Glossary for DESCENDING ROAD

kaff: kaff, kaffs: a dark, caffeine-bearing, room-temperature drink, made of a genemixed coffee/coca plant.

Kai Ren Hau: Hau, Kai Ren Hau, Kai Ren Hau Coll: the coll with the longest and richest continuing history, spanning time back to the Descent, when the Colonists crash-landed in the range in the far north and founded human life on the planet. From tabular data: Kai Ren Hau refers to one of the collective clans of Tarnus. The names of all the colls are found in the reference table titled COLL NAMES. From tabular data for “Kai Ren Hau": Kai Ren Hau refers to one of the collective clans of Tarnus. The names of all the colls are found in the reference table titled COLL NAMES.

KaiSarDen JoMai: one of ArCorp‘s genetic engineers, responsible for development and release of specialized cerebrospinal enhancements for the ArCorp andro workforce.

Kaliban: Kaliban, KBSI: an andro sensi supplier, masked, and supported by a small cadre of humans of the Sinantro and Incarnastar Colls.

katschild: a powerful gene-transforming suite of biologicals, conveyed in a sweet, drugged liqueur. Its viral, prionic and bacterial life-forms carry a complete program for step-by-step transformation of a normal human male into a hybrid human/feline.

kaulu: caolu, kaulu: small birdlike flyers native to Tarnus, with long needle-like beaks for sucking nectar from berries. The wings of these flyers flash like mica; they are made of tiny sheaves of laced scale overlapped and air-filled.

keypanel: keypanel, keypanels: a device used as a key to protect systems. It carries genetic and password identification mechanisms, and emitted its lock/unlock signals only on satisfaction of the user’s identification and password entries. The signals then command a system to perform a secured procedure.

kharshfainh: kharsh, kharshfainh: the Singer. It is a sentient entity, of a complex nature unclear even to the Zashinhalh. Turiosten gives a simple description of it to Andrew: “It’s a living thing. Somebody or something started making them a long time ago, several hundred million years… They breed and travel through what you call innerspace, and live there. They stay sometimes with creatures that live in your world, and sometimes with others.”

Kiudi-a: the name, in CLang, of the third day of the eight-day week of the City Calendar. From tabular data: Kiudi-a is day number 3 in the City Calendar‘s eight-day week. The days of the week are listed in the reference table titled WEEKDAY NAMES. From tabular data for “Kiudi-a": Kiudi-a is day number 3 in the City Calendar‘s eight-day week. The days of the week are listed in the reference table titled WEEKDAY NAMES.

knifescript: knifescript, knifescripts: the scar-writing of Arcus Coll, extremely fine-grained and decorative.

knifeset: knifeset, knifesets: the surgical part of a medkit, usually containing an assortment of blades, probes, clamps, and cauterizers for performing field surgery not requiring the use of general anesthesia. The blades used may include steel, water, energy, and gas types. The water and gas types require small pressure bottles attached to the blades by hoses and couplings.

korobka: korob, korobka, korobki, korobs: apartment, usually a small one, in the City. A City term used mostly by the less-sophisticated members of the Kai Ren Hau Coll.

kozyol: ‘nanny-goats’ – a Russian term for prisoners forced into sexual submission by others.

KPX: KP, KPX: a stimulant similar to KT, but used for fun instead of fighting.

Kuklagrad: a small cubby-bar in Rumchi Zone, catering almost exclusively to andros.

kwakiat: kwakiat, kwakiats: a small blue or blue-violet fruit, very sweet and juicy, from vines grown in the lower City streets in certain areas.