prevent themselves from similar reckless inactions When the drug wore off a few hours later, three of the twelve expedi tion members were dead, and another four had severe infections The expedition did, however, gam more knowledge than any other on the effects of various Ecazian flora and fauna on humans Elacca Drug has few legitimate uses and because of the characteristic flush produced by the drug, it cannot be used secretly Generally, Elacca is employed only to evoke an ersatz bravery among arena slaves or suicide assassins (especially "shiekl-blowers," who seek their quarry aimed only with a body shield and s hand laser) Elacca did yield one of the more interesting recreational drugs discovered in the past several thousand years Semuta Derived from fully burned Elacca ash through a process of crystal extraction, Semuta brings about a feeling of peaceful well being combined with an intensely aural perspective of the outside universe This aural stimulus was explained in 10124, when it was discovered by the Theremin composer Alissa that a certain style of music evoked much more intense feelings m the Semuta user The atonal music, which is tolerable only to Semuta users and very few others, emphasizes the Semuta feelings until they overwhelm the user with what is invariably called ' ecstasy' PLENISCENTA (Rosa osymyrrah) the Green Perfume Flower, is a small, delicate shrub with variegated leaves the blooms are a brilliant emerald green and when taken from Ecaz and sterilized, decompose with a most exquisite smell Plemscenta perfume has a benign ps)chomimetic effect it overwhelms the olfactor) nerves and causes localized synaptic responses which the brain interprets as indescribably pleasurable smells SAPHO is extracted from what are called ' barrier roots"-that is, roots of nearly any plant growing at or near "slag zones ' where ancient atomic ground blasts fused the soil Especially rich in Sapho are those barrier roots which also grow in deposits of peat or other soils unusually heavy m plant matter Sapho is distilled by diffraction from the roots, yielding approximately one liter of liquid for everv eight hundred kilograms of roots The difficulty of mining on Ecaz and the finite area m which the plants can be cultivated combine to keep the supply of Sapho limited Most users of Sapho are Mentals for whom the drug is a mental amplifier Experiments with untrained subjects reveal no corresponding amplification of Mentat-like abilities VERTTE is a drug derived from the Tmthtree (Isoetes certus) a member of the same class (Lycopsida) as fogwood Vente was developed by careful experimentation with specimens of the then unnamed tree After its discovery, Vente enjoyed brief popularity among the younger members of the nobility, who thought it would be amus ing to be unable to he at parties This prac tice ended very quickly, though, when it was discovered that the drug really did function exactly as advertised Currently Vente is used only in interrogation MICROORGANISMS There are a number of Ecazian microorganisms which are of in terest to the botanist especially the mutagens The only commercially useful microorgan isms so far discovered are the several types that are used in the manufacture of glowglobes (see GLOVvGLOBES) EMPERORS OF THE KNOWN UNIVERSE HOUSE OF SALUSO CORJUNO HOUSE OF AL-QAIR HOUSE OF ALMAN CORRINO 1.