Loralynn Kennakris 2: The Morning Which Breaks (64 page)

A divided command structure implemented in the
CEF
that, along with fixed rotation of the most senior officers, was intended to prevent any
Homeworld
block from dominating the CEF to achieve the status of a hegemon.

The Linked Command System operates by linking a fleet command based in a colonial sector to a corresponding Homeworld sector command. Originally, the
CinC
of the Homeworld sector had only administrative authority over the linked fleet; operationally, the fleet reported to
CNO
. Fleet
COs
, sector CinCs, and CNO were all rotated according to a strict protocol. It was believed that these two measures would prevent the accumulation of power within the CEF.

Although the Linked Command System arguable achieved this narrow goal, it did not prevent Sol from eventually dominating the
League
, and it introduced serious inefficiencies. The system was therefore modified as part of the reforms instituted during the run up to
LH-1
, by giving sector CinCs operational, as well as administrative, control over the linked fleets. (The rotation policy was abandoned at the same time.) While not ideal, this did solve the worst of the divided command problem.

The Linked Command System remains a contentious issue within the League.
The Belt
, in particular, would like to see it abolished, as would Terra (though to a lesser degree), and the fleet commands elevated to the same level as the Homeworld sector commands. Seventh Fleet command, assigned to Cygnus Sector already has this status, setting a precedent.

The
Meridies
vehemently defends the system, and considers proposals to end it an attack on its position. This is largely correct, because the Meridies’ linked fleet command is based in
Eltanin
, and elevating it to the level of sector command would seriously weaken the Meridies by making Eltanin, on which the Meridies depends for a large amount of its economic output,
de facto
independent.

It is no accident that the Belt, pushing for abolition of the system in the name of military efficiency and colonial rights, has a long history of mutual enmity with the Meridies. So far, the
Pleiades
has supported the Meridies position, as it does not want to lose control of its linked command in
Crucis
, and
Terra
has not felt strongly enough to press the issue. This situation, it is generally felt, cannot last. (See the
CEF history
for additional detail.)

Originally,
lixae
(singular:
lixa
) was a general term for contractors licensed by the
Halith
military to provide goods and services unrelated to armaments. For example,
lixae
often managed clubs and social facilities in Halith military bases.

The Halith military employs a great deal of slave labor (called ‘guest labor’), for functions such as construction (especially in hazardous conditions), but also as military servants (personal servants for officers, and platoon servants for the rank and file). This includes women forced to provide sexual services to military units. Lixae handled the supply of these slaves, and over time,
lixae
came to mean specifically contractors who provided slave labor for the military.

The lixae have their own specialized logistical systems for transporting, feeding and housing slaves. These are known as
vectura
networks. (Compare
sutlers
.)

Light Missile Attack Craft. A small craft with a crew of four to six that carries up to 24 missiles, internally and in external launchers, or (especially in the
CEF
) 8 torpedoes. (In this case the
M
is said to stand for
multipurpose
.) Lack of maneuverability compared to fighters has relegated them mainly to planetary defense roles. Also used as patrol assets, especially by planetary governments.

League Star Ship.

The main
CEF
base, collocated with
Terran
Home Fleet
HQs
, at
Tycho Prime
on Luna. A number of major commands are located there, such as Naval Star Systems Command, Naval Engineering Command, and Naval Survey Command (see
SECNAV
), as well as the
CGHQ
Main Annex and the
ONI
Main Annex.

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Manifolds are two-dimensional gravitational structure that form within the N-dimensional ‘overspace’ of which
RST
is a subset. First predicted by String Theory, the importance of manifolds is that wormhole jump routes follow them.
Tesseract
is an application that is used to map manifolds.

The name for a
squad
in the
Halith
Imperial Ground Forces. An appropriation of the ancient Roman term. As in other militaries, squads in Imperial Ground Forces are led by an
NCO
and deploy from assault shuttles, which in the Halith military usually have a 22-man maximum capacity.

A typical Halith maniple consists of a Squad Leader/Shuttle Commander (a sergeant), an Assistant Squad Leader (a corporal), and a Senior Gunner (a
PFC
), both armed with a
SAW
, a Grenadier armed with a 5-cm multimode mortar, an Assistant Grenadier, a gunner, a gunner/medic, a shuttle pilot and a shuttle gunner who mans the shuttle’s weapons. (Halith has not embraced the
fireteam
concept: they consider the maniple to be the smallest tactical unit.)

Generally, soldiers embarked on warships. In the
CEF
, a separate branch that serves both aboard ship and as the CEF’s ground forces. CEF Marines are organized into
regiments
of two or three
battalions
, each battalion having four or six
companies
. There are, however, a few regiments with only a single battalion, and these are referred to (confusingly) as
brigades
.

The basic tactical unit in the CEF Marines is a 12-man
section
, organized into
fireteams
. Four sections make up a
platoon
, and four platoons, a company. Cruisers usually embark a single company, battleships often have two, and dreadnoughts up to three, or even four (a full battalion). Smaller combatants might embark only a platoon of marines, or none at all.

The crowning achievement of
First Colonization Period
. The Mars Air Line brought thousands of cubic kilometers of refined gases from Venus to Mars to make the atmosphere breathable, while also reducing the inhospitable conditions on Venus.

The first successful independent colony (after several failed attempts) off the
Earth
and the seat of the
League’s
government, located at the ancient settlement of Nereus. However, Mars is only a
Homeworld
by courtesy; over 85% of the population are government employees, mostly from Earth, and the planet has essentially no economy of its own. A tiny handful of descendants of the original colonists still live there and (as a rule) deeply resent the rest of the population.

A device having the same properties as a laser but emitting microwave radiation. Often used for secure communications between naval vessels (including fighters). Also used in the scopes of some assault rifles, such as the
MI-6
used by
CATs
.

A code developed and used among deck slaves (privileged slaves who are allowed freedom of the decks on slaver ships) to communicate simple messages privately. It is based on ancient Morse code, and can be conveyed in text or spoken messages. The code uses word length (if in text), or syllables (if spoken), to convey messages via communications that appear innocuous. The code is known to be subject to private elaboration among some groups of slaves, but the basic rules are as follows:

Words greater the 2 letters (syllables if spoken) represent a dash (–). Words of 1 or 2 letters represent a dot (•). Punctuation means the end of the letter code. Quote marks (' or ") mean ignore characters to the right or left until a space. (When speaking this is conveyed by a slight halt, or use of an interjected particle:
ah
,
um
, or sometimes
fuck’n
).
Bye
indicates
End of Message
. (Other terms convey the same meaning, among them:
C’ya
,
Check it
,
TTL
and
Taffy
, which is said to derive from
TAFN
, the acronym for
That’s all for now
.) An exclamation point (!) is used for emphasis and/or to indicate priority or special urgency.

Most deck slaves can recognize match code on sight or at hearing, and can speak or write it fluently. Consider this example text message:

“How are U? OK? Anyway, this place - R’hab - turned out jake. R U good? Call! Bye!”

Decoded (one letter on each line):

– – •

•

–

– –

•

– – –

• • –

–

[End with emphasis.]

In Morse code this is: GETMEOUT!

A genetically altered human subspecies settled on a single system in Alpha Persei. Violently xenophobic and possessed of singular gravitic technology.

The Maxor control the most direct route between the
League
and
Halith
; they also control the only direct route between Halith and
Karelia
. This combination gives them a great deal of leverage. As a rule, they use their unique technology to interdict all shipping through their junction, preventing these routes from being used by others and rendering themselves safe from invasion, but the threat that they might decide to give one of these governments transit rights causes all three to expend a great deal of effort on the difficult and tricky business of Maxor diplomacy.

Maxor retain the ability to interbreed with humans, but this is universally reviled.

From
mega
, the general prefix for millions. In the
CEF
, an abbreviation for megameters or 1,000 kilometers.(Civil mariners prefer
kiloklicks
or
k-klicks
.)

A star cluster in Epsilon Lyrae that contains the
League
Homeworlds
of
New Meridies
,
Messier
, and
Hesperia
,. All three are noted for being class-conscious, aristocratic societies with strong martial traditions and imperialist policies.

Eltanin
was heavy settled from the Meridies, and maintains strong, but not always cordial, ties with it. The Meridies and
the Belt
are mutually antagonistic.

(See the
CEF history
, the
Linked Command System
, and
Eltanin
for more detail.)

A strategically vital
nexus
in the
Pleiades
, the
League’s
most prosperous sector outside of Sol. Merope connects the Pleiades with
Wogan’s Reef
and with
Crucis Sector
, as well as the rest of the League.

Generally speaking, a dining facility for military personnel; also used as a verb:
to mess
. The use of the term varies between services. Except in most navies, base facilities are termed
mess halls
, and some ships may have a
mess deck
. Messes are considered to be separate from other social accommodations, such as officer’s and NCO
clubs
, and
canteens
(to say nothing of other recreational facilities), and these latter facilities are often run by outside contractors, while messes rarely are (and never in the
CEF
or the
Halith
military).

The organization of the mess is the cornerstone of military society. It is steeped in
tradition
, having rules, conventions and ceremonial behaviors that cannot be contravened without severe repercussions (even lethal ones in
dueling cultures
). Nowhere is this more important than aboard ship, where the maintenance of proper social conventions is critical to the ship’s functioning.

On a naval vessel, the mess usually means the dining accommodations for
rates
and common mariners, specifically.
NCOs
mess (dine) in the
gunroom
, and officers in the
wardroom
. (The
CO
dines in her or his stateroom.) Large ships often have separate messes for different divisions, and in some navies, rates have their own mess (on a large ship), or a separate area in the mess, apart from the common mariners.

In addition to being a term for the dining facility itself, a mess also refers to a group of mariners who eat together, sharing a mess table. Originally, a mess was formed by a crew assigned to work together (such as a gun crew or the deck crew of a particular
fighter
in the
SRF
). Although it is still often the case that these individual messes are comprised of mariners who are coworkers, they now serve a more general social function.

In the marines and ground forces, enlisted personnel always eat together as squads, which they do not (as a rule) call
messes
.

A
League
Homeworld
in the Meridies Cluster, along with
New Meridies
and
Hesperia
. A republic, not a monarchy like its neighbors, it is still an aristocratic society and the only League Homeworld with an official caste system. Its military does not enjoy quite the reputation of its neighbors; however, many Messian officers are found in logistics and high-level staff positions.

The primary weapon used by
CATs
, a more capable variant of the standard
CEF Marine
assault rifle. It has a tunable
UWB
scope with a frequency-hopping maser and automatic target acquisition; fires three types of 12.7-mm multimode caseless ammunition: anti-personal, light-armor piercing terminally guided, or armor-piercing mid-course corrected; selectable to single, or three and five-shot bursts. (Five-shot bursts are recommended only from a tripod or when mounted.) Carries one hundred rounds in a dual clip. Effective range of 2500 meters, although an expert can push it to almost twice that far.

The MI-6A variant is fitted with a 25-mm under-slung grenade launcher that fires antipersonnel, incendiary, or high-explosive grenades. At least two CAT members will carry this variant, and possibly as many as four.

Some CAT members have their rifles
think-linked
, but the Corps discourages this practice.

The name given the widespread adoption of sophisticated 3D printing technology during the 21st Century (AD reckoning) that had destabilizing effects on those societies still dependent on low-tech manufacturing of consumer goods. Often cited as a primary contributing factor for
the Troubles
.

Megameters per second. Used for “absolute” velocity in the galactic inertial frame of reference.

Miranda is a strategically important system and nominal
League
ally in
Cygnus
. It controls one of the main transit lanes between the League and
Karelia
, as well as Karelia’s access to the
Kepler Junction
. Its position as an ally is complicated by a sizeable population of pro-
Halith
separatists. The
CEF
base at
Epona
exists partly to support the Mirandan government, to whom it provides aid and military advisors.

Miranda’s history has been difficult. Originally a colony of the
Terebellum Empire
, it has long been independent. It is largely agrarian, insular, and holds on to some of the pretensions of its parent. The ruling class is disdainful of the ‘hirelings’ (as they are known), which causes unrest. Its importance comes from being the ‘Gateway to Karelia’ from the Kepler side. (The other transit routes serving Karelian space are: two main routes connecting with
Rho Ceti
and
Regulus
, two dangerous transits connecting to
Deneb
and
Syrdar
, and one lane to
Maxor space
, which the Maxor frequently interdict.). Because of this, the Mirandan government has perennially used its position to wring aid and concessions out of the League.

However, this also brings Miranda to the attention of Halith. By holding the system, Halith can threaten Karelia on two major axes, given the position of Rho Ceti. This leads to a good deal of Halith intrigue with the dissatisfied elements of the populace. (Miranda tries to profit from this threat as well.) These intrigues did result in Halith annexing Miranda late in the last century, which later allowed them to mount a successful invasion of Karelia. Mirandan independence was restored after Halith’s defeat in
LH-1
, but at that point it had been a Halith possession for over 50 years. The consequences of this annexation continue to cause serious problems for Miranda.

Modern terraforming uses
nanocyte
‘seeds’ on a biologically active planet to transform the atmosphere and neutralize toxins, largely by ‘infecting’ native organisms and changing their genetic and cellular structure to both create a human-safe environment and allow them to survive in it. Combined with
immunocyte technology
, this greatly shortens the time before people can arrive on-planet and complete the terraforming process with older ‘traditional’ methods.

Modern terraforming was made possible by the
Third Nanocyte Revolution
, which produced the necessary technology. In turn, this spurred the
Third Colonization Period
.

The largest warships built, although they are more like mobile fortifications than ships. Heavily armored, they are armed with thousands of missiles and up to five massive turrets with triplets of 18- or 24-inch long
railguns
that fire two-tonne projectiles at near-relativistic speeds.

During the
Formation Wars
,
hypercapable
monitors were built but the technology to fit
grav-plants
to such massive vessels was subsequently lost. Current monitors are transported in sections to their destination and assembled.

Memorandum of Understanding. An administrative device used to promote, define and control interactions between governments or agencies that are otherwise constrained by laws, charters, or by treaty. Intended as a temporary expedient, this is sometimes abused.

Weaponized planetesimals. Form the acronym for
Munition-Large-Kinetic-Long Range
(MuLKLR). A planetesimal fitted with a massive hyperdrive and launched at another planet, which it would impact at a substantial fraction of the speed of light.

Sparse records indicate that during the
Formation Wars
, several
star civilizations
tried to develop mule killers. A direct hit by such an object could pulverize a planet; a near miss could change the axial tilt and set off earthquakes or start volcanism on a massive scale.

However, there is no evidence that any succeeded in actually producing mule killers, let alone using them. Nonetheless, persistent rumors of the threat remain, including wild speculation that sublight versions were launched and are even now traveling at high speed toward their targets.