Gentlesophonts:
The following library data first appeared in *Melbourne Times* #2:
Discovery Service: The exploration and missionary service of the Abrahamic
Synod. The Discovery Service has primary responsibility for survey of new
systems as well as for contact with new cultures. The Scouts of the Discovery
Service are renown throughout the Colonies Sphere for their scientific and
surveying skills. The Discovery Service has also proven quite effective in
spreading the Abrahamic faith among the new peoples contacted. It has shown
greater success in gaining new members for its State than has any other scout
service. Primarily because of this record of success the Discovery Service has
been banned by most Colonial States from conducting operations on their
respective worlds. Discovery Service teams are generally welcome on
independent worlds due to their extensive record of aid to developing worlds.
General Hulls and Drives: The largest corporation in the Commonwealth, General
is the largest manufacturer of starships in the Colonies Sphere. General
builds all classes of starships from private yachts to naval battleships at
shipyards on both Commonwealth and independent worlds. In addition to its
manufacturing operations, General is a major insurer in Commonwealth space.
The company also has extensive holdings in the chemicals (primarily jump fuels)
and mineral processing industries.
ikrahanbe: Aeroi meditative state commonly used as a means of focusing
intellectual effort on a particular problem. Often used during trade
negotiations, the technique involves the complete encirclement of the Aeroi by
its membranous wings in concert with a semi-conscious mental state. The
process seldom lasts more than a few minutes. After emerging from ikrahanbe,
Aeroi are usually able to present a proposal that is agreeable to all parties
concerned. The technique is sometimes unsettling to non-Aeroi who confuse it
with some sort of psionic talent. The Aeroi claim the process is strictly
internal to the practitioner and several independent examinations have failed
to detect any evidence of psionic activity.
*****
Happy Travelling,
David Johnson
Houston, Texas, USA