Local Star, Aimee Ogden [ebook reader that looks like a book txt] 📗

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Darts: An outdated class of Light Attack Craft legendary for their inability to take a hit.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