WTF Does That Mean?
As I seem to be going through the 'invent new words' phase of SF writing I decided to include a small glossary for what I have so far used in the Tesla story.
(N.C.) non-canon species, (Te.) Tenebrian, (Vo.) Vole, (Z.) Zangid
(N.C.) non-canon species, (Te.) Tenebrian, (Vo.) Vole, (Z.) Zangid
-va go-agro: (Te,) Telling a person you are about to deal violence to them. Ex. Terrence go-aggro.
AXA: Anomalous Xeno-Artifact. An artifact left behind by an extinct (or just missing) species. the code refers to any advanced and working technology the Fleet doesn’t understand. The AXA onboard the Tesla can change a subject’s species temporarily.
GAIA: Gynoid Artificial Intelligence Assembly. The combination of source code and hardware that is uniquely GAIA.
gynoid: Terran AI in with ambiguous female attributes
Lurran: (N.C.) Riasi’s species. Humanoid species with some feline and vulpine characteristics. An ally of the humans
paddlet: A small tablet like device, usually with a flatscreen as a back up for a holographic display. The Fleet equivalent of a notepad.
Rockapongalie: (N.C.) An extinct (?), highly advanced race of sexual predators responsible for much of the evolution of the n=known races and their ability to often interbreed. The Rockapongalie used various devices to make young races more compatible biologically (and sexually) so they had someone to party with.
salle-: (Z.) Honorific meaning ‘eldest son’. Usually placed before name or title. Ex. Salle-Captain or salle-Korsa. Leaving it off marks one as ill mannered unless you know the person very well.
Sarlos: (N.C.) Bizgit’s race. Think a sasquatch with fangs and talons. They are over two meters tall about 200 kilos and usually quite peaceable. They require a very humid and oxygenated breathing mix. Standard air mix (for humans or Zangid) causes them to develop a phlegmy cough after a few hours.
Skipper: term for a person lower in rank than Captain commanding a ship or shuttle. thus the Ensign is addressed as ‘Skipper’ when he is commanding Shuttle 1. The Exec is also called ‘Skipper’ when she is commanding the Tesla as she is a commander, not a captain.
toaster: derogatory term for AI and considered very bad manners
Turing rating: Terran test designed to measure AI initiative and ability to infer and adapt. Humans are by default assigned a ’10’. Fleet AI such as GAIA require a minimum of ‘7’.
ulla-: (Z.) Honorific meaning ‘patriarch. Usually placed before name or title. Ex. Ulna-admiral or ulla-Korsa. Leaving it off marks one as ill mannered unless you are an equal or superior.
Venga’nali: (Te.) Instructing a person to do something obscene disgusting and probably illegal in most locales. Don’t use it on a Tenebrian unless you are an ambidextrous black belt.
xeche: (Vo.) enter/you may approach/hello
xechut: (Vo.) do not come near me/stay there/piss off
Characters (Yes, my characters have real names. They just address each other by rank or title. It’s an old Fleet superstition.)
Fleet Personnel
Captain (Military): Daniel Maddock Military Branch
Executive Officer (Science): Philomena Lovecraft Science Branch
Cadet (Later Midshipman): Shaeffer (Shavetail) Dell Nagivation Technology Branch
Tech Officer: Titus Ortega Technology Branch (Deceased)
GAIA (Gi): Service Line Android Science/Technology Branch Compatible.
Chief Medical Officer: Rudolph ('Dolphin') Osborne Medical Science Branch
Marine Sergeant Major: Eustace Sherlock (The Chief) Rademacher
Marine Lance Corporal: Jennifer Darling
Specialist: N’Sa Nok Navigation Branch Helmsman
Specialist: Tivk Technology Precision Fabrication Engineer Technology Branch
Specialist: Professor Tiglath Pileser Mukh Contact Science Branch
Observer: Riasi Querunuroow Professional Cat Girl
Pirates
Captain Xamilcar salle-Korsa Weapons Officer/Military Branch
Helmsman: ‘Domo’ Military Branch
Science: Talnerassa Science Branch
Engineer: Kzvita Technology Branch
Doctor/Life Support/Cook: Bizgit Biology/Sciences Branch
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