Exolegacy

Fifty years ago the Manisae claimed Earth’s red neighbor as their new home. Since then, Humanity has fostered a suspicious and fragile relationship with them. Now, Earth’s first ambassador has just passed away, survived only by his three estranged children.

Their inheritance: his memories, divided between the three of them. Will they be able to follow the hints that their father has woven into his memories to uncover the truth of his work, the lie of their neighbors, and their mother’s death a decade before?

Both Humanity and the Manisae must come to terms to understand a legacy that is larger than either civilization.

Characters

Alson (Als) Hernandez — Youngest son of Alvaro Hernandez, first ambassador to the Manisae

Hildegard Juniper (Gin) Hernandez — Second child and only daughter of Alvaro Hernandez

Ehrenfeld Hernandez — Eldest son of Alvaro Hernandez

Xikse — Dat (male) member of the Manisae

Rezida Donauri — Professor of materials science and ecopoiesis and friend of Als Hernandez

Atla Thero — Research partner and friend of Gin Hernandez

Ilona Dragan — Quantum computing scientist and acquaintance of Atla Thero

Hildegard Chawla — Secretärin of the Außenministerium (foreign ministry) and namesake to Gin Hernandez

The Kalas — Ejd (neuter elder) Manisae ambassador to Earth

Organizations

Arkeota — Manisae organization of Ejd elders

Balanta — Predominantly Human pro-cross-species cooperation organization

The Confederation of Nations (Staatenbund) — Earth government that replaced the United Nations to include Luna and the Human fleet. Headquartered in Wien.

Manaiar — Predominantly Manisae pro-cross-species cooperation organization

Terms

Exoarchaeology – The study of ancient cultures on a planet other than Earth.

Biosuperconductor – A substance that transmits data at computational speeds with a biological foundation, not a metallic or mineral.

Biocrystallography – The study of crystalline structures grown from biological substrates

Ecopoiesis – The process of transforming one planet to fit and support the biological needs of life that did not originate on it. Related to terraforming, but not beholden to the standards of Earth-originated life.

Emprint – The process of recording memories and emotions into a storage medium such as a Sentite or Legatite crystal archive lattice.

Sentite – The trademarked name for the memory crystals as developed from the materials gifted to humanity by the Manisae. A Sentite license allows the holder to develop and create Sentite crystals from the proprietary substrate.

Legatite – An artificially re-engineered form of Sentite based more closely on the crystalline structure of noachite. Denser and more capable than Sentite for emprinting.

Mahua – Traditional national spirit of India, brought to HB by the original developer-settlers. Served as the standard liquor in most HB bars. Though the most authentic mahua is found at Desmond’s Hole at Isro Station. Cloudy-white in appearance usually diluted down for consumption.

noachite – An endemic mineral found originally at Noachis Terra, Mars, and cataloged in January 2031 by Mindat after a sample was returned from the fourth Tenacity mission.

Ecopoiesis engine (Ago) – one of a series of engines placed at key points around Tiras to aid in the restarting of the planet’s atmosphere. They partially drill down through the crust and direct a penetrating radiation beam toward the cold core of the planet to gradually heat it (gamma radiation?). The beams are oriented at slight angles so that as the core liquefies, it begins to turn; creating the friction needed to rebuild the magnetosphere. The process also creates excess ozone and other greenhouse gases that are directed upward to build out the atmosphere. Because of this exhaust, and depending on prevailing winds, the area around each engine can be hazardous for both human and Manisae respiratory systems, requiring filtered rebreathers.

Ejd’nau – The ceremony where a chosen dat or gen is transformed into an ejd, the secondary life stage of the Manisae.

Ota’nau – The ceremony where a chosen ejd is elevated to the ranks of the Arkeota and receives knowledge of the Manisae history.