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Terminology

Below, you'll find a list of the terms found in the novel that don't fit into any of the other encyclopedia categories.

Backshift

The act of phase shifting (traveling through a wormhole and hyperspace) back in time to the past.

Branch Theory

The theory of multidimensional time travel currently accepted by scientists in the 23rd century. Branch theory asserts that travel to the past creates alternate timelines in order to avoid contradictions such as the grandfather paradox (see below).

Brane

The third dimension in a multi-dimensional universe, or multiverse. The first dimension of the multiverse is the linear universe that we perceive. The second dimension, the biverse, consists of all the other alternate universes or timelines that are similar to our universe. The third dimension, or brane, is the set of all parallel biverses/branes to our biverse/brane. The laws of physics in some branes are so wildly different from our laws that we could never exist there.

Downshift

A downshift is the part of a phase shift when a physical object exits hyperspace through a wormhole into normal space-time.

FTL

Acronym for faster-than-light. FTL, phase shifting (or just shifting), and post-luminal are synonymous terms.

Fused

Common slang in the twenty-third century used to describe something in a positive manner. The twenty-first century equivalent would be awesome or cool. Often, the word "too" is used in conjunction with "fused" to express that something is "too fused."

Grandfather Paradox

A contradiction of linear time travel that asserts that a person cannot travel to the past and affect his or her future. In the grandfather paradox, if a time traveler kills their ancestor in the past, that ancestor can't ever have existed to give birth to the time traveler in the first place. Branch theory (above) resolves this paradox and shows that linear time travel is impossible.

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IntraSolar Commonality (ISC)

The former institution that united all nations and colonies in the Sol system under one government. The name of the union was coined to give each and every ISC citizen of the solar system a sense of togetherness and equality.

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Interstellar Alliance (IA)

The Interstellar Alliance (IA) is an intergovernmental and intersolar organization devoted to cooperation between and the protection of the nations and colonies of humankind. The IA is the future equivalent of the United Nations. After the ISC (see above) fell apart, humans realized (or at least decided) that a unified human government was too restrictive for individuals in its laws, customs, and ideals. Therefore, the IA was formed to specifically NOT be a government but rather a collaborative partnership. This allows the whole to function together while maintaining dissimilar parts.

Interstellar Alliance Administration (IAA)

The Interstellar Alliance Administration (IAA) is the organizational group that oversees the IA, similar to the real UN Council.

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Interstellar Expeditionary Force (IEF)

The IEF is the branch of the Interstellar Alliance devoted to extrasolar exploration, exoplanet colonization, and first contact with exospecies. Established in the spirit of centuries-old space agencies like NASA and the ESA (and not altogether dissimilar from Starfleet in Star Trek), the IEF is not technically a military organization. That said, all IEF officers receive defense training, and all IEF starships carry the latest armaments.

Multiverse

The set of all universes/timelines/dimensions that exist. Our universe is only one out of many. In the 23rd century, the theory of the multiverse is commonly accepted. In everyday speech, the term "multiverse" is typically used to denote the two-dimensional biverse consisting of the linear universe that we perceive and all the alternate universes/timelines similar to ours. But technically, the multiverse also contains a third dimension that includes multiple biverses, most wildly different from our biverse.

Phase Shift(ing)

A phase shift is the act of traversing a wormhole into or out of hyperspace, which effectively allows a physical object to travel faster than light, relatively speaking. An upshift refers to wormhole entry, a downshift refers to wormhole exit, and a backshift refers to traveling back in time.

Upshift

An upshift is the part of a phase shift when a physical object passes out of normal space-time, through a wormhole, and into hyperspace.