Sevencyclopaedia - H

HOMING DEVICES

A variety of different homing devices were seen during the course of the series. The homing beacon used by the rebels in Project Avalon was a relatively large structure, but the devices used by Kasabi in Pressure Point, carried by Blake in Trial and Sara's homing beam transmitter in Mission to Destiny were pocket-sized: the latter had an implicitly considerable range, since its signal was intended for an unnamed party arriving in a ship of their own.

Sara's homing beam transmitter in Mission to Destiny

Blake's homing beacon had a timer delay, remaining silent until required to transmit. Some homing devices were extremely small: the tracer Vila was asked to use in City at the Edge of the World was small enough to swallow and eventually dissolved, or would have done if Vila hadn't palmed it, and the tracer given to Igin in Traitor was also swallowed. In Rumours of Death Avon had a homing device implanted in his neck: the Federation interrogators left it transmitting, hoping to attract Avon's allies, not knowing that they would only come to his aid when he turned it off.

Few details of homing beacon transmissions were given, although Kasabi's in Pressure Point was to be placed at grid reference 331-1101, emitting a 3-long/2-short pulse sequence.

HOMMIKS

Tribe descended from the Council of Survivors after the war that destroyed Xenon's civilisation. The Hommiks appeared to be almost entirely male, and relied on capturing the Seska to supply them with wives and hence sons: daughters were left on the hillsides, and some were found by the Seska. Those near Dorian's base were under the rule of Gunn-Sar. There may or may not have been others elsewhere on the planet. After Gunn-Sar's death, Nina vowed to lead the Hommiks away to a new home.

Pella told Avon that the Hommiks reverted to primitive tribalism "centuries ago". Cato referred to a council that could apparently challenge Gunn-Sar's authority.

HORIZON

Federation code-name for the planet Silmareno, "on the edge of the spiral rim" and the only habitable planet in Zone Nine. It was visited annually by a Federation freighter to take back monopasium-239 mined by the natives. Nominally ruled by Ro, a native trained at the Central Educational Complex, the Federation's Colonial Service kept its own representatives and a small garrison present at all times. The planet was protected by a magnetic barrier, and only Liberator's force wall prevented the ship from being atomised.

Ro

Whilst under torture, Blake openly called Ro a human being, a statement which Ro did not gainsay, so it might be inferred that the inhabitants of Horizon were descended from Earth colonists. Their culture, although technologically primitive, was ornate and intricate, reminiscent of early South American civilisation. Once the Federation personnel had been eliminated, Ro installed himself as the true ruler. The name Horizon was, however, retained.

HOST

The name by which Zil referred to the living planet on which it and its species lived. Most of the Host's southern hemisphere was ocean, and Zen reported gravitational anomalies on the surface.

The planet's "oceans" had a composition analogous to saliva, and could swamp the landmasses in a matter of hours to cleanse the surface of parasites such as Zil. The planet's "crust" was very thin in at least some places, and the underlying substance was a source of food for Zil and its kind. Areas of the surface could open up to swallow unwary parasites. Vegetation, or something extremely like vegetation, was abundant on the land, and surface water was also present. The Host represents a fascinating (if improbable) organism in its own right, raising many awkward questions with regard to reproduction, movement, nutrition and especially evolution.

HOWER

The First Citizen of Obsidian, and a former associate of Hal Mellanby at the Federation's Central Science Complex. He had renounced all forms of violence, as had all the people of Obsidian, and believed that "Homo sapiens has reached a point where further technological development is pointless". His son, Bershar, was less committed to such lofty principles and secretly worked in league with Servalan. Hower administered a lethal overdose of anesthetic and killed him, later dying himself when he activated the nuclear device buried in the volcano, destroying the planet.

HULL SENSORS

One of the detector systems on Liberator, mentioned several times. They detected scanning beams by enemy ships in Project Avalon, and the gravitational field of UP-The Web. They also reported the presence of the fluid particles attached to the outer hull in Terminal before the fluid's enzyme activity impaired their functioning. These references suggest that the hull sensors were largely if not totally a "passive" detector system.

HUNDA

A Helot rebel, with the rank of Star Major apparently a self-styled title. A former lecturer or researcher in geology, first assistant to fellow rebel Igin at Leedenbrank, he was in command of the Helot resistance's 4th column. Hunda blamed himself for Igin's death, and later swam into the city to assess the possibility of demolishing the magnetrix terminal. He believed that Leitz was a traitor to the Federation, but was told the truth by Dayna and Tarrant, who joined him on a successful attack on the city.

HYPERDRIVE

Shortly after leaving Earth, Commander Leylan gave an order to "cut in the hyperdrive, Time Distort five". Jenna noted that hyperdrive running was expensive, and that the London's hyperdrive was an early mark in need of "restressing".

See also PHOTONIC DRIVE, SPEED, TIME DISTORT, INTERGALACTIC DRIVE.

HYPERSPACE SHIPS

Mentioned by Ro as a new kind of ship, presumably with a new kind of drive, needing monopasium 239 to travel to other galaxies within a reasonable period of flight time.

HYPERSPACE SUB-BEAM

According to Avon, the means by which all Federation communications were transmitted. The messages were converted to zeta-3 particles before scrambling. A sub-beam communicator was found on Cephlon and used to contact Liberator: this presumably used the same principle, and likewise the sub-space communicator taken by Coser to UP-Weapon. The A-line pulse codes featured in Killer may have been an alternative means of transmitting information, or new and improved communications technology.

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