Botanicaust

400 years ago during which invasive weeds wiped out most plant life on Earth, including the major food crops.
    Burn, The — a five-mile radius of scorched earth around the Haldanian Protectorate, maintained by Burn Operatives to keep both cannibals and plant life at bay.
    Cannibal — people roaming the Reaches and beyond who survive by not wasting any food opportunity.
    Confinement — the prison where captive Cannibals are kept prior to conversion.
    Convert — one who has undergone genetic therapy to insert chloroplasts, as opposed to those born with the gene.
    Days of the Prophet — what the Old Order refers to when speaking about the Botanicaust.
    Duster — a silent aircraft powered by electromagnetic engines used by Burn Ops to keep the Burn cleared.
    Flame runna — what the Cannibals call the Haldanians.
    Fosselites — a group of scientists who have found the secret to eternal life.
    Gamma pad — electronic palm pad and stylus. Various versions exist, such as a simple, indestructible one for children, and more complicated versions capable of higher computations.
    Garden — the nuvoplast houses where Haldanian children are kept until they finish puberty and can withstand ultraviolet light.
    Gotte ’ s Wille — God ’ s Will.
    Haldanian Protectorate — the government formed after the Botanicaust by the scientists who developed conversion technology. Mission statement is to offer conversion to the population of the world in an attempt to minimize humanity ’ s need for food.
    Holdout — the Old Order name for their protected community.
    Integration — the heavily supervised time period during which converted children acclimate to their new environment and society.
    Knowing, The — cannibals who retain certain kinds of knowledge, such as healing or locating water. They are marked by scars to keep them safe from other cannibal hunters .
    Mark of the Beast — an Old Order belief. The green skin of the Haldanians is the obvious sign that someone is marked.
    Native Haldanian — one born to parents already expressing the chloroplast genome.
    Nuvoplast — a bio plastic grown and used by Haldanians to build everything from gamma pads to sand-skimmers to the walls of their dwellings.
    Old Order — a remnant Amish society who survived the Botanicaust by erecting electric fences to protect their hand-cultivated acreage.
    Ordnung — the set of earthly rules believed to be sent by God which are followed by the Old Order.
    Reversion — a convert who regresses to cannibalistic ways. Punishable by death.
    Ripening — a once common autoimmune condition among naturally born Haldanians in which the body attempts to purge itself of chloroplasts. The faulty gene has been largely eliminated from the population, but still appears as a random mutation in one out of ten thousand births.
    Rumspringa — a time during adolescence just before a young person chooses to be baptized into the Old Order. Literally “ running around. ”
    Sand-skimmer — a land vehicle used by the Protectorate to cross portions of the Burn.
    Sunstorm / UV flare — a short period of time, more common in autumn and winter, when the atmosphere allows excess ultraviolet to reach the earth. Largely due to improperly tested herbicide use during the Botanicaust, which created gaps in the ozone layer.
    Telomerase — an enzyme that prevents genetic deterioration by replicating the telomere regions of DNA strands during mitosis. Used by the Fosselites to extend life indefinitely, although telomerase cannot pass the blood-brain barrier and therefore does not function on neural DNA.
    Verification of Consent — a signed document required for cannibals or other potential converts over the age of sixteen in which they express their desire and reasons for becoming a convert. Outlined in Ordinance 317 under the Protectorate Mission.
    Yuvee tree — a genetically altered tree originally introduced to “ fix ” nitrogen in cropland and reduce the need for chemical fertilizers. Later discovered to foretell an incoming ultraviolet flare by the rapid leaching of color from its leaves. Called mgunga tree by the Fosselites.

Dedication
    Deepest gratitude to my husband, who has supported me through the baby steps of my career and been my first reader, even when the writing was awful. May we take many more strides together.

Acknowledgements
    I also want to thank my wonderful critique partners, who weathered my ups and downs, and were never afraid to be honest