Ship placed under quarantine by the ship's surgeon because of illness on board. The action delayed the Venusian foreign minister's arrival at a conference involving Mars, Venus and Earth.
Earth judicial decision that "Beings possessed of speech and manipulation must be presumed to be sentient and therefore to have innate human rights, unless conclusively proved otherwise." The Department of Spatial Affairs was uncertain whether it applied to Lummox because he possessed speech, but had no arms.
Usually called
DepSpace. Bureaucracy that oversaw all business involving space travel, trade between planets, or interaction with extraterrestrials, especially legal matters on Earth involving extraterrestrials. Because virtually everything in some way fell into these categories, DepSpace had wide-ranging powers and responsibilities, including the authority to override local statutes and judicial decisions. It also oversaw the activities of some lesser governmental departments, including scientific research and economics.
A child who had "divorced" his or her parents and chosen professional guardians. The details are scanty, but among the grounds for divorce are coercion in choice of career and "odd ideas." Betty Sorenson was a Free Child, and mentioned living in a dormitory.
Rargyllian dignitary who acted as translator for negotiations between Earth and the Hroshii. Though he had been retained by the Hroshii, his sympathies were clearly with the humans. He became a good friend of both Sergei Greenberg and Henry Kiku.
Galactic Press
News service that sent a reporter to cover Lummox's trial.
Gardens of Heaven
[mentioned in passing] Site in Capital, probably a popular tourist attraction.
Carlton Gimmidge
Name that his mother gave to John Thomas Stuart VIII after his father (JTS VII) was deported to a penal colony and she returned to Earth. He changed it back when he came of age, and worked long years to clear his father's name.
Sergei Greenberg
Chief of System Trade Intelligence under the Department of Spatial Affairs. He was sent as a representative to Lummox's hearing, and ordered Lummox's destruction after Lummox caved in the front of the courthouse looking for John Thomas Stuart. Sergei continued working on the case after the destruction order was overridden, helping John Thomas get to Capital when it was suspected that Lummox was the missing Hroshii heir. He was appointed brevet ambassador extraordinary and minister plenipotentiary to negotiate with the Hroshii.
Nonhumanoid aliens, long-lived and vastly superior to any other known race. Their home planet is called Hroshijud; their language is Hroshija. They became convinced that an important Hroshia was being held on Earth and threatened to destroy it if she was not returned. After various developments, John Thomas Stuart's pet Lummox was learned to be the missing Hroshia (from her point of view, John Thomas Stuart was the pet). Because of her attachment to John Thomas, humans were able to negotiate an extremely favorable treaty in exchange for her agreeing to return home.
Gardener living near the John Thomas Stuart who shot Lummox when he caught him eating his cabbages, causing him no harm but frightening him into a rampage that eventually took him through the main streets of Westville.
Xenophobic fringe group that opposed the presence of aliens on Earth. They agitated to have Lummox destroyed.
Henry Gladstone Kiku
His Excellency the Right Honorable Permanent Undersecretary for Spatial Affairs. M.A., Litt. D. (honora causa), O.B.E. A native of Kenya, he was the real authority in the Department of Spatial Affairs, the Secretary always being a political appointee and figurehead.
Kondor
[mentioned in passing] Planet that was the occasion of a hushed-up scandal in Roy MacClure's career.
[mentioned in passing] Law on Mars that presumably granted citizenship to descendants of citizens, even those born off-planet (or perhaps specifically to descendants of Revolutionary veterans).
Llador
[mentioned in passing] Planet that had a treaty with Earth. The natives are nonhuman in appearance. There was a hushed-up scandal when a member of the ambassador's family was found stuffed and mounted in a curiosity shop in the Virgin Islands.
Roy MacClure
Secretary for Spacial Affairs for the Federated Community of Civilizations. As a political appointee, he was a figurehead; the real work was done by Henry Kiku.
Company that contracted to build a temporary pen for Lummox outside the courtroom. John Thomas Stuart thought it best not to explain that Lummox ate steel like candy.
Head of the "Friends of Lummox", who demanded an audience with the Secretary for Spatial Affairs. She was the creator of the Pidgie Widgie children's video stories. Roy MacClure tried to persuade Henry Kiku to appear on her show.
Puppet star of a children's video show about space adventures. Its hostess had some social and political influence because of the show's popularity, and started "Friends of Lummox".
Power proposal for the research station on Pluto; it was under Henry Kiku's jurisdiction.
Randavians
[mentioned in passing] Nonhumans, possibly avian, who had diplomatic ties to the Terran Federation.
Rangtangtoo
[mentioned in passing] Many-legged but otherwise undescribed animal, used by Henry Kiku in reference to Sergei Greenberg's handling of the Lummox case.
Rargyllians
Alien race that had diplomatic ties to Earth and most other planets. They acted as interpreters and emissaries throughout the galaxy. They resembled Medusas and had dry, chitinous purple skin with green highlights; they lacked noses but had tails.
Riots of '91
[mentioned in passing] A well-remembered historical event.
Chief deputy county clerk who reluctantly registered Lummox as John Thomas Stuart's homestead property to protect him against liability for the damage Lummox had caused.
Isolationist organization that protested interactions between Earth and other planets, particularly planets inhabited by nonhuman peoples.
Betty Sorenson
A Free Child and friend of John Thomas Stuart. She acted as his counsel during Lummox's trial, offered help when John Thomas decided to run away, and helped him reach Capital to participate in negotiations about Lummox. She married him so that they could travel to Hroshijud and Lummox could continue "raising John Thomases". John Thomas called her "Slugger".
Sornia
Apparently a crustacean race; mentioned by Dr. Ftaeml.
John Thomas Stuart
John Thomas Stuart XI was the descendant of a line of explorers and adventurers, and the current owner/companion of the alien beast Lummox. After the Department of Spatial Affairs became involved in a trial over Lummox's "dangerous" behavior, the beast was discovered to be an important member of the Hroshii race, and John Thomas accompanied her to her home planet along with a contingent of Earth scientists and diplomats. His girlfriend (and eventual wife) Betty Sorenson called him "Knothead".
Revolutionary general and first Governor of Mars after the Revolution
spent the end of his life in the Triton penal colony for reasons unspecified but perhaps unjustified
Had his name changed by his mother when she returned to Earth but resumed the Stuart name upon reaching adulthood, becoming an interstellar explorer and bringing Lummox to Earth
Resigned from the Space Service to avoid court martial, may have been protecting his commanding officer
Also an explorer, apparently never returned from his last expedition.
Marie Brandley Stuart
John Thomas Stuart XI's mother, who favored getting rid of Lummox and refused to consider her son's following the family tradition by going to space. Betty Sorenson called her "the Duchess" for her demanding ways.
Tencora
[mentioned in passing] Planet on which owners of stray animals are apparently not responsible for their actions.
Tessie (no last name)
[mentioned in passing] John Thomas Stuart's aunt, a believer in astrology.
Trailblazer
Ship on which John Thomas Stuart VIII made three exploration voyages. On the second voyage he acquired Lummox, and the ship did not return from the third.
