Lhan Arkh/Lhan Arkh Congress: Class One Starfarer species, commonly known as the Lampreys due to their funnel-shaped, tooth-ringed mouths. The Lhan Arkh Congress, a sort of communist oligarchy, is one of the largest polities in the known galaxy.
MBT-5 ‘Schwarzkopf’: Main battle tank of the Marine Corps, a hundred-ton, gravity drive vehicle armed with a 250mm grav gun mounted on a turret, three 15mm ALS-43 guns, an Air-Defense Gatling laser on its cupola, and two 20mm plasma projectors (one coaxial on the turret, the other bow-mounted).
MEU: Marine Expeditionary Unit, consisting of an infantry battalion, and several organic attachments, including a tank platoon. The most common Corps deployment and administrative unit.
MOS: Military Occupational Specialty, a numerical code indicating a soldier’s career field.
MTV: Medium Tactical Vehicle. Primary supply and transport vehicle of the Corps. A 15-ton hover-truck that can keep up with LAVs over most kinds of terrain, with light force fields and armor. Often have a SAW or ALS-43 mounted on its roof.
Nanoscale Assembly Device (NAD): Official designation of fabrication machines (see ‘Fabber’).
Nasstah/Nasstah Union: Class One Starfarer species, bearing some morphological and cultural similarities to the Rishtah (a.k.a. Snakes). Their largest polity, the Nasstah Union is openly hostile towards America and humanity in general. Commonly known as the Vipers.
Null-Space: Technical term for warp space.
Null-Space Sophont (NSS): Official term for the natives of warp space.
Obie: Someone performing his Obligatory Service, especially during the first two years.
Obligatory Service Term: A four-year military conscription system all US citizens must participate in. Eligibility starts at age sixteen; one must be enrolled before age twenty. Failure to comply is punishable by a four-year prison term and loss of citizenship status. In addition to basic military training, OST conscripts receive basic education equivalent to the last two years of high school and/or vocational training or college courses.
Ovals: Slang term for the Vehelian species.
POG, Pogue: Person Other than a Grunt, used contemptuously for soldiers with non-combat occupational specialties and less frequently to refer to civilians in general.
Portable Force Field: A small area force field, usually configured to project a wall of force or a small bubble, meant to improve entrenchments and other fighting positions; it is too cumbersome to be used on the move. Issued at the squad or platoon level.
Portable Graviton Weapon: A 10cm energy weapon issued to Marine weapon platoons, replacing the ALS-43.
Pow, pows: Short for power pack, the high-density batteries used to supply energy to combat armor and some weapon systems. Not to be confused with P.O.W. (prisoner of war).
Puppies: Common term for the Hrauwah species, due to their resemblance to short-haired humanoid canines.
Rat: A derisive term for corporate employees, bureaucrats and city dwellers of all stripes, originating from a popular song from the First Century AFC.
Remfie: Civilian, especially those with little understanding or appreciation of the military. Less-commonly, military personnel operating far behind the lines who show same. Origin: REMF, Rear Echelon Motherfucker.
Risshah/Risshah Nest Collective: A Class One species brought into Starfarer society as a client of the Lhan Arkh Congress. The Nest Collective was largely destroyed in war with the USA, although a few million members survive under Lhan Arkh patronage.
Rothschild Threshold: The point at which reactionless drives hit steep diminishing returns, roughly around a thousandth of the speed of light. Named after the human astrophysicist who translated the Hrauwah formulas into human mathematics.
Shellies: Slang term for tank crews.
Snakes: Derogatory term for the Risshah.
Starfarer: Common term for any species capable of building and manning starships (vessels capable of faster-than-light travel); popularly synonymous with ‘civilized,’ ‘cultured,’ ‘high-tech.’
Stormin’ Norman: Common nickname for the MBT-5 Schwarzkopf tank.
Tactical Assault Weapon (TAS): A multi-barrel graviton weapon and missile launcher combination. It is to heavy to be used effectively without powered armor and its use is restricted to special operations units and Marine Weapon Platoons.
Tango: Short for Echo Tango, or ET (see above), used somewhat less frequently than ET or Eet. Also, military vernacular for ‘target.’
Textic/Textic-American English: Written form of modern English, notable for the use of shortened words, anagrams and other minimalist techniques to maximize meaning with the minimum number of letters, numbers and characters possible. The spoken version can be found mostly among the lower classes in human cities or enclaves.
United Stars of America: A nation comprising the former United States, Canada and portions of Mexico on Earth, as well as several dozen stars around the galaxy.
Vehelians/O-Vehel Commonwealth: Class Two Starfarer species that has a mostly commercial relationship with the USA.
Vipers: Slang term for the Nasstah species.
Warp Rating: A living being’s ability to endure entering warp space, ranging from 1 – can only endure warp travel while sedated or unconscious, to 4 – can enter warp in a sealed suit and survive. Less than ten percent of most Starfarer species (the average is closer to five percent) are warp-rated. Humans, for reasons not yet understood, are an extraordinary exception, with fifty percent of their population rated at level 1 or higher.
Warp Space: Also known as Null-Space and Chaos. Warp space is a dimension where time and space behave differently than in the standard physical realm. Entering warp space requires the application of enough gravitational force to create a tear in spacetime. There are naturally-occurring weak points in the vicinity of stars and other massive bodies, all of which are linked to other star systems. Faster-than-light travel is impossible without entering warp space and emerging at either a weak point in spacetime or creating a new break point.
Warpling: Term for warp space’s native entities.
Widowmaker: Slang term for newly-issued Portable Graviton Weapon (see PGW).
Wraith: Term originating from the acronym WRAITT (see below). The 1st Wraith Regiment was formed in 188 AFC, although at first it was comprised of one company-sized unit; it grew steadily over time, fielding two Wraith Battalions by 199 AFC.
WRAITT: Warp-Rated Assault and Intelligence Tactical Team. WRAITT Marines use a special suit of powered armor that allows them to draw energy from warp space, create warp shields, and generate a number of null-space effects. WRAITT operators (commonly known as Wraith Marines) have very high warp ratings and bond with a Null-Space Sophont, commonly known as a totem.
Wyrms: Slang term for members of the Wyrashat species.
Wyrashat Empire: A Starfarer polity dominated by the Class One species of the same name.
To The Strongest Page 21
