Brothers in Valor (Man of War Book 3)

by H. Paul Honsinger

  M-92: Model 2292 shotgun. The Remington Model 2292 shotgun is a double-barreled (over and under), short-barreled (what was formerly referred to as a “sawed-off”), twenty-gauge shotgun. The stock of this weapon is shorter than on other Union Space Navy shoulder-fired weapons, and the weapon is equipped with lightweight, impact-resistant furniture. The M-92 is specifically designed to be carried by smaller personnel, such as midshipmen, so that these personnel can be provided with a highly deadly yet simple, lightweight, and easy-to-shoulder firearm. Loads available for the M-92 are 00 buckshot, 0 buckshot, Foster rifled slug, and a penetrating-exploding round designed to defeat a Krag armored pressure suit. The weapon is also known to be issued to and carried by “ancient mariners,” older mess personnel whose arthritis and bursitis make the recoil of other shoulder weapons difficult to tolerate.

  M-1911: Model 1911 pistol. One of the two sidearms approved for use by Union Space Navy (the other being the M-62), the M-1911 is an 11.48 millimeter (sometimes referred to by the archaic designation “.45 caliber”) semiautomatic, magazine-fed handgun invented by perhaps the most brilliant firearms designer in Known Space, John Moses Browning, who was active in the United States of America on Earth in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. The M-1911 was the official sidearm of the armed forces of the United States during World War I, World War II, the Korean conflict, and the Vietnam conflict. It has remained in use by certain units in the United States armed forces, later by at least some units and personnel in the armed forces of United Nations of North America, United Earth, the Terran and Colonial Treaty Organization, the Earth and Colonial Confederation, and the Terran Union. The current version is only slightly different in form and mechanical arrangement from the Model 1911 A1 used by American Forces in World War II. The changes include an ambidextrous thumb safety, lightweight alloy frame (the original frame was made of ordinance steel), extended beaver tail, three-dot luminous/fiber-optic sights and a laser sight, bushingless barrel, and twelve-round magazine. As is the case with all of the current weapons based on older designs, the weapon currently issued bears little resemblance to the older weapon metallurgically, as it is constructed from alloys that are lighter, stronger, and with vastly lower friction coefficients than those available to the gunsmiths of the twentieth century, and as a result, the current weapon is 25 percent lighter than that carried in World War II, is virtually immune to corrosion, and can be fired almost indefinitely without cleaning. This weapon design continues to be used more than four hundred years after its introduction because it is powerful, accurate, well balanced, and easy to shoot. It is effective against humans and most aliens against whom humans have fought (it is especially effective against Krag), and offers an excellent combination of high stopping power with low muzzle flash and reasonable recoil.

  midrats: Short for midnight rations, food made available beginning at about midnight until the mess crew begin to clear for breakfast, consisting usually of dinner leftovers, sandwich makings, snacks, cookies, and other simple but sustaining foods. As men on a naval vessel work around the clock, midrats are designed to carry them through the long hours between dinner and breakfast, during which many of them will be awake and on duty.

  midshipman: A boy between the ages of eight and seventeen taken on board ship both to perform certain limited duties and to be trained to serve in the enlisted or officer ranks. Commonly referred to as mids.

  midshipman trainer: A senior noncommissioned officer, typically the second-most-senior chief petty officer on the ship, in charge of the training, housing, discipline, and welfare of all midshipmen on board. Also known as Mother Goose.

  MMD: see M-88.

  mon cher amis (Cajun French): My dear friend or friends (often used ironically to describe an enemy or adversary). Similar to notre cher amis, meaning “our dear friend(s).”

  moquequa: A Brazilian stew, traditionally made in a large unglazed clay pot, consisting of saltwater fish, coconut milk, garlic, onions, coriander, and other ingredients.

  Moro, Emeka: Physician and medical researcher born in Mombasa, Kenya, Earth, on 15 April 2241. Winner of the Nobel Prize for Medicine in 2295. Perhaps the foremost expert in human infectious diseases in the galaxy, Dr. Moro headed the effort to devise a treatment or preventive for the Gynophage (see), an effort that involved more than a million physicians and researchers on more than four hundred planets, at its peak consuming 43 percent of the interstellar communications bandwidth and 15 percent of the computing capacity available to the human race, and costing more than 300 trillion credits. When the research’s early work began to indicate that neither a vaccine nor an antibody-based treatment would be more than 25 percent effective, it was Dr. Moro who personally had the insight of combining a vaccine with a set of broad-spectrum antibodies synthesized not only to match the current disease organism, but the nine most probable mutations of its external protein coat, thereby creating a vaccine that prevents infection in those who are not infected, and prevents manifestation of the disease in those who are infected but asymptomatic. It is believed that the vaccine also provides some protection to asymptomatic individuals. Dr. Moro is literally the most honored human of the last thousand years, being the namesake for one inhabited planet, two colonies on inhabited moons, five medical schools, dozens of hospitals, and hundreds of schools. For decades “Emeka” was the most popular male given name in Human Space. Dr. Moro currently lives with his spouse, famous molecular biologist Dr. James Warington, in London. For the ship, see Emeka Moro.

  Mother Goose: The semiofficial title for the midshipman trainer (see).

  N2: Naval Intelligence Staff, the equivalent of G2 in the old Army General Staff system.

  Nevi’im (Hebrew): The second main division of the Tanakh (Hebrew Bible), coming after the Torah (Teachings or the Law) and the Ketuvim (Writings). The Nevi’im consists of the books (as divided in the Hebrew Bible) of Joshua, Judges, Samuel, Kings, Isaiah, Jeremiah, Ezekiel, Hosea, Joel, Amos, Obadiah, Jonah, Micah, Nahum, Habakkuk, Zephaniah, Haggai, Zechariah, and Malachi. It includes the story of David and Goliath, which can be found in the book of Samuel.

  Ning-Braha Expedition (2037): The first interstellar military operation undertaken by the human race. In January 2033, the Ning-Braha deployed forces to Luna (the Earth’s moon) and began to construct bases there as part of their lead-up to an attack with the objective of conquering Earth and enslaving humankind. Human astronomers detected the aliens’ activities on the lunar surface on 14 January 2033, resulting in the dispatching by the United Nations of three separate diplomatic expeditions in March 2033 to establish a dialogue with the aliens. The Ning-Braha destroyed all three vessels before they got within 10,000 kilometers of Luna. On 25 March 2033, high-resolution imaging of the lunar surface showed that the aliens were constructing an enormous mass driver, apparently for the purpose of bombarding Earth. Upon collapse of the now-discredited UN, the United States and Canada, the European Union, and the China-Japan Alliance signed the Earth Space Forces Convention of 2033, forming the United Earth Space Forces (UESF, see). On 16 July 2034, seven Orion-type gunships launched from Earth and managed to destroy the Ning-Braha forces. A follow-up expedition obtained several Ning-Braha computer cores and starship debris, allowing Earth experts to determine the location of the Ning-Braha homeworld; develop graviton-containment fusion, the jump drive, and many other advanced technologies; as well as determine that the Ning-Braha would likely continue to send expeditions to the Sol System until Earth was conquered. Accordingly, after a crash naval construction program, the UESF launched a 162-ship armada, known as the Ning-Braha Expedition, in 2037. The UESF was victorious in the resulting First Interstellar War. At the end of the war, under the Ieyoub-Duke-Thompson Treaty, the Ning-Braha ceded all conquered worlds back to their native inhabitants, disbanded their navy, abandoned all colonies outside of a six-light-year radius of their homeworld, and were confined in perpetuity to a six-light-year radius quarantine zone that is maintained and guarded by t
he Union Space Navy to this day.

  nique á rats (les) (Cajun French): Nests of rats.

  officer rank abbreviations: GADM—Grand Admiral (five stars)

  FADM—Fleet Admiral (four stars)

  VADM—Vice Admiral (three stars)

  RADM—Rear Admiral (two stars)

  CMRE—Commodore (one star)

  CAPT—Captain

  CMDR—Commander

  LCDR—Lieutenant Commander

  LT—Lieutenant

  LTJG—Lieutenant Junior Grade

  ENSN—Ensign

  One MC (also written 1MC): One Main Circuit, the primary voice channel on a naval vessel, allowing a properly authorized speaker to be heard over every audio transducer in the ship. The term dates back to the Saltwater Navy.

  PC-4: Patrol Craft, Type 4. A sublight-only high-speed patrol and light attack craft used for system and planetary defense as well as for light intrasystem escort duties. Length: 72 meters. Beam: 5 meters. Crew: two officers, ten enlisted. Armament: 1 75-gigawatt pulse-cannon, six Raytheon-Hughes Talon (see) ship-to-ship missiles. Top speed: .97c.

  pennant: In a multivessel group commanded by an officer below the rank of commodore, the vessel from which the group is commanded and in which the overall commander of the group is stationed.

  percom: A wrist-carried communication, computing, and control device worn by all naval personnel when on duty.

  Posident: POSitive IDENTification.

  pulse-cannon: A ship-mounted weapon that fires a pulse of plasma diverted from the ship’s main fusion reactor and accelerated to between .85 and .95 c by magnetic coils. The plasma is held in a concentrated “bolt” by a magnetic field generated by a compact, liquid helium-cooled, fusion cell–powered emitter unit inserted in the bolt just as it is about to leave the cannon tube. When the emitter stops generating the field—either because it has consumed its coolant and is vaporized by the plasma, the timer turns the emitter off at a set range, or the bolt strikes a target thus destroying the emitter—the bolt loses cohesion and expands explosively. Pulse-cannon are rated based on the power output of their coil assemblies, which determines how much plasma can be fired in a given pulse; the explosive power of a pulse-cannon bolt, measured in kilotons, is roughly 1/300 of the power rating in gigawatts. Accordingly, a maximum-power bolt from a pulse-cannon with a 150-gigawatt rating will be approximately 0.5 kilotons. If the firing ship is traveling at a high fraction of lightspeed, the speed of the plasma pulse can exceed .99 c.

  quantum orbital manipulation: An advanced materials technology that allows the reconfiguration of atomic electron shells, thereby permitting the combination of elements that would not otherwise be able to form compounds, as well as arrangement of the molecules created thereby into pseudo-polymeric matrices to form materials far stronger and more dense than possible through conventional chemical and metallurgical processes.

  Raven: A large antiship missile carried by Union warships. Much larger than the Talon (see) and with a higher top speed, the Raven accelerates more slowly, is less nimble, and is more vulnerable to point-defense systems and countermeasures than the Talon due to its larger size. Manufactured by Gould-Martin-Marietta Naval Aerospace Corporation, the Raven finds its target with both passive and active multimodal sensor homing and then inflicts its damage with a 1.5-megaton fixed-yield fusion warhead powerful enough to destroy all but the largest enemy vessels and to cripple any known enemy ship. Ravens are equipped with an innovative system known as Cooperative Interactive Logic Mode (CILM—pronounced “Kill ’em”). When more than one Raven is launched against the same target, CILM causes the missiles to communicate with one another and attack the target jointly, closing on the enemy from multiple vectors to render defense more difficult and exploding at the same instant to inflict the most damage.

  regardez donc (Cajun French): An expression of awe and amazement, roughly equivalent to an extremely emphatic “wow.” Literally translates as “look at that.”

  registry numbers: The unique identification number assigned to each warship, consisting of its three-letter class code followed by a number.

  Richthofens: Fancy maneuvers. From Baron Manfred von Richthofen, better known as the “Red Baron,” the famous World War I German fighter pilot.

  Robinson, Will: (see Will Robinson).

  RRS: Royal Rashidian Ship. Used to identify a Rashidian naval vessel, much as USS (Union Space Ship) precedes the name of a Union naval vessel.

  Saltwater Navy: A navy comprised of oceangoing ships as opposed to one comprised of ships that travel in space. In the Union Space Navy, the term is particularly used to refer to the navies on Earth, the officers and traditions of which formed much of the basis for the United Earth Spaces Forces in 2034 (the navies of the United States, Canada, Great Britain, and Japan were particularly important).

  scones: Small, single-serving cakes, usually lightly sweet and baked in flat pans, traditionally a part of English Tea refreshment, often served with cucumber finger sandwiches. Believed to have originated in Scotland. Likely an acquired taste, like cucumber finger sandwiches.

  Scotty: The traditional nickname for a warship’s chief of engineering, irrespective of the national origin of his ancestors. The nickname is believed to have originated with the Star Trek franchise, as “Scotty” was the nickname of Lieutenant Commander Montgomery Scott, the chief engineer of the fictitious USS Enterprise. As the character became incorporated into spacer lore, it was said that Scotty could repair a fusion reactor with nothing but duct tape and a lady’s hairpin, drank Scotch like it was weak green tea, and defied hostile aliens with icy ultimatums articulated in a rich Highland burr.

  SDMF: Self-Destruct Mechanism, Fusion. A fusion munition carried on all Union warships prior to the Battle of Han VII for the purpose of destroying the vessel as a last resort to prevent it from falling into enemy hands.

  Senate: Generally and historically, this term refers to the upper chamber of a bicameral legislature of either a state of the United States of America or of the United States of America itself. In current usage this term refers to the Union Senate, also called the “New Senate” (although this usage is becoming less common), one of the two bodies of the Union Parliament (the other being the Union Assembly). The Senate consists of five members each chosen by the Congress of each of the Estates: The People (the “Voters”), Agriculture (the “Farmers”), Manufacturing (the “Makers”), Shipping and Transportation (the “Movers”), Academia and Science (the “Thinkers”), Extractive Industries (the “Miners”), the Information Media (the “Reporters”), Retail and Consumer Sales (the “Storekeepers”), Lending, Deposits, and Investments (the “Bankers”), Architecture, Construction, and Civil Engineering (the “Builders”), Public Employees (the “Governors”), the Armed Forces (the “Warriors”), Health Care (the “Doctors”), Attorneys, Brokers, Accountants, and similar professionals (the “Lawyers”), and Publishing, Cinematic and Broadcast Tridvid, and Trideo Game Design and Sales (the “Entertainers”). The New Senate, with representation based on the Estates, replaced the Old Senate, with membership consisting of two members from each Major World or Inhabited System, after the Revolt of the Estates, in which the Estates determined that a government in which representation was based on population and locality failed to reflect the economic communities that had arisen in Human Space and that such a government tended to impose unfair burdens on some estates in favor of others. Accordingly, all changes in taxation and declarations of war, as well as significant changes in the Union budget, require the unanimous concurrence of each Estate represented in the Senate.

  SEUR: Safety and Equipment Utilization Regulations (the acronym is pronounced “sewer”). Regulations promulgated by the navy governing the appropriate use parameters for virtually every imaginable vessel, device, system, or piece of equipment issued by the navy.

  simhead: A person who spends inordinate time or energy playing military and other simulation games, particularly such a person who obtains simulati
on software by illegal means.

  six: Shorthand for “six o’clock position,” or directly astern.

  SOP: Standard Operating Procedure.

  Sparks: The traditional nickname for a warship communications officer.

  squeaker: A particularly young or puny midshipman. Also squeekie, deck dodger, panel puppy, and hatch hanger (the last for their habit of standing in the hatches while holding the rim, thereby blocking the way).

  SSR: Staff Support Room. One of several compartments located in the general vicinity of the CIC, containing between three and twenty-four men whose duty it is to provide support to one CIC department each by performing detailed monitoring and analysis of the sensors or equipment for which that department is responsible at a level impossible for one or two people assigned that function in CIC.

  Standard: The official language of the Union; Standard also serves as the official language or a widely used second language on virtually every non-Union human world. Standard is derived mostly from English, which was the most widely spoken second language on Earth and was the language of international science, commerce, shipping, and aviation in 2034, when the first human space forces were formed.

  SVR: Space Vehicle Registry. Usually used to refer to the database containing registry information for every space vehicle known to the Union, including information for vehicles of friendly powers who share registry information with the Union Space Vehicle Registration Bureau. The Union Space Navy maintains the classified SVR database containing the registry information for all naval vehicles, as well as the ones on file with the Registration Bureau.

  SWACS: Space Warning and Control System. An integrated sensor, computer, and command/communications/control suite placed on various warships to provide an exceptionally high level of sensor coverage and detail and to coordinate the defense against attacking vessels.