Q-ship: A starship designed to lure corsairs by giving the appearance of

a weak, poorly-armed merchant ship, but having sufficient combat power to

defeat them. They vary from 200 to 800 tons. Since boarding actions are

common, ship's boats are specially equipped for troop transport.



      Qlomdlabr: The Supreme Council, the ultimate ruling authority of the

Zhodani Consulate.



      Quantum: The indivisible unit in which waves may be emitted or absorbed.

The concept originally arose from asking why a star emitted at all frequencies

without generating an infinite amount of energy and exhausting itself. The

integer quantum make only certain frequencies possible: therefore, stars are

not emitting at an infinite number of frequencies: therefore, stars do not

emit an infinite amount of energy.



      Quantum Mechanics:  Physics at the quantum level, rather than the gross

level which sophonts naturally perceive.



      Quark: A (charged) elementary particle that feels the strong force.

Protons and neutrons are each composed of three quarks.