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MILITARY TERMS AND SLANG FOR BLACK OPS AND SPACEMASTER

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By GLEN E. TERRY (EndersWAR1@attbi.com) Copyright © 1999, x) Dead Cyclops Enterprises Edited by Lowell R. Matthews for The Guild Companion

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Editor's Note: Greetings, Black Ops™ and Spacemaster™ fans! Ever feel a need to talk like a real fighter pilot or bounty hunter? This article is just the thing for spicing up your vocabulary! Entries in * are specific to the Spacemaster™ Universe or the author's campaign; entries in ** are also used in Twentieth Century America.

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Author's Note: Here is the list of terminology that I am using in my Spacemaster/Blue Planet campaign. It actually grows every second or third game session. After three years of gaming, the list has gone from a page and a half of scribbled notes to the massive document you see here. Now when people ask me what the differences are between Anglaman and current-day English, I give them a copy of this report and say:

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"Here’s your language lesson."

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**ACM: Aerial combat maneuvers.

Acquisition: The subject of a bounty.

**AI or Artificial Intelligence: Any robotic entity.

Alpha Strike: A full warhead launch… usually at a single target.

*Althan: A race of humanoids believed to be the closest surviving relatives of the Sianetic Harbingers. Imperial Scouts found their homeworld some 80 years ago. At that time, the Althans were a hunter-gatherer culture; their technology base was limited to spears and other tools. They were quickly integrated into the Imperium… and now use the same level of technology. All Althans are telepathic.

**AMF: "Adios, mother fucker!"

Anchor: To disable the translight drive.

*Aoemarans: An intelligent race of organisms made from a protoplasm-like material. Individuals live inside a host creature.

*API: Andrium Producers of the Imperium.

Aqualogy: An underwater or floating settlement.

*Archon: A field agent of the IID (q.v.); typically reports to a Justicar (q.v.).

Arcology: A self-contained living environment, usually covered by a biodome.

*Atomic Monkey: Cetacean slang for a GEO Shock Trooper or highly modified Human.

**AU: Astronomical Unit, 93 million miles or 150 MSK's.

**AWOL: "Away without leave," or "a waste of life."

*Backnet: An area of space extending out 50 light-years from the outer edge of the frontier zones.

Bathed: Describes a person or piece of equipment, which has been subjected to damaging radiation.

Beam: To send a transmission.

**Bivouac: Temporary military encampment.

Black ICE: The most feared kind of counter-espionage program, primarily designed to kill DNI-equipped hackers.

**Black Op: A secret operation, the objective of which is typically violence or espionage

. Blank: A person who possesses no identification and is not on any computer records.

Blaster Brain: A dumb person.

Blaze: A flashy or showy person.

Blood Money: Any fees or bribes paid to local, provincial, or imperial governments.

Blood Sucker: A collector of fees or bribes.

Bohica: "Bend over, here it comes again."

Boonie Rap: The strange talk used by Boonie Rats (q.v.).

Boonie Rat: An experienced Explorer or Armsman—someone who has been around.

Boonie Voodoo: The superstitious and strange beliefs of Boonie Rats (q.v.).

Border Bandit: A frontier pirate.

Breezer: A short mission or tour of duty.

Broken: Dead or injured.

Buddy: A cruel or bloodthirsty person.

**Bug Out: To leave in a hurry.

Burn: To break a security code or to penetrate a secure database.

**Busted: Arrested.

Buzzbeam, Riding the: Following a navigational beacon.

Buzzbeam: A navigational beacon.

*By Vaoth: "I should have known that!"

*Carmonized: Adjective describing a piece of equipment that has malfuctioned.

*CaseWorker: A supervisor of field agents of the IID (q.v.).

CES: Cannon Engagement Switch.

Cetacean: A genetically enhanced Dolphin or Killer Whale.

**CFB: "Clear as a fucking bell."

*Chig: An intelligent race of bipedal creatures. Very little is known about these creatures other than that they are familiar with Humanity and viciously attack on sight. Their fighters are fast and maneuverable, but lack the armor of most Terran interceptors. They have no respect for Life Pods or buried dead, even going to the trouble of digging up Human bodies to dismember them.

Chromix: A genetically altered being.

Circuit Ace: A skilled convoy defense pilot.

Circuit Jockey: A pilot or free trader.

Circuit: A star route.

**CNO: Chief of Naval Operations.

Code Green: Confidential, the lowest security classification.

Code Red: Eyes-Only, a very high security classification.

Cold One: A corpse (synonyms "smelly" or "boney").

*CommCore: The official name of the "Net," CommunicationsCore.

*Control: The chief executive officer of the IID (q.v.).

*Core or Core Systems, The: An area of space surrounding Terra (old Earth) that contained the original Major Houses and formed the basis for the Imperium.

Cowboy: A professional, usually criminal, ICE-breaker.

**CPA: Closest Point of Approach.

**CPO: Chief Petty Officer.

Cracked: Injured.

**Crank the Chicken Switch: To eject.

*Dead Zone: The Dead Zone is a relatively undefined area of space that was once off-limits to Imperial citizens. This area is believed to have once been the home of the Sianetic Harbingers. Few Imperial vessels that entered this area ever returned.

**Desk Jockey: Someone who thinks they are hot—but they fly a desk, not a ship. (See also "REMF.")

*Desmando: A lost contact or target. (Fighter pilot: "That Remora just left my scope…. It went desmando….")

*Dia Khovaria: The last vestige of the Roman Catholic Church, which long ago became the owner of all computers and communications devices, making its might immense—but since the fall of the Imperium, its existence is hazy at best.

**Dirty Water: An assassination or Black Op (q.v.) when sloppy or less than successful.

**Disappear: To cause a person and all known references to that person to become difficult or impossible to find; a transitive verb. ("The military disappeared him.")

DME: Distance Measuring Equipment.

DNI: Direct Neural Interface.

**Dogfight: Combat between aircraft or spacecraft, typically fighters.

Dognapping: Shore leave at a fleet's port-of-call.

Doughboy: A rich person or someone who finances an operation or organization.

Down And Happy: Insertion successful, no resistance.

*Draconian: A race of anthropomorphic lizards native to the Promethean Galaxy.

*Drakaran: A race of man-sized, intelligent lizards. A Drakaran somewhat resembles a Terran Tyrannosaurus rex in shape.

**Drop: A ground mission.

DX or Damaged Exchanged: "Get rid of it!"

**EA: Evasive Action (synonym "juke").

*Earthworm: A derogatory term for people from House Red Star.

Easy Money: ASP pilot slang for Parasite Torpedoes.

Easy Rider: Someone who travels a lot, a spacer.

*Elmonit: Electronic Monetary Unit, an electronic form of currency.

*Empire: The astronomical jurisdiction of every star-system known to be inhabited or claimed by Terran Humans.

**ESAD: "Eat shit and die!"

*Evantha: A race of bipedal, winged sentients, as technologically advanced as Humanity. Family: In the political sense; see "House."

Fawnie: A servile, bootlicking person.

Ferret: A spy; also the name of an AFV used by scout detachments.

Firebreather: Any round of explosive ammunition.

Fist: A person's characteristic "hacking style."

**Flame: To abuse, attack, harass or argue with someone on-line.

**Flatbacker: A prostitute.

**Floater: A waterlogged corpse; sometimes used to refer to drifters and vagrants.

**FNK: "Fucking new kid."

**FO: Forward Observer

**Fox: "Fire!" (Fighter pilot releasing missiles: "Fox One! Fox Two!")

*Frontier Zones: One of the 24 equivalently sized areas surrounding the Core, each extending out about 100 light-years.

**Fubar: "Fucked up beyond all recognition."

Fujee: A fugitive from the authorities.

**Furball: A dogfight (q.v.) with multiple fighters on each side.

*Galactic Court of Humanity (GCH): An independent organization that hears all cases of diplomatic, economic, or criminal dispute.

*Gamer: A player of illegal "dreamGames" or someone with a peculiar kind of logic.

Genetic Drift!: An exclamation of horrified surprise.

*GEO: Galactic Environmental Organization, the enforcers of the Federated Democracy's new environment protection program.

Ghost: An ICE-breaker who assists a "physical entry team" by entering and controlling the target site's computer.

**Given the Mushroom Treatment: "Kept in the dark and fed shit"

*Go with Kath: A serious curse or threat to someone's bloodline.

**Going Down: Going to jail.

**Going Walkabout: An EVA (extra-vehicular activity) from a starship or submersible.

**Grifter: A confidence artist.

*Hairball: Slang for the Promethean Primates (q.v.).

Hard Wired: Adjective; having cybernetic implants.

HB: Hangar Bay.

HBDL: Hangar Bay Door Lock.

Headliner: Someone who is wanted and/or has a bounty on his head.

**High Drag: Outdated, obsolete, worthless (synonym of "low speed").

**High Speed: Cutting-edge or state-of-the-art (synonym of "low drag").

**Holding Down: Drawing a weapon and aiming it.

**Honcho: Leader of a commando team.

**Hot: Under hostile fire; e.g., "hot" landing zone.

Houha: Anything and everything that constitutes a positive response.

*House: Political connotation—a society of people from one of the numerous provincial powers. For example, the Phoenix was built by House Jade London, but is actually inhabited by people from several Houses, including Devon, Carlisle, Kubischev–Lloyd, and Augustus Hayes.

*Hundred Club: Acquisitions (q.v.) that are currently worth 100,000 Elmonits (q.v.) or more.

**Hunt: Any tracking or retrieval operation.

Hunter: A bounty hunter or anyone who holds an IPKC (q.v.).

Hykur: A genetically superior male, an attractive male, or a gigolo.

Hypershunt: To break the light-speed barrier.

HyperSpace: The vernacular for the Tachyon Universe in which translight speed is possible.

**IA: Internal Affairs.

*IAI: Imperial Archeological Institute, the infamous researchers and explorers of Sianetic Harbinger ruins and artifacts.

ICE: Counter-espionage computer programs.

**Iceman: An unemotional person.

*Idorians: A bluish-skinned race of humanoids; they hate the Terrans.

*IID: Imperial Intelligence Directorate—the most feared organization in the Imperium.

*Impy or Impish: A derogatory reference to Imperial doctrine or attitude ("tyrannical," "inflexible," "picky," etc.).

In Heavy Water: In trouble.

Inkman: A forger; someone who deals in or produces false identification or other "official" papers.

Instation: A space station in a planetary orbit.

*IO: Imperial Observer.

*IPKC: Imperial Peacekeeping Certificate, a bounty hunter's license.

*ISI: Imperial Scientific Institute—not as innocuous an organization as it might sound, its "enforcement arm" made sure many new inventions were "managed" by the Imperium.

Jack: A dangerous criminal.

**JAFO: "Just another fucking observer," or the navigator in a two-man vehicle.

**Juke: To avoid enemy fire or flak.

*Justicar: A senior field agent of the IID (q.v.); typically reports to a CaseWorker (q.v.).

Jym-bob: An insulting term for an android.

**Kick the Tires and Light the Fires: Preflight preparations.

**Kick: To assassinate.

*Klakytheris Adanak: A race of intelligent, roughly humanoid water-dwellers; they somewhat resemble eyeless frogs.

**Kloodge, Kludge: To solve a hardware or software problem with a makeshift method or device (usually temporarily).

*League of Merchants: An Empire-wide group of free traders, pirates, crime-lords, and independent merchantmen.

*LEDiv: Law Enforcement Division, the branch of the Terran Federated Democracy that has Imperium-wide jurisdiction. It is composed of such specialty units as Runaway (targets Rogue AI), Blade Runner (targets Alterant Replicants), and NetSec (Network Security, the Hackers dedicated to defending CommCore).

**LEO: Law Enforcement Officer.

*Librarian: Anyone who was (or is) associated with the Dia Khovaria (q.v.).

*LithKind: Nocturnal, near-human creatures that die at age 40.

**Low Drag: Cutting edge or state-of-the-art (synonym of "high speed").

**Low Speed: Outdated, obsolete, worthless (synonym of "high drag").

**LZ: Landing Zone

*Made in Carmon: Adjective; equipment that needs to be repaired.

*Malapachi Neo-Foci Entity: As the name implies, this intelligent race of bipeds appears to be related to Terran Elephants. Their communication is completely telepathic, though few Humans have survived to tell what they have to say. Commonly referred to by Humans as "MNE's," the acronym quickly devolved into "enemies," which is sadly appropriate.

Master Hunter: A hunter who has successfully completed at least a hundred hunts.

Meat Popsicle: An insulting term for an alterant replicant.

*MERLOGH: Mercantile League of Greater Houses.

Molecugarbage: A term for complex circuitry, usually by those who don’t understand it.

Midnight Run: Bounty hunter slang for an easy acquisition.

*Monit: Monetary Unit, the hard-cash currency of the Empire.

Monkey Drag: Reference to Humans hanging on to a Cetacean to move more rapidly; sometimes used to refer to something Cetaceans think is silly.

Most Wanted: Those acquisitions (q.v.) who are a serious threat to the peace or who have committed a truly heinous crime.

MRS ("Mirse") It: "Shut up!"; originally an acronym for "Maintain Radio Silence."

Mule: Insulting term for an Alterant Replicant.

Nape: "Naked ape," a Human.

**NBD: "No big deal."

Neurokiller: Any of a variety of hallucinogenic drugs that can be harmful or even fatal to telepaths.

*NightBrood: A hive-mind race of insectoid creatures whose individuals somehow maintain a sense of self. Their technology is largely based on bio-organics. They place no discernible value upon Human life, attacking civilian targets as well as military ones. Feared and hated, the NightBrood are responsible for the fall of the Terran Empire. Synonyms: "Brood," "Grubs," "Hatchlings," "Bugs."

Noose: "No use, damn"

Noosed: Drugged, confused, or hysterical.

Not All His Thrusters Are Firing: Not thinking clearly.

ODP: Optical Disk Playback.

**OOW: Officer of the Watch.

Outstation: A space station that is not located in a star system, but is in stellar orbit around the galactic core.

**Packing: Carrying a weapon.

Part Timer: A corporate security guard or a bounty hunter.

Pay Check: Slang term for a warrant that needs to be cashed in to authorities offworld.

Percussive Maintance: The act of trying to fix something by hitting or beating on it.

Petty Cash: A small-time criminal or an acquisition (q.v.) with a relatively small bounty.

*Philotes: (1) The smallest form of bond between two things known to man. Philotic physics is still a new science. It is believed that philotic bonds connect all things. (2) Colloquialism for "I was just thinking that!"

Phoenix: The JMS colony ship.

**Pleb, Plebe: From "plebeian"; a lower class, uneducated person; or a first-year military or naval cadet.

**Pop: To murder someone.

Plowboy: Anyone from a rural environment.

PRAG: Acronym for “Product of Random Genetics”, used to refer to humans, neohumans, and humanoids.

Prax: An exclamation of exasperation.

*Primates: The other sapient race native to the Promethean Galaxy, hated enemies of the Draconians (q.v.).

**Prince, Princess: A difficult person.

Professional Casualty: A mercenary or otherwise expendable person.

Promethean: A collective term for the Primates (q.v.) and the Draconians (q.v.).

**Pucker Factor: A scale of 1 through 10 on intensity of fright; how much one's sphincter "puckers up."

Pull Leather: To support another hunter. Traditionally derived from the phrase, "To pull leather," meaning to take up arms in the defense of another.

**Read You 5 by 5: A transmission when coming in loud and clear.

**REMF: "Rear Echelon Mother Fucker!” a member of the "tail" of any military unit, which for some reason always seems to strand or hinder the members of the "teeth."

Ripped: Assaulted.

ROAD: Retired on Active Duty.

*Rock Hounds: Slang term for Q'raj pilots; synonyms "Void Fleas" and "Void Jocks."

Schooling: People hanging out or in close association (like a school of fish).

Scrounge Monkey: Anyone who pulls theories or clues "out of their ass" Colloquial synonym "VegaPol."

SemiTel: A Semi-Telepath (Spacemaster™ profession).

Sevenhead: An insult implying stupidity, Refers to transhuman sevens.

Shields Are Up but No One Is on the Bridge: Another phrase describing someone not thinking clearly.

*Sianetic Harbingers or Luar: A long dead (?) race of beings that once seeded much of the Galaxy with humanoid life. They are known to have been powerful telepaths and they wielded a level of technology that infinitely trivializes cutting-edge Terran equipment. Their artifacts and ruins are both coveted and feared.

**Six: Directly behind, to the rear; derived from the clock-number system of indicating direction. "Check your six" means "look behind you."

Slib: An attractive female, or a female prostitute.

Slink: A term used mostly to imply a telepath has been listening in on someone’s thoughts.

Slurg: A catchall insult that implies a dishonest dealer.

**SNAFU: "Situation normal, all fucked up"; or "fouled up" in more polite company.

*Snee: A race of alien xenomorphs; they regard Humanity as something between an annoying intruder and lunch. They are known for scout ships that are fast, powerful, and armed with devastating plasma cannons and virtually undetectable cloaking devices. Their warriors are frightening. They can rend hull-metal with their claws and survive in hard vacuum for up to an hour. Their hide is some form of dense exoskeleton, which makes for excellent armor.

Sneeze: To fire all remaining warheads (see "Alpha Strike").

**SOP: Standard Operating Procedure.

**Sortie: A flown mission.

Spherical: An exclamation of approval, something so good it’s near perfect.

Sprint: A courier or smuggler.

**Sprung: Escaped (from prison) with outside assistance.

Spunk: Someone who is brave, perhaps foolishly so.

Spyder: A race of intelligent, six-limbed near-humans.

Squeaker: An informant who yields useful information after intimidation or torture.

Squeaks: Information obtained by the overt use of intimidation or torture.

*Squich Breath: A general insult.

Take an Airlock Walk: An angry suggestion that someone leave and not return soon.

Taking on Space: A starship hull breach ("We're taking on space!"); derived from the planetary naval term "taking on water."

Tank: An insulting term for a product of eugenics, especially the later types who were actually gestated in vats.

*Tezcats: An intelligent race of bipedal, fox-looking creatures. Until recently, they were violently xenophobic.

Timmie: A coward; adjective or noun.

**Tourist: Anyone who has no jurisdiction or responsibility in the given situation. ("Don't look at me! I'm just a tourist.")

Tox: Something incredibly great, or so good as to be toxic.

*Trilopter: Another intelligent race; its members resemble a peanut with three legs and three tentacular arms.

**Troll, to Troll, Trolling: To expound a contentious viewpoint or points, with the purpose of inducing others to respond in an aggressively emotional, frequently rude or insulting manner.

Turbobrain: A telepath that is given to flaunting his powers, or an obnoxious intellectual. Twisted: Broken or seriously malfunctioning.

Two Timer: An acquisition (q.v.) with two separate bounties posted against him.

*UNW: Universal Night Watch, an organization that specializes in fighting the Nightbrood.

Vaped: Contraction of vaporized.

*VegaPol: An independent policing force that is the enforcement arm of the Galactic Court of Humanity; they are known to be brutal and efficient. Slang: Scrounge Monkeys (q.v.).

*Vrusk: An alien race; its members resemble an insectoid centaur and are very logical.

Waffled: To be confused or unable to make a decision.

**Water Department: A division of any organization that takes on such duties as assassination or other "black ops."

Water: Personal courage, honor, or bravery.

Waved: To be subjected to hard radiation.

*Welcome Water: The Cetacean practice of spitting on newcomers to Poseidon.

We're in a Jam: To be in very serious trouble, something from which only the Jadist Military Services * or their equivalent can remove one.

WFRS: Waste Fluid Recycling System.

Wiseguy: A smart missile or torpedo, or any hard-kill weapon with sophisticated tracking capabilities.

*Wraith: Name for the drop-ship used to transport scout detachments to a planetary surface; it is capable of full cloak.

Xec: Executive.

Yagi: Directional Communications Antenna (synonyms "TBD" or "Laser Rig").

Yautja or Predator: A bipedal race of intelligent and technologically advanced huntsmen.

Yogi: Non-Directional Communications Antenna (microfrequency).

Zombie: A term that refers to any of a number of illegal drugs.

Zoomie: A pilot (synonyms include "Flyboy," "RocketJockey," "Bus Driver," etc.).


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