Indomitable
Page 40
Of course our commoners can rise very high in our political and private sectors. We do have a House of Commons, and the Commons control the purse strings. Think on that. Can a commoner become queen? Well no, of course not, but the king was plucked off the street when I asked him to marry me and I’d say it’s worked out rather well for him. Oh, and consider this: Among our top one hundred firms, fifty-five are owned by women and men—by families no less—with no title other than president or CEO. That speaks for itself.
JOHN KAGAME: All excellent points, Your Majesty. What about the Republic’s office of the president? Can’t anyone aspire to the highest position in the RAW? Surely you see the point, Your Majesty.
QUEEN AURILYN II: (the queen smiles and shakes her head, no) Seeing isn’t believing, John. Supposedly anyone can rise to the highest office of the land in the Republic of Aligned Worlds. The Republic likes to trot that out whenever it’s feeling particularly uppity. Anyone, no matter their station at birth or genetics or ancestry, can become president of the Republic of Aligned Worlds. Utter rubbish again! The truth is their president and cabinet, Senate and House, and High Court and all their NGOs and unelected bureaucrats, are bought and paid for by their lawyers and lobbyists and their shadow corporate congress, all behind closed doors … and against their own laws I might add.
At least we are open, honest, and transparent about giving our peers a significant stake in the governance and the economic prosperity of the Lusitanian Empire and all her member worlds. The Republic, well, I dislike using the word “liars.” The bar for that must be very high. You do take my point.
GLOSSARY
(not at all exhaustive)
A.E. after Earth
AI artificial intelligence
ALCON all considered
ANDES Android Enemy Soldier, but commonly used to refer to android sentinels, friendly or foe
APER armor-piercing explosive round
Armorplaste a clear, high-strength, military-grade polycarbonate material (pronounced armorplasty); sometimes shortened to “plaste”
Aye yes
Aye, aye “I understand and will comply”
Bag-drag to be transferred, or to ship out
BAT-CO battalion commander
BATRON battlecruiser squadron
Beegees the underarmor worn by mechsuit drivers, which prevents chafing while “suited” and affords the wearer some protection against small-arms and energy fire; beegees are acceptable attire in place of utilities while aboard ship and sometimes referred to as a “body glove”
BMR Battlefield Mapping Reticule (projects a compressed three-dimensional display of energy signatures into the wearer’s field of view)
Bravo Zulu well done
BUMED Bureau of Medicine, or Bureau of Medicine and Surgery
BUMIL Bureau of Military Intelligence. BUMIL is the shortened form of BUMILINT (BU-MIL-INT), with “Intelligence” omitted and understood, and is the source of many jokes in several military traditions. In the Republic of Aligned Worlds, for instance, BUMIL also refers to the collective intelligence communities of the entire military, including NAVINT (Naval Intelligence) and MARINT (Marine Intelligence). One may insult the military’s intelligence—BUMIL—without specifically disparaging a particular branch of service.
BUPERS Bureau of Personnel
BUWEPS Bureau of Weapons Development
CAR short for “carbine,” a long arm with a shorter barrel than a rifle
CIC Combat Information Center, or Combat Intelligence Center
Civvie a civilian
Civvies civilian clothes
Comm communications device (adjective, verb, or noun)
COMSEC communications security
Copy as in “copy that”—or “I heard what you just said”
Crossed Anchors and Charger the official emblem and insignia of the Lusitanian Imperial Navy
CRURON cruiser squadron
CZ cruiser
Deck the floor or surface of the earth
Delta sierra DS, or “dumb shit”
Eve or Echo-Victor-One, a code name for a female prisoner
EWO Electronics Warfare Officer
Ferrocrete a military-grade material that is poured to make roads and landing pads for light attack craft and shuttles
FGL Flexible Grenade Launcher, capable of firing an assortment of explosive ordnance
Fighting hole a defensive position dug into the ground
FOB forward operating base
Fruit Salad also called glittery; medals and service ribbons worn by uniformed military
FTL faster than light
GEHAK Gravitic-Enhanced High-Altitude Bunker-Killer
GLOCK a popular twentieth-century semi-automatic firearm created by Gaston Glock that revolutionized the small-arms industry with its polymer frame; became known as the “plastic gun”
Gunny nickname for a gunnery sergeant (but not for a master gunnery sergeant)
HALO High-Altitude, Low-Opening (e.g., “HALO drop”; “HALO jump”)
HAWC Health and Wellness Center
HG heavy gravity (e.g., “HG world”)
HMS His/Her Majesty’s Ship, used before the name of space-faring warships
Horde missiles small antipersonnel/antiarmor missiles launched in packets, or “hordes,” that are designed to swamp an enemy’s defenses
HUD heads-up display
HV hypervelocity (e.g., “HV round”)
HVT high-value target
ILW Independent League of Worlds, a now-defunct coalition of nonaligned planets in the Rim, or verge. The planet Montana initially led the league before joining the Republic of Aligned Worlds. After Montana’s departure, the ILW fell apart.
J-CIC Joint Combat Intelligence Command
JSA Justification for System Activation (which is a PITA to fill out)
Klick kilometer
KZ kill zone
LAC light attack craft, the workhouse of most space Marine Corps. A LAC is typically a system-bound (i.e., non-jump-capable) craft capable of interplanetary and atmospheric flight. There are several classes of LAC, which range widely in size. Most warships carry a small complement of LACs to support their Marine detachments.
LE Lusitanian Empire, a constitutional monarchy with a hereditary king or queen as the head of state, a lower House of Commons composed of elected officials, and an upper House of Lords
Liberty authorized free time ashore or off-station that is not counted as leave
LIDAR or LiDAR, a remote sensing technology from the twentieth century that measures distance by illuminating a target with a laser and analyzing the reflected light; the terms originated as a combination of “light” and “radar”
LOS line of sight
Lusie a derogatory term used by Republicans and citizens of other star nations when referring to the Lusitanians (from the LE)
LZ landing zone
MARINT Marine Intelligence
MBP mini Bi-Polar rifle, an electromagnetic projectile launcher (an electromagnetic rail gun)
Mechsuit mechanized suit of battle armor. Before the advent of powered armor, the word “mechanized” referred to soldiers equipped with armored vehicles. Mechsuits are roughly humanoid with interlocking plates of armor that protect the driver. Modern militaries prefer a plug-and-play platform and semi-autonomous AI assists.
MEDSYS medical emergency triage system
Mess dress uniform worn at formal occasions and roughly equivalent to civilian black-tie
Mike minute
Mike-mike millimeter
MOI Ministry of Intelligence
MOLLE Modular Lightweight Load-carrying Equipment (pronounced “molly”)
MOS Military Occupational Specialty
MRS Mobile Recharging Station (for handheld energy weapons); also Misses
NAVCOM Navigation and Communications
NAVINT Naval Intelligence
NCO noncommissioned officer
Ninety-day wonder an officer commi
ssioned in a military branch after an unusually short training period
Noncom noncommissioned officer
OCS Officer Candidate School
Overhead ceiling of a building or ship
Peristeel an alloy used to make mechsuits, small land and aerial craft, and warship armor
PF platform or space station, often but not always a military installation
PFC private first class
Pharmacope a Marine’s personal bank of drugs, typically implanted in the thigh; a mechsuit’s MEDSYS contains a backup
’Publican a derogatory term used by Lusitanians when referring to Republicans (from the RAW)
Rack bed
RAW Republic of Aligned Worlds, a democratic republic of worlds that won its independence from the Terran Federation in 2481 C.E.
RAW-FF Republic of Aligned Worlds Fleet Forces, an umbrella term referring to the collective military branches of the Republic: Marine Corps, Navy, and Sector Guard
RAW-MC Republic of Aligned Worlds Marine Corps
Regular dress roughly equivalent in form and function to a civilian business suit
Rim the outskirts of human civilization—a rim planet or rim world is typically poor and nonaligned, often plagued by rampant poverty and lawlessness; the term is often used interchangeably with “verge,” although it is considered a derogatory term by rimworlders
RNS Republican Naval Ship (or Republican Naval Warship—with “war” being understood), used before the name of Republican space-faring warships
Roger as in “Roger that”—or “I understand what you just said”
RPP Remotely Piloted Platform
SAC Standard Atmospheric Conditions
SAM a surface-to-air or ground-to-air missile
SAR search and rescue; also, “sounds about wrong”
SARG Semi-Autonomous Reasoning Grunt, a mechsuit driver’s AI assist
Scuttlebutt gossip or a rumor
Seabag a duffel bag
SECCOM Sector Command
Semper Fidelis “Always Faithful” or “Always Loyal”
Semper Paratus “Always Ready,” the official slogan of the RAW-MC
Seraph, globe, and anchor the official emblem and insignia of the RAW-FF
SERE Survival, Evasion, Resistance, and Escape school
SITREP “situation report”
Skipper nickname for the captain of a warship or the captain of a company of Marines
Skivvies undergarments, including skivvy shirts and skivvy drawers
SNCO staff noncommissioned officer
SNEAK Stealth-Navigation-Evasion-Adaptation-Kill suit
Snotty cruise an ensign’s first mission after successfully completing her or his officer’s training, often at a service academy
SOP standard operating procedure
SPECOPS Special Operations Forces, or Special Operators, or Special Forces
Striker sniper
Tango down target eliminated or neutralized
TF task force; also, Terran Federation, the first and largest star nation in the ’verse (Terrans consider the abbreviation a veiled insult)
UAV unmanned aerial vehicle; broadly used to mean a drone that can operate in atmospheric conditions as well as in vacuum
Utilities designed for wear in the field, the standard working uniform for deployed and most garrison Marines and Sailors
Vacsuit garment capable of withstanding harsh environments, vacuum, and the extreme cold of space; often worn inside warships and small craft during combat as a precaution in case of loss of atmospheric containment and necessary for extravehicular activities
Verge derogatory term for the outskirts of human civilization—a “verge” planet is typically poor and nonaligned, often plagued by rampant poverty and lawlessness; the term is often used interchangeably with “Rim”
VTOL Vertical Takeoff and Landing vehicle
Webs short for “webshorts” and “webvests,” loose-fitting clothing with MOLLE gear woven into the fabric
Whisker a small drone used for reconnaissance by many militaries and clandestine services across the ’verse
WILCO I have received your last message, understand it, and “will comply”
Wolf a “blooded” Marine (i.e., a Marine who has killed in combat)
XO executive officer, the second-in-command of a military unit
BOOKS BY W. C. BAUERS
Unbreakable
Indomitable
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
W. C. Bauers’s interests include Tae Kwon Do, reading and writing military science fiction, toting gear for his Alpha Unit, and French-press brewing. He lives in the Rocky Mountains with his wife and three boys. Indomitable is his second novel, following Unbreakable. You can sign up for email updates here.
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CONTENTS
Title Page
Copyright Notice
Dedication
Acknowledgments
Epigraphs
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter Five
Chapter Six
Chapter Seven
Chapter Eight
Chapter Nine
Chapter Ten
Chapter Eleven
Chapter Twelve
Chapter Thirteen
Chapter Fourteen
Chapter Fifteen
Chapter Sixteen
Chapter Seventeen
Chapter Eighteen
Chapter Nineteen
Chapter Twenty
Chapter Twenty-one
Chapter Twenty-two
Chapter Twenty-three
Chapter Twenty-four
Chapter Twenty-five
Chapter Twenty-six
Chapter Twenty-seven
Chapter Twenty-eight
Chapter Twenty-nine
Chapter Thirty
Chapter Thirty-one
Chapter Thirty-two
Chapter Thirty-three
Chapter Thirty-four
Chapter Thirty-five
Chapter Thirty-six
Chapter Thirty-seven
Chapter Thirty-eight
Chapter Thirty-nine
Chapter Forty
Chapter Forty-one
Chapter Forty-two
Chapter Forty-three
Chapter Forty-four
Chapter Forty-five
Chapter Forty-six
Chapter Forty-seven
Chapter Forty-eight
Chapter Forty-nine
Chapter Fifty
Chapter Fifty-one
Chapter Fifty-two
Chapter Fifty-three
Chapter Fifty-four
Chapter Fifty-five
Chapter Fifty-six
Chapter Fifty-seven
Chapter Fifty-eight
Chapter Fifty-nine
Chapter Sixty
Chapter Sixty-one
Epilogue
Glossary
Books by W. C. Bauers
About the Author
Copyright
This is a work of fiction. All of the characters, organizations, and events portrayed in this novel are either products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously.
INDOMITABLE
Copyright © 2016 by William C. Bauers
All rights reserved.
Cover art by Stephan Martiniere
A Tor Book
Published by Tom Doherty Associates, LLC
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The Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data is available upon request.
ISBN 978-0-7653-7544-5 (hardcover)
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e-ISBN 9781466847309
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First Edition: July 2016