A
22CR Starbusters: A slightly outdated but entirely deadly model of large-payload missiles.
Admiral Savelian Dustald-4 Edantha: Senior Fleet officer in the sector; credited with the successful Fleet campaign against Cyberbionautic forces.
Advocate: A speaker for the affected party, in legal matters and negotiations, assigned by Public Welfare.
Aerobacter: One of several oxygenic bacteria species modified for symbiotic use in human beings, particularly those operating in deep space or deep water.
Alchemists: An outdated class of Light Attack Craft legendary for their inability to take a hit.
Alchemy Medal: The second-highest honor bestowed by the Fleet on civilians; given in recognition of the recipient's conversion of certain defeat into victory.
Allibek's Wings: A Fleet honor bestowed in recognition of outstanding valor in the face of overwhelming odds.
Andeus: A dwarf planet in the Coreward region, known primarily for its exports of ore and aspiring Fleet officers.
Arcade: A common area found in most space habitats, as well as on each level of any planned planetary colonies built by the Confederated Worlds.
Arcology: A planet-based enclosed artificial habitat.
Arcwing: A class of Light Attack Craft built for sturdiness over speed and featuring heavier artillery than Skimmer models.
Armward Bands: Densely-populated clusters of Confederated Worlds habitats and planetary structures along the arm of the spiral galaxy.
Artigrav: Shorthand for artificial gravity, especially for mechanics who might have to say those words a lot.
Astral Noise: The latest and greatest band to hit the Confederated Worlds, as long as you’re a fan of screamwave splatterpop.
Auzhni Hab: A small Hab based near the Hedgehome system.
B
Biobomb: Pairs an explosive device with an engineered microorganism for maximum damage. A typical use case might include an infectious bacterium, or, when deployed against infrastructure, microbes that corrode plastic or specific types of metal.
Biolights: Emergency temporary bioluminescence; a habitat or Arcology's power failure triggers the release of substrate that feeds dormant microorganisms and induces luminescence.
Biomods: Shorthand for biological modifications, ranging from symbiotic bacteria to cybernetic limb replacement.
Birdflute: A high-pitched wind instrument that sounds like beautiful birdsong in the hands of an expert player, or, with less skillful use, a dying parakeet.
C
Ceebee: Shorthand for a member of the Cyberbionautic Alliance.
Centerpoint Station: The primary base of operations for the Confederated Fleet. Originally established at roughly the center of the settled Confederated Worlds; not so much anymore, but two prior attempts to rename it have failed due to linguistic inertia.
CFS Graithe: A Confederated Fleet cruiser lost with all hands in a battle with Cyberbionautic forces, trying unsuccessfully to buy time for the CFS Iuelo, her sister ship, to escape.
Chimon: Site of a minor skirmish between Confederated Fleet and Cyberbionautic forces; considered the last real engagement of the war.
Churnpit: Another name for a recycling engine, particularly a poorly maintained one.
Cierrond: An elderly Tolvian mendicant who was of Triz's earliest teachers and one of the few as stubborn as she was; Triz took his name as her parent name when he died.
Clusterward: The region of a large cluster of stars, mostly unpopulated, located between the human-inhabited arm of the Galaxy and the largely unexplored arm on the opposite side.
Commander Escoth: Strategy Division Lead for the Confederated Fleet; the grandson of luxury starship magnate Idri Croelo Escoth.
Commander Rocan Dustald-3 Melviq of the Cyberbionautic Alliance, the Unquenchable Scythe: A much higher name-to-person ratio than is ever justifiable.
Confederated Fleet: A military force devoted to protecting the safety and wellbeing of the member planets and habitats of the Confederated Worlds.
Confederated Worlds: A loose alliance of several hundred human settlements. The first Habs were admitted 137 Standard Cycles ago after pressure from several outlying systems to broaden the definition of what constituted a "world".
Croelo Hab: A large Hab in the Armward Bands and one considered, especially by the outlying planets and Habs, to be the height of style.
Cyberbionautic Alliance: A quasi-political separatist entity led by Rocan Dustald-3 Melviq, which holds modified bodies as superior to unmodified and believes that, as they shape their bodies to fit their environment, their environment should meet them halfway—regardless of who may already be living quite comfortably in it.
D
Dailos: Flagship of Admiral Savelian's First Wing of the Confederated Fleet; the ship where Casne, Kalo, Saabe, and Lanniq serve.
Damu: A common nickname for nonbinary parents; most often used by children but retained into adulthood by some, especially doting offspring.
Darts: An outdated class of Light Attack Craft legendary for their inability to take a hit.
Distribution Council: The governing body in charge of managing public assets in Vivik Hab and some other similarly-run Habs.
Do-Ffash: An extended family of pirates operating primarily out of the Webward Pearls.
Dry-pearls: A semi-precious gem produced in what could broadly be called the "stomach" of a sedentary creature called a stillmouse, native to, and only found on, the planet Erret.
E
Edillo: The original owner, presumably, of the Vivik Hab establishment known as Edillo's. Early Distribution Council records are spotty, and no one actually remembers anyone named Edillo.
Erret: An apparent desert world to the naked eye, with a rich and almost entirely subterranean water supply and native biota.
Erron: A fairly recent planetary establishment; only two levels of the Arcology have yet been built.
Escoth V-27: A sleek, sporty craft designed for personal travel, for people with more money and leisure time than Triz.
Eusociality: In the spirit of mutual survival, health, and happiness; the ideal to which Vivik Hab's Distribution Council aspires.
Exonerves: An exogenous electrochemical structure replicating the function of the peripheral nervous system; commonly replace damaged nerves in people with certain degenerative diseases as well as hopped-up flyboys with no sense of self-preservation.
Exotics-wranglers: Engineers devoted to developing scalable, reliable Fleet technology based on quantum effects; probably the biggest geeks in the galaxy.
F
Fleet: The Confederated Fleet, the military body organized around the defense of the Confederated Worlds and, more recently, the protection of worlds that harbor alien intelligences.
Fleet Admiralty: The leadership of the Confederated Fleet.
Fleet Counsel: A member of the Fleet's legal organization, assigned to defend Fleet officers accused of any misdoings that fall under Fleet jurisdiction.
Fleet Prayer: A rote prayer invoking the protection of the Gods of Issam and several other accessory deities; written by an officer in time immemorial; recitation takes twelve minutes, and is inflicted daily on Academy enrollees, as well as those unfortunate enough to receive a high-level commendation in the course of duty.
Fleet Standard Time: Based on five cycles of five hours each; the standard clock by which all Fleet vessels operate in order to maintain cohesion across their Galaxy-wide deployment.
Fourth Wing: An entire wing of Fleet ships that defected from duty and disappeared, mostly to parts unknown. The subject of a great deal of speculation wherever two or more Fleet officers and an alcoholic beverage are co-located.
G
Galactic Web: A network of populated worlds and Habs, nearly all of which count themselves as members of the Confederated Worlds.
Ganit's Pantry: A beloved drinking establishment on Vivik Hab, albeit one that takes full advantage surge pricing on its menu.
Gnosseo: Not a member planet of the Confederated Worlds; considers itself highly civilized, which it probably is as long as you have a lot of money and a couple of well-armed bodyguards.
Golros: The home planet of an alien intelligence, the target of Ceebee shotgun-style terraforming, and the location of the battle that made a name for Casne Vivik Veling.
Gonmate: One of two or more members of a platonic, romantic, and/or sexual relationship, around which most households are built.
Greasehead: Nickname bestowed (affectionately?) on certain mechanics, especially by those who have opted into less greasy professions.
Greenwork: The cultivation and upkeep of oxygen-generating algae and other microbiota, required for the preservation of human life in space but which smell like a tree shat itself to death.
Guttergirl: A deprecating term for the unfortunates who are forced to survive on recycling pit scraps by the uncaring Hab where they live.
Gyrax: A type of bomber by the Fleet, mostly deprecated but with a few still lingering on in service.
H
Hab: A Habitation Environment; a space station where human beings reside, many serving as waystations between farflung inhabited worlds.
Hask: Nantha's home base, not far from Centerpoint.
Hedgehome: A populous system with a large Arcology and two nearby Habs, all of which were destroyed in the fighting between the Confederated Fleet and the Cyberbionautic Alliance.
Heliodrome: A banked arena for exercise. Where space jocks go to get their sports on.
Hideslug: A nonsentient cultivated for the production of fine leather goods; happens to look like a legless cow got sucked halfway into a wormhole and then spat back out inside out.
I
Interior Watch: The branch of the Fleet tasked with enforcement of its own internal rules and regulations.
Issam: The Sanctuary World, said to be the first settled after humanity left its forgotten home planet; makes a good story, anyway.
Iuelo: A CFS ship lost with all hands in spite of the valiant efforts of her sister ship, the CFS Graithe, to buy time for her escape.
J
Justice: An important social role in Confederated World arcologies and Habs, the members of which work to adjudicate disputes and legal proceedings and to ensure that Distribution proceeds fairly among all members of the local population. The success of these efforts is highly relative depending on the Hab in question.
L
Light Attack Craft: The varied assortment of fighters, bombers, and other small, more-or-less maneuverable vessels attached to the Fleet.
Lithogrunge: A percussion-heavy, bass-dense, lowkey musical style; great for kidney stones.
M
Mealcase: A personalized serving size of the Hab meal being distributed for any given meal.
Metal Reclamation: A typical Hab facility; waste not, want not, especially when the hull needs patching.
Mirede: Proprietor of a tearoom on Vivik Hab and a very pleasant busybody.
N
Nav: Shorthand for Navigation, often used by people too busy making Navigation calculations to say the whole word.
Nullgrav: A zero-gravity recreation environment; waivers required.
P
Pairhome: Hab-allocated housing optimally sized to a two-person pair, with or without children.
Parallax: A heavily-armored Fleet advance ship meant to draw fire from enemy forces (and withstand it).
Photosnap: Like a selfie, but in space!
Plastiglass: A synthetic, durable glass substitute that patches itself on impact, a highly desirable quality if you want to have windows and also breathe in space.
Plastiprint: Synthetic plastic-based fabrication printed to specification: mealcases, benches, accessories, and more. Please recycle.
Plastisteel: A very strong synthetic metal substitute with steel-like durability and plastic-like mass.
Portlounge: A small area in many living quarters based around the port, the source of news, music, and entertainment. Smaller Habs or arcologies may have a single larger portlounge where families can gather.
PubWel: Public Welfare; the elected representatives responsible for enacting policies to uphold eusocial ideals, safety, and equity in the Hab.
Q
Quadborn: A child born to any member or members of a particular quadfamily. In a healthy quad, a child born to any member is treated as the child of all members, though most children are aware of who their biological parent or parents in the quad are.
Quadfamily: A family unit based around a four-person platonic, romantic, and/or sexual relationship, with or without children.
Quadhome: Hab-allocated housing optimally sized to a four-person quad, with or without children.
R
Recycling Engine: A massive composting container for organic waste generated by a Hab or Arcology; generates fertilizer for the environment's Terraria and mushroom farms; the warmth generated is often used to heat adjacent housing.
Roia: The minimally-settled planet that houses a number of nonsentient species, including the Roian hideslug, and the type of humans who don't mind or even enjoy living in an environment that is actively trying to murder them all the time.
Rydoine: The type of Hab where Justice's attentions are not entirely evenly distributed; Triz's Hab of origin.
S
Sanishar: The site of a newly discovered extinct alien-intelligence civilization; exciting stuff if you're into it.
Scalecloth: A decorative fabric hand-sewn with the scales of Emperor Lizards native to Roia. Emperor Lizards are neither emperors nor technically lizards; they are, however, sparkly.
Scooper: An ore-mining vessel employed in asteroid mines. Slow, sturdy, and reliable.
Sei Worldhold: A system of three planetary systems and one Hab located just outside the fringes of the Confederated Worlds. A strongly hierarchical society; though their relations with the Confederated Worlds are friendly, both sides are rather bewildered by the other.
Seventh God of Issam: Patron deity of Navigators and engineers; avatar of human ingenuity; a holy math nerd.
Sidorrey: A small Fleet-operated Hab located not far from Vivik. Organized around preventing and intercepting piracy.
Simek green wine: An unusual vintage originating in the Armward Bands; a typical drink order for a nervous recluse trying to look at least a little sophisticated.
Skimmer: A speedy and highly maneuverable variety of Light Attack Craft; the preferred starfighter of those who like to live fast, die young, and leave an incinerated corpse.
Starslicers: A vintage model of Light Attack Craft; named by someone with a lot more enthusiasm than their janky handling and ugly fuselage warrants.
Sugarpips: The seeds of a particular fruit; a delicacy whose subtle flavors are difficult to perfectly capture via food printer, except perhaps to the undiscerning palate of a kid who grew up eating garbage for breakfast.
Swalen: The Third God of Issam; a jock, brawler, and all around good-time girl who would probably be delighted to find that her name was regularly invoked as profanity.
T
Technosurgeon: A medical professional trained in both human anatomy and physiology and exogenous implant technology.
Terraria: An area of Habs and arcologies built around green plants and trees; supplies oxygen, fresh fruits and vegetables, and a bit of mental health.
The Cosset: A Vivik Hab venue for upscale sex work; the most famous on the Hab and also the most expensive. The locals tend to choose other establishments.
Tiresh: A four-person gunship that under no circumstances should be flown with a misfiring injector.
Tolvian: Mendicant monks and far-travelers, followers of the philosopher-poet Tolvia, devoted to her creed of lifting up the least and lowest in the Galaxy.
Tunnelgun: A quantum-effects-based weapon that can cut through any material by, on a fundamental physical level, convincing the atoms involved that they simply do not exist.
Tunneltech: The hardware involved in the deployment of a tunnelgun.
U
Upclass: Fancy; elegant; perhaps even snooty.
Uphab: Habs with artificial gravity enjoy perpetuating the notions of "up" and "down"; uphab levels are those at the imaginary top, downhab at the imaginary bottom.
Urnok: An unaffiliated Hab: unaffiliated with any major governments, trade organizations, or indeed laws.
W
Webward Pearls: A string of several unaffiliated planets, most of which don't mind housing pirate swarms (some of which function as essential privateers on behalf of Pearl-based interests), nor Ceebee fleets as well as broader human supremacy movements.
Whaleships: The biggest ships in the Confederated Fleet, which house Light Attack Swarms, heavy artillery, and a great deal of officers. Built to take a hit. Built to take several.
Wrenchworks: A ship repair and general mechanic facility located on any Hab and in some arcologies as well.
Wristfob: A communication, scheduling, and technology-interface device typically worn on the wrist.