Oxygen:
  Satellites:                                  % Water:
  Ident code prefix: ALS                       Continents:
  Ruled by: Fayette family<
  (Barbara Tennison)

ALPH, Subsector 17-A:

ALTERNATE UNIVERSES: Until the first ship from a provably alternate universe appeared in the Empire, these were thought to be mathematical abstractions. Afterward, however, they were accepted as fact. That first confirmed inter-universe transition, like most, was the result of a drive malfunction, and led to the further discovery that if the drive was repairable, the ship's next hyper-transition would take it away (from what happened to Imperial ships, return it to its own universe). If the drive could not be repaired, the transferees had to remain.

That, at least, was and is the official story. In actuality, controlled inter-universe transition exists, but is a strictly-controlled secret. There are several reasons for this, but the primary two are the Ravagers and the fact that, although the time rate is constant, the apparent time ranges from megayears in the "past" to megayears in the "future".

AMATERASU, Subsector 1-E:

AMATOR: (Xanadu) A member of the Guild of Amators, a professional entertainer specializing in sexual activities. Students are unrated; examinations, when their instructors consider them ready, will rate them as Specialist, Generalist, or Extra Class. Ratings can be upgraded by further training and examination.

ANGHNAR:

ANTHEM, IMPERIAL: Otherwise known as "Darth Vader's Theme", by John Williams, from the Star Wars trilogy. In Annexation, this choice of anthem has a strong effect on the Sandeman attitude toward the Empire.

ANTI-AGATHIC: A drug developed in 2113 which greatly extends the lifespan of humans, both standard and variant. Begun immediately after adolescence, it will approximately double expectable lifespan; begun later, the effect is less dramatic but still appreciable. Biological age remains what it was when treatment was started, until the last 3-5 years, though some minor cosmetic changes (such as graying hair) may appear at around the normal time.

ANTI-INTERROGATION CONDITIONING: A total memory erasure triggered by a code phrase spoken by the person needing to use it. At this point, the victim fixates on the first person seen or heard. Memory up to the time of the last conditioning can be restored by replay of a mindscan tape made then, and memory after the conditioning is triggered is retained; the interval between is lost.