by Jason Fry
jolly boat. A small craft used for inspections or repairs of starships in orbit.
jump-pop. A sugary, caffeinated drink loved by children and crewers alike. Bad for you.
Jupiter Trojans. Two groups of asteroids that share an orbit with Jupiter, lying ahead of and behind the giant planet in its orbit. The group ahead of Jupiter is called the Greek node, while the trailing group is called the Trojan node. That naming convention developed after individual asteroids were named, resulting in an asteroid named after a Greek hero (617 Patroclus) residing in the Trojan camp, and an asteroid named after a Trojan hero (624 Hektor) residing in the Greek camp.
K
keel. A long girder laid down between a starship’s bow and stern, giving her structural integrity.
keelhaul. To abuse someone. Derived from the ancient practice of hauling a disobedient sailor under a ship’s keel.
keep the matter dark. Keep something confidential.
ketch. A short-range merchant starship.
kip. A cheap lodging house in a port.
klick. A kilometer.
L
ladderwell. A ladder connecting decks on a starship.
lagan. Cargo left behind after a shipwreck and marked by a buoy for reclamation. Lagan can be legally salvaged under certain conditions.
LaGrange point. A stable point in space where the gravitational interaction of various large bodies allows a small body to remain at rest. Space stations, roadsteads, and clumps of asteroids are often built or found at planets’ LaGrange points.
landing field. An area of a port where starships land. Typically, only small starships actually use landing fields, with larger vessels remaining in orbit.
larder. A room aboard a starship in which provisions are stored.
lash up and stow. A command, typically piped, for crewers to roll up their hammocks, clearing space for shipboard operations.
launch. A small, lightly armed craft kept aboard a starship, used for short outings and errands between ships. An unarmed launch is generally called a gig.
lee. An area where magnetism or some other measurable hazard drops to zero or close to it. A term borrowed from ancient ocean sailors.
letter of marque. A document giving a civilian starship the right to seize ships loyal to another nation, an action that otherwise would be considered piracy.
liberty. Permission to leave a ship for a time in port.
lighter. A starship used for ferrying cargo between ships and to and from ships in orbit above a port.
loblolly boy. A surgeon’s assistant.
log. A record of a starship’s operations.
longboat. A small starship primarily used for provisioning bigger starships.
long nine. A cannon designed to hit targets at very long range.
lumper. A laborer hired to load and unload a merchant ship in orbit or in port.
M
magazine. A section of a starship used for storing missiles and other ordnance.
marine. A soldier aboard a warship who splits his or her duties between gunnery and boarding actions. The term is typically reserved for formal military ships, though it is sometimes extended to soldiers serving for pay to defend merchant starships. Crewers who perform this role aboard civilian ships are never called marines.
mast. A pole attached to a starship’s hull to maximize the capabilities of sensors and/or antennae.
master. A member of the bridge crew who is not the captain or first mate. A female crew member holding this rank is sometimes but not always called mistress.
master-at-arms. A crewer responsible for discipline belowdecks. On some ships the warrant officer or bosun serves as the master-at-arms, but wise captains avoid such an arrangement, as many crewers regard it as unfair.
matey. An affectionate word for a shipmate.
mess. Where meals are served belowdecks.
midshipman. A crewer training to be an officer. Midshipmen typically begin as children and spend years as apprentices belowdecks before being appointed to a starship’s bridge crew. Low-ranking masters who are new to the bridge crew are often still called midshipmen.
moor. To secure a starship during a period of inactivity, whether in orbit or on a landing field.
musketoon. A pistol with a broad, bell-like muzzle.
“my starship.”A declaration of a captain or ranking officer indicating that he or she is assuming command. Command can be assigned through the order “your starship,” etc.
O
off soundings. Sufficiently far from a celestial body that its gravity can be ignored during maneuvers.
ordinary spacer. A spacer capable of performing most activities aboard a starship, but not an expert. With work, an ordinary spacer may rate as an able spacer.
ordnance. A starship’s offensive weapons and materials, from cannons to missiles.
ore boat. A starship hauling ore, typically owned by a prospector.
P
packet. A small passenger boat that carries mail and personal goods between ports.
parley. A negotiation, often informal, between enemies.
parole. A prisoner’s pledge of good behavior while in captivity, or conditions agreed to if released.
pass. A document indicating a starship’s allegiance, good for safe-conduct from privateers aligned with a given nation. The validity of a pass is ensured by transmitting the proper recognition code.
passageway. A corridor aboard a starship.
peg. To figure, as in “I didn’t peg you for a lawyer/pirate/etc.”
performance bond. A financial guarantee that a privateer will abide by the terms of its letter of marque. Fines can be levied against a performance bond by an admiralty court or by the government issuing the letter of marque.
persuader. Slang for a carbine, large knife, or other weapon that can sway the less well-armed participant in a dispute.
pinnace. A small, fast, highly maneuverable ship used for offensive and defensive operations by warships and other starships, and typically operated by either a single pilot or a pilot and a gunner.
pipe. A whistle used by the bosun to issue orders to a crew. Any spacer quickly learns to identify the unique tune for each order.
pirate. A civilian starship (or crewer aboard such a starship) that seizes or attacks other ships without authorization from a government. Piracy is punishable by death. A civilian ship with authorization for such seizures or attacks is a privateer.
pitch. A starship moving up or down through the horizontal axis. Sometimes an involuntary motion if a starship is damaged, malfunctioning, or being piloted poorly.
port. The left side of a ship, if a crewer is looking toward the bow from the stern. A starship’s port hull is marked by red lights. Also, a planet, moon, or asteroid where a starship crew takes on supplies, offloads cargo, or has other business.
porthole. A small, generally round window in the hull of a starship.
press gang. A group of spacers that prowls ports, looking for men or women to impress into the navy, merchant marine, or crew of a starship. Press gangs are now rare in most ports.
privateer. A civilian starship authorized to take offensive action against another nation, typically by seizing merchant ships belonging to that nation. Unlike pirates, privateers possess a letter of marque, which requires them to abide by the laws of war and all other laws of space.
privileged vessel. A starship that has the right-of-way while navigating.
prize. An enemy vessel, crew, and cargo captured in space by a warship or privateer. The claiming of a prize is declared legal or illegal through a hearing in admiralty court. A legally taken prize is either condemned, and sold to a nation or on its behalf, or released for ransom and allowed to continue on its way. Either way, the proceeds (prize money) are divided among the ship’s crew.
prize agent. An agent who sells prizes on behalf of a nation, pocketing a fee for his or her efforts.
prize court. A court that decides claims on cap
tured starships.
prize law. The interplanetary laws governing the taking of prizes.
prize money. The proceeds from the sale of a prize and the ransom of its crew, shared out among the bridge crew and crewers at the end of a cruise.
protection. A certificate attesting that a spacer is a member of a starship’s crew. Designed to thwart press gangs, though not always effective in doing so.
purser. A crewer responsible for keeping a starship’s financial records and distributing provisions to crewers. Typically a role assigned by the warrant officer to a trusted veteran spacer.
put in irons. To imprison.
Q
quarterdeck. A starship’s command center, often known as the bridge on civilian ships. Typically reserved for the officers of the bridge crew.
quittance. A release from a debt.
R
ransom. Money paid to pirates or privateers for the safe return of a ship and/or its crew. Also, money paid to privateers to allow a captured starship to proceed along its course without being taken to prize court for claiming and condemnation.
reactor. The power source of a starship, housed near the engines and heavily armored for protection and to prevent radiation from leaking and poisoning the crew.
recall. An order to return to a starship and prepare for liftoff.
red. In reference to a system or situation, an indication that things are not ready or functioning normally.
rescue. The recapture of a prize by a friendly ship before it can be claimed in prize court and condemned. A rescue restores the starship to her prior owners.
retainer. A crewer whose family has served aboard a starship or for a specific family or shipping company for multiple generations. Many privateers and merchants are crewed in large part by retainers.
right-of-way. An indication that a starship has priority for navigating over other starships in the area. The starship with the right-of-way is the privileged vessel; other starships are burdened vessels.
roadstead. A safe anchorage outside a port or a port’s orbit, often at a space station or isolated asteroid.
roll. A starship moving to port or starboard of the horizontal axis while changing its vertical orientation. Sometimes an involuntary motion if a starship is damaged, malfunctioning, or being piloted poorly.
rudder. The device used by the pilot to steer a starship. A physical object in ancient times, but now a series of software commands.
S
salvage. Abandoned or lost cargo (or a starship) that has been legally claimed or been claimed subject to a legal ruling.
scope. A screen showing the result of sensor scans or providing diagnostics about other starship functions.
scow. A dirty, poorly run starship.
scurvy. Originally a disease to which sailors were susceptible; now a term of contempt.
scuttle. To intentionally render a starship or an important system aboard a starship inoperable, so as to deny it to an enemy.
Securitat. The intelligence service of the Jovian Union.
settle one’s hash. To subdue or silence someone, often violently.
shindy. A dance favored by boisterous crewers. Also: a good time had by same. A night of hijinks while at liberty in a port would be remembered as “a fine shindy.”
ship of the line. A warship big and capable enough to take part in a major battle.
shoals. The area of space near a celestial body, within which particular care must be taken by a pilot. A term borrowed from ancient sailing.
shore leave. Free time in port granted to a starship’s crew.
short commons. Thin rations.
sick list. The roster of crew members ill and unable to perform their duties aboard a starship.
silent running. Operating a starship with as few systems engaged as possible in an effort to avoid detection.
slew. A maneuver by which a starship turns around on her own axis.
sloop. A small, fast starship with weapons. Sloops are smaller than corvettes and typically used for interplanetary voyages.
slop book. A register of items given to crewers by the purser. The cost of these items is subtracted from their pay or share of prize money.
soft tack. Bread or cake, a treat during long cruises.
space. To expose someone deliberately to a vacuum, with fatal results.
spacelane. A corridor through space near a planet, a moon, or an asteroid, typically marked by buoys.
spike. To render a cannon inoperable.
squadron. A division of a fleet.
starship. Technically a starship is a spacegoing vessel capable of operating between planets or other distant points in space. In practice, any spacegoing vessel. Starships are called “she” and “her,” with the exception of some commercial craft and small starships such as gigs, gunboats, and pinnaces. Military ships serving nations are usually called warships.
starshipwright. A designer or maker of starships.
stand. To hold a course for a destination.
starboard. The right side of a starship, as seen from a crewer at the stern looking toward the bow. The starboard side of a starship is marked by green lights on the hull.
stateroom. The cabin of a starship captain, another high-ranking officer, or an important person on board.
stern. The rear of a starship.
sternboard. A method of turning a starship when the pilot cannot maneuver forward. A real test of a pilot’s ability.
stern chaser. A gun mounted at a starship’s stern, used for firing at pursuing vessels.
sternpost. A thick beam rising from a starship’s keel at the stern and helping to support her engines and reactor.
straggler. A crewer absent from his or her ship.
summat. Something.
supercargo. A crewer in charge of a merchant vessel’s cargo. A supercargo is typically not a regular member of the crew, but a representative of the shipping line or starship’s owner. Not all merchant vessels have supercargoes aboard.
surgeon. A doctor aboard a starship, whose responsibilities include treating everything from common illnesses to wounds suffered in battle. Such medical care is often rudimentary.
T
tender. A vessel that carries supplies, provisions, and personal deliveries to a warship in port.
ticket. A written document promising payment of wages or other compensation at a later date.
top deck. The uppermost deck of a starship. Often living quarters for the starship’s officers and reserved for them.
transom. The aft wall of a ship at her stern. The transom is strong and heavily reinforced, helping to support the engines and often the reactor.
transponder. An electronic system that automatically broadcasts a starship’s name, operating number, home port, and nationality. Many civilian ships travel with their transponders disabled, and some broadcast false identities to confuse pirates and privateers.
tub. A slow, ungainly starship.
V
victualing yard. A part of a port where the stores of many victuallers, chandlers, and other merchants are found. Typically, purchased items are delivered later.
victualler. A starship that sells provisions to other starships in orbit above a port. Also: the owner of such a starship or his or her store in a port.
viewport. A large window in a starship, typically found on the bridge/quarterdeck.
W
wardroom. The cabin belowdecks reserved for the warrant officer and spacers assigned significant roles by him or her.
warrant officer. The ranking officer belowdecks, typically a spacer who has worked his or her way up through the ranks, but sometimes one drawn from the bridge crew.
wash. The ion exhaust of a starship’s engines.
watch. A period of time during which an officer, a crewer, or a group of crewers is responsible for certain operations aboard a starship. The day is divided into seven watches: the first watch lasts from 2000 to midnight, the middle watch from midnight
to 0400 hours, the morning watch from 0400 to 0800, the forenoon watch from 0800 to 1200, the afternoon watch from 1200 to 1600, the first dog watch from 1600 to 1800, and the second dog watch from 1800 to 2000.
watch officer. The ranking officer during a given watch. The watch officer retains command in the event of an emergency during his or her watch unless relieved by the captain or sometimes the first mate.
Y
yaw. A starship’s motion to port or starboard of the vertical axis but maintaining the same horizontal bearing. Yaw refers only to an involuntary motion, as when a starship is damaged, malfunctioning, or being piloted poorly. A deliberate move to port or starboard of the vertical axis is simply a turn.
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ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Photo by David G. Whitham
JASON FRY is the New York Times bestselling author of Star Wars: The Clone Wars: The Visual Guide and more than twenty other books. Besides space pirates, he writes about baseball, music, travel, and anything else that strikes his fancy. He lives in Brooklyn, New York, with his wife and son. For more about Jason and the Jupiter Pirates, visit www.jupiterpirates.com.
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CREDITS
COVER ART © 2014 BY TOM LINTERN
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COPYRIGHT
THE JUPITER PIRATES: CURSE OF THE IRIS. Text copyright © 2014 by Jason Fry. All rights reserved under International and Pan-American Copyright Conventions. By payment of the required fees, you have been granted the nonexclusive, nontransferable right to access and read the text of this e-book on-screen. No part of this text may be reproduced, transmitted, downloaded, reverse-engineered, or stored in or introduced into any information storage and retrieval system, in any form or by any means, whether electronic or mechanical, now known or hereafter invented, without the express written permission of HarperCollins e-books.
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