Maybe it was too scary a challenge. As for myself, I couldn't see any answers. Why should anyone else? In the Middle East, other than a sufficient number of Israelis and Palestinians to keep things at a boil, there are no real issues to resolve such as land, or rights, or money, or reparations. All those things could be solved to everyone's satisfaction, and the fighting would continue to erupt. The wounds suffered by both sides are so numerous, so old, so cruel, senseless, and deep, there seems to be no healing to be had short of the complete and total annihilation of the other side. I could see no answers, but I couldn't stop playing with the problem in my head.
What grafted the problem to me for life was remembering that the planet Amadeen in The Tomorrow Testament is very much an analogue of Middle East/Northern Ireland/Bosnia kinds of conflicts. That was why peace on the planet was impossible, and to achieve peace in the rest of the quadrant, the principals had to resort to radically unconventional means. Still, at the end of The Tomorrow Testament, although the rest of the quadrant is at peace, the problem of the war on Amadeen still exists. Taking the premise and Amadeen together, what about a third book? What about taking my own challenge and end the war on Amadeen? The title was obvious: The Last Enemy What was not so obvious was what to do with it.
Then word came to me that Stewart Wieck at White Wolf Publishing was expanding into science-fiction books, and maybe I ought to drop him a line. I suggested The Last Enemy and he wanted it.
The Last Enemy was not an easy book to write, First I had to make the war impossible to resolve, which was the easy part. All I had to do was look at the world around me. Then I had to come up with a believable way to achieve peace, and I think I did. No one has tried it yet, although it requires nothing in the way of technology that we don't already have. The only thing this world might be lacking to implement it are the integrity, conviction, and singularity of purpose to go and do it. In any event, the manuscript was completed and I was very happy with it.
Will there be a fourth book in the series? Well, when I reached the end of The Last Enemy I looked at the situation and characters, where the characters were, and all of the possibilities about where they could go and what they could become, and a very familiar itch began working on me. I'm thinking on it.
DRAC FOR TRAVELERS
DRAC - ENGLISH
A
Aakva
The god; fire; light; the star around which orbits Sindie.
Aakva Lua
Blue Light (PI firm on Planet Friendship).
Ae
Yes.
Adze
Do you know; can you speak?
Akava
To burn.
Asaam
Pilot.
Ashra
Criminal.
Ashzhab
Criminally insane.
Ay
Three.
Ayvida
Third; third person.
B
Benga
Hurry.
Bresha
Crash.
C
Cha
To be.
Chova
Move.
Chirn
Health (biological).
Chirn Kovah
Health college of the Talman (principal research institution).
Cudall
Cave.
Cueh
Horizon.
Custa
Halite; table salt.
D
Da
It.
Dasu
Get up; rise.
Daultha
Doubter.
Denvadar
Of the denve; warrior; soldier; fighter. Tsien Denvadah = Front Fighters; elite unit, shock troops of the Drac military; a tribe at war.
Denve
War; division-sized unit,
Dev
With.
Diea
Council; chamber; organization; political administrative unit.
Dos
Of the (emphatic: se ve).
Dracon Diea
Dracon Chamber; ruling body of the Dracon planets.
Dut
Low, short, small, insignificant
Dutshaat
Low-sexed (very disrespectful, referring not to the moral quality of the act hut to the physical height of the recipient. See: kiz).
E
Echey
Here.
Ehdevva
Be with me.
Ehdevva sahn
Be with me always.
Enta va
Stand (verb).
Ess?
What?
Ess va...
What is...
Ess eh...
What about...
Estay (va)
Born of (formal).
Eh, ne
Oh, no.
F
Faanda
Tall, great, large, significant.
Fangen
Goal (social); future; friend; nefangen = enemy.
Fangan Kovah
College of goals (social sciences).
G
Gafu
Brat.
Gavey
(I, you) Understand.
Gefh
Die; death.
Gis
Where.
Gis nu cha?
Where are you?
H
Hada!
Hey!
Hasu
Get in.
Hame
Inside.
Hi
Six.
Hivida
Sixth.
I
Irkmaan
Earthman (including females and children).
Irkmaan vul
Human lover (disrespectful).
Istah
Door; opening; route of escape or hope.
Ith
Five.
Itheda
Fifth.
J
Je
To teach.
Jetah
Master (of any kind); teacher; instructor, professor; Ovjeta = First + Master.
Jetah Talman
Talman master.
Jetai
Masters.
Jetai Diea
Masters' Chamber (administrative body at any kovah); the administrative body of the Talman Kovah.
K
Ka
Force (party).
Kazzmidth
Wealthy (disrespectful, as in rich bitch).
Kiz
Loathsome critter of Draco; excrement from same.
Kiz do yuomeen
(So-and so) eats kiz, as in Kiz du yuomeen, Shizumaat = Shizumaat eats it. Kiz du yuomeen, Irkmaan, ne? (Literally: Earthman eats kiz, no?) turns the tables, meaning, in effect, "So, who eats it now, pudsucker?"
Kizlode
Excrement head. Kizlode va nu dutshaat (Literally: Excrement head, your line) = You come from a line of low-sexed excrement heads.
Koadaer
Killer.
Koda
Truth; hook; formal designation of a book of The Talman.
Korum su
I kill you.
Kos va nu?
Give your need? What do you want?
Kos son va?
Give your name? What is your name?
Kos va son—
(I) Give my name (as)—; My name is—.
Kovah
School; college; business; institution; a place of paths.
L
Loamaak
To awaken.
Loamaak nu!
You, wake up!
Lode
Head.
Lua
Blue.
M
Magasienna
The undream (not real); English equivalent, as an expletive = I don't believe this!
Masu
Bring up.
Mata
Order; command.
Matak
To order.
N
Na
Number.
Naa
For the.
Naatha
Before.
Nasesay
Capsule; fighter ship escape-and-survival pod.
Navi
Peace.
Navi Ka
The Peace (truce police in The Last Enemy).
Ne
No.
Nefangen
Enemy.
Nessa
Pregnancy.
Ne surda
Maybe not.
Ni
I.
Nu
Two; you. Nu gefh = you die.
Nue
You (plural); You all.
Nusha
Eight.
Nushada
Eighth.
Nuvida
Second; second person.
O
Ov
One.
Ovida
First.
Ovjetah
First master.
Ovsi
Nine.
Ovsinda
Ninth.
P
Poorzhab
Crazy; insane; touched.
Q
Queda
To push.
R
Rhada
First chief of Aakva's servants; slang term for a priest.
Riehm
Forest.
Rohune
Servant (of Aakva); priest.
Rouga
Shack; hutch.
S
Sa
State; government.
Saat
Sex (possession and/or use of reproductive organs).
Sahn
Always.
Schada
Fourth.
Sedai
Pot.
Sha
Four.
Shaad
Less than whole.
Shaadsaat
Part-sexed (possessing only male or female sex organs). Derogatory.
Siay
Twelve.
Siayvida
Twelfth.
Si
Zero, naught; nothing.
Sihi
Fifteen.
Sinda
Naught; forward; introduction.
Sindie
Birth planet of the Drac race; name of the unified tribe upon the death of Uhe; being (human English equivalent = man).
Sinu
Eleven.
Sinush
Seventeen.
Sinushada
Seventeenth.
Sinuvida
Eleventh.
Siov
Ten.
Siovida
Tenth.
Sisha
Thirteen.
Sishada
Thirteenth.
Sitat
Sixteen.
Sitarmeda
Sixteenth.
Sith
Fourteen.
Sitheda
Fourteenth.
Son
Name; call.
Su
You (emphatic).
Summat
Chief of servants who committed suicide because of Daultha the Doubter; slang for suicide.
Surda
Maybe.
T
Talma
Path, way, route, life, answer. A discipline of perception and investigation in problem-solving; a way of finding ways.
Talman
The physical amulet, resembling a golden cube, worn around the neck on a golden chain which contains The Talman.
The Talman
Title of the Drac bible.
Talmat
Rule; regulation; procedure.
Tar
Seven.
Tarmeda
Seventh.
Tean
Child or fetus.
Tean Sindie
Children of Sindie; Fanatical terrorist faction of the Amadeen Mavedah in The Last Enemy.
Tidna
Drac harp made of glass.
Thuyo
Eye.
Tsien
Front; Tsien Denvedah = Front Fighters.
Tuka
Stop (command).
U
Uta
Laws (of faith).
Utaakva
Laws and truths of Aakva.
V
V'...
New, as in V'Butaan = New Butaan; v'tean = new child.
Va
Your.
Vaa
Yaaa or argh! (expression of anger, exasperation, or disgust).
Va nu
Your own.
Ve
Of; Ve + Madah = Mavedah = of the Madah, the Madah tribe.
Vi
My; mine. "Enemy Mine" in Drac is Nefangen Vi. My pregnancy = Vi nessa.
Vidyapac
A Drac edible made of dried fish and cheese.
Viga
Observe; look.
Vo
Town, village.
Vu
City.
One who loves perversely.
X
Xsa
Molecule; xsai = molecules.
Y
Yaa!
Yaa!
Yula
Lover; one who flirts or loves.
Yuomeen
Eat.
Z
Zea
Family line.
Zim zim
Edible nuts from the zim zim trees.
Zu
To learn. Zu + formal number gives academic grade numbers. Zu + ovida = zuovida = first grade.
Zurath
Finger.
Zusinda
Preschooler; know-nothing (slang).
ENGLISH - DRAC
A
Aakva
Aakva, name of the star around which Sindie orbits.
Always
Sahn,
Amulet
Talman.
Answer
Talma.
Awaken
Loamaak.
B
(to) Be
Cha.
Before
Naatha.
Be with me
Ehdevva.
Blue
Lua.
Book
Koda.
Born of
Estay
Brat
Gafu.
Bring up
Masu.
Burn
Akava.
Business
Kovah
C
Call
Son.
Capsule
Nasesay.
Cave
Cudall.
Chamber
Diea.
Child
Tean. Children of Sindie = Tean Sindie.
City
Vu.
College
Kovah.
Command
Mata.
Council
Diea.
Crash
Bresha.
Crazy
Poorzhah.
Criminal
Ashra. Criminally insane = Ashzhab.
D
Death
Gefh. Nu gefh = You die.
Division
Denve (division-sized military unit).
Door
Istah,
Doubter
Daultha.
E
Earthman
Irkmaan.
Eat
Yuomeen.
Eight
Nusha.
Eighth
Nushada.
Eleven
Sinu.
Eleventh
Sinuvida,
Enemy
Nefangen.
Eye
Thuyo.
F
Fighter
Denvadar.
Fifteen
Sihi.
Fifth
Itheda.
Finger
Zurath.