~ This is a complex, sometimes mysterious story. Many readers enjoy putting the various puzzle pieces of a fictional world together in their own head by themselves, but for those who don't I have included a glossary of all relevant technical terms ~

Abberant: term for anything which does not fit intended design. A negative connotation is usually implicit.

Active Scanning: type of scanning which requires a signal be sent out. Easier to detect by advanced instruments than passive scanning, but produces more thorough results.

A-Shield: defensive bubble of inviolate frozen spacetime. Requires massive power.

Attendant: sentient being as servant, scientist, companion, or any other role desired by a Master.

Audiovisual Representation: false sights and sounds produced by an advanced technology. Includes re-active specific holography, neuro-sensory hypnopathy, and smartmatter virtualization.

Basic Processor: pre-quantum computer.

Biosynthetic: general term describing a combination of the organic with the artificial. Most modern sentient beings are biosynthetic, which informs the shorthand humanoid label "biosynth".

Chimeric: genetically engineered being with animal DNA. Can be a quadruped, biped, or other.

Concussive Blast: specific burst of force which can either be used to nullify latent energy or just physically strike a target.

Cryogenics: scientific branch initially focused on preserving human bodies in stasis. After the immortal Masters conquered the Earth, however, it is chiefly used to effectively store biomass, biological samples, and unused Attendants/biosynth.

C-Shield: shorthand for Concomitant Shield, which is an energy field held extremely close to the entire body like a snug full-body energy suit. Minor to moderate durability against a wide range of offensive threats.

Cyborg: only humanoid on Earth which is neither an Attendant, hobby project or a Master. Uses extreme energy tech specialized enough to credibly engage a Master in combat.

Dedicated Processor: anything beyond a basic processor.

Display Screen: surface which can display visual information. Often made from smartmatter and floating via gravimetrics.

Deep Learning: branch of machine learning based on algorithms modeling data abstractions by using multiple processing layers.

Deepspace Integral Suit: Biometalic multi-purpose suit designed for maximum utility during deepspace travel. Central processing is handled by a fearless and highly adaptable Subroutine which can react to almost any conceivable cosmic threat with its own broad, steadily evolving suite of personal integrated technologies.

Domain: one of twelve sections of the Earth ruled by one Master. The ruling Master's word is absolute law within it.

Dream City: metropolis constructed specifically for each Meeting of The Twelve. All residents are quickgrown and implanted with false memories, though some few are recurring characters.

Dr. Lanier: foremost Outer scientist of the last century. Invented a number of breakthrough technologies, his most famous being the first ever Outer anti-gravity device. Reclusive. Owns a remote research facility.

Enclosed Integrated System (EIS): broad term referring to any self-contained system, whether a device, computer or biosynth.

E-Shield: shorthand for Expanding Shield. Utilizes outward pulses of energy to provide a defensive barrier.

Epoch: period of history as decided by The Twelve. The first Epoch refers to all history before humanity. The second Epoch refers to all history from the birth of humanity to its death. The third Epoch refers to the Master's reign.

Ergo: automatic, fully comformable chair/bed.

Evolution Experiment: game played by The Twelve. Its rules are mysterious, but each Master playing must submit to a time limit, third party oversight, and after the initial Organo-Seed is planted must only interfere with it through a pre-determined amount of flashes from the Evolution Trigger.

Evolution Trigger: technology which promotes rapid evolution through the emission of a flash wave.

Gabriel: current name of Id's former Master. Lover of the arts and sciences. Cultured, philosophical, yet titanically brutal when angered. One of the so-called "three wise men" among The Twelve.

Gravimetrics: technology which manipulates gravity.

Humanoid: form which resembles a human.

Iconoclast Period: human history in the decades directly preceding the Masters. The cutting edge of science brought forth modded humans, the Augments, and the Masters themselves before that period ended in The Cleansing.

Intelligence Level: measure of intelligence. Base 1 is normal human genius, Base 2 is The Twelve, and Base 3 is theoretical. Early study showed potential mental defects in Base 2.

Interrupting Event: sudden reversal of The Twelve's fortunes in the warring early era. The Twelve were forcibly held outside of history for hundreds of years by an unknown, suddenly transported to a future solar system where their old servants had been freed from the shackles of control to spread among the other planets as Outers, although no further than a mysterious new barrier called the Line in the Stars. The cause of this event, and the new inviolate alien barrier, is still unknown to The Twelve and has caused them to withdraw active governance to Earth, temporarily allowing the Outers autonomy.

Lagrange Point: location in space where the combined gravitational forces of two large bodies equal the centrifugal force felt by a much smaller third body. The interaction of the forces creates a point of equilibrium where a spacecraft may be "parked".

Legacy Human: humanity before modded humans, the Augments, Masters and biosynths.

Level: one floor of The Tower. Large, they can extend to several square kilometers and house traditional building interiors or wildly imaginative environs.

Line in the Stars: barrier of unknown origin surrounding the solar system. An artifact found after the Interrupting Event. No Masters or Outer has ever successfully found a way to cross it.

Mars: former colony world. Abandoned after a catastrophic artificial intelligence singularity event. Ruins cover its surface. Quarantine in effect due to the rampant entity still propogating within it.

Master: next step in human evolution, beyond even biosynth. First came into existence at the end of the Iconoclast Period, signaling its end. Orchestrated The Cleansing, destroying humanity only to raise it back up into biosynthetic servitude. Each Master has their own specialty, strengths, and weaknesses, but all share a nearly divine breadth of energy and physical technology which renders them into nearly unkillable techno-gods. Peace between them is long undisturbed despite their great power and lusts, held forever bound by The Oath.

Mechanoid: machine body, often bipedal.

Meeting of The Twelve: semi-compulsory gathering of the Masters at Dream City lasting three days. Offers a rare chance for both new policymaking and fraternization.

Megastructure: large manmade objects. Examples in the history of Earth include the Great Wall of China, The Large Hadron Collider, some skyscrapers, and many of The Twelve's private homes.

Nanites: nanomachines, made of either a non-duplicable metal or mostly smartmatter, which can perform a wide range of invaluable functions at microscopic level. Often used by the Masters in close conjuction with smartmatter to change, create, and destroy.

Natter: large artificial plate Station near Mars. An industrial melting pot. Eccentric individuals, including Subroutines, ply their trade in large and small ventures.

Omni-processing: computing technology which overlays either the majority or entirety of an environment, creating a joined network through floors, walls, furniture, Levels, and entire megastructures.

Organo-Seed: seed-sized bundle of advanced technology which can be programmed to quickly grow specific environments and organisms.

Outers: free post-humans, biosynth, mechanoids, and chimerics living outside of earth, across the solar system. An enclave of legacy humans resides in solitude at its farthest edge. Generally placid, with some notable exceptions.

Passive Scanning: type of scanning which can passively interrupt existent environmental data. Harder to detect by advanced instruments than active scanning, but less powerful.

Perfect Personal Integration Threshold: point at which a piece of technology is miniaturized enough to easily fit inside of a Master's body and join their suite of Personal Integrated Technology.

Personal Integrated Technology: collection of technologies which a Master can use in a variety of ways. Becomes a permanent part of their body, and makes all else possible.

Plenum Sphere: hollow sphere Station between The Anomoly and Mars. A center of art, culture, and entertainment. Known for its facemasks.

Post-Human: evolutionary next step beyond legacy human.

Post-Quantum: offshoot of quantum science. Originally inspired by quantum entanglement.

Public Shuttle: small craft which ferry customers between Stations, planets, and outposts for a nominal fee. Cheap ticket prices.

Quickgrown: term describing the process by which an organism's physical development curve can be explosively accelerated.

Redstone: aggressive artificial matter first used in the early warring era of the 3rd Epoch. Converts any nearby substance into itself on contact. Stopped by certain Shields.

R-Shield: shorthand for Retracting Shield, it uses inwards radiating energy to erect a barrier.

sAI: specific type of artificial intelligence. Software and hardware constrained to follow a standard developmental progression curve. No threat of singularity.

Secondary Controls: term describing a layer in the 2nd Generation nervous system. This can offer direct control of body limiters and bloodflow.

Singularity: point at which a function takes on infinite value and advances at astonishing rates. Theorized by early scientists as a point beyond which human understanding could not predict, it was later co-opted by the Master's in an unexpected way.

Smartmatter: One result of the search for Omni-matter. Has gone through many iterations, currently a highly flexible substance used in many physical applications, including construction, protection, and body modification.

Social Club: group of Outers who organize activities together. Can be for sports, entertainment, science, art, exploration, or more.

Somnotic Experience: term for a technological process that allows for programmable and shareable dreams. Can be used for training, learning, to flash false memories, or for various other pursuits.

Spack Field: first type of energy shield invented. Weak protection, but the energy required to maintain it is correspondingly low.

Stasis Field: provides area of modified entropy.

System Cruiser: large luxury craft which takes a safe route around the solar system for wealthy guests.

Synthesium: public place for scientific research.

Techno-Seed: seed-sized bundle of advanced technology which can be programmed to quickly build specific urban environments and machines.

Techno-Throne: grand seat which other systems are slaved to and which can also enhance Personal Integrated Iechnology.

Tertiary Controls: term describing a layer in the 2nd Generation nervous system. This can offer control of a number of more subtle organ systems, and a command of body nanites.

The Anomoly: area of minor cosmic fluctation in the general region formerly occupied by the third planet. Many theories among the Outers about its origin. All shun it.

The Cleansing: event in which the Masters destroyed humanity on Earth, before re-birthing it as something new.

The Interlocuter: title and person. An "Interlocuter" refers to a role wherein one intermediates disputes within an Outer enclave. "The Interlocuter" refers to the famous august figure tasked with guiding Waypoint Station. An old biosynth. Origins unknown.

The Tower: megastructure home of Gabriel. Kilometers tall, and enormously wide, it contains a massive amount of Levels.

The Twelve: group of twelve advanced biosynthetic post-human Masters who rule the Earth, each from their own inviolate Domain and home. Bound together similarly by The Oath, each member is utterly unique of form, character, and goals, specializing in a single or varied post-human/technological toolset. Originally a smaller group, they gained unexpected members over millennia of rule.

Virtualization: term referring to virtual reality, augmented reality, and other related tech. Like AI, VR is a censored technology.

Waypoint Station: circular Outer space Station. Newest, and outfitted with the latest anti-gravity technology from Dr. Lanier.