Steel Sky (57 page)

ident:
A bracelet microcomputer containing all critical information about a citizen, and revealing their whereabouts at all times. Traditionally worn on the wrist of the non-dominant hand. Unremovable.

Image:
A holistic simulated intelligence software program that runs continuously within all the Hypogeum interconnected computer systems.

indagation:
The observation of others for purposes of judgment and intimidation.

knackers:
People in the depths of the city whose function is to disassemble people and machines for recycling.

Koba:
Dictator who restored the Hypogean government after the Eternity Riots. He destroyed all records of life before the Hypogeum, filled the tunnel upriver with waste rock, and encouraged perception of himself as a deity.

Leveller:
A member of one of several related political or philosophical groups advocating the elimination of the class system in the Hypogeum. Some Levellers try to work within the system, while others believe change can only be achieved through violence.

lifeshift:
One of four contiguous schedules of sleep and waking designed to assuage the symptoms of overcrowding by arranging for some citizens to sleep while others are working or socializing.

milcher:
A woman who, with the aid of hormone injections and pneumatic equipment, provides for the nutritional needs of others.

minichron:
A new chronometric time unit; 1/10,000 chronon, or .864 seconds by the old system. (See
chronon
)

musth:
A euphoriant distilled from the pituitary glands of the recently dead. Technically illegal. Most powerful when allowed to suffuse into the cranial arteries through the ear.

oddka:
An alcoholic drink fermented from algae.

null class:
A semi-official designation of the most important members of the primary class.

Palaestra:
An arena in which warrior athletes fight each other either bare-handed or with weapons, sometimes to the death.

Pneumonics:
The upriver factory responsible for maintaining the optimum composition and pressure of the gasses in the Hypogean building ventilation system.

primary class:
The highest class in the Hypogeum, composed of politicians, scientists, top administrators, and their families.

Prime Medium:
The political body of the Hypogeum. Mediaries must be primaries, and are directly elected by primaries, secondaries, and tertiaries. They do not pass laws directly, but propose referendums, which are voted on by the populace.

quaternary class:
The lowest class in the Hypogeum, composed of the unemployed or those whose jobs are considered contemptible. Quaternaries are not allowed above Deck Seven.

Rakehells:
An exclusive and prestigious organization of promising political employees, primarily male.

Rats:
Semi-humans living in the cave tunnels upriver from the Hypogeum.

scrutator:
One who watches the cameras.

Second Pandect:
The new code of laws decreed by the Prime
Medium one hundred years ago to restore order to the Hypogeum.

secondary class:
Skilled laborers such as engineers, or assistants to primary class citizens.

sensorium:
A single room that can display the views from all the cameras in the Hypogeum.

shockstick:
A truncheon that can deliver a powerful electric shock upon contact.

Sky:
The steel dome that encloses the Hypogeum and supports the rock above it.

soft gun:
A hand-held weapon that fires an ultrasonic wave designed to incapacitate without killing.

Stone:
The Geospiritualist term for the rock that surrounds the Hypogeum. Believed to be sentient. Symbolic of everything that is powerful, dangerous, and immutable.

Sun:
A network of giant fluorescent lights encased in a 250-meter wide plastic shell that hangs from the dome of the Hypogeum.

surtout:
The uniform of a null-class citizen, worn over a standard coverup. The upper half is cut like a formal jacket, while the lower half resembles flowing robes, thus combining dignity and sensuality in a single article of clothing.

teratogenic:
Tending to cause developmental malformations and monstrosities.

tersh:
Derogatory term for a member of the tertiary class.

tertiary class:
Unskilled or semi-skilled laborers. Tertiaries are not allowed above Deck Four.

trog:
Troglodyte. Derogatory term for someone who works in the sewers and Hydroponics.

venireman:
A citizen of the Hypogeum selected at random to adjudicate in a trial. A trial can require between six and twenty veniremen depending on the complexity of the case and the severity of the charge.

wirewhip:
An electrically charged whip made of woven carbon steel fiber. Illegal.

Winnower:
A mythical demon dating back to the time of the Eternity Riots representing the pain and anger of the lower classes. The Dark Spirit of the Stone made flesh. The Hand of Wrath.

year:
A new chronometric time unit. 50 decamera, or 500 days. (To avoid confusion on the part of the reader, ages of people are rendered in this text using the old standard.)

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

In 1985 Andrew C. Murphy was mugged; he got away with his money but also with a nasty gash on his scalp. The experience left him depressed, paranoid, and very angry. He carried an ice pick in his coat pocket and entertained violent fantasies – despite knowing that the ability to realize these fantasies wouldn’t make things any better. Later he channeled this energy into the creation of STEEL SKY.

Murphy is an artist from a family of doctors. He is an illustrator, graphic designer, and the Creative Director of Brainworks Communications. An avid collector of comic books and old science fiction, he lives with his family in Penn Valley, Pennsylvania. STEEL SKY is his first novel.