H'Oskhikhil: Indigenous to Storm (1404 Reavers' Deep), the members of this minor race are disk-shaped, .5 meters high and 1.5 meters across. Their world's eccentric orbit has molded their lifecycle into two major phases: the civilized adult which, after reproducing, is consumed by the voraciously hungry juvenile. This process has kept the race from developing an enduring technological society until relatively recent times, when the adults have been constructing armored, air-conditioned refuges where they can live to pass on their culture and technology to the next generation. -rd TD 16

Haden (0830 Daibei X66A630-6): Red Zone. A few hundred sea-faring ship captains rule the three million inhabitants of Haden's islands. They hunt the gatuf (a local sea creature) for its valuable oil, which is the planet's prime source of fuel. The sea captains are also the only ones who can fight off the tarmo, a savage deep-sea creature that often lurks near beaches, attacking beach walkers, swimmers, and boats.
Before this world was declared a red zone, naive off-worlders would visit Haden, only to disappear from the island beaches with shocking regularity. Only a shred of clothing or other belongings near tell-tale tarmo marks on the beach would testify to their fate. The local sea captains forbade further landings and dismantled the rudimentary starport. They requested the Travellers' Aid Society to classify the world a red zone.
The council of sea captains is the only constituted authority on the planet, when they are away at sea the islands are without leadership. Orderly behavior is necessary to counteract the threats of this environment, so even when the captains are away at sea, society remains organized and structured. -dai TD 15

Halo (0805 Reavers' Deep E677000-0): One of the largest concentrations of accessible mineral ore and refinable gases in any system of this sector, the Halo system has five gas giants and two metal-rich asteroid belts. Only recently surveyed by the human firm of Travis Commodities, the Halo system has been the site of increasing amounts of mining activity sponsored by the Aslan Khotoa'ya clan. The system's remote location gives each party equal rights to exploitation of Halo's resources, but the Khotoa'ya's resistance to Travis' presence has become increasingly hostile. -rd TD 16

Hamilcar (1738 Solomani Rim A26A9AA-E): Subsector Capital. Hamilcar was settled early in the Rule of Man by a cultural group from Terran Polynesia. Terran dolphins were also transplanted here before they were made sentient.
Now that sentient dolphins also exist, populations of both types are found on Hamilcar, coexisting with relative ease. Two million of the world's two billion inhabitants are sentient dolphins. Most of the humans live in ship-cities and consequently share some of the dolphin attitude toward ownership of property.
In an astonishing political coup, the dolphins have put one of their own into power on Hamilcar. The dolphin, Keekiiteep, is widely acclaimed as a wise ruler, even on other worlds of the subsector. Of course, politics is not a typical dolphin interest, but getting sophonts to cooperate and live harmoniously is a worthy goal, even to a dolphin. The heritage of the easy-going Polynesian culture makes the human population more receptive to Keekiiteep's guidance.
The high law level reflects primarily the taboo on violence; personal freedom is very little restricted. -sr TD 13

Hanuman Systems: Member state of the Solomani Confederation. The Hanuman Systems lie at the Confederation's trailing border. The Hanuman Systems owe their name to the local religion, an unusual mix of old Terran Hinduism and modern evolutionary theory. The Systems' inhabitants believe Hanuman - the Hindu monkey god - to be the patron deity of all primates, including humans. They have gained a widespread reputation for their frequent ceremonies and devotions.
Interestingly, the Hanuman religion intrigued Hiver merchants across the border. While Hiver culture as a whole ignores religion, many Hivers found their curiosity and need for individuality engaged. One trader nest invented a deity, Palibat, to serve as racial patron for the Hivers. Worship of Palibat spread as the Hiver merchants travelled, and the priests of Hanuman eventually saw fit to officially endorse it.
This unorthodox, jointly held creed has long helped smooth relations between the Solomani and the Hive Federation. For this reason, it has withstood the disapproval of conservative Party officials dismayed by the cultural merger of Solomani and non-humans. Most Party members see the Hanuman-Palibat faith as beneficial, however. In addition to the thousands who visit annually as diplomats and businessmen, many more come simply as tourists. -sta S&A

Harbu: Hot, brown beverage containing moderate amounts of binaraffein, a caffeine-like substance. Very common in Domain of Deneb and Corridor sector, especially among starship crews and law-enforcers. -cam MS

Harp plant: This flowering plant is native to Chemi (2530 Daibei C888413-9), a world owned by Indec Corporation, a well-known manufacturer of pharmaceuticals in Daibei. The plant's method of attracting pollinating insects is by sound rather than scent or color.
The fine strands stretched between its upright stems vibrate in the wind, at a pitch which attracts native insects. When the insect responds, it makes a meal of the harp plant's pollen as well as spreading it around.
The sap of the harp plant is used by Indec Corporation as a base for many of their antiviral and antifungal drugs. -dai TD 15

Havary (1416 Gateway C553259-9): A largely unexplored world lying well off any of the main trade routes, the formidable nature of the native ecology has so far prevented large-scale exploration or exploitation of this world. The sole human colony is Fortress, a lone settlement at the spaceport consisting of 80 people, mostly scientists studying the planet's spectacularly diverse flora and fauna. -gat MTJ 4

Hegemony of New Albion: This cluster of Solomani member states occupies a small corner of the Staai subsector of Dark Nebula. Rather than each world in the Hegemony sending a representative to Terra, they banded together under the leadership of New Albion, a planet in the Oskkan system (2834 Dark Nebula). -dn S&A

Heptad Worlds of Windfleet: Tovis (1412 Gateway), Vosrin (1512 Gateway), Ganyvar (1612 Gateway), Windfleet (1413 Gateway), Tash (1513 Gateway), Anaxar (1613 Gateway) and Foriv (1514 Gateway).
Seven inhabited systems, formerly the Windfleet Concourse, now part of the Plavian League. They are currently recovering from a vicious interstellar war with the Hochiken People's Assembly, which claims them as part of the Assembly's empire. Plavian battlefleets are currently positioned within each system, and visitors are boarded and searched for evidence of contact with the People's Assembly. -gat MTJ 4

Heraklion (3221 Solomani Rim D343312-E): Planet in the Arcturus Subsector of the Solomani Rim. A poor, non-industrial planet, the world is given over to ressource exploitation. Heklion is currently owned and operated by Lamarck Minerals, LIC.
The planet is largely unremarkable, though the culture which has developed is of some interest to sociologists. A rough, poorly policed society, the planet has fostered the development of a strong streak of self-reliance. Most of the inhabitants are accustomed to bearing arms from an early age; this is less noticable in the men (who instead tend to be trained in various types of unsophisticated hand-to-hand combat) than in the women. Most women on Heraklion carry daggers of a distinctive and highly useful design. A woman of Heraklion caught without her dagger in public (or deprived of it against her will) is subjected to considerable shame and humiliation. -ld MAS

Hewlett (2031 Diaspora A110748-F): The other choke-point of Eberly Gap, Hewlett is known for its lax customs officials, whose eyesight gets blurrier with every credit they're given. Despite thriving black and "gray" markets, there is very little crime planetside, where the local government strictly enforces the few laws it imposes. -AGD

Hiilev (1635 Core C62757B-A): Hiilev was colonized in two vastly seperated periods. Early in the First Imperium, colonists settled in the lowest valleys they could find. Over several thousand years of living on Hiilev, they adapted to the planet in some unique ways, including strict breeding laws. Today the descendants of these early colonists are barrel-chested and leather-skinned, with large ears and small, dark eyes. Their blood carries an extaordinary amount of hemoglobin and their skin is rich in melanin. Calling themselves Hiidamo, they have virtually forgotten that they were ever strangers to the planet.
After the First Survey in 420, newcomers were attracted to Hiilev by the biological wealth in its oceans. But these settlers were standard humans, using technical equipment to survive in the very thin atmosphere. Many new colonists felt the Hiidamo were odd freaks. Their attitude was subtle at first, but ultimately degraded into outright racial war.
It took many deaths to see that the races just could not settle their differences, and could not live together. The Hiidamo claimed one major continent, leaving the newcomers the other continent. The two races have little contact; they do not trade or otherwise deal with each other. Even this has not entirely stopped the killing, but it has been reduced to one-at-a-time murders rather than running battles. -core TD 10

Hive Federation: Human term for the loose interstellar community dominated by the Hivers; Hive Confederation is also sometimes used. The Hivers have only one culture and one language; the Hiver genotype (with individual variations similar in degree to differences between individual humans of the same race) is also constant.
The Federation government (if such a term is at all applicable) is mostly concerned with maintaining the uniformity of the Hiver culture and species. This is accomplished by frequent reproductive embassies from one planet to another Members of many different nests will shake hands with everyone nearby in a sort of farewell party and will then board a large embassy ship bound for a far-off world. Once there they will meet with as many people as possible, shaking hands and exchanging news, art, gossip, scientific information, political views, and so on for about a year. They will then return home for another year-long round of parties, discussions, and handshaking.
Most disputes among communities are handled in these embassies; others, considered too urgent or transient to wait for an embassy, are settled by judges. There is a considerable body of Hiver common law and custom, and a judge is a person who has spent years in study of the law; judges' decisions are not necessarily binding and are open to compromise, but they carry a great weight of custom.
The discovery of alien races and their integration into society required a slightly more formal organization, which grew out of the coordinating body which schedules embassies. Two additional bodies were established: the Federation Navy and a development agency.
The Hiver parental instinct was aroused by the discovery of numerous intelligent species less fortunate than themselves, and work began immediately to lift the "children" to civilization. An early experience with an aggressive race led to the establishment of a system of quarantined worlds, denied entry to (or knowledge of) interstellar society.
Covert operations are in progress on quarantine worlds to modify overly aggressive cultures into acceptable members of the Federation, and several quarantined planets have been opened since the beginning of the program. So far, no quarantined race is close to achieving interstellar travel on its own; public debate continues on what to do in such a case.
The navy is the main instrument of military force. Hivers came late to the concept of war and are more comfortable with high-tech, long-range oriented violence; they dislike the personal approach of ground combat.
When ground forces are absolutely needed, other races of the Federation generally supply the troops. Federation armed forces are essentially a deterrent force and are seldom used as an instrument of policy.
Other races of the Federation are equal partners in society, although the structure of society is Hiver-generated, and those races able to adapt best to a Hiver way of life and customs have been most successful. All races participate in the embassies, although in a modified form.
Some associated species retain strong internal governments or police forces to regulate the aggressive tendencies of their members, but whatever solution is reached, all Federation member societies are nonaggressive.
Most worlds of the Federation have communities of several species; races inhabit the worlds they find most pleasant. -ld IE

Hiver: Intelligent major race with a large federation trailing the Imperium. Hivers average 1.5 meters from ground to top of upraised head and weigh about 150 kg. Descended from omnivore gatherer/scavenger stock, they are the most alien of the major races. Hivers exhibit a modified six-fold radial symmetry; the body has a calcareous internal skeleton consisting of a series of rings supporting the limbs and a fused carapace protecting the brain and internal organs.
The head is a modification of one of the limbs and contains six eyestalks and six manipulative tentacles, plus paired infrared sensor organs. The other five limbs are identical (except for slight modifications of the hand opposite the head) and are used as arms and legs indiscriminately. Each limb ends in a six-fingered radial hand. Fingers are very flexible and have muscular suction cups on the lower surface about halfway to the tips. Hiver arms and hands are generally weaker than a human's but are very tough and difficult to injure.
The mouth (digestive opening) is on the lower surface of the body. There is no sound-producing organ, but hivers do have three ears placed around the neck near the head.
Hivers have only one sex. Reproductive cells are exchanged each time that hivers meet, using the modified rear hand (the process has been termed by humans "shaking hands"). The cells are kept in a reproductive pouch on the lower body surface where they conjugate and exchange genetic material. Once every forty days or so, a cell will develop into a larva, which then drops from the parent's body.
Hive planets are mostly wilderness, and the larva enter the wilds, where most are killed. After about a year, survivors return to civilization, where they are welcomed into any nest and begin their education as citizens. Parental instinct in hivers is very strong, and the young are adopted by the entire nest. (Note that this instinct applies only to the year-old returnees; Hivers have no concern for the younger larvae, and in fact they consider them minor pests.)
Hiver language is a combination of arm/tentacle waving and physical contact. The written language is ideographic and is used as a standard language among the races of the Hive Federation. Hivers talking among themselves use all three aspects of language (gesture, touch, and writing) at once, a process capable of great subtlety and sophistication, but unintelligible to the outsider.
Hivers are unique among major races in that they had a complex culture before becoming sentient. Originally, they lived in the tunnels and built-up mounds of a large (1000kg) burrowing animal. In exchange for shelter, they gave food. They farmed fungus and foraged outside for decaying vegetation and dead animals as a source of food for the fungus.
Burrowers were allowed to graze in the farm tunnels. Hivers ate the fungus and whatever fresh food they could find outside. Intelligence arose as the outside environment changed, forcing the foraging parties to travel farther to discover new sources of food and fertilizer; foragers advanced from simple scavenging and gathering efforts to complex cooperative efforts of hunting and trapping live game.
Today, fungus remains the staple of the Hiver diet; fungus growing is a highly developed art. Most buildings retain the beehive shape and large underground tunnel complexes of the original burrowers, but they are constructed by machines; the burrowers (known as snohl) are now reduced to the secondary function of keeping the tunnels clean. Hiver attachment to them is essentially nonrational; they just feel more comfortable with snohl around.
Society: Hive society is highly individualistic. The term "Hive" results from an early human misconception which stems from the appearance of the Hivers' building and tunnel complexes. Nests contain from five to five hundred individuals, who are usually centered around some common endeavor.
While one hundred is an average size for a nest (and was the size in precivilized times), larger groups may come together for some civilized purpose such as large manufacturing companies or universities. Small nests are usually spaceship crews or isolated research parties. A young hiver will spend his first fifteen years in his home nest; thereafter, nest changes may take place as often as a modern human might change jobs.
Because of the nature of their reproduction, hivers never experienced the population pressures so important to human history. The population of the homeworld is now only a few hundred million, only ten times greater than it was in prehistoric times. Predators control the young; when the adult survival rate rises, thus increasing the numbers of young produced, the predator population increases proportionately and the balance is maintained. Space colonization arose not from pressure but from curiosity, with which Hivers are amply endowed.
The Hivers have colonized only those planets with climates most pleasant to themselves; if the planet has no predators that like to eat Hiver larvae, they are imported. Because of the high birth rate, a colony will rapidly fill up to its maximum population level of a few hundred million and will then stabilize. Hivers like planets of size 6 or less, with thin or standard atmospheres and unvarying climates. Hiver enclaves, for commercial or scientific purposes, are found on worlds of more extreme characteristics.
Hive industry and business excels at communications technology and robot construction. Major exports include artificial and computer languages, translators, and sophisticated electronic hardware of all types. Hiver mathematical systems are much in demand for their power and elegance. -ld IE

Hkurlei (1517 Rifspan Reaches A3409JB-E): Conditions have always been harsh on Hkurlei. Temperatures at the equator frequently exceed 40 degrees Celsius, and cloudless skies grant no protection from the blazing orange sun.
In 3638 Aslan (1106 Imperial) all surface water was lost. During a period of peak solar activity, a catastrophic fault crippled the planet's weather control system. The few shallow lakes which had served as reservoirs began to evaporate.
Panic might have ensued on a human world. With few exceptions, however, the native Aslan settled themselves to the drastic water rationing imposed by their clan leaders. In a few isolated incidents, thefts of water were reported; as a whole, though, the inhabitants refused to insure their individual survival at the expense of their fellows.
The Aslan philosophy of taro - literally, "it comes" - enabled the people of Hkurlei to weather the disaster. The planet's hydrosphere never completely recovered, but today the populace has adjusted. New safeguards have been implemented to make sure a similar crisis never occurs again. -rr TD 19

Hlao (1719 Dark Nebula X7698CB-5): Hlao is a world under strict control of the government. However, unlike on most planets with restrictive laws, the people of Hlao are actually happy with their rulers. Years ago, the world's economy was on the verge of collapse, and crime was rampant, as was governmental corruption. Through a bloodless coup, a small group of men, mostly academicians, backed up by some high-level enforcers and army officers, ousted the old government. Since then, through the implementation of stringent controls, the economy has been turned around, crime is virtually nonexistent, and the population once more has faith in its leaders.
The controls placed on daily life by the oligarchy make things difficult for outsiders, and the punishments are swift and harsh. The death penalty is often invoked for any felony conviction. Because of the harsh, repressive laws, the Traveller's Aid Society has classified Hlao as a Red Travel Zone. -dn S&A

Hlaotiyoiho: Dominant clan of the Ealre subsector of Dark Nebula, with holdings extending coreward and spinward into Ealiyasiyw Sector. Hlaotiyoiho is an offshoot of the Tralyeaeawi clan, founded in 2950 Aslan (502 Imperial) by an ihatei and his followers.
While originally vassal to Hoihhwarilta clan, Hlaotiyoiho has worked and fought its way to independence and high status. This clan is a strong contender for a place in the Tlaukhu, should any of the current Twenty-nine fall in prestige. Some recent incidents between Hlyueawi and Hlaotiyoiho clans suggest a possible clan war for this position. -dn TD 17

Hluahyahe (0222 Ealiyasiyw X5261L8-A): Once declared a global hunting park, Hluahyahe was interdicted by the Yerlyaruiwo in 3622 (1091 Imperial). Until that year, nearby port authorities recorded an unusual number of disappearances in the system. The disappearance ot a ship bearing an Eisohiyw diplomatic party in 3620 sparked a full-scale investigation. The Hluahyahe system was subsequently interdicted, and a Yerlyaruiwo military research team was dispatched to find the cause of the disappearances.
Five research teams have disappeared in recent years, and the Yerlyaruiwo have announced no progress. Many theories are offered by civilian scientists, but without positive data from the Yerlyaruiwo team, none can be proven. -eal TD 18

Hlyueawi: Originally a vassal to Hrawoao clan, Hlyueawi rose to power during the Yerlyaruiwo-Tralyeaeawi War. Members of Hlyueawi were renowned experts in strategy and political science, a few of whom produced classical and widely read treatises on these subjects. The clan regularly provided advisors to the rest of the Yerlyaruiwo bloc. But, during the growing instability of the Yerlyaruiwo-Tralyeaeawi War, Hlyueawi struck out on its own.
Through clever planning, the Hlyueawi arranged the fall of Uawairlew, a major clan also of the Yerlyaruiwo bloc, in 3120 Aslan (652 Imperial). It took over most Uawairlew assets, and replaced that clan on the seat among the 29. Hlyueawi quickly sided with the Isoihyro to consolidate itself, quickly gaining a respectable ranking. -tlau S&A

Holiday Year: The year zero in the history of the Third Imperium, established by Cleon I to commemorate the establishment of the Imperium. Technically an aspect of calendar reform, the use of the year zero provides a central date point for counting years back into the Long Night and forward into the future of the Imperium.
The actual advantages of a holiday year are slight: centuries begin in the hundredth numbered year instead of the first numbered year, and the number of years between any two dates can be determined by subtraction.
More importantly at the time, the holiday year was used as part of the public relations campaigns which were impressing the authority of the Imperium upon local governments. The minor requirement of changing to the new calendar was used to determine cooperation by those governments. -ld IE

Home (1009 Aldebaran A86699A-E): In 5520 AD, the Confederation selected Home as its capital, both for its similarity to Terra and its distance from the Imperial border. Prior to that time, Home's history was uneventful. Small Sancaterrist farming communities dotted the world, many of which still exist in Home's scenic outback. In contrast to the farmers' simple shelters, the Secretariat meets in mammoth chambers in Home's First City, while the High Council convenes in orbit - adjacent to and protected by a Confederation naval base. -sta S&A

Hortalez et Cie, LIC: Primarily a banking and investment house, Hortalez specializes in loans to planetary governments, underwriting of large-scale projects, and other fiscal activities. Hortalez is one of the major insurance houses in the Imperium.
Stock Ownership: Hortalez family, 74 percent; Zirunkarish, 5 percent; Naasirka, 7 percent; Makhidkarun, 3 percent; Imperial family, 5 percent; other, 6 percent. -mc RC

Howood: Extremely dense, striated, lignous material obtained from the trunk of the howood tree/ a rare plant native to Pretoria/Pretoria (0406 Deneb) and known to grow on Pysadi (3008 Spinward Marches) and Violante (2708 Spinward Marches). The trees concentrate metals from the soil in their extremely tough bark. Howood is aromatic and its scent is especially pleasing to Vargr. It is also beautiful; the size, colors, and intensities of its rings and striations vary unpredictably with the characteristics of the environment in which the plant grows. -ld TA

HRD (1623 Deneb A401654-F): HRD is the sector's largest exporter of information. Although HRD was originally settled as a research center for the Imperial Navy, pressure from other elements of the sector government gradually pushed HRD toward independence. However, the Navy maintains a highly visible presence insystem, and its technical training center is greatly renowned.
HRD is still Deneb's primary think tank, with experts in every field applying their skills to the Domain's problems. The world's economy is almost exclusively sustained by the various research projects being conducted there. While the exported data is mainly confidential, mostly slated toward the Domain's defense, several local organizations research civil subjects as well.
The world's political structure revolves around several corporate centers, all vying for contracts and engaging in industrial espionage. Overall government is supplied by a council of corporate representatives, but individual companies provide most of the infrastructure and basic services.
Since much of HRD's work is classified, rumors abound as to what projects are actually being conducted onworld. Media sources occasionally try to infiltrate HRD's web of corporate intrigue, but they seldom manage to report anything conclusive.
Recent rumors concern hidden installations and unreasonably heavy Naval patrols. Other journalists have noted the large number of transient Droyne that regularly pass through the system. Accounts of small bodies insystem having been moved by no identifiable means continue to circulate. -den TD 19

Hteoe (0117 Dark Nebula C5947H8-C): Most animal life on Hteoe is subterranean, living in the vast systems of underground caverns hollowed by ground water. The caverns, indeed, are far better supplied with water than the surface is. Because of this ecology, the Aslan of Hteoe have also become cavern-dwellers - an unusual adaptation for Aslan on a world with breathable atmosphere. -dn TD 17

Hudmill (0933 Core B88A104-B): Naval and Scout facilities are split between orbital bases around Hudmill and a few low-lying islands in the temperate zone of Hudmill's surface. The few permanent residents are mostly retired officers and their families who decided to occupy one of the islands the Navy wasn't using. Climate and lifestyle here are reminiscent of Polynesia on Terra, but civilian offworlders are not encouraged to stay. -core TD 10

Humaniti (former spelling Humanity): Collective name for human races, including Solomani, Vilani, Zhodani and others. -ld IE -ld SotA
One of the Major Races. All of humaniti originated from genetic stock on Terra, transplanted for reasons unknown by the Ancients throughout this spiral arm of the galaxy. Parallel development resulted in the predominance of essentially identical human races in the worlds of this arm. Of all human races, three have gained major status: Vilani, Solomani, and Zhodani. -ld TP

Humans: Intelligent major race dominating the Imperium and several additional interstellar communities. Humans stand approximately 1.8 meters in height and weigh about 100 kg. Descended from omnivore gatherers, humans developed intelligence in response to shifting climatological factors.
The most unusual aspect of humaniti is the fact that humans are present on many different worlds and stand at various levels of development on those worlds. The Solomani Hypothesis states that Humans evolved on Terra (Solomani Rim/Sol) and were scattered to many different worlds by the Ancients for reasons currently unknown. The result is that many different, parallel human races exist and coexist throughout known space.
The three most widespread human races are the Solomani (humans from Terra), the Vilani (humans from Vland), and the Zhodani (humans from Zhodane). -ld IE

Hunberri (0339 Massilia B-884622-A): The people of Hunberri are famous for their honesty and their stubbornness. It is an unbearable disgrace for a Hunberrin to be found a liar or a cheat, and total ostracism is the least punishment society will deal out to offenders. However, the desire to fight and the desire to be right seem to have gotten mixed.
A Hunberrin will not admit to being wrong when he has expressed an opinion, nor will he say he cannot do a job that he has consented to take on, regardless of circumstances. This has made business collaborations with offworlders trying at times.
The drive behind native behavior seems to be more to avoid ridicule than to act for one's own pleasure. Curiosity and inventiveness are below average and technological progress has been slow and largely imitative of outside work. This does not imply poor technical skill, for Hunberri has a 100% literacy rate and excellent technical schools. Art is based on ideals of restraint and balance, as is philosophy and personal life. -mas TD 11
Hunberri initially resisted siding with Lucan, preferring to remain neutral. However, a show of force by Lucan's forces in late 1117 convinced the Hunberrin that resistance would not be in their best interest. Anti-Lucan uprisings and riots are frequent on the world yet today, and the Hunberrin so-called "allegiance" to Lucan is seen by many to be questionable. -mas K