Symbionts (51 page)

Authors: William H. Keith

BOOK: Symbionts

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RJ:
Military slang for free time spent recjacking.

Rogan Process:
Nano construction technique, named after inventor Philip Rogan, employing assemblers and any plentiful raw material. Through “RoPro” or “RoProduction,” walls, buildings, roads, any similar large structure, can be “grown” out of rock and earth quickly and cheaply.

SDT:
Subsurface Deformation Track Path through a planetary crust previously used by Xenophobe underground travelers. Rock once turned plastic by intense heat and pressure offers subsurface “highways” more easily traversed by subsequent craft.

Sekkodan:
The Imperial Scout Service, tasked with exploring and cataloging new worlds, as well as operating high-speed courier ships between the worlds of the Shichiju. Its members wear green uniforms and it is considered to be a civilian bureau rather than a military unit.

Schiz, Schiz Out:
Slang for mental breakdown brought on by jacked shutdown of mental activities for a protracted period of time, or through severe mental stress during linkage.

Selfware:
Jacker slang for the human mind, both the physical processes of neuronic impulses and the less quantifiable processes of consciousness, reasoning, and “self.” If software is the program run on hardware, selfware is the program run on wetware.

Sempu:
“Whirlwind.” Shotgunlike antipersonnel weapon firing shot connected by strands of monofilament.

Sensphere:
Tennis-ball-sized gold sphere held against palm implants. Creates a pleasant, mildly stimulating, and erotic tingle through the interface circuitry.

Servot:
A robotic, general-purpose servant.

Shakai:
“Society.” The elitist, upper-class culture of Imperial Earth.

Shichiju:
Literally “The Seventy.” Japanese term for the seventy-eight worlds in seventy-two systems so far colonized by Man.

Shishino Chi:
“The Lion’s Blood.” Imperial equivalent of the Purple Heart.

Silicolubricant, Silicarb:
Greasy black silicon compound used to reduce friction in interior working parts.

Sky-el:
Elevator used to travel between a planetary ring and the surface of the planet. A cheap and efficient way of moving people and cargo back and forth from surface to orbit. Earth has three sky-els: Singapore (Pulau Lingga), Ecuador (Quito), and Kenya (Mount Kenya). New Earth has two. Other worlds have one. Some, including New America, have none.

Slang, profanity:

dreamjack
: Military slang for a very good or much-desired assignment.

easy feed:
Slang expression for “no problem,” or “that’s okay.”

gok, goking:
Sexual obscenity. From Japanese
goku,
“rape.”

Heggers, Hegleggers:
Military slang for Hegemony foot soldiers.

iceworld:
Military slang for “Stay cool. I’m cool.”

I’m linked:
I’m with you. I’ll go along with that.

jackin’ Jill:
Girlfriend, especially as a casual RJ sex partner.

mincies:
Military slang for civilians. From the Japanese
minshu.

nork (also NORC or NORC-Socket):
Colloquial for an idiot. From nonregistered C-socket, it refers to the common practice of illegal “back-alley” implant surgery for people who don’t have the money or the connections to secure a legal (registered) implant. Many such operations result in permanent brain damage.

nullhead:
Stupid. Empty-headed. By association, crazy. Also, people without jacks, unable to interact in technic society.

odie:
Let’s odie = let’s do it, let’s move. From Japanese
odori,
“dance.”

pulling strings, jerking strings:
Slang expression: “You’re kidding me.”

scut, scutting:
Worthless. A useless person. From medieval scuttage, a tax paid in feudal times to avoid military service.

staticjack:
Mild curse. Expression of disgust or amazement.

static free:
Easy, direct, simple, problem-free.

straight hont, the hont:
The truth. From Japanese
hontono koto.

Slot: (1)
Linkage module for human controller. Warstriders have one, two, or three slots; a three-slotter strider has places for a commander, pilot, and weapons tech.

(2)
Space for equipment aboard transport. Ascraft have “slots” to carry four or six warstriders. (Slang) By popular usage, a place for a person in an organization, i.e., a “slot in the infantry.”

Software:
The programs run by computer hardware, up to and including AIs.

Stridertink, tink:
Personnel who perform routine repair, maintenance, and service on striders, vehicles, and heavy equipment. Also called techs or teenies.

Synchorbit:
That point, different for each world, at which a satellite has an orbital period exactly matching the planet’s rotation. Planetary sky-els rise from the world’s equator to extensive constructions—factories, habitats, and other orbital facilities—in synchorbit.

Synchorbital:
Facilities built at synchorbit.

Tacsit:
Military slang for Tactical Situation.

Teikokuno Heiwa:
“The Imperial Peace.” The Pax Japonica.

Teikokuno Hoshi:
Star of the Empire. Imperial medal for supreme service to the Emperor.

Teleop Weapons:
Long-range missiles operated by weapons technicians at remote locations. Control can be by radio or—to avoid battlefield jamming—laser or a molecular fiberline unreeled behind the projectile.

Tenno Kyuden:
Palace of Heaven. Seat of Imperial government, located at Singapore Synchorbital.

T-form:
Terraform. Converting an existing planetary atmosphere and environment to one that supports humans.

Thermal:
Military slang for any infrared sensory device or scanner.

TO:
Table of Organization.

Towerdown:
The base of a sky-el tower, a busy terminus for freight and passengers.

Transplas:
Synthetic building material, transparent and very strong.

T-socket:
Temporal socket. Usually paired, one on each side of subject’s skull, in temporal bone above and behind the ear. Used for full-sensory, full-feedback jacking in conjunction with an AI system, including experiencing ViR, full-sensory communications, and computer control of ships or vehicles.

Universal Life, Lifers:
A widespread, moderate “green” movement dedicated to preserving alien ecosystems.

Vacwalls:
Walls or bulkheads holding pressure against vacuum.

VCH:
Vehicle Cephlinkage Helmet. Allows direct human control of warstriders, ascraft, or other military vehicles. Internal leads plug into the operator’s temporal sockets, while external sockets receive leads from AI interface.

ViR, Virtual Reality:
Made possible by cephalic implants, virtual reality is the “artificial reality” of computer interfaces that allows, for example, a human pilot to “become” the strider or missile he is piloting, to “live” a simplay, or to “see” things that do not really exist, save as sophisticated computer software. An artificial world existing within the human mind that, through AI technology, can be shared with others.

ViRcom:
Full sensory linked communication. Linker enters a chamber and plugs into communications net. He can then engage in conversation with one or more other humans or their computer analogues as though all were present together.

ViRdrama:
Recreational jacking allowing full sensory experience through cephlinkage. Linker can participate in elaborate canned shows or AI-monitored games. Two or more linkers can share a single scenario, allowing them to interact with one another.

ViRnews:
Also ViRinfo. Jack-fed informational programs permitting viewer interaction and questions with programmed “guides.”

ViRpersona:
The image of self projected in virtual reality dramas or communications. Clothing styles and even personal appearance can be purchased as a cephlink program, much as someone would buy new clothes.

Warstrider:
Also strider. Battlefield armor on two or four legs, giving it high mobility over rough terrain. Generally consists of a fuselage slung between two legs, and equipped either with two arms mounting weapons or with interchangeable weapons pods. Sizes include single-slotters (eight to twelve tons), dual-slotters (ten to thirty tons), single-slotters three-slotters (twenty-five to seventy tons), and special vehicles such as Armored Personnel Walkers that carry large numbers of troops.

Wetware:
The human brain, the ultimate computer.

Whitesuit:
Slang for Hegemonic naval personnel. From their dress uniforms, which are white with gold trim.

Who-was:
Rumor, scuttlebutt. Corruption of Japanese
uwasa.

Xeno, Xenophobe:
Human name for the life form that first attacked the human colony on An-Nur II in 2498. So-called because of their apparent hatred or fear of other life forms. Investigations within the Alya system in 2541 proved Xenophobes are machine-organic hybrids evolved from fairly simple organisms billions of years ago. They are defined by their technology, much of which has been borrowed from other civilizations.

Yukanno Kisho:
Medal of Valor. Imperial decoration awarded in ten orders, or
dans,
for bravery in the line of duty.

Japanese Words and Phrases

Baka:
Foolish, stupid, or silly.

Daihyo:
Representative. In twenty-sixth-century usage, the Emperor’s representative to a government or local military force within the Shichiju.

Dan:
Order or ranking.

Fushi:
Eternity, immortality. Era-name of current Emperor Fushi 84.

Gaijin:
Foreigner, specifically a non-Japanese.

Gokuhi:
Secret.

Hema:
Damned mess. Bungled situation.

Kancho:
Depending on how you say it. “warship captain” or “enema.”

Kao:
Face.

Kichigai:
You’re crazy!