Astronomical landmark on the Halcyon
side of the anomaly between Halcyon and Garson's
Planet.
Sam Anderson
Hobo that Max
Jones met his first night after running away from home. He shared his stew
with Max but also stole Max's astrogation books. After Max was rejected by the
Astrogators'
Guild, Sam helped him get forged records as a spacer and a job in the Asgard.
Sam worked his way to Master-at-Arms in the Asgard, and died rescuing Eldreth
Coburn and Max from the hostile natives of Charity.
He may have been an Imperial
Marine who had gone AWOL years ago.
Third planet of the sun around which Charity
orbited. Passengers of the Asgard
were given the choice of being left there rather than risk the return through
an uncharted anomaly.
Passenger starship converted from the torchship
Einstein (formerly the Prince of Wales). Using forged records, Max
Jones and Sam
Anderson were able to get jobs aboard her.
Union that controlled who could become an astrogator; new members could
join only if they were related to and nominated by current members. They kept
professional information such as star charts and astrogation calculations
strictly secret.
Astrogators' Guild Hall
Located in Earthport
next to the spaceport. Max
Jones hoped their records would show that his uncle had nominated him
for guild membership.
Disguise artist hired by Sam
Anderson to make Max
Jones look old enough for a spacer job.
"Sack" Bennett (no other first name)
Communicator first class in the Asgard. He
doubled as Captain
Blaine's secretary and factotum. He owed his nickname to others' belief
that he spent most of his time sleeping.
Passenger lounge in the Asgard;
equipped with a viewport, and off-limits to crew members but not to officers.
Blaine (no first name)
Captain of the Asgard. He
suffered a mild breakdown from exhaustion after the death of the astrogator,
Dr. Hendrix, and sent the ship through an uncharted anomaly because he failed
to correct a mathematical error. He deteriorated seriously after the ship was
lost, ultimately committing suicide.
[mentioned in passing] From the context, a mathematical or
memory prodigy. (In "Lost Legacy", a pianist Blind Tom is mentioned who could
play by ear any piece of music he had heard only once.)
Native of Charity;
it resembled the mythological Earth creatures, but was marsupial. Centaurs
dominated several other species on the planet. They attacked the Asgard
refugees, capturing Max
Jones and Eldreth
Coburn and killing several others.
Central Jersey Development Center for State
Children
Planet on which the Asgard
grounded after going through an uncharted anomaly, the fourth of its sun's
planets. The name was bestowed by Eldreth
Coburn.
[mentioned in passing] Ringroad
company whose trains ran past Max
Jones' farm. The trains were apparently named after throwing weapons and
other sharp objects, for example Assegai, Cleaver, Javelin.
Chucklehead
Saurian native lifeform of Gamma
Leonis VI(b), for a while used as draft animals by the colonists; they
were found less suitable than horses.
Teenaged passenger aboard the Asgard,
owner of the spiderpuppyMr.
Chips. The daughter of Ambassador John Coburn, she was being sent home
after being expelled from several finishing schools on Earth. She and Max
Jones became friends. On Charity
she was captured with him by centaurs. They were rescued by Sam
Anderson after Mr. Chips made it back to the ship and managed to convey
their "message". It appeared that she was romantically interested in Max, but
after the Asgard
returned to known space she continued her trip home and eventually married her
childhood sweetheart.
Passenger in the Asgard.
She first gave the impression of being a flighty socialite, but she proved
herself a hard and willing worker when they tried to establish a colony on Charity.
Department of Guilds and Labor
Bureaucracy that oversaw membership in all guilds and unions, and
therefore the allotment of most skilled jobs. It kept records of all job
assignments.
Desert Palms Athletic Club
[mentioned in passing] Destination to which an
extraterrestrial that Max
Jones saw in Earthport
asked directions; it pronounced it "Tesert Palms."
Dolores (no last name)
Hanger-on (probably a prostitute) at the Safe
Landing. Sam
Anderson chased her away from Max
Jones, then pointed her out to distract Simes when
he started to harass Max.
Starship to which Max
Jones was assigned as assistant astrogator after completing the Asgard
journey. [Latin, "Elizabeth the Queen", probably a reference to Elizabeth I of
England.]
emperor
References to Imperial
Marines and the Imperial Encyclopedia suggest that Earth is part of
an empire.
[mentioned in passing] An agricultural colony planet, also
known as New Mars, whose saurian native animals could be used as draft animals
but were inferior (at least in their rapport with humans) to horses.
Colony planet, official designation Nu Pegasi VI; a stop of Asgard's
itinerary.It is described as having cold winters and being not yet
economically independent.
Astrogator aboard the Asgard. He
recommended Max
Jones for astrogator training, and treated him as a protegé. He died of a
heart attack during the layover on Halcyon.
When the ship was stranded on Charity,
the settlement's main avenue was named after him.
[mentioned in passing] Astrogator in the Thule.
Kelly asked Max
Jones briefly about him because Max had claimed to have tried for
chartsman aboard that ship.
Max
Jones' late uncle. A member of the Astrogators'
Guild, he gave Max his astrogation books and promised to register him as
his heir with the Guild but was unable to do so before his untimely death.
Maximilian (Max) Jones
Ozark farmboy who ran away from home after his stepmother remarried and
sold the farm. After learning that his uncle had not fulfilled his promise to
get him into the Astrogators'
Guild, he used forged papers to get menial work aboard the starship Asgard. He
rapidly went from tending animals to training as a chartsman After the ship
was lost through an uncharted anomaly and all others with astrogation skills
died, he successfully piloted the ship back to known space, and was accepted
as an apprentice astrogator by the Guild.
Passenger in the Asgard who
claimed the title "Principessa".
Biff (Monty) Montgomery
Shiftless neighbor of Max
Jones who married Max's stepmother and persuaded her to sell the farm even
though it was technically owned by Max. He threatened Max with a beating for
disagreeing with the decision.
Nellie Jones Montgomery
Max
Jones' stepmother. She sold his farm without his knowledge after she
remarried, even though legally, Max owned the farm.
Man with whom Eldreth
Coburn was becoming romantically involved before her father shipped her
off to Earth. After the adventure in the Asgard,
she returned home and married him.
Red (no other name)
Teamster who offered Max
Jones a ride into Earthport
in return for Max impersonating his driving partner.
Transportation system similar to railroads. The "tracks" generated
high-power magnetic fields to power and direct the trains. The name comes from
the rings that generated the magnetic field, through which the trains
traveled.
Roberts (no first name)
Sam
Anderson told Max
Jones the story of an acquaintance who was an Imperial
Marine sergeant until he got drunk, missed his ship, and never had the
nerve to turn himself in; his name may also have been Richards. Sam later
denied having told the story; he may have been referring to himself.
Technical manual of the Guild of Space Stewards, Cooks, and Purser's
Clerks. Sam
Anderson acquired a copy for Max
Jones to memorize to aid his impersonation of a Guild member.
Simes (no first name)
Assistant astrogator in the Asgard,
jealous of his position and resentful of Max
Jones' elevation to astrogation trainee. After Captain
Blaine's death he tried to take command of the ship and had his neck
broken by Sam
Anderson.
Sirian
Humanoid alien of unspecified origin; a member of the species worked as a
waiter in the Safe
Landing.
Native of Hespera.
It had orange, green, and white fur; eight legs; and an endearing manner. It
could be domesticated by humans, and could speak and understand a rudimentary
vocabulary.
The Heinlein
Society was founded by Virginia Heinlein on behalf of her husband, science
fiction author Robert Anson Heinlein, to "pay forward" the legacy of Robert A. Heinlein to future generations of "Heinlein's Children."