by Myke Cole
NODS — Night Observation Devices.
NONCOMM — A Noncommissioned Officer; sergeants in the air and land services and petty officers in the maritime services.
NON RATE — Enlisted personnel in maritime services below the rank of E–4 (E–3s are sometimes rated). A non rate achieves a “rating” when he/ she has graduated from “A–School” and can demonstrate certifiable skill in a particular field. At that point, the non rate usually becomes a petty officer.
NORMALS — Selfer slang for those who are not Latent. The term is respectful. The term “human” is sometimes substituted in derogatory fashion.
NOVICE — SOC Sorcerers still in training, before they graduate SAOLCC.
OC — Officers’ Club.
ON MY SIX — Directly behind the speaker.
OPSEC — Operations Security.
OUTSIDE THE WIRE — Area beyond the secure perimeter of a military facility.
PFC — Private First Class. A junior enlisted rank. E–3 in the United States Army and E–2 in the United States Marine Corps.
POAC — Pentagon Officers Athletic Club.
PROBES — Short for “Prohibited.” Those Latents who Manifest in a school of prohibited magic such as Negramancy, Portamancy, Necromancy, or Sentient Elemental Conjuration.
PX — Post Exchange. A store selling a variety of goods located on a military facility.
QRF — Quick Reaction Force.
R&R — Rest and Relaxation.
READING — Slang for the military practice of using Rump Latents to “read” the currents of other Latent individuals in an effort to discover their magic-using status.
RENDING — Offensive use of Physiomantic magic. See Healer definition above.
ROE — Rules of Engagement. The conditions under which members of the military and law-enforcement communities are permitted to employ deadly force.
RTO — Radio Telephone Operator. A military member who specializes in the use and maintenance of radio equipment.
RUMP LATENCY — A person who Manifests magical ability that is too slight to be of any real use. Such a person can only use magic to a very slight degree but can feel the magical tide in another person. Rump Latents are not commissioned as full SOC officers but make up a small percentage of the enlisted and warrant-officer support in the corps.
SAOLCC — Sorcerer’s Apprentice/ Officer Leadership Combined Course. Basic training for SOC Sorcerers. This rigorous training regimen teaches Latent soldiers the basics of magic use/ control while simultaneously preparing them for their duties as officers in the US Army.
SAW — Squad Automatic Weapon. A light machine gun, capable of being carried and used as a rifle but heavier and with a greater magazine capacity. It is frequently equipped with a bipod enabling it to be used in a fixed position as a crew-served, belt-fed support weapon.
SCHOOL — A particular kind of magic, usually associated with a mutable element (earth, air, fire, water, flesh, etc.). Latent individuals only Manifest in one school.
SEABEE — Colloquial pronunciation of “CB” — construction battalions of the United States Navy.
SELFERS — Latent individuals who elect to flee authority and use their magical abilities unsupervised. Selfers are usually tracked down and killed.
SF — Special Forces.
SINCGARS — Single Channel Ground and Airborne Radio System. A networked radio system that handles secure voice and data communications.
SITREP — Situation Report.
SOC — Supernatural Operations Corps. Not to be confused with Special Operations Command (or SOCOM, under whose auspices the Supernatural Operations Corps falls). The SOC is the corps of the US Army responsible for all magical use. The SOC is a joint corps, which means it handles magic use for all US armed services to include the Air Force, Navy, and Coast Guard (though the Army is the executive agent). The Marine Corps does not participate in the SOC, and runs its own Suppression Lances.
SORCERER — A SOC magical operator — an officer of the SOC who employs magic as his primary military specialty.
STANDOFF ARMOR — A type of vehicle armor designed to protect against attacks by rocket-propelled grenades (RPGs).
STRYKER — An armored combat land vehicle.
SUPPRESSION — The act of using one’s own magical current to block that of another. This is typically a one–to–one ratio. The strength of a Suppressor’s Latency must exceed that of the individual he is seeking to Suppress.
SUPPRESSION LANCE — A US Marine Corps unit that employs a Suppressing officer to block the magical abilities of the riflemen in the unit.
TAR BABY — SOC Slang for elemental automatons. See Elementalist definition above.
TOC — Tactical Operations Center.
UCMJ — Uniform Code of Military Justice.
USTRANSCOM — United States Transportation Command. is one of ten unified commands of the United States Department of Defense. The mission of USTRANSCOM is to provide air, land, and sea transportation for the Department of Defense, both in time of peace and time of war.
WHISPERING — Terramantic magic used to control the actions of animals. This is prohibited by the US Code. SOC Terramancers are not permitted to Whisper.
WIA — Wounded in Action.
WITCH — Selfer slang for a Negramancer. Male Negramancers are sometimes called Warlocks.
XO — Executive Officer.
Contents
Praise
Also by Myke Cole
Title Page
Copyright
Acknowledgments
NOTE
Maps
Part I: Measure of a Man
Chapter I: Tide Comes In
Chapter II: Sea Change
Chapter III: Stress Test
Chapter IV: Orientation
Chapter V: Closed Session
Chapter VI: Short Rations
Part II: Taking Home
Chapter VII: Last Rites
Chapter VIII: Outside the Wire
Chapter IX: Tracking
Chapter X: Quarry
Chapter XI: Tunnels
Chapter XII: Meet the Gang
Chapter XIII: Bait and Switch
Part III: Cross-Purposes
Chapter XIV: In Command
Chapter XV: Lead from the Front
Chapter XVI: Boots on the Ground
Chapter XVII: Move Out
Chapter XVIII: Field of Fire
Chapter XIX: Thieves
Chapter XX: Bad Man
Chapter XXI: FOB Sarpakavu
Chapter XXII: Audience
Chapter XXIII: Off the Pitch
Chapter XXIV: Homeward Bound
Chapter XXV: Talking Points
Chapter XXVI: Jailbreak
Chapter XXVII: Relief
Chapter XXVIII: Rear Guard
Glossary of Military Terms, Acronyms, and Slang