are wise to flee, negotiate or plead for their lives.
H
Holo-monitor — A projected, sometimes translucent screen common for entertainment, comm-units, and professional/technical displays. Most are tactile-compatible, touch-screen. They are easily expanded, layered and cascaded amongst each other, allowing for quick and versatile use. Three-dimensional projections are often used in professional settings.
J
JASE (Jensen-Almay Spiritual Entity) — The name Dethists give to the 13 million souls lost in the Jensen-Almay disaster. Dethists insist the humans never died, instead transcending into higher beings.
Jensen-Almay — The name of an extinct corporation and the orbital colony it was headquartered on. The station was home to the historical first DETH experiment that resulted in catastrophe and a 75-year war on Venus, Apocalypse Eternal. Details on the station and war can be found here.
Justice — An Anatali street gang based in District B, it is led by Cynthia Manali and was formed in February 4127. Violent and vindictive, the gang is enemy to the Knights. More information the Justice's origin and dynamics can be found here.
K
Kettle, The — Sub-district of Anatali District B, The Kettle is officially known as the common grounds and is the home to an array of parks, plazas, amphitheatres and community centers. It's a hot spot for children in the day, but at night is host to drunks, gangs, and common thugs. Star Park is part of The Kettle.
Knights — An Anatali street gang based in District B, it is led by Trent Winslow and Sacha McDaniels. It's related in name and origin to a secret academic society on Earth. These vigilantes defend the unfortunate and forgotten in Anatali Station. More information on the Knights' history and dynamics can be found here.
L
Light Speed — Obviously the speed at which light travels, once thought to be well beyond humanity's or their equipments' tolerance. By conventional means, protection fields allowed this benchmark to be approached, but not surpassed. Even by using DETH reactors, light speed is the fastest a mobile colony can move, though smaller shuttles can utilize FTLS technology.
M
Mission, The — The Mission is a floating fortress built to end Apocalypse Eternal. While the war ended before it was completed, Anatali Corp has maintained its weapons and gravity reactors, using the behemoth a safeguard against invasion. The Mission hovers above the ruined city of Nome, Alaska.
Mortality Shock — During their 665th year all humans die regardless of their health. This is a rather new mystery as only two generations have touched upon this level of longevity, numbering in the thousands. Mortality Shock has become a major concern, as millions will reach the age cap in the next century. The only beings known to be older are those with heavy cybernetics, but they've become indistinguishable from machines. Details about the discovery of and research against Mortality Shock can be found here.
MMORPG (Massive Multiplayer Online Role Playing Game) — A networked video game connecting millions of players to one server, modern MMOG's are popular and extremely realistic. The use of virtual reality equipment and direct connections with a chip make games such as Apocalypse Eternal completely immersive.
Mutant — While genetic mutations in living beings are possible due to solar, magnetic and dark energy radiation, they are only common in fiction, video games and on the surface of Venus. In reality most mutations are deadly and provide nothing useful in return. There was a brief period during Apocalypse Eternal where fantastic abilities were gained through the abundance of dark energy, but that is an age long passed.
N
Natural — A natural human with no mutations, genetic tinkering and only light cybernetics, if that. Most of the human population is natural, though this percentage has fluctuated throughout the millennia. The poor and working class are most often natural, though past-generations' genetic alterations have provided a superior pedigree among unaltered decedents. Due to this, True Naturals are becoming more and more rare.
Needler — These are popular, though deadly weapons among modern military and law-enforcement. Shells containing swarms of spikes are discharged at high velocity using compressed gas. The results are devastating to living tissue, but cause little collateral damage to equipment or the surrounding environment. This has obvious benefits in control rooms, vacuums, or near starship hulls.
Nome Incident — In 4124 A.D. the city of Nome, Alaska was annihilated, killing an estimated 99.8% of its residents. An Anatali Corp test site for centuries, they claimed no official responsibility and pinned the incident on a terrorist organization from Triton. The corporation also denies the presence of Dvoraks, though independent reports confirm they prowl the ruined city.
P
Phantoms — Ghostly images said to be a side-effect of DETH reactors. Completely ethereal, scientists and theologians debate their level of existence and intelligence. While they haunt and terrorize Venusian ground and orbital colonies, their appearance elsewhere is more mundane and passive.
PGT (Planetary Growth Theory) — A cutting edge science, Gloria Heavy Industries has a working computer model of how to grow a planet by using DETH, gravity, and existing terraforming technology. The project was a laughing stock forty years ago, but as the planet Gloria forms from rocky debris, solar hydrogen, and dark energy, humanity waits to see if earth-like homes can truly be grown from the ether.
Pinocchio Complex — A psychological syndrome unique among artificial lifeforms and artificial intelligence. This inferiority complex can cripple their emotional balance, as the desire to be real or natural can never be achieved. In it's most severe form, it degenerates into depression, apathy, suicide, and homicide.
Protocol / Subroutines — In computers protocol directs the communication between systems or hardware connections. In the Anatali Universe programs often bare the name 'protocol' due to the massive amount of networking among all devices and systems. Subroutines refer to computer code performing smaller tasks while attached to a larger program.
R
Railgun — Advanced railguns are meant for military use only. The weapon uses parallel metal rails, which are fed an electric current. This creates a magnetic field used to propel a projectile with great velocity and no combustion. The extreme recoil makes this weapon difficult to aim and control with handheld use.
Rending Wind, The — In December 2012, the Earth underwent a change that has occurred often through the eons, a polar shift. This abrupt, radical tilt of the planet's axis placed the South Pole on Cairo, Egypt, and sent a thousand-mile-an-hour wind and massive tidal waves across the oceans and continents. Billions were lost in moments as every costal city on Earth was destroyed. Surviving leaders and military commanders panicked in the aftermath, initiating World War III.
Robot — Autonomous machines, they've done the dirty work for humanity since the Information Age. The progress of Artificial Intelligence has allowed for greater independence and creativity in machines, though humanity has always been conscious of the dangers accompanying free-willed robots. A machine revolution was never allowed to develop. The main difference between robots and their cousins, androids, are their inhuman appearance—packaging. They are rarely given advanced AI programming or personalities, as this instills sympathy in their human masters.
S
SID (Sol-union Investigations Department / Detective) — SIDs are elite executive officers representing the Sol-Union in federal nations and colonies. The super-cops are given near free-reign to investigate, arrest and extradite criminals to the central government. They are feared in the underworld, corporate and political hierarchy, as they only pursue high-profile cases. Often they are used as tools to support the Sol-Union's influence over reluctant nations and corporations.
Sol-Union — In 3275 the Venusian Armistice Treaty was signed, which ended Apocalypse Eternal and gave birth to a new federation of countries, monarchies and corporate nations. The Sol-Union's influence extends throughout the Sol System with military and commercial dominance. The Union is also humanity's representative in the galaxy as its members are the only entities to have touched other stars. More information about the Sol-Union can be found here.
Star Park — One of the only sight-seeing attractions (and top party spot) in District B, this square-mile of artificial forest and gardens is highly contested among the district's many gangs. It is home to a massive panoramic window revealing deep space, giving the park its name during Anatali Station's nighttime hours.
Star Station — Decedents of mobile colonies, the S.S. designation is given to colonies housing a city-sized or greater populous able to leave the Sol System and travel through interstellar space. Star Stations have been instrumental in humanity's exploration and settlement of new planets and star systems.
T
Terraforming — Refers to the technology and process of altering or creating an atmosphere on a planet or moon. Terraforming has been refined over the millennium and can be accomplished on an Earth-sized planet in a century if the recourses are available. This is an essential step in interplanetary and extra-sol colonization. Open-air colonies attract more colonists and aren't limited by domed living areas.
V
VR (Virtual Reality) — A broad term applied to many states of human-computer interaction. By the use of audio/visual equipment a person can enter a rudimentary VR state without the need for cybernetics. However, by use of a chip one can reach complete immersion into a system creating a lifelike experience indistinguishable from physical reality.
W
World War III — The cataclysm that initially stalled mankind's progress back in 2013, this was the combination of a full-scale nuclear holocaust and a series of crazed military conflicts carried over the next seven years. WWIII began in the immediate aftermath of a polar shift—the Rending Wind.
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Aarin Edwards2005-2008