Barsk: The Elephants' Graveyard

APPENDIX ONE: RACES OF THE ALLIANCE

The astute reader will have noticed that the characters portrayed in this novel appear to represent a variety of anthropomorphic animals. In fact, at this point in time, there are some eighty-seven different species or “races” existing in the Alliance, more than a hundred billion sapient beings occupying approximately four thousand planets.

These races are identified by the common names of the animals they resemble — rendered here as proper nouns — or by a clipped version of the applicable Latin genus. Of these races, all are mammals, and all but two are furred. This pair of exceptions, collectively known as “Fant,” appears to bear a connection to the two species on Earth known as African and Asian elephants. Thus Jorl is identified as an Elephant or Fant, but also as a Lox, from Loxodonta africana.

The list below identifies the races of characters seen in this book, but is only a small portion of the raised mammals that comprise the Alliance.

• Ailuros, Ailuropoda, Giant Panda. Jorl’s only friend during his time in the Patrol was an Ailuros named Dund. Krasnoi’s security team aboard the orbital station are all Pandas.

• Aplodon, Aplodontia, Mountain Beaver. A lieutenant sitting at navigation on the bridge of the Resolute Purpose was a Beaver.

• Bos, Bos, Yak. Senator Bish, chairman of the Committee of Information is a Yak. Jorl once wrote the foreword to a book by a Bos historian named Fenna. The most well-known Bos is probably Thelos, a mass murderer said to have been possessed by a demon.

• Brady, Bradypus, Three-toed Sloth. Druz, the personal assistant to the chair of the Senate’s Committee of Information is a Brady. So are Hrum and Morth, the captain and a lieutenant (respectively) of Jorl’s Patrol ship.

• Cans, Canis, Domestic Dog. Most of the rank and file members of Major Krasnoi’s crew are Cans.

• Cynomy, Cynomys, Prairie Dog. One of the “junior stature” races of the Alliance, the Cynomy include the civil parson who oversaw Lirlowil’s reclassification from citizen to resource. Senator Welv of the Committee of Information is also a Prairie Dog, as are a third of Senator Bish’s precognitivists (e.g., Tekki).

• Eleph, Elephas, Asian Elephant. Margda, the Matriarch of Barsk, was an Eleph, as was the legendary Pholo, the only Fant who could fly. Other Eleph include Emil, Phas, Grummel, Mickl, Rüsul, Shtev, and Yeft. Along with the Lox, Eleph make up the other half of the pair of races referred to as “Fant.”

• Feln, Felis, Cat. Several Feln worked at Krasnoi’s polar base, processing the Dying. There is also at least one Feln among the senators who comprise the Committee of Information.

• Geom, Geomys, Gopher. The secondary and tertiary navigation boards on the Resolute Purpose are manned by Geoms. Senator T’Minah of the Committee of Information is also a Geom. These are another of the “junior stature” races.

• Lep, Lepus, Hare. One of the senators on the Committee of Information is a Lep.

• Lox, Loxodonta, African Elephant. Jorl is a Lox, as was his friend Arlo, Arlo’s mother Kembü, Arlo’s wife Tolta, and their son, Pizlo (it should be noted that soulless children can also be born among the Eleph, the other race that together with the Lox comprise the “Fant”). Other Lox mentioned include Adri, Golub, Belti, Tral, and Yarva.

• Lutr, Lutra, Eurasian Otter. Lirlowil, the telepathic Speaker from Sharv, is a Lutr.

• Marmo, Marmot, Groundhog. This is another of the “junior stature” races. Two members of the Committee of Information are Marmos.

• Myrm, Myrmecophaga, Giant Anteater. Kengi, the communications officer on Jorl’s vessel during his time in the Patrol, was a Myrm.

• Nonyx, Acinonyx, Cheetah. Selishta is the Nonyx-Captain of the vessel Krasnoi used to abduct Dying Fant (and Jorl) while on Barsk.

• Taxi, Taxidea, Badger. The squad of six interrogators that questioned the Dying Fant at Krasnoi’s polar base were all Badgers.

• Theraonca, Panthera onca, Jaguar. Rismas, the ensign assigned to keep watch on Jorl while aboard the Resolute Purpose, is a Theraonca.

• Vulp, Vulpes, Fox. Another of the “junior stature” races of the Alliance. Shtev had a Vulp penpal on an Alliance medical station.

• Urs, Ursus, Bear. Krasnoi the Alliance Major is an Urs. As is a senator from the Committee of Information. Jorl recounts having met several Urs during his time in the Patrol.