Sevencyclopaedia - B

B-19 CRUISERS

(D-3: TRAITOR)

Federation space craft with surface landing capability. Three B-19 cruisers were launched from the surface of Helotrix after the Federation duty tracer stumbled upon Orac's presence. Avon banked on them searching outwards and went down under them to cloud level, a manoeuvre that proved successful.

BALON

(C-8: RUMOURS OF DEATH)

One of the rebels working for Sula on Earth. Posing as a squad leader, he told Grenlee and Forres that the surveillance fault around Residence-1 was the work of a nest-building squirrel. He was killed during the attack on the Residence.

BARBED WIRE

(B-5: PRESSURE POINT)

When Arle and Berg found a security notice on the edge of the Forbidden Zone, several strands of barbed wire were visible around it.

BARI

(B-11: GAMBIT)

The ship on which Docholli travelled to Freedom City. Whilst in flight a secondary burner blew out, and Docholli was reportedly one of the first in to save passengers trapped by the explosion. Travis rescued Docholli when he was overcome by the fumes. From what Servalan said about the amount of time Travis had been on Freedom City, the Bari's arrival was some weeks before her visit. The only other named person aboard was Zee, who lost a leg in the accident. The Bari may have made a regular run to Freedom City, since Toise referred to its "last visit".

BARR

(C-2: POWERPLAY)

A Hitech bounty hunter on Chenga, working with Zee. Together they had brought in more than twenty primitives over the previous two years, and were paid 2,000 credits for bringing in Vila.

BARTOLOMEW

(C-8: RUMOURS OF DEATH)

Anna Grant's codename. Cited by Shrinker as Federation Central Security's top agent, with an identity so secret that not even her husband (a High Councillor) knew who she was, although the controller from Central interrogated by Shrinker appeared to know. She was assigned to investigate Avon on the assumption that his attempted embezzlement was politically motivated, and marked all the people he was working with for collection. Shrinker at least believed, or assumed, that Bartolomew was male.

It was implied that the Bartolomew identity was "retired" about the time of the abortive post-War revolution on Earth.

BASE COMMANDER

(various episodes)

Possible rank within the Federation. See RANK.

Travis discussed his strategy for capturing Blake with Base Commander Escon in Seek-Locate-Destroy. It was Escon who informed Travis of the molecular shift detector in operation at the communications centre on Centero. In Bounty the Base Commander had brought Sarkoff a gift all the way from Earth. Tyce described him as a social climber.

In Killer, Avon referred to Tynus as the Base Commander on Fosforon, although Tynus called himself a "Commander Technician", presumably subordinate to Federation Security.

BATTLE COMMANDER

(C-1: AFTERMATH)

Possible rank within the Federation. The Battle Commander of Squadron 6 reported the destruction of Star One. Conjecturally, Battle Commander is a rather lofty title for the commander of a mere squadron, since the rank suggests tactical/strategical decision making at a relatively high level.

The Battle Fleet Commander in Volcano referred to himself as a Battle Commander at one point. See RANK.

BATTLE COMPUTERS

(various episodes)

One of Liberator's computer systems. At times they appeared to need a verbal command to be brought on-line, on other occasions they offered strategy advice spontaneously. Reference was made to "battle and strategy computers" in Death-Watch. They included a Flight Predictor, mentioned in Dawn of the Gods, which appeared to predict the flight course of Liberator itself rather than that of potential targets. Most likely it could predict these as well.

BATTLE CRUISER

(B-13: STAR ONE)

Type of vessel used by Space Command. An arrival time to Star One of one hour and seven minutes was reported by the Battle Cruiser Newton.

BATTLE FLEET COMMANDER

(C-3: VOLCANO)

Rank of the unnamed officer who attacked the Liberator with eight cruisers above Obsidian, sustaining losses in the process. Servalan addressed him as Battle Fleet Commander, although he referred to himself simply as Battle Commander.

BAX

(B-7: KILLER)

Doctor in charge of the medical facilities on Fosforon. He reported the first cases of the virus introduced by Wanderer K47, two technicians who had entered the mortuary to help Dr Wiler. He succumbed to the virus himself soon afterwards.
On the monitor

BAYBAN THE BUTCHER

(C-6: CITY AT THE EDGE OF THE WORLD)

Described by Vila as "top of the Federation's wanted list, after Blake", with "a reputation for mayhem second to none". Bayban took evident pride in the hard work he had put into working his way to the top of that list without taking political shortcuts. Also known as Bayban the Beserker and called "captain" by Sherm and "Bayb" by his mother, whom he described as "a wonderful woman, truly evil person". At some point in the past he had met Tarrant, and rumours were circulating of his (Bayban's) death when they met again on Keezarn. He came to Keezarn, apparently by chance, with Sherm, Kerril and at least twelve others. He presumably died when the City exploded following his attempts to open the vault with a laser cannon.

BEAGLE

(B-13; STAR ONE)

A Federation cruiser, giving its flight time to Star One as 3 hours and 17 minutes. Presumably named after the HMS Beagle in which Charles Darwin sailed.

BEAM APPROACH DETECTOR

(C-3: VOLCANO)

Nature of a ground signal detected on Obsidian. Mentioned by Avon as having been detected by Zen.

BEK

(B-2: SHADOW)

The brother of the shadow addict Hanna, although not apparently a shadow user himself. Probably also related to Petie. He was returned to Space City by Blake after pressing the fire button to destroy the Moon Disc plantations on Zonda. Blake promised to return to him in three years time, but presumably failed to keep the appointment.

BELHANGRIA UNIVERSITY

(D-11: ORBIT)

Egrorian studied at Belhangria University, where his degree thesis E/9/6004 was graded Beta+ and later rescinded for "gross misconduct".

BELKOV

(D-8: GAMES)

Federation representative on Mecron II, supervising the mining of Feldon crystals for twelve years. Before work could commence he had to persuade the high priests of the native inhabitants that he had been sent by the gods to claim the crystals, which he did by having anyone but himself who wore a necklace of feldon crystals shot by an automatic laser rifle. He was fond of elaborate games, many played with and controlled by his computer, Gambit. He asked Avon for rescue, but later tried to make a deal with Servalan and trapped Dayna, Tarrant and Gerren underneath the launch area on Mecron II. He locked the feldon panels of Orbiter and the controls of Alpha 3 onto Cygnus XL, a black hole, presumably in an attempt to kill Scorpio's crew. It would seem likely that he was pulled into Cygnus XL himself, although this is unclear.

BELLFRIAR

(B-7: KILLER)

Doctor on Fosforon, described by Tynus as "the greatest living authority on viruses" and by his own account involved in virology for some twenty years. Bellfriar blatantly turned a blind eye to Blake's presence on the base, and eventually died of the virus introduced from Wanderer K47, contracting severe amnesia (forgetting how to read) halfway through giving Blake details of the anti-serum formula.

The chemical analysis of the fluid sample taken from the corpse of Wardin. "Preserving fluid. Well, as near as dammit," says Bellfriar to Blake.

BENDS, THE

(B-4: HORIZON) by Murray Smith

The popular name for decompression sickness, a disorder whose symptoms are: severe pain in muscles and joints, cramp, and difficulty in breathing, caused by a too fast reduction in atmospheric pressure. Vila claimed to have got the bends because the Liberator's passage through the magnetic barrier around Horizon had caused him considerable pain.

BENOS

(D-7: ASSASSIN)

Leader of the pirates on Domo, but apparently subordinate to Verlis. He "captured" Avon, believing him to be a crash survivor, and deprived him of his teleport bracelet. Nebrox retrieved the bracelet while Benos was conducting the slave auction before Verlis and Servalan. Benos was shot by Avon whilst taking aim at Dayna.

BERCOL

(A-6: SEEK-LOCATE-DESTROY / B-6: TRIAL)

In Seek-Locate-Destroy Bercol was referred to as a Councillor by Servalan, whereas in Trial he named himself as Senator Bercol, head of the Information Bureau and ex officio member of the High Council.
In Seek-Locate-Destroy
In Trial He presumably died, along with everyone else in the courtroom, following Blake's attack on Servalan's headquarters. On both occasions he was in the company of the President's personal secretary, Rontane, and in Seek-Locate-Destroy Servalan wished him a "safe journey back to Earth".

BERG

(B-5: PRESSURE POINT)

A member of Kasabi's resistance group on Earth. He died with Arle after penetrating too far into the Forbidden Zone, falling victim to the high intensity radiation grid.
On the Right

BERSHAR

(C-3: VOLCANO)

Resident of Obsidian, son of First Citizen Hower, and responsible for the defence of the planet. He was less than committed to his father's ideals and liaised with Servalan in helping her gain control of the Liberator, believing her strength was necessary to the Pyroans" long-term survival. He handed Dayna and Tarrant over to Mori, although he refused to let them be killed out of hand. He was eventually killed on Hower's orders, suffering a lethal dose of an anaesthetic vapour.

Hower said that Bershar as a child was described as being "at risk" by a therapist.

BETA 5

(D-10: GOLD)

A planet in the Ark Rough Bennett Complex, and the site of Keiller's rendezvous with Servalan. Although the planet was uninhabited, the atmosphere was breathable and some surface vegetation was visible. Scorpio landed on Beta 5, and Avon, Tarrant, Dayna and Soolin remained on the surface, where they met Servalan and four guards. Servalan left Keiller's body behind when she departed with the gold from the Space Princess.

BETA CLASS ASTEROID

(C-4: DAWN OF THE GODS)

The remains of a beta class asteroid were found on Crandor. According to Orac, all the naturally occurring minerals were present, with the exception of herculanium.

BETAFARL

(D-12: WARLORD)

Frontier planet, ruled by Zukan. Betafarl was said by Zukan to have perpetual day (perhaps one hemisphere always faced the sun). Zukan claimed that a plant growing wild there could provide an antitoxin to pylene-50, though this claim was never seen to be substantiated. The planet was visited by Avon and Tarrant, and it was then that Tarrant first met Zeeona. Scorpio made a later visit, carrying Avon and Soolin. Flight time from Xenon was noted as thirty hours, suggesting that the two worlds were not very far apart. Scorpio made a surface landing on Betafarl.

BETA GRADE

(B-3: WEAPON)

Coser was described as a Beta class technician, though he referred to himself as Beta grade. This may reflect either the overall social grading system implied by comments from Vila in Shadow, or an internal grade within the technical services. See GRADE.

BETA REGION

(B-10: VOICE FROM THE PAST)

Area of space where Asteroid P-K118 was abandoned once urite ore mining ceased.

BIG WHEEL

(B-11: GAMBIT)

The largest casino in Freedom City, making Krantor a profit of four million credits a week. It was fixed by a computer at 5% in favour of the House, something which Avon and Vila exploited through Orac's abilities to read computers. After seven wins in a row Vila was half a million credits up, and Krantor was forced to close the Wheel when Vila's winnings reached five million credits. Vila was seen to place bets on 15 black and 14 red.

BIG ZERO

see OUTER DARKNESS

BINOCULARS

(various episodes) written by Judith Proctor and Murray Smith

An optical instrument used with both eyes, comprising two small telescopes joined together. While the optical instruments used in the series were not referred to by name, that used by a Space Rat in Stardrive appeared to resemble, both in use and appearance, a flat pair of binoculars.

A different type of optical instrument was used by Reval and Toron in Terminal and by Avon in Rescue, (the one used by the latter being called a 'magni-viewer' by Trevor Hoyle in his novelisation). While this type bore no outward resemblance to late twentieth century Earth binoculars, it was also used with both eyes. As well as having a zoom function, some form of image stabilisation seemed probable as the view at a long distance was remarkably stable. There was a cross-hair in the centre of the image.

BIODOME

(D-11; ORBIT)

Egrorian's residence on Malodar, also called a survival station by Vila. It was fitted with two landing pads, as were most installations of this type. The biodome on Malodar may well have been built long before Egrorian arrived, or its construction may have been funded with the money he stole on leaving the Space Research Institute.

BIO-REPLICATION PLANT

- see REPLICATION PLANT

BIRDS

(various episodes)

Birds are seen in five episodes, but intentionally in just three. In Bounty a stuffed thrush was one of the items in Sarkoff's collection. In Gambit Servalan and Jarriere hold a white dove. Another white dove is seen in Sarcophagus, when the alien gave Tarrant a vision of herself surrounded by her servants. Accidental inclusion of gulls appeared in Countdown, where one can be seen flying across the polar icecap of Albian, and in Aftermath where one was seen walking on the beach during a shot of the sunset.


Jarriere with a dove in Gambit
Various species can be heard in the background in a number of episodes. A Tawny Owl hoots as Blake follows Richie and Ravella to the meeting with Bran Foster in The Way Back. A Robin can be heard in Time Squad, and Song Thrushes sing in the forest in Duel. In Weapon, a Blackbird sings as Coser and Rashel explore the planet they have landed on, and a species of chat can be heard as Blake searches for Coser. In Pressure Point Coal Tits, Carrion Crow, House Sparrow and Rook all call, but this is on Earth where such species are allowed to be. Rooks can be heard cawing on Exbar, and again on Sardos. Common Terns call in the background on Sarran in Aftermath. Another Robin sings on Terminal as Cally and Tarrant try to track Avon. House Sparrows are chirping as Sula kills Chesku in Rumours of Death. Skylarks sing on Helotrix and Caspar. Black-headed Gulls call briefly in Traitor just before Avandir blasts the adapted Helots" communicator. A Song Thrush can be heard on Bucol-2. A Great Tit calls on Xenon in Headhunter. A Linnet can be briefly heard in Games, and Sand Martins on Beta 5 in Gold.

The only birdsong to appear deliberately was in Orac, where Ensor had a recording of a Northern Cardinal (a North American species) singing in his underground retreat.

BLACK GOLD

(D-10: GOLD)

The gold exported from Zerok was, as a security measure, treated by an unspecified process that turned it black and rendered it valueless. The process involved a high level of radiation, and induced a submutonic overlap shift, rendering it too fragile to be moved by teleport. The process was also computer-coded, the code being changed on a daily basis, and took about two minutes. Servalan used Keiller to acquire a shipment of black gold, knowing that Zerok was due to cede to the Federation. See also GOLD.

BLACK HOLES

(C-4: DAWN OF THE GODS / D-8: GAMES)

Two black holes appeared in the series. The first was artificial, powered by the Thaarn's gravity generators, and inexorably pulled the Liberator off course. It attracted Orac's interest because of its lack of x-ray emissions, "a gap in my knowledge of the Universe that cannot be tolerated". The other was the final stage of Belkov's game sequence to acquiring the Feldon crystals he had spirited away. Avon named it as Cygnus XL, and Belkov, in his ship Alpha 3, was apparently last seen heading into it.

The gravitational vortex encountered in Breakdown may have been associated with a black hole, but no specific reference to such was made.

Roj BLAKE

(Episodes A-1 to B-13, C-13, D-13)

Few facts are given about Blake's early life. As a boy he visited his uncle, Ushton, on Exbar where presumably he became acquainted with Inga. He stated in Bounty that he had studied some natural history, and in Killer showed further historical knowledge, including that of pre-atomic Earth.


In the Way Back

In the Way Back
Four years prior to events in The Way Back he was, according to Foster, leader of the only meaningful dissident group against the Administration on Earth. According to Orac in Voice from the Past Blake founded the Freedom Party himself. His activities included attacks on "rehabilitation centres" - at the end of this period he was ambushed by Travis, and managed to shoot him and in fact believed he had killed him. His memory was erased, he was put forward to renounce his dissident activities and memory of that was then erased.
On Liberator he remembered working on the Federation's matter transmission project, recognising aquitar or something similar in the teleport bracelets. This work may have been before or after his dissident period.

In Cygnus Alpha

In The Web
At the suggestion of Alta Morag, Blake was charged with assaulting three children, the children in question - Carl Deca, Renor Leesal and Payter Fen - having had a fabricated memory of the assault implanted in their minds by Dr Havant. Eleven charges were brought against Blake, and he was found guilty of all of them. Eight of these charges were visible on screen and were listed as follows:

ML580/MINIncite Corrupt Acts
ML580/MINCommit Corrupt Acts
CR326/PERKidnapping
CR193/PERAssault
CR193/PERIntent to Injure
CR193/PERCause Actual Injury
CR333/SECResist Arrest
ML100/DEVMoral Deviation


In Mission to Destiny

In Project Avalon
Tel Varon, assigned to defend him, was killed investigating Blake's allegations of a miscarriage of justice. Blake was sentenced to be deported to Cygnus Alpha for life.

Following his acquisition of the Liberator, his memory, or at least some of it, returned fairly quickly. He remembered his encounter with Travis, and he recognised features on Exbar.

His recognition of sono vapour in Mission to Destiny, and his knowing a means to counteract its effects, suggested some medical knowledge, as did his use of the medical equipment on the Liberator in Breakdown. His technique of stalking Travis in Duel met with Cally's approval. He handled a sidearm with apparent familiarity in Space Fall. He was the first person seen to use the teleport on Liberator, going down to Cygnus Alpha.

Known relatives: A brother and sister, who apparently took part in Blake's earlier dissident activities, were allowed to emigrate to the Outer Worlds but were executed on arrival. Ushton lived on Exbar, a penal colony for grade-4 offenders: he was Blake's father's brother and so his full name may well have been Ushton Blake. Inga may thus also have been Inga Blake. Blake said that Inga "meant a lot to me once".

Notable brawls: Blake acquitted himself well against Vargas" followers on Cygnus Alpha. Initially taken by surprise by Cally, he quickly got the better of her and seemed to know how to disable her rifle. He defeated Travis in Duel. He broke a trooper's neck on UP-Project Avalon. Three Space World guards were knocked senseless by Blake in Redemption.

Bodycount: His first shot was with a Federation sidearm on the London, where he missed Raiker. He killed at least two of Vargas" followers in the fighting in the church and teleported Vargas into deep space. He first used a Liberator handgun on Cygnus Alpha, where a wild shot destroyed the idol on the wall. His first kill with this weapon was in Seek-Locate-Destroy, where he shot a trooper through a door panel.
He killed a programmed guardian in Time Squad, by pushing in into a live power grid, but this was not necessarily deliberate as he was pushing Jenna away from the guardian at the time. He killed an Amagon with an exploding neck collar in Bounty; broke a trooper's neck in Project Avalon; shot two guards on Space World and killed another with a rod-like, pain-inflicting instrument. He later shot a guard on UP-Weapon, the Assistant Kommissar on Horizon, two Goths holding Rod captive, and "Stot" on Star One. He shot and killed Provine in Countdown. On Gauda Prime he was seen to kill the bounty hunter Tando, and shot down a flier containing an unspecified number of gunrunners.


In Weapon

In Trial
Captured by: the security forces on Earth in The Way Back; Vargas in Cygnus Alpha, when he was also tortured; compelled to face Travis in single combat in Duel; held prisoner along with everyone else in Bounty and again in Redemption; interrogated by Largo in Shadow; captured by Servalan and Travis in Weapon; by natives in Horizon, where he was tortured with a disorienter and forced to work in the mines; by Veron in Pressure Point along with Avon, Vila and Gan; and by Travis and his crimos in Hostage.

Significant injuries: in Space Fall when he was shot in the left shoulder by Raiker; on Cygnus Alpha when he was tortured; in The Web when a spear thrown by a decima grazed his hand (it was healed by Geela and Novara); when a bat-like creature attacked his hand in Duel; from a low energy bolt sidearm in Project Avalon; from a Space World guard in Redemption with a hand-held pain inflicting device; in Hostage when his right leg was caught in a gin trap; and by a direct hit from Travis in Star One.

His mind was taken over once, when Ven Glynd used the artificial telepathy transmitter developed on Auron to send Blake the hypnotic signals used in his conditioning and bring him to Asteroid P-K118. After Avon destroyed the transmitter Blake remembered nothing of what had happened whilst under its influence.

Places visited: Blake was seen to set foot on Cygnus Alpha, Saurian Major, UP-The Web, Centero, UP-Duel, UP-Project Avalon, XK-72, UP-Bounty, Aristo, Space World, Space City, Zonda, UP-Weapon, Horizon, Earth, the Host, Fosforon, Exbar, Albian, Asteroid P-K118, Atlay, UP-Gambit, Goth, Star One and Gauda Prime - a total of 25 planets/space stations.

After (reluctantly) leaving Liberator his movements became unclear. According to Cally he left with Jenna, but Avon, on Sarran, learnt from Zen that Blake was in a quite different (unspecified) location to her. He was also reported as being uninjured. In Powerplay Zen reported that Blake was en route to Epheron of the Loritol system, by means unspecified. Blake was later said to be on Obsidian, one of many rumours that proved to be untrue. In Terminal Servalan stated that she had seen Blake cremated on Jevron, and appeared to believe this herself. In Blake, Orac referred to a trail of cause and effect by which Blake's movements could be traced, suggesting that he wandered to at least some extent before establishing himself on Gauda Prime. On that planet he posed as a bounty hunter to recruit a new army, including Arlen, not knowing she was a Federation plant. He was working with three other bounty hunters at this point, but Arlen killed two of them and Blake the other. His role was presumably convincing, since he was temporarily made a law enforcement officer - this, together with comments by Deva, suggests that he performed well. It is not, however, clear just how successful he was when it came to assembling his army to fight the Federation: very few personnel were seen in his base, and Deva and Klyn did not look like the sort of people a bounty hunter would go after. His modus operandi eventually proved disastrous, leading as it did to his being fatally shot by Avon.

Blake initially showed determination coupled with naivety. He attempted to negotiate reasonably with Vargas, and was tortured for his pains. He objected, on purely moral grounds, to the Lost's intended extermination of the Decimas. Later he became more pragmatic, although as early as Mission to Destiny he arranged for the deaths of the unknown party arriving to collect the Ortega's neutrotope from Sara. In Breakdown, Blake threatened to destroy Professor Kayn's hands unless the surgeon agreed to operate on Gan. Blake's willingness to carry out this threat was never tested. In the beginning he regularly consulted other members of his crew regarding his plans, but in Pressure Point told them nothing of his plans until reaching Earth. In Voice from the Past he stated "I command this ship", to which Jenna replied, "You lead: we don't take commands". In Seek-Locate-Destroy he refused to kill Travis on the grounds that Travis did not "matter enough"; by Gambit he found colder reasons for not doing so, claiming "that would be a mercy". Governor LeGrand told him he was renowned for his integrity, and regarded him as the leader in the triumvirate of herself, Blake and Shivan. Such high regard suggests that the child-molesting charges brought against him were generally disbelieved. On Gauda Prime he was seen to shoot a bounty hunter in the back.

The Illusion of Blake from Terminal There is no indication of him seeking political power: he appeared to see Sarkoff being reinstated as president of Lindor as an end in itself, and he made no claim on Ro after removing the Federation from Horizon. Avon twice referred to Blake leading the masses against the Federation, in Pressure Point and Star One, but talked on both occasions in terms of military leadership. Ven Glynd told him in Voice from the Past that he needed tutoring in the art of protocol.

Blake is the only main character to have his age explicitly stated: his clone in Weapon stated that he was 34 years old - presumably the real Blake was of the same age at that time. The clone was made from Blake's DNA identity profile, rather than from Blake's genetic material itself.

Blake made two promises that he probably failed to keep. In Shadow he told Bek he would return to Space City in three years, and in Hostage he said he would return to Inga on Exbar. Whether he eventually kept either of those appointments is unknown.

BLIND SUN

(C-13: TERMINAL)

Delta 714 on the edge of Sector 6 was described by Avon as a blind sun, having no planetary system. It turned out to be the system in which Terminal had come to be located.

BLOOD SERUM

(A-8: DUEL) by Murray Smith

The clear, pale yellowish liquid that separates from the blood when clotting takes place. In Duel, it was shown that mutoids needed such serum at regular intervals, presumably being unable to produce it on their own.

Mutoids could receive blood serum in two ways: in prepared cylindrical containers, placed in a chest unit underneath the tunic; or by drawing blood directly from others, by means of a hypodermic unit at the right wrist.

It appeared that only human blood serum was suitable for mutoids; because the mutoid brought down with Travis drew blood from a number of vampire bat like creatures, but found it unsuitable. As a result, it later unsuccessfully tried to draw blood from Jenna.

See MUTOIDS, VAMPIRES.

BLOWPIPE

(B-4: HORIZON)

The natives of Horizon used blowpipes to deliver darts tipped with anaesthetic or lethally toxic drugs. Direct hits were scored on Blake, Jenna, Vila, Gan (two hits required to render him unconscious) and Cally. Ro used a blowpipe dart to kill the Kommissar.

BOMBER

(D-4: STARDRIVE)

A space rat, and along with Brig one of Atlan's henchmen on Caspar. He captured Vila and Dayna, and would have killed them on Atlan's order if Dayna hadn't pretended to be one of Dr Plaxton's former students. He was presumably one of the three space rats killed by remote-detonated grenades whilst pursuing the crew back to Scorpio.

BOND SLAVE

(B-3: WEAPON)

Rashel described herself as a labour grade slave and a bond slave, the latter term suggesting something of her duties. She said that bond slaves were "not supposed to overhear the conversations of the free grades".

BOOK OF AURON

(C-4: DAWN OF THE GODS)

Mentioned by Cally when held prisoner on Crandor, saying that the legend of the Thaarn was the oldest story in it. Possibly a religious text, but unlikely since Cally refers to the Thaarn legend as no more than a story for children, and thus more likely a collection of myths and legends comparable to the Epic of Gilgamesh or the Mabinogion.

See also THAARN.

BOOKS

(various episodes)

In Cygnus Alpha, Vargas consulted a book, presumably a religious text, to discover the meaning of Blake's coming. The book was hardback, shabbily bound (or frayed through age) and appeared to have been printed.

In Power, Gunn-Sar made a fleeting reference to books, suggesting that some Hommiks at least may have been literate.

BOOKSCREEN

(C-9: SARCOPHAGUS, C-12: DEATHWATCH)

A cumbersome piece of equipment, exact use unspecified. Cally referred to having finished using it on Liberator and offered it to Dayna. Cally was seen using it again in Death-Watch, holding a large crystalline object under the screen. The object might have been a data storage device.

BOORVA

(D-12: WARLORD)

One of the planetary leaders conscripted by Avon for his alliance against the Federation. Boorva represented Tarl, against which Zukan lodged territorial claims.

BOOSTERS

(various episodes)

Fitted to space craft for additional short-term thrust. References include: Hostage: Blake gave the command "Full boost" to Jenna, suggesting that boosters may have been fitted to the Liberator. Star One: a ship as large as the Nova Queen was fitted with emergency boosters, but they could not be engaged fast enough to avoid a collision with an unmanned ore carrier above Keldon City. Rescue: Scorpio was fitted with an orbital booster, used on the surface to help lift the ship off the ground. Traitor: Avon told Soolin that ships like Scorpio were fitted with short-burn boosters to help lift their payloads into orbit. This was probably a reference to the orbital booster mentioned above. Avon had assigned Orac to redesigning the boosters to give Scorpio greater in-flight speed.

BORR

(D-5: ANIMALS)

Intelligence Commander at Central Intelligence Control. He was requested by Sleer to track down anyone involved in the XX-coded project on Bucol-2, and Ardus was sent to Sleer as a result.

BOUNTY HUNTERS

(various episodes)

The Amagons led by Tarvin were described by Gan as bounty hunters. Blake made a mention of "every kill-happy bounty hunter" in Trial.

Bounty hunters were common on Gauda Prime as the authorities sought to clean up the planet before joining the Federation. Five were seen to be killed on the planet - two by Arlen, one (Tando) by Blake, and two more by Avon after they had knocked out Vila and were preparing to attack Dayna and Soolin.

BRACELETS (LIBERATOR)

(various episodes)

The teleport systems on Scorpio and Liberator both depended on bracelets for transmission and recall. The bracelets in both cases also functioned as communicators.

Blake recognised the bracelets on the Liberator as containing aquitar, and was the first person seen to use one when he teleported down to Cygnus Alpha for a test and four minute reconnaissance. The rack beside the teleport bay could hold 32 bracelets, as shown in The Keeper: it was half empty in Cygnus Alpha, but seen to be full in Redemption, so a store of them must have been kept somewhere. In Deliverance Jenna lost her bracelet, and attempts to bring her up failed to produce anything: this either means that unworn bracelets could not be teleported, or that Jenna's was damaged in the struggle with the scavengers.

Many bracelets were broken or lost during the first three seasons. Vargas destroyed at least two when interrogating Blake, and a third was lost when Blake teleported him into deep space. In Mission to Destiny Sara removed her bracelet, which was destroyed with the Ortega. Professor Kayn's and Renor's bracelets were probably destroyed with XK-72 (but see note below). Molok's bracelet was destroyed with him in Hostage. Mori's was presumably lost when he fell into the volcano. Vila's bracelet was blown up along with Bayban's box in City at the Edge of the World. In Children of Auron Zelda's bracelet was lost with the destruction of the bio-replication plant. Relf crushed Dayna's and Tarrant's bracelets in Ultraworld, and Avon's was destroyed by one of the Ultra.

A number of bracelets were last seen on people leaving the Liberator. If Jenna's bracelet on Cephlon was damaged (see above) they might have been recalled to the ship, otherwise they remained with those last seen wearing them. Such bracelets include: Cally's, which she lost on Centero in Seek-Locate-Destroy; Kayn's and Renor's (which might have been recovered - Kayn was not wearing one when he strangled Farren); and Sarkoff and Tyce needed bracelets to leave Liberator in Bounty. Avon, Vila, Gan and Blake had their bracelets stolen by Veron in Pressure Point: Travis tossed them into a corner, Jenna may later have recovered them. Jenna brought down three bracelets in Hostage, although only one was needed (to replace that lost with Molok) since Ushton and Inga elected to remain on Exbar. Del Grant left wearing a bracelet in Countdown. Voice from the Past presents some difficulties: Blake met Ven Glynd, "Shivan", Nagu and six aides on Asteroid P-K118, but only the first three were later seen on Liberator. Later Ven Glynd and LeGrand teleported to the Atlay shuttle, and were seen in the conference centre with four (different) aides. Shivan (actually Travis) later teleported down to Atlay. This leaves a possible 14 bracelets unaccounted for. In Volcano one was apparently left behind on Mori's dead trooper. Servalan, Shad and a guard teleported off Liberator to the shuttle: their bracelets were not seen to be reclaimed. Ginka took Avon's, Cally's and Tarrant's bracelets in Children of Auron: Dayna brought replacements down to the replication plant on Auron. Cally's bracelet was never recovered in Ultraworld. It was used to transmit a bogus distress call, ostensibly from her. Vila's bracelet was stolen by Servalan, Dayna's / Avon's by Grose and Tarrant's by Moloch in Moloch. All five of the crew needed bracelets to teleport down to Terminal: four people teleported back up (Servalan, Kostos and two aides). Servalan still wore a bracelet as she fled the disintegrating Liberator. Moloch is unique in that bracelets were actually created, using the energy/mass converter. Four were apparently produced in this way.

In all, at least 11 bracelets were definitely destroyed, and the Federation had the chance to acquire anything up to 20 bracelets for study. One was found by Avon on Terminal. Despite this ample raw material, the Federation never appeared to develop their own teleport system.

BRACELETS (SCORPIO)

(various episodes)

The teleport was first used in Power and no bracelet was needed. It could be that bracelets were unnecessary when teleporting from one terminal to another, but they were seen to be worn for this purpose in Headhunter. The bracelets were built, presumably by Dorian, before the teleport was completed, since Avon was wearing one when captured by the Hommiks, and the bracelet rack aboard Scorpio was already fitted when Dorian came to Terminal. This rack could hold seven to eight bracelets, as seen in Headhunter.

Avon's bracelet was destroyed by a Hommik in Power, and temporarily taken by Benos in Assassin, but otherwise there were no losses. Additional functions may have been incorporated into the bracelets, since Tarrant apparently identified a leakage of paraflame-5 using his bracelet.

BRIC

(A-1: THE WAY BACK)

One of the people admitted to the Central Clinic on the same day as the three children allegedly assaulted by Blake.

BRIG

(D-4: STARDRIVE)

A space rat on Caspar, called for by Atlan. Probably died in the course of the crew's escape, but difficult to tell since all space rats looked more or less alike.

BRIGADE COMMANDER

(C-11: MOLOCH)

Possible rank within the Federation. Before landing on Sardos, Grose was subordinate to two pilot captains and a brigade commander. Avon mentioned "a brigade of troops" in Pressure Point, but this might have been a figurative allusion on his part. See TROOPERS.

BRITAIN

(B-7: KILLER)

Blake explicitly referred to Lord Jeffrey Ashley being British.

BROAD SPECTRUM SHOTS

(D-9: SAND)

Members of the second expedition to Virn were given broad spectrum shots against the supposed virus on the planet. Mentioned by Reeve.

BROOD UNITS

(various episodes)

The projectile picked up on the way to Saurian Major contained genetic stocks and brood units in the custody of programmed guardians. According to Zen, the brood units could produce a full-grown adult from a single cell in 1.6 minutes.

Brood units were also carried by the chemical rocket watched over by Meegat. Avon described them as more sophisticated than those in the projectile, and conjectured that they would operate automatically on arrival at their destination.

The brood units in the replication plant on Auron could incubate about fifteen fetuses each, possibly at an accelerated rate of development.


BUCOL-2

(D-5: ANIMALS)

A planet abandoned after mineral deposits were exhausted. Six years before the Intergalactic War, a Federation scientific warfare team was sent to Bucol-2 to conduct experiments on genetically engineering radiation-proof, shock troops. The work progressed well, but too slowly to be of use in the War, and so the research team left, only to be shot down by an enemy gunship as they were taking off. One team member, Justin, had elected to stay behind, and remained on the planet until Dayna arrived.

Servalan's captain referred to "Bucol-2"s planet", suggesting that Bucol-2 was not the second planet of the Bucol system, but in the second star system of the Bucol constellation or something similar.

BUREAU

(D-5: ANIMALS)

Organisation within the Federation, though not clearly defined. Borr noted that failure to file a flight plan was contrary to Bureau regulations (as written by Sleer), and since he, working at Central Intelligence Control, was asked not to file a flight plan for Ardus" visit to Sleer, the Bureau and the CIC may be one and the same. The Bureau existed before the Intergalactic War, since Ardus had been one of its officers at the time the genetic engineering experiments on Bucol-2 were initiated, six years before the war.


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