Sevencyclopaedia - M

METEORS

A navigational hazard encountered in deep space. References as follows:

• Space Fall: Artix informed Leylan of meteorite activity 18 hours ahead of the London, but added that "space met" reckoned it would clear by the time the ship got to the area.
• Mission to Destiny: Liberator encountered a meteorite storm whilst on the way to Destiny. It was noted as having Scale 9, Intensity 27, scale being a measure of the area of extent, and intensity 27 being what Vila called "a lot of fast rocks". Jenna noted a field drag effect whilst passing through the storm, requiring additional power to maintain speed. Going around the storm area would have increased flight time four-fold, from 84 to 336 hours at Standard by 6.
• Breakdown: the Liberator was entering a meteorite storm zone just as Gan's limiter began to seriously malfunction.
• Killer: Jenna noted that 61 Cygni was reputedly the centre of a meteor storm.
• Voice from the Past: when Avon, Jenna and Cally detected the change in power as Vila altered course to Asteroid P-K118, Jenna conjectured that a meteorite storm might be the possible reason.
• Star One: when the alien fleet first appeared, Vila tried to convince himself that it was just a swarm of meteors.
• Moloch: Poola claimed that Liberator's brief appearance over Sardos was one of many meteors that came through. Sardos itself was a large meteoroid.
• Stardrive: Vila recalled how the prison ship he was on at the age of 14 was struck in the main drive chamber by a meteoroid.
• Games: The Launch and Flight Simulator in Belkov's Orbiter provided Tarrant with an intense meteor storm to negotiate.

MICROPOWER CELLS

Blake's description of the energy cells young Ensor was taking to his father on Aristo. They were necessary to power the artificial heart with which Ensor had been fitted after his heart attack forty years earlier.

MICROTAPE

Rai delivered microtape records from Central Intelligence to Servalan. Blake decided that intercepted messages decoded by the stolen cypher machine should be transferred onto microtape.

MICROWAVE TRANSMITTER

The device Tarvin used to detonate the explosive collars fitted to the crew and also Tyce. Jenna's collar was removed by Tarvin, and Blake's by Vila. Blake threw the collar at an Amagon activating the transmitter, killing the Amagon in the explosion. Another microwave transmitter was mentioned in Rumours of Death, as part of the surveillance system around Residence-1. Balon, posing as a security squad leader, claimed that the transmitter had malfunctioned because a squirrel was building a nest in it.

MIDA

One of the planetary leaders involved in Avon's alliance, together with Zukan, Chalsa, Boorva and Lod. Mida represented Lovus, and spoke in favour of accepting Zukan's offer to join the alliance.

Mida with Avon

MILUS

A Pyroan of Obsidian who handed Servalan a message, presumably from Bershar. He and his brother Natin were then killed on Servalan's command.

MINING

Mining operations appeared in or were referred to on a number of occasions.

In Project Avalon the native subterrons were used as a slave labour force to extract ice crystals for use in heavy duty lasers.

In Bounty, Tyce suggested that Blake hide in abandoned mine workings about twenty miles from the residence.

In Weapon Coser reckoned that the planet he fled to was abandoned when raw materials ran out.

In Horizon the native population were used as slaves to mine monopasium-239.

Blake and Vila Mining monopasium-239

In Voice from the Past, Asteroid P-K118 was moved out of Ceron orbit and urite ore extracted by a "mining company": the asteroid was worked out after two years.

In Animals it was mentioned that Bucol-2 had been abandoned after mineral deposits had been exhausted.

In Games the Mecronians were used as labour to extract feldon crystals for the Federation.

Soolin noted in Blake that the farmers of Gauda Prime were forcibly displaced to make way for mining operations.

MISSILES

MODULAR TIME SHIFT

Possible setting of Liberator's faster than light drive. Zen suggested a transfer to this from 'linear progression' as the ship's present course had no material end. After Avon rejected this, Cally asked how long it would take to get somewhere using 'maximum time shift', perhaps short for 'maximum modular time shift', and was told by Zen that it would take 159 Earth years, after which the 'time shift mechanism' would cease to function.

MOLECULAR KEY

Dr Kendall's safe in which he kept the neutrotope aboard the Ortega could only be unlocked by a molecular key and secret combination code.

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